Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Fenrir had only taken around forty seconds to kill several hundred monsters before 'blinking' to Vahn's side, landing in his lap with a happy smile on her face. Vahn immediately began playing with her ears as he said, "Great job, Fenrir...I really am so proud of you..." before giving her a kiss on the forehead. Fenrir, understanding what was about to happen, then hopped out of Vahn's lap and gave a cheeky smile to Asfi before fixing her attention to her Master. Asfi stared blankly for a few seconds before doing much the same, which seemed to be the trend since the vast majority of the Expedition was looking towards them right now.It was 'very' quiet amongst the members of the convoy and it only seemed to be getting quieter as the surrounding temperature continued to drop as a result of Fenrir's attacks. Vahn stood up with a smile on his face and changed the density of his aura to allow sound to transmit further as he said, "Sorry for any inconveniences my companion has caused, Finn...allow me to clean up." Though Fenrir wasn't in the wrong, especially since she was following his orders, Vahn needed to play his own part so he apologized to the Commander and waited for Finn to nod before taking action himself. At this point, all the enemies were dead and there were several large areas that had been completely frozen over as a result of Fenrir's display.In front of everyone's eyes, Vahn did something he had wanted to do for a very very long time and slowly began to float, stunning the crowd below as he levitated into the air. One of the unnamed magic he had put the most effort into was learning how to levitate using psychokinesis because Vahn truly wanted to be able to fly through the sky on his own. By changing the flow of air around his body, he would even be able to move at very high speeds and, once he learned [Koku Shundo], Vahn would be able to dominate the skies if he wanted to. Unfortunately, the ceiling was only around 40m high in this section of the Dungeon and it was almost entirely comprised of wood, meaning it was very dangerous to show off his Zhūquè form, at least for now. Instead, he did something that truly awed everyone and had even stunned Eva the first time he pulled it off...Since ritual spells and wards were the most powerful, meaning those that were formed as permanant constructs instead of simple magic circles, Vahn came up with the idea of creating a semi-permanant ward using his own elemental manipulation. With his ability to form nearly perfect images within his mind, Vahn pulled the reference for one of the wards he had created, causing a flaming magic circle to appear behind him, condensed of pure flame elemental energy. To everyone else, he looked like a stoic young man with a calm expression who floated about 20m above the convoy with an 8m magic circle hovering behind his body...Vahn smiled as nine small magic circles bordered the perimeter of his ward and began revolving around it at a slow speed, each one forming the ward for [Sagitta Magica], an elementary level spell that allowed people to create homing bolts of elemental energy. Since Vahn was using his own eternal flame as his foundation, the nine circles produced bolts of fire that began raining down on the frozen areas of the Dungeon without actually contacting anything. Instead, the beams swirled around and began melting all of the ice before doubling back towards Vahn, feeding into the magic circle behind his body, making the next volley even more powerful. The best part of all of this was, other than the source energy used to 'guide' the magic and maintain his 'flight', the entire spell cost him next to nothing since it was almost entirely comprised of external elemental energy.Everyone watched Vahn's 'performance', completely in awe without being able to mutter a single word. The only exceptions to this were those that prided themselves on their magic and the few girls that lived within the Hearth Manor. Those in the Mage squad had almost reverential looks on their faces because Vahn's magic was something they each aspired towards. As for the girls from the Hearth Manor, they were looking forward to being able to learn such magic for themselves, with the two most exuberant girls being Tiona and Lefiya. While everyone else was staring, almost slack-jawed in their appearance, Tiona was literally vaulting around and cheering, shouting, "That's so cool, Vahn! Teach me how to fly later~! Ahahahahahaha!"Seemingly requiring no effort to sustain his display, Vahn turned his attention away from his own magic and smiled to Tiona as he said, "If I'm not wrong, you should be able to fly if you use that wand I gave you. There was an aura around your body that was similar to Terra's when she uses flight magic..." Hearing Vahn's words, Tiona's eyes began burning with an excited light, though Vahn suspected it might just be the reflection of his magic circle. She pulled out the wand and surprised everyone when the magical light shone so suddenly in their midst. Once again, the bubble that distorted time emerged from Tiona's body and she began the process of transforming for Vahn's eyes only.When the magic light faded, Tiona once again struck a pose while standing atop the cart and shouted, "Magical girl, Tiona-chan has appeared~!" He wasn't sure why her address had changed from 'Mirakurun', but Vahn didn't really care since he preferred Tiona's real name. There was also the fact that she looked very cute in her current form, as mint-green hair strangely complimented brown skin when the rest of her outfit was very vibrant. He didn't get too much time to admire her, however, when Tiona 'vaulted' towards him happily and tackled him in the sky at a velocity easily exceeding the speed of sound if the shockwave was any indicator.Presently, there were two tiny