Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After returning to the encampment, Vahn dropped off the girls before making his way and reporting to Finn. Even if he wasn't fond of the Pallum these days, Vahn wasn't going to neglect his duties since he was an entrusted decision maker within the expedition itself. He had made a good impression on most of the Adventurers thus far, but that could change simply based on rumors that could circulate around the canteen during meals. There was already a bit of tension that had been created as a result of Lili's 'outburst', but it hadn't gotten out of control as Finn himself explained to several people that he was at fault and had upset her. As Lili was almost like the mascot of the expedition presently, since people knew she was still young yet fought so ferociously, they still had an appreciation for her presence.Other than some missions having been completed, there was nothing new from Finn's side either so Vahn returned to his tent and spent the rest of the evening playing around, this time pampering and being pampered himself. Because he was still a Vanargandr, though decidedly less dangerous than Fenrir, Tiona and Ais had been 'triggered' by his appearance and Vahn found himself on the receiving end of a brush as he also combed through Fenrir's and Lili's hair. Fenrir didn't seem too fond of Lili 'copying' her still, but she let it slide since she likened the fact that Vahn was still transformed to her presence as well. If Fenrir could keep Vahn like he currently was, she felt like she would be able to tolerate 'almost' anything.During bedtime, Vahn found himself being practically smothered by Tiona, Ais, Fenrir, and Lili. Since they had their own tasks to take care of, the majority of the girls in the Loki Familia weren't easily able to venture into the Dungeon with him presently so they wanted to 'recharge' while they had the opportunity. Even Tione had gotten a few advantages from him during the bath because Vahn hadn't really made any efforts to stop her. The only 'exceptions' within the group were Lefiya, who was behaving as her usual bashful self, and Mikoto, who had spent several hours before going to bed training with her new katana before taking a bath alone...Early morning of the next day, Vahn spent a bit of effort extricating himself from Tiona and Ais before peeling Lili's body away from him and preparing to escape the sleeping area. Along the way, however, Vahn stopped near the dozing Lefiya and placed his palm against her forehead to awaken her. The previous night, they had been discussing the progress of the other girls and Lefiya's own had been brought up. As she had a flame seed in her chest, Lefiya's potential had increased a fair amount and she stood to benefit greatly from Vahn's [Mentor] Development Ability.Lefiya had a loose expression on her face as if she were thinking about a 'happy' dream so Vahn felt a little guilty about breaking her out of it. As for Lefiya, she had been enjoying some quality time with Ais in her personal world before she felt a very comfortable yet invigorating warmth spread through her head. The rosy atmosphere vanished in an instant only to be replaced by a giddiness when she opened her eyes and saw Vahn's apologetic smile as he looked down into her face. She felt a tremble run through her body as a hot sensation emerged from her cheeks and started to spread down her neck. It felt like her ears were on fire as she instinctually hid her face with her hands in an attempt to hide from Vahn's 'stupidly handsome' face.After Lefiya came to her senses, she began preparing for the day, which included the simple task of wearing her somewhat cute pink magic outfit. Lefiya's combat ensemble consisted of a white blouse, pink skirt, white stockings with accompanying garter belt, and pale-pink corset that made her already thin figure look even slimmer. The corset extended all the way past her hips in a somewhat loose manner and there was an even lighter-pink three-piece coattail-like attachment that hung down to Lefiya's calves but was entirely open in the front. To accent the outfit, she wore a purple bow around her neck with a pink shoulder mantle that matched the color of her skirt.Though she used to wield beautiful staff known as [Forest's Teardrop], Lefiya had taken to using the [Heal] staff that Vahn had given her in the past. It also had the ability to efficiently amplify her magic, just like her old staff, but also had the inherent ability to heal the wounds of others without requiring a chant. As for the other changes in her appearance, at least since associating with Vahn, Lefiya had two small orichalcum rings on her middle-fingers as well as a pair of earrings that Vahn had forged for her in an attempt to create more accessories that could serve as mana batteries. This was actually the first time Vahn saw her wearing them because she had commented about how strange it felt to feel mana flowing through her ears in the past. It was also very uncommon for Elves to wear earrings, as their ears were sensitive and it irritated them greatly, but Vahn's were the type that clung to the ears instead of piercing it.While Lefiya had been preparing herself, Vahn was doing the same thing as his previous stints with the other girls the previous days. Though she was fond of it, Vahn knew that [Heal] wasn't actually that powerful a weapon and he was considering getting her something more practical. However, he was a bit conflicted because Lefiya's actual power output made her capable of instantly killing the majority of monsters. Her only major weakness was her ridiculously low physical parameters and the fact that her chants could be disrupted since her proficiency with [Concurrent Chanting] was lacking. Even though she had been learning from Riveria and the highly-proficient Ryuu, she wasn't quite at the level for actual combat yet. This meant that Lefiya required the protection of others or she could easily be killed by almost any stray monster...As he had seen several examples of 'Magic' items that had powerful effects without requiring any chants, Vahn knew it should be easy to find her something that could increase her offensive capabilities without the restrictions