Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With three days passing in the blink of an eye, all Regulars participating in the Seeded Tournament were asked to gather in the waiting rooms of the Coliseum located near the very center of Coliseum City.As could be expected, the Coliseum was a massive fighting arena that was encircled by viewing stands that could easily hold more than a hundred-thousand Regulars with room to spare. Instead of a singular stage, however, there were five circular pillars hovering above frigid, Shinsu-infused, waters.Though it would have made more sense for the event to be drawn out over several days, it was a long-standing tradition that the Seeded Tournament be concluded in a single afternoon. The Test Administrators didn't want passing Regulars to stick around for too long so they had arranged for five matches to take place simultaneously. Ten minutes were allotted for each of these rounds and the victory conditions included: killing your opponent, forcing them to surrender, or knocking them off the platform.Unfortunately for his opponent, Vahn found himself facing down a young man with dark-green hair, pale-purple eyes, and a pale complexion. He was the 32nd Seed among Wave Controllers, as, rather than determine the brackets by random, the Administration pitted the most powerful seeds against the weakest from the very beginning. This was meant to ensure that the finals were fought between the two strongest Regulars in a Position, effectively removing the factor of 'luck' from the equation.Vahn wasn't particularly fond of bullying the weak, so, immediately after the battle began, he simply extended his hand towards the youth. Even gifted Wave Controllers at F-Rank took several seconds to form a single Baang, so, without any suspense whatsoever, his opponent was forced back by an invisible wall of pressure. It took longer for him to hit the water than it did for the actual match so Vahn basically had the full ten minutes to watch the other rounds. Fortunately, Team Wolf Pack was scheduled to participate in practically every round so he would have ample opportunities to witness his Children's growth...---Though her match had already begun, Endorsi started things off with an extended yawn, much to the chagrin of her opponent, a spiky-haired man with a long scar running across his nose. From his perspective, she was demonstrating a complete disregard for him as an opponent, and, while this wasn't exactly wrong, the truth of the matter was that Endorsi was, actually, tired. She hadn't been getting much sleep as of late, so, while she didn't actually take her opponent seriously, she wasn't intentionally looking down on him either.Unaware of Endorsi's nightly antics, her opponent gnashed his teeth in indignation before pointing his Needle towards her and shouting, "I don't know much about the strength of a Princess of Jahad, but you have no right to look down on me! If you don't take this fight seriously...don't blame me for what happens next...!"Hearing her opponent's threat, Endorsi couldn't help but adopt a somewhat disdainful glower as she asked, "Are you an idiot? I am a Princess of Jahad. If I don't have the right to look down on an opponent, who does? Rather than broadcasting your ignorance for all to see, why don't you just attack? Seriously, are you expecting me to give you an invitation or something?"Gritting his teeth even harder, the spiky-haired Regular lurched towards Endorsi with a burst of speed that caused the latter to roll her eyes. He wasn't exactly slow, but, compared to the speeds she was used to dealing with, he might as well be standing still.Showing virtually no effort, Endorsi casually side-stepped the Regular's attempt to stab her in the gut. For a brief moment, she felt a powerful urge to just smash his face in, but, not wanting to do anything that might upset Gandr, she ultimately stepped around behind him before promptly pushing him in the direction of his initial charge with her foot. As a result, he ended up running out of the ring, unable to arrest his momentum before teetering off the edge and falling into the frigid water below.Though her words had no way of reaching the man's ears, that didn't prevent Endorsi from snorting disdainfully as she crossed her arms and groused, "Maybe that'll cool your head. Seriously, taunting a Princess of Jahad in public? Good luck finding people that want to team up with you in the future, you ignorant oaf..."