-Asher Frostblade Viewpoint.
"You may not find anything."
"I know that."
"Also, if you want, you can fight any monsters you come across, or if you don't want to, then I can eliminate them."
"..."
It was a surprise to Asher, but a domain meant creating a world set apart. While a domain is a world with the rules that the mage creates, it is normal that he can control the monsters within his domain.
Knowing that, Asher replied:
"I will fight monsters."
"Okay, I'll create grade 8 monsters, if that's okay with you."
Asher nodded, and then, after a few seconds....
"Here we go. You'll enter my domain, you won't feel a thing, so don't worry about a thing."
Asher nodded and suddenly his vision blurred.
Not knowing what was happening, suddenly everything went dark. There was nothing, it was just endless darkness.
"Where am I?"
Asher turned his gaze everywhere. There was nothing, it was simply a dark void, but it was then that he felt something... no, actually, he felt something on his feet.
"A floor."
Exactly, Asher was standing on something, though he couldn't see it, as the place itself was dark. Asher could definitely feel something solid on the ground.
"Crack."
Strange noises were heard, but for some reason, Asher just stared into the mere darkness, trying to see something. He couldn't no matter how hard he tried.
Asher then reached down. With his right hand he rubbed the ground, and felt that he was on a floor of dirt and thin, sharp rocks.
"Use your mana."
It was then that Encrid's voice reached Asher's ears.
Doing as he told him, he then used mana, and suddenly, when he used his mana, everything became visible.
"It's like a rocky field with mountains and plains."
Looking around, he could simply see the same darkness, with a landscape like in reality, but no grass, no leaves on the trees, dark plains, mountains filled with darkness.
Everything was dark and the ground looked as if it had been set on fire. It was everything, simply.
Then he looked up at the sky and it was then that he felt a sense of dread.
"That moon..."
On the day of Asher's death he had witnessed a crimson red moon. It was at that moment that he died in his previous life.
The moon brought back memories that Asher didn't want to remember, it seemed as if the moon itself was looking into his eyes. It was like seeing a bloody face with eyes filled with a thirst for death.
Asher's skin tightened and then he felt shivers.
"Get a grip, that was a long time ago... I shouldn't feel afraid."
He closed his eyes and tried to control his emotions. The red moon hanging in the dark sky was mostly memories of the day he died.
It was something Asher didn't like to remember.
But of course the moon was still there and it gave the feeling that he was seeing it, but he had to put up with that.
"Haa..."
Then he took a deep breath and let the oxygen out. Then, with a long, heavy sigh, he opened his eyes and looked up at the dark mountains.
"A world where darkness lives."
Was his thought. Of course, Encrid created this world where Asher is. If Encrid decided, he could kill Asher with just a thought.
A domain, certainly, left Asher very surprised.
"I like it."
Asher simply looked around. It's something... no, actually, it's such an amazing ability. A domain looks like this.
"Although there's nothing, I wonder how mages fight using the domain."
While a domain is a world created by a mage, with its own laws, and the mage is like a god within the domain, Asher's real question is how a mage fights within a domain. Also, how a mage can survive within a domain.
They were unanswerable questions; only by asking Encrid could he get them.
"What will my domain be like?"
If Encrid has a domain over darkness, then Asher's would be similar.
A domain depends on the mage who creates it. If it is of the earth element type, then the domain would be about creation; if it is of water type, then it would be like oceans or something like that.
Then, if it is of darkness, it would be more than obvious that the domain would deal something with darkness.
"Haa..."
Asher sighed.
Certainly, a domain was the first thing he couldn't find an answer for.
It was simply something difficult to comprehend.
"I should move."
Asher began to walk.
The surroundings simply looked like a place where there had been a fire.
The red light emitted by the moon in the sky illuminated everything in its path: the forests in the distance without leaves and of a very dark brown color, as well as the mountains and the plains. Everything looked as if it had been burned.
Truly, this could be called a world.
Asher, looking around, could find nothing.
"From what I know about mana crystals, these are found in caves or dungeons."
Normally, the crystals are in dungeons, but they can also be found in caves. But, of course, compared to dungeons, caves are much harder to find mana crystals.
So, the best idea is to go to a dungeon, but, in this dark world, where is there a single dungeon?
"Maybe there are no dungeons in the domains."
"But if there are monsters, there must also be dungeons."
Perhaps it is a possibility, but the subject about a domain and the world created is completely unknown to Asher; it is unknown to him whether there really are dungeons.
Only Asher knows that there may be mana crystals, but Encrid said it is also possible that they do not exist within a domain.
"But he is the creator of this dark world, so why doesn't he know if there are crystals?"
Indeed, it was a rather curious question for Asher. If this world he is in is the world created by Encrid, then he should know if there are mana crystals; after all, he is like a god within his domain.
"Head for the mountains, it is possible that there are caves of crystals."
It was then that Encrid's voice echoed far and wide. His voice reached every corner of the world and then Asher spoke.
"Why aren't you sure if there are mana crystals?"
"By creating a domain it doesn't mean you create things like mana crystals; that varies depending on the type of domain."