angel-like wings around Tiona's lower back, not comprised of feathers but more of a 'bubbly' magical energy. They even looked almost cartoonish in design, though it didn't seem to interfere with their ability to allow Tiona flight. She was laughing happily before 'stealing' Vahn's lips without any care about the shocked crowd below. Suddenly, Tione jumped up on a cart of her own and shouted, "Hey, that isn't fair at all!" with a huge angry tick mark near her temples where the vein was bulging angrily. When Tiona finally released him, Vahn just chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I'll help you learn to fly once we reach the 39th Floor, Tione." Most people present felt something in their stomach sink when they heard how casually Vahn mentioned teaching such an incredible magic like 'flight'...Tione pumped her fist triumphantly and said, "Yosh, don't forget! And Tiona, get down here you gorilla girl! You're ruining Vahn's moment to show off!" Vahn nearly fell out of the sky when he heard Tione's words but had fortunately been supported by Tiona since she was still clinging to him. He gave her a wry smile as she laughed in a cheeky manner and let him regain his footing before flying off. She didn't, however, return to the ground and instead began flying around in circles above the convoy, clearly pleased by the ability to fly. As for Vahn, he was just shocked by how quickly Tiona adapted to it since she almost seemed like a 'natural' at manipulating mana, even though she had gone her entire life without it. Yes, she was able to naturally make use of Magic items in a similar manner, but Vahn hadn't expected it to apply to complex magic like flight. Even he could barely levitate, and that was after practicing it for several hours within the orb...Tiona's laughter caused the somewhat tense atmosphere to quickly mellow out as Finn shook his head in an exasperated manner before giving the order to move out once again. He had also realized Vahn was trying to show off and didn't mind letting him do so since they were still in the relatively safe 19th Floor. Seeing the young boy get embarrassed by Tiona made him want to laugh but he managed to hold it in until one of the girls next to him, a young Pallum by the name of Milli asked, "Finn-sama...is that really the Sage Aldrnari? I didn't expect him to be so...youthful?" One of the reasons Finn had 'recruited' Milli was because she was very mature for her age and was very receptive to his teachings. Seeing the 'incredulous' look on her face, Finn couldn't help but laugh as he 'mimicked' Vahn's action of petting a girls head and said, "He is rather young, after all~."After clearing out all the ice, Vahn descended next to Asfi and began pampering Fenrir a bit while the intelligent young woman just eyed him like he was an incomprehensible existence. Like most of the stronger people present, Asfi understood Vahn was showing off but she could tell there was far more to the display than what was gleaned from the surface. Though it could be her pride talking, Asfi felt like Vahn was trying to 'tease' her because of his words before taking action, even having Fenrir set the stage for him. It was almost like he was saying, 'We are all strong, and will continue to get stronger. Choose carefully which side you want to stand on..."Asfi knew Vahn was very protective of all the girls within the Hearth Manor and it felt like he was warning her to properly consider her actions. He didn't seem to mind the fact she was 'spying' on them, but Asfi could tell he would probably take immediate action if she actually endangered the people he cared about. Though the Hermes Familia wasn't at odds with the Hestia Familia, and likely never would be, it wasn't unheard of for their Familia to take advantage of their connections, sometimes causing conflict since they pandered to 'both' sides. They followed a principle of neutrality so she had been very surprised when Hermes originally agreed to join the Alliance, as it would make some of their missions become contentious by association with the Alliance...Seeing that Vahn's eyes had taken on that eerie blue color once again, Asfi found herself shuddering slightly as she muttered, "Believe me, Vahn...I-" Before Asfi was able to finish her words, Fenrir 'snapped' towards her, causing the words on her lips to be swallowed into the pit of her stomach as Fenrir said, "Fenrir advises you to choose your words carefully and only make promises you're willing to 'swear' by. If you say such words and 'betray' them later, that will not end well for you..." As she spoke, Fenrir's eyes glowed with a 'dreadful' red light that made Asfi avert her own and remain quiet. She was beginning to think this mission had been a mistake and wanted to beat Hermes for even having her approach such a 'difficult' target.Vahn hugged Fenrir tightly to his chest, pulling her eyes away from Asfi as he said, "Asfi, I'm certain you have your reasons for each action you take and I can tell you are a good person. If you need my help in the future, simply ask and I will do my best since we are already allies. However, don't expect me to make concessions and allow my loved ones to be exposed to danger just to suit the needs of others. If your god intends to exploit my Familia in the future, please advise him to reconsider as I'll not hesitate to 'force' a compromise if necessary..." Vahn had no semblance of a threat in his voice at all and it made Asfi feel even more unnerved because of how 'casual' he was speaking. It felt like he was saying something that was 'common sense', even though it could potentially lead to the abolishment of an entire Familia in the future...While still looking towards the front, Asfi slowly nodded her head and said, "I will tell him..." in a quiet monotone. She was beginning to understand what kind of person Vahn