The White Dome.

That was what Bauer called the white barrier spread wide across the direction of Silicon Alley. He went on to explain the background behind the White Dome’s appearance.

"The White Dome first showed up about a month ago. Its original location was Tech Row Station."

At the time, the White Dome had been a small hemisphere with a radius of about 650 feet. Barely large enough to enclose Tech Row Station itself.

From the outside, there was no way to see what was inside, no matter what anyone tried. Because of this, the shelters around Tech Row Station came to a decision.

They would dispatch a search team.

"But this is where they made a mistake."

The first search team had been composed entirely of unawakened people. And just as feared, the team didn’t return even after a full day.

Then, on the second day.

A sudden, unexpected change occurred.

"The dome more than doubled in size."

"...It grew bigger?"

"Yeah. It expanded to a radius of about 1,600 feet, swallowing every shelter near Tech Row Station."

"Wait, then the people inside those shelters..."

"They were trapped inside the dome along with everything else."

The number of missing people alone reached several hundred.

With everyone’s fate unknown, the larger shelters that had been watching from the sidelines recognized the severity of the situation and assembled a search team.

"The second search team was dispatched from the Silicon Alley and Ironbound Station shelters. Unlike the first, it was an elite force composed entirely of D-rank hunters and above."

Three C-rank hunters and seventeen D-rank hunters.

A total of twenty hunters mobilized to uncover the White Dome’s true nature.

But there was no twist ending.

Even the hunter search team lost all contact the moment they entered the dome.

And three days later.

The White Dome expanded to a radius of roughly 3,000 feet, centered on its point of origin at Tech Row Station.

"After that, all search operations were called off."

It was the obvious outcome.

In this frozen world crawling with monsters, hunters were precious combat assets.

Having already lost twenty hunters, no one had the resources to send another expedition.

"Instead, they kept the White Dome under strict surveillance and observation from the outside. And through that process, they uncovered a few key pieces of information."

Bauer held up three fingers.

"First, the White Dome expands very gradually even under normal conditions. Sometimes by a few inches, sometimes by several yards."

However, they hadn’t been able to determine a clear reason for why the rate of expansion varied from day to day.

"Second, if a living creature enters the White Dome, after a delay of at least one day and at most three days, the dome’s territory expands dramatically."

This had already been confirmed through the dispatch of the first and second search teams.

The White Dome, after consuming those search teams, had indeed expanded by over 1,600 feet each time.

"And finally, third. I don’t know why, but monsters won’t go anywhere near the dome."

Presumably they sensed the danger on instinct. The White Dome, shunned even by monsters, came to be recognized by everyone as a no-go zone.

After the full explanation.

Walfred thought back to when he’d first met Bauer and nodded in understanding.

"Ah, so that’s why you stopped us from going past the White Dome earlier?"

"Exactly. If you’d gone in, it wouldn’t just be you who’d suffer. We’d be caught up in it too."

Currently, the White Dome’s boundary was only about 300 yards from the Lower Manhattan Tech District Hall Shelter.

In this situation, if someone unfamiliar with the local circumstances were to enter the White Dome?

It would be the end for everyone.

Walfred nodded repeatedly, then, as if something had just occurred to him, turned to Bauer with a question.

"How big is the dome right now?"

"About a half-mile radius around Tech Row Station."

At that, Walfred pulled out his map from his backpack.

He traced a half-mile radius circle around Tech Row Station, as if sweeping a compass.

And then he realized.

As things stood, virtually every shortest route to the Silicon Alley Shelter was completely blocked.

’If that’s the case...’

The best option would be to detour over half a mile through Tech Row 2 or Lower Vailsburg. Just as Walfred was studying the map and calculating the shortest route.

Bauer suddenly spoke up.

"Is your destination the Silicon Alley Shelter, by any chance?"

"Yeah."

There was no point in hiding it now.

When Walfred confirmed it, Bauer stared at the map. Then he pointed to a route entirely different from what Walfred had expected.

"In that case, I’d recommend taking a much longer detour through Upper Vailsburg or South Brooklyn."

"...You want me to go that far out of the way?"

Walfred looked incredulous.

The detour Bauer suggested was twice as far as what Walfred had planned. Bauer explained his reasoning without a change in expression.

"The White Dome could suddenly expand while you’re on the move. If you want a safe enough buffer distance, it’s better to take a detour like this."

"That’s..."

He couldn’t argue with that.

Even if the White Dome’s expansion was slow for now, nobody could predict when or at what moment it might suddenly surge.

"You’re right, that would be safer."

In the end, Walfred nodded.

He’d decided to take Bauer’s advice. Just as he was committing the new route to the Silicon Alley Shelter to memory.

"Chief!"

"Dinner’s ready!"

The people who’d been catching fish had finished preparing the evening meal before anyone noticed.

Moments later, large trays appeared piled high with grilled fish and assorted steamed seafood.

Not canned goods, but fresh ingredients.

At the sight of a proper, home-cooked meal for the first time in ages, not just Walfred but even Lauren swallowed hard. Bauer portioned some out and handed it to the two of them.

"Here, this is yours."

Fish grilled to a perfect golden brown.

The savory aroma hit their noses, and neither Walfred nor Lauren bothered with modesty as they accepted the food.

The moment Walfred put a piece of fish in his mouth.

"...!"

His eyes went wide.

Clean and savory, without a hint of fishiness.

The thick, meaty flesh was so tender it practically melted on his tongue. It was incomparable to the canned mackerel he’d eaten earlier.

"Wow, this is amazing..."

Lauren was equally impressed.

She shoved the fish into her mouth with enough gusto to chew through the bones. The tray that had been heaped with fish was picked clean in no time.

Some time after that.

When the meal was over, everyone began cleaning up. Lauren, watching them, immediately got up from her seat and walked over.

"Oh, let me help!"

She hurried off after them.

Thanks to her naturally friendly personality, Lauren blended in seamlessly with the shelter residents in no time.

After Lauren had left.

Rosa, who’d been sitting between Walfred and Bauer, suddenly shivered.

"Ugh, chief."

"...?"

"Does it feel a little chilly to you? I’m suddenly getting this cold chill out of nowhere."

"Hmm, now that you mention it..."

Bauer nodded as if he felt the same. In that brief moment, a gust of cold air swept through, completely out of place in the mild climate of Blue Hole.

The two of them looked around, searching for the source of the sudden chill. Seeing this, Walfred made an awkward face and spoke up.

"That’s probably because of me."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I’m a frost attribute Awakened."

Walfred confessed the truth plainly.