Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Seeing the notification, Vahn was somewhat excited. Unlike the kobold, which was too weak to make use of, a Wyvern was much stronger than most monsters on the same floor. It was almost like a mini-boss of sorts and was often found on its own within a territory it had established. Vahn never expected such a creature to submit, especially given its nature as a ferocious and somewhat prideful creature.As he had never subordinated anything other than the 'eternal flame', Vahn was very curious what benefits it may provide. Without any further hesitation, he decided to accept within his mind as a series of notifications sounded in his head.//(Nameless) has become your subordinate. 'Unit Management' function unlocked.//[Current Units] [Active: 2][Dormant: 1][Active Units]: (Eternal Flame),(Nameless)[Dormant Units]:(Nameless)After seeing the notifications, Vahn was surprised to see that he had a total of three units. As far as he was aware, the only things he had subordinated were the Wyvern and the Eternal Flame. The fact that there were two (Nameless) within the system confused Vahn, so he decided to expand their information.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Nameless)Age: 4 daysRace: Wyvern (Juvenile Stage: 4m)Level: 2Loyalty:72Soul Strength: Tier 0 (Mana Construct)Karma: -State: [Active](Nameless)Age: 2 months 2 weeks 3 daysRace: KoboldLevel: 1Loyalty:84Soul Strength: Tier 0 (Mana Construct)Karma: -State: [Dormant](A/N: I also added this since people would probably ask. Note that I don't know how old the gods actually are, just that it is supposed to be several millions years.)(Eternal Flame)Age: AncientRace: Spirit of DivinityLevel: -Loyalty:100Soul Strength: Tier 4 (Divine)Karma: -State: [Active]--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Vahn was even more confused after he read the descriptions of each of his subordinates. According to the system, he had subordinated the Kobold he had met when he was first experimenting with his [Will of the Emperor]. From what Vahn could remember, it had died, so he wasn't certain why it was being displayed. A thought passed through his mind, and he searched his inventory for an item he had long since had concerns for.Within his hand, Vahn now held the magic core he had obtained from the kobold. Unlike a normal core, which just showed a grade and what it came from, the one in Vahn's hand now matched the display within his system under units. Vahn wondered what it meant for it to be dormant, but as he pondered the question, the core in his hand began to glow slightly. Curious, Vahn tried channeling his energy into the core and it began to heat up rapidly in his hand.The core slowly expanded with a strange rainbow miasma forming around it until it had assumed the shape of a kneeling Kobold. Within his map, Vahn saw three indicators for everyone in the area, including himself and two (Nameless) icons. Staring back and forth between the two, Vahn was beginning to get excited. If his assumption was correct...Vahn held out his hand towards the Wyvern that was staring at him and willed it to become [Dormant]. The moment the command was issued in his mind, the Wyvern collapsed to the ground and dispersed into dust with a blackish-rainbow hue. In its place was a medium sized magic core which, when Vahn picked it up, was identified as (Nameless)[Dormant].Unable to contain his excitement, Vahn started laughing while holding the crystal in his hand. The kobold stared at him with a patient expression as if it was waiting for his orders. Had Vahn known at the time, that the kobold had willingly subordinated itself to alleviate his concerns of dragging it around, he would have accepted it long ago. He actually felt a little bad, but still believed the kobold was currently too weak to be of use. After patting its dog-like head for a few seconds, Vahn returned it to its [Dormant] state and re-activated the Wyvern.After the Wyvern was formed, Vahn felt slightly light-headed at the loss of mental energy. He reasoned that, while it was easy to put something into a dormant state, it consumed a lot of energy to reform their bodies. He didn't realize anything with the small kobold, but for a massive creature like the Wyvern, it was a very noticeable amount.Vahn sat on the floor to recover his energy while looking into the clear eyes of the Wyvern. Unlike the fierce eyes of normal monsters, the Wyvern now had a gentle blue color in its eyes and seemed very calm. It was actually kind of strange seeing a monster so close that is just standing patiently while looking at him. While he was recovering, Vahn decided to try and order