Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though the kiss between Vahn and Syr lasted quite a while, it wasn't overly passionate, nor was there any other intimacy between them. They simply held the kiss for a while and loosely held each other's bodies in a very natural manner. Though he could feel a gentle warmth from her body, Syr was able to feel the heat coming from Vahn pushing away the cold night air and it made the entire experience more atmospheric for her. When they finally separated, she had a happy smile on her face with a light blush as she said, "That was my first real kiss you know~? Does it make you happy to be the person that received it?"Vahn returned a gentle smile and cradled her body a bit as he said, "Nnn, it was very pleasant...makes me regretful that I had waited for so long. Thanks, Syr..." She laughed in a somewhat mischevious manner and Vahn could feel her aura begin to increase in size as she leaned against his body and said, "If you're really regretful...there are other things we can do..." Syr traced her hands from Vahn's back and placed them on his chest before rubbing around in an inexperienced manner. He could see the blush on her face growing deeper, not because of amorous feelings, but because she was embarrassed by her own actions.Vahn grabbed her wandering hands with his own and shook his head with a gentle smile and said, "Sorry, Syr, I have to return to the Hearth Manor. There is a lot going on in the aftermath of Ishtar's return to Heaven. I'm sure you're aware of most of the details..." In response to his words, Syr released a slightly hot sigh and said, "Yes, I'm aware that Freya seems to have taken action...Vahn, you have to be very careful of her. She has a strange way of manipulating people, and I don't think things will end well if she gets her hands on you." As she spoke, Vahn could feel Syr's body shake a little and it wasn't from the cold.Feeling the 'fear' within her, Vahn nestled his forehead against Syr's and wrapped his arms around her body before putting a small amount of strength in his embrace. He rocked her body a bit and said, "There is no need to fear...I've already come up with a few methods to deal with Freya if it comes down to it. Besides, I have a lot of confidence that Loki and Hephaestus would be able to prevent her from taking any meaningful action...just make sure you take care of yourself and the other girls and things should be okay." Syr had closed her eyes with a comfortable expression on her face and opened them when Vahn finished his words. He could see a confident glint in her eyes as she said, "I won't let Freya interfere with my happiness again..."For a short while after that, Vahn continued to hold Syr until he detected a presence spying on them from nearby. Seeing the look on his face, Syr tried to guess, "It must be Chloe...or maybe Ryuu~?" Without waiting for Vahn's response, she turned toward the window where the presence was located and waved in a playful manner. Though she couldn't see through the crack between the curtains, Syr had guessed that the person 'spying' on them had been Chloe. Since Vahn had a 'bond' with Chloe, he could easily identify her presence and he just smiled wryly in response to Syr's actions. Her understanding of the girls within the Hostess of Fertility was almost unparalleled and she was able to read their actions and make judgments based on her intuition.The curtains in the window were pulled aside slightly and Chloe's face peeked through and Vahn could see she had a mischevious expression. He tilted his head a bit in curiosity which prompted Chloe to pull aside the remaining curtains and reveal that she was currently wearing the panties he had 'gifted' her in the past. She was even wearing one of his tunics and Vahn's eyes widened marginally because he didn't recall ever leaving her one. From his side, Syr began to laugh as she commented, "Looks like I can't keep you to myself for too long~. Well, I'll see you later Vahn. Please stop by the Hostess of Fertility more often in the future..." Her words finished, Syr's eyes squinted a bit as she leaned forward and gave Vahn a parting kiss before winking at Chloe.Vahn was left in the alleyway leading into the girl's dorm and he watched Syr's back for a brief moment before turning his attention to Chloe. Though he couldn't hear her, Vahn could see that she was laughing before waving her hand and disappearing behind the curtain. As she turned away, Vahn caught sight of her pert little butt and the pure blue ribbon wrapped around her black tail. A small smile appeared on his face and Vahn wondered what would happen if he had accepted Syr's offer earlier. Since there wasn't really a place for them to go, Vahn had a slight expectation that he might have been invited into the girls' dorm and finally got a glimpse of the interior.After releasing a hot sigh, Vahn shook his head before disappearing from the spot with the use of Shundo. Before he returned to the Manor, Vahn decided to take a break to calm his emotions a bit and enjoy the cold night air. Even though nothing had happened, Vahn still felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders ever since he received news about the Ishtar Familia's fall this morning. He felt like his lax emotional state allowed for his other emotions to have a greater impact on his mind and he was now in a strange mood where he felt pleased, relaxed, and a little excited. Vahn knew his inhibitions about things were slowly beginning to loosen, and he had a slight urge to act out on his impulses a bit.This was the reason he had decided to cool down a bit, since Vahn was afraid he might return to the Hearth Manor before crawling into Hestia's bed again. They had sex a few times when they started sleeping apart, but now Vahn was in a strange mindset and the only two girls within the Manor were Hestia and Aki. He also knew that Aki would probably accede to his request, if he asked, and it might even develop to the point where he was with both girls at the same time. Since she had been a 'partner' to Loki in the past, Vahn knew Aki already had the mental preparations but he still had some inhibitions of his own. Though he wouldn't turn her down if she made the push, Vahn still wanted to meet the man named Raul before he took the initiative.On a whim, Vahn cocked his head and stared toward the tower of Babel that dominated the sky toward the center of the City. Even though he couldn't be certain, Vahn had a strange feeling that he was being watched. He had tried to probe it out with his domain, and had even asked Sis about it, but there wasn't any way to detect if his suspicions were true. He knew from the manga that Freya had a way to watch Bell's progress, but he didn't know the full extent of her capacity for observation. Just know that she 'might' be watching him was enough to make Vahn feel a sense of urgency though. Though he wanted to believe she wouldn't do anything too trying, Vahn remembered the event where she had charmed a Silverback just to 'test' Bell. Not knowing if she could hear him, or if she was watching to begin with, Vahn muttered, "If you try to harm the people I care about...I will never forgive you. No matter what it takes, even if I was forced out of the City for a time, I would come back and seek vengeance against you..."---Within a dimly lit room on the top floor of Babel tower, Freya had been sitting in a throne-like chair sipping on a glass of wine as she overlooked a smaller version of her magic mirror. It took the form of a crystal ball and she had indeed been watching Vahn's actions ever since she returned from her meeting with Ouranos. He had made some accusations about her assisting the Alliance and she hadn't bothered to correct him on the matter and allowed it to spiral out of control as a rumor. Since she wasn't actually scheming anything at all, her vow hadn't been violated and she was very much enjoying the events as they played out.Though she couldn't hear his words, Freya was able to read Vahn's lips and she understood very clearly what he was trying to convey to her. An amorous smile appeared on her face as she sipped at the expensive red wine within her glass. Though she knew he couldn't hear her, Freya still responded to Vahn's words, "You truly care about all those small women...it makes me a little jealous. All of this would be much easier if you just became mine..." As she spoke, Freya sloshed around the contents of her glass with a ruminating and thoughtful expression on her face.She didn't mind the matter regarding Ishtar, since it wouldn't cause her any real problems, but it was actually very troublesome to deal with the Alliance. They had already pestered her quite a bit about her intentions even after she told them directly that she hadn't made any plans. Now she was expected to meet them and 'negotiate' and it had been the thought at the front of her mind for the majority of the day. Though she wouldn't mind eliminating all the girls around Vahn and eventually making him her own, Freya had a great deal of hesitation about actually going forward on the matter.Until she knew more about Vahn's origins and capabilities, she actually didn't have confidence that her charm would work on him. Though it was much weaker than her own, Freya had watched the interaction between Vahn and Syr and she had noticed he resisted her relatively powerful charm without even batting an eye. If she truly drove a wedge between them because of her scheming, Freya was afraid that she would have to kill Vahn and waste his potential. Of course, she didn't even humor the thought that he would actually be able to seek vengeance against her even if she did sleight him.Freya continued to watch over Vahn in silent contemplation up until he eventually returned to the inside of the Hearth Manor. She felt a little annoyed that she was unable to see through the defensive formations of the Manor itself but she kept the crystal ball focused on the door for the future. Through her information network, Freya knew that the only people within the Manor right now were Vahn, a Level 4 female cat person, and the newbie goddess Hestia. Though she hadn't seen their interactions, Freya assumed there was likely something going on between Vahn and the girl named Aki. Since Aki