Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Around the same time that Sis was locking him out of several systems, a scraggly man with a sickly complexion, sunken features, and a sparse mustache could be found glowering at a stream of data.With the pinky finger of his left hand digging into his nose, the man used his right to chicken-peck a series of commands into the terminal before him, his expression morphing into one of contempt as a series of 'access denied' messages filled his vision.Clicking his tongue, the man wiped his hand against his loose-fitting shorts before rising to his feet and cursing, "Jeok! Hwang! Those fucking assholes...! I don't know what they're plotting, but I'm not going to just roll over and let them do whatever the fuck they want! I haven't done anything wrong! They have no right to rob me of my privileges...!"Since it was 'impossible' for visiting Regulars to meddle with the system, regardless of how powerful they were, the man, better known as 'Big Breeder Chung', never even considered that he was being undermined by the new arrivals. In his mind, the only people capable of something like this were his fellow Big Breeders, neither of which he was on good terms with. They had always disdained him for treating the Hidden Floor like his personal playground, and, as a result, his power and authority had been continuously restricted until he was only able to influence the regions around the First Stage.Thinking this was their attempt to wholly remove him from power, Chung donned what appeared to be a virtual reality headset as he reclined in a comfortable, albeit sweat-stained, chair. His Avatar had far greater control over the system than his actual self, so, while they were generally prohibited from accessing the Hidden Floor during visitation periods, he wasn't just going to idle about as the last vestiges of his power were stripped away...A stark contrast to his true self, Chung's avatar appeared confident, healthy, and, most importantly, powerful. His formerly unkempt black hair was neatly styled, and, though he was still exceptionally thin, his Avatar was, at the very least, able to grow what Chung believed to be a manly and dignified mustache. He had also traded his protruding belly for a six-pack of abdominal muscles, and, though he had been insulted by the other Big Breeders for his sense of style, he substituted his usual loose black t-shirt, white shorts, and open-toed sandals for an elaborate outfit that loosely resembled the robes of an aristocrat.After taking a few moments to admire himself, Chung descended upon the Town of the Wandering Minstrels where several residents had already started singing his praises. Their cries alerted others to his presence, and, by the time he finished his slow and steady descent, more than a hundred of the town's 'mindless' residents had gathered to shower him in admiration and respect. This always brought a smile to his face, not because he cared about the content of their song, but because they would keep singing regardless of the atrocities he performed right in front of them.Resisting the urge to go on one of his usual sprees, Chung waited until one of his 'favorites', the current Chief of the Town of the Wandering Minstrels, showed up. This was a mature beauty with pink hair, matching eyes, sharp features, and two small beauty marks beneath her right eye. Better yet, she had a shapely figure hidden beneath her thick robes and rose-collared mantle; and, were it not for the fact her voice data had been corrupted during his attempts to make her sound like his childhood crush, she would have been perfect.Fortunately, while the other Minstrels continued to endless sing his praises, the woman, Rose, had been modified to never sing in his presence. Instead, she walked up to him before kowtowing with her head against the ground as she uttered, "The Town of the Wandering Minstrels welcomes your return, oh great and mighty Big Breeder."Unable to conceal his giddiness and amusement, Chung habitually curled the trip of his mustache with his fingers as he said, "Very good. Now, join me in your quarters. There are a few questions I need to ask you regarding the current group of warriors..."Though she didn't fully understand the reasons, Rose always felt extremely nauseous whenever she heard Chung mention speaking in private. She told herself this was due to nerves, but, after several millennia, it didn't make sense that she was still bothered by such things. Unfortunately, no matter how much she contemplated the reasons why, she couldn't think of anything to explain the adverse reaction of her body.Without anyone batting an eye at the act, including Rose herself, Chung fastened a dark-red collar around her neck before pulling the absentminded beauty along rather forcibly. He had modified her data to be completely oblivious to anything that others might consider out of the ordinary or perverse. This had allowed him to effectively treat her as his pet, and, though there were a number of Data Humans who felt there was 'something' wrong, the majority continued to sing his praises even as he dragged the unaware beauty into her residence...