Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As a result of the fact that Vahn's personal regeneration enabled him to always top her off, while Fenrir actually had limitless stamina as long as she had energy within her body, the trio was able to continue their path through the Dungeon without the need for any long breaks. Vahn actually didn't get that hungry himself, unless he had exerted himself for long periods of time, and Lefiya just kept munching away at snacks periodically. Since Fenrir's 'hunger' was related to her emotional stability, she could survive for thousands of years without any need for food at all. A few head pats, a bit of source energy, and a healthy amount of praise were all the small wolf girl needed to keep going.Lefiya had been very uneasy early in the excursion, but she eventually got used to Vahn's hand on her shoulder and began focusing more on casting spells. She had noticed the changes in her own body and how her magic was becoming progressively stronger and it inspired her to put in more efforts. The only thing that bothered her now was that Vahn would often ask her if she needed anything to eat whenever they had completed a fight. From the moment she started thinking about food, her stomach seemed to have a mind of its own, almost as if it were trying to answer for her. As for his reasons for doing so, Vahn had been paying attention to Lefiya's metabolic processes as well and noticed that her body processed the food at an astronomical rate and broke down what she didn't need to sustain herself as mana.It wasn't an exaggeration to say that she was very similar to Fenrir in that regard, except for the fact that Fenrir 'could' eat anything but didn't 'need' to eat. Lefiya, however, required a surprising amount of food now and Vahn was actually starting to worry if she would have been able to live if there wasn't someone like him with an endless supply to give her. Fortunately, it didn't seem like she actually felt hunger pangs and it wasn't as if her body actually required additional nutrition. The food she was eating, after hesitantly accepting it from his hands, went more towards her mana pool and revitalizing the cells in her body than towards the normal metabolic process.After having defeated a group of seventeen Black Rhinos, eleven of which were killed by Lefiya's magic, she was once again nibbling on a cat-shaped cookie with her head lowered slightly in embarrassment. Unlike in the past, where she would get 'full' after eating a few bites of food, Lefiya never felt that feeling any longer and it was almost like she could eat infinitely. It was very worrying for her but Vahn had allayed her fears somewhat by explaining the process that was taking place in her body. It made her feel a bit giddy that Vahn was so 'aware' of what was going on in her body, but she did her best not to think about it too much as she pulled another cracker out of the bag of goodies Vahn had given her earlier...Since it was somewhat bad for the mind if you were in extended engagements for long periods of time, Vahn had brought the excursion to a temporary halt after more than three hours of fighting. Because Lefiya's firepower was so high, their efficacy for clearing out the floor was somewhat startling and they had hunted a total of 503 Black Rhinos and 25 Deformis Spiders over the relatively short period of time. The main reason for this had been the fact they had encountered a Monster Party, which Vahn personally triggered after Lefiya was nearly finished with her area of effect magic. Since the spawns didn't trigger until people were already entrapped, Vahn had her begin her chant long before the fight actually began so she was able to sweep through the entire horde the moment they spawned.Unfortunately, of the 528 monsters hunted, 387 were killed by Lefiya so Fenrir was a bit angsty which was the primary reason Vahn had called the break. He now sat against the wall while pampering the somewhat pouty Fenrir as Lefiya sat a little away from them atop a cushion. She seemed to be lost in thought and only awakened from her reverie whenever she was 'surprised' to discover her snacks had once again run out. Over the course of the half-hour they had rested, Lefiya went through several small pouches of cookies, crackers, and sliced fruits. Though she knew about the 'Gourmand' ability, Lefiya didn't really understand why her body felt compelled to eat so much, even though she wasn't that hungry at all...While Vahn was grooming her fur, Fenrir let her body relax as she lazed about as a result of the comfort she was feeling. She had been frustrated at first and tried to 'protest' a little by pouting but, after about five minutes of his care she gave up and almost forgot why she was even mad to begin with. After releasing a 'too-wide' yawn, Fenrir said in a sleepy