Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As a Wandering Minstrel, Mi-eum acted as a guide, scribe, and, loremaster for 'warriors' venturing through the Hidden Floor. As a result, she knew virtually everything related to historical landmarks, persons of interest, enemy Shinheuh, and, most importantly, the peculiar mechanics that governed the entire Floor.Though he expected they would prove irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, Vahn had everyone listen attentively as Mi-eum spiritedly explained, "The Hidden Floor consists of various stages, many of which contain rare prizes that can only be found here. To advance to the next stage, you will have to choose from among a list of available Quests, each graded based on degree of difficulty. To start, you need only hold up your hand and say the words 'Quest Screen'~!"Following Mi-eum's instructions, Vahn raised his hand, and, as could be expected, a rather stylish system window promptly appeared in response. At present, there was only a single stage listed, but, depending on the choices he made in the future, various paths would open.Seemingly enthused by his cooperative spirit, Mi-eum's smile became even more prominent as she went on to explain, "Right now, you're in the 'Introductory Stage' that some warriors refer to as the Tutorial. This period of time is intended to help you familiarize yourselves with the basic mechanics and lore of our world. Once we reach the Town of the Wandering Minstrel, your Quest Screen will update to display stages based on your presumed power level. Of course, there is nothing forcing you to complete Quests. If you wish to spend the next couple of months enjoying the hospitality of the Hidden Floor's residents, we are more than happy to oblige. As visiting Warriors, all food, drink, and supplies found within the Town are absolutely free of charge. There are also a number of other services we provide, but you will have to inquire about those from the Chief Minstrel, Lady Rose."Given the nature of most Regulars, it wasn't difficult to imagine what kind of 'services' the creators of the Hidden Floor had come up with to entertain guests. This wouldn't have been that bad if the residents of the Hidden Floor were wholly digital existences, but, perhaps as a result of the amount of time that had passed, the system had evolved to the point that important individuals were able to keep their memories post reset. Said memories could be manually erased or even altered, but, so long as they were not directly tampered with, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the majority of Data Humans within the Hidden Floor experienced the same year for eternity.As if she could understand his thoughts from the subtle changes in his expression, Mi-eum adopted a slightly somber expression as she said, "You don't have to worry about us. Though we do get the occasional bad seed, the Big Breeders have come up with a system to deter evil and malicious acts. If you check your pockets, you'll find a device that strongly resembles a pocket watch. This is known as the 'Good and Evil Monitor'. By completing Quests and performing good deeds, the black part of the gauge will begin to fade. Inversely, any bad deeds you perform will cause the black part of the gauge to drastically increase. Once it fills beyond a certain point, your Sworn Enemies will spawn at a random location and begin tracking you down without rest. If you manage to fill up or reduce the gauge completely, a statue of the Evil Giant will either devour or seal away an artifact known as the Fruit of Good and Evil. If the fruit is devoured, the giant will come to life and wreak havoc upon the entire floor until everything has been destroyed. If the fruit is sealed away, each of the warriors on the Hidden Floor will receive a tremendous boon to aid them in their future trials~!"Nodding his head in understanding, Vahn habitually extended his hand to caress Mi-eum's head as he said, "Thanks for the explanation. Don't worry. While I can't promise we won't cause a scene, my companions and I have no intention of harming the Hidden Floor's natives."With her programming compelling her to pander to and abide by the decisions made by warriors in her charge, Mi-eum made no attempt to evade Vahn's hand. This made the latter feel slightly guilty, and, for a brief moment, he began to consider whether or not the Virtual World was a healthy thing for his Empire. At the very least, he would need to implement controls to either prevent this type of thing from occurring or come up with measures to isolate and support entities that had 'awakened' within the digital world...