Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

For the next few days, Vahn continued helping Lili with her training. Though she had made noticeable progress, she was still having difficulties increasing her parameters to the point she could fight without assistance. She lacked the stamina for drawn-out fights, and her stats didn't give her much of an edge against monsters within the dungeon.Even though she was still gaining exilia from fighting, there wasn't a large increase in her parameters since she lacked a skill that modified her growth. Vahn wanted to try and help her awaken her true potential, so he had used the Valis he had been saving to take Lili shopping on their next day off. He thought that introducing weighted clothing or armor would help improve her base parameters and increase the efficacy of her training.Upon hearing that she would be able to go on a 'date' with Vahn, Lili seemed to double her efforts in training. She continued putting in these efforts until the day had finally arrived. When Vahn stepped out of his room early, she was already waiting for him in the hallway in her 'battle attire'.Vahn was surprised to see Lili waiting outside his door, and even more so after seeing how she was dressed. She had done up her hair slightly and it had a healthy sheen. Around her neck, she wore the small bronze necklace which stood out against the pure white frock that Vahn had never seen before. It still had a bit of a childish quality which brought out the liveliness in Lili's appearance.Seeing his dazed observation of her attire, Lili gave a victorious smile before hurrying him out of the Inn. She wanted to get a head start on the date so they would have more time together after shopping.As Vahn trailed behind her, his eyes were drawn to the tail that was poking out of a ribbon in the frock. Since it was the same chestnut brown as Lili's hair it stood out against the plain white dress. Till now he had yet to see exactly how the tail was connected to the body so he was still rather curious. Of course, he knew better than to ask and there would always be opportunities in the future. He even considering trying to grow a tail of his own later.---The two continued until they came upon the stall Vahn had frequented often in the last few days. After purchasing some crepes, the owner gave them a pleasant smile as he wished them well on their 'date'. Vahn had become a 'usual' customer at the stall, and the owner, a rather plump middle-aged dwarf named Ivaan had developed a friendly relationship with him. Vahn gave an awkward smile while Lili blushed with a pleased expression on her face after hearing the mans words.They continued slowly making their way towards Babel where, after entering, Lili began dragging him around to various shops she was familiar with. Vahn was surprised with the familiarity she showed with the shops and became very interested after hearing her explain the function of a variety of useful items. After stopping at several stores and resupplying items for use in the dungeon, they finally made their way towards their original destination.Entering the 8th Floor of Babel, the pair came across the shops owned and operated by the Hephaestus Familia. There was a plethora of weapons and armor on display as they made their way deeper into the interior of the floor.Their goal was to purchase both armor and a new weapon for Lili to facilitate her continued growth. Though she had improved her accuracy and combat with the crossbow, she wasn't able to easily deal with monsters using a dagger. Since she was relatively small herself and the reach of the dagger was limited, it made it very dangerous to fight in such close proximity of monsters.Since Vahn wasn't too familia with the function of armor, he decided to help Lili find a weapon first. Lili still had inhibitions about wearing restrictive equipment, so she was more than happy to put it off until later. Eventually, they found their way into one of the mid-tier quality stores which could be denoted by the "grade" posted on the outside of the store. This store, called 'Blacksteel Works' openly displayed the Hephaestus Familia emblem with a 'B' in large font beneath it.After entering they browsed a bit before meeting with the owner of the establishment. He was a relatively young man between 17-20 years of age with blonde hair and an honest face. Seeing the two peculiarly dressed people approach, he greeted them in a loud tone. "Greet'ns! What can I do ye for strangers? Not seen ye around this store before. Lookin' fer anythin' specific?" (A/N: I feel like writing accents is outside my comfort zone~)Vahn had a good impression of the man due to his honest expression and stable yellow aura. From his experience, such people were easy to deal with and good-natured. He gave the man, who had at this point identified himself as Arin, a list of all the items he was looking for."If possible we'd prefer to look at weapons that meet the requirements before armor. For now, we don't need anything made-to-order, but if the functionality is good we would likely be interested in the future." Lili had decided to explain matters since Vahn seemed more focused on making small talk. She didn't really want to spend too much time in the store since it would interfere with the time spent elsewhere.Arin looked at the disgruntled Lili before giving Vahn a sideways grin, "Yer girls a feisty one ain't she?" Vahn gave a helpless smile at the remark and asked if they would be able to see the weapons. From the side, Lili was smiling and behaving more docilely.