Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Once Vahn was in his room, he sat down on his bed and gave a short sigh. He had seen the expectation in Anubis's eyes, but he wasn't willing to go any further at this time. The words of Hephaestus had appeared in his mind the moment he started petting her ears, and he didn't want to let down the red-haired goddess that had shown him so much love. Though Vahn might interact with other girls, he didn't want to be the type to betray the trust of the ones he was already with. Right now, Vahn had to worry about his date with Eina, the aftereffects of his rendezvous with Tiona and Ais, as well as various other things. Creating friction between Anubis and Hephaestus wasn't on the top of his to-do list.With that thought in mind, Vahn opened his system and looked at the information of the new function he had obtained recently, the 'gacha' function. Right now, the function had two options available to him, each called 'standard gacha' and 'premium gacha' respectively. Vahn learned that he could use the standard gacha with just OP, while the premium gacha only accepted tickets that could be obtained if he fights strong enemies. According to Sis, the way the gacha functioned worked was by allowing him to choose a specific type of item, such as healing, strengthening, weapons. armor, accessories, etc. After he chose the category, he could put in 10,000 OP into the system and it would give him ANY item within the category regardless of price. This meant that Vahn had a chance of getting items that cost several million OP, but it also had a much greater chance of giving him something worse much less.Vahn wasn't too interested in potentially wasting away his OP, so he put the 'standard gacha' to the back of his mind while learning about the 'Premium Gacha'. It worked very similarly to the standard gacha except for the fact that the items were always useful for his current soul tier. This was an incredible surprise for Vahn, as the shop didn't list the use of items and it was a bit of a gamble whenever he bought something. At least now he could guarantee the item would be practical for his current strength level. The problem was, right now he only had the 10+1 premium gacha pull ticket, and it required him to use the ticket on a single category.While Vahn was lost in thought, Sis spoke out in his mind, (*Since it will be difficult to explain where weapons and armor come from, you should focus on consumables that can increase your strength. Just like the 'body strengthening liquid' you used when you first arrived, there are limitless items within the system that can empower your body and strengthen your foundation. For equipment, you're already in cahoots with the most prolific forging god in the entire record. I'm sure if you ask, she would be more than willing to help you out.*)Sis words were true, and Vahn knew that, if he asked, Hephaestus may very well forge him an entire set of equipment. The fact she spent more than 2BV just to secure him materials made this painfully aware to Vahn. However, though it might be the best course of action, Vahn couldn't agree to take advantage of her kindness when he could rely on himself to improve. He had learned that equipment wasn't the most important factor to strength, as his use of [Rakshasa Body] had almost invalidated his need for it entirely. Vahn now understood that equipment would always be secondary to personal strength, and he even felt like that was the lesson 'The Path' had wanted him to learn when it gave him the quest in the first place.Following Sis's advice, Vahn used his 10+1 draw ticket and he heard a loud sound playing in his mind as a giant wooden wheel studded with gold started spinning in his consciousness. The wheel continued to spin, and every revolution made Vahn feel a bit more excited as it slowly began spitting out orbs from a hole in the center of the wheel. After it spat out 11 orbs, they each started cracking open with a rainbow-colored light as 11 different items that could increase his strength popped up.Vahn noticed that most of the items seemed to have a white aura surrounding them and they looked rather plain compared to the two which had a resplendent rainbow color. As Vahn focused his intent on the items, their use appeared in his mind and he smiled after reading the descriptions. The [Bone Tempering Pill], [Mental Expansion Liquid], and other items had very obvious functions just based on their names, and they would provide direct benefits to his parameters. However, it was the two rainbow items that stood out which caught his interest and made a large smile appear on his face.-------------------------------------------------------------------------[Magia Erebea Manual]Rank: SSUse: A manual detailing the forbidden technique developed by a forsaken queen in a foreign world. Comprehension of this skills allows the user to absorb elemental attacks and infuse it into their body to increase strength. Mastery allows the user to embody the elemental properties of the skills and achieve an immortal body.