Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn exited the dungeon and prepared to head towards the Guild. Just as he was about to exit Babel he felt a powerful grip on his shoulder. Turning his head he saw Nicholas with black lines hanging down his face concealing his eyes. Vahn noticed a vibrant red flame-like aura emanating from his body...Tightening his grip on Vahns shoulder, Nicholas slowly raised his head. "Vahn Mason, I believe I owe you a lecture."Vahn could see veins bulging on NIcholas's head as the strength put into the hand on his shoulder increased. He recalled the chilling sensation he had felt when entering the dungeon before bowing his head. "I am very sorry. I should have been more careful."Hearing the apology and seeing Vahn's expression, Nicholas released some of the pressure he had been using in his grip. He sighed while giving a cursory glance at the boy in front of him. Unlike the previous day, this time he managed to return without any injuries. Even his clothes, tacky as they might be, hardly had a single speck of blood even though Vahn had spent a longer period of time within the dungeon."Judging by your appearance, it would appear that you had learned your lesson. Make sure you show extra caution in the future and don't overlook making proper preparations. Remember that the Guild has numerous resources and books about the dungeon. Don't discredit the importance of knowledge, as it could be the difference between life and death when you encounter a new monster.Lightly patting the shoulder he had previously been gripping, Nicholas began to turn away before noticing a peculiarity in the situation. He gave a second glance at Vahn and determined where the weird feeling was coming from. No matter where he looked he was unable to see a weapon on Vahn's person. Moreso than that, he didn't even see a pouch to hold magic cores and drop items..."Where are your weapon and the loot you obtained from the dungeon? Don't tell me you just pretended to enter and spent the day playing around..."As Vahn had already been preparing to walk away, he almost tripped after hearing the question. He tried coming up with various excuses in his mind but was unable to think of one on the spot. Sighing, he turned towards Nicholas and considered everything that had happened between them.Though it was just his job, Nicholas had given him a very detailed explanation regarding the dungeon. He was also one of the people present when Vahn had passed out at dungeon's entrance. He was even there to lecture Vahn when he woke up at the medical ward..Vahn looked closely at the aura coming from Nicholas, before remembering the contact from before.'View Affection: Nicholas Grimm {[Affection: 51[Neutral], Intrigue:60[Concerned]}Seeing the values Vahn decided to mention his 'storage magic' to alleviate Nicholas's suspicions. He held out his hand where it was not easily seen by outsiders and withdrew a magic core from his inventory.Seeing an item aparate right in front of his eyes, Nicholas was very surprised. He quickly looked around before shepherding Vahn towards a more discreet location. After he was satisifed nobody was paying attention to their conversation, Nicholas looked towards Vahn and gave him a fierce look."Is that Storage Magic?" He glared directly into Vahn's eyes as if trying to peer through any falsities.Seeing his expression, Vahn felt a bit of pressure. "Yes, it's a unique skill that I've always had since my time in the forest with my Grandfather..."Though he could feel something off about the statement, he was unable to detect what was true and what was false. Knowing that it was considered taboo to force someone to reveal their secrets, Nicholas decided to not press any further. He looked towards Vahn before cautioning him with a firm tone."Vahn Mason, you should know that Storage Magic is a very rare skill right?"Vahn nodded."Good. Then you should also be aware of the dangers if people discover you have such a skill. If anyone with malicious intent became aware of your capabilities, they would do everything in their power to use you for their own agenda."Vahn nodded again. He had considered this previously when discussing the matter with Sis. He knew that before he was strong enough it would be best to keep the existence of his 'storage magic' and inventory a secret."From now on, whenever you're entering and exiting the dungeon you should carry supplies on your body. Though it's not obvious at first, seeing someone walking around without even possessing a weapon is a red flag to anyone paying close enough attention."After hearing those words Vahn felt like slapping himself in the head. He had grown so accustomed to the ease of use of the equipment system, that he would often keep his gear stowed away until he needed it. He looked around and saw that every other adventurer was carrying their weapons openly