---After a few minutes, Arin had lined up a variety of weapons. There were shortswords, rapiers, longswords, spears, and even an oversized katana which caught Vahn's interest. He often imagined wielding one for himself in his previous life so it tickled his inner desires a bit. When he changed weapons in the future, Vahn decided it would be a katana unless there were better options.Lili tried out the weapons by lifting and feeling their weight. Since she had never used anything other than a dagger and crossbow everything was awkward for her. She kept picking up and seeing if any of them 'felt' right, but was unable to make a decision due to her lack of interest and experience.Seeing her hesitation, Arin started detailing the usefulness of the various weapons. He discussed how some were good for fighting groups, while others were more suitable to individuals. He even went into details about their composition, durability, and the practicality of their range and maintenance requirements.Vahn and Lili listened to the very informative information. Though she wasn't as interested as Vahn, Lili still made it a habit to remember anything that could be useful for the future. One of the skills she had relied on the survive so long was her ability to gather knowledge and information.After listening to the explanation, Vahn was considering purchasing all the weapons just to try them out. Even if he didn't end up using them, it would be good to have a variety of weapons obtained outside the system shop for future use. While he was making up his mind, Lili began asking about weapons that were heavy and could be used for the purpose of increasing strength."Heavy weapons that can increase strength ye say? Hmmm, I think I may have what yer lookin' for if its just fer trainin' purposes." Arin went into the back room and came out carrying two items. One was a large poleaxe that was more than 160cm long and weighed nearly 30kg. It was made of 'blacksteel' like the shops' namesake. The other item was an almost comically oversized hammer. It was 125cm long with the head of the hammer being 70cms. It weighed a monstrous 90kg.Out of curiosity, Vahn tried lifting the two weapons and found that, though they were lighter than he expected, they were very awkward to use. Lili also gave it a try and struggled quite a bit, but due to her [Artel*Assist] skill, she managed to carry both items, albeit with a strenuous amount difficulty.After holding the two items, Lili decided she would take them both since they met the requirements of activating [Artel*Assist]. She agreed with Vahn that it would be important to develop the skill if she wanted to get stronger in the future. There was also the truth that it was easier to discard than armor so she could easily swap weapons depending on the situation.Vahn ended up purchasing all the weapon and handed over 92,000V in payment. It was a large portion of his earning for the week, but once he started advancing further into the dungeon he would easily recoup the loss. After accepting the money, Arin ended up returning 12,000V with the reason being it was a discount for their first purchase and the fact they bought several items at once. He also mentioned he had been trying to get rid of the hammer for a while, so he was happy Vahn took it off his hands.Since it would be awkward explaining storage magic, Vahn had to give Arin the address of the inn and was informed they would be delivered before the end of the day. After that, they made their way towards a different shop that specialized in armor.Lili seemed very averse to purchasing "heavy" equipment since it didn't suit her small frame. In fact, other than some made-to-order stuff, there was nearly no armor that actually fit her so they had to give up after purchasing a small breastplate along with a pair of arm and leg guards. They were convenient as they could be worn easily over her usual clothing.Vahn, remembering the clothes Lili often wore was tattered and aged, decided to purchase her some newer clothing. After his experience with changing his own image, he thought it would be good for her to do something similar. After hearing they would next be shopping for clothes, Lilii's eyes began to glow in anticipation.They entered a store that specialized in producing and tailoring adventurer's wear. There were several mannequins decked out in a variety of different outfits that fit the stereotypes of different styles of adventurers.Lili spent more than three hours trying on various different outfits while Vahn sat numbingly having to give his opinion on each of them. She eventually settled on a pair of tan shorts with a black sleeveless shirt that displayed her navel. To accompany the outfit she also picked out a pair of dark stockings with tan leather boots that reached halfway up her calves. Lastly, she chose a stylish red vest to complete the outfit.Vahn thought the outfit suited her, but was curious why she would pick clothing that showed her stomach. After asking, she gave him a bashful look before moving away to hand the items over to the seamstress for modification. After she returned she asked a question of her own with a blush on her face, "Vahn, do you like when a girl shows her midriff or do you prefer if they stay fully clothed?"Vahn contemplated the question and realized he didn't have a preference. He enjoyed that everyone wore a variety of different outfits and didn't consider if he had a preference for any specific type of clothing. After thinking for a while, he decided on his answer. "I think people should wear whatever they want as long as it's comfortable. Though, if I had to say, when cute girls show more skin it makes me feel a bit dazed at times."Though she was dissatisfied with the first part of his answer, as it was kind of roundabout, Lili began to beam after hearing the second part. Even though she often wore a cloak and hood over her clothing, she didn't like wearing restrictive clothes all that much. That was the main reason she didn't want to wear heavy armor if it could be avoided.---The two continued to walk around until the evening came. Vahn told Lili after they had lunch that he had business with the Hephaestus Familia, so after he walked her back to the inn he made his way towards Hephaestus's workshop. Lili stayed behind to receive the shipment of items, but she didn't let Vahn leave without promising to take her out to dinner as compensation in the future.

