Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After a four hour climb up nearly 2km of stairs, the expedition finally reached the surface and Vahn got to experience what it was like to move a massive haul of materials via escort through crowded streets. Since it was early in the morning, there were numerous people entering the Dungeon and they all cleared the path and applauded the expeditions return. The main members of the Loki Familia led the way with Finn holding a massive banner and it was quite the sight to behold. Vahn had been tempted to leave after a few parting words by using Fafnir, but he decided not to 'steal' the spotlight from the Loki Familia this time around.Once the convoy reached Babel Plaza, they came to a temporary stop as it had come time for the other Familia that had accompanied them to part ways. Vahn stood with the group as Finn thanked everyone for their assistance while also expressing interest to work with them in the future. He had even taken the initiative to open the floor to Vahn for a little while, something that had caught him slightly off guard, but he managed to say a few encouraging words to the gathered leaders. Vahn was somewhat fond of the Hephaestus Familia blacksmiths and even promised to do a demonstration for them in the future. It wasn't uncommon for [Master Smiths] to do annual demonstrations for aspiring blacksmiths and many people were interested to see Vahn's actual skill level since he was so young.After everyone began parting ways, Finn walked over and said, "The girls will be returning to the Twilight Manor to celebrate with the Familia and get their Status Boards updated. It looks like Lefiya had reached her peak, though I'm sure you're more aware of that than anyone, so we'll be celebrating her rise as a Second-Class Adventurer. I'm certain there are things you have to attend to, but I expect I'll see you early tomorrow morning when you come to receive them?" Vahn had already known that the girls would be returning to the Twilight Manor temporarily, as they had talked about it within their tent, so he simply nodded his head before shaking hands with Finn and saying, "I'll be bringing a surprise by, so look forward to it."Hearing Vahn mention a 'surprise', Finn's expression broke slightly before he smiled widely and returned to the convoy and began leading the way once again. Vahn was left behind with Fenrir, Haruhime, Naaza, Lili, and Mikoto as they watched the departure until they had reached the opposite side of the tower. Vahn then turned to the patiently waiting girls and smiled before saying, "We're going to take a short detour before we return to the Manor, okay?" As the 'voice of reason' within the group, Naaza asked, "Where are we going?" She didn't plan to oppose Vahn at all, but she couldn't help but ask the question that was on everyone's minds.As if to answer her question, the shadows at their feet expanded greatly as Fafnir popped up out of the ground and 'spooked' several nearby Adventurers and pedestrians. Vahn rubbed its snout before answering, "I have a promise to keep to one of our allies, and I'd like to take care of it before we get busy over the next few days." Vahn still wanted to surprise the girls a bit, so he was being a little roundabout in his explanation. Haruhime, Mikoto, and Fenrir had some idea about what he was talking about, but Naaza and Lili were completely in the dark about the situation since they hadn't accompanied Vahn during the Bloodsaurus hunt.After mounting Fafnir, Vahn didn't immediately depart the City because he didn't want to make a 'bigger' scene by circumventing the laws that governed every resident. Though it caused a bit of panic amongst the guards, Vahn arrived at the West Gate of Orario before filling out the paperwork for their departure from the City. Things went especially fast because of the 'pressure' people felt from Fafnir's presence. Even though it didn't do anything to actually intimidate them, Fafnir looked inarguably like an 'evil' dragon and its appearance was enough to unnerve weaker people. Most of the guards didn't exceed Levels 2-3, so the pressure from a Level 5 Dragon was a bit much for them.Vahn explained that he would check back in through the same gate so that they could inform others not to panic when a dragon appeared outside the gate later. Afterward, they mounted Fafnir once again before flying to one of the large structures that dotted the horizon to the northwest of the City. Eden was a 'mystical' looking continent so there were several uncommon structures that couldn't be found on Earth, not that Vahn would know for certain. One of the features was a series of 'pillar' like objects that erupted from the ground at slight angles. The reason people called them pillars was because they were either cylindrical or squarish in shape and the peaks were also flat. As for why you wouldn't see such a thing in other records, it was because many of them were several kilometers tall and there was no way they were formed 'naturally'.Fafnir landed atop one of the massive pillars that were more than 7km wide before everyone climbed down to the surface. They weren't the first ones to reach the top of one, as some people actually used them as a form of training by climbing to the top, but it was still a spectacle to behold, being able to look out over the nearby City from several kilometers in the air. Vahn eventually wanted to take them all freefalling one day, but there were other things to take care of right now so he pulled out the large monster core from his inventory and began infusing his energy into it.While he was infusing his energy into the core, which was taking a fair amount of time, Vahn explained, "When we entered the Dungeon to hunt Bloodsaurus, we had come across a sentient Green Dragon..." Vahn had already told them about this in the past, he was just reminding them so they understood the situation a bit better. Once it seemed like everyone recalled this fact, Vahn continued by saying, "I had promised to allow it to see the surface and live a lifestyle free from combat as much as possible. From here onwards, please treat this dragon as one of our companions and look after it so it understands the kindness of others...Fafnir, since you're a dragon as well, I'll be relying on you to look after your sibling, okay?"Hearing that it would have a new companion, Fafnir roared out with its mouth with a terrible roar as a childish voice resonated in everyone's minds, ("Yay~! Leave it to me, Vahn, I'll take care of them to the best of my ability~!") As if not to be left out, Fenrir pumped her paws in an excited manner and said, "Fenrir will also look after the Green Dragon as the big sister!" Then, as if realizing something, Fenrir tilted her head and asked, "Master, are you going to make