Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After the banquet concluded, Hestia managed to escape from the veritable horde of goddesses and made her way over to Hephaestus, Loki, and somewhat annoyingly, Freya. Anubis joined them soon after and the five goddesses parted ways with the larger group and proceeded to the 48th floor of Babel which was designated as Hephaestus's private residence. She rarely ever used it, but it was still large enough to potentially house thousands of people if required. The group made their way inside as several attendants rushed about to prepare food and drink for the 'rare' visitors.Hestia plopped down powerlessly onto a sofa and whined, "Muuuuu, I thought it was fun at first, but those goddesses need to learn some propriety. All they kept asking were things about Vahn and there were even several that want to try and get closer to him~! Grrrrrrr, I'll never let those hussies get their hands on my Vahn!" Hestia had been flailing about with her arms and legs like a child even though she was still wearing the dress Vahn had bought her. Loki, who had been nearby, began laughing and asked, "Ara~? A bold claim to make in front of his legal wife, don't you think?"Hestia looked over at Loki with dead-fish eyes before turning her gaze at the awkward smile of Hephaestus before saying in a lazy tone, "Even if I have to share him with a lot of other girls, Vahn is still mine...we promised to be together forever and I intend to take care of him no matter how much time passes." Hephaestus walked over before scooching Hestia's legs to the side and sitting down on the same sofa. She looked over at Hestia, who let out a sigh and sat up, before saying in a calm tone, "Vahn isn't such a small existence that he can be contained by any single person...even if we all did our best to protect him, I'm certain he'll grow beyond our influence someday. The best we can do is make sure he always has a safe haven to return to...and the only way we can do that is to work together, Hestia."Without waiting for her response, Hephaestus grabbed Hestia and began snuggling with her as they had done in the past. They weren't the most 'popular' goddesses in Heaven, so their relationship as friends was a powerful bond that wasn't easily broken since it had persisted for well over a million years. Hestia 'pouted' a bit before relaxing her face against Hephaestus's breasts and saying in a muffled voice that made the red-headed goddess stifle a laugh, "Muuuu, Hephaestus, thanks for calling me to come down from Heaven. I didn't know it was possible to feel like this..." Before they could fall into their own pace, Loki sat behind Hestia and grabbed around her body and 'accidentally' grabbed the two large breasts of the petite goddess and said in a mischevious tone, "You're lucky Vahn was your first, I've had to go through countless experiences before I finally understood what it meant to be a real woman~"Hestia began to writhe around under Loki's touch and complained, "Graaaah, Loki, you mischevious demon, unhand meeeeeeee~!" Loki began laughing playfully as she drew her face close to Hestia's and made the small girl blush deeply when she said, "Ara, but we got along so well when we were with Vahn...you're going to break my heart, He-sti-a~!" Loki drew her face slightly closer to the flustered Hestia's until an 'elegant' laughter sounded in the room and Freya said, "Oh, I didn't know the two of you had reconciled and now have such a 'personal' relationship. It's good to see friends get along so well~." Loki turned away from Hestia and released her breasts before addressing Freya with a sly grin on her face, "You already have a better understanding than everyone else at the Denatus about what is going on around Vahn. The question is, now that we've made our stance, how far are you willing to go to cooperate with us, Freya~?Freya titled her head slightly as she passed her gaze over the four goddesses, including Anubis who had been sitting at the side sipping on tea with a contented expression. She released a somewhat tired sounding laugh as she shook her head and said, "I've already committed to helping protect Vahn from outside threats and have even taken several vows to not interfere with his lives, and the lives of those around him. I want to have a child of my own one day, so I have no intention of butting heads with the other girls around Vahn...so why do you ask how far I'm willing to cooperate when I've already made far more concessions than any of the other goddesses?" Freya knew that every time Loki opened her mouth these days, it often resulted in her having a powerful headache afterward.Loki stood up from the sofa before standing relatively close to Freya and looking up into her silvery eyes and saying in a serious tone, "How long have we known each other, Freya, around 140 million years? You think I'll believe for a moment you're willing to play second-fiddle to anyone for a long period of time? No, that isn't like you at all, I'd much rather place my bets on the sun failing to rise in the East any day of the week than believe that for an instant." Freya squinted her eyes in a provocative manner and said plainly, "Vahn is too important an existence for every goddess, I'm not going to oppose more than half of the godly community for temporary benefits. Just like Hestia...even if I wanted to keep him to myself, there would be too many factors preventing me from taking action, just like you and Hephaestus have done."Loki's eyes opened slightly as the boldly stated, "I am a dangerous existence to Vahn." Freya's eyes opened slightly as she tilted her head and asked, "Ara~? Are you talking about your Divinity? What are you trying to get at, Loki?" Loki's face turned into a somewhat sad looking smile as she said, "In order to give him more of a reason to give me a child, I swore off every other relationship for as long as Vahn lives. Unless it's with his consent, I don't even play around with my old favorites anymore." Freya's eyes opened a great deal because she knew Loki's 'habits' more than most, as they had often worked together in the past. Because of this, Freya understood what Loki was trying to say and also understood why Loki had asked how far she was willing to go earlier.Freya furrowed her brows as an uncharacteristic