In Another World with Absolute Awareness

The <Law of Fate> was very fickle.

Forcefully reading into its intricate webbing expended too much energy for what it was worth.

This was something I figured out in this battle with Kuvie, Nievelt, Roa, and others.

After learning of Kuvie’s other identity without [Absolute Awareness] prying it from the invisible tangled strings of <Fate>, everything related to this identity became much easier to unravel.

It was no wonder that I couldn’t exactly extract all of her information from the get-go.

Much of it was concealed—and not just by her Secrecy Magic, but also because it was hidden in the knots and tangles of <Fate>.

Although I couldn’t read into the <Law of Fate> directly, using Daimyuon’s sparse knowledge of other <Laws>, my instincts told me that any fate-defying attempts would always require tremendous sacrifice and disproportionate effort.

Only something like my [Absolute Awareness] could effectively parse through the web of <Fate> with such ’ease.’

After all, even Gods were subjects of <Fate>.

In fact...

I would say that they were slaves of <Fate>.

Apotheosis was the acceptance of eternal shackles.

How tragic, no?

Such was the price of eternity.

So, perhaps I could plant a few seeds for the future, right here and right now.

"Miss Roa! The drakon is in this shop!"

Protected by the raging whirlpool I summoned, Roa and her agents rushed into the abandoned store and ransacked its storages.

My directions were vague—appropriately so, for the D-Rank abilities I was currently putting on display.

—Ssssswish!

Suddenly, a trident pierced through my whirlpool, unfettered by the powerful, rotating current.

I knew that this trident was a little special.

’Its enchantments allow it to move through water without hindrance at all... or with so much that it can displace tons upon tons of water with a single swing.’

It was like <Weight Manipulation> but for the volume displaced.

So, I didn’t bother using <Power of the Sea> to bombard it with the surrounding torrents.

—Clang!

Instead, I parried with a spear.

"What?!"

Hearing the exasperation in Nievelt’s tone, I smiled.

The spear wasn’t in my hands, no... I was too physically weak for that. Instead, <Power of the Sea> held it in place like an invisible hand.

The waters wielded the spear, and not me.

Heeding my will, I summoned the waters to grab the Sonarium’s trident, but Nievelt had acted just in the nick of time.

An enchantment hummed with power, and the trident returned to its owner’s hands.

"Nifty," I commented. "How much for the trident?"

"...Not for sale," Nievelt replied.

Hearing the annoyance in his tone, I laughed. I thought he wanted to go for a negotiation first? Where was his counter-offer?

"Not even for a platinum coin?"

I took out a gleaming piece of immense wealth from my sleeve. Nievelt’s eyes shook, and his motions faltered.

’Got you~’

With a grin, I infused the <Power of Death> into the platinum coin, binding it to my will.

—Ping!

I flicked the coin just as Nievelt came back to his senses.

—Vwhoom!!

A sharp blast tore through the waters as the coin flew forward like a bullet.

Then, I grasped outward with my hand.

[Power of the Sea]!

A loud clang shook the surrounding waters as the platinum coin slammed against Nievelt’s trident, loosening it from his grasp.

"!!!"

Then, my water cannon followed straight after, roaring like an awakened dragon.

Although it wouldn’t wound my foes, it was enough to send them out of range.

"Hrck!"

And struggle, Nievelt did. Against my superior water affinity, he could not rival my command over the waters rushing toward him.

"This— fu—!"

—BOOM!

Roa’s attack finally sent Nievelt hurtling out into the distance.

Having ridden my water cannon, her lunge had accumulated terrifying momentum, matching an attack a notch higher than what she was normally capable of.

Roa was therefore in charge of holding back the strongest enemy.

While she fought, I moved her squadmates in the same way, using my <Power of the Sea> to create a superior environment for our side.

—Clang!

—Clang!

—Boom!

The sounds of battle were diverse as the Silo Family’s squad silently sent someone away from the battlefield.

We had already retrieved the drakon, with one of us slowly trying to sneak away... but there was an enemy who was similarly aware of that truth.

Kuvie had been missing throughout the battle.

I already knew what spell she used to surveil me. <Life Sense> was worthy of her confidence.

And it would also play a crucial role, right here...

"Right now!"

—Crack. BOOM!

A coral wall exploded with debris and crumbled to pieces.

Gleaming green hues flooded the murky waters with ominous light.

A nearby agent—a young Mermaid—swiftly swam upwards to dodge the eruption of <Wild Growth>. Large kelp tendrils surged after her like a raging kraken, writhing and slithering.

The agent paled at the sight of the kelp forest. Glancing at me, she gave a nod of gratitude before casting her own magic.

[Fluid Swiftness]!

She charged out of the encirclement in an instant, flung further and further away along the current I created with <Power of the Sea>.

"Well, that’s done."

Looking at the battlefield and the helpless expressions of the squad from <Angel’s Bane>, I took a step back.

Nievelt had already put a hand on the mutagen bomb in his possession.

"Roa! We need to fall back. Now!"

I sensed a flash of hesitation in the Snakespawn’s movements. However, she relented in the next breath, hurriedly sending a telepathic command.

Of course, I listened in.

—[You heard the scout! All units, retreat! Our mission here is done!]

At this moment, I summoned the platinum coin back to me, retrieving it with the <Power of Death>. It was fun to use riches like this—after all, the strength of the attack depended on the item’s value.

As far as I could tell, its divination abilities worked on a similar measurement.

"Wait! We can discuss this!" Nievelt tried to pursue, but I commanded turbulence to wreck the surroundings, mindful of the structures and the hiding noncombatants.

"You don’t want to sell your trident. No further discussion is needed!"

I laughed, refining my manipulation of the surrounding waters.

If I killed even one person by accident, my <Perfect Level-Up Plan> would melt in an instant (The Gaea System would classify any resident in this world as an excellent source of experience, after all). I refused to increase my level until I collected all 42 Divine Branches.

Thus came the end of my first quest.

"...F-Rank my ass."

Laughing at how the minimum combat requirement for an F-Rank Quest was D-Rank magic or martial arts, it made sense why most adventurers moved in an adventurer party.

That being said...

As we retreated, I reached out my hand...

—Ding!

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