Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After Haruhime fully awoke, she noticed the state of her own body and began to act something bashfully as if she were embarrassed by her current state. Vahn shook his head before smiling and placing his palm atop hers and saying, "Relax, I feel nothing but pride after everything you accomplish. You can't always be ladylike and elegant within the dungeon and there is something charming about a girl that can push through difficult situations without letting it affect them." As he spoke, Vahn pulled out a large basic before filling it with water and heating it with his [Heart of the Eternal Flame]. It was the same basin he used to help bathe Fenrir in the past, and he also set out a change of clothing for Haruhime since he had prepared a few extra pairs just in case her clothing got damaged in the dungeon.Haruhime graciously accepted the clothing before setting it to the side and loosening her obi. Vahn averted his eyes and let her undress for a few minutes as he wondered about what the others were up to. He knew Haruhime was probably trying to appeal to him, but Vahn maintained his sensibilities and upheld a sense of propriety as if she were his patient. Haruhime emitted a quiet "Muuu~" sound before dropping down into the water and saying, "Okay, I'm done..." Vahn passed his detection over her and noticed she had sat facing him before he casually walked around to her back without sparing her a glance.Seeing his behavior, Haruhime submerged half her face into the water and blew bubbles before Vahn handed her some soap, and cleaning powder for her hair. To distract her, Vahn said, "I'd like to check your Status Board and see if anything has changed. Try to relax for a few minutes, Haruhime, I have a good feeling about your progress after that amazing fight earlier." Haruhime nodded her head before moving her long, blond, hair to the side and wrapping it around the front of her body. Vahn marveled at her pale and unblemished back for a moment before pricking his finger and drawing a line of blood down her spine. After he was done, the hieroglyphs displaying her status appeared alongside the Hestia Familia crest.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Sanjouno HaruhimeRace: RenardLV. 1POW: I19-&gt;H133END: I41-&gt;H174DEX: I30-&gt;I98AGI: I52-&gt;G201MAG: C603-&gt;C665Skill: [Inari:Innate(sealed)], [Prometheus's Blessing:A], [Heroic Strike:G], Featherfoot(I)Magic: [Uchide no Kozuchi:B], [Kokonoe:D]Development Skill: [Moon Priestess:Innate(sealed)], [Spirit Healing:D][Heroic Strike]Rank: GUse: Raises power exponentially based on willpower and resolve.[Featherfoot]Rank: HUse: Increases comprehension of movement abilities and footwork. Provides a moderate increase to stealth related abilities.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------When Vahn saw Haruhime's new parameters, he could help but pause for a moment as a large smile covered his face. His silence was noticed by Haruhime and she looked back in curiosity to see his expression before they made eye contact with each other. Vahn's smile became even wider and he said, "Haruhime, you really have amazing potential. Not only did your parameters increase to an incredible extent, but you even picked up two new skills!" Vahn showed Haruhime her Status paper and she stared at it with wide eyes for a moment before she tried to stand up from the basin with an 'Eeeeeiiii~?". Before she could, however, Vahn placed his palm on her head and lowered her back into the basin and said, "You're supposed to be washing up, don't overreact."Haruhime gave him a slightly 'begrudging' look that caused Vahn to laugh as he set the paper off to the side and said, "Here, I already brushed your hair earlier, but let me wash it as a reward for your efforts." Hearing his words, Haruhime blanked for a short moment before happily handing over the cleaning powder and a loose comb so that Vahn could make good on his claim. Vahn accepted the comb and spent around ten minutes washing Haruhime's incredibly long hair while paying extra attention to not damage it or pull on her scalp. Other than Hestia, Haruhime had the glossiest hair amongst all the girls around him and Vahn was really amazed at how healthy it looked, and felt, as he passed his fingers through it. When he was finished, Haruhime tried to get him to help wash her somewhat waterlogged tail, but Vahn handed her to comb and said, "Maybe next time; Work hard Haruhime..." After ruffling her hair a bit, Vahn gave her a small smile before making his way out of the ward and heading toward his workshop.As he was leaving, Haruhime followed his retreat with her eyes until he had completely vanished from sight. After he was gone, she relaxed her body in the water and blew bubbled for a few seconds before rising from the water and reaching for the piece of paper Vahn had left. Seeing her own parameters and skills left her somewhat baffled since the majority of her stats had increased by more than one-hundred points. Since her prior parameters, other than magic, were all below 100, to begin with, this was an incredible increase. Even though the paper became damp from her touch, Haruhime still held onto it as she stared happily at the numbers as a small fire was lit inside her heart. Though she couldn't see it, Haruhime imagined the flame seed within her chest blazing like an inferno.