Endless Path : Infinite Cosmoa

by Srtyi

Vahn was an atypical youth. Due to a rare mutation, his blood had the potential to target and attack ailments within the human body. Touted as a universal cure, people had elevated his status above the norm and given him the classification "Panacea". In the media, he was hailed as a great hero who would usher in a new era or human wellness. However, behind the scenes things weren't

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Chapter 62 - Progress : *Spoilers*

For three weeks, Vahn and Lili continued to train with Tsubaki and hone their skills. Within this time Vahn had managed to increase his [Blacksmith] skill to A after using one of his skill enhancement scrolls after getting it to B. He was also about to impress Tsubaki by displaying some of the otherworldly techniques he had learned from the manuals.

Tsubaki was really surprised at the innovative methods and even recorded them for submission and review by other veteran blacksmiths within the Familia. The most notable thing Vahn had shown her was the creation of an 'automated hammering' system. Vahn had grown very familiar with the mechanism behind the swinging bamboo and used the knowledge he possessed to create a rig that could reliably and consistently strike a surface without requiring physical exertion. He even carved mana circuits into the body of the rig so the user could still infuse their mana into the hammer strikes.

Almost immediately after she had submitted the designs to the Familia, Tsubaki's workshop started getting barraged with visitors. Everyone wanted to meet the person who had developed such a unique method, as many were even claiming it would revolutionize the process of forging and allow for mass-production of standard-quality items. Unfortunately, Tsubaki wasn't willing to let anyone in and even beat up some of the bolder ones for trying to sneak into her house.

Eventually, Hephaestus herself put a stop to the troubles after submitting a patent through the guild using her mark as well as Vahn's on the form. Everyone became interested in the mysterious blacksmith that was being groomed by Hephaestus. Even some gods tried visiting her personally to acquire information, but she was tight-lipped and refused to comment.

One of the people that weren't turned away, however, was Welf. After hearing the news, he immediately came by to celebrate Vahn's achievement. Welf considered Vahn someone worthy of respect and even thought of himself as his rival. Seeing the ingenious design in person and many of Vahn's other innovations, Welf was fired up. They spent the entire afternoon talking and enjoying sake alongside the boisterous Tsubaki. Lili, who was the only one to refuse the alcohol, spent most of the time preparing various snacks for the rowdy trio.After things had calmed down, Vahn and Welf were sitting in the courtyard looking up at the moon. They had been talking about their dreams and how far Welf's research had progressed. Welf shook his head in dismay saying, "I've made some progress in the actual circuit, but I can't seem to make the item preserve the mana for a long enough period of time. The complexity of defensive and healing spells is much higher than attack spells."

Vahn nodded before taking out the [Heal] staff he had used last time. Because Welf had a high appreciation and respect for Vahn, their affection level had exceeded 80 which allowed Vahn to 'gift' a single item to Welf with a month-long cooldown. "You'll need to keep the origin a secret, but I want you to use this staff to help in your research. You don't have to worry about returning it, just make sure you don't forget your purpose and I'll be happy."

Welf accepted the staff and held it firmly in his hands. With a serious expression on his face, he looked into Vahns eyes and nodded. "I will prove to the world my blood isn't a curse. Thanks, Vahn."Vahn wasn't the only one to grow in the three weeks of hellish training. Though it wasn't as drastic, Lili had also been making marked improvements. Her training with Tsubaki had begun to show its effects, and she was now able to fight freely without much assistance on the first four floors. Afterward, she had Vahn check her status and confirmed that many of her parameters had exceeded D, with her agility and dexterity reaching C. If she wanted to, she could even level-up, but chose to wait and improve her foundation after consulting both Vahn and Tsubaki.

The weapon she ended up choosing was a crimson naginata that was far larger than her body. The overall length was 200cm with the curved-blade comprising 40cm of the total length. Tsubaki was quite proficient in its use and encouraged Lili to learn how to use it since her small stature would actually be a benefit once she increased her mastery. After she tried it out, Lili realized it suited her well and began training alongside Tsubaki to learn the various offensive and defensive forms.

Though she still had a lot to learn, Lili was able to use her improving mobility to quickly deal with small groups of enemies. Whenever she was in a pinch, she also carried a dagger which she had Vahn forge. Overall, she was already much stronger than the Lili Vahn had seen in the manga. He looked forward to seeing how far she could progress using her newfound confidence and skills.Today, the duo had decided to venture into the deeper floors. Lili freaked out when she saw the giant one-eyed frogs, but managed to defeat one after a bit of effort. As her stats weren't particularly high, this was the point where she was unable to fight without support. After discussing it with Vahn, the two continued into the dungeon using their usual method. Lili was acting as a Vahnguard(A/N: I'm leaving this typo because it made me laugh) while Vahn used [Will of the Emperor] to scout for traps and monster spawns.

Their progress was much slower than the first four floors, and by the beginning of the sixth floor, Lili began failing to cope against the monsters. She came across a War Shadow, and after a fierce fight only managed to defeat it with Vahn blocking several of its lethal attacks. If he hadn't have been protecting her, Lili knew she most likely would have died. War Shadows were much harder to deal with than she expected.

"Let's call it for the day. We made it much further than our previous visits and you're quickly improving. In another few months, you'll probably be able to fight on the first seven floors without my help." Vahn smiled while patting Lili's head. It had become a habit between them when Lili performed well, Vahn would pat her on the head while praising her.They made their way towards the stairs leading out of the dungeon when Vahn suddenly stopped. Lili, confused, asked what was the matter and Vahn shook his head while looking deeper into the dungeon. Though it could have been his imagination, after confirming with Sis, he knew what he had heard wasn't false. Somewhere, further in the dungeon, someone had screamed out.

Vahn put on a serious expression and explained the situation to Lili. Though she wanted to accompany him, she knew from all their previous experiences together that she would only get in the way. If Vahn was going to save someone, it would be better to leave the matter to him. Since she wasn't proficient enough to protect herself on the 6th floor, she would just be a liability.

There wasn't a lot of time, so Vahn gently pats Lili's hair before leaving her in the relative safety of the stairs. She had decided to stay in the area until he completed his task, and began preparing items for emergency treatment if he brought any injured people to her. One of the skills she had been studying in the last few weeks was how to make medicinal powders and apply basic first aid treatment for wounds.Vahn ran deeper into the dungeon towards the direction where he had last heard the 'sound'.

The reason he had been able to pick up the 'sound' while Lili, who was still in her Cat Person form, couldn't, is because what Vahn had detected wasn't an actual sound. As he always had [Will of the Emperor] active within the dungeon, Vahn was able to feel a ripple of intent pass through his domain and he was able to interpret that as a plea for help. He could feel the fear, pain, and anguish in the cry and thus couldn't ignore it. (A/N: Credit to 'Frozen', my guardian diety~)

Vahn was moving at an incredible pace through the sixth floor and had equipped his bow to quickly dispatch any enemies that dared cross his path. Even when he passed a pair of War Shadows surrounded by Frog Shooters, he annihilated the entire group without breaking stride. His training with Tsubaki and using the bamboo weights had enhanced his perception to the point he didn't even have to directly look at enemies within a 10m range.

Eventually, Vahn found his way to the site of a battle. There was blood everywhere, much of it belonging to humans. Corpses of monsters were strewn about, signs that the adventurers hadn't been able to accurately destroy the magic cores. But what irked Vahn the most was, the corpses of the fallen adventurers were being torn apart and mutilated by the monsters who had begun devouring them.

Among the group of monsters, there was one that stood out from the rest. All of the others stayed far away from it, almost as if they were afraid of being its next victim. Vahn's vision began to turn dark as a coldness started spreading through his mind.

The monster, a War Shadow variant with a white coloration was currently torturing the only living adventurer in the area. It was using its claws to slowly impale parts of her body while grating the flesh around her missing arm. Though she would try to scream out, the only sound was an anguished and muffled croak likely due to internal bleeding.

Vahn spread his domain to the maximum and locked-on to the White Shadow*. It stopped torturing the girl and she slowly began to pass out now that the constant pain had ceased. Before she lost consciousness, she saw a handsome boy glowing with a golden radiance as a warm heat spread over her body.

Due to his rage, Vahn's [Heart of the Eternal Flame] had begun to infuse its effect into the domain of [Will of the Emperor] causing the entire room of the dungeon to glow with a golden light. The monsters within the domain began to sizzle as the 'burning' effect was applied to their bodies. They screamed in pain while trying to protect their eyes, but none of their efforts could alleviate the burning sensation that continued to increase in intensity.

The White Shadow was also under the effect of the domain, and it quickly charged at Vahn to tear him apart for ruining it's fun. It was much faster than a normal War Shadow and the claws on its hands were nearly twice as long. It intended to impale the interloper before slowly pulling out the intestines while they were still alive.

Before the White Shadow could close the distance, Vahn began a charge of his own. The bow within his hands disappeared and was replaced by an ornamental straight sword with the motif of a lion. This sword was the one he had received from Milan, and it was identified by the system as [Lion's Pride:S]. Though the make wasn't as complex as his previous Tamahagane blade, the conductivity of the metal when channeling magic was far stronger as it was comprised entirely of mithril.

As Vahn swung the sword towards the White Shadow, it tried intercepting the blade with it's claws. The moment before contact, time seemed to slow for the two as Vahn could see his sword cut through the White Shadow's claws like a plasma blade. It slowly moved through each claw with almost no resistance as each severed finger flew off with a glowing red hue where it previously connected to the White Shadow.

Due to the combined effects of his energy and [Heart of the Eternal Flame, his sword had become super-heated which spelled the end for the arrogant monster. It could only look helplessly as the sword continued unobstructed toward its head and core. By the time the blade had passed, there were two separate halves of a White Shadow still left standing with a glowing cross-section. After another few milliseconds, the two halves turned to dust in a small explosion as Vahn continued forward without taking notice.

He dispatched the few remaining monsters before approaching the barely breathing girl. He could tell she was a young brown-haired Chienthrope, likely only a few years older than himself. Vahn quickly purchased another [Heal] from the system and began using its effects to try and save the unfortunate adventurer. He noticed that while the skill was active, her wounds began to slowly regenerate, but Vahn stopped channeling because he noticed a problem.

Though the staff was healing her wounds, it was only healing the remaining tissue. If Vahn continued using his current method the staff would heal the injury around her arm and leave only a stub behind. As someone that had lived for several years without armor or legs, Vahn knew how difficult it was to live with the loss of a limb.

Vahn's thoughts spun rapidly through his head as he tried searching for the lost limb. No matter where he looked he couldn't find anything, and he was quickly running out of time. Much longer and the girl would likely die of blood loss, so Vahn needed to think of an immediate solution. Suddenly, a dangerous thought entered his mind as he quickly read through his skills.

Making his decision, Vahn grits his teeth while switching his sword to his left hand...and slices off his own right arm.

Title: Progress : Cry for Help

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Stranger', 'Hold my beer', 'Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon?', 'That's a little too still')

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Chapter 63 - Monster

The moment Vahn cut his arm off, the pain receptors in his body began sounding alarms. The pain almost caused him to lose consciousness, but [Rakshasa Body] kicked in and prevented him from passing out. Due to the massive damage he had taken, his form began to change slightly and the stump of his arm tried to seal itself.

Before the skill took full effect, Vahn put the second part of his plan into action. He exhaled before sucking in a deep breath and activate his [Wound Transfer] on the unconscious girl. Red strings of light began appearing from her body as the wounds rapidly began to heal. Thankfully, even her arm began to grow at a noticeably fast rate.

As the lines began to infuse with his body, Vahn fell to his knees and supported himself with his only remaining arm. Everywhere the light touched, puncture wounds and mangled flesh began to appear. The pain was so intense that, even if he wanted to, Vahn was unable to faint. He couldn't rely on [Rakshasa Body] to divert the pain as intentionally activating the skill would transform his body and close his wounds.

Vahn vomited when a hole opened in his stomach. His blood began to flow out rapidly, but he still managed to maintain his awareness. He noticed that the arm was healing at a slower pace and he wouldn't be able to last long enough for the process to complete. Using his final [Skill Enhancement Scroll] Vahn increased the rank of his [Wound Transfer] from B to A.

The increase had an immediate effect and Vahn could see the arm regrowing at a much faster pace than before. Fortunately, the increase in the skill level even mitigated some of the pain he was feeling so Vahn was able to withstand the process throughout its entirety. Now was the most important part of his plan, so he couldn't afford collapse yet.

He picked up his severed arm from the ground but dropped it as the result of an impact to his back. Vahn coughed a mouthful of blood as he turned his head and saw a Frog Shooter who had just fired its tongue into his back. He could feel that several of his ribs were broken, but he managed to reactivate [Will of the Emperor, which had deactivated when he was wracked with pain, preventing the monster from attacking again.

Withdrawing the dagger he obtained when he first entered this world, Vahn threw it directly into the eye of the monster. The shockwave created a large cavity as it passed through the body of the monster, and the dagger continued until firmly rooting itself into the dungeon wall. Due to the exertion and his current state, Vahn nearly collapsed, vomiting another mouthful of blood.

He quickly reached the location where he dropped his arm and attached it next to the mangled remains of his right shoulder. As he couldn't continue without a spare hand, Vahn ended up having to lay on the ground next to the severed arm. He withdrew [Heal] from his inventory and began channeling his energy full force into the staff.

The magic circle expanded to an area of 5m around Vahn and began to mend the wounds on his body. His arm, that was still detached, was also within the area of effect and the two disconnected parts were slowly trying to reattach themselves. The moment the flesh started to mend, he began to channel the full effects of all of his abilities including, [Yggdrasil's Favor, [Rakshasa Body, and [Heart of the Eternal Flame].

The three skills, in conjunction with the use of [Heal, began to rapidly regenerate his damage tissue while also modifying his body. Vahn could feel the muscles in his body become stronger as the 'molten' bloody pumped through his veins. Hair began growing on his arms and legs, including the previously severed arm. The hair on his head grew slightly longer and he could feel all of his senses increase in efficacy. There was even a strange discomfort coming from his lower back.

After several agonizing seconds, the pain slowly receded and Vahn became far calmer. The pain was relieved by [Rakshasa Body]'s effects and he managed to stand upright. He tried moving around his right arm, and even though there was a strange numbness, he was able to move and feel all of his fingers. After that, he inspected the source of discomfort on his back and found that likely due to his skill, he had actually grown a light grey tail with white stripes.

Vahn didn't have the type of pants that allowed for a tail to run through, so he bought a pair from the system. Luckily, the system seemed to account for the change in his natural state and allowed him to purchase the same type as his current pair, but they had an elastic band allowing a tail to pass through.

Inspecting the rest of his body, Vahn noticed his forearms and legs had grown a dense assortment of light grey and black striped fur. His hands had turned into claws, though they still retained their human shape. The thing he found most peculiar, every so slightly, he could see a subtle pad-like skin emerging on his palms and the tips of his fingers. The pads were soft to the touch and turned out to be more sensitive than he expected.

Suddenly, and without warning, an arrow had entered Vahn's detection range. He managed to evade it before following the path of the arrow to find it's origins. A group of adventurers had just entered the room and, seeing the bloody carnage and Vahn's transformed state, they determined that he was the cause and began attacking.

The group of five immediately split to surround the 'monster'. One of the adventurers, an elf that had fired the first arrow, began to rapidly attack Vahn from a distance. Due to his enhanced attributes and [Will of the Emperor, Vahn was able to evade the incoming attacks and tried speaking out.

"Why are you attacking me!? I'm the one that killed all the monsters and saved the girl!" Vahn continued dodging the attack. At this point, the other members of the team had created a formation around him and were trying to attack his blind spots.

The man from his front, a tall brown-haired man with a muscular physique wielding a combination sword and shield, shouted in response. "Silence you vile creature! You expect us to believe the words of a monster!?" He swung his sword at Vahn's legs, trying to force him back towards his allies.

Due to his training with Tsubaki, and the fact he could sense the men in his surroundings, Vahn decided to advance instead of retreat. He used his gauntlets to deflect the blow before trying to disarm the man. In response, the man used his shield and slammed it into Vahn's upper body to force him away.

The man's companion, a short female cat person with purple hair, used the opportunity when Vahn was off-balance to try and stab him in the side with her daggers. Without a better means of response, Vahn swiped his left hand and impacted the girl directly in her face. He could feel a small distortion in his hand that made him feel uncomfortable.

After receiving the blow, the girl was flung back and landed unmoving on the ground. She was still breathing but had been knocked unconscious by Vahn's counter. The three remaining melee fighters shouted and simultaneously charged Vahn who had blanked slightly after sending the girl flying.

"You bastard, you killed Tallim!!!" A young man with red hair, similar in age to the cat girl, used a skill and stabbed towards Vahn using his spear while shouting out the demise of his still living companion. The other two men used their swords to try and cut off Vahn's path of escape.

Vahn was seriously pissed off. Even though he hadn't done anything and tried to explain the situation, the party of five completely ignored him and kept attacking with the intent to kill. A coldness spread through his mind as all the inhibitions he had begun to fade away into nothingness.

His domain began to spread out and started glowing with a golden light which caused the men to wince, but didn't stop their attack.

Without dodging, Vahn allowed the spear to penetrate his gut while he used his hands to block the blades of the men. He used the moment immediately after the collision to perform an instep and grab the two men by the neck. The spearman twisted his spear and pulled it back to prepare for a second strike, but Vahn spun and slammed the body of his companion directly toward the spearhead while using the second man to block an incoming arrow.

At this point silence completely overtook the atmosphere as Vahn continued holding the struggling man in his right hand to block the line of sight of the archer. The red-haired boy who had inadvertently stabbed his own ally let go of the spear and they both fell to the floor. The victim of the stab, a blond-haired Boaz with a lean figure, clutched the spear in his stomach to try and stimy the flow of blood.

Vahn, using the momentary silence, spoke once again. "I said I didn't kill anyone. Don't make me have to take back my words." He coldly looked at the man in his hand and then dropped him to the ground. The man struggled for breath as he motioned for his elf companion to cease the attack. They were no match for this 'monster', and if he was willing to spare them, they would be better served to stop the fight.

After seeing the men stand down, Vahn approached the collapse cat girl. The red-haired man tried to say something, but the man Vahn assumed was their leader had him deal with their companion with a spear penetrating his body. The elf was still keeping an eye on the situation, and he seemed to be waiting for Vahn to drop his guard before beginning the attack anew.

Vahn arrived at the girl's side and saw that her jaw had shattered from his attack. Her pretty face had been completely distorted by his counter and he felt slightly guilty about it. Removing [Heal] from his inventory, he began treating her injuries. After the bones had been reset, Vahn stopped healing her to prevent the party from recovering their full strength. He expected that, if he helped heal them completely, they would probably try to attack him again with more caution.

The men had relaxed somewhat after seeing Vahn heal their ally. They began to suspect he had been telling the truth and thanked their lucky stars he was compassionate enough to spare them even after their accusations. The leader, who had been trying to treat his own wounds, spoke up to try and ease the atmosphere.

"We're sorry for wrongly accusing you stranger...but if it isn't any inconvenience, could you use your magic to heal Jared? A wound that pierces the body isn't easy to treat. He could die if we're unable to get to the surface fast enough..." As he asked the question, his voice became lower and lower as the 'monster' began glaring towards him.

Vahn walked towards the writhing man and then glared towards the red-haired boy. The boy, seeing the terrifying look of the 'monster', immediately abandoned his ally and made his way towards the still unconscious cat girl.

Staring down at the man named 'Jared', Vahn bent down and grabbed the spear from the front and back side of the wound. Using a twisting and jerking motion, the spear snapped and Vahn was able to pull the two halves out of the wound. He had decided that yanking it out the full length would just complicate things so he took a more direct route. This way the enemy had one less weapon if they tried attacking him again.

Jared immediately writhed in pain and vomited the contents of his stomach. A foul smell began to spread in the air, and Vahn noticed the man had pissed himself due to the pain. Grimacing at the disgusting sight, Vahn quickly used [Heal] until the wound had mostly closed. The man was still laying on the ground in immense pain but tried to show a thankful smile after Vahn's treatment.

At this point, just as the atmosphere began to turn tense, the sleeping female chienthrope awoke. She looked around at the chaotic scene before staring lazily at her right arm. Before she had passed out, she had given up all hope and was certain the limb had been lost. Looking around once again, she spotted a figure that looked similar to the boy that had saved her. The only difference was, instead of dark hair and a handsome face, he now had white hair with black undertones. His arms and legs were both covered in fur, and he seemed to be fighting a party of adventurers.

After a few seconds, she realized what was going on and tried moving her body. She was surprised to notice the expected pain never came and she was easily able to stand. After giving herself a cursory glance, she turned towards the group and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"STOP! That boy is the one who saved me!"

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I'm not a furry, it's just a phase', 'Try me bitch', 'You got knocked the F*ck out!')

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Chapter 64 - Naaza Erisuis

The shout of the girl cut through the tense atmosphere and drew the eyes of everyone in the area towards the source. The party of adventurers saw that, though she was in a disheveled state, the girl was without injury. Judging by how the 'monster' was able to heal their allies, they began to believe he had been telling the truth since the beginning.

The elf, who had kept his guard up the entire time, decided to speak to the girl to confirm the situation. "I am Rein Valst of the Tyche Familia. Chienthrope girl, explain the situation." His tone was arrogant and he kept his bow at the ready while maintaining a distance with Vahn.

The girl, who identified herself as Naaza Erisuis, began recounting the story from before Vahn arrived. She spoke of how a duo of high-class adventurers that her party had met earlier in the day arrived later with a horde of monsters in close pursuit. The duo used Naaza's party to draw the attention of the monsters before abandoning the fight and fleeing.

"Pass Parade!" The leader of the party spat in contempt after hearing Naaza's recounting of events. Kiting a group of monsters to another group to drop aggro was one of the most frowned-upon and hated actions anyone could do to another group. There were many weaker parties that had been completely wiped as a result of the desperate act. Anyone found to perform a 'pass parade' would be severely punished by the guild once the matter came to light.

Naaza continued after nodding through gritted teeth. She had tears in her eyes as she talked about how her allies tried to resist the horde but were slowly overwhelmed by the sheer number of creatures. To make matters worse, at one point the variant War Shadow showed up and started massacring both her allies and monsters alike. It seemed to derive pleasure from the slaughter and before she knew it, Naaza was the only one remaining of her party.

At this point, Naaza paused in her story and seemed to struggle with explaining something. She had gotten to the part about how the White Shadow tortured her and began shaking in fear. Remembering how the monster reveled while slowly torturing her...the sadistic glee it had as it severed one of her arms before tossing it into the mouth of a Frog Shooter. Unable to drive the image from her mind, Naaza collapsed and vomited.

The party of five began to feel pity for the girl. She had survived something that most people would never be able to walk away from and now had to live with the sequelae of the event. The purple-haired cat girl, who had awoken at this point, began rubbing Naaza's back in an effort to comfort the traumatized girl.

After a few minutes, Naaza managed to recover her senses and continued the story. She skipped over the parts about how she was tortured, and everyone seemed to agree it wasn't necessary, allowing her to continue detailing how Vahn had shown up at the last minute to save her. Not only had he defeated the White Shadow and all the remaining monsters, he even managed to restore her body after she had passed out. The next thing she remembered was waking up to see everyone fighting her savior which lead to this moment.

Everyone except the elf had apologetic and embarrassed expressions on their face. They were able to infer that, after Vahn had saved the girl he was waiting for her to awaken before escorting her out of the dungeon. They misunderstood the situation, as Vahn was surrounded by 'corpses', and assumed he had been the culprit behind the slaughter. The leader of the group seemed to be trying to come up with a way to apologize, but the elf spoke out before he was able to.

"It does not change the fact that this boy is a monster. All humanoid monsters are targets for extermination, no matter if they are intelligent or the type to go around saving people. We don't know his purpose for being here, and this may all be an elaborate setup for future plans. By earning your empathy, he may use it as a means of wreaking havoc on a larger group of people after earning your trust."

The atmosphere became tense as the arrogant and accusatory words of the elf transmitted to the group. The leader of the party shouted, "Rein, shut your goddamn mouth! Are you trying to get us all killed!?" Rein scoffed and gave a sideward glance towards his supposed leader. "If he attacks us now, he'll just be revealing his true nature. I suggest we report this incident to the Guild and inform them of the potential exploitation of this girl. We can't have her leading people to their deaths just because she falls for a monsters ploy."

As his words fell, laughter started spreading throughout the room. Everyone was stunned and turned towards the 'monster' who seemed to be cackling in an 'evil' manner. It was almost like he was losing his mind, and the entire group, minus Naaza, began preparing for the ensuing battle. After a few seconds, Vahn stopped laughing before looking into the eyes of the elf with a condescending gaze.

"Thria*Mimos!" Vahn spoke each word with a powerful, venomous undertone. The moment the final syllable fell, his body began to change into a new shape. Instead of the tiger-like qualities, he was now converting his appearance to appear more wolf-like. The onlookers stared with slack-jawed expressions while even the elf seemed to be discontent with how things were developing.

Naaza, the only person that had kept a relative calm in the changing situation, released a relieved sigh before speaking. "It's a magic spell. You accusing someone of being a monster was baseless! Not only were you trying to kill him, to begin with, but when you failed to do so you planned to drag his reputation through the mud!? Despicable!"

Now that things had been cleared up, Naaza was very pissed off at the arrogant elf. He not only intended to insult her savior, but his actions would have dragged her and her Familia down as well. Nobody would want to associate with a Familia that had been tricked by a 'monster'.

The elf was offended by the insult, but seeing as how even his own companions were staring at him with contempt, he tried changing the momentum of the conversation. "Even if he possesses a magic to transform into a beast, it doesn't prove he isn't a monster. None of us here have seen him take the form of any of the civilized races!" As the words fell, another change began to occur which drew everyone's attention away from him.

Vahn, who at this point had recovered greatly, began turning back into his normal state. As he had been out of combat for a while now, the energy maintaining his [Rakshasa Body] had long depleted and was being supported by his willpower and emotions alone. Hearing the arrogant elf's words, Vahn allowed the transformation to disperse.

Now, he stood before the entire group in his normal form with dark hair and tanned skin. His green eyes stared fiercely at the elf, almost as if he was daring him to say something else. "Satisfied? Or is your pride so important that you're willing to put your life on the line to continue this charade!?"

The face of the elf contorted as if he had swallowed something foul. He wanted to refute the words and was thinking about the best way to do so. Vahn, seeing his state spoke out once again. "My name is Vahn Mason. I'm a member of the Hephaestus Familia and a protege of it's Captain, Tsubaki Collbrande. You said you were Rein Valst of the Tyche Familia? Good, I am sure our gods would be willing to settle this matter."

As Vahn dropped that bombshell, he began to walk towards the exit. He had already saved the girl, who he was surprised to find out was Naaza from the original story. Now that he had prevented her from losing an arm, the Miach family would never go into debt and lose most of its power. Vahn hoped she would be happier than her counterpart from the manga.

Seeing the person named Vahn leaving, the party began to think of him as a 'monster' in a new meaning. Their Familia was only a C-Rank Familia with the strongest adventurers being their own group at level 2. There was no way they could afford to offend a titanic S-Rank Familia like the Hephaestus Familia! The leader spoke out in a hurry and tried to catch up to the departing figure.

"Wait, wait, wait! Can't we talk about this? There is no need to make this a conflict between our two Familia! Come, I'll have everyone apologize. Rein, get your pointy-eared ass over here!" The boaz man was incredibly fl.u.s.tered. He wanted to wring the neck of his companion for escalating things to such an extent. If nothing else, he could have at least prevented exposing their names and which Familia they belonged to!

The moment he caught up to Vahn, he tried to amicably place his arm on the boy's shoulder before receiving a powerful back-hand strike which cracked several of his ribs and left a dent in his armor. Vahn glared into his pain-filled expression and spoke with a cold tone. "The next time you try to lay your hands on me, do so with the conviction of facing death."

Without sparing any more words for the awe-struck group, Vahn continued on his way. Naaza, who had also been surprised by the sudden change, woke up from her stupor and chased after him. She wasn't fond of this group and thought they were a bunch of prideful jerks. Even if Vahn seemed a little cruel, he had saved her life and healed her wounds. Following him was much better than staying with this contemptible party.

Vahn didn't say anything after she had caught up with him, he just gave her a curt nod and a small smile. She seemed even more surprised after seeing how quickly Vahn's 'cold' nature had diminished after separating with the group. Though, after thinking about it, she understood he was likely very angry after being attacked by the group. Seeing as how he was willing to save her, he must have a kind-hearted nature.

Naaza released a relieved sigh and returned a smile of her own. "I'm Naaza. Thank you for saving me Vahn." In response, Vahn slowly shook his head but his smile didn't fade. Naaza was confused, but her concerns were immediately answered when he responded, "You'll be safe after we get you out of this dark and dreary dungeon. You're still in shock from the events, and once the reality of the situation hits it will be very painful. For now, focus on keeping your bearings. I promise I will protect you until you are able to reunite with your Familia above ground."

Hearing his kind words, Naaza began tearing up. Though she had been trying to maintain her calm after recounting her story earlier, she was affected deeply by the loss of her friends. She had even given up any hope of living before Vahn had saved her. Now he was even promising to protect her while showing he understood the internal struggles happening within her mind.

She covered her mouth to try and stifle her sobbing, but the tears began to overpower her resistance and she collapsed to the ground in grief. Vahn, seeing that his words had the opposite effect, bent down and took her into his arms. His actions caused Naaza to stop holding back her tears as she began loudly wailing within his embrace.

Vahn held her in a gentle, but firm embrace as he consoled the bereaved girl. He continued tending to her even when the group of five passed by him with awkward expressions on their faces. Vahn gave them a solemn look without saying anything, and they at least had the wherewithal to not interfere with the current situation. They continued on their way, likely planning to leave the dungeon and report the situation to their Familia.

After several minutes passed, Naaza had stopped crying and was now gently snoring in Vahn's arms. He looked down into the tear-stained face of the girl and felt pity. Various thoughts began to sprout in his mind, but Vahn decided to worry about them later. For now, he picked up Naaza's body and held her close as he started running through the dungeon towards the staircase where he had parted with Lili.

(A/N: 'Pride before the Fall', 'My Goddess is bigger than your Goddess', 'Innate Skill [Face Slap: SSS]')

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Chapter 65 - Return

Vahn continued carrying Naaza while making his way through the dungeon. There were several instances where monsters spawned and tried to attack, but he was able to use [Will of the Emperor] in concentrated bursts while using the burning effect of his [Heart of the Eternal Flame] to injure the monster's eyes. On this floor the most common encounter was with Frog Shooters, so damaging their single eye made them helpless in trying to attack Vahn as he sprinted through the corridors.

After arriving near the staircase, Vahn was able to see Lili in the distance still waiting for him. When she caught sight of his approach she became very excited until noticing the girl in Vahn's arms. Lili frowned but didn't say anything as she knew the girl was likely a victim and someone Vahn had saved. For now, she cleared the path of the door and allowed Vahn to pass unobstructed.

The corridor connecting the stairs is typically considered a safe zone, so Vahn allowed Naaza to rest on the mats that Lili had laid out. After placing her down, he noticed her clothes were in disarray, so he used a blanket to make sure she was properly covered. The air within the dungeon wasn't very warm, and it would be ironic if she got a cold after everything that happened.

Lili, seeing how much care Vahn was giving the girl, decided to replace him and tend to the unconscious woman. She told Vahn it was more appropriate for girls to help girls in case there were any sensitive matters to discuss. For now, she told him to just rest until the woman awoke on her own and then they would be able to leave the dungeon.

Vahn nodded and rested against the wall. He watched as Lili began inspecting Naaza for injuries and then, seeing his gaze, put up a barricade to block his sight. Vahn was able to hear the sound of clothes being shifted about and imagined that Lili was probably putting her first-aid training to the test. Vahn knew that Naaza didn't have any injuries, but he allowed Lili to do as she pleased for now.

Lili undressed the chienthrope girl and began to frown. She noticed that no matter where she looked, she was unable to find any injuries on the girl. This meant that Vahn had likely used the same technique he had used to save her previously. Since he had the ability to heal minor wounds, that meant the girl had suffered severe injuries and he probably had to experience a lot of pain when saving her.

She sighed and began to inspect the figure of the girl, though not for injuries. Lili noticed that the girl was pretty cute and had a great figure. Given the efforts Vahn put into saving her, she would likely become a rival in the future. Lili also noticed that, like most chienthropes, the girl had droopy dog ears and a bushy tail. Given Vahn's propensity for petting girls with such features, Lili was very worried about the future.

She released an even deeper sigh before asking Vahn to hand her a change of clothes. As all of Lili's clothes were far too small, she had to make do with giving the girl one of Vahn's tunics. Lili gnashed her teeth at the 'good fortune' of the girl and struggled to part with the piece of fabric. After making sure the girl was properly dressed, she removed the barrier blocking Vahn's sight and then plopped down on his lap.

Vahn was surprised momentarily, but as he had grown accustomed to her actions, he just allowed her to act spoiled for the time being. He knew she was pouting and was probably jealous that he had saved another girl. Though he still wanted to break her selfish tendencies, seeing the small form of the girl and the fact she had waited patiently for his return, he decided to reward her for a bit and began playing with her cat ears.

Lili had been anticipating Vahn's actions and immediately stopped pouting. She instead rested her back against his chest and mewled silently in response to his affection. Moments like this were the times when she was most happy, and it gave her the energy she needed to continue putting in efforts to grow stronger.After having been around Vahn for more than a month, she had started to realize a lot of important things she previously overlooked. Though she also built walls around her heart and avoided people, Vahn seemed to almost have a disregard for the existence of others. Unless they directly interacted with him, Vahn seemed to ignore people and made almost no efforts to communicate until he had 'evaluated' them.

Yes, 'evaluated', is how Tsubaki described it when she and Lili were talking about Vahn. Tsubaki noticed that Vahn had a tendency to observe people he associated with and always made measured responses. His actions were unnatural, and even though he showed moments of insight, he seemed to not notice it himself. This was the reason she had invited Welf over that night because she wanted to see how Vahn was able to deal with a 'male' similar in age to himself.

During the moments when Vahn wasn't around, Tsubaki was constantly speaking with Lili about Vahn's mental wellness and other important subjects. She shared the speculations held by her and Hephaestus and wanted Lili to understand the significance of what Vahn was going through. Since Vahn treated Lili as something he desired to protect, Tsubaki made sure Lili was to restrain herself until Vahn manages to adapt to normal society.

To prove the severity of the issue, she had dragged Lili to the onsen after Vahn entered to prove he had no interest in the opposite s.e.x at the moment. Lili was surprised at seeing Vahn's reaction to their intrusion and the indifference he showed in regards to his own nudity and being seen n.a.k.e.d by others. Though she was 'distracted' at the time, after Tsubaki captured her later she was able to understand things more clearly.

Lili was very sad by the revelation and thought she had been wronging Vahn by acting out, but Tsubaki ignored her melancholy and began teasing her. After playing with her body for a few torturous minutes, Tsubaki finally freed her before explaining further.

Tsubaki actually encouraged Lili to have Vahn spoil her, but told her only to do so when she had worked hard or accomplished something. Since Vahn wanted to protect Lili and help her grow stronger, he would be able to justify his actions as a 'reward' and slowly build awareness of other peoples feelings over time. Lili was more than willing to participate and began to work hard the very next day.After a few minutes, Lili sighed in her mind before separating from Vahn. She knew if things continued for too long it would cause more harm than good. Vahn didn't prevent her from escaping, he just gave her a gentle smile before turning to face Naaza. Lili sat next to him and also waited for the sleeping beauty to awaken.

While they were waiting, Vahn asked if the five-man party had passed by. Lili affirmed his suspicions and said they only briefly questioned why she had set up camp in the area, but since she had largely ignored them, they ended up moving on. The elf of their party seemed to be offended by her unwillingness to answer, but the boaz man with a sword and shield smacked him in the back of the head before dragging him away.

Hearing that the fool kept antagonizing other people, Vahn began to seriously wonder if that elf had a few screws loose within his head. He couldn't help but think, 'How can someone have so much pride that they continually dig themselves further and further into a hole?' He shook his head and swore to bring up the matter to Hephaestus when they exited the dungeon. Though Vahn didn't want the entire Familia to suffer, he would have justice for the treatment he received.About an hour later, Naaza finally awoke with a confused expression. She looked at her surroundings while inspecting the unfamiliar clothes on her body. To the side, she could see the man who saved her, Vahn, showing a gentle smile as he looked towards her. Beside him, Naaza could see a young cat person who, unlike Vahn, seemed to have a bit of hostility in her gaze. A thought passed through Naaza's mind as she seemed to understand the underlying meaning.

Naaza blushed slightly and lowered her head. Seeing the clean tunic on her body, she couldn't help but ask, "Did you change my clothing? Where did this tunic come from?" In response to her question, the small cat person spoke. "Vahn wasn't the one to change you, it was me. I'm Lili, Vahn's partner, by the way. The tunic you're wearing is one of Vahn's spares. Unfortunately, my clothes wouldn't be able to fit you so we had to make due with what was available."

Hearing that the clothes belonged to the boy, Naaza, who still had her head lowered, felt her nose twitch slightly. As a chienthrope, her sense of smell was much stronger than other races and she could faintly detect a 'manly' aroma from the garment. Her small action didn't escape the sight of Lili who began to groan with jealousy. She wanted to say more, but Vahn interrupted her by standing.

"We need to get out of the dungeon. It's already pretty late and I'm certain both our Familia are waiting for our return. You should be able to walk, but if you're feeling any discomfort I can carry you to the surface." It was already nearing 11 PM, almost a full hour past their curfew. Vahn knew there were going to be problems if they delayed any further, and could even feel a slight discomfort from the 'eternal flame' in his heart.

The two girls nodded in response and helped clean up all the currently strewn about items. Naaza was in much better shape after crying herself to sleep and resting for a bit. Though she would still need time to process everything and cope, Vahn hoped she was able to put this event behind her in the future. After everything was ready, the trio began their journey towards the surface.After arriving on the first floor of Babel, the group was immediately intercepted by a large group of people. Vahn was able to see many familiar faces in the crowd including Tsubaki and Miach. Hephaestus wasn't in sight, but Vahn learned later that she had stormed into the Tyche Familia and demanded an explanation from their Goddess, Tyche. The culprit behind the incident, the elf known as Rein, was severely reprimanded and forced to take an oath to repay 30,000,000V to Vahn as compensation in the future. He would be stuck trying to repay the debt for years unless Vahn was willing to forgive him.

Tsubaki had a fierce expression on her face, but the moment she saw Vahn and Lili she began smiling. "I'm glad you two are safe. Good work!" Tsubaki then gave them both a big hug that lasted several seconds. Both Vahn and Lili were comforted by the action, as they had expected her to be very angry for failing to return before their curfew.

Naaza had been received by the other group of people and was exchanging hugs with several crying members. The tears she had been holding back since awakening now started flowing freely as she was embraced by her Familia. Miach was comforting her from the side and listening to her recounting the events with a mixture of anger and sadness on his face. Their Familia had suffered a terrible blow today, and if Vahn hadn't saved Naaza they may have never even known the reason.

Miach left Naaza to the care of his children and approached the Hephaestus Familia 'rescue team'. He wanted to meet the hero who had saved one of his beloved children. Noticing the young man next to Tsubaki, Miach was surprised. The boy was much younger than he expected and had a powerful aura sleeping within his body. He could see the shadow of greatness slowly taking root deep within Vahn's soul.

Vahn also noticed the approaching Miach. While Miach was evaluating him, Vahn was doing the same. He noticed that the God was an incredibly handsome man with blue hair and blue eyes. The aura coming from his body was incredibly dense and was a mixture of yellows accented by a deep violet color that radiated out of his body. From Vahn's experience, this showed that Miach was likely a very compassionate person who harbored no ill will towards him.

The two smiled at each other before Tsubaki loudly spoke out. "Hey, Miach-kami! Looks like our kid ended up doing you a pretty big favor this time. Make sure you give him a good discount in the future!" Tsubaki started laughing at her own words while patting Vahn's back. (A/N: Other than their own gods, most people don't refer to gods with 'sama'. It feels weird to type out "Hey, God Miach..." in a sentence so I added -kami to the end. Let me know if you think it should be changed to sama for future reference.)

Miach nodded in response to Tsubaki before bowing slightly towards Vahn. "Thank you, Vahn. My Familia owes you a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid. If you are ever in need, please feel free to rely on us. As long as it is within our means I, God Miach, vow to provide no less than my full efforts to return your kindness."

Hearing their God's proclamation, every present member of the Miach Familia also bowed towards Vahn. As long as it wasn't against their principles, they would do their best to repay his favor in the future.

Vahn nodded and returned the bow as Tsubaki laughed loudly at his side. Even as he bent over, she kept patting his back with increased force while Lili anxiously looked on from the side. She was very happy for Vahn, but seeing Tsubaki so riled up made cold sweat pour down her back. Tonight would probably not end until everyone partied themselves to sleep.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Handsome, Manly Gazes', 'Miach's Gratitude', 'Vow between men')

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Chapter 66 - Party : Promise

Though Tsubaki invited them along, Miach had his Familia thank the Hephaestus Familia before parting ways. Even though it wasn't wrong to celebrate Naaza's return, he wanted to give his children time to mourn the death of their comrades. He also needed to arrange the time to visit the Guild and issue a formal investigation request. Miach would not rest until the duo that leads to the death of his children were brought to justice.

Tsubaki understood his concerns and let Miach know the Hephaestus Familia would cooperate with the investigation. Though it had been an indirect result, the duo almost led to the death of Vahn as well, since the misunderstanding that caused him to be attacked would have never happened without the 'pass parade'. If Tsubaki got her hands on the two, she would string them both up to dry in the sun if she had her way.The two groups parted ways and Tsubaki led the members of the Hephaestus Familia to the Hostess of Fertility. Vahn and Lili both visited frequently and it was the best place they could think of to celebrate with a large number of people. Upon their arrival, the group was greeted by Anya who quickly got Mama Mia to settle the matter of seating arrangements while she went to inform Chloe. Whenever she was on duty, Chloe was the waitress that always dealt with Vahn and his accompanying guests.

