Now that Vahn knew there was a method available that could solve some of the problems he was facing in the future, he felt a lot more confident about things to come. Though it was a somewhat ridiculous amount of OP required, it made sense considering he would be putting an entire record, comprised of three realms, into stasis. If it didn't cost a lot, Vahn would begin to seriously question how the world worked as even some skills cost several hundreds-of-millions of OP.
Of course, knowing there was a way didn't actually mean it was accessible and now Vahn was in a peculiar situation where, like when he was doing his weapons quest, he had to potentially stockpile a lot of OP. He could average slightly more than 200K OP on a good day hunting Bloodsaurus, but that would mean that it would take nearly 1,400 years for him to actually obtain the requisite amount, assuming he didn't spend a single point of OP before then. Even 'quests' that could take nearly nine months to finish, such as the [A Man's Responsibility] that populated his quest log, only awarded 100,000 OP as their base reward...
Vahn needed to come up with a method to make a lot more OP in the future and he knew there were a number of ways he could do so. Just like when it came to 'forging', Vahn knew that taking up a trade could generate OP. Even when Vahn did something relatively simple, like cook a meal for the girls, he would generate a small amount of OP as a result of the effort he put in. There was also the fact that his subordinates generated OP for him every time they killed something, as well as his ability to convert items containing magic into sources of OP as well. This showed that there were a variety of methods he could employ, and he could probably even create more depending on the amount of effort he put into things. The most important thing seemed to be his own perception, just like how The Path awarded him a Quest based on the understanding he had derived from Sis's words.
If Vahn placed enough value into the things he was doing he could, theoretically, even earn OP from simple actions like 'petting' Fenrir's head or brushing her tail...with this thought in mind, Vahn immediately left his workshop in order to test his new theory. It was currently Thursday, but he knew that Fenrir had stayed home after obtaining Level 3 the previous evening. She had gotten the opportunity to cut loose and had wiped out an entire Monster Party on the 19th floor while Ryuu, Tiona, and Milan watched over her. Milan had been accompanying Fenrir's party a lot recently and was even more reliable than Ryuu when it came to calming her down. Fenrir had actually been able to level up for a long time, but it had been delayed since her parameters were still hovering around a value of 3,000. After defeating nearly six hundred monsters sequentially, and putting forth an incredible amount of effort in the process, her parameters had shot upwards of 4,000 and she wanted to finally level up.
(A/N: I noticed that I haven't actually been updating Fenrir's status with her Innates, my bad~! Also, since someone wanted to know what the (-) means, it's an Innate that how no inherent limit at all. If Fenrir's soul could bear the burden, she could eventually get to the point where she could devour entire realities, or even concepts like 'Laws' xD)
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[[STATUS]]
Name: [Fenrir]
Level:2->3
POW: D582->S902->I0
END: E470->A805->I0
DEX: B801->SS1089->I0
AGI: C671->S943->I0
MAG: G275->F388->I0
Skills: [Insatiable Hunger:Innate(-)], [Lunar Cry:C->B], [Freezing Roar:B->A], [Chainbreaker:C], [Devour:SS], [Huntress:A->S], [Endeavor:H](new)
Magic: -
Development Abilities: [Chain Attack:I](new)
[Endeavor]
Rank: H
Use: Parameters increase the longer the user is in active combat.
[Chain Attack]
Rank: I
Use: Increases comprehension of combo attacks and allows the user to draw more power from longer combination chains. (A/N: Generally, the more attacks in a combo, the bigger the falloff since you have to expose yourself to continue the attack. Fenrir doesn't have this restriction anymore and would just get stronger the more fervently she attacked something~! Protect your backs!!!)
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Fenrir theoretically had unlimited potential, but Vahn knew the requirement was counterproductive and would negatively affect her mental state if she fully committed to using it. The [Insatiable Hunger] Innate ability was the source of her potential and, in order to make the 'best' use of it, Fenrir would have to give in to her urges and devour everything around her. This would make her emotional state unstable and, in order for her to become even stronger, she would have to suffer the burden of a perpetual hunger that literally drove her mad. Vahn would much rather her be an adorable little wolf girl than a crazed beast that simply killed everything in its path to obtain strength. He knew Fenrir wouldn't be happy living such a life and simply recalling the first few weeks where she struggled to adapt to other people pained his heart a little.
