Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As it wasn't necessary to actually have anyone post up during the night, Vahn gave the order for everyone to rest after dinner had come to an end. When he retired to his own tent, he was accompanied by Fenrir while the other tents were taken by different pairs such as Ais and Lefiya, Tiona and Tione, Ryuu and Haruhime, and lastly, staying in a tent of her own, Riveria. Before everyone had gone to sleep, Vahn had set out three wash basins for the girls that wanted to take a bath and, as promised, he helped Fenrir wash her body before helping her wear a loose nightgown over her combat attire.Fenrir's hair always had an earthy and warm aroma and she always slept right on top of Vahn's chest with her paws bundled up at her stomach, clasped together so she wouldn't accidentally scratch anyone while she slept. She had gotten much better at controlling herself and rarely ever cut her own clothing anymore, nor did she scratch other people and tear apart the things she touched. She had even gotten to the point that, when she was practicing her writing, the words were always carved in a uniform manner, even though her handwriting was somewhat terrible.Fortunately, as he had somewhat expected Tiona to try and sneak into his tent, the night passed without issue and everyone woke up very early the next day. Since he wanted to get a jumpstart on things, Vahn handed out a variety of pastries for everyone to enjoy before continuing deeper into the Dungeon. The 24th floor of the Dungeon was the end of the Large Tree Labyrinth and also the official end-point of the 'Middle Floors' of the Dungeon. Everything beyond, all the way to the record 59th floor, was considered the 'Lower Floors' and a realm only visited by veteran adventurers and high ranking Familia.Unlike the 19th through the 23rd floor, the 24th floor had a lot more plant life spread all throughout the floor. The ceiling was nearly 40-50m at the highest points and there were several large trees, a variety of bushes, and various plant-like monsters and insects flying about. Soon after entering, Vahn had detected an abnormality within one of the walls and, after having everyone halt their advance, probed it using his bow after verifying what lay within using his [Eyes of Truth].Once the barrage of arrows penetrated the wall, a giant, bulbous, red 'creature' popped out of the wall before slamming down onto the floor. It was around 5-7m long and had a variety of holes covering its body. It writhed about and tried to launch a viscous reddish-yellow liquid at the party but everyone was well outside of its effective range. Riveria, from the side, said in a calm tone, "Bloody Hive, it's a trap-type monster that immobilizes its enemies before overwhelming them with Deadly Hornets. They don't have a lot of offensive capabilities on their own, but they can become a major threat if they aren't dealt with quickly..."Vahn nodded his head and said, "Thank you, Riveria." as he knocked a pair of mithril arrows on his bow and, after channeling a large number of fire elements, loosed them toward the Bloody Hive. As Riveria had been speaking, he checked the information within his mind and knew they were very weak to fire. For someone like Vahn, whose main attribute could be considered fire, they weren't much of a threat. Before it even had enough time to spawn ten Deadly Hornets, the Bloody Hive was already writhing about on the ground as it burned to ashes as a result of Vahn's deadly flames.As for the Deadly Hornets, they were nearly a meter long and made an excessively loud noise as they buzzed about in a strange manner. Their bodies consisted of a hard carapace that was covered in a variation of yellows, blacks, and reds, and they had massive 20cm long black stingers to glowed with a subtle purple light. As their named indicated, they had a deadly poison that covered the entirely of their stinger as well as a powerful set of mandibles on their heads. With their large compound eyes, they looked somewhat menacing, at least until they were shredded apart by the swift Ais moments later.Bloody Hives were a relatively rare monster on the 24th floor, so it was both auspicious as well as unfortunate that it was the first enemy they came across after entering. Amongst Adventurers, it was considered a sign of great fortune if you encountered a rare enemy right after entering a floor and were able to overcome it. With Vahn's detection ability, most traps were completely ineffective and they were able to make smooth progress while following his directions. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that, with Vahn's presence with a party, any group could efficiently move through the Dungeon and he would likely be one of the key factors for any expedition into the deeper floors.Other than the few Killer Wasps that would fly at them from various directions, the majority of the monsters on the 24th floor were Hobgoblins, a type of goblin that stood more than two meters tall and had much larger horns affixed in their heads. Many of them used nature weapons, such as clubs and spears, but they seemed to be somewhat lacking in intelligence and couldn't coordinate with each other at all. Tiona was happily cutting her way through a large group of them as she spun her giant weapon around playfully. There was even a point where, when she vaulted off the ground, spun through the air, and slashed down at a large Hobgoblin, that her weapon emitted a pulse before smashing the 2m tall Hobgoblin into a small ball less than 50cm in size.Vahn had seen this from the backline and had both of his eyes open wide after witnessing the sight. He knew this was probably the effect of the [Crushing Blow] that he had imbued into the [Dance of the Amazon], but he had never expected the effect to be so monstrous. Seeing a humanoid monster turned into a compact sphere of flesh was enough to make even Vahn feel a little squeamish so it wasn't a surprise to him at all when Lefiya released a small amount of 'rainbow' liquid from her mouth. Vahn rubbed her back to ease her nausea and looked over to realize that Haruhime, an elegant girl who most people would expect to struggle with such things, showing a plain expression as she scanned the battle looking for an enemy of her own to target.As if she had sensed Vahn's gaze, Haruhime turned toward him before smiling widely before chuckling in a playful manner. Though her eyes had been a placid green color, the moment she locked eyes with him, Vahn noticed they began to turn a pale gold. Though she seemed to be perfectly fine, Vahn still asked, "How are you holding up, Haruhime, let me know if you get tired..." Haruhime nodded her head and said, "Thank you, Vahn, I'm fine~." Haruhime didn't have much to