Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

---Maemiru PoV---(A/N: So many people asked how their names would 'combine' when they fuse...I thought it was obvious by the fact that they were named Ma-emi and Emi-ru...(O,...,O)After separating from Vahn, the twins made their way into the tenth floor proper in a similar, yet distinctly different manner than Haruhime had proceeded. As the two were Snow Leopards, they had excellent vision in the low light of the Dungeon and also had powerful noses and enhanced hearing. They skulked forward through the Dungeon as silently as possible but, instead of both focusing on the same direction, the twins actually split their focus and held hands as they progressed through the corridors leading to the various rooms where monsters awaited. Maemi completely focused on leading the way by sight, while Emiru walked forward with her eyes closed and concentrated on her sense of smell and listening for any fluctuations she could detect in the air. Because of their shared senses, the twins were able to make use of this unique method to enhance their detection capabilities while also strengthening their bond at the same time.The tenth floor was considered one of the safer floors since the majority of monsters that appeared were simple Gobline and Kobolds. Between them, they had killed more than three-hundred of such monsters, so they weren't afraid at all of what was to come. They knew Haruhime had been able to progress down to the 17th floor through her own efforts, so Maemi and Emiru had set a similar goal for themselves. As there were two of them, they believed they would be able to achieve much more than a single person and, now that they had flame seeds warming up their chests, they were even more confident. However, it had been stressed to them countless times that overconfidence resulted in mistakes so the twins maintained their focus and proceeded forwards with caution.It wasn't long after they separated from Vahn that the twins encountered their first group of monsters and Emiru immediately snapped open her eyes as they both dashed forward at the same time. The strategy they often incorporated was to 'herd' the monsters together in a similar manner to how they helped to herd the flocks of reindeer back in their village. By forcing the monsters together, it prevented them from easily changing the direction of their attack because they were almost unable to harm each other. Even though the monsters didn't seem to fear death, they still tried to avoid taking damage and were prone to retreating when pressured.Emiru was running forward at a somewhat low angle before jumping to evade a Kobold that tried to launch itself at her legs. She cut down with the vibrant red dagger Vahn had given her and easily sliced through the back of the Kobolds neck. A stream of blood shot out from the severed arteries and covered her legs as she continued her original trajectory and vaulted back to her feet after rolling twice on the ground. Though she frowned from the unpleasant liquid that had gotten on her legs, Emiru didn't stop since the fight was still ongoing. Other than exhaustion, the worst part of fighting monsters was always how 'dirty' they got in the process.Not just Emiru, but Maemi also preferred cleanliness and neither girl was fond of the various bits and pieces of monsters that would get stuck to their bodies and clothing during combat. It was their preference for cleanliness that was part of their motivation to become maids in the first place since they didn't want to live in a dirty household. The absolute worst was when blood got on their long tails since it would soak into their fur and dry up which made it hard to remove later. Fortunately, it was also an opportunity for them to get spoiled by Vahn, so they tolerated it as best as they could.Maemi, on the opposite side of the group of monsters, was also enjoying the functionality of her new dagger while doing her best to avoid the blood spatter that would result from inaccurate strikes. The best way to deal with monsters was to destroy their magic core, as this would instantly dissipate their bodies without any gore whatsoever. The downside to this, however, was that the magic core would be lost in the process. Of course, there was an upside as well, since drop items were much more common when a monster was instantly defeated. Maemi preferred to instantly kill the monsters when she could considering the smell of dried blood was very unpleasant and, without Vahn to clean their bodies, they would have to deal with the odor for several hours at the very least.A Goblin tried to exploit an opening that had been created when Maemi thrust her dagger into the neck of a Kobold, but she didn't even react to it at all as Emiru appeared at the Goblin's flank before stabbing it straight in the temple. Though it drained their stamina much faster than normal people, Emiru and Maemi were able to share their senses and always cover each other's blind spots during combat. They knew that, when they became much stronger, they would be a force to be reckoned with in the future and were committed to developing their cooperation to a level nearly inconceivable by most people.After the 'first blood' of the trial, Emiru and Maemi continued cutting a rather gory path through the Dungeon and slowly made their way towards the stairway leading down. Their bodies were already very exhausted and they knew they needed to take a break before things took a turn for the worse. They had been fighting for more than three hours at this point and had slain a total of 71 Goblins and 42 Kobolds after passing through more than twenty rooms. They hadn't been able to stop and rest for too long since there were time constraints and it was very probable they would need to kill a total of 2,000, or more, monsters to achieve the requirement of the Development Ability.The two safely made it to the connecting corridor before using the canteen Vahn had given them to help each other try to wash off a bit of the blood that had soaked into their clothing and fur. Even though they wanted to rest, it wasn't very pleasant to sit 'peacefully' and recuperate when you were covered in smelly blood and bits of gore that had been flung away from the wounds of the monsters they fought. This was one of the downsides of having enhanced senses, as it was very difficult to ignore foul smells and abrasive sounds. Fortunately, they could help 'groom' each other instead of having to worry about cleaning off their own bodies...