Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As they made their way progressively deeper into the 19th floor, the group eventually came upon a room that was much larger than the others. Vahn detected several presences in his domain but, before he even alerted everyone to the number, Fenrir's ears shot up and she began to wave her arms as she shouted, "Big monsters are near, Fenrir can smell them! Vahn, watch Fenrir kill them all!" For a brief moment, Fenrir bolted in the direction of the enemies before coming to a stop soon after passing Ais. She turned back and the two stared at each other for several seconds as if they were having a secret conversation.Fenrir 'glared' at Ais before moving back into her own position and waiting patiently for the entire group to progress forward instead. Vahn had a small smile on his face after watching Fenrir's actions before saying to the entire group, "I can sense the presence of a herd of Mammoth Fools nearby, about seven total. There isn't anything else within my range, but keep your wits about you and pay attention if I give out any orders. Other than that...Ais, Tiona, Tione, I want the three of you to take care of two Mammoth's each and leave the final one for Fenrir to deal with. Go ahead and show me what you've got, Fenrir, I'll be watching closely."Hearing his words, Fenrir began to flex her paws excitedly as her hair began to become more bristly as her tensions increased. Tiona began laughing at her reaction and suggested, "Mammoth Fools are pretty slow, I think Fenrir might be able to take care of more than one if she is smart about it. I'll go ahead and take care of one, but I'll leave the last one for you, okay Fenrir~?" Fenrir frowned deeply at Tiona's words before nodding her head and saying, "Tiona is a good girl...leave it to Fenrir. Fenrir will kill them all if she has to!"Tione and Ais looked like they wanted to give one of their's to Fenrir as well, but Vahn shook his head silently since he knew it was better to avoid accidents. Fenrir would probably be able to defeat all seven, but it would likely require her to enter a berserk state. There was also a very real possibility that she could get injured in the process, and it simply wasn't worth it at the moment. They weren't supposed to be tarrying on the 19th floor, so Vahn ordered everyone to advance forward without further discussion.After entering the room, Vahn saw the seven massive monsters in the distance and raised his brow at their sheer size. He knew Mammoth Fools were a major threat to convoys because, when a herd charged at an expedition party, it was very difficult to stop their momentum. The head of a Mammoth Fool was incredibly hard and resistant to attacks, and their thick fur was resilient against both physical and magic attacks. Vahn imagined he would be able to deal with them relatively easily, since he could simply use Shundo to get to the top of their head before using his Xuánwǔ form to send a shockwave directly into their brain.Vahn felt the urge to put his theory to the test, since he had been feeling antsy just staying at the backline. Something about slaying giant monsters resonated deeply with Vahn and he wanted to try and defeat one in a single blow, just as he had done against the Goliath. This was also a good chance to make sure everyone was listening properly, so Vahn shouted, "Wait, fall back!" Tiona, Ais, and Tione all stopped shortly after his words fell, but Fenrir had continued forward for several meters before startling and returning to her position with a flustered and frustrated expression on her face.Vahn looked toward Riveria and said, "Follow up with the group when I move forward, I want to try something of my own. Remember, the range of my perception is 473m, so I can sense you as long as you're within the confines of this room." Riveria nodded before saying, "Be careful, there are a lot of people relying on you, Vahn." Vahn smiled at her concern before using Shundo to step next to the frustrated Fenrir and patting her wild, midnight blue hair and ears. When she looked up at him with her glowing scarlet eyes, Vahn smiled and said, "Come, Fenrir, let's play together this time."Fenrir showed her best 'smile' before clinging to Vahn as he looked to the other three girls and said, "I'll be going ahead, make sure to protect the backline. I shouldn't need help for numbers like this..." Tiona's eyes began to glow with a fervent flame as she balled her fists up and said, "Alright~! I can't wait to see how you crush the enemies, ahahahaha!" Tione stretched her body as if she were tired and said, "Try not to take too long, I don't like waiting around when my body is excited." As for Ais, she just nodded her head with a small smile on her face as she said, "Good luck...Vahn."Vahn smiled at the three before his body began to transition into his Xuánwǔ form and he disappeared from sight. They couldn't follow his movement with their eyes, but they were able to track his location through their own battle instincts and perception. Before Vahn's body appeared atop a Mammoth Fool, they were already looking at the spot as if they had predicted where he would land.The Mammoth Fool began to thrash around after two people suddenly appeared on it's head, and Vahn managed to swap away the massive trunk that smashed toward him. Pure physical attacks, unless they could completely overpower him, were useless when he was in his Xuánwǔ form. The only thing the monster received for its trouble was a sheen of green magical light shining on Vahn's arms before its trunk exploded into gore that splashed away from him and Fenrir. The wolf girl's eyes opened wide at the sight and she looked at Vahn with the glimmer of idolatry as her Loyalty began to increase rapidly within the system.Vahn began to laugh, both at Fenrir's reaction and how exhilarating it felt to be able to completely counter such a massive monster's blow with a simple backhand. He pat Fenrir's back so she would let go of him before he grabbed the belt around her waist as she flailed about excitedly and shouted, "Fenrir