---Within his workshop, Vahn got to work on forging the final piece of Haruhime's set items, the necklace that would emulate her 'fortune' charm that she had received from her mother in the past. Since it would be a symbolic item, Vahn put a lot of care into its design and construction before realizing he had no idea how to actually make small chains for necklaces. Vahn purchased a few texts on the process and was blown away but the ridiculous complexity of creating individual links for necklaces without using things like 'machines' to automate the process. He suddenly developed a deep respect for jewelers and craftsman as he purchased a few molds through the shop to make his job easier.Because of the fine quality, and thinness of each individual link, it didn't actually take too much time to melt down and shape the metal with the molds. The hard part was actually creating the gaps to segment the links together, and Vahn had to make incredibly precise cuts before welding the alloyed metals together and shaving off the imperfections with his [Eyes of Truth]. But the time he was done, it was actually nearing 11 PM and Vahn noticed everyone had returned and the majority of them had already gone to bed. He wasn't too surprised, since he had a propensity to completely focus on his tasks when he was doing a complex procedure. Just like when he had made the [Promise] for Hephaestus, Vahn had completely immersed himself in his work and the girls probably didn't want to disturb him. Unless there was an emergency, the only person that was allowed in Vahn's workshop presently was himself.Vahn finished up connecting the final piece, the actual 'charm' of the necklace before holding it in his hands and marveling at his own craftsmanship. The chain had been created using adamantine and orichalcum, just like the bracelets and anklets, and Vahn had interwoven the links together in a linking method called 'foxtail'. Vahn thought it was suitable since Haruhime was a Renard and it would increase the durability of the chain so it wouldn't snap easily. As for the 'battery' aspect, Vahn had left a crystallized plat of his blood within the core of the charm that hung from the chain. When he was finished, Vahn decided to name the necklace [Fox Maiden's Fortune] in the hopes that it would act as the core of the set pieces and protect Haruhime from harm.[Fox Maiden's Fortune]Rank: AP.Def: 7M.Def: 777Abilities: Durandal(C), Magical Amplification(B), Magic Vessel(A), Fox Maiden's Set(B), Luck(C)An ornate necklace designed to act as the core of the 'Fox Maiden's Set'. Enhances every piece of equipment within the same set and serves as a protective charm to shield the wearer from harm. This necklace carries the hopes of its creator to protect the wearer and enable them to walk their path safely, without fear of the future.Restriction: Renard Only (Female)After the necklace was completed, Vahn had a happy smile on his face as he exited his workshop and woke up the sleeping girl sitting in the hallway and leaning against the wall. The moment she opened her green eyes, Vahn held out the necklace and said, "Here you go, Huruhime...it's called [Fox Maiden's Fortune] and it will help protect you from now on." The sleepy expression on Haruhime's face vanished and she happily reached for the necklace with her characteristic, godlike, speed. She was almost about to wear it herself before the sheepishly handed it back to Vahn and asked, "Can you help me wear it~?" Vahn nodded his head as Haruhime turned around and he helped her latch the back. Since he was able to perfectly envision her body when he worked, Vahn had adjusted the length of the chain so that the charm perfectly situated itself in the gap under her collarbone without uncomfortably nestling into her cleavage. Since it had a squarish shape, Vahn had been worried that it would scratch her if it was too long.Once the necklace was fixed around her neck, Haruhime held the small charm in her hands before squeezing it tightly and uttering a silent prayer. After she was finished, she turned around and gave Vahn a very loving smile before loosely embracing his body and saying, "Vahn, thank you for always looking out for me...I..." Though she didn't finish her words, Vahn understood what she was trying to say but shook his head slightly and returned her embrace as he said, "I know, Haruhime...I'll watch over you for as long as it takes." For the same reason she held back her words, Vahn also kept his to himself as they gently held each other for several minutes until the atmosphere got a little awkward and they separated.Vahn sent Haruhime off to bed after saying he needed to clean off his body and refusing her assistance in the matter. She gave up and went down the corridor connecting the central stairway as Vahn watched her back until she disappeared through the door at the end of the hallway. He released a short sigh before making his way to the men's onsen and enjoying a relaxing bath while letting the cold winter air soak into his head and upper body. When he was finished, Vahn returned to his own room and it was nearly midnight by the time he fell onto the cold blankets and instantly fell asleep.---Even though he had gone to sleep late the previous night, Vahn still awoke at 5 AM, even though it would be nearly two hours before the sun rose. Because it was well below freezing in the mornings, the girls had rescheduled their training and were spending more time reading books and learning about the dungeon than actually exercising. As they were all currently in the process of delving into the dungeon for the first time, it was important that they had the proper mindset and took the extra precautions necessary to prevent anything adverse from happening. Since Vahn had the support of Sis, as well as dozens of compendiums regarding the dungeon, he didn't have to study up much so he decided to eat a private breakfast with Hestia and Ryuu while Aki took care of the girls.During their breakfast, Ryuu informed Vahn about everything that had happened with Fenrir the previous day while Hestia told him about any changes that had appeared on the network while also explaining their absence in the afternoon. They had been invited out by Hephaestus and Loki before going to the cafe that had become their common meeting point and discussing various matters that Vahn would learn about at a later date. She also ran upstairs and