frown appeared on her face and she asked, "You can't honestly be asking me to give up on all my other relationships just because I want to have Vahn's child...even if I could somehow tolerate it for a while, you know I can't simply throw away the things I have invested my interest in. My Divinity wouldn't allow me to do such a thing...what you're asking is impossible!" Loki shook her head with a serious expression and said plainly, "I know you can't give up Freya, and I'm not asking you to do so. Even if Vahn knew about your relationships with other men, he probably wouldn't even mind that much since he himself has several ongoing relationships. The problem is how the 'Children' of your Familia will treat him, and how your child would eventually be raised. The current you is simply unqualified to be the mother of one of Vahn's children because there is no way you would be willing to part with it. Vahn would never allow his child to grow up in the type of environment you would provide, so unless you make a firm resolve of your own you would never be able to have one of his children. You'd be better off picking one of your favorites within your Familia and having them sire the child instead."As she listened to Loki's words, Freya's thoughts were racing through her mind and she was trying to come up with a counterargument. However, nothing she could think of would be able to convince the four goddesses in front of her, especially the problematic trickster standing before her. They simply knew each other too well and, as Loki had claimed, there is no way she could part with her own child. If it were a girl, she would raise her daughter as her protege, the same way she had treated Syr. If it were a boy, she would nurture him into a powerful warrior that exceeds all others and, if he possessed a similar spark of Divinity like his father, she would desire to create another child with them. The thought of being able to 'cultivate' a god within the mortal world resonated too strongly with her own desires, her own Divinity. As long as there were a chance, Freya couldn't abandon the thought and would have to pursue it even if it inevitably resulted in her return to Heaven.Loki said in a somewhat cold tone, "All goddesses will be bound by certain vows, but the ones binding the goddesses that wish to birth Vahn's children must follow specific guidelines. There are too many unknown factors for any of the children to be entrusted to anyone else other than Vahn and the Alliance as a whole. You don't know that boy yet, but his capabilities are far greater than you can imagine. Do you think it's an accident he has been able to find solutions, not just regarding the matter of goddesses, but also for Half-Races and even Elves? His perception would put many gods to shame and his innovative ideas are unlike anything that the world has ever seen. There is no one more qualified than he is, especially with our network of support, when it comes to ensuring the children live long and healthy lives. What you would try to do only results in one end, no matter how much you try to force the situation. You will destroy yourself, or you will destroy your own hopes, potentially for the rest of eternity. Even before the Age of Myths, there had never been an anomaly like Vahn in all of history, are you really willing to wait another 600M year in the hopes that a second would appear?"Freya had a very conflicted expression on her face because she couldn't think of any way to poke a hole in Loki's argument. There was simply nothing she could say to call into question the fact that Vahn was 'qualified' on the matters since he was the literal progenitor of the method and was the only person who even had a remote understanding of the process. If what Loki said regarding the other races was true, there was no room for her to argue over the matter at all and it was a very vexing feeling since she was very used to getting her way. Ever since she took an interest in Vahn, it seemed like all of her plans were being undone before she could even execute them and it was baffling considering there were few things standing in her way previously.After a long period of hesitation, Freya bit her bottom lip for a while before looking into the slightly open eyes of Loki and asking, "You wouldn't bring this up if you hadn't thought of something...so what did you have in mind...Loki?" She put extra emphasis on Loki's name, almost as if the word was somewhat distasteful on her tongue. Loki didn't seem to mind at all as her expression turned into a mischevious smile and she said, "It's simple, really, just that from the moment you eventually sleep with Vahn, you won't be able to sleep with anyone else up until the time the baby is born. When you finally give birth, the only way you will be allowed to 'keep' the child would be to continue having a monogamous relationship with Vahn. The vow will lose its effect after the child reaches adulthood, though you can renege on it at any time as long as you're willing to 'give up' your child to be raised by the Hestia Familia. You will still be able to visit, but you won't be able to take the child away for long periods of time without supervision. This is the greatest leniency we can afford you, since you are simply too dangerous otherwise."Freya's frown deepened for a while after listening to Loki's words as several thoughts ran through her mind. Loki's terms weren't actually that bad, and it wasn't as if she were that attached to her current children. If it meant forgoing a relationship for little more than a decade, it wasn't that difficult considering she was several million years old. It was simply a 'blip' in the endless flow of time that defined her existence and it was a small price to pay in order to receive a peerless child of her own. None of her current children would be able to hold a candle to the existence that she would give birth to in the future, and Freya's primary interest was pursuing the idea of a perfect, peerless, warrior.For several minutes, Freya ruminated over the matters until her expression slowly melted into a much softer one and she eventually smiled elegantly as she said, "Very well, Loki, but before I bear Vahn's child, I want him to help me conceive one from someone else. I assume your little 