Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn continued to make his way through the 14th floor while familiarizing himself with his Báihǔ form. Using it in conjunction with [Will of the Emperor] increased his perception and awareness to incredible levels. Vahn couldn't just 'sense' things within the domain, he could smell, hear, and see things far more clearly than before. Instead of the passive stance, Vahn always assumed in fights, where he would dodge and evade enemies while countering, now he was aggressively fighting the enemies with his bare hands.With the 'burning' attribute and his absorption of flame elements, Vahn was able to deal debilitating blows to monsters. It was a very weird sensation to feel bones breaking and watching as monsters were deformed under the power of his blows. With his enhanced vision, Vahn was even able to experience a moment where he punched a monster and was able to actually see the shockwave pass through its body in slow motion.Most of the monsters he encountered were the Hell Hounds and Almiraj he had grown accustomed to fighting, but after an hour of travel Vahn finally encountered something new. It was a giant boar monster that was slightly more than 2m tall. It looked to weight around 1000kg and left tracks inside the hard floor as it rushed towards Vahn. Vahn recognized the creature as a Battle Boar which was known for their explosive rushes and incredibly durable skin.Unfortunately for the boar, it wasn't able to change directions quickly when it was charging. Vahn was able to leap over the Battle Boar and get behind it. As it tried to change direction and charge again, Vahn attacked its unguarded flank with his strongest punch. His fist sunk into the hard flesh and a burning smell began to spread in the air, but that was the extent of the damage. Vahn jumped back as the boar tried to maul him with its large tusks.It was no wonder the compendium said that Battle Boars were known for their durability. When Vahn's fist had collided with its side, it almost felt like the shockwave, he had grown used to feeling, was dispersed. He assumed the boar had some kind of natural ability to repel/disperse shocks similar to his [Rakshasa Body] passive. The boar madly charged towards Vahn with a red gleam in its eyes as it spewed drool all over the place in its rage.Vahn side-stepped the boar, and instead of punching, he lashed out with his super-heated claws. One of the changes brought about by his Báihǔ form was a set of razor-sharp claws that extended nearly 5cm from each finger. Combining their sharpness with the flame elemental attacks made them able to easily rend through flesh. As his fingers swept across the side of the boar, they sunk deep into the thick hide and left cauterized wounds in their wake.The Battle Boar flinched at the pain, the gleam in its eyes intensifying, as it continued to attack without hesitation. Vahn noticed that the longer he fought the beast, the larger it became and the more ferocious its attacks. The blackish-brown skin of the boar had started to take on a red hue and Vahn noticed steam began to erupt from its nostrils with each breath.As it began its charge, Vahn sighed before taking out his [Runic Tamahagane Blade]. It was very difficult to kill the boar using just his hands because it was resistant to strikes and his claws couldn't cut deeply enough into the flesh to cause any serious damages. Readying his sword, Vahn also charged towards the enraged beast with a fearless expression.The Battle Boar roared loudly as it accepted the challenge of the boy before it. It increased its pace and intended to tear Vahn apart using its massive tusks. The two forms, one large boar, and one small boy, continued to charge at each other without any hesitation. Just as they were about to cross paths, Vahn planted his left foot into the ground at a sidewards angle before twisting his waist and turning his back toward the Battle Boar.The boar intended to run right through his defenseless body, but just as it was about to make contact, Vahn kicked the ground and did a backflip over the charging beast. The boar tilted its head slightly to stare at the figure above its head who returned his gaze with a confident expression. While Vahn was in the air, he swapped out his sword for his bow and loosed an arrow into the exposed eye that was glaring at him.Jerking its head sideways from the painful impact, the boar lost control of its charge and skid across the bedrock wall. Its tusks carved through the hard surface and slowed its momentum. With the arrow still lodged in its eye, it turned towards the boy to continue its charge. However, no matter where the boar looked, it couldn't find any traces of the boy's presence.Even in its enraged state, the boar was still capable of thinking and it was confused at how the enemy it had been fighting suddenly vanished. Suddenly, a painful sensation came from the side of its body where it had been blinded. Its head rolled from its body and it could see the form of its enemy holding a glowing golden blade next to its body that was still standing in its place.Before the Battle Boar lost consciousness for the last time, it saw the