Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn spent a few minutes with the larger group as he performed several tests to see how the ability worked. As promised, he demonstrated it with Haruhime before Fenrir immediately jumped in and wanted to try it for herself. Vahn placed the mark on her shoulder and noticed that the mark on Haruhime's hand disappeared before a small midnight blue cartoonish Fenrir appeared on his own shoulder. This allowed Vahn to understand that the mark only worked on one person at a time, which made sense seeing as how his current 'Maximum' was only one person.As an extra test, Vahn tried to place the mark on the willing Preasia's hand and noticed that it didn't work at all. It seemed like the mark considers 'allies' to be those within his immediate Familia which prompted Preasia to want to join as a Supporter. Vahn tried to convince her to consider the matter in detail, but she ignored his words and went upstairs with Fenrir to look for Hestia. Vahn had a wry smile on his face before he was convinced by each girl within the room, with the exception of Ryuu, to place the mark on them just so they could see what their own looked like.After parting with the larger group, Vahn went to look for Aki and noticed that she was also in Hestia's room alongside Fenrir and Preasia. Vahn knocked on the door to announce his presence before stepping inside and pausing as four pairs of eyes turned to him. He still had his hand on the door, and Vahn slowly backed through it before pausing in front of the closed door with a somewhat incredulous look on his face as he berated himself. Because Preasia had gone to Hestia to join the Familia, he had walked in during the ceremony and she had been facing toward the door without her sweater on. Vahn had seen the sheep girl in nothing but a pair of white shorts and stockings as her upper body was completely bare.Vahn waited outside the door for a little while until Aki exited the room with a subtle smile on her face and commented, "Preasia said she didn't mind if you watched." Vahn released a laugh mixed with a sigh as he shook his head and said, "I was actually looking for you when I came up. I wanted to know if you had heard anything about what was going on and if there is anything I can do to help." Aki nodded her head before leaning with her back against the wall and explained, "Well, there was an incident not long ago where a group of Amazon's had shown up near the Manor but were intercepted by the security teams in the surrounding area. Though their crests were inactive, they were still all members of the Isthar Familia and were detained for questioning. The leader of the group, named Aisha Belka, said she knew both you and Haruhime and I was going to inform you to head over and meet them when you found the time."For various reasons, Vahn sat with his back against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor as he stared up at the roof. Though he had a smile on his face, there was a strange sounding laugh coming from his throat that didn't quite reach an audible level, at least for normal people. Since Aki had sensitive ears, she was able to detect the dry laughter so she sat down next to Vahn so that their shoulders were touching. With a kind smile on her face and a gentle expression in her eyes, Aki asked, "Do you want me to have them turned away?" Vahn immediately shook his head and explained, "No, she was telling the truth...she was the person protecting Haruhime before I was able to save her. Though we haven't had many interactions, I still owe her a small debt and I'm sure Haruhime would like to see her. She has been cooped up in this Manor for too long as is..."Aki's ears twitched and she tilted her head to the side as she asked, "Then what's wrong?" Suddenly, as if she realized what the matter was, Aki began to laugh in a humorous manner with her eyes squinted as she said, "You must be afraid all of those girls want to join the Familia. Well, it's said that they're all Amazons and the majority are around Level 3...so it would actually bolster our numbers quite a bit. You do know that, even if they actually did join, you don't have to pursue any of them right~?" In response to Aki's words, Vahn gave a mechanical laughter before explaining his first meeting with Aisha when he entered the red light district in the past. He also expressed that Amazons seemed to be easily influenced when impactful things happen to them and were pretty headstrong when it came to their own desires. Vahn was afraid that, if Aisha promoted him within the group, he would have a veritable horde of Amazons seeking his affections. When he finally has children with Tiona and confronts Kali, that would likely be the catalyst for a major event if his Familia was full of Amazons at the time.Aki listened silently and contemplated Vahn's words with a serious expression on her face before she asked, "Vahn, do you want our Familia to be very powerful in the future?" Vahn turned his expression toward the roof again before saying, "Yeah, I'd like for us to be very strong...but I think it's fine if we just improve the Alliance's strength as a whole instead of just focusing on ourselves..." Though he had realized something from his own words, Aki beat him to the punch and exclaimed, "Then the solution is simple, you can just have them join the other Familias. Since we don't have any active involvement with anyone within the Isthar Familia, it wouldn't be a violation of the Guild's probation to send prospective members to other Familia within the Alliance. You should know, but even a Familia that focuses on elites like the Freya Familia still has more than a thousand members within its ranks. Eventually, you'll have to create several core groups like the Loki Familia while growing our ranks in the future...this is the reason why I said the residences shouldn't be the same as the actual Manor for the Familia."Vahn nodded his head in agreement with Aki, but he couldn't help but feel like things wouldn't go so smoothly. Because of Aki's words, Vahn actually realized there was no detriment to accepting the