Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After passing through the long corridor in the wall of the Dungeon, the group came into the room housing the Treasure Tree and its guardian, the Green Dragon. Just to be safe, Vahn had Riveria cast a barrier while he himself, along with Ais and Fenrir, went to investigate the situation. From what he could tell, the Green Dragon didn't seem hostile yet, so Vahn wanted to see if it had any intelligence. If possible, they could come to a compromise and take some of the Magic Treasure Stones and then leave without coming into conflict with each other. Vahn wasn't the type that considered it to be acceptable to 'steal' from a sentient creature just because it benefitted himself. Even if he went his entire life without getting ahold of the stones, Vahn wouldn't have lost out at all. It would be pure selfishness if, after discovering the dragon was sentient, they killed it anyway just to line their pockets with Valis.Vahn was carrying Fenrir, in the event they had to flee away at a moments notice, as he approached the location of the Green Dragon after passing through a small forest. Once they came into the clearing, the dragon was looking toward them with its light blue eyes. With a low growl, it stood up on its hind legs and extended the large emerald wings that spread nearly 20m from tip to tip. General conventions wouldn't allow it to fly with such small wings, since its body was very heavy, but several creatures were able to get around that restriction through the use of magic, just like Fafnir. However, this dragon didn't immediately take flight and turn hostile, it instead stood its ground as if it were waiting to see what the three people before it would do.Seeing that it didn't start attacking, Vahn showed a gentle smile and spoke as casually as he could manage, "We're sorry for invading your territory like this but, if it won't be a great inconvenience to you, we would like to take some of the stones on that Treasure Tree. We don't damage its foundation, and we'll leave as soon as we collect a few..." Vahn wasn't sure if the dragon could understand him, but he wanted to at least try and negotiate with it. Since it wasn't attacking them, it was obviously not being influenced by the Dungeon's control and had some semblance of rationality.The Green Dragon stared at Vahn for several seconds before turning its head to the small tree it had been protecting. After a while, it turned back to Vahn and a soft voice emitted from its mouth with a low growl, "I have protected this tree since my birth, I cannot easily part with the treasures within its branches...I don't know why, but it seems to be important to me." Hearing the soft voice of the dragon, Vahn's smile widened a great deal because it was exceptionally rare to meet such a creature in the Dungeon. Since it was open to discussion, Vahn thought about what he might be able to offer the dragon in exchange for its treasures.Monsters in the Dungeon didn't actually require sustenance to live and fed directly off the energy contained within the Dungeon itself. It didn't seem to actually care that much about the tree itself and just seemed to be protecting it out of instinct. Vahn knew from the compendium that a Green Dragon always protected a Treasure Tree, so they were likely interconnected entities with each other. It was very possible that, if they destroyed the tree, the dragon would likely follow shortly after. The gem-like quality of its scales wasn't too different from the trunk of the tree itself and this is why Vahn didn't want to press the matter if they couldn't come to an agreement. However, he knew other Adventurers weren't as 'magnanimous' as he was and, if they discovered the dragon, a conflict would most certainly occur as a result of the 'innate' greed of many Adventurers.After thinking for a while, Vahn decided it was best to simply ask the dragon itself what it wanted so he asked, "Is there anything you'd like, perhaps in exchange for part of the treasure you're guarding?" The dragon closed its massive wings before arching its head low and saying, "I don't know...there isn't really anything I want...but I have always longed for the surface. Even though I've never seen it, I have memories of an endless blue sky...a mountain range...and a small village...I don't like this dark Dungeon, but I can't leave it."Vahn was very surprised by the dragon's words, but he was even more surprised when Fenrir suddenly nodded her head and said, "Yes, this place is a very sad and cold place...Fenrir also wanted to see the surface but was unable to go up the stairs leading out. Every time Fenrir tried, there was a scary feeling in her stomach that made her stay...but Master showed me the light. If you are a good dragon, Master can take you to the surface. He can even help you become stronger and keep you safe, but you will have to do your best as well, okay?"The Green Dragon turned its large head toward Fenrir before walking forward with loud footsteps. Ais became very tense, but she just tightly gripped the hilt of her sword without actually pulling