boy look towards it with a mocking expression on his face. Vahn had seen the boar hadn't died instantly, so he smiled towards the head that now lay on the ground. He had used the blind spot created when he shot out the boar's eye to create an opening to behead the creature. Though Vahn felt a little guilty at exploiting its weakness, he had no obligation to fight fairly against monsters that were trying to kill him. Even ones that seemed to mindlessly charge forward and fight their enemies directly.Vahn removed the core from the boar's 'corpse' as both the head and body began to dissolve into dust. He noticed there was a strange pelt that had been left behind that looked similar to the boar's hide. Thinking it could be a good material to make armor in the future, Vahn ended up keeping it in his inventory instead of exchanging it for OP. A master smith like Tsubaki or Hephaestus would be able to bring out the inherent qualities of such a material and Vahn would be able to possess the same shock-resistant functions as the boar possessed in life.This was one of the first fights that Vahn actually enjoyed to this extent. The boar wasn't an easy opponent he could simply vanquish with a single strike like the Hell Hounds and Almiraj that endlessly pestered him. He had to use all of his skills to come out on top and it took a great deal more effort than most of his fights. Vahn began to hope there would be similar situations in the future as he turned towards the corridor and delved deeper into the 14th floor.By the time Vahn reached the stairs more than five hours had passed. Combining this with the amount of time he spent on the 13th floor and passed out on the 14th floor, it was now nearly 8 PM. Though Vahn wasn't really tired, since the 'eternal flame' seemed to be providing him with excess amounts of energy, he decided to take a break. He sat down and reviewed his spoils and progress.Each Hell Hound, even though they weren't that strong, gave Vahn around 23-27OP each. The Almiraj, though they were harder to deal with than the Hell Hounds, only gave a pitiable 18-20OP each. The good thing about both was they were incredibly common, so Vahn had been able to earn a total of 14,779 in his five-hour stint. His total OP was brought up to 196,816 and he was getting increasingly closer to obtaining a fifth of the required amount for his quest.Vahn pulled out the large core he had obtained from the Battle Boar. So far he had kept both the core and the pelt, as he felt it was a shame to turn it into OP for now. Generally speaking, the magic core obtained from a monster was the optimal catalyst for the forging of weapons and armors. Since Vahn wanted to use the hide, he decided to hold onto the core for now even though it should be worth a few hundred points.Staring into the purple-blue crystalline structure, Vahn was captivated by the swirling energies contained within. He always found magic cores to be interesting, and higher grade cores like this one were even beautiful to look at. They were like dark gems that sparkled with light at their cores, and Vahn had thought about crafting accessories or imbuing them into weapons as decorations.Vahn continued admiring the stone before placing it back into his inventory. He shouldn't be wasting too much time focusing on other things while he was still in the dungeon. Once he got to Riviria he would have time to consider his options and make further plans. For now, Vahn pulled out some food and ate a hearty meal. Afterward, he wiped down his body using a sponge and water from his canteen. He couldn't do much to clean his clothing, but it was better than nothing.Once he had finished his preparations, it was now close to 9 PM, but as Vahn wasn't tired he decided to press onward. Entering into his Báihǔ form, Vahn crossed the threshold into the 15th floor. This was one of the floors he looked forward to the most and was also the reason he didn't feel like resting just yet. Vahn could feel anticipation building in him as he walked down the corridor towards his first room.Entering the room, Vahn could feel the blood begin to boil in his veins. Standing near the center of the 30m wide room was a pair of monsters that he had been wanting to fight for a long time. They were Minotaurs, and they stood around 2-3m each with massive and muscular builds. They each had fierce looking bull heads and large bristled manes that reached around their head and covered their necks and shoulders. They stood on two powerful hooved legs and the larger of the two even carried with it a broken sword that was full of nicks and chips.The moment he entered the room, both Minotaurs immediately noticed him and began to amble towards him menacingly. They each had vicious expressions as they groaned while emitting waves of hot air and steam. Vahn got into his battle stance after putting away his sword. He intended to fight them unarmed unless it was too difficult, as using a sword would give him too much of an advantage given his current parameters. Minotaurs might be a major threat to most Level 2's, but Vahn's enhancements from his Báihǔ form and [Will of the Emperor] gave him stats that would easily rival a