[Mantra of Eternity]Rank: SSSUse: A record of the first words heard at the beginning of eternity. Comprehension of the words increases the spiritual strength of the user without limit. In the vastness of Eternity, there were never any limits to begin with.-------------------------------------------------------------------------Though the two techniques would be incredibly difficult to learn, just practicing them would greatly increase his strength over time. Vahn immediately pulled out the two items from his inventory and noticed that the [Magia Erebea Manual] was actually a black orb while the [Mantra of Eternity] was a strange piece of white jade, unlike anything Vahn had ever seen before. The moment the jade landed in his palm, it dissolved into a liquid and Vahn heard a series of nine words sound out in his mind. Unfortunately, no matter how much he focused his mind, he was unable to make out what the words were. Interestingly enough, they seemed to silently repeat in his mind without ceasing, so Vahn assumed he would be able to comprehend it with time.Vahn then took the black orb into his hand and stared at it curiously for a few minutes before Sis sighed in his mind and said, "You need to focus your intent into the orb. The technique should be recorded inside, but even I don't know what will happen when it activates." Vahn nodded his head and considered Sis's words. After weighing various factors for around ten minutes, Vahn took a deep breath and focused his intent on the orb without any further hesitation. Though he didn't always understand 'The Path', Vahn trusted that it had never done anything to harm him since he obtained it.---------------------------------------------------------------------------After Vahn's intent entered the orb, he opened his eyes and found himself in a strange space. The ground below him seemed to be an endless white plain that stretched out beyond the horizon, but the sky above was pitch black without a single light or star to be seen. Vahn felt a bit unnerved by the strange space, almost like he was an inconsequential being in the vastness of this black and white world.Vahn assumed he was inside the orb, or at least his spiritual sense had entered into it. Though his body felt real, Vahn was able to vaguely sense that his body was closer to a projection which lacked any real substance. While he was inspecting himself, the voice of a woman filled with disgust, intrigue, and a profound loneliness sounded out in the space from all directions. "How are you able to come here, boy?"Since the voice appeared from every direction, Vahn didn't know where he should look as he was unable to see the source of the voice. Assuming the voice was likely the 'forsaken queen' mentioned by the system, Vahn gave a polite bow to the empty space and said, "Forgive my intrusion. I obtained a strange black orb and tried infusing my intent into it. Afterward, I awoke in this space."The voice spoke out in a deadpan manner, but Vahn could still feel the sadness dripping from each of her words, "Perhaps a legacy left behind by my future self...very well, I'll play along for now. I assume you've come here to learn my ultimate technique?" As the voice ended, the appearance of a tall and beautiful blonde woman appeared in front of Vahn. She was wearing a beautiful black dress and had sad blue eyes as she looked at Vahn in an expressionless fashion.After looking him up and down, the girl said in a somewhat confused manner, "I can sense a powerful magical energy in your body, but it doesn't seem to be from any system I've ever seen. What kind of magic can you use?" As a being that had existed for thousands of years, the woman was interested in the strange magic coming from the boy's body.Vahn nodded his head and said politely, "Other than a beast transformation magic, I have never learned any other forms of magic. Most of my energy is used to maintain my domain and to amplify my skills and body." The beautiful woman nodded her head and muttered, "So you're the type that relies on body enhancing and transformation...maybe you'll be suited for my magic after all?"Hearing her words, Vahn couldn't help but smile with a bit of excitement building up inside of him. However, before he could celebrate, the woman waved her hand and Vahn felt a powerful surge of cold energy encompass the area around him. He immediately expanded his domain and transformed into his Báihǔ form to evade the lethal attack. Where he stood previously, there was now a gigantic ice pillar more than 20m tall and 8m wide. It emitted a fierce cold that caused all of Vahn's instincts to trigger warning bells in his mind.Suddenly, Vahn spun around mid-air and tried to kick the figure that had appeared behind him in an instant. The woman