Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As Hephaestus's workshop was close to the Inn, Vahn managed to arrive shortly after parting ways with Lili. When he entered the building, one of the security guards immediately approached which caused Vahn to assume an alert stance. When the large man got near him, he asked. "Are you Vahn Mason?"Vahn nodded without breaking his stance. Seeing his affirmation, the man turned towards his companions and one of them ran into the back room. The others cleared out the few remaining customers from the workshop while ignoring their protests. Once everyone was gone, the large man who had previously asked Vahn about his identity spoke."Lady Hephaestus informed us to clear out the store and report to her immediately after your arrival. You don't have to be on guard, not that you would be able to resist if we wanted to harm you." The man was more than 190cm tall and had a build like a bear. Though Vahn didn't know it at this time, the man, named Zaff, was a former level 4 Adventurer from a disbanded Familia that had retired and become a security contractor.Hearing they were acting on Hephaestus's order, Vahn decided to relax a bit, but didn't completely drop his guard. Seeing that Vahn was still alert, the man gave him an appreciative nod before directing his men outside of the workshop. They had been informed to secure the perimeter and prevent anyone from approaching for the time being. Before he left, he turned towards Vahn and offered him a bit of advice. "It's good that you know better than to fully believe in what people tell you. Make sure you keep your senses sharp, it'll save your life one day."Vahn nodded and watched the man leave. He agreed with the guards' statement since he had almost died due to his negligence previously. The only reason he dropped his guard now was that he was able to see the man's aura showed no aggression towards him. It was a stable and calming blue with a tinge of green around the edges.After a few minutes of standing in silence, Hephaestus came out from the back room. Vahn could see she was covered in soot and sweat. Before his arrival, she was probably forging an item in her personal workshop. Remembering his experience with the 'eternal flame', Vahn had some misgivings about entering there in the future.Unfortunately, without asking him anything, Hephaestus grabbed his hand and pulled him into the place he would much rather avoid. When he arrived, he saw that the 'eternal flame' which used to be a mixture of fiery reds and oranges now glowed with a gentle golden color. He even noticed something completely different about the flame...the fact it had a slight aura coming from it.Hephaestus saw him looking at the flame and spoke for the first time. "I see you've noticed the changes as well. I need you to explain EXACTLY what happened when you were forging with the 'eternal flame' last time. Don't leave out a single detail."Vahn could see the seriousness in her eye and began recalling the events as he remembered. Without mentioning the existence of [Will of the Emperor], he spoke about how he was able to solidify his domain and use it to contain the shape of the ingot when he was heating it. During the process, the 'eternal flame' began interfering with his mental energy and started consuming it, but after finalizing the procedure of forming the ingot he was able to concentrate his mana and forcibly sever the connection.As he narrated the events, Hephaestus listened while observing him in silence. She was considering every word Vahn spoke and matching it against her own memories of the event. When Vahn got to the part about how the flame started devouring his mental energy, an unprecedented seriousness emanated from her body. She allowed him to complete his recount before asking in a firm tone."Vahn, you said you grew up with your Grandfather in the forest. Though I feel as if that isn't the whole truth, I need to ask you, have you ever met your parents?"After seeing how serious Hephaestus was, Vahn also adopted a similar atmosphere for himself. He considered his words before speaking the truth. "Though I have a memory of my mother, I've never met my father. I was taken from my mother when I was very young and raised by a group of terrible people until I reached the age of fourteen. After that, the place I was held was attacked and I managed to escape after the oversight of one of the attackers. After wandering for a while, I was helped by a kind woman named Klyscha before being dropped off in the Western Forests for training...that is the truth."For the first time since they started associating with each other, Hephaestus couldn't sense any falsehood in Vahn's words. As she expected, he wasn't raised by his grandfather and probably used it as an excuse to avoid suspicion. The matters that concerned her now was his actual origins. If he was taken away from his parents and held captive for the majority of his life, he probably can't explain the situation to the extent she requires.As she looked towards the boy who was waiting for her response, Hephaestus began to feel a pain in her heart. Since he was likely telling the truth, that meant he never had the experience of being raised and cared for by a real family. She even thought it was his lack of interactions and social awareness that made him unafraid of her eye...She released a sigh before showing Vahn a caring smile. "I'm sorry for questioning you Vahn. It must have been very difficult for you getting this far. From now on I promise I won't let anything like that happen to you again." As they were both close to each other, she pulled Vahn into her embrace and began to gently rub his head.Vahn was completely taken by surprise by the show of affection. Since he was still tense from the serious atmosphere, he never expected to be spontaneously hugged. At first, he wanted to struggle, but feeling the soft sensation pressing against his face and the soothing motion on the back of his head, Vahn began to relax. He felt all the tension slowly melt away from his body as Hephaestus gently continued her embrace.