Amazon's into the Familia because it would help bolster their numbers. It was also an opportunity to start spreading out the management of the Familia and start building a stronger foundation for the future. Since there were 'too many' girls for him to accidentally get involved with, Vahn figured it would actually allow for men to join the Familia in the future, as long as he made the Manor the central hub and not the core residence of the Familia. Since the Amazons were all 'experienced' women, they would naturally bring men into the Familia over time as long as Vahn restricted 'working' as a prostitute. This would make it harder if he wanted to treat his Familia like a family in the future though...Shaking his head, Vahn stood up from the floor and helped Aki stand before saying, "I'll go ahead and meet with Aisha for now. I'll discuss the matter with Loki and Hephaestus and see if they have any ideas...it might even be possible that the Amazons have no intention of staying with a Familia at all." Aki displayed a polite smile before heading into her own room to grab a communication scroll to accompany Vahn and update the network in real time. Afterward, they headed downstairs to inform Haruhime about Aisha and the four, alongside Mikoto, made their way to the location where the Amazon troupe was currently located.Because they had the strongest information network, the Loki Familia were the ones to intercept Aisha's group, even though the leader of the security detail was a lower level than Aisha herself. Since her group had no intention of actually engaging in combat, they surrendered without a fight and hadn't even brought any weapons along with them when they initially approached the Manor. They were currently all within a nearby storage warehouse that was being used as a central location for the Loki Familia security detail that had been monitoring the Hearth Manor. There were also representatives of the Guild present and it didn't take long before Vahn was asked to make a short statement before being led toward the room where Aisha was being held.Within the room, Aisha was cuffed to a table and Vahn could see that she wasn't in the best condition even though her expression was calm. It didn't seem like she had been mistreated, but it also didn't look as though she had been treated cordially either. Because she wore incredibly revealing clothing, it looked like a pitiable sight and Vahn immediately destroyed the cuffs binding her even though the nearby Guild personnel complained. Vahn gave the woman a fierce glare with his [Will of the Emperor] before she evacuated from the room to make her report.Aisha rubbed her wrists and had a relieved smile on her face after seeing Haruhime behind Vahn with misty eyes. She stood up from the table and said, "Looks like I owe you another one, Vahn Mason...It's good to see you safe Haruhime; I assume you've been treated well after our little 'hero' saved you?" Haruhime overlayed her hands in the center of her chest and responded with a happy voice even though her eyes were beginning to tear up, "Yes~! If it weren't for you, Aisha, I wouldn't have been able to live long enough to find my happiness...thank you so much!"Mikoto, who had been standing next to Haruhime, bowed low and in a very respectful tone said, "Greetings, this may be our first time meeting, but know that I owe you a debt of gratitude for the efforts you put into protecting my friend. I am Yamato Mikoto, and I will do my best to repay this debt in the future!" Though it had a bit of a seductive undertone, Aisha smiled gently at the two girls before dismissing Mikoto's words by saying, "Relax kid...I've already benefited greatly from everything that has happened. Because of Vahn freeing me from Ishtar's control, I was able to protect the lives of hundreds of my sisters in the ensuing chaos. The members I brought with me are just the elites that wish to find a better life within the City, as well as a few girls who wanted to remain for personal reasons. Nobody owes me anything...in fact, it should be my duty to repay the debts I owe to others."Though he had a powerful urge to release a pent-up sigh, Vahn's expression retained a gentle smile as he listened to the two 'honor-bound' girls talk about who owes the other a debt. He could tell by Aisha's words that she would probably want to join the Hestia Familia and watch over Haruhime in the future and knew that some of the Amazons would likely wish to accompany her. Before she pitched the idea herself, Aki, who had been writing away on the scroll, suddenly stood up and had a very business-like smile on her face as she said, "Aisha, I've been talking with Loki-sama, and I think we've come up with a good solution if you're thinking about relocating the Amazon's within the City."Aisha turned her head toward Aki with a curious expression on her face as Aki's smile widened and she explained, "Hello, my name is Anakitty Autumn, I'm the lieutenant of the Hestia Familia and Vahn's personal assistant when it comes to matters like this." Though Vahn had been the one to officially accept Aki as his Lieutenant, this was the first time he had heard her call herself his personal assistant. He raised his brow slightly but didn't refute her words even though he saw the somewhat playful look in her eyes.Continuing her earlier words, Aki turned toward Aisha and said, "You will understand it better in the future, but the Hestia Familia has been wrapped up in a series of controversies as of late. It wouldn't be a good idea for members of the now-defunct Ishtar Familia to suddenly join the Hestia Familia since they had only recently been in contention with one another. Even though the Freya Familia were the ones to take action, it would be very difficult to sway public opinion to not label Vahn as one of the colluding forces behind the return of a second goddess to Heaven. Though it may be possible to accept a few members, it would be ideal if the majority of the Amazons you had brought with you were split into the Familia that made up the Alliance so they would have a better chance of interacting with others