of her magic system. Using his 'trusted' gacha function, Vahn designated the search terms as 'Magical-Staff', 'Cute', and 'Efficient' since he wanted something that accented Lefiya's 'adorable' factor that would also serve her well in actual combat. Thus, after feeding another 100,000OP into the system, Vahn got several misses with the best among them being a pale red...Vahn experienced an eerie feeling of loss after looking at the seven grey orbs, three white, and a single pale red. This was the first time he had 'failed' to use the gacha system and it made him feel like he had made a mistake in the search parameters. However, as there was a functionally infinite number of items that should match the search conditions, Vahn believed in himself and fed an additional 100,000OP into the gacha. He had experienced a huge windfall with Mikoto's sword technique so he didn't mind failing a few times if necessary. Fortunately, The Path seemed to be paying attention now and Vahn received a leafy green orb and a pale blue one this time around.After cracking them open, Vahn saw the two staves and his eyes opened slightly wider in the real world when he saw the appearance of the one that emerged from the pale blue orb. It looked like a small wand adorned with a large star on the end and tiny angel wings poking out of the side. It certainly matched the theme 'cute', and Vahn thought it was actually suitable to the somewhat petite and adorable Lefiya. However, as it was the lower rarity of the two items, Vahn set it aside for the time being and turned his attention to the inarguably more powerful staff. What appeared was a beautiful wooden staff that twisted around at the end before blooming into what looked like a giant white tulip with a pink center and golden tips. Respectively, the staves were named [Mirakurun Magic Wand] and [Miki's Tulip] with equal A-Ranks, but decidedly different stats...----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Mirakurun Magic Wand]Rank: A (Magic)Slots: 0P.Atk: 0M.Atk: 0Abilities: Magical Transformation(A), Indestructible(A)A wand that can even turn a normal girl into a magical girl. Greatly amplifies the magical capabilities of the user and allows them to freely manipulate the wand into a variety of shapes. Rumored to be powered by emotions, but it was never specified whether they had to be positive or negative~!Restrictions: Contract(unbound)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Miki's Tulip]Rank: A (Magic)Slots: 0P.Atk: 80+8M.Atk: 1400Abilities: Radiant Lancer(C), Ex Healing(A), Magical Amplification(A)A staff once wielded by a petite, adorable, incredibly kind, and voracious gourmand rumored to have a stomach that rivaled a black hole. Legends state that she was even capable of devouring everything listed on a restaurant's menu in a single sitting. Rumored to have been banned from more than 9,000 buffets over the course of her lifetime. This staff allows the user to wield powerful magic to aid their allies, but be warned as the spirit of the young woman is retained in the staff...Restrictions: Gourmand(S)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Seeing the descriptions of the two items, Vahn was very impressed by the [Miki's Tulip] while he was intrigued by the [Mirakurun Magic Wand]. He was curious what a 'Magical Transformation' entailed and the influence it would have on the weilder. Since the wand had 0 Magic Attack, Vahn couldn't help but assume that the ability was a very powerful one, especially if the description was accurate. The only thing he was worried about was the 'contract' listed in the restrictions and the small warning contained in the last sentence...However, even the beautiful flowery staff had a pretty big restriction since the weilder would likely experience something similar to Fenrir's 'hunger'. Just imagining the petite Lefiya munching away at food...actually brought a smile to Vahn's face. She wasn't a big eater at all and he thought it would be somewhat funny to see her clearing away an entire table on her own without gaining any weight. It also had two active abilities, 'Radiant Lancer' and 'Ex Healing' that seemed very suitable for Lefiya. Active effects on items typically only required the intent to use them and there wasn't anything like a chant attached to the item. It would likely greatly increase Lefiya's potential in combat while also serving to enhance her other magics as it also had the Magical Amplification ability.Vahn decided to give Lefiya the [Miki's Tulip] instead of the [Mirakurun Magic Wand] because it seemed like the more useful of the two. As for the wand itself, Vahn decided he would let Tiona give it a try in the future since it said it could even make a 'normal' girl into a 'magical' girl. Vahn had actually wanted to study Tiona's unique constitution in the past since he was very curious about the [Magic Devouring King] sealed Innate. If it was even capable of consuming the magical power of the wand, Vahn would at least have a better idea of how to help her awaken it in the future. He imagined that Tiona might one day be the bane of all mages since it seemed like her body was capable of absorbing massive quantities of mana, even though he couldn't see where it disappeared to.When Lefiya had finished readying herself, she turned to Vahn was a light blush on her face and said, "T-Thank you for waiting, V-Vahn..." This would be the first time she accompanied Vahn into the Dungeon and, even though it was to hunt monsters, Lefiya couldn't help but shake the feeling they would be going on a date together. She also knew he would likely be closely guarding her for the entire duration and it felt like her heart was going to explode in her chest just thinking about spending the next few hours at his side, especially knowing that he would be helping 'replenish' her mana when she was tired. Though he usually placed his palm on her back, Lefiya knew the most 'efficient' method was through the navel and it made her stomach giddy imagining his wide palm against her bare stomach as he...Lefiya had been getting lost in her own little world while ignoring his calls so Vahn pulled out the [Miki's Tulip] and presented it to her while saying, "Here, Lefiya, this is a