As I looked over my map, the details were becoming clearer. There's Quaking Rocks Island, and the Rainforest of Ants—a massive ant colony spanning an entire forest. It might as well be its own biome. Then there's the Radiated Wasteland, a vast desert littered with metal scraps and crawling with some of the most powerful monsters.
Further out are the Floating Islands. Due to the strange gravity on this barren wasteland and its magnetic properties, these islands float ominously. Beyond that lies the Tundra, stretching hundreds of thousands of miles with below-freezing temperatures and even more terrifying creatures. Here, an enormous goblin fortress stands under the rule of the Goblin King—one of the most powerful monsters in existence.
Then, there's the Endless Pit: a massive chasm inhabited by the Abyssal Devourer, a gargantuan sandworm that leaps from the depths with terrifying speed to capture anything that flies over or falls in. Known as one of the "Five Great Beasts of the Barren Wasteland," this creature lurks in the largest pit called the Core of the World. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes. In the pitch-black darkness, any hint of light attracts swarms of monsters. The sandworm's children roam the depths as well, equally as terrifying.
The Floating Islands also have their own ruler, a legendary beast known as Scavengeridon. It soars to great heights and traps enemies within an unstoppable force called the Pulsecage, then drops them to their doom. The Goblin King wields some of the most formidable mind magic known, with centuries of experience. He can rewrite your memories and identity in an instant, though it brings great pain.
As for the sandworm, or Abyssal Devourer, it's earned its place as one of the most fearsome creatures in this land. Among the other Great Beasts was once the Great King of the Nigels, a monstrous creature towering 350 feet. It ruled the desert until it attempted to conquer the Radiated Wasteland. But then Scavengeridon intervened, trapping the Nigel King in its Pulsecage and dropping it from the sky to its death. After that, the king of the Floating Islands claimed the Radiated Wasteland as its own.
Most humans below level 40 can't even attempt to enter this place. Here, monsters don't need to eat, drink, or sleep—they grow stronger just by existing. Only those with incredible power can hope to survive, and weaker ones perish on arrival. This place is fiercely contested; any monster that grows too strong will inevitably seek to dominate the Radiated Wasteland.
These stories, though only fragments of what I've discovered in my ventures, paint a terrifying picture. Many are passed down by great storytellers who, like me, have seen the truth of this place. It's been five years since I started as a level-one newbie. Since then, I've joined clans, led armies, and helped write the history of this world. I now understand what this place is truly like.
I was naive to think kindness could survive here. Kind people become wild animals. They lose their humanity. But somehow, I hold on to my sanity.