and experiencing some degree of personal happiness. As it stands, if everyone suddenly joins the Hestia Familia, it would cause a division within the current members because your group massively outnumbers the present members of the Familia in both size and strength."Though he didn't vocalize it, Vahn suddenly felt very grateful for Aki's presence and the solution that had been put forth by Loki and the other girls on the network. He nodded his head in affirmation and showed a genuine smile as he explained to Aisha,"I've already received a bunch of help from outside forces and the majority of the members within my Familia are only Level 1. They've been working hard to improve and we'll be making gradual progress within the dungeon as we try to increase the rank of the Familia in the future. I think it wouldn't benefit their growth if there was a sudden influx of powerful women surrounding them as it would inhibit their desire to grow stronger. Since they each wish to be capable adventurer's, I wouldn't want to see them relegated to the role of a Supporter just because they were lower levels than members that joined after them."Aisha looked between the smiling faces of Vahn and Aki before one appeared on her own face and she said in a subtly seductive manner, "Ara~? If that is the reason, I certainly agree...but I feel like there is a little more the situation~?" With a somewhat amorous look on her face, Aisha stepped forward as if she were about to approach Vahn which caused Aki and Haruhime to have varying responses. Aki's smile didn't change at all as she moved to intercept Aisha while Haruhime moved closer to his body and grabbed the sleeve of his tunic as she said, "Miss Aisha..."Without stepping forward, Aisha hugged her body and began to laugh in a somewhat unconstrained manner before wiping at a bit of moisture from her eye. It wasn't that she was crying, but she had thought the current situation was quite funny and couldn't help but laugh hard enough to make a bit of moisture appear in her eyes. She played around with the clasp of her bottoms that closely resembled lingerie and watched as Vahn clenched his teeth slightly in remembrance of their first meeting. After releasing a hot sigh, Aisha looked into Vahn's eyes and said, "Well, even though I wouldn't mind having a go myself...I don't want to step on the toes of the precious girls around you currently. Just remember that I'll eventually repay my debts in the future, okay Vahn~?"After another short exchange, everyone within the room sat down and began to discuss the matter of the Amazon's relocation. It was decided that the majority of their members would go to the Hephaestus Familia since they were in need of capable combatants for some of their missions. The rest, including Aisha herself, would be going to the Loki Familia and becoming members of the second and third parties in order to support the executive members. Aisha was going to be made the commander of the third group and it would be comprised of several Amazons to make up the core of the party.Accompanying Aishe, when they were parting ways, Vahn saw a somewhat young looking, very petite, Amazon who he learned from Haruhime was named Lena Tally. Even more surprising was the fact that she had an apparent connection with Bete within the Loki Familia and had decided to tag along with Aisha in order to get closer to him. Since Vahn's impression of Bete was that he was a somewhat arrogant and abrasive person, he was surprised to see such a cheerful and innocent looking girl pursuing him. Though he didn't know the specifics, they had apparently even slept together several times and she had been trying, to no avail, to get him to accept her as his actual lover instead of just as a prostitute. Since she was one of the girls that had been forcibly charmed by Isthar, Vahn took pity on her and wanted to see if he could help Bete open up to her in the future.By the time Aisha's group had dispersed, it was nearly lunch time and Vahn suddenly felt completely re-energized since things hadn't turned out as problematic as he expected. He truly did have the desire to help his current members grow stronger, and most of the things he had said to Aisha were the truth. Because he now had the 'Upgrade' function and the [Mentor] Development Ability, Vahn wanted to see how he would be able to use them to help the girls grow much stronger within a short period of time. He also wanted to test the effects of the [Seal of the Challenger] to see if he could increase his own parameters by exposing himself to a bit of danger. Though he wasn't foolish enough to delve into the lower floors with a small party, Vahn still wanted to try and fight the Goliath again to see how much progress he had made since their last encounter.Now that the Ishar Familia was dealt with, and the Amazons were relocated, Vahn suddenly felt like a heavy weight had been removed from his shoulders. Even though he didn't mind staying within the Manor, Vahn had long realized he wasn't the type that liked to sit around and wait for things to happen. The last two weeks had been somewhat tense and he had been feeling a strong urge to get out of the Manor to explore the City and delve into the dungeon. He also missed going to the Hostess of Fertility and taking the girls out on dates.Now that he suddenly had the major threats removed, the only thing he had to worry about was becoming strong, maintaining a schedule with the girls on the network, and working alongside Hephaestus and Loki to counteract anything Freya might throw at them. Though most of the details were already arranged, Vahn also wanted to start preparing for the approaching wedding as he had been looking forward to it for some time. He hadn't told them about it yet, but Vahn had actually been working on wedding dresses for Hephaestus and Eina and intended to surprise them pretty soon. Imagining the bashful look on Eina's face and the fierce blush on Hephaestus's made him smile like an idiot.Haruhime, who had been sitting at his side, took the opportunity to poke Vahn's cheek with her index finger and say, "You seem very happy now, I'm glad~!" As if stirred to awareness by Haruhime's words, Vahn's smile diminished a bit as he began to think about the various things that could go wrong in the coming days...though he didn't like to swear, Vahn couldn't help but 'invent' a new phrase within his mind as he remarked, 'Karma is a bitch...'.(A/N: As you've probably noticed, I'm not releasing too much today since its Thanksgiving. I had to go eat with family and take care of a few things. I'll still be releasing another 1-2 after this though (O,...,O)~!)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Chibi Mark Desu~?','C-c-c-counter, BLOCK! NANI~!?','All Heroic Tales Are Deeply Ingrained With Tragedies')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

