Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

The moment the spar began, Vahn and Tiona immediately leaped towards each other. The surprising thing for Vahn was, even though Tiona was at the peak of Level 4 he was easily able to keep track of her movements. Though she was much faster than him, it wasn't nearly as difficult to follow as Tsubaki's had been.As the two closed the distance in an instant, Vahn tried to perform a fast instep to transition his weight behind his right punch. He twisted his body and aimed directly towards the exposed stomach of Tiona, but before his fist came anywhere near a hand grabbed the inside of his forearm and dispersed the force of the blow away from Vahn's body. In the gap that had been opened in his defense, Vahn saw a healthy brown thigh peak through the gap in fabrics as a knee approached his face.Using his left hand, Vahn tried to vault off the knee and use the contained momentum to launch himself away, but the moment his hand made contact he felt a pressure on his left shoulder. Tiona had locked down his body to prevent him from evading the incoming blow and Vahn was unable to stop the momentum of the knee as it crashed into his chin. He was sent flying, but since his forearm had prevented a direct hit he managed to retain his consciousness.After sliding across the ground for several meters, Vahn managed to steady himself and leaped back to his feet only to be met by a small exposed brown foot right in front of his eyes. He tried to intercept the blow, but it was moving much faster than his body could keep up with. Though his senses could 'see' it coming, his body was unable to react as the foot stopped right before colliding with his defenseless face.The wind from the blow blew back Vahn's hair and in his absentmindedness, Vahn continued his defensive action and grabbed the stalled leg even though it had ceased its advance. The moment he grabbed, he could hear a sweet laughter as Tiona said, "That tickles, but I think this is my win."Vahn released the leg and gave her an awkward look before apologizing. Tiona didn't seem to mind as she wagged her foot back and forth. "Its fine, I don't mind if you want to touch it again in the future. Just make sure you work hard to become strong, okay?" After her parting words, she ran happily towards the Loki group while Ais took her distance from Vahn.Vahn, seeing she had her sword, became somewhat nervous. He knew she was even stronger than Tiona presently and was much more agile. Seeing his nervousness, Ais looked at her sword before setting it off to the side. Instead of the blade, she lifted her sheath and took her stance again. Noticing that she had swapped her sword out, Vahn released a sigh before grabbing one of the training weapons off the wall. They were all blunt with rounded edges that wouldn't severely injure, but Vahn didn't hold any expectation of landing a hit in the first place.He assumed a stance with his feet squared apart while holding his blade at a twenty-degree angle favoring his right shoulder. He leaned his body slightly and prepared to attack the moment the signal was raised. Ais's stance seemed full of opening as she pointed her sheath forward while raising her left hand slightly.Tsubaki confirmed they were both ready before repeating her earlier actions. She took a deep breath before dropping her hand in a cutting motion while shouting, "Begin!"Vahn dashed towards Ais who had remained standing in her starting position. As he closed the gap, he tried to attack with a low sweeping motion to force her to reposition. Ais slightly bent her knees before slamming the butt of her sheath into the attack vector of Vahn's sword. Her actions caused the blade to collide with the ground and stopped Vahn's momentum. Using the moment he lost his balance, Ais deflected her sheath off of the blade and stabbed it into Vahn's diaphragm.Falling backward, Vahn felt the air escape his lungs but he managed to prevent himself from collapsing to the ground. He put his sword into a defensive stance to prepare for a counter, but Ais just stood in her original spot holding the sheath towards him. Realizing she had no intention to attack, Vahn steadied his breathing before renewing his efforts.This time he tried to attack from above with an overhead swing while shifting his momentum backward to prevent her from being able to use his own attack against him. He sacrificed power in performing the contradictory movement, but it made it much harder to exploit any openings. Ais looked toward the approaching blade with her expressionless eyes before stepping forward.Because Vahn had committed to a strange action, instead of defending as she did previously, Ais used the fact he wouldn't be able to change his direction to side-step the attack and once again press her sheath into his diaphragm. This time she put less strength into the blow knocking Vahn back three steps before