do so far, other than periodically using her magic to target distant foes, so she wasn't even remotely tired.Though she was tempted to pretend, she knew that not only Vahn, but the somewhat troublesome Fenrir would see through her act. She knew Fenrir was envious of her for various reasons, so Haruhime didn't want to make her upset and lose the opportunity to get closer to Vahn later. Since Vahn had previously spent time with Tiona, Ais, Ryuu, and Tione, Haruhime was planning to get some of his time for herself later. She wasn't going to jeopardize things before then, so she just did her best to appear as elegant as possible for the time being.Seein that Haruhime was fine, Vahn showed an encouraging smile as he continued to pat the contradictory Lefiya on the back. She was simultaneously pale, from having witnessed the gory sight, but also blushing slightly from Vahn's contact. Her appearance made Vahn feel sorry for her so, instead of directly patting her back, he used [Hands of Nirvana] on his domain to make everyone feel more comfortable. Lefiya released a small sigh before doing her best to stand back up on her own two feet. Once she composed herself, she bowed toward Vahn and said in a quiet voice, "Thank you, Vahn..."For a brief moment, Vahn reached out his hand to pat Lefiya's bowed head before saying, "No worries, Lefiya, I'm always happy to help. We'll take a longer break before going to the 25th floor if you're feeling tired. If necessary, I also have some medicine to help your stomach if you're still feeling sick later." Lefiya gently bit her bottom lip with a blush rising on her cheeks before saying, "I-I'm fine..." She then lowered her head as if trying to hide her face and even moved to the other side of Riveria after a while. Haruhime began to laugh from Vahn's side and he just shrugged in mock exasperation before continuing forward with the rest of the group.Nearly three hours into the 24th floor, as if proving the superstition of other Adventurers, Vahn sensed a much larger presence in his perception. Though he couldn't see it at first, he was able to penetrate through the walls of the Dungeon, and any other obstacles, before setting his eyes on a large, emerald green, dragon that was nearly 12m in length. It actually seemed to have a bit of wisdom in its gentle blue eyes as it peered back towards Vahn as if having detected his gaze upon it. Right next to the dragon, there was a small tree, only around 3m in height, that seemed to be made almost entirely of crystal. It had vibrant green 'leaves' that glistened in the low-light of the Dungeon and had a variety of yellow, purple, and red gemstones growing from its branches like fruit.With a large smile on his face, Vahn brought the group to a halt before explaining, "I just discovered a Green Dragon protecting a Treasure Tree that is in the adjacent room. I don't see the path leading to the room, but we can probably break through the wall if we want to loot the tree. I'm not sure if the dragon is dangerous since there seems to be something special about it, but be prepared to attack the moment it becomes aggressive. Ais, your [Avenger] and [Gram] provide powerful benefits against dragons so I'll leave defeating it to you. However, don't attack until it becomes hostile, okay?"Hearing that Vahn had discovered the incredibly rare 'Treasure Tree', everyone was in high spirits, even Riveria. Her staff, Magna Alfs, was an S-Rank item that cost nearly 340MV and made use of nine 'Magic Treasure Stones' which could only be found from rare drops and incredibly rare natural treasures like the Treasure Tree in the next room. A single Magic Treasure Stone could cost upwards of 10MV, so it was an incredible boon to be able to discover an intact tree. As for Ais, she had a complex expression on her face after hearing Vahn's words but still nodded her head in agreement. Though she would generally kill any monster on sight, she had learned from interacting with Fenrir and Fafnir that not all monsters were evil.Because it was actually very dangerous to inflict too much damage to the Dungeon, lest they incur the wrath of a Juggernaut, Vahn was thinking of other ways to breach the wall. After thinking about the matter for a few minutes, he saw the sky-blue eyes of Ryuu watching him and a smile crept upon his face as he pulled out an intricately designed trinket out of his inventory. This was an item he had obtained when Ryuu reached 100 affection and was known as [Fairy Promenade]. Its use claimed that all trees, plant life, and animals open a path for the user to pass unhindered, so Vahn was hoping it might even work on the 'tree-like' walls of the Dungeon. If it proved to be the case, Vahn resolved himself to treat Ryuu when they returned to the surface since it would be through her affections that they were able to obtain the Treasure Tree.Though she didn't understand why Vahn smiled at her, Ryuu returned his smile and watched as he activated another one of his mysterious items. A green light appeared around his body and, against the expectations of everyone present, the wall of the Dungeon began to open up as it created a tunnel that Vahn passed through while laughing in a very satisfied manner. Then, as if he had a sudden realization, Vahn turned back and 'bounded' over to Ryuu before planting a short kiss on her unprepared lips. Ryuu blushed deeply, especially after seeing the other girls look at her, before pulling the fastener of her cloak to conceal part of her face from view.Satisfied with Ryuu's response, Vahn led the way through the Dungeon's wall as everyone followed behind him with a mixture of intrigue and confusion on their faces. Riveria, seemingly unable to keep her intrigue restrained, asked in an inquisitive manner, "That item...is it another thing you created? How is it able to control the Dungeon walls like this?" Vahn shook his head then, after thinking for a few seconds, explained, "This is an item that serves as proof of the bond I share with Ryuu..." Vahn looked over at the sky-blue eyes, which averted slightly after making eye contact, before continuing, "It allows the user to pass unhindered through forests and the like...since we're currently inside a giant tree, I thought it might be useful here. Seems our luck is quite high today..."As he spoke, Vahn furrowed his brows slightly before coming to a stop and scanning his surroundings once again. Everyone else came to a stop at nearly the same time and immediately became alert after seeing Vahn's expression and behavior. Vahn knew better than anyone that, when things suddenly started going especially well, that was usually when something unexpected happened. Though he didn't understand why this was the case, Karma seemed to 'test' those that had a lot of good karma and, the moment when they let down their guard while assuming everything was going well, that was generally when tragedy befell them.Shortly after he came to a stop, Vahn sensed the presence of a strange aura that was located in a passageway within the wall of the Dungeon itself. Its aura was unlike anything he had ever seen before and Vahn was curious so he began to stare directly toward it with his [Eyes of Truth] active. His instincts were sounding alarm bells in his head and, after penetrating into the strange corridor, Vahn came face to face with what looked like a normal woman, if not for the fact that she had green eyes that glowed within the darkness. 