Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After successfully defeating the Monster Party, it wasn't long before the group found a set of stairs leading toward the 21st floor of the Dungeon. They had spent a significantly shorter period of time on the 20th floor compared to the 19th, so it was somewhat refreshing to know they were making good progress. Lefiya had been in high spirits after the battle, primarily due to the fact that everyone in the group, including the generally taciturn Riveria, all praised her for the magic she had used. Tiona, especially, seemed to be hyped up after witnessing the devastating sight and had spun the small Elf around several times in jubilation.Ais also seemed to be in a very good mood after the fight and Vahn could see that her aura had become very stable after the battle came to an end. When they had discovered the staircase and decided to take a short break, Ais had come over to his side and sat against his shoulder with a happy smile on her face without saying anything. Vahn was a little confused by her behavior, but just accepted her affections as he snuggled up with her, Fenrir, and the boisterous Tiona who didn't seem to be willing to be left out.Riveria watched their behavior for a while before shaking her head and commenting, "The Dungeon really isn't the place to be playing around and flirting..." Though Vahn agreed, he just continued to play with Fenrir's oversized ears with a casual smile on his face as he said, "You never know what the future might hold, Riveria, it's good to relax when you can. Don't worry, though it might not look like it, I'm using my domain to scan everything around us. Even if an enemy tries to attack us through the floor or ceiling, I will be able to know about their presence long before they ever arrive..."Hearing Vahn's words, Riveria didn't really have a way to argue so she just released a small sigh and looked for a spot to sit down on her own and rest. She found a nice flat area that didn't have a lot of dust, but before she actually sat down a cushion appeared with a small circular table with fragrant tea present. Riveria could feel her brows twitch slightly as she looked over to see Vahn's complacent smile before sitting down on the cushion he had left for her. After taking a sip of the warm tea, she released another sigh and sat peacefully without 'complaining' about Vahn's behavior.Tione, Ryuu, and Lefiya also had seats of their own and were playing some kind of gambling game using dice and cards that Ryuu had prepared. Vahn had been surprised when she first brought them out and, after asking about it, Ryuu explained with a somewhat melancholic look that she had learned about gambling from one of her former comrades. According to Ryuu, the Pallum girl named Lyra had claimed that, in order to properly deal with criminals and cheats, you had to understand how they thought and scammed people. The Astrea Familia had been a righteous familia that made many enemies by breaking up criminal syndicates in the past and there were several unique individuals within the group that had a variety of skills suited for capturing criminals.Ryuu was currently teaching Tione how to gamble and read people's expressions while all three girls periodically sent glances toward Vahn, Ais, Tiona, and Fenrir. Vahn felt a little guilty every time they looked over but there wasn't too much he could do about the situation, as he wasn't the one to initiate it in the first place. Ryuu didn't really like public displays of affection from the start, while Tione was something of a unique case amongst the rest of the girls. As for Lefiya, Fenrir was 'on guard' against the little elf and probably wouldn't 'let' her sit with Vahn, even if she mustered up enough courage to act.After resting for a half hour, Vahn figured it was time to continue forward since he wanted to try and get through another 2-3 floors before they called it a day. Ideally, they would be able to get to the stairs leading to the 25th floor, but that didn't seem likely with how long it took to clear each floor. The spawn rate of monsters was much higher and, unless they started bolting through the floors at the expense of their stamina, their progress wasn't that fast. On average, it took around 3 hours and, since it was already slightly after 3 PM, that would require around twelve hours if they set the 24th-floor stairwell as their goal.The 21st floor was much like the 20th, being that they were both completely made of wood with only a few areas where grass and herbs grew. Vahn had been collecting everything along the way and organizing it within his inventory because some of the herbs could be exchanged for several thousand Valis each. Of course, he wasn't planning to sell them and had intended to gift them to Naaza when they returned to the surface. She would be able to use them in her mixing practice, even though she didn't necessarily need them. Vahn's wealth, even though he wasn't doing much, had been increasing rapidly and he wasn't even sure how to spend it all. He had been purchasing a lot of materials, clothing, supplies, and other miscellaneous items to help out around the Manor since he didn't have a better use for the funds.Because of the somewhat monotonous fighting that had been going on, Vahn had started to grow somewhat 'bored' as they continued deeper into the floor. The strength of the monsters hadn't increased much and, other than marginally higher numbers, they were falling likes flies under the combined assault of Ais, Tiona, and Tione. Even Fenrir was able to kill many of the monsters with ease after becoming accustomed to their fighting style. Her battle instincts were actually very high, after she had been trained a bit, and she systematically took out the monsters after identifying their weaknesses. Even though she didn't use any real weapons or equipment, as she didn't like being constrained at all during combat, her claws were arguably sharper than Ais's [Gram] and she cut through the Lizardmen she was fighting as if their scales were an illusion.The only time things got interesting were when an 'irregular' or a 'variant' monster would show up. However, though it was cool to see their unique capabilities on display, Vahn had yet to see a single monster that could withstand more than one blow from Ais when she got serious. Though Vahn could use his Shundo to move almost anywhere within his Domain, Ais was actually fast enough to close a 200m distance in less time than it took to blink. Vahn had experienced this when, after they encountered a giant purple Swordstag, Vahn blinked and noticed that Ais had completely vanished from his line of sight as the monster's head spun through the air.From this short expedition, Vahn was beginning to understand that he wouldn't be able to experience any real challenges in the Dungeon unless