powerful magic staff that will greatly enhance your current capabilities. It is almost of the same quality as Riveria's [Magna Alfs], but has a few unique abilities associated with it that make it better in some aspects..." Lefiya startled when Vahn pulled the staff out of thin air before hanging her head with a fierce blush on her face as she reached out and accepted the staff while saying, "I-I'm so sorry, Vahn! Thank you for the new staff, it is very beautiful!" At this point, Lefiya's face was red enough to rival Fenrir's scarlet eyes and Vahn was beginning to worry if things were going to be a bit problematic when they were in the Dungeon.Vahn spent a few minutes explaining the functions of the [Miki's Staff] to Lefiya and she finally returned to normal when he mentioned the abilities 'Radiant Lancer' and 'Ex Healing'. Lefiya was a magic prodigy who often got carried away in her studies and research so she was especially interested in new magical abilities, even more so when they didn't require a chant. However, not long after Vahn had started his explanation, Lefiya's stomach released a loud protest that made the bashful Elf's eyes widen into saucers before her face turned beet red. They had yet to eat breakfast and Lefiya had been a little hungry, though she hadn't expected to be so hungry her stomach rumbled right in front of Vahn. She felt so embarrassed that she didn't even know how to make an excuse and just hid her face with her hands to an effort to calm her heart.When he heard the loud protest from Lefiya's stomach, Vahn had to desperately resist the impulse to laugh but he couldn't stop a smile from appearing on his face as his cheeks were touched with a little heat. Seeing her reaction made him feel a little guilty at the same time, however, so Vahn explained, "Because the staff is so powerful, there is a bit of a detriment to it as well. I'm not sure if it makes the user hungry, but it should increase your appetite and food consumption by a great deal. Please let me know if there is any discomfort in the future, Lefiya..." Hearing Vahn's explanation, Lefiya felt a bit of relief while several questions appeared in her mind. She was curious about how a magic staff could make someone hungry since she didn't feel any different and there wasn't any energy flowing from the staff into her body...Vahn was about to mention eating on the way to the entrance into the 51st floor, but Sis's voice sounded out in his mind as she reminded, (*Vahn, don't forget that you need to update Lefiya's Status Board before you leave. I don't think she would be too fond of having to undress in the middle of a forest with just you and Fenrir present.*) Hearing Sis's voice, Vahn was momentarily stunned before he thanked her for her reminder. Ever since he had asked her to keep track of 'important' things for him, Sis had often reminded him of things he overlooked. He had a propensity of getting caught up in the things he was focused on so it was very helpful to have someone watching over him all the time.Though he knew it would probably cause the small Elf to fluster, Vahn said in a calm and casual manner, "We'll eat breakfast before we leave...ah, I almost forgot about this, but I'll need to update your Status Board before and after the excursion. I'm very concerned with your growth, so I'd like to document it properly to ensure you're..." Vahn realized his faux pas almost immediately after it left his mouth as it caused Lefiya to turn into a beet-red statue before she drooped down to the ground as if her soul had left her body. Though he was worried about her 'growth', it was the development of her parameters and not her body that he was concerned about. However, he hadn't properly considered his words before speaking so he once again triggered the bashful Elf, this time to the point where she was moderately overwhelmed.From his side, Fenrir looked at the fallen Lefiya and remarked, "Lefiya is a strange creature..." as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. She could see that her Master enjoyed Lefiya's reactions, but was also troubled by them at the same time. Fenrir didn't know if she should try to act like Lefiya in the future, or if she should avoid behaving in a similar manner so as not to trouble her Master. She began to consider if there was a 'healthy' balance between the two that would allow her to get an edge, but it was so difficult to tell since all of Lefiya's behaviors were a little extreme. Fenrir knew she liked her Master, or else she wouldn't have made space for her in the bed previously, so she couldn't understand why Lefiya always turned into a tomato whenever she interacted with Vahn. The only thing she was certain of was that Lefiya was a 'strange' girl that she would probably have to protect in the future...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fifty Shades of Lefiya, all Red','Tiona, Magical Girl~!?','Strange creature...')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

Once Lefiya had recovered her 'soul' back into her body, she spent a few awkward moments undressing as Vahn turned his back. He had seen her naked body several dozen times, but things were a little different when it was just the three of them. She normally gravitated around Ais in the bath anyway so it wasn't as though she had ever shown signs of being 'comfortable' around Vahn, other than the time when she had cared for his 'static' body after his battle with Tione. Vahn still remembered Lefiya's behavior at the time and knew she was similar to Eina in that she had a disposition that made her look after others. That was also the moment when Lefiya started letting her guard down around him, but that didn't mean she had dropped it entirely.Though he knew she had already removed her blouse, Lefiya remained silent for a short while before eventually mustering up the courage to say, "Sorry for the wait...you can turn around now, Vahn." When he turned back to look at her, Lefiya was plopped down on the ground as she hugged her clothes to her chest and kept her head low. She was a very fair-skinned girl so it was even more obvious how embarrassed she was since even her shoulders had turned a rosy color. Vahn saved her some unease by treating the matter as casually as possible as he traced his finger down her back as she tightly held her clothing.