Encrid replied instantly.
So, that's why Encrid isn't sure if there are mana crystals in his own world. If mana crystals are created automatically and it also depends on the created world, then it makes sense.
That answered Asher's question, but then why didn't Encrid say so earlier?
"He really is an idiot."
"You know I can hear you, even if you're thinking."
"..."
Asher said nothing at Encrid's words....
After a few minutes, Asher had headed for the mountains. The road seemed quite long to get there, and as he was walking, he suddenly heard noises.
"Crack."
They were sounds like footsteps; slowly they got louder.
The sounds were coming from the leafless side of the forest. Then, Asher stared at the place; it was a bit far away and the terrain was somewhat high, so it was hard to see.
"Those are... Ogres."
A green monster, nearly eight meters tall, held a large, thick, long-long club. It had large fangs protruding from its mouth and a muscular body covered in scars.
The monster walked slowly in Asher's direction; it looked like it had not seen him yet, but Asher just looked at it and said:
"A grade 8 monster, ogre race."
Normally, these monsters walk in groups of three or four, but the ogre at this moment was alone. Although he was scarred and looked exhausted, he did not appear to have been in a recent fight.
Asher could be sure that this monster was not as powerful as other grade 8 monsters, but its strength?
Asher had read a guide in a book that showed the weaknesses and strengths of monsters, as well as their names and races. And in the case of an ogre, the only thing to take into account is its strength.
Of course, it is not as strong as a master sword rank knight nor a fourth circle mage.
"Still, you have to be careful."
"His weak point is the back of his neck, it's the monster's blind spot."
Quickly, Asher analyzed the monster's weak point: its nape, the back of the neck, which is also its blind spot.
One advantage is that the monster is slow and doesn't have good reflexes, so its weak spot is easier to attack and you could finish it off in one hit.
"I guess I'll be a few seconds."
From Asher's body came out dark mana that camouflaged with the gloomy surroundings and with the mana wandering everywhere, making him look like a shadow.
Moving quickly to the monster's back, Asher conjured a dark arrow in his left hand and, leaping up, thrust it into the back of the ogre's neck.
"Raaaawr-rrrRRRRRREEEEEEGGHH!!!"
The monster screamed so loudly that the ground shook slightly. It slowly fell face first to the ground.
"Clank."
The ground shook slightly and a curtain of black dust rose into the air. The monster had an arrow in the back of its neck that had pierced it, while a thick greenish liquid came out of its throat and began to form a puddle on the ground.
"It was very quick; it seems these monsters are easier to kill by stealth."
Really, it only took a few seconds before the monster died. Asher could tell the ogre was strong, but its weak spot gave it away too much to be considered a true grade 8.
In fact, it should be a grade 9; although it is strong, it can be easily defeated if its weak point is attacked.
"Haa... I'll keep walking, the mountain is a bit far."
Asher then continued his walk amidst the darkness surrounding him, as the red light of the crimson moon illuminated his path.
Asher really didn't want to see the moonlight, let alone the moon itself; it was just annoying.
***
-Change of scene-
As he continued walking, along the way some ogres attacked Asher, but none of them could fight him. The weak point of these monsters was the cause of them dying very quickly and quite easily.
Slowly, the mountain could be seen in the distance, and after a while of walking, Asher started to feel the ground rising, which meant that he was starting to climb the mountain little by little.
"The weather here is different, so I can take as much time as I want."
While inside Encrid's domain a year passes, outside in reality it is only a minute. One minute equals one year inside the domain.
This, of course, is a great advantage; inside the domain you can train, grow as a mage and overcome circles.
Mana is so abundant that Asher could advance to the third circle in less than a day, but, of course, he is still waiting for the third circle; he doesn't need it at this point.
"Uh, that looks like a cave."
Up ahead, right in the middle of a small cliff about a hundred feet up, was an area where the mountain wall had a large gap in it; it was, of course, a cave.
Asher then walked in that direction as he slowly climbed up. There were a few meters to go and, after a minute, he reached the cave.
"Hello... Hehe, sounded funny that echo."
Looking around, the cave seemed deep and spacious.
"Maybe there are mana crystals in here."
Asher decided to enter the cave, watching as the moonlight faded a few feet from the entrance. As he proceeded, the darkness grew thicker, and the moonlight was finally left behind, plunging the interior of the cave into complete darkness.
In the midst of the gloom, Asher concentrated mana in his eyes, and suddenly, his vision changed.
"It's like I have night vision," he muttered to himself.
By channeling the mana into his eyes, Asher had created an ability that allowed him to see in the dark, similar to night vision, but much sharper. This magical version of night vision not only allowed him to see clearly in the gloom, but also to distinguish colors more accurately.
"It's quite long," he commented as he advanced through the cave, noting how the tunnel widened and sloped down into the depths.
Just as he was beginning to wonder how much further he would have to walk, grunts echoed in the distance.
"They're monsters. I was already getting bored with walking, and you guys showed up just in time," he said with a grin.
Asher quickened his pace, running in the direction of the grunts. They weren't too far away, but not too close either. After a few seconds, he finally reached the source of the sounds....