Chapter 11 - Dharmic Power

-Quest Info

▶ Failure in the events listed here will incur severe penalties!

◈ Sham Marriage

- You have been chosen as Dame Noel's spouse. Maintain your contract with her to the end!

◈ Act 1, < Rift in the Capital >

- Your contact with important scenario characters is becoming sufficiently frequent.

- Your existence will soon be formally incorporated into the scenario. Your course of action will determine the scenario's direction!

- A related event will occur soon. (D-2)

-

The window still made him queasy every time he saw it. Aiden gloomily read through the text, a feeling only intensified by the entry tacked on at the very bottom.

◈ Life Is Beautiful

- Katya Heinkel Craven desperately wants something from you. Do everything you can to help the target fully experience 'sensation'!

- A related event will occur soon. (D-2)

... Well, okay.

He had deliberately done it to pique her interest in the first place, but seeing it actually listed in the quest window felt a little strange.

'You said it was a Side Quest...'

Apparently, less important matters appeared separately as Side Quests, while only those with a major impact on the main scenario were listed in the quest window. So why had this one ended up here when it had started out as a side quest?

As though it were hinting that they would be seeing a lot of each other.

'I do have plans to meet her again, though.'

Aiden himself had arranged to meet her in two days, promising to show her how to feel pain. It was something he would never normally do, especially given how difficult it would be to let Katya experience pain.

In theory, it was possible if he could land a blow powerful enough to overcome all the divinity she released.

Easier said than done.

'She's immortal even with her power suppressed as far as it will go.'

He sighed inwardly. How was he supposed to manage that against someone born with so much divinity that she couldn't die even when she wanted to?

He couldn't think of anyone nearby who seemed capable of it right now. Not even Noel.

A fight between the two would be a clash of titans, but in terms of sheer output, they were probably about equal. Noel would have a hard time 'overwhelming' her.

In other words, getting through all that divinity and making her 'feel' something was as close to impossible as it got. And if Noel couldn't do it, no one could.

Well.

No one except one particular person.

'The protagonist.'

In the end, everything came back to that person. The esteemed 'savior' who had to be out there somewhere.

Any grandiose description would fit, but that was the definitive title: the central figure of this entire world, destined to save it from the forces of darkness that would engulf the continent.

Humanity's savior. The world's guardian. The antithesis of evil.

Surely the protagonist could grant Katya's wish, too. The very reason Aiden had arranged to meet her was to dump her on the protagonist as well during the event in two days, when that person would appear. Once she saw someone like that, she would quickly lose interest in him.

'... Not that I'm certain.'

He still had no guarantee that the protagonist actually existed. But without that person, this world was doomed. He couldn't get anywhere unless he assumed the protagonist existed in the first place.

The protagonist definitely existed.

Had to.

'That aside...'

The immediate, practical problem was that he still had to be there when the main scenario unfolded. At a scene that was certain to involve bloodshed and violence.

To offload Noel or Katya onto the protagonist, he would have to take action himself. That made a means of self-defense essential.

"Hmm..."

Aiden examined the gun he had brought from the gun shop. A classic revolver. Pull the trigger, and the firing pin struck the cartridge, firing the bullet.

He glanced around. Once he had confirmed that no one was nearby, he summoned his supernatural powers. He was, after all, taking the Emperor and Dunadan's warnings about secrecy very seriously.

He still wasn't used to wielding them, but by now he could at least bring them out reasonably well.

First, energy. Second, divinity.

Billowing white haze and colorless flames immediately began rising around his body. The former drifted placidly nearby, but the divinity coiled in the air, flicking out tongues of flame as if thanking him for summoning it.

It was like a puppy seeing its owner for the first time in ages...

'... It's almost like it has a mind of its own.'

He chuckled. In any case, it was a relief that it seemed willing to obey him for now.

He tried imbuing separate gun components with the two powers, one apiece. Having seen Noel do it before, he could at least imitate her.

-System Message

▶ Imbuing 'Revolver' with supernatural powers.

▶ 'Heart of Pure White' and 'The First Vow' will be imbued into separate components without combining.

The first, energy, went into the trigger.

The second, divinity, into the firing pin.

'They do... go in.'

As he wrapped the components in supernatural power like a coating, he could see the faint energy and divinity on their surfaces. So far, there seemed to be nothing difficult about it, but then a strange window appeared before him.

-System Message

▶ Unique Skill 'Omnipotence' detected.

▶ User-specific qualities will be applied to the 'Supernatural Imbuement' process.

▶ Power will increase, but conditions will apply!

-System Message

▶ A total of 3 supernatural powers are required to use the target weapon as a medium for the 'Omnipotence' skill.

▶ Currently imbued with 2.

▶ The weapon cannot exert its full power!

Aiden frowned slightly. That last line wasn't something he could ignore.

'... Was this always a thing?'