it as she continued to watch the scene play out. After it quickly closed the distance, the dragon leaned down and cocked its head to the side as it stared directly at Fenrir with its light blue eye. Fenrir reached out with her paw and placed it on the snout of the dragon as they just stared at each other for several long seconds. Though the atmosphere was somewhat tense, it wasn't a hostile one and Vahn just continued to patiently hold Fenrir's body as she 'communicated' with the dragon.After nearly three minutes passed, the Green Dragon lifted its head and said, "I don't want to fight...but I do want to be stronger. You aren't the first group to discover this place, and I don't want to have to suffer anymore..." As the dragon spoke it turned to its side where there was still a broken spear embedded in its side. The wound had already healed, but there was a brackish color around the area that showed it had become infected. Vahn frowned at the sight, but he couldn't exactly blame the Adventurer's that had tried to fight against the Green Dragon in the past. Though it was possible they were greedy and cruel individuals, Vahn had never met them personally and they had likely already died in their conflict against the dragon.Since the Green Dragon seemed to be willing to follow them to the surface, Vahn compressed his [Will of the Emperor] into a small area and said in a firm tone, "I will promise to take you to the surface, but you will have to follow me. If you indiscriminately hurt others, I will be forced to take your life to protect everyone else. However, I will protect you and provide a safe place for you to stay as long as you are obedient..." While he was speaking, Vahn converged his intent on the dragon's mind and it began to tremble slightly under the pressure. He wasn't really trying to intimidate it, but the only way to actually rake it to the surface would be to subordinate it through the system. Once the 27 remaining days passed for his naming ability, Vahn could even confer the dragon a name and allow it to evolve, just like Fenrir and Fafnir.After resisting the pressure for a short while, the Green Dragon eventually stopped fighting against Vahn's aura and dropped to the ground. Ais removed her hand from the hilt of her sword and watched as Vahn walked forward and placed his palm against the head of the 'submissive' monster. Its light blue eyes shone with a magical light before they slowly came to a close and it's body disappeared, not in a cloud of pure purple dust, but dust intermixed with a rainbow hue as a large magic core appeared on the ground. Seeing Vahn pick it up, Ais asked, "It's still alive?" Vahn nodded his head with a smile on his face and said, "Don't worry, it won't harm anyone anymore. I'll take it to the surface and find a place to release it where it won't cause any major disturbance. Thank you for listening to my selfishness, Ais...I know you don't like dragons very much."Ais shook her head slowly before moving some loose strands of hair with her hand as she said, "No...I think the way you do things is correct, Vahn. I hate monsters that try to harm people...I don't want to see anyone I care about suffer...but, I know not all monsters are bad." As Ais was very near to Vahn and Fenrir, she reached out her hand and pat Fenrir's head as she continued, "Some monsters are very cute...and I liked jumping off Fafnir's back...we should have more fun together. I will still kill any monster I come across, but I will do my best to not indiscriminately kill anymore...I think I will become much stronger if I change my perspective more."Vahn had tried several times to speak but he was unable to actually say anything because Ais had spoken a mouthful. She typically said a few short words, and rarely spoke full sentences, so Vahn hadn't expected her to say so much and just stood there with a somewhat dumb expression on his face. However, he knew well enough to smile before reaching out his hand and stroking Ais's long golden hair with his free hand. Her small smile became slightly larger as the briefest hint of a blush appeared on her face.Soon thereafter, the rest of the group arrived after witnessing the Green Dragon simply vanish after Vahn had touched it. He explained the situation and agreed to Riveria's request to allow her to view the 'naming ceremony' when it came time to confer a name to his new subordinate. It was already Level 4, so Vahn was very excited about its future capabilities, even if it might never actually see combat. Though it might seem weird to imagine a dragon as a pacifist, it seemed like the Green Dragon he had obtained didn't like conflict at all. Vahn was already beginning to think of a suitable name for it, something the embodied its relatively peaceful mindset.Because he didn't want to potentially kill his new subordinate, Vahn didn't want to simply uproot the Treasure Tree after harvesting the valuable materials that comprised it. Fortunately, because he was still under the effects of [Fairy's Promenade], Vahn was simply able to have the tree 'move' to the side before placing the whole thing into his inventory. It was a very strange thing, as the tree wasn't a sentient creature at all, yet it was able to move its roots and 'move out the way' when he tried to pass by it. When he saw the incredulous look on Riveria's face after the fact, Vahn couldn't help but laugh out, earning a bit of ire from the scholarly High Elf.