and realized the foolishness of his oversight.Vahn discreetly removed his dagger bow from the inventory and slung it over his shoulder. He also withdrew a quiver and fixed it into the area of his belt around his lower back. Luckily whenever he purchased arrows, they always came in bundles of 30 with a corresponding quiver.Seeing the items continually appear from thin air, Nicholas could feel a cold sweat on his back accompanying the twitch in his eye. He tried to use his body to block the line of sight of anyone that could potentially look over. After noticing Vahn had finally situated all of his gear, he released a heavy sigh and almost wanted to yell at the airheaded boy before him..."That's much better, but remember to buy a backpack or satchel to store goods in the future. You don't have to keep anything in it, but it will be a helpful disguise against any inquiring eyes." Turning away from the nodding Vahn, Nicholas felt a strong desire to just go home and sleep.After his interaction with Nicholas, Vahn decided to quickly leave Babel tower. It was now approaching 4:30 PM and he wanted to exchange with the guild before rushing over to the 'Hostess of Fertility. Though it had been less than two days since his last visit, he was no longer able to find the roasted meat and jerky within his inventory palatable. He wanted to try all of the dishes he hadn't experienced yet. If they were half as good as spaghetti, he might even be willing to 'get pet' by the black-haired Chloe in exchange for a larger portion...Shivering at the thought, Vahn turned into a nearby alley away from the view of others. He looked through his shop for a few minutes before purchasing a leather satchel that could be attached to the belt. He swapped locations with the quiver and stored both the bow and arrows back into his inventory. Removing his sword, Vahn placed it into the corresponding sheath that had been sitting in the inventory since it's purchase. He felt that walking around with a sword was a lot cooler than carrying a bow...Satisfied with his setup, he continued following the route towards the Guild. Though he was in a hurry, he decided it was a good opportunity to increase the quality of his map. He took note of the various buildings and shops along the way and made mental marks for each of them. In the future, he would be able to find their locations easily if needed.After nearly half an hour, Vahn finally reached the guild. It was actually a bit faster than his expectations, likely a result of his increased parameters since entering the dungeon.He made his way through the large entrance of the guild and looked around. He had expected to see Fauna or Millie, but it seemed as if they were both off-duty at the moment. Since he didn't recognize anyone, he slipped his hand into the satchel and withdrew half of the spoils he had obtained in the dungeon from his inventory. He felt the weight of the bag increase, but there was no noticeable change in appearance so he didn't worry that anyone was aware of his action.Making his way towards one of the booths for exchanging items, Vahn had to wait in line for ten minutes before coming face to face with someone he hadn't expected. Standing before him at around 158cm was the half-elf receptionist Eina Tulle. He hadn't recognized her at first due to how young she looked, but the emerald green eyes and brown hair made it very obvious she was in fact Eina. At this point in time, she wasn't wearing her glasses, and Vahn felt it made her look particularly cute.Noticing the blank stare of the boy in front of her, Eina gave a gentle smile before speaking. "Welcome to the Guild Exchange Counter. I'm Eina, and I can help you exchange any cores or items you may possess for Valis. I can also log items for any missions you had previously accepted."Hearing her speak, Vahn turned his gaze away and sighed slightly. He needed to break the habit of staring at people so directly, but it was just so interesting seeing the real-world versions of the characters he had only known from the pages of manga in his previous life!"I'm sorry for staring miss Eina. You looked very familiar and I got a bit distracted when I saw you. Please forgive me if I offended you."Hearing his polite response and seeing him bow, Eina couldn't help but chuckle at the boys' innocence. "It's alright Vahn. I wasn't offended in the least."Vahn looked up and saw her aura was gentle like sunlight and had a mysterious purple hue along the edges. He quickly took out the monster cores from his bag before arranging them on the table.Though it had been a quick glance, Eina was still able to see the change in the boys' expression. She began to wonder if maybe the person she reminded him of was someone close to him. His expression seemed to carry a hint of affection and curiosity. As these thoughts crossed her mind, she began to look at the items he