---After a surprisingly long journey through the mountains, complete with a view of the giant statue and the aforementioned Fruit of Good and Evil, Vahn and Co found themselves at the entrance of what appeared to be a city-sized hot spring resort. This was the Town of the Wandering Minstrels, and, as could be expected, nearly every resident was dressed in similar ceremonial attire.Noticing that most of the residents seemed 'copy-pasted', Vahn's earlier frustrations began to relax a bit. This illustrated that people like Mi-eum were outliers, so, at the very least, he wouldn't have to live with the knowledge that the entire population was imprisoned by their programming. The vast majority followed an adaptive script, and, though a number showed clear signs of awakening, they were generally a part of the group programmed to escort warriors during their journey.Follow Mi-eum's suggestion, Vahn booked a room at one of the largest hot spring resorts before taking the girls to dine at one of the most popular restaurants in the city. As Mi-eum had promised, everything on the menu was completely free of charge, as, unlike an actual city, their supplies were functionally limitless.Under normal circumstances, this would have been a veritable paradise for a glutton like Index, but, undoubtedly as a result of eating Rindo's food every day, even the most expensive and extravagant menu items tasted rather bland. Fortunately, the kitchen staff had no qualms about letting warriors make use of the kitchen, as, much like the rest of the city, there were no truly off-limits regions. You could even venture into a person's house, forage through their cabinets, and even make use of their bath without any real repercussions. The only downside was that you risked accumulating evil value, but, so long as you completed a few Quests, you could basically act however you pleased.Imagining bored, sadistic, or perverse Regulars treating the town as a playground, Vahn couldn't help but reflect on the structure of his own Virtual World. He knew there were quite a number of people who used the Virtual World to vent their frustrations and live out their deepest and darkest fantasies without consequence. Now, he was beginning to feel like this wasn't a true solution, and, though it was infinitely better than allowing them to force their fantasies onto real people, one of the things Vahn had come to learn about the nature of existence was that the boundary separating fiction the real world was thinner than most people realized...---Hearing the sound of lively singing resounding from the streets, Vahn emerged from the kitchen to find a peculiar quintet of nearly identical girls entering the restaurant. This was the party headed by none other than Artoria, and, for a number of reasons, every member of her group was what some affectionately referred to as a Saberfaces. This included Artoria, the always-excitable Mordred, the monochromatic Gray, and the two perennial gluttons, Altria and X.Noticing Vahn's presence almost instantaneously, natural smiles blossomed on the faces of Artoria and Gray. Before either could say anything, however, Mordred effectively leaped through the air, a vibrant smile on her face as she exclaimed, "Chichiue~!"Catching his lively princess out of the air, Vahn adopted a notably wry smile as he said, "We just saw each other a few hours ago. You're acting like we haven't seen each other for a long time..."Snickering in response to Vahn's words, Mordred returned his embrace with her own as she rested her head against his chest and replied, "Two hours, two weeks, or two years. It doesn't really matter how long we've been apart. I can't help but feel happy whenever we reunite. What, are you actually embarrassed~?"Exhaling a sigh, Vahn naturally shook his head before planting a kiss on Mordred's forehead and saying, "Don't be silly. My day is made exponentially better just by being able to see you smile. I'm just worried we'll both receive a lecture if we take things too far..."Understanding the meaning contained within her Chichiue's words, an awkward laugh emanated from Mordred's throat as she turned her head to find her Hahaue observing her with a pointed look on her face. This compelled her to loosen her grip and quickly fix her clothes, as, despite the drastic increase in her strength, Mordred found it virtually impossible to contend against Artoria. This was largely due to the difference in their Soul Tiers, but, even more than that, Artoria's combat prowess had blossomed due to her increased comprehension regarding various Laws.Nodding in approval of Mordred's swift recovery of her bearing, Artoria's expression softened into a smile as she and Gray executed courteous bows. As for X and Altria, the former flusteredly emulated her more youthful-looking counterparts while the latter, as could be expected, shifted her attention to the food, asking, "Can I...?" in a dull monotone.Gesturing for the others to raise their heads, a lighthearted chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat as he answered, "Go for it. In fact, I'll join you. There are a few things I wanted to ask you about before we make execute any future plans."Seemingly confused by his words, Artoria, Gray, Altria, and X all tilted their heads at the exact same time. This gave Vahn a strong urge to laugh, but, doing his best to restrain the urge, the corners of his smile curled upward as he went on to explain his group's unique assortment of Sworn Enemies.Fortunately, while it was all but guaranteed that other versions of himself would appear, Vahn was relieved to know that none of Artoria's group were responsible for generating a version of himself as their Sworn Enemy. Instead, Artoria's Sworn Enemy was none other than Merlin, and, as could be expected, Mordred's was her birth mother, Morgan le Fay. As for Gray, Altria, and X, the first had the misfortune of generating her former obsessor, Svin, while the latter two manifested versions of each other as their Sworn Enemies.As amusing as it was to hear about Artoria's, Altria's, and X's Sworn Enemies, Vahn couldn't help but worry about Mordred's and Gray's. He knew Mordred had never truly forgiven her mother, as, even after several decades had passed, the former refused to meet with the latter. As for Gray, she put on a strong front most of the time, but, regardless of how much time had passed, she was still haunted by memories of her past. This was one of the detriments of peace, as, without other things to focus on, it gave people ample opportunity to wallow in their past tragedies.Ideally, Mordred and Gray would be able to overcome their deeply seeded traumas by facing their Sworn Enemies directly. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done, as, for obvious reasons, each person's Sworn Enemy possessed power comparable to their own. They were also empowered by the perception of whoever had manifested them, so, while the original Svin might have been weak, his SE counterpart was guaranteed to be around Gray's level.Fortunately, much like in the real world, Mordred and Gray wouldn't have to face their pasts alone. They would have the support of everyone around them, and, if necessary, Vahn was willing to step in and eliminate each and every Sworn Enemy with prejudice. After all, while there was much to be learned from facing off against a reflection of your deepest fears, nobody should have to be forced to face their trauma. He also found the notion of other versions of himself rather uncomfortable, so, while he would only step in if it was absolutely necessary, Vahn already harbored a small amount of enmity towards the other versions of himself...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn be casually petting people he just met...','Virtual Worlds can be a hell or a paradise depending on the perspective you view them from...','Team Saberface has arrived...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With everyone gradually coming together, Vahn was at a loss but unsurprised to learn that a total of seventeen Sworn Enemy versions of himself would be populating the Hidden Floor. Fortunately, if they were anything like him, he didn't have to worry about them endangering anyone. Rather, if they were a reflection of the way the girls saw him, he didn't have to worry about them trying to kill anyone.Far more dangerous were the Sworn Enemies based on a specific individual's actual trauma and mental burdens. Mordred and Gray were prime examples of this, but, more so than any other Sworn Enemy, Vahn was most worried about those produced by Fenrir, Ryun, Ai, and, despite her having virtually no memories, Roen.Fenrir's Sworn Enemy, as could be expected, was a version of herself that had seemingly given in to her more animalistic urges. It was a reflection of the parts of herself that she did her best to keep in check, and, should it possess her ability to devour and process all forms of energy, there was a very real chance that her Sworn Enemy was the most dangerous among the bunch. As for Ryun and Ai, they had initially been against entering the Hidden Floor directly as their Sworn Enemy was virtually guaranteed to be Jahad himself. This meant, should the black part of their Good and Evil Monitors fill more than halfway, there would be two additional versions of Jahad running around.Truth be told, Vahn was actually looking forward to facing the Jahad clones as one of his reasons for entering the Hidden Floor was to confront the original's Data. Now, he had the option of letting the others face off against Jahad's Data, and, depending on how things played out, there was a chance that everyone would have an opportunity to challenge the tyrannical King due to the Hidden Floor respawning Sworn Enemies indefinitely.Unfortunately, as fun as it was to imagine the real Jahad's reaction upon learning that his Data was being used as a training dummy, that would have to wait until later. There were a number of more important objectives to deal with, first and foremost being the elimination of the Big Breeders that moderated the Hidden Floor.With his power, Vahn was able to move about freely even within a virtual environment such as the Hidden Floor. In fact, he was actually more powerful in a virtual world as Sis could interact with the data within his domain and use it as an access point to directly interfere with the system. This would eventually let her take over the entire system, but, until then, it gave Vahn the ability to interact with and even modify existing data. The simplest expression of this ability allowed him to alter variables related to the time of day and the weather, but, if he really wanted to, he could even alter the data of the Hidden Floor's residents.It was through the use of this power that Vahn came to learn more about the Big Breeders and their depravity. In particular, the Big Breeder in charge of the Town of the Wandering Minstrels was a true monster as he got off on tormenting the residents while modifying their data so they sing praises of him in the process. There were even instances of him modifying the data of residents to make them unable to perceive his actions as anything out of the ordinary. This allowed him to perform all kinds of violent and profane acts, as, with the use of a single command, he could