he was able to regain his footing.Though he hadn't exerted himself much, Vahn was already breathing heavily. Unlike Tiona who had fought him head on and defeated him, Ais was allowing him to attack at his convenience. Not only that, but she was even showing leniency in her counterattacks to give him more opportunities.Vahn didn't know why, but the fact she was going easy on him frustrated him greatly. He wanted to measure himself against the two, but the only thing he realized was the fact he was much weaker. They didn't have to make any effort to defeat him and actually had to hold back to prevent Vahn from sustaining injury.As his frustration built up a cool sensation began to spread in his mind as Vahn began regulating his breathing. The domain around his body began to condense, and Ais showed increased caution as she readied her sheath for the coming attack. Vahn took a deep breath and held it in as he fiercely lunged towards Ais while swinging his sword in a large arc.Ais tilted her body to deflect the attack, but the moment her sheath contacted the blade her body carried forward slightly as the entire sword was knocked to the ground. Vahn had put his full weight into the blow but used his senses to release his grip the moment he was able to perceive Ais's counter.Instead of being knocked off balance by her deflecting the blade, he managed to catch her off guard by dropping his own sword. Now she had created a gap for him to exploit since she was still stuck in the motion of parrying his attack. Vahn stepped in low with his shoulder to knock her further off balance and open her up to an elbow strike.Unfortunately, even though she was slightly surprised, Ais was still a level 5. Though she was slightly off balance, she managed to put enough strength into her pivot foot to spin her entire body around in an instant. Instead of contacting her body with his shoulder, Vahn passed right through the location Ais has occupied as the sheath made contact with the back of his head.Vahn immediately lost consciousness from the blow and didn't even feel when he impacted the ground. Naaza and Lili immediately ran towards his body to see if he was okay and released relieved sighs after they saw he had just passed out. Lili glared toward Ais before shouting, "You didn't have to be so rough! What kind of spar ends with one person being knocked out and injured!?Ais stood still as Lili screamed towards her and she stared down at the unconscious Vahn with an almost sad and apologetic expression. She was a little rough in her last attack, and if she hadn't reduced her strength at the last moment she may have ended up killing him on accident. She had what could be considered a 'vexed' look as she faced towards Rivera. "Rivera, please..."Rivera sighed before walking towards Vahn and inspecting his body. She could see he wasn't seriously injured, but would probably be nursing a headache for the next few days if left untreated. After muttering an incantation, she pointed her staff towards the unconscious Vahn and casting the healing spell [Fil Eldis]. A gentle light spread across his body as his eyelids started to flutter.Vahn opened his eyes and saw the worried faces of Naaza and Lili. Behind them, he could see Ais staring at him showing a hint of concern as well. Vahn closed his eyes and released a tired sigh. ('I lost...'). Though he never expected to win from the start, it was still hard to swallow how helpless he was against the two young girls. How could he protect anything if he couldn't even defeat people that went easy on him...As he was lost in his own thoughts, he could feel something poking at his cheek. Opening his eyes, he saw a new face next to the previous two. It was Tiona looking down on him with a smile and cheerful expression. "You did well. Make sure to work hard and challenge me again, okay? I'll be waiting...and Ais too, right?"Vahn could see Ais nod in response to Tiona's question. She looked towards the sword Vahn had dropped when he tried to get an advantage against her. "Smart...but dangerous. Make sure to have backups." She then stared at him for a few seconds before thanking Riveria and moving to the side. Tiona followed suit after poking Vahn's stunned face again. "Bye-bye Vahn. Come to visit the Loki Familia if you get a chance."After saying their farewells, the members of the Loki Familia left Tsubaki's manor (A/N: I'm calling her house a manor because it honestly is.)Vahn continued to sit in the training grounds in silent contemplation. The two girls tried to cheer him up, but Vahn only nodded and showed them a kind smile before continuing to reflect on the fights. Seeing that they were distracting him, Naaza and Lili went to prepare breakfast. They had already gotten a late start to the day and wanted to give Vahn time to think before training began.When he was the only one left in the training area, Vahn sighed deeply. He had made