---After collecting the tree, the group made its way back to the corridor Vahn had created earlier and followed the wall of the Dungeon until they came across a stone structure barring their path. Since it wasn't a part of the actual Dungeon, Vahn had no hesitation when it came to destroying the wall and breaking into the seemingly manmade structure. Unlike the mossy light of the 24th floor, the stone dungeon was fixed with small glowstones, very similar to the type found on the upper floors of the Dungeon. Following the path, they came to the area where Vahn had seen the monster girl and it turned out to be a heated pool that was thick with elemental energies. From what he could discern, it seemed suitable for treating injuries so Vahn was wondering if the woman had been recovering from wounds when he was stunned to silence a moment later...Tiona had placed her feet in the warm water and made a pleasant sound sigh before she asked, "If you saw the woman here, does that mean she was taking a bath? Ahahahaha~." Though she had just intended it at a joke, Tiona saw Vahn's expression and began to laugh even harder at his expense. Ais, as if perturbed by Tiona's deduction, walked forward and removed her glove before placing her hand into the relatively hot water. After 'confirming' something within her mind, she began to undress with explaining anything. Lefiya was the fastest to react as she covered her face with both hands, even though she was peeking through the cracks of her fingers, and said, "A-A-Ais, now isn't an appropriate time to take a b-b-bath!"Ais turned back and explained in a plain tone, "If that woman can take a bath here...it must be safe..." Turning to Vahn, Ais continued and asked, "Do you sense anything...nearby?" Vahn blinked at the unexpected question and passively scanned through his entire domain before shaking his head and saying, "There aren't any auras within 471 meters...but I'm not sure-" Before he could finish his words, Ais loosened the strap of her breastplate and let it drop to the ground with a loud thud before stripping off her white dress with blue accents. Her actions incited a response from Tiona, who finally stopped laughing, but was now also stripping out of her clothes as she said, "Ah, this water is really great, I think it would be a good time to take a bath. The basins that Vahn provides are also super helpful, but I've never gotten to take a bath in something like this before~."Tiona hardly wore any clothes to begin with, so she actually finished stripping in less than ten seconds before happily stepping into the surprisingly deep pool. It was only around 4m in diameter, but it immediately went straight down nearly 1.4m in a cylindrical shape. This made the water nearly reach Tiona's collarbone after she jumped in and it caused her to release a happy sigh before saying, "Vahn, you should join me~! It's embarrassing to be the only one naked, hahahaha~." Contrary to her words, Tiona began to relax in the small pool and even floated her body on the surface as if she wasn't afraid of being seen naked at all.Though he didn't agree that it was a great idea to take a bath now, Vahn was able to see there wasn't actually anything dangerous in the water. Ais and Tiona had already resolved themselves to take a bath in the moment, and didn't seem to be listening to reason, so Vahn eventually gave in and said, "Fine, but we can't stay too long...remember, we still have a mission and need to make our way down to the 30th fl-" As he was speaking, Tiona approached the edge of the pool before reaching out and pulling him toward the water with a mischevious smile on her face. Vahn's brain stalled for a moment but he was still able to unequip everything on his body before splashing heavily into the mana-infused water. Now that he was submerged, Vahn realized the water was actually ridiculously comfortable and his desire to leave suddenly faded entirely...Seeing Vahn suddenly naked, Tiona 'swam' over with a playful expression and stuck to his body before two more splashes sounded out in the dark Dungeon. Ais had finally completed undressing and, though she hadn't removed any of her clothing, Fenrir had also jumped in. The water came up to her chin, but she still 'waded' over toward Vahn faster than Ais could as she said, "Vahn, wash Fenrir~! Fenrir helped convince the Green Dragon so she deserves a reward~!" Hearing her words, Vahn was positive Fenrir was becoming much 'smarter' over the period he had been interacting with her in the Dungeon. She generally never said words like 'you', 'me', 'she', etc, but now she was speaking fuller sentences all of a sudden and was using 'reasoning' to explain things. Just like when she had been dealing with Lefiya, she was showing a very high perception...As Vahn was