After lunch, Vahn was a bit distracted thinking about his future plans and thinking of ways to increase the acquisition of Origin Points so he would be able to prepare for when something inevitably goes wrong. He had been a spendthrift as of late, but Vahn didn't regret his purchases as the larger ones had always been with a specific idea in mind. He knew he would be able to accumulate a few thousand OP if he got back into forging, but Vahn only wanted to create equipment for use by those close to him, instead of just forging for OP. Though he didn't mind forging, Vahn wasn't fond of staying in one place for too long. It may have something to do with the fact he had spent the majority of his time locked up in his previous life, but Vahn was happier when he was out and about and doing various things.Now that he wasn't so pressed to 'protect' Haruhime, Vahn was considering other methods to procure origin points other than simply mass producing items. He had noticed it during his fights with Tione and Tammuz, and to a lesser extent when he first entered the dungeon, but Vahn was something of a battle junkie. He couldn't move around much in the past, but not he could freely vault off walls and fly through the air fast enough to shatter the wind around him. It was an exhilarating feeling and Vahn couldn't help but feel an itch when thinking about his future battles. Though he wasn't fond of the whims of Karma, the one thing Vahn looked forward to was the fights that would result in his accumulation of positive karma. The greater the value, the more likely stronger enemies would seek him out and they would clash with the intent of forcing their values and ideals on each other. Because of this, Vahn needed to rapidly increase the strength of those around him since he understood his greatest weakness was the number of people close to him.Vahn had already decided to help train Fenrir according to the method he had drawn out with Ryuu and Aki. Since she had incredible potential and willingly threw herself into danger, she was capable of rapid growth if Vahn took her into the deeper floors. Behind her was, perhaps the most important person he needed to help train, Haruhime, and her incredibly powerful Level-up magic and dual Innate skills. Her magic, [Uchide no Kozuchi] was only B-Rank, which meant that it was capable of growing further and potentially increasing parameters higher than 30%. Her [Kokonoe] was only D-Rank, and that meant it had an incredible potential for growth. Vahn had learned about the [Mage] Development Skills and the acquisition requirements for the [Hunter] skill and wanted to pitch the idea to Haruhime. Though he expected she would happily agree, Vahn wanted her consent since he knew it would be very difficult on her. Acquiring the [Hunter] skill required a person to slay a total of 1,000 monsters within a 72 hour period and could only be acquired when transitioning from Level 1 to Level 2. It was one of the most highly sought after skills alongside rare skills and causality manipulating skills like [Luck].Knowing that their ventures into the dungeon would probably start soon, Vahn began to sketch out ideas for some equipment that would be used by Haruhime. She had adopted the style of wearing a 'very' short kimono, similar to how Mikoto wore her's, and Vahn was wondering what kind of equipment he could give her that wouldn't restrict her movement. At the very top of his list, Vahn decided that she would need to wear shorts since he didn't want her to rush around flashing her panties to their allies. Though he thought it was an interesting sight to see when watching them train, Vahn wasn't fond of the idea of other people gawking at the contents within. He would get her to wear short-shorts like Ryuu, or perhaps a pair of spats like Aki...After around an hour, Vahn had drawn up a relatively accurate sketch of Haruhime from memory and had begun to design a combat outfit that he thought was suitable for her. It was still a rough concept, but he had her wearing a red kimono with a black obi and a black, ceremonial, mantle. Since her movements were similar to a dance, Vahn had designed the outfit after the 'Shrine Priestess' attire from the Far East. Haruhime had the Innate skill [Moon Priestess], so he had some expectation that it might influence her mentality to awaken the skill in the future. For her weapon, Vahn had decided to make her a wooden sword, similar to the one used by Ryuu, except it would have a more ceremonial look to compliment her attire.Though she was still going to focus on the development of her agility, Haruhime's core parameter was her magic and Vahn had hope that she would develop a few offensive spells alongside her support repertoire. To wrap up her ensemble, Vahn designed a pair of anklets and bracelets that Haruhime would be able to wear since she didn't seem fond of wearing stockings. He would also create a necklace for her and Vahn wanted them all to be set pieces that boosted her magic and provided defense and resistance against the elements. Though he didn't mind seeing her long legs, Vahn knew how cold it got in the later floors and was somewhat concerned about her catching a cold.After he was satisfied with the design, Vahn remembered his previous interaction with Ais and Lefiya, so he spent a few minutes thinking before designing a pair of undergarments that might