he was in a smaller group, or if they had ventured even deeper into the Dungeon. Generally speaking, it was very dangerous for a normal sized party to venture beyond the 25th floor, but that was generally for groups comprised of Level 2's and 3's. Their current party consisted of a Level 6, three Level 5's, a Level 4, Vahn and Lefiya at Level 3, and Fenrir and Haruhime at Level 2. The traditional party only had 5 members, so their group of eight was easily progressing, even though the Dungeon increased the spawn rate due to their presence.The thing that made it 'boring' for Vahn was, now that he knew what to look for, he could easily predict the location of random monster spawns and had been using his bow to dispatch them before they could even break free from the walls completely. Fenrir also seemed to have picked up on something, that Vahn wasn't quite sure how and, when a Troll tried to break free of a wall, Fenrir jumped forward and buried her claws into its face before ripping off the front part of its skull. When he asked how she had detected its presence, Fenrir just cocked her head to the side and said, "Fenrir just felt it~? It was like a tiny voice in Fenrir's head saying 'a monster is going to come out'."Vahn suspected that, due to the amount of Loyalty she had toward him, his subconscious thoughts might be transmitting to Fenrir and being treated as 'orders' in her own mind. This was a bit of a concerning matter because, if such a thing were the case, Vahn didn't know how he might have been influencing Fafnir and, perhaps most importantly, Anubis. If they were only acting as they were because of the influence of his subconscious mind, Vahn felt like he was slowly brainwashing them to do whatever he thought. Fortunately, when he had this somewhat dark thought, Fenrir reached up and pat him on the head as she said, "There, there, Vahn is a good boy~."Either Fenrir was incredibly perceptive or his inference that she was somehow able to understand his thoughts was correct. Vahn would have to test his theory when he returned to the surface as there was also a very real possibility it was just due to the bond they shared. Just like he could sense Hephaestus's thoughts and emotions when they were nearby, it was also possible Fenrir could do the same. Vahn actually knew next to nothing about her species, Vanargandr, so it wasn't a good idea to make assumptions and automatically assume he had done some terrible wrong. With a grateful smile on his face, Vahn ruffled the 'smiling' Fenrir's head and they continued further into the Dungeon.---After nearly eight hours, the group arrived at the staircase leading down to the 24th floor, about where Vahn had expected them to reach considering their pace. Other than Lefiya, nobody was really that tired but Vahn still gave the order to make camp since it was better to rest when they had the opportunity. Tomorrow, after they cleared the 24th floor, they would officially be entering the 25th floor to finally begin their descent into the 'Lower Floors' of the Dungeon. This was the bottleneck most Adventurers would stop at in their careers since it was very dangerous to proceed any further without large parties or incredible personal strength and equipment.Vahn gave all the girls the luggage they had prepared and everyone started setting up their tents as Vahn started cooking food. Though he had various dishes within his inventory, it was better to cook some of the rations they had prepared since there was adequate time to do so. Using premade dishes was very 'convenient', but that didn't mean it was necessary, or even advisable since they would be more useful in emergency situations when there wasn't enough time to prepare other meals. Besides, Vahn actually liked to cook quite a bit and had been getting progressively better at it since his time in the forest.Other than Lefiya, who was 'talented' at making salads, it turned out that none of the girls in the party knew how to prepare meals. Even Riveria, though she was 97 years old, typically left the cooking to the Supporters in the Loki Familia or just ate normal rations. Ryuu wasn't an exception either, even though she worked at a pub, and this left Vahn as the only practical choice if he wanted the food to taste good. For their meal tonight, Vahn was actually using a piece of meat that had been harvested from a Mammoth Fool that weighed nearly 20kg. He had learned from Aki how to make stew and also had several references available within his mind to help out with the process. Though it was somewhat 'shameless', Vahn was even using his 'eternal flame' to control the heat within the giant pot and the flame danced about happily at the opportunity to do something new.Tiona had finished setting up her tent faster than everyone else and leaned over the pot as Vahn was stirring it before taking a deep breath. She released a satisfied sigh and said, "It smells super delicious Vahn. Not only are you a hero, but you're even a chef? I starting to wonder if there is anything you can't do, hahahahaha~!" Vahn smiled before lifting up the ladle and smelling the stew himself before offering it to Tiona. She happily took a sip of the rich and fragrant Mammoth stew before placing her hand against her cheek as she made a happy sound of savoring the flavor.As if continuing Tiona's words, Riveria had also walked over and said in a plain tone, "I'm also beginning to wonder where your limits lay. Given how things are progressing, I'm starting to believe you never had any to begin with..." Vahn chuckled at Riveria's words before filling up a wooden bowl and handing it to Tiona. The lively Amazon girl happily accepted the bowl before sitting next to the patiently waiting Fenrir. Though he had intended the meal for Tiona, she used her spoon and said, "Fenrir, aaaaaaaaaaahn~" Fenrir frowned at first but, after seeing Vahn's expression, decided to accept Tiona's assistance as Vahn continued to prepare the meal for everyone else.Considering Riveria's earlier words, Vahn ruminated for a moment before saying, "I think that, given the nature of the world, the only limit lays in our understanding of how the world works. As long as you have the resolve to challenge existing conventions, I don't think it's that difficult to overcome what most people would have considered the 'limit'. Even common sense is something that is derived from the compromise made between groups of people in order to make sense of the world around them. It's not that I try to live my life without 'limits', but I don't believe in constraining myself without having made an effort to understand the reasons for why I'm not able to do something...so, as long as I don't give up trying to understand why something works the way it does, I don't believe something like limits exist at all..."Riveria had a thoughtful expression on her face as she