He had never seen anyone with the Omnipotence skill in the game, so he had no way of checking. He pressed a hand to his forehead as a throbbing headache welled up.

Imbuing a weapon with supernatural power was practically a combat fundamental. Noel hadn't taught him all those details for nothing. So why was he the only one getting saddled with all these conditions?

'Still...'

Honestly, he had no idea what 'full power' meant here, but judging by the power Omnipotence had shown before, he doubted it would ever fall short.

Even so, if he was going to account for every last contingency, he ought to take the safest route.

'I can't use anything other than a gun...'

Learning to wield a weapon for an event only two days away was absurd. Better to look for a solution closer at hand.

Aiden tapped his chin, lost in thought. The supernatural powers he possessed were energy, divinity, and...

-Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

.

.

.

『 Dunadan U`zal 』

- Bond: Level 1

< Copied Skills >

◆ General Supernatural Power: Dharmic Power

A supernatural power bestowed by Urgan, God of the Supreme Vehicle. It can be wielded by imposing prohibitions upon yourself.

... This one, too.

That made exactly three, the number required to exert the weapon's full power. The problem was that, unlike the others, he didn't even know how to use this one.

'Then I'll have to ask how it works.'

Fortunately, there was someone nearby he could ask.

▣

It was common knowledge that if you wanted to meet Dunadan U`zal, the Dragon Hunter, you only had to visit the training hall. Everyone knew a high-ranking figure from a nation that worshipped the God of the Supreme Vehicle and revered martial values would be addicted to training.

Clearly that remained true during his brief stay in the Empire for the exchange event. Aiden spotted him the moment he stepped inside.

Well, anyone would stand out if they had an enormous indoor space to themselves and were exercising by pushing a house-sized chunk of iron with their bare body.

"..."

Aiden narrowed his eyes at the mass of iron weighing several tons sliding steadily across the floor.

'... He's not human, is he?'

He found himself revisiting a thought he'd had before.

The scarier part was that even someone with strength like this wasn't a 'lead' in the main scenario. That meant the people he was currently entangled with, like Noel and Katya, were even bigger monsters...

"A familiar face. Here to train?"

Dunadan must have noticed him in the meantime. He stopped exercising and turned around. The rippling muscles that looked capable of turning aside swords and spears were profoundly intimidating.

"... I came to ask for some instruction."

Aiden spoke as he fought his body's involuntary urge to shrink back. However frightening the man looked, he still had a job to do.

"Instruction? From me?"

Dunadan tilted his head in puzzlement. Aiden swallowed and continued.

"I'd like to learn how to wield dharmic power."

A fierce grin spread across Dunadan's face at those words.

"You already wield pure-white energy and royal divinity, don't you? And you still want to learn another supernatural power? Greedy, aren't you?"

Despite his words, his eyes swept Aiden up and down with interest.

"Any particular reason?"

"... Pardon?"

"I mean, what makes you so dedicated to training? The talents you already possess are a blessing well beyond the ordinary."

"..."

Under normal circumstances, he would be right.

'But when the main scenario is involved, there's no telling what might happen...'

... Because he didn't want to die.

Because no amount of precautions could suffice against the worldwide threat to his life that was the main scenario.

Above all, because he wanted to go back to his family and live an ordinary life.

True as all that was, he was better off making up a suitable excuse here. No need to stir up trouble.

"... There's someone I want to impress."

"..."

"Shouldn't I try to become a better person?"

With everyone viewing him as a newlywed, a remark like that would bring Dame Noel to mind. It might even reach her ears. If it did, perhaps, with a little luck, her affection might rise. That was partly what he had in mind.

'... Yeah, right.'

It was a ridiculous thought. Aiden snickered inwardly.

Even if she heard about it, she would most likely dismiss it without giving it much weight. Their relationship was founded on a contract marriage in the first place. She wouldn't take words like that seriously.

Especially given the 'gap' between them.

They might have found various points of connection, but ultimately he was just an ordinary person you could find anywhere, while Noel was someone who could leave her mark on history. As if someone like that would take his affection seriously.

"Well, I can get you started easily enough. That's not difficult."

Still, there was nothing unreasonable about his excuse, and Dunadan seemed satisfied, answering with a broad grin.

"Do you know the basic concept behind dharmic power?"

"More or less."

Dharmic power had some rather unusual characteristics. Urgan, God of the Supreme Vehicle, had made it equally accessible to others as well as his own subjects.

Wielding multiple supernatural powers was certainly no ordinary talent, but the reason the concept wasn't exceedingly rare was entirely thanks to dharmic power.

Simply in terms of 'manifesting' a supernatural power, dharmic power had the easiest requirements. Even those outside the Tribal Alliance could manifest it immediately if they properly swore a prohibition.

But...

"Of course, you won't be able to do what I do when you first start. An ordinary person has to work at it for a full ten years just to barely reach apprentice warrior level."

"... Ten years to become an apprentice?"