had been neatly arranging on the desk by size.Though it was just a few small magic cores at first, Eina began to sweat as he continued pulling more and more out of the bag on his waist. Out of curiosity she began to count and noticed he had already laid out more than fifty cores and didn't seem to be slowing down any time soon."Vahn, why did you wait so long before bringing in all these monster cores?" Out of curiosity, she couldn't help but ask. Seeing the boy look at her with a confused expression, she began to feel a strange unease in her stomach. ("Don't tell me...")"I got all these when I went into the dungeon today though? I haven't been waiting or anything like that." Vahn couldn't understand why Eina asked the question.Her intuition had been correct. Apparently, the boy in front of her, who seemed to lack common sense, was more capable than she expected."Can I ask what level you are and what familia you belong to?" Eina found it odd she had never seen or heard of such a peculiar young boy before.Vahn nodded mechanically while answering. "Sure...I'm level 1 and don't belong to a familia yet since I just arrived in the City a few days ago."Eina almost fell over after hearing his words. Level 1? Not in a familia? This boy who earned more than most small groups earn in several days was just a freelance dungeoneer!? She gave Vahn a curious look before asking the question that plagued her mind."You're able to earn so much in a single day...why aren't you in a familia yet? Surely someone that is as strong as you are at Level 1 would be able to join an A or B ranked familia. You're only hurting your growth by staying as a freelancer." She stared at the large sword on his back and imagined him cutting through hordes of monsters only to end up surrounded and die due to entering the dungeon alone.Vahn finished lining up the remaining cores as the contemplated his answer. Even he wasn't sure why he hadn't joined a familia. He felt it was a combination of trying to protect his secrets and the fact he didn't recognize most of the Familia on the list. At the same time he felt that joining a familia might restrict his actions, and he still wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to accomplish in this world.Though he had said he wanted to become the strongest adventurer, he was beginning to get distracted in various other things. There were so many interesting people and places he wanted to visit. And after eating at the 'Hostess of Fertility' he could feel an obsession rising in him to try the various different foods and dishes within the City.In summary, it came down to the fact he didn't know what he had to do to 'live free and happy' like his mother wanted. He felt that even in the forest he was free, at least compared to his previous life. Just making enough Valis to eat good food was enough to make him 'happy', or at least the closest thing to happiness he had ever known.Eina could see the various emotions her question had stirred in the boy. She began to feel guilty that she had introduced so much doubt into his life with just a few simple questions. Remembering he words, she couldn't understand what had set off his moment of introspection. It was likely due to something that happened in his past and was likely his reason for coming to the City in the first place. Judging by his shabby appearance, he was a few years younger than her and yet had to make a living venturing into the dungeon alone. She began to feel pity for the boy she had just met and wanted to say something to alleviate his melancholy."I didn't mean to upset you Vahn, I was just a bit curious. Even though you're so young, you're able to easily enter the dungeon and return with a large harvest. I'm sure you'll become even stronger in the future and be able to find the answers you're looking for!"Vahn listened as her words went from downcast to a more upbeat tone towards the end. He looked into her eyes and could see concern and expectations for his future, and understood she was trying to encourage him. ("That's right, as long as I'm strong I can do whatever I want...I don't have to be in a rush, and even if I joined a familia it's not like I wouldn't be able to join another in the future. I can go at my own pace, and even if I decided to become the strongest adventurer, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy good food. It would even make it easier to do so!")Vahn began to tremble with excitement at his realization. He couldn't help but laugh within his mind at how he had begun to waver over nothing. Looking towards the young girl before him, he smiled remembering a scene from the manga.He bowed towards the girl that had just given him advice."Thanks, Miss Eina, I love you~!" Vahn shouted, causing everyone within the Guild to look over while the girl he made his proclamation towards turned beet red up till her pointy ears.