---Seeing Endorsi kick her opponent out of the ring, Gandr couldn't resist issuing a light chuckle as he stood rather cockily with Abby-tan on his shoulder. He had ended up pulling his opponent into his shadow before depositing the unfortunate fellow into the water below. This allowed him to view the matches of Endorsi and Ran without distraction since Vahn and Phae, unsurprisingly, defeated both of their opponents in an instant.Unfortunately, with the weakest seeds being forced to fight against the strongest, things were very one-sided. Even Ran's fight only lasted until he got annoyed by his opponent mocking his height. This resulted in the latter being sent flying out of the arena with a lightning-infused kick, courtesy of Ran.Like many members of the Khun Family, Ran had a natural affinity with Lightning Elemental Energy. Even the physical form of his Shinsu Quality was a Lightning Spear so his speed, reaction time, and damage potential were exceptionally high in spite of the fact he was only twelve-years-old. He also had the 'benefit' of his opponents constantly looking down on him. This allowed him the element of surprise, and, more often than not, allowed him to end most fights in a single blow...---With Ran's fight taking the longest, the first round of the Seeded Tournament concluded after a mere 53 seconds had passed. This left many of the spectators feeling a little dissatisfied, as it was always more interesting to see drawn out and flashy battles, but there wasn't really anything they could do other than wait for some exciting action in the finals.Fortunately, so long as a member of Team Wolf Pack wasn't competing, the other battles were still pretty exciting. There were even a few close fights where the lower-seeded Regular managed to come out ahead of their opponent. These were the most exciting battles for spectating Regulars as it was a chance for them to make a profit and see an underdog come out on top. Everyone liked to see the strong succumb to the weak as it allowed them to believe they, themselves, might be able to overcome adversity and achieve greatness...---Though he was lucky to have dodged a bullet by managing to avoid being pitted against any other members of Team Wolf Pack, Shibisu was still struggling quite a bit against the 6th Seed amongst Scouts. His opponent was a short and squat woman that gave off the impression of a bee thanks to her Needle and Observers emulating the bulbous stingers of a honeybee. She had luminous blue-grey hair, a thick fur coat that included a puffy fur collar, and, most troubling of all, bee-like wings that allowed her to fly around at extreme speeds.Opponents that could fly were always extremely troublesome, and, if not for his Observers having an autonomous defense mode, Shibisu wouldn't be able to offer any resistance against the rather fierce female warrior. To make matters even worse, she had an extremely high Shinsu Resistance, so, even when he did manage to land a blow, the most he accomplished was angering her even further.Refusing to be the only person on his team that was eliminated in the first round, Shibisu traded in his rifle for a shotgun, beads of sweat appearing on his brow as he advised, "You're extremely fast and tough, I'll give you that. Unfortunately, it won't be enough to allow you to take a hit from this weapon. You've already lost your Observers, Vespa...I suggest you quit before you sustain an injury that will interfere with your climb up the Tower..."While continuing to evade the automatic fire from Shibisu's three Observers, his opponent, Vespa, adopted a potent glower as she rebutted, "Rude human. Do you really think you can defeat me? Without your annoying gadgets and that stupid cloak, this match would have already been over."Though it was a little embarrassing to admit, Shibisu couldn't actually refute Vespa's words. She had actually managed to stab him with her poison-coated Needle pretty early in the fight, but, thanks to his 'fashionable' purple [Bagworm], the only injury he suffered was a painful bruise beneath his left pectoral muscle.Shibisu felt a little annoyed by the fact he was only able to stay in the fight thanks to the items he had been given. That didn't mean he could just discard them, however, as Vespa's initial blow might have killed him had he not been fortunate enough to join Team Wolf Pack.Exhaling a sigh, Shibisu adopted a combat stance with the stock of his Shinsu-powered shotgun loosely resting against his shoulder. Unfortunately, he only had enough Shinsu and stamina to fire off a few rounds before he was completely exhausted. If he didn't defeat her before then, there was nothing he could do to stop Vespa from seeking vengeance. This made him feel slightly suffocated, not because he was afraid of losing, but because he would have lost in spite of the many benefits he had been given...Feeling a shiver run through her body, Vespa increased the amount of Shinsu she was infusing into her wings. They were a translucent yellow by default, but, whenever she infused a large amount of Shinsu into them, they would