a lot of improvements in the last month while training with Tsubaki, but his overall power hadn't increased by much. Sure, he could probably use his skills/techniques to handle several similarly skilled adventurers, but the moment he came across anyone marginally stronger he would be defeated. Tsubaki said he had the potential to fight people above his level, but that was only by relying on his overbearing skillset and not his actual fighting prowess.After thinking it through and looking over his skills for several minutes, Vahn knew what he needed to do. He would have to leave Lili to Naaza and Tsubaki and begin delving deeper into the dungeon. It was only by pushing himself to his limits that Vahn would be able to exceed them. Though he didn't regret spending time with Lili, there was no telling what would happen in the future. If Vahn wasn't strong enough he knew he was bound to regret it if anything happened."Seems like you made up your mind." From behind, Vahn could hear the voice of Tsubaki. He turned and saw her looking at him with gentle eyes and a kind smile. He nodded his head in response to her question. "Yes...I need to forge my own path for a while. If I keep staying in one place I will begin to stagnate and my growth will come to a halt. Though training helps increase my combat ability and technique, it has more of an effect on my mental state and discipline than it does my combat capabilities. If I don't experience real combat and push myself further, I won't be able to meet my goals..."Tsubaki shook her head and sighed with her hand on her head. After a brief moment, she looked towards Vahn and began to laugh with a large smile on her face. "The only person you can rely on to become stronger is yourself. But make sure you remember what is waiting for your return. A lot of people are happy just seeing you alive, even if you never became any stronger."Vahn nodded as the faces of all the people he had begun to care about flashed through his mind. First was Hephaestus...he owed her a lot. Next was Chloe...Vahn owed her more than he could probably ever repay. Behind these two central presences, the images of Lili, Tsubaki, Tina, Naaza, Milan, and even Eina and the other girls at the guild passed through his mind. After realizing that most of the impactful people he could recall were girls, Vahn felt a fluttery sensation in his heart which caused the 'eternal flame' to dance in his chest.He put his hand over his heart and realized he had a lot of things he had begun to care about. There was even new people he was beginning to develop an interest in like the members of the Loki Familia. They took a central role in the original story and Vahn had even considered joining the Familia when he was making his decision. It would have been fun to grow alongside people like Tiona and Ais. And Gareth and Rivera seemed to be kind and caring of their juniors.A loud smack sounded which broke Vahn from his internal reflection. Tsubaki had slapped his back and knocked him forward slightly. Vahn had to catch himself with his hands before face-planting into the dirt. Tsubaki laughed while walking towards the dining room. "Don't think so much Vahn! Just do what you think is best without worrying too much. Hell, if you can't work things out on your own there are plenty of people that will help you. Now, let's go eat breakfast! After that sorry display earlier, I'm going to have to train you doubly hard today!"A shiver passed down Vahn's back but after it passed he smiled. Looking towards the tower in the distance, Vahn felt anticipation building within. He would work hard to become strong enough to stand at the top of that tower one day, while also delving deep into its depths and uncovering all the mysteries of the dungeon. If it was possible, he even wanted to battle the one-eyed black dragon and see what other secrets this world had to offer. But, for now, Vahn would just enjoy breakfast.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What? A Man's Gotta Eat.','Wrekt, Wrekt Again', 'Touch the Foot','Turning Point', 'Lili's Nightmare Begins', 'Naaza Aggressively Wagging Her Tail')

Vahn arrived in the dining room and noticed the atmosphere was somewhat low. He could see the auras of Naaza and Lili drooping downwards and there were tinges of blue that marred their typically vibrant yellow auras. Vahn looked towards Tsubaki who seemed unaffected by the mood and she just smiled while nodding toward his seat.After he sat down, Lili started placing food on everyone's plates, but Vahn could see that is was much slower than normal. She seemed to be repressing her emotions and was doing her best to avoid looking directly at him. "Lili, what's wrong? Why are you and Naaza behaving so strangely?" Vahn asked with a gentle tone as he was looking between the two disconsolate girls.Hearing his question, both girls flinched slightly before turning towards him