voice, "Vahn should be like Fenrir more often..." as she rested her head against his chest. Vahn had felt his danger senses trigger when Fenrir had opened her mouth much wider than normal and he got a clear view of her sharp teeth. Though she was relaxed, Fenrir was still in her battle-ready state which included sharper teeth and slightly longer claws. However, when he heard her words, Vahn felt a bit of warmth spread through his heart as he poked her nose. He had returned to his human form before bed, so he didn't accidentally scratch the sleeping girls, and hadn't changed back into a Vanargandr since then...Just as the half-hour he had designated for their break came to an end, Fenrir's eyes opened and she extricated herself from Vahn's body without him having to remind her. He wasn't sure how she processed the passage of time so well, but his intuition told him she didn't pay attention to it at all and got her queues from his behavior. Since he had been thinking it was about time for them to continue the hunt, Fenrir had woken up in an instant and was ready to go a few seconds later, almost as if she hadn't been sleeping previously.Vahn smiled at her before rising to his feet and ruffled her hair somewhat firmly since she had told him in the past that she liked 'heavy' pats more than soft ones. Fenrir squinted her eyes with a pleased expression on her face and felt like, once again, Vahn was the 'best to her'. She was so happy that, when Vahn helped Lefiya rise to her feet like a gentleman, Fenrir was only slightly bothered and let it slide. As for Lefiya, she had been slightly startled when Vahn called out to her and had grabbed his outstretched hand without thinking at all. When he pulled her to her feet and supported her shoulder, Lefiya's eyes opened wide as her brain stalled for a few seconds before she said, "Thank...you..."The second half of their excursion proceeded in much the same manner as the first three hours, except this time Fenrir lingered around Vahn more until they got relatively close to the monster spawns. Vahn knew she was probably started to become a little jealous of his interactions with Lefiya, so he walked with his left hand on Lefiya's shoulder while he rested his right hand atop Fenrir's head. He couldn't help but feel like they looked a little 'strange' but there was nobody present to judge them other than a few unfortunate monsters that crossed their path. Fenrir seemed 'offended' by their existences now, as it took away from the time she could spend with Vahn, so she was especially fierce in her attacks when they managed to get near.Vahn shook his head as a slightly exasperated sigh escaped his lips when Fenrir jumped at a one of the Black Rhinos and sunk her teeth into its neck as she sunk her claws deep into its body. A veritable tide of blood emerged from the wound and covered her face and body. Fortunately, the [Nezha Lady's Togi] couldn't be stained by the blood, but it didn't stop it from reaching down to her uncovered abdomen and staining parts of her thighs. By the time the monster had dispersed into purple smoke, resulting in Fenrir jumping at the next one and leaving four huge gashes in its head, there was more blood visible on her body than exposed skin. When the enemies were finally dealt with, she used the sleeves of her top to try and wipe away some of the blood before running back over to Vahn with slightly averted eyes.Lefiya laughed at Fenrir's behavior but caught herself quickly and coughed to cover it up when Fenrir showed a slightly pouty expression and gave her a sideward glance. Vahn reached out and ruffled Fenrir's hair again and said in a soothing tone, "Fenrir, you shouldn't get upset so easily...Lefiya is a good girl, so the two of you should get along well." When he began rubbing her head, Vahn used his left hand and began pulling the blood away from Fenrir's body using his 'cleaning' magic. Lefiya watched the process with interest on her face while Fenrir seemed to be contemplating Vahn's words. She knew that Lefiya was a 'good' girl that was well-behaved and always did what she was told, so there was no reason for her to be upset with her. By interpreting Vahn's treatment of Lefiya as his reward for her being 'good', Fenrir suddenly found herself feeling a strange bit of uncertainty since she was essentially 'punishing' Lefiya for being 'good'...Though she had a deep frown on her face for a brief moment, Fenrir looked over at Lefiya and said, "Fenrir is sorry for being...jealous of Lefiya...Lefiya is a good girl, so Fenrir will be nice to you too. Fenrir doesn't want to be a 'bad' girl that punishes 'good' girls..." Toward the end of her words, Fenrir looked at Vahn for guidance and saw the pleased smile on his face before he reached to the side of her ear and began scratching it. Fenrir tilted her head to make the