"My lord, how much do you know about the abyss?"
The boy's question pierced Kreig's ears—a realization of what he's lacing.
"Not much, honestly," replied Kreig, his gaze shifted to the quiet space where a small village stood, engulfed by a semi-transparent light spanning from end to end.
"My lord, the void granted me wisdom to be of help to you…" said the boy, pausing. "The abyss is the home of boundless opportunities. Treasures are everywhere inside the ever-expanding abyss; however, the risks that correspond with each opportunity are by no means easy to pass through." The boy paused. "My lord, you must have some lord skills, no?" asked the boy.
"Indeed, what of it?" Kreig narrowed his eyes as he asked.
"My lord, those skills are unlocked after a lord's awakening. Meaning to say, all others have them as well. Additionally, the skills you will further unlock depend solely on your ability and the path you will set forth to. In this endless abyss, only the strong thrive, my lord. I am bound to you; thus, please believe me when I say I'd dare not betray you. However, not every unit that you will summon is bound to serve you." The boy spoke sincerely, looking at Kreig's eyes submissively as his clothes fluttered in the wind.
"My lord, in order to further access your domain, shall we go inside?"
He said, his head hung a bow.
"I see. Thank you," replied Kreig.
The two walked onward, passing the semi-transparent dome.
"Strange, the air feels lighter in here?" said Kreig.
"Yes, my lord. It is because inside this dome, you'll be safe from outside attacks for at least a week. You can rest assured, as no outsiders will be able to enter without your permission," politely replied the boy with a bow.
Kreig nodded.
'The air here feels lighter compared to outside, almost comparable to Leaxuire.'
"My lord, I must apologize to interrupt your thoughts, but please grant your domain a name…"
"Haven," he replied in an instant.
Baffled, the boy looked like a puppy whose eyes widened in curiosity.
"I haven't introduced myself, no?" said Kreig.
The boy nodded to his question.
"I am Kreig. Kreig Haven. I will survive and claw my way to the top until I'm untouchable," he declared, his voice loud and clear. "Serve me, Exel. Serve me and be a witness to my path."
Gulp—
The boy swallowed.
"I-I will serve you even to my death… My lord, Haven…" he paused. "My lord, what do you mean by calling me… Exel?" he muttered a question, his hands trembling from something far from fear, he knew it was no mere name, but one granted by the lord, bounding their existence.
He felt the ambition from the man in front of him flare, 'those are the eyes of someone confident…' he thought.
"It shall be what you are called from now on. Think of it as for convenience's sake."
Kreig replied with a chuckle.
"Exel, the reason for me naming this very land Haven, is not merely because of my surname," he paused, as a deep, dark shadow slowly emerged from the ground, rising and engulfing the dome.
"Haven usually means a place of safe refuge—a sanctuary. But," he paused, his face warping into a wicked smile.
"...Mine is not a sanctuary, but a declaration."
Kreig declared with utmost authority in his eyes, the small sword he bought, fluctuating, his clothes fluttering along the sudden breeze.
"True, it'd be a sanctuary, but only for me and my faction alone. You see, Exel, I've lived my life begging on the streets for a living, and I've got no shame in that. But, I've seen more than enough. Even in a dark, stenching alley, strength determines your value."
I can't let myself be seen as unworthy, or else, everything will crumble apart at once…
"Now that I am a lord, I bow to myself to never be what I once was. And you, Exel, shall be my reminder," he said almost shamelessly.
"Yes, my lord," Exel politely bowed.
"My lord, now that you've named your domain, it shall be updated on your status. For starters, you are a Level 1, Tier 1, my lord. This village is enough to efficiently accommodate only 20 people, considering that we must worry about food as well. Additionally, the village doesn't have reserves, so we must first gather resources and explore the area for our safety."
"Also, my lord. Please be aware that the monsters on this specific land are rather hard to deal with, considering our zero knowledge of what might be awaiting us."
"Okay. Exel, let's fix the land before worrying about anything else. We shouldn't handle too much stuff at once."
"You're right, my lord."
The sun dawned the two men tidied up the small space. Kreig gathered the wood and the physical works, while Exel was tasked to build a proper settlement.
Kreig purged down houses using a lord's skill: Extraction.
"The lord's skill is working, but it consumes a lot of energy. I don't know much about what my Resonance can do, I should ask Exel later." He shifted his gaze to Exel, who was building a small settlement using recycled materials from the houses purged by Kreig.