with sad looks on their faces. Vahn frowned, but Tsubaki spoke up before he could continue questioning. "When we were preparing breakfast I told them you were likely going to be spending a lot of time in the dungeon. Since neither of them is strong enough to accompany you, I told them they would have to remain behind unless they managed to increase their strength. Now they're sad because they won't be able to have so much time with you, isn't that right girls?"Naaza wasn't as affected as Lili, but hearing Tsubaki's words she felt saddened. She only ever got to spend time with Vahn when he was training or helping her develop potion recipes. Now that he would be spending most of his time in the dungeon, she was unsure of how to react. She even harbored thoughts of returning to the Miach Familia, but something deep inside prevented her from making that decision.Lili was greatly affected and tears could be seen in her eyes as she stared towards Vahn. She could see a conviction in his eyes, and ever since she heard him challenge the Loki Familia she had a feeling he would end up moving forward on his own. Though Lili knew he wasn't abandoning her, it still hurt her heart knowing that he would be venturing deep into that dark place on his own. For the last month she had been putting in so much effort to grow, but no matter what she did Lili was unable to keep up with his progress.Vahn nodded his head with understanding before thinking for a few moments. After he found the words he was looking for, he smiled toward the two doleful girls. "This is necessary for me to grow. I have an affinity with the dungeon after all. The entire reason I came to Orario was to delve into its depths so I can bring out my full potential and grow stronger. It also gave me the opportunity to meet both of you, so I will not shy away from my current path. I will continue to grow and become stronger so that I can protect the people I care about. Please don't be sad, instead, I ask that you wish me well so that I have fewer worries while I'm away. I promise I will always come back...this place is my home."The more Vahn spoke, the more the two girls seemed to struggle. At this point, even Naaza had begun to tear up while Lili hung her head low as tears seasoned her rice. Vahn waited for both of them to relax while Tsubaki started eating with an uncharacteristic expressionless face. Vahn was influenced by this more than the two crying girls, as he was unable to recall a time when Tsubaki wasn't smiling...other than when she was fighting with her sword.After a few minutes, Lili spoke out. "Vahn...I swear I will become stronger. I may not be able to follow you now, but one day I will be able to catch up to you. I will never stop trying." Lili spoke each word with conviction, and it seemed to influence Naaza who also said a few words. "Make sure you always return, no matter how injured you are...I will heal you up at no charge." Naaza tried to laugh as she spoke the last words, but her voice choked a bit in the attempt.Vahn smiled towards the two girls; He really appreciated their concern for him and it made his desire to grow stronger to protect them more prevalent in his mind. Not only the people present, but Vahn also resolved to protect everyone. Even if he couldn't do it now, as long as he made the effort there were no limits to his growth. He would weather any pain and suffering to ensure that those who believe in him never have to experience it themselves.---After breakfast, Tsubaki made true on her words as she put Vahn through a hellish final training session. She beat him to the point he had to struggle to prevent [Rakshasa Body] from activating. Vahn felt like she was releasing a lot of pent up resentment on his defenseless body and he was unable to determine the cause of her violent actions. Throughout the entire process, her usually smiling face remained unseen as she emotionlessly thrashed his body.By the time the training had ended, Vahn was incapable of moving any muscles in his body. He began to suspect Tsubaki was trying to prevent him from entering the dungeon, but as this thought was passing through his mind he felt a warm sensation spread throughout his body. Tsubaki held in her hand a crimson liquid and was pouring it onto Vahn's exposed chest. The liquid soaked into his flesh and an irresistible heat began to spread through his body.Vahn clenched his teeth to resist the sensation as Tsubaki began to explain her actions. "This is a potion made using mermaid's blood as a catalyst and is mixed with various rare herbs that promote parameter development. Its total worth is more than 200,000,000V so make sure I don't regret using it on you." Tsubaki emptied the remainder of the contents and all the bruises on Vahn's body vanished.Vahn felt like his body was burning, which was a peculiar feeling since he had become fire-proof after obtaining [Heart of the Eternal Flame]. After the pain faded, it felt like all the pores on his body had opened and each of his muscles felt full of strength. When he arose from the ground, he could hear his bones popping with each movement. Curious about the phenomenon, Vahn started stretching and noticed his flexibility had increased remarkably. After checking his status, his eye nearly turned round from shock.