the Wyvern to see if it would obey his commands.Issuing a command in his mind, Vahn watched as the Wyvern seemed to contemplate his 'order' before it started spinning around in a circle. Seeing its 'silly' act, Vahn couldn't help but laugh out loud. He had ordered it to chase its tail like a dog, and after sending a mental image, it immediately began trying to perform the act. Watching a 4m long pink dragon spin around in circles was incredibly entertaining, especially since it was such a huge contrast to the usual behavior.As Vahn was considering the extent of how obedient the Wyvern was, a hesitant look appeared on his face as he sent his new 'order'. Once again, the Wyvern seemed to pause in contemplation as it tried to understand the order. Moments later, it opened its mouth and fiercely bit into its own forearm. It began to tug away at the flesh as Vahn panicked and ordered it to stop.Vahn noticed that the loyalty of the Wyvern had gone down somewhat, and he felt a pang of guilt in his chest. It seems that, as long as the value is high enough, his subordinates would perform his every command, even if it brought harm to themselves.While it stood there bleeding, Vahn suddenly realized something. Unlike other monsters he had seen in the dungeon, the Wyvern didn't seem to be regenerating. After asking Sis the reason, she speculated that they were now isolated entities from the dungeon. Without being able to access the energy, they wouldn't be able to regenerate anymore.Hearing her explanation, Vahn felt even more guilty as he began healing the wound of the Wyvern. In the process, Vahn noticed that its loyalty had improved somewhat, but not to the same value it had been previously. When he had it self-mutilate, its loyalty had dropped from 72 down to 60, but it had now risen back to 63. Vahn understood that the way he treated them was important, and since they were willing to follow him, he decided to take care of them.Vahn thought for a while before asking, ("Sis, do they need to eat or anything? I know monsters eat adventurers and the crystals at the pantry, but what about these two? I've had the kobold for months, so I guess they are fine in crystal form...")(*You should be able to provide them energy just like the dungeon. As long as they are within your domain, you should be able to channel energy directly to them, or, you can also just imbue energy into their cores when you re-form their bodies. As long as they aren't killed, you can reform their body as many times as you want.*)Vahn nodded in understanding. It made sense that, if he was the one that separated them from the dungeon, he would now be the one to provide them with energy. After realizing that, Vahn had a new thought present itself. Even though they were magic constructs, they were still considered living creatures according to standard principles. They ate, digested food, even excreted, just like normal animals. Vahn figured he could use his skill [Prometheus] and increase the strength of the Wyvern, but first, he needed to confirm something.As he had rested for a few minutes, Vahn had completely recovered his energy. Rising to his feet, he had the Wyvern follow him until he came across a room with enemies. There was a group of five Minotaurs, and the moment Vahn entered the room with his Wyvern they immediately attacked. Vahn was surprised at first because he still had stealth active and didn't expect them to react so quickly.(*[Stealth], even when you apply it to your domain, is always focused on you as the user. It won't influence other creatures or those that enter your domain. Otherwise, everything would also be under the properties of 'stealth', including passersby.*)Hearing Sis's words, Vahn lamented that he wouldn't be able to move around sneakily in the dungeon as long as he had the Wyvern at his side. While he was thinking, his Wyvern had already started to take action. Along with the command to follow him, Vahn had given it the order to attack any monsters that appeared.Even though the Wyvern was not fully grown, it was still far more powerful than the Minotaurs. The moment they got in range, the Wyvern began using its breath attack to burn their flesh. Though they were somewhat resistant to the fire, it slowed their movements by a great deal. Once they managed to get within range, the Wyvern ceased its breath attack and then smashed the closest Minotaur with its tail. The moment the Minotaur turned to dust, Vahn smiled, as a notification had appeared in his mind.