accepted the bowl of salad that Vahn had given her. She simply couldn't wrap her head around Vahn's thought process, even though what he said seemed to make sense. There were several parts of his statement that she didn't agree with, but when she thought about it using the context of his words, they were all things that she considered to be 'common sense'. In her homeland, it was 'common sense' that High Elves were the most superior species, second only to the spirits and the gods themselves.After leaving her homeland, Riveria quickly realized the error of her people's ways and now, after having spent nearly seventy years in the outside world and having her perspective shaped by her association with other people, she meets an anomaly like Vahn that causes her to question everything she thought she knew. Even the matter of races having unique traits, skills, and magic associated with them seemed to be fundamentally flawed. Vahn, simply by reshaping the flow of energy in his body, which was something she couldn't even comprehend truthfully, was able to emulate and become any race as long as he had a strong enough 'image' of it. Because of this, Riveria was beginning to feel like the only thing that made anyone special was the achievements they built for themselves after putting in an adequate amount of effort.Vahn looked over and saw Riveria lost in thought and could see her aura wavering about slightly in a chaotic manner. He wasn't sure what she was struggling with but, seeing as how she hadn't gone out of her way to avoid the conversation they were having, he decided to say, "One of the most important things I've learned in the short time I've experienced living with other people is that it isn't worth overthinking things at all. The most important thing you can ever do is continue forward along the path you've decided for yourself. Don't be bound by the past, do your best in the present, and continue forward toward a better future. These three things are the only thing I've needed to get to where I am today...surrounded by people I care about, trust, and even love..." As Vahn was speaking, he had turned to overlook the other girls that were already enjoying the food he had prepared for them. They each had happy and pleased expressions on their faces and were enjoying the meal together without worrying about unnecessary things at all.Riveria also looked toward the other girls and saw their apparent happiness...even other Elves like Ryuu and Lefiya were getting along well with everyone and didn't seem to care that they were all currently in the Dungeon where their lives could be endangered at any moment. Though she had a thought to lecture them for their complacency, she knew that being tense wasn't any real solution and that Vahn's detection ability even invalidated the need to keep watch while everyone ate. This situations itself was so far removed from her general understanding of things that it was hard to believe everything happening right now was even real.Vahn just smiled at Riveria's complex expression before taking a bowl of his own and joining the somewhat lively atmosphere of the rest of the group. Since Tiona had taken the initiative to spend time with Fenrir, Vahn was freed up, perhaps by design, to sit with Ryuu and Tione now. They all had fun conversations with each other and Vahn even took the opportunity to tease Ryuu a bit by offering her a bit of the desert he had brought out for everyone. When he held the fork holding a strawberry cake toward her mouth, the cool beauty showed a light blush on her face before eventually giving in when Tione offered to eat it in her stead. All the while this was happening, Riveria sat at the periphery of the group on the cushion Vahn had given her as she slowly picked away at her salad...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn's boredom','Fenrir's Perception','Riveria's Conflict')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;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

As it wasn't necessary to actually have anyone post up during the night, Vahn gave the order for everyone to rest after dinner had come to an end. When he retired to his own tent, he was accompanied by Fenrir while the other tents were taken by different pairs such as Ais and Lefiya, Tiona and Tione, Ryuu and Haruhime, and lastly, staying in a tent of her own, Riveria. Before everyone had gone to sleep, Vahn had set out three wash basins for the girls that wanted to take a bath and, as promised, he helped Fenrir wash her body before helping her wear a loose nightgown over her combat attire.Fenrir's hair always had an earthy and warm aroma and she always slept right on top of Vahn's chest with her paws bundled up at her stomach, clasped together so she wouldn't accidentally scratch anyone while she slept. She had gotten much better at controlling herself and rarely ever cut her own clothing anymore, nor did she scratch other people and tear apart the things she touched. She had even gotten to the point that, when she was practicing her writing, the words were always carved in a uniform manner, even though her handwriting was somewhat terrible.Fortunately, as he had somewhat expected Tiona to try and sneak into his tent, the night passed without issue and everyone woke up very early the next day. Since he wanted to get a jumpstart on things, Vahn handed out a variety of pastries for everyone to enjoy before continuing deeper into the Dungeon. The 24th floor of the Dungeon was the end of the Large Tree Labyrinth and also the official end-point of the 'Middle Floors' of the Dungeon. Everything beyond, all the way to the record 59th floor, was considered the 'Lower Floors' and a realm only visited by veteran adventurers and high ranking Familia.Unlike the 19th through the 23rd floor, the 24th floor had a lot more plant life spread all throughout the floor. The ceiling was nearly 40-50m at the highest points and there were several large trees, a variety of bushes, and various plant-like monsters and insects flying about. Soon after entering, Vahn had detected an abnormality within one of the walls and, after having everyone halt their advance, probed it using his bow after verifying what lay within using his [Eyes of Truth].Once the barrage of arrows penetrated the wall, a giant, bulbous, red 'creature' popped out of the wall before slamming down onto the floor. It was around 5-7m long and had a variety of holes covering its body. It writhed about and tried to launch a viscous reddish-yellow liquid at the party but everyone was well outside of its effective range. Riveria, from the side, said in a calm tone, "Bloody Hive, it's a trap-type monster that immobilizes its enemies before overwhelming them with Deadly Hornets. They don't have a lot of offensive capabilities on their own, but they can become a major threat if they aren't