---After a surprisingly long amount of time, Hephaestus finally released his head and allowed Vahn to regain his freedom. Vahn felt at a loss when she released her embrace, and his expression caused Hephaestus to turn her head with a blush. "I can hug you more later...*ahem*. Right now we need to talk about other important matters. I think I may have some clues about your origin, and it will be very important you pay attention or you could be in serious danger if your identity is exposed."Though Vahn was already aware of his origins, he still listened to her words seriously. It was likely her advice would still be important for him, even if it wasn't because of the reason she speculated."First of all, it is very likely that one of your parents was a god or goddess. Without understanding your powers, I can't speculate which...but I can say that the other parent was most likely a demi-god or something equal in status. That means your bloodline is significantly purer than most children of gods since you possess three-quarters of a divine heritage. That domain you're able to use is very similar to the divinity possessed by us gods except on a much smaller scale." As she spoke till this point, Hephaestus began to release her own Divinity.From Vahn's perspective, he could see the aura around Hephaestus's body grow until it permeated the air around them. He could feel a pressure weighing down on his body, and could actually 'feel' the emotions present in the aura she released. This caused Vahn to feel flustered as, even though the aura was pressuring him, the pink color seemed to infuse with his body and made him feel giddy.Hephaestus was confused while watching Vahn succumb to her Divinity. Like most mortals, he was definitely affected by the pressure, but her aura seemed to have a different effect on his body at the same time. She quickly pulled it back to alleviate the pressure he was experiencing and began to physically inspect his body.Vahn was breathing heavily and could feel his body heating up after Hephaestus released her aura. Even though she had pulled it back, he could still feel the same giddiness causing a fluttering sensation in his chest. When Hephaestus approached and started checking to see if he was hurt, the feeling increased in intensity and he began to panic. From her body, he could smell an aroma that was making it difficult to think and he separated from her touch.Hephaestus was surprised seeing Vahn push her away and open up a distance between them. She could see a blush on his face and a feverish look in his eyes as he seemed to struggle with his rationality. It was at this moment that Hephaestus realized her Divinity must have influenced him strangely and sent him into a state...of arousal.She began to panic as well. Her Divinity was derived from forging and not love or beauty; it shouldn't have the ability to charm people. Hephaestus deduced that it was likely that one of his parents had a synergistic relationship with forging. It made sense to her seeing the changes in her own 'eternal flame' after absorbing Vahn's energy...but that was beside the point. Right now she had no idea how to deal with the young boy before her.Hephaestus was not inexperienced with men. Though she never had a long-term partner due to how the other gods treated her, there were several instances where she hooked up with a god after a banquet or ceremony. She kept her dignity during many of the encounters, there were a few very rare instances where she gave in to her passions and slept with them. Though she felt terrible after the fact, it also helped stabilize the trauma she had in her heart. She felt that since people were willing to sleep with her, she wasn't as terrible a monster as they made her feel. It wasn't until she met Hestia later that she underwent a purification ceremony to recover her own chastity.Now, seeing the boy struggle because of her own error, she began to have an internal struggle of her own. He was still very young, and though she wanted to 'help' him, there was no easy way of doing so. In the worst case scenario, she may end up leaving a trauma in his heart after he only recently started interacting with people.While she was trying to rationalize her decision and find her resolve, Vahn was listening to Sis advise him. Even though his mental state was in disorder, he still had enough wherewithal to activate [Will of the Emperor]. Though it was difficult at first, the energy began spreading through his body and suppressing the strange feelings. The familiar cooling sensation began to clear his mind and allowed him to push the skill further until is permeated his entire body and started spreading out in the form of his domain.Hephaestus, who was biting her lip in frustration, noticed the change and saw Vahn regaining his clarity. She released a heavy sigh but felt that there was an empty feeling in her heart. It was like she had missed an opportunity, but she ignored the feeling and helped to calm Vahn."Sorry, Vahn. I didn't expect my Divinity would have that kind of effect on you. It's likely that one of your parents had some relation to the divinity of forging, and as a result, it causes...a peculiar reaction when absorbed by your body. Fortunately, you were able to counteract the effects with your own pseudo-divine state." She tried speaking rationally, but couldn't hold back a blush from appearing on her face.Vahn listened and nodded mechanically at the explanation. Though it was likely the Divinity that enhanced the effect, Vahn realized that interacting with the auras of people made him able to experience their emotions. He would have to be careful in the future...or the consequences could be irreversible.