As Hephaestus's workshop was close to the Inn, Vahn managed to arrive shortly after parting ways with Lili. When he entered the building, one of the security guards immediately approached which caused Vahn to assume an alert stance. When the large man got near him, he asked. "Are you Vahn Mason?"Vahn nodded without breaking his stance. Seeing his affirmation, the man turned towards his companions and one of them ran into the back room. The others cleared out the few remaining customers from the workshop while ignoring their protests. Once everyone was gone, the large man who had previously asked Vahn about his identity spoke."Lady Hephaestus informed us to clear out the store and report to her immediately after your arrival. You don't have to be on guard, not that you would be able to resist if we wanted to harm you." The man was more than 190cm tall and had a build like a bear. Though Vahn didn't know it at this time, the man, named Zaff, was a former level 4 Adventurer from a disbanded Familia that had retired and become a security contractor.Hearing they were acting on Hephaestus's order, Vahn decided to relax a bit, but didn't completely drop his guard. Seeing that Vahn was still alert, the man gave him an appreciative nod before directing his men outside of the workshop. They had been informed to secure the perimeter and prevent anyone from approaching for the time being. Before he left, he turned towards Vahn and offered him a bit of advice. "It's good that you know better than to fully believe in what people tell you. Make sure you keep your senses sharp, it'll save your life one day."Vahn nodded and watched the man leave. He agreed with the guards' statement since he had almost died due to his negligence previously. The only reason he dropped his guard now was that he was able to see the man's aura showed no aggression towards him. It was a stable and calming blue with a tinge of green around the edges.After a few minutes of standing in silence, Hephaestus came out from the back room. Vahn could see she was covered in soot and sweat. Before his arrival, she was probably forging an item in her personal workshop. Remembering his experience with the 'eternal flame', Vahn had some misgivings about entering there in the future.Unfortunately, without asking him anything, Hephaestus grabbed his hand and pulled him into the place he would much rather avoid. When he arrived, he saw that the 'eternal flame' which used to be a mixture of fiery reds and oranges now glowed with a gentle golden color. He even noticed something completely different about the flame...the fact it had a slight aura coming from it.Hephaestus saw him looking at the flame and spoke for the first time. "I see you've noticed the changes as well. I need you to explain EXACTLY what happened when you were forging with the 'eternal flame' last time. Don't leave out a single detail."Vahn could see the seriousness in her eye and began recalling the events as he remembered. Without mentioning the existence of [Will of the Emperor], he spoke about how he was able to solidify his domain and use it to contain the shape of the ingot when he was heating it. During the process, the 'eternal flame' began interfering with his mental energy and started consuming it, but after finalizing the procedure of forming the ingot he was able to concentrate his mana and forcibly sever the connection.As he narrated the events, Hephaestus listened while observing him in silence. She was considering every word Vahn spoke and matching it against her own memories of the event. When Vahn got to the part about how the flame started devouring his mental energy, an unprecedented seriousness emanated from her body. She allowed him to complete his recount before asking in a firm tone."Vahn, you said you grew up with your Grandfather in the forest. Though I feel as if that isn't the whole truth, I need to ask you, have you ever met your parents?"After seeing how serious Hephaestus was, Vahn also adopted a similar atmosphere for himself. He considered his words before speaking the truth. "Though I have a memory of my mother, I've never met my father. I was taken from my mother when I was very young and raised by a group of terrible people until I reached the age of fourteen. After that, the place I was held was attacked and I managed to escape after the oversight of one of the attackers. After wandering for a while, I was helped by a kind woman named Klyscha before being dropped off in the Western Forests for training...that is the truth."For the first time since they started associating with each other, Hephaestus couldn't sense any falsehood in Vahn's words. As she expected, he wasn't raised by his grandfather and probably used it as an excuse to avoid suspicion. The matters that concerned her now was his actual origins. If he was taken