thinking, he suddenly realized that he was the first person to notice that Lefiya was still awake but he didn't mind it and kept carrying her. Just like she was able to intuit the locations of monsters through their bond, Vahn now began suspecting that she was able to understand some of his thoughts and had discerned that Lefiya was still awake through his, not her own, perception. Vahn thought this was something worth looking into in the future, but for now he just happily played with Fenrir, Tiona, and Ais. He was also somewhat distracted because, soon after Ais and Fenrir jumped in, the other girls began to undress as if they had given up on avoiding the situation. Nobody really wanted to be standing around for an hour while other people enjoyed a hot bath, so it didn't take much for them to justify joining in on the fun.Even Riveria, though she seemed to be the least open to the situation, removed her cloak and began unbuttoning her robe. Vahn remembered the fall that had taken place just a week ago and the somewhat tantalizing sight of a flustered Riveria desperately trying to fix her clothing. They had fallen for nearly an entire hour together while staying in close proximity and Vahn had previously engraved the image into his mind. Now that she was suddenly undressing within the darkness, with only the gentle light of the pool and the glowstones above, Vahn felt his heart flutter a bit. Unlike other girls, who wore tape to cover their breasts in the Dungeon, Riveria was wearing a proper green bra and neatly folded all of her clothes at the side. When she began wiggling out of her tight-fitting black pants, Vahn had briefly stopped scrubbing Fenrir's head to stare at her relatively small, but incredibly fit and pale, posterior...Tiona set her chin on his shoulder and looked in the same direction before saying in a voice much louder than Vahn would have liked, "I thought you just like big butts, but it seems like you like all butts?" Vahn's body turned into a statue because, without standing up properly, Riveria looked back at him with her butt poked out and there was a cold look in her jade green eyes. Curiously, she didn't say anything and just continued undressing before finally removing the dark green panties that had been affixed to her waist. Instead of dropping directly into the pool, she sat down on the edge and inserted her legs one at a time into the glowing blue water. After adapting to the heat, she lowered the rest of her body into the pool and released a contented sigh just like Tiona had done previously. Vahn, however, felt like the water had turned slightly colder because Riveria kept giving him chilly glances out of the corner of her eyes throughout the entire bath..(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir, Master Tamer','There is a time and a place for everything, including baths!','Tiona is going to get Vahn killed, kappa')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

An hour after they stopped 'playing around' in the artificial Dungeon, the group finally found the passageway leading down to the 25th floor. Vahn noticed that, even though they had all gone much deeper in the past, Riveria, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Ryuu, and Lefiya all became tenser the deeper they proceded down the stairs. Tiona didn't seem to be too affected, but her cheerful demeanor had become more reserved and she wasn't speaking much along the way. Vahn understood that the 25th to the 27th floors were considered the 'bottleneck' for most parties due to the unconventional battle conditions and the difficult enemies one would have to face.The 25th floor was known as the 'Great Waterfall' and it consisted of a massive wall of water more than 400m wide that extended all the way down to the basin on the 27th floor 800m down. There were various slippery platforms, a variety of small lakes and ponds, and a veritable horde of monsters contained within their depths. Unlike the floors above, which typically only had 2-5 different types of enemies you would have to be wary of, the 25th through the 27th floor had at least a dozen. The most problematic thing, however, was the fact that many of them were either aquatic or amphibious creatures and were capable of barraging unprepared parties with ranged attacks.To make matters worse, there were moderately intelligent creatures that could fly around overhead and use both physical and magical attacks to rain down on the heads of a party. The combined assault from so many directions had overwhelmed many parties in the past and, unless you had enough forces to 'discourage' the monsters from attacking, it would be a constant assault until you reached the exit of the 27th floor. During that time, not even the ground you stood on would be safe since there were even monsters, known as Crystal Turtles, that disguised themselves as the platforms you would be able to stand on.Fortunately, Vahn was the natural enemy of monsters trying to sneak up on the party and they also had two people with the relatively rare Development Ability, [Diving]. Both Tiona and Tione had the skill