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Lefiya ViridisLV. 3POW: 421+(I59)-&gt;(H119)END: 692+(I74)-&gt;(H150)DEX: 1281+(H125)-&gt;(G202)AGI: 1459+(H154)-&gt;(G243)MAG: 1998+(G215)-&gt;(D577)Skills: [Fairy Cannon:D-&gt;C], [Concurrent Chanting:E], [Prometheus:A]Magic: [Rattatoskr:Innate:(sealed)], [Arcs Ray:C], [Fusillade Fallarica:D-&gt;C], [Elf Ring:C]Development Abilities: [Daughter of Wishe:Innate(sealed)], [Mage:C], [Abnormal resistance:G-&gt;F], [Spirit Healing:(sealed)]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------The moment Vahn recorded Lefiya's status, he turned around and said, "I've turned my back, Lefiya..." so that she could relax a bit. She turned her beet-red face to the side to confirm he was indeed looking away and began to get dressed as quickly as she could manage. To make things easier for her, since she was still very flustered, Vahn eased the mood by saying, "Your parameters are increasing at a normal pace, but I'm very concerned about your lack of physical-based parameters. Other than your Agility and Dexterity, everything else is much lower than they should be. Your combined parameters for Levels 1 and 2 are less than the individual parameter development of some others per level..."Lefiya listened to Vahn's words closely and knew he was correct since she had never placed any focus on them whatsoever. She had always been focused on her 'duty' as a Mage and had never valued them that much but, after learning that their magic system was flawed, she had been worrying about it lately. Though she hadn't been able to truly experience what it meant to break through the 'limits' yet, Lefiya had Vahn's flame seed inside her chest, something that she often stressed about, and knew her growth was only restricted by her efforts.She had been talking to Riveria a lot in private, as Riveria was her mentor and she had accepted the role as the prolific mages protege. During their conversations, Riveria had stressed the importance of following Vahn's doctrines since it would allow her to become much stronger in the future. She had even disclosed the fact that she was going to accept Vahn as her 'Master' in the future in order to study magic from him. Thus, Vahn's words fell heavy on her heart and she wondered how she would be able to satisfy both him and Riveria...Contrary to her expectations, however, Vahn continued his words, "Well, it isn't really that much of a problem if you just want to focus on mastering magic. As long as she isn't against it, I plan to teach you how to use Eva's magic in the future and it should allow you to enhance your body using your mana. Even I've been focusing almost exclusively on my Magic parameter these days, so I can't really say much to others..." Vahn began laughing at himself as he saw his own magic had reached 2,431 just for his current level. If he tried to lecture other people about having a skewed stat line, he would probably have to reflect on his life choices.Lefiya had heard Eva's name several times from Vahn and she often talked about the 'godlike' mage with Riveria when they were in private. She really wanted to meet the powerful magician who could purportedly freeze several hundred meters of space in ice with the wave of her hand. Vahn had even described her as having the capability of walking on the air, teleporting through the void, and even creating things like clothing out of thin air. Lefiya was very interested to learn how she was capable of doing all of these things and, if Vahn was willing to teach them to her, she wouldn't mind becoming his official apprentice alongside Lili, Haruhime, and her own mentor, Riveria...After fixing her clothing, Lefiya turned around and pat her chest to calm her heart before saying, "Okay, I've finished getting dressed..." Vahn turned around and smiled at her, something that always made her heart palpitate powerfully before it began beating rapidly. She almost resented how handsome he was at times because it was almost 'unfair' when he gave her kind and gentle looks. However, just as she was thinking this, Lefiya's stomach released another loud protest and she couldn't stop herself from releasing an embarrassed squeal as she crouched down and hid her face once again. She wasn't even holding the staff right now, so Lefiya felt like she had produced the sound on her own...---Vahn set out some calming tea for Lefiya as well as several dishes of delicious breakfast foods and pastries that he knew she was fond of. To make things easier for her, he was even using [Hands of Nirvana] through his domain to make a calming atmosphere spread through the tent. Because they had already been up for a while, and Lefiya couldn't constrain her voice earlier, the majority of the other girls had woken up by now and had joined them for breakfast. With the inclusion of more people, Lefiya was finally able to return to normal except for the fact that she had been continually nibbling away at food without ceasing for nearly twenty minutes.Even without holding the staff, it was something that was 'gifted' to her and was inextricably linked to her for the time being. As a result, unless she relinquished ownership of the staff, Lefiya had become a 'Glutton(A)'. She was a little embarrassed by this fact, as Tiona found it very interesting and continually offered her food. Though she resisted at first, Lefiya eventually gave in because Ais also offered her a fish-shaped fried pastry that was filled with a sweet bean paste that Vahn called 'Taiyaki'. Tiona had been 'offended' by the fact that Lefiya accepted food from other people and clung to her until she eventually relented and allowed Tiona to feed her as well...