away from his parents and held captive for the majority of his life, he probably can't explain the situation to the extent she requires.As she looked towards the boy who was waiting for her response, Hephaestus began to feel a pain in her heart. Since he was likely telling the truth, that meant he never had the experience of being raised and cared for by a real family. She even thought it was his lack of interactions and social awareness that made him unafraid of her eye...She released a sigh before showing Vahn a caring smile. "I'm sorry for questioning you Vahn. It must have been very difficult for you getting this far. From now on I promise I won't let anything like that happen to you again." As they were both close to each other, she pulled Vahn into her embrace and began to gently rub his head.Vahn was completely taken by surprise by the show of affection. Since he was still tense from the serious atmosphere, he never expected to be spontaneously hugged. At first, he wanted to struggle, but feeling the soft sensation pressing against his face and the soothing motion on the back of his head, Vahn began to relax. He felt all the tension slowly melt away from his body as Hephaestus gently continued her embrace.---After a surprisingly long amount of time, Hephaestus finally released his head and allowed Vahn to regain his freedom. Vahn felt at a loss when she released her embrace, and his expression caused Hephaestus to turn her head with a blush. "I can hug you more later...*ahem*. Right now we need to talk about other important matters. I think I may have some clues about your origin, and it will be very important you pay attention or you could be in serious danger if your identity is exposed."Though Vahn was already aware of his origins, he still listened to her words seriously. It was likely her advice would still be important for him, even if it wasn't because of the reason she speculated."First of all, it is very likely that one of your parents was a god or goddess. Without understanding your powers, I can't speculate which...but I can say that the other parent was most likely a demi-god or something equal in status. That means your bloodline is significantly purer than most children of gods since you possess three-quarters of a divine heritage. That domain you're able to use is very similar to the divinity possessed by us gods except on a much smaller scale." As she spoke till this point, Hephaestus began to release her own Divinity.From Vahn's perspective, he could see the aura around Hephaestus's body grow until it permeated the air around them. He could feel a pressure weighing down on his body, and could actually 'feel' the emotions present in the aura she released. This caused Vahn to feel flustered as, even though the aura was pressuring him, the pink color seemed to infuse with his body and made him feel giddy.Hephaestus was confused while watching Vahn succumb to her Divinity. Like most mortals, he was definitely affected by the pressure, but her aura seemed to have a different effect on his body at the same time. She quickly pulled it back to alleviate the pressure he was experiencing and began to physically inspect his body.Vahn was breathing heavily and could feel his body heating up after Hephaestus released her aura. Even though she had pulled it back, he could still feel the same giddiness causing a fluttering sensation in his chest. When Hephaestus approached and started checking to see if he was hurt, the feeling increased in intensity and he began to panic. From her body, he could smell an aroma that was making it difficult to think and he separated from her touch.Hephaestus was surprised seeing Vahn push her away and open up a distance between them. She could see a blush on his face and a feverish look in his eyes as he seemed to struggle with his rationality. It was at this moment that Hephaestus realized her Divinity must have influenced him strangely and sent him into a state...of arousal.She began to panic as well. Her Divinity was derived from forging and not love or beauty; it shouldn't have the ability to charm people. Hephaestus deduced that it was likely that one of his parents had a synergistic relationship with forging. It made sense to her seeing the changes in her own 'eternal flame' after absorbing Vahn's energy...but that was beside the point. Right now she had no idea how to deal with the young boy before her.Hephaestus was not inexperienced with men. Though she never had a long-term partner due to how the other gods treated her, there were several instances where she hooked up with a god after a banquet or ceremony. She kept her dignity during many of the encounters, there were a few very rare instances where she gave in to her passions and slept with them. Though she felt terrible after the fact, it also helped stabilize the trauma