and could even outpace many fish-type monsters in their own natural habitat. Tione herself claimed she could even hold her breath underwater for nearly 40 minutes, assuming she wasn't engaged in strenuous combat. Tiona had something of a disadvantage because of how heavy her weapon was and often fought underwater after leaving it behind with the backline support group.Before they entered the 25th floor proper, Vahn brought everyone to a stop and began to discuss the various enemies they would face and the methods he had thought of to deal with them. Though the girls from the Loki Familia didn't need the lecture, Vahn still covered everything so that everyone was on the same page and knew their respective duties. They even discussed the possibility of simply jumping into the basin on the 27th floor, now that the girls knew that falling from great heights wasn't actually that dangerous. However, Vahn knew it was actually a very serious issue to jump into water than it was to land on the ground. After explaining how surface tension worked and how it was even possible to get water 'stuck' inside orifices, the girls quickly gave up on the idea.Of course, Vahn didn't think was entirely a bad idea and considered various ways they would be able to make the descent. It simply wasn't worth staying on the three annoying floors, and bypassing them would always be better than dealing with the constant barrage. They might have to face it on their way out of the Dungeon, but it didn't mean they had to deal with it right now. One option was to use his newly acquired Green Dragon to try and guide them all down, but it wouldn't have any easy way to deal with the aerial assault of other monsters. Though it was Level 4, that didn't mean it was immune to the damage build-up that it would have to face. Vahn thought about having Riveria use her barrier to surround the dragon on its descent, but he learned the barrier magic required the user to be standing on solid ground.Unable to come up with a 'practical' solution, other than simply trying to jump to lower platforms, Vahn made the decision to proceed forward normally for the time being. If he found platforms within his domain that were within his line of sight, he could use Shundo and ferry the girls across, but that would depend on the situation. Since he was rather strong, it was actually possible for them to all cling to his body simultaneously, but the energy consumption would go up a great deal as a result. It was, however, one of their best options if they wanted to get through the floor safely.Since they would likely face assault from several directions, Vahn rearranged the formation to have Ryuu and Tione in the back, Tiona and Ais in the front, while he and Riveria flanked Lefiya, Haruhime, and Fenrir. Fenrir had absolutely no ability to fight within the water, though her [Freezing Roar] would be very effective, so she was relegated to a support role for the time being. She couldn't actually swim, so Vahn decided he would teach her when they returned to the surface. When it came up, Vahn actually learned that Ais had a phobia about water, even though she could somewhat tread water. Riveria had averted her eyes when the topic was brought up and Vahn assumed she was likely the culprit behind the trauma. Once again, he realized he knew very little about the girls around him and resolved to remedy this when he was focused on forging and training in the future.After everyone was ready, Riveria used her [Veil Breath] on everyone which created a thin barrier that protected them against physical and magical attacks for a while. Unless the attack could overwhelm the defensive properties of the magic, it actually worked as 'immunity', so they would be able to tank any pot shots that might break through their defensive setup. Vahn had the ability to help Riveria replenish her mana, so it was possible they could break through the three floors without ever suffering any damage, though they would probably be soaked from head to toe in the process. With his [Wounds Transfer], they shouldn't be in too much danger unless they make a mistake and were caught off guard. Luckily, Monster Parties didn't spawn on these three floors and Vahn's detection ability should allow them to navigate the complex structure of the floors with ease.Without any further hesitation, the group proceeded into the 25th floor and Vahn was surprised to see 'sunlight' shining down from the crystalline structures jutting out of the walls. There was a massive waterfall that entered his sight which created an awe-inspiring sight as well as an explosive sound that made it nearly impossible to hear anything else whenever you were outside. He immediately understood why this place was a challenge for many parties, as it would be nearly impossible to coordinate with each other through spoken word. Vahn, however, took exception to this and altered the density of the air around the periphery of the group to create a 'sound dampening' barrier to block out the explosively loud waterfall. Riveria, once again, gave him a serious look before simply sighing and