Chapter 26: New Trick

  "Kiita, Kiita, wake up." Nitaan gently shook the giant dog on his body. Kiita was lying on top of Nitaan, his large head resting on the back of Nitaan’s neck. His breathing was rhythmic, and his tail was wagging slightly, a total sign of sweet dreams.

  After a while, those sleepy eyes opened. Still groggy, he looked at Nitaan. Kiita yawned widely.

  Kiita lifted his head, looked around, and tilted his head slightly before resting it on Nitaan's lap again.

  "Whining."

  Can't sleep? Cuddle?

  "Nope, sorry for waking you up so suddenly. I just wanted to try something," Nitaan smiled, gently stroking Kiita's head.

  Try... something? Kiita murmured softly through the Link. Nitaan sensed that Kiita was still groggy. The giant sleepy dog ??wasn't fully awake yet.

  "I mean, play. I have a new trick I want to try," Nitaan thought for a moment before a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

  When Kiita heard the word 'play'. The two ears that had been folded down perked up towards the sky. The two eyes that had been half-closed were now wide open, sparkling brightly.

  "Woof!"

  Play! Play!

  Nitaan pushed Kiita's large body away from him, got out of bed, and walked out into the open courtyard in front of his house.

  Nitaan's house, though not far from the city center, was in an area near the city walls, so it wasn't very populated. Most of the land was used by townspeople for farming, leaving a wide open space for Nitaan to let Kiita run around freely.

  "Woof! Woof woof!"

  What are we gonna play? fetch? Or maybe catch a fluffy tail?

  Kiita ran after him quickly, his tail wagging happily. Kiita loved playing with Nitaan more than anything else, second only to eating delicious food with Nitaan.

  "Kiita, you can use my power, right? The one that makes you lighter and your body fade?" Nitaan was referring to Kiita sharing from him.

  Nitaan had always thought that Kiita could use part of his power because of Link, but now he knew the truth. It was because of Kiita's word, ‘Nitaan Wongjantra’.

  And it was because of this that Nitaan had the idea for his new trick.

  "Woof woof!"

  Yup! If Nitaan is okay, yes! Kiita replied.

  Nitaan felt the link between himself and Kiita strengthen. It was a familiar feeling he always experienced whenever Kiita used his power. Normally, Nitaan didn't pay much attention to this link. When Kiita needed to use his power, Nitaan would simply send power through this link.

  In fact, part of the reason Nitaan wasn't very aware of it was because his own consciousness was always ready to give power to Kiita whenever the link was connected.

  Nitaan sent power through the link. He observed the transfer of power. He never specified what kind of power Kiita could use through this link.

  Link was like a door that Kiita could choose to walk through and retrieve whatever he desired.

  Kiita's form suddenly faded, becoming as translucent as mist. Although Nitaan could clearly feel Kiita through link, Kiita's outward appearance was blurry and difficult to perceive.

  This time, Kiita's body returned to normal. The link between him and Kiita suddenly rekindled and asked for more power. Nitaan transmitted power through link without holding back.

  Kiita leaped lightly once, his body soaring high into the air. Yet, upon landing, he left no trace on the ground.

  Kiita moved left and right, his body darting forward with incredible speed. His footsteps remained weightless, leaving no mark on the ground, only a gentle breeze.

  This was how Kiita had been borrowing Nitaan's power for a long time. After their long battles together, transferring and receiving power from Nitaan had become as normal as breathing.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Can you try using other powers? Increase your own weight, increase my weight, or link my feet to the ground?" Nitaan asked.

  The main powers Nitaan shared with Kiita were Fade and Gravity. It wasn't because he restricted Kiita's choices, but because Kiita himself chose not to use them.

  Kiita closed his eyes for a moment before a faint pressure radiated from his body. Cracks appeared in the ground beneath his feet, and Kiita's movements slowed down from the weight.

  "Woof!"

  Kiita can become fat!

  fat…

  "Then why didn't you ever use it when we were in the forest?" Nitaan's eye twitched as he asked back. In his opinion, switching weights during combat was a highly effective battle strategy, guaranteed by his own experience.

  Although it might be difficult at first, once you get used to it, it becomes easy to use. Previously, Nitaan had added weight to Kiita during attacks and decreased weight during movement, but it would be better if the attacker could do it by themselves.

  "Woof!"

  Fat is heavy! Kiita doesn't like it!

  Nitaan chuckled softly.

  That's right. He's a dog, after all. Why would he like being heavier?

  "Woof!"

  Besides, Nitaan will fat for Kiita anyway!

  That's true. I'm always decreasing or increasing weight for him. After all, most of our attack patterns involve alternating attacks. Since Nitaan is constantly linked to Kiita, he's always aware of Kiita's condition and knows when to provide support.

  "Then, can you try adding weight to me, or pulling and pushing me?"

  Kiita stared at Nitaan's body. Nitaan felt a faint pull. His body leaned slightly towards Kiita. But the force is so weak that if he just leans back, the pull force vanishes.

  Next, Nitaan felt his body being pushed away. It wasn't a push like being slammed into something. It was more like his body was slowly drifting further away from Kiita.