---Though he had been enjoying the tear-inducing scene of Batis embracing Medley after she spoke her first words, Vahn's expression darkened considerably the moment he heard Sis' notification. This was immediately noticed by everyone present, not because they could sense his aura, but because a feeling of existential dread had descended upon them as everything in their surroundings began to subtly quake.Gesturing to Theo that he was okay, Vahn met the frightened gazes of Batis and Medley, his voice stern and commanding as he said, "I will return later today. Send someone to retrieve Yu Hansung before then."Understanding that Vahn could wipe them out at his leisure, Batis didn't hesitate to respond with a firm nod, stating, "I'll see to it personally." before setting his daughter down and adding, "Stay here. I'll be back in a few hours."Frowning in response to Batis' words, Vahn was briefly tempted to have Scathach accompany the man since it was all but guaranteed that he had just raised a flag. Unfortunately, with three Sworn Enemy versions of himself running around, separating his forces was an even bigger flag. Thus, with the knowledge that he could always respawn Batis after gaining control over the system, he left the man to coax his daughter as he turned to Theo and said, "Let's go." before grabbing her hand and teleporting the three of them directly to the Town of the Wandering Minstrels. There, he used Unit Management to summon Musashi and Scathach to his side, surprising the former as she was in the middle of downing sake from a 10oz guinomi cup.With no time to explain the situation, Vahn extended his hand towards one of the larger residences in the city, his senses pervading every nail, board, rivet, and tile before ripping the entire thing apart in slow-motion, gravity-defying, fashion. This revealed the scene of a startled Chung sitting topless on a sofa as Rose, with a distant look in her eyes, continued to perform a striptease, wholly unaware of her surroundings.Before the man could utter so much as a single syllable, Vahn appeared right in front of him, scale-covered hand closing around his throat as he venomously uttered, "You should have stayed holed up inside your room. Did you seriously think you could get away with this kind of shit right under my nose!?"Having absolutely no idea who Vahn was, Chung attempted to speak, but, as could be expected, his words got stuck in his throat. This frightened him considerably, as, due to the benefits provided by the system, his Avatar's parameters were comparable to a lesser Ranker's. He also had the authority of a Floor Ruler within the boundaries of the First Stage, so, while it wasn't impossible for someone to overwhelm him, they would need to be a peerless prodigy from one of the Ten Great Families or an inordinately talented Princess of Jahad.Though he wouldn't die if his Avatar was destroyed, a mortified expression appeared on Chung's face as his arms and body began to swell with muscles. Losing your Avatar meant being locked out of the Hidden Floor's systems until the next reset. The only way around this was to enter the Hidden Floor directly, but, unlike Jeok and Hwang, his true self was significantly weaker than the average D-Rank Regular. He had also been under house arrest several hundred years prior, so, even if he did have the resolution to enter the Hidden Floor directly, doing so was effectively a death sentence...Fearing that everything he had 'painstakingly built' over the years was about to be taken away from him, Chung mustered willpower he didn't know he possessed in an attempt to break Vahn's hold. At the same time, he extended his right hand to summon a blue spear with an arrowhead-like tip, the physical manifestation of his power and authority within the Hidden Floor. Unfortunately, Vahn had been waiting for this exact moment, so, once the spear had been summoned, a loud crack could be heard as the head of Chung's Avatar separated from his body.Without sparing the man's twitching figure a second glance, Vahn wrested the scepter-like spear from his hands, instantaneously turning it a vibrant golden hue as Sis transferred Chung's authority as a Big Breeder to him. This provided him access to a number of files that Chung had gone out of his way to secure and encrypt, specifically those related to his many victims.Turning his attention to the nearly-naked Rose Vahn's expression darkened as he noticed the many scars and piercings across her body. The fact she was still absentmindedly performing her striptease also incensed him to a dangerous extent, but, rather than lashing out, he felt unnervingly calm as a cold and seething sensation washed over his mind and spread throughout his body.Shifting his attention to his surroundings, filled with data humans who didn't even bat an eye at the scene playing out before them, Vahn's anger momentarily skyrocketed before rapidly stabilizing as he reminded himself they had no control over their own programming. This notion allowed him to gradually calm down, but, far more helpful than even his [Will of the Emperor], it was Index asking, "Are you okay...?" that brought him back to his senses.Having completely forgotten about the Jirachi strapped to his back, Vahn loosened the clasp that kept the harness in place, liberating her from its confines in order to gently caress her head as he answered, "I'll be okay. Thanks for your concern..."Since it was awkward having her head caressed in her Jirachi form, Index promptly transformed into her adorably petite