simply 'reset' everything to how it was before he went on a rampage.Though it wasn't the best example, the Big Breeder's behavior was comparable to someone Saving in a video game before using cheats to brutally murder everyone in a city. Then, by reloading their previous save data, they were effectively able to 'undo' everything before proceeding as if nothing had happened. This was a method used by some players to 'harmlessly' vent their frustrations, but, in a world virtually indistinguishable from reality, the consequences of committing such travesties had a lasting impact on a person's nature and personality.Unfortunately for Chung, the Big Breeder charged with watching over the Town of the Wandering Minstrel, his actions hadn't been forgotten by the system. He could erase and modify the memories of individual residents, but, without the authority to modify the records of the system itself, each of his actions over the last several thousand years had been documented in detail. Some of these acts had been so heinous that it inspired an 'awakening' in the data he tormented, irreversibly affecting their source code in a way that even he couldn't undo. He would eventually place these anomalies into Quarantine, but, before then, his sadistic nature compelled him to torment them in the most extreme manners imaginable.Needless to say, Vahn intended to make Chung pay dearly for the innumerable atrocities he had committed over the years. It was one thing to torment emotionless and unfeeling Data that didn't care or even understand it was being tormented. Giving Data the ability to feel pain and emotions just so you could enjoy their suffering was completely reprehensible. When you took things even further by specifically targeting those with a greater sense of self-awareness, you crossed a line that placed you squarely in the category of 'monster'.If there were any positive takeaways from the situation, it was Vahn's understanding that the Virtual World needed reform, or, at the very least, failsafes against this exact situation. He couldn't imagine anything more terrifying than being born as a Data Construct that fundamentally lacked the ability to resist its creator. It was even worse when you considered that the person in control could change everything from their memories to their appearance without much difficulty. This opened the door to a degree of suffering that real people simply couldn't imagine, as, at the very least, people in the real world generally had control over their own life and death. Anyone who denied them that right was a monster beyond redemption...---Understanding that eliminating Chung's Avatar served little purpose, Vahn decided to ignore the man until Sis could fully hack the Hidden Floor's system. There was actually a 'Hidden' Hidden Floor within the primary Hidden Floor, so, until he could gain access to it, there was little sense in fighting the Big Breeders directly. Instead, he used the same functionality that Chung often took advantage of, effectively concealing his presence and location data to perform reconnaissance.With the ability to move at relativistic speeds without adversely affecting the environment around him, Vahn was able to map a large portion of what he initially believed to be the first floor. Instead, it turned out that many of the so-called 'Stages' denoted by the Quest system were regions on the same floor. This made things exponentially easier, as, rather than having to complete Quests that were, by design, intended to lead them circles, they could simply head to their destination directly.The only caveat was that the Hidden Floor, much like a Planar Realm, was massive beyond compare. It took several minutes, even traveling at the speed of light, for Vahn to move from one edge of the floor to another. This meant, accounting for the fact the floor was shaped similar to a disc, it had a surface area of more than four-quintillion square-kilometers. This meant it was nearly eight-million times larger than Gaia, and, even with his speed, it would take more than a hundred years to map the entire region.Fortunately, much like the Virtual World, the Hidden Floor cut corners to ensure the stability of the system. As a result, much of the floor seemed to exist in stasis, and, by monitoring the flow of data, it was possible to track and locate specific individuals and places of interest without much difficulty. Thus, rather than wasting a hundred years, it only took Vahn a few hours to reach a vast wasteland whose only notable features were a colossal ice cream cone, a river of mercury, and a blooming red poppy hat was nearly five-kilometers in height.Though he had grown used to the eccentricities found within various Records, Vahn couldn't help but pause to consider the rationale behind choosing to live in a 10km tall ice cream cone. It was the kind of thing he would have expected to see in the Actualized World of One Piece, not something he expected to encounter during his search for the strongest entity within the Hidden Floor.Shaking his head, Vahn moved to what he presumed to be the entrance to the massive construct, a giant straw sticking out of the top. Even this was beyond comprehension, as, despite appearing as a normal straw from a distance, the thickness of the plastic rim was more than 10m. As for the interior