After Mama Mia learned the purpose of the groups visit, she began to laugh loudly similar to Tsubaki. She looked towards Vahn with a huge smile on her face and said, "You got a real heroic streak in you kid! First the little one and now you got yourself a big one in the bag? At this rate, you're going to break our Chloe's heart. Hahaha!" Mama Mia had seen Chloe approaching and said the final few words loud enough the entire pub could hear.

Chloe gave an awkward laugh while trodding over to the group. "Mama Mia~! You're embarrassing me~nya! I'm happy as long as Vahn is happy you know~?" Though she acted embarrassed, Chloe didn't display a bashful demeanor or shy expression. She even used the last few words to tease Vahn by giving him a playful wink. Vahn returned a smile and sat between Tsubaki and Lili as the rest of the Familia started placing their orders.

Everyone was in high spirits as they were celebrating the safe return and heroic deeds of their younger Familia members. For many, it was their first time actually meeting Vahn and Lili, so they were very interested to know what kind of people they were. Seeing how much emphasis their Goddess put in his 'rescue' and how quickly they were asked to gather, many of them wanted to establish an amicable relationship with the rising star.

Vahn answered many of their questions while Tsubaki intercepted anything that might relate to his secret. She didn't shut anyone down directly, but always interrupted and changed the topic of conversation. Vahn was really grateful for her help, as he wasn't accustomed to dealing with so many people at once. Even Lili and Chloe would periodically step in to change the atmosphere or even distract Vahn when he seemed to have trouble responding.

The members of the rescue party quickly caught on that it wasn't appropriate to ask too many personal questions about Vahn. Most of their members were Level 3 or higher, and they had been familiar with Tsubaki for a very long time. It wasn't an accident that Hephaestus had arranged for Tsubaki, who is the Captain of the entire Familia, to be the one leading the emergency mission. Instead of prying any deeper, they just gave into the festive atmosphere and drank their curiosity while teasing Vahn for his apparent 'luck' with women.The party continued late into the night before Mama Mia finally kicked everyone out. Tsubaki paid the tab for the entire group which roused a cheer from the whole party as they parted ways into the cold night. After everyone left, Tsubaki escorted Vahn and Lili home before having them take turns bathing and sending them off to bed. Since it was a special occasion, she told them to take the next day off and relax.

Vahn and Lili were both happy to hear that as they had been working hard for the entire three weeks. Tsubaki didn't give them much free time and even their days off consisted of reading books or performing equipment maintenance. Vahn had become a good assistant and had even forged some mid-grade weapons on his own.

That night, Vahn slept soundly and continued dreaming long into the next morning. It had been a very long time since he enjoyed sleeping in and it wasn't until Lili knocked on his door that he finally pulled himself from the comfort of his futon. She had come to inform Vahn that it was time for lunch and stated Tsubaki had some news to discuss. Vahn nodded and headed towards the bathroom to wash his face before leaving towards the dining area.When he arrived, Vahn was pleasantly surprised to see Hephaestus drinking tea with Tsubaki and Lili. They were all waiting for him before eating lunch, which consisted of grilled-fish with rice and a rich vegetable soup. Hephaestus showed a radiant smile when Vahn entered the room, and he bowed in response while greeting her in return. "Good afternoon Hephaestus. Thanks for your help yesterday. I'm sorry to have troubled you for personal reasons."

Hephaestus gave a helpless sigh as she shook her head. "Its no trouble Vahn. It's fortunate those idiots weren't that strong. If anything had happened I would have had to send Tyche back to heaven after annihilating her Familia." She spoke without a change in expression and Vahn could tell she wasn't joking. He sat down before trying to calm her.

"Mmm, it was just a misunderstanding. I'm lucky they weren't stronger or I would have had to kill them instead of just injuring them. I don't want to become a murderer over something inconsequential." As Vahn spoke, Lili, who was sitting to his left, flinched slightly. She lowered her head while holding her cup with both hands and slowly sipped at its contents.

Hephaestus nodded in response to Vahn. "I'm glad, Vahn. The fact you're able to keep your head in that type of situation is commendable. Continue to improve so you'll never be forced to kill anyone that isn't threatening the things you wish to protect." She showed him a gentle and encouraging smile while Tsubaki began to laugh with a cheeky grin on her face.

"Hahaha, you're not going to mention how you almost forced the entire party to be exiled from the Familia or how you initially wanted that dumb elf to pay 100,000,000V in reparations? I heard Tyche-sama had to beg on her hands and knees just to calm your anger!" Tsubaki was beside herself with laughter. Seeing Hephaestus pretend to act calm was very amusing to her.

Hephaestus blushed and gave a hateful look at Tsubaki who continued to laugh in spite of her reproachful gaze. Eventually, Hephaestus just sighed and recalled the events of the previous day in her mind. She had known something was wrong long before news came from the dungeon.

While she was in her workshop, she could feel Vahn's heartbeat begin to accelerate rapidly. When she focused on it, she could feel his distressed state of mind and his unease. She knew from the connection they shared he was in danger, so Hephaestus immediately threw aside the metal she had been shaping and used a communication magic tool to immediately inform Tsubaki who then passed the word to the available high-level adventurers.

Hephaestus then spent the next several hours in a state of duress. She even nursed the thought of trying to enter the dungeon herself, since she believed she would be able to track Vahn using their connection. She showed up to meet with the group led by Tsubaki and was prevented from entering by the Guild personnel that had arrived to investigate.

After arguing with the officials for a while, Hephaestus began to grow restless but managed to keep her cool since Vahn's heart had stabilized a while back. However, even though it had returned to normal, there was a point where his heart had been beating so rapidly she thought it was going to explode within her soul. Immediately after that, the beating nearly stopped and Hephaestus almost collapsed before noticing it continued to beat with a gentle, but steady rhythm. After that, it was a roller-coaster for her which is what led Hephaestus to arrive outside the entrance to the dungeon.

While the group was still arguing with the Guild staff, a party of five adventurers came rushing out of the dungeon. Seeing the Guild personnel, they began to inform them of what had happened in the dungeon. Though Hephaestus ignored it at first, the moment she heard them mention a boy named 'Vahn' she immediately took action only to be beaten in response by Tsubaki.

Tsubaki forced the group to recount the story from start to finish and nearly went ballistic after hearing that the group tried to attack Vahn. Hephaestus had also been listening and looked at the party of five with a cold expression. After she found out what Familia they belonged to, she split the rescue party in half before dragging the cowering adventurers straight to the residence of the Goddess Tyche. The rest was very similar to what Tsubaki described...it wasn't until Tyche made a vow that Hephaestus finally calmed her anger.

"Thank you Hephaestus. You got angry on my behalf..." Hephaestus was broken from her reverie by Vahn, who had whispered his thanks to her yet again. She could see he was genuinely grateful, so she let go of the anger that still remained in her heart and put on her best smile. "I told you I would protect you Vahn. I mean to keep my word."After a few short exchanges, Lili began serving everyone lunch. The group continued chatting about various things including the Miach familia and the ongoing investigation. Hephaestus also had an interest in finding out who the two were, so she pressured the Guild alongside Miach to force them to investigate quickly. Since the Guild had a database of all the recorded Familia and their members, it wouldn't be long before they were able to identify the culprits.

The conversation continued before Tsubaki brought up the topic she had originally intended to speak about. "Pretty soon you'll be getting an alias Vahn. Your fame will likely spread after people find out about all the things you've done recently. Make sure you're working hard so some shady characters don't use you to make a name for themselves!"

Vahn was surprised to hear he would be getting an alias but didn't mind much since he had long ago reached Level 2. Hephaestus continued the topic and gave her own news. "Tsubaki is right. It's nearly the time for the Denatus where all the gods in the area gather to discuss various matters. One of the topics that are often raised includes the naming of any adventurers that have reached level 2 or higher. I will be attending for a few days, and when I return I'll inform you about their decision. Try not to get your hopes up though...not all the alias' assigned to Level 2 adventurers are very flattering."

Hearing her explanation, Vahn nodded his head in understanding. He remembered Hestia working hard to get a 'normal' alias for Bell when he had reached level 2. Hopefully his wasn't too strange though, even if it was, Vahn figured he could just work hard for the next three months to obtain level 3 and get a new one...

Tsubaki chimed in, "Lili, you need to work hard as well. You're already qualified to reach level 2, so you'll have three months to improve your foundation before the next Denatus. Once you obtain your alias is when your journey as an adventurer officially begins. You'll be able to accept missions from the Guild and people will even come to you depending on your reputation." Tsubaki was very familiar with the influence of an alias. Even her current nickname, 'Cyclops', had a big impact on how people saw her. She still wanted to punch the fool that came up with the idea...After lunch, Hephaestus had to leave to attend to other matters. Before she left though, she hesitated before turning back and embracing Vahn. Though he was surprised, Vahn accepted Hephaestus's embrace and even reciprocated with his own. He could see her aura had been in disorder since she laid eyes on him earlier. She had likely been worried about him yesterday, and Vahn wanted to help alleviate her feelings of unrest.

Hephaestus gently whispered into his ear, "Don't go dying in someplace I can't reach you...". Vahn nodded, even though his face was currently near her b.r.e.a.s.ts. He put strength into his arms and returned a whisper of his own. "I promise...I will become the strongest so you never have to worry about me again."

Hephaestus laughed slightly after hearing his words. She put more strength into her embrace and pulled his face closer to her own. "I worry about you because I want to. Even if you become the strongest in the entire world, my heart will only be at ease when you are safe within my sight."

After the extended embrace, the two parted ways. Vahn continued staring at the back of Hephaestus as a conviction began to take root in his heart. He gripped his fists and headed towards the training area while Tsubaki, who had been watching the situation with interest, shook her head without stopping him. Lili stared at Vahn's back, lost in thought until he had nearly disappeared. Seeing his body turn the corner, she too headed towards the courtyard.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Come back...with your shield, or on it.', 'Two Cyclops and a Hero', 'Tyche did nothing wrong!')

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Chapter 67 - House Visit

In the days to follow, Vahn had increased his training intensity. He was now up to the sixth level on the weighted bamboo course which Tsubaki equated to being able to react to a veteran Level 3's attacks. Since he had been unable to evade the attack of the previous Level 2 adventurer party, Vahn wanted to greatly enhance his mobility. At this point, his [Featherfoot] ability had increased from E to D, and Vahn knew it wouldn't be long before the skill increased again.

Lili was also making an increased effort and started a strange practice with Tsubaki that had her put weights on her legs and walk on her hands through an obstacle course. Every time she arrived at a post, she was required to kick ten times before she was allowed to continue. After Vahn asked why she had Lili perform such a strange training, Tsubaki told Vahn it was to help increase her omnidirectional movement abilities and core strength.

Since Lili had a small stature, her center of gravity was low to the ground which allowed her to use many unorthodox combat styles. As Lili had a unique skill like [Artel*Assist, it was actually much easier to condition her body than normal people. While other people had to struggle and adapt to increased weights, Lili was able to actually improve her stats instead. As long as she continued increasing the intensity, Lili would be able to slowly convert her entire body into a weapon.

It wasn't long after this strange training started that Tsubaki had Lili and Vahn begin sparring with each other. Lili was hesitant at first but quickly threw her inhibitions aside before charging Vahn. Unlike their previous spars a month ago, Lili now had greater agility and used her flexible body to attack Vahn from several tricky angles. Instead of the awkward stances and weak strikes used in the past, now Lili used her entire body to maneuver and attack.

As Vahn's parameters were much higher, he was able to easily deal with the attacks. However, he was caught off guard in one instance where Lili had actually vaulted off her hand to kick towards his face. Vahn caught the leg, but Lili twisted her body and used her second leg to nail Vahn directly in the chest. Vahn released the captured leg, and Lili used the rebounding force of her attack to somersault back to her feet.

Vahn was so surprised by the acrobatic movement that he was nearly unable to receive the follow-up attacks. He began to laugh and enjoy the fight while Tsubaki, who was spectating from the side nodded in approval. Her training with Lili not only increased her versatility but also helped polish Vahn's skills in dealing with unorthodox attacks. It also allowed him to practice controlling his strength, which Vahn seemed to struggle with when under pressure.

The spar continued for twenty minutes before Tsubaki stopped them. Lili was gasping for air, but she still had a smile on her face for being able to perform much better than she expected. This was her first time sparring with Vahn since their training began, and she was very satisfied to see her own improvements.

Vahn was also happy and had been enjoying the fight since her initial acrobatic display. He approached and infused energy into his hand and placed it on Lili's back. Activating his [Hands of Nirvana, he was able to help ease her breathing difficulties. When he was finished, he playfully ruffled her hair before sitting off to the side and taking a break.

This was the first time Lili had seen Vahn act so happily, and she was experiencing a mixture of excitement and bashfulness after Vahn used his skill to ease her fatigued state. Tsubaki started laughing from the side before teasing the two for their interaction. "You two are almost like a brother and sister! How adorable~!"

Vahn smiled, but Lili seemed to take damage after hearing the words. She kept muttering 'brother' and 'sister' under her breath for the entire duration of the break. Before the break ended, however, a guest had arrived. It was Miach, and he had been accompanied by Naaza who was dressed in casual attire consisting of a beige shirt, light red shawl, and a green pleated skirt accented by white stocks and tan boots.

After seeing Vahn enter the room alongside Tsubaki and Lili, Miach showed a gentle smile while Naaza displayed a slight blush. Vahn was curious at her behavior, as it was far different than the detached character she displayed in the manga. It's likely that healing her arm had prevented her personality from deteriorating and this was most likely her original character. As she was only a sixteen-year-old girl, it would have been sad to see her depressed and melancholic.

Miach and Naaza both bowed. "Once again, Vahn. I, Miach, God of the Miach Familia, would like to thank you for saving my precious child Naaza." After he finished his words, Naaza spoke as well. "Yes, thank you, Vahn. I may not be here today if it weren't for you. Also..." Naaza looked towards Miach and saw him nod with a kind smile.

"I..wanted to confirm something. I know it may not be appropriate to ask, but I'm certain that before I passed out that I had been missing my arm. Though I'd like to pretend it was just a dream, the image is so clear in my head that I...I..." Naaza began to tremble as she began to recall the scene. The image of the White Shadow slowly grinding away at the stump of her arm had left a deeply rooted trauma in her heart.

Tsubaki listened at the side, and when Naaza began to ask her question, she too became curious. She looked towards Vahn and saw he was in contemplation before he made eye contact with her. Tsubaki understood from his question if he was allowed to speak, and she slowly nodded her head before interrupting.

"You two should know it's taboo to ask someone about their skills or parameters. Vahn might be willing to talk, and though we're not distrusting you, you'll have to guarantee absolute secrecy if you want to hear the answer." Tsubaki looked towards Miach sternly, and he nodded without changing his expression at all.

"I, Miach, Patron God of the Miach Familia, hereby swear on my Divinity to protect the secrets of Vahn Mason at risk of destruction of my mortal body should I dishonor my vow." As he spoke, Miach drew a strange crest which seemed to record his words. When he was finished, he looked towards Naaza who made a similar vow. "I, Naaza Erisuis, hereby swear on my Familia Crest to protect the secrets of Vahn Mason at risk of losing my falna and sealing my skills." After she spoke, they both added a drop of blood to the floating crest which flashed with a brilliant light before vanishing into particles.

Tsubaki, seeing that the ritual was completed, nodded towards Vahn and asked if she and Lili were allowed to listen. Vahn nodded, as he already trusted the two who had developed affection values exceeding 90 with him. Lili was even holding strongly at 98, and Vahn had often considered what was required to earn the last two points.After nearly an hour, Vahn had explained everything that happened from his end. He excluded anything related to [Rakshasa Body] but explained the functions of [Wound Transfer] and how he was able to use a combination of his other skills alongside healing magic to re-attach his arm. Naaza, hearing him recount the events had tears in her eyes after realizing the effort he had put in to save her. She hadn't expected Vahn had cut off his own arm in an attempt to help restore her own...

Miach was surprised to learn the existence of such a skill. If used properly, Vahn would be able to save countless lives! But, after hearing the amount of pain and suffering the user had to experience, Miach knew it was not such a convenient skill. If the person using it lacked willpower they would succ.u.mb to the very wounds they were trying to heal. And, without a method to rapidly heal themselves, overuse of the skill would inevitably lead to death or disability.

"It seems the debt my Familia owes you is even greater than I expected." As he spoke, Miach bowed low until his forehead nearly touched the ground. It was almost considered blasphemous for a God to bow to a human, but Miach never cared for such formalities. The boy before him was deserving of his respect and admiration. Not many people his age, or even those much older, would be able to willingly sacrifice themselves or suffer on behalf of others.

Naaza also tried to bow, but Vahn spoke up interrupting the two. "Stop! I acted at my convenience to do something I wanted to do. Even if you're grateful, it doesn't make me happy to see people bow to express their feelings. From now on just do your best to live well and enjoy life, that is more than enough to pay your debts."

Miach's impression of Vahn grew even more, and he ceased bowing to show his assent. Looking to his side, he could see Naaza still on the verge of tears as she struggled with her internal emotions. Miach showed a gentle smile before addressing Vahn. "Vahn, I would like you to visit my Familia when you get a chance. I guarantee we will greet you with open arms, and I'd like to introduce you to all of my children. If you're interested, I would also be willing to teach you and your companions how to make various medicines and concoct potions."

Vahn nodded his head. It had been his intent for some time to learn alchemy and brewing. He had purchased some basic manuals on it but hadn't been able to learn the [Mixing] or [Alchemy] development abilities. Without proper guidance and experience, there wasn't a lot of progress he could make on his own.

Seeing Vahn agree to visit, Miach nodded and prepared to leave. Naaza rose to follow, but Miach stopped her. "It's okay Naaza, stay for as long as Tsubaki allows you. When the time comes, you can be the one to escort Vahn back to the Familia. I'll entrust his basic training to you." Naaza froze after hearing her God's words. Though she didn't mind helping Vahn learn how to mix potions, she never expected Miach to allow her to stay outside of the pharmacy.

Miach shook his head. "I understand you have your concerns Naaza, but you should be enjoying your youth more. I've seen how uncomfortable you are around the rest of the Familia right now. You still blame yourself for what happened in the dungeon and are avoiding getting close to anyone. I think staying here will be good for your mind and body. Treat it like a vacation and return whenever your heart finds balance." As he spoke, Miach was gently patting Naaza's head. She blushed at the affectionate action and seemed to be confused as she snuck peaks between her God and the boy who saved her...

Tsubaki laughed loudly at the sudden series of events. "Good for you kid! Looks like its going to get more lively around here. Feel free to stay as long as you want Naaza. If Vahn or Lili bully you, just tell me and I'll beat them up!"

Tsubaki had started patting Vahn's back and gave him a thumbs up while winking with her only uncovered eye...Vahn couldn't help retorting in his mind, 'Isn't that just a blink!?'.

Naaza bowed her head low with a bright blush on her face. "Please...take care of me." Though she was still worried, she couldn't help but feel a slight anticipation for the future.

(A/N: 'Giving away one's daughter', 'Miach is secretly the best wingman', 'Emo puppies make my heart cry', 'Lili's new combat style: Capoeira?', 'Heartwarming case of domestic assault')

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Chapter 68 - Denatus

Naaza started staying within Tsubaki's house from that day forward. She had been assigned a room within the same corridor as Lili, which was on the opposite side of the building in the eastern wing. Tsubaki's room was located at the furthest section of the hall and connected to the corridor heading towards the western wing and onsen. During the first night Naaza stayed, Tsubaki managed to get both her and Lili to take a bath together so she could talk to them in private.

After that, Naaza had a change in personality and started acting more proactive in her interactions with everyone. Though she was somewhat shy around Vahn, she was constantly engaging him in conversations about medicine and mixtures. She was very surprised seeing how quickly Vahn 'learned' the information and was shocked that he was able to make modifications to the process after hearing about it only once.

When Lili and Vahn weren't training or entering the dungeon, Naaza would often find Vahn to compare notes and ask for advice. She had even convinced Tsubaki to allow her to set up a workshop of her own and began brewing potions according to the 'theories' Vahn had conveyed to her.

Previously, Naaza had only been able to make low-grade potions easily while she struggled to create mid-grade ones. Now, however, she was rapidly increasing her success rate under Vahn's guidance. She even began to suspect he had a lot of experience with mixing, but after seeing him attempt the process himself, she immediately threw that thought out the window.

Unlike forging, which Vahn was able to perform easily with the support of [Will of the Emperor] and [Heart of the Eternal Flame, Vahn struggled with compounding and mixing. Though he possessed all the theoretical knowledge to develop the medicines, he had difficulties when it came to infusing his energy into the solution. Most of his attempts ended up causing the flasks to shatter mere moments after he began.

Naaza was unable to make sense of the nonsensical scene. As she had been observing his training, Naaza knew Vahn was incredibly proficient with controlling his mana. But for some reason, no matter how little he infused into the solutions they ended up exploding! It was like the ingredients themselves were reacting explosively the moment his 'mana' began bonding with the solution. She was determined to find the cause, as it would be such a waste for someone to possess so much talent yet be unable to make even basic healing potions.While Naaza was busy trying to crack the mysterious case of Vahn's inexplicable ability to destroy flasks, on the 30th floor of Babel Tower dozens of gods from Familia throughout the City had begun to converge. Today was the first day of their quarterly meeting known as the 'Denatus'. It was at this meeting they would make decisions that could shape the very fate of Orario and determine the lives of countless adventurers and citizens.

The room was filled with beautiful and handsome figures attired in formal wear. They boisterously interacted with each other while issuing compliments and boasting about their favorite 'children'. Some of them were even placing bets and talking about the upcoming 'Monster Feria' that would be taking place before the next 'Denatus' meeting.

Within the crowd, a lithe and sensual figure moved which caused the heads of both gods and goddesses alike to turn. Many of the goddesses showed discontented expressions, while all but a few of the gods were unable to pull their eyes away. The figure, as if completely unfazed by the looks of the crowd moved towards an area of the floor where a red-haired goddess could be seen.

"Ara, Hephaestus. It's rare to see you show up so early on the first day." The figure spoke in a gentle tone with a slight hint of seduction which caused Hephaestus to grimace before grabbing a new glass of wine from the nearby table. "Freya. To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting the Goddess of the Rank 2 Familia?"

Freya giggled while covering her mouth with her silken-gloved hand."It certainly is frustrating. Unfortunately, my love for talent prevents me from moving and expanding freely. Speaking of talent, I heard your Familia had a promising young 'child'?"

Hearing Freya mention Vahn, Hephaestus frowned and sipped on her wine. "Indeed. Not that they have anything to do with you." Hephaestus knew exactly what kind of person Freya was, and would never allow her to sink her claws into one of the people she decided to protect.

The persistent smile on Freya's face twitched very slightly, but unless someone was paying very close attention they wouldn't have noticed. "So cold. Talent is the treasure of everyone, you shouldn't try to keep it to yourself. Why not allow it to grow freely and make its own decisions?" Seeing how hostile Hephaestus was acting, her interest in the boy called Vahn was only increased.

Hephaestus saw the look in Freya's eyes and approached mere inches away from her. "I will say this once Freya. If you try to lay your hands on that child, I will do everything in my power to make you pay the price. That boy is not someone that deserves to suffer your 'love'." She stared directly into Freya's eyes as she slowly spoke each word. There was no hidden meaning, and if Freya tried to test her she would find out the hard way the might of the wealthiest Familia.

Freya's smile faded away and was replaced with a slight frown. The perfect brow on her face crumpled ever so slightly due to how offended and angry she was. "You would go so far for a single child Hephaestus? How can you expect him to grow if you're so overprotective?" She couldn't understand why the usually cold and detached Hephaestus was so concerned with a single mortal. It wasn't even the first time Freya had 'scouted' talent from the Hephaestus Familia without complaint.

Suddenly, a ridiculous thought passed through her mind. "You...could it be you fell in love with him?" The frown on Freya's face immediately faded and was replaced with a calculating smile. If the child was capable enough to awaken the desire to protect in someone frigid like Hephaestus, it may be worth starting a war trying to win him over.

Hephaestus realized her threat wasn't working and she felt a bit of anxiety in her heart. But, seeing how Freya began 'calculating', all the anxiety immediately vanished and was replaced by a seething hatred. "From now on your Familia can acquire it's equipment elsewhere. I'll not allow any of my capable blacksmiths to forge a single piece of equipment for the followers of someone so depraved. I will have each of them make an oath with the Guild as a witness. If so much as a single dagger finds its way into your Familia's hands I will strip them of their Falna and demand compensation from you."

Freya was shocked hearing the new threat. Even if she could forge a contract with the other master smiths in the city, there were far too few to equip her entire Familia reliably. Without making use of the expertise of the Hephaestus Familia, Freya would be hard pressed ensuring her 'children' are properly cared for in the future.

Looking into Hephaestus's eye, Freya could see she was deadly serious. It seems that if she wanted to mess with Hephaestus's favorite 'child' it was akin to playing with fire..."Fine, what do you want? I'm sure you have some kind of compromise in mind, yes?" Freya grit her teeth as she spoke the words. Some of the crowd that had been observing from the side began to sweat after seeing her 'dark' expression. It was very rare anyone was ever willing to get on the bad side of Freya.

"You will make a vow before Ouranos to stay away from Vahn in the future. I don't care if he approaches you on his own, but if I find out he gets entrapped by one of your schemes I will have you disband your mockery of a Familia." Hephaestus made her conditions as plainly as possible without any room for discussion.

Freya thought for a moment before asking, "Are you saying if I accidentally bump into him on the street I suddenly have to disband my entire Familia? And what happens if 'he approaches me on his own'. What does that mean?"

Hephaestus explained in an impatient tone. "Unlike you, I don't manipulate my children to please my own sick fantasies. If Vahn ends up leaving my Familia or interacts with you by his own will, I will not stop him. But, if it turns out he only came to you after interacting with your children or through one of your schemes I will demand an answer from you before Ouranos. And make no mistake, I will let Vahn know EXACTLY what kind of goddess you are."

Freya frowned more and more the longer Hephaestus spoke. She hated not being able to get what she wanted, and the fact such a delicious morsel was being kept from her was vexing. "I will agree to make a vow, and even include a clause to not scheme to entrap your child. However, I want you to make a vow that you will not slander me before we meet. I will not approach your precious Vahn, but if he happens to come to me by some twist of fate, it would be unfair if you made him develop some kind of bias."

Hephaestus wasn't happy with the terms, but unless an unexpected event occurred this was likely her best chance to prevent Freya from getting her hands on Vahn in the future. She would just have to trust Vahn is capable of seeing through Freya's guise if the time came. After remembering how cautious and observant Vahn was, Hephaestus nodded. "Fine. We have an agreement. After the Denatus ends we will each for the vows."

Freya nodded and grabbed a nearby wine glass before drinking its contents within an instant. After glaring slightly at Hephaestus, she turned away while wearing her characteristic smile and elegant demeanor. She looked for another interesting target before leaving Hephaestus, the source of her current unease, behind.

Hephaestus watched Freya slither away before downing her own cup of wine. Now that her first objective had gone well, she needed to focus on securing a good alias for Vahn. She began looking for other gods to pull to her side and saw Miach speaking with a god she had never seen before. It was a handsome god with black hair and eyes wearing eastern attire. He was either newly descended or migrated to Orario from a foreign nation.

Miach noticed the approaching Hephaestus and bowed politely. "Greetings Hephaestus. Once again, thank you for your child's efforts. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you should you require my aid." Hephaestus gave him a curt nod before saying, "My Familia has never had bad relations with the Miach Familia and has even received your kindness in the past. Please set aside your deference and we can act as equals. If anything, I only ask that you show kindness to my children in the future."

The black-haired god observed the interaction and displayed a friendly smile. "So you are the goddess Miach had been telling me about. Your child, Vahn was it? He seems to possess a heroic spirit and commendable nature. I would love the opportunity to meet such an admirable young man and believe he would be a good influence on my own children."

Hephaestus eyed the new face and asked, "You are...?". Even though he seemed amicable, she wasn't willing to expose Vahn to anyone without determining if they were trustworthy.

The god bowed deeply. "Forgive my late introduction. My name is Takemikazuchi and my Familia just migrated here from the Far East. As I've yet to make many acquaintances, I would be grateful to receive your guidance." Takemikazuchi showed his respectful nature as he politely gave his introduction.

Hephaestus felt like Takemikazuchi was very similar to Miach, as they were both respectful and very handsome gods. As she didn't think he would be a bad influence on Vahn, Hephaestus also introduced herself. "Greetings Takemikazuchi. I am Hephaestus, Goddess of the Hephaestus Familia. Please feel free to defer to my Familia if you have any concerns regarding equipment in the future. As for my children, or Vahn specifically, it would be up to him if he wanted to interact with your children in the future."

Take* smiled after hearing her response. He believed such a righteous child would be able to get along with his children, and he didn't mind Hephaestus leaving the decision to Vahn. "I have received your kindness Hephaestus. Please let me know if you are in need of assistance. I believe our Familia would be well served by cooperating in the future!"

Hephaestus nodded; it wasn't uncommon for gods to try and solicit her for benefits after working to establish amicable relations. But, unlike previous cases, she decided to humor this new god as she was in need of allies for the coming meeting. "Actually, there is something I could use both of your help with..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Freya gets forced, what a twist!', 'Hephaestus is bae', 'Play with fire and you might get burned. Play with a 'Goddess of Forging' and you WILL get burned', 'Meeting of the two Gigolos')

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Chapter 69 - *Spoilers: Title at End*

While Hephaestus was working hard to prevent future troubles, Vahn was currently wrapped up in the present issue that presented itself. Tsubaki had elevated his training to a new level, and instead of just sparring and developing his physical abilities, she was now having him fight against her with weapons. The two stood five meters apart from each other, and all the hairs on Vahn's body were raised as his senses screamed for him to flee.

Tsubaki was in a low stance with her hand resting slightly above the hilt of her katana. Her body was perfectly still, and from Vahn's perspective, she didn't even appear to breathe. The only thing he could focus on was the intent within her eye that made him unable to move. It wasn't the predatory look he had seen in people that wanted to exploit him; the only thing Vahn could see from that singular, uncovered, eye was absolute confidence. A confidence that told him there was nothing he could do to stop what came next.

Seconds passed like minutes, as the two held their stances and faced off. Vahn held his sword in front of him preparing to receive the strike, while Tsubaki maintained her lowered stance with her katana still sheathed. The sweat on Vahn's brow slowly made its way down his face until a drop rested on the edge of his nose. He could feel it tickle his skin every time he drew breath until he eventually tried to dislodge it by exhaling quickly.

The moment Vahn breathed out, Tsubaki's body seemed to tilt ever so slightly before the image Vahn could see began to blur. He immediately understood the phenomenon as her after-image since he had seen it several times since their new training began. Vahn quickly stepped back and prepared to receive the yet unseen blow. His eyes darted around his front as he swept his back with his domain.

As his focus increased to the pinnacle, colors slowly faded away from the surroundings as time itself seemed to crawl. From his perception, Vahn could sense the approaching blade and, even though it had not yet reached, he experienced the illusion of the blade winds tearing apart his body. He twisted his h.i.p.s and reoriented himself towards the blow and tried to parry, but to his surprise, the only thing he saw was Tsubaki still in a low stance.

Vahn's parry collided with nothing and passed through the air leaving a gap in his defenses. Tsubaki used that exact moment to plant her foot into the ground as an incredibly loud sound of metal against metal began resonating in Vahn's ears. At this point, from Vahn's perspective, time itself seemed to halt for everything except the blade movement before him. A beam of light seemed to trace Tsubaki's eye as the katana carried an unstoppable momentum towards Vahn's neck.

The katana came within millimeters of separating Vahn's head from the rest of his body when the seemingly unstoppable force suddenly dissipated. The blade now rested a hairsbreadth away from his jugular and Vahn just stood in absolute stillness as the blade was slowly lowered. Tsubaki sheathed the katana and the fiercely confident look on her face was replaced with a friendly smile.

"Your reaction speed is improving rapidly. You need to focus on making the proper decision after seeing what your opponent is doing instead of just trusting your initial reaction. If I had attacked normally you may have been able to parry my attack but, since I was able to fool you with my intent, you created a gap which I was able to exploit." As Tsubaki explained his flaws, Vahn still just stood there blankly. It wasn't until she patted him on the shoulder and told him to take a break that the tension finally subsided and he collapsed to the ground.

Naaza, who had been waiting at the side came to Vahn holding a warm towel and a cold container of water. She had been asked by Tsubaki to handle the after-care of Vahn's training to killing intent. Every time their training came to an end, Vahn would end up in a semi-frozen state as his brain processed that he was still alive against all expectation. It was Naaza'a job to help him relax so the training could continue.

While this was going on, Lili was gnashing her teeth while being unable to move from her current position. She too volunteered to help Vahn recover, but Tsubaki denied her since Lili had her own training to undertake. Now she was stuck standing on a long reinforced beam while supporting a gigantic metal pillar. She needed to move the pillar from one end of the beam to the other without falling and could only rest if she did so standing on her hands.Vahn awoke to the familiar sight of Naaza's face looking down on him from above. He could feel a soft sensation on his neck which meant she was giving him a lap pillow. Noticing he had regained awareness, Naaza removed the towel from his head before bringing the container to his lips. Vahn had grown accustomed to this action recently, so he opened his mouth and drank the water she was offering. Afterward, he rested on her lap for another minute or so as his breathing stabilized.

"It looked like you almost had her that time." Naaza issued a gentle laugh while continuing to wipe away the sweat on Vahn's brow. Vahn, who was resting on her lap, released a long sigh before shaking his head slightly. "Every time I think I'm able to receive the attack Tsubaki always sees through it and changes her approach."

Naaza nodded her head before replying, "Yes, but Tsubaki has been fighting for more than twenty years. If anything, it would be strange for you to be able to resist her attacks while still being level 2. I think she is just trying to have you adapt to the pressure of stronger opponents so you don't freeze up in a tense situation." Vahn also agreed with Naaza's assessment, as it had been something Tsubaki herself had told him when their new training began.

Afterward, Vahn sparred against Tsubaki an additional nine times, bringing their total for the day to ten. He was still unable to prevent a single attack but was slowly beginning to develop a resistance against the aftereffects of the fight. Though Vahn didn't mind being tended to by Naaza, it was slowly starting to make him feel awkward on the inside. Once, he had caught Naaza secretly sniffing at the cloth she used to wipe his sweat and it made Vahn feel a strange and numb sensation in his mind.As the morning training had ended, Vahn was now in Tsubaki's workshop refining various drop items for Tsubaki. She had fallen behind on some of her contracts, so Vahn wanted to help her by assisting with the processing of materials. Though he was unable to help in her in the actual forging process, he had a lot of knowledge on how to properly prepare the materials and quickly adapted to the position of her assistant. Tsubaki was very grateful for the help and used the opportunity when Vahn wasn't busy to explain the process she used when creating equipment.

Today Tsubaki was creating a helmet using a composite of magisteel infused with adamantine. The helmet would be nearly indestructible when completed and had the added benefit of dispersing the shockwaves caused by heavy blows. Forging with adamantine was a long and arduous process because of the intractable quality of the material. It required the use of special tools and had to periodically be left in a mana-infused solution to weaken the durability of the metal.

Even Vahn's 'eternal flame' was unable to distort the material without having been soaked for more than an hour. Tsubaki had given him a small ingot, hardly enough to forge a dagger, and Vahn had been allowed free-range to experiment with its use. Naaza was surprised seeing Vahn handling such an expensive material, as Adamantite was easily one of the most expensive materials by volume in the entire market. A single gram could go for as much as 15,000V due to the rarity of the metal, while Vahn was given an entire 500g of the substance.

Whenever Vahn wasn't busy, he would constantly be trying different methods to shape the ingot. He had even purchased information on it from the shop, but both his physical strength and current forging techniques weren't able to ease the process any. Adamantite wasn't conductive by nature which made it hard to channel 'energy' into. Instead, it was commonly mixed with other materials like magisteel and mithril to work around that weakness. Vahn was determined to find the best method to work the material in the future, as he wanted to create an indestructible weapon for himself.By the time 2 PM rolled around, Vahn and Lili were beginning their preparations for heading to the dungeon, but Tsubaki stopped them. She gave Vahn a large grin before asking, "Do you remember what today is?" Vahn couldn't recall off the top of his head, so he began seriously considering the question.

Lili, at his side, spoke up. "Today is the day the Denatus ends. Vahn should be receiving his alias today, right?" Tsubaki gave a thumbs up and laughed. "Hahaha, that's right! Good job Lili. You always were the type to pay attention to the details, especially when it comes to Vahn, huh?" Without waiting for an answer, Tsubaki started patting Lili's head which caused her to squirm.

"Guuu, only Vahn can pet my ears. You should go pat Naaza instead Tsubaki-sama..." Lili was now covering her ears with her hands as she pulled away from Tsubaki. A gleam flashed through the crimson eye of the master smith as she quickly snatched Lili up and started hugging her closely against her cheek. "Hahaha, you're so adorable Lili~. No need to be shy!"

"Vaaaaahn-, save meeeee!" Lili reached out towards Vahn who had been staring blankly at the sight. He had become used to seeing Lili handled by Tsubaki and knew there wasn't anything he could do about it. Hell, when she was in the mood, Vahn couldn't even protect himself from Tsubaki's clutches. At this point, he had just learned to accept her contact and even began enjoying it when she wasn't overexcited. It was always a relaxing experience when she would gently caress his head, and there were several instances where he had fallen asleep in her embrace.They decided not to go into the dungeon today and instead spent the rest of the day relaxing. Naaza had taken the opportunity to invite Vahn to her workshop where they talked about various methods to improve the potions. Whenever they would talk, Naaza always had a notebook on hand and recorded all of the 'insights' Vahn had. Vahn didn't mind, as he enjoyed the serious disposition Naaza had when it came to mixing. He wanted to see if she was able to create stronger potions in the future and even wanted to see if she could learn the [Alchemy] development skill in the future.

Lili was also there, as she had been spending a lot of time with Naaza as well recently. She had originally been learning how to mix medicines from books, so having someone with actual experience was a boon. Though they didn't get along very well, they both had a mutual respect for each other and helped cover each other's flaws. Lili even trained with Naaza, who was surprised to find out she wasn't much stronger than someone that was only level 1. This made Naaza also consider if she should be training with Tsubaki, but for now, she wanted to focus on developing her [Mixing] skill.

The trio continued talking and performing small experiments until the evening came. Tsubaki showed up and informed them that Hephaestus had arrived, so the three of them cleaned up and made their way to the dining room. When they entered, they saw a somewhat dejected Hephaestus leaning against the table while supporting her head with her palm. She slowly stirred the coffee with a spoon and acted in a very lazy manner uncharacteristic of her.

Hephaestus saw them enter and seated herself properly before giving Vahn an awkward smile. "I'm sorry Vahn, I tried to get you a good one, but those fools wouldn't listen to reason." She sighed and started sipping at her coffee as everyone else sat down.

Though Vahn was slightly worried that he got a weird name, he didn't think it was that big a deal so he tried to console her. "It's alright Hephaestus. I can always get it changed when I hit Level 3, so it's not a problem, even if it's a weird name." He gave Hephaestus a smile and noticed she seemed to relax a bit after hearing his words.

"Well, it's not really a weird name per say...It's more awkward than anything." As Hephaestus spoke she began to blush slightly which caused everyone within the room to become confused. As Tsubaki hadn't heard the news yet, even her interest was piqued as she began to tease her Goddess. "Eeeeh? Hephaestus-sama? Could it be something embarrassing?"

Hephaestus saw the strange looks everyone was giving her and her blush deepened slightly. She looked towards Vahn, the only person that had a relatively normal expression, and then released a sigh. "Vulcan..." As she spoke the word, Hephaestus couldn't prevent from planting her face onto the table.

Tsubaki began laughing uncontrollably while the other three were confused. Vahn didn't think the name sounded bad and wondered why Hephaestus was affected to such an extent. Lili decided to ask Tsubaki the meaning behind the word. "Tsubaki-sama...whats so funny about the name?" Tsubaki continued laughing while looking between Vahn and Lili.

"Hehehe, you want to know what it means Lili? Okay, I'll tell you! Vulcan is a nickname for Hephaestus herself~ In other words it's like announcing to the entire City that she and Vahn are inseparable! Hahaha!" Tsubaki ended up laughing to the point she fell to the ground. She seemed to really be enjoying the revelation.

Lili and Naaza had shocked expression on their faces as they looked towards Hephaestus who was presently burying her face into her arms. Vahn's expression hadn't changed much, and he was thinking about the name and reason Tsubaki gave. In a way, since they had a connection through the 'eternal flame', they really were inseparable. Vahn thought it was a suitable name, so he tried relieving the atmosphere a bit.

"It's a good name Hephaestus. I will do my best so I don't bring shame to it in the future." Vahn showed a gratified expression on his face which only caused the embarrassed Hephaestus to groan loudly in frustration.

Title: Vahn's Alias

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'There is no escaping now','Tsubaki is scary','RIP Hephaestus', 'You ain't sneaky Naaza')

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Chapter 70 - Rumors : Undercurrents

(A/N: This chapter has a bit of 'fluff', but I would encourage people to read it since it is also the basis for the plot's development in the future~! A lot of information is available in this chapter for insightful readers~)

While Hephaestus was passing the word to Vahn about his new alias, throughout the City many other Gods/Goddesses were doing the same. Many gods and goddesses were very gossipy by nature, and the existence of new talent and rumors were very interesting to them. They immediately informed their Familia about all the new aliases that had been assigned and any interesting information about the holder.