human form, smiling radiantly as she said, "You're welcome~! Now, how about we finish things up here before returning home for a little while? I bet Rindo-sama will cook you up something special if you explain what happened~!"Amused by the fact that Index's brain revolved around food, even when she was trying to cheer him up, Vahn couldn't help chuckling as he ruffled her perpetually glossy silver hair and said, "Sure. Why don't you go on ahead and tell her to prepare a feast? Though the circumstances are a little unique, the fall of a tyrant is always worthy of celebration..."With the word 'feast' serving as a trigger, illusory stars appeared within Index's eyes as her salivary glands kicked into overdrive. This resulted in Vahn pulling out a white cloth to wipe her mouth, his smile becoming somewhat wry as he manifested the Little Garden to provide her access. Then, with a far more sober expression on his face, he returned his attention to the still-dancing Rose, his grip tightening around the golden spear as Sis worked to decrypt and undo everything Chung had done over the last sixteen-hundred-years...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'It'S aLrIgHt BeCaUsE iT's A gAmE...','Vahn is an angry boi...','Index's one-track mind xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though damage sustained by an Avatar wasn't supposed to affect the user, Chung lurched forward in his chair, blood pouring from his nose and mouth as a vicious bruise spread across his neck. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, and, were it not for the fact his true body was also comprised of data, he might have died right then and there. Instead, he managed to crawl his way over to a mini-fridge filled with a special form of vibrant blue energy drink that was more so a drug than a beverage.Choking down the carbonated, Shinsu-comprised liquid, the bruise on Chung's neck began to fade away as a sensation similar to a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins permeated his body. This caused the pain to increase exponentially, but, similar to actual adrenaline, it prevented him from passing out as his body contorted and spasmed with increasing intensity. He even began to froth at the mouth after several seconds, blood mixing with saliva to form pinkish-red bubbles that stained the carpet and similar white walls.With his throat and larynx rapidly regenerating, an intensifying gurgle could be heard from Chung's throat. This sound gradually built into a whimpering groan until, several excruciating moments later, it exploded into a feral roar that encouraged him to thrash about and destroy everything within his grasp.Throughout his entire life, Chung had never felt this frustrated and indignant. To make matters even worse, there was nothing he could do to rectify his current crisis. His Avatar was exponentially more powerful than his actual self, yet, like a child popping the head off a doll, an enemy he hadn't even known existed managed to both defeat him and steal his authority. This practically guaranteed that he would be deleted, as, compared to his past transgressions, nothing even remotely compared to losing his Command Key.Unable to contain his emotions, sobbing tremors wracked Chung's body as snot and drool replaced the blood flowing from nose and mouth. At the same time, a steady stream of tears flowed from his eyes as he hammered the ground, whimpering, "It's not fair...I never did anything wrong...why am I always the one being punished? All I did was play around...everyone else gets to do whatever they want...why is it wrong when I do the same? Why!? Why!? Why is it always me!?"Since his cries weren't actually directed towards anyone, Chung's body turned statuesque when a deep yet velvety smooth voice calmly answered, "It's because you are weak. This is what happens every time someone tries to overextend themselves and play the part of someone they're not. The power you possess is something that has been bestowed upon you. Thus, without safeguarding it properly, it is only natural that it would, one day, be stripped away. You can cast blame on others, but, in the end, everything that has happened thus far is the direct consequences of your actions and negligence."Fearing that he would be erased the moment he turned to look at the speaker, Chung kept his head low to the ground, tears continuing to trickle from his eyes as he instinctually held his breath.Offering a thoughtful hum in response to Chung's reaction, the owner of the voice took a few steps forward before kneeling down and placing his hand on the man's shoulder, asserting, "Though I am unable to condone your behavior, I will not condemn you for it. Everyone needs a method to vent their frustrations, and, in the end, your crimes are, ultimately, without any victims to speak of. Thus, in recognition of your faithful service over the last six millennia, I will bequeath unto you a full and comprehensive pardon..."Not expecting such clemency after his many failings, Chung's tears began to flow in even greater volume as he sobbingly muttered, "T-T-Thank you..."Unfortunately, the moment Chung had finished uttering his words of gratitude, a pain so intense that his mind couldn't even process it instantaneously spread throughout his body. It was like every digitally constructed nerve in his body was on