progressing forward without saying anything.Not even one minute after they entered the floor, a group of three Raider Fish jumped out of a pool and attempted to knock everyone off the narrow passageway they were walking on. Vahn had long noticed their presence so, the moment they exited the water, they were greeted by three arrows to their heads. Raider fish averaged between 1-2m long and could swim more than 80km an hour inside the water while exceeding 300km/h in short bursts. They had dense bluish-green scales along their bodies and very hard heads with a maw of razor-sharp teeth. Though they were the weakest monsters on the floors, they could be very deadly if they managed to surround you after knocking you into the water. They liked to ram their enemies over and over with their hard heads to weaken them before using their razor-sharp teeth to tear them apart.Unfortunately for them, and many of the monsters that would bar their path, Vahn's detection wasn't blocked by the water at all. The moment they entered the 471m range of his domain, he would inform everyone of their approximate location and be ready to meet them with his bow. Though it wasn't as strong as the [Yi's Bow] he had forged for Naaza, Vahn was using an A-Rank bow called [Yoichi Bow] that he had obtained through the premium gacha. He hadn't noticed it at first, but Vahn had been awarded a premium gacha ticket in his inventory after defeating the Goliath during the Hestia Familia excursion. It sat unnoticed in his inventory until he had been clearing things out in preparation for his current delve.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Yoichi Bow]Rank: A (Magic)Slots: 3P.Atk: 470M.Atk: 310Abilities: Visual Acuity(B), Anti-Air Proficiency(B), Impeccable Accuracy(A)A bow owned by a proud warrior from a foreign record famed for having accurately shot a fan said to block all arrows while on horseback. The original user was so skilled he was said to be able to shoot a diving falcon out of the sky from a distance exceeding 300 meters.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Vahn also had an advantage enjoyed by no other archer, being that he was able to produce a nearly infinite number of arrows through his shop, store them all within his inventory, and nock them on his bow without having to draw them from a quiver. He could fire an average of one arrow every .2 seconds and, when he pushed himself to the limit, could even loose fifteen in a single second by nocking three arrows simultaneously. For a bow, the slots assigned to the weapon allowed him to 'queue' up quivers within his inventory and mount multiple arrows simultaneously.Though he didn't use it often, Vahn's skill with the bow was nearly unrivaled, simply because he had too many advantages with the benefit of his domain, several archery skills, and his enhanced vision with the passive effect of [Eyes of Truth]. With [Bow Mastery] increased to Rank-S through the use of a skill enhancement scroll, Vahn was able to see a 'projection' of the target's destination and accurately hit them by tracing their trajectory with nearly 100% accuracy, enhanced even further by the corrective ability of the bow itself.It had been a while since Vahn was able to display his archery skills to such an extent, so he was 'madly' shooting any enemies that were appearing around them. Even though they were currently much stronger than he was, Vahn's efficiency in dispatching monsters on the 25th floor even exceeded Ais, Tiona, and Tione. When a group of five Harpies showed up and tried to rain down razor-sharp feathers at them, Vahn had accurately pinned an arrow in between their various sized breasts. Though he knew of their existence in the compendium, Vahn was surprised to see monsters with humanoid torsos that looked like mature women while their lower bodies and arms were that of a raptor. They weren't very 'beautiful', considering their skin was a greyish blue covered in scales, but it was still a little distracting to see exposed breasts flittering about in the air. (A/N: For those that are confused, carnivorous birds of prey are all considered to be species of 'raptors'. So Falcons, Eagles, Vultures, etc, are all considered species of raptors.)The only enemies Vahn was having trouble dealing with were the massive Blue Crabs and Aqua Serpents that would randomly shoot jets of water at the group without leaving the safety of the water. The Blue Crabs were massive crustaceans that could exceed more than 3m in height and had one massive claw that protected the area where their magic core was located. They were in the class of monsters known as 'Metallic Creatures', and were highly sought after for their bio-organic metallic carapaces for use in the creation of armor. Though his bow was very powerful, Vahn was surprised to realize that he couldn't actually penetrate through the thick blue armor and had to leave it to the excited Tiona to, quite literally, crush them with her monstrous strength.As for the Aqua Serpents, Haruhime got an opportunity to shine as she pelted the water where they were located using her [Icicle