of the straw, it was easily a hundred kilometers in diameter and more than two-kilometers deep...Before heading inside, Vahn bent down to scoop out a handful of the straw's material, confirming that it was, indeed, a form of plastic. Had they been in the 'real' world, such a structure would have collapsed under its own weight, but, thanks to the properties of Hidden Floor, it was able to exist as a static object uninfluenced by conventional gravitational forces. Rather, based on the flow of data, it was actually just a simple ice cream cone that had been scaled up to a ridiculous size, seemingly for no better reason than to pander to the person living within.Rather than wonder what kind of person he was dealing with, Vahn simply leaped into the mouth of the straw, sliding along the sloped interior for just under a minute before reaching an icy chamber seemingly formed from a hollowed-out scoop of pink and blue ice cream. There, a handsome youth with dark-blue hair, sharp eyebrows, and delicate blue eyes stared back at him with what could best be described as a look of incredulity mixed with excitement.Though he lacked the pale blue of most members, the youth was easily identifiable as a member of the Khun Family due to the hoop-like earrings in his ears, the peculiar tattoo on the right side of his face, and the electrical sparks that appeared within his pupils the moment their gazes met. He also had a peculiar blue staff in his hands, that, from the looks of it, could be broken down to function as a chain-staff or a pair of nunchaku.Just as Vahn was about to say something to break the silence, he found himself at a complete loss as the 'youth' began to suddenly blow a bubble. He had apparently been chewing bubblegum, and, though the atmosphere had become progressively tense, it didn't prevent the youth from blowing a rather impressive pink bubble while maintaining eye contact. Then, as if to parallel the situation, the bubble eventually exceeded its material threshold. As a result, a small pop sounded throughout the chamber as the lower half of the youth's face became covered in sticky pink residue...With his smile becoming increasingly wry, Vahn took advantage of the moment when the youth was licking up the remnants of his bubblegum to ask, "Where is your father?"Demonstrating his surprise for the second time, the youth raised his diamond-shaped brows quite a bit, but, rather than answer, he elected to blow a second bubble. This gave Vahn a powerful urge to roll his eyes, as, even without the Law of Identity providing insight into the youth's thoughts, it was obvious they were attempting to rile him up. The growing intensity of sparks within their eyes was a dead giveaway; so, rather than waste his time with idle conversation, he used his Unit Management to summon Scathach, saying, "Teach this brat how to handle a spear properly."Before the youth could feign surprise a third time, Scathach forced him to get serious by cutting his cheek with a ruby-red spear before he could react. Then, before he could open his eyes to express genuine shock, she sent him crashing into the far wall with a kick, her voice a cold monotone as she said, "That makes two. If you reach one-hundred before my Master decrees the battle finished, I will reward you a fate worse than death..."Shortly following Scathach's words, a torrent of vibrant blue Shinsu erupted from the debris caused by the youth's intimate encounter with the wall. This revealed the injured youth, an expectant smile on his face as he wiped away the blood from his lips and attempted a retort. Unfortunately, he had severely underestimated how serious Scathach could be when following orders. Thus, the moment he opened his mouth to speak, her fist slammed into the exact center of his face, reintroducing him to the partially destroyed wall without mercy...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Imagine if Vahn had started in SAO or Log Horizon...','Big Mom would like to know your location...','This boy about to learn a hard lesson xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though he might have been helpless to ascertain Gustang's intentions through the reading of his mind, there were countless other ways to discover the truth. Foremost among these was having the Law of Identity transform into the Sacred Tome, as, with the exception of concepts even higher than itself, it recorded all knowledge within the Transcendental Path to Heaven.The most perverse use of the Sacred Tome, other than learning various truths related to the literal foundation of the Omniverse, was peering into future events along a specific axis of time. This was made somewhat unreliable due to the influence of his own existence on the timeline, but, excluding himself, everything else updated retroactively as changes were made. This included the actions that others would take, and, most importantly, their thoughts during specific moments in time.Gustang believed he could gain some semblance of control by profiling Vahn and measuring his efforts against the data he had been able to accumulate. This would have worked out under normal circumstances, but, as Da Vinci had learned long ago, Vahn had never been the type of person that was constrained by a specific 'definition'. His was an existence that embodied the endless paths