fire, and, though his mouth opened to scream, it was like all sounds emanating from him had been silenced. This allowed the person responsible for his current state, a young man with golden hair and a three-eyed crimson visor to say, "Do not fight it. This is the reward for your dutiful service. You are clearly ill-suited to a continuous existence within the Hidden Hidden Floor, so I will now free you from your suffering. Worry not. Even when you are gone, your memory will live on as a part of me."By the time the young man had finished speaking, Chung's body had disintegrated into a stream of data that quickly dispersed. Almost immediately thereafter, even Chung's apartment began to turn transparent, complex lines of code appearing across every surface before promptly dissolving away moments later. In the end, the only thing that remained was the building's foundation, a white pillar resembling marbled concrete that jutted out of an ocean filled with countless other towers.Seemingly immune to the effects of gravity, the golden-haired man continued to stand in the air for several seconds, red cape billowing behind him as he stared silently at the foundation below. It was only when a golden sphere approached him that he turned away, his veiled gaze landing directly on the shimmering object as he firmly ordered, "Capture, but do not harm, one of the groups that have recently entered the Hidden Floor. There is someone among them that is completely immune to my ability to view fate. I want to know everything about them and the reasons behind their visit."Since it did not possess a head to bow, the golden sphere appeared to tilt forward slightly as a soft and somewhat androgynous voice replied, "Understood. Thank you for entrusting me with such an important task, Lord Jahad..."Having said all he needed to say, the golden-haired youth just stared silently at something that only he could see. As for the golden sphere, it quickly departed, as, without a very good reason, staying anywhere even remotely close to the de facto ruler of both the Hidden and Hidden Hidden Floors was extremely dangerous. The Data of Jahad could be remarkably magnanimous and unbelievably cruel at the exact same time, so, more often than not, even those directly subordinate to him gave the self-proclaimed 'King of Adventurers' a very wide berth...Following the sphere's departure, Jahad shifted his gaze to its previous position, a snaggletoothed smile appearing across his face as he muttered, "It seems as though my counterpart in the outside was mistaken...I wonder if this is a scheme of Gustang? Things are finally starting to get interesting. Either way, it seems like this is the start of a new adventure..."With that said, Jahad shifted his attention towards the sky overhead, his smile fading away as he added, "I suppose I'll need to prepare a proper venue. As much as I despise this never-changing landscape, it is still the result of mine and my friends' hard work. I would hate to see it destroyed without reason...though, now that I'm saying it out loud, that might be for the best...one must be willing to leave behind the past if they wish to grasp the future..."Seemingly convinced by his own words, several solidified golden Baangs appeared around Jahad's body before erupting outward with horrifying force. He could have just as easily erased everything, but, as this would ultimately allow it to be backed up by the system, he decided to just destroy it himself. His authority over the Hidden Floor gave his Shinsu the properly of irreversibly damaging anything it came into contact with, the obvious exception being himself. This meant, even if a reset were to occur, anything destroyed by his attacks would remain as such; a testament to his decision that nobody, not even himself, could overwrite.Ignoring the slight feeling of regret welling up inside of him, Jahad continued to destroy everything he and his friends had created more than ten-thousand-years prior. He only stopped when even the ocean below had been completely dried up, a steamy wasteland appearing where a futuristic ghost city once stood. Then, as if to completely bury the past, he manifested a golden scepter decorated with red, blue, and yellow spheres as he began to construct a golden arena more than a thousand kilometers across...---Unaware of the events occurring in the Hidden Hidden Floor, Vahn spent hours working alongside Sis to remove all sequelae pertaining to Chung's past misdeeds. This required them to modify the data of nearly every female resident of the indescribably tragic city, erasing and reinstalling several key aspects of their appearance, personality, and voice data that had been modified in accordance with Chung's preferences.In the end, Vahn had Sis effectively format every resident who had yet to awaken an Ego, as, even if he did explain the situation to them, it would take reprogramming them entirely just to make them angry about what had happened. Though this seemed like the 'right' thing to do, it wasn't all that different from deciding for them how they should think and behave.Since the thought of deciding how people thought and felt didn't sit well with him, Vahn decided to allow the majority of the Data Humans to simply live on, completely unaware of the truth. As for the rest, they had the right to know what had occurred over the last