'She' was a tall woman, around 170cm, and she had a powerful physique with red hair and green eyes. Though she wasn't a conventional beauty, Vahn thought she would have looked attractive if not for the fierce expression on her face.Vahn wasn't sure how they were able to do it but, much like the Green Dragon in the nearby room, the woman seemed to be able to sense his probing gaze. She looked back with her glowing green eyes and mouthed a few words as she covered her naked body with a cloak and walked away into the darkness before eventually escaping his line of sight. Though he wasn't that confident in being able to read lips, Vahn could replay her words over and over in his mind and was absolutely certain she had said two very familiar words..."Vahn Mason..."Seeing the serious expression on his face, Ryuu asked, "Vahn, did you see something? Is it an enemy?" Hearing Ryuu's words, Vahn turned to the group and considered what how to explain that he had 'peeked' in on a woman that was taking a bath in a glowing blue pool of liquid. He was almost certain that she was a monster, similar in nature to Fenrir, but he didn't know if she was actually an enemy or not. However, the cold look in her eyes and the fact that she knew his name was a red flag so he explained, "I saw a woman...I think she is a humanoid monster, one of the ones that the Guild wants to capture or kill. I can't be sure, but she seemed to be around Level 5 and had a powerful aura radiating from her body...also, though I couldn't hear what she said, I'm certain she called my name after detecting me."Realizing the incongruity in what he had seen, Vahn also said, "Also, there seems to be a corridor nearby that connects to the Dungeon, but it doesn't appear to be a part of it at all. Instead of wood, like everything else on the floor, it is made of stone...almost like it is manmade?" Vahn was very tempted to investigate further but decided against it since it was more important to procure the Treasure Tree at the moment. After making his decision, Vahn turned to the group and said, "We'll capture the Treasure Tree and then backtrack to investigate the unknown corridor afterward. I don't think it would be a good idea to pursue the humanoid monster right now, as it has nothing to do with our objective, but we should inform the Alliance when we return to the surface."Riveria also agreed with Vahn's decision and even put forth the idea of concealing the matter from the Guild entirely, at least until they were able to discern of the woman was an enemy or not. As for the 'man-made dungeon', she actually had a bit of knowledge regarding the rumors that Daedelus street actually connected to the Dungeon through a labyrinthine structure located beneath the somewhat infamous district of the City. As Vahn had seen the structure for himself, he knew that it wasn't a simple 'rumor' and his desire to investigate Daedelus Street increased quite a bit after listening to Riveria's words. Knowing there was a monster girl that knew his name prowling about, Vahn didn't feel very at ease, especially since his instincts had been sounding dangers signals during the brief encounter.Thinking about the 'woman', Vahn couldn't stop himself from recalling her relatively 'powerful' looking body that had been displayed openly. Though she wasn't very shapely, at least compared to many of the women he had seen, her figure was very womanly and emphasized the power contained within by the visible lines of her muscles. She had a thin waist with exceptionally pale skin, almost as if she had never seen the light of day, and her breasts were rather large. Her medium length red hair was somewhat wild and her glowing green eyes, even when he recalled them in his mind, sent chills down his back. Though he often felt like some of the girls gave him 'predatory' looks, Vahn now knew for certain what it was like to be viewed as the prey of another person...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'You ain sneaky!','Literal money tree','Vahn's over here expecting a woman not to be mad when he peeks at them in the bath...')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 passing through the long corridor in the wall of the Dungeon, the group came into the room housing the Treasure Tree and its guardian, the Green Dragon. Just to be safe, Vahn had Riveria cast a barrier while he himself, along with Ais and Fenrir, went to investigate the situation. From what he could tell, the Green Dragon didn't seem hostile yet, so Vahn wanted to see if it had any intelligence. If possible, they could come to a compromise and take some of the Magic Treasure Stones and then leave without coming into conflict with each other. Vahn wasn't the type that considered it to be acceptable to 'steal' from a sentient creature just because it benefitted himself. Even if he went his entire life without getting ahold of the stones, Vahn wouldn't have lost out at all. It would be pure selfishness if, after discovering the dragon was sentient, they killed it anyway just to line their pockets with Valis.Vahn was carrying Fenrir, in the event they had to flee away at a moments notice, as he approached the location of the Green Dragon after passing through a small forest. Once they came into the clearing, the dragon was looking toward them with its light blue eyes. With a low growl, it stood up on its hind legs and extended the large emerald wings that spread nearly 20m from tip to tip. General conventions wouldn't allow it to fly with such small wings, since its body was very heavy, but several creatures were able to get around that restriction through the use of magic, just like Fafnir. However, this dragon didn't immediately take flight and turn hostile, it instead stood its ground as if it were waiting to see what the three people before it would do.Seeing that it didn't start attacking, Vahn showed a gentle smile and spoke as casually as he could manage, "We're sorry for invading your territory like this but, if it won't be a great inconvenience to you, we would like to take some of the stones on that Treasure Tree. We don't damage its