will fly~!" Vahn nodded his head and shouted, "Fenrir, show me how much you've grown!" As he spoke, Vahn launched her over at a nearby Mammoth Fool and she began to quickly cut through it's flesh the moment she made contact with it. Vahn shook his head at the somewhat gruesome sight before steadying his feet at the Mammoth beneath him tried to buck him off.With a tyrannical glint in his onyx-black eyes, Vahn smiled and said, "Don't worry, I didn't forget about you, big fella~." Vahn placed his left palm against the Mammoth's head as he reared back his right fist, telegraphing the punch he was about to throw. The black scales on his arm rose slightly and came to sharp points as they glow with green runes. Vahn knew it was possible to charge his attack, but he had never been able to use it in such a convenient situation as the one he currently found himself in.Two seconds later, just as the Mammoth reared up on its hind legs in order to eject him from it's back, Vahn struck down in a swift motion before his fist 'gently' contacted the monster's head without making a single sound. Strangely, the Mammoth stopped it's rising motion and simply fell over as Vahn used Shundo to pick up the bloody Fenrir before moving to the next batch of enemies. He had enough time to pick her up and throw her to the next enemy before the first Mammoth's head exploded with a subtle green explosion that turned it's supposedly durable skull into a purple mist along with the rest of its body. As for the one Fenrir had been attacking, it was decidedly less fortunate than its companion as it woefully howled after losing the functionality of its back legs. She seemed to really enjoy chewing through the spines of monsters right now, almost like she was going through the 'teething' phase Vahn had read about in preparation for his own children.From the sidelines, Tiona was jumping several meters in the air as she loudly shouted and cheered for Vahn and Fenrir. Almost as if she didn't require any air to sustain herself, Tiona kept laughing without ceasing as she yelled, "Go, go, Vahn, go~! Fenrir, kill 'em all~! Ahahahahahahaha!" Tione had gone to talk with Riveria as they both stared at the 'slaughter' while Ais watched from closeby with an unwavering gaze. A subtle light glowed in her golden eyes that reflected the image of Vahn defeating monsters with nothing but his fists. She could kill the monsters also, even much faster than Vahn, but he seemed to enjoy it much more than she did. Seeing him 'playing' with Fenrir as they both had 'smiles' on their faces, Ais felt like her fighting style was far more mechanical and restricted...As for the other girls, Lefiya had a somewhat pale expression on her face after seeing the amount of blood and gore that had been flung about. Haruhime was almost the inverse and, much like Ais, she stared toward the image of Vahn with golden eyes of her own. The main reason she had been able to easily control herself is that she had been 'accompanying' Vahn without actually fighting. Seeing his 'dominance' made her feel excited and she wanted to become much stronger so she could stand beside him forever and ever. There was a subtle 'charm' and finesse in each of Vahn's moves and Haruhime could feel the tempo resonating in her heart. She wanted to be able to join Vahn's dance and eliminate enemies alongside him, not just stand at the back as a spectator...The last of the spectators had been Ryuu, but she was splitting her attention between both Vahn and Fenrir. Ever since she had dedicated herself to Vahn, Ryuu had also been trying to increase her strength in order to be able to help him even more. She knew that, though she was Level 4, Vahn was nearly her equal in terms of strength. If not for the difference in experience, she would have almost no chance against him in an extended engagement. If it was a fight to the death, and Vahn went all-out, she didn't even have the confidence to last more than ten minutes. Ryuu knew about Vahn's flame seeds as well and, in order to ensure that it would have the greatest effect on her, she had been 'cultivating' her feelings for him every day. Aki and Syr had taught her a lot of things and now her heart constantly fluttered whenever she was around Vahn...Unaware of the thoughts going through the minds of the spectators, Vahn struck down his third Mammoth before jumping over to retrieve the 'cackling' Fenrir. She was in very high tensions because it was very rare for her to be able to kill monsters alongside Vahn like this. He could tell she was very happy so, for the final Mammoth, Vahn moved over with Shundo before smashing down with his fist against the base of the monster's neck. It's body immediately collapsed because Vahn had broken its neck and severed the nerves in its spine with his blow.Patting the hyperactive Fenrir on the head, Vahn said in a calm tone with a smile on his face, "Okay, Fenrir, I want you to try and harvest as much of the materials as you can before the Mammoth turns to dust...think you can do that for me?" Vahn knew that the education the girls received also included dismantling monsters before they died and it was a very important skill to learn if you wanted to efficiently hunt monsters for quests. Just like when they fought the Bloodsaurs later, they would have to defeat them without actually killing them if they wanted to harvest the blood.Vahn was a little uncomfortable with the fact that he would be draining the blood from a living creature, and he also suspected it might give him negative karma for doing so. To counteract this, it was possible to paralyze the monsters, ease its mind with [Hands of Nirvana], and then offer it the proper rites to thank it for its contribution and 'sacrifice'. As long as he cultivated the proper mentality and took steps to avoid making the enemies suffer, Vahn should be able to mitigate any potential negatives that might arise.Taking Vahn's words as an opportunity to be praised, Fenrir jumped off of the Mammoth's back with a start and moved around to the head before using her claws to skillfully cut through the four large tusks. While she was working, Vahn had his hand on the back of the Mammoth's head and was using his [Eyes of Truth] to inspect the network of its body as he eased any pain it might feel. He was able to confirm that the claims of its brain being very small were true and Vahn didn't have to use much energy to put it to sleep once he found the small and compact organ. After it was asleep, Vahn placed his hands together in silent prayer and, even though the monster didn't have a soul, he hoped it might find a better life if it were ever reborn.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir smells the big smelly monster!','Father Daughter Bonding~?','Vahn has an Innate ability to raise flags?')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