---As they had lost a bit of time, Vahn ended up convincing Lefiya to allow him to carry her so they would be able to reach the further entrances of the 51st floor quickly. During the short seven minute trip, Lefiya tucked her face towards Vahn's body in an attempt to hide her expression as she loosely clung to his tunic. He was giving her the 'notorious' princess carry and it took every fiber of her being to resist passing out from the pressure building up in her head. To make matters 'worse', Vahn had even given her another Taiyaki to munch on to 'distract' her from the trip out of concern for her well-being. Lefiya wanted to comment that it would be 'easier' for her if he didn't show so much concern but just accepted the snack and nibbled on it without commenting.Once they reached the entrance, Vahn set Lefiya down and began explaining things a bit, even though he knew she was actually well aware of what to expect. She had been accompanying Tiona, Ais, and Tione into the 51st floor all week so there wasn't much for her to know other than the subtle differences in how they were going to do things. Towards the end, however, Lefiya was stunned when Vahn said, "Since I want you to be able to develop your parameters even faster, I want you to consider the idea of having me act as a mana battery for you. Instead of replenishing your stores after the fact, I think it will be more efficient to recover your mana as you use it..." Vahn was really just practicing his own control over energy today, so he wouldn't be fighting up close unless it became necessary. He wanted to see if he could help promote Lefiya's magical growth by essentially baptizing her body with his source energy as she channeled her magic.Though she was flustered by the proposition, Lefiya considered the matter properly and understood Vahn's reasoning and the intentions behind his words. She had already tested the 'Radiant Lancer' earlier and it was an instant-cast magic spell that was similar to her own [Arcs Ray] except that it was much stronger, in exchange for having less of a homing capability. With Vahn supplementing her mana with his own ridiculous amount, Lefiya knew it would be possible to cast the spell over and over without experiencing the mental exhaustion that would typically be associated with the consecutive use of magic spells. This meant she would be able to develop her own Magic parameter much faster than normal, something that should be celebrated if not for the fact that it would require her to be in almost constant contact with Vahn...After thinking it over for a few minutes, Lefiya hardened her resolve as she gripped the [Miki's Tulip] in her hands and said, "Yes, I'll do it! P-Please look after me, V-V-Vahn~!" Thus, though it was a little bit of a strange sight to behold, Vahn 'escorted' Lefiya through the Dungeon with his hand on her shoulder. Fenrir continued to fight in the vanguard with ever-increasing efficiency and was like a veritable whirlwind with her [Severing Claws]. As for Lefiya, she gripped her staff so tightly that her fingers had turned white as she pointed the staff toward enemies and continually shouted, "Radiant Lancer~!" She did her best to ignore the hot surge of mana that would instantly enter her body every time she cast a spell and tried to vent her frustrations by spamming the spell at the enemies.Vahn was watching over Lefiya like a protective hen while he also observed the flow of mana in her own body and the effects of her spells. Each time one of the bright beams of light shot out of the tip of the flower at the end of Lefiya's staff, another monster would disappear from the world. Though Lefiya compared it to her [Arcs Ray], Vahn could see that the 'Radiant Lancer' was several times stronger even though its actual consumption of mana was lower. The projectile itself was only around 30cm wide, but when it hit the Black Rhinos would create a small explosion of light that had even caused some of the monsters to disappear above the waist.The most important thing that Vahn noticed, however, was the fact that Lefiya had actually been siphoning off a bit of his own source energy to cast the spell. When he normally helped replenish their mana, there was a rapid conversion process that took place in the girls' bodies before the energy was adapted for their own use. This conversion ratio was incredibly efficient because the pure source energy was much stronger than mana which meant Vahn could top them off without using much of his own energy. His current pool was at 5,903 source energy and Vahn could convert that into about 68,000 mana by channeling it into Riveria and Lefiya. With his own regeneration, which was about 50 per minute, this effectively gave Lefiya a mana regeneration of 565 per minute even though her total pool was only 2,575.As for why it was 'important' that her body was siphoning parts of his source energy, it was because the flow of energy within Lefiya was undergoing a subtle change as her body itself adapted to the higher tier energy system. Vahn was able to see the composite mana that made up the structure of objects, so seeing the flow within a person's body was very easy. He had long learned that everyone had a 'color' to their mana that showed their affinities somewhat. It was also the same color that appeared when a person's magic circles appeared. Riveria's was an emerald green color while Lefiya's was typically a light pink that matched the color template of the outfits she commonly wore. Now, however, the flow within her body was beginning to turn even lighter and there were strands of pure white mana that had started to appear in her mana pathways...Unaware of the changes occurring in her body, Lefiya pointed the [Miki's Tulip] toward the last Black Rhinos and shouted, "Radiant Lancer~!" once again. The projectile streamed forward with an unstoppable momentum that caused empty space to appear in the area where the monster's left shoulder and head used to exist. There wasn't any blood or gore, only a blackened wound that was momentarily visible before the monster dispersed into purple dust. Lefiya released a sigh before noticing her own lower jaw was quivering slightly as a result of her anxiety. The moment she paid attention to it, however, a warm energy entered through her shoulder and helped calm her down. Lefiya gave Vahn a sideward glance without saying anything before she started walking forward once again...Fenrir had been paying close attention to Lefiya for a while and was beginning to believe that it may be better to act like the 'strange' girl on occasion. She wanted to be able to walk through the Dungeon with her Master and began considering if she should learn magic in the future. Though she wasn't sure how to do magic, Fenrir believed that her Master would teach her if she asked him. However, when this thought crossed her mind, Fenrir was reminded of the 'scary' Eva and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face...though she didn't like the 'evil' woman at all, Fenrir knew she was a powerful Mage that was even the 'Master' of her Master. With this realization, Fenrir began flexing her paws in frustration as an icy flame appeared within her glittering scarlet eyes...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bashful Elf','Feed the tiny creature~!','Magical Girl Fenrir-Chan!?')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