effortlessly caught his attack with her delicate hand before saying, "Interesting. This domain of yours seems very powerful, and that transformation seems to boost your speed." As she spoke she spun Vahn with a terrifying force and threw his body like a bullet into the stark white ground. Vahn's body slammed heavily into the ground and caused a crater to form in the previously flawless surface.From above, he could hear the now cold voice of the woman as she stared down at him and said, "Do your best to survive. If I'm not satisfied with your efforts, not only will you not learn my technique, but you'll never escape from this space for as long as you live. Its been a long time since I've had a companion to talk to, so don't die too quickly." As she spoke, she began to form large spears of ice in the air without any chanting or movement.Vahn saw the sight and felt fear begin to emerge from deep inside his mind. The woman was able to effortlessly float in the air and use incredibly powerful ice magic without any prior indicator. Not only that, but her strength and speed far outclassed his current state, even while pushing his form and domain to the limit. Vahn had to maintain his focus or he wouldn't even be able to react when she made her attacks.Though Vahn had met actual gods and goddesses, this was the first time he felt awed by the power and presence of another person. The blond-haired beauty stood like an untouchable goddess in the air as a blue light radiated from her body and spread out into the surrounding area like a divine aura. Everything within her icy domain seemed within her control, and even Vahn felt his body pressured by the force. If not for the 'eternal flame' beating in his chest, he feared he may have been frozen solid on the spot.The spears of ice launched at such speeds that the air shattered around them as the ruthlessly pierced toward Vahn's location. He managed to react in time and evade the attacks, but he could feel frost begin to build on his body as he continued pushing himself further beyond his limits. Seeing him dodge another attack, the woman's brows raised a bit as she said, "Your domain is even able to resist mine? I had expected you to be an ice sculpture by now, but you seem to be unaffected by the suppression of my magic power. Very interesting..."After she finished speaking, Vahn lost sight of her figure as she teleported into his blind spot. It wasn't sped, which he might have been able to deal with, but actual teleportation. Vahn had never dealt with such a technique and he was powerless as he felt a powerful energy pierce through his body. He coughed out a mouthful of blood onto the previously flawless body of the woman as he stared at the magical sword piercing through his body.The woman seemed entirely unconcerned by the boy dangling from her sword as she supported his body in the air with the blade. When he coughed a mouthful of blood on her body, she used her free hand to wipe up a bit and, in front of the pained and confused expression of Vahn, licked his blood off her finger. As soon as she swallowed the blood, her cold expression immediately faded as she looked incredulously at Vahn who was rapidly losing strength. Just as she was about to question him, Vahn's body underwent a change and he turned into his turtle form before shattering the magical sword in his gut.As he started falling toward the ground, he pulled out his bow and without hesitation used 10,000 OP to buy a [Yi] arrow which he fired at the currently surprised woman. Though she was going to swat away the arrow at first, the woman's expression changed once again as she tried to initiate her teleportation and evade. Unfortunately, it was like space was locked around her and she had to meet the deadly arrowhead on using her magical energy.Vahn collided with the ground hard before bounding onto his feet and notching a second [Yi] arrow. Though he had entered this orb with the intention of learning the skill, it seemed like the woman was intent on actually killing him. Though his current body wasn't his physical body, Vahn knew that if his spiritual energy were dispersed forcibly, he'd likely end up brain dead or in a coma once again.After the black gravitational field dispersed, Vahn was surprised by the appearance of the woman. Though he hadn't expected to kill her with the arrow, he was surprised to find that, other than parts of her beautiful dress, she remained entirely unharmed as she looked down on him with a mixture of contempt and intrigue. In her same cold voice, the woman asked, "Are you really human?"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Getting Strong Aint Easy','Vahn in Danger','Gacha is Dangerous')