//(Nameless) Has killed Minotaur: Level 2, Gained 9OP//Vahn was super excited because, not only did he gain OP when the Wyvern killed the Minotaur, he was also able to determine he had received exilia from the kill as his magic stat had increased by 1 point. He now understood why his [Will of the Emperor] also included 'followers' when mentioning his growth. It seemed that he could also increase his stats by having his subordinates fight for him.The best part of the current situation though was the fact Vahn could still exchange the magic cores of the Minotaur and earn the original amount. This meant that, if he increased the strength of the Wyvern even further, it would be able to increase his total earnings by a fair amount.In his jubilation, Vahn joined the fight alongside the Wyvern and injured the remaining Minotaurs. Once they were disabled, he let the Wyvern finish them off and noticed the amount of OP he gained was slightly reduced when it killed the severely injured ones. He was able to infer that, the amount of bonus OP depending on how much effort the Wyvern had to expend for the fight.After trading in the four cores, Vahn smiled towards his new companion and decided to give it a name. Since it had pink scales and blue eyes, Vahn wanted to name it 'Blinky', but Sis released an exasperated sigh when he had the thought. With a mild flush on his face, Vahn coughed slightly and asked. ("It's not that bad, is it? I think it cute...")Another sigh could be heard in Vahn's mind as Sis said, (*Its a Wyvern Vahn, not a pet. If people hear you named it Blinky they will laugh at you and look down on it.*) Hearing the words, Vahn was very concerned. Though he didn't particularly care about how other people saw him, he didn't want people to look down on his companions. After a few minutes of deliberation, Vahn decided he was bad at naming things, so he asked Sis to do it for him.Sis didn't respond directly, but a list of names began to pass through Vahn's mind. They were all very powerful names, and Vahn could recognize a few from the books he had read since arriving in this world. Vahn saw a name that was attached to one of the most powerful 'dragons' in this world, and seeing it was also a winged creature like his Wyvern, decided it wasn't a bad fit. They both breathed fire and had reddish scales as well.Vahn looked towards the Wyvern and placed his palm on it, much like he had done in his dream when he named Báihǔ. Looking into its azure blue eyes, Vahn spoke the name, "Fafnir." The moment the word left his lips, Vahn could feel energy drain from his body as the system gave a notice that the name had changed. The Wyvern, Fafnir, seemed to be very pleased with its new name as it roared powerfully toward the ceiling. Its body began to increase in size as a brilliant rainbow radiance covered its surface.Curious about the sudden loss of energy, Vahn inspected the display and noticed there had been a huge change that he hadn't expected.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Fafnir)Age: 4 daysRace: Dragon (Nascent: 6m)Level: 3Loyalty:90Soul Strength: Tier 1 (Named Familiar)Karma: -State: [Active]--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After naming the Wyvern, its race had changed to 'Dragon' and its level had increased from 2 to 3. While Vahn continued watching the evolution progress, he noticed that the changes hadn't just been in Fafnir. Though he had overlooked it due to the drastic change happening before him, within the skill section of Vahn's status, he saw a new addition. As he read the description, Vahn's mind began to become numb with shock before excitement began to boil within his stomach.[Keeper of the Akashic Tome]Rank: [Innate: B] *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*[Passive]: Allows the user to understand the origin of all things. Limited by the knowledge of the user. Promotes the development of mental energies.[Active]: Allows the user to confer a name to an unnamed entity. The record of the name within the Akashic Tome alters the fate of the recipient. No second entity can share the same name, and the backlash of attempting would result in the death of the former. Cooldown(Determined by the Power of the Name): 59D23H58M[Current Names][Fafnir] A powerful black dragon who possesses incredible wisdom and an immunity to magical attacks. Incredibly weakened against those who possess 'heroic' spirits and righteous hearts. Those that bear this name are tied to a tragic fate unless they abstain from the path of evil.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'But what about the Flame Seed!?', 'Name: Fafnir', 'The third [Innate] appears', 'I want to be the very best')