Seeing the expression on Eina's face, Vahn smiled at the success of his prank. He also noticed that the aura around her body had been in disorder since his outburst, and he found it very amusing to watch it squirm back-and-forth.Noticing the grin on Vahn's face and hearing the jeers of the surrounding adventurers, Eina couldn't help regretting the fact she had consoled him. She ignored the sounds of laughter and false congratulations and focused on counting the magic cores on the table. Once again she was mildly surprised at the sheer number present. If Vahn was telling the truth he had obtained 139 cores in a single expedition.As her expression changed from embarrassment to shock, Vahn was grateful he had the insight to keep half of the cores. Given the surprise showed on her face, she would probably have a mental breakdown if he told her it was just half the actual number.Eina left for the back room to have the value of the magic cores appraised. The value of a magic core depended on its composition, element, and the amount of magic contained within. There was a special form of authentication and analysis magic used by the Appraisers within the guild.Distribution of cores was one of the primary sources of income for the guild. The cores were used in a variety of important functions like generating heat, water, and even electricity, so the Guild had enacted laws that guaranteed it had a monopoly on the market. Though a person could use cores they obtained for their own personal use, if found distributing or selling them they would face arbitration from the Guild and be blacklisted or exiled in the worst case scenario.After twenty minutes, Eina returned with an odd expression on her face. She was carrying a sack full of Valis in one hand, but the other was holding a magic core. Setting the core on the table, she handed the bag to Vahn before repeating what the appraisal expert had told her."Our expert was unable to determine the value of this magic core. Though it appears normal on the outside, there is a mysterious force present within that makes it impossible to identify using conventional means. I was asked if you'd like to turn it over to the Guild for research in exchange for the usual price. We would also pay you a bonus after identifying why the core is unique."Vahn looked at the core on the desk and was unable to distinguish it from the others. He decided to hold on to it since he figured the inventory would be able to identify it faster than the Guild. There was also the chance it contained a unique trait that would be beneficial to him in the future, and he didn't want to turn it over to the Guild before finding out."Sorry Ms. Eina, I think I'll hold onto it for now." Vahn picked up the core and stored it into his inventory through the satchel.Seeing him put it away, Eina frowned slightly. She didn't see any benefit it holding onto it, and he had previously tried to exchange it. He couldn't have any attachment to the core, so she was curious why he decided to keep it after considering for a few moments.Noticing her expression, Vahn smiled before saying, "I think it's cool to have a core that can't be identified normally. It creates a bit of mystery, and I can use it as a good luck charm in the future."Considering Vahn's odd nature and quirky personality, she decided it was very like him to keep a magic core for such reasons.The two concluded the transaction and began to part ways. Before leaving, Vahn turned towards Eina and gave the largest smile he could muster while waving goodbye. Seeing the goofy smile of the innocent looking boy, Eina couldn't help but return the gesture. To anyone looking closely, they would be able to see a slight blush on her ears.Leaving the guild, Vahn weighed the pouch of Valis in his hand. He had obtained a total of 43,900V within a single day, slightly under twice the amount of a party of five level 1 adventurers. If he wanted to he could spend several weeks lazing about at the Inn without having to make any real effort.Using his newfound 'wealth' he increased his pace and headed towards the Hostess of Fertility. With each step, he could feel the seal containing the beast within his stomach loosening. If he was unable to satiate its appetite there would be terrible consequences...(A/N: This is a mild delusion of the MC. Late stage chuuni~!?)He arrived outside the pub in record time and took a moment to enjoy the fragrance coming from the inside. Stepping through the threshold of the door, he was greeted by a playful voice."Weeelcome to the Hostess of Fertility~nya!" Came the shout of a young woman with brown hair, brown eyes, and a fluttering pair of cat ears.Vahn recognized the girl as Arnya Fromel and was taken aback slightly by her energy. She was the same height as he was at 150cm and possessed a cheery, vibrant demeanor which contrasted his relatively dark and bland appearance. Vahn noticed her aura was sky-blue with azure accents.Seeing the boy staring at her through the door, something seemed to click in Arnya mind. "Oooh, aren't you the boy Chloe was fawning over~? One moment, I'll get her for you nya~"Before he could stop her, Arnya whisked her way across the room leaving a baffled Vahn in her wake. He began to struggle against the idea of leaving, but the protests of the monster in his stomach and the aroma of the food kept his feet firmly rooted to the spot.A few moments later he saw the black-haired Chloe in the distance. When they made eye contact she smiled as a glimmer appeared within her eyes. Vahn began to feel a sense of danger and almost managed to convince his feet to retreat outside the pub. Even his stomach seemed to be in agreement, but before he was able to put his plan into action the lithe Chloe had intercepted."Nyaa~? You just arrived, why not stay a while~?" Not waiting for his response, she grabbed his arm and guided him towards the same spot he sat at previously. After seating him, she took up the stool to his left and began to stare at his face with a mischevious grin.Vahn was reminded of the time he had first encountered a goblin and was put in a life and death