Level 3.A golden aura danced around Vahn as he dashed towards the closest Minotaur. It used its broken sword and tried to attack, but Vahn accelerated at the last moment before dashing cleanly through its open legs. As he passed, Vahn used his claws to sever the femoral arteries on both legs. The Minotaur fell forward in pain as buckets of blood began to pour out of the exposed veins. It was unable to support itself without leaning against the blade.Vahn continued his charge towards the unarmed second Minotaur. It tried using its powerful arms to smash at the nimble Vahn. Vahn broke his own momentum by kicking the ground outside the range of the Minotaur's attack. Its fists slammed heavy into the ground and caused cracks in the bedrock, but Vahn ignored the attack as he had already launched himself towards the Minotaur's face.Using his super-heated claws, Vahn grabbed the head of the Minotaur as he pressed both of his thumbs deep into the eye-sockets of the monster. As it tried to grab him in its blind flurry, Vahn kicked off with force and broke both collarbones of the Minotaur as he vaulted backward in the air before landing back on his feet.The first Minotaur stared at Vahn as it waited for its wounds to recover while the second was blindly flailing its dangling arms around. At one point it collided with its larger companion and brought both of them to the ground. As the Minotaur had dropped the sword, Vahn recovered it into his inventory before equipping it. He inspected the badly damaged blade before approaching the two disorganized monsters.Raising the sword, which had likely belonged to one of their victims, Vahn issued a silent prayer towards the unlucky fellow as he split the larger Minotaur's head. The second Minotaur kept flailing about, unable to stand back up without the use of its arms, so Vahn stabbed it through the back of the neck and brought its struggles to the end. All in all, both Minotaurs combined posed less of a threat than the Battle Boar he had fought previously.Though they had a fearsome strength that could overwhelm weaker adventurers, they lacked the mobility and durability to resist Vahn's attacks. Since they had relatively humanoid forms, they also possessed similar weaknesses and the vital spots of their bodies were easy to identify. There were few people who knew the location of major veins and arteries better than Vahn.Vahn recovered the two cores and was happy to notice they were worth 113 and 139 OP each. With a smile on his face, Vahn walked forward to find his next target. Still wielding the broken sword, Vahn had decided he would use it to slay as many Minotaurs as he could before finding a place to properly lay it to rest. Hopefully, the person that had left it behind would find some solace in the act.(A/N: Alternate Titles:'Minotaurs ain't scary','No tomatoes today','Vahn is confirmed furry at this point','Battle Boar got cheated','If Vahn is fighting through the night, doesn't that mean Hephaestus is stuck trying to sleep while his heart beats loudly/excitedly in her soul?','Agility is OP')

A golden figure could be seen dashing around the room using the walls to rapidly change direction. It continued maneuvering around a group of four Minotaurs who futilely attacked by throwing rocks and trying to hit the figure with their weapons. The figure, Vahn, had been trying to push his [Featherfoot] skill to the next level by using his increased agility to enhance his omnidirectional combat ability.Like Lili, Vahn was using fast attacks and the environment to his advantage instead of directly engaging the enemies. He bounded off both the walls and floors and entered between the gaps of the Minotaurs attacks. Using his bow, he was targeting their joints and other weak points to adapt himself to moving while firing in mid-air. Vahn learned it was especially effective to hit the contracting points of muscles near the ligaments as it would disable the limb. He also focused on areas like the eyes and neck to reduce their combat potential before aiming at their defenseless cores and finishing them off.After the four Minotaurs had died, Vahn released a tired sigh as he wiped the sweat from his brow. It had taken him nearly three hours, but he had finally hunted his goal of 50 minotaurs. Luckily, this floor seemed to be mainly comprised of small groups of them and there weren't too many other monsters around. Vahn had noticed it was much easier to fight against a single type of monster as he could adapt his combat style to counter their unique traits instead of having to change focus for each enemy type.It was already after midnight, and Vahn was finally started to feel fatigued. Though he could stay in the Báihǔ form for a very long period of time, as he was focused on trying to adopt a new combat style it drained a lot of stamina. He would have to find a way to balance his methods in the future or he might get winded in longer engagements. The main reason he was focusing on speed right now was, after his encounter with the Juggernaut, the only thing he could think of was wanting to be faster.Though he was still in the middle of a floor, Vahn decided to take a short break and rest. He canceled his transformation and extended his domain to sense any approaching enemies as he slowly drifted off the sleep.