Now that Vahn had obtained a new [Innate] skill, his strength once again had a large increase. Though the cooldown was a bit long, Vahn believed that, as his proficiency and understanding of the skill increased, it would take less and less time. With a large smile on his face, Vahn looked towards Fafnir who had just completed its transformation.Fafnir was now 6m long and instead of pink scales and azure blue eyes, it now had onyx black scales with purple undertones. Its eyes were a pale green, almost ghostly color, and there was a strange magic seal on its chest. Instead of being slouched over like its previous form, it now stood proudly with a pair of forelimbs as well as wings. (A/N: That means it has arms, legs, and wings~! The Wyvern only had legs and wings.)The most notable features though were the black horns that framed its face. It had a total of four horns, two angling towards the sky while the others wrapped around and seemed to be protecting the eyes somewhat. They were incredibly fierce looking, almost as though Fafnir was wearing a helmet. Its entire body was much more angular, and some of its scales now protruded out at deadly angles. Vahn felt like it looked cool, but at the same time, he couldn't see it as anything other than an 'Evil' Dragon.He originally had a thought to try and let it clear parts of the floor on its own when he rested at night, but there was no way a group of adventurers would be able to avoid attacking Fafnir if they saw its current form. They would think it some kind of variant and attack it ruthlessly and, since Vahn wouldn't prevent Fafnir from protecting itself, they would probably die for their efforts. There was also a chance that, if a powerful Familia showed up, Vahn would lose his first 'named' familiar and companion.---Vahn inspected Fafnir's new body, and it seemed to gleam with confidence as it proudly displayed its form to its master. Vahn found the scales on Fafnir's body to be far harder than the bedrock of the dungeon, which meant he was not only immune to magic but incredibly resilient to physical attacks. Af for offensive power, right now Fafnir 'communicated' to Vahn that it didn't possess any skills, not even its flame breath. However, it now had incredible physical strength and speed that caused craters wherever is struck. It also had the power of flight and didn't seem to rely on flapping its wings to do so. Using his domain, Vahn could sense there was a formless energy generating the lifting force behind the wings.During this period, Vahn also tried using his [Prometheus] on Fafnir, but he was prevented from doing so as Fafnir was of a higher level and potential than he was. As a 'dragon', even while it was Soul Tier 1, it had insanely high parameters and natural capabilities. When Vahn had it fight against a Battle Boar, a creature even he enjoyed fighting due to its relative difficulty, Fafnir smashed the entire boar into the ground with a single powerful strike.Vahn noticed that, even though the Battle Boar was quite strong among monsters on this floor, he only obtained 2OP when Fafnir defeated it. Due to this, Vahn was able to infer that he obtained less exilia and OP if the fight was one-sided or the monsters were much weaker. It was almost similar to how adventurers got almost no exilia from hunting weaker monsters. If Vahn wanted to make the best use of Fafnir's awesome power, he would have to venture deeper into the dungeon...The reason Vahn wasn't willing to do so was that of the matter with the Osiris Familia, as well as the fact that he was actually weaker than Fafnir presently. If he became over-reliant on its abilities, it would stunt his future growth. It wasn't all bad though, because Vahn got to experience flying for the first time as he rode on Fafnir's back. Even though the angle was a bit odd, it seemed as if Fafnir could change the structure of its scales and created an area where Vahn could easily mount it.If any spectators had been in the area, they would have seen a 'demonic' white tiger boy laughing loudly while riding on the back of a humongous 'evil' dragon.---Vahn continued traveling with Fafnir as they easily cleared every monster on the floor that had the misfortune of crossing their path. As a Level 3, and a dragon, Fafnir completely outclassed everything else on the 16th floor. When Vahn saw him fighting against a large group of Minotaurs, he was surprised with Fanfir shattered the neck of one with a casual tail swipe. And, when they tried to surround him, Fafnir used the jagged protrusions on his body and suddenly extended them like spears in an omnidirectional attack. Vahn wasn't sure he could have evaded the attack if he didn't know about it beforehand. Seeing the group of nine Minotaurs getting skewered by the attack actually made Vahn shudder slightly.Eventually, the day was