situation. He felt like the look coming from Chloe's eyes were like a predator observing its prey. He felt like if he dropped his guard she would devour him down to the bones..."Umm, Miss-""Just Chloe is fine~" She interrupted as he began speaking.Swallowing his previous words, Vahn continued, "Chloe...shouldn't you be working right now?" He looked towards her and saw the smile on her face grow larger."Nyahaha~I asked someone to cover for me and decided to take my employee break. I even got permission from Mama Mia~nya."At the mention of Mia, Vahn noticed the woman giving him an amused grin from across the bar. It looked like she found his situation entertaining...Vahn turned towards Chloe and tried thinking of what to say. He didn't know if he should try asking her questions, or if he should make an excuse and try to leave. She seemed to take pleasure watching him struggle to find words and slowly closed the distance between their bodies while he was distracted.Noticing the distance between them had shrunk before he was aware, Vahn quickly brought up a topic while inching towards the edge of his stool. "Chloe, what's your favorite item on the menu!?" He practically blurted out the question in a single breath.Seeing how he had responded to her approach, Chloe couldn't help but chuckle. He was much more innocent than she had expected and her desire to tease him increased exponentially."I think it's all good~nya. It would make me happy if you tried them all~." She continued to close the distance until Vahn had lost the ability to retreat. He would fall from the stool if he tried inching any further away...Just as their bodies were about to make contact, Mama Mia threw a cork which hit Chloe square in the forehead. The young cat girls head jerked back and she began to rub the sore spot where the cork had impacted."Mama Mia~nya! That's mean~!!" She glared towards Mia with tears in her eyes."Break times over Chloe. Take the boys order before you scare him out of the place! You can flirt on your off-time." Mama Mia laughed seeing Chloe's resentful expression before turning towards a customer.Chloe could be heard muttering under her breath as she continued to rub her forehead, "Selfish Mia, just because you can't find a man-"Before she was able to finish her sentence a brown beam of light carved through the air and clipped the bangs of Chloe. The light continued onwards before exiting the doors and disappearing beyond the horizon. Those with excellent dynamic vision would have recognized the object as a wine cork beginning its ascent to heaven.Turning her head, Chloe could see a now ferocious looking Mia glaring directly at her. After leaving her stool, she took Vahn's order before quickly disappearing into the kitchen area.Meanwhile, Vahn was resolving to never get on Mama Mia's bad side. That cork which had flown near Chloe was also just a few inches away from his head. He felt like it was powerful enough to decapitate a dragon, much less him with his meager level 1 status...For the second time that afternoon Vahn felt his conviction to grow stronger improve...After a short wait, Chloe returned with several plates of food. She was now acting like a proper waitress as she laid out each plate on the bar. As Vahn stared at the food, he couldn't help but smack his lips while swallowing a mouth full of saliva. Without giving any extra thought, he began to devour the food in front of him. Each dish was something he had never experienced before, and he savored each and every bite with moisture in his eyes.Seeing the fervor in which Vahn ate, Chloe exchanged glances with Mama Mia who looked over periodically. Mia shrugged as if she didn't know what to say about the situation before shaking her head with an awkward smile. Turning back towards Vahn, Chloe had a gentle smile on her face as the curiosity she had towards him continued to grow.She began to wonder what kind of life he lived to have such an appreciation for food. As an orphan and professional assassin, she had seen many children that had suffered due to the cruel nature of this world. That is one of the reasons she was drawn to Vahn in the first place. She could intuit from experience that he had experienced an uncommon amount of suffering.Though he seemed to be simple and easy to read, there was a deeply rooted caution in all of his actions. It was almost like he was protecting himself by creating a barrier against the outside world. She thought his tendency to stare at others was due to the inner turmoil he experienced when trying to judge if someone could be trusted or not.She wanted to know more about him and, if possible, help heal some of the wounds in his heart.When he had finally finished all the plates and released a happy sigh before taking a drink of apple cider, Chloe finally gave in to her curiosity..."Vahn, would you like to go on a date?"*pfffffftttttt*Vahn nearly choked on his drink hearing her words. He looked towards her and saw a seriousness that had replaced her usual expression. Though her actions put him under a lot of pressure, he could tell from her aura that she harbored no ill-will towards him. After thinking for a few seconds he finally decided to nod."Sure, Chloe. I'd like that." Upon finishing his words he was surprised at how big the smile on her face became. For some reason, he felt like the smile contained something very important that he lost a long time ago.After making the arrangements and confirming the time and place, Vahn left the Hostess of Fertility. He didn't remember how he returned to the Inn, but he walked up the stairs under the curious gazes of the mother and daughter pair before finally arriving at his room and collapsing into the bed.The last thing he recalled before falling asleep was the sound of various notifications that had constantly been ringing since he agreed to the date.//Chloe Lolo: Affection + 3////Chloe Lolo: Intrigue + 10////Chloe Lolo: Affection +1////Chloe Lolo: Affection +1////Chloe Lolo: Affection +1////Chloe Lolo: Affection +1//....[View Affection: Chloe Lolo] [Affection: 73[Caring], Intrigue:85[Desire to Protect]Title: Date!?