dealt with quickly..."Vahn nodded his head and said, "Thank you, Riveria." as he knocked a pair of mithril arrows on his bow and, after channeling a large number of fire elements, loosed them toward the Bloody Hive. As Riveria had been speaking, he checked the information within his mind and knew they were very weak to fire. For someone like Vahn, whose main attribute could be considered fire, they weren't much of a threat. Before it even had enough time to spawn ten Deadly Hornets, the Bloody Hive was already writhing about on the ground as it burned to ashes as a result of Vahn's deadly flames.As for the Deadly Hornets, they were nearly a meter long and made an excessively loud noise as they buzzed about in a strange manner. Their bodies consisted of a hard carapace that was covered in a variation of yellows, blacks, and reds, and they had massive 20cm long black stingers to glowed with a subtle purple light. As their named indicated, they had a deadly poison that covered the entirely of their stinger as well as a powerful set of mandibles on their heads. With their large compound eyes, they looked somewhat menacing, at least until they were shredded apart by the swift Ais moments later.Bloody Hives were a relatively rare monster on the 24th floor, so it was both auspicious as well as unfortunate that it was the first enemy they came across after entering. Amongst Adventurers, it was considered a sign of great fortune if you encountered a rare enemy right after entering a floor and were able to overcome it. With Vahn's detection ability, most traps were completely ineffective and they were able to make smooth progress while following his directions. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that, with Vahn's presence with a party, any group could efficiently move through the Dungeon and he would likely be one of the key factors for any expedition into the deeper floors.Other than the few Killer Wasps that would fly at them from various directions, the majority of the monsters on the 24th floor were Hobgoblins, a type of goblin that stood more than two meters tall and had much larger horns affixed in their heads. Many of them used nature weapons, such as clubs and spears, but they seemed to be somewhat lacking in intelligence and couldn't coordinate with each other at all. Tiona was happily cutting her way through a large group of them as she spun her giant weapon around playfully. There was even a point where, when she vaulted off the ground, spun through the air, and slashed down at a large Hobgoblin, that her weapon emitted a pulse before smashing the 2m tall Hobgoblin into a small ball less than 50cm in size.Vahn had seen this from the backline and had both of his eyes open wide after witnessing the sight. He knew this was probably the effect of the [Crushing Blow] that he had imbued into the [Dance of the Amazon], but he had never expected the effect to be so monstrous. Seeing a humanoid monster turned into a compact sphere of flesh was enough to make even Vahn feel a little squeamish so it wasn't a surprise to him at all when Lefiya released a small amount of 'rainbow' liquid from her mouth. Vahn rubbed her back to ease her nausea and looked over to realize that Haruhime, an elegant girl who most people would expect to struggle with such things, showing a plain expression as she scanned the battle looking for an enemy of her own to target.As if she had sensed Vahn's gaze, Haruhime turned toward him before smiling widely before chuckling in a playful manner. Though her eyes had been a placid green color, the moment she locked eyes with him, Vahn noticed they began to turn a pale gold. Though she seemed to be perfectly fine, Vahn still asked, "How are you holding up, Haruhime, let me know if you get tired..." Haruhime nodded her head and said, "Thank you, Vahn, I'm fine~." Haruhime didn't have much to do so far, other than periodically using her magic to target distant foes, so she wasn't even remotely tired.Though she was tempted to pretend, she knew that not only Vahn, but the somewhat troublesome Fenrir would see through her act. She knew Fenrir was envious of her for various reasons, so Haruhime didn't want to make her upset and lose the opportunity to get closer to Vahn later. Since Vahn had previously spent time with Tiona, Ais, Ryuu, and Tione, Haruhime was planning to get some of his time for herself later. She wasn't going to jeopardize things before then, so she just did her best to appear as elegant as possible for the time being.Seein that Haruhime was fine, Vahn showed an encouraging smile as he continued to pat the contradictory Lefiya on the back. She was simultaneously pale, from having witnessed the gory sight, but also blushing slightly from Vahn's contact. Her appearance made Vahn feel sorry for her so, instead of directly patting her back, he used [Hands of Nirvana] on his domain to make everyone feel more comfortable. Lefiya released a small sigh before doing her best to stand back up on her own two feet. Once she composed herself, she bowed toward Vahn and said in a quiet voice, "Thank you, Vahn..."For a brief moment, Vahn reached out his hand to pat Lefiya's bowed head before saying, "No worries, Lefiya, I'm always happy to help. We'll take a longer break before going to the 25th floor if you're feeling tired. If necessary, I also have some medicine to help your stomach if you're still feeling sick later." Lefiya gently bit her bottom lip with a blush rising on her cheeks before saying, "I-I'm fine..." She then lowered her head as if trying to hide her face and even moved to the other side of Riveria after a while. Haruhime began to laugh from Vahn's side and he just shrugged in mock exasperation before continuing forward with the rest of the group.Nearly three hours into the 24th floor, as if proving the superstition of other Adventurers, Vahn sensed a much larger presence in his perception. Though he couldn't see it at first, he was able to penetrate through the walls of the Dungeon, and any other obstacles, before setting his eyes on a large, emerald green, dragon that was nearly 12m in length. It actually seemed to have a bit of wisdom in its gentle blue eyes as it peered back towards Vahn as if having detected his gaze upon it. Right next to the dragon, there was a small tree, only around 3m in height, that seemed to be made almost entirely of crystal. It had vibrant green 'leaves' that glistened in the low-light of the Dungeon and had a variety of yellow, purple, and red gemstones growing from its branches like fruit.With a large smile on his face, Vahn brought the group to a halt before explaining, "I just discovered a Green Dragon protecting a Treasure Tree that is in the adjacent room. I don't see the path leading to the room, but we can probably break through the wall if we want to loot the tree. I'm not sure if the dragon is