coming to a close so Vahn began his return to Rivira. He no longer had to drop down the hole to the 17th floor, as he was able to ride on Fafnir's back and descend quickly. The two made their way through the 17th floor before they came across a problem. Fafnir was far too big to fit through the areas where the dungeon became more constrained. Even Vahn, who was relatively small, had trouble navigating some of the terrain. As a 6m long, several-thousand kilogram dragon, Fafnir was barred passage further inward.Vahn had to put Fafnir into a dormant state because he was unwilling to leave it alone in the off-chance a group capable of killing him showed up. The best part about Fafnir in its core state was that Vahn could easily store it within his Inventory. Generally speaking, biological or living creatures couldn't be placed into the storage, so it was very convenient. Staring at the large and beautiful black gemstone, Vahn was amazed that it housed an incredibly powerful dragon. He even had the urge, albeit in the back of his mind, to crush the stone in his palm...Shaking his head of the thought, Vahn continued towards Rivira while slaying every monster on the way. Once again, this floor had far fewer enemies than the floor above so Vahn was able to progress with minimal difficulty. Even then, it still took him nearly two hours to reach the 'Wall of Grief'.Staring at the massive wall, Vahn lost himself in his own thoughts. He could see that the shadow had grown a fair amount and had Sis recalculate the time. Instead of the 70-75 hour timeframe she initially stated, her current analysis showed that it would spawn within the next twenty hours. Vahn had been within the dungeon for fourteen hours, yet, in that time the 'window' had shrunk an additional 40 hours.(*Just like the Juggernaut, a Monster Rex's spawn can be influenced by other adventurers. According to the compendium, the main reason many people have died to Monster Rex(s) is due to the fact they spawned at an unexpected time. The fact you've been hunting hundreds of monsters alongside Fafnir may have influenced the timer. There is also the fact that other adventurers are also within the dungeon and would also be influencing it in a similar manner.*)Vahn thought it made sense considering the Monster Rex(s) were essentially the guardians of the dungeon. If more people are entering and causing chaos, it was understandable that it would spawn faster. The problem Vahn currently faced was being around for when it finally did spawn. As he wanted to challenge it alone, Vahn wanted to obtain Level 3 before it had spawned. Right now, mainly due to how he let Fafnir kill most things, Vahn hadn't made a lot of progress in his parameters since the morning.Sitting against the wall, Vahn stared toward the 'Wall of Grief' and the shadow contained within. He knew that by the time the shadow had fully formed, the Goliath inside would come bursting out and begin attacking anything within its territory. Vahn decided to wait until it spawned since if he went and tried to train further, he had no way of knowing when it would break free of the wall. Though it was possible it would still be here when he finally returned, due to the fact that many adventurers passed this room to-and-from Riviria, it was highly likely it would be dead instead.Though the odds weren't heavily in his favor, Vahn was confident he could put up a fight against the Goliath. A group of Level 2's, if they had great coordination alongside a Level 3 or higher, would be able to deal with it. It had incredible regeneration and awesome physical power, but its speed wasn't too difficult to deal with. The fact it had such a large body actually proved to be a disadvantage against well-oriented party compositions.Since Vahn should be more than a match for a party of Level 2's and even defeat the majority of early-to-mid rank Level 3's, he felt he would be able to deal with the Goliath. Worst case scenario, he would be able to rely on Fafnir to help tie it down. The standard Goliath was only 7m tall, which wasn't much larger than the 6m Fafnir. Considering the body composition, Fafnir likely weighed a great deal more as well.Vahn was conflicted for the same reasons he didn't want to take Fafnir down to the lower floors. It had great strength, more than an adequate amount to be reliable in a fight, but it also changed how Vahn engaged enemies. He found out that it was very easy to consider the situation while including Fafnir as a method of overcoming difficulties. If he continued to develop this mentality, he would become overly reliant on the dragon and likely suffer an unexpected setback if anything ever happened to it.Sighing, Vahn leaned against the wall and decided to take a nap. Most people would have called him a madman for doing so, but as he had his domain, Vahn wasn't worried about getting caught off guard. As he had been doing so recently, Vahn took the time before resting to review his stats and spoils for the day. After fourteen hours of combat, he had obtained a total of 24,318OP, his largest gains yet. He now had a total of 258,559OP.