radiate a vibrant golden light. This not only increased her speed by a tremendous amount, but it also made it exceptionally difficult for her opponents to look directly at her. This was a countermeasure she had developed due to the majority of her enemies attempting to clip or injure her wings, removing one of the few advantages she had over others.With a focused glimmer flashing across her black sclera and amethyst-colored eyes, Vespa created a visible afterimage in her attempt to evade the fragmented beam of Shinsu fired by Shibisu. Then, before the latter could fire a second volley, several more afterimages appeared around the arena as she said, "I normally try to defeat my opponents without causing them pain...for you, I will make an exception..."Immediately following her words, Vespa seemed to appear out of thin air right in front of Shibisu, the tip of her Needle creating a small ripple in the surrounding Shinsu as she aimed it directly at his face. Unfortunately for her, the defensive membrane generated by the [Bagworm] actually covered the wearer's entire body. As a result, the tip of her Needle flattened to a dull point as it came into contact with an invisible barrier.Though some of the force was still transferred into Shibisu's body, causing his nose to momentarily flatten as he was pushed back by the force of the strike, his actual injuries were rather negligible. His training with Yoruichi had drastically increased his pain tolerance and resolution to continue fighting; so, even though he was sent hurtling towards the edge of the arena, he still managed to take aim at the surprised Vespa.Realizing she wouldn't be able to evade the attack at such a distance, Vespa surprised much of the crowd by spontaneously increasing in size. Her true form was actually much bigger than the squat and petite appearance she generally adopted for the sake of convenience; so, after deactivating her Compression License, her size increased from around 90cm to more than five meters in length.By spontaneously increasing her size, Vespa only suffered moderate injuries as the penetrative beams fired by Shibisu pierced her lower abdomen. This was far from ideal, causing her extreme pain, but it was a lot better than tanking the attack with her face. Fortunately, she could still use her Compression License to drastically decrease the size of the wound by compressing her body back to its petite form. This required Points each time she activated it, but, considering the alternative was to bleed out from holes the size of fists, splurging a few thousand Points was a small price to pay.Holding her bleeding abdomen, Vespa sneered in the direction where Shibisu had been sent over the edge. Part of her was tempted to fly down and finish him off but there were rules in place that prevented Regulars with flight capabilities from flying above or below marked lines. After all, if they could just fly wherever they wanted, it would cause all kinds of problems if they chose to interfere with other matches or spam long-ranged attacks...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP 32nd Seeds...','Shibisu's frustrations...',That's a big bumblebee...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Following the unsurprising defeat of Shibisu, the rest of Team Wolf Pack won their matches with relative ease. The only other members who had any real trouble were Aleksai and Baam, largely due to their rather passives natures.Aleksai's skills had blossomed under the tutelage of Fenrir, but he was far more focused on resisting blows than dishing them out. As for Baam, his talent was simply monstrous, but, due to his kind and caring nature, he had no desire to harm other people.Were it not for his nature, Baam could have easily secured the 2nd Seed among Wave Controllers for himself. He was simply too kind-hearted, a trait that was bound to cause numerous problems for Team Wolf Pack in the near and distant future.Despite knowing this, Vahn had no desire to change Baam's personality as, much like Khun had put it, the Tower needed people like him. The same could be said for Team Wolf Pack, so, while he was bound to struggle early on, Vahn was certain Baam would help pave the way forward for the rest of his team.For now, Baam needed more experience. Even if these experiences included setbacks, there were numerous people who would support him. His powerful fate would also protect him, so, even if he couldn't help feeling a little worried, Vahn believed things would work out even if he wasn't around to protect and guide them...