the Green Dragon a girl or a boy?"Vahn had been thinking about that for the last few days as well, but he eventually settled on just naming the Green Dragon without thinking about its gender at all.He knew monsters could be 'genderless', so he would leave it to the Green Dragon itself to decide what it wanted to become in the future. However, he couldn't help but shake the feeling it would end up as a girl while Fafnir would likely become a boy, as it's childish voice had taken on a more masculine intonation as of late.Even as a Xenos, which is what Vahn assumed the Green Dragon to be, it had a soft and somewhat womanly voice so Vahn figured that is how it identified itself.To answer Fenrir's question, Vahn finished infusing his energy into the monster core and said, "I'll leave it up to the Green Dragon to make that decision. I should have consulted you and Fafnir about it bef-" Before Vahn could finish his words, Fenrir's hair stood on end and she said, "Fenrir is super happy to be a girl~! If Fenrir had been a boy, she wouldn't have been able to spend so much time with Master!" Vahn was slightly surprised by Fenrir's outburst but he didn't have much time to address her as a Green Dragon nearly 12m in length appeared after a large cloud of purple dust formed its body.When it opened its blue eyes, the Green Dragon looked toward the sky and dazed for a moment before a soft voice sounded out in a low growl, "The sky is so beautiful and vast...". Everyone was brought to a temporary silence, as a combination of the sudden appearance of another large dragon and the 'sadness' they could hear in its tone. If the Green Dragon had tear ducts, it might have started crying as a result of seeing the cloudless sky above. Like most Xenos, it longed for the light of the surface and this was the first time it had been able to realize its 'dream'.After staring at the sky for a short while, the Green Dragon turned its head toward Vahn before leaning forward and nuzzling against him in an affectionate manner as it said, "My Master, you have kept your promise...thank you...". Vahn used his [Hands of Nirvana] and [Petting] to comfort the dragon, something it seemed to be somewhat startled by, as he said, "I've only kept part of my promise so far, and I'm about to make good on the second part. To ensure that others are able to accept your presence, I'm going to bestow upon you a name. You should know that the name I give you can give you great power, or it can change your fate to guarantee you can experience the peace you desire. Depending on your choices, you can even become humanoid and take on the appearance of a man or woman...it's all up to you."Hearing Vahn's words, the Green Dragon opened its eyes with a slightly contemplative look as it turned to observe Fafnir and Fenrir. It could sense that they were the same as it was, monsters that had come to serve Vahn. It didn't know the name of the dragon, but the Green Dragon felt an instinctive fear towards it and knew it wouldn't be able to fight it at all. Even the small Fenrir had become much stronger since the last time the Green Dragon had seen her, so she knew Vahn's words were true. After coming to a decision, the Green Dragon turned to Vahn and said, "I will accept the fate my Master bestows me...just know that I do not like fighting...though I do desire the power to protect myself and others..."Vahn smiled before asking, "Do you have a preference about being a boy or a girl...or perhaps you'd like to be genderless? I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to change it in the future, so you'll have to consider the matter seriously." The Green Dragon cocked its head slightly before saying, "I am a female, even in my past life, so I'd like to remain as such. As for my form, it doesn't matter to me that much as long as I'm able to live a peaceful life..." Since the dragon wanted to be a female, Vahn respected its decision and began to form an image in his mind.There were surprisingly very few records he could find about dragons that protected nature, but that didn't mean there weren't any. As part of an experiment, though it might have been 'rude' to conduct it without permission, Vahn harbored the desire that it would be able to change form in the future. If it truly obtained the ability to do so, Vahn figured he would be able to glean some understanding from the ability and potentially even teach it to Fafnir in the future. Fafnir was still an adolescent dragon, which meant it would still grow much larger in the future. Vahn was worried it might even reach more than 40m and it would be very difficult for it to move above on the surface. It's weak spot also grew in proportion to its size, so Vahn wanted to find a way to help it shrink its body so it would be safer.Some of the names Vahn had researched came up with results about a peaceful dragon of dreams and nature, named Ysera, a guardian of the mortal plane, Treva, and the more preeminent of the earth dragons, Gaea and Terra. Vahn knew there was a powerful primordial goddess by the name of Gaea, so he was somewhat worried about 'borrowing' the name and inadvertently offending someone. Though he would be borrowing the name from a dragon from a different record, Vahn still had a few concerns about it. As for Treva, it might give the Green Dragon a lot of power, but it might also bind her to a fate of inevitable conflict. The last name on his list was simply a nature spirit named Evergreen, and Vahn was curious what would happen if he wanted her to stay a dragon while giving her the name of a powerful nature spirit...Eventually deciding it would be best to take into consideration the Green Dragon's desire for a 'peaceful' life, Vahn looked up and asked the dragon itself, "I can name you Evergreen, which would give you power over nature and plant life, or I can name you Terra, which would give you dominion over the earth itself if you become strong enough. Neither would require you to fight, but both names give you great potential..." The Green Dragon blinked its large eyes once before asking, "Can I choose Terra Evergreen as my name? They both seem like good names and I do not wish for either to go to waste..."Hearing the Green Dragon's question, Vahn found his mind had blanked somewhat before thought began to rapidly bounce around in his head. Out of curiosity, Vahn opened up his system shop and did a search for 'Terra Evergreen' and found several books and items related to entities with that existence. Vahn was somewhat worried that the Green Dragon might end up being named after a person from a different record, one which had nothing to do with dragons, and it seemed like he had good reason to be. Since he didn't want to read through every book, Vahn decided to trust in the nature of his skill since it had even been