sixteen-hundred-years, so, without concealing anything, he allowed them to view the data for themselves before giving them the right to decide the fate of the Hidden Floor.As could be expected, those with less developed Egos experienced existential breakdowns almost immediately after learning the truth. Even a normal person might have a breakdown upon learning that their entire reality had been bent and distorted to suit the vision of a single person, so, with the exception of a small handful of resolute individuals, the rest asked that their memories be erased so that they could continue living, ignorantly, among their people.Though he was somewhat disappointed by their decision, Vahn couldn't blame them for wanting to escape the truth of their former reality. Thanks to Chung's efforts to cover his crimes, many of them hadn't even been aware of their burgeoning sense of self. They just lived in accordance with their programming, and, though there times when they felt 'something' was off, they generally ignored it for fear of standing out and being ostracized. This was a surprisingly 'human' thing to do, and, even if it meant losing everything that made them unique, they were willing to sacrifice their individuality in order to blend in with the rest of society.Since it was ultimately their decision to make, Vahn abided by his end of the agreement and erased both the memories and Egos of everyone who couldn't accept the truth. This left only three people among the residents currently present, specifically Rose, Mi-eum, and the latter's younger brother, a youth named Kim who had awakened after witnessing Chung's brutality towards his sister over the course of several years.Fortunately, while there were only three among the present residents, there were several hundred among the Data Humans that had been sealed away and quarantined by Chung. The rules of the Hidden Floor prevented him from directly killing any of its residents, so, whenever someone broke free from his influence, he ultimately ended up sealing them away before erasing the memories of everyone who once knew them. Thus, over the course of sixteen-hundred-years, a large number of Data Humans had gathered within the Seed of Good and Evil, forced to experience death whenever Regulars ventured into the Hidden Floor and completed its Quests.Though five-hundred people wasn't much, it was more than enough to establish a village and start a burgeoning civilization among other groups of people. Thus, while it would take some time, Vahn intended to allow those who had chosen to move forward to migrate into the Second Layer of the Little Garden. There, they would be able to live out the rest of their days experiencing the wonders of actually living, and, once he had advanced to a higher realm, they, like any other creatures with a soul, would be able to experience the wonders of the countless worlds beyond the Tower...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Gamer(baby) rage...','(O o O)...','Someone pull out a torch. It's getting a little too dark in here...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With the average 'Toy Soldier' possessing the strength of a middling D-Rank Regular, the most difficult aspect of traversing the Quarantine Area was avoiding traps and other environmental hazards.Fortunately, even without Vahn's assistance, the girls could deal with most traps with an almost comical degree of ease. Musashi could detect most of them without any effort whatsoever, and, even when they had gotten themselves trapped in a chamber intended to be flooded with acid, Theo simply erected barriers to cover each spout while Scathach proceeded to create a massive hole leading to the next chamber.Though the interior and exterior spaces were almost entirely separate from each other, the same couldn't be said for the individual layers within the Quarantine Area. Thus, while it might have been difficult for others, Musashi and Scathach both possessed the ability to simply cut through or pierce the material separating the layers. This drastically reduced the amount of time it took them to head inward, but, in exchange, the black bars of their Good and Evil Monitors filled at an alarming rate as larger and far more durable Toy Soldiers sought them out.If he were being honest with himself, Vahn wasn't particularly excited about the prospect of seeing other versions of himself. The Hidden Floor obviously couldn't replicate him, so, while he had yet to encounter a single instance of a Sworn Enemy, it was safe to assume they were originated from the knowledge and experience contained within the minds of those responsible for their origin. Thus, in a way, he would be seeing caricatures of himself based on how the person in question viewed him...Assuming this was the case, Vahn couldn't help but feel some trepidation regarding the version of himself manifested by Theo. The Sworn Enemies generated by Musashi and Scathach were bound to be fierce and somewhat lackadaisical warriors who defied common sense. Theo's, however, was guaranteed to possess a substantial number of 'quirks', and, depending on how the Mirror of the Past interpreted her memories, there was a fair chance he might be dedicated as a bit of a pervert...Fortunately, while their Good and Evil Monitors had almost completely filled with a black bar, their journey