suit Haruhime as well. She had the bad habit of wearing neither a bra or panties without Mikoto reminding her, and Vahn hoped she would be able to curb the habit if he made something specifically for her. Though it felt like he was taking advantage of her feelings for him, Vahn was genuinely concerned with how airheaded she could be at times. If not for sharing a room with Mikoto, Vahn wasn't sure Haruhime would ever remember to wear undergarments at all. He knew it was likely a habit she had picked up during her 'training' in the Isthar Familia, and Vahn hoped she would be able to put it behind her in the future.Since there were still a few hours until he needed to wrap things up, Vahn decided to get a head start on creating the accessories for Haruhime. It would probably take several days to design the rest of the equipment, but a few bands of metal shouldn't be too difficult. He could also make a matching pair for Mikoto since they shared a strong bond with each other and Vahn wanted to help provide something to unify them further. He also wanted to experiment with creating 'batteries' that would be able to store excess mana when they weren't in combat so they could make use of it in a pinch. It was a very similar concept to how Welf used his [Crozzo Blood], but Vahn figured it would be far more effective if he used his 'source energy'.As they were accessories for a girl, Vahn decided to use a combination of mithril twined with orichalcum and adamantine. This would give them a golden sheen intermixed with the beautiful white coloration of adamantine that would also greatly enhance the durability of the item. The problem was finding something to contain the mana, since most materials and gems acted as catalysts and not containers. They could enhance the efficacy of magic, but they didn't allow for magic to be stored within for later use. Inspired by [Crozzo Blood] even further, Vahn tried boring out a small channel within the interior of the mithril core of the bracelet. He purchased an incredibly durable syringe and drew a bit of his own blood with a somewhat conflicted feeling before shaking away the unpleasant thoughts.The channel within the bracelet was thin enough that it only required a single drop of his blood, but Vahn wanted to see how long he could store his blood within a container like a syringe so he filled the entire thing as part of an experiment. In his previous life, his blood couldn't be stored for more than 24 hours before it would turn to dust. Vahn hadn't conducted any experiments of his own, even though he knew his blood would probably be a powerful catalyst for alchemy in the future.One of the reasons Vahn had decided to try using his own blood as a catalyst was due to the fact that, while he may have a physical form, his body was actually comprised entirely of 'source energy'. This wasn't an uncommon thing though, since everyone, and everything for that matter, was comprised of mana and elemental energies. Every particle of matter around him was the culmination of several smaller bonds that he wasn't able to see even using his [Eyes of Truth], but Vahn was able to conceptualize them after studying up on the matter alongside Eva in the past. She really had been a great mentor for him and he made an incredible amount of progress in his own studies under her tutelage.Vahn frowned as his own thoughts wandered a bit and he looked within his system to see that the time had just hit 5 PM. Even though it had been a while since he entered the orb, both his mind a body was still adapted to the expectation that he should be entering inside of it. Though he could tell it was in an inert state within his inventory, Vahn still pulled out the pitch black orb and watched it for a few minutes before releasing a sad sigh and stowing it away. Shaking his head, Vahn sealed off the small hole where he had inserted the syringe and made sure there was a hair-like red line circling the entire bracelet within its core. Even though it was an incredibly small amount of blood, Vahn could see the energy contained within and began his experiment with a bit of excitement and the desire that it would be a success.For a brief moment, Vahn humored the idea of trying to imbue the ability to increase exilia acquisition into the bracelet, but he decided against it since it might conflict with his intended outcome. After calming his mind for a few minutes, Vahn held the ornate bracelet within his hands and focused his thoughts with the intent of making the bracelet a container for mana that would work in conjunction with other, similar, items while also protecting the wearer. Though the rest of the items weren't complete yet, Vahn pictured the image of Haruhime within his mind wearing nothing but the anklets, bracelets, and a golden band around her neck before naming the bracelet [Fox Maiden's Bracelet].[Fox Maiden's Bracelet]Rank:BP.Def: 17M.Def: 404Abilities: Durandal(C), Magical Amplification(C), Magic Vessel(B), Fox Maiden's Set(B)An ornate bracelet designed to provide passive protection by creating a small field around the appendages to resist physical and magical attacks. Though weak individually, the abilities of this item are enhanced when used alongside similar items.Restriction: Renard Only (Female)Vahn was very pleased with the result, except for the fact that he had forgotten to include resistance against the elements in his mental image. Though it wasn't his initial intent, he had inadvertently imagined Haruhime wearing nothing by his accessories and had gotten distracted by his own thoughts. Much less protecting her from the elements, Vahn had 'exposed' her within his mind and felt a little embarrassed even though there was nobody around to judge him. To test the efficacy of the 'Magic Vessel' ability, Vahn tried to insert a small amount of his energy but the bracelet flew out of his hand with a rebound. His mind blanked for a moment before he picked up the item into his inventory and re-read the description again. Since it had the restriction of only being used by female Renards, Vahn couldn't actually test the item himself.Pulling the bracelet out of his inventory, Vahn inspected the interior to see if there had been any changes to the string of blood he had left within. To his surprise, he discovered that the blood had crystalized and noticed it had a strange pattern along the length that he couldn't understand. The more he tried to focus on it, the less focused his mind became and Vahn realized that more than twenty minutes had passed as he stared off aimlessly into space. When he tried to ask Sis what was happening, he could hear the sound of her voice within his mind but the words were completely blocked from his perception. After explaining the incongruity, Sis informed him that he simply didn't have a high enough Soul Tier to understand...