Though the tiles possessed by a level 2 weren't usually that interesting, many people were surprised about the information regarding the person who had become known as 'Vulcan'. After people learned about Vahn's accomplishments within the Hephaestus Familia and the fact he was able to fight an entire party of similarly leveled adventurers, many rumors began to proliferate through the taverns and residences within the city.

In the shadier bars and pubs, some people were criticizing the fast growth and promotion of such a green adventurer. Many believed he was being unfairly evaluated due to his relationship with Hephaestus, while others were straight up jealous of his background. They learned he had only been in the City for around two months yet, in that time, he had joined a top 3 Familia and even became the protege of it's Goddess and Captain. Some of them even intended to teach the kid a 'lesson' if they got the chance.

Not everyone was lamenting the rise of a new star; In some larger Familia, there was a joyous atmosphere being spread by the members. After hearing about the 'heroic' acts of the boy, many of them looked forward to associating with Vahn in the future. Though most people would try to help others in times of crisis, many adventurers were relatively selfish in nature. Other than their own Familia members, most people wouldn't be willing to put themselves in danger to save others.

Some people, after hearing about how 'handsome' the newcomer was, began scheming to try and approach Vahn. Most of them simply wanted to meet the 'handsome' and 'heroic' boy so they could leave a good impression, but, if they were lucky, they may even be able to accompany his meteoric rise to fame and receive benefits. It bears mentioning the fact he was also a protege of Hephaestus which would allow them direct access to the most prolific blacksmith in the entire City!

Not all the girls were scheming to receive benefits though, some were simply excited at the prospect of meeting a genuine hero that would show up to rescue a damsel in distress. It was the dream of many women to be rescued by a handsome prince, and for many, Vahn was an ideal candidate to 'rescue' them as well. Some girls even began to fantasize and dream about Vahn showing up while they were in dire straights and defending them against the attack of a monster horde.

One girl, in particular, had set her sights on meeting Vahn personally. She excitedly ran around her Familia and kept bragging about Vahn's achievements almost like they were her own. Many of her companions gave helpless sighs, but some were willing to accompany her in the future to meet the hero she lauded for themselves. They too wanted to meet the boy that had become a hot topic throughout the entire City.On the 32nd floor of Babel Tower, within a guest room for visiting gods/goddess, two gods, a man, and a woman sat around a circular table. The god was incredibly pissed off and had shattered several wine glasses as he complained to his companion. The goddess continued listening to him droll on and on about the boy called 'Vahn' and had begun to grow fed-up with the conversation.

Eventually, the woman's pointed ears twitched and she interrupted his tirade. "I'm tired of hearing you complain endlessly about that child. You have no reason to blame him just because your toys got broken by that vixen."

The god flared up after hearing her reproachful tone. "Enough! Don't you dare mention that bitch Freya! Over such a small slight...how dare she kill my children!?" The god threw his still filled glass against the nearby wall. The wine splashed and marred the beautifully woven carpet.

Seeing her companion once again spilling wine in her room, the goddess stood up before making her way to the door. "I'm tired of listening to your drivel. When you invited me to the City, I didn't think it would be because of your failure to court a woman. I've no interest in helping you deal with a boy that has done nothing to slight you." She was going to have the staff clean the carpet and move to a different room.

The god blanked for a moment before shouting. "Wait! It isn't because of Freya that I want to deal with that kid. There is a different reason I called you here, and I know you'll want to hear why I had you travel so far before I was able to explain in person." After his words finished, the goddess paused and her ears perked up before she turned, encouraging him to continue.

"I have seen it for myself. That boy has no soul, or something is possibly concealing it. The only thing I could detect is a powerful energy from his body, but even I can't identify the source." The god continued to speak as a madness began appearing in his eyes. Such an abnormality couldn't be allowed to wander around unless they knew what kind of existence he was.

"No soul? Impossible. Hephaestus possess the 'gods eye', she would have noticed something and taken action." The goddess shook her head with disbelief, but her companion shouted to refute her. "Don't you see! That is why Hephaestus is so protective of him! She is trying to conceal something and doesn't want anyone else to know about it. It is our 'duty' to find out the reason and, if it turns out he doesn't have a soul, we must destroy him to prevent the cycle from being contaminated."

The goddess contemplated his words. Even though she could tell he had an obvious bias about the boy, she couldn't ignore the ramifications of what he said, if it was true. As a goddess whose Divinity was related to the cycle of rebirth, she couldn't allow an anomaly to move about freely. She sighed before looking at the god in disgust. "What is your plan?"

The god smiled after hearing the Goddess's question. With her support, he would be able to eliminate that kid and get his revenge on Freya. He wanted to see her face when he revealed the true nature of the boy called 'Vahn' and presented his head to her. Since she wasn't willing to be his, he would destroy the things she took an interest in.Freya herself was also passing the word to her Familia. She informed them of the agreement she had with Hephaestus and told them to avoid directly interacting with Vahn. Though, if he were to come to them, they should do their best to befriend the boy. She made them understand not to try to manipulate him so she could get close, but just to act naturally based on their judgment. If any of them were able to befriend him through normal interactions, there was a chance he would want to meet her in the future...

After dismissing everyone, she sat on her bed in a transparent silk negligee. On the table next to her bedside was all the information possessed by the Guild about the boy called Vahn. It included his image and his assumed parameters as well as any equipment he was known to possess. She had manipulated her contacts within the Guild to conduct an investigation and gather as much information as they could about his progress. She knew almost everything he had done since entering the City and even had an accurate account of his finances and personal relationsh.i.p.s.

Freya released a sensual yet sad sigh as she perused the information. Her only hope now was fate...she would have to rely on her hidden cards to act in her interests without advising them. Luckily, even though Vahn was relatively low-key, all of his achievements couldn't be ignored. Many people would start moving toward him, and Freya may be able to interact with him soon depending on how the situation changes.

She looked through the darkness towards the balcony where moonlight shone in through the open doors. The night was cold, and she was in low spirits from having to concede to Hephaestus. She gently whispered, "Ottar, comfort my broken heart..." Turning her head, a large stalwart figure could be seen near the entrance of her private quarters.

The man approached and began undressing. "Yes, Freya-sama". After he removed the last article of clothing, he entered the bed and sensuous m.o.a.ns began breaking through the silence of the night. The cold air faded away and became replaced by a pink atmosphere.Vahn spent the rest of the evening unaware of the undercurrents that had been set in motion by his exploits. He was enjoying the atmosphere generated by his friends and Familia and even got to experience a drunk Hephaestus clinging to his body. Seeing the affectionate actions of the Goddess he had grown to respect, Vahn was pleased to be able to pamper her a bit. Lili and Naaza seemed to be influenced by Hephaestus's actions and tried to participate as well, but Tsubaki ended up snatching them away to continue partying elsewhere.

For the rest of the night, Vahn held Hephaestus in his embrace while listening to her concerns. He felt a lot closer to her like this and wanted to return some of the comforts she had given to him in the past. Hephaestus too seemed to realize they were alone and began to act in a less reserved manner. She acted somewhat selfish as she laid all her concerns on the young boy and allowed him to console her heart.

As the hours passed, the clock signaled to indicate the changing of a new day. Hephaestus continued to mumble as she began to fall asleep. She felt comfortable in Vahn's arms and the sound of his heartbeat within her body brought her a warmth she had never experienced before. She listened to the gentle, yet powerful rhythm and slowly fell asleep with a contented smile on her face.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'People be trippin', 'Hephaestus is cute when drunk', 'She is going to regret this', 'Freya gets f.u.c.k.i.e.d, in various ways', 'Assholes in high places', 'Wine-glass sama did nothing wrong')

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Chapter 71 - *Spoiler: Title at End*

Hephaestus awoke in a daze. She felt a comfortable feeling and a gentle warmth which confused her. As she opened her eyes, she realized she was hugging someone's waist and immediately separated from the figure as various thoughts raced through her mind. Seeing that the person she had been clinging to was Vahn, Hephaestus released a relieved sigh. She looked towards the sleeping Vahn and a blush appeared on her face as she began recalling the events of the previous night.

Looking around, Hephaestus noticed they were the only two in the dining room and it was still very early in the morning. It would probably be another hour or two before people came to prepare for breakfast. Using the opportunity, she lay down next to Vahn and propped her head up with her arm. She watched his sleeping face and found it to be very cute. Unlike his apathetic appearance when he was awake, Vahn always seemed a lot more content while sleeping.

Out of curiosity, Hephaestus reached forward with a finger and pressed lightly against his cheek. It was still a bit squishy due to his young age and lack of tension. Hephaestus found it cute to watch him grimace slightly while she teased him. She felt like she could watch him sleep for hours without getting bored. He was so defenseless and adorable that it made her want to protect him so he could continue to sleep in peace.

Suddenly, Hephaestus could feel the beating within her soul begin to increase. She could feel Vahn's heart rate speeding up and she began paying attention to it. It was a steady rhythm and she was able to sense happy feelings through their connection. Hephaestus really enjoyed spending her idle time listening to his heart rate, and it had even been her favorite pastime as of late. She often spent the time before bed thinking about Vahn and wondering how he was improving.

After a while, Hephaestus had a thought and decided that listening within her soul wasn't as interesting. Since Vahn was right next to her, she wanted to listen to the beating directly. As long as she was careful not to disturb him, it shouldn't be a problem. And, even if he woke up, she could pretend to have just awoken herself. Convincing herself, Hephaestus slowly placed her head on Vahn's chest.

Unlike when she listened within her soul, she could now feel the actual beating of Vahn's heart. Every time it contracted it created a powerful echo through his body that resonated through her ear. The longer she listened, the more powerful the beating seemed to become and Hephaestus even felt like she was merging with the rhythm.

The 'eternal flame' within Vahn's chest seemed to react to her presence and began to emit it's powerful heat as it increased the energy contained within Vahn's blood. Hephaestus could feel the familiar presence that had accompanied her since her creation and began to feel a more powerful connection to Vahn. He not only managed to subordinate her flame but now his internal rhythm and pulse were slowly becoming a part of Hephaestus's existence. The familiar presence that had accompanied her since time immemorial made her believe the boy before her would also be there no matter how much time passed...

/'Hephaestus'Has Reached Maximum Affection/

/Quest Completed: [The Hearts Desire:C-SS/

Completion Grade: A

Rewards:10,000OP, 1x [Hearts Desire: Hephaestus]

Grade Rewards: [Blacksmith] skill increased to S. Skill [Metallurgy:C] obtained.

Vahn was awoken by the system notification with a start. Feeling a pressure on his chest, he could see Hephaestus with a dazed expression as she appeared to be listening to his heart. She noticed his awakening and lifted her head and displayed a radiant smile. She held the gentle smile for several seconds before her eye slowly widened and a blush appeared on her face.

Hephaestus pulled away from Vahn and began coughing to clear the awkwardness of what had just happened. For some reason, as she had been listening to Vahn's heart, she went into a trance and felt powerful emotions erupt from deep within her. When she saw his face looking at her, Hephaestus had been so happy she couldn't help but smile before realizing he had been watching her lay on his chest while obviously awake...

After she composed herself, Hephaestus showed her characteristic 'cool' smile and said, "Good morning Vahn. Did you sleep well?" As she asked the question, Hephaestus couldn't help but try to forcefully repress the rising heat in her cheeks.

Vahn was still in a daze at the current events. While Hephaestus had been moving about in a fl.u.s.tered manner, he had read the system notification and realized what had happened. It seems that, while they were sleeping, Hephaestus's affection had reached 100 which caused his quest notification to sound. Seeing the rewards, Vahn was very happy and he showed it by smiling to Hephaestus.

"Good morning Hephaestus. It was a very comfortable sleep." Vahn stood up and began to stretch his body while Hephaestus continued sitting as if her brain had malfunctioned. She could also see, from the corner of her eye, a dark-skinned face peeking through the crack of the door holding in its laughter. Noticing Tsubaki, Hephaestus blushed fiercely before glaring in her direction.

Tsubaki opened the door and pretended to have just arrived, even though Hephaestus was still giving her a death stare. "Good morning Hephaestus-sama. Good morning Vahn. I didn't expect that you would both be here so early. Don't tell me you slept in the dining room?" Tsubaki looked between both of them with a cheeky grin.

Vahn hadn't noticed her peeking through the door, so he responded casually. "Yeah. I guess the alcohol got to us and we ended up passing out in the dining room. I'm gonna go wash my face and then wake the other two if they're still sleeping." While yawning, Vahn exited the room and went about performing his daily routine.

After he left, Tsubaki smiled even bigger before looking towards Hephaestus. She was about to say something, but before the words came out Hephaestus charged her while screaming. "Tsubaki, yoooooooou-" Hephaestus really wanted to strangle Tsubaki to relieve some of the tension that had been building within her heart.Vahn continued to the bathroom where he came across Naaza who was in her pajamas. She wasn't much a morning person, so she just groaned a bit when Vahn greeted her. They both brushed their teeth together before Naaza went to wake up Lili. Since Vahn had nothing to do presently, he decided to check out the new skill he had obtained and contemplated using the new item [Hearts Desire: Heaphaestus]. He was really curious about what the taciturn Goddess that had a soft side truly desired within her heart.

[Metallurgy]

Rank:C

Allows the user to sense anomalies within metal and understand it's composition.

The skill was pretty straightforward and would probably be of use when he was forging items. He would be able to more accurately determine if the ore was properly refined. It would also prevent him from leaving defects in his future products since he would be able to sense them through his perception in the future. Overall, it would be very useful for his current lifestyle so Vahn was pleased.

Moving on, he decided to try and use the [Hearts Desire].

[Hearts Desire: Hephaestus]

Rank: Unique

Use: Allows the user to see the inner desires of the target (Hephaestus). Fulfilling the revealed desire unlocks hidden parameters of the target. /System Warning: Use with extreme caution/

Seeing the warning, Vahn was slightly apprehensive as he stared at the crimson red gem that seemed to issue a steady pulse in his hand. It was very beautiful and was reminiscent of the time he had seen Hephaestus's eye. Remembering the pain on her face at the time, Vahn decided not to concern himself with any negative aspects of the item. He wanted to know what he could do to help Hephaestus become happy. He crushed the gem and it absorbed into his skin as time began to slow.

In a manner very similar to the previous time he used the item, the air around Vahn froze and he became unable to move. A series of images began to flash through his mind and a voice began speaking from within his subconsciousness...'Vahn' was sitting in a dark room surrounded by dead, lifeless artifacts. Even though any random passerby would think they were divinely inspired masterpieces, he knew the truth...all of these items were just a waste of materials. No matter how much time was spent in their creation, none of the items were able to satisfy him. Everything was flawed and worthless; this wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to create something unique and beautiful...something that could help fill the emptiness that had accompanied him for so long.

'Vahn' picked up a nearby shield that had a flawless mirror-like surface. Looking at the reflection within the shield, Vahn could see the face of Hephaestus without her eyepatch reflected. It was a sad and lonely expression that matched the feelings within his chest. Looking deep into the crimson eye, he could see Hephaestus begin to tear up as she dropped to her knees and wept. Vahn could feel the emptiness spreading within her and her tears seemed to coalesce like a river that threatened to drown the entire world.

For a very long time, this was the only emotion Vahn could feel. Then, almost as if it had happened within an instant, a warmth began to spread throughout the emptiness within his heart. He could feel a gentle rhythm drive away all the negative feelings that had been building within him. Turning his head, he sought after the source of the rhythm and came across a 'small' version of himself.

The smaller 'Vahn' seemed so fragile, almost like a small flame that struggled to burn against the violent currents of time. It was almost like any single small breeze would be able to eliminate the existence in its entirety, but against all odds, it continued to burn strong. Even the river of tears that encompassed the entire room seemed to slowly be evaporating under its gentle warmth. Vahn reached down and picked up the smaller version of himself and held it against his chest.

As he came into contact with his body, the smaller version of himself sunk into his flesh and a powerful warmth began permeating through his body. Vahn felt determined to protect this tiny 'flame-like' version of himself no matter what it took. Even if he had to sacrifice himself, as long as the flame was prevented from being extinguished, he would be happy...Time started again as Vahn returned to a clear state of mind. The memory of everything he had experienced was deeply embedded within his being. With a single thought he could recall the entire sequence of events including every emotion, thought, and feeling. Vahn knew he was experiencing things from Hephaestus's perspective and the fact she had felt lonely for such a long period of time deeply left a deep impression in his heart where the 'eternal flame' rested.

He put his hand over his heart and tried feeling the emotions contained within. The 'eternal flame' seemed to understand his intent as feelings of pride, expectation, but most notably...loneliness was emitted from the flames connection. As a part of Hephaestus, it also carried the same feelings she possessed through the ages.

Vahn began to understand everything the vision wanted to convey. Deep within her heart, beyond all the trauma she experienced due to her deformity, beyond all the items she had created that were touted as peerless, the thing her heart truly desired was companionship. She worked so hard to impress people so they would treat her well, but nobody was able to see beyond her skill as a blacksmith. Whenever they saw her eye, they treated her like a monster and avoided her. And no matter how much time passed, this never seemed to change.

Staring into the mirror of the bathroom, Vahn looked into his own aquamarine eyes. He could see...anger. He was angry with how Hephaestus, someone that was so fragile and gentle in front of him, had been mistreated for such a ridiculous reason. Gritting his teeth, Vahn cemented a conviction deep within himself. He would show each and every one of them how foolish they were.

He conveyed his feelings through the 'eternal flame' in his heart and it seemed to dance with joy and expectation.

Smiling at his reflection, Vahn left the bathroom and headed towards the place where everyone was waiting for his arrival. The time for weakness and complacency was over.

Title: Hephaestus's Desire

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Gods are stupid', 'Hephaestus 'eternal bae'', 'Conviction: Feelings', 'Is it really though?', 'I wonder if anyone remembers about metallurgy after that scene')

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Chapter 72 - Loki Familia Appears

Vahn entered into the dining room and noticed nobody was there. As he had expected everyone to be eating breakfast together, he was a bit confused seeing the room empty. After straining his ears, he could hear sound coming from the front of the house towards the courtyard. Curious, Vahn decided to investigate to see what was going on.

Entering the room where Tsubaki always welcomed her clients, Vahn noticed several people other than Tsubaki, Naaza, and Lili. Though he had never seen them before in the real world, Vahn was easily able to identify the visitors. They were the members of the Loki Familia or, more specifically, Gareth, Ais, Riveria, Tiona, and Lefiya. Vahn was surprised to see them here but was more interested in knowing where Hephaestus had gone to.

"Tsubaki, where did Hephae-"

"Are you the Vulcan, Vahn Mason?" Before Vahn could finish, he was interrupted by the lively shout of a young girl. As he had entered the room, the eyes of everyone had been drawn to him, including Tiona Hiryute. The moment she saw Vahn, she was easily able to recognize him based on the information she had obtained. She quickly moved towards him and looked him in the face as she asked her question.

Vahn was surprised to see how excited she was, so he just nodded his head before looking towards the smiling Tsubaki. She was a lot calmer around guests but Vahn could see she was laughing in her mind.

Seeing that he had nodded, Tiona smiled widely and introduced herself. "Hello, it's nice to meet you~ I'm Tiona Hiryute, the adventurer who goes by the alias 'Amazon'. After I heard the stories, I really wanted to meet the person everyone called a 'hero'! Let's be friends from now on."

Vahn took a breath before introducing himself in turn. He could see her aura was a very vibrant yellow and seemed to be dancing around excitedly. Since she seemed to be really excited to meet him, he didn't want to leave a bad impression. "Hello Tiona, I'm Vahn Mason. It's nice to meet you."

Hearing Vahn introduction, Tiona was very pleased as she continued to inspect his body. He was smaller than she expected, even shorter than she was, though, according to the rumors they should be around the same age. She noticed that his small frame was very well built and seemed to hide a powerful energy that made her instincts tingle with excitement.

"I'm really interested in hearing your stories Vahn. I heard you saved a damsel in distress..." Tiona looked towards the two girls that were giving her somewhat hostile looks. "Was it one of them? Or maybe even both!?" Seeing how the girls were reacting, Tiona saw they both had a natural draw towards Vahn.

"Tiona, that's enough. We're here on business, so find time to talk later." A taciturn voice cut in before Tiona was able to speak further. Vahn noticed it was the green haired elf, Riveria. He was surprised at how remarkably flawless her face was, but it was a shame she seemed to lack the expressiveness to display it properly.

Tiona was dejected a bit but turned to Vahn before rejoining the group. "Hey, Vahn lets meet up sometime, okay? Vahn nodded and Tiona stood with the rest of her group. She looked towards Ais before whispering something into her ear. Whatever she said seemed to catch the interest of the beautiful doll-like girl as, for the first time since her arrival, her expressionless face changed somewhat.

Ais walked towards Vahn while Gareth and Rivera both let out sighs while glaring towards Tiona who was laughing cheekily. Lefiya seemed to be concerned with Ais as she watched her approach the handsome young boy. She frowned somewhat, but there wasn't any hatred in her aura.

"You are strong?" Ais asked very frankly the moment she was directly before Vahn. Vahn thought about the question and was surprised to realize he didn't have an answer. Though he had made a lot of progress since he arrived in this world, he was still nowhere near the level of people like Tsubaki. Vahn also knew that the young and frail looking girl before him was also much stronger than he was.

Vahn shook his head, causing Ais to frown slightly. "I am not strong...but I will become the strongest," Vahn said the words with conviction which caused the expressions of the older generation to change. They all smiled and seemed to recognize the power of the conviction behind his words. Ais too had noticed he was serious, so after a few seconds of consideration, she spoke again.

"Why?" Ais had a powerful desire for strength, so she was very interested to know why other people could become stronger. Vahn knew what she was asking, even though she didn't speak much. Though he hadn't completed the series and didn't know the full story, he knew she had a fierce hatred for monsters and wanted to avenge her mother.

Vahn looked around at everyone in the room. Ais followed his eyes as they rested on each person, including those of her own Familia. Eventually, Vahn's eyes rested on Ais herself and she matched his gaze with her own. "To protect those I care about...and to alleviate their concerns for my safety. I want to become strong enough to alter my fate and clear a path for others to follow behind without fear for the future."

Everyone in the room smiled, even the taciturn elf Riveria. Ais considered Vahn's words before nodding and giving him her opinion. "You are strong." With those parting words, Ais returned to the Loki group and stood between Tiona and Lefiya. Tiona seemed pleased by Ais's statement, but Lefiya showed a somewhat vexed expression as she periodically glanced towards Vahn.

The next half hour was spent with Gareth discussing gear specifications with Tsubaki. She was taking notes and even pulled out a measuring tape to record Gareth's proportions. "Your body hasn't changed much since the last visit, except for this-" Tsubaki patted Gareth's stomach and he exhaled through his nose in disapproval.

"Hasn't been much going on lately. It's been nearly half a year since the last expedition." Gareth was a stout middle-aged dwarf with brown hair. He was almost the same height as Vahn, but his figure was solid as a mountain. He specialized in defense but possessed the incredible physical strength that was a characteristic of his species.

Tsubaki continued taking notes before moving on to the requests of everyone else. Ais had been breaking all of her weapons since obtaining level 5 and had become a nightmare for all the veteran blacksmiths within the City. She requested Tsubaki to forge her a sword that was both durable but resistant enough to withstand her blows. Tsubaki let out an exasperated sigh as she wrote down the specifications.

After everyone had placed their orders, Tsubaki gave them an invoice for 273,000,000V. Vahn, Lili, and Naaza were all shocked to see the number, but everyone in the Loki Familia remained unperturbed. As they were predominately first-class adventurers, it wasn't uncommon for them to spend several tens-of-millions of Valis on a single piece of equipment. They even immediately produced the required funds, as it was common to pay someone of Tsubaki's repute up-front for private contracts.

Vahn was blown away by the disparity between what he considered common-sense and what was shown by the members of the Loki Familia. He began to worry about his own lack of strength since even Lefiya, who seemed to possess almost no combat potential, had recently become Level 3. Everyone else in the group was Level 4 or higher, including Ais who was a year younger than he was...

As the group was preparing to leave, Vahn spoke out to stop them. "Wait. I have a request." Seeing them stop and look at him curiously, Vahn continued, "I would like the chance to spar with each of you...I know it may be rude, but I'd like to know how I compare against first-class Adventurers other than Tsubaki."

Immediately after his words came to a stop, both Ais and Tiona's eyes lit up as they looked towards Riveria with pleading gazes. Riveria put her palm to her forehead as she released an exasperated sigh. She didn't think the young boy was so hot-blooded, and now that he spoke those words there was no way to stop the two battle maniacs. "Fine, but it will only be Tiona and Ais. Lefiya isn't specialized in close-combat, and Gareth and I aren't a good metric to measure yourself against due to our specializations."

"Aha, alright! This is going to be great!" Tiona was in high spirits the moment Riveria gave her permission. Ais simply nodded her head with an 'Un', but Vahn could see the fighting spirit ignited in her eyes.

Tsubaki expected this to happen and didn't show any surprise on her face. She looked towards the two girls behind her and whispered, "Looks like you girls might have some competition in the future. Better work hard~" She then laughed after seeing their shocked faces and led the way towards the training grounds.As Tiona was the weaker of the two, she was the first up to fight Vahn. They both took a distance of 10m away from each other and assumed their stances. Vahn got into a low stance with his left hand raised while holding his right fist close to his body. He already expected Tiona to be much faster and stronger than he was, so he would have to be serious from the get-go. Tiona noticed his stance and entered what looked like a loose sumo stance with both palms facing toward Vahn like she intended to grab him.

Before Tsubaki signaled the start of the fight, she looked towards Vahn and drew his attention. "Vahn, go ahead and go all-out. If you hold anything back you'll end up regretting it, and the Hephaestus Familia has always had good relations with the Loki Familia." Hearing her words, Vahn nodded while Tiona seemed to get excited after hearing he would be going 'all-out' against her.

Vahn focused his mind and activated his [Will of the Emperor]. The domain spread to encompass the entire area, shocking the entire Loki Familia when it overlapped with their position. Rivera had a curious expression as she tried sensing the effects of the field. She noticed it was very similar to a god's divinity and seemed to loosely affect the mana in the atmosphere...

"This boy will be very powerful one day..." Gareth spoke in a quiet voice as he said the words just loud enough for Riveria to hear. She nodded before saying, "Yes, we should try to build good relations with him in the future. If he can get to Level 3, we should scout him for the next expedition." They both looked into each other's eyes and understood that Tsubaki was having Vahn show off to leave an impression on them.

Vahn began condensing his domain into a second layer that spread 5m around his body. Tiona had been waiting for him to complete his preparations, even though only a few seconds had passed. The pressure she felt from the domain made her blood boil and she was itching for the fight to begin. Vahn was even better than she expected, and even though he was only Level 2 he made her heart beat throb anticipation.

Ais was also watching from the side and subconsciously drew her sword. She too wanted to jump in and fight the mysterious boy that seemed to possess a strange and boundless potential.

Tensions began to increase as Tsubaki raised her hand before taking a deep breath. Looking at both Tiona and Vahn, they gave slight nods indicating they were ready so she dropped her hand and shouted. "Begin!"

The moment her voice sounded, the two immediately set into action and the first fight between Vahn and the Loki Familia began.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cliff-sama Descends', 'Two girls, One guy', 'Naaza and Lili's premonition', 'Gareth and Riveria's Frustration', 'Lefiya's Vexation', 'Where did Hephaestus go?')

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Chapter 73 - Realization

The moment the spar began, Vahn and Tiona immediately leaped towards each other. The surprising thing for Vahn was, even though Tiona was at the peak of Level 4 he was easily able to keep track of her movements. Though she was much faster than him, it wasn't nearly as difficult to follow as Tsubaki's had been.

As the two closed the distance in an instant, Vahn tried to perform a fast instep to transition his weight behind his right punch. He twisted his body and aimed directly towards the exposed stomach of Tiona, but before his fist came anywhere near a hand grabbed the inside of his forearm and dispersed the force of the blow away from Vahn's body. In the gap that had been opened in his defense, Vahn saw a healthy brown thigh peak through the gap in fabrics as a knee approached his face.

Using his left hand, Vahn tried to vault off the knee and use the contained momentum to launch himself away, but the moment his hand made contact he felt a pressure on his left shoulder. Tiona had locked down his body to prevent him from evading the incoming blow and Vahn was unable to stop the momentum of the knee as it crashed into his chin. He was sent flying, but since his forearm had prevented a direct hit he managed to retain his consciousness.

After sliding across the ground for several meters, Vahn managed to steady himself and leaped back to his feet only to be met by a small exposed brown foot right in front of his eyes. He tried to intercept the blow, but it was moving much faster than his body could keep up with. Though his senses could 'see' it coming, his body was unable to react as the foot stopped right before colliding with his defenseless face.

The wind from the blow blew back Vahn's hair and in his absentmindedness, Vahn continued his defensive action and grabbed the stalled leg even though it had ceased its advance. The moment he grabbed, he could hear a sweet laughter as Tiona said, "That tickles, but I think this is my win."

Vahn released the leg and gave her an awkward look before apologizing. Tiona didn't seem to mind as she wagged her foot back and forth. "Its fine, I don't mind if you want to touch it again in the future. Just make sure you work hard to become strong, okay?" After her parting words, she ran happily towards the Loki group while Ais took her distance from Vahn.

Vahn, seeing she had her sword, became somewhat nervous. He knew she was even stronger than Tiona presently and was much more agile. Seeing his nervousness, Ais looked at her sword before setting it off to the side. Instead of the blade, she lifted her sheath and took her stance again. Noticing that she had swapped her sword out, Vahn released a sigh before grabbing one of the training weapons off the wall. They were all blunt with rounded edges that wouldn't severely injure, but Vahn didn't hold any expectation of landing a hit in the first place.

He assumed a stance with his feet squared apart while holding his blade at a twenty-degree angle favoring his right shoulder. He leaned his body slightly and prepared to attack the moment the signal was raised. Ais's stance seemed full of opening as she pointed her sheath forward while raising her left hand slightly.

Tsubaki confirmed they were both ready before repeating her earlier actions. She took a deep breath before dropping her hand in a cutting motion while shouting, "Begin!"

Vahn dashed towards Ais who had remained standing in her starting position. As he closed the gap, he tried to attack with a low sweeping motion to force her to reposition. Ais slightly bent her knees before slamming the butt of her sheath into the attack vector of Vahn's sword. Her actions caused the blade to collide with the ground and stopped Vahn's momentum. Using the moment he lost his balance, Ais deflected her sheath off of the blade and stabbed it into Vahn's diaphragm.

Falling backward, Vahn felt the air escape his lungs but he managed to prevent himself from collapsing to the ground. He put his sword into a defensive stance to prepare for a counter, but Ais just stood in her original spot holding the sheath towards him. Realizing she had no intention to attack, Vahn steadied his breathing before renewing his efforts.

This time he tried to attack from above with an overhead swing while shifting his momentum backward to prevent her from being able to use his own attack against him. He sacrificed power in performing the contradictory movement, but it made it much harder to exploit any openings. Ais looked toward the approaching blade with her expressionless eyes before stepping forward.

Because Vahn had committed to a strange action, instead of defending as she did previously, Ais used the fact he wouldn't be able to change his direction to side-step the attack and once again press her sheath into his diaphragm. This time she put less strength into the blow knocking Vahn back three steps before he was able to regain his footing.

Though he hadn't exerted himself much, Vahn was already breathing heavily. Unlike Tiona who had fought him head on and defeated him, Ais was allowing him to attack at his convenience. Not only that, but she was even showing leniency in her counterattacks to give him more opportunities.

Vahn didn't know why, but the fact she was going easy on him frustrated him greatly. He wanted to measure himself against the two, but the only thing he realized was the fact he was much weaker. They didn't have to make any effort to defeat him and actually had to hold back to prevent Vahn from sustaining injury.

As his frustration built up a cool sensation began to spread in his mind as Vahn began regulating his breathing. The domain around his body began to condense, and Ais showed increased caution as she readied her sheath for the coming attack. Vahn took a deep breath and held it in as he fiercely lunged towards Ais while swinging his sword in a large arc.

Ais tilted her body to deflect the attack, but the moment her sheath contacted the blade her body carried forward slightly as the entire sword was knocked to the ground. Vahn had put his full weight into the blow but used his senses to release his grip the moment he was able to perceive Ais's counter.

Instead of being knocked off balance by her deflecting the blade, he managed to catch her off guard by dropping his own sword. Now she had created a gap for him to exploit since she was still stuck in the motion of parrying his attack. Vahn stepped in low with his shoulder to knock her further off balance and open her up to an elbow strike.

Unfortunately, even though she was slightly surprised, Ais was still a level 5. Though she was slightly off balance, she managed to put enough strength into her pivot foot to spin her entire body around in an instant. Instead of contacting her body with his shoulder, Vahn passed right through the location Ais has occupied as the sheath made contact with the back of his head.

Vahn immediately lost consciousness from the blow and didn't even feel when he impacted the ground. Naaza and Lili immediately ran towards his body to see if he was okay and released relieved sighs after they saw he had just passed out. Lili glared toward Ais before shouting, "You didn't have to be so rough! What kind of spar ends with one person being knocked out and injured!?

Ais stood still as Lili screamed towards her and she stared down at the unconscious Vahn with an almost sad and apologetic expression. She was a little rough in her last attack, and if she hadn't reduced her strength at the last moment she may have ended up killing him on accident. She had what could be considered a 'vexed' look as she faced towards Rivera. "Rivera, please..."

Rivera sighed before walking towards Vahn and inspecting his body. She could see he wasn't seriously injured, but would probably be nursing a headache for the next few days if left untreated. After muttering an incantation, she pointed her staff towards the unconscious Vahn and casting the healing spell [Fil Eldis]. A gentle light spread across his body as his eyelids started to flutter.

Vahn opened his eyes and saw the worried faces of Naaza and Lili. Behind them, he could see Ais staring at him showing a hint of concern as well. Vahn closed his eyes and released a tired sigh. ('I lost...'). Though he never expected to win from the start, it was still hard to swallow how helpless he was against the two young girls. How could he protect anything if he couldn't even defeat people that went easy on him...

As he was lost in his own thoughts, he could feel something poking at his cheek. Opening his eyes, he saw a new face next to the previous two. It was Tiona looking down on him with a smile and cheerful expression. "You did well. Make sure to work hard and challenge me again, okay? I'll be waiting...and Ais too, right?"

Vahn could see Ais nod in response to Tiona's question. She looked towards the sword Vahn had dropped when he tried to get an advantage against her. "Smart...but dangerous. Make sure to have backups." She then stared at him for a few seconds before thanking Riveria and moving to the side. Tiona followed suit after poking Vahn's stunned face again. "Bye-bye Vahn. Come to visit the Loki Familia if you get a chance."

After saying their farewells, the members of the Loki Familia left Tsubaki's manor (A/N: I'm calling her house a manor because it honestly is.)

Vahn continued to sit in the training grounds in silent contemplation. The two girls tried to cheer him up, but Vahn only nodded and showed them a kind smile before continuing to reflect on the fights. Seeing that they were distracting him, Naaza and Lili went to prepare breakfast. They had already gotten a late start to the day and wanted to give Vahn time to think before training began.

When he was the only one left in the training area, Vahn sighed deeply. He had made a lot of improvements in the last month while training with Tsubaki, but his overall power hadn't increased by much. Sure, he could probably use his skills/techniques to handle several similarly skilled adventurers, but the moment he came across anyone marginally stronger he would be defeated. Tsubaki said he had the potential to fight people above his level, but that was only by relying on his overbearing skillset and not his actual fighting prowess.

After thinking it through and looking over his skills for several minutes, Vahn knew what he needed to do. He would have to leave Lili to Naaza and Tsubaki and begin delving deeper into the dungeon. It was only by pushing himself to his limits that Vahn would be able to exceed them. Though he didn't regret spending time with Lili, there was no telling what would happen in the future. If Vahn wasn't strong enough he knew he was bound to regret it if anything happened.

"Seems like you made up your mind." From behind, Vahn could hear the voice of Tsubaki. He turned and saw her looking at him with gentle eyes and a kind smile. He nodded his head in response to her question. "Yes...I need to forge my own path for a while. If I keep staying in one place I will begin to stagnate and my growth will come to a halt. Though training helps increase my combat ability and technique, it has more of an effect on my mental state and discipline than it does my combat capabilities. If I don't experience real combat and push myself further, I won't be able to meet my goals..."

Tsubaki shook her head and sighed with her hand on her head. After a brief moment, she looked towards Vahn and began to laugh with a large smile on her face. "The only person you can rely on to become stronger is yourself. But make sure you remember what is waiting for your return. A lot of people are happy just seeing you alive, even if you never became any stronger."

Vahn nodded as the faces of all the people he had begun to care about flashed through his mind. First was Hephaestus...he owed her a lot. Next was Chloe...Vahn owed her more than he could probably ever repay. Behind these two central presences, the images of Lili, Tsubaki, Tina, Naaza, Milan, and even Eina and the other girls at the guild passed through his mind. After realizing that most of the impactful people he could recall were girls, Vahn felt a fluttery sensation in his heart which caused the 'eternal flame' to dance in his chest.

He put his hand over his heart and realized he had a lot of things he had begun to care about. There was even new people he was beginning to develop an interest in like the members of the Loki Familia. They took a central role in the original story and Vahn had even considered joining the Familia when he was making his decision. It would have been fun to grow alongside people like Tiona and Ais. And Gareth and Rivera seemed to be kind and caring of their juniors.

A loud smack sounded which broke Vahn from his internal reflection. Tsubaki had slapped his back and knocked him forward slightly. Vahn had to catch himself with his hands before face-planting into the dirt. Tsubaki laughed while walking towards the dining room. "Don't think so much Vahn! Just do what you think is best without worrying too much. Hell, if you can't work things out on your own there are plenty of people that will help you. Now, let's go eat breakfast! After that sorry display earlier, I'm going to have to train you doubly hard today!"

A shiver passed down Vahn's back but after it passed he smiled. Looking towards the tower in the distance, Vahn felt anticipation building within. He would work hard to become strong enough to stand at the top of that tower one day, while also delving deep into its depths and uncovering all the mysteries of the dungeon. If it was possible, he even wanted to battle the one-eyed black dragon and see what other secrets this world had to offer. But, for now, Vahn would just enjoy breakfast.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What? A Man's Gotta Eat.','Wrekt, Wrekt Again', 'Touch the Foot','Turning Point', 'Lili's Nightmare Begins', 'Naaza Aggressively Wagging Her Tail')

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Chapter 74 - Preparations : Promise

Vahn arrived in the dining room and noticed the atmosphere was somewhat low. He could see the auras of Naaza and Lili drooping downwards and there were tinges of blue that marred their typically vibrant yellow auras. Vahn looked towards Tsubaki who seemed unaffected by the mood and she just smiled while nodding toward his seat.

After he sat down, Lili started placing food on everyone's plates, but Vahn could see that is was much slower than normal. She seemed to be repressing her emotions and was doing her best to avoid looking directly at him. "Lili, what's wrong? Why are you and Naaza behaving so strangely?" Vahn asked with a gentle tone as he was looking between the two disconsolate girls.

Hearing his question, both girls flinched slightly before turning towards him with sad looks on their faces. Vahn frowned, but Tsubaki spoke up before he could continue questioning. "When we were preparing breakfast I told them you were likely going to be spending a lot of time in the dungeon. Since neither of them is strong enough to accompany you, I told them they would have to remain behind unless they managed to increase their strength. Now they're sad because they won't be able to have so much time with you, isn't that right girls?"

Naaza wasn't as affected as Lili, but hearing Tsubaki's words she felt saddened. She only ever got to spend time with Vahn when he was training or helping her develop potion recipes. Now that he would be spending most of his time in the dungeon, she was unsure of how to react. She even harbored thoughts of returning to the Miach Familia, but something deep inside prevented her from making that decision.

Lili was greatly affected and tears could be seen in her eyes as she stared towards Vahn. She could see a conviction in his eyes, and ever since she heard him challenge the Loki Familia she had a feeling he would end up moving forward on his own. Though Lili knew he wasn't abandoning her, it still hurt her heart knowing that he would be venturing deep into that dark place on his own. For the last month she had been putting in so much effort to grow, but no matter what she did Lili was unable to keep up with his progress.

Vahn nodded his head with understanding before thinking for a few moments. After he found the words he was looking for, he smiled toward the two doleful girls. "This is necessary for me to grow. I have an affinity with the dungeon after all. The entire reason I came to Orario was to delve into its depths so I can bring out my full potential and grow stronger. It also gave me the opportunity to meet both of you, so I will not shy away from my current path. I will continue to grow and become stronger so that I can protect the people I care about. Please don't be sad, instead, I ask that you wish me well so that I have fewer worries while I'm away. I promise I will always come back...this place is my home."

The more Vahn spoke, the more the two girls seemed to struggle. At this point, even Naaza had begun to tear up while Lili hung her head low as tears seasoned her rice. Vahn waited for both of them to relax while Tsubaki started eating with an uncharacteristic expressionless face. Vahn was influenced by this more than the two crying girls, as he was unable to recall a time when Tsubaki wasn't smiling...other than when she was fighting with her sword.

After a few minutes, Lili spoke out. "Vahn...I swear I will become stronger. I may not be able to follow you now, but one day I will be able to catch up to you. I will never stop trying." Lili spoke each word with conviction, and it seemed to influence Naaza who also said a few words. "Make sure you always return, no matter how injured you are...I will heal you up at no charge." Naaza tried to laugh as she spoke the last words, but her voice choked a bit in the attempt.

Vahn smiled towards the two girls; He really appreciated their concern for him and it made his desire to grow stronger to protect them more prevalent in his mind. Not only the people present, but Vahn also resolved to protect everyone. Even if he couldn't do it now, as long as he made the effort there were no limits to his growth. He would weather any pain and suffering to ensure that those who believe in him never have to experience it themselves.After breakfast, Tsubaki made true on her words as she put Vahn through a hellish final training session. She beat him to the point he had to struggle to prevent [Rakshasa Body] from activating. Vahn felt like she was releasing a lot of pent up resentment on his defenseless body and he was unable to determine the cause of her violent actions. Throughout the entire process, her usually smiling face remained unseen as she emotionlessly thrashed his body.