angle better as a smile appeared on her face and she enjoyed the sensation. Vahn knew all the 'best' places to touch her and she knew she had done the right thing now.Lefiya saw Fenrir's treatment and felt a slight incredulity at the sudden happenings because she hadn't expected Fenrir to apologize to her for being 'jealous'. Now that she suddenly saw Vahn 'rewarding' Fenrir, Lefiya had a strange feeling in her heart that was slightly different than anything she had felt in the past. For the first time in her life, Lefiya felt like it had been her misfortune to have been born as an Elf. If she had been a Chienthrope, Cat Person, or another race with big fluffy ears, Lefiya felt like she could have enjoyed Vahn's pampering just like them. Instead, just thinking about him pampering her made Lefiya feel very tense and it would immediately cause her heart to begin racing in her chest. She couldn't muster up the courage to appeal to Vahn, and also didn't have the tolerance to 'accept' his affections even if she did...Seeing the satisfied expression on Fenrir's face, and the somewhat 'sad' look she had when the petting came to an end, Lefiya couldn't help but comment in an 'almost' inaudible voice, "How envious..." Vahn hadn't heard her at all, but Fenrir's ears twitched slightly before she looked over at Lefiya with a contemplative expression on her face. Fenrir's reaction startled Lefiya and her heart began to throb as a result of her anxiousness until Fenrir turned away as if she hadn't noticed anything. When Vahn turned his head to stare at her, Lefiya flusteredly turned her head to the side and refused to make eye contact with him until he said, "Lets...keep going?" As if she had just received a lifeline, Lefiya nodded her head rapidly and began walking ahead of Vahn and Fenrir as if she couldn't wait to return to killing monsters.After the strange interaction, Vahn noticed the Fenrir had returned to 'normal' and was doing her best to kill enemies as efficiently as possible to avoid getting dirty again. Her [Severing Claws] allowed her to avoid getting messy if she fought properly, so she tried avoiding attack trajectories that would cause blood to spurt at her. As for Lefiya, she had startled a bit when he returned his hand to her shoulder but manage to calm down and focus on the fights after a few minutes. Her magic had grown to the point where the massive bolts of light continued forward after colliding with enemies and it was almost to the point where the single-target spell had become an area of effect one. Vahn had noticed this change and saw that there was a wispy white tendril that had intermixed with the other bands of mana within her body now.Though mana was in all matter, it was also immaterial at the same time and Vahn likened it to a person having three bodies overlapping each other whenever he saw the flow within a person's body. There was the physical body, which was made of all their bones, organs, muscles, and nerves, while underneath it, overlapping with it but never touching, there was a magical body as well. The magical body nourished the physical body and allowed for phenomenon like skills and magic to be used by people. Within the magic body, there were several 'cores' present with the largest one being located in the navel.The majority of a person's mana formed their main cored and it fed to all the other smaller cores that were located in the heart, brain, wrists, and ankles. Previously, the mana in Lefiya's body was light pink in coloration, especially around her primary core. Now, however, there was a distinct white band present within her navel that would spread through her body, passing through the cores in her wrists, before feeing into the staff in her hands. It wasn't source energy, but something closer to 'pure' magical energy and it seemed like Lefiya's body had adapted to its use after intermixing with his own source energy for so long.As for the final body, this was the one Vahn had almost no awareness and understanding of, which he called the 'spiritual' body. It was almost impossible to detect and even Vahn could only see an 'illusory' version of it if he focused his mind. Much like the magical body, the spiritual body also had a core but this one was located near the heart. Vahn felt like this was actually the soul of a person, but even Sis wasn't sure about the true nature of the spiritual body for the time being. The most important thing to note was that Vahn could only see this from the girls that possessed his flame seed within their chest, so it was very possible it was just a byproduct of the skill nourishing their body and had nothing to do with his other assumptions at all...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Lefiya has become a foodie','Fenrir's jealousy','Vahn's over here casually changing things within Lefiya's body...')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

