Ash Domain

Biodata

Appearance

From outside, an Ash Domain appears as a conspicuous gray and dim area overlaying part of the real world. Its visible size is not a reliable indication of the space within. 12 543

• Interior environments vary widely: some retain the appearance of their original location, while others become entirely different landscapes. 12
• Recorded interiors include forests, caves, stormy seas, castles, and palace-like structures. 37 38 139 543
• An Advanced Ash Domain occupying only about half a basketball court externally contained a vast interior complex. 543
• Ash Domains may contain structures such as towers and sealed doors. 138

Properties and Hazards

• Civilian paralysis — Non-player humans caught inside completely lose the ability to act, becoming motionless “like stone statues.” Prolonged exposure can lead to death. 12
• Monster incursion — An Ash Domain enables monsters from an unknown origin to descend into the affected area. 12
• Expansion risk — If its monsters are not eliminated quickly and thoroughly, an Ash Domain can expand and eventually become permanently fixed in reality as a dead zone. 12
• Player-only cleanup — Ash Domains can only be properly cleared through player intervention; authorities’ elite player units were unable to keep pace with their growing frequency. 3
• Collapse after clearance — A cleared domain may begin to break apart, with tremors and cracks appearing in its sky before it disappears. 546
• Ownerless rewards — Rewards obtained from Ash Domain monsters are not assigned to a particular player, allowing other players to contest or seize them. 15

Variants

Ordinary Ash Domains

Most ordinary Ash Domains encountered by Wang Zhifan’s cleanup team contained only low-level monsters and no BOSS. Such clearances could yield no rewards despite requiring the complete elimination of hostile creatures. 37 139

BOSS-Containing Ash Domains

Some domains contain powerful BOSS monsters and can provide reward selections upon their defeat. A sea-based Ash Domain, for example, produced a gigantic tentacled creature covered in coral and kelp-like growths. 139 571

Advanced Ash Domains

Advanced Ash Domains can conceal extensive and hazardous environments despite their small external footprint. One documented domain contained an internal castle, player corpses, contaminated black liquid filling a trench, and a gate obscured by a black hole. 543

• Previous player casualties and destroyed equipment may be found inside. 543 546
• They can collapse after their core threats are resolved, forcing surviving players to evacuate quickly. 546
• Foreign player groups may enter them to attack other players and seize rewards. 604

Solidified Ash Domains

A solidified Ash Domain is a more severe outcome in which the zone becomes fixed in the real world and restores itself after damage. 78

• Real-world weapons cannot eliminate it. 78
• Player power can temporarily suppress its restoration, but does not permanently resolve the phenomenon. 78
• A newly emerged giant monster near an Advanced Ash Domain was assessed as evidence that the domain had already solidified. 547

Cleanup Operations

The Xia Kingdom authorities recruit players into special operations teams to clear low-level Ash Domain monsters, offering higher pay and possible equipment rewards. 3

Wang Zhifan worked temporary cleanup assignments with Chu Wei and A Liao. Their roles demonstrated the differing advantages of player classes in domain clearing: Wang Zhifan drew melee monsters into pursuit, A Liao eliminated them at range, and Chu Wei’s summons hunted enemies across land, air, and underground. 37

Wang Zhifan and Chu Wei cleared four Ash Domains in a single day, illustrating the heavy workload faced by cleanup personnel as incidents increased. 78

Documented Incidents

• A city bus entered an Ash Domain, leaving its non-player passengers frozen while monsters appeared around the vehicle. 12 14
• Wang Zhifan and Chu Wei cleared multiple ordinary domains without encountering a BOSS or receiving rewards. 37 139
• Wang Zhifan encountered his first recorded Ash Domain BOSS in a stormy-sea environment and anticipated rewards from defeating it. 139
• The Chen brothers organized expeditions to foreign Advanced Ash Domains, seeking greater returns than ordinary cleanup work offered. 520 542
• During one Advanced Ash Domain operation, Wang Zhifan, Chen Can, and Chen Ming discovered evidence of previous player deaths and escaped as the domain began collapsing. 543 546
• Wang Zhifan later used dream-based abilities to isolate and eliminate four hostile foreign players who entered an Ash Domain intending to murder his group. 604