---Vahn snapped his eyes open before jumping to his feet and running towards the direction he had just sensed a presence. Similar to when he had saved Naaza, Vahn could feel a sense of helplessness detected by his domain. He entered his Báihǔ form and increased his speed while seeking the source of the negative emotions. Looking at the system clock, Vahn could see it was slightly after 5 AM, and he didn't expect people to be venturing into the floors at this time.After running for fifteen minutes, Vahn came into a large room where he could see three adventurers fighting against a large purple dragon-like creature. From its basic features, Vahn could tell it was a Wyvern, but unlike the 5m long pink scaled original, it now had a dense assortment of dark purple scales and reached nearly 7m in length. Its eyes were a dull red that seemed to contain flames as it fiercely assaulted the group of three.The three adventurers were all human and seemed very similar to each other. The man currently fighting the Purple Wyvern looked to be the eldest of the group and was likely related to the two young men in the back. The man had grizzled looks and brave features with a firm and tall build. He fought against the Purple Wyvern with a long spear while trying to draw its attention away from the other two.In the back, a boy who looked like the youngest of the group was trying to stop the flow of blood of the boy who looked like his elder brother. Their faces were very similar, but the younger boy was several centimeters shorter and more fair-skinned than the one on the ground. Vahn was able to see in the brief period since his arrival that the older boy would most likely die with his current wounds.It was typically considered bad practice to attack a monster that another group was engaging, but Vahn determined they needed his assistance. As it stood, if he called out to the man who was barely evading the Purple Wyvern, it might end up with him getting caught off guard and killed. For now, Vahn made a circle around and started attacking the Wyvern's eyes with his bow.The arrow skimmed across the brow of the Purple Wyvern and caused its head to lurch back. It roared in fury, but the middle-aged man used the gap to stab his spear accurately into the neck of the beast. In response, the Purple Wyvern tried to breathe noxious fumes toward the man who had quickly opened his distance. He evaded the attack before shouting out towards Vahn, "Thanks stranger! We get out of this alive, I'll make sure to award you aplenty. If you have any potions, see to my boy and I'll try to keep this damned bastard occupied."Vahn could see the man was genuinely happy for his help, so he quickly approached the two boys that were likely the man's sons. They were each around 15-16 years old, slightly older than Vahn, and judging by their figure and the fact they were on the 15th floor, Vahn assumed they were both mid-level 2.The younger boy looked towards Vahn with a frenzied expression as he tried stopping the flow of blood with his bare hands. He was obviously disarrayed by the situation and wasn't properly treating the wound at all. "P-please, please, help him, I can't, I..." The boy was trembling as he held his brother in his arms and appealed to Vahn.Vahn moved the boy's hands aside as the golden aura on his body quickly faded away. Instead, there was a gentle white light emerging from his palms which he placed on the body of the older brother. Vahn noticed that he was still in his Báihǔ form, but he would explain it after the matter had settled. One of the rumors circulating about him detailed the fact he had a 'beast transformation' magic, so as long as they knew the name 'Vulcan' it would be fine.The boys wound began to heal at a visible rate as the younger brother started smiling like a fool. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Vahn silenced the boy with a look before handing him a potion that he had kept for emergencies. Since he couldn't use shop items on other people, he had always kept spares in his inventory just in case. He couldn't use [Wound Transfer] for everything or it would draw too much attention if rumor spread. He had been lucky so far to keep it under wraps to all but his close confidants.After leaving the potion to the stuttering boy, Vahn rejoined the fight against the Purple Wyvern. He had already closed the wounds using his [Hands of Nirvana], so he would survive. The potion would help him recover a bit so the two would be able to escape using their own means. Drawing back his bow, Vahn loosed an arrow and continued to pester the Wyvern.The Purple Wyvern was incredibly angry at the newcomer's attacks because every time it got hit the man it was fighting would impale it with his spear. The man was a 2nd-class adventurer nearing level 4. He wasn't a match for the Purple Wyvern, but it would take a lot of time before he fell. With Vahn's help, the odds had increased drastically, and he was even able to see both of his sons retreating in the distance.Seeing that his sons were safe, the man did something