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Growing Pains','Anyone wonder how the other girls will react when Haruhime gets a lot of accessories~?','(Sealed)')(A/N: This might be the last chapter for tonight, I'm in a pseudo food coma (UwU). I just want to take a nap xD)If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

Vahn continued to sit on the balcony while trying to come up with a solution for how to, not only increase his own strength, but the strength of those around him. He knew that, through 'The Path', he could eventually become stronger than anything else. However, Vahn also knew it would require an incredible amount of personal effort, comprehension of his skills, and manipulation of the laws. Because of the restrictions of the laws within the record, Vahn had to undergo the same process of everyone else within the world to become strong, albeit with access to a system that made the process much smoother for himself. He could use items to enhance, not his parameters, but how his parameters will develop later on if he puts in the effort.For example, even if he did millions of push-ups, ran for thousands of kilometers, and performed precise training for decades, Vahn's actual parameters wouldn't change much at all. For the Falna to actually enhance someone's parameters, they had to undergo the trials of the record, which was to kill monsters and face calamities. It wasn't possible to get to Level 10 by just killing goblins on the second floor, he had to constantly push himself in the pursuit of self-mastery while exposing his mind and body to stressful situations. With the use of items to increase his foundation, Vahn was able to get more growth out of his parameters when undergoing the same tasks as others. However, this also created a problem that he was just now beginning to face...Vahn was outscaling the natural growth and development of the Status Board.Vahn hadn't thought of it before, but increasing his parameters instantly instead of having his blessing updated through the normal method was actually going to restrict his growth unless he constantly put his life in danger to push his limits. One of the reasons other people could undergo massive leaps in development was because they could restrict their own capabilities by not updating their status. This allowed them more time to acclimate to their own skills and learn how to fight progressively stronger monsters even without their Status changing. By the time they finally updated their status, they would have huge leaps which would allow them to progress forward and slowly acclimate themselves again. Since his status automatically updated, it meant he would eventually hit a bottleneck where his parameters wouldn't increase much at all. The problem was that his Innate abilities and equipment simply made most threats 'negligible', so Vahn wouldn't actually get a lot of exilia from the fight even if he killed powerful monsters...As he was sitting on the balcony, Vahn released a sigh and looked toward the horizon to see that the sun was going to be rising soon. There was a gentle, warm, light that began to push against the darkness of the night and it would soon be time to train. Though he wasn't necessary for their exercises, Vahn liked to watch the girls train so he would have a better understanding of their capabilities for the future. He might be concerned about his own strength, but Vahn knew that the key to progressing further into the dungeon was having stronger allies. Most people took several years to reach upwards of Level 5 and higher, but Vahn was determined to help the girls reach that point within a short few years. Especially for girls like Haruhime, Vahn knew she would likely be the key to his own growth since he could exceed his limits temporarily and push himself further against much stronger foes. The problem was finding a method to increase her strength without actually exposing her to danger, even though she was required to be exposed to danger to increase her strength...Just as Vahn was preparing to head downstairs, he heard a notification within his mind and nearly fell from the balcony after he read the contents. Unable to comprehend what had happened, Vahn read over the information several times before making his way inside the Manor to ask Aki if she had heard about any operations against the Ishtar Familia within the last few hours. Though he didn't mind someone stepping in to help complete his own mission, Vahn was still very confused about everything that was happening because it almost seemed 'too convenient' since he had just been thinking of how to improve the strength of others.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------//Quest Completed//[Quest: Rescue Sanjouno Haruhime]Rank: B (C-S)Objective: Rescue Sanjouno Haruhime from her captors.Optional Objective: Defeat and/or Kill captors: 2/10Rewards: 'Upgrade' Function Unlocked, 10x[Upgrade Stone], 14,000OPGrade Rewards: [Menor:C] Development Ability unlocked, 1x[Seal of the Challenger:S][Upgrade]Use: Increase attributes of a piece of equipment by 1% of current stats and adds a +(n) suffix to the item. Requires [Upgrade Stone]s and has a higher chance of failure depending on the number of upgrades already on the item. [Upgrade Stone]s can be acquired for 100,000OP and are also a random drop from mobs within the record. 10x[Upgrade Stone]s can be exchanged for 1x[Upgrade Stone+]. 