Vahn watched over Fenrir and Mikoto as the two girls fought against the Black Rhinos in very different manners. Fenrir's attacks were filled with ferocity and the way she moved around the Dungeon was somewhat abnormal as she made use of all four paws to reposition herself. She was very similar to Lili in that she used her entire body to fight, but Fenrir's attacks were far more animalistic than the small Pallums. As for Mikoto, most of her movements were practiced and highly efficient as the dodged around the enemies with polished footwork. Though she bent about in smooth curves like a dancing willow, Mikoto was like a tree with deep roots and always maintained balance and control over her movements. Her combat style was very reliant on evading attacks and counter-attacking in the gaps between her opponents so she typically dodged attacks at a near-zero distance that made Vahn feel a little nervous at times because some of the attacks would sweep close enough to her that her hair would dance as a result of the wind pressure.As for Vahn himself, he was very nearly reaching the peak of his current parameter development and he wanted to maximize his magical potential. Many of his skills and abilities were highly reliant on the amount of source energy he had available so Vahn wanted to ensure that his pool was even larger. Though he used to be somewhat bothered by the fact that his magic outscaled his other parameters greatly, Vahn now knew that this was a good thing since it wasn't like his others were actually behind the 'norm'. Even the most capable Adventurers typically only got two parameters to 999 before leveling up, but Vahn's were almost always A or S rank with many of them reaching SS and SSS, values normal people couldn't reach without awakening their Innate abilities.He hadn't been able to practice much during the first half of the day, so now Vahn was focusing his [Eyes of Truth] while observing the changes in his domain as he tried to exercise control over the elemental energies contained within. Other than fire, Vahn didn't have proficiency with the other elements because he lacked a supporting skill like [Heart of the Eternal] flame that gave him 'perfect' affinity. He wanted to get to the point where he could at least make use of the six basic elements in the future before he began to study more complex elemental laws. Not only in the record of danmachi, but the vast majority of records used fire, wind, water, earth, light, and darkness as the foundational hierarchy while more complex elements were things like time, space, destruction, and creation. Elemental energies could also be mixed together in seemingly infinite variations, but that was only if the person doing so had the proper comprehension.Vahn could see the influence Mikoto's [Mizuryū-no-Mai] had on the water elements in the air so he had been studying the similarities between her control and his fire elemental control. She wasn't at the point where she was able to wield the pure energies within the void yet, but that didn't mean the sword itself had no influence over them. Vahn noticed that whenever she swung the blade, he could actually see 'ripples' that emanated in the void, almost as if Mikoto were cutting through the surface of water. They would quickly disappear soon after, but Vahn's eyes were able to discern their existence, however momentary they had been. As a result, he began waving his own hand through the air in an effort to emulate the effect while compelling the water elemental energies to follow his motions.With his visualization ability, Vahn was already able to create balls of water out of thin air and he had also practiced a lot with the 'Essence' that he had been researching with Riveria. Because of this, water was actually the element he had the third greatest understanding of, losing out only to his Fire and Light elemental affinities. With his excessive use of [Hands of Nirvana] and [Wounds Transfer], Vahn's understanding of the healing properties of light was remarkable and he had even experienced some minor success in replicating the effects of the [Heal] staff in the past. Water also had several healing properties and was also one of the more 'neutral' of all the elements, so it was easy to increase his proficiency with it.After about an hour of practice, other than when he was helping the girls fight directly, Vahn was at a point where his claws made small ripples through the air which actually caused his fur to become coated in condensation. As a result of the cooling sensation against his paw pads, and how 'normal' everything felt, Vahn started to believe that Vanargandr's had a natural affinity with water and it seemed like he was able to make use of it by changing his race. This was an important discovery because he might simply be able to adopt the most 'suitable' form for any future magic he uses. It also led him to believe that the reason why he had 'created' a new race like Progenitus was so that he could make use of all the elements efficiently. If he could understand how the flow of energy in a person's body was influenced by their affinity, Vahn should be able to emulate the affinities and create a form with 'perfect' affinity with all elements...Though she wasn't having any major difficulties, Miko had tired herself out after about an hour and forty minutes of combat so they had to take a break to replenish their stamina. She allowed him to place his paw pads against her back to help recover her stamina, but Mikoto wanted to take a longer break to