Asher remained still on the ground; the severe pain in his abdomen had become numb. In an unknown period, his hand lost its firmness, and the blade fell to the blood pond.
With a hoarse chuckle, he tried to maintain his balance. His knees had started to tremble slightly, losing their strength gradually.
Splash! He fell to his knees; his vision became blurrier with each second. With trembling arms, he tried to crawl towards his blade, only to fail miserably and crash into the endless blood pond beneath.
His thoughts were blank, his expression devoid of any emotion, and his eyes started to squint lightly. The world had started to dim through his vision, eventually almost fading away.
[Your first curse has been lifted.]
[You have killed the Spirit of the Time Sovereign. Kudos to you!]
[Your Essence evolves...]
Asher heard the voice say several things, but he wasn't able to make out half of them. The only sentence that he was able to understand to some extent was the fact he had lifted a curse on himself.
'Since when did I have a curse?' His thoughts had become vague; each thought took his life out of him.
'Well, I am going to die anyway.' He mused to himself before heaving a sigh. His eyes stared at the endless blood that reeked the dimension. A corner of his lips curled slightly.
[Your Essence has evolved.]
[The First Core is being created]
With the words entering his ears. Asher lost consciousness.
-----------
An unknown period had passed, and he opened his eyes with visible restlessness. With a yawn, he straightened his arms and stretched his back. Just as his thoughts became clear, he suddenly halted his motion before continuing to stretch himself.
"So this is the afterlife." He muttered as he stared at the pitch-black darkness that had covered his surroundings. Suddenly, a pain flared up in his abdomen, making him stunned slightly.
'Weird.' With a slight on his eyebrows, he extended his arm and pulled his shirt, revealing his abdomen. A slight white scar showcasing a blade wound was present there, and the rest of his abdomen was normal as before.
He raised one of his eyebrows with confusion. He wanted to contemplate but couldn't muster up the words to do so. Just as the confusion had overwhelmed, a voice entered his ears.
[You have entered your Soul Spirituality Domain.]
'What the f***k is that?' His expression distorted. This was the first time he had heard such a term. He knew what domain meant, but 'Soul Spirituality'?
[Mortalish desires know no bounds. You have broken the first chain of fate.]
Asher wanted to ask a million questions at once immediately but resisted his urges. Heaving a sigh to calm himself, he blinked for a whole minute.
'With that sentence, It wouldn't be foolish to consider that I was supposed to die there. What doesn't make sense if that I had 'died' and I know that. But then, how am I here? Was I supposed to be killed by that blurry dude or something?' He shook his head and tried to bring his mind to the present. Snapping his eyes open, he stared at the text that just appeared in front of him.
[You have entered the rank 'Mediocre']
[Your title of 'The Weakest' has been disbanded, but rather etched on your soul]
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Asher's face as he read the last words of the panel. He felt like these mysterious panels, and the voice was insulting him intentionally. As he smiled, his eyes darted to the other panels that had appeared.
[You have to create a battle style now.]
[Please state a fundamental for the given style you want to create.]
Asher's smile faded, reverting back to his indifferent expression. He decided not to contemplate how he had survived and focus on the task in the present. Heaving a sigh, he started to consider.
'Battle style is something that only those wretched Nobels and Clans get. This is a great opportunity for me.' He continued to stare at the panel in front of him.
'A Battle style, for what I know, is a way to fight with a certain plan in mind. Unlike me, who calculates what to do and adapts accordingly, they already have a plan set in their mind and are just trying to find ways to implicate it in their enemy. Either way, the way I fight is dangerous. If I am unable to decipher my opponent's weaknesses, I'll be good as dead.'
'A good example is that blurry man; he nearly killed me, and there was a clear-cut difference between us in every aspect whatsoever. Defeating him was just a bluff. If he hadn't lowered his guard under his arrogance, he or a portion of him technically would be alive right now.' Asher paused his thinking before taking a deep breath.
'So basically, I want a battle style that enhances my 'rogue' way of fighting as of now to a level that I can do it with a considerable decrease in risk. Hmm, what should be the fundamental though?' He sat down with crossed legs, staring at the panel in front of him. Supporting his head in his arm, he tried to go through his past experiences for some clues.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
'The game of chess. Yes, that's the key!' He gasped before continuing his contemplation. The dark dimension stilled over him. Feeling creeps through his spine when he tries to pay attention to his surroundings, but he shrugs it off and continues.
'Chess is a game where the win and loss depends on your strategic thinking. Which, coincidentally, is my best forte. So, for the fundamental, the best thing would be the fundamental of chess. The very fundamental...' He paused his thoughts before staring at the panel once again. His expression indicated that he was trying to decipher the very fundamentals of chess.
'There are many factors to consider, such as material count, pawn structure, piece placement, and what and what not. But all of this has one factor in common, and that is they are led by your way of thinking.' His eyes once again darted through the other panels that circled him.
"Lead your actions through the deductions of your brain. Each move, each breath is led solely by your way of thinking and strategic play." Asher stated his deciphered fundamental; his hoarse voice echoed through the dark realm.
Suddenly, he felt a rumble through the floor; his eyes widened slightly and became completely focused before reverting to their calm stare as he heard the mysterious voice enter his ears once again.
[Your fundamental has been stated.]