The two stood in the awkward atmosphere for a while before Hephaestus moved to a corner of the room and grabbed a package wrapped in a green ribbon. She handed the package to the confused Vahn and explained the reason behind it."It's a gift to celebrate your joining of the Familia. Go ahead and open it..." Hephaestus felt awkward giving him the gift after everything that had happened.Vahn opened the package and was surprised to find a strange looking hammer on the inside. He pulled it out and inspected it more closely. The body of the hammer was made of a cool metal wrapped with a fire-resistant cloth. Vahn gripped it and noticed it fit perfectly in his hand, almost like the hammer was an extension of his arm. The head of the hammer was a combination of magisteel and a dark red crystalline metal that Vahn had never seen before. The two different metals twisted around each other before converging near the striking area of the hammer."This is a hammer I personally forged using the magisteel ingot you had created and Hihi'irokane metal. The combination of metals makes the hammer incredibly durable, and since it was partially constructed with magisteel you had tempered yourself, it is extremely receptive to your mana." As Hephaestus began explaining the functions of the hammer, she started to become a bit restless. Giving a sidelong glance at Vahn, she continued. "I crafted this hammer to represent my desire for you to become a capable blacksmith in the future. It is the culmination of your first success and my hope that you will one day forge a weapon that can satisfy me..."Vahn continued handling the 'familiar' feeling hammer as he listened. When Hephaestus mentioned him forging a weapon that could satisfy her in the future, he nodded with confidence, unaware of the hidden meaning in the words. After she saw his affirmation, Hephaestus revealed a pleased smile.---"Okay, Vahn. Now that you have a new hammer, I want you to try creating another ingot. As you've seen for yourself, there have been some changes to the 'eternal flame' since your last visit. I want to see if you're able to properly control the flame since the changes were a result of the 'eternal flame' assimilating your mana." Hephaestus dragged him towards the forge and had him sit down; she wanted to test her theory as soon as possible.Vahn had some inhibitions about working metal using the 'eternal flame', but he believed that there wouldn't be any issues unless he tried infusing his perception into the area immediately surrounding the location of the flame. He quickly began to work after taking some magisteel from the solution next to the mouth of the forge.Even though he had yet to activate [Will of the Emperor], Vahn had almost no difficulty refining the metal. Though he could tell the heat from the flame was much stronger than his previous visit, it seemed to be much calmer in comparison. The strangest thing was after the metal reached a critical state, the flames seemed to automatically redirect the heat away from the metal.Due to the 'cooperation' of the flame, Vahn managed to refine the metal while retaining 85% of its total volume. This was even more than when he had used [Will of the Emperor] in his previous attempt. From the side, Hephaestus was watching this entire process with bated breath. Her belief that Vahn descended from a divine lineage based on forging was now firmly cemented in her mind.Vahn continued the process of shaping the ingot but had minimal success since he hadn't been using his skill to forcibly shape the metal. He wanted to try using his own ability to form the ingot, but after 13 failures he ended up activating [Will of the Emperor] so that he complete the process. This time he avoided the situation of having a clash with the 'eternal flame' because he hadn't tried inserting his spiritual sense within the flames dominion.After he was finished, Hephaestus inspected the ingot before giving him an approving nod. "This is very well done considering its only your third time creating an ingot. After you increase your knowledge and improve your techniques, you'll be able to begin converting the ingots into weapons and armor."Vahn was happy hearing her