recover naturally while she also processed how she had been fighting earlier. While she was meditating, Vahn leaned against the wall of the Dungeon with Fenrir sitting in his lap as she played with his left hand. She liked to over overlap her paws with his so Vahn let her mess around as he held out his right hand and formed it into a water ball before dispersing it once again by 'expanding' the elemental energies away from each other. He wasn't actually getting rid of the water, but essentially allowing it to return back to the air before the ambient energy spread out through the void.Once Mikoto had finished meditating, she looked at Vahn and Fenrir before bowing her head and saying, "I apologize for the delay..." Vahn smiled at her before reaching out his claw and pointing directly at her face as a small bead of water formed in front of her eyes. In a guiding tone, with a subtle humorous undertone, Vahn explained, "Rest is equally as important as actual training, so don't apologize so readily. I've been using this time to refine my own skills, and I'm sure Fenrir didn't mind at all..." Fenrir had interlocked her left paw with Vahn's previously and lifted it up with a smile as she said, "Fenrir is happiest when she is with Vahn so she is grateful to Mikoto~."Mikoto stared at the two 'cuddling' Vanargandr with a somewhat blank expression before nodding her head and rising to her feet without comment. Vahn's behavior was often very difficult for her to understand because he actually worked harder than almost anyone else, yet confidently made claims like "rest is important". She wanted to tell him he needed to heed his own words, but his hardworking nature was one of the reasons she had developed an appreciation for him. Though he might jump about from one thing to another, Vahn always put a ridiculous amount of effort into whatever he was focused on. He also had a gentle character that was very attentive to other people and possessed a noble and heroic spirit that caused him to throw himself into harms ways to protect others...Soon after their break had come to an end, the trio encountered a pair of monsters within one of the grassy corridors. They were both Deformis Spiders and were trying to blend into the shadows as they awaited their 'unsuspecting' prey. Vahn knew that Mikoto needed to kill one of them so that she could benefit from her [Yatanokurogarasu], but it was actually too dangerous for her to fight up close. Unlike Black Rhinos, Deformis Spiders were actually somewhat difficult to deal with if you actually fought them up close. They had eight spear-like legs that they could assault you with and could just as easily move on the walls and ceiling as they could the floor. With the addition of toxic webbing and numerous eyes, which covered the majority of their blind spots, they were simply not worth fighting in a melee.Vahn had gotten a 'cool' idea to deal with the two monsters, which were still hiding out of sight, so he began trying to gather water elemental energies from the airs and simply making it more humid within the tall grass. It was actually possible to infuse energy directly into objects, though there were some compatibility issues, but Vahn was going for a different effect and just wanted to make them wet. As it wasn't an attack, the two Deformis Spiders ignored the moisture building up around them until it was too late and Vahn sent a pulse of energy through his domain and compelling the water elemental energies to transition into ice as he forcibly infused the energies into the limbs of the spiders. They immediately reacted and tried to move away, but it wasn't as though they could immediately dislodge all the water from their surroundings just by thrashing about. Vahn had seen Eva used ice magic all the time in the past, so the field of grey-purple grass immediately turned into an icy white as the Deformis Spiders slowly came to a stop.As she also knew it was dangerous to get close to them, Mikoto held out both of her hands, one over the other, as she began chanting, "I respectfully speak to you, my War God that can break through anything, lead me from the precious heaven. Give my petty body divine power of your grand body. Rescue them light of purification, sword of crushing evil. Sweep sword of suppression, sacred sword of conquest. It arrives here now by my order. Descend from heaven, rule the earth - Shinbu Tousei~!" At the end of her chant, Mikoto spread her hands apart as a purple gateway appeared above the nearest spider and allowed an immaterial sword to pierce into its body. Beneath it, there was a second purple gateway and, when the tip of the sword made contact with it, a black sphere appeared in Mikoto's hands that showed an image of the Deformis Spider before it began to contract and crush the monster under a powerful gravitational force.Vahn's [Eyes of Truth] were fully active as he watched Mikoto perform her exceptionally rare gravity-based magic. Of the elements most highly sought after for their overwhelming capabilities, gravity was at the same level as Destruction and Devouring magic. Even if the user wasn't that powerful, making the spell less effective, there was almost no way to escape the barrier created by the spatial magic unless you are capable of resisting it until the user entered 'Mind Down'. This meant that a weak caster of gravity magic could even hold down powerful monsters and Adventurers that far exceeded their strength. Thus, Vahn was very interested in learning how to use such skills himself, without having to copy the magic outright. Just like when he tried using the higher grade magics of Lefiya and Riveria, Vahn's source energy would drain very rapidly before he was able to actually finish the long chant...Unable to resist the oppressive force, as its body had been turned rigid from the ice, the Deformis Spiders body shrunk into a spherical shape before it eventually turned into purple dust. Mikoto released a heavy gasp before using the sleeve of her kimono to wipe away the sweat that had appeared on her brow. Though it wasn't able to fight back, the Deformis Spider was still a monster that exceeded Level 4 and it wasn't easy for her to crush it when she was only Level 2. Gravity magic might be