The Gamer's POV-Chapter 254: Kleshas and Kushalas of Karma [2]

’Kleshas and Kushalas of Karma?’

Not long after Cedric had that thought, the writings changed and new ones began to materialize on the tablet before him:

[The ten Kleshas and Kushalas of Karma each have powers manifested from the specific concepts of Karma they represent. They also possess different aspects of your numerous powers in ways unique to them.]

’Hmm... interesting.’

Cedric nodded a few times subtly, while rubbing his smooth chin. Of course, he knew the second part of that explanation already. It may not look that obvious, but a Dominant really has many powers that all stemmed from their nature.

Take Cedric for instance; not counting his exclusive skills, he also had the powers his regalia and attribute granted him. Upon unlocking the summoning skill, different aspects of these powers would go to the ten beings, after which the powers would reshape and amplify, creating specialized powers unique to them.

The only power that they would not possess would be the bonded ability, as that is an authority exclusive to their lord.

Smiling in anticipation, Cedric looked away from the tablet back to the creatures. He couldn’t wait to see how the powers would transform in these beings. However, his excitement dulled a little when he remembered that at the moment, he could only give life to one of them.

His third exclusive skill which would likely be named the Ten Kleshas and Kushalas of Karma, was only at level one. And since it’s just at level one, he can only give life to one of them. Of course that would increase as the level rose, obviously.

But now, the question was...

"Which of them should I give life to?"

He turned to his right where Aika was standing, then he blinked a few times when he didn’t see her.

’When did she get up there?’ he thought as he turned to see her standing in front of a statue with her hands crossed.

Cedric stepped closer to the statue. It was the humanoid figure of a young beautiful woman with eight arms. She was dressed in a classic witch’s outfit, complete with an impossibly long, pointed hat that added to her height bringing her just as tall as him. On her forehead, she had an additional eye that remained closed and her other two eyes were half open, giving her an air of deep placidity.

When Cedric narrowed his eyes, the wordings on the tablet changed:

Name: —

Species: [Hekatid]

Nature: [Kushala]

Grade: [3]

Insight: [A being of great wisdom and insight. It is difficult to corrupt her and even more difficult to deceive her.]

Attributes: [Amoha], [Sati]

Powers: [Eye of Truth], [Placidity of Mind]

Cedric narrowed his eyes to see the description of the powers.

[Eye of Truth - The Hekatid can see through all lies, deception and illusions.]

[Placidity of Mind - The Hekatid has protection over mind attacks.]

’Woah... amazing.’ Cedric was impressed. Then he had a thought. ’I wonder... is she also capable of granting me immunity to mind attacks?’

Cedric remembered when he had almost fallen prey to the siren’s attack some months ago. If not for his attribute, who knows what might have happened to him and all his party members then.

He exhaled. ’It would be really great if she could.’

After a few seconds or so, he turned away and moved on to the next statue. He needed to at least have a bit of knowledge about them in order to be able to choose which would have value to him most for their final battle of the lords.

But when he got to the next statue, he had to look up because this one was tall. The creature appeared humanoid, but his hands were long enough to reach pass his knees. His face was handsome, but what was disturbing about this creature was that from its open mouth, a long serpent emerged, coiling tightly around its pale torso and neck before the head came to rest, swaying silently in the empty air above the statue’s shoulder.

’...’ 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Name: —

Species: [Nebulid]

Nature: [Klesha]

Grade: [3]

Insight: [A being of profound obscurity. It is difficult to understand him, and he is even more difficult to trace.]

Attributes: [Avidya], [Moha]

Powers: [Shroud of Ignorance], [Serpent of confusion]

[Shroud of Ignorance - The Nebulid can hide its true nature behind a fog of delusion.]

[Serpent of confusion - The serpent of the Nebulid can inflict the poison of confusion with its bite.]

’Damn... this one sounds a bit uh... sinister?’

Cedric’s eyes lingered on that snake for a moment, and then a thought occurred to him.

’Wait a minute...’

He turned his head to the Hekatid some meters to the side.

’Isn’t she the perfect counter to his powers?’

Thinking about it a bit, Cedric concluded... she was!

’That sort of makes sense.’

The Kushalas represented good karma, while the Kleshas represented evil karma. So it kind of made sense that the Kushalas can counter the Kleshas.

Cedric nodded in agreement to his point and moved on after a bit. When he reached the next creature, he arched a brow.

’Huh?’

He had stopped before the statue of what looked like small, cute loris.

’What the...’ Cedric crouched in front of the small, ball sized creature with two oversized eyes.

He then quickly looked at the tablet and the wordings changed.

Name: —

Species: [Monad]

Nature: [Kushala]

Grade: [3]

Insight: [An incredibly shy and humble being with a quiet ego. It dislikes squabbles and is easily underestimated. It is precisely because of this that it is capable of humbling the arrogant.]

Attributes: [Vinaya]

Powers: [Size Alteration], [Immutable Self], [Touch of Decay]

[Size Alteration - The Monad can grow to the size of its opponent as long as they are in the same level of power.]

[Immutable Self - The Monad is impervious to most mind attacks targeted at the sense of self.]

[Touch of Decay - The Monad’s touch is corrosive to the ’I-am-ness’.]

’Damn...’

Cedric’s eyes were wide after reading that, especially the last power: Touch of Decay.

’Corrosive to the I-am?’

That was crazy.

His flames of decay had reshaped to an ability within this creature that could decay one’s sense of self with a touch. Hell, more than that, it says that it could destroy the ’I-am.’ Destroying the I-am of a being, meant attacking the very foundation of their existence, potentially dissolving their ability to even feel that they were alive.

’Though it looks like it’s only weakness is that it needs to actually touch you. Still, that’s crazy!’

Feeling a cold sweat on his back just from reading what this small, almost harmless-looking creature could do, Cedric exhaled. He finally stood upright and turned away to the next creature.

He had to look up because this one was hulking. It was a massive humanoid sculpture dressed in heavy, ornate armor. In its hands, it gripped a massive, double-headed glaive, the blades curved like crescent moons.

Rather than a single head, it had two. They grew from the same neck but angled away from each other in a V-shape. One was unmistakably masculine, with a jawline that looked like a ridge and eyes that seemed to burn with fury. The other was feminine, possessing a cold, porcelain beauty and a gaze that looked down on the world with the pity one might show an ant.

’Ah, let me guess. This is Pride right?’

Cedric thought to himself as he turned to look at the tablet beside him.

Name: —

Species: [Duumvir-Exalt]

Nature: [Klesha]

Grade: [3]

Insight: [There is no being in the world more proud than them. It is a being without empathy and thinks only of itself.]

Attributes: [Asmita], [Mada]

Powers: [Ego], [Ego-Inflammation]

[Ego - The Duumvir-Exalt can place ’I-am’ declarations on itself in order to boost its strength.]

[Ego Inflammation - The flames of the Duumvir-Exalt can force others into a Wrong View of themselves by burning their ego and drawing them into ego driven despair.]