---Godhand PoV---Vahn had been trailing behind Emiru and Maemi for the entire duration of their stint through the tenth floor. Their movements lacked the elegance and 'dance-like' quality of Haruhime's, but it was very interesting seeing how well they coordinated with each other. While he was watching them effectively sharing senses, Vahn began to wonder if there were some way to emulate the method to link the senses of two other people. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to discern anything even with his [Eyes of Truth], and it seemed like their connection wasn't something that was transmitted, but something they happened simultaneously regardless of distance. It was very similar to his connection with Hephaestus through the 'eternal flame', and how he shared a bond with the girls that had obtained the 'Love' and 'Loyalty' parameters.After experimenting with it a bit, Vahn knew his intent was communicated perfectly to his subordinates regardless of distance. This meant that, just like the twins, it wasn't something that was transmitted through space, but more like it was instantly entering their minds at the very same time he was thinking the order. Though he had tried to make sense of it, Vahn couldn't wrap his head around how something was able to travel great distances without any interference or time lag. If he could understand the principle behind it, Vahn wanted to create communication devices that would be able to keep everyone connected without having to worry about distance whatsoever.The communication scrolls were very helpful, but the costs were immense and almost unsustainable since the materials weren't that common. After discovering that the Loki Familia Expedition had literally been to procure more ink, Vahn knew he would have to come up with a more practical solution. Of course, if that weren't possible, Vahn would accompany the Loki Familia down to the lower floors and store as much of the Bloodsaurus blood into his inventory as possible. His inventory inarguably made him one of the best 'Supporters' that could possibly accompany an expedition, since he now had a total of 173 unique slots for items and could store the entire corpse into his Inventory if necessary. Each 'slot' could store up to 1,000m3 and could even store multiple of the same item if they were similar enough.After around two hours, Vahn noticed that the fatigue of the girls was starting to affect their ability to deal with monsters easily. If not for the fact they were covering for each other, it was very likely they would have suffered several injuries from some of the mistakes they were making. In fact, because they were covering for each other in moments of duress, it increased the stamina consumption of both of them from the strenuous movements made to assist each other. This was one of the major downsides Vahn had discovered about [Gemini] since it was very taxing on the girls both physically and mentally. Since their bodies responded to each other's movements, it meant their muscles got tired faster and, as their senses were also shared, it meant the amount of information their brain had to process increased exponentially.Vahn watched as they persisted on for nearly an entire hour after they were exhausted and he found their efforts commendable. When he saw them enter into the corridor connecting to the stairs, Vahn considered if he should help them recover faster. Unfortunately, though he could heal their bodies and help recover their mana and stamina, there wasn't much he could do for their mental strain other than calm their minds a bit. He ultimately decided to wait and see how long it took for them to naturally recover their energy so he could use it as a baseline for the future. Helping them too much, in the beginning, would change their perception of the trial and make them more reliant on him to take care of their needs when things got tough. They needed to have a certain degree of self-reliance if they wanted to be able to break through the barrier that prevented them from growing rapidly.After resolving to let them progress at their own pace, Vahn turned his attention away from the wall and deactivated his [Eyes of Truth] since they had started to take turns cleaning each other's body. Vahn sat with his back to the wall and expanded his domain through the ninth, tenth, and eleventh floor to make sure there were no dangers approaching. The last he wanted was for a group of Adventurer's to make their way up, or down, the stairs to find the two in the middle of cleaning their bodies. Even though the twins weren't presently 'his', Vahn still considered them wards in his charge. Until they were self-sufficient, Vahn would protect them from harm and ensure they, at the very least, had the opportunity to reach their full potential.Surprisingly, Vahn did actually detect another party on the floor below them but it was fortunate that they didn't seem to be making their way up for the time being. They were currently just wandering around through the corridors, likely looking for rooms so they could hunt some monsters. Their party consisted of four people and Vahn decided to check in on them to identify if they might be a threat. Using his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn peered down through the floor of the Dungeon and pierced through several layers of obstruction before his vision arrived at the misty eleventh floor below.Vahn saw the group sneaking around while using the rocks and tree as cover as they hunted for monsters within the mist. It was a group of two males and two females, and they all looked to be around 18-20 years old. Based on how they cooperated with each other, Vahn figured they were likely third-class Adventurer's around Level 2. Their composition had the men acting as vanguards, both using spears, while one of the girls carried a rather large crossbow. The final member of their party was a rather petite looking girl with somewhat tanned skin and she looked to be the supporter of the group with the relatively large backpack on her back.Since they all looked like kind people and had neutral auras, Vahn decided they weren't a threat and stopped his observation for the time being. Unless they made their way through a series of rooms, there was little chance they would follow the same staircase that connected to where Maemi and Emiru were located. There were actually a number of staircases leading down, so it was somewhat uncommon for Adventurer's to meet each other unless they followed common routes. This is why Vahn had the confidence to sleep within the safety of the corridors and had never once been disturbed. The fact that he had met Lili when he was ascending in the past showed how whimsical fate could be, though Vahn didn't resent this fact much since he was happy to have saved her. Imagining that she would have spent another two years in those conditions made Vahn very uncomfortable, especially considering what he knew of her past.Emiru and Maemi ended up resting for nearly two hours before deciding to proceed, not towards the eleventh floor, but back into the tenth. Vahn nodded his head before rising to his feet and disappearing from view before they exited the room. They made the correct decision to focus their efforts on the tenth floor for the time being since they would face more than a little danger on the eleventh floor with their current strength. Orcs weren't easy enemies to deal with using weapons like daggers, and their stamina would deplete quickly while trying to deal with the ambushes from Imps. Taking it slow on the first day and testing their limits was actually a correct decision and Vahn intended to commend them for it later.This was something he had noticed was distinctly different between the twins and Haruhime since the very first time he accompanied them in the Dungeon. They were always safe, rational, and typically thought about the situation in detail before making their decisions. Haruhime, however, was far more 'heroic' in her approach and typically pushed forward without giving into her own inhibitions. This meant her growth was always stretching her limits, but it also put her life in constant danger if she wasn't properly monitored.The twins might not grow as rapidly, but their behavior would preserve their lives and likely allow them to steadily grow stronger in the future since, when they were actually put under pressure, they would experience large increases in their parameters if they could overcome the situation. Of course, if they were never put in those types of situations, they would continue to move forward at a relatively slow pace and most likely get left behind by the more 'talented' girls like Haruhime, Fenrir, and the hardworking Mikoto.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Do you see what I see~? Do you hear what I hear~?','Vahn, God of Popcorn','Unnamed Pubs...')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 getting around four hours of sleep, Vahn awoke feeling completely refreshed as he hugged the naked bodies of Tiona and Ais and enjoyed their warmth for a short while longer. Everyone present, other than Syr, was going to be heading into the Dungeon as per usual, so they didn't have the luxury of sleeping in for too long. After sharing a few affectionate embraces, complimented by a healthy amount of passionate kissing, the group made their way down to the bath for a quick soak before heading outside to conduct the morning training. Seeing how lively everyone was so early in the morning, Vahn felt like things were going well and he was looking more toward the future every waking moment. Of course, as his happiness increased, so too did Vahn's caution since he was very aware of the influence of karma on fate.Because he didn't want to worry about the matters alone, Vahn conveyed his concerns to Syr while the others were doing their morning exercises. He explained that he had an intuitive sense for when danger was approaching and had her pass along his message through the network to caution everyone to take special care while he was in the Dungeon. With the amount of power and authority the network had, there were few, if any, actual threats that could oppose them other than large organizations enacting evil and cruel schemes that targetted the weaker members of the Familia. Vahn never wanted an incident like what happened with Milan and Tina to happen again so, before he left for the dungeon with Emiru and Maemi, Vahn left behind the [Rallying Whistle] for Hestia so she could sound the call if anything happened on the surface.Even though they drew a lot of attention, everyone left for the Dungeon at the same time and enjoyed casual conversation without much regard for the freezing air. Since Orario was the central hub for Adventurer's, there were a large number of them present even though it was very early in the morning. Because Vahn was rather 'famous' in the City, he was easily recognizable, especially considering he was 'surrounded' by fifteen strikingly beautiful girls. Though he tried not to let it bother him, Vahn felt a little 'guilty' with how some of the other Adventurer's regarded him. There were rumors going around referring to him as 'Flower Picker', 'Lascivious Fiend', 'Maiden Devourer', and 'Perverted King'. Things didn't improve at all after it became known he was able to help goddesses get pregnant, even though it almost made him an 'untouchable' entity within the City. Though they might resent him, there were few people that would proactively confront Vahn when the top three Familia were his backers.Once they arrived at Babel, the group split into several smaller parties before preparing to venture into the dark depths of the Dungeon. Vahn was going to be training Emiru and Maemi, so they were their own group after it was explained how his [Mentor] skill worked. Ais was going to be entering with Haruhime, Mikoto, and Lefiya while Tiona and Tione were leading Naaza, Lili, and Milan. The final group consisted of Ryuu, Aki, Fenrir, and, acting as their leader, Riveria. Because of Vahn's warning, none of the groups were heading lower than the 18th floor, since it would take far too long for them to return if something actually happened on the surface. Every group had at least one member of the Hestia Familia in it so, if Hestia used the [Rallying Whistle], they would all be alerted to the emergency and could head to the surface to provide support.After splitting into their groups, everyone parted ways after all promising to take care of each other and ensure that everyone returned safely. Other than the younger girls, and Vahn himself, they all had experience with loss and knew how sad it was when a comrade lost their life. Vahn didn't even know how he would be able to deal with such a severe blow and prayed earnestly to powers far stronger than anything in the record that such a thing never happened. Though he had 'lost' his mother in his previous life, it was before Vahn had even been aware of her existence. It wasn't until his death that he was reunited with her memory so Vahn didn't even know how to process 'loss' yet. Even the thought of losing one of the girls he was close to made a solemn chill settle in his mind because he was certain that things would never be the same after the fact...No matter what it took, Vahn would seek out the source and destroy it thoroughly.---Vahn escorted Emiru and Maemi down to the tenth floor with the two flanking him from the sides with happy expressions on their faces. They had been looking forward to this excursion since it was a rare opportunity to spend some quality time with Vahn without having any interruptions. There was also an expectation shared between them that, with Vahn's presence, they would be able to achieve an incredible rate of growth so that they wouldn't fall far behind Haruhime. Her rapidly increasing strength put a lot of pressure on the twins since they were older than Haruhime and had higher basic capabilities, at least in the past. Though their feelings didn't rival Haruhime's 'devotion', they also wanted to be able to stand alongside Vahn in the future and didn't want to become a burden to the rest of the Familia.After arriving at the entrance to the tenth floor, Vahn turned to the two and explained in a stern tone, "From here on, you'll be going at your own pace to test the limits of your strength. The purpose of this exercise is to obtain the requirements for the [Hunter] Development Ability and, not to test your limits, but to exceed them. Rapid parameter development is impossible unless you undergo fierce trials so unless you are in mortal peril, I will not step in to assist you...also, you should know about the requirements for the ability and there is a fair chance that you may not be able to obtain it by fighting together. I'm hoping that the bond between the two of your circumvents this issue."The two listened to him with serious expressions on their faces without wavering in the slightest. They had the benefit of speaking with several high leveled girls and knew exactly what kind of effort was required to obtain true strength. If they weren't ready to put their lives on the line, their journey would come to an end long before they reached their goals. Though they didn't mind simply becoming maids, they weren't willing to 'only' be maids for the rest of their lives. Their dream might be a little skewed compared to the norm, but they wanted to be able to follow a capable 'master' and have 'illicit' relations with him. If not for this slight delusion, they wouldn't have willingly allowed themselves to be sold in the past. The monotony of the tundra, the cold and hunger they felt every day, were far worse in the minds of the twins than having to serve someone for the rest of their lives...Meeting Vahn had changed their perspective quite a bit and they now desired much more than the life of a simple servant. Not only did he rescue them from the slave traders, but Vahn treated them well, bought them fancy clothing, and allowed them a great degree of freedom. He also helped develop their strength and had even strengthened the unique bond they had shared since they were very young. Emiru and Maemi couldn't even consider a life without each other and Vahn had guaranteed they would always be together, even if it sometimes put them through stressful and dangerous situations. They had lived more in the last three weeks than the entirety of their sixteen years prior. It was better to stake their lives in hopes of reaching a better future than it was to allow themselves to stagnate and lose the purpose they had found for themselves.After explaining everything clearly, Vahn nodded his head with a smile before reaching out and stroking the twins' hair and ears with his hand. They both showed pleased expression on their faces which bloomed into wide smiles when Vahn said, "Though it might be a little shameless for me to say, I'll make sure to reward the two of you plentily based on your performance...just make sure not to get carried away and make a mistake." Just as he had done for Haruhime, Vahn had hidden an effigy in each of the girls' pouches in order to protect them in the event something disastrous happened. Since he couldn't afford a second one, Vahn had to 'borrow' the one he had given to Tione in the past. He felt a little guilty about asking for something he had given to someone else, but Tione 'forced' him to take it and practically shoved it back into his hands like it was a cursed object.Before sending them off on their first trial, Vahn gave the two a set of heavy daggers that were of a much higher quality than their previous pair. He didn't have enough OP to purchase unique weapons for them, but it didn't prevent him from obtaining a pair of high-quality daggers from Hephaestus. Though she had willingly parted with them, Vahn resolved himself to forge a stronger pair for the twins before returning the weapons in a pristine state after they were finished using them. Vahn also helped to update the girls' Status Boards so he had a proper reference to compare their growth over the next three days.(A/N: This is the update for when they first unlocked Gemini and from the excursion down to the 18th floor in the past. They are still rather weak xD...)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Maemi RainLV. 1POW: I44-&gt;H178-&gt;G214END: I45-&gt;H133-&gt;H169DEX: I31-&gt;G207-&gt;G273AGI: I76-&gt;G259-&gt;F331MAG: I19-&gt;F305-&gt;F382Skill: [Gemini: Innate(E)]Magic: -Development Skill: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Emiru RainLV. 1POW: I44-&gt;H178-&gt;G214END: I45-&gt;H133-&gt;H169DEX: I31-&gt;G207-&gt;G273AGI: I76-&gt;G259-&gt;F331MAG: I19-&gt;F305-&gt;F382Skill: [Gemini: Innate(E)]Magic: -Development Skill: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Seeing their parameters, and the lack of any skills or magic, Vahn was somewhat concerned for the two's safety. There were still many unknowns about the [Gemini] skill, and Vahn was hoping he would be able to peek into its secrets while they were progressing further into the dungeon. Before they fixed their clothing, Vahn hesitated for a short moment before releasing a small sigh and saying, "Wait, before you get dressed...I have something that will be able to help you." Hearing his words, the twins turned around at the same time and asked in perfect harmony, "Yes, Vahn-sama~?" He wasn't sure how it would affect them, but Vahn held out both of his hands and two small flame seeds appeared in his palms.Vahn knew it was in for a great deal of pain, but pretended everything was okay as he explained, "These are called 'flame seeds' and they are produced by my skill [Prometheus]. By inserting this into your heart, it would greatly increase your potential based on the strength of your emotions..." After taking a deep breath, Vahn continued, "The rate of increase is tied to your feelings for me...so...umm..." Before he could explain further, the twins both showed similarly happy expression and shouted, "Please, Vahn-sama~!" Without hesitation, they both turned around and unabashedly showed off their snowy mounds with the little pink buds standing proudly.Since he had been bathing with them recently, Vahn wasn't too affected by the sudden reveal but he still felt a little awkward when he reached forward and put the seeds into their chest. Their faces turned somewhat flushed and they stared at him in what he could only understand as a 'hungry' look in their eyes. Vahn was entirely unaffected, however, because he was using [Will of the Emperor] to its maximum effect to resist the ridiculous amount of pain that was echoing through his body. Every time he used the skill, the amount of pain he experienced increased exponentially and now he was giving out two at the same time. If not for his preparations, Vahn had no doubt he would have blacked out the moment he touched their chests...After a few minutes, the pain began to fade away as if it had never been there in the first place and Vahn looked into the flushed faces of the twins with a wry smile as he pulled his hands away from their breasts. He knew it would have been better to insert it from the back, but Vahn wanted to give them a bit of 'motivation' for their coming trial. Both Emiru and Maemi were sitting at 95(Amour) after having increased an extra two points during the last ten minutes. Their auras had flared up a great deal, but Vahn did his best to ignore the raging pink flames as he said, "Okay, three days may seem like a long time, but it'll go by faster than you expect. We may have to spend a bit of extra time depending on how things turn out, so it's better to start earlier..."Though they weren't the most educated girls, Emiru and Maemi were also able to see through Vahn's expressions easily. Seeing his flustered state made the two girls laugh in an identical manner as they both squinted their eyes without covering their breasts. Vahn was slightly unnerved by their laughter and averted his eyes before disappearing from sight using Shundo. The two girls were familiar with the skill and began laughing louder as they fixed their clothing and prepared to venture into the dungeon with happy moods. Though he was much stronger than they were, Vahn was still nearly two years younger and he was susceptible to being teased even though he was practically surrounded by girls. Knowing they could get a rise out of him, Maemi and Emiru felt somewhat 'proud' of themselves as they resolved to do their best for the future.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'That's a very nice happiness you have there...','Small buds are capable of rapid growth if nourished properly (UwU)','Hasty Retreat~!')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 376: Slow and Steady