'restrictions' have no sway over my other children, correct?" Loki's expression turned somewhat serious before she nodded her head and said, "Yes, but keep in mind that if Vahn found out you mistreated your other children, it would likely affect his decision to allow you to have any others." Freya began to laugh like a bell before looking around the room at the other goddesses and saying, "That's fine, but I'll have each of you make concessions of your own. Even without confirming anything, I know you've all probably been advocating against me to keep Vahn from approaching me. I want you to stop interfering with 'fate' and allow things to happen as they will...I'm curious what kind of person Vahn is to have brought about so much change in everyone that even Hestia, famous for her purity, would give it up for his benefit."Hearing her name, Hestia startled before shouting, "Someone like you wouldn't be able to understand at all, Freya! All you've ever been concerned with is your own interests, you wouldn't be able to understand someone like Vahn who puts in almost all of his efforts to help other peole. He isn't selfish and distant like any of the gods in Heaven, no, he is living every day to the fullest and that is something that not even I, or any god, would be able to understand! If you hurt Vahn, I don't care what it takes, I will make sure you regret it forever~!" As she spoke, Hestia's Divinity began to activate and it actually put a great deal of pressure on all the goddesses present. Even though they were all goddesses, Hestia's latent power was far greater than even someone like Freya.Freya's smile cracked a bit and her eyes took on a serious glint as she fought to resist against Hestia's pressure using her own Divinity. She was just a third generation goddess, so there was little she could do against the first generation, Hestia. Since they originated from the same area of Heaven, Freya was very aware of some of the secrets related to Hestia's origin. The main reason most gods and goddesses avoided confrontation with the 'lazy' and 'troublesome' little girl was due to the fact that, depending on the circumstances, they wouldn't even be able to defend themselves if she lost her cool. Not everyone was like Loki who didn't mind 'flirting' with death and teasing the diminutive little goddess with big boobs. Freya knew that, if she actually 'hurt' Vahn and triggered Hestia's wrath, she would likely be destroyed in, not just the mortal world, but Heaven as well.With that thought in mind, Freya turned her gaze to the fiery red eyes of Hephaestus and finally understood the forge goddesses scheme. The reason she had called Hestia down to the mortal world to protect Vahn wasn't just because he needed a Familia, but because she wanted to use Hestia's inflexible nature as a deterrent. Now that the small goddess had committed herself to Vahn, he had inadvertently got one of the greatest forms of insurance he could have...Freya released a long sigh before pulling back her own Divinity and saying in a defeated tone, "Don't worry, Hestia, though I may lay more than just my hands on Vahn, I won't do anything to actually bring harm to him..." Under her breath, in words that only Anubis managed to pick up, Freya continued, "...it's not like I've grown tired of living just yet."As someone from a different region of Heaven, Anubis wasn't entirely aware of the origins and powers of the Northern and Western gods, so hearing Freya's words had been 'eye-opening' for the exotic goddess. She turned her moon-like eyes toward the small goddess she hadn't thought much of previously and vowed in her heart to butter up the over-protective Hestia. There were several things she wanted to do with Vahn in the future, so Anubis didn't want to make any enemies, especially with a goddess respected by the hot-headed Hephaestus. Out of habit, as Anubis thought about Vahn, she reached up and stroked the black collar around her neck and it caused a small smile to appear on her face that drew the attention of the other goddesses in the room.Afterward, a strange conversation was spontaneously instigated as the girls began to talk about the various things they had received from him in the past. Though items like Hestia's dress and her [Sapphire Star] were quite impressive, everyone had to bow down in defeat when compared against Hephaestus's [Promise], the crest on her back, and the baby in her belly. Though Loki was a 'close second', she didn't have an item that linked her together with Vahn. Of course, just the memory of that 'fateful' night together was more than enough for her...at least for the time being.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'HephaestusxHestiaxLoki','Loki Vs. Freya','Hestia's 'Victory', Goddesses' Defeat')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;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After retreating to safety, Vahn laid Haruhime's body onto the ground after setting down a thin futon. Her body was covered in several small wounds, but the most important thing to tend to were her shoulder and her right thigh. Her collarbone had been fractured and had started to swell up with a dark purple coloration while her thigh had a 10cm piece of wooden shrapnel lodged deeply into it like a massive splinter that made a chill run down Vahn's back. He pressed a few spots in the upper part of her inner thigh while doing his best to ignore the somewhat damp heat coming from Haruhime's lower body. The pressure point to stimy the flow of the femoral artery was near the connecting point between the pelvis and the interior of the thigh and Vahn could feel a dampness of the back of his hand when he had reached under her kimono to touch it.Once the majority of blood had stopped pumping out of her wound, Vahn poured an Elixer in Haruhime's mouth to start the recovery process before numbing her entire right leg using his [Hands of Nirvana]. The next part wasn't very pleasant as Vahn had to slowly ease the tension in her muscles to pull out the long splintered piece of wood. He used his [Eyes of Truth] to view the interior of the leg and made sure to remove any of the backward facing splinters that would prevent him from removing the entire piece from her leg. He didn't want to yank it out and leave a bunch of smaller splinters