foundation, and we'll leave as soon as we collect a few..." Vahn wasn't sure if the dragon could understand him, but he wanted to at least try and negotiate with it. Since it wasn't attacking them, it was obviously not being influenced by the Dungeon's control and had some semblance of rationality.The Green Dragon stared at Vahn for several seconds before turning its head to the small tree it had been protecting. After a while, it turned back to Vahn and a soft voice emitted from its mouth with a low growl, "I have protected this tree since my birth, I cannot easily part with the treasures within its branches...I don't know why, but it seems to be important to me." Hearing the soft voice of the dragon, Vahn's smile widened a great deal because it was exceptionally rare to meet such a creature in the Dungeon. Since it was open to discussion, Vahn thought about what he might be able to offer the dragon in exchange for its treasures.Monsters in the Dungeon didn't actually require sustenance to live and fed directly off the energy contained within the Dungeon itself. It didn't seem to actually care that much about the tree itself and just seemed to be protecting it out of instinct. Vahn knew from the compendium that a Green Dragon always protected a Treasure Tree, so they were likely interconnected entities with each other. It was very possible that, if they destroyed the tree, the dragon would likely follow shortly after. The gem-like quality of its scales wasn't too different from the trunk of the tree itself and this is why Vahn didn't want to press the matter if they couldn't come to an agreement. However, he knew other Adventurers weren't as 'magnanimous' as he was and, if they discovered the dragon, a conflict would most certainly occur as a result of the 'innate' greed of many Adventurers.After thinking for a while, Vahn decided it was best to simply ask the dragon itself what it wanted so he asked, "Is there anything you'd like, perhaps in exchange for part of the treasure you're guarding?" The dragon closed its massive wings before arching its head low and saying, "I don't know...there isn't really anything I want...but I have always longed for the surface. Even though I've never seen it, I have memories of an endless blue sky...a mountain range...and a small village...I don't like this dark Dungeon, but I can't leave it."Vahn was very surprised by the dragon's words, but he was even more surprised when Fenrir suddenly nodded her head and said, "Yes, this place is a very sad and cold place...Fenrir also wanted to see the surface but was unable to go up the stairs leading out. Every time Fenrir tried, there was a scary feeling in her stomach that made her stay...but Master showed me the light. If you are a good dragon, Master can take you to the surface. He can even help you become stronger and keep you safe, but you will have to do your best as well, okay?"The Green Dragon turned its large head toward Fenrir before walking forward with loud footsteps. Ais became very tense, but she just tightly gripped the hilt of her sword without actually pulling it as she continued to watch the scene play out. After it quickly closed the distance, the dragon leaned down and cocked its head to the side as it stared directly at Fenrir with its light blue eye. Fenrir reached out with her paw and placed it on the snout of the dragon as they just stared at each other for several long seconds. Though the atmosphere was somewhat tense, it wasn't a hostile one and Vahn just continued to patiently hold Fenrir's body as she 'communicated' with the dragon.After nearly three minutes passed, the Green Dragon lifted its head and said, "I don't want to fight...but I do want to be stronger. You aren't the first group to discover this place, and I don't want to have to suffer anymore..." As the dragon spoke it turned to its side where there was still a broken spear embedded in its side. The wound had already healed, but there was a brackish color around the area that showed it had become infected. Vahn frowned at the sight, but he couldn't exactly blame the Adventurer's that had tried to fight against the Green Dragon in the past. Though it was possible they were greedy and cruel individuals, Vahn had never met them personally and they had likely already died in their conflict against the dragon.Since the Green Dragon seemed to be willing to follow them to the surface, Vahn compressed his [Will of the Emperor] into a small area and said in a firm tone, "I will promise to take you to the surface, but you will have to follow me. If you indiscriminately hurt others, I will be forced to take your life to protect everyone else. However, I will protect you and provide a safe place for you to stay as long as you are obedient..." While he was speaking, Vahn converged his intent on the dragon's mind and it began to tremble slightly under the pressure. He wasn't really trying to intimidate it, but the only way to actually rake it to the surface would be to subordinate it through the system. Once the 27 remaining days passed for his naming ability, Vahn could even confer the dragon a name and allow it to evolve, just like Fenrir and Fafnir.After resisting the pressure for a short while, the Green Dragon eventually stopped fighting against Vahn's aura and dropped to the ground. Ais removed her hand from the hilt of her sword and watched as Vahn walked forward and placed his palm against the head of the 'submissive' monster. Its light blue eyes shone with a magical light before they slowly came to a close and it's body disappeared, not in a cloud of pure purple dust, but dust intermixed with a rainbow hue as a large magic core appeared on the ground. Seeing Vahn pick it up, Ais asked, "It's still alive?" Vahn nodded his head with a smile on his face and said, "Don't worry, it won't harm anyone anymore. I'll take it to the surface and find a place to release it where it won't cause any major disturbance. Thank you for listening to my selfishness, Ais...I know you don't like dragons very much."Ais shook her head slowly before moving some loose strands of hair with her hand as she said, "No...I think the way you do things is correct, Vahn. I hate monsters that try to harm people...I don't want to see anyone I care about suffer...but, I know not all monsters are bad." As Ais was very near to Vahn and Fenrir, she reached out her hand and pat Fenrir's head as she continued, "Some monsters are very cute...and I liked jumping off Fafnir's back...we should have more fun together. I will still kill any monster I come across, but I will do my best to not indiscriminately kill anymore...I think I will become much stronger if I change my perspective more."Vahn had tried several times to speak but he was unable to actually say anything because