As it wasn't the first time he had heard a similar question, Vahn wasn't shocked when she asked if he was human. With still holding his bow fully drawn, he asked, "Why do you ask that when you're focused on trying to kill me?" Since she had yet to begin attacking again, Vahn didn't want to be the one to start the fight back up. He was already injured and hadn't yet recovered his strength from the severe beating he had received.The woman squinted her eyes and asked Vahn a question without answering his, "Do you think, if I wanted to kill you, you'd still be alive right now?" Her words sent a chill down Vahn's spine, and he prepared to loose the arrow as her hand raised. Though it looked like a slow motion in Vahn's eyes, she completely raised her hand in less time than it took for him to release the arrow. Opening her mouth slightly, the woman uttered, "Nivis Casus."The area more than 300m surrounding him suddenly exploded with a massive amount of ice and snow. Vahn felt his body enveloped by the cold elements as they started freezing his limbs even against the resistance of the 'eternal flame'. He couldn't breathe as the biting cold slowly tore through his body and seemed intent on freezing his entire being. Any hopes he had against the woman completely faded and Vahn felt a powerful fear as well as rage building up inside his body.Just as he was about to succumb to the god, he felt a palm press against his chest and a powerful force sending him outside the area of effect of the magical spell. He slid along the ground for hundreds of meters before finally coming to a stop. A light flashed, and the woman was standing over his body while looking down at him with contempt in her eyes. She asked, "Do you still believe I was trying to kill you?"The fear hadn't faded from Vahn's mind, but he could feel the rage continuing to build as his blood slowly started glowing with a crimson light. The woman seemed dissatisfied by his actions and tried infusing more ice elements in the surroundings to force him to surrender. She spoke in a cold tone, "Give up, boy. Even if you're upset by my treatment, you need to be a lot stronger if you want to stand against me. If you keep up your current actions, I really will kill you."Vahn felt that her words were true, and he knew she wasn't trying to kill him, but the fact he was being tossed around at her leisure compounded the fear he had felt when he thought he was going to die. Unable to suppress his rising emotions, Vahn transitioned from his turtle form into that of the vermillion sparrow. The moment his body change, the ice elements in the surroundings were dispersed and he sent a massive pillar of flames toward the beautiful girl who looked at him with a face full of scorn.A gigantic magical circle formed in the air between the two and Vahn's pillar collided against the light blue icy structure with an intense force. The woman frowned her face because she could see that the flames were slowly eroding away at her defensive spell. She teleported away just as the barrier broke and scorched the area where she had been standing for nearly 30m.Just as she finished the teleportation and was inspecting the damage, a golden sheen lit up the air around her, and her eyes widened in shock after seeing the resplendent figure of [Enkidu] surrounding her. She immediately tried to teleport away but found that the space in the area had been locked and she was unable to move outside of the chains containment. She turned her eyes to the source of the chains and saw Vahn, wreathed in flames, holding his palm toward her where [Enkidu] had emerged. He had a fierce look in his eyes as he pulled the chain and the sphere around the woman quickly closed.The woman immediately erected an omnidirectional barrier, and it was able to resist the coiling force of [Enkidu], but she noticed that the shield wouldn't last long. She started chanting a spell that resonated in the air and seemed to be bringing the temperature of the entire space down. At this point, Vahn had already overused his energy with the use of the vermillion sparrow transformation and [Enkidu], but he refused to go down before he could teach the contemptuous woman a lesson. Vahn didn't care if people looked down on him, but he wouldn't allow himself to be repressed to such an extent by someone that he didn't know.Blood started to drain from Vahn's nose and mouth as he refused to pass out while tightening the chains of [Enkidu]. Though it took a lot of energy to produce them, it didn't take much to sustain them. If he was able to seal the woman, he would be able to buy enough time to heal his body and escape. Vahn pulled out a senzu bean and tossed it into his mouth, and it seemed to prevent his body from breaking down for a brief moment. Unfortunately, though it was able to heal his wounds and stamina, it couldn't prevent the destruction he was imposing on his own body.The woman could feel her barrier beginning to break, but she paid no attention to it as she finally completed her incantation. She spread her arms out wide as she shouted, "Kosmike Katastrofe!!!". The darkness from the endless black sky seemed to drop on