wasn't a new adventurer, Freya had a lot of her information and assumed she was a 'spy' that had been sent to keep tabs on Vahn and the Hestia Familia through Loki.Releasing a somewhat sensual sigh, Freya downed the remaining wine within her glass before rising from her throne. She had never had such a 'troublesome' target to approach, but that made it even more exciting since she would inevitably get her hands on him. Try as they might, there was only so much that Hephaestus and Loki could do before they pushed her beyond the acceptable limits and caused strife between the three top-ranked Familia. Because she had been consolidating her power for a long time, Freya knew she would be able to best the combined might of the Alliance but it would be at a cost she wasn't quite willing to pay. Not only would it be an incredible inconvenience to her other plans, but losing the Loki and Hephaestus Familia's would cripple the economy within the City and halt the exploration into the deeper floors of the dungeon. Without Loki's forces paving the way forward, it would fall to Freya's Familia to take action and she wasn't fond of sending her children into the depths of the dungeon for Ouranos's benefit.Freya crawled into her large bed that was made of the finest linens and silks that could be found within the entire mortal world. Her bedsheets alone were custom made and would cost in the market of 3,000,000 Valis. She had carried the crystal ball along with her and cradled it within her bosom as she stared into the interior and remarked to the darkness, "I want to be alone tonight...tell that sneaky woman that I'll agree to their meeting." An affirmation sounded from the darkness and Freya was able to see the silhouette of Ottar's body leaving to fulfill her wishes. He was her current favorite and was also the strongest mortal she had ever seen in her time within the mortal realm.However, though Ottar's potential was incredible, unlike anything she had ever seen, Freya intuition told her that Vahn's potential was even higher. She saw how meteoric his rise was and had seen the many different techniques and abilities that he was capable of using. None of his skills were even remotely similar to anything she had ever seen before and Freya was unable to measure his depths at all. That was how her intuition caused her to view Vahn, not as a colossal bundle of potential that was taller than a mountain like Ottar...Instead, Freya saw Vahn's potential as the unfathomably deep depths of the ocean, in both depth and breadth...she even had a slight expectation that she would be able to drown herself within its depths and it made her heart twist in her chest at being unable to obtain him sooner.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Blue Moon : Black Cat','You ain't sneaky...maybe...probably?','Freya's Longing')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

After lunch, Vahn was a bit distracted thinking about his future plans and thinking of ways to increase the acquisition of Origin Points so he would be able to prepare for when something inevitably goes wrong. He had been a spendthrift as of late, but Vahn didn't regret his purchases as the larger ones had always been with a specific idea in mind. He knew he would be able to accumulate a few thousand OP if he got back into forging, but Vahn only wanted to create equipment for use by those close to him, instead of just forging for OP. Though he didn't mind forging, Vahn wasn't fond of staying in one place for too long. It may have something to do with the fact he had spent the majority of his time locked up in his previous life, but Vahn was happier when he was out and about and doing various things.Now that he wasn't so pressed to 'protect' Haruhime, Vahn was considering other methods to procure origin points other than simply mass producing items. He had noticed it during his fights with Tione and Tammuz, and to a lesser extent when he first entered the dungeon, but Vahn was something of a battle junkie. He couldn't move around much in the past, but not he could freely vault off walls and fly through the air fast enough to shatter the wind around him. It was an exhilarating feeling and Vahn couldn't help but feel an itch when thinking about his future battles. Though he wasn't fond of the whims of Karma, the one thing Vahn looked forward to was the fights that would result in his accumulation of positive karma. The greater the value, the more likely stronger enemies would seek him out and they would clash with the intent of forcing their values and ideals on each other. Because of this, Vahn needed to rapidly increase the strength of those around him since he understood his greatest weakness was the number of people close to him.Vahn had already decided to help train Fenrir according to the method he had drawn out with Ryuu and Aki. Since she had incredible potential and willingly threw herself into danger, she was capable of rapid growth if Vahn took her into the deeper floors. Behind her was, perhaps the most important person he needed to help train, Haruhime, and her incredibly powerful Level-up magic and dual Innate skills. Her