---
As he could keep track of everyone within the Manor, Vahn easily located Fenrir and noticed that, from the very moment he began looking for her, she was already inbound and looking for him. One of the things he had verified after returning from the Dungeon previous was that Fenrir was a bit of a unique case amongst his subordinates, like due to her incredibly high loyalty. Anubis admitted that she has always had her 'tendencies', which was verified by Loki who had already been aware of it from the 'rumors' she had heard about Anubis's past. As for Fafnir, it understood Vahn's intents well, but it seemed to have much more of an open mind compared to Fenrir.
Vahn knew that Fenrir hadn't truly opened up to other people and most of her interactions with them were closer to a compromise than actual affection. The closest exceptions were Milan, Tina, and Preasia, but she wasn't quite to the point where she genuinely cared for them. If Vahn 'ordered' her to not associate with the other girls, he knew she would easily toss them aside and follow his order without even batting an eye. It was something disconcerting, but Vahn knew this would change with time and was looking forward to the day where Fenrir would show an actual smile, instead of the crooked attempt she often made at one.
Less than two minutes after he had left the workshop, Fenrir came trotting down the hallway he was in wearing her adorable little maid outfit. Vahn could see that her hair was partially brushed, which meant she had walked away from whoever she had gotten to brush it for her. He could sense presences coming towards them and knew they had been in the room with Fenrir when she had likely made a swift, and probably unexplained, exit. With her same crooked smile, Fenrir stopped right in front of Vahn before tilting her head to the side and asking, "Vahn was looking for Fenrir~?"
Nodding his head, Vahn smiled and said in a casual manner, "Yes, I was thinking of rewarding you for the efforts you've been putting into becoming stronger. Since you leveled up recently, I thought I would spend the rest of the day spoiling you however you like, as long as it's not anything too bad." Hearing his words, Fenrir's scarlet eyes began to glow and she began to fidget with excitement as she shouted, "Yes, Fenrir has been waiting~! Don't worry, Fenrir is a good girl, she won't make Vahn do anything strange~! Here, Vahn, follow Fenrir!" Even though she said to follow her, Fenrir trotted around to Vahn's back and used her paws to urge him forward towards the door she had arrived through.
Fenrir ended up 'taking' Vahn to the room where she had been previously with Preasia, Tina, and Shizune. They had been searching for her after she left and had met Vahn and Fenrir along the way before they all returned to the room together. Vahn felt it was a little strange to be 'locked' in a room with small girls, but he wasn't exactly worried about it either. Tina was a sensible girl, Fenrir was a 'good' girl, and Shizune was...well, she was a bit of a troublemaker but still acted appropriately most of the time. She did have a bad habit of goading people, but she never actually did anything that might upset anyone.
It was arguably Preasia that was the most difficult girl to deal with, as she was the quiet type that liked to stare at Vahn silently from the side. She had opened up a lot to the other girls, as the majority were younger than she was, but she still stayed very quiet whenever Vahn was around. He knew she talked often when he wasn't in the room, but it was hard to believe since the majority of the time he spent around her involved her 'watching' him with her watery aura.
Before he had started looking for Fenrir, all of the girls were playing dress up and had been helping to style Fenrir's hair for her. Vahn had given them all cute clothes in the past and they had been mixing and matching outfits to try and find things that suited each of them. Now that he had entered the room, however, they were more focused on why he had stopped by than doing what they were previously up to. When Tina had asked, Fenrir answered in a very matter-of-fact kind of voice, "Vahn is going to spoil me properly, pay attention, okay? If you work hard, you can get Vahn to spoil you as well~! Fenrir will show you how to be a good girl, kukukuku~."
