Birth of A Hero and Power That Could Reach the Gods – Part 03

Dodorono had expected things to get heated, and they did.

The meeting turned into a mess. The main point of contention was what to do with Gilma.

Each clan chief wanted Gilma for themselves. Many argued she should be shared equally, like the Progenitor’s Forge. But the Bright Rooster clan, where Gilma belonged, and the Golden Boar clan, which protected her, flatly refused. They insisted no one else had the right to use her power. If anyone wanted to, they demanded half of the forged goods in exchange.

Even Dodorono thought they were being way too greedy. The other clans naturally reacted with anger and pushed back.

When it was time for lunch and the meeting broke for a recess, Dodorono decided to speak with the Bright Rooster clan chief, hoping to talk some sense into them.

“You fool,” the chieftain said. “That’s just the opening move in a negotiation. If you don’t push hard from the get-go, you lose out. Lose out! We have the most favorable position, so we’re taking the lead.”

With a witch-like cackle, the Bright Rooster chieftain walked off.

Dodorono let out a deep sigh. If this was only going to deepen the rift between clans, then nothing had really changed at all.

Glancing over, he saw several clan leaders crowding around Gilma. She looked like she wanted out of there. She already felt like someone distant and out of reach.

His older brother Dodonno was speaking with the Golden Boar and Purple Horse clan chiefs. They were discussing practical matters—how to manage the new camp, how to organize damage inspection teams, how to set up supply lines. There was clearly a lot to figure out.

“Thanks, big brother.”

Dodorono felt nothing but gratitude for his brother, who had taken on all the headaches himself.

---

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Huh? No freakin’ way. Why the hell should I tell you anything?”

The all-female Dwarf adventuring party, Fringe Bell Fierce Blossoms, had their own tent, and inside, Waffa and her team were playing a card game. Even though it was eight women gathered together, the smell in the tent was nothing but alcohol. Typical Dwarves, Hikaru thought.

“Waffa. I’d like you to listen to Hikaru’s request.”

“L-L-Lady Selyse!”

Waffa, slouched over the table with her chin resting in her hand, shot upright and stood at attention. Selyse must have noticed the smell of booze too, because she threw open the tent flap wide. A gust of cold, fresh air swept in.

“If it’s Lady Selyse’s request, I’ll do anything!”

“As I’ve said before, I’d also like you to show the same courtesy to Hikaru.”

“Right.” Waffa gave Hikaru the sourest look imaginable.

“I mean, if she suddenly starts being polite to me, it’d just feel creepy, so I don’t care either way,” Hikaru said.

“Huh? Are you picking a fight, you little shit? I’ll kill you!”

Hikaru shot her a glare. “You did attack me out of nowhere before, and I still haven’t forgiven you for that,” he said matter-of-factly.

Waffa flinched with a sharp intake of breath.

She had attacked him before due to a misunderstanding, and another time she tried to swing at him during the Trial of Illusions. She ended up getting seriously injured both times. Still, Hikaru wanted to make the gap in their skill levels absolutely clear.

“I-I guess I’m kinda sorry for what I did back then.”

“I’m not expecting an apology. Just answer my questions.”

“See that, Lady Selyse?! This is how he talks to me!”

Selyse sighed and turned to the other party members. “She’s your party leader, right? Is everything good?”

“You get used to it,” one answered.
“She’s actually easy to manage.”
“She’s pretty simple at the core.”

They were all well-accustomed to dealing with Waffa.

“I’m right here, you know!” Waffa fumed.

“Anyway, can we move on? I want to ask you about your fighting style. That thing you do—where you power up without using mana—can all Dwarves do that?”

“Huh? Why the hell should I—”

“Waffa?” Selyse said, veins popping on her temple.

Waffa once again snapped to rigid attention. “I’d be more than happy to answer.”

Hikaru figured maybe Waffa was easy to deal with once you learned how. He was also glad he hadn’t brought Lavia with him. He had met with Selyse at the aid station and left Lavia there. If she’d come along, things would’ve gotten more complicated, and one of the tents might’ve gone up in flames thanks to her magic.

“I developed that fighting style myself. I don’t have mana, but there’s this mana-like energy inside the body, right? I kinda burn that up to power myself up.”

Waffa was explaining it to Selyse alone, but even Selyse looked like she didn’t get it. Her party members chimed in.

“Here she goes with the weird explanations again.”
“Nobody understands this stuff.”
“Actual magic would be easier to follow.”

While they chatted, Hikaru quietly checked Waffa’s Soul Board again.

【Soul Board】Waffa Goldenboar
Age: 22 | Rank: 31 | 7

【Vitality】
【Natural Recovery】5
【Stamina】8
【Immunity】
【Toxin Immunity】2
【Perception】
【Sight】2
【Hearing】1

【Strength】
【Muscle Strength】5
【Weapon Mastery】
【Greatsword】1
【Armor】3

【Agility】
【Power Burst】2

【Dexterity】
【Tool Mastery】
【Axe】3

【Willpower】
【Mental Strength】4
【Charisma】1

It hadn’t changed since the last time he saw it. Nothing on it screamed, this is it, either.

Waffa’s fighting style didn’t seem very reproducible. Maybe someone else out there could do it too, but it doesn’t feel like something she could teach. If anything, maybe Man Gnomes would know more about it.

Hikaru mulled it over, but his conclusion was the same: no clue.

“So anyway! At that moment, I dashed in like bam, swung my axe all like wham, and the monsters, right—”

“Let’s go, Selyse.”

“Huh? But I was just getting to the good part! I was gonna talk about how I got promoted to Rank C.”

Waffa had already veered off into something completely unrelated to her fighting style.

“Selyse’s Rank B, you know? I’m sure she’s been through whatever adventures you’ve had.”

“G-Good point. Oh, that means I should listen to her stories instead.” Waffa looked up at Selyse with sparkling eyes.

“Hikaru?”

“Let’s go.”

“Hikaru? Feels like I’ve got more trouble on my hands.”

“Well, if you’re staying here, then I’ll just excuse myself.”

“Lady Selyse! Please, please, share your stories!”

As Waffa clung to Selyse’s trousers, Hikaru quickly slipped out of the tent. Waffa’s teammates were getting excited too.

“I’ve always wanted to hear a Rank B’s story.”
“Way too curious now.”
“Nice job, Waffa. Don’t let go.”

“Hikaru!” Selyse called from inside the tent. “You’re going to make this up to me later!”

Pressing his palms together in a silent prayer, Hikaru walked through the camp, lost in thought.

There weren’t any relevant entries on Waffa’s Soul Board, yet she had clearly learned a combat style that involved some kind of Soul-like energy. Her party didn’t seem to get her explanation, and they found magical power easier to understand.

Come to think of it, there are two kinds of detection skills—Mana Detection and Life Detection. Life energy is closer to Soul energy, but still not quite the same. So does that mean Waffa’s fighting style uses life energy?

Back when they fought during the Trial of Illusions, Waffa’s body appeared to be engulfed in flames when viewed through Life Detection.

So much for that theory.

Nevertheless, Soul energy was very real. The Man Gnomes even fired it as projectiles in battle.

But Soul-related Skills don’t actually show up on the Soul Board. Wait… maybe the term Soul Board itself is a clue. Maybe the Skills displayed are Soul-based by nature.