Have you ever wondered what's at the edge of the world?
...
The giant black line that divided the continent in two stretched before them. Nazel and the others stood in front of it, their gazes drawn toward its distant end on the horizon.
This was the mark where normal humans shouldn't pass. People said the other side of the line was a dangerous place, where creatures beyond human comprehension lurked, eager to kill anyone who dared to cross.
A man with the appearance of a veteran fighter stood before them and clapped his hands.
"Alright, listen up!" he said loudly. "My name is Alexey, and I will be your guide today!"
Everyone looked at him. One of them, a short-haired girl wearing goggles, looked excited. She wore black techwear clothing with long sleeves that almost completely hid her hands. Around her neck, she wore an oversized black metal collar with something resembling a battery symbol on the side. A small sling bag hung at her side, and an unusual logo was printed on her outfit. A cracked symbol of a certain group called GroundBreak Association.
Her name was Mar.
On the other side, a blue-haired guy looked just as excited. He wore light armor and carried a huge backpack. His name was Leol.
Right beside him, a guy with messy black hair, Nazel, calmly closed his book and slipped it behind his long coat. The book was thick and heavy, yet no bulge appeared on his black coat, as if it had simply disappeared inside.
Not far from them, a group of muscular men stood with their arms crossed, pride evident in their posture. The biggest one stood in front, tattoos covering his arms.
They smirked as if they owned the world.
With magic, even someone skinny could become physically strong. But if you combined magic with a muscular body, you became even stronger. Maybe that was why they acted so cocky.
"I will warn you only once," Alexey said, raising his hand. He pointed at the giant black line behind him. "The moment you step across this line, your life will be in danger."
"So it's true?" Mar asked excitedly. "This line actually stops monsters from crossing?"
The muscular man and his friends snickered.
"Of course, that's true, girly," he said with a laugh. "Everyone knows that. Where did you come from? A cave? Under a boulder somewhere?"
"Well, I—" Mar started to argue but suddenly stopped. As if remembering something, her face turned slightly red.
"To be fair, this black line is quite mysterious," Nazel said calmly. "For people who aren't from around here, it might seem unreal. Especially since there's no trace of magic on it."
"That's right!" Leol joined in. "They say this line has existed for over a thousand years! Some believe a legendary ancient mage created it to make a safe zone for us. Yet, the barrier is still just as strong!"
The muscular man looked irritated. He and his group didn't like that the two of them were standing up for the small girl.
Before anything else could happen, Alexey cleared his throat.
"The point is," Alexey said, regaining their attention, "the moment you step to the other side, if you end up dead, you can't blame anyone but yourself."
"And people always mistake this," he continued. "I'm a guide, not your bodyguard or protector. My job is to lead you to the nearest town beyond this line. I can show you the safest routes, but I have no responsibility to protect you or help you survive."
"If you're fine with that, then step up," Alexey said.
"Of course we're fine with that!" one of the muscular man's friends shouted as he rushed toward the edge of the black line. "That's why we came here, moron!"
The moment he stepped beyond the black line, something huge leaped out of the grass, nearly biting his hand clean off.
Blood gushed from the deep wound. The man screamed in pain and stumbled backward, falling into the safe zone.
Alexey sighed. "Who said you could just cross the line recklessly like that?" he said, glancing at the creature. A giant lizard-like monster with fur that looked like grass, covering its entire body. "That's a Man-Eater Grasstrap. They can blend in with the grass using their skin. Plenty of them hide near the black line, waiting for idiots like you."
In no time, the Man-Eater Grasstrap camouflaged itself again, vanishing into the grass.
"You should have told us earlier!" the muscular man roared while his friends hurried to heal their wounded companion.
"I did tell you," Alexey replied with a bored look. "It's your own fault. Next time, listen properly."
The muscular man glared at him in anger but didn't dare do anything. Without a guide, traveling beyond the line alone meant certain death.
Mar stepped past them and stared at the spot where the Man-Eater Grasstrap had appeared. Her goggles gleamed as she studied the area with excitement.
"Fascinating," she murmured. "I think I can still see them. So they really can't cross this line, even though their prey is right in front of them? Why? You said before that no magic was used on this black line, right?"
Behind her, Nazel shrugged. "That's the mystery," he said. "I mean, obviously, the line was made with magic. No one can just carve a giant black line across the continent with their bare hands. But there's no trace of magic preventing the monsters from crossing it."
"That's right!" Leol added eagerly. "I heard that samples of the black line are sold on the black market everywhere! Samples of soil, grass, everything! A lot of people are trying to figure out the mystery. Plenty of mages have tested and researched it, but as far as we know, there's no special magic at play! It's not much different from using magic to fill a pen with ink. The writing itself is just normal. It's as if monsters simply choose not to cross it for some reason."
"Maybe monsters can sense that this great black line was created by a powerful mage, so they don't dare cross it?" Mar speculated. "Like, maybe there's a mana residual or something?"
"That's possible," Nazel said, looking at the black line. "Some mages think the same thing, but unfortunately, tests haven't proven anything."
"Is that so? Too bad," Mar said in a disappointed tone. Yet, she was smiling.
"You say 'too bad,' but you look happy," Leol said, confused.
"Well, a mystery that's easily solved isn't really a mystery, is it?" Mar grinned. "I knew this journey would satisfy my curiosity! Anyway, my name's Mar!"
Leol blinked in surprise. "Oh, uh, I'm Leol," he replied awkwardly.
They might be strangers now, but if they crossed the line together, they would be traveling companions, at least until they reached the nearest town. Getting to know each other could be helpful, even if some people weren't easy to cooperate with. Like the muscle-head group not far from them.
Mar turned to Nazel, expecting him to introduce himself, too.
He shrugged. "I'm Nazel," he said, just going along with it.
"Are you guys done?" Alexey interrupted. "Now that you know the actual danger, no more complaints to me, yeah? Do you still want to cross the line?"
"Of course!" Leol said, gripping his backpack tighter. "I'm already prepared for this!"
Mar nodded. "I came with that expectation from the beginning. I'm okay with it."
"No problem," Nazel said calmly.
Alexey nodded in satisfaction. He turned toward the muscular group. "What about you guys?" he asked. "It's not too late to turn back."
"Don't joke around! We're coming too!" the muscular man growled. His friends voiced their agreement.
"Well, alright. Follow me," Alexey said.
***