-------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Stats]]Name: [Vahn Mason]Age: 14Race: Human, *sealed*Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]-Level:2(+)(2)-Power:1001+(B760)-&gt;(B778)-Endurance:1108+(SS1019)-&gt;(SS1025)-Dexterity:887+(B737)-&gt;(B750)-Agility:940+(A822)-&gt;(A828)-Magic:1611+(SSS1114)-&gt;(SSS1198)Total:5547+(4452)-&gt;(4579) (A/N: Vahn needs to eat more protein. Look at these puny gainz.)Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)[Karma]: 1,473[OP]: 258,559[Valis]: 171,630-------------------------------------------------------------------------Vahn was somewhat dissatisfied with his growth for the day, but considering the fact he now had a loyal and cool looking dragon to accompany him, he wasn't particularly upset. One of the things he wanted to do after he left the dungeon was fly on Fafnir's back high into the sky. He knew the continent was surrounded by an ocean, and given how agile Fafnir is, Vahn figured he might be able to see it one day.As he drifted off into sleep, Vahn dreamt about flying through the sky himself...not on Fafnir's back, but by his own power. He imagined it must be a very 'freeing' experience, and he wanted to one day accomplish the feat.---Several hours after Vahn had fallen asleep, a group of people was making their way towards the 'Wall of Grief'. As a group that had hunted it several times, they were well aware of its general spawn times and had even investigated it earlier in the day. It was likely to spawn within the next 10-20 hours, and they wanted to be on site to prevent anyone from poaching it.The group consisted of eight individuals, and they had a very casual air as they made their way up the stairs. Some laughed and bantered with each other, while others were calm and composed. One of the members almost had a complacent expression, while the person next to them seemed to be enjoying the moment.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Midnight Summer's Dream','I believe I can fly','Pokemon Master aren't known for their Personal Strength','Fafnir IMBA')

Throughout the night, Vahn periodically awoke and investigated his surroundings. Though his domain never picked up any presence, by moving around he was able to increase the area of his detection. Since there was a good chance his 'enemies' were still looking for him, Vahn wanted to remain cautious. Fortunately, by the time the crystals in the sky began to glow with a gentle warmth, Vahn had managed to make it through the rest of the night undisturbed.Come morning, Vahn was relatively well rested and decided to continue trying to increase his strength. As it currently stood, he could either backtrack and accumulate OP on the 17th-18th floors and wait for a chance to fight the Goliath, or Vahn could progress further into the dungeon. Vahn knew that if he wanted to gain OP in the fastest manner, fighting stronger monsters was necessary. However, it was incredibly safe if he returned to the previous floors.Vahn was able to earn well over 100 OP for each Minotaur he killed, and if he could around one-hundred a day alongside other monsters, he could earn between 15-20 thousand OP per day. If he managed to trigger any 'monster parties', or fight any variants, that number could easily increase. Vahn speculated that he would be able to complete the remaining seven-hundred-thousand or so OP within 30-40 days without exposing himself to too many problems.After careful deliberation, Vahn decided it would be best to head back up a bit. Right now, there were enemies that were trying to interfere with him, and Vahn even suspected they had something to do with the Juggernaut he encountered previously. If he decided to head down, not only would he expose himself to further danger but ran the risk of losing his path of retreat. Though the majority of people within the Osiris Familia seemed to be around Level 2, it didn't prevent them from paying others to sabotage Vahn's progress. Dealing with higher level adventurers while fighting dangerous monsters wasn't a pleasant thought.Before Vahn headed down, he decided to explore the perimeter of the 18th floor and completely map out the area. He would be here for some time, and knowing the terrain would allow him to protect himself if things took a turn for the worse. Vahn didn't believe anyone, even people that lived on the 18th floor, would have a better understanding of the layout and terrain by the time he finished mapping it.