The other girls stared at Fenrir in confusion before turning their eyes to Vahn as he explained with a smile, "Fenrir isn't wrong, as I often try to reward people for their efforts. Since she had been performing well in the Dungeon, and had recently leveled up, I decided to spend the next few hours pampering her however she wants me to." Fenrir thumped her chest in pride before raising her chin high as if looking down on the other girls in the room. She had her same crooked smile as she said in a chipper tone, "Fenrir may not be the strongest, but she works super hard to become stronger! One day, Fenrir will be the strongest of all and will get Vahn to pamper her everyday~!"
It was Vahn's turn to raise his brows slightly because, from how Fenrir worded things, it seemed like she wanted to monopolize him a bit in the future. He already pampered her plentily, nearly every single day, but it seems like she isn't completely satisfied with that. Though he had already resolved himself to become much stronger, Vahn now felt moderately more motivated to increase his strength to stay ahead of the rambunctious little wolf girl. While he was having an internal dialogue, Fenrir had been 'lecturing' the other girls before turning to Vahn and spreading both of her arms as she said, "Vahn, hug Fenir~!"
Vahn opened his arms marginally and Fenrir completed the action and nuzzled against him as she remarked, "See, Vahn is a good boy, he treats Fenrir the best of all~. As long as Fenrir works hard, Vahn will pamper her lots and lots, ehehehe~." As he had come with the intent to 'pamper her seriously', Vahn held Fenrir tightly and stroked the back of her hair as she wiggled about in his embrace. He could tell she was much stronger than in the past, likely even more powerful than he was currently, as her movements were kind of hard to control and she was able to move about quite a bit even though he hugged her tightly. After a few seconds passed, Vahn heard a small blip in his mind and turned his attention to the system interface where he saw something that brought a smile to his face.
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//[Petting] Development Ability Unlocked. Current Rank: (I)//
2 OP obtained...
1 OP obtained...
2 OP obtained...
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Just like when he had obtained the brand new Development Ability [Mentor], Vahn was able to create an entirely new one based on his perception. Since he decided to genuinely consider petting as something that he could get 'better' at over time, much like most Development Abilities, he was able to create an entirely new skill. Vahn didn't gain his abilities through the normal method, which required a person to unlock them when they leveled up. Instead, his were almost exclusively quest rewards from raising his affection with other people and from the Optional Quests he would 'randomly' unlock.
Vahn was beginning to understand how The Path allowed him to pursue the 'freedom' he desired, as it made the impossible possible based on the effort he put into things. Since he had a lot of 'experience' petting, he was able to turn it into a Development Ability entirely unique to him. This one was somewhat embarrassing, however, so Vahn intended to keep it a secret for the time being and see how far he could 'develop' it over time. Just being able to gain small amounts of OP while 'petting' the girls made Vahn want to laugh out and thank The Path for its 'benevolence'.
Fenrir, as if noticing a change, raised her head and said, "Master is getting better at pampering Fenrir..." Then, as if to contradict her own words, Fenrir let go of Vahn and freed herself from his arms before walking over to the sofa and saying, "Tina, move, please, Fenrir wants to use the sofa" Tina's eyes opened before she flusteredly jumped off the couch while saying, "E-excuse me~nya." After Tina moved, Fenrir nodded her head before patting the sofa and saying, "Vahn, sit here, Fenrir wants to sit on your lap~." Vahn was beginning to feel like things were taking a strange turn, but he was still in a good mood after having unlocked a unique Development Ability so he let Fenrir be a little selfish for the time being and sat on the sofa.
After he sat down, Fenrir did something somewhat out of character and climbed onto lap with her legs straddling him. Vahn's brow twitched very slightly, as Fenrir had usually sat with her back to him so he could brush her hair. Either that, or she was lay on his lap and behave as he stroked her hair and ears. The way she was currently sitting was far more 'intimate' than normal, and Vahn felt a terrifying premonition which was confirmed when Fenrir said, "Vahn, kiss Fenrir~!" Without waiting for Vahn to 'obey', Fenrir tried to raise her body and 'steal' a kiss from Vahn but he was able to stop her action by holding down her waist.