"Ten years to become an apprentice."

The problem was that, manifestation aside, the difficulty of 'mastering' it defied imagination.

It was better than energy, which you couldn't even begin training in without talent, or divinity, which only a select few could manifest. Yet simply 'wielding' it was so staggeringly difficult that those who could use it were just as scarce.

Equal opportunity.

But strictly based on ability.

A fitting quality for the divine nature of Urgan, who pursued advancement.

"Well, shall we give it a try?"

With that, Dunadan reverently wound a string of prayer beads around his hand. A sacred object of Urgan's, used when offering him prayers.

"O jewel. O lotus. Shine forth."

The beads filled with brilliant light in response to the mantra offered to Urgan. Aiden had seen that sight once before.

Then dharmic power surged around Dunadan's body. Where energy appeared as haze and divinity as flame, dharmic power was a swarm of lights, radiating brilliance as they swirled in every direction.

It was like hundreds, thousands of radiant fireflies flying all around. Aiden's mouth fell open as his eyes followed them.

"The way you wield dharmic power is simple. From these moving currents of power..."

As Dunadan spoke, several of the lights flying nearby began gathering together into a distinct 'shape.' He seemed to be catching the precise instant when the wildly darting lights collided and binding them together.

A round ball. An orb of light formed from the gathered motes.

"You begin by gathering them into a core like this, so you can use them. That's how you measure a dharmic power user's skill: how many cores they can form from their dharmic power."

Aiden's expression grew rapidly gloomier as he listened. Just watching made it obvious how difficult this would be to 'wield.'

He responded absently, staring at the lights flitting around Dunadan's body.

Following the paths of just one or two was enough to make his eyes and head ache, and there were hundreds, thousands of them.

It was obvious at a glance that catching the exact moment they converged to create a core would require extraordinary reflexes and intuition.

"If energy is a process of filtering impurities from your body, and divinity feels like training an unruly horse, dharmic power is what people often call 'communing.' Do you understand what that means?"

"... More or less."

To work in harmony with their movements and make skillful use of them, he would have to work out every path and possibility, every variable and vector, every branching outcome, and track how they moved...

'I can't do that...!'

It wasn't just him, either. It was impossible for most people. That was probably why wielding dharmic power was described as communing. Rather than calculating, you had to 'feel' it and work in step with its movements.

"Want to give it a try first?"

"Try what?"

"You don't look as though you've ever imposed a prohibition on yourself. I'll transfer some of my dharmic power to you, so try gathering it into a core."

"... You can transfer it?"

"Not normally. But in sheer dharmic output and control, I rank among the top five in all the Great Plains."

No wonder the number of lights was so overwhelmingly greater than those of the warriors Aiden had seen before. The prohibitions Dunadan had imposed on himself must have been extraordinarily severe...

"Go on, then. Get started."

As he spoke, an unfamiliar power rushed into Aiden's body. A swarm of lights surged up around him. There were far fewer than Dunadan's, but they were still dazzling.

"..."

Aiden blinked and glanced rapidly around.

'Can I even learn this...?'

The very first hurdle was far too high. He had been told to gather them into a core the moment they converged, but it felt like trying to catch an insubstantial phantom with his bare hands. He couldn't keep up at all...

▶ Use of 'Dharmic Power' confirmed.

▶ An additional supernatural power has been unlocked.

▶ [ Skill: Omnipotence ] has leveled up.

▶ Additional effects will be added to the skill.

And as those thoughts ran through his mind, a window suddenly appeared before his eyes.

< Skill Info >

󰁱 Omnipotence [ Level 2 ]

- You can combine two or more supernatural powers to produce stronger effects.

- You can see through to the source of supernatural powers, making mastery and exploration easier.

▶ Combinations Discovered

〓 Guardian’s Flame (Heart of Pure White ↔ The First Vow)

※ Higher skill levels increase the number of supernatural powers you can combine and add further effects.

※ Increase the number of supernatural powers you can wield to raise the skill level!

"...?"

Aiden stared at the window that had appeared out of nowhere. Come to think of it, he had been told the skill would level up if he increased the number of supernatural powers he could wield.

That worked even with power someone else had put into him?

"..."

Then he looked blankly around. The instant the window appeared, he could feel that something had clearly changed.

'... Huh?'

He could see something.

Some kind of 'law' governing the lights that, until a moment ago, had seemed to dart about in utter chaos.

Distinctly.

As though he could reach out and grasp it.

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

Dunadan must have taken Aiden's silent glances around him as bewilderment at the lights' movements. He folded his arms with a kindly smile.

"Even I, hailed as the tribe's greatest talent, took a year to form my first core and advance to apprentice warrior. For now, just try to get used to how they move—"

He stopped short.

Probably because he had spotted the fist-sized orb of light beside Aiden's body.

Not even five seconds had passed since the lights first appeared.

"..."

Dunadan's face froze.