magic, [Uchide no Kozuchi] was only B-Rank, which meant that it was capable of growing further and potentially increasing parameters higher than 30%. Her [Kokonoe] was only D-Rank, and that meant it had an incredible potential for growth. Vahn had learned about the [Mage] Development Skills and the acquisition requirements for the [Hunter] skill and wanted to pitch the idea to Haruhime. Though he expected she would happily agree, Vahn wanted her consent since he knew it would be very difficult on her. Acquiring the [Hunter] skill required a person to slay a total of 1,000 monsters within a 72 hour period and could only be acquired when transitioning from Level 1 to Level 2. It was one of the most highly sought after skills alongside rare skills and causality manipulating skills like [Luck].Knowing that their ventures into the dungeon would probably start soon, Vahn began to sketch out ideas for some equipment that would be used by Haruhime. She had adopted the style of wearing a 'very' short kimono, similar to how Mikoto wore her's, and Vahn was wondering what kind of equipment he could give her that wouldn't restrict her movement. At the very top of his list, Vahn decided that she would need to wear shorts since he didn't want her to rush around flashing her panties to their allies. Though he thought it was an interesting sight to see when watching them train, Vahn wasn't fond of the idea of other people gawking at the contents within. He would get her to wear short-shorts like Ryuu, or perhaps a pair of spats like Aki...After around an hour, Vahn had drawn up a relatively accurate sketch of Haruhime from memory and had begun to design a combat outfit that he thought was suitable for her. It was still a rough concept, but he had her wearing a red kimono with a black obi and a black, ceremonial, mantle. Since her movements were similar to a dance, Vahn had designed the outfit after the 'Shrine Priestess' attire from the Far East. Haruhime had the Innate skill [Moon Priestess], so he had some expectation that it might influence her mentality to awaken the skill in the future. For her weapon, Vahn had decided to make her a wooden sword, similar to the one used by Ryuu, except it would have a more ceremonial look to compliment her attire.Though she was still going to focus on the development of her agility, Haruhime's core parameter was her magic and Vahn had hope that she would develop a few offensive spells alongside her support repertoire. To wrap up her ensemble, Vahn designed a pair of anklets and bracelets that Haruhime would be able to wear since she didn't seem fond of wearing stockings. He would also create a necklace for her and Vahn wanted them all to be set pieces that boosted her magic and provided defense and resistance against the elements. Though he didn't mind seeing her long legs, Vahn knew how cold it got in the later floors and was somewhat concerned about her catching a cold.After he was satisfied with the design, Vahn remembered his previous interaction with Ais and Lefiya, so he spent a few minutes thinking before designing a pair of undergarments that might suit Haruhime as well. She had the bad habit of wearing neither a bra or panties without Mikoto reminding her, and Vahn hoped she would be able to curb the habit if he made something specifically for her. Though it felt like he was taking advantage of her feelings for him, Vahn was genuinely concerned with how airheaded she could be at times. If not for sharing a room with Mikoto, Vahn wasn't sure Haruhime would ever remember to wear undergarments at all. He knew it was likely a habit she had picked up during her 'training' in the Isthar Familia, and Vahn hoped she would be able to put it behind her in the future.Since there were still a few hours until he needed to wrap things up, Vahn decided to get a head start on creating the accessories for Haruhime. It would probably take several days to design the rest of the equipment, but a few bands of metal shouldn't be too difficult. He could also make a matching pair for Mikoto since they shared a strong bond with each other and Vahn wanted to help provide something to unify them further. He also wanted to experiment with creating 'batteries' that would be able to store excess mana when they weren't in combat so they could make use of it in a pinch. It was a very similar concept to how Welf used his [Crozzo Blood], but Vahn figured it would be far more effective if he used his 'source energy'.As they were accessories for a girl, Vahn decided to use a combination of mithril twined with orichalcum and adamantine. This would give them a golden sheen intermixed with the beautiful white coloration of adamantine that would also greatly enhance the durability of the item. The problem was finding something to contain the mana, since most materials and gems acted as catalysts and not containers. They could enhance the efficacy of magic, but they didn't allow for magic to be stored within for later use. Inspired by [Crozzo Blood] even further, Vahn tried boring out a small channel within the interior of the mithril core of the bracelet. He purchased an incredibly durable syringe and