brought back a logbook for Vahn's personal use that showed all the 'bookings' that had been made for his services. Vahn opened it to give it a cursory glance before his eyes widened a bit as he turned through several completed pages of bookings.The moment he began 'advertising' his services, it had apparently exploded on the network and the girls had been vying for spots while making agreements with each other to jump the order a bit. Vahn had even noticed a few new names on the list, such as Tiona, Ais, Tione, Lefiya, and even Riveria had put forth her name, apparently out of curiosity. Vahn was looking forward to how the 'new' clients would react before he noticed that a number of slots had actually been reserved by Ais. He remembered the first time they were together and how he had 'shocked' her body a bit and wondered if she had a different understanding of the massage than expected.There was also a second list, which including equipment specifications and bookings to have their measurements taken and documented. Vahn looked forward to the meetings, which also corresponded with each girl's respective massage appointments. There was no specific date, and it was up to Vahn to reach out to the girls when he had free time and he began wondering if he should clear up his afternoon's whenever possible. Depending on how early they left, Vahn could help one of the groups train in the dungeon from around 6-7 AM until around 2-3 in the afternoon. This was more than adequate for their current capabilities and was actually somewhat beyond their limits.If not for his presence to heal their wounds and carry the drop items, the girls would be making much slower progress than normal. Haruhime's currently 'Max Floor' was at 5, while the twins had apparently gone down to the 4th floor with Mikoto and Aki. They had accepted a mission from the Guild to collect 25 Dungeon Lizard hides and had taken until nearly 6 PM to finish. It wasn't that they were taking their time, but that Dungeon Lizards didn't often drop their hide and usually left small teeth and magic cores behind when defeated. Fortunately, they were able to successfully complete their mission and submit it to the Guild as the first official task completed by the Hestia Familia.Vahn was thinking if the event was worth celebrating, but it was eventually decided that it was unnecessary since there were more important benchmarks to work toward, such as leveling up or increasing the overall rank of the Familia as a whole. Ryuu lectured Vahn that 'celebrations' should be more meaningful and that he shouldn't over-glorify mild achievements or it would give the Familia strange expectations and breed complacency within their minds. They should be constantly striving to achieve great things, instead of celebrating every minor achievement. It should be their expectation to succeed, and not something they expected to be rewarded for when the accomplishment itself should be enough.According to Ryuu, one of the number one causes of death in newer parties is becoming complacent after mild successes and overextending themselves expecting the same success to happen without as much effort. Since he had nearly died several times due to his own 'overconfidence', Vahn took all of Ryuu's words to heart even though he had the bad habit of 'pampering' the girls when using his [Mentor] Development Ability. He was just unable to treat them poorly, especially when he was alone with Haruhime, or alongside the twins, Emiru and Maemi. They were just too adorable, and he actually experienced a bit of pressure by 'holding back' and having them work hard to grow stronger.After breakfast, Vahn waited for the twins to gear up before packing away some essentials into his inventory, which included rations, first aid supplies, and extra changes of clothing for the twins, which also including underwear and 'tape', just in case. The rest of the Familia needed to visit the Guild to pick a new mission, so Vahn led the two through the City streets and headed toward the dungeon while asking about their progress the previous day. Their Status Boards hadn't been updated, because Aki said it was better to wait until they had obtained a mild achievement or it would negatively influence their growth. If they constantly updated their status, they would definitely grow fast, but it would also cause them to face a bottleneck because they didn't spend time acclimating themselves to their current strength and overcoming difficult situations.Vahn also asked if they had made any progress in their [Gemini] skill, even though they were very obviously 'synchronized' ever since he saw them earlier. Not only did they match each other's steps, while at his flanks, but they mirrored each other's actions almost perfectly and responded in a synchronous manner to most of his questions unless he asked them something individually. Vahn felt it was a little weird, especially since they were on each side of him, but he also thought it was incredibly interesting and wanted to see how far they could develop the skill in the future. Their current limit was 'fusing' for a total of four seconds, but they would always pass out immediately after and only used it when they had returned to their room after dinner. When asked, they explained that the feeling wasn't all that different from when they were in sync with each other, just that it felt 'closer'. They also claimed that they experienced a strange feeling of 'power' and it was like their senses became much stronger before they eventually blacked out...Hearing their words, Vahn decided he would help the twins develop their magic parameter a bit and also create some accessories for their use. Unless their internal mana developed, however, they wouldn't be able to make use of their fused state for a long time. Vahn even contemplated having them cease going into the dungeon until he could come up with a