she had in her heart. She felt that since people were willing to sleep with her, she wasn't as terrible a monster as they made her feel. It wasn't until she met Hestia later that she underwent a purification ceremony to recover her own chastity.Now, seeing the boy struggle because of her own error, she began to have an internal struggle of her own. He was still very young, and though she wanted to 'help' him, there was no easy way of doing so. In the worst case scenario, she may end up leaving a trauma in his heart after he only recently started interacting with people.While she was trying to rationalize her decision and find her resolve, Vahn was listening to Sis advise him. Even though his mental state was in disorder, he still had enough wherewithal to activate [Will of the Emperor]. Though it was difficult at first, the energy began spreading through his body and suppressing the strange feelings. The familiar cooling sensation began to clear his mind and allowed him to push the skill further until is permeated his entire body and started spreading out in the form of his domain.Hephaestus, who was biting her lip in frustration, noticed the change and saw Vahn regaining his clarity. She released a heavy sigh but felt that there was an empty feeling in her heart. It was like she had missed an opportunity, but she ignored the feeling and helped to calm Vahn."Sorry, Vahn. I didn't expect my Divinity would have that kind of effect on you. It's likely that one of your parents had some relation to the divinity of forging, and as a result, it causes...a peculiar reaction when absorbed by your body. Fortunately, you were able to counteract the effects with your own pseudo-divine state." She tried speaking rationally, but couldn't hold back a blush from appearing on her face.Vahn listened and nodded mechanically at the explanation. Though it was likely the Divinity that enhanced the effect, Vahn realized that interacting with the auras of people made him able to experience their emotions. He would have to be careful in the future...or the consequences could be irreversible.

After Vahn entered the room the atmosphere became very tense. Lili sat on the bed with her back towards Vahn, and he could see she was trying her best to hide her face which had turned scarlet. He could even see the blush had crept down her neck and started fading into her back.Vahn tried to prevent the atmosphere from affecting him, so he moved to the edge of the bed and sat facing towards Lili. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the uncovered skin and his mind went blank.All over Lili's back, he could see faded wounds and scars that had marred her uncovered skin.Though Vahn knew she was treated poorly, he wasn't prepared to see the evidence of her suffering and the toll it had taken on her body. Since their first meeting, she had made many efforts to be cheerful and lively which caused Vahn to drop his guard without considering the long-term remnants that he would need to deal with in the future.Lili seemed to sense his sadness hung her head. The blush began to fade from her cheeks as she issued a quiet voice. "You must think it's ugly...I did my best to treat most of the injuries when I could, but it's hard to apply medicines to the back."Hearing Lili blame herself for things she had no control over, Vahn sighed. He reached out his hand and used his index finger to trace one of the larger scars near her shoulder blade. In response to his touch, Lili shuddered but didn't say anything further. She began to feel a searing heat trace along the scar of her back, but even though it felt so hot it wasn't an unpleasant sensation.After seeing the scars on her back, Vahn had asked Sis to purchase a skill that would allow him to heal or remove the evidence of their existence. After spending 2000 OP he obtained the weakest form of a skill called [Hands of Nirvana] which allowed Vahn to stimulate dead and damaged tissues and revitalize the human body. With the support of [Yggdrasil's Favor], he was able to channel energy into his fingertip and slowly wipe away the scar. All that remained after he was finished was a slightly red mark that was warm to the touch.Vahn continued tracing over each and every scar while Lili sat in silence. Though she couldn't see it with her own eyes, she knew he was doing something to heal the scars on her back. With each searing sensation that touched her skin, more tears would collect in her eyes, but not as a result of the heat.Once he was done, Vahn moved on to reading Lili's Status. He could tell by her reaction that she realized what his actions might entail, and there would be time to talk about it later if she asked. Following the procedure laid out by Sis, Vahn made a small cut on his finger before placing it into the center of Lili's crest. When the blood came into contact with the somewhat faded goblet-crescent-moon motif, the entire crest began to issue a brilliant light. Though Vahn couldn't make sense of the symbols, he was able to interpret their meaning through the system interface.