By the time the training had ended, Vahn was incapable of moving any muscles in his body. He began to suspect Tsubaki was trying to prevent him from entering the dungeon, but as this thought was passing through his mind he felt a warm sensation spread throughout his body. Tsubaki held in her hand a crimson liquid and was pouring it onto Vahn's exposed chest. The liquid soaked into his flesh and an irresistible heat began to spread through his body.

Vahn clenched his teeth to resist the sensation as Tsubaki began to explain her actions. "This is a potion made using mermaid's blood as a catalyst and is mixed with various rare herbs that promote parameter development. Its total worth is more than 200,000,000V so make sure I don't regret using it on you." Tsubaki emptied the remainder of the contents and all the bruises on Vahn's body vanished.

Vahn felt like his body was burning, which was a peculiar feeling since he had become fire-proof after obtaining [Heart of the Eternal Flame]. After the pain faded, it felt like all the pores on his body had opened and each of his muscles felt full of strength. When he arose from the ground, he could hear his bones popping with each movement. Curious about the phenomenon, Vahn started stretching and noticed his flexibility had increased remarkably. After checking his status, his eye nearly turned round from shock.[Stats]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:2(2)

-Power:1001(H119)-(E447)

-Endurance:1108(G240)-(D590)

-Dexterity:887(H101)-(F322)

-Agility:940(H192)-(E410)

-Magic:1611(E444)-(B701)

Total:5547(1096)-(2470)

Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

[Karma: 1,008

[OP: 143,050

[Valis: 339,000Tsubaki saw the shock on his face before slapping him on the back and laughing. "I'm sure you feel full of power, but don't let it go to your head. The biggest effect of the potion is it resolves any damage you may have suffered to your foundation in the past. Make sure you work hard or I'll beat you even worse next time!"

Vahn nodded his head like a clucking chicken before he left to make preparations for entering the dungeon. Since he only intended to return when he was overly fatigued or hit a dead-end in his progress, there were several things Vahn needed to prepare. Most important of all, he wanted to make sure he had enough good food to last for up to a month.

After consoling Lili, who seemed unwilling to let him go, for several minutes Vahn finally managed to separate from her. Naaza also gave him a short hug before breaking away with a blush which Vahn found interesting. It was rare to see Naaza act so adorable and he almost wanted to tease her for it. However, considering that he would be leaving shortly he didn't want to upset either of them further.

On his way towards Babel, Vahn made a large detour to visit the crepe stand he hadn't visited in a while. After exchanging pleasantries with Ivaan, who was pleased to see him, Vahn ended up buying up the entire stock of crepes. Ivaan was surprised hearing Vahn's demand, but Vahn assured him that it was for a good cause so Ivaan consented to the exchange. Thanking him for his kindness, Vahn left an extra large tip that brought the total expenditure to 37,000V.

Leaving the stand, Vahn ducked into an alleyway and put the large basket full of crepes into his storage. As he was in the area, Vahn made another detour to visit Hephaestus. He had learned from Tsubaki she had left early to tend to her work that had piled up during the Denatus. Vahn wanted to let her know he would be venturing into the dungeon, as he was worried she may overreact if he was exposed to danger without her knowing.

It didn't take long for Vahn to come across the familiar building that had changed his life so recently. He stood outside and observed the structure before taking a deep breath and entering the premise. The head guard, Zaff, noticed his entrance and immediately sent someone to inform Hephaestus. After doing so he walked forward to greet Vahn. "Heya Vulcan. Heard you've been up to some heroic deeds lately."

Vahn laughed slightly at the comment. He wasn't surprised the guards that worked for Hephaestus already knew about his alias, and he wasn't ashamed to be addressed as such. "Good morning Zaff, thanks for your help in the past." Vahn handed him a slip that he had received from Chloe the other day. As long as someone exchanged it, they would be able to enjoy a discount on all alcohol at the Hostess of Fertility between 7 PM and closing.

Zaff received the slip and his gruff face lit up with a smile. He was no stranger to the item as it was one of the most sought-after commodities that few patrons had the chance to receive. "Hehe, good lad. I'm sure the boys'll toast you thrice for your kindness." Zaff patted Vahn's shoulder before returning to his post and having one of the other guards pass the word to the rest of the members. The man who heard the news showed a big smile before hastily making his rounds.

Hephaestus finally showed up in the door and smiled after seeing Vahn. She waved toward him and he followed her to the private workshop at the back of the store. After they entered, she closed the door before sitting at her worktable. "Good morning Vahn, I'm happy to see you so soon." Vahn could hear a slight tremble in her voice and noticed a light blush on her face.

"I'm happy to see you again Hephaestus. There was something I had wanted to tell you this morning, but you had vanished before I was able." As he spoke Vahn approached the desk until he stood directly opposite of Hephaestus. He could see her swallow before asking, "What did you want to tell me Vahn?"

Vahn took a deep breath before explaining everything he had realized since this morning. He conveyed his desire to grow stronger while also becoming a more capable blacksmith. Vahn swore that he would one day forge an item worthy of her praise. Hearing his proclamation, Hephaestus showed a gentle smile but her happiness quickly turned to awe as he continued.

"I promise Hephaestus, once I am strong enough I will drive away the loneliness in your heart. I will make it known to the entire world that I, Vahn Mason, am privileged to be at your side. Those that would besmirch you will realize their foolishness and I will start by doing this..." As Vahn gave his impassioned speech he reached over the table and grabbed Hephaestus face.

Hephaestus's body completely froze up when Vahn grabbed her face and pulled her forward. She closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable contact as an anticipation began to build in her wildly fluctuating heart. But, instead of the expected outcome, she felt a searing sensation on her now uncovered right eye. The pain spread throughout her body, and she was unable to resist its encroachment.

It felt like something within her body was changing and she began to panic, never believing that one day the boy she showed so much affection for may one day betray her. An anguish spread from her heart at the thought and Hephaestus felt like she wanted to cry as a result of the heartbreak and pain, but before she was able to cry out the pain began to rapidly subside. The heat from her eye vanished and she looked towards Vahn who was showing her a deeply affectionate smile.

Vahn ignored her questioning look as he grabbed a large polished blade from the display. He approached the muddle-headed Hephaestus before holding the flat of the blade toward her. Hephaestus was confused and stared into the blade as if it contained the answers to all the questions that were dancing chaotically through her mind.

Seeing her own reflection, Hephaestus felt something was strange before noticing something that shook her to the very core of her being. The deformity that had plagued her for her entire existence was gone. The eye still burned with a crimson hue, but the flesh around the socket had been completely mended and appeared identical to the left side of her face. She reached with her hand and felt the smooth skin that was previously coarse and rough.

She looked towards Vahn as the tears she had been holding back earlier began to fall freely. "How...?" Hephaestus couldn't think of anything else but this question. No matter how hard she had tried in the past, nothing was able to remove the perpetual blemish from her face. It was almost like she was cursed to bear the ugly mark until the end of time.

Vahn smiled before he reached out and patted her head, just like he had always done for Naaza and Lili when they were emotional. "I said I would take away your loneliness and make those idiots regret. I intend to keep my promise."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'How to Train your Goddess', 'See with eyes unclouded', 'Tears of Happiness are the most Beautiful', 'Vahn hits puberty', 'Cyclopean Loan Shark')

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Chapter 75 - Unstoppable Momentum

Vahn spent several minutes consoling the crying Hephaestus. Once she was finished she immediately began asking him how he had healed her eye when even the power of the gods was unable to do so. He explained how he was able to heal wounds and scars using a skill called [Hands of Nirvana] with the support of his other healing abilities. What he didn't tell her was that he had infused his blood with the skill after evaporating part of it using the 'eternal flame'. Vahn suspected his blood would be able to remove the mark and was happy to find his conjecture was correct.

Hephaestus suspected there was more to the story, but at this point, her trust toward Vahn was far greater than her curiosity. She knew he would tell her when and if he was able to do so. Seeing the compassion and care in his eyes, she buried her worries deep in her heart before rising from her desk. She walked around the table and embraced Vahn in a powerful hug. She had never been more thankful to someone in all her millions of years of existence.

Vahn returned her embrace and felt the connection shared between them increase as the 'eternal flame' within his heart danced about excitedly. The two continued to hold each other for a long while when Hephaestus suddenly pulled away slightly without letting him go. As she was nearly 15cm taller than Vahn, it was quite awkward hugging the small boy as his face was in line with her b.r.e.a.s.ts. She didn't care that much, but feeling his breath against her made Hephaestus's heart itch.

After creating a bit of distance Hephaestus locked eyes with Vahn before leaning forward and kissing him on the forehead. "I will wait for you to fulfill your promise." Hephaestus smiled before continuing, "Don't take too long." She then gave him a tight hug before releasing the dazed boy. He rubbed his head like a fool before smiling and heading out of the workshop at a fast pace. His heart was beating wildly and he wanted to immediately set out to increase his strength.

Hephaestus watched him leave and collapsed into her chair. She rested her head on her workbench and began to play with the diagram she had been working on previously. Sighing, she began to blame Vahn. "How am I supposed to get any work done today..." She continued fiddling with the doc.u.ments before getting fed up; Hephaestus closed her eyes and just listened to the rhythm of Vahn's heart and shared in his excitement as a smile adorned her now flawless face.

Vahn virtually ran towards Babel with a fast pace. The crowds parted to allow him passage while giving him curious gazes. From their perspective, they saw a smiling handsome boy that made his way through the traffic of the City streets without any concern or care. Some of the girls that caught sight of the boy became infected by Vahn's atmosphere as they smiled towards his direction and tried to garner his attention. Vahn nodded towards each person that made eye contact with him, but he kept moving forward without a single pause in his stride.

He arrived at the plaza outside Babel in record time before gazing up at the heaven-defying tower. Without further hesitation, Vahn began making his way inside before a thought suddenly passed through his mind. He turned back towards the direction he had just come and remembered he hadn't stopped by to visit Milan and Tina. He contemplated if he should backtrack, but as he had already arrived with so much impetus he didn't want to turn away before he managed to even enter the first floor.

Shaking his head, Vahn entered the first floor of Babel and decided he would buy Tina a present before his next visit. Since she didn't know he had been in the area she wouldn't blame him for failing to stop by. Little did he know that at the time he was running through the streets, a small chestnut-brown haired cat girl had tried and failed to get his attention. She resentfully stared at his fading figure while stamping her foot on the ground. (A/N: RIP Vahn.)Before heading into the dungeon, Vahn approached the information counter and purchased every map and compendium available for the first 18 floors. He also recorded his information, and when the Guild staff noticed him write down the alias 'Vulcan' they gave him a strange look before wishing him well in his endeavors. Vahn thanked them, but after seeing the greyish aura emitted from their body he frowned before turning away.

Vahn didn't know what he did to offend the young man but began preparing his mind for any potential troubles that may arise in the future. He knew his alias would bring him attention from people that had both positive and negative intentions. The staff member was likely someone that resented his rise to fame or was related to one of the groups that would be plotting against him in the future. Unfortunately for them, as Vahn was able to see their intentions through their auras, he was not so easily deceived.

After entering the first floor of the dungeon, Vahn took a deep breath of the cool and stagnant air. This would be the first time he entered the dungeon solo in more than a month. He was looking forward to how far he would be able to go before being forced to return. With a confident smile on his face, Vahn took his first steps towards his second attempt to conquer the dungeon.

During this attempt, Vahn wanted to complete his weapon quest as he was very near the 100,000OP restriction. Since the time he had received the quest nearly two months had passed and Vahn had now spent 81,700 of his 100k restriction. If he couldn't finish it soon, there would be a lot of problems if Vahn wanted to make use of the shop in the future.

(A/N: A refresher for anyone that forgot about the quest)[Quest: Birth of a Legend]

Rank: SS

Heroes are as famous as the weapons they wield. Even a lowly squire can become a Legend when wielding a sword forged by the Gods. Condition: Exchange 1,000,000 OP with the system to obtain a random weapon.

Rewards: 'Gacha Function Unlocked', 101 Premium Gacha pull, 1000 Karma

Failure Condition: Death, 12 months pass [302D16H28M, Spend more than 100,000 OP [81,700/100,000]

Penalty: All items within the inventory destroyed. Shop Function disabled for 12 months. Equipment items become cursed for 1 month [cursed items cannot be removed]As Vahn wanted to use this attempt as a metric for his growth, he decided to clear each floor in sequence instead of skipping to the furthest floor he had unlocked thus far. There were several skills he had developed in secret that he was unable to use when Lili had been present, and he wanted to experiment to see how viable they were before he encountered any real threats.

The first was a function Vahn had discovered only recently and it used a trick with his [Will of the Emperor]'s domain to essentially allow him to auto-loot any items that had traces of magic. As long as Vahn was able to detect the object within his domain he could lock onto it with his aura and place it into his inventory. The most useful aspect of this feature was that Vahn was able to retrieve his weapons immediately if he had to discard them for any reason.

Vahn cut his way through the first four floors of the dungeon without any difficulty at all. Even though his stats hadn't increased nearly as quickly as when he first entered the dungeon, his general awareness and techniques had improved exponentially. After his encounter with the 5-man party, Vahn had polished his [Featherfoot] technique all the way to C after managing to adapt to the 7th stage of the weighted bamboo mechanism. Now he moved uninhibited through the monsters and efficiently slew everything that crossed his path.

After passing through the fifth floor in a similar manner as the first four, Vahn finally arrived on the sixth floor where he encountered his first real challenge. It wasn't that the monsters had suddenly become a threat, but Vahn had developed a vendetta against War Shadows since the incident with Naaza. He wanted to cull their numbers while testing a second ability he had developed after obtaining [Heart of the Eternal Flame].

Vahn had learned from the compendium about the existence of the 'pantry'. Though the main body wasn't found until the 7th floor, there was an extension that branched into the 6th floor where War Shadows and other monsters were known to congregate. They gathered to feed off the substance that emitted from the crystalline structure and it was considered a forbidden zone for small groups of adventurers.

It happened that his new skill was perfect for fighting a group of enemies and Vahn found it the most practical way to test his hypothesis. Ignoring the warning of the compendium, he followed the map he had obtained for the sixth floor and eventually arrived at the pantry. The crystal pillar penetrated through the floor of the dungeon and had an off-green color similar to the walls. Surrounding the pillar were dozens of monsters included a total of nine War Shadows that were hugging the pillar while driving away other monsters.

Vahn put his plan into action and contracted his domain to around 10m, the maximum range he had been able to successfully test his new ability. He began to activate the 'eternal flame' in his heart as his body began to pump with energy-rich blood. The fire elements in the air began to condense and the domain became a hazy gold color that started to blacken the walls and floor. Vahn continued absorbing the fire elements and channeling them directly into his body.

As he now possessed an immunity to all fire below Soul Tier 4, Vahn noticed his body was extremely receptive to absorbing heat without any detriments. This discovery came when he was soaking in the onsen one night and Tsubaki tried to join him. The moment she put her foot in the water she quickly jumped back at the scalding temperature that Vahn simply found 'pleasant'. Before she had arrived he arranged several cores to bring the water to a near boiling point.

Ever since then he tried seeing if he could channel the 'burning' effect of [Heart of the Eternal Flame] into his own body. As he continued absorbing the flame elemental energy into his body he could see the veins within his arms begin to glow in an eerily reminiscent manner. Though Vahn was displeased at the sight, he continued channeling the energy to see if he was able to effectively apply it to any practical use.

After a few minutes, his skin began to glow like super-heated metal while his hands had turned a vibrant golden color that actually began melting his gauntlets. Seeing the peculiar sight, Vahn also became aware that the clothes he was wearing had long dried up and began to smoke. Since then he had purchased flame resistant clothes and had learned to channel the energy into his forearms instead of his entire body.

Now he was able to condense the effects to a greater extent while maintaining an absolute domain around his body that spread out for 10m. Anything within the domain would begin to burn as the flame elemental energy began to take root in their body. This included any exposed soft tissue and sensitive organs like the eyes, nose, and ears of the monsters. Anything that managed to survive through the fire would be dealt with by Vahn's flaming strikes and swordplay.At this point, the monsters had recognized the change in atmosphere. They turned towards the brilliantly golden boy that had begun to illuminate the surroundings. In a rage at having been disturbed, all the monsters began fiercely charging towards the interloper that had ruined their meal. The first to arrive were the War Shadows, the target of Vahn's current vendetta.

The moment they entered the area of the domain they began to wail with a shrieking voice as they tried protecting the core behind their 'eye'. Using their claws, they tried to prevent the heat from damaging their weakness, but the only thing they got for their troubles was Vahn's flaming fingers sinking deep into their exposed bodies.

In a manner similar to the method used by the White Shadow to torment Naaza, Vahn began slowly dismembering the shadowy figures. Though they were generally able to regenerate and reform their bodies, they were unable to do so in this instance due to Vahn's third discovery. He had learned that the 'source energy' within his body had a repressive effect on the mana and magic of this world. If he used the same skill or ability as someone else, his would always appear several tiers higher even at the same level.

As the bodies of the War Shadows were magical constructs, any wounds they sustained from Vahn's hands were slow to heal. Instead, the 'burning' effect only increased the damage they received as they desperately tried to escape from the monster before them. At this point, every monster that had tried to come to their aid was similarly writing on the ground. Some of the weaker monsters had even begun to dry up as their eyes began to burn black with smoke.

Vahn continued slaughtering every monster that appeared in the pantry until his wrath had been appeased. By the end of the day, he had killed a total of 43 War Shadows and more than three-hundred miscellaneous mobs. Calculating his spoils, Vahn had collected a total of 4760OP before he set camp in the corridor connecting the stairs to the rest of the dungeon.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Calm down there kiddo...','All the world shall turn to ashes, burn [Heart of the Eternal Flame]','Frog Shooter's Natural Enemy', 'RIP Vahn', 'SHINING FINGER!!')

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Chapter 76 - Tyrannical Might

Vahn spent the night within the corridor connecting to the stairs. Though he thought about exiting the dungeon and returning home for the night, Vahn decided to temper himself by staying. As he had previously intended to leave only when he was unable to progress, Vahn was determined to stay for as long as possible.

Over the last few months, his mastery and use of [Will of the Emperor] had increased greatly. He was now able to maintain his domain without any conscious effort as long as his internal energies didn't run dry. Since he had skills like [Spirit Healing, [Yggdrasil's Favor, and [Heart of the Eternal Flame] supplementing his energy recovery, Vahn was able to maintain his domain without any major energy consumption as long as he wasn't active.

When Vahn awoke the next day, he made his preparations for clearing the 7th floor. This was the point where he had made the furthest progress previously and he was curious to see how far he had grown since his last visit. Though he still had items like [Plague Mask, [Nullifying Mantle, and his [Mithril Poniard, Vahn didn't equip them since he wanted to continue developing what he referred to as his 'eternal flame domain'.

Though the monsters of the 7th floor were annoying to deal with in normal circ.u.mstances, Vahn was able to make smooth progress through the Horned Rabbits and Purple Moths. However, things weren't always as planned and Vahn had a bit of trouble with the Killer Ants. They were somewhat resistant to his flames and whenever they entered the domain they would screech and release pheromones that caused any nearby Killer Ants to gather en masse.

Vahn was nearly overwhelmed by a large number of Killer Ants but the more damage he took the easier he was able to deal with the situation. Though he wasn't unaware of the effects Vahn was still surprised with the boost he had started receiving from [Rakshasa Body]. The longer he fought against the ants the more prominent his transformation would become until he had achieved the state he was in when he saved Naaza previously.

It was at that point things began to get odd because, as Vahn suffered even more damage, a second change began to occur in his body. The hairs on his arms started to compact and take on a bluish-onyx hue. His tanned skin began to darken and a strange tattoo began to spread from his forearms to the rest of his body. Wherever the tattoo spread his muscles became dense like iron and the jaws and attacks of the Killer Ants started having little effect.

Vahn was ecstatic seeing change and nearly entered a maddening fit as he tore his way through the tide of Killer Ants and retreated towards safety. His laughter echoed through the caverns of the dungeon as he left a swath of death and destruction wherever he passed. It wasn't until he managed to break the encirclement and reach the safety of the stairway leading down that Vahn finally managed to reign in his emotions.

Though he had never really panicked, the moment he started getting surrounded made Vahn feel slightly anxious. He was able to evade the attacks of the Killer Ants for a while, but no matter how quickly he culled their numbers, there always seemed to be two more to replace every one he killed.

If it wasn't for the changes caused by [Rakshasa Body] there was a real chance he would have sustained serious injuries trying to escape.

Vahn inspected the current state of his body and even unequipped the majority of his clothing to observe the full effects. The previously white/black fur had joined together to form a series of scale-like protrusions on his body. The scales were dark black, but whenever they caught the light they reflected a bluish hue. The biggest change was how the skin around the scales had become much darker and the tattoo Vahn had noticed previously had spread throughout his arms and torso.

The tattoo had the appearance of strange runic formations that coiled, intertwined, and overlapped on Vahn's biceps, back, collar bones, and pectoral muscles. Curiously, the tattoo reminded Vahn of a snake and the patterns seemed to come alive with this thought. Vahn thought they were very cool, but he was still a little worried about what other changes had occurred. He took his standing mirror from his inventory and tried to get a better look at his body.

The first thing he noticed was that the tattoo extended all the way to his face, or more specifically the area around his eyes and forehead. They came together to make a strange shape similar to a dragon's head that made Vahn's face look wrathful even when he wasn't particularly angry. He also noticed his hair had changed to match the hair on his arms and also had the dark color with blue sheen. Lastly, he caught sight of the tattoo on his back which had formed a gigantic yin-yang symbol surrounded by a series of eight strange line-like formations.

Enough time had passed while Vahn was inspecting himself that the transformation began to recede. After about thirty seconds it had disappeared entirely, including the effects of the white-tiger transformation. Vahn stared blankly at his normal state and inspected his body for any lingering effects. He was happy to see there were no longer any changes he had to concern himself with, so he decided to ask Sis about the new form.

(*The first form is that of the white-tiger or Báihǔ, while the second form seems to be representative of the black-turtle or Xuánwǔ. The white-tiger change offers you increased strength and agility while the black-turtle form seems to greatly increase your endurance.*)

Vahn nodded, it would be hard to ignore how he was able to resist the attacks of the Killer Ants using just his body. If he didn't realize his endurance had increased, he would begin to question the function of his brain. ("What about the strange tattoo and symbols on my head and back?") Vahn was curious if they were also a part of the black-turtle transformation.

Sis was silent for a while before responding, (*My analysis shows that the tattoo on your face is indeed the product of the black-turtle form, but the symbol on your back is present even during your white-tiger change. It seems to be the core structure of the [Rakshasa Body] and it's current effects haven't been cataloged yet. Since it is an innate skill, I am unable to determine it's functions at present.*)

Vahn considered her words as he sat down to rest. Like every time he relied on [Rakshasa Body, his stamina had drained severely. It wasn't too bad when he just used the white-tiger form, but now that he had progressed to the second stage the burden on his body was quite intense. It was almost like he had just finished one of his sparring sessions with Tsubaki. Luckily, his natural regeneration had been increased to the point where he only needed twenty minutes to recover.

After resting, Vahn continued downwards to the 8th floor. This was now the deepest he had gone into the dungeon and he could feel anticipation begin building within. Entering the 8th floor, Vahn noticed the dungeon immediately changed its layout. The walls had now become dirt-brown while the overall size of the corridors increased. There was also a patchwork of dirt and short grass along the ground while green bioluminescent lights shone down from the 10m high ceiling.

Vahn's excitement continued to build as he delved deeper into the 8th floor. With his domain, he was able to sense things within a 68m range, and he quickly came across the first signs of life on this floor. Wielding his [Lion's Pride, Vahn made his way towards the direction where he could detect monsters and nearly fell down after he saw what was before him.

Around the corner of the corridor he just exited, Vahn saw a group of nearly twenty...goblins. Vahn felt like he had been cheated and immediately pulled out his bow and fired explosive arrows into the unsuspecting group. After they were all slaughtered, Vahn released an annoyed sigh before asking Sis why there were goblins so deep into the dungeon.

(*Its not impossible for other monsters to appear on different floors other than the one they spawn on, however, the monsters that are most commonly seen on the 8th and 9th floor are, in fact, goblins and kobolds. However, the compendium also indicates they are at the peak of Level 1 and even some rare Level 2 elites will be present.*)

Vahn was a bit let down at hearing the response, but he hardened his resolve so as not to get distracted. Even though he looked down on goblins and kobolds due to his current strength, he did almost die to both of them in previous incidents. This was a good opportunity to get a bit of revenge, so Vahn kept his bow and set out to clear the 8th and 9th floors.

The number of monsters that spawned on these floors was much greater than the previous levels. The hallways connecting rooms were much smaller and there were several obstacles that the monsters could use to maneuver around and try to attack unsuspecting adventurers. As Vahn had his domain, all of the ambushes were futile as he continued making progress before clearing both floors in less than three hours.

Taking a short break for lunch, Vahn decided to check his spoils and the growth of his stats. After that intense battle with the Killer Ants, Vahn suspected he had broken through his limits once again.[Stats]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:2(2)

-Power:1001(E447)-(E498)

-Endurance:1108(D590)-(C665)

-Dexterity:887(F322)-(F372)

-Agility:940(E410)-(E449)

-Magic:1611(B701)-(B750)

Total:5547(2470)-(2734)

Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

[Karma: 1,022

[OP: 151,870

[Valis: 171,630The increase wasn't that great, but Vahn noticed his [Rakshasa Body] had leveled up from G to F so he was pleased. His innate skills were his most important assets, so any change in them was of great benefit for his future growth. After Vahn had learned from Sis that there were two more beasts similar to his prior transformations including, a vermillion bird and an azure dragon, he had started to look forward to unlocking their potential.After finishing his lunch, which was, of course, seafood crepes, Vahn crossed the threshold separating the stairs and the 10th floor. Once again, the layout of the dungeon had changed. Though the walls and floor seemed the same as the previous two floors, they looked aged and covered in ash. Visibility was severely reduced as the entire floor seemed to be covered in some kind of mist that was cold to the touch.

Vahn decided to perform an experiment to deal with the mist and began channeling [Heart of the Eternal Flame] into his domain. He wasn't trying to concentrate it to absorb fire elements, he just wanted to see if the change in temperature would clear up the mist. Vahn was happy to see his intuition had been correct as he now had an entire 60m of clear space revealed around him. Within this area, he was able to identify monsters that had been hiding in the mist waiting for their prey.

There were several behemoth sized creatures with pig-like features. They were nearly 3m in height and looked as if they weighed several hundred kilograms each. Within their hands, they carried a variety of weapons like trees and stones that had been strewn about the 10th floor. Accompanying these large creatures, which Sis had identified as Orcs, were several small monsters that looked like atrophied goblins. Sis informed Vahn they were called imps and he had to be especially careful of their quick and low-angled attacks.

Vahn nodded in response as he drew his [Lion's Pride] and began sprinting towards the nearest Orc. When he was at an optimal range, Vahn kicked off the ground hard enough to leave cracks in the hard dungeon floor and launched himself parallel to the Orc who had just tried to swing at him with its tree/club. A terrifying red arc traced through the body of the orc following the path of Vahn's sword and separated the Orc's upper and lower body.

The monster cried out, and Vahn noticed the characteristic regeneration of the Orc was repressed by the burning effect of his attacks. He showed a cruel smile before stabbing the area containing the magic core and releasing the wailing monster from its misery. Knowing that his attacks denied the Orcs of their greatest strength, Vahn turned towards his next victim and accelerated to his maximum speed.

Though they had immense strength, the Orcs were incredibly slow. They relied on their endurance and regeneration to deal with adventurers, but both of these were absolutely pointless against Vahn's attacks. Vahn danced around the group of Orcs while severing limbs before moving on to his next target. During his onslaught, the imps had tried to ambush him on several occasions but were denied success because of Vahn's perception. No matter how sneaky they tried to be, he was always able to track their movements and intercept their attacks with his blade before continuing his tirade against the Orc horde.

After all of the imps were dead, Vahn turned towards the wailing Orcs he had left still writhing on the ground. As it was too difficult to target their heads due to their height difference, Vahn decided to most optimal strategy was to simply cut off the legs of the Orcs. Now they writhed on the ground while still trying to approach him to enact their vengeance. Vahn shook his head before a cold look flashed in his eyes as he began to execute each and every Orc.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Whoa there, Calm down kiddo','Killer Ant Hydra','Vahn go hard','I wonder how stressed out Hephaestus is with Vahn's constant slaughter and excitement','Unstoppable Momentum Part 2')

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Chapter 77 - Hunting

After leaving the 10th floor, Vahn made his way towards the 11th without stopping. The orcs of the previous floor gave decent rewards, as their cores could be exchanged for nearly 30OP, but they were sparse in number. The imps were barely the equivalent of a goblin in value while the bats would periodically assault him only awarded 13-15 OP each. At this rate it would be weeks, or even months before Vahn was able to complete the quest, so his only option was to head further down.

The 11th floor was similar in structure to the 10th, except for the fact the mist had increased in density while the atmosphere felt cold and damp. Vahn could even see his breath whenever he breathed so he channeled his [Heart of the Eternal Flame] to keep warm. Using the same method as before, he began imbuing the effect into his domain and started to clear the mist to increase his visibility. Vahn would later come to realize this was a grave oversight...

As soon as his domain pushed back the fog, several white shadows began lurching towards Vahn. He immediately dodged away from the attacks to get a better view of the creatures ambushing him. Vahn was briefly surprised to see they were the same as the monster Bell had fought in Daedalus Street in the manga. Standing around 4m tall and covered in white fur with a silver streak down their backs, Vahn came face to face with a group of four Silverbacks. They were monkey-like creatures with high agility and fearsome strength.

To make matters worse, Vahn also noticed a larger monster approaching from the distance. It was around 4-5m in height and covered in a dense leathery orange hide. It appeared similar to a small dragon, but it didn't have any wings and was unable to fly. Steam was emitted from its nostrils as it angrily charged towards the battlefield shared by Vahn and the Silverbacks.

Vahn took evasive action to avoid being surrounded by the four Silverbacks and immediately switched to his bow. Though he was confident in being able to eliminate them one at a time, there was no way he would be able to deal with the entire group with his current strength. Fortunately, even though they had fast speeds and agile bodies, they were unable to react to the spontaneous changes in direction caused by Vahn's footwork.

He was able to position himself so that there was always a Silverback between him and the rest of the group. This prevented them from attacking all at once unless they were to attack through their companions. Once Vahn had found a good angle, he knocked an explosive arrow before releasing it towards the head of the nearest Silverback. The monster opened it's mouth and tried to bit at the projectile, but the moment its teeth snapped shut the resulting explosion annihilated the foolish ape.

In the chaos caused by the blast, the other Silverbacks tried to move away from their dead companion as a fierce black light cut through the dust explosion caused by the Silverbacks death. The light continued and pierced the chest of a second silverback who immediately turned to dust as the lethal projectile vanished. In Vahn's hand, a bow reappeared and he fired an additional two explosive arrows at the remaining apes.

The moment he loosed the arrows, Vahn exchanged his bow for his tamahagane blade as he leaped towards the furthest Silverback with a fierce momentum. The arrows continued to travel and struck true on the first monster, but the second had managed to evade. The arrow exploded far behind in the mist as Vahn plunged his sword deep into the chest of the Silverback before kicking away and sprinting toward the approaching lizard Sis had identified as an Infant Dragon.

All four monsters had been dealt with in less than twenty seconds after Vahn fired the first arrow. Using the explosion of his first victim, he threw his tamahagane blade like a spear into the surprised second Silverback. Before it turned to dust, Vahn retrieved it into his inventory before engaging the remaining Silverbacks with his bow. Noticing the second arrow was going to miss, he swapped to his sword before slaying the final Silverback before it was able to recover. He didn't want to have to worry about being harassed by the monkies as he fought the Infant Dragon.

Vahn was now engaging the Infant Dragon who had reared back it's long snake-like neck and spewed fire from its jagged-toothed mouth. Seeing the incoming flame, Vahn scoffed before unequipping his current gear and exchanging it for his fireproof clothing. He leaped directly into the flames as a look of contempt seemed to flash in the eyes of the Infant Dragon. Before it was able to celebrate its victory and enjoy its next meal, a long black sword cut through the flames with a red arc that severed the head from its body.

Staring towards the dissolving corpse Vahn couldn't help but remark, "Daring to use flames against me..." He shook his head before allowing the mist to converge. Even though he dealt with it easily, it wouldn't be a good idea to draw so much attention to himself by creating an empty space within the mist. He didn't need to see the monsters to detect their presence, and it made it easier for monsters to target him instead.

Vahn equipped the shadowsilk tunic that he hadn't worn in a long time and decided to take a new approach to these floors that had reduced visibility. It had been a long time since he hunted monsters, so after pulling out his bow and covering his head with a hood he began to blend into his environment using his [Stealth] skill. As long as he didn't put his intent into the domain, monsters wouldn't be able to detect him while he was easily able to sense their presence.Vahn skulked through the remainder of the 11th floor without engaging a single monster in direct combat. He could detect everything within 68m without having to see them and, using his perception in conjunction with his archery skills, he was able to sneak attack dozens of monsters. Even groups of enemies thrashed about in a rage as they were unable to find where the attacks were coming from. They could only roar loudly into the silent mist as their lives were harvested one-by-one.

Like a shadow, Vahn moved uncontested through the 11th floor before finding the stairs leading to the 12th. He was happy to have the opportunity to 'hunt' again, and it brought him a different kind of exhilaration compared to fighting enemies directly. Seeing them scurry about while trying to find cover was satisfying and Vahn enjoyed the feeling of deciding when to take their lives. As long as he was careful, their only option was to wait for him to deliver his mercy unto them.

Entering the 12th floor, Vahn's smile deepened as he noticed this mist was still present. Not only that, but it was several times thicker than the previous floors. While this may have posed a problem for other Adventurers, this had become almost a natural hunting grounds for Vahn. Concealing his presence, he moved into the depths of the 12th floor and continued his 'hunt'.

As there were no drastic changes in the composition of monsters, Vahn was able to make his way through the 12th floor in around three hours. It was no late in the afternoon, so Vahn decided it would be wise to rest for the remainder of the day. He could always continue his journey after taking a short rest and napping for a few hours.

Checking his spoils, Vahn was happy to see he had obtained nearly 20k OP from the 11th and 12th floor. The Silverbacks were worth far more than any previous monster he had hunted, and their cores gave between 120-150 OP. However, they fell far short of the seven infant dragons Vahn had hunted who each gave out 400-430 OP. Combining the Hard Armored, an armadillo-like creature with heavy plating that Vahn was easily able to cut through, his spoils totaled 19,962 OP in just 5-6 hours.

This brought his total OP to 171,832 and he was inching ever closer to his goals. Vahn began to grow excited because, if the monsters on these floors were worth so much, then the monsters deeper within the dungeon should have even higher values. If he paced himself, he may even be able to earn enough OP to complete his quest by the time he reached the safe zone on the 18th floor.

As the 12th floor was the official end of the 'upper floors' Vahn decided to read through the compendium before he went to sleep. The next floor would be a qualitative change compared to everything he had experienced, and he didn't want to get caught off guard by anything unexpected. Though Sis always explained to him the characteristics and weaknesses of any monster he encountered, it wasn't always easy to pay attention to her guidance in the middle of a fight.

(A/N: Caution, this is an info dump so I don't have to explain all the monsters in the next chapter. You'll understand why later~!)

The monsters he would be facing on the middle floors included Wyverns, Battle Boars, Hellhounds, Almiraj, Dungeon Worms, Minotaurs, Lygerfangs, and if he was 'unlucky' there would even be a Monster Rex on the 17th floor called Goliath. Vahn recognized the name of the creature and after seeing the image in the compendium his fighting spirit began to boil. Bell had been able to slay a Black Goliath with the help of other Adventurers at Level 2 and Vahn wanted to see how he could fare against a weaker version.

Setting aside that thought, Vahn inspected the characteristics and weaknesses of each monster. Wyverns could get up to 5m long and had incredibly resilient pink skin. They could breathe fire and toxic gas and appear relatively rarely. Battle Boars and Hellhounds, however, were quite common and often wandered the corridors of the dungeon in packs. Though they were relatively weak monsters, they could overwhelm enemies with their numbers and coordinated attacks.

Almiraj was very problematic and similar in appearance to the Needle Rabbits on the 7th floor. The primary difference is they were much faster and possessed some degree of intelligence. They were capable of walking on two legs and performing various acrobatic feats to attack their enemies. They often hunted in the same areas as the next monster, Dungeon Worm, which were massive creatures comprised entirely of teeth and stomach. They were natural traps within the dungeon and the Almiraj were known to harass adventurers until they entered the territory of a Dungeon Worm unprepared.

Lastly were two monsters Vahn was very curious about. Starting from the 15th floor he would begin to come across Minotaurs, which were known even in the compendium as 'Level 2 Killers'. They were considered the strongest monsters at Level 2 and had fearsome physical strength. Variants of Minotaurs were even capable of using weapons found within the dungeon and even developing skills. Next was the Lygerfangs, which Vahn found very reminiscent of his [Rakshasa Body] transformation. They were large tigers that varied between a rust-like orange and an off-white color with black stripes. Their fangs were said to be able to penetrate mid-grade armor with ease and were a popular item for developing stabbing weapons.

Vahn decided to make it his goal to hunt as many Minotaurs and Lygerfangs as he could. Though he planned to enter the 18th floor, he wanted to stay in the area until he completed his quest. The fact he was rapidly losing the ability to spend OP in the shop was becoming a major concern of his. Though he didn't feel like he relied on it that much, now that he was unable to use it freely Vahn felt rather anxious.

After checking his stats and performing maintenance on his equipment, Vahn rested against the wall and took a nap. He spread his domain out for 50m to conserve energy and quickly drifted off to sleep.

(A/N: Vahn's current stats)[Stats]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:2(2)

-Power:1001(E498)-(D513)

-Endurance:1108(C665)-(C690)

-Dexterity:887(F372)-(E444)

-Agility:940(E449)-(E461)

-Magic:1611(B750)-(A831)

Total:5547(2734)-(2939)

Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

[Karma: 1,022

[OP: 171,832

[Valis: 171,630[Stealth: D] - [Stealth: C]

[Bow Mastery: C] - [Bow Mastery: B]

(A/N: Keep in mind that obtaining exilia from using skills against higher level monsters increases the growth rate~!)

(A/N: Alternate Title: 'Dump','Sneaky Boi','Mans not hot, never hot','Flags, flags everywhere. Lookin' like an international convention up in here.')

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Chapter 78 - Crash

As Vahn awoke from his nap, he made his final preparations before entering into the 13th floor. The structure of the dungeon changed yet again and now the walls, floor, and ceiling were all made a pale black bedrock. It was much denser than anything found on the upper floors and Vahn also noticed it seemed to absorb what little light was emitted from the ceiling. There were rocks strewn about all over the ground making passage and combat more difficult.

This was Vahn's first time entering the 'middle floors' so he proceeded with caution. The monsters starting from this point were almost all Level 2 or higher, and those that weren't attacked in such great numbers they posed a threat to even experienced parties. If Vahn dropped his guard there was a very real possibility he may die from this point onward.

After traveling forward for about ten minutes, Vahn began to worry. This entire time he had yet to encounter a single monster, and even his domain wasn't detecting any presences. He continued with increased caution until he came across an anomaly. The route he had taken led to a dead end where it looked as though the walls and ceiling had collapsed. Though it wasn't uncommon for the dungeon's layout to change over time, as this was the main route on the map it was odd to find it in such a state.

Vahn inspected the collapse and found traces of burning that scared the surface of some rocks. Someone, or something, must have used a large scale explosion magic to collapse the tunnel. The question on Vahn's mind though was why someone would do such a thing. He decided to backtrack and look for a secondary route or else he would have to wait for days for the dungeon to repair itself.

After finding a connecting tunnel, Vahn made his way and released a sigh of relief when he detected the presence of several monsters ahead. He had started to worry that something unnatural had occurred in the dungeon and didn't want to get caught up in something beyond his level. Pressing forward, Vahn came across a room filled with a pack of black dog-like creatures with glowing red eyes.

They were currently fighting over something, and from Vahn's perspective, he was able to identify the source of their conflict as a corpse. Some poor adventurer had become an unwilling meal after losing their lives in the dungeon. His brow furrowed as he drew his sword and engaged the mongrels.

The Hell Hounds noticed his approach and immediately charged at Vahn. They were incredibly agile and possessed a mouth full of sharp pearl-white teeth marred with the flesh and blood of their victim. The closets hounds to Vahn hurled themselves at his limbs to try and cripple him.

Vahn sidestepped and bisected the fastest one with his sword in a reverse slash splitting the Hell Hound from bottom to top. Using his fiery golden left hand, he grabbed the neck of the second Hell Hound who tried snapping its jaws and flailing about. Vahn crushed its windpipe before throwing the corpse into the group of rushing Hell Hounds.

They had surrounded him by this point and were trying to maul him from every direction, but Vahn was able to use his power and agility to leap out of the encirclement. He collided feet first into a wall before vaulting into a more advantageous position near the corpse of the Adventurer. Vahn took a moment to inspect the body and nearly vomited as a reward for his curiosity.

The mutilated corpse was missing several parts, but Vahn had been able to identify it as a young woman with blue hair. Though he assumed she may have been pretty in life, now her body was a mess of flesh and mangled tissue. The throat had been chewed through and each limb had long been removed from the body. One of the things the mongrels had been fighting over previously turned out to be an arm.

Vahn was filled with rage as a cold sensation spread through his mind. He started pushing his [Will of the Emperor] to the extreme and infused a large number of fire elements into his domain. The golden light that had been spreading began to consolidate till the point Vahn's black tamahagane blade now shone with a golden l.u.s.ter while radiating a terrifying heat.

The Hell Hounds began to cower as they growled towards the golden figure. The heat emanating from the body of their prey caused an instinctive fear to build inside of them. It was almost as if the roles had reversed and their natural predatory instincts had completely dispersed. The only thing they felt was fear, but the compulsion of the dungeon and their core would now allow them to flee. The golden figure stared directly towards them as a chill ran down their spines almost as if to contrast the heat.

"You will not die easily," Vahn spoke the words with an icy fervor. He gripped the sword in his hand before going on his rampage. Instead of killing them as quickly as possible, he made sure to only target non-lethal areas. Fortunately, even if he cut limbs or severed parts of their body, the wounds would instantly cauterize and leave the monsters struggling on the ground. Vahn continued cutting away at the pack of demons until they were reduced to mutilated messes on the ground.

After sating his wrath, Vahn turned away from the struggling creatures without finishing them off. He knew they would die after enough time passed, and wanted them to experience the excruciating pain of slowly burning into nothingness. He turned towards the corpse of the female adventurer and frowned before a voice sounded in his head.

(*Vahn, you shouldn't let them suffer more than this.*) Sis gently spoke the words in his mind.

Vahn was confused, baffled even. He couldn't understand why Sis wanted him to put such fiendish creatures out of their misery. Seeing the wounds on the adventurer, Vahn knew she hadn't been dead when they started tearing her body apart.

(*Vengeance itself is not a sin, but if you allow them to suffer just to appease your mind it will result in the acc.u.mulation of negative karma. You shouldn't develop the habit of enjoying suffering, even it is the suffering of cruel and evil creatures. You must be righteous and firm in your convictions or else the meaning behind your actions will cease to be noble.*) Sis slowly explained each word so Vahn could process them.

He knew she was right, as she often was when it came to things like this. Vahn could not bring back the girl, so his actions weren't saving anyone. The only thing he got was personal satisfaction and other negative emotions. Vahn continued mulling over the words but decided it wasn't worth it to allow this situation to develop further. He sighed before turning towards the writhing creatures.

After slaying them all Vahn felt a melancholic emotion from within his body. All of his earlier actions felt so meaningless now that he had laid them to rest. There were various emotions building up inside of him and he felt like he had been unable to release them now that he had killed everything. Vahn gripped the handle of his sword tightly and felt frustrated before Sis once again spoke to him.

(*You should bury or burn the body Vahn. No person deserves to rot here and become food for the dungeon and its inhabitants. Let her rest peacefully knowing she will avoid that fate.*)

Vahn released his grip on his sword slightly and looked towards the dead adventurer. She seemed to be less than twenty years old and yet died here long before her life would have naturally come to an end. It was tragic, and he felt pity after hearing Sis's words. Vahn approached the body and began to feel nauseous but he held back the urge as it would be too disrespectful given the situation. He felt like if he threw up he would be dishonoring everything the woman represented in life.

Bringing his palms together, Vahn gave her a short eulogy. As someone that had transcended life and was reborn in another world, Vahn knew her soul would return to the gate before being reborn into this world. He prayed that she viewed the 'Kaleidoscopic Wheel of Karma' there were a greater number of happy memories than sad ones.

After his prayer, he searched for anything that could be used to identify the girl to leave with the Guild staff. If she belonged to a Familia or party, they would find and return the articles to any living family or friends. When he was done, Vahn finally cremated the body after wearing his [Plague Mask] to avoid the smell and fumes. He stood silently and watched the fire burn until the body had ceased to exist.

Vahn looked towards the charred area of the dungeon floor and swept his hand to generate a wind to disperse the ashes. He looked at the Guild ID he had found in the pouch on the woman's waist.

"Rest in peace Natalia Moore. May your next like be a peaceful one far away from this dark place."Continuing his way through the 13th floor, Vahn came across several groups of monsters and many signs of battle. He also found and burned the corpses of five additional adventurers, many of which were found in the same large room where Vahn slew more than forty Hell Hounds and Almiraj. There was even a Dungeon Worm near a giant hole leading down to the next floor. Vahn wrapped several explosives into a bundle before tossing it into the mouth of the monstrosity.

After leaving the site of the large battle, Vahn began to ponder what exactly had transpired. For such a large party to be in the middle-floors, they had to be veterans lead by second-rate (Lv 3-4) Adventurers. It was almost like they were an expeditionary group that had gotten ambushed or caught off guard. For an entire party to wipe on the 13th floor was uncommon as they had more than enough people to deal with most groups of monsters.

Suddenly, a thought passed through Vahn's mind as he recalled the cave-in from earlier. Since the path had been clear from the moment he entered the 13th floor, they must have cleared it ahead of him before reaching the same point he came to earlier, the site of the collapse. They too must have detoured to find a way around, but Vahn still couldn't understand what led to their demise.

Feeling uneasy, Vahn became doubly alert as he slowed his pace through the dungeon. Not just relying on [Will of the Emperor, he investigated every nook and cranny along the path with his eyes. He even activated his stealth to prevent anything from potentially detecting him. Vahn slowly made his way through the 13th floor and killing every group of monsters with caution, always making sure to keep part of his focus on his surroundings.

The further into the floor he progressed, the more uneasy Vahn felt. Tsubaki always complimented him on his instincts, and right now they were sounding alarms inside his mind telling him to turn back. Trusting his own intuition, Vahn began to slowly trace his path along the route he came. However, no matter how far he went the uneasy feeling continued to grow. Impatient, Vahn began to pick up his pace until the point he was essentially sprinting towards the stairs.

As his speed increased, the feeling began to grow faster and faster and Vahn could feel a dreadful feeling seizing his body. It was like something had locked onto him and now they were engaging in a game of cat and mouse with Vahn on the receiving end. Vahn began to leave mines along the path he fled in the hopes of intercepting whatever had been following him.

After a few minutes, while Vahn was still fleeing, he heard several large explosions sound in the distance. Though this would normally put his mind at ease, Vahn began to tremble slightly as the terrifying feeling actually began to grow. Whatever unseen terror had just stepped on his mines hadn't been defeated; Instead, it just became very pissed off.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ruuuuuuuuuuun','Vahn can't save 'em all','Karma is a bitch','Sis is bae')

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Chapter 79 - Burn

Vahn continued running towards the exit, but as he had spent more than two hours on the floor he was nowhere near close enough to escape his pursuer. He was now able to feel the dense structure of the dungeon tremble as dust particles began raining from the cracks in the ceiling. Vahn's mind was racing to come up with a solution, but there was nothing in his inventory that could slow the 'monster' down.

All the confidence Vahn had been building in the last two months couldn't prevent his mind from collapsing due to the fear he was feeling. The closer the presence got, the more dread spread in his heart and mind as Vahn felt death inching ever closer. Vahn wasn't afraid of death itself, but he couldn't help but have regrets considering everything he would be leaving behind.

Though he was still growing accustomed to this world. there were several things he had already grown attached to. The places, the people, and especially the food; all of these things were irreplaceable to the current Vahn and he feared that no matter what worlds he might visit in the future, he would never be able to reclaim what he lost by dying now. All the promises he made to the people he cared about, all the hopes they placed in him...Vahn was afraid of losing them all...

As a last resort, Vahn found a large rock stratum and tried to conceal himself. He willed his domain to the smallest possible size as he wedged his body into the crevasse and infused his [Stealth] skill in an effort to hide his presence. Vahn held his breath as he felt the vibrations of the rocks against his body. Every lumbering step of the creature caused the entire floor to rumble in its wake.

After twenty seconds, Vahn finally caught sight of the monster that had been pursuing him and his mind went completely blank. The 'monster' was more like a 'nightmare' in comparison to anything else he had ever seen. It had a long skeletal body more than 10m in length with several boney appendages adorned with claws that easily cut into the dense bedrock of the dungeon. Its head was a ghastly visage of a dragon's skull while its eyes seemed to be able to shatter the confidence of anyone that gazed into them.

The monster that had been pursuing him was considered the most dangerous entity in the dungeon and has led to the death of thousands of adventurers since the creation of the dungeon. It was a Juggernaut, the dungeons automated defense system that spawned only when a severe amount of damage had been done to the dungeon's structure. From the moment it spawned it would slaughter every single adventurer on the floor until the dungeon had been restored.

Vahn didn't know how strong the creature was, but the compendium listed it as an SS-Ranked threat even S-Ranked Familia had to seriously prepare for (A/N: Loki/Freya Familias). That meant it would be able to pose a threat to core parties that consisted almost entirely of ranked 4-6 Adventurers. And that is if they all fought it together...As Vahn was alone, encountering a Juggernaut meant certain death if he was found.

The moment the Juggernaut entered the room it stopped. It used it's eerie glowing eyes to sweep the room where its 'prey' had vanished. Vahn could feel a weird sensation like some kind of filament was being spread through the air. It was probing the entire room and even began to inspect the area where Vahn was currently hidden. As the strange 'sensation' came into contact with his domain it seemed to stall and move slowly as if it was searching for something. Vahn had no idea if his domain had tipped it off, but he continued holding his breath and praying.

Vahn could 'see' the invisible sensation extend tendrils that tested the area inside his domain. In the distance, he could see the Juggernaut had stopped and was staring off into space like it was lost in thought. Sweat began to build upon Vahn's brow as his lungs began starving for air. He managed to resist the temptation to draw breath until the point his body began to change from the pain that was beginning to build in his lungs.

The tendrils continued to inspect the crevasse where Vahn was located and crept within 50cm of his position. As there was nothing else beyond his location, Vahn would be unable to flee any further into the crevasse. The only thing he could do was hope that something else drew the Juggernaut away before it found his hiding spot. By now his form had changed entirely into his white-tiger transformation as his vision began to fade. Darkness slowly crept into his sight and Vahn knew it wasn't long before he lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen...

Vahn felt something 'snap' inside his mind and a powerful pulsation erupting from his chest. The 'eternal flame' began trying to nourish his body by absorbing oxygen through his pores and diffusing it into his blood, but the rate was far too slow to make a difference in the current situation. The tendrils had crept to within 20cm and the Juggernaut remained idle in the center of the room. Vahn had no hope that it would leave so he took a drastic action.

Vahn equipped his bow and had Sis purchase the strongest arrow he could afford. Within his inventory, a single black arrow appeared simply called [Yi] 10,000OP. Vahn knocked the bow and began to infuse as much mana as he could into the arrow which slowly took on a golden hue displaying the relief of a man surrounded by ten suns. As Vahn channeled more of his 'source energy' into the arrow the suns began to turn black at a very slow rate. Before Vahn was able to make a single sun go dark his body was almost completely drained of energy.

He loosed the arrow while willing his [Call of the Reaper] to activate. The moment the skill took affect the arrow seemed to turn invisible as it traveled silently through the air towards the Juggernauts head. Vahn's eyes tracked the arrow in slow motion as the darkness continued encroaching into his vision. The arrow passed completely unnoticed by the creature until it was mere millimeters away from striking the bone-like skull.

The moment before the arrow made contact, the Juggernaut sensed the presence of death but was unable to identify the source before the arrow collided with the side of its face. A powerful energy erupted like a small sun before immediately collapsing into a gravitational well that seemed intent to devour everything around it. The Juggernaut screamed in pain as it tried to escape the pull of the miniature 'black hole'.

The tendrils immediately vanished and Vahn launched himself from the crevasse. The Juggernaut saw the human and knew it was the source of its current predicament. It screamed a shriek so shrill and loud that Vahn collapsed to the ground before picking himself back up moments later. The Juggernaut was still trying to escape the effect of the arrow that seemed to warp space was around the impact area and distorted the image of its body.

Vahn noticed that, even though it was unable to move, only small parts of the Juggernaut were actually being damaged. He couldn't stick around and see the outcome since, if it was not killed, he would die soon after the effect ended. Making his way towards the nearest corridor, Vahn continued to run towards the exit. It was known that a Juggernaut couldn't leave the floor it spawned on, so Vahn was determined to escape by reaching the stairs.

Several loud shrieks sounded from behind and the dungeon seemed to stress from the terrifying reverberations. The walls began to distort as several monsters spawned in an effort to slow Vahn's progress. Pushing his [WIll of the Emperor] to its limits and swallowing a [Sensu Bean, Vahn began cutting his way through the crowd of monsters. As he was still in his white-tiger form, his agility was much higher than normal and he was able to evade the majority of monsters by vaulting off the walls.

Suddenly, Vahn felt a powerful tremor pass through the dungeon floor which stunned both himself and the monsters. Everyone collapsed to the ground, but Vahn was able to recover before increasing his pace even further. He knew the Juggernaut had most likely escaped and he hadn't made nearly enough progress towards the stairs. It had been less than a minute since he separated from the Juggernaut, and even with his fast pace, it would quickly catch up to him.

Vahn quickly looked at his quest log and noticed he had spent 99,700/100,00OP. He had less than 300OP to spend before he automatically failed his quest and lost access to his system shop for an entire year. Gritting his teeth, Vahn struggled with the idea of purchasing more [Yi] arrows to buy time or if he should leave his fate to chance and try to buy a stronger piece of equipment.

His thoughts were suddenly brought to a halt as a powerful collision sounded at his back. Looking behind, Vahn could see the Juggernaut missing half its face as it stared at Vahn with absolute hatred in its eyes. Even with the severe injury, its speed wasn't reduced as it used its powerful limbs to grab the wall and lurch itself forward.

Vahn was out of time. Even if he wanted to purchase an item it wouldn't change the result of the situation. Using the only option available, Vahn leaped towards the Juggernaut. Surprised that its prey would take the initiative to attack, the Juggernaut actually hesitated slightly. The memory of that arrow was fresh in its mind and it thought the small, insignificant creature had another trick up its sleeve.

The Juggernaut used the wall as leverage to spin rapidly in the air and swipe towards Vahn with its whip-like serrated tail. Vahn drew his [Lion's Pride] and cut towards the incoming tail as he attempted to slide under the attack. The moment the blade made contact it cut several centimeters into the tail before getting caught and ripped from Vahn's hands. The winds trailing the tail left several lacerations on Vahn's arms and his body began changing into his black-turtle form as the wounds slowly started to close.

Without turning his head, Vahn retrieved the now bent blade that had been lodged into the dungeon wall using his domain. He continued sprinting forward as the Juggernaut repositioned and tried to crush the now fleeing target. After Vahn failed to severe its tail, the Juggernaut believed he had no other means of resistance and attacked without further hesitation.

Vahn could feel death drop from above as a shadow began to press on his position. He jumped, twisting his body in mid-air and crossing both arms that were now covered in the black scales. The spear-like claws of the Juggernaut collided with his defense and Vahn could feel both of his arms fracture from the impact. One of the claws managed to pierce his defense and penetrated his left lung and shattered several of his ribs.

Carried by the force of the blow, Vahn was jettisoned towards the direction he had leaped previously. The Juggernaut noticed what he was trying to do and screeched before launching himself towards Vahn. Vahn used what remained of his strength and oriented both of his broken arms towards the Juggernaut. Lifting the middle fingers of both hands, Vahn mouthed the words through his blood-croaked mouth. 'F.u.c.k You'

With that parting gift, Vahn fell into the hole behind him. He dropped down into the darkness and saw the Juggernaut stop, unable to enter after him. It screamed at the top of its lungs and began hurling rocks towards Vahn who was quickly descending to the 14th floor. Vahn bit down on the [Senzu Bean] he had kept in his mouth and tried intercepting the rocks as his wounds rapidly healed.

Each collision was like being hit by a sledgehammer as Vahn used the increased defense of his body to resist the blows. He could feel his just-healed bones begin to fracture once again as a vibrant red light began appearing from cracks in his body. Heat began to well up from within and Vahn could feel the 'eternal flame' in his chest dancing in anticipation.

As he continued to fall, a rock far larger than the others fell towards him with a frightful velocity. Even if Vahn could deflect it, he would be crushed by the rock the moment he landed on the floor below. Instead of simply defending himself, Vahn punched out with all his might towards the giant boulder. The moment of collision seemed to affect the cracks that had appeared in Vahn's skin. His arms felt like they exploded as a crimson flame began to burn from his body. The powerful shockwave carried through the boulder before splintering it into smaller shards.

Seeing it's final desperate attack had failed, the Juggernaut loudly screeched towards the boy that had escaped its grasp. Vahn, on the other hand, was in a daze as he stared at his body that had begun to burn with an intense flame that also incinerated all of his equipment. Feather-like flames had emerged from the cracks in his body and generated a terrible heat that had even caused the surrounding walls to heat up with a red glow.

Vahn twisted his body so that he could see the approaching ground. Though there were several small rocks still following his descent, he would deal with them when the time came. As he had already fallen for several seconds, his velocity has already reached a lethal degree. Vahn trusted his instincts as he pointed both of his arms towards the approaching ground.

Responding to his intent, the feathers on his body came alive and large amounts of crimson flames began to erupt from the palms of Vahn's hands. They continued forward as pillars of fire that instantly melted the bedrock surface of the dungeon floor. Vahn continued channeling the flames until his body fell into the molten pool of rock and disappeared.

The pool continued to burn brighter and brighter until the yellow-orange molten rock took on a crimson hue. As the crimson glow moved further towards the edge of the pool, the heat began to spread to other rocks in the surroundings and the dungeon appeared as if it was melting before a head popped out of the surface of the pool.

Vahn walked out of the molten rock bare n.a.k.e.d and with a relieved expression on his face. He looked upwards towards the hole he had just fallen from. "One day, I will kill you and the person who created you. I will burn this dungeon to the ground and all the terrors contained within. I will burn it all."

Saying his piece, Vahn turned around and started walking deeper into the 14th floor. He made it about ten steps before the flames on his body extinguished and he passed out, still n.a.k.e.d, onto the hard floor of the dungeon.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Flame Emperor','Consecutive Close Calls','Extinguish the Sun : [Yi]','Poor Hephaestus')

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Chapter 80 - Benefits of Survival

Vahn opened his eyes and noticed he was surrounded by an endless expanse of darkness. His body felt heavy and weightless at the same time; it was like he had fallen into a deep abyssal ocean and continued descending further into the darkness. Vahn struggled to move his body, desperately attempting to resist falling deeper into the abyss.

A powerful sensation could be felt welling up inside his chest. Heat began to expand to dissipate the cold that had been permeating throughout his body. His body almost felt like it was 'thawing' with the heat as he slowly regained the ability to move. Starting from his fingers and toes, until spreading to his arms and legs. As he regained functionality in his limbs, Vahn tried swimming upward against the pressure that had been weighing him down.

The heat continued building within Vahn allowing him greater freedom of movement. His heart felt like it was pumping with a mad intensity and his chest began glowing with a crimson light. The light spread from his heart and began to extend to the rest of Vahn's body. As the intensity of the light increased, the darkness around Vahn began to lose its power to restrain him. Vahn doubled his efforts and started rising to escape the pressure.

The further he moved up, the less restraint he felt against his body. An excitement began to build within Vahn as his desire for freedom grew to a breaking point. The echoes of laughter began to sound in his mind, and Vahn recognized the voice as his own. No sound came from his lips in the vast emptiness of this space, but he could feel the intent behind the laugh sounding fervently within his mind.

Suddenly, the crimson light in Vahn's chest took on a golden hue as it erupted from his body. Vahn ceased his struggles and roared powerfully through the darkness. Flames emerged from his body that formed a sphere of inviolable territory that banished the encroaching darkness. The flames continued to expand until, from an outside view, Vahn's body now looked like a small sun floating through endless space.

Vahn bathed in the warmth of his own flames and enjoyed the powerful feeling pulsing through his veins. From around his body, several images began to form within the domain of flames. Starting from their eyes, four creatures formed within the void and looked at the dazed human before them. Their eyes had a reverence contained within as they all lowered their heads towards the boy.

Vahn looked curiously at the four creatures and understood what they represented. They were the forms of his [Rakshasa Body] and were a white-tiger, black-turtle, virmilion-bird, and azure-dragon. Each had an awe-inspiring majesty and radiated with infinite power...a power which submitted itself to Vahn. Smiling, Vahn reached out his hand to the closest creature, the white-tiger, and placed his palm on the 'king' symbol of its forehead.

A powerful rumble came from the tiger's body as it opened its eyes toward Vahn. Vahn stared into the azure blue eyes and felt like its depths exceeded even the expanse of the void he had previously thought to be infinite. Within the eyes, Vahn saw life, death, wisdom, and an insurmountable pride that formed the core of the tiger's being. But, even with all these things, it still looked towards Vahn with expectation and obeisance.

Vahn smiled and whispered with a powerful voice that tore through the void. No sound came from his lips, but space around was filled with a single word, almost like an irrefutable claim recognized by creation itself. "Báihǔ."

'Hearing' its name, the tiger raised it's head and roared. Space around completely shattered as the darkness formed shards like broken glass that dissipated into nothingness. A white expanse began to form around the domain Vahn had established. Looking around, Vahn felt an immense pride welling up inside him as his consciousness began to fade. He looks toward the other three creatures that had the same expectation on their face as Báihǔ previously.

He stared into each of their eyes in turn before his mind faded completely. The next moment, Vahn was waking up on the cold hard floor of the dungeon. All around his body there was a black, foul-smelling substance which covered the majority of his skin. Vahn's nose scrunched up after smelling the odor, so he pulled out his [Decanter of Replenishment] to clean his body.

Afterward, as he was still n.a.k.e.d, Vahn pulled out his spare equipment and adorned it on his body. He was now wearing his normal equipment as his fire-proof stuff had been incinerated by the crimson flames that had surged out of his body. He looked towards the ground where he had fallen which had now formed into a smooth, somewhat glassy, black color.

("Sis, that was the third form of my [Rakshasa Body, wasn't it? Such powerful flames...") Vahn felt like the flames weren't natural as even his 'eternal flame' didn't seem to have such power.

(*That is correct Vahn. The third form is that of the Zhūquè, or the vermillion-bird. It seems to enhance your bodies regeneration to an incredible extent while greatly increasing your offensive capabilities at the cost of your defense.*)

Vahn nodded, he had noticed that the fractures in his arms had been rapidly regenerating during his fall. Now, his body was completely uninjured and he even felt a powerful energy coursing through his veins. Curious, Vahn inspected his body using his mental energies and found the source of the new energy. The golden colored 'eternal flame' in his chest now had a crimson hue to it and burned with a much greater intensity than before.

The 'eternal flame' seemed to notice his presence as it began to dance around excitedly with unbound jubilation. Vahn could feel a 'happiness' coming from the flame as it seemed to be thanking him. Vahn smiled, imaging happy feelings of his own, and directed them towards the 'eternal flame' to let it know he was also happy seeing its change.Vahn was now on the 14th floor with no easy way to progress. He now had just 300OP left to spend before he would exceed the quest limitation. As he had entered the dungeon with the intent of completing the quest, Vahn didn't want to turn back after his first major setback. Now that he had avoided the danger, he felt it would be a waste to return empty-handed.

Van began to weigh the benefits of advancing and retreating. If he pressed forward he would be able to gain a larger amount of OP from stronger monsters, but there was an obvious risk factor involved. Retreating would allow him to inform the Guild of the existence of the Juggernaut, but it would also draw a lot of attention to himself as the person who submitted the information. Even Vahn couldn't imagine how a Level 2 would have been able to survive after encountering such a monstrosity...

While he was stuck trying to make a decision, Vahn decided to inspect his own stats. He had experienced a great amount of danger and managed to survive against the odds. With his new [Rakshasa Body] transformation, it was very likely the skill had increased as well.[Stats]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:2(2)

-Power:1001(E498)-(C609)

-Endurance:1108(C665)-(S914)

-Dexterity:887(F372)-(E470)

-Agility:940(E449)-(D551)

-Magic:1611(B750)-(S949)

Total:5547(2734)-(3393)

Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

[Karma: 1,022

[OP: 182,037

[Valis: 171,630[OP]Spent: 99,700/100,000

Sure enough, exposing oneself to danger and surviving had a large influence on his growth. He still had a long way to go, but Vahn was grateful that he had at least obtained something for his troubles. If only he had been able to kill the Juggernaut somehow...Vahn shook his head as the thought entered his mind. The Juggernaut was far stronger than even Tsubaki; the fact that he was even able to wound it was almost unbelievable.

Thinking back to the incident, Vahn was very satisfied with the outcome. [Call of the Reaper] was far stronger than the expected, and even the Juggernauts enhanced senses weren't able to detect the arrow before it was too late. If he had been stronger and possessed enough energy to charge that arrow, it was possible Vahn would have been able to kill the beast before it was even aware of what happened. That [Yi] arrow had a terrifying power, and Vahn knew he hadn't even scratched the surface of its full potential. The fact it cost 5x more than his [Runic Tamahagane Blade: A] was enough to indicate how powerful it was.

A thought suddenly occurred and Vahn asked Sis to display the arrows information. Since he had purchased it, even though he hadn't inspected it at the time, he should still be able to access information related to the arrow. Sure enough, an information window appeared in his vision and Vahn read the details of the arrow.[Yi]

Rank:S-SSS

Slots:0

P.Atk:0

M.Atk:0

Use: Energy can be infused in this godly arrow to create the depiction of 10 Suns. Each Sun increases the Physical and Magical attack by 1000 points. Further channeling energy into the arrow will extinguish the suns and increase the arrows might. P.Atk/M.Atk 10,000(number of suns extinguished). This arrow is restricted by the worlds 'laws' and cannot exceed the strength of four suns.The stats of the arrow were incredible, and given the 300% damage increase from his [Call of the Reaper, Vahn must have hit the Juggernaut with an attack ranging between 20-25k total power. He was able to infer this due to the fact he had almost extinguished a single sun by about 70%. If he had been able to channel just a bit more energy, Vahn believed he might have been able to kill the Juggernaut if he was lucky...

Vahn decided that once he finished his weapon quest, he would purchase several [Yi] for emergency situations. Unlike other arrows, they seemed to be single use but Vahn couldn't help but respect the awesome scene he had observed earlier. That single arrow managed to severely wound a creature near Level 7 even though Vahn was currently only Level 2.

As he continued to inspect his stats and items, Vahn noticed a peculiarity in his skill section. His [Rakshasa Body] had increased from F to E, but there was new information listed within the description that caught Vahn's attention.[Rakshasa Body]

Rank: Innate, (F) *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*

[Passive: Provides a large increase to pain resistance. Allows the body to disperse internal forces. Increases bodies natural regeneration by a moderate amount.

[Active: Increases power and endurance based on damage received. Moderate stamina consumption.

[Actiive: Allows the user to instantly activate awakened forms.

Awakening: [???]0%[???]10%[???]31%[Báihǔ]100%Vahn was surprised at the vast improvement, but considering it was an [Innate] skill, it wasn't that difficult to imagine it had limitless potential. If Vahn had to wait until he was near death to make use of the skill it wouldn't be very helpful. Now that he could activate it whenever he wanted, it would greatly enhance his combat capabilities.

Focusing his mind, Vahn began channeling energy into his body. He could feel a burning sensation on his back and could hear a word whispering within his mind. The sensation in his back began to grow as the voice repeated the word over and over. Vahn understood he had to repeat the name, so he muttered, "Báihǔ".

The moment the word left his lips, his forearms and legs immediately grew a flawless white fur with black stripes. Unlike the previous off-white color, it was now an unblemished and pure white with a stark and beautiful black color. The claws on his hands seemed far more powerful and the muscles in his body felt both taut and stringy at the same time. Vahn felt like his body was full of explosive power, and he tested it out by launching himself forward.

The ground shattered at Vahn's feet as he moved nearly three times his original speed and almost crashed into the wall 20m opposite of his starting position. Using his enhanced senses and flexibility, Vahn bent his body like a bow and sprung off the wall leaving indentations where his feet had landed. He spun several times in the air before landing nimbly back on his feet.

Vahn was amazed at his own acrobatic display, as he had never really been focused on agility as much as his other stats. The light feeling of his body and the flexibility of his bones left him in shock. If he could sustain this form whenever he pleased, Vahn felt like even most Level 3s wouldn't be able to fight against him.

With an idea popping up in his mind, Vahn smiled while channeling his [Will of the Emperor]. He infused flame elemental energy into the domain and began absorbing it in large quantities into his body. The stark white hair on his body began to glow with a golden l.u.s.ter as the palms and claws of his hands began to radiate with an intense heat. Vahn took a deep breath and adapted to the enhancement of his body and senses.

He suddenly opened his eyes before kicking away from the ground with his maximum strength. Vahn could feel his body pass through some kind of membrane as the air exploded around his body. Using his fierce momentum, Vahn smashed his fist into the hard bedrock walls. A powerful energy erupted from his body and channeled itself into the wall where, nearly an entire second later, it exploded.

The explosion caused the wall to fissure with a web-like pattern as the ceiling above gave in after losing its support. Vahn jumped backward and waited for the dust to settle before staring into the empty space beyond the wall he had just destroyed. With his perception, he had been able to sense a corridor parallel to the one he was currently in, and now Vahn was able to spread his senses into the now open room.

Several monsters, including Hell Hound and Almiraj, were startled by the sudden collapse of the wall and stared with red eyes towards the intruder. Seeing Vahn emerge from the hole, they immediately began attacking. Vahn smiled and spread both arms wide as if he were accepting their challenge. The aura radiating from his body caused his hair to dance in the wind created by his domain as he bent forward and dashed towards the monsters with his bare hands.

After a few minutes, Vahn had cleared the entire room and earned 611 OP for his efforts. He smiled and stared towards the ceiling before shaking his head. Now was not the time to retreat, instead, Vahn decided to venture further into the dungeon and continue towards the 18th floor. He would be able to rest there before working on completing his quest. Doing so would allow him to increase his strength even further, and he could use the time to work on awakening his other forms. If Vahn could get to the point where he could channel the flames of the vermillion-bird, he felt like there were few things that could stall his progress in the future.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Dump : Dump','Maybe it's not a phase','Milan's Intuition','RIP Hephaestus')

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Chapter 81 - Level 2 Killer : Minotaur

Vahn continued to make his way through the 14th floor while familiarizing himself with his Báihǔ form. Using it in conjunction with [Will of the Emperor] increased his perception and awareness to incredible levels. Vahn couldn't just 'sense' things within the domain, he could smell, hear, and see things far more clearly than before. Instead of the passive stance, Vahn always assumed in fights, where he would dodge and evade enemies while countering, now he was aggressively fighting the enemies with his bare hands.

With the 'burning' attribute and his absorption of flame elements, Vahn was able to deal debilitating blows to monsters. It was a very weird sensation to feel bones breaking and watching as monsters were deformed under the power of his blows. With his enhanced vision, Vahn was even able to experience a moment where he punched a monster and was able to actually see the shockwave pass through its body in slow motion.

Most of the monsters he encountered were the Hell Hounds and Almiraj he had grown accustomed to fighting, but after an hour of travel Vahn finally encountered something new. It was a giant boar monster that was slightly more than 2m tall. It looked to weight around 1000kg and left tracks inside the hard floor as it rushed towards Vahn. Vahn recognized the creature as a Battle Boar which was known for their explosive rushes and incredibly durable skin.

Unfortunately for the boar, it wasn't able to change directions quickly when it was charging. Vahn was able to leap over the Battle Boar and get behind it. As it tried to change direction and charge again, Vahn attacked its unguarded flank with his strongest punch. His fist sunk into the hard flesh and a burning smell began to spread in the air, but that was the extent of the damage. Vahn jumped back as the boar tried to maul him with its large tusks.

It was no wonder the compendium said that Battle Boars were known for their durability. When Vahn's fist had collided with its side, it almost felt like the shockwave, he had grown used to feeling, was dispersed. He assumed the boar had some kind of natural ability to repel/disperse shocks similar to his [Rakshasa Body] passive. The boar madly charged towards Vahn with a red gleam in its eyes as it spewed drool all over the place in its rage.

Vahn side-stepped the boar, and instead of punching, he lashed out with his super-heated claws. One of the changes brought about by his Báihǔ form was a set of razor-sharp claws that extended nearly 5cm from each finger. Combining their sharpness with the flame elemental attacks made them able to easily rend through flesh. As his fingers swept across the side of the boar, they sunk deep into the thick hide and left cauterized wounds in their wake.

The Battle Boar flinched at the pain, the gleam in its eyes intensifying, as it continued to attack without hesitation. Vahn noticed that the longer he fought the beast, the larger it became and the more ferocious its attacks. The blackish-brown skin of the boar had started to take on a red hue and Vahn noticed steam began to erupt from its nostrils with each breath.

As it began its charge, Vahn sighed before taking out his [Runic Tamahagane Blade]. It was very difficult to kill the boar using just his hands because it was resistant to strikes and his claws couldn't cut deeply enough into the flesh to cause any serious damages. Readying his sword, Vahn also charged towards the enraged beast with a fearless expression.

The Battle Boar roared loudly as it accepted the challenge of the boy before it. It increased its pace and intended to tear Vahn apart using its massive tusks. The two forms, one large boar, and one small boy, continued to charge at each other without any hesitation. Just as they were about to cross paths, Vahn planted his left foot into the ground at a sidewards angle before twisting his waist and turning his back toward the Battle Boar.

The boar intended to run right through his defenseless body, but just as it was about to make contact, Vahn kicked the ground and did a backflip over the charging beast. The boar tilted its head slightly to stare at the figure above its head who returned his gaze with a confident expression. While Vahn was in the air, he swapped out his sword for his bow and loosed an arrow into the exposed eye that was glaring at him.

Jerking its head sideways from the painful impact, the boar lost control of its charge and skid across the bedrock wall. Its tusks carved through the hard surface and slowed its momentum. With the arrow still lodged in its eye, it turned towards the boy to continue its charge. However, no matter where the boar looked, it couldn't find any traces of the boy's presence.

Even in its enraged state, the boar was still capable of thinking and it was confused at how the enemy it had been fighting suddenly vanished. Suddenly, a painful sensation came from the side of its body where it had been blinded. Its head rolled from its body and it could see the form of its enemy holding a glowing golden blade next to its body that was still standing in its place.

Before the Battle Boar lost consciousness for the last time, it saw the boy look towards it with a mocking expression on his face. Vahn had seen the boar hadn't died instantly, so he smiled towards the head that now lay on the ground. He had used the blind spot created when he shot out the boar's eye to create an opening to behead the creature. Though Vahn felt a little guilty at exploiting its weakness, he had no obligation to fight fairly against monsters that were trying to kill him. Even ones that seemed to mindlessly charge forward and fight their enemies directly.

Vahn removed the core from the boar's 'corpse' as both the head and body began to dissolve into dust. He noticed there was a strange pelt that had been left behind that looked similar to the boar's hide. Thinking it could be a good material to make armor in the future, Vahn ended up keeping it in his inventory instead of exchanging it for OP. A master smith like Tsubaki or Hephaestus would be able to bring out the inherent qualities of such a material and Vahn would be able to possess the same shock-resistant functions as the boar possessed in life.

This was one of the first fights that Vahn actually enjoyed to this extent. The boar wasn't an easy opponent he could simply vanquish with a single strike like the Hell Hounds and Almiraj that endlessly pestered him. He had to use all of his skills to come out on top and it took a great deal more effort than most of his fights. Vahn began to hope there would be similar situations in the future as he turned towards the corridor and delved deeper into the 14th floor.

By the time Vahn reached the stairs more than five hours had passed. Combining this with the amount of time he spent on the 13th floor and passed out on the 14th floor, it was now nearly 8 PM. Though Vahn wasn't really tired, since the 'eternal flame' seemed to be providing him with excess amounts of energy, he decided to take a break. He sat down and reviewed his spoils and progress.

Each Hell Hound, even though they weren't that strong, gave Vahn around 23-27OP each. The Almiraj, though they were harder to deal with than the Hell Hounds, only gave a pitiable 18-20OP each. The good thing about both was they were incredibly common, so Vahn had been able to earn a total of 14,779 in his five-hour stint. His total OP was brought up to 196,816 and he was getting increasingly closer to obtaining a fifth of the required amount for his quest.

Vahn pulled out the large core he had obtained from the Battle Boar. So far he had kept both the core and the pelt, as he felt it was a shame to turn it into OP for now. Generally speaking, the magic core obtained from a monster was the optimal catalyst for the forging of weapons and armors. Since Vahn wanted to use the hide, he decided to hold onto the core for now even though it should be worth a few hundred points.

Staring into the purple-blue crystalline structure, Vahn was captivated by the swirling energies contained within. He always found magic cores to be interesting, and higher grade cores like this one were even beautiful to look at. They were like dark gems that sparkled with light at their cores, and Vahn had thought about crafting accessories or imbuing them into weapons as decorations.

Vahn continued admiring the stone before placing it back into his inventory. He shouldn't be wasting too much time focusing on other things while he was still in the dungeon. Once he got to Riviria he would have time to consider his options and make further plans. For now, Vahn pulled out some food and ate a hearty meal. Afterward, he wiped down his body using a sponge and water from his canteen. He couldn't do much to clean his clothing, but it was better than nothing.

Once he had finished his preparations, it was now close to 9 PM, but as Vahn wasn't tired he decided to press onward. Entering into his Báihǔ form, Vahn crossed the threshold into the 15th floor. This was one of the floors he looked forward to the most and was also the reason he didn't feel like resting just yet. Vahn could feel anticipation building in him as he walked down the corridor towards his first room.

Entering the room, Vahn could feel the blood begin to boil in his veins. Standing near the center of the 30m wide room was a pair of monsters that he had been wanting to fight for a long time. They were Minotaurs, and they stood around 2-3m each with massive and muscular builds. They each had fierce looking bull heads and large bristled manes that reached around their head and covered their necks and shoulders. They stood on two powerful hooved legs and the larger of the two even carried with it a broken sword that was full of nicks and ch.i.p.s.

The moment he entered the room, both Minotaurs immediately noticed him and began to amble towards him menacingly. They each had vicious expressions as they groaned while emitting waves of hot air and steam. Vahn got into his battle stance after putting away his sword. He intended to fight them unarmed unless it was too difficult, as using a sword would give him too much of an advantage given his current parameters. Minotaurs might be a major threat to most Level 2's, but Vahn's enhancements from his Báihǔ form and [Will of the Emperor] gave him stats that would easily rival a Level 3.

A golden aura danced around Vahn as he dashed towards the closest Minotaur. It used its broken sword and tried to attack, but Vahn accelerated at the last moment before dashing cleanly through its open legs. As he passed, Vahn used his claws to sever the femoral arteries on both legs. The Minotaur fell forward in pain as buckets of blood began to pour out of the exposed veins. It was unable to support itself without leaning against the blade.

Vahn continued his charge towards the unarmed second Minotaur. It tried using its powerful arms to smash at the nimble Vahn. Vahn broke his own momentum by kicking the ground outside the range of the Minotaur's attack. Its fists slammed heavy into the ground and caused cracks in the bedrock, but Vahn ignored the attack as he had already launched himself towards the Minotaur's face.

Using his super-heated claws, Vahn grabbed the head of the Minotaur as he pressed both of his thumbs deep into the eye-sockets of the monster. As it tried to grab him in its blind flurry, Vahn kicked off with force and broke both collarbones of the Minotaur as he vaulted backward in the air before landing back on his feet.

The first Minotaur stared at Vahn as it waited for its wounds to recover while the second was blindly flailing its dangling arms around. At one point it collided with its larger companion and brought both of them to the ground. As the Minotaur had dropped the sword, Vahn recovered it into his inventory before equipping it. He inspected the badly damaged blade before approaching the two disorganized monsters.

Raising the sword, which had likely belonged to one of their victims, Vahn issued a silent prayer towards the unlucky fellow as he split the larger Minotaur's head. The second Minotaur kept flailing about, unable to stand back up without the use of its arms, so Vahn stabbed it through the back of the neck and brought its struggles to the end. All in all, both Minotaurs combined posed less of a threat than the Battle Boar he had fought previously.

Though they had a fearsome strength that could overwhelm weaker adventurers, they lacked the mobility and durability to resist Vahn's attacks. Since they had relatively humanoid forms, they also possessed similar weaknesses and the vital spots of their bodies were easy to identify. There were few people who knew the location of major veins and arteries better than Vahn.

Vahn recovered the two cores and was happy to notice they were worth 113 and 139 OP each. With a smile on his face, Vahn walked forward to find his next target. Still wielding the broken sword, Vahn had decided he would use it to slay as many Minotaurs as he could before finding a place to properly lay it to rest. Hopefully, the person that had left it behind would find some solace in the act.

(A/N: Alternate Titles:'Minotaurs ain't scary','No tomatoes today','Vahn is confirmed furry at this point','Battle Boar got cheated','If Vahn is fighting through the night, doesn't that mean Hephaestus is stuck trying to sleep while his heart beats loudly/excitedly in her soul?','Agility is OP')

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Chapter 82 - Variant

A golden figure could be seen dashing around the room using the walls to rapidly change direction. It continued maneuvering around a group of four Minotaurs who futilely attacked by throwing rocks and trying to hit the figure with their weapons. The figure, Vahn, had been trying to push his [Featherfoot] skill to the next level by using his increased agility to enhance his omnidirectional combat ability.

Like Lili, Vahn was using fast attacks and the environment to his advantage instead of directly engaging the enemies. He bounded off both the walls and floors and entered between the gaps of the Minotaurs attacks. Using his bow, he was targeting their joints and other weak points to adapt himself to moving while firing in mid-air. Vahn learned it was especially effective to hit the contracting points of muscles near the ligaments as it would disable the limb. He also focused on areas like the eyes and neck to reduce their combat potential before aiming at their defenseless cores and finishing them off.

After the four Minotaurs had died, Vahn released a tired sigh as he wiped the sweat from his brow. It had taken him nearly three hours, but he had finally hunted his goal of 50 minotaurs. Luckily, this floor seemed to be mainly comprised of small groups of them and there weren't too many other monsters around. Vahn had noticed it was much easier to fight against a single type of monster as he could adapt his combat style to counter their unique traits instead of having to change focus for each enemy type.