no adventurer should do, he dropped his guard slightly due to his relief. The moment wasn't missed by the Purple Wyvern who slammed its tail towards the man. Noticing the incoming attack, the man grit his teeth and tried to receive the massive tail with his spear. The tail continued forward and slammed into the spear, causing the shaft to bend like a bow as it launched the man into the wall. Cracks were emitted from the point of contact as he coughed out a mouthful of blood.The Purple Wyvern tried to finish the man off, but the moment it lurched forward a powerful force slammed into the crown of its head. Succumbing to the mighty blow, the Wyvern's head was forced down until it had been nailed into the floor by a long black sword. Standing on the Wyvern's lifeless head, Vahn looked towards the man and gave him a smile.Seeing the now dead Purple Wyvern, the man ignored his wounds and began to laugh. He looked towards Vahn was a thankful expression as he began tending to his wounds. Now that the fight had ended, his sons started making their way over as the boy who saved their lives cut the magic core from the dead monster. The man grimaced slightly after seeing the large core, but he just shook his head as Vahn put it into his satchel.The two boys wandered over and called out, "Dad!", "Father!" After they got close, the three all embraced each other and Vahn could see tears in their eyes. He saw they had deep affections for each other and Vahn started reminiscing slightly about the people he had left on the surface. Though he was still determined to stay in the dungeon to complete his quest, Vahn began missing them after seeing the current display. After releasing a sigh, Vahn turned away and began advancing further into the dungeon.The middle-aged man called out to him, "Hey, wait stranger! I need to repay you for saving me and my boys!" The man's sons nodded their heads and agreed with their father. Vahn, turning towards them, displayed the monster core he had obtained. "This is enough for me. Just take better care of your lives in the future...it is sad to see families split apart by tragedy."After giving his parting words, Vahn continued to walk away from the three dazed gazes. Just as he was going to round a corner, the middle-aged man called out again. "Ah! At least tell us your name! I'll toast to you when we return to the City!" Vahn stopped after hearing the man and thought for a moment.Turning toward them, Vahn released a confident smile which stunned the three. "I am called Vulcan. Though those in the Hephaestus Familia also call me Vahn Mason." Vahn once again turned away and rounded the corner, disappearing beyond their sights. The man looked towards his sons and, remembering Vahn's words from earlier, decided to cherish his life a little more. He needed to be more careful in the future, or it wasn't just his life that would be affected."That boy is so strong...even though he seems even younger than me..." The youngest boy spoke with a sad tone. In the fight earlier he had been useless. Even when his brother got injured trying to protect him, the only thing he could do was watching him slowly bleed out.The middle-aged man put his hand on his sons head and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, but it isn't age that determines strength. You need to work hard and have a strong heart." After the man spoke, his son nodded which brought a smile to his face. The man could see a conviction in the eyes of the boy and knew he would become much stronger in the future.---Vahn was walking through the corridor and inspecting the information in the system. After slaying that Purple Wyvern, Vahn exchanged its core into the system and received a total of 7,180OP. It was an astronomical sum compared to normal monsters. With this, Vahn was able to determine that variants were worth as much as 20x the value of their originals. With luck, he would be able to come across more in the future and rapidly increase the amount of OP he earned.Continuing for another two hours, Vahn finally arrived at the stairs leading into the 16th floor. He decided to rest again as he hadn't been able to finish his nap from earlier. As he wasn't the main focus of the Purple Wyvern, it wasn't that stressful a fight, but he killed an additional 26 Minotaurs afterward. He had now obtained a total of 213,116OP and officially broke 20% of the requirement of the quest.Relaxing against the wall, Vahn ate some crepes before checking his stats. This had become his habit ever since entering the dungeon, as it let him keep a proper measure of his growth. Vahn noticed that, with the increase in his parameters, he had also increased the skill [Featherfoot] to rank B. His agility training and evasive fighting style had paid off.-------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Stats]]Name: [Vahn Mason]Age: 14Race: Human, *sealed*Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]-Level:2(2)-Power:1001+(C609)-&gt;(C690)-Endurance:1108+(S914)-&gt;(S951)-Dexterity:887+(E470)-&gt;(D522)-Agility:940+(D551)-&gt;(B702)-Magic:1611+(S949)-&gt;(SS1008)Total:5547+(3393)-&gt;(3873)Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)[Karma]: 1,219[OP]: 213,116[Valis]: 171,630-------------------------------------------------------------------------[OP]Spent: 99,700/100,000Satisfied with his improvement, Vahn fell asleep as his domain expanded to cover the entire corridor.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Anti-Climactic','Minotaur's Natural Enemy','Vahn, the Bully','There are guys in this world, but they are nameless...for now?','Be careful what you wish for')