---After waiting for nearly two hours, Vahn, once again, found himself atop one of the five pillar-like arenas. His opponent was a sporty-looking girl with fiery-red hair, matching eyes, and bronzed skin that reminded him of Quant.Unsurprisingly, the announcer introduced the spunky little brat as Quinn Blitz, a descendent of the Blitz Family. They were a Special Family that was famous for producing Hwayeomsa, people capable of converting Shinsu, Divine Water, into Flames. This was an exceptionally complicated process, but, seemingly at the cost of their rationality, the unique family was filled with fiery-tempered redheads who could produce flames at will.The moment the rounds were started, a wry smile spread across Vahn's face as the rather petite girl, another characteristic of the Blitz Family, fearlessly launched herself toward him as a flaming Baang of Shinsu coalescend in the air behind her. Then, even though she didn't have any actual bloodlust, a somewhat crazed smile spread across her face as she screamed, "Die~!!" in an excited tone.Though he had humored the idea of taking it easy on his opponents, Vahn knew it would be for the best if he wrapped things up quickly. With this in mind, he raised his hand in much the same way as his first match. This resulted in Quinn immediately jumping to the side, seemingly in an attempt to dodge the 'shockwave' he had used to defeat his first opponent. At the same time, she manipulated the flaming ball of Shinsu to create a surprisingly swift whip of flames.Unfortunately for Quinn, Vahn was still making use of his Telekinesis, and, while her willpower made her feel a little 'heavy', it was ultimately futile. He managed to lock her in place mid-jump, smiling as her whip of flame impacted the invisible membrane produced by his Domain.Without affording the raging redhead the opportunity to muster a counterattack, Vahn tossed her over the side with an unceremonious sweep of his hand. She screeched a number of expletives on the way down, but Vahn ignored both her swearing and the booing from the crowd as he shifted his attention to the other matches...---Though Baam was nearly eliminated in the second round due to his opponent resembling a young girl, the rest of the matches had preceded without incident. Even Aleksai managed to dominate his opponent with relative ease, seemingly becoming more determined after the close-call in the first round.With the second round of matches out of the way, things were finally beginning to get interesting as Vahn was facing off against Baam while Ran was matched against Aleksai. The second match, in particular, was something worth watching as Aleksai was one of the few people Ran considered to be 'slightly bothersome' on a unique scale that included: 'slightly bothersome', 'a little bothersome', 'bothersome', 'very bothersome', 'too bothersome', and 'wants to kill'.Ran was a rare breed of 'male tsundere' so there was naturally no 'not bothersome' category in his personal evaluations of the people around him. Even Phae was in the 'very bothersome' category due to motherly treatment, something that made Ran feel awkward since his own mother hadn't been particularly caring. As for the rest of Team Wolf Pack, the majority fell into the 'bothersome' and 'very bothersome' categories. The only notably exceptions were Aleksai, Laure, and Yun-Yun; essentially anyone who didn't 'bother' him all that often.Since he was a little interested to see how Ran would deal with someone he had virtually no desire to fight against, Vahn could only smile wryly when Baam adopted a combat stance and said, "I'll do my best!" with determination filling his tone.Unfortunately for his young protege, this was neither training nor a stage where Vahn could afford to humor him. It was the venue he had prepared in order to demonstrate his skills, so, after shaking his head, Vahn adopted a serious look as he said, "This might be the last lesson I ever give you...with that in mind, pay close attention. Allow me to show you the difference that exists between us...the incomprehensibly vast gulf you'll need to overcome if you desire the power to protect everything..."Before Baam could ask any questions, Vahn exhaled a sigh that produced a cloud of white vapor. At the same time, an eerie stillness seemed to spread throughout the entire arena as everyone present began to feel an instinctual dread welling up from the most primal region of their hearts and minds.After taking measures to prevent his aura from interfering with the other matches, Vahn opened his eyes to reveal blazing golden irises. Resplendent golden scales began to spread across all across his rapidly expanding body as two majestic wings erupted from his back, their breadth surpassing the diameter of the stage as Vahn, now in his Huanglong transformation, seemed to become the sole existence within the arena.Though he felt like his body was tearing itself apart, Vahn managed to appear absolutely calm as he stared down at the