The driver glanced at Karry.
Driver: "Look, kid. We've reached beyond Ritna, so you can get out now."
Karry: "I see."
Karry stepped out of the car.
The driver drove away, leaving him alone.
Karry looked ahead.
An endless desert stretched across the horizon.
He had never been beyond Ritna before.
Karry: "What should I do now...?"
He began walking through the desert.
After walking for a while, Karry remembered the note Kernel had given him.
He took it out and began reading.
The note explained that the United Species Empire and the other nations were located on the opposite side of Ritna, with their territories mixing around the borders.
But beyond Ritna was different.
It was a land that belonged to no nation.
A place avoided by everyone.
The reason was simple.
Monsters.
The desert was filled with them.
According to the records, the monsters had originally been released during a laboratory experiment.
But they didn't remain the same.
They continued to evolve, reproduce, and grow stronger.
Eventually, they became such a dangerous obstacle that Ritna and the other nations were forced to construct a massive wall to contain them.
Karry looked toward the endless desert.
There was no civilization in sight.
Only sand.
Only silence.
And somewhere beneath it...
Monsters.
Karry swallowed.
Karry: "I may die here."
[End of chapter]