---[[STATUS]]Name: Liliruca ArdeRace: PallumLV. 1POW: I63 -&gt;I91END: I98 -&gt; H107DEX: H170 -&gt; H183AGI: G223 -&gt; G250MAG: F351 -&gt; F353Skill: [Artel*Assist:E], [Atlas: Innate(sealed)]Magic: [Cinder*Ella:C]Development Skill:---While he was reading her Status Board, Vahn was also channeling his energy into the crest to awaken the dormant falna. Since Lili had the crest since birth and never updated it, the falna had long since entered a weakened state which further restricted her growth. Now Lili should be able to make progress like a normal adventurer in the future.What caught his eye was a skill he had never seen present in the manga. Lili hand a skill called [Atlas] that was currently sealed away. The most surprising thing was the fact it was evaluated as an Innate ranked skill. After asking Sis why he was able to see the skill, she explained that 'The Path' was of a much higher tier than Innate abilities, so it was able to detect anything that was not intentionally hidden.After updating the Status Board, Vahn listed out the changes to Lili. For now, he kept the existence of [Atlas] a secret as Sis had informed him it was very difficult to awaken innate skills if the wielder was aware of them. They could only awaken if the wielder made efforts to improve and faced various challenges on their own.Lili was very excited after hearing the changes in her parameters. She still had trouble believing Vahn would be able to do as he said and seeing the results had made her incredibly happy. In her excitement, she ended up tackling Vahn which caused the two bodies to tumble off the bed and onto the hard wooden floor.To protect her from the fall, Vahn had used his own body to cushion the blow. He struggled to breathe and just helplessly pat Lili who had been lost in her feelings of jubilation. After some time had passed, she seemed to calm down but hadn't separated from his body. Vahn began feeling worried, so he tried standing and bringing the affectionate act to an end.Lili refused to release his body, and continued hugging his waist with her head rested against his abdomen. Neither person said anything for a while until Lili finally released his body and looked directly into his eyes. "Vahn, I will become stronger. Strong enough to repay everything you've done for me..." After saying those words, she turned towards her bed and submerged herself under the covers.//[Liliruca Arde] Affection +5//Vahn continued to stand in silence for a while before deciding to leave the room. As he turned away he was unaware that the blankets had shifted slightly in response to his footsteps. A small cat-eared head poked out of the covers and stared at his back as he left the room...//[Liliruca Arde] Affection -3//The moment Vahn stepped into the hallway he nearly fell face-first onto the floor. ("What did I do!?")Using what remained of his strength he ambled towards his room and fell heavily into his bed. He couldn't fathom how he was able to earn such a large amount of affection and then lose some immediately after...---The next morning the two woke up before the sunrise, same as the previous day. Vahn had slight bags under his eyes as he was lost in contemplation for a large portion of the night. When he met up with Lili she seemed to look at him with a mild resentment before leading the way towards the gate. Vahn just followed after her in silence while trying to have Sis explain what had happened. In response, she just commented on how he needed to put more effort into understanding women's hearts.---At the gate, Vahn was finally able to reunite with Gregory. The two exchanged words and Gregory congratulated him on his success in joining such a highly regarded Familia. Vahn also tried to return the money Gregory had lent him, but he just laughed loudly in response while heavily patting Vahn's back. He told Vahn that if he wanted to repay him, then live a reputable life that he could brag to his friends about. If Vahn was able to become a highly esteemed Adventurer it would give him face when drinking with his fellow officers.