Vahn opened his eyes and noticed he was surrounded by an endless expanse of darkness. His body felt heavy and weightless at the same time; it was like he had fallen into a deep abyssal ocean and continued descending further into the darkness. Vahn struggled to move his body, desperately attempting to resist falling deeper into the abyss.A powerful sensation could be felt welling up inside his chest. Heat began to expand to dissipate the cold that had been permeating throughout his body. His body almost felt like it was 'thawing' with the heat as he slowly regained the ability to move. Starting from his fingers and toes, until spreading to his arms and legs. As he regained functionality in his limbs, Vahn tried swimming upward against the pressure that had been weighing him down.The heat continued building within Vahn allowing him greater freedom of movement. His heart felt like it was pumping with a mad intensity and his chest began glowing with a crimson light. The light spread from his heart and began to extend to the rest of Vahn's body. As the intensity of the light increased, the darkness around Vahn began to lose its power to restrain him. Vahn doubled his efforts and started rising to escape the pressure.The further he moved up, the less restraint he felt against his body. An excitement began to build within Vahn as his desire for freedom grew to a breaking point. The echoes of laughter began to sound in his mind, and Vahn recognized the voice as his own. No sound came from his lips in the vast emptiness of this space, but he could feel the intent behind the laugh sounding fervently within his mind.Suddenly, the crimson light in Vahn's chest took on a golden hue as it erupted from his body. Vahn ceased his struggles and roared powerfully through the darkness. Flames emerged from his body that formed a sphere of inviolable territory that banished the encroaching darkness. The flames continued to expand until, from an outside view, Vahn's body now looked like a small sun floating through endless space.Vahn bathed in the warmth of his own flames and enjoyed the powerful feeling pulsing through his veins. From around his body, several images began to form within the domain of flames. Starting from their eyes, four creatures formed within the void and looked at the dazed human before them. Their eyes had a reverence contained within as they all lowered their heads towards the boy.Vahn looked curiously at the four creatures and understood what they represented. They were the forms of his [Rakshasa Body] and were a white-tiger, black-turtle, virmilion-bird, and azure-dragon. Each had an awe-inspiring majesty and radiated with infinite power...a power which submitted itself to Vahn. Smiling, Vahn reached out his hand to the closest creature, the white-tiger, and placed his palm on the 'king' symbol of its forehead.A powerful rumble came from the tiger's body as it opened its eyes toward Vahn. Vahn stared into the azure blue eyes and felt like its depths exceeded even the expanse of the void he had previously thought to be infinite. Within the eyes, Vahn saw life, death, wisdom, and an insurmountable pride that formed the core of the tiger's being. But, even with all these things, it still looked towards Vahn with expectation and obeisance.Vahn smiled and whispered with a powerful voice that tore through the void. No sound came from his lips, but space around was filled with a single word, almost like an irrefutable claim recognized by creation itself. "Báihǔ."'Hearing' its name, the tiger raised it's head and roared. Space around completely shattered as the darkness formed shards like broken glass that dissipated into nothingness. A white expanse began to form around the domain Vahn had established. Looking around, Vahn felt an immense pride welling up inside him as his consciousness began to fade. He looks toward the other three creatures that had the same expectation on their face as Báihǔ previously.He stared into each of their eyes in turn before his mind faded completely. The next moment, Vahn was waking up on the cold hard floor of the dungeon. All around his body there was a black, foul-smelling substance which covered the majority of his skin. Vahn's nose scrunched up after smelling the odor, so he pulled out his [Decanter of Replenishment] to clean his body.Afterward, as he was still naked, Vahn pulled out his spare equipment and adorned it on his body. He was now wearing his normal equipment as his fire-proof stuff had been incinerated by the crimson flames that had surged out of his body. He looked towards the ground where he had fallen which had now formed into a smooth, somewhat glassy, black color.