Chapter 34: To Obtain Power

Hearing my words, I heard a faint rustle coming from one of the bushes nearby.

Before I could fully make out the silhouette in the darkness, a small white rabbit poked its head out from between the leaves.

Its long ears twitched as it cautiously looked around, before the rest of its body emerged from the bush and its little paws touched the grass beneath it.

’Hm... aren’t rabbits symbols of the moon? Why is it presenting itself as a rabbit... wouldn’t a Lion or Eagle be more suitable...?’

I shook off my thoughts, unable to come up with a plausible explanation for its rather odd form.

The rabbit slowly hopped towards me, its eyes fixed curiously on my figure.

I bent down on one knee, trying to show as much respect as I could towards this being.

Although it was dying, I was most certain that it could probably still injure me really badly if it wanted to.

I had zero intentions of finding out just how much strength it had left...

The rabbit tilted its head, as though questioning what I meant by my earlier words.

"I mean it. You want to get back at A.E.G.I.S. for using you, right? Although I cannot soothe your rage against the great beings, I can definitely offer you satisfaction when it comes to A.E.G.I.S."

As though still unconvinced, the rabbit tilted its head again, its long ears drooping slightly to one side.

Was it still suspicious of me?

Well, I could not exactly blame it... If I were in its position, I probably wouldn’t trust a stranger who suddenly appeared in my hiding place and offered to help me get revenge either.

Still, I had to try.

"I, Moon, swear by my True Name to help the Autarch of Light take their revenge against A.E.G.I.S., for as long as they grant me their supernatural strength."

The strange sensation of having committed myself through my True Name appeared once again, lingering briefly before disappearing.

Finally convinced, the rabbit turned around and began hopping in a certain direction through the tall grass.

I followed it slowly, remaining cautious of my surroundings in case I was being led into some sort of trap.

Honestly, I was quite nervous. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure if this would work, especially considering the strange constitution that the Ring of Sacrilege had brought to my body...

However, I had no other choice if I wanted to return to my old world.

Out of all the plans I could come up with, this was the safest one I could think of.

Yes. That’s right.

The second part of my plan to go home involved acquiring the supernatural power of the dying sun from the [Sunny Days Toy’s Workshop].

"..."

Rustle.

I moved along, trying to keep my eyes fixed on the rabbit as it continued hopping through the tall grass.

Suddenly, I scrunched up my nose.

There was a foul odor in the air... no, it was more like the smell of blood? A thick, rotten stench that grew fouler the closer I got.

Rustle.

As I continued walking, I finally saw it.

A mangled giant rabbit corpse.

"..."

I wanted to vomit due to how gruesome the body looked, but I forced myself to hold it in.

I didn’t want to appear disrespectful in front of this being, especially after everything I had promised it.

Its body was enormous, several times larger than an ordinary rabbit, and its flesh had been torn apart so badly that it was difficult to tell where one part ended and another began.

This... was probably the original body of this supernatural space.

The small rabbit in front of me tilted its head one last time before slowly hopping onto the mangled corpse.

It settled down against the ruined body, closed its eyes, and remained still, as though finally "surrendering" to the last moments of its suffering.

It did not seem to mind dying for the sake of revenge.

As for me... I already knew what it wanted me to do.

Within [Arcana], there were several ways to obtain supernatural powers.

The first was to be born with a special constitution.

Although such people were exceptionally rare, they were not entirely unheard of.

Most individuals born with special constitutions tended to have some sort of paranormal history within their families.

Perhaps one of their ancestors had formed a contract with a supernatural entity, or perhaps their bloodline had been exposed to something that ordinary humans should never have encountered.

In other cases, a child might be born under extremely unusual circumstances, such as during a supernatural phenomenon or within a place where paranormal energy had accumulated for generations.

Of course, not everyone with a paranormal family history would inherit such a constitution, and not every special constitution could be traced back to one’s ancestry. Some cases were simply too strange to explain.

The second method was to obtain paranormal items found within supernatural spaces or taken from supernatural creatures.

These items could grant their users a wide variety of abilities, depending on their origins and properties.

Some could strengthen the body, others could protect the mind from supernatural influences, and a few could even allow ordinary humans to interact with phenomena that they would otherwise be completely powerless against.

However, within A.E.G.I.S., such items were strictly monitored.

Their usage was regulated according to their classification, potential danger, and compatibility with the user.

Not everyone could simply pick up a paranormal item and start using it...

Certain items required special authorization, while others were restricted to specific personnel who had undergone the necessary evaluations.

After all, handing an ordinary person an item capable of causing a supernatural disaster was hardly a wise decision.

The third method was to form a contract with a supernatural being and become its blessed.

Compared to the first two methods, this was often a more direct way of obtaining supernatural power.

By entering into an agreement with an entity, a person could receive a portion of its strength or gain abilities related to its nature.

However, such contracts rarely came without a cost.

Even if the terms appeared reasonable, there was always the possibility of being manipulated by the entity one had chosen to trust.

Over time, the blessed might find their thoughts and behavior gradually changing to align with their patron’s nature.

In more severe cases, their personalities could be warped, their minds slowly reshaped until they became little more than extensions of the very beings that had granted them their powers.

Naturally, there were exceptions, but the risks were still far too great to ignore.

And finally... there was the fourth method.

To consume the corpse of a dead supernatural creature.

"..."

I slowly reached my hand out towards the corpse.