Ais had spoken a mouthful. She typically said a few short words, and rarely spoke full sentences, so Vahn hadn't expected her to say so much and just stood there with a somewhat dumb expression on his face. However, he knew well enough to smile before reaching out his hand and stroking Ais's long golden hair with his free hand. Her small smile became slightly larger as the briefest hint of a blush appeared on her face.Soon thereafter, the rest of the group arrived after witnessing the Green Dragon simply vanish after Vahn had touched it. He explained the situation and agreed to Riveria's request to allow her to view the 'naming ceremony' when it came time to confer a name to his new subordinate. It was already Level 4, so Vahn was very excited about its future capabilities, even if it might never actually see combat. Though it might seem weird to imagine a dragon as a pacifist, it seemed like the Green Dragon he had obtained didn't like conflict at all. Vahn was already beginning to think of a suitable name for it, something the embodied its relatively peaceful mindset.Because he didn't want to potentially kill his new subordinate, Vahn didn't want to simply uproot the Treasure Tree after harvesting the valuable materials that comprised it. Fortunately, because he was still under the effects of [Fairy's Promenade], Vahn was simply able to have the tree 'move' to the side before placing the whole thing into his inventory. It was a very strange thing, as the tree wasn't a sentient creature at all, yet it was able to move its roots and 'move out the way' when he tried to pass by it. When he saw the incredulous look on Riveria's face after the fact, Vahn couldn't help but laugh out, earning a bit of ire from the scholarly High Elf.---After collecting the tree, the group made its way back to the corridor Vahn had created earlier and followed the wall of the Dungeon until they came across a stone structure barring their path. Since it wasn't a part of the actual Dungeon, Vahn had no hesitation when it came to destroying the wall and breaking into the seemingly manmade structure. Unlike the mossy light of the 24th floor, the stone dungeon was fixed with small glowstones, very similar to the type found on the upper floors of the Dungeon. Following the path, they came to the area where Vahn had seen the monster girl and it turned out to be a heated pool that was thick with elemental energies. From what he could discern, it seemed suitable for treating injuries so Vahn was wondering if the woman had been recovering from wounds when he was stunned to silence a moment later...Tiona had placed her feet in the warm water and made a pleasant sound sigh before she asked, "If you saw the woman here, does that mean she was taking a bath? Ahahahaha~." Though she had just intended it at a joke, Tiona saw Vahn's expression and began to laugh even harder at his expense. Ais, as if perturbed by Tiona's deduction, walked forward and removed her glove before placing her hand into the relatively hot water. After 'confirming' something within her mind, she began to undress with explaining anything. Lefiya was the fastest to react as she covered her face with both hands, even though she was peeking through the cracks of her fingers, and said, "A-A-Ais, now isn't an appropriate time to take a b-b-bath!"Ais turned back and explained in a plain tone, "If that woman can take a bath here...it must be safe..." Turning to Vahn, Ais continued and asked, "Do you sense anything...nearby?" Vahn blinked at the unexpected question and passively scanned through his entire domain before shaking his head and saying, "There aren't any auras within 471 meters...but I'm not sure-" Before he could finish his words, Ais loosened the strap of her breastplate and let it drop to the ground with a loud thud before stripping off her white dress with blue accents. Her actions incited a response from Tiona, who finally stopped laughing, but was now also stripping out of her clothes as she said, "Ah, this water is really great, I think it would be a good time to take a bath. The basins that Vahn provides are also super helpful, but I've never gotten to take a bath in something like this before~."Tiona hardly wore any clothes to begin with, so she actually finished stripping in less than ten seconds before happily stepping into the surprisingly deep pool. It was only around 4m in diameter, but it immediately went straight down nearly 1.4m in a cylindrical shape. This made the water nearly reach Tiona's collarbone after she jumped in and it caused her to release a happy sigh before saying, "Vahn, you should join me~! It's embarrassing to be the only one naked, hahahaha~." Contrary to her words, Tiona began to relax in the small pool and even floated her body on the surface as if she wasn't afraid of being seen naked at all.Though he didn't agree that it was a great idea to take a bath now, Vahn was able to see there wasn't actually anything dangerous in the water. Ais and Tiona had already resolved themselves to take a bath in the moment, and didn't seem to be listening to reason, so Vahn eventually gave in and said, "Fine, but we can't stay too long...remember, we still have a mission and need to make our way down to the 30th fl-" As he was speaking, Tiona approached the edge of the pool before reaching out and pulling him toward the water with a mischevious smile on her face. Vahn's brain stalled for a moment but he was still able to unequip everything on his body before splashing heavily into the mana-infused water. Now that he was submerged, Vahn realized the water was actually ridiculously comfortable and his desire to leave suddenly faded entirely...Seeing Vahn suddenly naked, Tiona 'swam' over with a playful expression and stuck to his body before two more splashes sounded out in the dark Dungeon. Ais had finally completed undressing and, though she hadn't removed any of her clothing, Fenrir had also jumped in. The water came up to her chin, but she still 'waded' over toward Vahn faster than Ais could as she said, "Vahn, wash Fenrir~! Fenrir helped convince the Green Dragon so she deserves a reward~!" Hearing her words, Vahn was positive Fenrir was becoming much 'smarter' over the period he had been interacting with her in the Dungeon. She generally never said words like 'you', 'me', 'she', etc, but now she was speaking fuller sentences all of a sudden and was using 'reasoning' to explain things. Just like when she had been dealing with Lefiya, she was showing a very high perception...As Vahn was thinking, he suddenly realized that he was the first person to notice that Lefiya was still awake but he didn't mind it and kept carrying her. Just like she was able to intuit the locations of monsters through their bond, Vahn now began suspecting