drew a bit of his own blood with a somewhat conflicted feeling before shaking away the unpleasant thoughts.The channel within the bracelet was thin enough that it only required a single drop of his blood, but Vahn wanted to see how long he could store his blood within a container like a syringe so he filled the entire thing as part of an experiment. In his previous life, his blood couldn't be stored for more than 24 hours before it would turn to dust. Vahn hadn't conducted any experiments of his own, even though he knew his blood would probably be a powerful catalyst for alchemy in the future.One of the reasons Vahn had decided to try using his own blood as a catalyst was due to the fact that, while he may have a physical form, his body was actually comprised entirely of 'source energy'. This wasn't an uncommon thing though, since everyone, and everything for that matter, was comprised of mana and elemental energies. Every particle of matter around him was the culmination of several smaller bonds that he wasn't able to see even using his [Eyes of Truth], but Vahn was able to conceptualize them after studying up on the matter alongside Eva in the past. She really had been a great mentor for him and he made an incredible amount of progress in his own studies under her tutelage.Vahn frowned as his own thoughts wandered a bit and he looked within his system to see that the time had just hit 5 PM. Even though it had been a while since he entered the orb, both his mind a body was still adapted to the expectation that he should be entering inside of it. Though he could tell it was in an inert state within his inventory, Vahn still pulled out the pitch black orb and watched it for a few minutes before releasing a sad sigh and stowing it away. Shaking his head, Vahn sealed off the small hole where he had inserted the syringe and made sure there was a hair-like red line circling the entire bracelet within its core. Even though it was an incredibly small amount of blood, Vahn could see the energy contained within and began his experiment with a bit of excitement and the desire that it would be a success.For a brief moment, Vahn humored the idea of trying to imbue the ability to increase exilia acquisition into the bracelet, but he decided against it since it might conflict with his intended outcome. After calming his mind for a few minutes, Vahn held the ornate bracelet within his hands and focused his thoughts with the intent of making the bracelet a container for mana that would work in conjunction with other, similar, items while also protecting the wearer. Though the rest of the items weren't complete yet, Vahn pictured the image of Haruhime within his mind wearing nothing but the anklets, bracelets, and a golden band around her neck before naming the bracelet [Fox Maiden's Bracelet].[Fox Maiden's Bracelet]Rank:BP.Def: 17M.Def: 404Abilities: Durandal(C), Magical Amplification(C), Magic Vessel(B), Fox Maiden's Set(B)An ornate bracelet designed to provide passive protection by creating a small field around the appendages to resist physical and magical attacks. Though weak individually, the abilities of this item are enhanced when used alongside similar items.Restriction: Renard Only (Female)Vahn was very pleased with the result, except for the fact that he had forgotten to include resistance against the elements in his mental image. Though it wasn't his initial intent, he had inadvertently imagined Haruhime wearing nothing by his accessories and had gotten distracted by his own thoughts. Much less protecting her from the elements, Vahn had 'exposed' her within his mind and felt a little embarrassed even though there was nobody around to judge him. To test the efficacy of the 'Magic Vessel' ability, Vahn tried to insert a small amount of his energy but the bracelet flew out of his hand with a rebound. His mind blanked for a moment before he picked up the item into his inventory and re-read the description again. Since it had the restriction of only being used by female Renards, Vahn couldn't actually test the item himself.Pulling the bracelet out of his inventory, Vahn inspected the interior to see if there had been any changes to the string of blood he had left within. To his surprise, he discovered that the blood had crystalized and noticed it had a strange pattern along the length that he couldn't understand. The more he tried to focus on it, the less focused his mind became and Vahn realized that more than twenty minutes had passed as he stared off aimlessly into space. When he tried to ask Sis what was happening, he could hear the sound of her voice within his mind but the words were completely blocked from his perception. After explaining the incongruity, Sis informed him that he simply didn't have a high enough Soul Tier to understand...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Growing Pains','Anyone wonder how the other girls will react when Haruhime gets a lot of accessories~?','(Sealed)')(A/N: This might be the last chapter for tonight, I'm in a pseudo food coma (UwU). I just want to take a nap xD)If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

Chapter 300: Undercurrents