dangerous since there seems to be something special about it, but be prepared to attack the moment it becomes aggressive. Ais, your [Avenger] and [Gram] provide powerful benefits against dragons so I'll leave defeating it to you. However, don't attack until it becomes hostile, okay?"Hearing that Vahn had discovered the incredibly rare 'Treasure Tree', everyone was in high spirits, even Riveria. Her staff, Magna Alfs, was an S-Rank item that cost nearly 340MV and made use of nine 'Magic Treasure Stones' which could only be found from rare drops and incredibly rare natural treasures like the Treasure Tree in the next room. A single Magic Treasure Stone could cost upwards of 10MV, so it was an incredible boon to be able to discover an intact tree. As for Ais, she had a complex expression on her face after hearing Vahn's words but still nodded her head in agreement. Though she would generally kill any monster on sight, she had learned from interacting with Fenrir and Fafnir that not all monsters were evil.Because it was actually very dangerous to inflict too much damage to the Dungeon, lest they incur the wrath of a Juggernaut, Vahn was thinking of other ways to breach the wall. After thinking about the matter for a few minutes, he saw the sky-blue eyes of Ryuu watching him and a smile crept upon his face as he pulled out an intricately designed trinket out of his inventory. This was an item he had obtained when Ryuu reached 100 affection and was known as [Fairy Promenade]. Its use claimed that all trees, plant life, and animals open a path for the user to pass unhindered, so Vahn was hoping it might even work on the 'tree-like' walls of the Dungeon. If it proved to be the case, Vahn resolved himself to treat Ryuu when they returned to the surface since it would be through her affections that they were able to obtain the Treasure Tree.Though she didn't understand why Vahn smiled at her, Ryuu returned his smile and watched as he activated another one of his mysterious items. A green light appeared around his body and, against the expectations of everyone present, the wall of the Dungeon began to open up as it created a tunnel that Vahn passed through while laughing in a very satisfied manner. Then, as if he had a sudden realization, Vahn turned back and 'bounded' over to Ryuu before planting a short kiss on her unprepared lips. Ryuu blushed deeply, especially after seeing the other girls look at her, before pulling the fastener of her cloak to conceal part of her face from view.Satisfied with Ryuu's response, Vahn led the way through the Dungeon's wall as everyone followed behind him with a mixture of intrigue and confusion on their faces. Riveria, seemingly unable to keep her intrigue restrained, asked in an inquisitive manner, "That item...is it another thing you created? How is it able to control the Dungeon walls like this?" Vahn shook his head then, after thinking for a few seconds, explained, "This is an item that serves as proof of the bond I share with Ryuu..." Vahn looked over at the sky-blue eyes, which averted slightly after making eye contact, before continuing, "It allows the user to pass unhindered through forests and the like...since we're currently inside a giant tree, I thought it might be useful here. Seems our luck is quite high today..."As he spoke, Vahn furrowed his brows slightly before coming to a stop and scanning his surroundings once again. Everyone else came to a stop at nearly the same time and immediately became alert after seeing Vahn's expression and behavior. Vahn knew better than anyone that, when things suddenly started going especially well, that was usually when something unexpected happened. Though he didn't understand why this was the case, Karma seemed to 'test' those that had a lot of good karma and, the moment when they let down their guard while assuming everything was going well, that was generally when tragedy befell them.Shortly after he came to a stop, Vahn sensed the presence of a strange aura that was located in a passageway within the wall of the Dungeon itself. Its aura was unlike anything he had ever seen before and Vahn was curious so he began to stare directly toward it with his [Eyes of Truth] active. His instincts were sounding alarm bells in his head and, after penetrating into the strange corridor, Vahn came face to face with what looked like a normal woman, if not for the fact that she had green eyes that glowed within the darkness. 'She' was a tall woman, around 170cm, and she had a powerful physique with red hair and green eyes. Though she wasn't a conventional beauty, Vahn thought she would have looked attractive if not for the fierce expression on her face.Vahn wasn't sure how they were able to do it but, much like the Green Dragon in the nearby room, the woman seemed to be able to sense his probing gaze. She looked back with her glowing green eyes and mouthed a few words as she covered her naked body with a cloak and walked away into the darkness before eventually escaping his line of sight. Though he wasn't that confident in being able to read lips, Vahn could replay her words over and over in his mind and was absolutely certain she had said two very familiar words..."Vahn Mason..."Seeing the serious expression on his face, Ryuu asked, "Vahn, did you see something? Is it an enemy?" Hearing Ryuu's words, Vahn turned to the group and considered what how to explain that he had 'peeked' in on a woman that was taking a bath in a glowing blue pool of liquid. He was almost certain that she was a monster, similar in nature to Fenrir, but he didn't know if she was actually an enemy or not. However, the cold look in her eyes and the fact that she knew his name was a red flag so he explained, "I saw a woman...I think she is a humanoid monster, one of the ones that the Guild wants to capture or kill. I can't be sure, but she seemed to be around Level 5 and had a powerful aura radiating from her body...also, though I couldn't hear what she said, I'm certain she called my name after detecting me."Realizing the incongruity in what he had seen, Vahn also said, "Also, there seems to be a corridor nearby that connects to the Dungeon, but it doesn't appear to be a part of it at all. Instead of wood, like everything else on the floor, it is made of stone...almost like it is manmade?" Vahn was very tempted to investigate further but decided against it since it was more important to procure the Treasure Tree at the moment. After making his decision, Vahn turned to the group and said, "We'll capture the Treasure Tree and then backtrack to investigate the unknown corridor afterward. I don't think it would be a good idea to pursue the humanoid monster right now, as it has nothing to do with our objective, but we should inform the Alliance when we return to the surface."Riveria also agreed with Vahn's decision and even put forth the idea of