– Quest Info –
▶ Failure to complete the events listed in this section will result in severe penalties!
Sham Marriage
– You have been chosen as Noel’s spouse. Maintain the contract with your partner until the end!
Act 1, “Cracks in the System”
– Your interactions with key characters in the scenario are becoming frequent enough.
– Soon, your presence will officially be integrated into the scenario. The future of the scenario will be determined by your actions!
—
A related event will occur soon. (D-2)
‘It’s still a window that makes my stomach churn every time I see it.’
Aiden scanned the sentence with a gloomy expression.
That feeling was especially amplified by the last window.
—
<Life is Beautiful>
Katia Heinkel Craven is desperately seeking something from you. Do your best to help her fully experience ‘sensation’!
—
A related event will occur soon. (D-2)
‘If I think about it, I did it deliberately to catch her interest in the first place, but now seeing it formally registered as a quest window feels a bit strange. Isn’t this supposed to be a sub-quest…?’
Less significant tasks are labeled as sub-quests, while those that have a major impact on the main scenario seem to be registered separately in the quest window.
But why is this showing up here when it started as a sub-quest?
As if implying that they would meet more often from now on.
‘There is an appointment to meet next time, after all.’
Aiden was the one who summoned her for two days from now, claiming he’d help her understand how to feel pain.
Something he’d never usually do. Especially considering the difficulty of what’s required to make Katia feel pain.
In theory, if you could land a blow powerful enough to surpass all the divine energy she emits, then it would be possible.
But that’s easier said than done.
‘Even when holding back all my strength, she’s still immortal, right?’
He let out a long sigh internally.
How on earth can you make someone who’s so divinely blessed they can’t die feel such a thing?
No one nearby seems up to the task, including Noel.
If the two of them fought, it would be a close match, but in terms of power output, both would probably be on a similar level.
It would be hard to “overwhelm” her.
Penetrating all that divine power and making her “feel” something is virtually impossible.
And if it’s impossible for her, it’s impossible for anyone.
That is, except for one person.
The “protagonist.”
In the end, everything comes down to that guy.
The “Savior” must be somewhere.
The kind of person who fits all the grand, glorious titles—though the main one is still the same.
The center of the world, who will ultimately save it from the darkness that engulfs the continent.
The savior of humanity, the protector of the world. The counterbalance to evil.
If it’s him, he could probably do what Katia desires.
The reason Aiden asked to meet Katia is to get her involved in the event happening two days later, where the protagonist is expected to appear.
Once she sees him, her interest in Aiden will likely fade away.
‘…though I’m not entirely sure.’
There’s no guarantee that this “protagonist” even exists yet.
But if he doesn’t, then this world is destined for destruction. The story can’t progress without assuming his existence.
The protagonist must exist.
He has to.
But, setting that aside for now.
The immediate issue at hand is that he also needs to be present where the main scenario will unfold. A place where someone’s blood will flow, and violence will fill the air.
Whether it’s Noel or Katia, in order to bring them down, Aiden has to take action.
And for that, he must have protection.
“Hmm…”
Aiden examined the gun he brought from the gunsmith.
A classic revolver, where pulling the trigger strikes the hammer, which fires the bullet.
He glanced around his surroundings. After confirming no one was nearby, he brought out his supernatural powers.
After all, he took the emperor and Dunadan’s warning about maintaining security very seriously.
Though he was still not fully accustomed to handling it, at least bringing out the supernatural powers was something he could do now.
First, the energy, and second, the divine power.
White smoke and colorless flames began to rise around him.
The first floated quietly, but the divine power swirled like a coiled snake in the air, flicking its fiery tongue as if to thank him for summoning it.
It resembled a puppy greeting its master after a long time…
‘It almost seems like it has consciousness,’ he chuckled softly.
At least for now, it seemed to obey his commands, which was a relief.
He attempted to infuse each of the revolver’s parts with one of the two powers.
Thanks to seeing Noel do this before, he could mimic it.
-System Message-
▶ You are infusing the revolver with supernatural powers.
▶ ‘Pure White Heart’ and ‘First Vow’ are not combined but are infused separately into each part.
▶ The first power is infused into the trigger.
▶ The second divine power is infused into the hammer.
‘It’s… infused, I guess.’
As the parts became coated with the powers, the energy and divine power shimmered faintly on their surface.
It seemed simple enough when looking at it, but soon a strange window appeared in front of Aiden’s eyes.
-System Message-
▶ A unique skill, ‘Omnipotence,’ has been detected.
▶ During the infusion process, your unique characteristics will be applied.
▶ The power will increase, but certain conditions will also be imposed!
-System Message-
To use the weapon as a medium for the ‘Omnipotence’ skill, you need to infuse a total of 3 powers.
▶ Currently, 2 powers have been infused.
▶ It cannot display its full potential!
Aiden frowned slightly.
The message at the end was something he couldn’t ignore.