behind, so Vahn took extra care to make sure there weren't any small protrusions that would cause more damage.After nearly twenty minutes, Vahn finished his 'surgery' and removed all the small pieces from Haruhime's leg. The mangled hole left behind made Vahn's brows twitch as he looked at Haruhime's peacefully sleeping face before letting out a small sigh. He took out a small knife and cut open his palm before letting his own blood drip into the hole until it had completely filled up Haruhime's wound. Vahn's intention was to ensure that there were no infections, toxins, or excess bacteria left behind in the wound. His blood has properties to remove such impurities and it would help to guarantee there were no sequelae left behind as he used his [Hands of Nirvana] in conjunction with several Potions to help close up the wound quickly. By the time he was finished, the only indication of any damage was a small scar that Vahn removed to leave behind nothing by a pale white thigh with a small red tenderness where the wound was previously located.Her shoulder was easier to deal with since he was able to set the bone and speed up the healing process before covering her shoulder with another Hi-Potion. The bruising slowly faded away and was completely gone a few minutes later after Vahn channeled his own healing energies into the wound. Since he wasn't the type to overlook things, Vahn inspected Haruhime's body and made sure all of her wounds were completely healed before releasing a sigh filled with relief. He wasn't actually concerned that he wouldn't be able to treat her wounds, but it still made him worried to see even a small cut on the girls around him if he could help. Even if was a bit excessive, or overprotective of him, Vahn still felt better when they were happy and unharmed.Though he thought about petting and comforting her while she slept, Vahn decided it wasn't appropriate to do so without permission, even though he was certain she wouldn't mind. Instead, he wiped away the blood on her body with a hot towel before snuggly bundling her up in a blanket so she could rest properly. It was better to recover naturally after entering 'Mind Down', so Vahn allowed Haruhime to sleep even though it was still early in the afternoon. Since it was a good opportunity, he decided to take a nap as well, so Vahn sat with his back to the wall near Haruhime and closed his eyes to rest for a short while.A few hours later, Vahn felt Haruhime's aura stir and immediately opened his eyes to see her 'sneakily' trying to move over to him. Caught red-handed, Haruhime began to laugh bashfully before sitting up straight and showing a beautiful smile. Vahn noticed her eyes had returned to their normal, placid green, state and there didn't seem to be any other abnormalities in her body. Other than the fact her mana was still depleted, Haruhime was fit as a fiddle and looked as lovely and youthful as always. Vahn smiled with a gentle expression on his face as he gestured toward Haruhime which immediately caused the Renard girl to smile as she practically shot over like a bullet before snuggling up with her back to him. Vahn began to pat her head as he explained, "I haven't been able to confirm it myself, but you've most likely awakened a rare skill while you were fighting. We'll have to update your Status Board to confirm it, but can you tell me if you realized anything earlier?"Haruhime lazily nodded her head with her eyes closed and said, "Yes...ever since you brushed my hair, it felt like there was a powerful warmth in my chest...when I fought earlier, it was like all of my emotions were welling up and becoming my power. When I made my way down to the eleventh floor, it was like my entire body had become light as a feather and I felt a powerful energy coursing through my body. Even when I fought against the variant, the only thing I could think of was defeating the enemy...so that I could keep walking the path I've decided for myself..." As she spoked, Haruhime had wrapped the tip of her dexterous tail around Vahn's arm. Vahn could feel a strange energy coming from her body so he activated his [Eyes of Truth] and saw that, overtop her normal tail, there was an illusory blue tail overlapping it.Vahn was curious, so he reached around with his left hand and tilted Haruhime's head upward toward him. She opened her eyes and Vahn noticed that had almost completely transitioned from their placid green stay to an off-shade of green that was bordering gold. Her pupils had started to contract in a strange manner and were taller than they were wide. The moment he looked into them, their color became richer and they were very quickly becoming a pale-gold color as Haruhime whispered in a seductive tone, "Vahn..." Vahn felt a chill run up his back as a red 'blush' appeared around Haruhime's eyelids and she tried to reach up and kiss him. Out of instinct, Vahn tilted his head slightly and she kissed the bottom of his chin before laughing in a playful manner that made Vahn's brain buzz slightly.Haruhime leaned her back against him and placed both of her palms on Vahn's thighs before he grabbed her hands and pulled them away as he said, "Haruhime, don't get carried away. As you stated, I believe your skill isn't simply influenced by your emotions, but it also influences your emotions in a dangerous loop. You should be able to sense it yourself, but the little mana remaining in your body is starting to circulate to sustain this ability. If you keep using it, at this rate, you'll end up going Mind Down again." Haruhime's golden eyes blinked before she tilted her head down and closed her eyes as she took several deep breaths. Vahn watched her with his [Eyes of Truth] but it didn't seem like the illusory blue tail was going to vanish any time soon.Vahn suspected that he might actually be the reason for her current 'state' since Haruhime's aura was a strangely passionate red intermixed with a pale blue color that was coiling around his body with invisible tendrils. He couldn't feel anything from their touch, but Vahn knew Haruhime was in a somewhat 'dangerous' state so he said in a firm tone, "Haruhime, you need to get off my lap. I don't think you'll be able to calm down from this state unless you do." Haruhime tilted her head and opened her eyes to reveal they were