Once Lefiya had recovered her 'soul' back into her body, she spent a few awkward moments undressing as Vahn turned his back. He had seen her naked body several dozen times, but things were a little different when it was just the three of them. She normally gravitated around Ais in the bath anyway so it wasn't as though she had ever shown signs of being 'comfortable' around Vahn, other than the time when she had cared for his 'static' body after his battle with Tione. Vahn still remembered Lefiya's behavior at the time and knew she was similar to Eina in that she had a disposition that made her look after others. That was also the moment when Lefiya started letting her guard down around him, but that didn't mean she had dropped it entirely.Though he knew she had already removed her blouse, Lefiya remained silent for a short while before eventually mustering up the courage to say, "Sorry for the wait...you can turn around now, Vahn." When he turned back to look at her, Lefiya was plopped down on the ground as she hugged her clothes to her chest and kept her head low. She was a very fair-skinned girl so it was even more obvious how embarrassed she was since even her shoulders had turned a rosy color. Vahn saved her some unease by treating the matter as casually as possible as he traced his finger down her back as she tightly held her clothing.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Lefiya ViridisLV. 3POW: 421+(I59)-&gt;(H119)END: 692+(I74)-&gt;(H150)DEX: 1281+(H125)-&gt;(G202)AGI: 1459+(H154)-&gt;(G243)MAG: 1998+(G215)-&gt;(D577)Skills: [Fairy Cannon:D-&gt;C], [Concurrent Chanting:E], [Prometheus:A]Magic: [Rattatoskr:Innate:(sealed)], [Arcs Ray:C], [Fusillade Fallarica:D-&gt;C], [Elf Ring:C]Development Abilities: [Daughter of Wishe:Innate(sealed)], [Mage:C], [Abnormal resistance:G-&gt;F], [Spirit Healing:(sealed)]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------The moment Vahn recorded Lefiya's status, he turned around and said, "I've turned my back, Lefiya..." so that she could relax a bit. She turned her beet-red face to the side to confirm he was indeed looking away and began to get dressed as quickly as she could manage. To make things easier for her, since she was still very flustered, Vahn eased the mood by saying, "Your parameters are increasing at a normal pace, but I'm very concerned about your lack of physical-based parameters. Other than your Agility and Dexterity, everything else is much lower than they should be. Your combined parameters for Levels 1 and 2 are less than the individual parameter development of some others per level..."Lefiya listened to Vahn's words closely and knew he was correct since she had never placed any focus on them whatsoever. She had always been focused on her 'duty' as a Mage and had never valued them that much but, after learning that their magic system was flawed, she had been worrying about it lately. Though she hadn't been able to truly experience what it meant to break through the 'limits' yet, Lefiya had Vahn's flame seed inside her chest, something that she often stressed about, and knew her growth was only restricted by her efforts.She had been talking to Riveria a lot in private, as Riveria was her mentor and she had accepted the role as the prolific mages protege. During their conversations, Riveria had stressed the importance of following Vahn's doctrines since it would allow her to become much stronger in the future. She had even disclosed the fact that she was going to accept Vahn as her 'Master' in the future in order to study magic from him. Thus, Vahn's words fell heavy on her heart and she wondered how she would be able to satisfy both him and Riveria...Contrary to her expectations, however, Vahn continued his words, "Well, it isn't really that much of a problem if you just want to focus on mastering magic. As long as she isn't against it, I plan to teach you how to use Eva's magic in the future and it should allow you to enhance your body using your mana. Even I've been focusing almost exclusively on my Magic parameter these days, so I can't really say much to others..." Vahn began laughing at himself as he saw his own magic had reached 2,431 just for his current level. If he tried to lecture other people about having a skewed stat line, he would probably have to reflect on his life choices.Lefiya had heard Eva's name several times from Vahn and she often talked about the 'godlike' mage with Riveria when they were in private. She really wanted to meet the powerful magician who could purportedly freeze several hundred meters of space in ice with the wave of her hand. Vahn had even described her as having the capability of walking on the air, teleporting through the void, and even creating things like clothing out of thin air. Lefiya