-------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Stats]]Name: [Vahn Mason]Age: 14Race: Human, *sealed*Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]-Level:2(2)-Power:1001+(H119)-&gt;(E447)-Endurance:1108+(G240)-&gt;(D590)-Dexterity:887+(H101)-&gt;(F322)-Agility:940+(H192)-&gt;(E410)-Magic:1611+(E444)-&gt;(B701)Total:5547+(1096)-&gt;(2470)Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)[Karma]: 1,008[OP]: 143,050[Valis]: 339,000-------------------------------------------------------------------------Tsubaki saw the shock on his face before slapping him on the back and laughing. "I'm sure you feel full of power, but don't let it go to your head. The biggest effect of the potion is it resolves any damage you may have suffered to your foundation in the past. Make sure you work hard or I'll beat you even worse next time!"Vahn nodded his head like a clucking chicken before he left to make preparations for entering the dungeon. Since he only intended to return when he was overly fatigued or hit a dead-end in his progress, there were several things Vahn needed to prepare. Most important of all, he wanted to make sure he had enough good food to last for up to a month.After consoling Lili, who seemed unwilling to let him go, for several minutes Vahn finally managed to separate from her. Naaza also gave him a short hug before breaking away with a blush which Vahn found interesting. It was rare to see Naaza act so adorable and he almost wanted to tease her for it. However, considering that he would be leaving shortly he didn't want to upset either of them further.On his way towards Babel, Vahn made a large detour to visit the crepe stand he hadn't visited in a while. After exchanging pleasantries with Ivaan, who was pleased to see him, Vahn ended up buying up the entire stock of crepes. Ivaan was surprised hearing Vahn's demand, but Vahn assured him that it was for a good cause so Ivaan consented to the exchange. Thanking him for his kindness, Vahn left an extra large tip that brought the total expenditure to 37,000V.Leaving the stand, Vahn ducked into an alleyway and put the large basket full of crepes into his storage. As he was in the area, Vahn made another detour to visit Hephaestus. He had learned from Tsubaki she had left early to tend to her work that had piled up during the Denatus. Vahn wanted to let her know he would be venturing into the dungeon, as he was worried she may overreact if he was exposed to danger without her knowing.It didn't take long for Vahn to come across the familiar building that had changed his life so recently. He stood outside and observed the structure before taking a deep breath and entering the premise. The head guard, Zaff, noticed his entrance and immediately sent someone to inform Hephaestus. After doing so he walked forward to greet Vahn. "Heya Vulcan. Heard you've been up to some heroic deeds lately."Vahn laughed slightly at the comment. He wasn't surprised the guards that worked for Hephaestus already knew about his alias, and he wasn't ashamed to be addressed as such. "Good morning Zaff, thanks for your help in the past." Vahn handed him a slip that he had received from Chloe the other day. As long as someone exchanged it, they would be able to enjoy a discount on all alcohol at the Hostess of Fertility between 7 PM and closing.Zaff received the slip and his gruff face lit up with a smile. He was no stranger to the item as it was one of the most sought-after commodities that few patrons had the chance to receive. "Hehe, good lad. I'm sure the boys'll toast you thrice for your kindness." Zaff patted Vahn's shoulder before returning to his post and having one of the other guards pass the word to the rest of the members. The man who heard the news showed a big smile before hastily making his rounds.Hephaestus finally showed up in the door and smiled after seeing Vahn. She waved toward him and he followed her to the private workshop at the back of the store. After they entered, she closed the door before sitting at her worktable. "Good morning Vahn, I'm happy to see you so soon." Vahn could hear a slight tremble in her voice and noticed a light blush on her face."I'm happy to see you again Hephaestus. There was something I had wanted to tell you this morning, but you had vanished before I was able." As he spoke Vahn approached the desk until he stood directly opposite of Hephaestus. He could see her swallow before asking, "What did you want to tell me Vahn?"Vahn took a deep breath before explaining everything he had realized