towards the center of the Quarantine Area remained relatively unimpeded. The Toy Soldiers couldn't withstand so much as a single blow from any of the trio, and, as they moved closer to the center, an increasing number of traps had already been set off or disarmed entirely. This indicated that there were people inside proactively exploring the region, and, by the time they reached the centermost antechamber, even the Toy Soldiers had stopped spawning.Though some might question the purpose of a 'safe zone' inside of a Quarantine Area, Vahn knew its primary purpose was to give the residents false hope while serving as their prison. The proof for this was in the coding itself, as, with the alteration of a single boolean value, the 'safe zone' function could simply be toggled off. This meant, at any point in time, Big Breeders like Chung could input a single command, and, in response, an infinite number of Toy Soldiers would swarm the region until everything inside was killed.Shaking his head in mild exasperation, Vahn shifted his gaze away from the tower-like structure that represented the 'Seed' of the Fruit of Good and Evil. There were already a number of armed guards gathering to form a defensive line at the opposite end of a long bridge, so, in the hopes of avoiding an altercation, Vahn passed his gaze of the three girls, saying, "Remember, most of these people are victims. They might be a little hostile, but we should avoid injuring them as much as possible. If they insist on attacking us, focus on disarming rather than disabling them..."Having already determined there were no worthy opponents among the gathering at the end of the bridge, even Musashi nodded her head in affirmation before saying, "If you provide me with snacks and something to drink, I can stand guard over the bridge. This area might be inaccessible to those little toys, but I doubt any Sworn Enemies based on you would suffer from such limitations. If we're to assume there are three of you running around, leaving our backs exposed is the same as inviting destruction upon everyone here. You can be pretty ruthless when it concerns your enemies..."With a wry grimace spreading across his face, Vahn wanted to refute Musashi's words, but, unable to lie, the words never reached his lips. After all, he had literally targetted the Floating Castle of the Yeon Family, undoubtedly injuring a number of innocents just to teach his foes a lesson. He had also completely obliterated a base belonging to FUG, a facility that doubtlessly contained a number of resolute and determined individuals whose only desire was to liberate the Tower from the control of ruthless tyrants...Restraining a sigh, Vahn manifested a gourd with the kanji for fire on the side, tossing it to Musashi as he said, "I would ask that you try to avoid a fight, but I'll leave it to your discretion. Remember, if they possess even a semblance of my actual power, they should possess the ability to masquerade as pretty much anyone. They could even appear as multiple people to try and deceive you...stay on your toes..."Thinking about the potential capabilities of Sworn Enemies based on himself, Vahn couldn't help feeling a little helpless. Musashi, however, seemed rather excited at the prospect, playfully clasping the bicep of her right arm, flexing as she said, "No worries! I'm not going to let a single person get past me. If you're that worried, you can just leave more booze. I doubt any of the data here has a tolerance even remotely comparable to your own. You're also pretty shitty at acting, so it should be pretty easy to sniff out any imposters~!"Though he knew her primary purpose was to secure some additional alcohols to add to her private collection, Vahn couldn't argue with Musashi's surprisingly sound logic. They had already confirmed that Data Humans could get drunk, so, while it might cost him quite a bit of OP, it would be worth it if they could sus out even a single version of himself. The longer they were allowed the roam freely, the more complicated things would become, as, if they were anything like him, time was something they could exploit to a truly ludicrous extent...---With Musashi and Scathach both watching over the bridge, Vahn was able to breathe easily even with more than twenty rifle-like devices pointed his way. The presence of Theo also helped in this regard, and, to a lesser extent, so too did the incessant sound of chewing emanating from his back.Since it wasn't that uncommon for other quarantined entities to find their way to the safe area, the group of riflemen and women didn't immediately attack. Instead, they trained the majority of their rifles on Vahn, laser sights dancing across his chest and body as a scarred man wearing a peculiar metal helmet, facemask, and black body armor made his way forward.Though his voice sounded surprisingly soft and delicate, the gruff-looking man earned a frown from Vahn as he stammered, "W-W-W-Who are you? H-H-How d-did y-you find this p-p-place?"Before answering the man's question, Vahn had Sis analyze his data to ascertain the cause of his vocal tic. He didn't have anything against people with a stutter, but, considering the man greatly resembled the Wandering Minstrels native to the Hidden Floor, there had to be a reason behind his peculiar manner of speaking.Unsurprisingly, Sis found that the man's mouth had been torn open, and, due to a specific line of code, the injury was prevented from healing even after a reset. This was obviously Chung's hand at work, so, without pausing to consider the consequences, he had Sis remove the line of code as he answered, "My name is Vahn Aldrnari Mason. This beautiful woman at my side is my wife, Theodora Bashireia Herasu De Vesuperisujimia Mason. We have come here in search of a Data Human named Yu Hansung. I imagine you are well acquainted?"Frowning in response to Vahn's words, the man was about to answer when he felt an unbearably itchy sensation around his mouth. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and, due to the metal facemask he wore to cover the horrendous injury beneath, he couldn't do anything to readily alleviate the sensation. This caused the defensive line to nearly open fire, but, before they were able to, Theo drew a red seal within the air, incanting, "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo #9! Geki...!"In response to Theo's nigh-instantaneous incantation, a red aura spread across the entire group of defensive soldiers, completely paralyzing them. At nearly the exact same time, the masked man was able to momentarily ignore the itchy sensation beneath his mask, adrenaline pumping through his non-existent veins as he leaped back and fired two dart-like projectiles towards Vahn's and Theo's necks.With the darts barely exceeding 1300m/s, Vahn was able to catch both using his Telekinesis and a simple wave of his hand. At the same time, he caught the masked man in the air, simultaneously pulling the rifle from his hands as he said, "Relax. The sensation you're feeling is the wound on your face being healed. We're not your enemies."To emphasize his point, Vahn pulled out a hand mirror while manipulating the metal bands around the man's face and head, prying them away in an instant to reveal the rapidly regenerating wound beneath. Then, after telekinetically wresting the weapons from everyone present, he sent a curt nod towards Theo, subsequently restoring their mobility.Seeing his own reflection, the formerly masked man, better known as Batis, showed an expression of disbelief as he tentatively touched his increasingly healthy-looking flesh. Chung had vengefully modified their appearance data to give them ghastly appearances compared to other residents of the Hidden Floor, so, for the last several hundred years, his face and complexion had looked more monster than man.Though his first instinct was to ask how Vahn had managed to heal his wound, Batis managed to suppress his curiosity, stating, "Yu Hansung is not here. He generally spends most of his time near the data destruction and recycling center. You should have met him shortly after your arrival...?"Hearing the sound of his restored voice, Batis allowed his words to trail off as an irrepressible smile developed across his face. He had once been the Chief of the Village of Wandering Minstrels, and, though he had always been most fond of his wife's objectively poor singing, everyone had always considered him the greatest vocalist and songwriter in the land. Regaining his voice made him feel incomparably hopeful and nostalgic, a thin layer of moisture developing across his silvery-grey eyes until he promptly wiped it away.Feeling an extreme amount of empathy for the man, Vahn couldn't help adopting a smile of his own as he said, "Don't worry. Now that I'm here, it is only a matter of time before Chung and the other Big Breeders are dealt with. For now, you should send someone to retrieve Yu Hansung or guide me to his location. I can track him down myself, but I imagine things would progress a lot smoother if there was a familiar face to explain the situation."Nodding his head in understanding, Batis was about to give the order when a young girl with steel-grey hair, matching eyes, and a giant red 'x' over her mouth came running over, shouting, "Baba...!"With Sis providing data related to everyone he encountered in the Hidden Floor, a frown appeared across Vahn's face as Batis, with an affectionate smile, bent down to pick up the smock-wearing girl who kept repeating the same phrase over and over. She seemed incapable of vocalizing any actual words, but, far more troubling than that was the fact that her primary function was to serve as both a location tracker and surveillance system for residents within the Seed...Seemingly ignorant of this, Batis held the girl in one arm, smiling as he said, "This is my daughter, Medley. She was cursed by the Big Breeder so that she could never learn how to speak. Though it might be asking too much, I would be grateful if you could somehow remove her curse..."Since he had actually been looking for a way to draw Chung's attention, Vahn resisted the urge to reveal the truth as he suppressed a sigh and asked Sis to modify Medley's code. He also had her remove Chung's ability to make further changes, an action that served to alert and simultaneously provoke the horrendously profane individual who periodically used the poor girl as a tool to enact his petty revenge...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The fastest way through a labyrinth is to break down the walls...!','Musashi is an incorrigible drunkard xD...','Chung is in for a bad time...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1913: Force