---As Vahn had woken up early, he managed to explore the majority of the 18th floor within three hours. Some of the things he noticed were that there were a large number of small lakes and ponds dotting the various forests and plains on the floor. They were all fed by a large lake that connected to the network of roots on the western side of the giant tree in the center. Vahn also learned that the central tree was also the entrance to the 19th floor, and unless you took one of the few holes leading downward, you would be identified by personnel as you enter.Some Adventurers had set up a post that listed some of the material and subjugation missions listed by the Guild. They would pay a fee to relieve the items from Adventurers and Familias that had no intention of returning to the surface within the near future. The fee would allow the adventurers a measure of convenience and ensure they were able to afford some of the ridiculously costly items in the Riviria Bazaar. And, the adventurers accepting the items, would be able to exchange them at the Guild on the surface for merit and the posted rewards. This was a method lower level adventurers used to earn rewards/merit for high-level quests.Their presence was a deterrent for Vahn, however, because even if he didn't leave his info they would still log his appearance for their personal gains. There was nothing to stop them from selling the information to other people, and they even kept a network of information regarding who was within the deeper floors. Vahn noticed they had even set up a betting board in some of the pubs and he could purchase information from one of the brokers about everyone in the lower floors. The prices were expensive, but Vahn had little doubt the Osiris Familia would be willing to pay to obtain his information. After all, even now, there was an information slip with the name 'Vulcan' posted on the wall.After resupplying some of his items, Vahn made his way up to the 17th floor to begin backtracking. Unlike other floors, the 17th-floor stairs only ran between the 17th and 18th floors. If Vahn wanted to return to the upper levels, he would have to venture through the 17th floor in its entirety. He also had the option of climbing up one of the holes in the ceiling, which Vahn thought seemed like a fun idea.Leaving the room full of holes that connected to the stairs, Vahn once again found himself in front of the 'Wall of Grief'. Like previously, it still had the rainbow hue and crystalline structure, but now the shadow within the depths had grown much larger. Vahn had Sis calculate the rate of increase since his last visit and try to establish a window for when the Goliath would actually spawn. After a few minutes, he was informed it would take between 70-75 hours, which gave Vahn nearly three days to prepare. If he could reach Level 3 in that time, it would greatly increase his odds in the ensuing fight.Vahn made his way through the 17th floor, and just like the previous day, there weren't a great number of monsters. It seemed like this floor was focused more on ambush combat combined with difficult terrain and low visibility. As Vahn was essentially immune to these factors, he was able to progress through this floor much easier than most people. After a while, as he wasn't earning a lot of OP, Vahn decided to follow through with his earlier urge.Following the indicators he had made on his map, Vahn quickly found what he was looking for. On the ceiling of a large room, there was a giant hole that crept further up into the dungeon. Vahn vaulted off the walls and then used his claws to find his footing within the hole. After getting his bearings and stabilizing himself, he began to jump up the sides of the hole and make his way directly to the 16th floor. Thinking that he was one of the only people that could use this method, Vahn couldn't help but smile at the thought.Arriving on the 16th floor, Vahn began his 'eternal' subjugation of the Minotaur species. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that, if he continued here for the duration of his quest, Vahn may very well be the most prolific Minotaur slayer in history. By the end of his quest, he would have slain several thousand at the very least, a number which would likely include a few variants.As he was butchering Minotaurs, Vahn also made an effort to explore the entire floor. Even though he had a 'map', the layout the dungeon changed from time to time and they weren't always up-to-date. The Guild had a repeatable mission that required people to submit any information they have about the changes they encounter. It was during this exploration of his that Vahn encountered a new, but recognizable, enemy.Standing in the center of the room and lazing about on the floor, Vahn saw a giant 4m long pink Wyvern. As he was constantly maintaining his stealth to avoid detection, it had yet to notice his presence. Vahn had already slain a Purple Wyvern, so he didn't believe a normal one would be his match, but he also wanted to try fighting it without someone else having to draw its attention.Deactivating the stealth component of his domain, Vahn focused his intent on the Wyvern. The moment he did so, the Wyvern's body jerked to life and looked towards Vahn with aggression and a hint, though very subtle, of fear. Vahn was curious about its reaction and began to take an interest in the Wyvern. Without drawing any weapons, Vahn got into a low crouching stance that he had adopted after constantly using his Báihǔ form. This pose allowed him to spontaneously reach his maximum speed in any direction without having to build any momentum.The Wyvern roared and approached the enemy that caused it to feel an instinctive pressure. It had never experienced an 'aura' like what Vahn was emitting. It made the Wyvern feel an apprehension within its mind and caused it to have doubts about the coming fight. Trying to resist the pressure, the Wyvern charged towards the small creature before billowing out a huge pillar of flames. The flames directly impacted the target and the Wyvern, for a brief moment, felt relieved.Seeing the flames approach, Vahn closed his eyes and unequipped the majority of his armor. He had lost his fire-proof clothing when he transformed into the vermillion-bird, and he didn't want the remainder of his gear to get charred as he directly allowed himself to be encompassed by the flames. After remaining motionless in the fire for around two seconds, Vahn suddenly launched himself forward.The Wyvern felt something was wrong with the situation as, even though it had directly hit the enemy with its strongest attack, its instincts were flaring up and it began to feel genuine fear. As that thought passed through its mind, a powerful force slammed into its jaw and knocked its 10,000kg body backward. The Wyvern felt a powerful shockwave resonate through its body and repress the mana within its core. It felt like its entire being had been restrained by the energy that continued to echo within its body without dissipating.Vahn had noticed that the Wyvern seemed to drop its guard shortly after launching its breath attack, so using the gap in its preparedness, he had focused his energy before kicking the underside of its jaw. The Wyvern's mouth slammed shut and its body was pushed back a few meters. Interestingly enough, instead of immediately counterattacking in a rage, the Wyvern seemed to be dazed and hesitant. Vahn could see the fear in its eyes more evidently than it had been previously. Testing his theory, Vahn slowly walked toward the Wyvern while converging his intent on it.The Wyvern could feel the repressive force within its body growing with each step the figure before it took. Every moment seemed to be drawing it closer to its death, and a powerful helplessness emerged in the 'heart' of the monster. The moment the figure came within 1m of its body, the Wyvern could no longer withstand the pressure and simply collapsed to the ground. It gazed towards the boy with tired eyes and released a 'sight' that was accompanied by a tuft of smoke.When the Wyvern collapsed to the ground, Vahn began to experience a feeling of déjà vu for the first time in his life. Much like the kobold that had 'submitted' to him in the past, the Wyvern was now laying with its head to the ground and looking upwards toward Vahn. He could see it had completely lost the will to fight and felt that, if he used [Will of the Emperor], he would be able to subjugate the creature.Vahn reached out and put his hand onto the snout of the Wyvern. The creature didn't resist in the slightest as Vahn continued to converge his intent, directing it towards the Wyvern's mind before asking, "Will you follow me?" Vahn said the words slowly and with power behind each syllable. As the words sounded, the Wyvern's body shuddered a bit before it closed its eyes. Less than five seconds after doing so, a notification sounded in Vahn's mind.//(Nameless) Wishes to become your subordinate: Y/N?//(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cliff-sama descends','How to Train your Dragon','Pink is manly')

Chapter 88: Unit Management