Fenrir managed to remove all four tusks and a total of 93 large scales before the Mammoth eventually succumbed to its wounds. Vahn was able to confirm that he didn't get any negative karma from her actions, so he released a contented sigh before jumping down next to the jittery Fenrir that had stars in her eyes as she waited to be praised. Vahn found her to be especially adorable, so he picked her up by her armpits and spun her around as she laughed happily. The others made their way over before Vahn supported Fenrir with his arms as she playfully nuzzled against him.Tiona put the tip of her index finger in her mouth and had a 'longing' look on her face as she said, "Ah, I want to be held by Vahn as well..." Her earlier excitement, when she had been cheering for the two of them, hadn't been without reason. Tiona's instincts always flared up whenever Vahn was 'showing off', and she knew he was getting progressively closer to her in strength. Though she was managing to control herself for the time being, Vahn hadn't missed her increased breathing and the light blush that was covering, not just her cheeks, but Tione's, Haruhime's, and even Ryuu's. Vahn saw their looks and felt a pressure in the bridge of his nose before rubbing foreheads with Fenrir and setting her back down on the ground.Before things took a strange turn, Vahn stored the loot into his inventory and saw that Mammoth Fools were worth around 1,500OP each. The monsters in the middle floors were worth a great deal more than their upper floor 'brethren' and Vahn had gained nearly 40,000 OP in the few short hours they had been on the 19th floor. After looking everything, Vahn nodded to the group and said, "Okay, we've still got a long way to go before we reach our destination. Let's find the staircase as soon as possible, I'm starting to get hungry after moving around a bit."Following Vahn's orders, everyone resumed their places in the formation, but not before Tiona 'sneakily' approach Vahn and planted a wet kiss on his cheek before 'dancing' away with a happy laughter. Vahn shook his head with a smile on his face as another presence 'snuck' up from his right and Vahn turned to see the golden-eyed Haruhime staring up at him. The deep red 'makeup' around her eyes gave her a seductive look as she said in a low voice, "How envious~." Vahn felt a chill run down his spine but managed to keep his smile as he reached out his hand and plopped it atop Haruhime's head and ruffled her silky hair and fluffy ears a bit before signaling everyone to move forward.Along the way, the group continued dealing with any monsters that appeared while Vahn put all of the drops items into his inventory. As he had noticed Lefiya was somewhat pale, Vahn asked in as gentle a voice as he could manage, "Is everything okay, Lefiya?" Lefiya gave a bashful laugh as her ears drooped low in an adorable manner and she said, "Sorry, Vahn...I'm not so good with blood and stuff..." As she spoke, Lefiya looked at Vahn's bloodstained clothing from when he had been carrying Fenrir. He hadn't actually gotten any on himself when he was fighting, but Fenrir's combat style wasn't very 'refined'. She easily got covered in blood, which was the reason she wore such little clothing, each piece being made of a material that wouldn't stain or absorb liquids.Vahn frowned slightly at the blood on his arm before a thought came to his mind and he looked at the blood on his body with his [Eyes of Truth]. He could see the individual elements that made up the blood's composition and used his [Hands of Nirvana] to try and 'pull' the elements away from his body. This was the same as when he removed toxins but, instead of requiring contact with his body, Vahn was pulling the blood through the air while using his domain as the intermediary. Though it hadn't worked at first, the somewhat dried blood began to flake as it peels away from his tunic and began to pool in the palm of his hand.Inspired by his success, Vahn had a big smile on his face and began to trace his hand over each area where blood had soaked into his clothing. Riveria and Lefiya stared at his actions with unconcealed intrigue in their eyes with a subtle amount of incredulity in their expressions. As Elves, they were able to see the flow of mana and could somewhat understand what Vahn was doing. It was a type of 'magic' that required a lot of finesse and would be almost impossible to replicate without an almost 'absolute' control over the elements. It was somewhat frustrating, especially for Riveria, because Vahn was able to easily do what should be impossible. Without any magic chant, or so much as a chant, he was, before her very eyes, casually creating a brand new magic that once again proved the flaws in their own magic system.After he had gotten the hang of it, Vahn was able to 'casually wave' his hand over the areas with blood and easily pull it out of his tunic. By the time he was done, he had a small orb of congealed blood in his right hand which he threw off to the side to dispose of it. Transforming into his Báihǔ form, Vahn smelled the area to see if there were any lingering odor and was able to confirm that he had removed most of it. With practice, Vahn knew he would be able to get even the small particles that remained behind. With a bit of finesse, he should