solution for their diminutive mana pool. It was a well-documented fact that mana could be increased through meditation and study, but the twins were rather uneducated and couldn't even read and write properly yet. They also didn't have enough mana to make proper use of magical weapons, so Vahn was a little confused on how to encourage their growth for the time being.A strange thought passed through his mind all of a sudden before a ruminating, somewhat speculative, smile appeared on his face as he cocked his head to the side in deep thought. It seemed like a strange method, but Vahn felt like he would be able to manage depending on the circumstances...he had decided that, when their training for the day came to an end, Vahn wanted to have the twins fuse together and he would try to feed his mana directly into their bodies. If they were able to sustain the form for a longer period of time, Vahn was confident the mana within their bodies would begin to develop further since it was a fusion derived from an Innate ability. Just like his own magical parameter, if they were able to level up the skill, their parameters should grow to match.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Absolute Focus','Vahn's bad habits','Experimenting with girls...')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=14397149Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Vahn escorted the twins to the fourth floor of the dungeon before allowing them to take the lead and go at their own pace. His duty was to help them recover their stamina, praise them when they did well, offer them advice, and pick up all the loot using his domain. If they suffered any injuries, Vahn could heal them, but only after the fight was over or they were in serious danger. Not just the twins, but all the girls needed to develop some pain tolerance and suffer blows or their Endurance parameter wouldn't increase by much.While he was watching Maemi and Emiru fight, Vahn noticed their cooperation and synergy was rapidly developing and there was a strange 'tempo' to their movements. He knew this would probably be exploited by stronger opponents, but it was a great tactic when teaming up against monsters. It was really interesting how one of the sisters would attack with a feint to draw a monsters attention to create an opening for the other to exploit. They were quickly learning how to deal with monsters, even when they were outnumbered. The biggest problem was their lack of stamina and ability to continue fighting for long periods of time.Since they were Snow Leopards, their actual stamina wasn't bad at all...the problem came from the fact that they were synchronizing with each other and it put a serious strain on their bodies and minds. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that, when they fought at the same time, it was like their stamina drained at more than twice the expected rate. It was like they were always pushing themselves well beyond their limits, even though their actual movements were relatively normal. Vahn knew this would likely cause their physical parameters to develop well, but it would potentially stunt their magical development.After around two hours on the fourth floor, the twins had managed to defeat 39 Dungeon Lizards, 17 Kobolds, and 11 goblins with only a few short minutes of break in between each room clear. During the breaks, Vahn would place his palms on their heads and use [Hands of Nirvana] to recover their energy at the same time, since he noticed it actually made the process much more efficient. When he healed one twin, it would consume about twice the normal amount of energy, but only around 40% would be transmitted to the second girl. When he healed them both at the same time, the energy consumption was even greater, but the rate at which they recovered was far more than twice as fast. Vahn noticed that, if they were receiving the same treatment, they would synchronize even further and it would greatly enhance the efficacy of his [Hands of Nirvana].Because he was curious about how this principle worked, Vahn wanted to see what would happen if the twins wore different clothing, or used different weapons when they fought. He gave Emiru the [001], while Maemi used her normal heavy dagger. For Maemi, he let her use his [Xuánwǔ Protector]s and a light cloak to force her to change her fighting style slightly. They complied to his request because the twins understood that Vahn was trying to help them understand the skill better so they could improve faster. When they eventually started fighting again, Vahn noticed a 'severe' drop in their cooperation and ability to adapt to each other's movements. This allowed him to confirm that their synergy was improved when they were 'matching' in equipment and didn't allow much leeway for variations. It made sense, in a way, since the feedback would be very different if one twin used a greatsword, while the other wielded a spear and they used completely different attack patterns and movements.When asked about what they felt afterward, the twins explained that there were 'phantom' sensations like things were 'different' in their own bodies and it was a big distraction. However, Vahn learned that the strength of the sensations hadn't changed and this made him wonder if his observations and deductions weren't entirely correct. It could be that, since the skill was still a low level, it made it difficult for the twins to adapt. It was something worth looking into in the future, but Vahn allowed them to return to their normal fighting style for now. As their parameters improved, and they Leveled up, the twins would naturally be more capable of using other weapons. There was no need to force them to change early on, as there was no guarantee it would benefit the development of their Innate ability, or their own combat capabilities so soon after they started training.Though he was able to 