was and knew he wasn't really a danger unless the people he cared about were provoked. Because of his own strength, he probably wouldn't care at all if you tried to do anything to him but, from the moment you began to maneuver and exploit the people he cared about, you likely signed your own death warrant. This meant he could be a very powerful ally, especially if you could earn his friendship, but also implied that he was 'impossible' to exploit since he didn't seem to be the type to let such matters lay. Remembering that he said she could ask him for help, Asfi calmed down but kept silent, simply observing things without trying to seem invasive...Though the 2nd Party was still leading the vanguard, Tiona was also raining down magic from above so the progress of the Expedition was going smoothly. They weren't escorting a bunch of heavy carts this time around so they were able to reach the Great Falls on the 25th Floor after just six hours of travel. This was usually one of the most difficult parts of the entire journey but Vahn's detection, Fenrir's 'ice magic', and the relatively small amount of cargo made the trip go quickly. Fenrir shared Vahn's perception through their bond but it didn't actually matter that much since she simply froze over every lake they came across. What would have taken Riveria a large amount of mana to pull off, Fenrir was able to do just by being 'near' the water. Since many in the Expedition had seen Riveria perform similar feats, as they were also in the same Familia, they understood well that Fenrir was actually 'much' stronger than the woman they believed to be the most prodigious Mage in the City...The Main Party, led by Finn, actually didn't have much to do since Tiona and Lefiya were destroying all the aerial enemies while everything in the water was frozen solid by Fenrir. It was almost 'scary' how fast they were progressing and Finn felt like there was a deep chill in his body, not brought about by Fenrir's ice magic. The strength of the Hestia Familia was quickly beginning to open up a gap with every other Familia and Finn didn't have the confidence to be able to defeat Fenrir anymore. Though he could track her movements somewhat, she was far more agile than he had any confidence to cope with and he already knew her claws could even cut through Adamantine as if it were paper. It had only been a few months since the last time he saw her so the 'drastic' increase in her strength was absolutely terrifying since she would likely grow even stronger in the future...Looking around, Finn saw that Ais, Tione, Lefiya, Haruhime, and Mikoto didn't seem surprised, or even awed, by how strong Fenrir had become. This made Finn feel somewhat numb and he recalled Vahn promising to teach Tione how to fly later, meaning they would likely become much stronger as well. His position as Captain suddenly felt far less secure and he somewhat lamented the fact he had ever butted heads with Vahn in the past. Given how things were developing, the strength of the Hestia Familia would quickly exceed that of the Loki Familia and they would lose their Rank 1 spot very quickly. Though his own members would certainly become stronger, it wouldn't be a secret where they obtained such capabilities and Vahn would quickly become the focal point, not just of the City, but for the entire world when they saw what he can do...Watching Fenrir turn into a midnight blue blur and smash into a Crystal Turtle, causing its shell to collapse and instantly killing the monster, Finn suddenly felt his throat become very dry. He recalled that Vahn actually intended to open up a school in the future and, even though it didn't seem like such a big deal in the past, Finn realized that he probably intended to teach some of what he knew to the children there. His dull eyes began to glimmer until the vitality deep within had completely returned, causing him to look towards his three Pallum companions with his characteristically amicable smile. All three girls flushed and began to fidget when he smiled towards them, making Finn feel especially pleased as a thought crossed his mind.Finn remembered that Vahn was the one talking about nurturing the future and encouraging him to groom suitable women instead of trying to 'steal' them from others. Though he didn't put too much extra thought into it at the time, Finn was starting to believe that Vahn knew he would 'fail' in his own ambitions and had guided him onto a subtly different path that actually had a much greater result. He had always been focused on producing an heir for the Pallum people and now it seemed like an especially 'prudent' time to do so since he could likely have them educated at the school Vahn was building. Combined with his own training, Finn believed his children would certainly rise to the challenge and potentially even exceed his own capabilities, not in their later years, but in their formative ones...just imagining his children being stronger than him in their early teens made Finn nearly burst out laughing.