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!*Contacting the lizards head, the arrow exploded creating a thunderous boom. The nearby kobolds were knocked off their feet while the remaining two dungeon lizards roared.In response to the chaos, Vahn continued to fire explosive arrows towards the remaining lizards and larger groups of kobolds. Because of his increased magic capacity, the bow and arrows charged almost immediately as they were drawn. Pleasantly surprised, Vahn loosed as many arrows as he could before the monsters could close the distance.As the closest kobolds entered the range of his domain, Vahn was overcome by a peculiar sensation. It seemed like his perception had increased further with the use of the bow. He could easily track every monster within his domain, and could even see a small shadow forecasting where they would move next.Instead of changing back to his sword, Vahn decided to take the opportunity to test the influence of [Will of the Emperor] on his ranged capabilities. He had yet to engage anything after the massive leap in his attributes and found the current situation the perfect solution to appease his curiosity.While his previous style with the bow relied on opening a distance between him and the opponent, he now used his experience with the sword to improve his combat style. Instead of opening the gap, Vahn used his footwork to outmaneuver the kobolds. In the brief gaps when they were trying to adjust their positioning to match his, Vahn was able to quickly fire an arrow into their defenseless form.When one kobold had tried to flank him and attack his back, Vahn was able to intercept it with his bow using the senses gained from [Will of the Emperor]. He was surprised to see that when the bow made contact with the kobold's neck, the body seemed to fold around the point of contact before it was launched several meters away.It was at that moment Vahn realized his strength had increased to an almost super-human level compared to his previous self.After around three minutes Vahn had dealt with the entire pack of kobolds. He looked towards the previous location of the dungeon lizards and found some slightly larger magic cores. After analyzing them through the system, he was able to determine they had a value of 23, 24, and 27 respectively. Though this implied they were only slightly stronger than kobolds, Vahn knew it wasn't always the size of magic core that determined the threat of a monsterOnce everything was cleaned up, Vahn took a good look at his bow. He had initially decided it wouldn't be useful for soloing the dungeon but now knew that it had potential even in close-ranged combat. There seemed to be a synergy between [Bow Mastery] and [Will of the Emperor]. [Bow Mastery] had increased to rank D (from F) and gave a large enhancement to his vision. Combined with the increased perception of [Will of the Emperor] he could almost predict the movements of monsters within the domain.Looking towards the various tunnels, he equipped the bow to the secondary slot and brought out his sword. The bow was exceptional in open spaces, but he still preferred the sword for combat within the majority of the upper floors. The wide arcs of the sword allowed him to dispatch multiple monsters at once if they were close enough, and he didn't have to risk causing a collapse from misfiring an arrow into the wall. He also remembered how his bow-combat had improved due to the footwork he had been developing with the sword and wanted to polish the skill further.Vahn approached a random tunnel and started following it away from the large room. On his way, he continued to slay numerous small groups of kobolds. Even though they had become much easier to deal with, because of his close experience with death the previous day he didn't slack. Instead, he tried various different fighting methods, even incorporating punches and kicks into his combinations. He was especially surprised when his back-fist had caught a kobold that had evaded his sword strike.Attempting to use the opportunity while Vahn was completing a swing, the Kobold leaped claws first towards Vahn's neck. Releasing his left hand from the grip of the sword, Vahn used a twisting motion to counter the kobold with the back of his fist. On contact he could feel the skull of the kobold collapse under the force of the blow, disintegrating into dust before it could make contact with the nearby wall.As