'record' the information in his mind, Vahn also documented all of his observations, and speculations, inside a journal as he watched the twins fight monsters. It wasn't necessarily for his own use, but so that he could let Ryuu and Aki look over the information alongside the twins. Vahn had no illusions that his perspective was always the correct one, and he knew it was often better to consult others that had more experience than himself. Besides, he had shown the journal to the twins earlier, and they were very happy to see the detailed information and sketches he had been drawing inside the journal. Though he didn't consider himself a capable artist, Vahn was able to rough out a relatively accurate representation of the girls in mid-combat and point out his observations.With how much praise the twins gave him, Vahn felt like it was a perk of his [Mentor] skill that had been 'correcting' the information that he picked up while watching them. He realized this might be the case when he read over the information he had just written and noticed it wasn't a thought that had actively passed through his mind. He just wrote it down on 'instinct' as he observed how Emiru's dagger deviated a bit when she was cutting through the thick hide of a Dungeon Lizard. His hands had naturally written down the importance of weapon maintenance and proper follow-through for strikes while casually drawing a dull dagger next to the description with a picture of a whetstone underneath it.Though he could easily repair their weapons with a [Whetstone], Vahn had been using his [Master Smith] ability to perform maintenance instead. [Whetstone]s were great for emergencies, but they weren't necessary for simple wear and tear, so Vahn had taken to sharpening their blades manually while performing on-site maintenance for their other equipment. It was moments like this when his inventory really came in handy because he could give the girls a change of equipment and immediately start repairing the damaged bits. Everything that he repaired with his [Master Smith] ability would receive a 3-7% boost to their stats, so Vahn was very satisfied and wanted to develop the skill even further in the future.After enjoying a light lunch, while flanked by the twins, Vahn led the way down to the fifth floor so that the twins could go through what he mentally called the 'Ant Hell'. He had gone through his own 'trial' back when he first started venturing into the dungeon, and Haruhime had experienced something similar the previous day. Though it wasn't 'necessary', Vahn felt like it was a rite of passage for new adventurers and wanted to see how the twins would fare given the fact that didn't have magic weapons to use. Vahn mentioned his own experiences with the ants, while also telling the twins how well Haruhime had performed.Hearing how Haruhime, someone nearly three years their junior, had killed 139 Killer Ants made the twins feel a bit conflicted. Vahn wasn't the only one to notice their lack of stamina, as they were the ones actually experiencing it. They wanted to 'beat' Haruhime, especially since there was two of them, but they also knew they likely wouldn't be able to fight for very long and their weapons weren't suitable for monsters like Killer Ants. Per their request, Vahn gave them the swords [001] and [002], which were both B-Rank, much stronger than their D-Rank heavy daggers. They spent a few minutes practicing with the swords before eventually mustering up enough resolve to step forward into the fifth floor.Vahn watched their backs and gave an approving nod as he followed silently behind them and observed the changes in their bodies and auras. When they were synergized well, Vahn noticed that their auras became slightly stronger and their emotions compounded off of each other's, much like his own interactions with Hephaestus at times. This could be a good thing, as long as they were both motivated, as it would prevent them from faltering easily. However, such a thing could also be a double-edged sword, since if they both felt fear and apprehension, it would be much more powerful than what would be experienced by a normal person.Unlike how Haruhime had let the Killer Ants swarm, Emiru and Maemi focused on killing them as quickly as possible in order to pace themselves and preserve their stamina. They wanted to kill as many as they could without having to rely on Vahn helping them recover, so they took turns moving and attacking while the other focused on exploiting gaps and regulating their breathing. They obviously couldn't breathe for each other, but by relaxing their bodies, they didn't put any excess strain on whoever was fighting at the time. Vahn had noticed this tactic they had developed, probably through their 'mental link', and couldn't help but smile appreciatively at their progress.Though he kept it primarily concealed from them, Vahn decided to use [Hands of Nirvana] to sneakily help replenish their stamina while they were distracted by fighting. As long as they didn't realize what was happening, the twins would think they were pushing themselves further and growing beyond their limits. Since exilia and parameter development was influenced by mental perception, Vahn was certain this would be one way he could help the girls within the Familia develop further.With his support, the twins started to grow more motivated over time after realizing how well things were going with their conservative strategy. Though they still didn't mass any ants intentionally, their blades had long been covered in pheromones and it made errant ants track them down and their numbers had steadily been building up. After nearly three hours, the twins had managed to killed precisely 150 Killer Ants before Vahn had to step in and finish the job and protect them. Of course, Killer Ants weren't the only things they had fought, because they had been traveling through the dungeon