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I believe I can fly~!','Vahn fails to show off again xD','Finn Begins Thinking About The Future')https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though it wasn't impossible to reach the 30th Floor within a single day, starting from the 18th, it was unheard of for an entire Expedition to make the treck in eleven hours. With their reduced burden, Fenrir clearing most 'hazards', and Vahn stimulating everyone so they wouldn't get tired, the Expedition had easily set an almost unbreakable record. There was also the fact that Vahn adamantly refused to miss the timing for using the orb but also had a few misgivings about 'blanking' for a few seconds in reality. When people could move at several times the speed of sound in bursts, Vahn knew that a small 'gap' could lead to devastating consequences, even with Fenrir protecting him.Fortunately, Finn seemed to be in high spirits and quickly lead everyone in the establishment of their encampment while Vahn sat high atop a stone with Fenrir, Haruhime, Mikoto, and Asfi sitting around him. Ensuring that everything was going well beforehand, Vahn closed his eyes casually while the girls protected his body and submerged his mind into the orb. He had been looking forward to the possibility of meeting his own child so hadn't even been a single second late in his timing. With a fair amount of giddiness in his stomach, Vahn embraced the darkness and the familiar tugging sensation before finding himself sitting on a bed a moment later.From the moment his awareness had returned, Vahn could hear playful laughter coming from Eva as she said, "Ufufufu, I told you he would be on time. I think this is the most 'exact' timing he has ever had before...I'm rather jealous." Immediately after, a second source of laughter reached his ears as Terra mused, "Ara ara, Eva, I'm certain you can get my Master to pamper you plentily if you're feeling lonely~." Eva giggled this time and was already in Vahn's lap as she matched his gaze and said, "Yes, I believe you're right~." before playfully licking his bottom lip...Nearly two hours later, Vahn was covered in a light layer of sweat as he held the naked Eva in his lap and they started the discussion that had previously been on his mind. Terra was also naked, after having participated in their reunion, and laid across the bed with a healthy blush on her face as she explained, "After hibernating for 120 days, I ended up laying a fertilized egg...thank you, Master..." Though she had thanked him several times in the past, Vahn felt a great deal of emotions behind Terra's words so he firmly nodded his head and said, "Please, it was my honor, Terra..." This caused the tip of Terra's tail to begin tapping against the best as lovingly looked at her Master and lover with a depth of emotions she hadn't thought possible in the past.Rising up so she could sit properly, Terra moved a length of her vibrant green hair behind her pointy ears as she said, "Well, to answer the question I'm certain you have, the egg has yet to hatch. Eva and I speculated it would take around 600 days before it was ready, but it also requires a catalyst to awaken it. Don't worry, there are no dangers at all in leaving the egg unhatched and it can 'theoretically' last for thousands of years without any issue..." Terra turned her eyes toward Eva as she spoke, who then continued, "Indeed, it isn't unheard of for the eggs of a True Dragon to lay dormant for millennia and we already know what kind of catalysts are required, if that was your next question." Eva began laughing when she saw Vahn's mouth open for a moment, only to close in the next when she correctly guessed his question.Eva flicked her hand and pulled out texts since she knew Vahn could analyze things put into his own spatial dimension. Vahn accepted the document as Eva explained, "Though it would have been possible to awaken the egg within the orb, we were worried you may not be able to take it out with you since you can't easily store organic objects. Terra speculated that, though it would likely have a 'core' near its heart, it may not be a traditional core. There was also the possibility you would have inhibitions about subordinating your own child and would miss a large part of its formative years..." At this point, Terra also added, "Indeed...though I also wanted to take the girls at the Manor into consideration. It's been...a long time since I've seen then...but I know they are very important to you and it wouldn't be 'fair' if I stole the spot away from the people closest to your heart."Vahn felt his heart twinge a bit at Terra's words, but she just began to laugh before licking her index finger in a playful manner and saying, "Don't worry, Master, I'm already very happy you were willing to bless me with a child in the first place. Knowing that you were looking forward to meeting them also made me very happy...though, I won't stop you from making it up to me later if you're feeling guilty~." At the end of her words, Terra licked her lips with a 'hungry' look in her eyes that made Eva comment, "You really are a Lewd Dragon..." Terra froze momentarily before they both began laughing at the same time, seemingly sharing an inside joke between each other.Seeing how close the two had become, Vahn released a small sigh before smiling as he said, "I'm glad you two have become so close. Every time I leave, I always feel very guilty and I can never truly express my gratitude to either of you..." Vahn hugged Eva's small body and kissed the top of her head, wanting her to know how much he appreciated all the sacrifices she had made for him. Truly, she had no obligation to have done any of this and had even gone far beyond the original purpose she had been given when created. Eva simply responded by tilting her head up with a loving smile on her face before giving him another kiss, which quickly turned into a continuation of their reunion a few minutes later...This his three-day stint within the orb, Vahn continued studying magic with Eva but not before he actually got to see the egg that contained his child. When he first laid eyes on it, Vahn had been completely stunned until Terra explained that the egg actually grew in size 'after' she had laid it. It was currently more than 30cm in diameter and 40cm in length so Vahn had shuddered to imagine how Terra had been able to force out such a thing. After that small concern was dealt with, however, Vahn ended up cradling the strangely inert egg in his hands as Eva continued to explain what he needed to consider before helping it hatch.True Dragons, especially those that had assumed a gender, had the intrinsic ability