the white floor around Vahn, and he could feel the entire temperature in the area immediately drop several hundred degrees.Vahn noticed that his breath seemed to stop completely as his limbs, while still wreathed in flames, began turning into ice. He could feel his heart beating powerfully in his chest at it tried to resist the biting chill, but it was only able to delay the effects and not prevent them in the slightest. By the time the cold had reached up his arms and legs, Vahn was no longer able to focus his mind. The only thing he felt was a powerful and biting cold that consumed all his thoughts.Fortunately, the spell didn't cause him to feel any pain, and Vahn slowly lost consciousness as his torso fell to the ground. the chains he had summoned dispersed while the woman looked at him with a bit of fear in her eyes. Right now, Vahn was missing his arms and legs due to the effect of her spell, since she had only targeted his limbs. She was able to determine that the chains were only intended to seal her, so she didn't intend to take his life just because she was a little annoyed.She teleported next to his body and stood in deep contemplation as she watched him slowly begin to fade away into nothingness. Since Vahn had lost consciousness in the space, he would suffer a bit of damage, but it wouldn't be anything a good nights sleep couldn't recover. He would wake up in the morning with a headache, but before the day ended he would be fine. She wondered if the boy would return again in the future as she looked up in the empty black sky overhead.---Vahn awoke the next morning with a powerful headache as he raised his body up from the floor. He had used the orb on the edge of the bed and then lost consciousness when he put his intent into it which caused him to fall off the bed. Staring at the black orb that had rolled away on the floor, he moved forward an picked it up while inspecting its pitch black surface. It was eerily reminiscent of the sky in the world inside the orb, and Vahn wondered about the origins of the woman that had easily defeated him.Storing the orb into his inventory, Vahn resolved to continue trying to fight her again in the future. If the skill contained in the orb had anything to do with the magic she used, it would be a powerful asset to have for the future. Since she didn't seem intent on killing him, Vahn wouldn't give up after a minor setback. It also gave him the chance to fight against a much stronger opponent, and though his body hadn't been able to grow, his magic stat had increased by a fair amount during the battle.--------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Stats]]Name: [Vahn Mason]Age: 14Race: Human, *sealed*Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]-Level:3(3)-Power: 1906+(I14)-&gt;(I29)-Endurance: 2221+(I44)-&gt;(H105)-Dexterity: 1807+(I11)-&gt;(I52)-Agility: 1959+(I21)-&gt;(I33)-Magic: 3562+(G251)-&gt;(E498)Total:11455+(341)-&gt;(717)Soul Tier 2 (Hero Soul)[Karma]: 3,103[OP]: 81,309[Valis]: 3,261,630-------------------------------------------------------------------------When he fought inside the space, he was able to use all of his abilities, even his system, but since his body was a spiritual entity, it didn't have a big effect on his stats. If not for [Rakshasa Body], Vahn wouldn't have experienced such a large growth in his physical parameters at all. If Vahn was able to keep up with this type of training in the future, he felt like he could greatly increase his combat potential in the future. He had long realized that his domain and [Will of the Emperor] were based on magic, and they had a powerful influence on all of his skills and parameters. If he could increase his magic stat, it would enhance all of his parameters in the future and give him more control over his other Innate skills.After taking a potion to help recover his mental fatigue, Vahn made his way out of the room and came across the familiar figure of Anubis. He wasn't surprised to see her at all, but he noticed she had changed her usual clothing. Instead of the regal attire she normally wore, Anubis now had on slightly more revealing clothes. She had on an intricately designed black and gold dress that revealed her abdomen and was cut deeply on the sides to allow her long, olive-brown, legs to peak out from the sides. Around her neck, she had a beautiful necklace made of gold that was seated with green and red gems that only vaguely concealed the deep V cut of the top of her dress. Vahn could clearly see her cleavage contrasted by the black dress and the gold jewelry.Anubis had stood patiently with a smile on her face as Vahn inspected her new clothing. Though she wouldn't wear such an outfit outside, as long as she was at home she wanted to make Vahn pay more attention to her. Her ceremonial attire made her look like an actual goddess from the Southern Sands, and it was very eye-catching with how much skin it revealed. After