instead of staying in one area, the twins had also killed 19 Frog Shooters along the way.Vahn didn't bother to bring up the fact that Haruhime had killed her large number of ants within a twenty-minute window, he instead just pampered the girls a bit while paying them a few heavy compliments for performing well. It was actually 'more' correct to use the method that had been incorporated by the twins, instead of the somewhat suicidal method used by Haruhime the previous day. If he hadn't been there to save her, she would have inarguably caused her own demise because she had been exceeding her limits by a fair amount. The twins, though less educated, were older and more sensible than Haruhime and took a more conservative approach that would likely preserve their lives in the future.After helping them recover completely, Vahn brought up the idea of having them fuse while he tried to help sustain the transformation by infusing his own 'mana' into their body. Without much thought, they twins both agreed with excited expressions on their faces as they mentioned wanting to understand the form better as well. A few seconds wasn't enough to truly understand what was going on, and they were interested in the changes their body underwent during the transformation. Vahn was relieved to see their excitement and waited for the twins to finish their preparations before they performed the experiment. It took them several minutes to calm their minds and perfectly synergize with each other, so Vahn understood it wouldn't be a viable skill for combat unless they had made some drastic improvements.Eventually, Emiru opened her eyes and Vahn noticed they had turned the beautiful, snowy blue, color as she locked eyes with the lilac-eyed Maemi and they placed their palms together. Emiru immediately vanished in a magical light before a heterochromatic 'Maemi' appeared in front of him. Other than her eyes, there was no noticeable change in her body, though Vahn had confirmed irrefutably that their aura had increased by a large amount. Since it was the most efficient location, Vahn placed his palm over the navel of 'Maemi' and began channeling his energy almost immediately after the transformation completed.Maemi felt the powerful flow of energy enter her body as she stared down at the kneeling Vahn and muttered in a strange voice that sounded like when she spoke in concert with Emiru, "Vahn-sama...we feel very warm...very strong..." Vahn looked up into her blue-lilac eyes and asked, "Can you describe any other changes you can feel in your body?" While he asked the question, Vahn noticed that his energy wasn't draining nearly as fast as he suspected, which allowed him to understand that the form didn't actually require too much mana to sustain, at least if they were standing still.'Maemi' placed her hands overtop the hand he had placed on her stomach 'casually' before closing her eyes and saying, "Everything...everything is so much more...it's like our skin is so sensitive that we can feel the air...everything we smell is so much more pungent...every sound so much more clear...and..." 'Maemi' opened her eyes as a strange smile appeared on her face and she continued, "Everything we feel...it's like everything is amplified...like we're going to explode..." Vahn understood what 'Maemi' was saying because her aura was much larger than normal and he knew what kind of things she was 'feeling' at the moment. He had already checked through the system out of curiosity but noticed that both Emiru and Maemi's affections had 'vanished' after their fusion. It might be because they were combined through an Innate, but Vahn couldn't see the 'values' behind their emotions and it made him feel strangely unnerved with how she was looking down at him.Though Vahn could continue channeling energy into 'Maemi' for several minutes, he decided to bring the experiment to an early end as he said, "Okay, that should be enough for the time being. Try to remember the sensation and practice when you can. As long as you're able to develop your Magic parameter a bit, you'll be able to sustain this form for longer. This could be a powerful trump card for the future and allow you both to become much stronger." For the entire duration of the transformation, 'Maemi' had continued to rest her hands atop his with that same strange smile her face. Hearing Vahn's words, she nodded her head and said, "Yes, Vahn-sama...we will become much stronger...together."When Vahn removed his hand from her abdomen, 'Maemi' touched the spot as if she were trying to feel the ambient warmth before her body split into two a few seconds later. Vahn caught their bodies and released a relieved sigh before setting them on the ground after laying down a futon. He sat on the edge of it with his back against the wall and checked his system to see if there had been any changes. Both Maemi and Emiru had affection values of 92 for him and Vahn was wondering how the parameter was influenced when they fused. Though their aura was predominantly yellow, Vahn noticed that the small amount of pink along the edges was tainted with a passionate red.