to breed with any living organism. The genes were typically stronger in the males, but it wasn't that uncommon for a female True Dragon to breed with powerful mates in order to produce strong offspring. Like some of the other more 'primordial' species, they had very powerful instincts when it came to breeding and this was the reason why Terra had suffered so much after her instincts were triggered. For females, this involved giving birth to powerful children and protecting them until the time of their birth, typically with the 'purpose' of exceeding the strength of their mate. As for the males, they would usually create a 'nest' and actually stockpiled eggs over a long period of time until they were nearing their old age, which could take tens of thousands of years, on the low end. They would then allow their 'brood' to be born and fight amongst themselves until only a single one remained, which would become the successor 'Dragon King or Queen'.Terra was a unique entity so, while she felt the urge to breed after Vahn nearly turned into the Azure Dragon, she had no desire to see their child grow beyond and usurp him. The fact that Vahn was immortal seemed to have an effect on this instinct and she actually stopped producing eggs entirely, at least for the time being. The more important factor to consider, for the moment, was how the eggs themselves functioned and what it took to awaken them. As was mentioned previously, the internal gestation period was around 120 days whereas the external maturation took a minimum of 600. Once the egg reached this size, a catalyst was necessary to 'awaken' the power within the egg and this would determine what kind of affinity the True Dragon would have.When the egg was first produced, it was a melding of the energies between the two parents and actually had nothing to do with biology, at least in a conventional sense. This meant that the offspring between Terra and Vahn had no blood relation to them whatsoever, not that Vahn really cared for such things as he still intended to treat it as his child. Instincts, though powerful, weren't something that couldn't be overcome and Vahn was confident their child would grow up to be a unique existence that wasn't bound by such things. Thus, after discussing things between the three of them, it was decided that Eva would use a magic known as [Glaciem Aeterna Positumque Loculum], meaning Eternal Ice Coffin, to seal the egg so Vahn could safely put it into his Inventory.[Glaciem Aeterna Positumque Loculum] was an 'ultimate' magic that was an amalgamation of Space, Time, and Ice elemental energies. When Eva cast it, she actually had to suck Vahn's blood for nearly two hours since the number of 'cores' she had formed reached 15, which was her absolute peak. This caused a small prism to enshroud the orb, reflecting a beautiful rainbow light and completely sealing the egg away, isolating it from both time and space. Though it was also an Ice magic, there was far more to Ice Laws than what Vahn currently understood and it didn't even feel cold to the touch. After confirming it was now possible to store it away in his Inventory, Eva and Terra were both very happy and made a comment about, instead of it just being a child between Terra and Vahn, it was now something shared between the three of them.The reason why Eva had used such a powerful magic was because this would guarantee that the resultant True Dragon would have affinities related to Space, Time, and Ice. Terra didn't really mind what affinities it had and strangely didn't feel much attachment towards the egg until she noticed Vahn cared about it. Afterward, she had cradled it lovingly and had even mumbled words to it when Vahn was training with Eva. This warmed Vahn's heart and he hoped she would be a good mother since she was already an incredible woman with a gentle disposition and an awe-inspiring intellect. Though it wouldn't have the benefit of training with Eva, Vahn believed their child would still become very powerful under the guidance of Terra, who had already said she had no intentions of sharing her skills under normal circumstances...Though Eva's magic was serving as the basic catalyst, the final phase to guarantee their child had the greatest possible potential included Vahn spilling his own blood over the egg. This would be what eventually awakens it in the future and was also the ceremony the previous generations Dragon King would use when they only had a sole heir. To ensure that the brood would become powerful from birth, the aged male would strike its own heart and allow the True Dragon's Blood Essence to completely cover the egg, allowing it to at least have the same potential as the father. Since Vahn's blood was already enigmatic to the point that it 'bothered' Eva a bit, they believed it would be very beneficial, which Vahn agreed to without argument.When their child was born, it would have elemental affinities bestowed to it by a peak Tier 5 being while also bathing Vahn's own unique blood. This would make it a very dangerous entity if it went down a dark path, but Vahn couldn't help but believe the child shared between the three of them would be a kind and gentle soul. Eva, though she was a bit 'icy' at times, was actually a very gentle girl who had been warped by her loneliness and the persecution she had faced. Vahn was much the same, though his own tragic origins were somewhat different than her's and could hardly be compared if set side-by-side. As for Terra, she was a pacifist by nature and had a calming aura that could sooth the hearts and souls of others. Vahn refused to believe the child between the three of them would truly be 'dangerous', at least in the sense that it would outright attack others...Other than dealing with the egg, Vahn continued his practice with [Pactio], getting to the point where he could form the