fluctuating slightly before she let out a somewhat sad sigh and stood up from his lap. She muttered in a quiet tone as she pressed her hands over her heart and said, "I don't want to let this feeling go...I feel like I can do anything with this power...but I don't mind giving it up if it prevents me from being close to you, Vahn..."After Haruhime stood up, Vahn bounced to his feet as he heard her words and shook his head before saying, "You don't have to worry about anything like that, Haruhime. Once you learn to control that power and make it your own, you won't have to worry about being influenced so strongly by the side-effects. I have a few rare skills of my own, and they can be pretty difficult to adapt to, but it isn't impossible. After all, it's a power that belongs to us, not the other way around." Though he was worried it might extend the time she was stuck in the form, Vahn reached out his hand and affectionately stroked Haruhime's long blond hair while using [Hands of Nirvana] to channel calming energy into her mind.Haruhime closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment before she began to hum a strange tune that Vahn had heard earlier when she was fighting. She didn't seem to notice she was doing it, and Vahn thought it was another aspect of her ability but was unable to determine its influence on her body even with his [Eyes of Truth]. The only thing he could discern that her mana fluctuated slightly in tune with her humming and it was a very peculiar sight to behold. After a while, however, Vahn decided that Haruhime needed to rest and also wanted to update her Status Board to verify some of his earlier conjecture.Though he felt sorry to disturb her small reverie, Vahn said in a low tone, "Haruhime, I want to check your Status and see if you've actually awakened a rare skill. Since you defeated a powerful enemy, you may have even gained an achievement and might be able to level up. However, I would caution you against leveling up too soon as it would hurt your foundation in the future. We also have nearly sixty hours to complete the requirements for the [Hunter] Development Ability, so there isn't any real rush to Level up now."Hearing Vahn's words, Haruhime opened her eyes and Vahn noticed they were a pale green that was slowly restoring to their original color. However, the moment she opened them, Haruhime's eyes began to fade and take on an off-shade of gold that made Vahn release a short sigh that caused the young Renard girl to laugh as she quickly loosened her obi. Vahn averted his eyes but Haruhime asked, "Please, Vahn, I don't want you to look away...it's not like I'm naked, though, even then, I wouldn't mind..." Vahn awkwardly scratched the side of his face before turning back to Haruhime with a nod. He had seen her naked several times, and it was actually more awkward for him to look away than stare straight at her. Since she wanted him to look, turning his head just made the atmosphere tenser.Haruhime's face blossomed with a smile as she finished loosening her obi and lowering her red kimono with a bell-like laugh. Because he had brought up the concern of having to update the girls' status in the dungeon, Ryuu and Aki had purchased black tops and shorts that covered the chest while keeping the back completely exposed. Most Adventurers, at least females, didn't wear bras in the dungeon since the elastic bands and wires were uncomfortable after strenuous movements. Vahn could see the shape of Haruhime's breasts through the black fabric as well as a slight hint of her skin concealed underneath it. The most obvious thing though were the two small buds that were pressing against the fabric and Vahn knew Haruhime had wanted him to see them. Her eyes immediately turned a pale golden color with long slits for pupils as a red coloration framed her eyes as she laughed in what Vahn could only describe as a 'mischevious' manner before she began radiating an aura of 'elegance' as she turned around and swayed her hips.With the motion, Haruhime's tail followed her movements before gently caressing the underside of Vahn's chin with the tip. Vahn felt his brain buzz to an incredible extent and had to use [Will of the Emperor] to regain his calm as he stared at Haruhime's pale white back. Her tail was moving from side-to-side, almost as if it were in slow motion and Vahn could see the illusory blue tail trailing slowly behind in a hypnotic fashion. He knew her tail, or tails, were the catalyst for her power and Vahn knew that, even if she wasn't doing it intentionally, she was trying to seduce him with a powerful, almost instinctive, compulsion in each of her movements.Vahn ignored the matter for the time being as he pricked his finger and stretched it forward to draw a line down Haruhime's back. The moment his finger touched near the base of her neck, Vahn could feel Haruhime's body tremble slightly. When he traced his finger down, the trembling increased and she released a hot sigh that made Vahn have a strange urge to facepalm and rub his temples. He started to realize that Haruhime's 'awakened' state could be very problematic for him in the future since he was the primary target of her affections. To get a better understanding of her ability, he would have to see if it also influenced other people or it might be impossible for Haruhime to fight in groups. If she was 'distracting' her own allies, it wouldn't be very helpful when they were on expeditions in the future. If it just affected her 'targets', Vahn would be able to resist the influence of the skill as long as he used his [Will of the Emperor] to keep his mind calm.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Sanjouno HaruhimeRace: RenardLV. 