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Working twice as hard','Clever girls','Unknown Affection')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=14397149Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After her chant, Haruhime began to skirt around the edges of the Killer Ants that had started to swarm. She knew it was dangerous to charge into their center and focused on using the fact they were clumped together to interfere with their ability to move. Due to the quality of [Sakura Bloom], Haruhime was able to cut through their hard carapaces easily as the sakura petals danced around her body and passively damaged any of the Killer Ants within their path. The petals were just as sharp as the katana itself and they drew beautiful arcs through the air as if they weren't influenced by the Killer Ants at all.Haruhime's green eyes had an excited glint to them and she continued to pump more of her mana into the blade as she swept up bits and pieces of the ants within the wind generated by her magic and they started swirling around her body along with the petals. It wasn't long before there were tiny pieces of Killer Ant bodies marring the surface of her outfit and staining her waist-length blond hair. Vahn frowned at the sight and wondered if he could come up with a method to prevent similar things from happening in the future. Though it would probably be best to have Haruhime cut her hair, Vahn thought her current hairstyle was very suitable for her since it was rather elegant, and incredibly rare for hair to grow to that length. It had probably taken her several years, and her hair was very glossy and well maintained before she entered into the dungeon.After slaying more than fifty Killer Ants, exploiting the fact that they were clumped together, Haruhime had started to breathe heavily and had long activated her accessories to supplement her expired mana. Vahn was able to see how they affected a person, and he realized that waiting until their mana was diminished wasn't a viable option. When the mind was weakened from having low mana, it wasn't easy to make decisions, nor was it reliable to use external mana sources to supplement your own lack of mana. He was now able to understand that it was more practical to use the mana within the accessories first, since waiting until you were already tired caused unnecessary troubles. However, even though she was struggling, Haruhime continued to 'dance' around the Killer Ants and whittle away at their ever-increasing numbers.Though she knew something like this would happen, Haruhime gnashed her teeth with a pained expression on her face and continued to push herself even further. She kept repeating encouraging words, almost like she was screaming in her own mind, so that she wouldn't back down just because things were difficult. The only way she could pursue her dream was to follow this difficult road, or else it might be several years before she was able to stand at Vahn's side. Haruhime knew what kinds of monsters he would face in the deeper floors, as she had been reading up on the information within the books. She knew that the current her would die with a single glancing blow from something like a Monster Rex, or even weaker monsters like Silverbacks and Minotaurs. Haruhime was aware of Vahn's achievements, and the things he had done to get to his current level of strength, and none of what she was going through came close to his struggles. If she wanted to catch up to him, she couldn't back...down...Haruhime's eyes started to glaze over as she took a step back to evade a Killer Ants mandibles and collided with the dungeon wall behind her. She snapped out of her daze and glanced around her in an instant to realize she had been completely surrounded and had no means of escape. Mustering what power remained in her body, Haruhime ignored her plight and released a loud shout while swinging [Sakura Blossom] toward the group of Killer Ants. The petals tripled in number as a small whirlwind passed through the closest ants within the encirclement before dicing through their bodies as if they had been put into a blender. It was the first time she had been able to 'throw' the magic of her katana and Haruhime had a contented smile as she collapsed forward into Vahn's embrace as he used Shundo to close the distance. Though she couldn't see what was happening, Haruhime felt a pulse of magical energy in the air as the shrill cries of the Killer Ants' deaths lulled her to sleep.Vahn held the unconscious Haruhime loosely in his arms and had an affectionate smile on his face as he roasted the more than two hundred Killer Ants that had surrounded them. Within twenty seconds, the entire horde had been destroyed and the only thing that remained were several drops items and hundreds of magic stones. Vahn ignored them all and embraced Haruhime for a while as he inspected the injuries in her body. She had several muscle cramps, and even some tearing in her left leg and arm since she was still somewhat over-reliant on her left hand. As the fight got progressively harder, she had switched to using nothing but her left hand and it had created a lot of gaps for the Killer Ants to exploit.However, even if she had made matters more difficult for herself, Vahn didn't blame Haruhime at all. He had been counting the total number of ants she had slain, including the large number that was diced apart by her final attack. Against expectations, Haruhime had killed a total of 139 Killer Ants, even though most adventurers her level would have fallen to a tenth of that number. A lot of it was attributed to [Sakura Blossom], but it was an undeniable fact that she had pushed herself far beyond her limits to create the small miracle. Vahn couldn't help but feel immensely proud of her as he removed any sequelae that could remain in her body through excessive exhaustion.Before he laid her down, Vahn pulled out a large brush similar to the one he used to deeply clean Fenrir's fur and removed all of the monster bits from Haruhime's hair. He wanted to clean her body, since he didn't really have an aversion to such things, but Vahn wanted to wait for Haruhime to awaken instead of doing anything untoward. He was almost positive she wouldn't mind, but Vahn always felt a powerful inhibition stop him from 'exploiting' a girl that was asleep. He felt like they were very defenseless and it just seemed like a shameless thing to do so he just wiped down the exposed parts of her face and neck before lifting her up onto his back. It was already around 3 PM, so there wasn't a need to stay in the dungeon any longer. He wanted Haruhime, when she woke back up, to be a comfortable place that was warm