Vahn stared at her for nearly a minute, she bowed forward slightly and said, "Good morning, Master."When she bowed, Vahn saw the golden ornaments around her neck dangle slightly and he could clearly see down the cleavage of her dress. Though it hugged her figure, whenever she leaned forward, he hung from her body slightly and created a captivating view. Vahn was in a bit of a daze as he habitually reached out his hand and started stroking her ears. In a somewhat complacent sounding voice, he said, "Good morning Anubis...I see you've changed outfits."While enjoying Vahn's 'petting', Anubis laughed a bit and said with her head still lowered, "I wanted to wear something that would please Master. What do you think, does it suit me?" As she asked the question, Anubis lifted her head and did a cutesy pirouette that contrasted her usual noble demeanor. The various pieces of jewelry she was wearing made beautiful sounds as they clashed against each other during the movement. However, what caught Vahn's attention the most was the areas where Anubis's tail was.Instead of the normal cut cloth that would allow a chienthrope to wear clothing without restricting their tail, Anubis's current clothing actually hung under the base of the tail instead of allowing it to pass through. Vahn hadn't realized it from the front, but almost her entire back was uncovered, and he could vaguely see the area where her back began to form into the shape of her butt. For the first time, Vahn got a close-up view of how the tail was connected to the body, and he almost instinctively stretched out his hand to touch it.Anubis had wagged her butt a bit while swaying her tail and watching Vahn's reaction. She had always been paying attention to his interactions with Hephaestus, and she knew he likely had an appreciation for women's butts. She also knew that his eyes often wandered to the ears and tails of herself and the children, so she suspected he also had an inclination towards chienthropes and other demi-human races. Seeing his hand reach out like he wanted to touch her 'butt', Anubis had a playful smile on her face as she said in a slow and sensuous manner, "Go ahead...Master."Her words were like a spell to Vahn, and his hand slowly made its way forward toward the base of her tail. Unfortunately for her, when her tail began to wag due to the excitement, Vahn was snapped out of his dazed stand and pulled his hand away with a slight blush on his cheeks. "Let's not keep the children waiting." When his words finished, Vahn started making his way down the corridor with Anubis looking at his back in a somewhat 'sad' manner. She released a quiet sigh that Vahn was unable to hear as she fell into step with him while standing at his left.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn gets wrekt','Sad Pupper','Ice Queen')

Anubis's words blew like a gentle breeze through Vahn's empty mind. He just stared at the smiling goddess standing behind Nanu with a blank expression. When Nanu rolled down her bra, Vahn's brain started working again and he imagined the image of Hephaestus with a big belly smiling at him with a loving expression. He could feel his heart begin to beat powerfully in his chest and even the 'eternal flame' seemed to be excited by the prospect as it danced around.While Vahn was stuck in his thoughts, Anubis giggled and said, "You'll have to get a lot stronger and build your influence a bit before that. The moment other gods and goddesses find out you can impregnate goddesses, you'll have a great deal of trouble. Since it's almost impossible for a goddess to get pregnant, there are several that would jump at the chance. Many of us have lived for several million years, and that is something that is hidden deep within the hearts of many."Vahn considered Anubis's words and he locked eyes with the smiling goddess. He could see a bit of longing in her eyes as she stared back at him. Vahn tried to imagine what it was like to live for millions of years and desiring children of your own, but never being able to have any by virtue of your existence. It was this reason why many gods and goddesses called their groups Familia and the members 'children'. Remembering the loneliness in Hephaestus's vision, Vahn assumed it could be very similar to how other gods and goddesses might feel.While Vahn was stuck in deep contemplation, Anubis smiled and gave a polite bow before excusing herself. She could see that Vahn was seriously considering difficult matters and knew it was best to let him work through this kind of thing on his own. The burden, if he chose to bear it, was more than almost anyone would be able to bear, so, if he couldn't make the decision on his own, he would likely be full of regrets in the future. Anubis, remembering the beauty of Vahn's soul, had a bit of anticipation seeded inside her after experiencing the use of [Enkidu] though.After Anubis left, Nanu was left standing