1(+)POW: H185-&gt;G222END: G206-&gt;F371DEX: G233-&gt;E419AGI: F314-&gt;E448MAG: B748-&gt;S929Skill: [Inari:Innate(H)], [Prometheus's Blessing:A], [Heroic Strike:G],[Featherfoot:E-&gt;D]Magic: [Uchide no Kozuchi:B],[Kokonoe:D-&gt;C],[Icicle Edge:G-&gt;F]Development Skill: [Moon Priestess:Innate(sealed)], [Spirit Healing:C], [Mage(sealed)]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Seeing Haruhime's updated status, Vahn was very pleased since his earlier deduction had proven to be true. Since it was related to her tails, Vahn assumed Haruhime's awakened ability was related to her Innate skill, [Inari]. Now that he had confirmation of the fact, Vahn started to have a better understanding of what was required to awaken Innate abilities. Though he wasn't certain, Vahn suspected that Bell's [Liaris Freese] was also an Innate, which meant that the trigger was powerful emotions. As long as the emotions remained, the Innate would continue to develop and the person would grow progressively stronger. For the twins, it was their shared bond that served as the basis, but it was the emotions they directed toward him that resulted in the skill awakening. It was the same for Haruhime since it was her affections and attachment to him that served as the trigger for her own awakening.This was a double-edged sword, however, since if their feelings faded it could negatively affect their growth in the future. Haruhime not only had his flame seed in her chest, which also depended on her feelings, but she was also influenced by his Mentor's Mark as well as her own Innate. He knew what she meant when she mentioned it felt like her 'feelings' were giving her strength. All three skills compounded to spur her growth forward and it was at a pace that would likely even exceed his own record depending on the circumstances. This would inevitably make her emotions even stronger though, as she would always relate her own growth and progress to the thoughts and feelings she harbored inside her heart. Just like Bell had pursued Ais endlessly in the manga, he had become Haruhime's goal and the thought of the fox girl chasing at his back put a little pressure on him.After mulling over matters for a short moment, Vahn handed the status sheet to the waiting Haruhime and said with a smile, "Your growth is nothing short of incredible, Haruhime. Not only did you unlock a rare skill, but I can even tell you completed the requirements for the [Mage] Development Ability. You'll have to decide which one you want to choose by the time you level up in the future." Haruhime stared at her own status sheet as a somewhat strange smile appeared on her face and she hugged the piece of paper to her chest. She then turned to Vahn with her expression a mix between elegance and ardor as she said, "I will catch up to you soon, Vahn~!" Vahn felt like a small animal being eyed by a predator as he awkwardly smiled before nodding his head and saying, "Work hard, I believe in you, Haruhime." She laughed in a happy manner before the pale-gold color of her eyes spontaneously dissipated and she nearly fell onto her butt in an exhausted manner before laughing exuberantly when Vahn caught her...(A/N: I know some people might not like the fact that Vahn is focusing on the strength of others, but know that this is a very important matter. I'm not going to detail the growth of every character, just those that will play an important role in the future plot. There is a very large misconception that some people have when they think Vahn could progress into the lower floors of the dungeon alone. Simply put, if he tried to do so, Vahn would almost certainly die without any other possible outcome. He might be able to fight off dozens, even hundreds, of monsters at once, but monsters spawn in thousands in the lower floors. The Dungeon itself starts proactively trying to kill you as well, so the more tired you are, the greater the chance of monsters spawning near you. On top of all of this, there isn't a single safe area from the 18th floor all the way down to the 50th floor. There are also no shortcuts to exit the dungeon easily, and this is why Familia organize literal military expeditions to proceed further down. Vahn might be a logistician's wet dream, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get tired and run out of supplies.)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Healing Haruhime's Harm','Innately Seductive?','The Power of Doki Doki Transcends All Records~!')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;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

---Haruhime PoV---After spending three hours on the tenth floor, Haruhime was very aware that this floor no longer presented the 'challenge' she sought. She didn't understand the changes in her body well, but Haruhime had realized something had changed ever since Vahn updated her status earlier. Though it was an incorrect assumption, Haruhime felt like Vahn had 'changed' something inside of her and she had become much stronger. She accredited her current progress to his support and the thought of him watching over her just made the feelings welling up inside of her even stronger. Her final fight on the tenth floor had been a group of nine Orcs that were surrounded by fourteen Imps. If it were her old self, before Vahn changed her, Haruhime would have certainly died against such great odds. Instead, after a few minutes had passed the only thing that remained of the enemies were several magic cores on four Orc Hides which Haruhime didn't bother to loot.After arriving at the relative safety of the stairwell, Haruhime waited for a minute or two before sitting down after Vahn didn't show up. She felt her tensions ease up slightly and sat down on the cold Dungeon floor to recuperate for a bit. One thing she had noticed was, though her parameters had increased greatly, her 'dance' slowly drained both her stamina and mana at the same time. Since [Sakura Blossom] didn't take too much mana to sustain, Haruhime understood there was something unique occurring in her body that allowed her to break through her normal limits in exchange for a bit of mana. She felt like her emotions had reached a level that broke through common sense and had become her actual power. This thought made the bubbly feeling in her tummy rise even higher as she peacefully sat humming a tune for nearly an hour before continuing into the marginally more dangerous eleventh floor.Though she felt confident, Haruhime knew the eleventh floor was very dangerous for a single person to traverse since it was habitated by Hard Armored, Silverbacks, Orcs, Imps, and very rarely, Infant Dragons. Hard Armored had the highest defense of any monster on the upper floors while Silverbacks had incredible power and decent agility that could overwhelm rookie Adventurers. The Orcs and Imps wouldn't be too problematic but a single Infant Dragon could