even be able to use the same technique for other kinds of fluids and debris, as long as he could identify and understand its structure.Now that he was clean, Vahn smiled at the befuddled Lefiya before placing his hand on her head and patting her for the first time in a while. She had been intently watching his earlier actions and had been caught completely off-guard by his sudden touch. Her eyes opened wide and her face turned crimson red before she passed out on the spot. Vahn quickly caught her body before she fell to the ground as Haruhime began laughing like a bell from behind. As he hadn't intended to make her collapse, Vahn placed his palm against Lefiya's forehead and used [Hands of Nirvana] to help stir her awake.Lefiya opened her dark blue eyes a few seconds later but, the moment she saw Vahn's face in close proximity to her own, the blush came back with a greater intensity and she immediately passed out again. Not just Haruhime, but the other girls had noticed what was happening since they had stopped moving forward. Tiona was laughing loudly while holding her stomach while Tione was simply shaking her head with an exasperated expression. Ais, worried about Lefiya's state, walked over and asked, "Is Lefiya okay?" Vahn nodded his head and, resisting the embarrassment that was tinging his own cheeks, said in a confident tone, "She's fine, she just passed out from the blood rushing to her head so suddenly. I'll...wake her up again...?"Vahn had a terrible premonition as Ais squatted down next to him and began poking the beet red face of Lefiya with a curious expression on her relatively blank face. For the second time, Vahn used his energy to help Lefiya wake up but, once again, the moment she woke up and saw not just Vahn, but Ais as well, her face turned a maroon color and Vahn had the illusion he could see her soul escaping through her open mouth as she made a 'wawawawawa' sound and collapsed. Tiona began laughing so hard that she was rolling on the ground while holding her stomach.The only way to proceed at this point was to wait for Lefiya to recover on her own, but they were currently deep within the 19th floor. Staying around for too long wasn't ideal so Vahn did what he anticipated to be the incorrect choice and lifted Lefiya's body onto his back after putting her staff away in his inventory. He expected that she would probably act even more flustered to be carried, but Vahn didn't want everyone to wait around just because of his mistake. When he lifted her body onto his back, however, Vahn immediately regretted it because he noticed various things that he shouldn't have paid any attention to. Lefiya's body was very light, much lighter than he had expected, and he could feel her soft thighs against his palms and her budding breasts pressing into his back...Vahn saw the looks the other girls were giving him and knew they had seen through his thoughts, likely because of his expression. With a light blush on his healthy brown skin, Vahn said with mock confidence, "L-lets go...we've been on the 19th floor for a while, so it shouldn't be much longer before we get to the stairs..." Tiona finally got off the floor and removed her [Dance of the Amazon] from the ground and began to walk forward while humming a familia tune. Tione followed along as well and the rest of the group started to move soon after. Ais stayed back for a little while and observed the sleeping Lefiya for a while before saying, "Lefiya...sneaky, maybe?"Ais's words made Vahn nearly stumble on a nonexistent obstacle before he corrected himself using Shundo to move forward a single meter. Ais, suddenly being 'avoided', showed a pouting expression before jumping ahead of the rest of the group and resuming her position at the front. Vahn didn't know what to make of Ais's reaction, as her Love hadn't gone down or anything, but her aura seemed to be flaring up like a fire. He knew she was very competitive, but he didn't know how she had been set off by the sleeping Lefiya that was on his back. Vahn assumed she would probably want to be carried later, but that was a matter to deal with in the future and Vahn's current 'focus' was the petite elf on his back.While they were walking, Riveria spoke out from the side, "You and Lefiya have a very close relationship..." Vahn laughed in an awkward manner before saying, "Yeah, though it isn't anything intimate...she is still a little too young for that kind of thing." Riveria nodded her head in response and said, "She is a good girl and she will grow much stronger at your side. If..." Without continuing her words, Riveria shook her head before looking around the area as if trying to spot any hidden dangers. Vahn was tempted to ask several questions, like what she had intended to say, or what she was looking for, but he assumed she would have told him if it was his business.Without bothering her, Vahn continued forward as if the conversation had never happened and he heard a small notification in his head that showed Riveria's Affection had increased to 90(Trust). Her affection was constantly fluctuating, generally around the mid-to-late eighties, but this was the first time it had reached the benchmark of 90. Vahn wasn't sure what to make of it, but he felt like he had made the correct decision not to press her about the matter. A part of him was very curious about the continuation of her words, as it had seemed like she was about to say something about herself, but Vahn knew there was plenty of time in the future for such things.After clearing a few more rooms filled with monsters, Lefiya began to stir on his back but she didn't say anything. Vahn could feel her aura turn slightly pink and knew she had decided to pretend to have not woken up. A small smile appeared on his face and, just as he had done for Riveria previously, Vahn ignored Lefiya and allowed her to do as she pleased. If she was enjoying the moment, Vahn thought it was the least he could do to make it up to her for 'forcing' her to pass out twice. She had technically fallen three times, but Vahn credited the final collapse to