praise. It almost made him want to use his OP to try and enhance his [Blacksmith] skill further, but after seeing his dwindling OP pool, he decided against it. He was nearly out after converting all of his recent spoils into Valis, and he was now even further away from completing his quest which required 1,000,000. (A/N: Vahn currently has 18,090 OP)"Before we begin discussing your future arrangements, I want your help conducting an experiment Vahn." Vahn, hearing her statement, began paying close attention to Hephaestus's words. "I want you to try imbuing your spiritual energy into the eternal flame. Wait, don't give me that look. Let me explain..."Vahn had begun to frown after hearing her request but allowed her to continue. "You see, if my speculation is correct you should now be able to interface directly with the 'eternal flame' without any difficulties. You should have noticed how cooperative it was when you were refining the ingot. Don't worry, since I'm prepared this time, I can guarantee you won't be in any danger."Vahn considered her words and had a few misgivings, but seeing the confidence in Hephaestus's eyes, he sighed and sat back down in front of the forge. He stared into the golden flames while trying to calm his heart...After calming down he began activating [Will of the Emperor] and focused his intent into the dominion of the flame. Unlike last time, the flame didn't attempt to seize his energy, instead, the 'aura' around the flame began to dance excitedly.//Eternal Flame: Affection +17//Though he was surprised by the notification, Vahn managed to maintain his calm due to the dreamlike quality of the flame. Instead of attacking him as it had done previously, the flame began to entangle with his energy which caused Vahn to feel a warm and calming sensation within his mind and body. The 'eternal flame' seemed to be asking permission to assimilate some of his energy, and Vahn released small amounts which caused the flame to burn brighter.//Eternal Flame: Affection +2//From the side, Hephaestus stared at the interaction with a mixture of excitement and curiosity. This further confirmed her suspicions of Vahn's origin, but she was curious about which part of his bloodline allowed him to enhance a divine artifact like the 'eternal flame'. The 'eternal flame' was a product of her own Divinity and it had accompanied her ever since her time in Heaven. Though it was now much weaker than it's previous state, Vahn was very quickly bringing it to the pinnacle of its former glory. At this rate, she would even be able to forge quasi-divine tier equipment even without her Arcanum. (A/N: Arcanum is the actual godly power that is sealed before they descend from Heaven.)---Vahn continued infusing his energy into the eternal flame while in a dazed state. It wasn't due to him having difficulties maintaining the connection, but because of the information that kept appearing in his mind.//Eternal Flame: Affection +1//...//Eternal Flame: Affection +1//...//Eternal Flame: Affection +1//...//Eternal Flame: Aff...At this point, the affection of the flame had reached 98 points and he was watching the number get ever closer to reaching 100. After an additional ten minutes, Vahn finally got his first 'person' to maximum affection. The moment the number hit 100 a series of alarms started sounding throughout his mind.//Eternal Flame Has Reached Maximum Affection////Eternal Flame Wishes to become your subordinate: Y/N?////Quest Completed: [The Hearts Desire:C-SS]//Completion Grade: SSRewards: 'Gift' Function unlocked, 10,000OP, 1x [Hearts Desire:Eternal Flame]Grade Rewards: [Prometheus:A] Skill unlocked, 1x [Skill Enhancement Scroll:A], 50,000OP[Prometheus]Rank: AAllows the user to condense flame seeds that can be imbued into living creatures. Increases the potential of the recipient by a portion of the user's capabilities. Each use of this skill causes an intense backlash to the user. Each successive use decreases pain tolerance by 10%. (Current:0). At 100%, the use of this skill will result in death. Decays by a rate of 1% per month.Vahn was completely shocked after seeing all of the notifications. Hephaestus noticed his change, and quickly channeled