Chapter 11: Dharmic Power
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 11: Dharmic Power
— Quest Info
▶ Failure to complete the events listed below will result in a massive penalty!
◈ Sham Marriage
— You have been chosen as Dame Noel’s spouse. Maintain the contract with your partner until the end!
◈ Act 1, <Imperial Capital Rift>
— Your frequency of contact with key scenario figures is increasing sufficiently.
— Your existence will soon be officially integrated into the scenario. The direction of the scenario will be determined by your actions!
— A related event will occur soon. (D-2)
* * *
Just looking at this window was enough to make him nauseous.
Aiden scanned the text, his expression grim. That feeling of dread was especially pronounced when he read the final prompt.
◈ Life is Beautiful
— Katya Heinkel Craven desperately desires something from you. Do your best to help her fully experience ‘sensation’!
— A related event will occur soon. (D-2)
…Well.
To be fair, he had provoked her on purpose to pique her interest in the first place, but seeing it officially registered in his quest window felt surreal.
I thought it was just a side quest…
Usually, relatively minor tasks appeared as side quests, while only those with a major impact on the main scenario were registered in this specific quest window.
So why was it here now, when it had started as a mere side quest?
It was practically a guarantee that they’d be seeing a lot of each other from now on.
Then again, we do have an appointment next.
Aiden was the one who had told her to meet him in two days, promising to show her how to feel pain.
Normally, it was something he would never do—especially considering the sheer, astronomical difficulty of what was required to actually make Katya feel pain.
Theoretically, it was possible. All he had to do was land a blow powerful enough to completely overwhelm all the Divine Power she passively emitted.
Easier said than done.
She’s practically immortal even when suppressing her power to the absolute limit, you know?
He let out a deep, internal sigh.
How was he supposed to inflict pain on someone born with so much Divine Power that she couldn’t die even if she wanted to?
He couldn’t think of anyone nearby who could pull that off right now. Not even Noel.
If the two of them fought, it would be a true clash of titans, but in terms of raw output, they were likely on par. It would be nearly impossible for Noel to completely overwhelm her.
Which meant piercing through all that Divine Power to make Katya ‘feel’ something was a fool’s errand.
And if Noel couldn’t do it, it meant no one could.
Well, almost no one.
Except for one person.
The protagonist.
In the end, everything led back to him.
The esteemed ‘Savior’ who was surely out there somewhere. He was a man who deserved every grand modifier in the book, but his most representative title was simply that.
The center of this entire world, destined to save it from the dark forces that would eventually blanket the continent.
The Savior of Humanity. The Guardian of the World. The antithesis of evil.
If it was him, he could surely grant Katya’s wish.
The entire reason Aiden had gone out of his way to invite Katya was to pawn her off during the event happening in two days—the exact moment the protagonist was scheduled to appear. Once she saw someone like him, her interest in Aiden would evaporate instantly.
…Though it’s not a guarantee.
There was still no absolute proof that the protagonist ‘definitely existed.’
Even so, without the protagonist, this world was doomed to ruin. The story couldn’t even progress without assuming his existence.
The protagonist must exist.
He had to.
But putting that aside…
The immediate, realistic problem was…
Aiden still had to be present where the main scenario would unfold. A place where blood would inevitably spill and violence would run rampant. After all, he had to be there in person to hand Katya off to the protagonist.
Therefore, a reliable means of self-defense was essential.
“Hmm…”
Aiden examined the gun he had brought from the gunsmith.
A classic revolver. Pull the trigger, and the firing pin strikes the bullet to fire.
He glanced around. After confirming no one was nearby, he summoned his supernatural abilities. He was keeping the Emperor’s and Dunadan’s warnings about maintaining absolute secrecy firmly in mind.
Though he still wasn’t fully used to controlling them, he could at least summon his abilities on command now.
First, Qi. Second, Divine Power.
A billowing white mist and a colorless flame immediately began to rise around his body.
While the former floated gently around him, the latter—the Divine Power—coiled in the air, licking the space around him like tongues of flame, as if thanking him for summoning it.