and safe. Even he felt a bit melancholic whenever he awoke in the dungeon, so Vahn expected a delicate girl like Haruhime to experience something similar.After arriving at the stairs, it only took Vahn around two minutes to actually get to the first floor, even without using Shundo. They had only gone down to the fifth floor, so there were only a few hundred meters of spiraling stairs to follow before arriving at the surface and following the path to the dungeon's entrance. Though he drew a few 'concerned' glances from the surroundings, Vahn just gave the actually concerned people a polite smile as he carried Haruhime through the first floor of Babel and exited into the Babel Plaza. There were some people that had given him 'strange' and 'menacing' looks along the way, since he was somewhat famous in the City and was currently carrying an unconscious, relatively young, girl on his back that was covered in blood and monster bits.There was even a group of three relatively strong adventurers that tried to approach him and call out, but Vahn saw they had no good intentions so he sent a burst of intent at them before disappearing from the spot with Shundo. The group had consisted of a relatively handsome elven male with green hair and blue eyes, whilst his two companions were somewhat beautiful girls, one with silver, the other with blond hair, that had an air of arrogance to them. Vahn didn't know, or care, what they had wanted and, even though they were Level 3, they flinched and dazed for more than a second after he vanished. The handsome elf looked around the area for a few seconds before scoffing at turning away with his hands around the two girls' waists.Because he was using Shundo, Vahn arrived at the Manor within ten minutes before making his way through the foyer. He noticed that Hestia seemed to be out, and she had taken Fenrir and Preasia with her. The rest of the girls were probably still in the dungeon, because the Manor was currently empty. Now that they weren't restricted to the grounds, Vahn didn't blame the girls for wanting to get out more since he had also started to feel a little suffocated even though it had only been about a week that he was stuck at home. Unfortunately, since there was nobody to help him with Haruhime, Vahn was in a bit of a predicament. Instead of worrying about it, however, Vahn just shook his head before taking Haruhime to the west wing of the Manor.The real renovations hadn't started yet, but they had already designated an area as a medical ward within the west wing to treat any injuries that might be suffered by their members in the future. Though Vahn could heal most wounds, there were some things, such as broken bones and illnesses, that needed more specialized care. Vahn carried Haruhime to one of the small beds they had set out for patients before gently lowering her body onto its surface. Her clothes immediately blemished the white sheets, and this was the reason he had avoided setting her down on the furniture and carried her all this way.Vahn could tell that her mana was slowly recovering, and the only thing that was keeping her unconscious was the mental strain she had gone through. He knew the proper procedures for dealing with an unresponsive patient, but Vahn wasn't an actual physician so he had to take a roundabout method and wake her up before he did anything. Using [Hands of Nirvana], Vahn placed his palm on Haruhime's forehead and channeled his energy to help calm her mind and ease the influence of all the chemicals and endorphins pumping through her body.After around a minute, she slowly opened her sleepy green eyes before a gentle smile appeared on her face. Vahn returned her smile and explained in a soothing voice, "You passed out after releasing an incredible attack and defeating a total of one-hundred-thirty-nine Killer Ants. Your performance greatly exceeded my expectations Haruhime, I'm very proud to be your Captain and ally. It was truly an amazing sight to behold...great job." As he spoke, Vahn gently stroked Haruhime's hair and continued to channel his [Hands of Nirvana] to comfort her.Haruhime enjoyed the pleasant feeling for several long seconds before saying, "I told you, I'll become much stronger...no matter what it takes, I'll chase after my dream until I can catch it with my own two hands~." As if to emphasize her point, Haruhime raised her hands and gingerly grabbed Vahn's wrist as she closed her eyes with a contented expression on her face. Vahn gave a short sight through his nose as a gentle smile appeared on his face. He knew exactly what Haruhime was trying to do and it made him feel a little blessed that she was putting in so much effort for him, no, them. Since he had put forth the restriction, just like he had done for Lili, Emiru, Maemi, and Preasia, Vahn wouldn't back down. Just like Ais had been Bell's motivation within the original series, Vahn didn't mind acting as Haruhime's motivation if it would help to guarantee her happiness in the future. He could tell, even though she had only been to the dungeon twice, that she had an amazing amount of potential and more than a few 'heroic' traits herself. She was no longer the damsel waiting for a hero to save her; she was now slowly walking toward the path of creating a legend of her own. Vahn knew it was within his power to help her, so he would do his best to make sure her story had a happy ending. Maybe one day, in the distant future, children would read her story and be inspired by her tale, just as she had been when reading fairy tales in the past...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What it means to overcome...','Ittoryu, Sanjouno-style Taifū~!(Typhoon)','The end goal never changes, but the distance is constantly shrinking. Work hard, young heroine~!')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=14397149Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 315: Fortune