a strange energy into his back which forcibly severed Vahn's connection with the 'eternal flame'."Are you okay, Vahn? Can you tell me what happened? Everything seemed to be going well from what I could tell." Hephaestus was flustered as she promised nothing would happen to him. After seeing he had no visible signs of injury, she released a relieved sigh.Vahn laughed awkwardly and explained what he had experienced. He told her that he felt a strange bond with the 'eternal flame' and a 'voice' in his head asking him to accept it as his subordinate. Hearing his explanation, it was Hephaestus's turn to be shocked. After all, the 'eternal flame' was the product of her Divinity. It was a part of her, and the idea that it would subordinate itself to another was previously outside the realm of possibility.Hephaestus turned to look at the vibrant golden flame and almost felt as if it was lamenting at having to separate from Vahn. As an experiment, she grabbed his hand and pulled him further away from the flame and noticed the vibrancy fade..."Your bloodline must be more powerful than I imagined...I've never even heard of someone being able to subordinate the divine artifact of a god." Hephaestus was now bringing Vahn closer to the flame, and it seemed to come alive with anticipation. She felt a little betrayed at seeing its reaction, but couldn't blame Vahn since it was her request that led to this predicament.Within Vahn's mind, the same notification kept popping up over and over. The 'eternal flame' seemed intent on having his approval, but without Hephaestus's permission, he wasn't willing to accept. He could see she was struggling internally, so he decided to speak up to alleviate her concerns. "Don't worry Hephaestus. I wouldn't try to take away the items of the people I care about. I'm certain the flame will return to normal after a while."Hearing Vahn mention 'people he cares about' in reference to her, Hephaestus made up her mind. "No, Vahn. I want to see what happens if you're able to subordinate my flame. Since this is an unprecedented situation, I am curious about the result. Besides, I trust that you wouldn't run away with the flame after it came into your possession. It needs to reside in a specialized hearth or it would lose its power, so it can't leave from this place to begin with."Since he had her permission, Vahn decided to agree to have the 'eternal flame' as his subordinate. Like Hephaestus, he was very curious about the effects he would receive after the process completed. Using a mental command, he accepted the notification and felt a 'link' connecting him and the flame within the forge.His mind was spontaneously filled with happy feelings, and he could feel a gentle warmth coming from the invisible connection he had established with the 'eternal flame'. Though he wasn't able to hear any words, he could understand the intent it was releasing. Following it's prompting, Vahn put his hand into the flame after making a small incision on his palm.Hephaestus watched the process with fear, trepidation, and a moderate amount of anticipation. She too had a connection with the 'eternal flame', and after Vahn accepted it as a subordinate she was able to subtly feel his presence now connected with her soul using the flame as an intermediary.After his hand was placed into the flame, his blood turned into particles of light which were absorbed into the aura of the 'eternal flame'. After they vanished, the flame wrapped around his hand and imbued part of itself into his body. It flowed through the energy channels of his body before settling itself within his heart.//[Heart of the Eternal Flame:SS] Obtained//[Heart of the Eternal Flame]Rank:SSPassive: Gives the possessor perfect affinity with the element of fire. Enhances blood circulation and stamina recovery. Immune to all yang based fires below Soul Tier: 4Active: Allows attacks to possess a burning effect.Vahn had gained yet another skill, and he could feel a powerful energy like molten metal through his body. His heart felt like a furnace as it pumped the energy-rich blood through his body.(A/N: Alternate Title: A Blazing Affection!!! Next Chapter Teaser: Cyclops of the Twin Peaks!?)