It was like an excited puppy seeing its owner after a long time.
…It’s almost like it has a mind of its own.
He let out a dry chuckle.
At any rate, he was glad they seemed willing to obey him for now. He attempted to imbue the two supernatural abilities into separate parts of the gun. Having seen Noel do it before, he was able to mimic the process.
— System Message
▶ Imbuing supernatural abilities into the ‘Revolver’.
▶ ‘Pure White Heart’ and ‘First Vow’ are not combined, but are instead imbued into individual parts.
The first, Qi, was channeled into the trigger.
The second, Divine Power, into the firing pin.
It’s… actually working.
As he coated the parts with his supernatural abilities, the faint glow of Qi and Divine Power became visible on the cold metal surfaces.
It seemed simple enough, but a strange window immediately popped up in front of his eyes.
— System Message
▶ The presence of the unique skill ‘Omnipotence’ has been detected.
▶ A Unique Trait specific to the user is applied to the ‘Ability Bestowal’ process.
▶ Power is increased, but conditions are applied!
— System Message
▶ The total number of supernatural abilities required to use the target weapon as a medium for the ‘Omnipotence’ skill is 3.
▶ Currently, 2 have been imbued.
▶ It cannot unleash its full power!
Aiden frowned slightly.
He couldn’t ignore that last line.
…Was this always a thing?
He had never seen anyone with the Omnipotence skill in the original game, so there was no way to verify it.
Aiden clutched his forehead as a throbbing headache began to build.
Imbuing weapons with supernatural abilities was practically a basic combat technique. There was a reason Noel had taught him so thoroughly.
So why did he, and only he, have to deal with these arbitrary extra conditions?
Still…
To be honest, while he didn’t know exactly how strong ‘full power’ was, he doubted it would ever be lacking, considering the sheer, awe-inspiring might of the Omnipotence skill he had witnessed before.
Even so.
If he wanted to prepare for every worst-case scenario, taking the safest route was paramount.
And it’s not like I can use anything other than a gun…
Trying to master a new weapon skill with only two days left before the event was utterly absurd. It was best to look for a solution close by.
Aiden tapped his chin, lost in thought.
The supernatural abilities he currently possessed were Qi, Divine Power, and…
— Skill Info
◈ Weaver of Fate
…
『Dunadan U’zall』
— Bond: Level 1
<Copied Skills>
◆ General-Purpose Ability: Dharmic Power
A supernatural ability bestowed by the Goddess of Ascension Urgan. It can be operated by imposing a restriction on oneself.
…He had this too.
It perfectly made three—the exact number required to unleash the weapon’s full power.
But the problem was, he didn’t even know how to use this one.
Then I’ll just have to ask how to use it.
Fortunately, there was at least one person nearby he could ask.
* * *
It was an open secret that if you wanted to find the Dragon Hunter, Dunadan U’zall, you simply had to go to the training ground.
After all, everyone knew that a high-ranking official from a nation that worshiped the Goddess of Ascension and revered martial values would be an absolute training addict.
This was clearly no different even within the Empire, where he was temporarily staying for an exchange event. Indeed, the moment Aiden stepped into the training ground, he spotted Dunadan immediately.
Monopolizing the vast indoor space, the man was pushing a house-sized block of solid iron across the floor with his bare hands. Well, anyone would stand out doing that.
“…”
Aiden watched with narrowed eyes as the multi-ton block of iron screeched across the floor.
…Is he even human?
He chewed over the thought he had had once before.
What was even scarier was that a man with this level of Herculean strength wasn’t even a ‘Main Character’ in the main scenario. Which meant the people he was currently entangled with, like Noel and Katya, were even greater monsters…
“A familiar face. Have you come to train?”
Having noticed him approaching, Dunadan stopped his workout and turned around.
The sight of his bulging, corded muscles—which looked tough enough to deflect spears and swords—was intensely intimidating.
“…I’ve come to ask for some guidance.”
Aiden forced his instinctively shrinking body to relax as he spoke. No matter how terrifying the other person looked, he had to do what needed to be done.
“Guidance? From me?”