since this morning. He conveyed his desire to grow stronger while also becoming a more capable blacksmith. Vahn swore that he would one day forge an item worthy of her praise. Hearing his proclamation, Hephaestus showed a gentle smile but her happiness quickly turned to awe as he continued."I promise Hephaestus, once I am strong enough I will drive away the loneliness in your heart. I will make it known to the entire world that I, Vahn Mason, am privileged to be at your side. Those that would besmirch you will realize their foolishness and I will start by doing this..." As Vahn gave his impassioned speech he reached over the table and grabbed Hephaestus face.Hephaestus's body completely froze up when Vahn grabbed her face and pulled her forward. She closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable contact as an anticipation began to build in her wildly fluctuating heart. But, instead of the expected outcome, she felt a searing sensation on her now uncovered right eye. The pain spread throughout her body, and she was unable to resist its encroachment.It felt like something within her body was changing and she began to panic, never believing that one day the boy she showed so much affection for may one day betray her. An anguish spread from her heart at the thought and Hephaestus felt like she wanted to cry as a result of the heartbreak and pain, but before she was able to cry out the pain began to rapidly subside. The heat from her eye vanished and she looked towards Vahn who was showing her a deeply affectionate smile.Vahn ignored her questioning look as he grabbed a large polished blade from the display. He approached the muddle-headed Hephaestus before holding the flat of the blade toward her. Hephaestus was confused and stared into the blade as if it contained the answers to all the questions that were dancing chaotically through her mind.Seeing her own reflection, Hephaestus felt something was strange before noticing something that shook her to the very core of her being. The deformity that had plagued her for her entire existence was gone. The eye still burned with a crimson hue, but the flesh around the socket had been completely mended and appeared identical to the left side of her face. She reached with her hand and felt the smooth skin that was previously coarse and rough.She looked towards Vahn as the tears she had been holding back earlier began to fall freely. "How...?" Hephaestus couldn't think of anything else but this question. No matter how hard she had tried in the past, nothing was able to remove the perpetual blemish from her face. It was almost like she was cursed to bear the ugly mark until the end of time.Vahn smiled before he reached out and patted her head, just like he had always done for Naaza and Lili when they were emotional. "I said I would take away your loneliness and make those idiots regret. I intend to keep my promise."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'How to Train your Goddess', 'See with eyes unclouded', 'Tears of Happiness are the most Beautiful', 'Vahn hits puberty', 'Cyclopean Loan Shark')

Vahn entered into the dining room and noticed nobody was there. As he had expected everyone to be eating breakfast together, he was a bit confused seeing the room empty. After straining his ears, he could hear sound coming from the front of the house towards the courtyard. Curious, Vahn decided to investigate to see what was going on.Entering the room where Tsubaki always welcomed her clients, Vahn noticed several people other than Tsubaki, Naaza, and Lili. Though he had never seen them before in the real world, Vahn was easily able to identify the visitors. They were the members of the Loki Familia or, more specifically, Gareth, Ais, Riveria, Tiona, and Lefiya. Vahn was surprised to see them here but was more interested in knowing where Hephaestus had gone to."Tsubaki, where did Hephae-""Are you the Vulcan, Vahn Mason?" Before Vahn could finish, he was interrupted by the lively shout of a young girl. As he had entered the room, the eyes of everyone had been drawn to him, including Tiona Hiryute. The moment she saw Vahn, she was easily able to recognize him based on the information she had obtained. She quickly moved towards him and looked him in the face as she asked her question.Vahn was surprised to see how excited she was, so he just nodded his head before looking towards the smiling Tsubaki. She was a lot calmer around guests but Vahn could see she was laughing in her mind.Seeing that he had nodded, Tiona smiled widely and introduced herself. "Hello, it's nice to meet you~ I'm Tiona Hiryute, the adventurer who goes by the alias 'Amazon'. After I heard the stories, I really wanted to meet the person everyone called a 'hero'! Let's be friends from now on."Vahn took a breath before introducing himself in turn. He could see her aura was a very vibrant yellow and seemed to be dancing