trembling Baam with an apologetic glimmer in his eyes. He had actually planned to save this transformation for the finals, but, realizing it would leave a deeper impression if he used it against Baam himself, Vahn decided to teach the youth one final lesson: the difference between a mortal and a God.Without affording his young protege any time to think, Vahn created a massive golden Baang that resembled a small sun. Then, to the horror of every spectating member of Team Wolf Pack, he fired the Baang towards the wide-eyed youth, cutting through the durable arena and piercing deep into the foundation beneath the Coliseum. When the light faded away, a tunnel that was more than 10m in diameter had formed, it's depths impossible to determine even with bands of golden lightning illuminating the interior...---Rising with a start, Baam took several labored breaths as he looked around to discover himself beneath a familiar emerald-green canopy. He could also see the place that had served as a home and headquarters for his team, the aptly named Wolves' Den Manor. This allowed him to quickly calm down, his breathing nearly returning to a natural rhythm until he heard a voice from behind muse, "You certainly recover quickly..."Though he recognized the voice, Baam nearly jumped to his feet before a hand pressed down on his shoulder, keeping him seated. Then, with an apologetic smile on his face, Vahn took a seat next to the boy, asking, "Did you manage to 'absorb' anything with that power of yours?"Feeling a warm and comforting energy flow through his body, Baam exhaled a sigh of relief as the shadow of fear warping his expression quickly faded away. Then, after several seconds of silence, he answered, "I felt 'something', but I don't really know how to describe it..."Nodding his head in understanding, Vahn lightly ruffled Baam's hair as he said, "Don't worry. You'll get it...eventually..."At this point in time, Baam's Innate, [Primordial Sin of Gluttony], had yet to awaken. He thought a near-death experience might help the youth awaken, but, after seeing how quickly he recovered, it was pretty clear that he was more confused than anything else.After briefly considering whether or not it was a mistake to make things 'painless', Vahn shook his head in self-admonition before explaining, "As I explained to you previously, there are a number of people in this Tower who intend to try and use you as a weapon. Since we'll be parting ways pretty soon, I decided to use this event to temporarily conceal your identity from them. From hereon, your identity as The 25th Baam will only be known to the members of Team Wolf Pack."Though he didn't fully grasp Vahn's words, Baam still nodded his head as if he understood what the former was trying to say. This caused Vahn to chuckle in amusement, affectionately ruffling the lad's hair a second time as he added, "With your consent, I intend to modify your apparent age, race, and physical appearance. This should allow you to climb the Tower without having to worry about your friends being targetted by fools who only see them as a means to control you. I don't want to see a future where you become a weapon used to fulfill the dreams of others..."Hearing the concern in Vahn's voice, Baam managed the type of smile that only a protagonist could pull off as he replied, "I understand, Mr. Vahn. I also want to protect my frien-, no, my family. Please do what you think is necessary. I'm ready...!"After suppressing the sudden urge to continue watching over and guiding Baam during his ascent up the Tower, Vahn ruffled the boy's rapidly growing hair as he said, "Your appearance will actually be very important for a number of future events. With that in mind, I won't be changing your basic features too much. I'll simply be aging you up a bit while changing your hair and eye color. As for your race, you'll still remain human, but you'll have features resembling those of an ancient species of Elves."By the time Vahn had finished speaking, Baam had 'matured' quite a bit. His height increased from 168cm to just over 180cm, his body becoming noticeably more muscular as his hair turned a similar shade of brown to his mother. His eyes also lost their golden luster, becoming a rich hazelnut color while his ears became pointed and more angular. These made his already androgynous appearance become even more 'refined', but, so long as he cut his hair, he would resemble a 'pretty boy' more than a 'handsome lady'.Preempting any questions his not-so-young protege might have, Vahn pulled out a hand mirror as he said, "You should change clothes using the [REquip] system. Though Khun might deadpan if they saw you nearly bursting out of your clothes, others might laugh."Following Vahn's advice, Baam quickly changed clothes before accepting the hand mirror so that he could see himself properly. Vahn wanted to mention that he could have inspected himself using the [REquip]'s interface, but, after habitually pulling out a hand mirror, he decided to stay quiet. Instead, he just smiled as Baam began to make faces at himself, seemingly struggling to reconcile that the person staring back at him was himself...