‘…Has this always been a thing?’
He had never encountered anyone with the ‘Omnipotence’ skill in the game, so there was no way to verify it.
He pressed his hand to his forehead as a headache began to throb.
Infusing supernatural powers into a weapon was a fundamental part of combat.
Noel hadn’t taught him all those details for nothing.
But why did he, of all people, have to deal with extra conditions?
‘Still…’
Honestly, he had no idea what “full potential” meant here, but given the power he had seen from the ‘Omnipotence’ skill before, he doubted it would be anything short of overwhelming.
Yet, even so…
If he wanted to be completely safe, it made sense to take the most secure route possible.
‘Is there any alternative to using the gun…?’
It’s ridiculous to think of mastering a new technique in just two days before the event.
Finding a solution close to hand seemed the best option.
Aiden tapped his chin, lost in thought.
The powers he possessed were energy, divine power…
-Skill Info-
<Weaver of Fate>
Dunadan U’zal
Bond: Level 1
<Copied Skill>
Universal Power: Divine Law
This power was granted by Urgan, the God of Ascension. It operates by imposing restrictions upon oneself.
‘…And there was this.’
It perfectly fit the need for three powers to unlock full potential.
But the problem was, he didn’t even know how to use it.
‘Guess I’ll have to ask how to use it.’
Fortunately, there was one person nearby who could help.
***
Everyone knew that if you wanted to find the dragon hunter, Dunadan U’zal, you just had to go to the training ground.
As a high-ranking official from a nation that worships the God of Ascension and reveres values related to martial arts, everyone knew he was addicted to training.
Even while staying temporarily in the empire for the exchange event, it was no different. As soon as Aiden stepped into such a place, he immediately spotted Dunadan.
After all, anyone would notice a man dominating the vast indoor area, pushing a massive block of iron with his bare hands.
Aiden watched with narrowed eyes as the multi-ton block of metal slid effortlessly across the floor.
“…This isn’t human, is it?”
Aiden chewed over the thought he’d had once before.
The scarier part was that even someone with this kind of strength wasn’t the ‘protagonist’ of the main scenario.
It meant that the people he was entangled with now, like Noel or Katia, were even bigger monsters than this…
“You’re a familiar face. Here for some training?”
It seemed Dunadan had noticed him by then, as he stopped exercising and turned to look at Aiden.
The sight of his muscles, which looked like they could repel even a spear or sword, was incredibly intimidating.
“…I came to ask for some guidance,” Aiden said, trying to calm his involuntarily tensed body as he spoke.
No matter how terrifying the other person appeared, he still had a job to do.
“Guidance? From me?”
Dunadan tilted his head in confusion as Aiden swallowed nervously and continued.
“I’d like to learn how to use Divine Law.”
As soon as Dunadan heard this, a fierce grin spread across his face.
“You already handle pure energy and royal divine power, don’t you? And now you want to learn another power? Quite ambitious.”
Despite his words, Dunadan’s eyes looked Aiden up and down with an expression of interest.
“Is there a special reason?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’m asking, is there a reason you’re so eager to train? The talents you already possess aren’t exactly ordinary blessings.”
Normally, he would be right.
But when you’re dealing with the main scenario, you never know what’s going to happen…
‘Because I don’t want to die.’
The threats to his life from the world-shaping events of the main scenario meant no amount of preparation was ever enough.
More than anything, he wanted to go back to his family and live a normal life.
But, here, it would be best to give some kind of reasonable excuse. There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
“…There’s someone I want to impress.”
“……”
“I want to become a better person, don’t I?”
Saying something like this when you’re practically newlywed would likely make people think of Noel. And if the words happened to reach her, who knows? It might even improve her opinion of him. That was part of his intention, at least.
‘…Yeah, right.’
Aiden chuckled inwardly.
Even if she heard, she’d probably just brush it off without paying it much mind.
After all, theirs was a contract marriage. No matter what he said, she wouldn’t take it seriously.
Especially considering the gap between them.
They had a few connections now, but in the end, he was just an ordinary person, and Noel was someone who could leave a mark on history.
There was no way his goodwill would be seen as anything serious to someone like her.
“Alright, I’ll help you get started. It’s not difficult.”
Dunadan smiled, seemingly convinced by Aiden’s explanation.
“Do you know the basic concept of Divine Law?”
“More or less.”
Divine Law had some unique characteristics.
The God of Ascension, Urgan, had removed the restrictions on Divine Law, allowing not only his own followers but others as well to use it.
Handling multiple supernatural powers wasn’t exactly common, but the concept itself wasn’t as rare as it could have been, thanks to Divine Law.
In terms of merely manifesting power, Divine Law had the easiest requirements. Even those outside the tribal confederation could manifest it as long as they made the proper vows of restriction.
However…
“When you start out, you won’t be anywhere near my level, of course. For most people, it takes about 10 years of hard work just to reach apprentice warrior level.”