able to make Fenrir into an adorable girl simply because he wanted the evolution to be 'cute'.Vahn smiled before nodding his head and saying, "We'll go with that then...from this point onward, you shall be known as Terra Evergreen, Dragon-Avatar of the Earth, and Guardian of Nature..." The instant his words finished, a vortex of energy began to envelop the Green Dragon and Vahn as powerful winds formed atop the surface of the Pillar. Fortunately, the girls were much stronger now and they had the protection of Fafnir's magic to block the turbulent energy. It wasn't nearly as chaotic as Fafnir's and Vahn felt a gentle warmth spreading from the Green Dragon as her form shrank a great deal.After a bit of time passed, the 12m dragon had shrunken down into a sphere 3m in diameter as roots began growing from the ground and twining around it. The roots began to sprout branches from which rainbow-colored flowers began to bloom from. Vahn could smell an incredibly calming fragrance spread through the air as the turbulent energy immediately came to a stop, replaced instead by a gentle breeze. The entire top of the Pillar erupted with plant life as the cold atmosphere now permeated a spring-like warmth as a sea of flowers was formed throughout the entire 7km radius atop the Pillar. The green energy that had formed into a sphere began to solidify until it looked like a piece of pure green amber with a shadowy figure located in its core.The energy in the air had completely stabilized and there was a very strange yet comforting sense of 'peace' that had enveloped everyone present. Vahn felt like there would be nothing better in the entire world than simply laying down in the field of flowers and enjoying the sunshine as he counted the clouds or took a long nap. However, he was more interested in the emerald-green amber that had been entwined with 'magical' roots. Though they looked normal at first glance, there were emerald-green lines that grew along the roots that were full of vitality and life. Vahn felt like they would be incredibly valuable materials for alchemy but decided not to concern himself with it as he waited for Terra to emerge from the amber. He instinctually knew she would awaken very soon and turned his attention to the Unit Management to check her status in the meantime...-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Terra Evergreen)Age: 7 months 19 days (Ageless)Race: True DragonLevel: 4Loyalty: 92Soul Strength: Tier 1 (Named Familiar)Karma: -State: [Active], [Chrysalis]Skills: [Avatar of Earth:Innate(B)], [Guardian of Nature:Innate(C)], [Pacifism:C], [Aroma Therapy:B], [Healing Sap:C][Terra Evergreen] A unique entity formed from the amalgamation of two records, The Earth Dragon, Terra, and the Queen of the Spirits, Evergreen. As an entity formed to be the embodiment of peace, they are unable to exercise their might in the majority of combat situations but have incredible support potential. Within a given area, they are able to exercise rudimentary control over nature, with their power growing further the longer their roots are embedded within the soil. Proper nourishment could even give them full control over the planet, so take proper care of the one who bears this record, lest you face the wrath of the planet itself![Avatar of the Earth]Rank: Innate(B) *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*Passive: Allows the user to exercise dominion over the land in a given area. Proper nourishment is required to sustain their growth and they can become sick if the land in the area is polluted.Active: Strengthens allies within their territory while weakening enemies.[Guardian of Nature]Rank: Innate(C) *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*Passive: Nourishes plant life and greatly accelerates their growth.Active: Creates a 'Nature Spirit Guardian' that siphons natural energy in the surroundings to defeat enemies.[Pacifism]Rank: CUse: Increases parameters when out of combat. Sharply decreases parameters if the user builds negative emotions.[Aroma Therapy]Rank: BUse: Allows the user generates a fragrance that is pleasant to all entities. Calms the mind of those that smell the fragrance and reminds them of fond memories.[Healing Sap]Rank: CUse: Allows the user to produce sap that can be applied to wounds to rapidly regenerate damaged tissue. Can also be ingested and has a flavor reminiscent of honey and sugar dew.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The sky is so beautiful...','Combining Records','Every team comp needs a good support')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 about ten minutes of patiently waiting, during what everyone simply sat around and enjoyed the warm atmosphere, the emerald-green amber began to glow slightly before a crack emerged. Though it had appeared to be one solid object, after the crack appeared, an aromatic fluid began draining from the sphere that began to rapidly dissolve the outer 'shell'. Vahn was tempted to collect a bit of it so he stored some of the running fluid into a vial before stowing it away in his Inventory. It would take a little while for the system to analyze it, but Vahn could sense an incredible amount of vital energy coming from it and assumed it would be useful.Though they could see the 'person' within long before it had completely drained, it had taken a little while for her to be completely revealed. Contained within the sphere was a mature looking woman with swirling runic formations covering her body in a strange pattern. They glowed with a subtle green glow and Vahn found them reminiscent of the 'veins' that ran along the roots that had surrounded the 'cacoon' she had been contained within. Her most striking features were the leafy-green hair that fell from her head in a free-hanging and elegant manner with slight curls and the small pair of wood-like horns that grew above her temples.As if to emphasize her existence as a Dragon-Avatar of the Earth and Guardian of Nature, there were actually leaves growing within her hair and incredibly fine scales covering her forearms and legs that were almost indiscernible from her normal skin if not for their gradient coloration. Though Vahn couldn't see it directly, he could see a green tail growing out of her backside that had the same type of scales except they were a much deeper green in color. The most surprising thing of all, however, was the fact that two extra appendages loosely hung from her lower back and it was easy to understand that they were a pair of wings that were distinctly different from any dragon Vahn had ever seen. Instead of leathery skin and scales, the wings actually looked closer to something that a bird would have except that the plumage was predominantly green and the looked more like long leaves instead of normal feathers.By the time the liquid