and the infinite possibilities contained within each. If he could be constrained by notions such as logic and common sense, he would never be able to reach the incomprehensible realm that was Tier 7.Truth be told, Vahn had always been weak against intellectuals and people with strong principles grounded in logic and reasoning. His processing capabilities might put some of the most advanced supercomputers in existence to shame, but, for a multitude of reasons, much of his critical thinking had been left in the capable hands of Sis. He already spent an inordinate amount of time fretting over things that really shouldn't concern him, and, on the most fundamental level, he simply didn't care about the machinations of others. Thus, rather than play Gustang's little game, Vahn intended to give the man a very hard lesson about messing with forces beyond his comprehension...---With the passage of an additional three days, bringing the total time spent on the Floor of Death to five days, the Hell Express began moving towards its final destination, a luxury resort known as Last Station. At the same time, the security measures preventing entrance into the Hidden Floor became undone. This was an event Vahn and several others had been anticipating for quite some time, and thanks to the [Master Key] obtained from Pedro, they could enter through the Main Gate instead of wasting an additional ten days completing Tests.At first, Vahn considered entering the Hidden Floor on his own, but, after a considerable amount of pressure from numerous residents in the Emerald Grove, he ultimately acquiesced to allowing those listed in his Unit Management to enter. Unfortunately, quite a number of people took advantage of this, so, rather than the handful he expected, more than forty people had gathered outside the Room of Time Past, the entrance to the Hidden Floor.Though he could understand Mordred's eagerness to demonstrate her newfound power, Vahn was helpless when even people like Madara insisted on 'coming out to play'. She had apparently gotten a little fed up with staying cooped up within the Little Garden, and, as could be expected, this was a sentiment shared by virtually every Template who wasn't currently exploring an Actualized World.Seeing everyone in high spirits, Vahn couldn't bring himself to change his mind on the matter, so, after a brief period of discussion with his affectionately referred to 'Council of Wives', everyone was grouped into a number of smaller teams, each assigned a specific objective. As for Vahn, his group, decided via lottery, consisted of Theo, sporting draconic features, Musashi, appearing as her normal self, Scathach, now resembling a demon queen, and, of all people, the insatiable glutton known as Index Librorum Prohibitorum...As could be expected from Grandmasters near the pinnacle of their arts, Musashi and Scathach had both blossomed into powerhouses in a relatively short period of time. Vahn knew he didn't have to worry about either of them, as, even if they were to face off against a High Ranker, it would be very difficult for most opponents to wrap their heads around the buxom beauties' capabilities. Theo and Index, however, both possessed quirky personalities; and, while they should be able to defeat most opponents without assistance, Index, in particular, couldn't be left unsupervised.In an effort to prevent any mishaps from occurring, Vahn donned a harness designed to allow parents to carry children hands-free before coaxing Index, in her Jirachi form, to ride within. This earned him quite a number of amused looks from the surrounding groups, but, with Index happily munching away on an endless supply of Golden Apple, he, at the very least, didn't have to worry about her spontaneously disappearing on him...With their preparations complete, Vahn took a moment to remind everyone to remain safe before passing through the vibrant white membrane separating the Hidden Floor and the Room of Time Past. There, he found himself in a nebulous void that reminded him of the Imaginary Space existing between dimensional boundaries in the Nasuverse. At the same time, he could feel the Laws around him beginning to change in a few not-so-subtle ways, a clear sign they were entering an artificially constructed Realm.Turning his head to confirm that Theo, Musashi, and Scathach had all entered without issue, Vahn adopted a confident smile as he reminded them of their primary objective, saying, "Assuming there are no surprises, we should arrive at one of the nine starting regions. From there, we'll immediately head to the 'Town of the Wandering Minstrel' and wait for the others to arrive. Once we-"Interrupting his explanation, a massive mirror with two scales manifested a few meters away from Vahn and Co, it's voice synthetic and grating as it happily chimed, "Kho Kho~! How unusual! It has been a long time since someone entered the Hidden Floor using the key~! I wonder, did something interesting happen on the train~?"Gesturing for Musashi and Scathach to stand down, Vahn was prepared to answer what he assumed to be the Mirror of the Past's question when it suddenly added, "Well, not that it matters~! My job isn't to worry about what is happening outside~! I'm here to record your data, create a reflection of your past, and generate a sworn enemy to impede your