---After parting ways with Gregory, the two continued towards the previous day's training site. Vahn demonstrated more techniques and they both warmed up before performing the same set of exercises. Though it wasn't much, Lili had made some progress since the day before. She was more receptive to each new form of training and put in a commendable amount of effort in trying to execute everything properly.They continued in this manner, only stopping to take short rests and eat breakfast. Once 10 AM came around, they began heading towards the dungeon to begin the next phase on the schedule. They were beginning to build familiarity with the gate guards, so after a cursory screening, they were able to easily enter the City. On the way towards Babel, they decided to purchase the seafood crepes Vahn had enjoyed the previous night. He even purchased a few extras and stored them away in his inventory when nobody was looking...Once they entered the tower Lili began trying to solo monsters while Vahn covered for her using his [Will of the Emperor]. He noticed she was a lot more daring than the previous day and the increased confidence allowed her to perform to a much higher standard than her earlier attempts.During one of the breaks, Vahn told her she was improving rapidly and at this rate, she would be able to accelerate her growth even faster. Lili was excited after hearing Vahn's praise and tried even harder after the break came to an end. Unfortunately, due to her unstable emotions and overzealous attitude, she ended up nearly losing her hand to a goblin wielding a rusty dagger.The wound had cut to the bone of her wrists and it was bleeding profusely which caused her to become lightheaded and dazed. Just as she felt like throwing up due to nausea, the pain suddenly vanished and a shadow appeared in front of her intercepting the attacking goblin.Vahn had seen Lili's mistake and quickly used [Wound Transfer] in conjunction with his [Rakshasa Body] to absorb and mitigate the damage. Though there was still blood dripping through the bands of his gauntlets, he could feel a tingling sensation that told him the wound was rapidly healing. Before the goblin was able to launch a second attack, he locked it down with his domain and intercepted to swung dagger.In his hand, Vahn now held the mutilated wrist of the goblin. He twisted his body before slamming the struggling goblin into the dungeon wall. Seeing it turn to dust on contact, Vahn turned towards Lili to see if she had any other injuries. He could see shock and surprise on her face and thought she was still disoriented from the previous incident. He reached out with his hand to help her up and froze...Lili stared at the outstretched hand that had now changed shape. Instead of the smooth tanned skin, she was used to patting her head, it was now a size larger and covered in fine densely packed hairs. The hair was very short but completely covered the top half of the hand. It was a dark grey in color with undertones of white drawing a strange pattern along its surface.The two just continued staring at the strange hand that was connected to Vahn's body. After coming to his sense, Vahn lifted the hand and inspected the changes. From what he could see, it had morphed into the claw of an animal, though he still had all five fingers. While he was observing it, the hairs began to recede slowly into his flesh until, after seven minutes, they had completely disappeared returning his hand to its normal appearance.He used his now normal hand to help Lili stand. She seemed to want to ask about it but held herself back from doing so. Vahn understood her concerns, as he too wanted to know what happened. From inside his mind, he could hear the voice of Sis explaining it was due to the activation of his [Rakshasa Body]. According to her, the more damage he took the more his body would change to empower his abilities to prevent further damage.("Does that mean I would turn into a monster in a prolonged fight?") Vahn was very worried since he knew even humanoid monsters were treated very poorly by most people. Without being able to explain the transformation was a result of a skill, he would face serious consequences when using it in the future.(*You won't turn into a monster, though you would possess some animalistic qualities. According to analysis, your [Rakshasa Body] seems to incorporate the features of a tiger, though the exact type is hard to determine. As you rank up the skill you should have more control over the transformation, but if you're worried about creating a misunderstanding you can acquire another skill that emulates the effects of the change.*)After giving her permission, Sis ended up purchasing a magic called [Thria*Mimos:C] for 7,000 OP. The description stated he could use the skill to alter his body parts, and with mastery even completely transform into an animal. The downside was he would be unable to activate other skills without breaking the transformation.Vahn used the newly acquired magic and demonstrated it to Lili. He credited its activation due to how angry he was after seeing her injured. Before then he had never been aware of the magic and it seemed he was able to use it without a chant.Of course, the only thing Lili was focused on was how happy she was when Vahn acquired a similar magic as her own.

Chapter 49: 'Date' with Lili. Weapon and Clothes Shopping