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'DIE, RIAJUU! EXPLODE~!!','*Insert Gilgamesh firing Ea sound*','Vahn over here making Khun's life more difficult xD...')(A/N: Today is the second year anniversary of the first chapter of EPIC. I had originally wanted to do something special by releasing a bunch of chapters, but my health hasn't been particularly great as of late. Still, I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. If there are any issues, please let me know in the comments section or send me a message on discord. We still have a long journey ahead of us so your feedback is very important to me. Other than that, I just wanted to thank everyone who has stuck around to see the story grow into the 'epic' is has become. Without your continued support, I never would have been able to continue writing like this. Know that, from my perspective, you guys and gals are the best part of EPIC. Thank you.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though Khun's sudden gender swap caused quite a stir among the members of Team Wolf Pack, it was the existence of the [Satan's Ring]s that garnered the most attention. After all, the 'bromance' between Khun and Baam wasn't really a secret; so, while the debate over whether or not he would be allowed to use the women's bath dominated the dinner conversation, it was the mention of the [Satan's Ring] that persisted within people's minds.Fortunately for the members of Team Wolf Pack, Vahn had already anticipated their interest in said accessories so he had prepared a number of unique and interesting items as parting gifts. Most of these were rewards from the Premium Gacha so it wasn't like he was really losing out on anything. After all, he didn't really depend on power-ups gained from items; so, unless it was something that might break the balance of the Record entirely, such as the Violet-Grade [Ragnarok], he didn't mind giving them away...----------------------------------------[Ragnarok]Rank: SS (Transcendent)Slots: 0P.Def: 0M.Def: 0Abilities: Herald of Ragnarok(SS), Indestructible(SS), Negative Status Immunity(SS), Permanence(S)'A deceptively simple-looking bracelet that holds the power to bring about the end of the world. All abilities used by the wielder have their mental, spiritual, and physical energy costs reduced to zero.'Restriction(s): Curse of Indelibility(SS), Soulbound----------------------------------------Vahn had obtained a number of ridiculous items from the Premium Gacha, but none even remotely compared to the rust-covered [Ragnarok]. In exchange for 'never changing' thanks to 'Permanence', you obtained virtually unlimited stamina, unparalleled clarity of mind, and the ability to draw from your internal reserves without limit. This made it one of the most over-powered items that had ever come into his possession, and, though it prevented the user from growing stronger, wielding it was tantamount to having unlimited power.Though Vahn was a little interested in the bracelet, the 'Curse of Indelibility' wasn't something he wanted to mess around with. The curse, combined with the fact it was Soulbound, made it virtually impossible to remove. Even his ability to freely alter the structure of his body might not allow him to remove it, so, at least for the time being, it was collecting rust alongside the other dangerous items and artifacts that had come into his possession.Fortunately for the members of Team Wolf Pack, Vahn had stockpiled more than seven-thousand Premium Gacha Tickets over the course of several hundred years. The majority of these rewarded him with relatively useless items, but that was only the case for him. From the perspective of the average person, a D or C-Rank item was an amazing find, especially with the Grade determined by the Tier of the Record.The best example of a rather ridiculous C-Rank Item was the set of stylish black and white pistols he had gifted to Nare. They were known as [Thalia, the Shrouded], and, though they had exceptionally low attack parameters, they would grow stronger with every enemy she killed via shooting the head or heart. There was no upper-limit to this power, so, if she took her training seriously and invested a bit of time in hunting Shinheuh, it wouldn't be long before they rivaled weapons of a much higher Grade.Though it went against his principles to hand weapons and items that would invariably become