Fenrir's eyes immediately began to glow slightly as she asked, "Vahn won't kiss Fenrir?" To prevent her from making a second attempt, Vahn placed his hand on top of Fenrir's head and used [Hands of Nirvana] to stroke her hair and ears. He noticed that the OP he was earning increased slightly, but he ignored that for now and asked in a soothing tone, "Fenrir is a good girl, why are you trying to make me kiss you so suddenly? That kind of thing-" Fenrir, completely against the character she had developed, interrupted Vahn and said, "Fenrir has seen Vahn kiss all of the other girls, but he doesn't kiss Fenrir at all. Fenrir knows Vahn is the best to her, but she doesn't understand why Vahn treats her different. Is it because Fenrir is a monster? If Fenrir is a monster, then why does she have to act like a girl and wear clothes? Fenrir doesn't understand, Vahn, please tell Fenrir!"
Vahn frowned slightly and looked around at the other girls for a brief moment and saw a 'guilty' look in Shizune's eyes as she averted her gaze away from his when he looked at her. For Fenrir to be behaving like this so suddenly, she must have been influenced by someone else since she was typically rather 'docile' when it came to interacting with him. She usually tried very hard to not make trouble for him, but now she was getting stressed out and trying to 'force' him on the issue. The biggest problem was, Vahn didn't really have an easy way to answer the majority of her questions at all. He treated Fenrir more like a daughter than anything else, and he didn't want her to become like the other girls in his life...
After forming his thoughts, Vahn looked into Fenrir's scarlet eyes and framed her face with his hands as he said in a soft tone, "Fenrir, I worry for you a great deal...you know that, right?" Fenrir nodded her head slowly and Vahn continued, "I want you to be able to live a happy life, without that kind of influence. Until you can open your heart to other people, and before you are able to become more mature, I don't think its a good idea to do anything like kissing. It's just like Emiru, Maemi, Haruhime, Preasia, and the other young girls. I can pamper you as much as you want, but until your mind becomes more stable, I can't do anything else with you. Since we'll be together forever, I don't want to see Fenrir become a bad girl that always tries to get her way by force..."
Fenrir frowned while Vahn was speaking and he could see her clenching he paws open and closed as her claws constantly changed their length. He knew she was trying to rationalize what he was saying in her own way, and he was even helping her a bit by making his intent known through their bond without directly ordering her to do anything. After thinking for a while, Fenrir lifted her head and asked a question that dealt critical damage to Vahn, "Can you grab Fenrir's butt?" Vahn resolved himself to try and avoid showing too much affection to the other girls in front of Fenrir from now on.
He had been so good about avoiding it in the past, but he knows she had seen a fair amount of things he should have kept from her during their trip into the Dungeon. The constantly 'assault' of Ais and Tiona had quickly worn away at his inhibitions before the first day had even come to an end. One of his 'bad habits' involved grabbed the girls' butts, so it seemed like Fenrir had taken an interest in it as well. Vahn had washed her body several times, including her small butt, but he had never actually 'grabbed' it before. Being asked in such a question, while he had been waiting for her to work through things, was a bit unexpected for Vahn and his mind blanked for a short while after.
Fenrir showed a pouting expression and asked in a low voice, "Vahn touches Fenrir lots and lots, so why can't he grab her butt now? Fenrir doesn't understand..." Stirred awake by Fenrir's words, Vahn explained as best he could, "Washing in the bath, massages, and even pampering you, these are all different than what you're asking for Fenrir. There is a big difference between affectionate actions and intimate actions, and I can't do the latter with you until you grow up a little more..." Fenrir continued to show a pouting expression before eventually releasing the first sigh Vahn had ever heard from her. With a somewhat pitiable expression on her face, Fenrir titled her head up and asked in a quiet voice, "Can Fenrir sit on Vahn's lap and have him hug her? Fenrir can tell...Vahn isn't comfortable...but Fenrir wants to be closer to Vahn even more..."
This was a much easier request to answer, even though it was a bit awkward being straddled by a girl in a 'non-intimate' manner and Vahn decided to concede defeat and say, "That should be fine, as long as you're wearing proper clothing..." As if all her 'sadness' from earlier had been an illusion, Fenrir's expression became brighter as she hugged around his body and said, "Vahn is the best to Fenrir~!" Vahn stroked the back of her hair and looked around at the other girls in the room with a wry smile on his face. He could see that each girl, especially Shizune and Preasia, had wavering auras that were intermixed with a bit of pink. Vahn hadn't expected the situation to turn so awkward and decided that he needed to make sure to always have one of the older girls around so that he didn't get caught up in the momentum of the youth troupe.
After Fenrir had calmed down a bit, Vahn continued to pamper her after he convinced her to interact with the other girls. Just having them awkwardly watch was a bit unnerving, so Vahn ended up in a situation where he helped brush all of their hair, though only after moving to the main study where other people often frequented. Shizune had tried to pitch the idea of Vahn playing 'dress up' with them, but Vahn 'gently' flicked her fluffy ear in response and earned the title of 'bully' from yet another girl.
Even though her mind had appeared to have regressed somewhat, she still had all of her memories from her life as a slave. Shizune had made marked improvements in her behavior, but it was very obvious that she wasn't acting like a 'kid her age'. Since Milan had been going into the Dungeon more often, she hadn't been spending as much time with the two young girls and Vahn was considering measures to help them develop into proper adults. Syr was often around the Manor, and there was also Tsubaki present, so he could probably have them look after the youth troupe during the day.
There was also the possibility of getting Hestia more involved in the Familia, as she was the temporary caretaker of Fenrir before Ryuu moved in. They actually got along very well with each other, as Fenrir was 'closer' to the girls that Vahn was in a 'dependant' relationship with. Other than Loki, Fenrir got along well with Hephaestus, Eina, Hestia, and Tsubaki, even though she wasn't exactly 'close' with them like she was with Milan, Tina, and Preasia. For the girls that were more reliant on him, Fenrir simply 'tolerated' them, likely because she could sense the stress that they sometimes caused him.
Since Hestia was going to be one of the primary caretakers of the children in the future, it would be a good chance for her to get some early practice in...or he could just have all the more mature women rotate the duty? Either way, there was a simple way to resolve the situation so, when they had taken their break to eat lunch Vahn brought the idea up through his own personal network and knew it would undoubtedly reach the 'correct' person. When he couldn't come up with the answer on his own, consulting the network was often the best choice since the girls were actually very sociable with each other and knew a great deal about everyone else on the network. Vahn suspected that, as early as this evening, there would probably be a 'mother' figure around the youth troupe from now on.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Path is an enabler','Fenrir's Frustrations','Ticking time bomb...')
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Now that he had the [Petting] Development Ability, Vahn had spent the rest of the day trying to get a better understanding of the skill. Like all Development Abilities, the comprehension of the user is what determined its level and, with enough practice, they would even be able to evolve the ability once it reached S-Rank. Since he had just obtained it, the ability was currently only ranked I but, after spending about three hours with the youth troupe, it had increased to H. Since all the girls were Beast-Humans, they each had 'animal' characteristics and were very pettable. Though it looked like hair, Fenrir's head was actually covered in a dense, and somewhat bristly fur. She also had fur on her forearms, calves, and part of her lower back that connected into her bushy tail. Vahn discovered that, by brushing all of her fur, he could obtain around 270 OP in about twenty minutes of effort. It wasn't much, but it was better than obtaining nothing for doing something he would have likely done regardless.
As for the other girls, Tina was a Cat Person, so her hair was actually rather smooth and she had a pair of cute little cat ears atop her medium length chestnut brown hair. Though she also had a tail, Vahn knew that was an 'off-limits' territory, as he didn't want to trigger the small cat girl, especially with how 'aware' she was after having her period. She always blushed slightly whenever they interacted in the past, but now her face would turn crimson and she would appear to be 'struggling' after Vahn stroked her head for a while. Shizune was a bit 'dangerous' to pet, since her mentality was somewhat unique, but she had a very fluffy tail and a pair of large ears atop her head that were also very soft to the touch. Her reactions when getting pet were a bit much, so Vahn didn't often spend too long pampering her.