had drained completely, Terra had fallen to the bottom of the root-like nest and her lower body was concealed by the remnant pool of fluid that remained behind. With the incredible vitality coming from the pool, Vahn likened it to a 'spring of life' and it seemed like Terra was absorbing it into her body as the emerald green liquid slowly turned transparent like water. Before the process had finished completely, she lifted up her body somewhat weakly and revealed her figure that had previously been curled up in a fetal position. Though Vahn would describe her as a mature woman based on her facial features, her breasts were somewhat smaller than his initial speculation. Though they were still a larger B-Cup, Vahn had felt like they should have been larger for some reason but it was still interesting to see that the runes covering her body had left the somewhat plump looking mammary glans unscathed and there were small rosy protrusions marking their center.Terra eventually opened her eyes and revealed a pair of stark-blue eyes that glowed slightly and had a pair of vertical slits like a dragon. With the bright eyes and bronze skin, framed by the leafy-green hair, she was a strikingly beautiful woman that had a distinctly exotic feeling with her dragon-like qualities. Though he had missed it earlier, her nails were somewhat larger than normal and looked like the petals of a lily as they transitioned from pink to white. They came to scary looking points and Vahn could sense that they carried medicinal properties, which was a little strange since he had somewhat expected it to be closer to a poison. Most notably, however, was the incredible fragrance that was almost intoxicating and seemed to make everyone that smelled it somewhat reminiscent. Even Vahn was briefly reminded of the memory of his mother and it wasn't until Terra began speaking that his awareness returned.Seeing everyone around her in a very different light, as her own perspective had changed from a giant dragon to a woman around 175cm tall, that was currently sitting on the ground, Terra smiled and said, "I feel like everything about me has changed...it is a very interesting feeling..." As she spoke, Terra was inspecting her own body with interest and noticed that she had taken on several humanoid traits. However, she had a feeling like this was a 'temporary' thing and her instincts told her she could become much larger if she desired. Following this instinct, the runic lines on Terra's body began to release a brilliant light as another sphere of green emerged and expanded in size. Moments later, her form had changed to a dragon that was more than 14m long and had distinctly different features than the previous Green Dragon.Vahn had been somewhat caught off guard by the sudden transformation as he had been planning to greet Terra and welcome her into the world. He quickly recovered his senses as a wide grin appeared on his face because Terra was indeed able to transform, seemingly at will. Her dragon-form was 14m long and her wingspan looked like it reached close to 20m with massive feathery wings that almost looked like a canopy of leaves. Her body became covered in beautiful green scales that were slightly different in coloration and the small wooden horns on her head had grown into a branching crown around her head.She was so vibrant and full of life that there was even a layer of moss covering her back and flowers had started to bloom on her body that was exceptionally streamlined and thin compared to Fafnir. As for her eyes, they retained a similar look except for the fact they had increased in size and seemed to possess a great deal of compassion and wisdom. She was a quadripedal dragon that had five claws on each hand with similar lily-like claws and the aroma she emitted had increased in intensity by a fair amount. Everywhere her claws touched the ground, grass would begin to grow thicker and flowers would start to bloom shortly thereafter.Terra released a pleasant-sound from her long and slender neck that sounded like a soft purr as she said in a similarly gentle voice as her human form, "It seems like I can still become a dragon...this is a very pleasant and familiar feeling, though it seems my body has undergone several changes..." Terra stretched her body and all the scales stood up slightly as they began to vibrate in different directions as they emulated the sounds of nature. It sounded like leaves being rustled by the wind and it actually caused her aroma to spread even further, to the point where Vahn could actually see a visible mist emerging from beneath her scales.From the side, a childish voice suddenly rang out in everyone's head as Fafnir said, ("So beautiful...little sis is so beautiful~!") Hearing its voice, Terra turned her head to Fafnir and cocked her head to the side before releasing a pleasant-sounding laughter as she said, "It is an interesting thing, to be called 'little sis' by such an adorable sounding dragon..." To clear up any misunderstandings, Vahn commented, "Fafnir is a little over four years old, while Fenrir is slightly over twelve. From what I can tell, you're only seven months old..." Terra shifted her attention back to Vahn by swiveling her head in a gentle arc as she said, "Perhaps, but I had lived more than thirty years in my previous life...though I suppose that doesn't mean much. Very well, I will become the little sister, even though my big brother seems somewhat cute~."Though Fafnir wasn't actual male, it had referred to itself as the 'little brother' of Fenrir and Tina in the past, so it wasn't incorrect for Terra to call it as such. Fafnir seemed to be very pleased as it stamped its feet up and down, but Fenrir seemed to want to clarify something as she stepped forward and raised her paw before saying, "Terra, I'm Fenrir, you can call me Big Sis~! Let's look after Master properly from now on, okay!?" Terra traced her gazed over to Fenrir and looked down at the small girl that made her feel an incredible sense of danger previously. Even after her body had undergone such a drastic change, Terra still felt intimidated by the small girl so she nodded her head and said, "Very well, Big Sis...it's good to have two dependable older siblings to watch over me..."Fenrir smiled and patted her chest proudly as she said, "That's right, Fenrir will protect you from now on! As long as you are a good girl, Fenrir will always be nice to her siblings!" Terra seemed to want to ask what it meant to be a 'good girl' but decided to leave such questions for later as it felt like her energy was draining rather quickly. Though she didn't feel any discomfort in her dragon form, as it was closer to what she was used to, Terra realized the energy consumption was much greater than normal and she felt somewhat 'empty' at the moment. It wasn't an incorrect feeling either, as her transformation from the Green Dragon into her current form had actually consumed a massive amount of her energy while the rest had 'escaped' into the ground below to nourish the plants around her.As she was feeling tired, Terra emitted the same green light for the third time as her body rapidly shrank and returned to her 'human' form once again. This time, however, she was standing on her own two feet without any feeling of shame or discomfort. Vahn could now see that runes extended all the way down her legs but seemed to leave her abdomen untouched while there was a strange pattern around her groin that looked like a laurel leaf pattern. She didn't have any pubic hair to speak of, and her lower body seemed surprisingly muscular with slightly wider hips than normal. Vahn wanted to see the rest of her body so, after a small hesitation, he asked, "Terra, do you mind turning around so I can look at your wings and tail?"Hearing Vahn mention her wings and tail, Terra spread them out and they reach nearly 4m wide, more than twice her height at 175cm. She then whipped her tail as if testing its feel before commenting, "It feels very strange to have wings and a tail in this form...it's like all my weight is centered around my lower body?" as she turned around to let Vahn get a better view. Even though he earned some strange looks from the girls, Vahn couldn't help but swallow slightly when he saw the somewhat muscular and plump butt of Terra. She had a light layer of scales covering the outside of her legs, but her butt itself was entirely untouched and was slightly paler than the rest of her body.As for her wings and tail, Vahn was somewhat shocked to see how muscular her back was and how developed her lower-back and abdominal muscles were. Instead of growing from the shoulders, Terra's wings had supporting bones and musculature located underneath her ribs. With his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn could see that she had nearly three times the amount of muscle groups in her torso and it was obvious she could exercise a lot of power from her lower body and wings. Her tail itself stuck out from her back slightly instead of following a natural curve and she had a line of scales that covered her lower back and continued up her spine.Vahn thought it was a very interesting sight that only enhanced her exotic beauty, and he was somewhat interested in the structure of her body in general. Unlike the bones of birds, which were somewhat light and hollow, Terra actually had a lot of segmented bones that likely made her body incredibly flexible and the energy in her body, though Vahn could see it was diminishing, was full of vitality and what he could only describe as 'life elemental energy'. Walking forward, Vahn asked, "Can you spread your wings again?" before carefully watching how the muscles stretched out as she extended her wings. Vahn had a slight urge to pluck one of Terra's feathers but decided against it since he didn't want to give her any bad memories so soon after she obtained a new form.Since it would be 'bad' to let Terra continue walking around in the buff, Vahn looked through his shop and purchased a green robe-like dress for her to wear. Since he had purchased it with her in mind, it actually had various layers of fabric that draped over her wings comfortably with clasps and belts that secured around her tail. Vahn was always amazed how the system could adapt the items for use by other races and it was exceptionally useful for times like this. Handing the robe to Terra, Vahn explained, "Since you can take on a human form, you should stay like this and try to get used to it as much as possible. There are various girls located at the Hearth Manor, which will become your new homes, and they will teach you how to behave like a woman and what to take into consideration when you associate with others."Terra received the robe from Vahn and inspected it with curiosity before a vibrant smile appeared on her face and she said, "This is the first gift I received from Master, I will cherish it always..." Having a beautiful girl say such words to him, Vahn felt a bit of pressure rise in his nose as he looked to Naaza and Haruhime before saying, "Please help Terra get dressed...and make sure not to teach her anything strange, okay?" Unless she died, Terra would be accompanying Vahn for a very long time and he had some expectation that she would eventually grow closer to him. For now, however, Vahn wanted her to just focus on adapting to a normal lifestyle and receive an education before things like that became an issue. Though she had lived for more than thirty years in her previous life, Terra was inarguably the youngest girl Vahn associated with, and he even planned to take her into the orb in the future so she can 'mature' a bit and study magic with Eva. She seemed like a very intelligent girl so Vahn had high hopes for her future, especially since it seemed like she would become a powerful guardian that could watch over the Manor, or potentially even 'Haven', in the future.After the girls finally figured out the 'mechanics' behind the robe, Terra was now clothed and Vahn couldn't help but nod his head as he gave her an appreciative look and said, "That kind of clothing suits you, though I'll leave it to you to decide the type you like to wear in the future. I may not look like it, but I'm actually a capable [Master Smith] that also specializes in making clothing. When the time comes, I'll make you a personal outfit that can bond with your soul so you can wear it between your transformations. In the societies on the surface, it is 'inappropriate' to be walking around naked in your human form, so please keep that in mind."Though Terra felt somewhat uncomfortable in the new clothes, she simply smiled in response to Vahn and said, "Yes, Master, I understand..." as she stretched her wings in an attempt to adapt to her new body. Vahn understood a few her concerns and walked forward before placing his hand atop her head and infusing energy into her body. Terra's eyes opened slightly before she closed them with a pleased expression on her face. Vahn took this time to inspect around her temples a bit because he was somewhat curious about the 'wood' horns that were coming out of her head. He could see they were attached to her skull but there were 'veins' running through them that actually connected to the patterns on the rest of her body.With his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn could tell that Terra had two different types of energy in her body that intermixed with her normal source energy. It was difficult to tell what they were, but Vahn defined them by his feelings and labeled them as 'Life Energy' and 'Nature Energy'. The largest flow was that of the Life Energy, as it was the basic structure of her body that was fueled by her source energy, which pooled near her heart instead of her navel, similar to Fafnir. As for the Nature Energy, it was contained in the runes and the subdermal 'veins' that covered her entire body. Even in her human form, as she was currently barefoot, the grass was constantly growing underneath Terra's feet and it was very obvious it was an effect of her Innates.One thing Vahn was curious about was her [Healing Sap] ability, as it was the only thing he couldn't make sense of at the moment. He assumed it had something to do with the plants she grew, which would be very beneficial if they could cultivate it, but he decided to ask since she should know the answer 'instinctually'. In her new form, Terra could consume a ridiculous amount of energy now so it was taking a while for Vahn to replenish her reserves. He even had to ingest a few mana recovery potions in the process. When he was nearly finished, Vahn asked in a casual manner, "You have a unique ability called [Healing Sap], and I was curious about how it's produced. Can you tell me?"Terra opened her eyes and didn't seem to mind the question at all as she smiled slightly and said, "I've never used it before, but I believe my body naturally produces it and stores it in an organ located in my lower body. I can try excreting some if you'd like." Though it might have been a 'slip' in her choice of words, Vahn had an eerie premonition and turned his [Eyes of Truth] back to Terra and inspected her lower body. Though she had a specialized stomach, Terra was more plant-based than truly human and she didn't have the common digestive organs at all. Instead, Vahn traced her metabolic processes and could describe them as a 'filter' that compressed the ingested nutrients as it was converted by her body into a pool of purified Life Energy...located near her butt. Her organs were fundamentally different than a person's and it looked like, rather than actual excrement, the supposed 'honey-like' liquid was 'secreted' from Terra's butt...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Just according to Keikaku','I wonder if she can fly with those wings?','Red Alert, Keikaku has gone awry!!')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

During the day of 'rest' that had been assigned by Finn, the expedition prepared all of the supplies onto the convoy for the coming journey. Since things were already consolidated into one area, it hadn't taken them much time at all so they spent the rest of the day talking about what they would do once they reached the surface. As for Vahn and the girls, with the exception of Mikoto who could be found training outside, they went unseen throughout the day, including during meals. Things had taken a strange turn at some point and Vahn had decided he wanted to pamper the girls more after Lili and Fenrir 'goaded' him into it. He spent the rest day polishing his [Hands of Nirvana] and [Petting] and, by the time the day of the departure came, all of the girls seemed more 'vibrant' than in the past.As they were already very beautiful, cute, and adorable, it was something that everyone within the expedition noticed and it started another round of rumors. Though it wasn't as 'extreme' as some speculated, Vahn didn't make any efforts to refute their words and they knew better than to try and badger the girls. He did notice a big change in the fluctuations of some of the women, however, and it was somewhat unnerving to be stared at with what could be described as 'feverish' gazes. Vahn was a very handsome man with high status, a lot of authority, and an incredible amount of wealth. Combined with the fact he could make them 'more beautiful', Vahn became a very popular existence amongst the female troupe. Since it was very well-known he had a 'harem', some of the girls that were confident in their beauty thought they might have a chance.However, Fenrir's gaze deterred the majority of them while the more sensible ones recognized the fact that Vahn was already surrounded by a number of capable women, including actual goddesses. Unless they were willing to put themselves in a position to 'compete' against some of the best within the City, their 'fortune' likely wouldn't hold out. Just the fact that Loki, their goddess, was amongst the women surrounding Vahn was a powerful deterrent. Since Loki was somewhat lecherous and licentious by nature, many of the girls had been 'victimized' by her in the past. She would be able to see through their plots relatively easily as well so, while they enjoyed looking and fantasizing, none of the girls had the boldness to approach Vahn.Once everything had been prepared, the expedition reformed the convoy and, after Finn gave the orders to march forward, the journey to the surface officially began. It generally took around five days to reach the 50th Floor, but the return trip could take nearly an entire week as they were transporting carts that were heavy with materials and supplies. Thus far, the expedition had been going on for twenty days, so they were still a little bit ahead of schedule as things had originally been planned for up to a month. Vahn's existence within the expedition had caused things to progress much smoother than in the past, but it also accelerated events by a great deal.As the majority of the girls from the Hestia Familia were near the limits of their potential, they took the initiative to help transport the supplies instead of trying to engage in combat. Lili was an especially welcome addition since she could actually pull a cart that typically needed several people all on her own. Though others had offered to help, Lili wanted to try and increase the proficiency of her [Artel*Assist] while also showing off her strength so that people wouldn't underestimate her. Combined with her [Atlas] Innate ability, Lili was dragging along a cart that weighed nearly 4,000kg on her own. She still needed help for elevated areas, especially on stairs, but was otherwise able to move forward without slowing down the pace of the convoy at all. For many people, this was a somewhat 'scary' sight, because Lili's diminutive size made her look like a small child instead of a physical powerhouse...During the return journey, Vahn had wanted to speed things up a bit so he had allowed invigorating energy to permeate through the convoy to keep everyone in high spirits. To increase his own reputation even further, Vahn would periodically perform feats like raining boulders onto the enemy, spreading waves of fire, or even hurling icy cannonballs at monsters. Unless he replicated Haruhime's [Icicle Edge], Vahn wasn't able to make normal spears of ice that could emulate the effects of her magic. To compensate, Vahn had instead decided to make compact cannonballs of ice that were infused with almost pure ice elemental energy. Using his physical strength to throw them, they would crash into enemies and disperse the collected energy into their bodies. As a result, unless they were fire-based or had resistance against ice, parts of their bodies would be instantaneously frozen. It wasn't the most lethal ability, but Vahn was focused more on building proficiency than anything else.For slightly more than two days, which was fast since the return often took three, the convoy continued tirelessly until they reached the safety of the 39th Floor. Vahn realized that reinvigorating people for long periods of time was a bit of a double-edged sword. Though their pace had increased greatly, the mental strain people had suffered during the trip was marginally greater than what they would have experienced dragging things out longer. Fortunately, nobody really complained about it since they were now closer to the surface even sooner than expected. To make amends, not that anyone was blaming him, Vahn purchased a veritable buffet of seafood for everyone and worked side-by-side with the chefs of the convoy to prepare the meals.Since the cooking techniques he made use of were 'foreign' to the majority of the other cooks, Vahn taught them a bit and even spread around the specific recipes he was using. Though it might lead to a 'food revolution' in the future, Vahn didn't think this was a bad thing at all as he was very fond of delicious foods. Though it was now beginning to fade from the forefront of his mind, Vahn could still recall the endless days of bland and tasteless food. Besides, everyone was happier when there was delicious food to eat and it made Vahn's reputation within the expedition increase even further. Not only did he provide the materials himself, which had caused a few rumors to begin circulating, but he also helped in the preparation. The fact they could be served meals by the 'Sage Aldrnari' made many people feel like he was a very amiable and humble youth.The only time anyone had any real 'conflict' with Vahn was when they said something to one of the girls that often surrounded him. At this point, most people had reigned themselves in even though they had just been teasing them a bit. It was very obvious that Vahn was 'close' with all of the girls present and people weren't dumb enough to make an enemy out of the Captain of another Familia, especially when that person was also the Father of their goddess' child. Though it might give them a sense of 'conquest' if they were able to succeed, it was very obvious that Vahn would probably not take the matter laying down. Seeing the methods he employed when dealing with monsters, even those that were confident in their strength found themselves far from his capabilities. Thinking he was able to accomplish this when he was Level 3, and taking into consideration his age, many people treated Vahn like a maturing dragon that slept with one eye open...After resting for the evening, the convoy continued the climb in the hopes of reaching the surface within three days. Vahn still helped reinvigorate people, but he also spread calming energy through the crowd to help ease the tensions of their mind when they weren't engaged in hard combat. The monsters were getting progressively easier the further they went up, so he had stopped assisting in battle and focused entirely on supporting those at the frontlines. Vahn's support was his greatest 'miracle' of all and there was even an incident where someone had taken a spear directly to their diaphragm and would have almost certainly died if Vahn hadn't stepped in to save him.Though people had opened up to Vahn a great deal, there was a noticeable shift that had started to occur the longer they were exposed to his presence. Instead of giving Vahn grateful looks and sharing a few amiable words, people began to look at Vahn with solemn and serious expressions with somewhat respectful eyes. Every time he saved someone, that was someone's friend, ally, companion, and potentially even lover. Though many veteran Adventurers knew what it meant to lose someone close to them, that didn't mean they were accustomed to it at all. Vahn's intervention made many of them very grateful for his presence and it had started to infect other people with a similar mentality.With everyone's morale reaching ever greater heights, the expedition reached the 18th Floor, Rivira, well before the end of the third day. The atmosphere, especially after passing through the 'water hell' of the 27th-25th floor, had reached a critical level and everyone was in high spirits as they 'invaded' Rivira and began bartering goods. As the Loki Familia had accepted several missions from those gathered within the small settlement, they set up a small station after setting up their encampment in the forest. Even if there was little chance of it happening, there were always a bold few that might try to steal from the carts in the dead of the night if they stayed within the settlement itself. It was better to have people come to them, receive their items, and then send them away than it was to keep everything in the heart of relatively 'lawless' territory.As for Vahn, he had been on high alert ever since they reached the Middle Floors and had been inspecting the Dungeon as they progressed higher towards Rivira. He had noticed that the artificial dungeon reappeared near the 25th Floor and there were increasingly more signs of it the higher they climbed. This allowed him to confirm that the artificial dungeon wasn't actually that deep, which meant their enemies had to be using pathways within the Dungeon itself to reach the Deeper Floors. Since they were 'restricted' in their movements in the Deeper Floors, it made sense why they weren't able to easily take action against them. Now, however, the enemy could pop up at a variety of locations and could even intermingle with other people since they didn't actually look like monsters.While the Loki Familia had been setting up their camp, Vahn had started exploring the area where he had recorded entrances to the artificial dungeon and began setting up small 'ping' formations that would alert him as long as he was on the 18th Floor. There was a fair chance the enemies would be able to remove the formations, but event his would give Vahn more information about their capabilities. He had been using his highest stealth capabilities and had worn camouflage equipment during the process so there was little chance he had been detected through conventional means. If they were still able to find him, it meant they had 'eyes' within the Dungeon and were able to track the location of people through means he was unable to detect presently.To potentially 'lure' them out, Vahn remained near one of the entrances for a few hours until he could feel the 'angst' coming from the girls through his bond with them. It was beginning to get late, so they were probably starting to worry about him somewhat. Since his enemies never showed, Vahn left behind a letter pinned to a tree in the event that they had been watching him and simply were unwilling to act. If it were still there in the future, as Vahn had hidden it away from the common line of sight, Vahn would be able to determine if they were truly able to spy on him. Though it wouldn't eliminate the chance they could be watching, it would show they couldn't watch everything.