concealing the matter from the Guild entirely, at least until they were able to discern of the woman was an enemy or not. As for the 'man-made dungeon', she actually had a bit of knowledge regarding the rumors that Daedelus street actually connected to the Dungeon through a labyrinthine structure located beneath the somewhat infamous district of the City. As Vahn had seen the structure for himself, he knew that it wasn't a simple 'rumor' and his desire to investigate Daedelus Street increased quite a bit after listening to Riveria's words. Knowing there was a monster girl that knew his name prowling about, Vahn didn't feel very at ease, especially since his instincts had been sounding dangers signals during the brief encounter.Thinking about the 'woman', Vahn couldn't stop himself from recalling her relatively 'powerful' looking body that had been displayed openly. Though she wasn't very shapely, at least compared to many of the women he had seen, her figure was very womanly and emphasized the power contained within by the visible lines of her muscles. She had a thin waist with exceptionally pale skin, almost as if she had never seen the light of day, and her breasts were rather large. Her medium length red hair was somewhat wild and her glowing green eyes, even when he recalled them in his mind, sent chills down his back. Though he often felt like some of the girls gave him 'predatory' looks, Vahn now knew for certain what it was like to be viewed as the prey of another person...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'You ain sneaky!','Literal money tree','Vahn's over here expecting a woman not to be mad when he peeks at them in the bath...')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;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After taking a half hour break for lunch, Vahn ended up using his newfound skill, which was being referred to as 'cleaning magic' to help Tiona and Tione remove any blood from their bodies. He did the same for Ais as well, even though she didn't have any obvious signs of the previous battles anywhere on her white and blue armor. The wind barrier that often surrounded her body completely shielded her from any 'debris' that might stain her nearly flawless appearance and this caused Vahn to notice a peculiarity...Vahn had never considered it much in the past, as he had never seen Tiona's status, but now that he had seen her parameters for himself he noticed there was something 'wrong'. He didn't bring it up to her, as it might alter her awareness and inhibit her growth, but Tiona was not without mana as her status board showed. Though it didn't use much mana, her weapon was a Rank A (Magic) item that Vahn had personally forged for her in the past. Many of its effects were 'passives', but the thin barrier of wind that would surround her body when she was moving was only possible if mana was fed into it.As they progressed down the 200m between the 19th and 20th floor, Vahn was closely observing Tiona with his [Eyes of Truth], trying to do as the name implied and see through to the truth behind her constitution. Like all things, both living and not, Tiona's body was comprised entirely of elemental energies that supported the structure of the molecules in her body. Unlike others, however, she didn't seem to have any mana circuits, something that should be impossible given Vahn's current understanding. If she truly had 'no mana', her body should be in a permanent 'Mind Down' state because she wouldn't have the requisite mental energies to maintain consciousness.Fortunately, soon after they entered the 20th floor, Vahn led the group toward a group of monsters known as Swordstags. They were slightly under two meters tall and, unlike a normal deer or stag, they had long blades for antlers instead. Beneath their matted fur coats, there were also small scales that covered their bodies, not that it made much of a difference considering the power output of the girls that immediately moved to engage them. Vahn had been watching Tiona move about and notice that, as soon as the wind barrier activated around her body, he could see a thin green string of mana appearing out of nowhere that ran through her body like a wisp of smoke.Vahn's eyes opened slightly before he increased the amount of energy fed into his skill to enhance his vision even further. The reason he chose to do this was due to the purity of Tiona's 'mana', which was generally a gentle blue or white color. For it to be green inside of the body didn't make any sense, as that was typically something that would only happen after you converted your own mana into wind elemental energy. Now that his eyes were capable of seeing even more, Vahn noticed that Tiona's pores were inexplicably drawing ambient elemental energies into her body from the atmosphere. Not just any elemental energies either, but pure wind elements so that she was able to make use of the wind barrier surrounding her body.The find ended soon after and the girls went back to resume their positions before Tiona noticed Vahn's 'fervent' and unwavering gaze staring directly at her. He had a very serious expression as he scanned all over her body and she could 'feel' his gaze touching her skin and making it tingle. Since she was still excited from the fight, her heart began to beat quicker the longer he stared at her and he seemed to notice it as his eyes darted to her chest as an icy blue light shone in them. Tiona could feel a strange sensation against her breasts, almost like she was being seen through by his glowing eyes...When she had resumed her place in the formation, Vahn noticed that the mana in her body began to alter its flow inside of her body. Instead of dissipating back out into the atmosphere, the moment Tiona stopped using the energy, it began to pool inside her abdomen and heart before disappearing in a strange manner that Vahn couldn't see through regardless of how much he focused. As he had been observing her body very closely, Vahn noticed Tiona's heart began to beat rapidly and turned his attention to watch it for any abnormalities. For him to be unable to see through the process, it had to relate to an Innate ability, though Vahn wasn't sure which one it was. It made the most sense for it to be her [Magic Devouring King], but Vahn couldn't understand how that had anything to do with absorbing mana from the atmosphere so she could use a magic weapon.Vahn's vision was suddenly obstructed by a 'transparent' and very fluffy tail which caused him to blink and deactivate his skill. Looking to his right, Vahn saw Haruhime smiling at him with a gentle expression on her face as she said, "If you keep looking at her any longer, I'm afraid she might attack you, fufufufu~." While he was confused, Haruhime removed her tail that was obscuring his vision and saw the deeply blushing Tiona giving him a