Ais since Lefiya's reaction had been much stronger. Her Affection generally hovered around 92-94, and her parameters had been at (Trust) for a very long time. Vahn knew she liked him, so he was wondering when, if ever, the parameter would change into something else.Twenty minutes later, the group finally arrived at the stairs and it was nearing 1 PM so they decided to rest and enjoy a meal before moving further into the Dungeon. Vahn set out cushions for everyone to use before placing a small table down using his inventory. He also laid a futon off to the side so Lefiya could continue pretending to be asleep for a while longer before 'waking up' when she thought enough time had passed. Before he had set her down, however, Fenrir walked over and said, "Lefiya, why are you still with Master? Are your legs injured?" Lefiya startled a bit on his back, but didn't respond to Fenrir's words and kept 'sleeping'.Vahn was going to explain away the situation on Lefiya's behalf, but it was too late as Tiona walked over after hearing Fenrir's words. With a cheeky smile on her face, she reached out and poked Lefiya's side, just below the ribs, and the small elf girl let out a yelp and nearly fell from Vahn's back before hugging his neck in a panic. Her face turned crimson again, but she didn't pass out this time as she stammered, "T-t-t-thank you f-for c-carrying me, Vahn. You can let me down now!" Following her wishes, Vahn set Lefiya down and she released a long sigh of relief before hiding her face away from the playfully smiling Tiona. Incited by Lefiya's actions, Tiona hugged her body and began laughing as she carried Lefiya over to the rest of the group while she released a frustrated and embarrassed sound while failing to escape Tiona's grasp.Seeing their antics, Vahn showed a complacent smile before turning his head to the frowning Fenrir that was standing at his side. Vahn pet her head a little heavily and she tore her eyes away from the girls and showed a 'happy' expression at having gained Vahn's attention. He knew Fenrir still had inhibitions about many of the other girls in the Manor, even though she proactively made an effort to get along with them. She liked to be spoiled and, when Vahn wasn't around to spoil her, she always went to others for attention. Vahn wasn't sure the best method to get her to open up but assumed it would get better with time. She had already made incredible improvements compared to her past self, so Vahn was hopeful she would continue to mature steadily in the future.Of course, he hoped it wasn't too fast because he found the current Fenrir to be very adorable. It might be because the Akashic Record had made her match his subconscious image of what 'cute' was, but Vahn had a strong draw to Fenrir and usually found comfort in her company. Though he wanted her to grow up one day, he hoped she stayed like this for a while longer. She also seemed happy with how things were, for the most part, and Vahn did his best to pamper her when he could. One such example of his care was like now, where he was using his new method to help remove the blood from her body and fur.Fenrir was enjoying the 'ticklish' sensation at first until she realized what Vahn was doing and began to 'pout' without saying anything. Vahn laughed at her reaction and said in a consoling tone, "Don't worry, once we settle down later I'll help you wash your body. I just don't want you to make a mess while we're eating, okay?" Hearing his words, Fenrir showed her best 'smile' and said, "Vahn is the best to Fenrir~. Fenrir wants to ride on Vahn's back too, but not right now though. Fenrir is a good girl and will wait until we are out of the Dungeon. If Master is carrying Fenrir, he can't fight if things get dangerous..." Vahn's eyes opened wide after hearing Fenrir's words since she was entirely correct and had said it loud enough that it was heard by everyone present. Though her mental functions were a little lacking compared to others, she still knew how to 'lecture' people indirectly...Vahn felt like she was maturing faster than he was aware.Over at the table, Lefiya was getting teased by Tiona and, when they all heard what Fenrir said, she hung her head low as her ears wobbled pitifully. Even Tiona stopped teasing her as she said in a low voice, "Fenrir can be scary at times...haha..ha." As everyone at the table had 'experienced' Fenrir's wrath before, they all gave subtle nods and simultaneously took a sip of the tea Vahn had set out earlier. It was a strange sight, really, seeing everyone sitting around at a table with silverware, plates of food, and soft cushions, all while being in the middle of the Dungeon. Such things were typically left behind during expeditions, but Vahn had a tendency to 'spoil' the girls and tried to make things more comfortable for them when he could.Vahn saw the awkward atmosphere and showed a wry smile on his face as he patted Fenrir's head and said, "Come on, Fenrir, let's go eat with everyone. I'll feed you this time..." Fenrir nodded her head after sending a glance at Lefiya and 'smiled' at Vahn as she trotted over to what would be their shared seat for the meal. As he watched her bushy tail waggle about happily, Vahn couldn't help but think to himself if this was a precursor to what he would experiencing raising his own children. Even though he didn't have any of his own yet, Vahn remarked in a low voice that too quiet for even Haruhime and Fenrir to hear, "They grow up so fast..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Casually creating new magic...','Lefiya increasing her sneak parameter','Fenrir is surprisingly perceptive')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

