Chapter 210: The Scorched Outskirts.

“No one knows how vast the Bleeding Desert truly is,” Tahlia began slowly. Her tone carried a quiet weight, as though she were recalling something far older than herself.

“From everything I have heard, this entire world is a desert. No matter where you look, you will only see endless sand stretching to the horizon.”

She paused briefly before continuing.

“However, the Bleeding Desert is divided into multiple zones. Each zone is completely different from the others.”

“How different are they?” Thoren asked calmly.

He was not surprised by this information. The first floor had also been divided into zones, some of which were far more dangerous than others. The uncharted territories alone had proven that much.

“Very different,” Tahlia replied, taking a slow sip from her drink. “But I have never been to any zone except the one we are currently in.”

She placed the mug down and looked directly at him.

“This place is called the Scorched Outskirts.”

Her voice lowered slightly.

“And it is considered the least dangerous of all the zones.”

Her words lingered in the air.

“You must have noticed the desert trying to swallow you earlier,” she continued, her expression turning grim. “The way the sand moves. The way it pulls.”

“Yes, I noticed,” Thoren replied with a nod.

“That is one of the strangest and deadliest traits of the Bleeding Desert,” Tahlia said.

Her fingers tightened slightly around her mug.

“There is an old legend that has been passed down from one group to another. According to that legend, this was never a desert. Instead, it is said that we are standing inside the belly of a massive creature.”

She paused again.

“That is why the sand can devour anything that touches it.”

“Hmm?”

Thoren frowned slightly.

The story sounded exaggerated, almost absurd. Yet, considering what he had already experienced, he could not dismiss it entirely.

“Then how can this camp exist without being swallowed?” he asked.

Tahlia seemed to have expected the question.

Without hesitation, she reached into her inventory and took out a small object.

It was a crystal.

Deep red in color, almost like coagulated blood.

The moment Thoren laid eyes on it, he felt something unusual.

A strong life force radiated from the crystal.

At the same time, there was another presence layered beneath it.

Something darker.

Something faintly reminiscent of undead energy.

Though subtle, it was unmistakable.

“This is called a Hemal Shard,” Tahlia explained.

She held it up slightly, allowing him to examine it more closely.

“Anyone who wishes to travel through the desert must carry one of these,” she continued. “Without it, you will not survive.”

She tilted her head slightly.

“You are probably wondering what happens to those who do not have one.”

Thoren remained silent, his gaze fixed on the shard.

The implications were already clear.

This desert was not simply dangerous.

It demanded protection just to stand upon it.

“Like you have guessed,” Tahlia said, her voice firm and unwavering, “they are devoured alive.”

Her words carried no hesitation.

Only certainty.

“You may not fully understand it yet,” she continued, “but once you spend more than a day out there, you will.”

She leaned back slightly.

“The longer you remain in the desert, the stronger the devouring force becomes. It does not matter how fast you are or how strong you think you are.”

“There is no escaping it.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Unless you can avoid touching the ground entirely.”

Thoren’s expression remained calm, but his thoughts stirred.

That alone would make survival here extremely difficult.

“Many people have tried to outrun it,” Tahlia continued. “They believed speed would save them.”

A faint, humorless smile appeared on her lips.

“They were wrong.”

“Every step they took only hastened their end.”

She tapped the side of her mug lightly.

“Some could not even make it five meters before they were swallowed completely.”

Her voice dropped further.

“And the most terrifying part is this…”

“If you try to find them afterward, you will not find anything.”

She held his gaze.

“No bodies.”

“No bones.”

“Nothing at all.”

“It is as if they never existed.”

Silence.

Thoren’s mind turned rapidly. The more he learned, the more questions arose.

A desert that could devour living beings. A force that erased all traces of its victims.

Even the first floor of the Abyss could not compare. After devouring its prey, the desert left no evidence behind.

Where did they go?

Were they truly consumed?

Or transported somewhere else?

Was the legend true?

Were they really inside the belly of some ancient, unimaginable creature?

Thoren could not determine the answer.

But one thing was certain.

This place operated under entirely different rules.

To complete his trial and find the Vorlath Blood Compass, he would need more than strength.

He needed knowledge.

“And what about the other zones?” he asked after a moment.

“If this place is considered the safest, then what about the rest?”

Tahlia let out a small breath.

“They are far worse,” she said, shaking her head. “Much worse.”

Her expression darkened.

“I have heard that the Hemal Shards do not even work in some of those areas.”

She looked at him with a slight frown.

“But why are you even thinking about other zones?”

Her tone carried a hint of disbelief.

“You have not even experienced the true horror of the Scorched Outskirts yet.”

She leaned forward slightly.

“Survive here for a week or two first.”

“Then you can start thinking about those places.”

A faint smirk appeared at the corner of her lips.

It was not mockery. It was expectation.

She had seen this before. Newcomers arriving with confidence, believing they were different.

Stronger.

Better.

And then, the desert humbled them.

Every single one.

“Everyone starts like you,” she continued. “Confident. Curious.”

Her voice softened.

“But the desert teaches quickly.”

“And when it does…”

She shrugged lightly.

“That confidence disappears.”

Thoren did not respond.

He did not care about her assumptions. While she spoke, his mind was already working.

From what he had gathered, Tahlia’s knowledge was limited.

Useful but not enough.

She understood the basics.

The general dangers but nothing beyond that.

If he wanted to complete his trial, that would not suffice. He needed deeper knowledge, more precise information.

Someone who understood this world beyond surface-level survival.

Someone who knew its secrets.

Tahlia watched him quietly for a moment.

Then she chuckled. “Do you think that is all the danger here?” she asked.

“Is it not?” Thoren replied, raising a brow slightly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep