Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After an uneventful rest, Vahn awoke early in the morning, around 3 AM, so that he could ensure everything was ready by the time they left at 5 AM. Since they were going to be apart for several days, everyone woke up along with Vahn and they all enjoyed a lively breakfast with each other as they talked about what they wanted to do when they returned to the surface. Vahn wanted to focus on forging for a while, make some headway on his research, and eventually start using the orb again once it reactivated. He accepted that Naaza and Lefiya wanted to help in his research, and Vahn expected Riveria would probably join them, or at the very least compare notes.As for the girls, many of them just wanted to find more ways to spend time with him in the future so Vahn promised that they would do 'family' excursions on the weekends and go do some thrill-seeking in the countryside. He also wanted to map out the area around Orario more comprehensively in preparation for when enemies begin to appear. He also had the idea to start making secret bases all around the City so they would always have a safe haven if the Hearth Manor came under attack. Though he didn't expect many people would have the power to break through to the heart of the City, especially when they were surrounded by the Alliance, it was better safe than sorry.The last part of his 'departing ceremony' with the girls was to pamper them a bit before sharing short exchanges, which typically involved him having to embrace and kiss them. It was a little awkward, as he hadn't actually kissed them too often, but Vahn also gave Haruhime and Lili a kiss when they had asked. Having to kneel down for Lili made Vahn feel a little dull in the head, while Haruhime was far more skilled than he expected her to be. She actually had a strange honey-like taste to her saliva that was a little peculiar. His most surprising parting, however, had been when Naaza also asked for a kiss, though it was significantly tamer than the 'efforts' of Lili and the 'assault' of Haruhime. As for Mikoto, she wasn't quite at that stage yet though Vahn expected she would agree if he asked her to...Shortly after sharing his final exchange, something slightly troublesome happened that made Vahn feel a bit of panic stir inside of him. Fenrir had been watching the proceedings with her scarlet eyes and, once everyone had a turn, she asked, "Can Vahn kiss Fenrir~?" Though she knew about 'waiting' until she was older, that had been before she became more aware of the important differences between the opposite sex. Since Vahn 'even' kissed Lili and Haruhime, Fenrir didn't want to be the only person left out so she stared at him with 'pleading' eyes that actually made her look somewhat miffed.Vahn thought about it for a short moment before asking, "Fenrir, can you keep things in your mouth without them dissolving?" Though he didn't plan to give her a 'deep' kiss, Vahn was curious about it as it could be very important information for the future. Even the Fenrir in the Divination didn't try to kiss him at all so Vahn suspected it was a 'problem'. Hearing his words, Fenrir tilted her head to the side and allowed her ears to flop before taking out her 'favorite' magic core and placing it into her mouth. There was a small knotted cord attached to the zipper of her pouch that allowed her to open it by pulling it between the gaps of her paws.As Vahn had expected, the moment the core went beyond her teeth it broke down into a liquid form and Fenrir swallowed it on instinct. She had an expression like she had swallowed a fly until Vahn said, "I'll give you a small peck on the lips, but you can't do anything further. I might get a phobia related to kissing if I ended up losing my tongue..." Fenrir perked up a bit and trotted over to Vahn as she said, "Fenrir won't eat Vahn's tongue~! Kiss, kiss, kiss~!" As 'innocent' as it sounded, Vahn couldn't help but feel slightly worried as he bent down and kissed the excited wolf girl for a brief moment before parting. She placed both of her paws over her mouth and rocked her body from side to side in a happy manner like she was trying to stifle a laugh.Once that small trouble was taken care of, though Vahn expected it might evolve into a bigger one later, he made his way to the rendezvous area with Ais, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Fenrir in tow. Command of the encampment had already been turned over to Raul, though Vahn wasn't exactly sure of the reasoning, so Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Bete were already waiting for them near the camp's entrance. Bete, always the abrasive egoist, saw them arriving and commented, "It's about time you bastards showed up..." before sniffing the air and saying and scoffing. Fenrir seemed to be very annoyed by Bete's well, everything, but Vahn had told her several times not to associate with him. To enforce it, Vahn had even 'ordered' her to do her best to ignore him unless he was trying to harm her or one of the members of the Hestia Familia.Completely ignoring Bete, Vahn smiled to Riveria and Gareth before saying, "I double-checked all the supplies, so we're good to go, Finn." Nodding his head, Finn smiled at the group before looking around and saying, "Very well, it looks like everyone is ready to go. Our objective is to clear down the 54th floor and gather proof from the monsters located there. If possible, we'll document any new species and collect as many items as we can before returning to the encampment. If our supplies hold out well over this short expedition, we may stay a while longer on the 50th floor, but we'll evaluate that when the time comes."Vahn nodded his head in affirmation before adding, "Keep in mind that there are enemies lurking within the Dungeon, so if you see anything strange share it with the group. Don't wander off on your own and keep your wits about you..." Hearing his words, Beta clicked his tongue before muttering, "This weakling is cautioning other people..." However, Vahn didn't even have to consider rebutting him because Ais looked at Bete with her golden eyes and a slightly displeased expression as she said, "Vahn is already very strong...even stronger than you...probably." Though she was confident in Vahn, Ais hadn't actually seen his performance recently and she knew that Bete wasn't exactly weak either.Bete seemed to be very offended by Ais's words and shouted, "Eeeeeiii!? What the fuck did you say!?" Just as he was about to take a step forward though, Gareth grabbed him by the arm and had a stern expression on his face as he said, "We have a mission to perform, now isn't the time for things like this. If you want to butt heads, do it like men and make a wager of it up on the surface. No sense in insulting each other and starting fights in the heart of the Dungeon. Besides, Vahn is right to be cautious, as that is the type of mentality that saves lives. You should be well aware of that, Bete..." As Gareth had been something of a father-figure for Bete for many years, the aggressive Werewolf boy simply jerked his arm away from Gareth's grasp and started walking toward their destination.Finn turned to the rest of the group with a somewhat awkward smile before returning to normal as he said, "Everyone, stay on your toes and let's do our best to set a new record for both of our Familia!" Following Finn's words, everyone raised their respective weapons and gave a short hurrah before heading in the same direction as Bete. Their pace would be relatively slow, as they were trying to conserve as much energy as possible, so it was a good opportunity to just make idle conversation for a while. Vahn was in the back of the group, acting as a Supporter and ranged combatant, alongside Riveria, Lefiya, and Fenrir. Since they had yet to actually start fighting, Tiona was hanging around Vahn and they were having a fun conversation until reaching the entrance to the 51st Floor.Though he normally would have explained things, Finn knew that Vahn's group had enjoyed a great deal of success on the 51st floor and it was unnecessary to brief them on it. Thus, without any major flair or hesitation, the group continued along the path until the first batch of monsters spawned. It was still the same old Black Rhinos, something Vahn had seen more than ten-thousand times over the last two weeks, but the number that emerged from the corridor was much higher than what he had seen previously. As their party size was at ten, far more than the three Vahn had been traveling with, the standard spawn of monsters was between 60-200 on the low end, compared to the 9-15 Vahn usually dealt with. Though they weren't a major threat, especially with Lefiya's 'Radiant Lancers' now piercing through enemies and devastating them, Vahn could see why it was impossible to take an expedition through these floors.Unlike the majority of the upper floors, the 51st and beyond had corridors that were only around 8m wide, 8m tall, and there were several twists and turns that appeared all around. It was truly the most labyrinthine structure Vahn had seen and it would be impossible for a large group to traverse through with how many monsters would spawn. Vahn couldn't even imagine what it would look like with several thousand Black Rhinos clogging up the Dungeon floor, but it didn't seem like it would be pleasant at all. Even now, with groups larger than one-hundred, they had to be dealt with quickly or there was a chance of them overwhelming the group with their tireless charging.Seeing how 'devastating' Lefiya had become in such a short period of time, Finn looked back and commented, "It seems your training with Vahn has been going well, Lefiya. I'm truly amazed at how strong you've become in such a short period of time..." Though he truly meant the compliment, Finn's expression became a little weird because he saw Vahn walking with his hand on Lefiya's shoulder. It was a little out of place, as they were in the Dungeon, but it was especially strange that Lefiya was 'okay' with it. As it seemed like a strange thing to ask, the only thing Finn could do was shake his head and continue fighting while mentally commenting how 'another' girl had 'fallen' to Vahn.Finn was beginning to think that Vahn's idea about 'saving' people and helping them become stronger was the 'correct' path since Lefiya's growth was simply ridiculous. Seeing as how she also seemed fond of Vahn, Finn wondered what it would be like if he raised a few capable Pallums up into warriors in the future. Even if he didn't specifically raise a girl to become his wife in the future, there was still a chance something might happen. Though he wasn't the type to brag about it, there had been more than four-hundred women that had sought him out in the past so Finn believed the odds were favorable...As for why Vahn was walking through the Dungeon with his hand on Lefiya's shoulder, it was to obviously let the girl continually cast her magic without having to worry too much about her mana consumption. Vahn had already confirmed that he could help promote Lefiya's Endurance by the constant baptism of source energy, so there was really no reason not to do it. He had even shared this with Riveria, though he didn't mention anything about source energy, and she had even been tempted to 'test' it herself. However, Riveria wasn't really casting magic simultaneously like Lefiya so there was no need for Vahn to 'feed' her a constant supply. She was conserving her mana for things like Monster Parties and other dangerous situations, so it simply wasn't the proper time to test Vahn's theory. Besides, Riveria wasn't like Lefiya and she couldn't imagine showing any form of affection in public, even if it wasn't actually intended to be one.Since he wasn't supposed to be fighting, unless it was an emergency, Vahn continued to scan around the Dungeon and picking up any of the loose materials that would sometimes be hidden in the grass. Some of them were important ingredients in creating potions and Vahn knew that Naaza would be grateful for the extra resources for her research. He was also looking for any signs of 'tampering' to the Dungeon itself while keeping his eyes peeled for enemy movements.It had been a total of sixteen days since the expedition entered the Dungeon and there had yet to be any signs of them at all. However, since the red-haired woman was able to track him down twice in a short period of time, Vahn knew they had some way to track them. They had probably set up some kind of trap, perhaps during their return trip, so Vahn hadn't dropped his guard.---Because of the complexity of the floor, it took the group nearly seven hours before they reached the stairs leading to the 52nd Floor. Along the way, they had killed more than nine-thousand Black Rhinos and a total of 108 Formis Spiders, which had almost all been killed by Lefiya. Though she was already near the peak of Level 3, Lefiya still had a bit of room for further development and she would potentially even be able to reach as high as 5,000 parameters if she were lucky. Vahn had noticed a subtle change in her 'spiritual body' after she awakened her Innate and it seemed to have increased her 'potential' a fair amount.Vahn had previously discussed this with Lefiya and also mentioned the existence of the two items he had received from her, which he explained were the 'proof' of their bond with each other. Knowing that Vahn had been able to create an item that was actually capable of reviving the dead had been a shocker to Lefiya, but hearing about the [Wishe's Blessing] had left her in complete disbelief. An item that could purify the bloodline of Elves and High Elves was something that would, without embellishment, cause the High Elves to go to war in an effort to obtain. There would be no end to the killing that would be brought about as the result of such discovery because the 'purity' of their blood was the most important thing.Though he had offered to use it on her, after returning to the surface, Lefiya adamantly refused to accept it because it was far too dangerous. She was well-known amongst the other Elves and High Elves so there was no way she would be able to keep it a secret if it somehow made her into something like a High Elf, or even a Spirit. Just knowing she was a direct descendant of Wishe was enough for her right now, though Vahn didn't plan to let the matter lay in the future. He would undoubtedly have a conflict with the High Elves anyways, so he didn't see the need to be so round-about regarding the situation. Lefiya would only benefit from receiving [Wishe's Blessing] in the future, and Vahn was certain he could convince her to take it when they return.To guarantee things would go well, Vahn also discussed the matter with Riveria, who had an equally 'mortified' response. Riveria didn't know that Lefiya was a direct descendant of Wishe, as most of her descendants were High Elves, but knowing that he had an item that purifies blood was a big 'problem'. Lefiya wasn't a High Elf, so she would probably be killed if she tried to return to the Elven Kingdom after it became known. There was no possibility that the noble families would allow someone that wasn't a member to run around with 'their' bloodline contained within her. They would treat her as the daughter of a traitor and potentially even kill her entire family just to ensure that there were no others born of the same heritage.Vahn hadn't taken into consideration Lefiya's family as she had never really talked about them in the past. Though he had her [Hearts Desire], Vahn talked to her about it and she asked him to hold onto it for the time being, just like Riveria. Though she couldn't give many details, Vahn learned from Riveria that Lefiya was actually 'orphaned' and had spent many of her formative years studying at the Guild-sponsored School in Orario. Even Riveria wasn't entirely sure about where Lefiya originated, but it was actually very rare for an Elf to have dark-blue eyes. One of the reasons Riveria had made Lefiya her protege was in order to protect her while she researched her origins.Now that she had learned that Lefiya was a descendant of Wishe, her origins likely related to the High Elf family known as Dal Alfan. Though they weren't the only Elves to have dark-blue eyes, they were the ones that purportedly claimed to belong to the direct lineage of Wishe. Riveria wasn't sure how an 'Elf' was born to a family of High Elves, but it most likely meant that one of their members had a tryst with a normal Elf that resulted in pregnancy. Typically, such children would become servants and sent out to various branch families where their lives wouldn't be that great. If they actually found out about Lefiya's existence, they would likely try to 'claim' or 'kill' her in the future.Though she didn't disagree with Vahn using the [Wishe's Blessing] on Lefiya in the future, Riveria stressed that he should wait until they had already opened dialogue with the Elven Kingdom. At the very least, the Hestia Familia needed to increase its own power, so that assassins wouldn't be able to target her in the future. When he mentioned potentially having Eina or herself use the item, Riveria hesitated for a while before saying it was only 'right' to use it on Lefiya. Besides, she wasn't a 'direct' descendant of Wishe and actually hailed from the 'main' bloodline of Alf, one of the ancestors of the High Elves. All of the members of her Family could typically be recognized by their emerald-green hair, but their most distinctive trait was their jade-colored eyes. Of all the elven families, they were the only ones that had 'jade' eyes, though there were several variations of green spread amongst other families. The easiest way to confirm if the green was the correct 'jade' was the fact that their eyes caught the light from angles and made them appear to glow, whereas normal green eyes didn't have such a feature...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir want kiss (Ծ‸ Ծ)','BeteReeeeeeeee~!','Lefiya's Origins (⊙﹏⊙)?'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 enjoying a long, and somewhat interesting, lunch with the girls, Vahn made his way out of the tent and jumped down from the plateau to watch over Mikoto. She had been so focused on her training that she had likely skipped lunch so Vahn felt obligated to 'lecture' her a bit as her Master. Even when he showed up at the periphery of the area where she was training, Mikoto continued to hold her sheathed sword in a drawing stance as she waited patiently for her opportunity. She had already noticed Vahn's arrival but hadn't greeted him yet since he didn't seem intent on interrupting her.Vahn could see that, unlike her normal stance where she kept her sheath attached to her obi, Mikoto now held her sheath in her left hand in a somewhat loose stance as if she were preparing to draw her sword. When a gentle breeze passed through the forest and caused a leaf to fall, Mikoto's brows twitched slightly as she unsheathed her katana in a swift motion and attempted to cut the fallen leaf. With her high dexterity and trained eye-sight, it wasn't that difficult a feat but Vahn noticed that there was almost no sound to the draw and it seemed to pass through the wind soundlessly before slicing the leaf into two halves. Though he thought it was rather impressive, Mikoto showed a conflicted expression before sheathing her katana. Afterward, she turned around and bowed her head low as she said, "Forgive me for making you wait."Hearing her words, Vahn furrowed his brows slightly and said, "Such formalities are a bit wasted, Mikoto. As long as they stay safe, I'd rather everyone have some degree of independence...continue doing your best to follow the path you chose for yourself, don't feel obligated to act on ceremony with me. After all, though we may be Master and Apprentice, we are also family...family doesn't treat each other in such a 'distant' manner." Vahn truly believed everyone within the Hestia Familia was his family and it worried him a bit since Mikoto behaved so distantly, even though she had also opened her heart to him slightly. He didn't want her to pressure herself unnecessarily, even though he appreciated her ideals and her earnest desire for strength.Mikoto nodded her head slightly and showed a softer expression for a brief moment before holding up her katana and saying, "I've been practicing the techniques of the scroll you gave me...they are honestly more incredible than I expected. Though I didn't doubt you would give me something powerful, I hadn't expected something so...extreme. I will do my best to master this technique you have bestowed to me, Vahn. Thank you..." Vahn smiled before asking, "Have you made any progress with your water control since yesterday? I was thinking of taking you into the Dungeon this afternoon, but I won't force you to come along if you want to focus on refining your techniques."In response to Vahn's words, Mikoto showed a somewhat thoughtful expression before saying, "I think it would be better to fight monsters to increase my experience further. There is plenty of time for training when I return to the surface, but it's not often I'll have opponents like the Black Rhinos who are much stronger than me but easier to deal with than some of the more problematic enemies in the upper floors." Though they were very powerful, Black Rhinos were mindless and uncoordinated so, unless you ended up getting ambushed and overwhelmed by them, they weren't that dangerous to fight if you have 'proper' equipment. Mikoto would have died if she tried to fight them with her old katana, as she would have eventually been overwhelmed by them, but her [Mizuryū-no-Mai] was more than capable of cutting through their thick hides.Vahn nodded his head and said, "Very good, Mikoto, that is the correct decision. Though increasing your understanding of your current capabilities is of significant importance, it is still better to increase your parameters and combat proficiency. Working with stronger materials creates more powerful weapons when they are refined properly. However, no matter how much you polish a piece of iron, it won't be able to take down powerful monsters in the end. By increasing your parameters, you're strengthening yourself so that further refinement will be for effective..." Hearing Vahn's words, Mikoto nodded her head and showed a resolute expression on her face as she said, "I'm ready, Vahn."However, against her expectations, Vahn shook his head and said, "Ridiculous...remember what I said to you just yesterday, Mikoto? Rest is equally as important as training, and you haven't even eaten lunch yet from what I can tell. Though your stamina might hold out, you need to constantly be aware of the mental strain you suffer from excessive training. If you can't relax more, you'll only increase the number of bottlenecks you face in the future." Mikoto's eyes widened slightly before she startled and grabbed the small bag that Vahn tossed at her. Opening it up, she found several doughy meat buns inside that were still warm and had a fragrant aroma emanating from them. As for Vahn, he plopped down on the ground and reclined in the grass as Fenrir bounded over and cuddled up next to him casually.Mikoto wasn't quite sure how to react but Vahn spoke out in a firm tone, "Eat, Mikoto, and then wake me up in around an hour or two. I pushed my body to the limits quite a bit earlier and just leveled up so I'm a bit tired...don't disturb me for at least an hour." Because his body had been 'full' for an extended period of time, Vahn wasn't lying about the mental strain he felt. The small event with Lefiya had allowed him to calm down and relax a bit, but it didn't mean he wasn't tired anymore. Without resting his mind and relaxing his body for a short while, even Vahn could overtax himself and open himself up to making mistakes.On principle, Mikoto didn't have the right to refute Vahn's words because he was both her Master, Lord, Captain, and the man she had decided to serve. Thus, without offering any words of complaint, Mikoto looked for a spot to sit down before a wide cushion appeared on the ground out of thin air. She knew it was Vahn showing consideration for her so she looked over at his 'sleeping' figure and bowed slightly before sitting down and enjoying the steamy meat buns Vahn had given her. They had a very rich flavor on the inside, something that Vahn called curry, and Mikoto was quite fond of them when she first tried them in the past. Whenever they ate together, Vahn always 'produced' a variety of differently flavored meat buns and she was always somewhat excited to find out what flavors they were...An hour passed in silence with nothing but the wind and sounds of nature to accompany the Mikoto after she finished her meal. She would periodically look over at Vahn's sleeping face and he seemed to be at peace with Fenrir snuggled up against him. Mikoto had never actually seen him taking a 'break' like this before so it was a strange sight to behold. Though he almost always had a smile on his face, at least when he was talking to people, Mikoto's impression of Vahn was a very serious and hard-working boy who was only slightly older than she was. It was hard to imagine herself being in the same kind of position he was in, even if she were much older, so she had a lot of respect for him. Seeing him 'expose' himself like this, showing that even the Sage Aldrnari had moments of weakness, made Mikoto realize that he was simply 'human' just like she was.Because she couldn't bear to wake him up from his peaceful slumber, Mikoto sat on the cushion and mediated for the entire two-hour period before Vahn awakened on his own. He sat up from the grass and released a long yawn before taking both of his hands and stroking the sides of Fenrir's head and playing with her ears a bit. Afterward, he looked over and showed a gentle expression as he said, "Thanks, Mikoto, for letting me rest for a bit longer." For a brief moment, Mikoto was going to say something like him not needing to thank her but couldn't find the words as Vahn rose to his feet and dusted himself off. The only thing she managed to do in the end was nod slightly before rising to her feet and preparing her mind to enter the 51st floor.---After running over to their destination, as Mikoto wasn't the type that liked to rely on Vahn to get around, the entered into the 51st floor and began their hunt once again. Mikoto had changed up her style slightly and it looked like she was trying to practice the basic form of the [Flying Heavenly Sword Scroll], Battōjutsu. Though it looked like a simple drawing technique, it actually allowed a person to enhance their speed by several times during the motion of unsheathing the katana. As the blade curved slightly, a person could make use of their Power, Dexterity, and Agility simultaneously to achieve much greater speeds than simply swinging it. As it didn't require complex movements of the body, as the action was guided by the sheath itself, the only thing they needed was proper timing.Though it was a relatively simple concept, Mikoto had never placed emphasis on it since it was 'abnormal' to think of sheathing your sword in the middle of a fight. Now, after witnessing the might of such strikes, Mikoto was focused more on the concept of ending fights in a single blow. According to the [Flying Heavenly Sword Scroll], speed was the most supreme force within martial arts as it allowed you to freely control and respond to your opponents. If two people were of comparable speed, it might become a battle of power and proficiency, but if a person were much faster than their opponents they could almost even ignore differences like power, techniques, and even defense. With unrivaled speed, there were no obstacles in the world and it was even possible to eliminate several opponents in a single strike if you were proficient enough...When a Black Rhinos charged at the intensely focused Mikoto, she lowered her hips slights and traced her right hand along the handle of her katana. Just as the Black Rhinos was about to bear down upon her, Mikoto shifted her weight while drawing her sword in a flash of light. It wasn't much different from her own style of combat, except for the fact that she executed the motion from a sheathed stance using one hand instead of simply swinging it with both. As she passed by the monster, Mikoto felt almost no feedback at all and, if not for the fact that the Black Rhinos was completed bisected by her draw, she would have thought she missed.One of the principal aspects of Battōjutsu was understanding the length, angle, and arc of the blade as it was unsheathed so it would have been a big problem if she made such a fundamental mistake. Seeing that her strike had been 'more' than successful, Mikoto showed an almost imperceptible smile before sheathing her sword again and charging at the next enemy. Though Battōjutsu was the most important basics [Flying Heavenly Sword Scroll], it still emphasized every form of speed as being pivotal in its execution. Mikoto wouldn't just need to have unrivaled drawing speed if she wanted to master the techniques contained within, she would need to harness the full potential of her body to achieve greater speeds while enhancing her senses to the extreme.There were several different breathing techniques and even some medicinal baths that were listed within the scroll, all which would enhance her perception, but it still required her foundation to be nearly flawless and for her 'mentality' to always be pursuing higher degrees of speed. One of the actual techniques documented within the scroll was to be faster at running away from large groups of opponents in order to separate them when their differing speeds came into play. If they stayed together, you were almost guaranteed to be able to escape from a pinch if you run fast enough. However, if they made the mistake of splitting up to continue the pursuit, you could reduce their numbers and even eliminate their stronger and faster members before the weaker members could swarm you.Mikoto charged directly toward a Black Rhinos, who turned to match her charge with its own, before side-stepping at the last moment. However, instead of slashing it instantly as she had done so previously, Mikoto spun around on her feet and leaped through the air before finding her footing and pursuing the Black Rhinos that had continued forward as a result of its inertia. When it started to slow down to turn, Mikoto had already been right behind it before drawing her sword at the moment when its momentum slowed down completely. Exploiting the gap created by the Black Rhinos, Mikoto had felled it in a single strike before instantly resheathing her sword in the same motion. From an outsider's perspective, they would have simply seen a flash of light and a blur of Mikoto's arms before she returned to her form and ran to the next enemy.Of course, Vahn wasn't a simple outsider and he had clearly seen the attack from execution to completion. According to the scroll, it was possible to reach speeds ten times that of your general slashing speed but Mikoto was only around three times as fast as normal. Given that her Dexterity was around 1400, with around 1200 Agility, Vahn was approximating her strike to be around the speed of an average Level 3. Though this might not seem that impressive, Mikoto was currently only Level 2 and her parameters were somewhat low compared to those that pushed themselves to the limits. If she continued this kind of training until mastery, Mikoto might even be able to reach the draw speed of a Level 5, even if she completely stopped developing her parameters further. This showed how monstrous the [Flying Heavenly Sword Scroll] was since it allowed a person to reach the 'pinnacle' even without being that strong...Vahn was very tempted to try and master the skill himself in the future since it was something that seemingly defied the common sense of the record a bit. However, he believed that his path lay in the pursuit of magical and spiritual development and he wasn't actually that fond of swords. Though they seemed useful, and often were, Vahn wanted to get to a point where he wasn't reliant on anything other than his own body to overcome his enemies. He already had incredibly powerful weapons like [Enkidu] in his possession, which would continue on with him for the rest of his existence, so Vahn didn't see the need to 'focus' on training his swordsmanship for the time being.Instead, Vahn intended to focus on magic, research, forging, and taking care of the girls within the Hearth Manor. The path of a swordsman was a long road that required countless hours of practice and refinement, and Vahn simply didn't have the time to worry about that right now. He also didn't want to stress Mikoto too much by showing more proficiency with the skill just because his parameters were somewhat ridiculous. Though he might practice it a bit within the orb in the future, since it would be a good opportunity to at least familiarize himself with it, he wanted Mikoto to turn it into a technique all her own.One of the things Vahn wanted to do, other than creating weapons and armor for the girls, was to give them all their own unique 'heritage'. For Riveria, he wanted to help her become even stronger and study the very foundation of magic at her side. For Lefiya, she would become far more powerful than Riveria but her specialties would be based on the type of magic Vahn developed with her. For Haruhime and Lili, Vahn wanted the two girls to make the best use of their Innates and he intended ot teach them techniques that would enhance them further. He could already imagine a future where Lili could punch through an entire dragon with her fist, so Vahn wanted to increase her mobility even further. Fenrir copied his techniques for the most part, but Vahn planned to teach them to her seriously in the future, but her true power lay in her unstoppable claws and the ability to devour anything...Each girl had different proficiencies and Vahn wanted to emphasize their individual traits instead of trying to make them 'similar' to each other. Though his combat style might ultimately be the strongest, that was only because he had far more Innates than normal and had a system like 'The Path' to bolster his growth. Therefore, he wanted the girls to retain their individuality by doing everything he could to promote their growth along the paths they decided for themselves. It was a bit shameless, but Vahn wanted them to be unique so that they could 'inspire' a variety of people in the future. He expected that many of the girls within the Hearth Manor would be the first batch of teachers at the Academy that he planned to build in the next few years.After training for around four hours, as it was already pretty late when they entered the 51st floor, Mikoto had made a great deal of progress compared to her previous self. They didn't have the somewhat ridiculous pace of Lefiya one-shotting everything with her magic, but it was still much faster than their previous stint. As a result, Mikoto had killed a total of 293 Black Rhinos on her own and had increased her parameters by a fair amount. The biggest thing to take note of was that Mikoto had already developed a new skill, something that shocked her to the core. There was also a big change in the balance of her parameters as she had experienced an explosive growth in her Agility while her Dexterity was reaching the 'limit'. Her stats had always been somewhat balanced in the past, though not for any practical reason, so it was good to see her developing in a direction that allowed her to become much stronger. This also helped Vahn to verify that 'mentality' was important for parameter development and he began thinking of methods to help others more efficiently raise their parameters in the future...-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Yamato MikotoRace: HumanLV. 2(+)POW: 634+(D548)-&gt;(D597)END: 628+(D532)-&gt;(D568)DEX: 740+(C694)-&gt;(S962)AGI: 722+(E470)-&gt;(B748)MAG: 531+(C609)-&gt;(B703)Skill: [Yatanokurogarasu:B], [Prometheus's Blessing:A], [Battōjutsu:H](new)Magic: [Futsunomitama:B], [Apocalypse: Innate(sealed)]Development Skill: [Abnormal Resistance:C], [Swordsman:(sealed)]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Relax...','Godspeed','Vahn wants his girls to be unique...')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 484: Preparations : Progress