Because they were able to use the stairs all the way to the 17th floor, it took less than an hour to reach the 18th floor and arrive at the settlement Rivira. Along the way, Vahn got to experience the capabilities of Tiona and Ais for the first time. He had seen them fight in the past, when they were against the Juggernaut, but Vahn had never actually fought alongside the girls in normal circumstances. Though he wanted to do his best and try to command from the backline, they simply dealt with everything immediately after it showed up.Ais was like a living typhoon that cut through her enemies and turned them into dust with simple movements while Tiona used her [Dance of the Amazon] to literally smash everything effortlessly. Tione was also able to deal with entire groups of monsters in a short period of time, so Vahn hadn't actually done anything other than fire arrows at some of the monsters further away from the main group.Though he hadn't dropped his guard at all, Vahn spent the majority of their excursion through the 17th floor talking to Haruhime and Lefiya about what they would be doing during fights. Haruhime had yet to learn any real support magic and there was no need for her Level-Up magic in the current situation. She just periodically used her [Icicle Edge] to target monsters in the periphery while Lefiya just held her staff without doing much at all. When he had asked about it, Lefiya explained hesitantly that mages typically saved their mana for emergencies and serious threats so, unless the situation called for it, she just stood in the back and waited for the proper timing.Vahn didn't agree that this was the best course of action, but he also knew that most of the traditional magic cost an exorbitant amount of mana. The current Lefiya could only cast her most powerful spells a handful of times and could only copy a single one of Riveria's before she was completely drained. Vahn was beginning to realize that the efficacy of magic, in general, was terrible and there had to be a better way. Though he already wanted to meet her, as he thought about her often, Vahn was seriously hoping that the orb would reactivate soon. There was so much he could learn from Eva and it would serve as the foundation for the new system he would help to establish in the Danmachi record.Until then, the best thing he could do was the forge mana batters for Lefiya, and potentially Riveria, as long as they signed an exclusivity contract with him and never allowed other people to study the items. Even though there was a negligible chance anyone would actually discover the secret of his blood contained within the items, Vahn wasn't trying to popularize their existence at all. Until he established a strong enough power to resist any of the forces that would try to oppose him, Vahn didn't want to unnecessarily spread knowledge regarding such items as there would be countless evil and cruel people that would cause endless tragedies in order to obtain them.Once the group had arrived at Rivira, Vahn made the decision to proceed directly to the 19th floor without tarrying at the settlement. There were a number of disreputable types that made Rivira their home, as it was a relatively lawless area that wasn't privy to the same restrictions as the surface world. Though the Guild tried to regulate things, they had no actual jurisdiction within the Dungeon itself and merely managed access to it on the surface. It would be far too troublesome to establish a permanent settlement of their own in the Dungeon, as the severe lack of infrastructure made it more of a liability than anything else. Vahn didn't necessarily agree with this, but he also had the benefit of purchasing building materials from his system shop if he wanted to build a base of his own.One of the things Vahn had been considering for the future was establishing an actual base within the Dungeon, not on the 18th floor, but all the way down at the 50th. Though the base would likely become the target of whatever evil forces actually called the Dungeon home, Vahn knew it would be easier to deal with them in the interim than it would be to oppose other forces on the surface world. If he could establish an actual foothold in the relative safety of the 50th floor, Vahn would be able to easily protect his future children from harm and also train them up in the hopes of further descending into the Dungeon.The 50th floor was nearly the same dimensions as the entirety of Orario on the surface, nearly 200km in diameter, so there was more than enough space to build a fortified residence that could also serve as a major checkpoint for any adventurers strong enough to descend to that level. There was also the fact that Vahn just thought it would be cool to have a 'secret base' of his own deep within the Dungeon for his research. He had the benefit of transporting the required resources without any major difficulty, so there wasn't any real reason not to. It was better he created a foothold for himself and the Alliance since they would be the main forces delving deeper into the Dungeon in the future anyway.---The entrance to the 19th floor was in the root system of the giant tree in the center of the 18th floor. There was a group stationed at the entrance where you could accept requests to gather materials between the 25th and 30th floors, but Vahn's group just bypassed the checkpoint without bothering to leave their names in the logbook. Though it wouldn't prevent the various informants from knowing they entered, it was better that they didn't give away extra information since it was always better to keep their enemies guessing. Even though there were restrictions in place that typically prevented direct conflict in the Dungeon, as it could cause your blessing to become a curse, it didn't mean there weren't loopholes that could be exploited by the various criminal Familia that also patronized the Dungeon.After descending more than 300m of stairs, Vahn finally took his first steps onto the 19th floor and noticed the entire structure seemed to be composed of wood, almost as if it were a part of the giant tree above. Instead of the glowstones that illuminated the Dungeon in the upper floors, there was now a moss growing along the ground, walls, and ceiling that created a gentle bluish-green light that lit up the area.Riveria, who had been standing at the side, said, "From here onwards, the Dungeon becomes what is known as the 'Large Tree Labyrinth'. Many of the gathering