The most 'problematic' girl, however, was still Preasia. Vahn couldn't 'ignore' her when he was pampering the other three girls so he ended up, for the very first time since she had started staying in the Manor, petting her head for a fair amount of time. Throughout the process, she angled her head up with both of her eyes closed and Vahn could feel her aura surging out like a flame as she enjoyed the sensation of his hand atop her head. As he had been using [Hands of Nirvana], since it rewarded more points, she enjoyed it quite a bit. Though most girls enjoyed his touch, Preasia was especially sensitive since he had once used the skill to remove all the horrible scars that had marred her body.
After he had stroked around her curly, and remarkable 'fluffy' hair, for around ten minutes, Preasia opened her eyes and asked, "Tail...?" Vahn stopped his instinctive feeling to swallow before shaking his head gently and saying, "Your tail is a bit small..." Because she was a Sheep Person, Preasia tail was rather small and looked more like a tuft, similar to a Rabbit Hume, albeit somewhat longer. For Vahn to 'pet' her tail, he would almost be stroking her butt at the same time just by proximity. Lifting it up and 'fondling' it seemed a bit dangerous as well, so Vahn didn't think it was a good idea since he didn't have that type of relationship with Preasia.
Preasia continued to stare up at Vahn for several seconds before a light blush covered her cheeks and she said, "I...don't mind..." Vahn released a very small sigh through his nose without letting the smile fade from his face as he shook his head and said, "Sorry, Preasia, I don't think you're ready for things like that. I..." He wanted to say that he couldn't bear the emotional burden of having to take care of her right now, and that he wanted her to become more stable, but Vahn also knew about the efforts she had been putting in lately.
Other than when she was around him, Preasia had been getting along well with the other girls and often spent time going about and helping out with various tasks. She was also earnestly studying with Riveria while also learning how to mix potions and treat wounds with Chloe and Naaza. Preasia wasn't the type of girl that wanted to ever go into the Dungeon, so she wanted to be 'useful' by being able to take care of everyone back home...even though Vahn would likely be the one called in an actual emergency.
This was one of the reasons why Vahn didn't know how to deal with Preasia because he didn't know when it was 'appropriate' for them to actually become closer. Even though Haruhime and the twins were in the same category as her, Vahn had actually shared a number of intimate moments with the other three girls. It was because he had 'seen' the efforts they were putting in while he only 'heard' about the efforts Preasia was making. Realizing this, Vahn began to feel like he had wronged the petite young girl, even though she was older than he was...
Seeing the somewhat melancholic look on Preasia's face, Vahn commented in his mind, ("Vahn Mason...you're way too weak against the tears of girls...") Then, without too much hesitation, Vahn tried to keep a straight face as he gently caressed Preasia's relatively small tail. Her body startled for a brief moment before she tried to stand closer to his chest. Unfortunately, she didn't seem accustomed to such an action and Vahn took her horns straight to his diaphragm. His endurance was far higher than any threshold she would be able to overcome, but it still felt like a hard thump that made her become muddleheaded after the fact as she said, "Awaaau, I'm sorry, Vahn..."
Vahn chuckled at her cute reaction and placed his hand atop her head and said, "It's fine, we'll try it again next time. Riveria is probably waiting for me, so I'll head over there soon. Watch over the little ones for me, okay?" For a brief moment, the melancholy had returned to Preasia's face before her expression normalized and she said, "Yes...I'll do my best too..." Vahn nodded his head and remarked, "I know, Preasia, you're doing great..." before patting all the girls on their head one last time and making his way towards the Library where he researched various things with Riveria.