circle within eight seconds, pushing his mastery to B-Rank. Eva informed him that he could get it down to three seconds with practice but advised against creating it any faster since it could potentially destabilize the structure if it didn't have enough time to process its own form. This would likely push the magic to S-Rank, which was the 'peak' of most things within the world he was using it in, though SS-Rank wasn't that difficult to achieve as breaking through the limit wasn't impossible if you were determined.Vahn's [Pactio] practice was only conducted during their breaks, however, so the vast majority of his time was spent forming other wards, practicing his flight magic, and trying to learn [Koku Shundo]. He could actually 'emulate' it well enough but had yet to form it into a skill just yet since his ability to establish the two points wasn't up to snuff. Eva wanted him to increase his [Shundo] to A-Rank, so she had him dodge around using nothing but [Shundo] while barraging him with [Sagitta Magica] bolts. Vahn's own limit was nine at a time but Eva didn't actually seem to have one, nor did she even bother chanting, as hundreds chased after him.Eva had completely forbidden him from using his [Rakshasa Body] within the orb during training and she 'awarded' his assent by making sure her own attacks were 'gentle'. Though he would constantly get hit by the supersonic beams of magic, they strangely felt like light pushes that only left a bit of icy condensation instead of massive impacts. With his [Heart of the Eternal Flame], he was easily able to resist the cold but Eva would always 'punish' him after the fact for each bolt that hit him. He didn't miss the fact that she would always increase the accuracy of her attacks towards the end of their training session but didn't have the 'courage' to tease her for it when she was already in the mood to 'punish' him.By the end of the third day, as he sat lazily stroking Terra's and Eva's naked bodies, Vahn checked his own growth and was happy to see that he had [Koku Shundo:I] within his Status Board. It was just barely passable, which Eva had pointed out to him already, but was still enough to allow him to completely change his combat style. As there were still 23 more instances, at the very least, for him to enter the orb, Vahn knew he would become much stronger. Feeling that his body was beginning to 'tug', Vahn shared a passionate kiss with the two girls before saying, "I will return as soon as I can. I love both of you..." as his body slowly turned to dust. As his own thoughts began to fade away, Vahn showed a small smile because his own status wasn't the only thing he had observed over the last few minutes...----------------------------------------------------------------------[[STATUS]]Name: Terra EvergreenRace: True DragonLV. 10(-)POW: A806END: SSS1905DEX: SSS3117AGI: C618MAG: SSS(-)Skill: [Avatar of the Earth:B], [Guardian of Nature:C], [Healing Sap:B-&gt;A], [Aroma Therapy:S], [Chant Shortening:C-&gt;B], [Activation Key:A-S], [True Dragon's Roar:C], [Nature's Touch:B](new)Magic: [Cantus Bellax:B-&gt;A], [Reflexio:S], [Evocatio:A], [Shundo:D], [Koku Shundo:H], [Void Transference:B-&gt;S], [Sagitta Magica:S-&gt;SS], [Pnoē Petrās:S], [Kakon Omma Petrōseōs:C-&gt;A], [Circulus Pilorum Nigrorum:F-&gt;C], [Ho Monolithos Kiōn Tou Haidou:H-&gt;E], [Columnae Caeli:H](new)Development Skill: [Pacifism:B], [Arch Mage:H-&gt;G], [Well of Spirit:H](new), [Summoner:D-&gt;B][Nature's Touch]Rank: BUse: Causes natural energy to gather on the point of contact, greatly accelerating plant growth in the area. Active Trigger.[Columnae Caeli]Rank: H (Forbidden)Use: Creates an isolated space using space and earth elemental energy, forcibly accelerating time within the targeted area.Chant: Gaze into Eternity. See the Passage of History before thine eyes. Let nature reclaim all things in its motherly embrace. Pillar of Eternity, Gaea's Grace, Heaven's Pillar~!----------------------------------------------------------------------(A/N: Alternate Title: Do Not Fuck With Mother Nature)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

As the leader of the Expedition, Vahn had to help make sure everything was running smoothly so he left the tent with Fenrir and watched over the mobilization process alongside Finn and Gareth. They exchanged a few pleasantries before Finn began to explain any details that might have changed. During this time, Vahn was inspecting the convoy and scanning over everything with his [Eyes of Truth] since his intuition told him things wouldn't be so simple after Fels' warning. Catching sight of a few people with greyish, even black, auras, Vahn turned to Finn and asked, who are they?Finn followed Vahn's line of sight and saw the people he had pointed out, responding, "They are part of the construction team, I believe...?" Even as he spoke, Finn had already realized there might be something wrong because Vahn had a serious and contemplative expression. Presently, Vahn was considering if they should leave them behind or if he simply needed to pay attention to them during the Expedition. The strongest amongst them was only Level 2 and they didn't pose a threat to almost anyone in the Expedition other than some of the other workers. They were most likely associated with a gang or a criminal Familia and simply wanted to get a foothold in the 'settlement' that was being built.Vahn decided to put them to work since he didn't have proof they had done anything wrong, meaning it may negatively impact the morale of the entire Expedition if he acted now. It wouldn't be that difficult to keep each of them within his domain, as he was near the center of the convoy and could envelop the majority of the wagons. If they tried anything, which Vahn couldn't imagine would be possible, he could easily deal with them using [Sagitta Magica]. There