The fact that monster cities existed in the world came as a shock to Adam when he first learned of them. He had thought that only humans were capable of such a thing, but his second journey to the Tarnished Lands changed his perspective.

Izardo was one of the best and most pleasant places he had ever stayed, and that city made him reflect on many other things about the Dead Lands.

Now, from high above the clouds, Adam looked down at the second monster city he might soon visit - Varreyn.

Sure, it was far away, but even from that distance, Adam could see that Varreyn was significantly larger than Izardo.

"Damn, just how huge is this place? How many monsters are there? This city... it’s twice, no... at least three times bigger than Izardo!" Adam exclaimed inwardly, unable to believe his eyes.

It was difficult to gauge the size of Varreyn because, unlike Izardo, which was situated on a spacious, flat field, Varreyn’s layout was more complex.

"As far as I know, you’ve only been to Izardo, right?" Laroza asked as they hovered in the air.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, it was a great place. Before that, I didn’t even suspect that monster cities existed."

"Well, come to think of it, almost every land has something similar. Although you’re right, cities like that only exist in the Tarnished Lands." Laroza shrugged.

This gave Adam pause.

’Wait, she’s right. Sure, there aren’t any cities in the Hollow Lands, but every pillar is a small hub for monsters in its own right, isn’t it? In the Primal Lands, there are clans, and they have pretty large structures. I’m sure each clan has many monsters living on their territories.’

Then, Adam remembered the Dark Shore.

Sure, that area was the one Adam knew the least about. He’d only been there once, and it had been chaos that nearly ended in his death.

Still, that was enough for Adam to realize that there must be monster cities at the Dark Shore as well, or at least something similar to them.

"Got it." Laroza nodded with a broad smile. "But Varreyn is a completely different case. Izardo is a great city, but it’s small compared to Varreyn."

Then she pointed to the first part of Varreyn, which, like Izardo, was located on the plain at the foot of a high peak, a narrow mountain reaching toward the sky.

"That’s the lower level of Varreyn. There you can see everything you’d find in Izardo, shops, bars, squares, and so on. Huh, there’s even a park, and that’s in this barren land, can you believe it?" She chuckled.

Then, Laroza pointed to the rocky peak that looked more like a narrow mountain. The entire lower and middle parts of it were covered with buildings. Tunnels ran through the peak, and numerous roads ran along it.

Just like at the lower level, night lights were glowing in the houses and on the streets. From a distance, it looked much like a neighborhood in the Citadel.

"This is the middle level.

The more influential monsters live on the outskirts, and inside there are paths leading down, underground. There are mines there, as well as hunting grounds and even shortcuts to nearby places."

Adam’s eyes lingered on the middle level before moving on to the places farther away. Light emanated from them as well, though not as bright as that from Varreyn.

"Are you talking about these places?" Adam pointed to one of the light spots.

Laroza nodded. "Yeah, they’re sort of like outposts. They’re too small to be separate cities or even towns, but there are a few interesting buildings and monsters there. Specifically, these outposts are connected to Varreyn and are located within the city’s territory."

"I see. So, what about the very top?" Adam asked, looking up toward the peak.

Just like at the lower and middle levels, there were buildings there, though they differed from the rest. These buildings resembled towers and spires, overlooking the entire Varreyn.

"Well, that’s the upper level. As you can imagine, ordinary monsters can’t get in there. Only the strongest and most influential monsters of Varreyn are found there."

"By the way, what’s this region actually called? We’re currently in the Deep Ring, but the Deep Ring must be divided into several regions, right?"

Laroza glanced at him as a sparkle flashed in her eyes.

"You’re right, boy. We’re currently in the Arch Horizon Region. It’s one of the regions of the Deep Ring, and it’s directly connected to the end of the Tarnished Lands and the beginning of the Gray Sea."

"So the Gray Sea is not far beyond Varreyn?"

Laroza tilted her head, mentally estimating the distance.

"Something like that. But even if we make it to that hill in the distance, the beginning of the Gray Sea will still be too far away to see. It’ll take quite a journey to get there, even from the Deep Ring." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Adam stared at Varreyn and the outposts in the distance for a while before looking up at the summit again.

"As for the upper level, do members of the Renegades like you live there?" Adam asked.

He thought it was a straightforward question, and the answer should be obvious, but instead, Laroza just laughed.

"Hahahahaha! No! Where did you get that idea?"

"Agh...?" Adam was caught off guard. "But you said the most influential monsters in Varreyn live there. Is there anyone in the Tarnished Lands more influential than the Renegades?"

Laroza shook her head.

"Of course not. The Renegades are the strongest faction—no one doubts that. But we don’t live in cities like Varreyn, at least not permanently. Most of us have watchpoints like mine."

She pointed to the Blind Eye Tower.

"Neither I nor any other Renegade rules these lands, but we watch over them and maintain order."

"So... you’re not a king, but a warden?"

"Hahaha! Something like that!" Laroza exclaimed as she smiled broadly. "Our leader came up with that!"

Adam’s expression changed at that moment.

’The leader of the Renegades... That must be yet another monster worthy of being called one of the strongest in the world, isn’t it?’