“…Apprentice in 10 years?”
“Ten years for an apprentice.”
Aside from manifestation, the difficulty of mastering it was staggering.
It was still better than energy, which couldn’t even be practiced if you had no talent, or divine power, which was limited to specific individuals, but mastering Divine Law was still a challenge beyond imagination.
Opportunities were fair.
But results were strictly based on ability.
That was a fitting trait of Urgan, the god who pursued progress.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
With that, Dunadan reverently wrapped a rosary around his hand.
It was an artifact of Urgan, used in prayer to the god.
“O bead, O lotus, shine your light.”
In response to the mantra offered to Urgan, a bright light enveloped the rosary.
It was a sight Aiden had seen once before.
Then, the power of Divine Law surged around Dunadan.
If energy appeared as smoke, and divine power as flame, then Divine Law was a radiant light swirling in all directions.
It was as if hundreds or even thousands of brilliant fireflies were flying all around. Aiden couldn’t help but gape as he watched them.
“The method for using Divine Law is simple. In the flow of this energy…”
As Dunadan spoke, several clusters of light began to gather, forming a clear ‘shape.’
It seemed like he was collecting them at the precise moments when the swirling light masses collided with each other.
A round sphere, a ball of light formed from the gathered masses of radiance.
“You start by gathering these cores. The number of cores you can create is the measure of a Divine Law user’s skill.”
As Aiden listened to the explanation, his face darkened considerably.
Just watching made the difficulty of controlling this power plainly obvious.
He absentmindedly nodded while gazing at the glowing clusters of light swirling around Dunadan.
Even following just one or two of the light paths made his eyes hurt and gave him a headache, and here were hundreds, thousands of them.
To create a core by hitting the exact moment when these things come together, you’d have to have extraordinary reflexes and intuition—that much was obvious.
“If energy is about filtering impurities from your body and divine power is like taming a wild horse, Divine Law is more about ‘communing.’ Do you understand what that means?”
“…More or less.”
To skillfully use this, you would need to track all the paths, probabilities, variables, and vectors, deducing all the branching possibilities and their movements…
‘I can’t do that…!’
In fact, for most humans, this is impossible.
That’s why they call using Divine Law a form of communion. It’s not something you calculate, but something you must handle by feel, in sync with its movements.
“Why don’t you give it a try?”
“Give it a try, you say?”
“You’ve never placed a restriction on yourself before, right? I’ll lend you my Divine Law, and you can try gathering a core.”
“…You can lend it?”
“Normally, no. But when it comes to the output and control of Divine Law, I’m the best across the entire great plains.”
‘No wonder the amount of light compared to other warriors was overwhelming when I saw it before.’
The restrictions he placed on himself must have been exceptionally powerful…
“Well then, go ahead and start.”
With that, an unfamiliar energy surged into Aiden’s body.
Though far less than what Dunadan possessed, a bright wave of light suddenly flared around Aiden.
Aiden blinked and glanced around.
‘Can I really learn this…?’
The difficulty was way too high from the first step.
He was supposed to form a core at the moment the lights gathered, but it felt like trying to catch intangible phantoms with his bare hands. He simply couldn’t keep up…
<Divine Law in use confirmed.>
▶ Additional supernatural power detected.
▶ [Skill: Omnipotence] level increased.
▶ Additional effects added to the skill.
And then, as these thoughts raced through his mind, a window suddenly appeared in front of him.
<Skill Info>
Omnipotence [Level 2]
– Combine two or more supernatural powers to create effects stronger than before.
– Allows you to discern the source of powers, making mastery and exploration easier.
▶ Discovered Combination:
<Flame of the Guardian> (Pure White Heart ↔ First Vow)
※ As the skill level increases, the number of supernatural powers you can combine also increases, along with additional effects.
※ Increase the number of powers you can handle to raise the skill level!
“…?”
Aiden stared at the unexpected window.
Now that he thought about it, he had heard that the skill level increased when you handled more supernatural powers, but was it possible to level up with powers someone else gave you?
…
Aiden looked around in a daze.
The moment that window appeared, he immediately felt that something had changed compared to just a moment ago.
‘…Huh? Something…’
He could see something.
Among the chaotic, scattered movements of the lights, there was now a sort of ‘rule’—clearly visible.
Almost as if he could reach out and grasp it.
“Don’t be too greedy.”
Seeing Aiden silently scanning his surroundings, Dunadan must have thought he was overwhelmed by the lights. He crossed his arms with a kind smile and said,
“It took me a year just to form my first core and become an apprentice warrior, and I was hailed as the greatest talent of my tribe. Right now, you should just try to get used to—”
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
It was because he saw a fist-sized orb of light appear near Aiden’s body.
It had only been less than five seconds since the light had started to gather.
“…”
Dunadan’s face froze, stiff as a board.
Cliche Novel 