in front of Vahn without any orders. She stood there in her black sports bra and watched the contemplative face of her Master with a bit of intrigue. Nanu also knew that it was almost impossible for the gods to have children, but it seems her Master wasn't bound by such a restriction. She could feel a powerful pride well up inside of her as her respect for Vahn reached a new extreme. Once the others returned, she would recount the events and believed they too would feel the same way.Vahn was in a strange state of mind as he imagined himself surrounded by several girls with large bellies. Now that the seed had been implanted in his mind by Anubis, he pictured images of all the characters he knew from the manga with children, and not just any children, but his own. The thought made something well up deep within his being and he could feel an excitement overwhelming him. Vahn knew he would have to become much stronger to make that vision a reality, but knew that if he made the effort, he would one day stand at the apex of this world, surrounded by a family of his own making.Breaking free from his dazed state, he saw the young figure of Nanu staring at him with a reverent expression on her face. Seeing that she was still wearing just a sports bra, Vahn's brows raised a bit and he said, "Go ahead and put your blouse back on. We have a lot of work to do." Nanu, hearing his voice, did a salute with her right fist over her heart as she shouted, "Yes, Master!" Vahn watched the small girl excitedly put her shirt back on while her tail danced around like a whirlwind. He always found the expressiveness of a chienthropes tail to be very adorable so he couldn't help but smile at the sight as he started preparing materials as well.After everything was ready, Vahn started mass producing ingots with the assistance of Nanu. He was surprised at how capable she was but noticed she had difficulties working any of the stronger metals. Her success rate remained around 50-55% when she was handling anything stronger than steel. As the forge was large enough for multiple people to work at the same time, Vahn continued to guide her while he created his own ingots. With the assistance of the 'eternal flame' and his control over fire, he had a much easier time than most people, so he was able to divert his attention a bit while still maintaining a 90% success rate.The longer they worked, the more reverent Nanu's eyes became as she saw how capable Vahn was when it came to producing his ingots. He was able to use some kind of golden flame with a crimson core that allowed him to shape the metal with ease, so much so that he was able to guide her at the same time. Her tail continued to beat back and forth at her sides as she listened to each of his words like they were some kind of sacred decree. Because of this, her rate of completion had increased from the mid 40's to the mid 50's with just a few casual words.Since Vahn had wanted to create a personal stockpile of ingots to use for the future, the two spent the entire day producing only ingots. Vahn was able to complete one every 5-7 minutes, so by the end of the day, he had 84 completed ingots while his young 'apprentice' had produced around forty.Vahn was impressed with the dedication she showed, as even when her skin had begun to glisten with a uniform layer of sweat, she never showed any indication of giving up. If she continued with this degree of passion, Vahn felt like she might even become another [Master Smith] in the next ten or twenty years.Just as they were wrapping things up, Anubis entered the workshop and looked at the two soot-covered people with a gentle smile on her face. She informed Vahn that the other children had arrived and asked when he would like to have dinner. Vahn contemplated for a moment before saying, "We'll have dinner in the next hour or so. For now, I imagine everyone is a bit dirty from the day's activities, so we should take a bath first." Vahn had seen the blackened face and the messy clothing of Nanu, and he assumed he wasn't in a much better state.Anubis gave a polite bow before returning to tell the children Vahn's orders. Vahn and Nanu headed towards the bath and started undressing in the changing room. Though he didn't pay it any mind, Vahn noticed that any inhibitions that Nanu had in the past seemed to have faded away. Ever since he had pinned her with an arrow in the dungeon, she always had a bit of fear toward him, but now it seems to have faded completely. Instead of changing on the opposite side of the room, she stood not far from his position and quickly removed her clothing before standing at the side.The other children, accompanied by Anubis, entered and started undressing as well while Anubis stopped next to Vahn and did the same. Though he didn't gawk like the first time, Vahn couldn't help but let his eyes wander a bit to the beautiful exotic goddess. Anubis noticed his gaze and changed