  The problem was, this power was very weak. The moment Nitaan took a step, the pushing force vanished.

  Then Nitaan's weight increased slightly. He sensed his own weight more accurately than normal people. After all, he always used this power on himself.

  The weight gain was considerable, but not enough to significantly affect a fight. It would be even less effective against an enemy.

  "Whining..."

  Tired… Kiita so tired. Kiita gasped for breath.

  Spiritual energy usage for the shared power is quite different. For my part, the attraction and repulsion forces used a fair amount of energy. Increasing and decreasing weight was used the least. The difference between increase and decrease was negligible. Yet, Kiita could lose weight effortlessly but gain weight much less efficiently. Nitaan murmured.

  "And what about my Link, the one that keeps my feet glued to the ground?" Nitaan pointed to his feet. Nitaan used this power to create many unique feats. It would be great if Kiita could do the same.

  "Woof"

  Nope.

  Nitaan wasn't surprised by this answer. Although the source of the power sharing came from a Name Word of Power, ultimately, the thread that transmitted the power was still a Link. It wouldn't make sense for Kiita to use Nitaan's Link through Link while Nitaan is still using it as well.

  Another thing Nitaan gained after discovering his fourth word. ‘Kiita Wongjantra’ was the ability to share his physical abilities, speed, endurance, and spiritual energy with Kiita.

  Therefore, if he activated ‘Kiita Wongjantra’, he should be able to do the same as Kiita, receiving the shared power from Kiita as well.

  Nitaan slowly activated ‘Kiita Wongjantra’, he sensed Kiita's presence in his consciousness space. He tries to request for physical strength, and then Kiita swiftly responds.

  Kiita is no different from Nitaan, his consciousness will grant power to Nitaan automatically and unconditionally.

  Nitaan suddenly felt a surge of increased strength and speed. He grasped a small stone.

  As a Fate Scripter, Nitaan could easily crush this palm-sized stone. He tries using only two fingers, yet he is still easily able to shatter it.

  With a light touch of his foot, he was instantly propelled forward, his speed increasing to the point that it was hard to control. His power had increased significantly, and his speed rivaled that of a Fate Scripter with an enhancing-type word.

  This was Kiita's physical ability after Engraving Ceremony. Is this his normal state or after using ‘Chase’?

  “You can receive my physical ability too, can’t you? But I don’t remember you trying to use it much,” Nitaan wondered. He realized that since he was able to receive Kiita's physical abilities through ‘Kiita Wongjantra’, then Kiita should be able to do the same with ‘Nitaan Wongjantra’. Yet he never felt like Kiita had been receiving his physical ability. At most just a little that made him think it was Link’s ability all along.

  "Woof! Ruff!"

  Nitaan will be tired, very tired. Kiita didn't like that.

  Nitaan smiled again. Kiita always thought of him first.

  "Let's try it. It's just a little tiring. I can handle it," Nitaan said, trying to send the power directly.

  Kiita created a connection to receive the power. Nitaan felt his physical strength and stamina plummet for a moment. Large beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead.

  It's quite a heavy burden, but not to the point of being unbearable. I probably won't be able to maintain this state for long in a real fight, Nitaan thought.

  Kiita's body and posture remained unchanged. He lifted his front paw, extended his sharp claws, and swung them down at a large rock nearby.

  Crack!

  The large rock suddenly smashes into pieces. Before Nitaan could even offer a word of praise, the power within his body was swiftly drawn back.

  "I’m fine," Nitaan chuckled.

  "But you don't look tired at all, even when I received your physical ability before."

  "Woof!"

  Kiita is stronger! Kiita recover fast!

  Nitaan understood what Kiita meant. Since he is an animal, his body is stronger than human like Nitaan. Now that Kiita is Learner, his physical ability should have increased even further.

  "Then let's save it for when we need it. I might use your physical strength more often. Tell me if you get tired," Nitaan said to the giant black dog in front of him.

  Kiita wagged its tail happily. It wouldn't have any problem helping Nitaan. Not to mention that it was practically effortless.

  “Alright, what I really want to try is what happens next. Kiita, you can use my Word of Power through my Link”

  “Therefore, I should be able to use your Word of Power as well,” Nitaan smirked.

  This was what Nitaan suddenly realized. He had always understood that the most important part was Link. But in reality, Link was merely an extension.

  Name Word of Power made him and Kiita able to share their physical ability, like strength, speed, endurance, or even spiritual energy. When adding Link to the equation, the efficiency skyrockets, and Kiita can even use his Word of Power.

  With that train of thought, Nitaan had an idea.

  If I guess correctly, ‘Kiita Wongjantra’ should allow me to use Kiita’s Word of Power through Link as well. But it will be weaker since ‘Kiita Wongjantra’ still at Newborn level.

  When Nitaan finished speaking, Kiita suddenly stood up, eagerly wagging his tail. He closed his eyes and began the process of sharing Word of Power.

  The connection between the two starts to expand. This time, Nitaan saw three stars appear in his consciousness space.

  ‘Domain’

  ‘Fortress’

  ‘Chase’