sidelong glance with a somewhat 'hungry' look in her expression. Vahn suddenly realized that her heart wasn't beating rapidly as a result of her skill, but due to the fact that he had been 'focused' on her chest for several seconds...As the group made their way further into the floor, Tiona acted in a way very similar to Fenrir when she was frustrated and threw herself into a group of lizardmen and began to indiscriminately slaughter them. Though he felt no true remorse for their loss, Vahn still sent them a silent prayer as their somewhat ruthless deaths were a result of his mistake. He was beginning to realize that, if something really did happen between him and the girls within the Dungeon, it would likely be a result of his actions having triggered them. Fortunately, Vahn had made the decision to bring along Fenrir for the trip to prevent anything from actually happening.There was also Riveria, Lefiya, and even Haruhime present, so Vahn was 'hoping' things wouldn't take any strange turns once they set camp for the night. Sleeping arrangements hadn't been discussed yet, but Vahn knew he would probably be sleeping with Fenrir in order to 'avoid' having to sleep with the larger group of girls. It was inarguably far too dangerous to share a tent with Tiona and Tione so he would most likely end up staying with Ais, Lefiya, and Fenrir, which was a relatively 'safe' group, all things considered.Sensing an abnormality, Vahn raised his hand and stated in a firm tone, "Stop, don't advance any further!" The girls immediately listened to his order and took battle ready stances as Vahn probed the room up ahead with his perception. After observing the flow of energy within the walls and ceiling of the Dungeon, Vahn turned to Riveria while speaking loudly for the benefit of the entire group, "There is a large fluctuation of mana in the next room...if I'm not wrong, it is either a strange phenomenon in the Dungeon or the precursor to a Monster Party."Riveria's cool expression became somewhat serious as she said, "Even if it's only the 20th floor, a Monster Party can be very dangerous. Though I'll leave the decision for you, I would suggest taking a detour and finding another way forward." Vahn nodded his head but was still considering fighting in the room regardless. They wouldn't be caught off guard like the traditional groups which would become the victims of such a situation, and their group also consisted of several powerful Adventurers. Vahn himself had the benefit of his domain and could use his [Heart of the Eternal] flame and [Lævateinn] to deal with a large number of enemies as well.After considering the matter for quite a while, Vahn nodded his head firmly and said, "Riveria, we won't always be able to avoid dangerous situations when we're in the Dungeon. Now that we have a chance to tackle one while having ample time to prepare, I think we should push forward. It's also a good opportunity to let Lefiya gain some exillia so I want you to create a barrier to defend the backline while Tiona, Ais, and Tione clear away as many enemies as they can during Lefiya's chant. Haruhime, since we don't know what will happen, I want you to use your Uchide no Kozuchi on the vanguard, myself, and Riveria. Fenrir, Ryuu, I want the two of you to stay back within the barrier and be prepared for any changes in the situation."Tiona immediately shouted out a happy, "Alright~! Let's destroy them all, ahahahahaha!" while Tione and Ais also seemed to get a bit riled up at the idea of fighting what would likely be hundreds of monsters. Riveria gave a slightly exasperated sigh before saying, "Very well, it sounds like a sound plan. We should stay oriented towards the door, however, just in case we need to retreat into the adjacent rooms." Vahn nodded his head in affirmation before giving the order to advance forward, knowing full well the Dungeon had prepared a 'trial' for them to overcome. He hadn't mentioned it to Riveria, but Vahn was just as excited as Tiona, Ais, and Tione when it came to the thought of fighting a mass of enemies.The room they proceeded into was very large, nearly 300m in diameter, with the height of the ceiling nearly 40m above. There was a large number of root-like protrusions that connected all the way from the floor to the ceiling and would serve as cover for both allies and enemies alike. Though there were presently no monsters visible, everyone could sense the abnormality in the room since Vahn had pointed out the possibility of an ambush. Vahn himself was paying close attention to the fluctuation of magic and, just as the mana in the walls began to shift, he said in a clear tone that resonated through the area, "Riveria, barrier magic, now!"Riveria nodded her head and began her chanting as a massive emerald green magic circle appear beneath their feet, "Dance around spirit of the atmosphere, lord of light..." Just as she had started chanting, cracks began to appear all over the room as monsters began pouring out of the holes like water escaping a leak. The vast majority of the monsters turned out to be Bugbears, but Vahn had noticed the presence of several new enemies that might prove a problem if not for the prowess of the three Level 5's out front. Standing around four meters tall, though there was one much larger, were a group of five Trolls that appeared within the monster horde. They had bark-like brackish brown skin that was shaped like dead trees. Vahn knew these branch-like protrusions were both very durable while also being incredibly sharp. They were considered some of the strongest monsters in the middle floors and their variants could easily be stronger than Level 3.Riveria hadn't stopped her chant while the monsters were converging on them and eventually finished long before the first contact ever happened, "Contract with the guardian of the forest, and envelop us with the song of the land. Surround us become a great barrier of forest light and protect us - my name is Alf!" A massive barrier appeared around the entire backline that would completely prevent any enemy attacks from reaching them. Vahn realized he should have given this order earlier, but turned to the somewhat pale Lefiya and said in a calm, yet firm, tone, "Lefiya, use the strongest magic you can manage. Don't panic, you're perfectly safe..." Lefiya's aura had begun to waver like a flame that was on the verge of being extinguished by a strong wind.Even though she was Level 3, Lefiya still didn't have a lot of confidence in herself and struggled when it came to dealing with large groups of monsters. Vahn didn't understand this too well since, as a mage, it was precisely her job to deal with mobs of enemies. He wasn't sure how her expectations were able to deviate away from the 'purpose' she had within the group, but he did his best to support her so she wouldn't hesitate for too long. Just as he had