It was already after midnight, and Vahn was finally started to feel fatigued. Though he could stay in the Báihǔ form for a very long period of time, as he was focused on trying to adopt a new combat style it drained a lot of stamina. He would have to find a way to balance his methods in the future or he might get winded in longer engagements. The main reason he was focusing on speed right now was, after his encounter with the Juggernaut, the only thing he could think of was wanting to be faster.

Though he was still in the middle of a floor, Vahn decided to take a short break and rest. He canceled his transformation and extended his domain to sense any approaching enemies as he slowly drifted off the sleep.Vahn snapped his eyes open before jumping to his feet and running towards the direction he had just sensed a presence. Similar to when he had saved Naaza, Vahn could feel a sense of helplessness detected by his domain. He entered his Báihǔ form and increased his speed while seeking the source of the negative emotions. Looking at the system clock, Vahn could see it was slightly after 5 AM, and he didn't expect people to be venturing into the floors at this time.

After running for fifteen minutes, Vahn came into a large room where he could see three adventurers fighting against a large purple dragon-like creature. From its basic features, Vahn could tell it was a Wyvern, but unlike the 5m long pink scaled original, it now had a dense assortment of dark purple scales and reached nearly 7m in length. Its eyes were a dull red that seemed to contain flames as it fiercely assaulted the group of three.

The three adventurers were all human and seemed very similar to each other. The man currently fighting the Purple Wyvern looked to be the eldest of the group and was likely related to the two young men in the back. The man had grizzled looks and brave features with a firm and tall build. He fought against the Purple Wyvern with a long spear while trying to draw its attention away from the other two.

In the back, a boy who looked like the youngest of the group was trying to stop the flow of blood of the boy who looked like his elder brother. Their faces were very similar, but the younger boy was several centimeters shorter and more fair-skinned than the one on the ground. Vahn was able to see in the brief period since his arrival that the older boy would most likely die with his current wounds.

It was typically considered bad practice to attack a monster that another group was engaging, but Vahn determined they needed his assistance. As it stood, if he called out to the man who was barely evading the Purple Wyvern, it might end up with him getting caught off guard and killed. For now, Vahn made a circle around and started attacking the Wyvern's eyes with his bow.

The arrow skimmed across the brow of the Purple Wyvern and caused its head to lurch back. It roared in fury, but the middle-aged man used the gap to stab his spear accurately into the neck of the beast. In response, the Purple Wyvern tried to breathe noxious fumes toward the man who had quickly opened his distance. He evaded the attack before shouting out towards Vahn, "Thanks stranger! We get out of this alive, I'll make sure to award you aplenty. If you have any potions, see to my boy and I'll try to keep this damned bastard occupied."

Vahn could see the man was genuinely happy for his help, so he quickly approached the two boys that were likely the man's sons. They were each around 15-16 years old, slightly older than Vahn, and judging by their figure and the fact they were on the 15th floor, Vahn assumed they were both mid-level 2.

The younger boy looked towards Vahn with a frenzied expression as he tried stopping the flow of blood with his bare hands. He was obviously disarrayed by the situation and wasn't properly treating the wound at all. "P-please, please, help him, I can't, I..." The boy was trembling as he held his brother in his arms and appealed to Vahn.

Vahn moved the boy's hands aside as the golden aura on his body quickly faded away. Instead, there was a gentle white light emerging from his palms which he placed on the body of the older brother. Vahn noticed that he was still in his Báihǔ form, but he would explain it after the matter had settled. One of the rumors circulating about him detailed the fact he had a 'beast transformation' magic, so as long as they knew the name 'Vulcan' it would be fine.

The boys wound began to heal at a visible rate as the younger brother started smiling like a fool. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Vahn silenced the boy with a look before handing him a potion that he had kept for emergencies. Since he couldn't use shop items on other people, he had always kept spares in his inventory just in case. He couldn't use [Wound Transfer] for everything or it would draw too much attention if rumor spread. He had been lucky so far to keep it under wraps to all but his close confidants.

After leaving the potion to the stuttering boy, Vahn rejoined the fight against the Purple Wyvern. He had already closed the wounds using his [Hands of Nirvana, so he would survive. The potion would help him recover a bit so the two would be able to escape using their own means. Drawing back his bow, Vahn loosed an arrow and continued to pester the Wyvern.

The Purple Wyvern was incredibly angry at the newcomer's attacks because every time it got hit the man it was fighting would impale it with his spear. The man was a 2nd-class adventurer nearing level 4. He wasn't a match for the Purple Wyvern, but it would take a lot of time before he fell. With Vahn's help, the odds had increased drastically, and he was even able to see both of his sons retreating in the distance.

Seeing that his sons were safe, the man did something no adventurer should do, he dropped his guard slightly due to his relief. The moment wasn't missed by the Purple Wyvern who slammed its tail towards the man. Noticing the incoming attack, the man grit his teeth and tried to receive the massive tail with his spear. The tail continued forward and slammed into the spear, causing the shaft to bend like a bow as it launched the man into the wall. Cracks were emitted from the point of contact as he coughed out a mouthful of blood.

The Purple Wyvern tried to finish the man off, but the moment it lurched forward a powerful force slammed into the crown of its head. Succ.u.mbing to the mighty blow, the Wyvern's head was forced down until it had been nailed into the floor by a long black sword. Standing on the Wyvern's lifeless head, Vahn looked towards the man and gave him a smile.

Seeing the now dead Purple Wyvern, the man ignored his wounds and began to laugh. He looked towards Vahn was a thankful expression as he began tending to his wounds. Now that the fight had ended, his sons started making their way over as the boy who saved their lives cut the magic core from the dead monster. The man grimaced slightly after seeing the large core, but he just shook his head as Vahn put it into his satchel.

The two boys wandered over and called out, "Dad!", "Father!" After they got close, the three all embraced each other and Vahn could see tears in their eyes. He saw they had deep affections for each other and Vahn started reminiscing slightly about the people he had left on the surface. Though he was still determined to stay in the dungeon to complete his quest, Vahn began missing them after seeing the current display. After releasing a sigh, Vahn turned away and began advancing further into the dungeon.

The middle-aged man called out to him, "Hey, wait stranger! I need to repay you for saving me and my boys!" The man's sons nodded their heads and agreed with their father. Vahn, turning towards them, displayed the monster core he had obtained. "This is enough for me. Just take better care of your lives in the future...it is sad to see families split apart by tragedy."

After giving his parting words, Vahn continued to walk away from the three dazed gazes. Just as he was going to round a corner, the middle-aged man called out again. "Ah! At least tell us your name! I'll toast to you when we return to the City!" Vahn stopped after hearing the man and thought for a moment.

Turning toward them, Vahn released a confident smile which stunned the three. "I am called Vulcan. Though those in the Hephaestus Familia also call me Vahn Mason." Vahn once again turned away and rounded the corner, disappearing beyond their sights. The man looked towards his sons and, remembering Vahn's words from earlier, decided to cherish his life a little more. He needed to be more careful in the future, or it wasn't just his life that would be affected.

"That boy is so strong...even though he seems even younger than me..." The youngest boy spoke with a sad tone. In the fight earlier he had been useless. Even when his brother got injured trying to protect him, the only thing he could do was watching him slowly bleed out.

The middle-aged man put his hand on his sons head and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, but it isn't age that determines strength. You need to work hard and have a strong heart." After the man spoke, his son nodded which brought a smile to his face. The man could see a conviction in the eyes of the boy and knew he would become much stronger in the future.Vahn was walking through the corridor and inspecting the information in the system. After slaying that Purple Wyvern, Vahn exchanged its core into the system and received a total of 7,180OP. It was an astronomical sum compared to normal monsters. With this, Vahn was able to determine that variants were worth as much as 20x the value of their originals. With luck, he would be able to come across more in the future and rapidly increase the amount of OP he earned.

Continuing for another two hours, Vahn finally arrived at the stairs leading into the 16th floor. He decided to rest again as he hadn't been able to finish his nap from earlier. As he wasn't the main focus of the Purple Wyvern, it wasn't that stressful a fight, but he killed an additional 26 Minotaurs afterward. He had now obtained a total of 213,116OP and officially broke 20% of the requirement of the quest.

Relaxing against the wall, Vahn ate some crepes before checking his stats. This had become his habit ever since entering the dungeon, as it let him keep a proper measure of his growth. Vahn noticed that, with the increase in his parameters, he had also increased the skill [Featherfoot] to rank B. His agility training and evasive fighting style had paid off.[Stats]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:2(2)

-Power:1001(C609)-(C690)

-Endurance:1108(S914)-(S951)

-Dexterity:887(E470)-(D522)

-Agility:940(D551)-(B702)

-Magic:1611(S949)-(SS1008)

Total:5547(3393)-(3873)

Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

[Karma: 1,219

[OP: 213,116

[Valis: 171,630[OP]Spent: 99,700/100,000

Satisfied with his improvement, Vahn fell asleep as his domain expanded to cover the entire corridor.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Anti-Climactic','Minotaur's Natural Enemy','Vahn, the Bully','There are guys in this world, but they are nameless...for now?','Be careful what you wish for')

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Chapter 83 - Ain't no Party like a Monster Party~!

(A/N: I wanted to make a fun title instead of the direct ones I usually use.)

Vahn awoke and began his fourth day within the dungeon's depths. He had noticed he required much less sleep after obtaining his upgraded 'eternal flame', so Vahn had only rested for fives hour before he continued into the 16th floor. Much like the 15th, the 16th floor consisted mainly of minotaurs, but they were now roaming in larger groups with other monsters.

After the previous days of constant fighting, Vahn had begun to adapt to his Báihǔ quite a bit. Because of the perception provided by his domain and the increased senses of the form, Vahn had a much easier time navigating around the dungeon at high speeds than most people. While other agility fighters had to rely on their senses and spacial awareness to outmaneuver foes, Vahn essentially had a map within his mind and could 'feel' everything within 70m.

Vahn had even begun to adopt a more feral combat style and had unequipped his boots to get better traction due to the transformed state of his feet. Whenever he was tired or wanted to get a better vantage, he was able to use his claws to stick to walls and jump around while easily evading enemies. At this point, Vahn relied almost entirely on his physical abilities to deal with monsters without the use of any weapons.

The 16th floor seemed to be somewhat larger than the previous floors, and Vahn had already been training/hunting for seven hours before coming to a massive room. Moments after entering, Vahn's instincts started sending danger signals to his brain which put him on high alert. Before taking another step, he immediately vaulted backward toward the wall and leaped off of it after creating a foothold with his claws. Within three seconds, Vahn had scaled the entire wall before coming to a stop on the roof. Vahn embedded his claws deeply into the surface and observed his surroundings.

Several cracks began to emerge all over the massive room and holes opened within the surface. From a strange purple-red void, dozens of Minotaurs began pouring out and began looking around. Vahn recognized this phenomenon from the compendium's danger section. When a group or party had excessively hunted within the dungeon it would cause an event known as a monster party. The 'monster party' could consist of hundreds of monsters and has been known to wipe out entire expeditions if they were unprepared.

Vahn began counting each Minotaur and, by the time they stopped spawning, there were a total of 73 that he could sense within his domain. Luckily the spawn rate was directly tied to the size of a party or Vahn might have had to deal with far greater numbers. As a lone adventurer, what could have been several hundred monsters had been reduced to a relatively small amount.

The Minotaurs continued looking around for their 'prey' which was nowhere in sight. When Vahn had stuck himself to the roof he had also activated his stealth skill, so they were unable to sense his presence at all. Since the roof was nearly 34m high, none of the monsters had thought to look in his direction since exiting the 'portals' from earlier. Vahn watched them idle around as if they were confused, while some even began smashing rocks or places that could have been hiding spots.

Vahn continued to watch them for an entire hour as he began to wonder if they would ever despawn or wander away from the area. He had never seen monsters stay in one spot for so long, so he was curious if there was some mechanism keeping them within the room or making them aware that he hadn't left. Suddenly, Vahn was inspired by an idea that passed through his mind.

Wedging his feet firmly into the roof, he allowed himself to drop upside down and hang from the ceiling. It was a very disorienting feeling to hand upside down and Vahn spent a few seconds trying to adjust his mental state before drawing out his bow. Ever since his encounter with the Juggernaut, Vahn had wanted to get some practice using his [Call of the Reaper] skill and found this to be an excellent opportunity to do so.

Taking aim, Vahn knocked an arrow and loosed it towards one of the Minotaur in the periphery of the group. As it had done so during his encounter with the Juggernaut, the arrow turned completely invisible and if not for his domain, even Vahn wouldn't be able to sense it. The arrow penetrated through the back of the Minotaur's head before it's entire body turned to dust. As Vahn had become extremely accustomed to fighting them, he had long since discovered the location of their core and it's weak spots.

The moment one of their members died, the remaining Minotaurs began to roar and entered a frenzied state. They started smashing the ground and upheaving rocks to find the location of the attacker. In the ensuing chaos, Vahn continued firing arrows towards the isolated Minotaurs in the group. As each arrow did 300% increased damage, Vahn was able to dispatch the majority of his targets cleanly. Most of the Minotaurs were within a 40m range and he had an elevated position, so Vahn was able to easily shoot them through the top of their heads and necks.

After culling more than half of the group, Vahn finally missed his mark and the arrow lodged itself into the shoulder of a Minotaur. The Minotaur looked towards his position before letting out a loud roar with reddened eyes. Vahn felt a sinking feeling in his body like it was quickly losing strength as the entire group of Minotaurs looked toward his position on the ceiling.

Vahn realized his current 'weakness' was the drawback for failing to use the skill, and he grits his teeth while swapping to explosive arrows. The Minotaurs began madly launching rocks toward Vahn as he started raining explosives onto their bodies from above. Vahn almost laughed after seeing the majority of the rocks begin falling after reaching around 25-30m. Even though the Minotaurs had incredible strength, it wasn't to the extent they could throw 100kg rocks the 34m distance to the ceiling.

Instead, the rocks they threw actually become a threat to themselves as they continued trailing arcs through the air and smashing into their own companions on occasion. Unfortunately, for the Minotaurs, they didn't seem to be able to reason in the situation and continued their pointless assault. Vahn continued to fire, albeit at a slower pace because of the volley of rocks intercepting his arrows, picking off each Minotaur one by one.

On occasion, there would be a much smaller rock that would reach his position, but most were severely off target and Vahn was able to intercept the rest using his gauntlets. By the time the stones had reached him, they had lost the majority of their power so he was able to bat them aside without straining himself. There was a point where he nearly dislodged his own footing swatting one aside, but Vahn managed to recover and plant his feet firmly back into the ceiling.

When there were only 10 Minotaur's remaining, Vahn put his bow away and focused on regulating his breathing. There were still around twenty minutes until his stats recovered from the debuff, and though Vahn could easily dispatch the remaining Minotaurs he decided to recover just in case there were any other surprises. According to the compendium, defeating a 'monster party' sometimes resulted in a secondary wave that would have stronger versions of the monsters and even some variants.

Though the current Minotaur couldn't do much to him, Vahn believed the same couldn't be said for higher level versions. If a Level 3 Minotaur or a variant spawned he wouldn't be safe even on the roof. If he had to fight them with halved stats it would be disastrous, so Vahn decided to wait it out.

Noticing their enemy had stopped fighting back, the Minotaurs began shouting and taunting towards Vahn while still throwing rocks. Even though the majority of the group had been annihilated, they seemed to not notice and remained bold in their endeavors. Vahn wasn't sure if they were just stupid by nature or if it was a trait assigned by the dungeon. Though monsters were much faster and stronger in the dungeon than they were above ground, they also had a madness that couldn't be seen in their weaker counterparts. In most situations, this made them even more dangerous, but in unique instances like this, it made them especially easy to deal with.

After the twenty minutes had passed, Vahn felt his strength return and allowed himself to drop from the roof. The Minotaurs saw him fall and immediately began charging towards the location where he would land. Seeing their excited states, Vahn shook his head and twisted his body in mid-air. He knocked an arrow in his bow and fired a cl.u.s.ter of explosives towards his landing site. The arrows contacted and made a powerful shockwave that dispersed a cloud of dust particles in the area.

None of the Minotaurs were injured, as they had yet to reach the location, but they all flinched and covered their faces to protect themselves from the shrapnel and debris. Moments after, spiral holes began appearing from within the cloud as super-sonic arrows exited and lodged themselves into the throats of several Minotaurs. None of the monsters were able to tell what was going on as the dust blocked their vision.

After creating the cloud to obscure their vision, Vahn landed within its vicinity. As he was unaffected by the loss of vision, he closed his eyes and sensed the location of each Minotaur. They were currently stationary while holding defensive postures, so Vahn began firing arrows into the gaps between their forearms to impale their necks. Within twenty seconds of falling, he had eliminated the remainder of the group and recovered their cores.

Vahn continued to wait while staying low to the ground in the debris field caused by the explosion. He used his heightened senses and domain to inspect the area as he waited for any new enemies to appear. After around five minutes, he rose from the ground and dusted off his clothing. Luckily, he only had to face a single wave, likely due to how long it took for him to deal with the first. Though he wanted to fight stronger enemies, it was better to get the jump on them instead of having to react to new situations beyond his control.

After continuing for another twenty minutes, Vahn arrived at the staircase leading towards the 17th floor. He had spent nearly ten hours on the 16th floor and it was currently near 2 PM. Vahn rested against the wall and enjoyed a large lunch to fill his empty stomach. He wanted to make sure to get his fill before heading to the 17th floor since he wanted to clear it with a single push so he could arrive at the safe zone on the 18th. With luck, Vahn would be able to sleep in a bed tonight and enjoy a nice hot bath.

While he was eating, Vahn checked his spoils and was pleased to find he had obtained 21,125OP on the 16th floor. The monster party alone had netted him nearly 10k, and Vahn was considering it if would be a good idea to try and trigger more in the future. He now had 234,241OP and was quickly approaching the quarter mark for his quest. Vahn began humming in satisfaction with a smile on his face. He had nearly increased his OP by 100,000 points within the last four days. At this rate, he would be able to complete the entire quest in about a month, which was much less time than he originally anticipated.[Stats]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:2()(2)

-Power:1001(C690)-(B714)

-Endurance:1108(S951)-(S998)

-Dexterity:887(D522)-(C686)

-Agility:940(B702)-(B751)

-Magic:1611(SS1008)-(SS1072)

Total:5547(3873)-(4221)

Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

[Karma: 1,219

[OP: 234,241

[Valis: 171,630(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'That just ain't fair','Death from Above','Does Vahn ever run out of explosive arrows?')

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Chapter 84 - *Spoilers: Title at End*

After resting for two hours and completely recovering his energy, Vahn made his way into the 17th floor. He was excited to see how much progress he had made, as he originally expected to spend more than a week trying to reach the 18th floor. Vahn was even prepared to turn back if he had difficulties, but his training with Tsubaki and the time he spent adapting to his skills and mobility had greatly enhanced his capabilities. Even though his stats hadn't increased much during that time, he was able to progress much further than most people at his level.

The 17th floor introduced a new monster to Vahn, but one he had seen in the compendium and intended to hunt for a while, the Lygerfang. They seemed to be somewhat territorial because Vahn only ever encountered individuals within a room. To make up for their low numbers, they were much more powerful than other monsters and possessed both power and agility.

Vahn enjoyed fighting them, as they actually had very similar combat styles to his own. They would charge forward quickly and then use the walls to rebound and continue the assault with their powerful claws. Though they weren't nearly as powerful as something like Minotaur, Vahn actually felt like they were a greater threat if not for the fact they fought alone.

During the fight, Vahn had been studying the moves of the Lygerfang and even picked up a new technique he hadn't considered before. In one instance, where Vahn had managed to get to the Lygerfang's exposed flank, it performed a rapid turn and smacked Vahn with its tail. Vahn was caught off guard as the whip-like strike hit his ribs like hard iron.

The Lygerfang tried to take advantage of the opening and nearly managed to sink its fangs into Vahn. But, the moment it leaped forward, Vahn rolled back and kicked the underside of the Lygerfang and launched it over him. The monster managed to spin in the air and land on its feet, but Vahn had enough time to recover. Though his ribs hurt, there wasn't anything broken as his body had relatively high endurance.

Vahn was feeling a bit vengeful, so when the Lygerfang created an opening after missing its lunge, Vahn returned the favor and smashed his tail into the exposed left eye of the monster. Seeing it flinch, Vahn couldn't help but let out a laugh as he saw the 'offended' look on the Lygerfang's face. The two exchanged blows for another couple of seconds before Vahn snapped the flexible back of the monster with a heel drop.

After collecting the core, he noticed they were actually worth more than a Minotaur, as the only had awarded 157OP. Vahn felt like the reputation of the Minotaur wasn't as well-deserved as it seemed. If Lygerfangs fought in packs, they would probably be much more difficult to deal with than a humanoid monster.

Vahn continued further into the 17th floor and slew a variety of creatures while noticing the structure of the dungeon was slowly changing. Instead of the wide open and cavernous spaces, the layout of the dungeon became more compact and there were several obstacles that barred easy passage. Large rocks were strewn about on the floor, and there were several places that Vahn even had to crawl through to continue forward.

In some of these spots, monsters like Almiraj would try to ambush him, but even though they were very agile, Vahn was always able to react since he had long noticed their presence. By using his [Stealth] in conjunction with [Will of the Emeperor, he was able to detect things within a 71m radius while remaining undetected himself. Unless the monster has very high perception and could sense the change in the atmosphere, Vahn could easily move through the dungeon while always having the advantage against sneak attacks.

The lighting of the dungeon continued to decrease and it started becoming hard to see more than a few feet in the corridors. Rooms were a bit easier to deal with since they still had luminescent stones embedded within the rocks, but it didn't help much. Luckily, as Vahn found out while wandering in the dark, he seemed to have great night-vision capabilities with his Báihǔ transformation. Though Vahn already knew he had enhanced sight, smell, and hearing, he didn't know it actually allowed him to see in the dark as well. From an outsiders perspective, his eyes would have seemed to glean in darkness with a green glow when reflecting light. (A/N: Tigers are nocturnal hunters~! Makes sense why there would be tiger monsters on the 17th floor in low lighting~! Smart original Author.)

Vahn made his way through the dungeon before noticing the corridors start to open up slightly with additional lighting. Confused, Vahn made his way toward the source and came into a massive room with a gigantic crystalline wall that emitted a rainbow-like hue. Within the depth of the wall, Vahn could see a partially formed shadow. Within his mind, Sis informed him this was the structure mentioned in the compendium and was known as the 'Wall of Grief'. Periodically, the wall would spawn the Monster Rex known as Goliath which typically took a team of skilled adventurers to fight.

Intrigued, Vahn approached the wall and noticed the 'shadow' within was dormant. Testing the wall with his hand, Vahn noticed it was several times harder than the surrounded bedrock. Even with his sword, he was only able to penetrate a few millimeters into the surface before his attack was rebounded. The wall seemed to be made of a composite of very dense minerals as well as magical energies.

Vahn waited in the room for an hour while watching the wall. He really wanted to try and fight the Goliath, but it seems it was recently eliminated and wouldn't respawn for another couple of days. The shadow within the wall was much smaller than the recorded 7m height of a Goliath, so it wasn't worth staying in the area any longer. It was also quite common for the Familia that hunted it previously to be in the area for its next spawn so they could harvest materials from the body. Unless Vahn was 'lucky' or assisted in the subjugation, it would be very difficult to fight the Goliath on his own.

With a bit of disappointment, Vahn entered the corridor heading away from the 'Wall of Grief'. He followed the path until it opened into a medium sized room with multiple holes in the ground. The path continued forward to a staircase which likely led to the 18th floor, but given the nature of holes on the previous floor, Vahn also assumed the holes led to the same destination. Deciding the stairs were the best option, Vahn ignored the holes and continued downwards. He didn't want to be one of awkward few that had to enter the 18th floor through a shortcut since it would be embarrassing if people thought he had run away from something.

Unlike the staircases of previous floors that only took a few minutes to descend, Vahn arrived at the exit of the current stairs after nearly an hour of travel. The further he had traveled, the more light shone into the corridor, and by the time he entered the 18th floor, it was a vibrant orange color. Vahn was confused at the peculiar color and looked towards the giant crystals where the light was emitted.

(*The crystals emit light that emulates the surface. Right now it's shortly after sundown, so they are emitting an orange glow. It looks like you made it in time before night came.*)

Vahn checked the clock and noticed it was 7:31 PM, and since it had been getting dark pretty late in the day recently, it made sense for it to currently be around sunset. Vahn could see a large forest beyond the plains he was currently located in. A path had been established from the entrance of the 18th floor to a large settlement surrounding a massive tree in the middle of the region. Vahn could see the lights from his current location and even heard the sounds of people going about their business.

Staring up at the large tree, Vahn was overwhelmed by the urge to climb it. He wondered what kind of view he would be able to enjoy at that height, and how such a large tree even managed to form in the first place. Vahn really wanted to explore this entire floor, as all the trees, rivers, and lakes were very beautiful. In fact, this entire area was incredibly scenic and unlike anything he had ever seen before.

As Vahn was taking in the sights, he noticed the sky was beginning to darken rapidly, so he made his way towards the closest settlement. He could see there were several different sections around the tree, and only one of them seemed open to foot traffic. Vahn also noticed that there were mansion-like structures built upon the roots and even into the side of the tree. Those were likely places reserved for high-level Familia or those that had established themselves within the 18th floor for whatever reason.

After around twenty minutes, the light from the crystals had completely darkened as a gentle moon-like glow was emitted from their surface. Vahn found it to be even more spectacular than the orange light from earlier, as the dark night was beautifully lit due to his night vision. He approached the small gate that was manned by a few men in light equipment. They seemed to be lazily guarding the gate while making small talk and enjoying what Vahn could smell to be alcohol.

Noticing Vahn's approach, one of the men loudly shouted, "Oi! Who goes there!?" while drawing his sword. His fellow guards also took up arms as they started at the silhouette approaching from the darkness. Though they couldn't make out the person features, they were able to see a pair of eerie green eyes reflecting the light from the torches. It was an unnerving sight, so they couldn't help but draw their weapons and put up their guard.

Vahn stopped before raising his hands to show he had no ill intentions. "I am the Vulcan, Vahn Mason, of the Hephaestus Familia. I have come to seek shelter for the night and resupply my rations and consumables." Vahn made his purpose known to try and calm the rising tensions. Most of the men seemed to relax after hearing him, but Vahn noticed they didn't put their weapons away.

The 'leader' of the group grabbed a torch and made his way towards Vahn. After seeing Vahn's Báihǔ form, he nearly dropped his torch and attacked on instinct. From his perspective, the 'young boy' in front of him looked like a demon. "V-Vulcan, was it? How're you down here in Rivira on yer own? I heard Vulcan only recently hit Level 2, so you shouldn't be able to reach here yet." The man, especially after seeing Vahn's appearance, had trouble believing his words.

As Vahn was beginning to explain, another man at the gate loudly called out. "Hey, it's you! Hahaha, Bart, leave that kid alone. He saved me an' my boys the other day!" From beyond the gate, a gruff middle-aged man with brown hair exited Rivira while wielding his spear. The man holding the torch looked back and called out, "Ryan? This's the boy you were drinkin' up a storm about?"

The man laughed loudly and approached towards Vahn and wrapped his arm around Vahn's shoulders. "That's right. If not for this kid, me an' my boys would be sleeping in a Wyvern's gut instead of an Inn. Go ahead and let him in the settlement, I'll personally pay all his fees." Though Vahn was somewhat uncomfortable with the contact, he noticed the man, apparently named Ryan, had no ill intentions. If he was able to enter and find lodgings without any troubles, that would be for the best.

While Ryan and Bart were talking, Vahn released his Báihǔ form which caused the tensions of all the men to visibly lessen. They had heard the rumors that 'Vulcan' could transform using a rare magic, but seeing him in his normal human form did a lot to ease their worries. The boy look small and frail with a handsome face, much easier to deal with than the fierce looking 'demon' from earlier.

Bart, the gate guard, shook his head before looking at Ryan. "Okay Ryan, but anything happens and it's on you. Make sure you explain all the rules to or you'll have to join 'im if he gets kicked out." Bart had a firm tone but relaxed after Ryan handed him a sack filled with a few magic cores.

Ryan escorted Vahn under the sign that said, 'Frontier Settlement Rivira', and began to laugh next to Vahn's head. "I'm glad you made it down here! I knew someone as strong as you wouldn't get holed up on the middle-levels. Come, I know a good Inn and bar where you can settle in and enjoy a good meal. This place ain't the most hospitable, but it beats sleeping on the ground!"

Vahn nodded complacently, but he had never dispelled his [Will of the Emperor] even when he dropped his transformation. Now that he could infuse stealth into it, it was almost undetectable unless Vahn focused his intent on someone. Vahn stared at each passerby and noticed many of them didn't bother much with the new face, but, beyond the normal crowds, Vahn was able to see people he had never set eyes on before.

The reason his attention was drawn to the group, is that they all had dark auras surrounding their bodies. Allowing himself to be pulled towards the Inn, Vahn mentally marked the men on his map. Even if he wasn't actively tracking them, unless they had stealth or he dispelled his domain, Vahn would be able to see their position on his map at all times.

Title: Rivira

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'No Goliath Fight','Shadows Approach','Ryan's Hospitality')

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Chapter 85 - Moonlit Encounter

After entering the Inn, Ryan asked how long Vahn was intended to stay as they made their way to the bar. The owner of the Inn was a stocky boaz man with ruddy-brown hair. Though he had a stern expression, he was still smiling as he made drinks for the customers at the bar.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be staying. It will depend on how things go." Vahn was somewhat distracted as his eyes glanced at the other patrons. Seeing there were no extra malicious auras, he continued tracking the three men from earlier. After Vahn entered the Inn, they all started heading further into the settlement towards the direction of the large tree. Eventually, the exited the area of his domain, which caused Vahn to frown.

"Hey, boss, two rye beers and somethin' strong to get us started!" Ryan flagged down the owner and placed an order loudly next to Vahn. Turning towards the amiable man, Vahn shook his head before separating slightly. "Sorry Ryan, I never drink in the dungeon. No exceptions." Vahn had been told by Tsubaki previously that alcohol was a very dangerous thing. Unless he was celebrating with people he knew or in the comfort of his own home, he should never accept alcohol, especially in a place like a dungeon.

Vahn had never been drunk before, but he had seen the effects on others. He knew it had a debilitating effect on a person's mental state and even caused drowsiness and nausea. Most like as a result of his unique blood, but Vahn had been able to drink almost everyone he drank with under the table. Even a goddess like Hephaestus and the heavy drinking Tsubaki couldn't match him.

Ryan shook his head, "Come now, kiddo. You gotta loosen up on occasion. Even if yer not of age, the fact you're this far in the dungeon more than makes you a man. Let's celebrate our reunion." Ryan still had an amiable smile on his face, and Vahn could see his aura was stable and kind. However, even if it was a fact he couldn't get drunk, Vahn wouldn't put himself at risk with unknown dangers lurking around.

After seeing that his insistence had failed, Ryan gave a sad smile before throwing back a long swig of his beer. Vahn noticed the look and gave an apologetic smile before explaining, "Sorry, Tsubaki, the Captain of my Familia, and the person who helped me train, forbade me from ever drinking inside the dungeon. Even if she never found out, I wouldn't be able to lie to her. As someone far more experience than I am, I listen to her advice, as it will probably be what keeps me alive."

Hearing Vahn, Ryan smiled and nodded while sipping at his drink. "Good kid. You'll live a lot longer than most with that kind of discipline. Here, even if you can't drink, you can still share a toast with this old fool." Lifting his glass towards Vahn, Vahn used his own glass of water to accept the toast.

"Cheers!!","Cheers." The two said at the same time which caused Ryan to laugh after seeing how serious Vahn was. They continued to make small talk and discuss the results of their recent ventures. Ryan explained how his sons were just recently promoted to Level 2, and that they belonged to a C rank Familia run by the God Caerus.

Ryan's role was the lieutenant of the Familia, and he had brought his sons to the middle-floors so they could get some experience. Who would have thought that, on the same trip, he nearly lost the both of them due to their encounter with the Purple Wyvern? Claiming his god's Divinity was based on 'luck', Ryan toasted loudly to the bar and ordered drinks for the other nine customers.

Vahn enjoyed the atmosphere before refusing the offer to stay at the Inn. Though they only charged 18 magic cores a night, Vahn had no intentions of staying in the area. After the men he was tracking left his domain, he had been intending to leave the vicinity after eating a hearty meal. Vahn wasn't willing to stay in the area the men had last seen him, especially if he didn't know their purpose or where they had gone. He intended to leave the settlement entirely and seek refuge in the forests until things became clear.

After parting with Ryan, who tried insisting that he stay, Vahn made his way around Rivira and marked every building on his map. He was also looking for the men with the dark auras, but after identifying all 118 buildings within the area, he was prevented from continuing his search. Further down the main road of Rivira, there was a gate that was manned by a large group that was much more organized than the entrance to the settlement. They prevented Vahn from venturing further inwards unless he was accompanied by a large party or was able to identify himself as a Level 4 or higher.

After investigating a bit, Vahn completely ignored the men and made his way to a secluded area before entering stealth and jumping over the wall. He noticed there was some kind of mechanism to detect intruders, but it didn't seem to trigger with Vahn's presence. He looked around and noticed most of the buildings were far apart and much higher class than the ones in Rivira. It seemed like these were the camps/buildings that had been set up by the stronger Familia as a staging point for further exploration into the lower floors.

Vahn assumed there were likely Level 3 or higher adventurers within the area and that it would be dangerous to go further. If he was caught infiltrating a forbidden area, it would cause a lot of problems when he visits the 18th floor in the future. There was also the matter that, Vahn didn't have confidence in concealing himself from people much stronger than himself. There were all kinds of people with unique skills and abilities that could help them discover his presence. Not to mention any mages would be able to detect the presence of his domain if they were strong enough.

Resolving himself to increase the level of his [Stealth] in the future, Vahn leaped back over the wall and made his way to the entrance of Rivira. He left them a 'holding' fee and registered his identification so he would be able to enter without difficulties in the future. To prevent any trouble, he also demonstrated his 'magic' that allowed him to transform. The men were surprised, but Vahn made certain they annotated his transformation so that others don't randomly attack him in the future.

Vahn had grown accustomed to being in his Báihǔ form, especially in places like the dungeon where he always had to remain cautious. It was hard giving up the enhanced senses and reduces parameters when he was walking around with unseen enemies lurking. After making his way several hundred meters from Rivira, he split off into the woods and disappeared into the depths.Several minutes after Vahn left the settlement, a group of seven figures appeared along the route he had taken. They were each wearing dark clothes and had cloaks that concealed their faces. After coming to the spot where Vahn had entered the woods, one of the figures bent down low and inspected the ground. Noticing the tracks had turned to the woods, they sniffed around in the air before making hand signs to the other cloaked figures.

They all nodded before branching out and entering into the woods. If Vahn had been in the area, he would have noticed that each of their eyes reflected the light coming from the crystals. Like him, they too could see in the dark. Without being restricted by the overgrowth of the forest, the group continued into the darkness, heading towards the direction Vahn had left in.Vahn hadn't been going at a very fast pace, as he had not expected people to follow him outside of the settlement and into the forest. This didn't mean he had dropped his guard though, as he had dispersed his aura into the forest and was actively using his stealth as he made his way further into the forested trails. He was looking for a clearing or a water source so that he could bathe and clean his clothing before finding a nice tall tree to rest in.

While he was making his way forward, Vahn detected 'anomalous' presences in his domain. Unlike normal presences, they seemed to be somewhat 'transparent' and hazy, but Vahn was still able to detect them. He slowed down and equipped his [Scout's Guille Suit] while crouching low to the ground. For a group to be trying to conceal themselves while following his path, Vahn didn't expect they had good intentions.The group of seven continued tracking their target before slowing their advance to a crawl. The 'leader' of the group made a hand sign and they slowly started to fan out. As they specialized in tracking, they were very capable of following their prey undetected. The fact that the forest had suddenly become 'silent' triggered the instincts of the leader so they split their team into a wider net.

Following the trail, the hooded figure slowly crept forward with perfectly silent footsteps. They kept their eyes open to the smallest movements and perked their ears to listen for any hushed breathing. It was uncommon for their target to simply vanish, so the leader assumed they had been detected which caused their prey to hide in the vicinity. The curious thing was the fact that, even with their enhanced senses, the group was unable to find any sign of the boy other than his trail.Vahn had identified a total of seven people within his domain and they seemed to be on very high alert. Though they had yet to find him, Vahn was impressed with how much caution they showed the moment he stopped moving. From his perspective, Vahn could see the figure closest to him moving silently through the underbrush. It was actually amazing how the person seemed to meld into the sounds of nature and moved without disturbing any loose twigs or grass.

After watching the group slowly advance, Vahn began to realize that none of them triggered his 'instincts'. Every time Vahn had ever fought someone stronger than him or entered a dangerous area, something inside of him seemed to react and cause him to act more cautious. The fact none of these people made him feel that way made Vahn believe they were weaker than he was.

By now the closest figure was within 7m of his position, a distance Vahn could cover in the time it took to blink. Tensing his legs and putting strength into one of his palms for support, Vahn launched himself forward with his maximum velocity. The moment his feet left the ground, the sounds of wind tearing exploded through the area as the trees and grass began to rustle furiously.

The leader that had been closest to Vahn's position was shocked hearing the explosive sound but still managed to keep their cool as they tried taking evasive actions. Unfortunately, just as Vahn assumed, they were all Level 2 and much slower than Vahn was. Unable to evade, the figure tried attacking towards Vahn with a dagger, but Vahn received it with his left gauntlet before driving his claws into to the figure's stomach.

Groaning, the cloaked figure collapsed to the ground while trying to put pressure on their stomach to slow the bleeding. Vahn wasn't simply faster than they were, he was also much stronger as well. Since the group specialized in speed and stealth, they had no hope of receiving his attacks head-on, so the hooded figure paid the price.

The rest of the group immediately tried surrounding and attacking Vahn, but due to the seven months he had spent in the forest, and the fact he had increased his [Featherfoot] to rank B, Vahn was able to make excellent use of the terrain. Within two minutes, more than half of the group had been maimed or disabled, and the rest began feeling intense fear inside of them. They didn't expect the young boy who had only recently become Level 2 to be so ferocious.

After Vahn took out another one of their companions, the remaining two figures tried to retreat in opposite directions. Seeing their attempt, Vahn scoffed before equipping his bow. He took aim at the figures who had abandoned all thought of attacking him and entered his stealth state. Even if there were other people nearby, as long as his target was unaware of his presence, Vahn could make use of a skill he had grown fond of recently. Loosing the arrow, Vahn activated [Call of the Reaper] and fired toward each retreating figure.

Unable to sense the approaching arrow, the two fleeing figures ended up taking the hit straight into the back of their pelvic areas. Vahn had targeted a non-lethal spot that would prevent them from recovering even with the use of a potion. So far, he hadn't killed any of them as he still wanted information. As everyone was still within the area of his domain, Vahn would be able to sense if anyone recovered or tried to sneak attack him.

Vahn made his way toward the first figure who was still clutching their gut. The person had tried to pour a potion onto the wound, but it was healing at a very slow rate. As Vahn had imbued his 'burning' effect into the attack, just like with all his previous enemies, the wound was slow to regenerate. The figure noticed Vahn's approach and tried attacking with a concealed weapon that was as black as the night.

Vahn, with his night vision and high perception, easily detected the attack and caught the blade out of the air. It was a strangely shaped blade that was solid black in color and had a subtle, yet foul smelling, odor wafting from it.

Frowning, Vahn threw the small knife into the knee of the hooded figure. The blade shattered the kneecap and embedded itself deeply into the area between the two bones. The figure, who Vahn had identified as a man by the scream, began writhing in pain as froth built up in their mouth. It seems like the poison was a fast reacting kind, and without an antidote, the man would probably die within a minute.

Without any hesitation, Vahn pulled out his tamahagane blade and severed the man's leg. The man screamed out, but Vahn focused his intent through [Will of the Emperor] and caused him to freeze. Using his [Hands of Nirvana] Vahn helped 'pull' the poison from his system while also taking the time to sever the tendons in the man's arms using his claws.

"Start talking."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Spooky','Assassins vs. Reaper','Wrekt')

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Chapter 86 - *Spoilers: Title at End*

The man remained silent after hearing Vahn's demand. Looking around, he could see that all of his companions were still breathing so he released a sigh. Vahn waited for the man to speak, but after seeing him remain silent for more than twenty seconds, Vahn removed the hood masking the man's features. The moment the hood was removed, Vahn saw two pointy black ears reveal themselves.

The 'man' ended up being more like a 'boy', as he looked to be around 13-14 years old. Though the boy's face was pale from the pain and bloodloss, Vahn could see his skin was a natural olive-brown color. Atop his dark-brown, almost black, hair stood two large pointed ears covered in fur. The ears were unlike any cat person or chienthrope Vahn had ever seen before. The most notable features of the boy were the pale gold markings on his face and the pale-red wine colored eyes.

The large-eared boy continued to stare at Vahn with a hint of blame and anger in his brows. He seemed to be contemplating something and kept looking toward his leg that had been severed by Vahn previously. When Vahn had removed the poison earlier, he also channeled his energy into the leg to re-attach it. The boy hadn't recovered its use due to his shattered knee, but with rehabilitation, he would be able to walk again.

Vahn, though he didn't care about the hooded figures, noticed none of them had the black auras as the previous three he had observed earlier. Though there was no doubt they were tracking him, Vahn didn't think they were after his life. The only things that confused him were the black knife and the reason they had to track him in the first place.

"I said talk. The longer you stall, the worse their injuries become." Vahn gestured towards the people laying on the ground. The boy followed his hand as his frown grew deeper. After a few more seconds of hesitation, he grits his teeth and asks, "Will you make a vow to spare them if I talk?"