For the next few days, Vahn continued helping Lili with her training. Though she had made noticeable progress, she was still having difficulties increasing her parameters to the point she could fight without assistance. She lacked the stamina for drawn-out fights, and her stats didn't give her much of an edge against monsters within the dungeon.Even though she was still gaining exilia from fighting, there wasn't a large increase in her parameters since she lacked a skill that modified her growth. Vahn wanted to try and help her awaken her true potential, so he had used the Valis he had been saving to take Lili shopping on their next day off. He thought that introducing weighted clothing or armor would help improve her base parameters and increase the efficacy of her training.Upon hearing that she would be able to go on a 'date' with Vahn, Lili seemed to double her efforts in training. She continued putting in these efforts until the day had finally arrived. When Vahn stepped out of his room early, she was already waiting for him in the hallway in her 'battle attire'.Vahn was surprised to see Lili waiting outside his door, and even more so after seeing how she was dressed. She had done up her hair slightly and it had a healthy sheen. Around her neck, she wore the small bronze necklace which stood out against the pure white frock that Vahn had never seen before. It still had a bit of a childish quality which brought out the liveliness in Lili's appearance.Seeing his dazed observation of her attire, Lili gave a victorious smile before hurrying him out of the Inn. She wanted to get a head start on the date so they would have more time together after shopping.As Vahn trailed behind her, his eyes were drawn to the tail that was poking out of a ribbon in the frock. Since it was the same chestnut brown as Lili's hair it stood out against the plain white dress. Till now he had yet to see exactly how the tail was connected to the body so he was still rather curious. Of course, he knew better than to ask and there would always be opportunities in the future. He even considering trying to grow a tail of his own later.---The two continued until they came upon the stall Vahn had frequented often in the last few days. After purchasing some crepes, the owner gave them a pleasant smile as he wished them well on their 'date'. Vahn had become a 'usual' customer at the stall, and the owner, a rather plump middle-aged dwarf named Ivaan had developed a friendly relationship with him. Vahn gave an awkward smile while Lili blushed with a pleased expression on her face after hearing the mans words.They continued slowly making their way towards Babel where, after entering, Lili began dragging him around to various shops she was familiar with. Vahn was surprised with the familiarity she showed with the shops and became very interested after hearing her explain the function of a variety of useful items. After stopping at several stores and resupplying items for use in the dungeon, they finally made their way towards their original destination.Entering the 8th Floor of Babel, the pair came across the shops owned and operated by the Hephaestus Familia. There was a plethora of weapons and armor on display as they made their way deeper into the interior of the floor.Their goal was to purchase both armor and a new weapon for Lili to facilitate her continued growth. Though she had improved her accuracy and combat with the crossbow, she wasn't able to easily deal with monsters using a dagger. Since she was relatively small herself and the reach of the dagger was limited, it made it very dangerous to fight in such close proximity of monsters.Since Vahn wasn't too familia with the function of armor, he decided to help Lili find a weapon first. Lili still had inhibitions about wearing restrictive equipment, so she was more than happy to put it off until later. Eventually, they found their way into one of the mid-tier quality stores which could be denoted by the "grade" posted on the outside of the store. This store, called 'Blacksteel Works' openly displayed the Hephaestus Familia emblem with a 'B' in large font beneath it.After entering they browsed a bit before meeting with the owner of the establishment. He was a relatively young man between 17-20 years of age with blonde hair and an honest face. Seeing the two peculiarly dressed people approach, he greeted them in a loud tone. "Greet'ns! What can I do ye for strangers? Not seen ye around this store before. Lookin' fer anythin' specific?" (A/N: I feel like writing accents is outside my comfort zone~)Vahn had a good impression of the man due to his honest expression and stable yellow aura. From his experience, such people were easy to deal with and good-natured. He gave the man, who had at this point identified himself as Arin, a list of all the items he was looking for."If possible we'd prefer to look at weapons that meet the requirements before armor. For now, we don't need anything made-to-order, but if the functionality is good we would likely be interested in the future." Lili had decided to explain matters since Vahn seemed more focused on making small talk. She didn't really want to spend too much time in the store since it would interfere with the time spent elsewhere.Arin looked at the disgruntled Lili before giving Vahn a sideways grin, "Yer girls a feisty one ain't she?" Vahn gave a helpless smile at the remark and asked if they would be able to see the weapons. From the side, Lili was smiling and behaving more docilely.