one of the most powerful, but that also meant it had a very high rate of consumption when casting. Mikoto's record, since she had been told to practice using it more often, was holding the gravity barrier for a total of 47 seconds before she inevitably fell to her knees in complete exhaustion.For the final Deformis Spider, Vahn was actually curious about something so a pale golden aura spread through his domain before a ripple appeared above the monster. As if it had been fired from a canon, a link of [Enkidu] shot out of the ripple and pressed into the plated cephalothorax of the frozen arachnid and slammed it against the bedrock floor of the Dungeon. For several seconds, [Enkidu] remained rigid as it pressed into the monster until eventually, after thirteen seconds, it penetrated straight through the monster before coming to a stop against the floor of the Dungeon. Since he wasn't sure how the Dungeon would react if [Enkidu] began piercing into it, Vahn dispersed the chain before he could find out. Though it wouldn't break through instantly, it would eventually activate the 'Piercing(Divine)' of the golden chains before potentially breaking clear through the floor of the Dungeon effortlessly. (A/N: Remember that [Enkidu] only has 100 attack power, so it takes time to overcome the defense of things. When it reaches that threshold, it will then pierce straight through the object.)Since she didn't want to bring them to a stop so soon after they just rested, Mikoto accepted Vahn's help in replenishing her diminished mana, though it was through her back and not her abdomen. Afterward, they made their way deeper into the floor while making sure to always return to previous corridors after they progressed forward for a bit. Vahn wanted them to always have quick access to the stairs leading up because he had been able to confirm the structural integrity of the stairs was actually much stronger than the other parts of the Dungeon. He hadn't seen any signs that their enemies had tampered with it and it wouldn't be too difficult to break through any obstructions even if they tried to collapse the ceiling. Vahn was constantly on alert for the arrival of any of Enyo's cronies even when he was 'leisurely' strolling in the Dungeon with the girls.Though he had only been able to make an orb around 20cm previously, Vahn had reached 50cm after four hours of practice and had started shaping it in an attempt to make things like ice spears. Unfortunately, though he was able to make the water float in the air, it was more difficult to manage with ice since the molecules became harder to manipulate. However, Vahn was able to overcome this by simply holding a 'core' of ice and then freezing the rest by having the water coat the ice in several layers as it got progressively longer. It was kind of similar to how a stalactite formed on the roof of a cave but much master. From the perspective of Fenrir and Mikoto, Vahn was 'sculpting' ice out of thin air and it almost 'beautiful' since his current appearance, with midnight blue fur and scarlet red eyes, matched well with the icy-blue mist and the crystal clear ice formations.There were several downsides to Vahn creating ice this way, regardless of how cool it looked, because it was almost in an 'inert' state instead of a magically active state like when Haruhime used her [Icicle Edge]. Though they were similar in structure, they were fundamentally different because Vahn's understanding of both water and ice laws was severely lacking. Unless he made some breakthroughs in the future, it wasn't really practical for combat since the ice spears would just shatter the moment Vahn threw them at monsters. Some of them even broke from the momentum of the throw itself so it was kind of awkward. When this happened, Vahn did his best to avoid the gazes of the two girls and resolved to practice it in private in the future...After having killed monsters for slightly more than five hours, Vahn decided to call it a day and guided them back to the stairs leading up. Since their pace had been much slower than the 'hunt' earlier in the day the group only managed to kill 384 Black Rhinos, with 204 credited to Fenrir, 91 for Mikoto, and a total of 89 for Vahn. Fortunately, Vahn was able to avoid having the least number of kill as he had defeated eleven Deformis Spiders while Mikoto only killed one. Vahn's parameter total was at 6,199 now so he would likely be able to level up tomorrow morning if he put in the effort. As for Fenrir and Mikoto, neither girl had experienced that much growth though Mikoto's was still fair seeing as how she was only Level 2. Ninety-two total monsters weren't actually that many and Mikoto's new katana had stunted her growth slightly as it made combat much easier...(A/N: I decided to make Fenrir's status a little more comprehensive since some people pointed out that her's read so much different than everyone else's. If you're wondering why her Level 1 stats are kind of garbage, please recall that she used to be a simple kobold and they only reason they are that high is because of the several years spent inside the orb.)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: [Fenrir]Level:3(+)POW: L1:400+902+(C611)-&gt;(C644)END: L1:500+805+(E495)-&gt;(D529)DEX: L1:550+1089+(A850)-&gt;(A889)AGI: L1:600+943+(S900)-&gt;(S931)MAG: L1:0+388+(D513)-&gt;(C612)Skills: [Insatiable Hunger:Innate(-)], [Lunar Cry:A], [Freezing Roar:A], [Chainbreaker:C], [Devour:SS], [Huntress:SS], [Endeavor:C], [Severing Claws:D-&gt;C]Magic: -Development Abilities: [Chain Attack:D], [Fist Fighter:(sealed)], [Acrobatics:(sealed)], [Mimickry:(sealed)]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Yamato MikotoRace: HumanLV. 2(+)POW: 634+(E490)-&gt;(D548)END: 628+(E488)-&gt;(D532)DEX: 740+(C613)-&gt;(C694)AGI: 722+(E404)-&gt;(E470)MAG: 531+(D517)-&gt;(C609)Skill: [Yatanokurogarasu:B], [Prometheus's Blessing:A]Magic: [Futsunomitama:B], [Apocalypse: Innate(sealed)]Development Skill: [Abnormal Resistance:C], [Swordsman:(sealed)]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn just casually walking while playing with water...','Gravity OP','Vahn's failure to show off...')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 477: Various Shades of Red