Again, they don’t use any soul attacks, they just charge at me once they spot me. Since they are charging blindly, I just raise some blades from the ground and let them impale themselves. They do so and even the last one in line doesn’t stop, it just runs right onto the blades.

  7 Opponents defeated! 140,000 Soul Exp gained!

  Loot: Pauldrons, Bracers, 850 Soul Coins, 10 Soul Crystals!

  Considering how easy they were to kill, they are quite generous when it comes to loot. I would be more than willing to stay here and farm beasts like that for a while. Unfortunately, they still seem fairly uncommon, that is the only group in the immediate area.

  One group is not enough to prove my theory about population density being related to mana. I will need more data before I can figure out if I am right about it or not. For now, I turn and head back towards the door, it should be getting close to dawn outside.

  My timing is a little off, when I open my eyes I find that the sun is already up and Mercy is starting to stir. I wait until I see her eyes open and then greet her with a passionate kiss. After everything I thought about, I make sure to tell her that I love her and it has an effect.

  From the way she melts into me when I say it, I obviously have not been saying it enough. I need to keep in mind that actions are not enough, women need the words too. I resolve to do better from now on, but I still show her how much I care about her.

  She is still a little tired from last night, so we keep it to cuddling and then have breakfast together. When we finally leave the cabin we find a hungry Lizzy waiting for us outside. She apparently has a specific craving that can only be satisfied from the pouch.

  Of course, I feed her what she is craving, I don’t want to deal with a cranky lizard. Then, once the caravan is moving, I make a pouch for Leylisha so that she can feed Lizzy. I make it slightly larger than normal so that it is easier for her to feed Lizzy.

  Other than making the pouch, I spend the rest of the day in the carriage with Mercy. We end the day at a city, but at Mercy’s request I set up the cabin again outside of the city. She apparently hasn’t had enough of breaking the cabin in, not that I am about to complain.

  When we are done and she has fallen asleep, I return to the battlefield to continue exploring. I am skipping creating a soulscape, but it shouldn’t be a problem to miss one night. Lin will probably open one when she realizes that I am not going to.

  I just want some more time to explore, I want to see if this place is actually dangerous. So far, everything I have run into has been fairly easy to defeat, not something a dragon would worry about. For Everburn to warn me so seriously, there has to be more to this place than what I have seen so far.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  As it stands, even some of the worlds I have visited have been more dangerous than this place. I admit to being disappointed so far, but it is still a little early to judge things. After all, Everburn said that demons and angels fight on this battlefield and I haven’t seen them yet.

  Instead of worrying about it, I head south from the door towards where the mana is denser. I have more time tonight, meaning I can move further away from the door and see what’s out there. After walking for what feels like an hour I finally see a change in the terrain.

  Ahead of me are hills and as I get closer to them I can hear faint sounds of combat. I rush to the top of the first hill to see what is going on, but when I see what is waiting I freeze. Of all the things I thought I might see, a dragon certainly wasn’t one of them, and it sees me as well.

  ??? says “What have we here? Little one, you are far too young to be wandering the battlefield!”

  “I got permission! The dragon who has been teaching me said I should be strong enough to explore a little.”

  ??? says “You aren’t even old enough to be complete yet, you are just here with your soul! That makes it far too dangerous for you to be here!”

  “Actually, I am not a baby dragon. I have evolved into something called a dragonling. I actually started out as a human.”

  ??? says “Really?! How curious! This is only a fragment of my being, so my ability to discern what you are is limited. You feel like a newly born dragon to me.”

  “Thank you, I take that as a compliment. In fact, I hope that if I can evolve further I will actually become a dragon.”

  ??? says “That is an admirable goal. So, what are you doing risking it all by being here? This place is extremely dangerous for one as young as you.”

  “It isn’t all that dangerous, is it? I haven’t seen anything that could threaten me, except for you.”

  ??? says “Oh, then you have been lucky. There are things here that can threaten me. I am far from the strongest being on this battlefield.”

  “If it is that dangerous, how come I have only seen weak beasts? Also, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you here?”

  ??? says "Newcomers are always placed on the fringes, that is probably why. As to why I am here, it is to gain strength. I may have a unified being, but that doesn’t stop me from gaining strength through absorbing soul energy. It just takes far more for me to benefit. That is why I leave a fragment of myself here full time.”

  “So, does the fact that I ran into you mean I am getting closer to the more dangerous areas?”

  ??? says “Yes, it does. If you insist on staying here, I would suggest you stay in the safer area you have already explored. Keep in mind that everyone, no matter how powerful, will start out there when they first enter. You should also be aware that there are stronger beings who hunt the plains for easy prey.”

  “So the plains aren’t really safe, I have just gotten lucky?”

  ??? says “Exactly! And luck never lasts. Also, don’t count on other dragons you meet to be friendly. Again, you got lucky in meeting me, I don’t prey on my own kind. Others will kill you without even blinking.”

  “That’s a terrifying thought!”

  ??? says “That is part of the reason that we don’t allow our young to come here. Normally, they aren’t allowed here until they are adults and can come with only part of themselves. Coming here fully is far too dangerous because dragon bodies are worth so much. That is another thing you will need to be careful of, you are very valuable. That will make those that might normally be neutral come after you. Then there are also those that would capture you to sell.”