requests issued by the Guild take place between the 19th and 30th floors and it is one of the best ways to generate income for the Familia while also increasing it's rank. Though, I imagine you won't have as much trouble as some groups with your storage magic..." Vahn laughed at Riveria's remark before waving his hand and saying, "Okay, everyone, keep your guards up and stay focused. Tiona, Tione, I'll be relying on you to prevent any monsters from getting through to the backline. Ais, you'll be the primary vanguard, but make sure you don't get too far ahead of the group, okay?"Hearing Vahn's words, Tiona and Tione gave surprisingly motivated responses while Ais just nodded with a complex expression on her face. Though they had only been traveling as a group for a short while, Vahn was already very aware of Ais's propensity to move ahead as if she turned into a mindless killing machine during combat. Seeing the intensity in which she slew monsters, Vahn was beginning to realize that her trauma was actually far greater than he expected. Fortunately, she seemed very receptive to his orders and had been staying back with the main group instead of running too far ahead.Seeing their affirmation, Vahn nodded with a smile and continued, "Fenrir, I'll let you fight freely, but you have to make sure you're always near Tiona and Tione, okay? I'll support everyone using my bow and issue orders as needed, so make sure you're always maintaining some awareness of the situation so you can respond when necessary. Though I'll trust in your judgment, since you're all capable Adventurers, I won't tolerate any failure to respond to my words in a timely fashion. I may not be a qualified Commander yet, but I'll learn better if you work with me instead of directly opposing my commands..."Though he hadn't directly been speaking to her, Ais frowned slightly before saying, "I want to get stronger...much much stronger...but I will trust you, Vahn." Vahn's brows raised slightly at Ais's words before Tiona bounded over and hugged the beautiful golden-haired girl and laughed in a playful manner as she said, "Ahahaha, Ais following orders is a very rare thing, Vahn, make sure you reward her properly when we return to the surface~" Though she didn't seem to mind Tiona hanging from her body, Ais frowned at her words and asked, "Am I really...so bad at following orders?"Hearing Ais's words, everyone from the Loki Familia began to laugh in an amused manner while Riveria just rubbed her temples. As the Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia, she had been the 'victim' of Ais's inability to follow orders for nearly six years at this point. Though very subtle, Ais blushed at everyone's reaction to her words before walking forward around 20m as if she was going to run ahead once again. Instead, she stopped at the 20m mark and patiently waited for everyone else to start moving forward at Vahn's order.Vahn hadn't given any orders to Haruhime, Ryuu, Riveria, and Lefiya, as they had very specific roles and were already very capable of performing them. Riveria stood to his left like a stalwart guardian while Lefiya and Haruhime stood at his right. Vahn had been surprised at Haruhime's behavior since, against his expectations, she had remained relatively composed ever since they entered the Dungeon. She was showing an elegant demeanor and even her use of magic was very casual, almost emotionless in its execution. Vahn had thought she might cause problems and try to stick to him, but she seemed to be in control of her emotions and actually stood on the opposite side of Lefiya away from him.Because he wanted to hunt a variety of monsters as they progressed, Vahn guided everyone along the path that had numerous enemy signatures. They came into a room where there were more than twenty monsters and Vahn could identify them as Bugbears and Lizardman. A Bugbear was a large bear-like monster that stood nearly 4m tall and had a massive head that was nearly as large as its torso. It had a massive maw full of sharp teeth and humanoid hands capable of using natural weapons that spawned within the Dungeon. Though they looked like brute-type monsters, they were actually known for their agility and ability to catch parties by surprise. As for the Lizardmen, they were actually one of the more dangerous monsters faced by parties first venturing into the 19th floor as they were some of the first monsters parties would face that fought with tactics.Lizardmen typically stood around 2m tall and traveled in groups of 5-12 depending on the composition of their 'party'. They were covered in a variety of different scales colorations including blue, green, and red, and this generally indicated the elemental attribute associated with the breath they could shoot out from their mouth in a pinch. The reason they were such a big problem was the fact they had a rudimentary form of communication and proactively fought together in fights. They also used nature weapons that took the shape of spears, swords, axes, and even shields. The many variations could be overwhelming for inexperienced parties but...From the moment she entered the room, Ais took off with an explosion of wind and jumped directly into the large group of Lizardmen without any hesitation whatsoever. The green aura surrounding her body cut through the monsters in a manner similar to Haruhime's [Sakura Blossom], albeit much stronger. Ais used her [Gram], which actually had a greater effect against Lizardman, to cut through five with a single swipe before making short work on the remainder of the group. As for the three Bugbears, Tiona had taken out one in a single blow while Tione had severed the legs of another. The last one was the most unfortunate of the three as it had been designated by Fenrir as her prey.Fenrir was actually much slower than the Bugbear, but Vahn had loosed a total of seven arrows in the span of a single second, all targetted at the knee joints of the Bugbear. Though his attacks didn't do any major damage, as he wasn't trying to kill it, it allowed Fenrir to get the edge and she