was also the simple fact that they were weaker than any other combatant and would quickly earn the ire of anyone they tried to sabotage, likely losing their lives in the process.Turning to Finn, Vahn explained, "Those people, they don't seem to be the most reputable bunch. For now, I'll allow them to accompany the Expedition so we don't compromise the morale of everyone else. Be warned though, as I may have to deal with them if they try anything funny. Also, we'll need to inspect the construction sites properly in the future to make sure criminals don't end up creating any sort of network in what is supposed to a defensive military complex..." Finn now had a very serious expression on his face while Gareth stroked his beard, eyeing all of the people Vahn had indicated previously. Since the Supply Depot was going to be managed by the Loki Familia, with the Alliance's support, it would negatively reflect upon them if criminals ended up taking residence right under their noses.Much like Haven, they were intending to make a few rare materials accessible only at the Supply Depot in order to encourage people to venture further into the Dungeon. Smugglers and Black Market dealers would undoubtedly want to get their hands on such items, regardless of how dangerous the journey might be. As long as they stuck to the larger Expedition parties that moved between the 18th and 39th Floor, they could travel in relative safety and make a veritable fortune off the materials they obtained. This would only encourage other people to do the same and could potentially compromise the defenses of the Supply Depot if they were sneakily trying to build tunnels within the fortification to smuggle the goods outside. With entities like the red-headed woman walking around, tunnel systems could become a problem very quickly.After talking with Finn and Gareth for a short while longer, Finn went off to prepare for the departure while Vahn used [Shundo] to appear where the last tent was, belonging to the Hestia Familia. Haruhime and Mikoto were currently standing with Asfi while the rest of the girls had already taking up their positions in the convoy. Though it earned him a slightly startled look from Asfi, Vahn placed the entire tent into his Inventory as he said, "Sorry for the wait, Asfi. From this point on, you shouldn't wander too far away from me without informing me. I can always have one of the others accompany you if its an 'emergency' situation..." Vahn sent the cool beauty a wink that caused Haruhime to laugh while Asfi herself furrowed her brows slightly, having adapted to the constant teasing by Hermes in the past and understanding Vahn was just joking around. Still, she turned her head slightly and muttered, "How uncouth..." in a voice she knew he could hear.Vahn gave a wry smile before turning to Haruhime and Mikoto, saying, "Haruhime, you'll be near the vanguard units this time around to support them, but I'll be within [Shundo] distance if you're in trouble." Patting Fenrir's head and stroking her fluffy ears, Vahn felt very relaxed as he said, "Fenrir will protect you in my stead, though you always need to remain on alert since she will probably be helping everyone else as well. You're already pretty strong but accidents can happen...so please, take care of yourself and stay close to Lefiya." Haruhime showed a beautiful and confident smile in response, saying, "This is a good opportunity to show that I'm not simply something to be protected, but someone that has grown strong for the sake of following the same path as the man I love~."Haruhime's words earned her a look from both Asfi and Mikoto, with the latter blushing slightly before turning away, hands tightly gripping her katana. Fenrir just began to laugh in a playful manned before 'thumping' her chest and saying, "Haruhime is a good girl, but Fenrir is the strongest of all~!" This time, Haruhime's eyes snapped to Fenrir and seemed to be 'evaluating' the small Vanargandr with a curious glint in her eyes. Fenrir felt her hair raise a bit because she realized her 'play' may have been seen through after she called Haruhime by name instead of 'Harume'. Because it had been 'years' since she last interacted with the somewhat annoying Renard, Fenrir had completely forgotten how to behave around her since most of her thoughts revolved around her Master.None-the-wiser, Vahn ruffled Fenrir's hair and said, "Okay, we should get in our spots so the Expeditionary party isn't just waiting on us. Asfi, you'll be riding on the same cart with me so expect a few curious looks and some rumors to begin flying around later." Even without explaining things in detail, Vahn knew Asfi understood what he was saying and it was very likely she had already taken such matters into consideration. Vahn was 'famous' for how many girls were around him so there was no way people wouldn't begin to associate her with him after he starts protecting her. She also slept in the so-called 'Harem Tent' so there were bound to be misunderstandings, which was likely part of Hermes' plan from the beginning. Thus, after earning a small nod from Asfi, Vahn went to his cart and sat down with Fenrir while Asfi sat to his right, with an appropriate amount of distance between them.As expected, Asfi immediately earned the attention of a large number of people because she was one of three people sitting on a cart while everyone else was walking. Since she was already famous, it didn't take long for people to identify her and rumors had started flying even before the convoy began its march into the Dungeon's depths. For the most part, Asfi tolerated it well and simply kept her eyes closed while sitting with a straightened back, seemingly unconcerned with what others were saying. If not for the fact that her aura was burning like a wispy flame, showing that she felt very nervous and embarrassed, even