spell the end of her journey if she weren't careful. Their flame breath was powerful enough to burn large holes without the hard dungeon floor and could melt through steel with relative ease. Her only hope when encountering such a threat was to hit it from a distance with her magic even though its scales were some resilient against low-level spells.As she walked through the mist of the eleventh floor, Haruhime kept her senses trained on her surroundings and noticed there was a strange earthly aroma all around the area she had entered. Her ears bobbed up and down in a steady rhythm as she crouched low to the ground and stifled her own breathing to an inaudible level as she waited. Her senses had warned her of danger and she felt like retreat wasn't the correct course of action since it would expose her to whatever lurked within the mists. Her decision had proved the correct one as a 5m tall monkey-like creature shambled through the mist with glowing green eyes. Unlike a normal Silverback, instead of a single stripe of silver fur, its entire body was covered in silver fur and Haruhime quickly understood she had encountered a variant species. Since variants were typically a level higher than their counterparts, that made the monster before her a Level 2, and one marginally stronger than other Level 2 monsters.The large monkey sniffed the air with loud inhalations before releasing a steady stream of hot condensation that caused the mist around its body to evaporate. Unfortunately, though she had made efforts to conceal herself, a solid red kimono and long blond hair weren't exactly stealthy against the white grass backdrop of the eleventh floor. The 'Silverback Alpha' noticed Haruhime's figure crouching as the fur on its body started to take on a reddish hue and it breathed a long stream of flames toward her. For its troubles, an ice spear crashed into the side of its face and caused a fair amount of damage that made the Silverback Alpha howl loudly as he leaped the full distance between itself and Haruhime.Haruhime's eyes had widened when the flame breath came at her suddenly and she held out both arms to cover her face. Even if she got burned elsewhere, Haruhime didn't want Vahn to see her with burns on her face. She wanted to be able to smile for him always and couldn't forgive the monster for its affront against her on this matter. Strangely, other than a bit of heat, Haruhime didn't feel any painful burning sensation and noticed a bubble of invisible energy coming from the accessories Vahn had lovingly forged for her in the past. Because the Silverback Alpha's flames were magical, the M.Def of the accessories prevented any harm from reaching her as a beautiful smile bloomed on her face and she called out, "Piercing Chill, Icicle Edge~!"Moments after her spear hit the monster, the flames came to a stop and Haruhime heard a loud roar overlapped with the sound of bells as she dodged to the side in a strangely slow spin that still allowed her enough time to evaded the leap of the monster. The moment she did a full turn, Haruhime smiled and whispered in a small voice, "Piercing Chill, Icicle Edge~!" while aiming at the side of her assailant. The meter long spear of ice smashed into the side of the monster but only caused a small abrasion covered in ice to appear on its silvery fur. Less than a second later, the ice melted away and the only signs of her previous magic spell was a patch of mangled flesh that hadn't gone remotely deep enough to do any serious damage. Fortunately, the monster seemed to be slower than expected and most of its attacks missed her by a large margin even though Haruhime felt like it should be faster than she was.Unable to hit the small creature flitting about around its body, the Silverback Alpha began uprooting trees and boulders to try and smash the small figure into a paste. Every time it tried, however, it noticed the weak creature seemed to disappear before popping up in a new location which made it roar in anger as its fur became progressively redder. Its anger exceeded the limits of its tolerance and the Silverback Patriarch began to smash the floor of the Dungeon around it with its heavy fists without even bothering to try and hit the small creature anymore. If it couldn't smash her when trying to, it would just smash everything around it instead.Loud explosions sounded through the room as a cloud of debris was slowly concealing the body of the Silverback Patriarch as large chunks of sharp shrapnel began to fly about in random trajectories. Haruhime's tempo was disrupted by the random attacks and she cried out, "Dance, fading effervescence. Blossom, petals of spring. ~Blossom!" Haruhime began to take small steps as she rotated her body faster and faster in a strange manner as the sakura petals danced about her at a high speed. She tried to trust her instincts to evade the oncoming debris but several pieces still collided with parts of her body before a fragment of a decayed-looking tree lodged itself firmly into her thigh. Haruhime gnashed her teeth and continued her dance as large amount of blood began to trickle down her leg.Though there were tears in her eyes, Haruhime's mind remained clear as she brandished her katana and a blue light began to shine as she began to chant without stopping her dance. She had never tried to chant while moving under duress, but Haruhime's instincts told her that, as long as she followed the tempo of her dance, she should be able to pull it off...she believed this monster's rage would not be the end of her journey. Though it was much stronger than she was, Haruhime refused to back down even though her body was screaming at her to simply 'stop'.After taking a short step and turning, Haruhime muttered in a whisper as a blue light began to shine on her tail, "Kokonoe. Beloved snow. Beloved crimson. Beloved white light..." A large piece of debris came toward her and Haruhime's body leaned on instinct but it still smashed into her shoulder and tore part of her kimono. Though she got knocked back a few steps, Haruhime continued to chant," Please let me be beside you - this love I have found at the end of two thousand nights. My name is Magic Fox. Former destroyer..." The Silverback Patriarch seemed to realize the coming danger and stopped its tirade before running toward Haruhime on all fours with a fierce momentum and death contained deep within its glowing green eyes. Haruhime's dance had never stopped as her body 'vanished' from the spot and reappeared to the left of the monster as she said, "My name is Ancient Song. Former dreamer. For you who beat your wings like a bird, I shall allow the nine spirits to dwell in me. Echo, song of gold, sacred poem of Tamamo. White face, golden fur, king of nine tails..." In its panic, the Silverback Patriarch forgot its earlier failure as it released a long stream of fire towards Haruhime who received the blow head on by positioning her katana in the path. The mystical bubble guided the flames around her body without damaging her in the slightest as she continued, "Oh, tails of the auspicious beast, consume all, grant all wishes, Piercing Chill, Icicle Edge~! - Dance!"Instead of the normal four tails, five tails bloom behind Harhime's back, each with a small blue flame on their tips as five 3m long spears of ice appeared around her body, completely unaffected by the heat. A powerful light glowed in her pale golden eyes as the speared continued to grow in size despite the powerful heat before launching forward with an air-breaking speed and piercing deeply into the body of the Silverback Patriarch. Unlike the meter long quick-cast spears she threw out earlier, the final attack of Haruhime had condensed the magical energy to form five 4m long spears that were far more lethal than the weaker version of the spell. She packed all of her mana into the attack alongside the remaining mana into her accessories and believed in her victory as she sent the spears forward with a loud cry, "I won't stop here, not when my story has just begun!" After her shout, Haruhime saw the spears pierce into the Silverback Patriarch as its body began to swell up before exploding into a large cloud of purple dust. The last thing she remembered before darkness claimed her was a warm feeling embracing her body that prevented her from falling to the ground...---Standard PoV---When Haruhime had entered the 11th floor, Vahn had followed closely behind her and detected the presence of the variant much earlier than she did. Because the mist had nearly no effect on his vision, Vahn had seen the lumbering behemoth walking on all fours through the mist before changing its path toward Haruhime. He nodded his head because she had made the correct decision to hide, but also knew it would be futile since the monster seemed to have a very powerful sense of smell and eyesight that could pierce through the fog. He was tempted to step in and help, but Vahn thought it would be a good experience for Haruhime since there was no guarantee he would always be around to protect her. The [Effigy of the Hero] would allow her to win regardless of how strong the monster ended up being and it would be an 'eye-opener' that would prepare her for the future if she could overcome the trial before her.Of course, though he rationalized it this way, Vahn's body was incredibly tense as his fingers dug deep into the hard dungeon floor. There was a chilling cold in his mind because he had a powerful urge to leap forward and annihilate the monster every time it got close to injuring Haruhime. His [Will of the Emperor] was the only thing keeping him in place as he constantly muttered to himself, "She'll be okay, believe...she'll be okay, believe..." When the Silverback Patriarch began to slam the ground in a rage, Vahn felt like his molars were going to be ground into powder with how hard he clenched his teeth. He saw the ten cm long piece of wood pierce clear through Haruhime's thigh and had almost leaped forward in the very next moment before noticing that Haruhime hadn't given up at all. With a deep breath, Vahn pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow while maintaining his [Stealth] and trained his sights on the Silverback Patriarch so that he could kill it at a moments notice.Though his focus was on the monster, Vahn noticed the mana around Haruhime's body began to fluctuate and he turned his eyes toward her and saw the illusory aura around her body had actually formed a large bluish-white fox with golden eyes sitting behind her. It was more than 3m tall and had two wispy tails behind its body as and followed each of Haruhime's movements like her shadow. Vahn could see the mouth of the fox's mouth moving, almost as if it were whispering into Haruhime's ears and he could also hear Haruhime's chant even though she was still dancing. A peculiar feeling welled up inside of him, almost like a powerful burst of inspiration, as Vahn lowered his bow. He knew that Haruhime was at a pivotal moment in her development and that his interference would be a slap in the face to her convictions. Vahn saw the confident glint in her now pale-golden eyes and knew she wouldn't give up no matter how difficult the fight got.Toward the very end, when Haruhime had faced down the flames of the Silverback Patriarch head-on, Vahn saw the illusory fox behind her step forward before 'diving' into her body. The moment her chant ended, Vahn saw Haruhime's four tails sprout into five as an illusory blue flame appeared on their tips. He felt a powerful convergence of ice elemental energy pulled into the flames at Haruhime's tails before large ice spears, far larger than anything Haruhime had ever used before, began appearing out of thin air. Vahn, with his [Eyes of Truth], saw that there was a line of pure elemental energy contained within each spear, almost like an arrow of unstoppable magical energy. That small line nurtured the entire spear and prevented the flames from having any effect as Haruhime launched them forward with a loud cry. Vahn saw all five spears penetrate through the body of the Silverback Patriarch before using Shundo to step forward and catch Haruhime's collapsing body. She went into a state of 'Mind Down' and had lost consciousness as Vahn held her body tightly in his embrace before vanishing from the eleventh floor and retreating into the safety of the adjoining corridor to tend to her wounds...(A/N: 'The Power of Belief','Never gonna give up~!','-sounds of popcorn being eaten-')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;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 355: Insurance