As Dunadan tilted his head in confusion, Aiden swallowed hard and continued.
“I want to learn how to handle… Dharmic Power.”
The moment he heard those words, a fierce smile spread across Dunadan’s face.
“You already wield the Pure White Qi and the royal family’s Divine Power. Yet you want to handle a new supernatural ability? You’re quite greedy.”
Though his words were teasing, Dunadan’s eyes scanned Aiden up and down with keen interest.
“Is there a particular reason?”
“…Pardon?”
“I mean, is there a reason for you to devote yourself so intensely to training? The talent you already possess is far beyond what most would consider blessed.”
“…”
From a normal perspective, he was right.
But when it comes to the main scenario, there’s no telling what might happen…
…Because I don’t want to die.
Because no amount of safety measures would be enough against the life-threatening, world-ending dangers of the main scenario. And above all, because I want to return to my family and live a normal life.
But even so.
It was better to make up a decent excuse here. There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
“…There’s someone I want to impress.”
“…”
“I should strive to become a better man, shouldn’t I?”
If he said something like this while being a newlywed, anyone would instantly think of Dame Noel. It might even reach her ears.
If that happened, maybe her affinity would increase. He had that intention to some extent.
…Yeah, right.
It was an absurd thought. Aiden chuckled to himself.
Even if she heard it, she would most likely dismiss it without giving it much weight. The premise of their relationship was a sham marriage, after all. She wouldn’t take such sentimental words seriously.
Moreover, the sheer ‘gap’ between them made it even more unlikely. Though they had established some connection, in the end, he was just an ordinary person, while Noel was someone destined to leave her mark on history.
There was no way his affection would be taken seriously by someone like her.
“Well, helping you get started is simple enough. It’s not that hard.”
But since Aiden’s words made sense, Dunadan grinned, seemingly convinced.
“Do you know the basic concept of Dharmic Power?”
“Roughly.”
Dharmic Power possessed quite a peculiar nature.
The Goddess of Ascension Urgan had lifted the restrictions on Dharmic Power not just for her own subjects, but for outsiders as well. While wielding multiple supernatural abilities was certainly no ordinary talent, the reason the concept wasn’t extremely rare was entirely thanks to Dharmic Power.
In terms of simply ‘manifesting’ an ability, Dharmic Power had the easiest conditions. Even those outside the Tribal Alliance could manifest it immediately, provided they properly swore a vow of restriction.
However.
“Of course, you won’t be able to do it like me when you first start. A normal person has to put in a solid ten years of effort just to barely reach the level of an apprentice warrior.”
“…Ten years just to become an apprentice?”
“Ten years for an apprentice.”
The problem was that, regardless of manifestation, the difficulty of ‘mastery’ was beyond imagination.
It was better than Qi, which couldn’t even be trained without innate talent, or Divine Power, which was granted only to a limited few. Yet, the sheer difficulty of simply ‘handling’ it was so astronomical that those who could use it were just as scarce.
Equal opportunity, but strictly merit-based.
It was a characteristic fitting for Urgan’s divine command, which pursued relentless progress.
“Well, shall we get right to it?”
With those words, Dunadan devoutly wrapped a rosary around his hand. It was a sacred relic of Urgan, used when offering prayers to her.
“O Bead, O Lotus, shine forth your light.”
In response to the mantra offered to Urgan, a bright light enveloped the rosary. It was a sight Aiden had witnessed once before.
Subsequently, Dharmic Power surged around Dunadan’s body.
If Qi manifested as a mist and Divine Power as flames, Dharmic Power was a swarm of light emitting a brilliant glow that enveloped the surroundings.
It looked as if hundreds, thousands of radiant fireflies were fluttering through the air. Aiden unconsciously opened his mouth, his eyes tracing their chaotic movements.
“The method of handling Dharmic Power itself is simple. From this flowing stream of energy…”
As he spoke, several of the floating lights around Dunadan began to gather and take on a distinct ‘shape.’
It looked as though Dunadan was pinpointing the exact moment the frantically fluttering lights collided to bind them together.