her actions a bit like she was trying to appeal to Vahn. Vahn's brows raised slightly, but he didn't remark about her actions as he waited for everyone to prepare before entering the bath.Once everyone had entered, Vahn was surprised by a change that he hadn't expected. While Anubis had once again sat next to him to wash his back, Nanu actually sat near as well and volunteered to help wash Vahn. The other two girls, excluding Anubis, seemed surprised by her actions, but Vahn allowed her to do as she pleased. He could see she had a serious look in her eyes, and he didn't think he should refuse her offer given his role as the 'Alpha'.Vahn got to experience the strange sensation of having a mature beauty wash his back while a cute young girl fumbled around with a sponge on his chest and abdomen. Though he didn't have a reaction, Vahn felt a bit of excitement at the two conflicting touches. When they were done, Anubis sat next to Vahn while Nanu went to join the other two girls. Curiously, even though Maat, the prideful young girl, was the leader of the females, she seemed somewhat deferential to Nanu now and even helped wash her back.After the bath, the group sat down and Vahn noticed that, once again, things had changed a bit. Everyone seemed to have shift positions by a bit and now Nanu sat to the left of Anubis while she sat next to him. Vahn noticed that, though it wasn't his intention, the hierarchy in the group seemed to have changed a bit when he allowed Nanu to wash his body. He noticed that the bob-cut girl acted a lot more confidently and even Rasui, who sat to her left, gave her a bit of respect. Vahn realized he needed to put more consideration into his actions for the future, or else there would be chaos in the group in the future.When dinner was over, all the children cleaned up while Anubis and Vahn watched over them from afar. Anubis, to his left as always, spoke in a gentle and humorous tone, "It looks like the events this morning influenced Nanu quite a bit. She seems to consider her role as your 'assistant' more akin to the position of 'disciple'. Now, even though she isn't a leader in the groups, her position is almost equal to my own." Vahn was surprised by her words and gave her a curious look which caused her to continue, "Because my position is the servant of my Master, while her's is directly beneath you as a disciple. If I wasn't a goddess, I imagine she would have tried to keep me from washing your body in the bath." Anubis laughed with squinted eyes while staring at the direction of Nanu amongst the other children.Vahn frowned a bit as he also looked toward Nanu. She was previously a somewhat shy and distant girl, perhaps due to the events on the 18th floor, but now she showed confidence in all her actions. Since none of the other children opposed her, she had taken the role of leading the group as they continued cleaning the dishes. Perhaps because she was trying to prove herself, she had the group finish everything much faster than normal. Though Vahn suspected it might upset the other children, they just looked at Nanu in a respectful manner and completed the assigned tasks without complaint.When they finished cleaning everything up, Nanu trotted over before stopped in front of Vahn and saying, "Everything is clean, Master!" Nanu had replaced Rasui for the report, but unlike him, she bowed forward slightly in a similar manner as Anubis. Seeing the twitching ears of Nanu, Vahn quickly understood what she expected as he gave a sidewards glance at the smiling Anubis. Reaching out his hand, he began to pet the girls head which seemed to be a trigger to awaken her tail as it started swirling around with a tremendous force.After he removed his hand, Nanu gave a final salute before returning to the other children who seemed to have developed an even greater respect for her. The group then split up and went to perform their other duties or rest in their rooms. Vahn was also rather tired, so he made his way to his bedroom while Anubis accompanied him. Once he got to his door, he noticed Anubis standing outside as she had done previously. Vahn could see her tail wagging back and forth slightly while she looked at him with a hint of anticipation.Vahn laughed while he stretched out his hand and began petting her ears for a bit while saying, "Good night, Anubis." After he was done, he removed his hand before walking into his room and closing the door. Anubis watched his back with a smile before sighing as the door closed. Her ears drooped a bit as she dragged her feet to her room next door. Though she hadn't said anything, Anubis had a slight hope that Vahn would want to continue his actions from earlier. Being bound by the [Enkidu] was comfortable, and she wanted to help Vahn better understand its uses.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Sad doge','Nanu takes charge','Vahn actually forged stuff!?')

Chapter 138: Premium Gacha