around excitedly. Since she seemed to be really excited to meet him, he didn't want to leave a bad impression. "Hello Tiona, I'm Vahn Mason. It's nice to meet you."Hearing Vahn introduction, Tiona was very pleased as she continued to inspect his body. He was smaller than she expected, even shorter than she was, though, according to the rumors they should be around the same age. She noticed that his small frame was very well built and seemed to hide a powerful energy that made her instincts tingle with excitement."I'm really interested in hearing your stories Vahn. I heard you saved a damsel in distress..." Tiona looked towards the two girls that were giving her somewhat hostile looks. "Was it one of them? Or maybe even both!?" Seeing how the girls were reacting, Tiona saw they both had a natural draw towards Vahn."Tiona, that's enough. We're here on business, so find time to talk later." A taciturn voice cut in before Tiona was able to speak further. Vahn noticed it was the green haired elf, Riveria. He was surprised at how remarkably flawless her face was, but it was a shame she seemed to lack the expressiveness to display it properly.Tiona was dejected a bit but turned to Vahn before rejoining the group. "Hey, Vahn lets meet up sometime, okay? Vahn nodded and Tiona stood with the rest of her group. She looked towards Ais before whispering something into her ear. Whatever she said seemed to catch the interest of the beautiful doll-like girl as, for the first time since her arrival, her expressionless face changed somewhat.Ais walked towards Vahn while Gareth and Rivera both let out sighs while glaring towards Tiona who was laughing cheekily. Lefiya seemed to be concerned with Ais as she watched her approach the handsome young boy. She frowned somewhat, but there wasn't any hatred in her aura."You are strong?" Ais asked very frankly the moment she was directly before Vahn. Vahn thought about the question and was surprised to realize he didn't have an answer. Though he had made a lot of progress since he arrived in this world, he was still nowhere near the level of people like Tsubaki. Vahn also knew that the young and frail looking girl before him was also much stronger than he was.Vahn shook his head, causing Ais to frown slightly. "I am not strong...but I will become the strongest," Vahn said the words with conviction which caused the expressions of the older generation to change. They all smiled and seemed to recognize the power of the conviction behind his words. Ais too had noticed he was serious, so after a few seconds of consideration, she spoke again."Why?" Ais had a powerful desire for strength, so she was very interested to know why other people could become stronger. Vahn knew what she was asking, even though she didn't speak much. Though he hadn't completed the series and didn't know the full story, he knew she had a fierce hatred for monsters and wanted to avenge her mother.Vahn looked around at everyone in the room. Ais followed his eyes as they rested on each person, including those of her own Familia. Eventually, Vahn's eyes rested on Ais herself and she matched his gaze with her own. "To protect those I care about...and to alleviate their concerns for my safety. I want to become strong enough to alter my fate and clear a path for others to follow behind without fear for the future."Everyone in the room smiled, even the taciturn elf Riveria. Ais considered Vahn's words before nodding and giving him her opinion. "You are strong." With those parting words, Ais returned to the Loki group and stood between Tiona and Lefiya. Tiona seemed pleased by Ais's statement, but Lefiya showed a somewhat vexed expression as she periodically glanced towards Vahn.The next half hour was spent with Gareth discussing gear specifications with Tsubaki. She was taking notes and even pulled out a measuring tape to record Gareth's proportions. "Your body hasn't changed much since the last visit, except for this-" Tsubaki patted Gareth's stomach and he exhaled through his nose in disapproval."Hasn't been much going on lately. It's been nearly half a year since the last expedition." Gareth was a stout middle-aged dwarf with brown hair. He was almost the same height as Vahn, but his figure was solid as a mountain. He specialized in defense but possessed the incredible physical strength that was a characteristic of his species.Tsubaki continued taking notes before moving on to the requests of everyone else. Ais had been breaking all of her weapons since obtaining level 5 and had become a nightmare for all the veteran blacksmiths within the City. She requested Tsubaki to forge her a sword that was both durable but resistant enough to withstand her blows. Tsubaki let out an exasperated sigh as she wrote down the specifications.After everyone had placed their orders, Tsubaki gave them an invoice for 273,000,000V. Vahn, Lili, and Naaza were all shocked to see the