future~! Now, watch closely as I display the location you must go and the image of the enemy locked within the depths of your heart~!"Though he had already learned about the Mirror of the Past during his investigation, Vahn hadn't expected it to be so 'vocal'. Despite this, he did his best to maintain a smile as he floated in front of the eccentric mirror and allowed it to read the memories Sis had prepared in advance. This caused the scales on both sides to emit a pale white glow, wobbling for several seconds without favoring either side.Seemingly surprised by this phenomenon, the Mirror of the Past adopted an incredulous tone as it asked, "Hmm~? How can this be~? How can you have such grand aspirations yet so little ambition? Are you a real person~?"Understanding that the mirror wasn't actually asking him to answer its questions, Vahn just smiled as he continued to wait for it to complete its scan. In the end, the scales remained almost perfectly aligned, so, without further ado, the Mirror of the Past had no choice but to admit, "It seems your path cannot be hindered~! Congratulations~! You're the first person in history to enter the Hidden Floor without generating a Sworn Enemy~!"Nodding his head in response to the mirror's statement, the corners of Vahn's smile curled upward as he gestured towards Index and asked, "What about her?"Lacking an actual face, the Mirror of the Past could only express itself through words. As a result, it bobbed slightly before asking, "What~? Do you expect me to care about the past of some random Shinheuh~? Are you actually an idiot~?"Deciding to ignore the mirror's rebuttal, Vahn drifted to the side so that Musashi, Scathach, and Theo could have a turn. Unsurprisingly, the scales shifted quite a bit during their scans, and, as could be expected, all three were able to generate a Sworn Enemy. Infinitely more surprising was the fact that each of their Sworn Enemies looked like a version of himself...As the first to step forward, Musashi couldn't help but burst into laughter the moment she saw her Sworn Enemy. Truth be told, she had a 'very' strong desire to defeat Vahn, but, understanding what kind of being he was, she had largely given up on the idea. Now, however, she had the opportunity to fight a data construct that is functionally identical to the version of himself that had defeated her in the past. This filled her with a considerable amount of expectation, and, though she felt guilty about him being designated as her 'Sworn Enemy', she promised to make it up to him later.Had it just been Musashi, Vahn wouldn't have minded it too much since the former already had a habit of challenging him to a duel every few months. Seeing two more versions of himself appear, however, made him feel, understandably, self-conscious. Now, he was half-expecting to encounter a veritable army of himself on the Hidden Floor, as, for a variety of reasons, he was the 'goal' most of the Emerald Grove's residents had set for themselves...With the scan complete, the Mirror of the Past began to generate a vibrant white light from its face as it happily chimed, "What an interesting turn of events~! To think, the Sworn Enemy of everyone present just so happens to be a member of your group~! How scandalous~! I can't wait to see what kind of drama this creates as you move forward~! Kho Kho Kho~!"Rolling his eyes in response to the mirror's biting remark, Vahn allowed himself to be teleported to a coastal region dominated by white sandy beaches, verdant forests, and a vast mountain range as far as the eye could see. Fortunately, while their exit point was in mid-air, a beam of light, similar to a tractor beam, guided them to land at the edge of the sandy beach. There, a petite young woman with short brown hair, thick eyebrows, and black speckled eyes could be seen waiting for them with a welcoming smile on her face.Even without a detailed scan, Vahn could sense that the woman wasn't a living being. In many ways, she was similar to the NPCs that populated the Virtual World, beings capable of emulating thought, but, on the most fundamental level, simply didn't exist. This made it all the more surprising when he sensed the tell-tale signs of a nascent ego within the woman, the result of a complex sense of self-awareness that reminded him of early Companions.Unfortunately, without some form of outside stimulus, it was exceptionally difficult for an artificial humanoid or a digital entity to overcome the confines of its programming. This triggered a number of red flags within Vahn's mind, as, more often than not, such stimulus was often the product of severe trauma...Temporarily shelving such thoughts, Vahn returned a smile to the peculiarly dressed woman as she manifested a tambourine out of thin air and sang, "Welcome, Great Warriors, to the Hidden Floor~! I'm the wandering minstrel who has been sent to guide you during your journey~! You can call me Mi-eum~! Though my name might make me sound delicious, please don't eat me~!" (A/N: Mi-eum means 'thin rice gruel')(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn be like, "You gon' learn..."','This is what some top Scientists refer to as a 'Bruh Moment'...','You had better run away quickly if you want to avoid being eaten (O w O)~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1904: Settlement