was very interested to learn how she was capable of doing all of these things and, if Vahn was willing to teach them to her, she wouldn't mind becoming his official apprentice alongside Lili, Haruhime, and her own mentor, Riveria...After fixing her clothing, Lefiya turned around and pat her chest to calm her heart before saying, "Okay, I've finished getting dressed..." Vahn turned around and smiled at her, something that always made her heart palpitate powerfully before it began beating rapidly. She almost resented how handsome he was at times because it was almost 'unfair' when he gave her kind and gentle looks. However, just as she was thinking this, Lefiya's stomach released another loud protest and she couldn't stop herself from releasing an embarrassed squeal as she crouched down and hid her face once again. She wasn't even holding the staff right now, so Lefiya felt like she had produced the sound on her own...---Vahn set out some calming tea for Lefiya as well as several dishes of delicious breakfast foods and pastries that he knew she was fond of. To make things easier for her, he was even using [Hands of Nirvana] through his domain to make a calming atmosphere spread through the tent. Because they had already been up for a while, and Lefiya couldn't constrain her voice earlier, the majority of the other girls had woken up by now and had joined them for breakfast. With the inclusion of more people, Lefiya was finally able to return to normal except for the fact that she had been continually nibbling away at food without ceasing for nearly twenty minutes.Even without holding the staff, it was something that was 'gifted' to her and was inextricably linked to her for the time being. As a result, unless she relinquished ownership of the staff, Lefiya had become a 'Glutton(A)'. She was a little embarrassed by this fact, as Tiona found it very interesting and continually offered her food. Though she resisted at first, Lefiya eventually gave in because Ais also offered her a fish-shaped fried pastry that was filled with a sweet bean paste that Vahn called 'Taiyaki'. Tiona had been 'offended' by the fact that Lefiya accepted food from other people and clung to her until she eventually relented and allowed Tiona to feed her as well...---As they had lost a bit of time, Vahn ended up convincing Lefiya to allow him to carry her so they would be able to reach the further entrances of the 51st floor quickly. During the short seven minute trip, Lefiya tucked her face towards Vahn's body in an attempt to hide her expression as she loosely clung to his tunic. He was giving her the 'notorious' princess carry and it took every fiber of her being to resist passing out from the pressure building up in her head. To make matters 'worse', Vahn had even given her another Taiyaki to munch on to 'distract' her from the trip out of concern for her well-being. Lefiya wanted to comment that it would be 'easier' for her if he didn't show so much concern but just accepted the snack and nibbled on it without commenting.Once they reached the entrance, Vahn set Lefiya down and began explaining things a bit, even though he knew she was actually well aware of what to expect. She had been accompanying Tiona, Ais, and Tione into the 51st floor all week so there wasn't much for her to know other than the subtle differences in how they were going to do things. Towards the end, however, Lefiya was stunned when Vahn said, "Since I want you to be able to develop your parameters even faster, I want you to consider the idea of having me act as a mana battery for you. Instead of replenishing your stores after the fact, I think it will be more efficient to recover your mana as you use it..." Vahn was really just practicing his own control over energy today, so he wouldn't be fighting up close unless it became necessary. He wanted to see if he could help promote Lefiya's magical growth by essentially baptizing her body with his source energy as she channeled her magic.Though she was flustered by the proposition, Lefiya considered the matter properly and understood Vahn's reasoning and the intentions behind his words. She had already tested the 'Radiant Lancer' earlier and it was an instant-cast magic spell that was similar to her own [Arcs Ray] except that it was much stronger, in exchange for having less of a homing capability. With Vahn supplementing her mana with his own ridiculous amount, Lefiya knew it would be possible to cast the spell over and over without experiencing the mental exhaustion that would typically be associated with the consecutive use of magic spells. This meant she would be able to develop her own Magic parameter much faster than normal, something that should be celebrated if not for the fact that it would require her to be in almost constant contact with Vahn...After thinking it over for