a crutch, Vahn knew it wouldn't be too much longer before Nare 'retired' from climbing the Tower. At this point, the only thing keeping her going was the sense of unity that bound the group together, but, once things became truly dangerous, it was only a matter of time until she gave up her Regular status. She was already beginning to convince Chunhwa to start a family with her once they reached the 20th Floor, so he didn't see any harm in giving her the only weapon among the gifts he handed out.To virtually everyone else, Vahn gifted items that either directly amplified their existing powers, or, similar to Khun's [Satan's Ring], allowed them to stockpile or store energy. Such items included an anklet known as [Adamantite] for Anak, a stylish hairpin known as a [Phoenix Pinion] for Jung, a pair of indestructible golden heels known as [Stillwalkers] for Endorsi, and an indescribably comfortable pillow known as a [Divine Pillow] for both Yun-Yun and Laure.In the end, Vahn tried to gift everyone with an item based on their personal preferences so Anak's [Adamantite] doubled her base Toughness and Shinsu Resistance. As for Jung's [Phoneix Pinion], it literally allowed her to recover from virtually all injuries, including fatal ones, once per day. This was one of the more 'extreme' abilities possessed by the items Vahn had gifted out, but, considering her penchant for overtraining, it would come in handy. Fortunately, even Endorsi didn't complain as her [Stillwalkers], on top of appearing fashionable, allowed her to effectively double the damage of her kicks thanks to their ability to reverse the vector of forces acting upon her body through the heels.So long as she landed on her feet, Endorsi could effectively negate fall damage by transferring all kinetic energy from the descent into the point of impact. This further applied to her kicks, so, while it would take her a while for her to get used to feeling no feedback from even her most powerful blows, her damage potential had effectively doubled. The only real downside was that she had to willfully activate and control the ability or she wouldn't even be able to stand or walk properly due to the heels effectively emulating a frictionless surface.Fortunately, Endorsi was more than capable of controlling the [Stillwalkers] without any discernible difficulty. Rather, it wasn't long before she was casually sliding through the halls of the manor like a professional ice skater. She also realized pretty early on that that she could increase her weight in order to drastically increase her speed. This was especially useful for someone like her, who used a large variety of compression weapons, as some compression weapons easily weighed hundreds, or even thousands, of kilograms...---Though they were only given three days to rest and recuperate before the Seeded Tournament, the members of Team Wolf Pack split their time between relaxation and familiarizing themselves with their new armaments and accessories. Endorsi's example had inspired everyone to think outside the box, so, while some items weren't particularly useful for combat, that didn't stop them from thinking about how to take full advantage of their unique effects.Having promised to stick around in order to make himself accessible for questions and requests, Vahn was sitting out on the veranda with an amused smile as he watched Khun and Baam sitting near the base of the central World Tree. It was pretty fun to see Baam fluster about due to Khun's teasing, but, understanding it wasn't polite to pry into people's personal lives, Vahn ultimately just leaned back while absentmindedly patting the back of the girl nestled against his chest.After learning about the coming separation, Yun-Yun had taken the opportunity to ask if he would be her napping companion whenever he wasn't busy. Vahn didn't have any particular problem with this so he was currently holding the pink-haired Mare in a koala carry as she slumbered peacefully in his embrace. Her small size reminded him of the times he had napped alongside his daughters in their youth so Vahn was in a pretty good mood as he allowed Sis to construct a happy dreamscape for her to explore...Yun-Yun, despite appearing human, was actually an ancient race from Outside the Tower known as a 'Night Mare'. They were a unique form of spirit that many mistakenly associated with Succubi due to their penchant for sneaking into the rooms of strangers in the middle of the night. It didn't help that, prior to modifying their appearances to become more human, the majority of Mares had fluffy black tails and tiny horns protruding from their scalps. This led to many being captured, imprisoned, enslaved, and outright killed by certain subsets of human society.Prior to his ascent up the Tower, Jahad