---After a few minutes, Arin had lined up a variety of weapons. There were shortswords, rapiers, longswords, spears, and even an oversized katana which caught Vahn's interest. He often imagined wielding one for himself in his previous life so it tickled his inner desires a bit. When he changed weapons in the future, Vahn decided it would be a katana unless there were better options.Lili tried out the weapons by lifting and feeling their weight. Since she had never used anything other than a dagger and crossbow everything was awkward for her. She kept picking up and seeing if any of them 'felt' right, but was unable to make a decision due to her lack of interest and experience.Seeing her hesitation, Arin started detailing the usefulness of the various weapons. He discussed how some were good for fighting groups, while others were more suitable to individuals. He even went into details about their composition, durability, and the practicality of their range and maintenance requirements.Vahn and Lili listened to the very informative information. Though she wasn't as interested as Vahn, Lili still made it a habit to remember anything that could be useful for the future. One of the skills she had relied on the survive so long was her ability to gather knowledge and information.After listening to the explanation, Vahn was considering purchasing all the weapons just to try them out. Even if he didn't end up using them, it would be good to have a variety of weapons obtained outside the system shop for future use. While he was making up his mind, Lili began asking about weapons that were heavy and could be used for the purpose of increasing strength."Heavy weapons that can increase strength ye say? Hmmm, I think I may have what yer lookin' for if its just fer trainin' purposes." Arin went into the back room and came out carrying two items. One was a large poleaxe that was more than 160cm long and weighed nearly 30kg. It was made of 'blacksteel' like the shops' namesake. The other item was an almost comically oversized hammer. It was 125cm long with the head of the hammer being 70cms. It weighed a monstrous 90kg.Out of curiosity, Vahn tried lifting the two weapons and found that, though they were lighter than he expected, they were very awkward to use. Lili also gave it a try and struggled quite a bit, but due to her [Artel*Assist] skill, she managed to carry both items, albeit with a strenuous amount difficulty.After holding the two items, Lili decided she would take them both since they met the requirements of activating [Artel*Assist]. She agreed with Vahn that it would be important to develop the skill if she wanted to get stronger in the future. There was also the truth that it was easier to discard than armor so she could easily swap weapons depending on the situation.Vahn ended up purchasing all the weapon and handed over 92,000V in payment. It was a large portion of his earning for the week, but once he started advancing further into the dungeon he would easily recoup the loss. After accepting the money, Arin ended up returning 12,000V with the reason being it was a discount for their first purchase and the fact they bought several items at once. He also mentioned he had been trying to get rid of the hammer for a while, so he was happy Vahn took it off his hands.Since it would be awkward explaining storage magic, Vahn had to give Arin the address of the inn and was informed they would be delivered before the end of the day. After that, they made their way towards a different shop that specialized in armor.Lili seemed very averse to purchasing "heavy" equipment since it didn't suit her small frame. In fact, other than some made-to-order stuff, there was nearly no armor that actually fit her so they had to give up after purchasing a small breastplate along with a pair of arm and leg guards. They were convenient as they could be worn easily over her usual clothing.Vahn, remembering the clothes Lili often wore was tattered and aged, decided to purchase her some newer clothing. After his experience with changing his own image, he thought it would be good for her to do something similar. After hearing they would next be shopping for clothes, Lilii's eyes began to glow in anticipation.They entered a store that specialized in producing and tailoring adventurer's wear. There were several mannequins decked out in a variety of different outfits that fit the stereotypes of different styles of adventurers.Lili spent more than three hours trying on various different outfits while Vahn sat numbingly having to give his opinion on each of them. She eventually settled on a pair of tan shorts with a black sleeveless shirt that displayed her navel. To accompany the outfit she also picked out a pair of dark stockings with tan leather boots that reached halfway up her calves. Lastly, she chose a stylish red vest to complete the outfit.Vahn thought the outfit suited her, but was curious why she would pick clothing that showed her stomach. After asking, she gave him a bashful look before moving away to hand the items over to the seamstress for modification. After she returned she asked a question of her own with a blush on her face, "Vahn, do you like when a girl shows her midriff or do you prefer if they stay fully clothed?"Vahn contemplated the question and realized he didn't have a preference. He enjoyed that everyone wore a variety of different outfits and didn't consider if he had a preference for any specific type of clothing. After thinking for a while, he decided on his answer. "I think people should wear whatever they want as long as it's comfortable. Though, if I had to say, when cute girls show more skin it makes me feel a bit dazed at times."Though she was dissatisfied with the first part of his answer, as it was kind of roundabout, Lili began to beam after hearing the second part. Even though she often wore a cloak and hood over her clothing, she didn't like wearing restrictive clothes all that much. That was the main reason she didn't want to wear heavy armor if it could be avoided.---The two continued to walk around until the evening came. Vahn told Lili after they had lunch that he had business with the Hephaestus Familia, so after he walked her back to the inn he made his way towards Hephaestus's workshop. Lili stayed behind to receive the shipment of items, but she didn't let Vahn leave without promising to take her out to dinner as compensation in the future.

Chapter 50: Hephaestus's Intrigue