They were still studying what she had named 'Essence' since it seemed to be capable of absorbing pure elemental energy into the complex molecular structure. Unfortunately, though Vahn could see the molecules themselves, he couldn't push his vision to the extent where he could see the complex structure that comprised them. It was hard to believe, but Vahn suspected that each molecule actually had a formation that allowed it to absorb mana, perhaps made up of the atoms themselves.
Of course, he had no way of verifying this presently and it might just be some kind of special liquid that had been made through alchemy, something he hadn't really studied that much yet. It would be easiest to ask the red-haired woman, but Vahn didn't think she would be too open for civil discussion. At this point, he was almost positive that the only thing that kept her from attacking him was the presence of the other girls around him at the time.
As he had been unable to understand how the liquid actually worked, Vahn had been trying other experiments while Riveria tested several hypotheses she had come up with. Vahn knew that the Essence was incredibly responsive to his domain and he had become increasingly adept at controlling it. After seeing how easily Riveria was able to channel her mana into it, Vahn had gotten the idea to try and infuse the elemental energies from the atmosphere into the Essence and had managed to make several simultaneous breakthroughs immediately thereafter. Though he couldn't infuse his own source energy into the liquid, he could use his domain as an intermediary and give it the properties of the elements in the air. The curious thing was, it didn't just have to be water elements as they were receptive to all types of elemental energies.
When he had first tried the experiment, Vahn used what he was most adept at and tried infusing fire elements into the water while expecting it to evaporate into steam. However, to his and Riveria's surprise, the Essence actually just turned ruby red with an orange glow contained within. Curious, Vahn pooled the fluid in his hands and could feel that it was incredibly hot to the touch, not that it was able to burn him. When he poured it into a basin that he had filled with water, it began evaporating the contents rapidly until the only remaining was the 'Fire Essence' at the bottom. After a while, it even started to melt the metal basin and Vahn quickly removed it before dispersing the elemental energies contained within. From this experiment, they understood that the Essence was definitely not water, even though its basic appearance was very similar, albeit with a subtle blue glow.
Though he had much less control over them, Vahn tried infusing other elements into the Essence and had varying degrees of success, but remarkably no failures. Just like it was able to absorb pure elemental energy from the air to replenish the contained mana within the molecules, it was perfectly capable of adapting to each individual elemental energy as well. When he put water elements into it, the Essence became a deeper blue color that left behind a cloud of condensation as Vahn manipulated it through the air. When he tried earth elements, it became similar to mud and could quickly transition from a fluid state into a solid state. Vahn had found this very interesting since it was almost like having a, very fragile, transformation weapon.
The coolest experiment of all though was when he infused air elemental energy into the Essence and it became a vibrant green color with a subtle azure core. When Vahn moved it through the air, it created a small tempest and, when he moved it very quickly, it even served as a 'solid' blade of air. Though he had already seen a lot of potential uses for the Essence, Vahn understood it had a high potential to be used as a weapon if he could mass produce it. Since it didn't take much of his own energy to manipulate, Vahn could theoretically have an entire pool full of the Essence and freely use it to fight his enemies. Since it didn't get evaporated from fire, it didn't seem to have any major weaknesses besides entering a clear, and inert, state when it was out of mana.
Vahn currently had around 5,000kg of the Essence in its base state and, after a fair amount of experimentation, knew he could exercise control over the entire volume if he didn't do anything complex. The only downside to this was that it took a very long time to actually infuse elemental energies into such a large shape and the speed of the fluid slowed down a great deal if he tried to keep it all together. Vahn had tried a complex experiment by creating smaller orbs that could revolve around him, but his perception couldn't keep track of so many objects at once and they would quickly break down. This didn't really deter him, however, and he actually found that it was an excellent way to improve his control over his own energy in the future.
When he had discussed how 'inefficient' his magic was with Riveria, even though his control was actually very high, she speculated that it was likely that his control was actually skewed a great deal and not nearly as developed as he claimed it to be. Vahn was very good at focusing on specific things very intensely, and could even 'emulate' things that he had observed after simulating it a lot within his mind. However, even though he could do this, his adaptability was actually terrible and his control over a broader spectrum of energy was nearly nonexistent. He had always been making use of his domain as an intermediary for his control and, now that he was having to do things manually, his skills were subpar at best.