Vahn would be fooled by her near-perfect display of etiquette.Soon after the convoy entered the 19th Floor, Vahn began infusing two types of energy into his domain, one intended to revitalize the body while the other was supposed to help people remain calm and focused. He had already used this same 'technique' on the first 17 Floors so everyone was in high spirits when they felt the energy entering the bodies once again, even earning him a small hurrah from some of the closer groups. Asfi opened her eyes to look around at the atmosphere, even tracing her hands through it as if it was something tangible she could touch. Vahn could see there was a small magical glimmer from her glasses and wondered if they also helped her see and analyze 'mana' since that was typically only something those of Elven descendant were privy to.It was around this time that the combat began in earnest so Vahn decided not to bother Asfi by observing her so closely and instead turned his attention to the rest of the Expedition. Presently, the 2nd Party, commanded by Raul, was heading the vanguard so Vahn could see Mikoto putting on a display of her swordsmanship for one of the first times. She didn't break away from her spot in the formation, though her skill was based almost entirely on speed, but instead used her footwork to avoid monsters by a hair's breadth before cutting through them with such swiftness the path of her blade couldn't even be seen, by most people. This earned her some awed looks from Cruz and Alicia, the Weretiger and Elf that were in the 2nd Party, while Raul seemed outright gobsmacked.As Asfi was also watching the fight, she commented, "It seems everyone in the Hestia Familia isn't simple..." Vahn began laughing, surprising Asfi a little because he wasn't acting like the boy that could see through anything the previous night. He seemed almost 'lackadaisical' now, almost as if he was expecting something to happen but wasn't perturbed by it in the slightest. Catching her look, Vahn sent Asfi another wink before scratching the base of Fenrir's ears and saying, "Go show our new friend how amazing you are, and everyone else for that matter~." Fenrir had leaned into him while getting her ears stroked, rubbing her face against his side before nodding with an 'Nn' sound and disappearing from sight.Asfi's eyes widened the moment Fenrir disappeared because that was a technique Vahn was becoming famous for, which hadn't existed previously. If he was 'teaching' it to other people, and they were actually able to learn it, the Hestia Familia would quickly become an almost unstoppable force. When she heard a loud explosion, causing her head to snap towards the source, Asfi couldn't help but swallow dryly when she saw an entire section of the Dungeon had become frozen and she couldn't even see any sign of Fenrir at all. A second, and third, explosion sounded on the opposite side of the convoy and the entire surrounding area was quickly becoming a frozen wasteland as Fenrir's body 'blurred' beyond the perception of almost everyone present.Finn had been paying close attention to the vanguard and he almost gave the orders to form the defensive line when he heard the first explosion. Once he realized what was happening, however, Finn was just as awed as everyone else as he and Gareth watched Fenrir completely annihilate her enemies effortlessly. It was very obvious she was showing off, but the sheer power of her attacks and the almost 'impossible' speed she was displaying caused the entire convoy to slow to a crawl. After a few seconds, not minutes, the only place with monsters still alive was near the front of the convoy. Fenrir had also sealed off the other pathways in the Dungeon with massive blocks of ice so there was no chance of monster reinforcement unless they spawned from the walls, which would easily be dealt with unless it was a Monster Party...Though the entire Expedition was surprised by Fenrir's display, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Haruhime, Lefiya, and Mikoto all watched with excited expressions on their faces. They had just been talking about learning magic the previous night and now they got a display of 'real' magic for the first time, which even the physical combatants on their team were supposedly capable of using. Vahn had already told each of them their elemental affinities and they knew, as long as they trained hard, it wouldn't be impossible to put on a similar performance as Fenrir. The fact that she was hard to keep track of, even for Ais, Tiona, and Tione, made them giddy with expectation, especially Tiona, who had jumped up to the top of a cart and began cheering for Fenrir.While everyone was marveling at Fenrir's performance, Vahn sent a playful look at Asfi since she had been unable to prevent her mouth from gaping slightly. She immediately returned to her stoic appearance but there was an almost 'terrified' glimmer in her eye as she asked, "How did she become strong so quickly? What kind of...magic...is that?" Hearing Asfi's question, Vahn chuckled before smiling wider and asking, "Aren't those observations you should be making? It wouldn't be any fun if I gave you all the answers, right?" Seeing that Asfi was somewhat taken aback by his words, Vahn relaxed a little before saying, "I will tell you one thing, though...this is only the beginning." Towards the end of his words, Vahn took on a very resolute expression that made Asfi swallow dryly once again...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Black Auras In The Mix','Fenrir is Stronk (O,...,O)~!','Deep Impression')(A/N: I wonder if this chapter will feel very 'short' for some people since I've been typically writing 3-4k words xD. To put things in perspective, this is how long chapters are 'supposed' to be (UwU)~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 637: Subtle