("Sis, that was the third form of my [Rakshasa Body], wasn't it? Such powerful flames...") Vahn felt like the flames weren't natural as even his 'eternal flame' didn't seem to have such power.(*That is correct Vahn. The third form is that of the Zhūquè, or the vermillion-bird. It seems to enhance your bodies regeneration to an incredible extent while greatly increasing your offensive capabilities at the cost of your defense.*)Vahn nodded, he had noticed that the fractures in his arms had been rapidly regenerating during his fall. Now, his body was completely uninjured and he even felt a powerful energy coursing through his veins. Curious, Vahn inspected his body using his mental energies and found the source of the new energy. The golden colored 'eternal flame' in his chest now had a crimson hue to it and burned with a much greater intensity than before.The 'eternal flame' seemed to notice his presence as it began to dance around excitedly with unbound jubilation. Vahn could feel a 'happiness' coming from the flame as it seemed to be thanking him. Vahn smiled, imaging happy feelings of his own, and directed them towards the 'eternal flame' to let it know he was also happy seeing its change.---Vahn was now on the 14th floor with no easy way to progress. He now had just 300OP left to spend before he would exceed the quest limitation. As he had entered the dungeon with the intent of completing the quest, Vahn didn't want to turn back after his first major setback. Now that he had avoided the danger, he felt it would be a waste to return empty-handed.Van began to weigh the benefits of advancing and retreating. If he pressed forward he would be able to gain a larger amount of OP from stronger monsters, but there was an obvious risk factor involved. Retreating would allow him to inform the Guild of the existence of the Juggernaut, but it would also draw a lot of attention to himself as the person who submitted the information. Even Vahn couldn't imagine how a Level 2 would have been able to survive after encountering such a monstrosity...While he was stuck trying to make a decision, Vahn decided to inspect his own stats. He had experienced a great amount of danger and managed to survive against the odds. With his new [Rakshasa Body] transformation, it was very likely the skill had increased as well.-------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Stats]]Name: [Vahn Mason]Age: 14Race: Human, *sealed*Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]-Level:2(2)-Power:1001+(E498)-&gt;(C609)-Endurance:1108+(C665)-&gt;(S914)-Dexterity:887+(F372)-&gt;(E470)-Agility:940+(E449)-&gt;(D551)-Magic:1611+(B750)-&gt;(S949)Total:5547+(2734)-&gt;(3393)Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)[Karma]: 1,022[OP]: 182,037[Valis]: 171,630-------------------------------------------------------------------------[OP]Spent: 99,700/100,000Sure enough, exposing oneself to danger and surviving had a large influence on his growth. He still had a long way to go, but Vahn was grateful that he had at least obtained something for his troubles. If only he had been able to kill the Juggernaut somehow...Vahn shook his head as the thought entered his mind. The Juggernaut was far stronger than even Tsubaki; the fact that he was even able to wound it was almost unbelievable.Thinking back to the incident, Vahn was very satisfied with the outcome. [Call of the Reaper] was far stronger than the expected, and even the Juggernauts enhanced senses weren't able to detect the arrow before it was too late. If he had been stronger and possessed enough energy to charge that arrow, it was possible Vahn would have been able to kill the beast before it was even aware of what happened. That [Yi] arrow had a terrifying power, and Vahn knew he hadn't even scratched the surface of its full potential. The fact it cost 5x more than his [Runic Tamahagane Blade: A] was enough to indicate how powerful it was.A thought suddenly occurred and Vahn asked Sis to display the arrows information. Since he had purchased it, even though he hadn't inspected it at the time, he should still be able to access information related to the arrow. Sure enough, an information window appeared in his vision and Vahn read the details of the arrow.---[Yi]Rank:S-SSSSlots:0P.Atk:0M.Atk:0Use: Energy can be infused in this godly arrow to create the depiction of 10 Suns. Each Sun increases the Physical and Magical attack by 1000 points. Further channeling energy into the arrow will extinguish the suns and increase the arrows might. P.Atk/M.Atk + 10,000(number of suns extinguished). This arrow is restricted by the worlds 'laws' and cannot exceed the strength of four suns.---The stats of the arrow were incredible, and given the 300% damage increase from his [Call of the Reaper], Vahn must have hit the Juggernaut with an attack ranging between 20-25k total power. He was able to infer this due to the fact he had almost extinguished a single sun by about 70%. If he had been able to channel just a bit more energy, Vahn believed he might have been able to kill the Juggernaut if he was lucky...Vahn decided that once he finished his weapon quest, he would purchase several [Yi] for emergency situations. Unlike other arrows, they seemed to be single use but Vahn couldn't help but respect the awesome scene he had observed earlier. That single arrow managed to severely wound a creature near Level 7 even though Vahn was currently only Level 2.As he continued to inspect his stats and items, Vahn noticed a peculiarity in his skill section. His [Rakshasa Body] had increased from F to E, but there was new information listed within the description that caught Vahn's attention.