10x[Upgrade Stone+]s can be exchanged for 1x[Upgrade Stone++].[Upgrade Stone]Rank: UniqueUse: Upgrades a piece of equipment until +10 without any chance of failure. Failure increases by 10% per successful upgrade after +10 and has a chance to destroy the item after +15.[Upgrade Stone+]Rank: UniqueUse: Upgrades a piece of equipment until +20 without any chance of failure. Failure increases by 10% per successful upgrade after +20 and has a chance to destroy the item after +25.[Upgrade Stone++]Use: Upgrades a piece of equipment until +30 without any chance of failure. Failure increases by 10% per successful upgrade after +30 and has a chance to destroy the item after +35.[Mentor]Rank:CUse: Increases exilia gain of an ally when paired together. Allows for commands to be clearly heard by the paired ally under duress. Skill efficacy based on the number of allies present. Current Maximum (1).[Seal of the Challenger]Rank:SSlots:0P.Def: 0M.Def: 0Abilities: Indestructible, Challenger(S)A collar that grows a chain link that doubles base experience rate. Each link also doubles the amount of damage received by the wearer and increases the likelihood of receiving critical hits. (Critical hit chance depends on the Power of the attack compared to the Endurance of the wearer).----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Vahn knew that 'The Path' usually helped him whenever there was something he wanted to do, but he hadn't expected such a windfall at this moment. He was previously brooding over what he needed to do in order to become stronger and then, moments later, someone else completed his quest for him and he received the exact reward he needed to continue forward. Since 'The Path' was supposed to exist in order to grant his 'wish', Vahn had a smile on his face knowing it was looking out for him even when he was coming to a standstill on matters.With the [Seal of the Challenger], Vahn would be able to artificially increase the risk he faced during a fight while also increasing the amount of exilia he would gain in the process. Within the record of Danmachi, it very well might be one of the most powerful items he had ever seen. But, this wasn't the main reason for his excitement, as Vahn stared at the 'Abilities' section of the black collar with an expectant smile. Since 'Challenger' was the ability of a piece of equipment, Vahn knew there should also be other ways to enhance the amount of exilia gained if he created items with that intent in mind. He expected it would be rather difficult, since the item gave no other defensive stats at all, but Vahn knew it was theoretically possible now.When Vahn arrived at Aki's room, she didn't immediately answer the door when he knocked and he heard her voice from the interior so he entered the room. Aki was currently staring into the 'logbook' that recorded the information from the network and was also directly corresponding with someone at the same time. Vahn knew he wasn't supposed to interfere with the girls' line of communication, so he asked Aki what was going on without looking at the contents for himself. Since she hadn't gotten ready for the day yet, Aki was still wearing a cream-colored nightgown and looked over with a somewhat incredulous look on her face as she said, "The Ishtar Familia was destroyed overnight...we're still collecting information, but it looks like the culprit behind the attack was the Freya Familia. Loki-sama wanted me to inform you that, no matter what happens, do not approach the Freya Familia for the time being."Hearing that the Isthar Familia was 'destroyed', Vahn had a mixture of emotions that ranged from relief, perturbance, anxiety, and apprehension. He was happy that the biggest threat to Haruhime had been dealt with, but Vahn was also worried about Aisha and anyone that had been forcibly charmed by Ishtar. He hoped they were able to escape the destruction and were able to find better lives for themselves in the future. Unfortunately, that hope was also tainted with a fair amount of anxiety because Vahn was afraid there was a very real chance they may come to him for assistance. He didn't mind helping out, but the last thing Vahn needed to worry about was a group of 'experienced' Amazons invading his home. Tiona and Tione were already high on his priority list for matters that needed to be addressed in the future, and it would only complicate the matter if even more Amazons were present. Of course, the biggest issue, as Loki seemed to suspect, was the fact that the perpetrators of the attack had been the Freya Familia.Even without meeting her, Vahn was already very cautious of Freya for various reasons, including his own inability to resist women. Vahn knew that Freya was supposed to have an 'unnatural or 'unrivaled' beauty, so he was actually somewhat afraid to meet her since he didn't have much confidence in his own ability to maintain his sensibilities. He knew her charm magic wouldn't work against him, but Vahn still had an interest in someone purportedly as beautiful as she was claimed to be. The most important reason he didn't want to meet her, however, was because Vahn knew that she was actually a very 'difficult' person to deal with and had brought about great harm to several people.Even in the original series, she was one of the driving forces behind Bell's struggles because she was trying to cultivate him into becoming stronger. Because of his own potential, and the fact he had an item like [Enkidu], Vahn knew she would likely become one of the biggest obstacles he faced in the future. The influence of her Divinity and the amount of power she wielded within the City made her one of the most dangerous people he could ever associate with. Now that she was taking action, Vahn expected there to be some kind of clash between himself, the Freya Familia, and potentially the Alliance within the near future.After promising Aki to avoid any contact with the Freya Familia, Vahn went downstairs and met up with Ryuu who told him a very similar thing. She had an especially serious look on her face and Vahn could see the concern in her sky-blue eyes. Though