If Vahn could learn to control his source energy properly and filter it several times to the point where it was more compatible with mana, he might very well be able to use magic 'normally'. Even though the system was flawed, it was still very powerful since Vahn's capacity for using magic was inordinately high with his imaging capabilities. Source energy was simply 'too strong' to be used normally within the record and this was the reason he struggled when it came to things like mixing and using magic. He had been able to avoid trouble when it came to blacksmithing only because it took a very intense focus and he was able to make use of his domain throughout the entire process.
Magic was an internal process and mixing was closer to chemistry than anything comparable to forging. Using his source energy to enchant the regent simply caused it to explode, regardless of the amount he used. Unless the ingredients were very high quality, Vahn would never be able to make use of his [Mixing] ability without learning how to better control his energy and convert it into a useable form. Fortunately, his practice with the Essence may very well prove to be the key to improving his control in the interim and he was certain that Eva's training would be the penultimate solution. Besides, it was cool to be able to manipulate a fluid that could turn into any element since it looked very similar to telekinesis and was incredibly versatile.
---
During the evening, after his research, and subsequent training, was completed, Vahn had taken a bath with the girls before they all sat down and enjoyed a meal together. Vahn noticed that both Tsubaki and Milan were sitting with the youth troupe now and this brought a smile to his face because he knew that word had quickly spread through the network. Speaking of which, the popular topic of conversation seemed to be related to the upcoming wedding and everyone was in a buzz about it and it was one of the only things anyone was talking about during dinner.
As they were speaking, the girls would give Vahn amused glances and ask if he had made any 'preparations' regarding the event and he knew they were insinuating that he had been working on a surprise for Hephaestus and Eina. The frustrating part is, even though he tried desperately to keep it hidden, the girls could easily see through his facial expression and seemed to derive some pleasure from making him fluster about and evade answering them directly. Vahn kept note of how many times each girl teased him and promised that, when he was making outfits for them in the future, he would get even with them at the time.
After dinner had finally come to an end, Vahn became incredibly motivated and wanted to put his new [Petting] ability to the 'ultimate test' and invited Chloe, Arnya, and Aki to spend the night with him. Every time he was with the three cat girls, it was always a very 'exciting' experience and Vahn had quickly developed a 'unique' appreciation for the grooming habits of the girls. Though it would undoubtedly devolve to the point where they were having sex with each other, Vahn knew that a great deal of their time together would be pure 'petting'.
The girls would reciprocate his actions by licking all over his body and it had become mildly addictive since their rough tongues were surprisingly pleasant against his bare skin and they proactively licked almost every part of his body. Aki hadn't had the habit before, but the moment she saw Arnya and Chloe doing it, she had immediately joined in on the fray and now it always turned into a situation where Vahn would end up being 'groomed' by the three girls after they were done making love. He would also spend a fair amount of time listening to Aki's and Arnya's bellies, while Chloe teased him about getting pregnant herself...eventually.
By the time the night had come to an end, Vahn had increased his [Petting] Development Ability from H to G and he had learned a great deal about how to properly use it. It seemed to enhance almost all touches he performed on the girls, including his massages, and they had complimented him several times for his 'increased skill'. Even though he hadn't been bad at petting them before, each girl noticed a marked difference and couldn't help but bring it up after experiencing the change. Vahn just explained that he was trying new ways to make the girls happy and they accepted it relatively easily, even though he knew they suspected there was more to his words.
Regardless of everything else, this brought his total OP gain for the entire day, excluding the amount he gained from converting magic cores and completing Eina's dress, to 17,393. Since this was a result of him just 'petting' the girls, Vahn was very satisfied with the result and he knew that he would be able to earn even more in the future. There was even a very real chance that, if he managed to get the ability all the way to S-Rank, it would evolve into something even better...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Petting Fiend, Vahn Mason','Birth of the first bender~!','Licky licky~nya?')
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