Vahn frowned in turn before responding, "I will vow to spare them if they do not pursue or attack me. But, you must also vow to speak the truth or I won't hesitate to go back on my word." Vahn looked into the boy's eyes and after a few seconds the boy raised his hand and made the oath. As they both possessed crests, they were bound by their vows or risked permanently losing their falna and bearing the mark of a curse.

Vahn, after waiting for the boy to finish, also made his vow using their agreed upon terms. Aftward, he recovered the bodies of the other hooded figures and unmasked them. Vahn did this to allay the doubts of the boy and make him speak more easily. Even if he was bound by a vow to tell the truth, there were loopholes to everything. After he had gathered everyone, Vahn noticed their auras became more stable after seeing that everyone was alive.

"Speak. Tell me why you were tracking me and what you intended to do when you found me." Vahn moved about 3m away and surveyed his 'captives'. Like the boy, they were all very young, most looking to be around 10-13 years of age. They had the same colored skin, dark hair, and pointy ears that seemed a size too large for their heads. Among the group of seven, there were four males and three females. The males all had golden markings on their faces while the females had red markings. Each of them had the same light-red wine eyes. (A/N: I want to say rose-colored so badly.)

The boy, who Vahn believed to be their leader, nodded as he began explaining their purpose. It turns out they were foreigners from the Southern Sands and belonged to the Anubis Familia who had followed their Goddess into the City only recently. Their orders were to track Vahn down and, if possible, capture him and bring him to their Goddess. The boy said he didn't know why his Goddess wanted to meet Vahn, but that she was acting at the request of a God called Osiris. They didn't know what agreement Osiris had with their Goddess but he seemed very hostile towards Vahn. Members of the Osiris Familia had tipped them off earlier about Vahn's existence, so the group had set out in pursuit.

Vahn listened to the story and became confused. He couldn't understand why a god he had never even heard of was hostile towards him. According to the boy, Osiris had also just recently entered Orario, so there should be no connection between him and Vahn. After asking a few questions to allay his concerns, Vahn's frown only grew deeper after receiving no real answer. Lastly, Vahn decided to ask questions about the Anubis Familia.

"What is with your group? Why are you all kids, and I'm not sure what race you are." Though it wasn't uncommon to have children in a Familia, the fact that the entire group seemed younger than him and yet they were expected to track others was odd to Vahn.

The boy frowned like he was insulted before he answered, "We're chienthropes, but all the members of the Southern Tribe have dark hair and pointed ears. We've been trained by our Noble Goddess Anubis to track criminals and possess an unrivaled sense of sight and smell. Lady Anubis taught us how to survive and saved us from the life of a street orphan. Don't look down on us just because we're young!"

Vahn noticed that while the boy was letting out his frustrations, his ears began to twitch which made his anger seem more comical than threatening. He stifled a laugh, which the boy seemed to realize as he started gritting his teeth.

Vahn shook his head and sighed. "I can't meet your goddess now, as I'm on a mission, but as long as she harbors no ill will towards me she can always pass a message to my goddess Hephaestus. After I've finished my mission, I don't mind meeting her personally." Vahn didn't believe that someone who took in orphans was a bad person. The fact their orders were just to capture him was enough evidence to convince him.

A thought passed through his mind, so Vahn asked,"That knife. What kind of poison was on it?" Vahn remembered that, even though the boy claimed to only want to capture him, he tried using a poisoned knife to attack at the end. Remembering how the boy frothed at the mouth, Vahn thought it was a very potent toxin.

The boy answered, "It's a poison that causes people to become disoriented and eventually pass out." After hearing the words, Vahn was confused. "Why did you froth at the mouth and act like you were dying then?" The boy flinched when Vahn asked his question and looked at him with an incredulous expression. "You threw the knife into my kneecap and shattered it! It f.u.c.k.i.n.g hurt!!!" The boy yelled the words with tears in his eyes.

Seeing the tears and hearing the boy shout, Vahn began to feel guilty about his own actions. He had noticed none of them had black auras, so maybe he should have held back more...Shaking his head, Vahn decided he wasn't wrong to take the actions he did. If he didn't have 'View Affection', there was no way he could have recognized them as anything other than assassins. They were very lucky he hadn't killed them all, as he would have been justified in doing so according to common logic.They continued to talk for a while longer while Vahn began treating their wounds. None of them tried to attack him, and they even had a bit of fear in their expressions as they accepted his treatment. Vahn felt especially bad for the two he had shot with the arrows earlier. They were both girls, around twelve years old, and he had hit them in the area right above their bushy tails. Even after he healed them, they looked at him with eyes of resentment after having to expose their backs to him.

Though Vahn felt awkward under their gazes, he pretended to be unperturbed and helped treat the entire group. After everything was done, Vahn wrote a letter that the goddess Anubis would be able to pass on to Hephaestus if she had no ill intent. Vahn trusted Hephaestus to see through the unknown Goddess, so if she didn't receive the letter he would know it was a trap. Handing the letter to the boy, who had identified himself as Rasui, Vahn allowed them to leave.

After a few minutes, the group had left the range of his domain and Vahn released a heavy sigh. At least he managed to obtain information about some of the people scheming against him. The letter also informed Hephaestus about the ill intent of the god Osiris, and he believed she would take action after knowing. With the speed of the group and the fact they held resentment towards Osiris's lackeys after this event, they would be out of the dungeon by tonight. If things went well, Hephaestus would receive the letter early tomorrow morning.After trekking through the forest for half an hour, Vahn finally came to a clearing that had a small pond that was fed by a creek. Taking the opportunity while no-one was around, Vahn took a bath and washed his clothes. The water was incredibly cold, but Vahn could keep himself warm by channeling his [Heart of the Eternal Flame]. Not only did it make him fireproof, but by activating it he could resist the cold as well.

Once he had finished bathing, Vahn spent an hour mapping the area. Even though Rasui's group didn't have any malicious intent, it didn't change the fact there were still members of the Osiris Familia that wanted to harm him. He would have to keep on-guard until he was able to return to the City and sort things out with Hephaestus and Anubis. Hopefully, Anubis was the noble person her children believed her to be, and Vahn wouldn't have to guard himself against two Familia at once.

He at least had the benefit of meeting members of the Anubis Familia and identifying them. According to Rasui, every member of the Familia was a chienthrope from the Southern Tribe, so Vahn was able to recognize their members by smell as long as he was in his Báihǔ form. Osiris seems to have formed his Familia after entering Orario, unlike Anubis who had migrated her people into the City.

Vahn looked around the area until he found a tree with a large canopy with poor visibility from the ground. Climbing to one of the larger branches, Vahn stretched himself out before laying on the branch. Vahn had long possessed the ability to remain absolutely still while sleeping, so even laying on a branch wasn't dangerous. Spreading out his domain, Vahn slowly drifted off to sleep after inspecting his status.[Stats]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:2()(2)

-Power:1001(B714)-(B760)

-Endurance:1108(S998)-(SS1019)

-Dexterity:887(C686)-(B737)

-Agility:940(B751)-(A822)

-Magic:1611(SS1072)-(SSS1114)

Total:5547(4221)-(4452)

Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

[Karma: 1,219

[OP: 234,241

[Valis: 171,630(A/N: Vahn didn't kill a lot of monsters on the 17th floor as they were usually alone or small groups. Also, you don't gain exilia from fighting or killing the sentient species and those with falna unless its an official duel where you made a vow. Murder isn't really accepted by the gods~!)

Title: Osiris : Anubis

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn uses his brain','Vahn : Bully','Ouch!','RIP Osiris')

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Chapter 87 - Déjà Vu

Throughout the night, Vahn periodically awoke and investigated his surroundings. Though his domain never picked up any presence, by moving around he was able to increase the area of his detection. Since there was a good chance his 'enemies' were still looking for him, Vahn wanted to remain cautious. Fortunately, by the time the crystals in the sky began to glow with a gentle warmth, Vahn had managed to make it through the rest of the night undisturbed.

Come morning, Vahn was relatively well rested and decided to continue trying to increase his strength. As it currently stood, he could either backtrack and acc.u.mulate OP on the 17th-18th floors and wait for a chance to fight the Goliath, or Vahn could progress further into the dungeon. Vahn knew that if he wanted to gain OP in the fastest manner, fighting stronger monsters was necessary. However, it was incredibly safe if he returned to the previous floors.

Vahn was able to earn well over 100 OP for each Minotaur he killed, and if he could around one-hundred a day alongside other monsters, he could earn between 15-20 thousand OP per day. If he managed to trigger any 'monster parties', or fight any variants, that number could easily increase. Vahn speculated that he would be able to complete the remaining seven-hundred-thousand or so OP within 30-40 days without exposing himself to too many problems.

After careful deliberation, Vahn decided it would be best to head back up a bit. Right now, there were enemies that were trying to interfere with him, and Vahn even suspected they had something to do with the Juggernaut he encountered previously. If he decided to head down, not only would he expose himself to further danger but ran the risk of losing his path of retreat. Though the majority of people within the Osiris Familia seemed to be around Level 2, it didn't prevent them from paying others to sabotage Vahn's progress. Dealing with higher level adventurers while fighting dangerous monsters wasn't a pleasant thought.

Before Vahn headed down, he decided to explore the perimeter of the 18th floor and completely map out the area. He would be here for some time, and knowing the terrain would allow him to protect himself if things took a turn for the worse. Vahn didn't believe anyone, even people that lived on the 18th floor, would have a better understanding of the layout and terrain by the time he finished mapping it.As Vahn had woken up early, he managed to explore the majority of the 18th floor within three hours. Some of the things he noticed were that there were a large number of small lakes and ponds dotting the various forests and plains on the floor. They were all fed by a large lake that connected to the network of roots on the western side of the giant tree in the center. Vahn also learned that the central tree was also the entrance to the 19th floor, and unless you took one of the few holes leading downward, you would be identified by personnel as you enter.

Some Adventurers had set up a post that listed some of the material and subjugation missions listed by the Guild. They would pay a fee to relieve the items from Adventurers and Familias that had no intention of returning to the surface within the near future. The fee would allow the adventurers a measure of convenience and ensure they were able to afford some of the ridiculously costly items in the Riviria Bazaar. And, the adventurers accepting the items, would be able to exchange them at the Guild on the surface for merit and the posted rewards. This was a method lower level adventurers used to earn rewards/merit for high-level quests.

Their presence was a deterrent for Vahn, however, because even if he didn't leave his info they would still log his appearance for their personal gains. There was nothing to stop them from selling the information to other people, and they even kept a network of information regarding who was within the deeper floors. Vahn noticed they had even set up a betting board in some of the pubs and he could purchase information from one of the brokers about everyone in the lower floors. The prices were expensive, but Vahn had little doubt the Osiris Familia would be willing to pay to obtain his information. After all, even now, there was an information slip with the name 'Vulcan' posted on the wall.

After resupplying some of his items, Vahn made his way up to the 17th floor to begin backtracking. Unlike other floors, the 17th-floor stairs only ran between the 17th and 18th floors. If Vahn wanted to return to the upper levels, he would have to venture through the 17th floor in its entirety. He also had the option of climbing up one of the holes in the ceiling, which Vahn thought seemed like a fun idea.

Leaving the room full of holes that connected to the stairs, Vahn once again found himself in front of the 'Wall of Grief'. Like previously, it still had the rainbow hue and crystalline structure, but now the shadow within the depths had grown much larger. Vahn had Sis calculate the rate of increase since his last visit and try to establish a window for when the Goliath would actually spawn. After a few minutes, he was informed it would take between 70-75 hours, which gave Vahn nearly three days to prepare. If he could reach Level 3 in that time, it would greatly increase his odds in the ensuing fight.

Vahn made his way through the 17th floor, and just like the previous day, there weren't a great number of monsters. It seemed like this floor was focused more on ambush combat combined with difficult terrain and low visibility. As Vahn was essentially immune to these factors, he was able to progress through this floor much easier than most people. After a while, as he wasn't earning a lot of OP, Vahn decided to follow through with his earlier urge.

Following the indicators he had made on his map, Vahn quickly found what he was looking for. On the ceiling of a large room, there was a giant hole that crept further up into the dungeon. Vahn vaulted off the walls and then used his claws to find his footing within the hole. After getting his bearings and stabilizing himself, he began to jump up the sides of the hole and make his way directly to the 16th floor. Thinking that he was one of the only people that could use this method, Vahn couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Arriving on the 16th floor, Vahn began his 'eternal' subjugation of the Minotaur species. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that, if he continued here for the duration of his quest, Vahn may very well be the most prolific Minotaur slayer in history. By the end of his quest, he would have slain several thousand at the very least, a number which would likely include a few variants.

As he was butchering Minotaurs, Vahn also made an effort to explore the entire floor. Even though he had a 'map', the layout the dungeon changed from time to time and they weren't always up-to-date. The Guild had a repeatable mission that required people to submit any information they have about the changes they encounter. It was during this exploration of his that Vahn encountered a new, but recognizable, enemy.

Standing in the center of the room and lazing about on the floor, Vahn saw a giant 4m long pink Wyvern. As he was constantly maintaining his stealth to avoid detection, it had yet to notice his presence. Vahn had already slain a Purple Wyvern, so he didn't believe a normal one would be his match, but he also wanted to try fighting it without someone else having to draw its attention.

Deactivating the stealth component of his domain, Vahn focused his intent on the Wyvern. The moment he did so, the Wyvern's body jerked to life and looked towards Vahn with aggression and a hint, though very subtle, of fear. Vahn was curious about its reaction and began to take an interest in the Wyvern. Without drawing any weapons, Vahn got into a low crouching stance that he had adopted after constantly using his Báihǔ form. This pose allowed him to spontaneously reach his maximum speed in any direction without having to build any momentum.

The Wyvern roared and approached the enemy that caused it to feel an instinctive pressure. It had never experienced an 'aura' like what Vahn was emitting. It made the Wyvern feel an apprehension within its mind and caused it to have doubts about the coming fight. Trying to resist the pressure, the Wyvern charged towards the small creature before billowing out a huge pillar of flames. The flames directly impacted the target and the Wyvern, for a brief moment, felt relieved.

Seeing the flames approach, Vahn closed his eyes and unequipped the majority of his armor. He had lost his fire-proof clothing when he transformed into the vermillion-bird, and he didn't want the remainder of his gear to get charred as he directly allowed himself to be encompassed by the flames. After remaining motionless in the fire for around two seconds, Vahn suddenly launched himself forward.

The Wyvern felt something was wrong with the situation as, even though it had directly hit the enemy with its strongest attack, its instincts were flaring up and it began to feel genuine fear. As that thought passed through its mind, a powerful force slammed into its jaw and knocked its 10,000kg body backward. The Wyvern felt a powerful shockwave resonate through its body and repress the mana within its core. It felt like its entire being had been restrained by the energy that continued to echo within its body without dissipating.

Vahn had noticed that the Wyvern seemed to drop its guard shortly after launching its breath attack, so using the gap in its preparedness, he had focused his energy before kicking the underside of its jaw. The Wyvern's mouth slammed shut and its body was pushed back a few meters. Interestingly enough, instead of immediately counterattacking in a rage, the Wyvern seemed to be dazed and hesitant. Vahn could see the fear in its eyes more evidently than it had been previously. Testing his theory, Vahn slowly walked toward the Wyvern while converging his intent on it.

The Wyvern could feel the repressive force within its body growing with each step the figure before it took. Every moment seemed to be drawing it closer to its death, and a powerful helplessness emerged in the 'heart' of the monster. The moment the figure came within 1m of its body, the Wyvern could no longer withstand the pressure and simply collapsed to the ground. It gazed towards the boy with tired eyes and released a 'sight' that was accompanied by a tuft of smoke.

When the Wyvern collapsed to the ground, Vahn began to experience a feeling of déjà vu for the first time in his life. Much like the kobold that had 'submitted' to him in the past, the Wyvern was now laying with its head to the ground and looking upwards toward Vahn. He could see it had completely lost the will to fight and felt that, if he used [Will of the Emperor, he would be able to subjugate the creature.

Vahn reached out and put his hand onto the snout of the Wyvern. The creature didn't resist in the slightest as Vahn continued to converge his intent, directing it towards the Wyvern's mind before asking, "Will you follow me?" Vahn said the words slowly and with power behind each syllable. As the words sounded, the Wyvern's body shuddered a bit before it closed its eyes. Less than five seconds after doing so, a notification sounded in Vahn's mind.

/(Nameless) Wishes to become your subordinate: Y/N?/

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cliff-sama descends','How to Train your Dragon','Pink is manly')

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Chapter 88 - Unit Management

Seeing the notification, Vahn was somewhat excited. Unlike the kobold, which was too weak to make use of, a Wyvern was much stronger than most monsters on the same floor. It was almost like a mini-boss of sorts and was often found on its own within a territory it had established. Vahn never expected such a creature to submit, especially given its nature as a ferocious and somewhat prideful creature.

As he had never subordinated anything other than the 'eternal flame', Vahn was very curious what benefits it may provide. Without any further hesitation, he decided to accept within his mind as a series of notifications sounded in his head.

/(Nameless) has become your subordinate. 'Unit Management' function unlocked./

[Current Units] [Active: 2[Dormant: 1]

[Active Units: (Eternal Flame),(Nameless)

[Dormant Units:(Nameless)

After seeing the notifications, Vahn was surprised to see that he had a total of three units. As far as he was aware, the only things he had subordinated were the Wyvern and the Eternal Flame. The fact that there were two (Nameless) within the system confused Vahn, so he decided to expand their information.(Nameless)

Age: 4 days

Race: Wyvern (Juvenile Stage: 4m)

Level: 2

Loyalty:72

Soul Strength: Tier 0 (Mana Construct)

Karma: -

State: [Active]

(Nameless)

Age: 2 months 2 weeks 3 days

Race: Kobold

Level: 1

Loyalty:84

Soul Strength: Tier 0 (Mana Construct)

Karma: -

State: [Dormant]

(A/N: I also added this since people would probably ask. Note that I don't know how old the gods actually are, just that it is supposed to be several millions years.)

(Eternal Flame)

Age: Ancient

Race: Spirit of Divinity

Level: -

Loyalty:100

Soul Strength: Tier 4 (Divine)

Karma: -

State: [Active]Vahn was even more confused after he read the descriptions of each of his subordinates. According to the system, he had subordinated the Kobold he had met when he was first experimenting with his [Will of the Emperor]. From what Vahn could remember, it had died, so he wasn't certain why it was being displayed. A thought passed through his mind, and he searched his inventory for an item he had long since had concerns for.

Within his hand, Vahn now held the magic core he had obtained from the kobold. Unlike a normal core, which just showed a grade and what it came from, the one in Vahn's hand now matched the display within his system under units. Vahn wondered what it meant for it to be dormant, but as he pondered the question, the core in his hand began to glow slightly. Curious, Vahn tried channeling his energy into the core and it began to heat up rapidly in his hand.

The core slowly expanded with a strange rainbow miasma forming around it until it had assumed the shape of a kneeling Kobold. Within his map, Vahn saw three indicators for everyone in the area, including himself and two (Nameless) icons. Staring back and forth between the two, Vahn was beginning to get excited. If his assumption was correct...

Vahn held out his hand towards the Wyvern that was staring at him and willed it to become [Dormant]. The moment the command was issued in his mind, the Wyvern collapsed to the ground and dispersed into dust with a blackish-rainbow hue. In its place was a medium sized magic core which, when Vahn picked it up, was identified as (Nameless)[Dormant].

Unable to contain his excitement, Vahn started laughing while holding the crystal in his hand. The kobold stared at him with a patient expression as if it was waiting for his orders. Had Vahn known at the time, that the kobold had willingly subordinated itself to alleviate his concerns of dragging it around, he would have accepted it long ago. He actually felt a little bad, but still believed the kobold was currently too weak to be of use. After patting its dog-like head for a few seconds, Vahn returned it to its [Dormant] state and re-activated the Wyvern.

After the Wyvern was formed, Vahn felt slightly light-headed at the loss of mental energy. He reasoned that, while it was easy to put something into a dormant state, it consumed a lot of energy to reform their bodies. He didn't realize anything with the small kobold, but for a massive creature like the Wyvern, it was a very noticeable amount.

Vahn sat on the floor to recover his energy while looking into the clear eyes of the Wyvern. Unlike the fierce eyes of normal monsters, the Wyvern now had a gentle blue color in its eyes and seemed very calm. It was actually kind of strange seeing a monster so close that is just standing patiently while looking at him. While he was recovering, Vahn decided to try and order the Wyvern to see if it would obey his commands.

Issuing a command in his mind, Vahn watched as the Wyvern seemed to contemplate his 'order' before it started spinning around in a circle. Seeing its 'silly' act, Vahn couldn't help but laugh out loud. He had ordered it to chase its tail like a dog, and after sending a mental image, it immediately began trying to perform the act. Watching a 4m long pink dragon spin around in circles was incredibly entertaining, especially since it was such a huge contrast to the usual behavior.

As Vahn was considering the extent of how obedient the Wyvern was, a hesitant look appeared on his face as he sent his new 'order'. Once again, the Wyvern seemed to pause in contemplation as it tried to understand the order. Moments later, it opened its mouth and fiercely bit into its own forearm. It began to tug away at the flesh as Vahn panicked and ordered it to stop.

Vahn noticed that the loyalty of the Wyvern had gone down somewhat, and he felt a pang of guilt in his chest. It seems that, as long as the value is high enough, his subordinates would perform his every command, even if it brought harm to themselves.

While it stood there bleeding, Vahn suddenly realized something. Unlike other monsters he had seen in the dungeon, the Wyvern didn't seem to be regenerating. After asking Sis the reason, she speculated that they were now isolated entities from the dungeon. Without being able to access the energy, they wouldn't be able to regenerate anymore.

Hearing her explanation, Vahn felt even more guilty as he began healing the wound of the Wyvern. In the process, Vahn noticed that its loyalty had improved somewhat, but not to the same value it had been previously. When he had it self-mutilate, its loyalty had dropped from 72 down to 60, but it had now risen back to 63. Vahn understood that the way he treated them was important, and since they were willing to follow him, he decided to take care of them.

Vahn thought for a while before asking, ("Sis, do they need to eat or anything? I know monsters eat adventurers and the crystals at the pantry, but what about these two? I've had the kobold for months, so I guess they are fine in crystal form...")

(*You should be able to provide them energy just like the dungeon. As long as they are within your domain, you should be able to channel energy directly to them, or, you can also just imbue energy into their cores when you re-form their bodies. As long as they aren't killed, you can reform their body as many times as you want.*)

Vahn nodded in understanding. It made sense that, if he was the one that separated them from the dungeon, he would now be the one to provide them with energy. After realizing that, Vahn had a new thought present itself. Even though they were magic constructs, they were still considered living creatures according to standard principles. They ate, digested food, even excreted, just like normal animals. Vahn figured he could use his skill [Prometheus] and increase the strength of the Wyvern, but first, he needed to confirm something.

As he had rested for a few minutes, Vahn had completely recovered his energy. Rising to his feet, he had the Wyvern follow him until he came across a room with enemies. There was a group of five Minotaurs, and the moment Vahn entered the room with his Wyvern they immediately attacked. Vahn was surprised at first because he still had stealth active and didn't expect them to react so quickly.

([Stealth, even when you apply it to your domain, is always focused on you as the user. It won't influence other creatures or those that enter your domain. Otherwise, everything would also be under the properties of 'stealth', including passersby.*)

Hearing Sis's words, Vahn lamented that he wouldn't be able to move around sneakily in the dungeon as long as he had the Wyvern at his side. While he was thinking, his Wyvern had already started to take action. Along with the command to follow him, Vahn had given it the order to attack any monsters that appeared.

Even though the Wyvern was not fully grown, it was still far more powerful than the Minotaurs. The moment they got in range, the Wyvern began using its breath attack to burn their flesh. Though they were somewhat resistant to the fire, it slowed their movements by a great deal. Once they managed to get within range, the Wyvern ceased its breath attack and then smashed the closest Minotaur with its tail. The moment the Minotaur turned to dust, Vahn smiled, as a notification had appeared in his mind.

/(Nameless) Has killed Minotaur: Level 2, Gained 9OP/

Vahn was super excited because, not only did he gain OP when the Wyvern killed the Minotaur, he was also able to determine he had received exilia from the kill as his magic stat had increased by 1 point. He now understood why his [Will of the Emperor] also included 'followers' when mentioning his growth. It seemed that he could also increase his stats by having his subordinates fight for him.

The best part of the current situation though was the fact Vahn could still exchange the magic cores of the Minotaur and earn the original amount. This meant that, if he increased the strength of the Wyvern even further, it would be able to increase his total earnings by a fair amount.

In his jubilation, Vahn joined the fight alongside the Wyvern and injured the remaining Minotaurs. Once they were disabled, he let the Wyvern finish them off and noticed the amount of OP he gained was slightly reduced when it killed the severely injured ones. He was able to infer that, the amount of bonus OP depending on how much effort the Wyvern had to expend for the fight.

After trading in the four cores, Vahn smiled towards his new companion and decided to give it a name. Since it had pink scales and blue eyes, Vahn wanted to name it 'Blinky', but Sis released an exasperated sigh when he had the thought. With a mild flush on his face, Vahn coughed slightly and asked. ("It's not that bad, is it? I think it cute...")

Another sigh could be heard in Vahn's mind as Sis said, (*Its a Wyvern Vahn, not a pet. If people hear you named it Blinky they will laugh at you and look down on it.*) Hearing the words, Vahn was very concerned. Though he didn't particularly care about how other people saw him, he didn't want people to look down on his companions. After a few minutes of deliberation, Vahn decided he was bad at naming things, so he asked Sis to do it for him.

Sis didn't respond directly, but a list of names began to pass through Vahn's mind. They were all very powerful names, and Vahn could recognize a few from the books he had read since arriving in this world. Vahn saw a name that was attached to one of the most powerful 'dragons' in this world, and seeing it was also a winged creature like his Wyvern, decided it wasn't a bad fit. They both breathed fire and had reddish scales as well.

Vahn looked towards the Wyvern and placed his palm on it, much like he had done in his dream when he named Báihǔ. Looking into its azure blue eyes, Vahn spoke the name, "Fafnir." The moment the word left his lips, Vahn could feel energy drain from his body as the system gave a notice that the name had changed. The Wyvern, Fafnir, seemed to be very pleased with its new name as it roared powerfully toward the ceiling. Its body began to increase in size as a brilliant rainbow radiance covered its surface.

Curious about the sudden loss of energy, Vahn inspected the display and noticed there had been a huge change that he hadn't expected.(Fafnir)

Age: 4 days

Race: Dragon (Nascent: 6m)

Level: 3

Loyalty:90

Soul Strength: Tier 1 (Named Familiar)

Karma: -

State: [Active]After naming the Wyvern, its race had changed to 'Dragon' and its level had increased from 2 to 3. While Vahn continued watching the evolution progress, he noticed that the changes hadn't just been in Fafnir. Though he had overlooked it due to the drastic change happening before him, within the skill section of Vahn's status, he saw a new addition. As he read the description, Vahn's mind began to become numb with shock before excitement began to boil within his stomach.

[Keeper of the Akashic Tome]

Rank: [Innate: B] *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*

[Passive: Allows the user to understand the origin of all things. Limited by the knowledge of the user. Promotes the development of mental energies.

[Active: Allows the user to confer a name to an unnamed entity. The record of the name within the Akashic Tome alters the fate of the recipient. No second entity can share the same name, and the backlash of attempting would result in the death of the former. Cooldown(Determined by the Power of the Name): 59D23H58M

[Current Names]

[Fafnir] A powerful black dragon who possesses incredible wisdom and an immunity to magical attacks. Incredibly weakened against those who possess 'heroic' spirits and righteous hearts. Those that bear this name are tied to a tragic fate unless they abstain from the path of evil.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'But what about the Flame Seed!?', 'Name: Fafnir', 'The third [Innate] appears', 'I want to be the very best')

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Chapter 89 - Fafnir

Now that Vahn had obtained a new [Innate] skill, his strength once again had a large increase. Though the cooldown was a bit long, Vahn believed that, as his proficiency and understanding of the skill increased, it would take less and less time. With a large smile on his face, Vahn looked towards Fafnir who had just completed its transformation.

Fafnir was now 6m long and instead of pink scales and azure blue eyes, it now had onyx black scales with purple undertones. Its eyes were a pale green, almost ghostly color, and there was a strange magic seal on its chest. Instead of being slouched over like its previous form, it now stood proudly with a pair of forelimbs as well as wings. (A/N: That means it has arms, legs, and wings~! The Wyvern only had legs and wings.)

The most notable features though were the black horns that framed its face. It had a total of four horns, two angling towards the sky while the others wrapped around and seemed to be protecting the eyes somewhat. They were incredibly fierce looking, almost as though Fafnir was wearing a helmet. Its entire body was much more angular, and some of its scales now protruded out at deadly angles. Vahn felt like it looked cool, but at the same time, he couldn't see it as anything other than an 'Evil' Dragon.

He originally had a thought to try and let it clear parts of the floor on its own when he rested at night, but there was no way a group of adventurers would be able to avoid attacking Fafnir if they saw its current form. They would think it some kind of variant and attack it ruthlessly and, since Vahn wouldn't prevent Fafnir from protecting itself, they would probably die for their efforts. There was also a chance that, if a powerful Familia showed up, Vahn would lose his first 'named' familiar and companion.Vahn inspected Fafnir's new body, and it seemed to gleam with confidence as it proudly displayed its form to its master. Vahn found the scales on Fafnir's body to be far harder than the bedrock of the dungeon, which meant he was not only immune to magic but incredibly resilient to physical attacks. Af for offensive power, right now Fafnir 'communicated' to Vahn that it didn't possess any skills, not even its flame breath. However, it now had incredible physical strength and speed that caused craters wherever is struck. It also had the power of flight and didn't seem to rely on flapping its wings to do so. Using his domain, Vahn could sense there was a formless energy generating the lifting force behind the wings.

During this period, Vahn also tried using his [Prometheus] on Fafnir, but he was prevented from doing so as Fafnir was of a higher level and potential than he was. As a 'dragon', even while it was Soul Tier 1, it had insanely high parameters and natural capabilities. When Vahn had it fight against a Battle Boar, a creature even he enjoyed fighting due to its relative difficulty, Fafnir smashed the entire boar into the ground with a single powerful strike.

Vahn noticed that, even though the Battle Boar was quite strong among monsters on this floor, he only obtained 2OP when Fafnir defeated it. Due to this, Vahn was able to infer that he obtained less exilia and OP if the fight was one-sided or the monsters were much weaker. It was almost similar to how adventurers got almost no exilia from hunting weaker monsters. If Vahn wanted to make the best use of Fafnir's awesome power, he would have to venture deeper into the dungeon...

The reason Vahn wasn't willing to do so was that of the matter with the Osiris Familia, as well as the fact that he was actually weaker than Fafnir presently. If he became over-reliant on its abilities, it would stunt his future growth. It wasn't all bad though, because Vahn got to experience flying for the first time as he rode on Fafnir's back. Even though the angle was a bit odd, it seemed as if Fafnir could change the structure of its scales and created an area where Vahn could easily mount it.

If any spectators had been in the area, they would have seen a 'demonic' white tiger boy laughing loudly while riding on the back of a humongous 'evil' dragon.Vahn continued traveling with Fafnir as they easily cleared every monster on the floor that had the misfortune of crossing their path. As a Level 3, and a dragon, Fafnir completely outclassed everything else on the 16th floor. When Vahn saw him fighting against a large group of Minotaurs, he was surprised with Fanfir shattered the neck of one with a casual tail swipe. And, when they tried to surround him, Fafnir used the jagged protrusions on his body and suddenly extended them like spears in an omnidirectional attack. Vahn wasn't sure he could have evaded the attack if he didn't know about it beforehand. Seeing the group of nine Minotaurs getting skewered by the attack actually made Vahn shudder slightly.

Eventually, the day was coming to a close so Vahn began his return to Rivira. He no longer had to drop down the hole to the 17th floor, as he was able to ride on Fafnir's back and descend quickly. The two made their way through the 17th floor before they came across a problem. Fafnir was far too big to fit through the areas where the dungeon became more constrained. Even Vahn, who was relatively small, had trouble navigating some of the terrain. As a 6m long, several-thousand kilogram dragon, Fafnir was barred passage further inward.

Vahn had to put Fafnir into a dormant state because he was unwilling to leave it alone in the off-chance a group capable of killing him showed up. The best part about Fafnir in its core state was that Vahn could easily store it within his Inventory. Generally speaking, biological or living creatures couldn't be placed into the storage, so it was very convenient. Staring at the large and beautiful black gemstone, Vahn was amazed that it housed an incredibly powerful dragon. He even had the urge, albeit in the back of his mind, to crush the stone in his palm...

Shaking his head of the thought, Vahn continued towards Rivira while slaying every monster on the way. Once again, this floor had far fewer enemies than the floor above so Vahn was able to progress with minimal difficulty. Even then, it still took him nearly two hours to reach the 'Wall of Grief'.

Staring at the massive wall, Vahn lost himself in his own thoughts. He could see that the shadow had grown a fair amount and had Sis recalculate the time. Instead of the 70-75 hour timeframe she initially stated, her current analysis showed that it would spawn within the next twenty hours. Vahn had been within the dungeon for fourteen hours, yet, in that time the 'window' had shrunk an additional 40 hours.

(*Just like the Juggernaut, a Monster Rex's spawn can be influenced by other adventurers. According to the compendium, the main reason many people have died to Monster Rex(s) is due to the fact they spawned at an unexpected time. The fact you've been hunting hundreds of monsters alongside Fafnir may have influenced the timer. There is also the fact that other adventurers are also within the dungeon and would also be influencing it in a similar manner.*)

Vahn thought it made sense considering the Monster Rex(s) were essentially the guardians of the dungeon. If more people are entering and causing chaos, it was understandable that it would spawn faster. The problem Vahn currently faced was being around for when it finally did spawn. As he wanted to challenge it alone, Vahn wanted to obtain Level 3 before it had spawned. Right now, mainly due to how he let Fafnir kill most things, Vahn hadn't made a lot of progress in his parameters since the morning.

Sitting against the wall, Vahn stared toward the 'Wall of Grief' and the shadow contained within. He knew that by the time the shadow had fully formed, the Goliath inside would come bursting out and begin attacking anything within its territory. Vahn decided to wait until it spawned since if he went and tried to train further, he had no way of knowing when it would break free of the wall. Though it was possible it would still be here when he finally returned, due to the fact that many adventurers passed this room to-and-from Riviria, it was highly likely it would be dead instead.

Though the odds weren't heavily in his favor, Vahn was confident he could put up a fight against the Goliath. A group of Level 2's, if they had great coordination alongside a Level 3 or higher, would be able to deal with it. It had incredible regeneration and awesome physical power, but its speed wasn't too difficult to deal with. The fact it had such a large body actually proved to be a disadvantage against well-oriented party compositions.

Since Vahn should be more than a match for a party of Level 2's and even defeat the majority of early-to-mid rank Level 3's, he felt he would be able to deal with the Goliath. Worst case scenario, he would be able to rely on Fafnir to help tie it down. The standard Goliath was only 7m tall, which wasn't much larger than the 6m Fafnir. Considering the body composition, Fafnir likely weighed a great deal more as well.

Vahn was conflicted for the same reasons he didn't want to take Fafnir down to the lower floors. It had great strength, more than an adequate amount to be reliable in a fight, but it also changed how Vahn engaged enemies. He found out that it was very easy to consider the situation while including Fafnir as a method of overcoming difficulties. If he continued to develop this mentality, he would become overly reliant on the dragon and likely suffer an unexpected setback if anything ever happened to it.

Sighing, Vahn leaned against the wall and decided to take a nap. Most people would have called him a madman for doing so, but as he had his domain, Vahn wasn't worried about getting caught off guard. As he had been doing so recently, Vahn took the time before resting to review his stats and spoils for the day. After fourteen hours of combat, he had obtained a total of 24,318OP, his largest gains yet. He now had a total of 258,559OP.[Stats]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:2()(2)

-Power:1001(B760)-(B778)

-Endurance:1108(SS1019)-(SS1025)

-Dexterity:887(B737)-(B750)

-Agility:940(A822)-(A828)

-Magic:1611(SSS1114)-(SSS1198)

Total:5547(4452)-(4579) (A/N: Vahn needs to eat more protein. Look at these puny gainz.)

Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

[Karma: 1,473

[OP: 258,559

[Valis: 171,630Vahn was somewhat dissatisfied with his growth for the day, but considering the fact he now had a loyal and cool looking dragon to accompany him, he wasn't particularly upset. One of the things he wanted to do after he left the dungeon was fly on Fafnir's back high into the sky. He knew the continent was surrounded by an ocean, and given how agile Fafnir is, Vahn figured he might be able to see it one day.

As he drifted off into sleep, Vahn dreamt about flying through the sky himself...not on Fafnir's back, but by his own power. He imagined it must be a very 'freeing' experience, and he wanted to one day accomplish the feat.Several hours after Vahn had fallen asleep, a group of people was making their way towards the 'Wall of Grief'. As a group that had hunted it several times, they were well aware of its general spawn times and had even investigated it earlier in the day. It was likely to spawn within the next 10-20 hours, and they wanted to be on site to prevent anyone from poaching it.

The group consisted of eight individuals, and they had a very casual air as they made their way up the stairs. Some laughed and bantered with each other, while others were calm and composed. One of the members almost had a complacent expression, while the person next to them seemed to be enjoying the moment.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Midnight Summer's Dream','I believe I can fly','Pokemon Master aren't known for their Personal Strength','Fafnir IMBA')

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Chapter 90 - Fierce Clash (1/2)

Vahn was dreaming of flying through the sky far above the world. Above, he could the see stars, while below, everything seemed so inconsequential and small. Reaching out his hand, he felt like he could encompass mountains with he hands, and even turn the seas if he put in just a little effort...

Vahn's eyes suddenly shot open as he jumped to his feet. He had just sensed a group of people approaching, coming from the direction of Riviria. Given the current situation, Vahn assumed they were either trying to get back to the 'Wall of Grief' so they could exit the dungeon or, they were likely the group that had initially killed it. If it was the former, he could just ignore them and let them pass, but, if it was the latter, he would have to make his claim and potentially even confront them.

After a bit of hesitation, Vahn put the crystal containing Fafnir, which he had been holding, into his Inventory. Though he wanted to summon it to dissuade anyone from causing trouble with him, if the group ended up being very powerful, it may cause a fight to occur. Intimidation wasn't the best tactic to rely on against multiple opponents, especially if it consisted of any higher level adventurers.

The group finally entered his line of sight, and Vahn felt a chill creep down his spine after seeing who it was. Had he called out Fafnir, it would have most likely led to his new companion getting instantly killed without the time to explain anything. Among the group of eight, the lowest was Level 3, while everyone else was much stronger. It was the Loki Familia, following behind Finn and Gareth with Riveria taking up the rear. Tiona, Tione, Ais, Bete, and Lefiya filled out the rest of the numbers.

Remembering that Ais had a trauma related to 'black dragons', Vahn would have to explain before he summoned Fafnir, or the last experience it might have would be blade winds cutting through its body by the aggravated Level 5 Ais. Fortunately, Vahn had given into his own reason at the time, or he very well may have caused a minor catastrophe.

Vahn wasn't the only one to notice the situation of the floor; the moment the Loki Familia entered the room containing the 'Wall of Grief', they all looked toward him with caution. The fact another person was located in the area meant they would likely be trying to compete for ownership of the next Goliath. Bete (A/N: I swear, it tries to rename him to Beta for me) had a pissed off look on his face, while Finn frowned slightly. However, not everyone was bothered by the appearance of the boy in front.

"Yaho~! It's Vahn!" Before Finn or Bete could say anything, Tiona called out and started running toward Vahn while waving her arm excitedly. Finn's expression became a bit calmer after realizing it was Tiona's acquaintance, but after a bit of consideration realized it could become a bigger issue. Ais also started walking toward Vahn with Lefiya trailing not far behind. Gareth and Riveria explained the situation to Finn, while Tione gave a curious look toward the boy her sister was fawning over. The only person still high tension was the frizzled white-haired werewolf boy that looked towards Vahn with a hostile expression.

Vahn returned Tiona's wave as she came within just a few inches of his body and started circling him. He was very confused at her actions, but Ais had shown up and spoke to him before he was able to determine Tiona's motive. "Alone...?" Vahn saw Ais looking around the area, likely for anyone that had accompanied him.

Showing a small smile, Vahn nodded in affirmation. Ais's eyes opened a bit wider, but after a while, she, along with Tiona who had finished her inspection, also smiled. Even Lefiya, who was standing to the right of Ais, seemed to be somewhat impressed by the fact Vahn had been able to delve to the 18th floor unassisted. It had to be known that she, as a Level 3, wouldn't have been able to match the feat.

The group had an amiable atmosphere as a shout came from afar. "Eeeeeh? Who is this pipsqueak? Don't tell me he got lost and separated from his group!?" The person who spoke was a white-haired man with a fierce expression. Vahn could see he had the look of a predator but noticed that his aura was actually split between purples and greens. This was a bit confusing for Vahn since he had come to associate the colors with fear, trepidation, and envy.

Hearing the abrasive cackling, Ais frowned slightly while Tiona turned toward Bete in a huff. "Lay off Bete! This is Vahn, the 'Vulcan, and he is perfectly capable of getting to this point on his own." Bete glared toward Tiona who had reprimanded him; his eye twitched slightly and he seemed to become even more aggressive. "Huh!? This shorty is supposed to be THAT Vulcan? Wasn't he supposed to be some hero wannabe? Hmph, he certainly looks like some kid playing hero, that's for sure!"