he hadn't been able to observe Freya's influence within the Hostess of Fertility, Vahn knew she had a connection with a number of the girls he commonly associated with there. Even though they had 'cut ties' with her, Mama Mia still bore the Freya Familia crest while Syr had been the protege of Freya within the past. Vahn had actually expected Freya to approach him much sooner through the members of the Hostess of Fertility, but he was happy to see that none of them had ever tried to sway him toward her direction so far.Because of the matters taking place presently, Vahn and Ryuu had cut the training short while explaining the details of everything happening within the City. Haruhime had a similarly conflicted expression on her face when she heard about the destruction of the Ishtar Familia, and Vahn knew she was probably worried about Aisha and some of the other girls as well. Mikoto herself seemed genuinely relieved, but she still showed support for Haruhime and concealed her own emotions regarding the matter. Vahn informed them that they may be venturing into the dungeon after things begin to settle down, so he wanted them to make sure they were both mentally and physically prepared for what was to come.Ryuu had decided to stay over for the day, just in case anything happened, and she was going to be lecturing the girls about things they needed to consider before venturing into the dungeon. She took everyone to the study where they usually practiced reading and writing while Vahn kept Haruhime back for a short while and tried to console her. He hadn't been spending too much time 'petting' the girls lately, so Vahn sat next to Haruhime on a bench and stroked her hair and ears while stating, "Don't worry, I had removed the charm effect on Aisha on the night I saved you. She should have been able to escape and assist others as well..." Hearing his words, Haruhime's tail flickered a bit and she turned her droopy green eyes toward him and asked, "Is that really true?"Vahn showed a gentle smile and nodded his head as he explained how he was able to drive away the charm effect using his own 'pseudo divinity'. He had come into contact with Aisha outside Haruhime's room at the time and they had a short conversation where he was able to free her from Ishtar's control. After that, Aisha left to go undermine Ishtar's plan while entrusting Haruhime to his protection. When she heard about everything that had happened, Haruhime had tears beginning to build up in her eyes as she muttered, "Aisha...thank you for everything..." As if relieved by the revelation, Haruhime leaned into Vahn's chest with her face and gingerly held onto his tunic with her fingers as Vahn stroked the back of her long blond hair.Before they separated, Vahn explained to Haruhime about his [Mentor] skill that he had suddenly learned about after his fight against an intruder this morning. Though she was shocked to learn about the attempt to 'kidnap' her, Haruhime's face blossomed into a beautiful smile when she heard about Vahn's efforts to keep her safe without even alerting her that anything was wrong. Though she also wished she had been there to help, Haruhime was happy knowing that Vahn put in so much effort on her behalf and the image she had of him as a hero become even stronger. When he mentioned the [Mentor] Development Ability and explained its effects, Haruhime's ears were twitching about rapidly and there was even a subtle blaze of motivation within her placid green eyes.Haruhime was very excited to know that she would probably be able to spend time alone with Vahn within the dungeon while also growing stronger at the same time. Without him having to explain much about its use, Haruhime wanted to try experiencing the skill herself and implored Vahn to use it. Since it was a Development Ability, that meant it had an 'active' component before it took effect and Vahn was able to experience it for himself after following his intuition when using the skill. It allowed him to place a small seal on the body of a person, and Vahn noticed it looked like a cartoonish depiction of his own face and it made him feel a little embarrassed. Coincidentally, a very small image of Haruhime's face appeared in a similar location on his own body which made the Renard girl's eyes blaze with a fiery resolution.Because Vahn hadn't known about the effect of the skill, he had placed the seal on the back of Haruhime's left hand and now they both had caricatures of each other's face on the backs of their hands. Since Vahn wanted to test its efficacy and range, he used Shundo after having Haruhime calm down and dashed to the end of his domain. He noticed that the seal was still present and continued forward for a few dashes until he was around two-thousand meters away from Haruhime's location. The seal on his hand faded away and Vahn now understood the effective range of the ability and was pleased to see that it was actually quite far.After returning to the backyard, Vahn saw Haruhime with a somewhat dejected look on her face as she said, "The mark went away..." Vahn smiled at her reaction and wanted to laugh a bit since she was acting in an adorable manner. He was tempted to place the seal in an unconcealed location to prevent his own feelings of embarrassment, but Vahn also figured it would cause a misunderstanding if someone saw the mark without knowing its purpose. He explained the matter to Haruhime and said he would tell everyone about the skills effect when they returned to the study. Though she was in somewhat low spirits, Haruhime nodded and followed alongside Vahn before her face bloomed into a smile when he said, "Don't worry, when I show off the skill in a bit, I'll make sure to demonstrate it on you." Hearing his words, Haruhime crossed her hands in front of her body in an elegant manner before wrapping the end of her tail around Vahn's arm with a happy smile on her face.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Lemme, lemme upgrade ya~!','Vahn is a man of culture','Uncertain Future : Moving Forward')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

Chapter 298: Relocation