Edge]. Though Vahn's arrows could pierce the water, the resistance of the water itself would quickly diminish the force behind the arrows. When he tried to put more power into the arrows, Vahn was surprised to see that they actually 'broke' the moment they contacted the water surface instead of actually penetrating through. Though he didn't understand the entire principle behind it, he considered it to be similar to how a body would break apart when falling into the water at a high speed.Haruhime's ice magic, however, made use of ice and water elementals and was capable of penetrating through the water relatively easily due to the sheer size of the projectiles. The 4m long Aqua Serpents that were badgering the group would be impaled by her magic as Vahn helped to replenish her reserves in between fights. Knowing that she was being useful, Haruhime was very excited and continued her magical barrage without ceasing, at least as long as the monsters were alive. Riveria and Lefiya had been surprised by Haruhime's 'dual casting' and Vahn explained that she was able to use her tails as a catalyst to 'duplicate' the magic spells. To demonstrate this principle, Haruhime used her [Kokonoe] to grow an additional three tails and used a total of five [Icicle Edges] to deal with a large Crystal Turtle that had been disguising itself as a platform in the water.Crystal Turtles could be more than 10m in diameter and typically had incredible defenses, but they were somewhat weak to magical attacks. As if mocking the crystalline structures on its back. Haruhime's target ended up having five 3m long spears of ice sticking out of its shell as it wailed in pain and tried to escape into the water. Tiona, however, seemed to take exception to this and leaped the 40m distance before spinning several times through the sky and smashing her [Dance of the Amazon] into the durable shell. Not only did her own [Crush] Development Ability trigger, but the [Crushing Blow] of her weapon activated simultaneously and left a massive crater in the turtle's back, instantly killing it.Though he had initially wanted to skip the troublesome floors, Vahn was glad he had made the decision to navigate through them. Even the relatively weak monsters, like the Raider Fish, awarded upwards of 25-40OP when he looted their magic cores. For the larger monsters, like the Crystal Turtles and Blue Crabs, they were worth several hundred, to even several thousands, of Origin Points when looted. Vahn had explained that he was able to absorb the energy contained within the magic cores to fuel his ability to 'create' items, so he was allowed to 'consume' them all while collecting the drop items for the entire group. By the time they cleared the 25th floor, the group had killed well over a thousand monsters and Vahn's OP reserves had shot from 98,316 to 317,844.Vahn knew he would be able to earn a large amount of OP in the lower floors, but this was far beyond his expectations and he was very excited at the prospect of being able to build a large reserve for the future. Anticipating he would be able to make a large amount in the near future, Vahn used 300,000OP to purchase an additional three [Effigy of the Hero] and passed them out to the group. Tione was happy to receive a new effigy and placed it, to Vahn's surprise, in between her breasts as if it was the safest place to store it.Including himself, Lefiya, Fenrir, Tione, Tiona, Haruhime, and Ryuu all had effigies at this point. Ais didn't really need one, as her [Ariel] protected her from almost any attack that came her way, except for powerful physical blows. Riveria's 'Elf King Robe', though it looked like a normal cloth armor, actually had incredible shock absorbing capabilities and was highly resistant against magic. Unless it was a surprise attack from something like a floor boss, she was the least likely to actually suffer a fatal attack in the entire group.Though Vahn always knew armor was very helpful, he had never really considered it imperative since many combatants actually didn't use much at all. Since the armor generally restricted movements, most Adventurers at higher levels only wore things like breastplates, to cover their heart, and arm guards. As for restrictive armors, it was typically unnecessary since it was better to avoid damage entirely than it was to ever receive a blow. Knowing that Riveria was able to get such a powerful defensive effect from a piece of 'clothing', Vahn was inspired to develop a 'uniform' for the girls even more now. If nothing else, he could finalize his idea of an undergarment that could be worn beneath other clothes that would also provide strong resistance against physical and magical attacks. Then, if the peculiar situation of the girls having their clothes destroyed occurred, their dignity would still be protected by the 'bodysuits' he would develop for them...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Like getting a 10-gallon enema UwU','Vahn's Archery Prowess','Vahn wants to play dress-up. Someone call Loki and Anubis~!')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

Chapter 405: Treasure