that she was able to understand some of his thoughts and had discerned that Lefiya was still awake through his, not her own, perception. Vahn thought this was something worth looking into in the future, but for now he just happily played with Fenrir, Tiona, and Ais. He was also somewhat distracted because, soon after Ais and Fenrir jumped in, the other girls began to undress as if they had given up on avoiding the situation. Nobody really wanted to be standing around for an hour while other people enjoyed a hot bath, so it didn't take much for them to justify joining in on the fun.Even Riveria, though she seemed to be the least open to the situation, removed her cloak and began unbuttoning her robe. Vahn remembered the fall that had taken place just a week ago and the somewhat tantalizing sight of a flustered Riveria desperately trying to fix her clothing. They had fallen for nearly an entire hour together while staying in close proximity and Vahn had previously engraved the image into his mind. Now that she was suddenly undressing within the darkness, with only the gentle light of the pool and the glowstones above, Vahn felt his heart flutter a bit. Unlike other girls, who wore tape to cover their breasts in the Dungeon, Riveria was wearing a proper green bra and neatly folded all of her clothes at the side. When she began wiggling out of her tight-fitting black pants, Vahn had briefly stopped scrubbing Fenrir's head to stare at her relatively small, but incredibly fit and pale, posterior...Tiona set her chin on his shoulder and looked in the same direction before saying in a voice much louder than Vahn would have liked, "I thought you just like big butts, but it seems like you like all butts?" Vahn's body turned into a statue because, without standing up properly, Riveria looked back at him with her butt poked out and there was a cold look in her jade green eyes. Curiously, she didn't say anything and just continued undressing before finally removing the dark green panties that had been affixed to her waist. Instead of dropping directly into the pool, she sat down on the edge and inserted her legs one at a time into the glowing blue water. After adapting to the heat, she lowered the rest of her body into the pool and released a contented sigh just like Tiona had done previously. Vahn, however, felt like the water had turned slightly colder because Riveria kept giving him chilly glances out of the corner of her eyes throughout the entire bath..(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir, Master Tamer','There is a time and a place for everything, including baths!','Tiona is going to get Vahn killed, kappa')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 successfully defeating the Monster Party, it wasn't long before the group found a set of stairs leading toward the 21st floor of the Dungeon. They had spent a significantly shorter period of time on the 20th floor compared to the 19th, so it was somewhat refreshing to know they were making good progress. Lefiya had been in high spirits after the battle, primarily due to the fact that everyone in the group, including the generally taciturn Riveria, all praised her for the magic she had used. Tiona, especially, seemed to be hyped up after witnessing the devastating sight and had spun the small Elf around several times in jubilation.Ais also seemed to be in a very good mood after the fight and Vahn could see that her aura had become very stable after the battle came to an end. When they had discovered the staircase and decided to take a short break, Ais had come over to his side and sat against his shoulder with a happy smile on her face without saying anything. Vahn was a little confused by her behavior, but just accepted her affections as he snuggled up with her, Fenrir, and the boisterous Tiona who didn't seem to be willing to be left out.Riveria watched their behavior for a while before shaking her head and commenting, "The Dungeon really isn't the place to be playing around and flirting..." Though Vahn agreed, he just continued to play with Fenrir's oversized ears with a casual smile on his face as he said, "You never know what the future might hold, Riveria, it's good to relax when you can. Don't worry, though it might not look like it, I'm using my domain to scan everything around us. Even if an enemy tries to attack us through the floor or ceiling, I will be able to know about their presence long before they ever arrive..."Hearing Vahn's words, Riveria didn't really have a way to argue so she just released a small sigh and looked for a spot to sit down on her own and rest. She found a nice flat area that didn't have a lot of dust, but before she actually sat down a cushion appeared with a small circular table with fragrant tea present. Riveria could feel her brows twitch slightly as she looked over to see Vahn's complacent smile before sitting down on the cushion he had left for her. After taking a sip of the warm tea, she released another sigh and sat peacefully without 'complaining' about Vahn's behavior.Tione, Ryuu, and Lefiya also had seats of their own and were playing some kind of gambling game using dice and cards that Ryuu had prepared. Vahn had been surprised when she first brought them out and, after asking about it, Ryuu explained with a somewhat melancholic look that she had learned about gambling from one of her former comrades. According to Ryuu, the Pallum girl named Lyra had claimed that, in order to properly deal with criminals and cheats, you had to understand how they thought and scammed people. The Astrea Familia had been a righteous familia that made many enemies by breaking up criminal syndicates in the past and there were several unique individuals within the group that had a variety of skills suited for capturing criminals.Ryuu was currently teaching Tione how to gamble and read people's expressions while all three girls periodically sent glances toward Vahn, Ais, Tiona, and Fenrir. Vahn felt a little guilty every time they looked over but there wasn't too much he could do about the situation, as he wasn't the one to initiate it in the first place. Ryuu didn't really like public displays of affection from the start, while Tione was something of a unique case amongst the rest of the girls. As for Lefiya, Fenrir was 'on guard' against the little elf and probably wouldn't 'let' her sit with Vahn, even if she mustered up enough courage to act.After resting for a half hour, Vahn figured it was time to continue forward since he wanted to try and get through another 2-3 floors before they called it a day. Ideally, they would be able to get to the stairs leading to the 25th floor, but that didn't seem likely with how long it took to clear each floor. The spawn rate of monsters was much higher