[ A small mercy he doesn't have to deal with crystals here, but he's far from being out of the woods yet. Whatever danger lurks here still has the power to transplant them all from worlds beyond. Who knows what else it may be capable of?

At Yuri's words, Joshua gives a light chuckle. ]

It would have been more surprising had you claimed this world to be free of monsters. They are rather common in my world but no great cause to avoid travel, though lacking any access to magic would be a challenge.

[ He's a decent fighter but nowhere good enough to survive on that alone. Definitely best to avoid Alenroux at night for now. ]

Without the use of crystals, I am curious where magic stems from in this world then. Not everyone appears to be capable of learning and wielding it, according to the locals.

[ And the "shard" part of "shard-bearers" does leave him wondering. ]