Seeing Bete constantly deride him with a scornful expression, Vahn's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't take any action. Everyone in the group, including Lefiya, made Vahn's instincts flare up. Even among similarly leveled adventurers, the members of the Loki Familia were all elites. Bete, arrogant as he was, had the freedom to be expressive as he was already a Level 5, while Vahn was still Level 2.

Tiona and Bete glared at each other like an offended cat and a feral dog. The tensions began to build up slightly before Finn and the rest had made their way over. Finn, with a somewhat exasperated expression, looked towards Bete and spoke out. "Bete, Vahn is a protege of Hephaestus and Tsubaki. As an executive of the Loki Familia, you should be more reserved or you'll embarrass our Goddess."

Bete, hearing Finn, spat out and turned his head away. He gave Vahn a sideward glance before putting his hands in his pockets and walking over to a nearby wall and leaning against it. Vahn followed his figure for a moment before turning towards Finn. As a pallum, Finn was actually smaller than Vahn and stood at a height of 119cm. He had blonde hair and blue eyes with a calm and composed expression on his face. His aura was a stable yellow with a tinge of sky-blue along the edges which made Vahn believe he was a kind and reliable person.

Finn smiled towards Vahn after Bete had walked off. "Sorry about that Vahn. Gareth and Riveria had informed me about the situation. I'm surprised you're able to make it this far...did you really come down here alone?" Finn showed a very interested expression on his face as he looked at Vahn. He was constantly on the lookout to recruit talent into the Loki Familia.

Vahn returned the smile after nodding towards Riveria and Gareth. "Yes, after I lost the spar against Tiona and Ais, I wanted to temper myself in the dungeon. Though I hadn't expected to get this far at first, my strength has been rapidly improving and it was easier than I expected. That isn't to say I didn't have any help though..." As he was speaking, Vahn looked toward Tiona and Ais. Tiona had a large smile on her face after hearing his reason for entering the dungeon, while Ais was relatively expressionless but had an almost imperceptible smile on her face.

Hearing that Vahn was embarrassed at having lost to Ais and Tiona, Gareth and Riveria both gave an appreciative nod while Finn seemed even more interested in the honest Vahn. "Tell me Vahn, are you here to fight the Goliath? And, where is the help of your's?" Since the moment of their arrival, Finn hadn't seen anyone else in the area so he was somewhat confused by Vahn's earlier statement.

After a brief hesitation, Vahn decided to explain that he had a skill that could convert tamed monsters into a dormant state similar to a magic core. Riveria showed a very intrigued expression during his explanation while the majority of the group had confused looks and even disbelief on their face. By the time he was done, Vahn asked the entire group to step back and promise not to attack his tamed monster.

Finn nodded and had the group stand a few meters away. Gareth and Riveria both moved closer to Ais while Tiona and Tione had slightly anticipatory looks on their face. The only person that seemed to lack interest was Bete, but Vahn could see him look over every now and then. After everyone had stepped an appropriate distance away, Vahn sighed and hoped for the best as he infused his energy into Fafnir's crystal.

Everyone observed with surprised looks as a chaotic swarm of energy coalesced into a gigantic form that was around 6m in length. Riveria, who usually had a very taciturn expression, had now furrowed her brows with an incredibly serious look as she observed the situation. As the mass of energy began to take shape, both she and Gareth realized what was being formed and they tried to move and intercept-

Before they had managed to react, Ais had already launched herself towards the fully formed Fafnir with a hateful expression on her face. Seeing the black dragon in front, even though she had promised not to attack, the only thing Ais could think of was her mother and the dragon that had destroyed her happiness. She wanted to tear the creature limb from limb and reclaim what she had lost long ago.

Though Vahn was a bit tired, he had expected the situation to occur and immediately returned Fafnir to his dormant state and recovered its crystal. Ais, wrapped in a swirling green magical cloak, continued her path through the air where Fafnir's head had been previously. Given the ferocity and ruthlessness of the strike, had Vahn not reacted quickly, Fafnir would have been reduced to a headless mess in an instant.

Vahn angrily looked towards Ais before staring directly into Finn's eyes. Finn saw his look and had a sorry expression on his face as he, and the rest of the Loki Familia, went to restrain the heavily panting Ais. Even after Fafnir had disappeared, she hadn't been able to regain her calm state and appeared to be unaware of the situation.

"Don't be mad Vahn..." From his right, Vahn heard a dejected sounding voice and turned towards Tiona who was looking at him with an awkward and sad expression. Seeing the usually vibrant girl looking down, Vahn furrowed his brows further before releasing a sigh. He knew Ais had a trauma associated with dragons, so he couldn't fully blame her for the situation.

"Its okay, I was just a bit fl.u.s.tered at almost having my companion killed. I'm sure she has her reasons, so I won't be mad at her." Vahn tried to smile at Tiona who, seeing his 'understanding' nature, beamed with a smile of her own. Before he was able to react, Tiona had wrapped her arms around his neck and was laughing joyfully. "Ahahaha~! I knew it, a hero would be different~!"

Hearing the bubbly laughter of Tiona, the tensions that had been building in the air seemed to lose power and disperse. Everyone had somewhat awkward expressions, including Ais who had regained her sanity. She was very disappointed with herself for having attacked Vahn's tamed monster, even though it had done nothing deserving of her wrath. As her senses were well honed, she had also heard Vahn say he wasn't mad at her, and now felt both confused and lost. Seeing Tiona hanging off of Vahn's small body, she noticed the small figure seemed to stand firm, almost like it could bear anything.

Ais broke free of the encirclement of her Familia and slowly walked towards Vahn. She had a sad look and wanted to explain things to Vahn so he would understand why she had attacked. Vahn, seeing her approach just shook his head and smiled. "It's fine Ais. I'm not going to judge you, and I'm certain you had a good reason. You don't need to feel obligated to explain things right now." Vahn knew she really did have a good reason but didn't want the atmosphere to become awkward again due to the circ.u.mstances.

Vahn pointed toward the 'Wall of Grief' and everyone's sight followed his finger. They noticed that the shadow had reached a somewhat critical point and the Goliath would likely spawn within the next hour or so. Finn, frowned slightly before considering the situation a bit and asking, "Vahn, were you intending to fight the Goliath? You never answered me earlier..." Seeing Vahn nod at his question, Finn released a sigh. Though they could contest the right to fight, as the Goliath had yet to spawn, it would be very awkward to force Vahn away after what Ais had done previously.

While Finn was thinking, Riveria had approached Vahn and asked. "That dragon...I would like to ask about it later...for now, would you like our help against the Goliath?" Riveria noticed Finn had been hesitating somewhat, so as the Vice-Captain, she decided to step in and make the decision easier.

Hearing Riveria, Bete acted as if someone had stepped on his tail. "Are you f.u.c.k.i.n.g kidding!? We can't just let some kid steal a Monster Rex out from under our noses! It would be an insult to the entire Loki Familia!!!" Bete quickly approached Vahn and Riveria with a fierce look in his eyes. It almost seemed like he wanted to attack Vahn, or at the very least force him to give up.

Finn saw his actions and shouted out, "Bete!! Stop immediately! Vahn has as much a right as anyone to the Monster Rex. He was also here before us and, even though it may not have spawned, it would be plenty of us to force him away on a technicality." Next to Finn, Tione also spoke out with a condescending tone. "Hmph, this dog talks about pride and insults, but here he is acting like a fool and trying to bully others."

"What did you say, you bitch!?" Bete looked towards Tione and shouted. Ever since she and Tiona had reached Level 5, they had acted more and more unrestricted. As their senior, it really pissed him off seeing how carefree they acted.

Tione just turned her head up at Bete and looked down on him. "Bark." Bete grits his teeth and prepared to fight, but stopped himself after noticing everyone was looking at him with cold eyes. Even Finn seemed to have a disappointed expression on his face as he stared towards Bete with furrowed brows. Bete felt a peculiar feeling in his chest rising up as he relaxed his fists and rubbed his forehead. "F.u.c.k! It's not like he'll be able to fight the damn thing on his own! This is a f.u.c.k.i.n.g waste of time..." Bete retreated like a dog that had been kicked by its owner, returning to the area he had been resting against previously and closing his eyes in dissatisfaction.

Finn sighed and looked toward Vahn. "Looks like you're up first, but don't hesitate to ask for help if you can't handle it. You only have one life."

Vahn nodded at Finn's concern, but couldn't help but feel a peculiar sensation in his chest after Finn's 'one life' remark. As someone that was currently experiencing his second life, Vahn found the phrase to be lacking in impact.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Dragonicide Ais', 'Finn's Troubles Continue','Bark Bark Bark','Loki Familia Appears')

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Chapter 91 - Fierce Clash (2/2)

After a bit of discussion, the majority of the Loki Familia had retreated to the far side of the room near the stairs. Since the Goliath would attack everything in the area, they had to maintain a certain distance to avoid trying its attention. One person, however, had stayed in the area and was currently having a lively conversation with Vahn.

"So~You think you will be able to beat it? I don't mind helping you out, you know?" Tiona was sitting close to Vahn while dangling her feet. The small golden anklets made pleasant rings as she hummed the words. Vahn found her aura to be very comfortable as it was gentle like the sun with a tinge of pink.

Shaking his head, Vahn showed a firm conviction on his face as he responded, "I want to try on my own. I feel like I would regret it if I gave up without making an effort. If anything, I almost wish your Familia wasn't in the area, since it gives me confidence that I'll be able to retreat if things go south." Towards the end of his sentence, Vahn couldn't help but release a sigh. It wasn't a lie, as the presence of the Loki Familia did ease his mind a great deal.

Tiona laughed a bit as she leaned back, laying against the floor of the dungeon with her hands behind her back. She stared toward Vahn with an innocent and pleased expression. "I believe you can do it, even if we weren't here. I'm happy to be around to see you create a miracle~!" Tiona could tell that, though Vahn had grown much stronger recently, he was still a bit far from the point of being able to fight the Goliath alone. But, it was that same growth that gave her confidence he would succeed regardless. It had been less than a week since their spar, but she felt as if his strength had more than doubled in that time. In a way, it was already nothing short of a miracle.

Hearing someone speak so confidently about him, especially someone much stronger than he was, Vahn found his own confidence increase. He closed his eyes and focused his mind to recover the energy he had consumed summoning Fafnir. From his right, he could hear Tiona mildly humming a soft tune as she ceased trying to converse with him. Now, though Vahn couldn't see her, Tiona had become content just staring at the serious Vahn with an expectant look on her face.Forty minutes later, cracks began to appear on the 'Wall of Grief'. Everyone in the area noticed it, and Tiona rose from her spot next to Vahn and quickly retreated to the door. As she left, she turned toward Vahn and shouted, "Good luck Vahn~! Beat it up good!!" Vahn, who had also started to rise with a serious look, nearly fell over after hearing her complacent and excited remark. Shaking his head and laughing a bit, Vahn started to release his domain and transformed into his Báihǔ form.

While Vahn was transforming, all the members of the Loki Familia showed somewhat surprised expressions on their faces. Tiona had sparkles in her eyes while Ais had a serious expression on her face. Riveria looks toward Gareth, who nodded in response before she turned to Finn. "He has grown much stronger since we met him last week. His aura and that transformation, everything about him had increased to an incredible extent."

As Riveria spoke, Finn showed an intrigued smile as Lefiya, Ais, and Tiona all seemed to agree with Riveria's assessment. The only person who didn't seem impressed was Bete, who was brooding off to the side as he watched the change in Vahn's form. He could also see Vahn's strength increasing by a surprising amount, but he wasn't impressed so he loudly snorted through his nose to dismiss the atmosphere. Tione and Tiona both looked at him with annoyed expressions while Ais's brow twitched slightly.

Vahn wasn't paying attention to the Loki Familia; His vision was completely focused on the expanding crack. He watched as it slowly increased in size as small shards of the nearly indestructible material began flaking off of the wall. Curious, Vahn scooped up a bit into his inventory to be analyzed by the system later.

After doing so, he got into a low form and began tensing his body. The white and black hairs on his body began to stand as his hair slightly danced from the energy emanating from his body. His aquamarine eyes were entirely focused on the crack as his pupils shrank to the size of a pinhole. Vahn began to release slow and steady breaths as the ground beneath his claws slowly started melting from the flame elements building up in his body.

The aura of his domain, which used to take on a golden hue, was now an intermixture of gold and vermillion colors. From the side, members of the Loki Familia actually began to feel a sense of danger coming from Vahn as the intensity of the aura increased and the room temperature began to rise. Riveria, as the most sensitive to magic, actually had a shocked expression on her face. She waved her hand and noticed that the flame elements couldn't be condensed by her. It was like everything in the surrounding 78m had been completely dominated and was now only listening to Vahn's command.

Finally, the cracks on the 'Wall of Grief' had reached a critical state as a massive 7m tall grey giant burst forth from the depths. Vahn immediately accelerated and greeted the roaring figure with a powerful double-palmed strike directly to its chest. The momentum that the Goliath had burst forth with from the wall actually paused for a moment as a shockwave slowly spread through its chest before dispersing.

Vahn experienced the entire event in slow motion and frowned after seeing his full power attack dissipate so quickly. From his memory, Vahn thought the Goliath should be weak against shockwaves, but his attack didn't seem to cause it any serious damage. Before it was able to react, Vahn kicked off of its chest to open up a distance between the raging figure.

The Goliath, who had briefly paused after Vahn's preemptive strike, roared loudly as it tried to smash Vahn to a pulp. It began mindlessly chasing after his figure and caused huge cracks to appear in the hard bedrock of the room. Vahn continued to dodge about whilst evading the devastating blows as he looked for an opportunity to strike. Fortunately, with the agility increase from his Báihǔ form, Vahn was easily able to deal with the speed of the Goliath.

Unable to hit the nimble Vahn, the Goliath stretched its body to the maximum its height allowed while raising both hands high above its head. Vahn saw the act and his instincts began sending danger signals to the back of his mind. The moment the Goliath reached its maximum extension, like a blur, it fiercely smashed toward the floor of the dungeon.

Vahn bent his body into a bow before the attack landed and launched himself upward with his full strength. His body shot like a bullet, but he wasn't able to completely escape the massive shockwave created by the Goliath's attack. The dungeon floor cracked and seemed to sink several inches as large rocks and shrapnel exploded out from the surface. Vahn felt a wave of energy pass through his body as a sweet taste rose from the back of his throat.

Slightly stunned by the impact, Vahn was helpless as a palm swept through the dense cloud of rubble and smashed into his body. With a velocity far greater than he had launched himself with, Vahn spun through the air before colliding heavily with the dungeon wall. He left an impact crater more than 5m wide as he felt like all the bones in his body fractured.

Seeing Vahn's body sent flying, Tiona and Ais almost leaped into action but were stopped by Riveria and Finn. Riveria looked toward the two who seemed to be very fl.u.s.tered by the situation. "He is still alive, and look...he hasn't given up." Riveria could still feel the elements converging in the air and knew Vahn still possessed the will to continue. Ais look toward the crater with a serious expression while Tiona had a mixture of concern and anticipation on her face.

Vahn, who had been sent flying, had begun to rapidly change. His body was no longer in his Báihǔ form, and he had now transitioned into his turtle form. The wounds on his body were healing, but he accelerated the process by consuming one of his remaining senzu beans. Looking toward the Goliath, Vahn could feel a powerful anger welling within his chest as he dislodged himself from the wall.

The moment he landed on the ground, Vahn felt a peculiar sensation from his body. Though his mind was rapidly spinning, he couldn't will his body to move with the same intensity as he was able to in his Báihǔ form. It seemed as if the turtle form greatly increased his endurance and regeneration, but it didn't provide any enhancements toward his agility. As Vahn had become accustomed to fighting in the Báihǔ form recently, he was unable to adapt quickly as the Goliath rapidly approached his position.

With a powerful roar, the Goliath advanced toward Vahn and twisted its body. As the movement reached its waist, Vahn could see a powerful kick rapidly approaching from his left. Gritting his teeth, Vahn crossed his arms and prepared to receive the blow. The tattoos on his body seemed to react to his motion as they began to glow with a green light.

At the moment of contact, when Vahn had expected to be sent flying, he was instead dragged back slightly before coming to a stop. The foot of the Goliath had impacted his arms, but instead of the shockwave traveling through Vahn's body, it instead bubbled outwards and dispersed into the atmosphere. Vahn was still carried a bit by the momentum, but he received almost no damage from the fierce blow.

Vahn began to laugh loudly as he launched himself toward the torso of the Goliath. His speed may have been reduced, but he was still capable of moving relatively quickly. At the moment the Goliath had tried to recover its balance, Vahn launched into its chest and punched forward with his black scale-covered fist. During the motion, the black scales and tattoo seemed to light up with that same green glow, but instead of dispersing the shockwave, it now converged it to a point as Vahn's punch blasted a large hole through the Goliath's chest.

The blood in Vahn's body began to boil after seeing the sight. It turns out, his turtle form didn't simply increase his defense. Much like how the Báihǔ form enhanced his senses and flexibility, the turtle form also had other uses. When he focused his energy on defense, it was able to disperse shockwaves away from his body, while, during his attacks, it did the exact opposite and prevented the shockwaves from being dispersed!

After suffering the fierce blow from Vahn, the Goliath fell backward and tried to stop its momentum with its hands. It looked toward the figure that had injured it so severely as it opened its mouth and spat out a compressed shockwave. Vahn was a bit surprised by the sudden super-sonic attack but managed to deflect the energy while only being lifted slightly from the ground. While he was in the air, the Goliath spat out another blast, and Vahn tried to receive it in the same manner.

Unexpectedly, the green energy didn't activate, and Vahn found himself launched backward by the blow. Though he was able to resist it with his enhanced endurance, Vahn still suffered a heavy amount of damage and couldn't prevent himself from coughing out a mouthful of blood. He didn't know why the green energy didn't activate and tried focusing his energy into his hands as if he was going to attack. Once again, the tattoos and scaled began to glow, but after two seconds the energy dissipated. After it faded, Vahn realized he couldn't converge it anymore and realized it must have a cooldown.

While he was slightly distracted, the Goliath hadn't been waiting around. Though only a few seconds had passed, the hole in its chest had already begun to close up as it charged toward Vahn with heavy steps. Vahn took evasive actions but was very frustrated with how slow his body felt in the turtle form. Though he managed to evade a few blows, he didn't prevent the Goliath from being able to eventually grab his body.

The Goliath roared loudly after it had grasped Vahn, and used its other hand to begin trying to squeeze the life out of the small figure. Vahn grits his teeth while channeling his energy to resist the attack, but he could feel his bones slowly being ground down. From the side, he could see the Loki Familia beginning to take action, but Vahn called out. "STOP! I can handle this!"

Hearing his shout, everyone stopped and had various different expressions on their face. Seeing the situation Vahn was in, even Tiona had lost her confidence in his victory. From the side, Bete began laughing in a cynical manner. "Hahahaha, look at this! That stupid kid is going to get himself killed for his own pride!" Tiona, hearing Bete's snide remark looked toward him and shouted, "SHUT THE F.U.C.K UP!" Bete flinched slightly at the loud outburst as his rage began to build due to his embarrassment at being startled. He was about to try and teach Tiona a lesson when a sudden heat completely enveloped the entire group.

Moments after Vahn had called out to stop them, the damaged he had acc.u.mulated reached a critical point. Crimson cracks had started to spread on his body as a powerful burning sensation came from the 'eternal flame' beating in his chest. It seemed to have grown to twice its normal size as it danced about excitedly in his heart. The blood in Vahn's body felt like it had turned to magma, but instead of being painful it was incredibly comfortable.

From within the cracks on his skin, wisps of flames began to sprout which quickly turned into small vermillion colored feathers. The tattoos on Vahn's body receded as crimson hue began to glow beneath his flesh. His hair, which had been an onyx black with a green sheen, had now turned a vibrant red with vermillion accents. His aquamarine eyes now looked like fire as energy surged through them.

The Goliath, who had been gripping Vahn's body began to roar out in anguish as he released the boy from his grasp. The flesh of its hands had completely charred black with a crimson ember spreading through the palms. The bones within the hands had become visible as they too were slowly eaten away by the flames. Before it had time to recover, Vahn exploded with a fierce energy as he launched himself for the third time at the Goliath's chest.

Unlike his turtle form, which had slowed his movements by a large amount, Vahn had now recovered some of the agility he had possessed in his Báihǔ form. He wasn't nearly as fast, but it was still much easier to move when compared to his turtle form. Within a blink, Vahn had reached the Goliath and struck forward with both hands.

Unlike his previous attacks, this time Vahn's hands passed almost effortlessly through the flesh of the Goliath. There was almost no resistance at all as the flesh around the impact site seemed to dissolve into black ash as a powerful burning smell permeated the air. Vahn continued forward with his momentum until he was almost entirely submerged within the Goliath's body. His hands made contact with the large crystal within and it too began to shatter after contacting the immense heat.

Vahn felt a powerful force wrap his body as the crystal broke into small particles. The Goliath, which had been rapidly burning around him, immediately turned to dust the moment the core was destroyed. Without the Goliath as support, Vahn began falling toward the ground which began to melt the moment he made contact. From the side, he could see the majority of the Loki Familia cheering for him as a brown blur entered his vision.

In a panic, Vahn immediately dispersed the heat as quickly as he could as a figure tackled his body and dragged him out of the molten pool. He was dragged nearly 5m through the air before sliding along the ground with a second body attached to him. Looking down, he could see Tiona sticking closely to his chest with an almost feverish expression on her face. The two made eye contact and Tiona smiled widely before saying...

"I want to have your baby!"

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Burn, flame of my soul, PSYCHO BURGUNDY!','Three Stages of Triumph','Deus Ex Zhuque','Grey Goliath becomes Black Ash Goliath')

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Chapter 92 - Proclamation

Hearing Tiona's proclamation, Vahn was incredibly confused by the sudden situation. He could see her aura was almost trying to wrap itself around him, and it made him feel a tingling sensation in his temples. Looking into her eyes, he could see she was very expectant and waiting for his answer, but Vahn didn't know what to say. He had never considered having children, and he didn't even understand the process very well.

While Vahn was fl.u.s.tering about with Tiona clinging to him, the rest of the Loki Familia had made their way over. Finn was very impressed with Vahn's fight and wanted to know what kind of skill he had used at the very end. He wasn't the only one either, as Riveria had a curious glint in her eye as she wanted to see through all of Vahn's secrets. Tione was also very impressed but seeing her sister acting in this manner made her somewhat uncomfortable.

Tione reached forward and snatched Tiona off of Vahn's body. The moment Tiona was pulled away from Vahn, both amazons stared with wide eyes at the sight before them. Tiona's eyes were sparkling while even Tione couldn't prevent a mild blush from surfacing on her face. Vahn, finally being freed from Tiona's grasp, climbed to his feet and released a restrained sigh. After doing so, he noticed a strange reaction from all the Loki Familia members and followed their line of sight.

As Vahn had once against transformed into the vermillion-bird, all of the clothing and equipment he had been wearing was incinerated. He now stood n.a.k.e.d before the entire Loki Familia group which consisted of Finn, who was giving him an awkward look, Tione and Tiona who both had mild blushes, Ais who had a somewhat surprised look, Gareth, who seemed rather impressed, Riveria, who had a subtle and somewhat incredulous look, and Bete, who looked like he was almost in shock. Wrapping up the party, there was Lefiya whose face looked beet red as she fl.u.s.tered about behind Ais. (A/N: That friggin sentence~!)

While they were staring at him, Vahn was also looking between them, almost entirely unfazed by the situation. Finn felt his brow begin to twitch as the atmosphere continued to become increasingly awkward. Seeing how the members of his Familia wer acting, and the fact that it had been several seconds where everyone just gawked, Finn decided to put an end to the situation. Taking a cloak from Lefiya, Finn walked forward and handed it to Vahn.

"You can use this to cover yourself..." Finn felt rather awkward handing clothing to the unfazed Vahn. He couldn't understand what kind of person would use a skill that burned their own clothing. Vahn accepted the cloak, and without hesitation, wore it like normal. Seeing his action, Finn nearly fell over. "THE BOTTOM! COVER THE BOTTOM!"After realizing the fact his n.a.k.e.dness was the source of the awkward atmosphere, Vahn frowned before wrapping the cloak around his waist. The moment he did so, he noticed everyone had strange reactions, though most of the group seemed relieved. One notable reaction came from Tiona, who seemed somewhat disappointed. She was currently being held off to the side by her sister, who was trying to prevent the situation from getting worse. The most interesting reaction though came from Bete, who seemed like he was struggling with something internally.

Now that Vahn was 'clothed', Finn sighed before trying to ease tensions. "That was an amazing fight, especially at the end. I've never seen such a powerful technique before. I heard you were only Level 2, but that type of power is generally only seen in high-level magics from Level 3-4." Finn was very interested and almost wanted to inspect the Status Board on Vahn's back. The fact he was currently shirtless only made the desire more prominent.

Before Vahn answered, Riveria also spoke. "That wasn't magic, but something I've never even seen before. It was closer to 'controlling' the elements instead of just making use of them. A physical body shouldn't be able to withstand that type of change." Even more than Finn, Riveria really wanted to know what allowed Vahn do something she considered impossible. She had lived for 99 years and was considered the most prominent mage in the City. Seeing something completely outside her understanding was a first for her.

Hearing them ask so many questions annoyed Vahn a bit. From his experience and the information he obtained, it was considered improper to question other adventurers regarding their secrets. The fact he was being asked by two of the highest ranked adventurers in the entire City made him feel frustrated. It was like they considered themselves above common sense and expected him to answer just because they were asking politely.

Though Finn and Riveria noticed his discomfort, they were still very curious and hoped he would answer. From the side, Gareth harumphed before stepping in and handing Vahn a red cloak to wrap around his back. Looking towards his companions, Gareth said in a firm manner. "Don't pressure the kid. Aren't you two supposed to be a.d.u.l.ts? Since when were the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia lacking in etiquette?"

Hearing Gareth's words, Finn released an awkward laugh while rubbing the back of his head. Riveria closed her eyes and bowed slightly toward Vahn. "Forgive me, Vahn, I was simply curious. If you don't wish to discuss the information, I will not force you." Vahn nodded in response, but he didn't say anything about accepting her apology. He could tell that, even now, the two still wanted to find out his secrets. Though they didn't have a malicious aura, they were both an off-yellow with a sickly purple on the edges.

While the atmosphere was still very awkward, Ais had walked forward and stood in front of Vahn. "I want to fight you again." The moment she spoke, the entire Loki Familia seemed to be affected. Finn, Riveria, and Gareth all had helpless expressions. Lefiya seemed to be somewhat angry at Vahn, while Tiona on the side just shouted out, "Ehhh? No, Ais, Vahn is mine~! I want to fight him too!" While flailing about, Tiona managed to release herself from Tione and grabbed Vahn's arm.

Tiona had an almost hostile look as she stared at Ais, but Ais just frowned slightly before saying, "We can both fight. I will wait." After her curt response, she stood to the side and Tiona made a triumphant 'guts' pose. Opening up some distance between the dumbfounded Vahn, she took a relaxed stance with both palms facing toward him.

Vahn just stood there like he couldn't make sense of the situation when, very suddenly, Tione fiercely smacked the top of Tiona's head with her fist. "You dumb monkey girl! Does he look like he is in any condition to fight!?" While rubbing the bump on her head, Tiona looked towards Vahn who was only garbed in two cloaks. Remembering that he was nude previously, her eyes were drawn to the crack in the bottom cloth before another fist hit her head.After things had settled down, Vahn agreed to fight Tiona, Ais, and then Tione when he got back to the surface. Bete also wanted to fight, but all three of the girls refused saying he was unable to restrain himself and it would be counterproductive. Once they had made the agreement, Vahn moved over to collect his spoils. The Goliath crystal had been massive, and when Vahn broke it, it had shattered into thousands of small fragments. Some of them had burned up, but Vahn was able to recover 1,018 pieces which were all worth 150OP each. In a single battle, he had earned an additional 152,700 OP, so he was in a great mood.

Seeing the massive pile of crystals disappear, both Finn and Riveria were able to understand Vahn had 'storage magic'. As they had previously caused tensions, they didn't say anything, but, Finn very much wanted to ask why Vahn didn't have a change of clothes. And, if Vahn did have spares, why he didn't wear them immediately after the battle ended. Fortunately for their curiosity, they didn't have to ask since someone else had done so.

"Ehhhh? How did all the magic core shards disappear!?" Tiona was inspecting the area with a befuddled look. Since Vahn had used it right in front of everyone, he decided it wasn't worth 'lying' about it so he explained that he had 'storage magic'. Hearing his response, Tiona was smiling but also had a confused expression on her face. "Do you not have any spare clothing?" Though she didn't mind much, it was still strange to her how Vahn had been standing completely unfazed, especially after she had tackled him previously.

Vahn nodded his head and took out some of his spare clothing. All of his equipment had burned up, except for his weapons, but he still had a few pairs of casual clothes. While he was getting dressed, he noticed Finn's, Bete's, and Lefiya's auras began to fluctuate. Unable to contain himself any longer, Bete shouted out, "THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU WEAR ANY CLOTHING, YOU BASTARD!? DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WANT TO SEE YOU N.A.K.E.D!?"

His shout seemed to echo the sentiments of most of the group, but Vahn just frowned and responded. "I would have eventually; I didn't make you look." Vahn's words seemed to have set Bete off as he jumped toward him and tried to deliver a kick. Vahn was much slower than Bete, and tried to take a defensive stance, but it proved to be unnecessary. Before Bete had gotten anywhere near him, Ais and Tiona had both intercepted the attack. Ais smashed the sheath of her sword into Bete's armguards while Tiona launched a kick of her own into his stomach.

Bete, though he didn't take much damage, held his stomach as he looked incredulously at his two 'companions'. "What the f.u.c.k are you two doing!? Are you trying to fight me over some nudist brat!?" In response, Ais spoke quite a bit more words than normal. There was even the undertone of anger in her voice as she said, "He is right. Nobody made you look, and he had just finished a fight when Tiona ambushed him." Hearing the words 'ambush', Tiona faltered a bit before responding herself, "Y-yeah, it was my fault. You can't blame Vahn just because you have wandering eyes!"

Seeing the two berate him while defending Vahn, Bete scratched his head with both hands in a demonstration of frustration. "I am much stronger than him! Why are you taking his side in this!? Don't tell me you two actually LIKE him, HUH!?" Bete stared directly into the two girls faces as he shouted the last word.

Without any hesitation, Tiona shouted out while triumphantly throwing her fist in the air. "Of course! Vahn is the person I've chosen to sire my children! There is no way I don't like him!" She said the words with a big smile on her face as she glomped the startled Vahn. She just dangled off his neck and laughed in a childish manner. Ais, who was also being stared at by Bete, looked between Vahn and Bete a few times before giving her own response. "He is better than you. You are just older."

Hearing both girls refute him, Bete released a loud yell before smashing his leg into the dungeon wall. His kick left huge cracks as he put his hands into his pockets and started walking toward the stairs. "F.u.c.k this shit! I'll be in Riviria when you assholes finish playing around." Without waiting for anyone's response, Bete continued walking away without turning back.

The whole time this play was going on, Vahn just stood idle with a blank expression. Even with Tiona leaning herself against his body, he was too distracted by the information he had read in his system.

/'Tiona Hiryute' Has Reached Maximum Affection/

/Quest Completed: [The Hearts Desire:C-SS/

Completion Grade: B

Rewards:10,000OP, 1x [Hearts Desire: 'Tione Hiryute']

Grade Rewards: Skill [Fist Strike:B] obtained.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tiona's Decisiveness','Bete feels 'inferior'','Airhead','Hearts Doki Doki for Various Reasons')

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Chapter 93 - Gentle Embrace

After seeing the system notification, Vahn was in a daze. The only other 'person' he had achieved maximum affection with was Hephaestus, and that was after knowing her for a long time. He didn't understand how Tiona was so affectionate toward him, and when he turned toward her and saw her beaming smile Vahn didn't know what to feel. His mind felt 'tingly' and it felt like there was a pressure, other than Tiona, on his chest.

Finn saw the 'discomfort' Vahn was in, so he tried to rein back Tiona. "Tiona, that kind of thing can wait for later. We should return back to Riviria for now." Finn motioned for everyone to head out, but Tiona hadn't let go of Vahn. She continued to cling to him for a few moments longer before asking, "Will you come with us Vahn?"

Hearing her question, Vahn was somewhat indecisive. He had to return back to Rivira himself, but it felt awkward to be dragged along with their group. After thinking things through, Vahn furrowed his brows a bit before he looked at the lively girl that had yet to release him. Seeing that her smile didn't fade in the slightest as she waited for his answer, Vahn finally gave up before sighing. "Sure..."

Tiona was very happy with his response and started walking with him toward the exit. Finn and the rest of the party were already near the stairs, but Ais and Lefiya had stayed behind a bit in the corridor for Tiona to catch up. Seeing that Vahn had come along, she gave a small nod before walking alongside them to join the rest of the group. Lefiya followed behind everyone, and Vahn could feel a discomforting 'glare' on the back of his head.The entire time they were going down the stairs, Tiona kept barraging Vahn with questions. She asked about his home, when he came to City, what kinds of food he liked to eat. Anything she could think of to ask, as long as it related to Vahn, she wanted to know the answer. Vahn answered most of the questions, though he felt helpless since Tiona was still clinging to him even while she bounced around.

Ais also asked a few curt questions about how Vahn was able to grow so much in the last week, and about if his Level had increased at all since their last meeting. When she asked, Riveria's ears twitched a bit, while Finn also slowed his pace by a small amount. Neither looked toward the direction, but they were listening in on the conversation. Vahn was paying attention though, so he only gave short responses that didn't reveal any important information.

He did mention, however, that his 'magic' that allowed him to transform his body had undergone a change after his narrow escape with the Juggernaut. Vahn knew it was possible for magic to develop and evolve under tense and stressful situations, so he found it an appropriate time to mention the encounter. As the Loki Familia was one of the strongest in the City, they may even be able to subjugate it, saving countless lives in the process.

Hearing Vahn mention surviving against a Juggernaut, Tiona started issuing a laugh like she was lost in her own little world. Though it was subtle, Vahn could feel her grip on him tighten by a small amount. The rest of the Familia, especially the senior members Finn, Riveria, and Gareth all had very serious expressions on their faces. They believed that it's somewhat justified Vahn's explosive growth and his unique skill, but they were also shocked that a Juggernaut was currently on the 13th floor. They had been in the dungeon for a few days, and they hadn't heard anything about its appearance at all.

The entire group stopped walking as Finn looked back and asked, "You're sure the thing you encountered on the 13th floor was a Juggernaut? It could have been some kind of Variant creature." If what Vahn said was true, they needed to inform the guild to either cordon off the floor or arrange an emergency subjugation team. They would also need to investigate the cause and find out what had happened for such a powerful monster to appear on the middle floors.

Vahn described his encounter with a bit of embellishment, including its features and how he had narrowly escaped by leaping through a hole to the 14th floor. For some reason, as he recounted the last part of his escape, Vahn felt a bit ashamed of his weakness. He was especially aware of the girl that was still holding on to his arm, though he didn't know why her presence concerned him so much.

"I'm glad." While Vahn was having a mild internal struggle, he heard a gentle voice ring in his ear from the right. Looking up, he could see Ais looking at him with her characteristic blank expression. Seeing she had got his attention, she continued, "You can become much stronger. One day you will win." Ais said the words without any hesitation and it made Vahn feel a bit more confident.

"Hahaha, that's right! Every hero has setbacks, but they always turn things around in the end! If it was anyone else, they would have died you know~!?" Tiona seemed to agree with what Ais said, and in a similar but much more excitable manner, she tried to encourage Vahn. They weren't the only two either, as every present member of the Loki Familia gave him words of encouragement. Even Lefiya, who Vahn felt disliked him, gave him a few kind words in a quiet voice.Eventually, the group had exited the stairs and Vahn noticed it was still dark on the 18th floor. After checking his system time, he realized it was only shortly before 2 AM, which meant the Goliath had spawned much sooner than expected. It was fortunate the Loki Familia had arrived, or he may have been in a situation where he was awoken by the Goliath's arrival. Even if he had summoned Fafnir immediately, he would have still been drained for the resulting fight.

Tiona had been paying attention to Vahn, so she asked what he was thinking about. Vahn looked toward the 'sky' before showing a somewhat complacent smile. "I was thinking that I was very lucky everyone showed up. I think things wouldn't have gone as smoothly without you all nearby." As Tiona hugged his arm even tighter, everyone else either smiled or laughed a bit after hearing Vahn's answer.

As the group made their way further into the 18th floor, Vahn noticed they were deviating away from the settlement. After asking, Finn had told him they were currently on an expedition to the 30th floor and had a group too large to fit in the small settlement. Though they had a small manor that could house about twenty people, it wasn't nearly enough for their current eighty man expedition. Because of their numbers, they had been forced to set up camp away from the settlement to prevent tensions between the 18th-floor residents.

After nearly an hour on foot, it was slightly after 3 AM when the group arrived outside a relatively large campsite. There were more than 30 tents spaced around in a large clearing next to a forest. A river ran alongside the camp and disappeared further into the trees after turning a bend more than 50m away.

Once they had arrived, Finn addressed the party and dismissed everyone for the time being. He still needed to make a report to Riviria and get in contact with the Guild regarding the Juggernaut, so there was a chance he would have to place the expedition on hold. Out of consideration for the situation, Finn informed Vahn that the seven red tents in the western section of the camp belonged to the Hephaestus Familia. If he wanted to, Vahn could rest there and even join them on their expedition if he was interested.

After Finn mention going into the deeper floors of the dungeon, Vahn was somewhat excited. He was already nearing the halfway completion point of his quest, and killing monsters deeper in the dungeon with, the support of an S-Rank Familia, was the best possible solution for completing the quest quickly. He gladly accepted the invitation, as it would also allow him to move without having to worry about the Osiris Familia pestering him. Even if they wanted to interfere, there wasn't much they could do when the Loki and Hephaestus Familia(s) were involved on an expedition.

Looking toward the tents, Vahn said goodbye to everyone and tried to make his way over. However, the moment he stepped forward, his body was jerked slightly by Tiona who had still been holding his arm since the 17th floor. Tiona firmly held his body as she looked toward the rest of the group. "I want a spare tent. I will stay with Vahn."

Finn started laughing in a 'fed-up' manner as he slowly made his way toward Rivira with Gareth. Riveria was left to watch over Ais, while the rest of the girls gave Tiona an incredulous look. Tione stepped forward and shouted, "What are you thinking Tiona!? Do you believe I'd let you get a head start on me? I haven't even been able to sleep with the Captain yet and you want to run off with Vahn!?" From the distance, Finn, who was still in earshot, nearly fell over. This time, it was Gareth's turn to laugh as he patted the blond-haired pallum boy on the back.

"I don't care about your troubles~ I said I wanted to have Vahn's children and that is my problem, not yours!" As Tiona spoke, she started dragging Vahn away and he began to panic. He tried to free himself from her grip, but there was a huge disparity in their two strengths. Unable to free himself on his own, Vahn tried talking his way out of the matter. "Wait, Tiona, I'll stay with the Hephaestus Familia. I don't want to have children or anything like that, there is still a lot of things I need to do!"

Tiona looked at him with a thoughtful expression and seemed to contemplate his words for a while. After coming to some kind of decision, she smiled widely and said, "It's fine~! I'll take care of them on my own or drop them off at Telskyura. It won't interfere with your matters~" The moment she finished her words, she continued dragging Vahn who was now in a cold sweat.

Vahn knew of children, s.e.x, and even other things, but he was lacking fundamental knowledge of the process behind their conception. Vahn thought only married people had children, and he wasn't prepared to marry anyone just yet. Fortunately, he was saved by a shining golden goddess as Ais stepped in and grabbed Tiona's hand which was dragging Vahn.

Tiona, who had been grabbed, looked toward Ais with a somewhat hostile expression. "Ais? Why are you getting in my way?" Ais stared blankly after being asked the question before looking between Tiona's grim face and Vahn's anxious expression. Her eyes eventually settled on Tiona as she said plainly, "He doesn't like it."

After hearing the words, Tiona frowned and stared towards Vahn. Her grim expression slowly turned into a sad one as she saw how uncomfortable she was making Vahn. After a few seconds, she loosened her grip and lowered her head. "Do you hate me now?" Tiona felt very guilty for having forced Vahn against his will. In the worst case scenario, she was afraid her actions might have pushed him away.

Vahn looked at her dejected state and felt like it didn't suit her at all. Everything he could remember about Tiona was her happy and bubbly personality, but now, because of his fear and inhibitions, the once cheerful girl looked broken-hearted. After giving a thankful nod to Ais, Vahn walked forward and patted Tiona on the head. He gently ruffled her hair until she turned up her head to look at him.

Seeing her face, Vahn tried smiling in what he imagined to be the most gentle manner he could manage. "I would never hate you Tiona. It makes me sad to see you act so down. I like it more when you smile." As he continued his words, Tiona's face became brighter and brighter before she eventually leaped forward and hugged him. She lifted him and spun around with his helpless body while bouncing in jubilation.

"Aaaaaah, if you say stuff like that it makes it even harder to let you go!" Tiona was so excited that she didn't realize she had been using her massive strength and was slowly squeezing the air out of Vahn's lungs. He didn't know if he should laugh or cry after being picked up like a sandbag and spun about in a carefree manner. As he slowly began to pass out, Vahn's mind wandered to his status, as he had developed the habit of checking them before 'sleeping'.[Stats]

Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:2()(2)

-Power:1001(B778)-(S905)

-Endurance:1108(SS1025)-(SSS1113)

-Dexterity:887(B750)-(S920)

-Agility:940(A828)-(SS1019)

-Magic:1611(SSS1198)-(SSS1548)

Total:5547(4579)-(5505)( (A/N: Now THIS is some gainz!)

Soul Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

[Karma: 1,473

[OP: 411,259

[Valis: 171,630(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Not so Gentle After-all','Death by Snu Snu?','Tiona's Determination','Planned Parenthood')

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