and, unless they started bolting through the floors at the expense of their stamina, their progress wasn't that fast. On average, it took around 3 hours and, since it was already slightly after 3 PM, that would require around twelve hours if they set the 24th-floor stairwell as their goal.The 21st floor was much like the 20th, being that they were both completely made of wood with only a few areas where grass and herbs grew. Vahn had been collecting everything along the way and organizing it within his inventory because some of the herbs could be exchanged for several thousand Valis each. Of course, he wasn't planning to sell them and had intended to gift them to Naaza when they returned to the surface. She would be able to use them in her mixing practice, even though she didn't necessarily need them. Vahn's wealth, even though he wasn't doing much, had been increasing rapidly and he wasn't even sure how to spend it all. He had been purchasing a lot of materials, clothing, supplies, and other miscellaneous items to help out around the Manor since he didn't have a better use for the funds.Because of the somewhat monotonous fighting that had been going on, Vahn had started to grow somewhat 'bored' as they continued deeper into the floor. The strength of the monsters hadn't increased much and, other than marginally higher numbers, they were falling likes flies under the combined assault of Ais, Tiona, and Tione. Even Fenrir was able to kill many of the monsters with ease after becoming accustomed to their fighting style. Her battle instincts were actually very high, after she had been trained a bit, and she systematically took out the monsters after identifying their weaknesses. Even though she didn't use any real weapons or equipment, as she didn't like being constrained at all during combat, her claws were arguably sharper than Ais's [Gram] and she cut through the Lizardmen she was fighting as if their scales were an illusion.The only time things got interesting were when an 'irregular' or a 'variant' monster would show up. However, though it was cool to see their unique capabilities on display, Vahn had yet to see a single monster that could withstand more than one blow from Ais when she got serious. Though Vahn could use his Shundo to move almost anywhere within his Domain, Ais was actually fast enough to close a 200m distance in less time than it took to blink. Vahn had experienced this when, after they encountered a giant purple Swordstag, Vahn blinked and noticed that Ais had completely vanished from his line of sight as the monster's head spun through the air.From this short expedition, Vahn was beginning to understand that he wouldn't be able to experience any real challenges in the Dungeon unless he was in a smaller group, or if they had ventured even deeper into the Dungeon. Generally speaking, it was very dangerous for a normal sized party to venture beyond the 25th floor, but that was generally for groups comprised of Level 2's and 3's. Their current party consisted of a Level 6, three Level 5's, a Level 4, Vahn and Lefiya at Level 3, and Fenrir and Haruhime at Level 2. The traditional party only had 5 members, so their group of eight was easily progressing, even though the Dungeon increased the spawn rate due to their presence.The thing that made it 'boring' for Vahn was, now that he knew what to look for, he could easily predict the location of random monster spawns and had been using his bow to dispatch them before they could even break free from the walls completely. Fenrir also seemed to have picked up on something, that Vahn wasn't quite sure how and, when a Troll tried to break free of a wall, Fenrir jumped forward and buried her claws into its face before ripping off the front part of its skull. When he asked how she had detected its presence, Fenrir just cocked her head to the side and said, "Fenrir just felt it~? It was like a tiny voice in Fenrir's head saying 'a monster is going to come out'."Vahn suspected that, due to the amount of Loyalty she had toward him, his subconscious thoughts might be transmitting to Fenrir and being treated as 'orders' in her own mind. This was a bit of a concerning matter because, if such a thing were the case, Vahn didn't know how he might have been influencing Fafnir and, perhaps most importantly, Anubis. If they were only acting as they were because of the influence of his subconscious mind, Vahn felt like he was slowly brainwashing them to do whatever he thought. Fortunately, when he had this somewhat dark thought, Fenrir reached up and pat him on the head as she said, "There, there, Vahn is a good boy~."Either Fenrir was incredibly perceptive or his inference that she was somehow able to understand his thoughts was correct. Vahn would have to test his theory when he returned to the surface as there was also a very real possibility it was just due to the bond they shared. Just like he could sense Hephaestus's thoughts and emotions when they were nearby, it was also possible Fenrir could do the same. Vahn actually knew next to nothing about her species, Vanargandr, so it wasn't a good idea to make assumptions and automatically assume he had done some terrible wrong. With a grateful smile on his face, Vahn ruffled the 'smiling' Fenrir's head and they continued further into the Dungeon.---After nearly eight hours, the group arrived at the staircase leading down to the 24th floor, about where Vahn had expected them to reach considering their pace. Other than Lefiya, nobody was really that tired but Vahn still gave the order to make camp since it was better to rest when they had the opportunity. Tomorrow, after they cleared the 24th floor, they would officially be entering the 25th floor to finally begin their descent into the 'Lower Floors' of the Dungeon. This was the bottleneck most Adventurers would stop at in their careers since it was very dangerous to proceed any further without large parties or incredible personal strength and equipment.Vahn gave all the girls the luggage they had prepared and everyone started setting up their tents as Vahn started cooking food. Though he had various dishes within his inventory, it was better to cook some of the rations they had prepared since there was adequate time to do so. Using premade dishes was very 'convenient', but that didn't mean it was necessary, or even advisable since they would be more useful in emergency situations when there wasn't enough time to prepare other meals. Besides, Vahn actually liked to cook quite a bit and had been getting progressively better at it since his time in the forest.Other than Lefiya, who was 'talented' at making salads, it turned out that none of the girls in the party knew how to prepare meals. Even Riveria, though she was 97 years old, typically left the cooking