was eventually able to get to it's back before pouncing on from behind. The most terrifying thing about Fenrir was, even if the monster was made of hard scales and thick hide, the moment she got her hands on it, the fight quickly came to an end. She was easily able to cut out large swaths of a monster's body with each swipe of her claws as she quickly tore away at the 'defenseless' interior. Because of her fight against the Mammoth Fool, Fenrir knew that injuring the spine was a very quick was to incapacitate monsters and used the same method to deal with the current Bugbear before she eventually found the location of its magic core and ripped it out.As per usual, Fenrir held up the magic core proudly so that Vahn could put it in his inventory before waving at her and sending her off to continue her 'happy' slaughter. She used to bring the cores all the way to him, but now she simply 'presented' them to him from afar and did her best to stay in the 'formation'. During the Hestia Familia's first 'excursion', Fenrir had learned the importance of fighting in a group and never breaking away from her assigned roles. Even if she didn't fully understand why it was important, Fenrir still did her best to perform the role assigned to her so that she could get Vahn to praise her late. When she had seen Ais get 'lectured' for going far ahead, much like she used to do in the past, Fenrir had proudly puffed out her almost non-existent chest in pride since she had already 'learned' better.Watching the four girls make short work of what seemed like strong monsters, Vahn couldn't help but show a satisfied smile, even though he also had an urge to fight on the front lines himself. Once they made camp near the 30th floor, he knew he would have ample opportunity to get his own hands 'dirty'. He could also use this experience to familiarize himself with the monster's ecology through observation so he could make better determinations for how far it would be safe to progress when he was helping train the other girls in the future. Vahn's [Mentor] Development Ability had increased from C to B when he was training with Emiru and Maemi, and he could now leave his mark on two people at the same time. Since it was relatively 'safe' to go as deep as the 25th floor, there was nothing to stop Vahn from slaying as many monsters as he wished in the future.There was also the fact that Vahn actually liked 'sniping' monsters at a distance with his bow. Whenever they came into larger rooms, Vahn had the advantage of his domain to detect the position of enemies and was able to accurately target the magic cores of several monsters. The ease with which he dealt with them let Vahn know they weren't really worth fighting up close. He had long known that his own growth outscaled most monsters, and this would likely be the greatest restriction on his parameter development in the future. Fortunately, he had the [Seal of the Challenger], somewhat awkwardly, placed around his neck like a jet black collar. There were currently four golden links hanging down from it and Vahn had them tucked into his tunic. He didn't really understand why Anubis and Nanu liked collars since it felt very awkward wearing one himself...Each link of the chain 'doubled' the amount of exillia he got from monsters while also doubling the amount of damage he would receive. The number of links seems to be restricted by the Tier of the record, so Vahn was currently only able to use four. Since it only affected base exillia gain, this meant that Vahn was gaining a total of 400% exilia, but it also meant that, on the off chance he did get hit, he would be taking 1600% more damage. Since it also increased the likelihood of him receiving a critical hit, it was actually very possible for Vahn to get instantly killed if he dropped his guard. This made Vahn's tensions very high and, even though he wasn't fighting in the front lines, he still felt a bit of pressure every time a group of monsters showed up.Because he had the benefit of seeing his parameters updating in real time, Vahn was able to track his growth without having to go through a ceremony like everyone else. This was one of his greatest strengths, but also his biggest weakness as it would be a constraint to his growth as he didn't have the option of fortifying his foundation like others. Without the use of shop items, such as pills and elixirs, Vahn wouldn't be able to enjoy the growth rate he was currently managing. Fortunately, he had a 'cheat' like The Path, so there was a conceptually infinite number of ways for him to increase his strength without ever truly experiencing a bottleneck...--------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Stats]]Name: [Vahn Mason]Age: 15Race: Human, *sealed*Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]-Level:3(3)-Power: 1906+(H130)-&gt;(H198)-Endurance: 2221+(F254)-&gt;(E327)-Dexterity: 1807+(H172)-&gt;(E213)-Agility: 1959+(G204)-&gt;(G226)-Magic: 3562+(SSS1553)-&gt;(SSS1604)Total:11455+(2313)-&gt;(2838)(A/N: AKA 5.5 canon Lefiya's per level. I'm still super tilted knowing this!)Soul Tier: 3 (Lord Soul)[Karma]: 7,907-&gt;8,004[OP]: 33,115[Valis]: 419,583,990(A/N: This number alone could allow Vahn to have an even larger harem, kappa.)Skills: [Will of the Emperor:SSS], [Rakshasa Body:E], [Keeper of the Akashic Tome:B], [Eyes of Truth: B],[Bow Mastery:A], [Stealth:B], [Chainbreaker:S], [Heart of the Eternal Flame:SS], [Prometheus:A], [Call of the Reaper:B],[Yggdrasil's Favor:S], [Veil of the Traveler: S], [Featherfoot:B], [Hands of Nirvana:S], [Metallurgy:B], [Fist Strike:B], [Friend of Spirits:A]Magic: [Thria*Mimos:C], [Shundo:B]Development Skills: [Wound Transfer:S], [Spirit Healing:A], [Swordsman:A], [Master Smith:I-&gt;H], [Mixing:C], [Mentor:C-&gt;B]-------------------------------------------------------------------------(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn Mason, Builder of Forts?','Ais's Bad Habits','Vahn gets spanked by Tsubaki and then wears a collar the next day...coincidence!?')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 400: Fools