had recruited one of the few surviving members of the Mare species, the current Leader of the Eurasia Family, Eurasia Blossom. Her original duty had been to eat the bad dreams their members had accumulated whilst climbing the Tower so that they wouldn't be adversely affected by the trials and tribulations they were forced to undergo. Fortunately, it quickly came to light that she was inordinately more talented at controlling Shinsu that virtually every other member of the party so she was ultimately elevated to the status of a Great Warrior, one of thirteen that had journeyed alongside Jahad to dominate the Tower.Though she was only pure-blooded Mare in the entire Tower, the blessings Blossom had received from the Guardians allowed her descendants to inherit many of her personal and racial traits. As a result, those with stronger blood ties to Blossom, particularly those of female descent, appeared uncannily similar to their Ancestor.Yun-Yun was the daughter of one of Blossom's daughters so she had strongly inherited the latter's characteristics. This included pink hair, matching pink eyes, glowing white pupils, and, most notably, a child-like figure. She also received most of her nourishment by siphoning what her family referred to as 'dream energy'. In actuality, they were receiving nourishment from the energy produced by a person's Ego. This was where a person's most important memories were stored, so, while it wasn't a mistake to say they ate dreams, it was more accurate to say they devoured what many mistakenly believed to be the Soul.From an objective point of view, Mares were terrifying existences who, under the right conditions, could literally devour all of what made someone unique. They even had an ability that basically put their target into a coma, drastically reducing their metabolism to the point most of their biological processes ground to a halt. It was for this reason they were seen as demons by so many people, as, whenever they found someone with particularly 'delicious' dreams, it was common for a Night Mare to force them into a helpless state that allowed them to devour a target's dreams at their leisure.Fortunately, for the sake of their own self-preservation, 'modern' Mares had adapted a similar yet significantly less terrifying version of the ability. Though they still had the ability to force their target into a coma, the most common application of the technique was helping others relax so they could experience an extremely peaceful slumber. This made main-line descendants of the Eurasia Family rather popular among Regulars climbing the Tower; as, not only were they exceptionally powerful Wave Controllers, they could drastically reduce the mental and emotional strain accumulated from taking Tests.Since it was only ever a matter of time before his non-existent fate became intertwined with the members of the Eurasia Family, Vahn had actually been the one to suggest recruiting Yun-Yun into Team Wolf Pack. This was before he knew she was a Mare but it ultimately didn't matter since she took it upon herself to eat bad dreams even without needing to be asked. Her presence would go a long way towards preventing any trauma from taking root in the hearts and minds of the members of Team Wolf Pack; so, while her species was inarguably dangerous, Vahn was grateful to have her climbing alongside the rest of his Children.With this in mind, Vahn continued to gently cradle Yun-Yun while enjoying the indescribably soft and smooth sensation of the [Divine Pillow] against his neck. It was actually one of the higher grade items he had gifted out, rated as an A-Rank Divine-Tier item by The Path. What made it even more impressive was the fact that it was part of a set known as the 'Divine Beddings', a group of artifacts that, once gathered, would turn a person into an Immortal Demigod that presided over dreams.In total, there were seven pieces of the 'Divine Beddings' set, including the [Divine Pillow], [Divine Futon], [Divine Mattress], [Divine Nightcap], [Divine Quilt], [Divine Pajamas], [Divine Underwear], and the [Divine Alarm Clock]. It was hard to ascertain the effects of each item, but, based on the [Divine Pillow]'s ability to allow you to remain fully cognizant while manipulating your dreamscape, it was safe to assume the other items had complementary effects. Unfortunately, he wouldn't really know until Laure or Yun-Yun had obtained the other items, as, despite only being A-Rank, each piece of the 'Divine Beddings' cost 100,000,000OP in the system shop...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bruh...','Those heels are actually ridiculously OP...','Yun-Yun is well on her way to becoming a Lazy Tower Master (OwO)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1814: Suspense...?