---Around two hours after Vahn had left the area, in the dead of the night, a figure appeared from the concealed entrance that connected to the artificial dungeon. It was a man with a thin figure that had a layer of lithe muscles adorning his body. He was wearing what could only be described as white tribal attire and even adorned his face with a white skull mask with curved horns. As if competing with his outfit, the man's hair was also white and he carried himself with a flamboyant and arrogant attitude as he walked forward and ripped the letter from the tree. Opening it up, the man read the contents before crumpling it up into a ball and discarding it. He looked toward the area where the Loki Familia had set up camp with a cruel smile on his face before eventually shaking his head and returning through the same path he came from.---Though he had been asleep, Vahn had detected when the formation was triggered and it had immediately awoken him from his slumber. Along with his awakening, Fenrir also opened her eyes while Lefiya stirred about slightly. Within the contents of the letter, Vahn had stated, 'I don't know what your purpose is, but if you are my enemy I will not show you any leniency. If you have the courage, face me directly, as either friend or foe, and we'll see where each of us stands. I will arrive at that area within ten minutes if you haven't fled before then.' As the distance was only a few kilometers away, Vahn could cover it in less than a minute even without the use of [Shundo]. However, after just three minutes passed, Vahn felt another ping pass through his mind that made him frown deeply.This almost guaranteed that they were his enemy and showed that they had no intention of facing him directly at all. Vahn disliked schemers greatly and this caused him to feel greater animosity for them. At least he was able to confirm a few of his speculations, assuming they weren't trying to deceive him, so Vahn wasn't entirely dissatisfied with this development. He now knew they had a way to 'see' within even the safe areas, at least around Rivira, but it didn't seem like they had detected him when he was in stealth. Even now, Vahn could sense that all of his formations were still active and this meant that they either didn't care if he knew when they were entering and exiting their pathways, or they were simply unaware of it.Since the person that read the letter obviously didn't have any intention of confronting him directly, Vahn stroked the back of Fenrir's hair to calm her down and slowly allowed himself to fall asleep. They would be returning to the surface in the morning and Vahn wanted to put the matter behind him for the time being since it wouldn't benefit any of them to worry about 'cowards'. Now that he had reached Level 4, Vahn's confidence had greatly increased and the only people he could see himself losing against were the more powerful Level 5's, like Ais, and a few Level 6's. Other than that, the only opponent he somewhat dreaded fighting against was Ottar, because Vahn's instincts told him he wouldn't be able to withstand a single serious blow from the man known as the 'King'...Early the next morning, Vahn awoke with everyone else in the expedition as they prepared for the final leg of their journey. They could have easily returned to Orario the previous evening, but they still needed to exchange items with Rivira and it was already late by the time they had finished. Since climbing seventeen flights of stairs with carts wasn't something anyone looked forward to, they didn't mind waiting for one more night before returning to the surface. Once they reached the surface, they would have a two-week period where they weren't required to enter the Dungeon at all. People were already making plans for how they planned to spend their vacation while talking about what they intended to buy. Expeditions were very profitable for everyone involved and most of the combatants would be walking away with small bonuses that typically exceeded one-million Valis. Even the Supporters would make several-hundred-thousand Valis while the remaining amount would go to the Loki Familia's treasury to purchase the necessary supplies for the next expedition.Even Vahn was planning to have the girls take a decently long break so they could familiarize themselves with their new capabilities and advance their training. Now that they would all be Level 3, or higher, they would have a lot more freedom to move about the City in the future. Though they would still need an escort, while also reporting their intended destinations, it was still good for them to be able to move about more freely in the future. Thus far, Haruhime hadn't really explored the City much and had only ever gone out in large groups. Now, there were few Adventurers below Level 5 that would even be able to hurt her unless they took her by surprise.Though she might cause a bit of a commotion, as she had become increasingly beautiful with the development of her Innate ability, it was a good chance to spread awareness of her existence to other people. The Guild would undoubtedly spread the information of their achievements, but having some public exposure would be beneficial for both the girls and the Familia. Vahn expected he would have to accompany them during the occasion, but his schedule had opened up a fair amount for the foreseeable future.Until the orb awakened, Vahn would be holed up inside the Manor working on his research and the only times he planned to leave were during future expeditions and to accompany the girls when they went out. He wanted to complete the prototypes for the girls' armor, research a few of the things he had taken an interest in, and also develop his own network since his 'clubhouse' should be finished by now. The most important thing on his schedule though, other than spending some time with the girls that had patiently awaited their return, was to leave the City and name the Green Dragon that had been safely stowed away in his Inventory...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Don't mess with Vahn's girls (O,...,O)','Cowards','Slumbering Dragon')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 492: Peace