number, but everyone in the Loki Familia remained unperturbed. As they were predominately first-class adventurers, it wasn't uncommon for them to spend several tens-of-millions of Valis on a single piece of equipment. They even immediately produced the required funds, as it was common to pay someone of Tsubaki's repute up-front for private contracts.Vahn was blown away by the disparity between what he considered common-sense and what was shown by the members of the Loki Familia. He began to worry about his own lack of strength since even Lefiya, who seemed to possess almost no combat potential, had recently become Level 3. Everyone else in the group was Level 4 or higher, including Ais who was a year younger than he was...As the group was preparing to leave, Vahn spoke out to stop them. "Wait. I have a request." Seeing them stop and look at him curiously, Vahn continued, "I would like the chance to spar with each of you...I know it may be rude, but I'd like to know how I compare against first-class Adventurers other than Tsubaki."Immediately after his words came to a stop, both Ais and Tiona's eyes lit up as they looked towards Riveria with pleading gazes. Riveria put her palm to her forehead as she released an exasperated sigh. She didn't think the young boy was so hot-blooded, and now that he spoke those words there was no way to stop the two battle maniacs. "Fine, but it will only be Tiona and Ais. Lefiya isn't specialized in close-combat, and Gareth and I aren't a good metric to measure yourself against due to our specializations.""Aha, alright! This is going to be great!" Tiona was in high spirits the moment Riveria gave her permission. Ais simply nodded her head with an 'Un', but Vahn could see the fighting spirit ignited in her eyes.Tsubaki expected this to happen and didn't show any surprise on her face. She looked towards the two girls behind her and whispered, "Looks like you girls might have some competition in the future. Better work hard~" She then laughed after seeing their shocked faces and led the way towards the training grounds.---As Tiona was the weaker of the two, she was the first up to fight Vahn. They both took a distance of 10m away from each other and assumed their stances. Vahn got into a low stance with his left hand raised while holding his right fist close to his body. He already expected Tiona to be much faster and stronger than he was, so he would have to be serious from the get-go. Tiona noticed his stance and entered what looked like a loose sumo stance with both palms facing toward Vahn like she intended to grab him.Before Tsubaki signaled the start of the fight, she looked towards Vahn and drew his attention. "Vahn, go ahead and go all-out. If you hold anything back you'll end up regretting it, and the Hephaestus Familia has always had good relations with the Loki Familia." Hearing her words, Vahn nodded while Tiona seemed to get excited after hearing he would be going 'all-out' against her.Vahn focused his mind and activated his [Will of the Emperor]. The domain spread to encompass the entire area, shocking the entire Loki Familia when it overlapped with their position. Rivera had a curious expression as she tried sensing the effects of the field. She noticed it was very similar to a god's divinity and seemed to loosely affect the mana in the atmosphere..."This boy will be very powerful one day..." Gareth spoke in a quiet voice as he said the words just loud enough for Riveria to hear. She nodded before saying, "Yes, we should try to build good relations with him in the future. If he can get to Level 3, we should scout him for the next expedition." They both looked into each other's eyes and understood that Tsubaki was having Vahn show off to leave an impression on them.Vahn began condensing his domain into a second layer that spread 5m around his body. Tiona had been waiting for him to complete his preparations, even though only a few seconds had passed. The pressure she felt from the domain made her blood boil and she was itching for the fight to begin. Vahn was even better than she expected, and even though he was only Level 2 he made her heart beat throb anticipation.Ais was also watching from the side and subconsciously drew her sword. She too wanted to jump in and fight the mysterious boy that seemed to possess a strange and boundless potential.Tensions began to increase as Tsubaki raised her hand before taking a deep breath. Looking at both Tiona and Vahn, they gave slight nods indicating they were ready so she dropped her hand and shouted. "Begin!"The moment her voice sounded, the two immediately set into action and the first fight between Vahn and the Loki Familia began.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cliff-sama Descends', 'Two girls, One guy', 'Naaza and Lili's premonition', 'Gareth and Riveria's Frustration', 'Lefiya's Vexation', 'Where did Hephaestus go?')

Chapter 73: Realization