done in the past, Vahn stood slight behind Lefiya and said in a gentle tone, "You can do it, Lefiya..." as he placed his hand gently on her shoulder and channeled his own source energy into her body with [Yggdrasile's Favor] and [Hands of Nirvana].Lefiya felt the familiar energy, the same which she had found comfort in during the fight against the terrifying Juggernaut, and nodded her head as she began her own chant, "Proud warrior, snipers of the forest..." While she was beginning her relatively slow chant, Ais had become a veritable typhoon of wind and had started a massacre against the hordes that had managed to close the distance. She, Tiona, and Tione, had all split up in order to protect the backline from three different directions and were trying to whittle down as many enemies as they could before the retreat order was given.Ais could see the massive 7m tall red troll in the back that was actually picking up other monsters and biting off their heads as it released a powerful roar that shook the entire room. It was far behind the larger mass and Ais knew she wouldn't be able to go all the way over there, slay the relatively strong monster, and then retreat all in the time it took for Lefiya to finish her chant. Though she felt a powerful compulsion to fight against the strong monster, Ais was beginning to waver in her single-minded pursuit after having been exposed to Vahn.She was beginning to understand that there were more things than simply slaying monsters that were required to become strong. Even though Vahn was a much lower level than she was, he was quickly catching up to her in strength and would probably exceed her within a year or two. Since he had stressed working together, even though he was growing so rapidly, Ais wanted to believe the path he walked was the correct one. She had seen the evidence in the ridiculous growth rate of Haruhime, Maemi, and Emiru and knew they would also become stronger than the current her in the future unless she changes her perspective...Thus, against the expectations of almost everyone present, Ais didn't charge forward to try and fight the Troll variant and instead used her Ariel to thin out the monsters closest to the barrier. Riveria was especially surprised by this change and sent a sidewards glance at the 'confident' looking Vahn that had a small smile on his face as he rested his hand on Lefiya's shoulder. She could also see that Lefiya, who was typically somewhat unreliable in combat situations during expeditions, was calmly chanting her magic spell with her eyes closed. Her pale complexion had taken on a slightly rosy color and she was smoothly progressing through her chant as a gentle pink magic circle rotated under her feet.Vahn had memorized all the chants used by Riveria and Lefiya so, just as she was getting to the final incantation, he stated in a calm and loud tone, "Fall back, Lefiya will take care of the rest! Riveria, lower the shield!" Lefiya's brows twitched slightly as Vahn 'shouted', but she maintained her focus and continued her chant, "Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies. Falling like rain, burn away the savages!" Her chant ended almost at the exact same moment that Ais, Tiona, and Tione managed to get within her magic circle. Several small magic circles began to appear in the air overhead and red beams of energy erupted from their center and began to rain down on the monsters within the room.Seeing the devastation wrought by the small elf, Vahn nodded his head approvingly and helped recover the mana that Lefiya had exhausted. She had used nearly 70% of her reserves in a single spell, one of the major downsides to using wide AoE magic, and Vahn wanted to top her off just in case. Though there had been several hundred monsters still present in the room, by the time the explosion had cleared there were only a few dozen injured stragglers located around the area. The floor was littered with magic cores and drop items that Vahn began to loot before walking over and patting Ais's back as he said, "Go, Ais, destroy the enemy..."Ais had noticed that the variant Troll had survived the blast, likely due to its fire elemental affinity having resistance against Lefiya's fire magic spell, and she had been contemplating if she should go and fight it. When she felt Vahn's hand on her back and heard his words, Ais showed a small smile and said, "I'm going..." before dashing forward like the wind. Ais knew that Vahn probably wanted to fight the Red Troll himself, but he had left it to her and this made Ais feel both happy and grateful at the same time. She closed the distance with the massive creature just as it used a powerful roar of flames to try and scorch her body...Ais brandished her [Gram] and completely dissipated the terrifying flames with the barrier of wind that surrounded her body. They couldn't get within three meters of her and Ais wasn't even able to feel the heat coming from them as she kicked off the ground with enough force to leave cracks against the hardwood floor. The Red Troll tried to smash its colossal arms into her figure but Ais dashed forward like a flash of light, directly through the body of the Troll. A tunnel more than 3m wide was formed in its body that continued to expand before it eventually reached a critical level and caused the Red Troll to turn into purple dust. Though it might be a very strong Level 3 monster, it wasn't a match for the Level 5 Ais that had what was considered one of the strongest possible skills, [Avenger].When she landed on the ground, Ais flared her blade before staring into its beautiful unmarred white surface. The small smile on her face turned into a more natural smile that reached her eyes as she stroked the flawless blade that Vahn had forged for her. Every weapon she had ever used in the past would eventually break after a bit of use, but the [Gram] in her hands had last for months at this point without even requiring any extra maintenance. Vahn had helped her sharpen it once, but it was otherwise exactly the same as when she had first received it. The only thing that had changed in that time was Ais herself and, seeing the group walking over to join her, with Vahn amongst them, she felt like it was a good change...(A/N: Oh, this might not be necessary but I'd like to explain why Vahn didn't give the [Seal of the Challenger] to Lefiya. There are a few reasons really, including that she doesn't yet have a 'flame seed', but the biggest factor is...what kind of reaction do you think the bashful Lefiya would have if Vahn tried to give her a collar right before a big battle xD?)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ain't no party like a monster party','Vahn's noob tactics','Ais's change in perception')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;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 403: Monotony