it was the last kobold of the group, Vahn stared blankly at his fist. He hadn't expected the result to be so...drastic. He couldn't help but shudder when recalling the feeling of bone contorting against his fist. He shook his head to put the image out of his mind and pressed onward.Using around 40 minutes, Vahn found the stairs leading to the next floor. Though he wasn't as drained as the second floor, he still took the opportunity to rest in the relative safety of the stairwell. The dungeon barrier that prevented him from going down to floors he hadn't accessed also prevented most monsters from going up. Unless they could overcome the barrier, the majority of monsters were stuck to their assigned floors.("I wanted an opportunity to fight a dungeon lizard with my sword. I remember they're pretty resistant against physical attacks, so I wonder how they would fare against the sharpness enchantment of my blade...")Vahn looked at the now magically inert blade. Its 130cm length made it stand out against his 150cm frame. From the perspective of an observer, it probably looked like a child swinging around the sword of an adult... Vahn blushed slightly at his self-deprecating thought and continued to inspect the sword.The thing he found most interesting was the lack of a guard or any other embellishments. For a sword whose description says it was reforged countless times, it seemed rather plain. Even it's cutting age didn't possess the typical silver-sheen polish to counter the dark-metallic color of the blade. In fact, other than when the runes were active the blade was entirely black in color and seemed to reflect a peculiar wavy pattern in the lightAs he continued to observe the blade using the illumination of the dungeon walls, he noticed a small mark engraved where the blade and handle met. It looked like two winged snakes twining around a scale. After inquiring about what it might represent, he was told it was probably the maker's mark. Without knowing the name and background of the blacksmith, it would be impossible to interpret its meaning.Satisfied with his rest, Vahn continued towards the fourth floor. Much like the previous three floors, it had glowing blue walls and an off-green colored floor. It also contained a combination of kobolds, goblins, and dungeon lizards. Unlike the previous floors though, dungeon lizards were the prominent creature of the fourth floor and Vahn finally had the opportunity to engage one using his sword.Even though the blade was fully charged with magic, Vahn was surprised to discover there was actually a bit of resistance when he cut through the lizards' hide. He inferred that, due to the existence of magic flowing within the body of monsters, as they became stronger they would offer more resistance against the blade.Since the dungeon lizards were resistant to both physical and magical attacks, it made sense that they were slightly more difficult to cut. Only slightly though, as Vahn was able to bisect it from head-to-tail in a single leaping swipe.The fourth floor was slightly longer than the previous three, and it took a total of five hours to navigate to the stairs. He had to backtrack on several occasions due to the complex layout of the dungeon. Luckily he was prevented from getting lost due to the existence of his minimap. He avoiding the scenario where he would reach the same dead end more than once.After arriving at the stairwell, Vahn decided to immediately head up and call it a day. By now it was nearing 3 PM and he wanted to exchange magic cores at the guild to obtain some Valis before visiting the Hostess of Fertility. He was very satisfied with his growth and decided to inspect his stats as he ascended the stairs.==========================================================Name: Vahn MasonAge: 14Race: Human, *sealed*Parameters: Danmachi-Level:1[+](0)-Power: A893 -&gt; S909-Endurance: B714 -&gt; B740-Dexterity: B799 -&gt; A833-Agility: A811 -&gt; A889-Magic: SSS1124 -&gt; SSS1493-Total: 4864Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)Karma:721==========================================================Most of his stats were nearing S, and he was surprised at how much his Magic had increased in half a day. It seems his use of [Will of the Emperor] promotes magical growth to a terrifying degree. Vahn began to seriously consider using some OP to purchase magic from the system shop...

Chapter 26: Shock within the Guild