to the Supporters in the Loki Familia or just ate normal rations. Ryuu wasn't an exception either, even though she worked at a pub, and this left Vahn as the only practical choice if he wanted the food to taste good. For their meal tonight, Vahn was actually using a piece of meat that had been harvested from a Mammoth Fool that weighed nearly 20kg. He had learned from Aki how to make stew and also had several references available within his mind to help out with the process. Though it was somewhat 'shameless', Vahn was even using his 'eternal flame' to control the heat within the giant pot and the flame danced about happily at the opportunity to do something new.Tiona had finished setting up her tent faster than everyone else and leaned over the pot as Vahn was stirring it before taking a deep breath. She released a satisfied sigh and said, "It smells super delicious Vahn. Not only are you a hero, but you're even a chef? I starting to wonder if there is anything you can't do, hahahahaha~!" Vahn smiled before lifting up the ladle and smelling the stew himself before offering it to Tiona. She happily took a sip of the rich and fragrant Mammoth stew before placing her hand against her cheek as she made a happy sound of savoring the flavor.As if continuing Tiona's words, Riveria had also walked over and said in a plain tone, "I'm also beginning to wonder where your limits lay. Given how things are progressing, I'm starting to believe you never had any to begin with..." Vahn chuckled at Riveria's words before filling up a wooden bowl and handing it to Tiona. The lively Amazon girl happily accepted the bowl before sitting next to the patiently waiting Fenrir. Though he had intended the meal for Tiona, she used her spoon and said, "Fenrir, aaaaaaaaaaahn~" Fenrir frowned at first but, after seeing Vahn's expression, decided to accept Tiona's assistance as Vahn continued to prepare the meal for everyone else.Considering Riveria's earlier words, Vahn ruminated for a moment before saying, "I think that, given the nature of the world, the only limit lays in our understanding of how the world works. As long as you have the resolve to challenge existing conventions, I don't think it's that difficult to overcome what most people would have considered the 'limit'. Even common sense is something that is derived from the compromise made between groups of people in order to make sense of the world around them. It's not that I try to live my life without 'limits', but I don't believe in constraining myself without having made an effort to understand the reasons for why I'm not able to do something...so, as long as I don't give up trying to understand why something works the way it does, I don't believe something like limits exist at all..."Riveria had a thoughtful expression on her face as she accepted the bowl of salad that Vahn had given her. She simply couldn't wrap her head around Vahn's thought process, even though what he said seemed to make sense. There were several parts of his statement that she didn't agree with, but when she thought about it using the context of his words, they were all things that she considered to be 'common sense'. In her homeland, it was 'common sense' that High Elves were the most superior species, second only to the spirits and the gods themselves.After leaving her homeland, Riveria quickly realized the error of her people's ways and now, after having spent nearly seventy years in the outside world and having her perspective shaped by her association with other people, she meets an anomaly like Vahn that causes her to question everything she thought she knew. Even the matter of races having unique traits, skills, and magic associated with them seemed to be fundamentally flawed. Vahn, simply by reshaping the flow of energy in his body, which was something she couldn't even comprehend truthfully, was able to emulate and become any race as long as he had a strong enough 'image' of it. Because of this, Riveria was beginning to feel like the only thing that made anyone special was the achievements they built for themselves after putting in an adequate amount of effort.Vahn looked over and saw Riveria lost in thought and could see her aura wavering about slightly in a chaotic manner. He wasn't sure what she was struggling with but, seeing as how she hadn't gone out of her way to avoid the conversation they were having, he decided to say, "One of the most important things I've learned in the short time I've experienced living with other people is that it isn't worth overthinking things at all. The most important thing you can ever do is continue forward along the path you've decided for yourself. Don't be bound by the past, do your best in the present, and continue forward toward a better future. These three things are the only thing I've needed to get to where I am today...surrounded by people I care about, trust, and even love..." As Vahn was speaking, he had turned to overlook the other girls that were already enjoying the food he had prepared for them. They each had happy and pleased expressions on their faces and were enjoying the meal together without worrying about unnecessary things at all.Riveria also looked toward the other girls and saw their apparent happiness...even other Elves like Ryuu and Lefiya were getting along well with everyone and didn't seem to care that they were all currently in the Dungeon where their lives could be endangered at any moment. Though she had a thought to lecture them for their complacency, she knew that being tense wasn't any real solution and that Vahn's detection ability even invalidated the need to keep watch while everyone ate. This situations itself was so far removed from her general understanding of things that it was hard to believe everything happening right now was even real.Vahn just smiled at Riveria's complex expression before taking a bowl of his own and joining the somewhat lively atmosphere of the rest of the group. Since Tiona had taken the initiative to spend time with Fenrir, Vahn was freed up, perhaps by design, to sit with Ryuu and Tione now. They all had fun conversations with each other and Vahn even took the opportunity to tease Ryuu a bit by offering her a bit of the desert he had brought out for everyone. When he held the fork holding a strawberry cake toward her mouth, the cool beauty showed a light blush on her face before eventually giving in when Tione offered to eat it in her stead. All the while this was happening, Riveria sat at the periphery of the group on the cushion Vahn had given her as she slowly picked away at her salad...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn's boredom','Fenrir's Perception','Riveria's Conflict')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 404: Good Fortune