---[Rakshasa Body]Rank: Innate, (F) *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*[Passive]: Provides a large increase to pain resistance. Allows the body to disperse internal forces. Increases bodies natural regeneration by a moderate amount.[Active]: Increases power and endurance based on damage received. Moderate stamina consumption.[Actiive]: Allows the user to instantly activate awakened forms.Awakening: [???]0%,[???]10%,[???]31%,[Báihǔ]100%---Vahn was surprised at the vast improvement, but considering it was an [Innate] skill, it wasn't that difficult to imagine it had limitless potential. If Vahn had to wait until he was near death to make use of the skill it wouldn't be very helpful. Now that he could activate it whenever he wanted, it would greatly enhance his combat capabilities.Focusing his mind, Vahn began channeling energy into his body. He could feel a burning sensation on his back and could hear a word whispering within his mind. The sensation in his back began to grow as the voice repeated the word over and over. Vahn understood he had to repeat the name, so he muttered, "Báihǔ".The moment the word left his lips, his forearms and legs immediately grew a flawless white fur with black stripes. Unlike the previous off-white color, it was now an unblemished and pure white with a stark and beautiful black color. The claws on his hands seemed far more powerful and the muscles in his body felt both taut and stringy at the same time. Vahn felt like his body was full of explosive power, and he tested it out by launching himself forward.The ground shattered at Vahn's feet as he moved nearly three times his original speed and almost crashed into the wall 20m opposite of his starting position. Using his enhanced senses and flexibility, Vahn bent his body like a bow and sprung off the wall leaving indentations where his feet had landed. He spun several times in the air before landing nimbly back on his feet.Vahn was amazed at his own acrobatic display, as he had never really been focused on agility as much as his other stats. The light feeling of his body and the flexibility of his bones left him in shock. If he could sustain this form whenever he pleased, Vahn felt like even most Level 3s wouldn't be able to fight against him.With an idea popping up in his mind, Vahn smiled while channeling his [Will of the Emperor]. He infused flame elemental energy into the domain and began absorbing it in large quantities into his body. The stark white hair on his body began to glow with a golden luster as the palms and claws of his hands began to radiate with an intense heat. Vahn took a deep breath and adapted to the enhancement of his body and senses.He suddenly opened his eyes before kicking away from the ground with his maximum strength. Vahn could feel his body pass through some kind of membrane as the air exploded around his body. Using his fierce momentum, Vahn smashed his fist into the hard bedrock walls. A powerful energy erupted from his body and channeled itself into the wall where, nearly an entire second later, it exploded.The explosion caused the wall to fissure with a web-like pattern as the ceiling above gave in after losing its support. Vahn jumped backward and waited for the dust to settle before staring into the empty space beyond the wall he had just destroyed. With his perception, he had been able to sense a corridor parallel to the one he was currently in, and now Vahn was able to spread his senses into the now open room.Several monsters, including Hell Hound and Almiraj, were startled by the sudden collapse of the wall and stared with red eyes towards the intruder. Seeing Vahn emerge from the hole, they immediately began attacking. Vahn smiled and spread both arms wide as if he were accepting their challenge. The aura radiating from his body caused his hair to dance in the wind created by his domain as he bent forward and dashed towards the monsters with his bare hands.After a few minutes, Vahn had cleared the entire room and earned 611 OP for his efforts. He smiled and stared towards the ceiling before shaking his head. Now was not the time to retreat, instead, Vahn decided to venture further into the dungeon and continue towards the 18th floor. He would be able to rest there before working on completing his quest. Doing so would allow him to increase his strength even further, and he could use the time to work on awakening his other forms. If Vahn could get to the point where he could channel the flames of the vermillion-bird, he felt like there were few things that could stall his progress in the future.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Dump : Dump','Maybe it's not a phase','Milan's Intuition','RIP Hephaestus')

Chapter 81: Level 2 Killer : Minotaur