A perfect sphere. A ball of light formed by the condensed particles.
“It starts with condensing them into a Core so they can be used like this. This is the yardstick for measuring a Dharmic Power user’s skill—how many Cores they can condense in total.”
As Aiden listened to the explanation, his expression grew increasingly gloomy.
Just looking at it made the difficulty of ‘handling’ it painfully obvious. Aiden gave a hollow nod, staring at the lights swirling around Dunadan’s body.
Just tracking one or two paths made his eyes and head ache, yet there were hundreds, thousands of them. He could tell at a glance that to target the exact moment these things collided and create a Core, one’s reflexes and intuition had to be extraordinary.
“If Qi is the process of filtering impurities from the body, and Divine Power is like taming a stubborn horse, then Dharmic Power is often described as ‘communing.’ Do you understand what that means?”
“…Roughly.”
To skillfully utilize the energy in sync with its chaotic movements, one would have to calculate countless paths, probabilities, variables, vectors, and branching possibilities in real-time just to track their motion…
I can’t do that…!
And it wasn’t just him; it was an impossible task for the vast majority of humans.
That was likely why they described handling Dharmic Power as ‘communing.’ Since it couldn’t be done through raw calculation, one had to guide it by ‘feel’ in perfect harmony with its movements.
“Would you like to give it a try first?”
“Give it a try?”
“It looks like you’ve never imposed a restriction on yourself. I’ll transfer some of my Dharmic Power to you, so try condensing a Core.”
“…Was transferring it even possible?”
“Normally, no. But in terms of raw output and control of Dharmic Power, I’m easily among the top five in the entire Great Plains.”
No wonder the volume of his light was so overwhelmingly superior compared to the warriors Aiden had seen before. The restriction he had placed on himself must be incredibly powerful…
“Now, begin.”
With those words, an unfamiliar energy surged into Aiden’s body.
Soon, a swarm of light—far smaller than Dunadan’s, but still dazzlingly bright—burst forth around his body.
“…”
Aiden blinked, looking around in bewilderment.
Can I even learn this…?
The very first hurdle was far too high. He was told to condense them into a Core at the exact moment they collided, but it felt like trying to catch a formless ghost with his bare hands. He couldn’t keep up at all…
— System Message
▶ Detecting the operation of ‘Dharmic Power’.
▶ Confirming the unlocking of an additional supernatural ability.
▶ The level of [Skill: Omnipotence] has increased.
▶ Additional effects have been added to the skill.
And as those thoughts crossed his mind, a window suddenly popped up before him.
— Skill Info
■ Omnipotence [Level 2]
— You can combine two or more supernatural abilities to produce more powerful effects than before.
— You can see through the source of supernatural abilities, making mastery and exploration easier.
▶ Currently Discovered Combinations
〓 Guardian’s Flame (Pure White Heart ↔ First Vow)
※ As the skill level increases, the number of supernatural abilities that can be combined increases, and additional effects are unlocked.
※ Increase the number of supernatural abilities you can wield to raise your skill level!
“…?”
Aiden stared at the window that had suddenly appeared before him.
Come to think of it, he had heard that the skill level would rise as the number of wieldable supernatural abilities increased.
But was that possible even with an ability temporarily transferred from someone else?
“…”
Then, Aiden blankly looked around.
The moment that window appeared, he could immediately feel that something had clearly changed compared to before.
…Huh?
Something… was visible.
Amidst the lights that had been moving frantically and sporadically just moments ago, an underlying ‘law’ was suddenly… distinct. It was so clear it felt as if he could simply reach out and grab it.
“Don’t be too greedy.”
Thinking that Aiden, who was silently looking around, was flustered by the chaotic movement of the lights, Dunadan crossed his arms with a benevolent smile.
“Even for me, who was called the greatest talent of the tribe, it took a whole year to create my first Core and promote to an apprentice warrior. For now, just try to get used to the movement—”
His sentence cut off abruptly.
He had just spotted a fist-sized ball of light materializing right next to Aiden’s body.
Not even five seconds had passed since the lights had first appeared.
“…”
Dunadan’s face froze.