a few minutes, Lefiya hardened her resolve as she gripped the [Miki's Tulip] in her hands and said, "Yes, I'll do it! P-Please look after me, V-V-Vahn~!" Thus, though it was a little bit of a strange sight to behold, Vahn 'escorted' Lefiya through the Dungeon with his hand on her shoulder. Fenrir continued to fight in the vanguard with ever-increasing efficiency and was like a veritable whirlwind with her [Severing Claws]. As for Lefiya, she gripped her staff so tightly that her fingers had turned white as she pointed the staff toward enemies and continually shouted, "Radiant Lancer~!" She did her best to ignore the hot surge of mana that would instantly enter her body every time she cast a spell and tried to vent her frustrations by spamming the spell at the enemies.Vahn was watching over Lefiya like a protective hen while he also observed the flow of mana in her own body and the effects of her spells. Each time one of the bright beams of light shot out of the tip of the flower at the end of Lefiya's staff, another monster would disappear from the world. Though Lefiya compared it to her [Arcs Ray], Vahn could see that the 'Radiant Lancer' was several times stronger even though its actual consumption of mana was lower. The projectile itself was only around 30cm wide, but when it hit the Black Rhinos would create a small explosion of light that had even caused some of the monsters to disappear above the waist.The most important thing that Vahn noticed, however, was the fact that Lefiya had actually been siphoning off a bit of his own source energy to cast the spell. When he normally helped replenish their mana, there was a rapid conversion process that took place in the girls' bodies before the energy was adapted for their own use. This conversion ratio was incredibly efficient because the pure source energy was much stronger than mana which meant Vahn could top them off without using much of his own energy. His current pool was at 5,903 source energy and Vahn could convert that into about 68,000 mana by channeling it into Riveria and Lefiya. With his own regeneration, which was about 50 per minute, this effectively gave Lefiya a mana regeneration of 565 per minute even though her total pool was only 2,575.As for why it was 'important' that her body was siphoning parts of his source energy, it was because the flow of energy within Lefiya was undergoing a subtle change as her body itself adapted to the higher tier energy system. Vahn was able to see the composite mana that made up the structure of objects, so seeing the flow within a person's body was very easy. He had long learned that everyone had a 'color' to their mana that showed their affinities somewhat. It was also the same color that appeared when a person's magic circles appeared. Riveria's was an emerald green color while Lefiya's was typically a light pink that matched the color template of the outfits she commonly wore. Now, however, the flow within her body was beginning to turn even lighter and there were strands of pure white mana that had started to appear in her mana pathways...Unaware of the changes occurring in her body, Lefiya pointed the [Miki's Tulip] toward the last Black Rhinos and shouted, "Radiant Lancer~!" once again. The projectile streamed forward with an unstoppable momentum that caused empty space to appear in the area where the monster's left shoulder and head used to exist. There wasn't any blood or gore, only a blackened wound that was momentarily visible before the monster dispersed into purple dust. Lefiya released a sigh before noticing her own lower jaw was quivering slightly as a result of her anxiety. The moment she paid attention to it, however, a warm energy entered through her shoulder and helped calm her down. Lefiya gave Vahn a sideward glance without saying anything before she started walking forward once again...Fenrir had been paying close attention to Lefiya for a while and was beginning to believe that it may be better to act like the 'strange' girl on occasion. She wanted to be able to walk through the Dungeon with her Master and began considering if she should learn magic in the future. Though she wasn't sure how to do magic, Fenrir believed that her Master would teach her if she asked him. However, when this thought crossed her mind, Fenrir was reminded of the 'scary' Eva and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face...though she didn't like the 'evil' woman at all, Fenrir knew she was a powerful Mage that was even the 'Master' of her Master. With this realization, Fenrir began flexing her paws in frustration as an icy flame appeared within her glittering scarlet eyes...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bashful Elf','Feed the tiny creature~!','Magical Girl Fenrir-Chan!?')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 479: Nourishment