"Of all places I will be transported to, I've gone to this eerie plain, really amidst the eternal darkness and eternal sun…huh… this dogshit luck is something."
The scene that stretched before him was as if he were at the boundary of life and death. Deep, dark shadow whispering of eerie symphony, then the sun, whose bright dimmed by the tall trees and clouds that hovered in the sky.
Slowly, the houses covered in dust and webs were cleared. Their resources slowly stacked. Most of the houses were made of wood, each worn down and dirty, but some were still fine to be in use. Although some are rotted down to no use already, Krieg didn't discard them but gathered all of them in a certain place to keep everything organized.
"By the way, my lord," Exel spoke from a distance, his voice still clear.
"You cannot go out of the Abyss until the First Catalyst comes. But worry not, with your strength, you will easily pass it, my lord."
"First Catalyst? What's that supposed to be?" Kreig narrowed his eyes, and he asked worriedly. He halted his tasks to lend his ears.
"My lord, you don't know? While levelling up is possible for a lord via gaining enough experience, the domain merely expands its range upon doing so. However, by passing each catalyst, the first one being after a week of coming, a domain's foundation in itself is going to be enhanced." Exel paused.
"The land and the air will be purified depending on your performance, the abyss might even reward you with greater rewards if you do well! Also, my lord, the time inside the abyss flows more slowly than the outside world. A day out is equivalent to two days here," Exel said excitedly.
"Ahh, I see, I see!" exclaimed Kreig.
I lack so much crucial information… I'm lucky Exel is here, or else…
Pheww—
He sighed.
"My lord, you will be able to go back to your world upon completing the first trial."
Said Exel.
"Thank you, Exel," greeted Kreig.
"It is my pleasure to be of help, my lord…" Exel replied with a bow.
Exel has almost finished the small settlement for now, and Kreig, as well, has taken a break from dismantling the houses for building resources to exploring the areas near the dome.
He marched forward, the north side where his spawn point was, eyeing food, or if possible, animals.
"There's nothing on this side but darkness… I'll skip this side for now and explore it later once I've got a stable foundation."
He has already marked his domain as the centerfield in order for him to remember his path back. He counted his steps and left marks on trees using his sword. Then, he continued moving, redirecting his path to the northwest.
On his way, he stumbled upon a big tree bearing fruit. Seizing the opportunity, he leaped from the ground to secure food for himself and Exel.
The tree towered like a small building, towering for over 110 ft. It had many branches, which made it easy for Kreig to climb on, with his sword as a hook, he swiftly picked four round fruit.
The fruit was shaped identically to an apple. However, an apple paled in comparison to the fruit. If anything, it had a celestial-like appearance, deep blue skin, and weighed approximately two kilos each.
Kreig slowly leaped on each branch of the tree to get down.
After securing the food, he unsheathed his sword to cut a fiber-like rope that hung from the tree. Until finally leaving, not to go back, but to explore further.
He planned to navigate all sides of his domain, except the shadowed part.
Thud. Thud.
His footsteps echoed like a whisper still in the air, each one a cautious march, soft and careful.
"This should be another 200 steps… In total, I should've covered at least half of my objective… but it's weird how the atmosphere here seems more gloomy than the others…" he paused for a breath.
"It's peaceful, way too peaceful, it's worrying."
Rustle—
"SHit!"
Kreig jumped out from a sudden rattle in the grass.
Squeek— Squeek—
A rabbit came out, bathed in moonlight, it had horns sharp as a knife, towering a meter and a half high, it leaped from the grass as if running desperately, causing Kreig's senses to cry out as he distanced himself swiftly.
"Phew. I thought it was some monst—"
SHRIEEK—
PShhh
SPLAsh—
A violent series of sounds tore through the still air. A rabbit's carcass exploded mid-sprint, shredded by a creature twice its size. One swipe. Instant death.
"W-what the hell is that!?"
PS—
The monster's gaze snapped to the sound.
"Shit! Did it notice me!?"
Kreig's thoughts crashed like waves.
I knew something was wrong!His mind screamed like a dagger tearing through silence.His hand was already on his sword—unsheathed, trembling.
Can I do this…?
The monster crept toward a silhouette—his silhouette—faintly cast by the low sun.
No. I have to go back!Back in time or else—!
SWOOSH—
He launched from the tree where he'd been hiding.
Almost instantly, the monster leapt too—its claws diving straight for him.
A battle of speed!