Chapter 1747: Decision
With their departure scheduled for the following morning, Vahn gathered the members of Team Wolf Pack, sans Parakewl, within his room. As for the latter, he had promptly been ejected, not just because Vahn had said so, but because he had disregarded orders during the Submerged Fish Hunt. His actions had not only jeopardized the entire plan but, rather than accept responsibility for his mistake, he had actually attempted to spin the blame onto others.
Fortunately, though the revelation caused quite a bit of bitterness, Rachel's betrayal had left even Baam feeling a lot less forgiving. As a result, Parakewl had no allies arguing for his inclusion in the group. To make matters even worse for himself, the fool attempted to cause a scene, approaching Vahn with the intent to shout in his face. This resulted in Phae sending him flying into the wall with a backhand, a cold expression on her face as she told Gandr to drag the unconscious man over to the Medical Ward.
Following these orders exactly, Gandr ended up grabbing Parakewl's ankle, dragging him from the room rather unceremoniously. Then, once he had returned, Vahn gathered everyone's attention, his expression slightly apologetic as he said, "Sorry about that. Though I try to be lenient with people, I have little tolerance for opportunists who would readily betray their comrades if it meant they could secure benefits for themselves. That man would have become a cancerous element, festering within the party and putting everyone's dreams at risk in the pursuit of his own..."
Resisting the urge to sigh, Vahn took a slow and steady breath to calm himself before adopting a more serious expression as he added, "Enough of that...I have gathered you all together for three reasons. First, I will explain to you the type of existence I am. Once you have a better understanding of my power, I will then offer you a choice. Lastly, once everyone has made up their mind, we will all discuss our future objectives. In regards to that last one, you should know that I have no actual goal in this Tower. I am simply passing through, but, due to the nature of my existence, it is certain that I bring great change to this Tower."
With the atmosphere immediately becoming tense, it was Khun who built up the courage to raise his hand, asking, "So, what exactly are you then? I mean, other than an Irregular..."
Grateful for the young man's assist, even if it was unnecessary, Vahn offered a curt nod toward Khun before explaining, "Though I am the Sage Dragon Emperor I purport myself to be, I am also a God that represents Infinite Possibilities. In my tenure as a Deity, I have presided over Space, Time, and Creation. Most importantly, however, I represent the myriad paths in which people walk. Mine is an existence that drastically influences the fate of those around me, and, through me, people, planets, and even other Gods are able to shape their own destinies."
Though they had expected a lot of things, none of the people present expected Vahn to proclaim himself a God. Even Anak, who was usually indifferent in such situations, had a rather incredulous look on her face as she asked, "What about Phae and Gandr...?"
Rather than answering for them, Vahn allowed the duo in question to explain, starting with Phae adopting her usual smile as she said, "As I told you previously, Gandr and I are extensions of my Lord. Though it isn't entirely accurate, you can consider me the aspect that represents my Lord's creativity and desire to care for others. As for Gandr, he is a little different...in the end, however, he is another extension of my Lord. Soon enough, there will be others like us, each unique entities in their own right, but, when it ultimately comes down to it, we are all part of a much greater whole..."
Following Phae's explanation, Gandr adopted an apologetic expression, his ears drooping rather pathetically as he added, "Please don't think of this as us deceiving you. It just wouldn't have been possible to convince you of the truth without first building rapport. If my Master had called himself a God on the very first day, none of you would have believed him..."
Since the majority of them still didn't believe Vahn's claim, no one could really argue against the truth contained within Gandr's words. Fortunately, without any prompting whatsoever, Baam was able to ease the growing tensions by stating, "I trust in Ms. Phae, Mr. Gandr, and Mr. Vahn! Even if they are Gods, they are still good people! I wouldn't be nearly as strong as I am today with the help of Mr. Vahn. Don't you agree, Mr. Laure?"
Though he had been lying on the ground with his eyes closed, Laure had been listening closely to the conversation happening around him. Thus, in response to Baam's words, a tired sigh escaped his lips as he sat up and replied, "Yeah, yeah, no need to shout.". Then, after looking lazily over at Vahn, he moved the conversation forward by asking, "So, what is this 'choice' you wanted to offer us?"
Appreciating the man's directness, a smile spread across Vahn's face as he stroked his beard for a few moments before answering, "Outside of the Tower, there is a concept known as Familia, a word meaning Family in an ancient tongue. Simply put, a Familia is comprised of people who have either been acknowledged by a God or adopted as their surrogate children. In exchange for the power of belief, nothing more, the Gods reward their children by bestowing their Blessing upon them. This is often in the form of a Familia Crest, an emblem that is inscribed upon the back using the Language of the Gods. Though the crests can differ between Gods, mine provides you with the opportunity to shape your own destiny. To make things easier to understand, try and imagine the Questing system popularized in RPGs and other games. My Blessing gives you the ability to accept such Quests, and, so long as you complete them, you will be able to boost your capabilities, obtain rare items, and, in certain circumstances, change everything from your race to your gender. With my Blessing, there is no path you cannot walk."
As the Tower was a place that specifically gathered people who had strong desires, Vahn's words had a deep impact on everyone present. They were like the seductive words of a Headon himself, promising 'everything', seemingly without asking for anything in return. The only thing Vahn had mentioned was the 'power of belief', prompting Shibisu to ask, "So, how does the power of belief benefit the Gods? There must be something you get out of this exchange."
Nodding his head in affirmation, Vahn went on to explain, "Though it varies drastically between different planes of existence, the power of most Gods is proportional to the amount of belief they are able to garner from their followers. In other words, the greater their following, the greater the strength of the God. I am a bit of an exception to this rule due to representing Infinite Possibilities, but, like other Gods, I still benefit greatly from the quantity and quality of my followers."
Ever the astute young man, an understanding glimmer flashed across Shibisu's eyes as he smiled and said, "So, in other words, the stronger we become, the more you benefit? Does this mean you intend to establish a religion or something as you climb up the Tower?"
Finding the man's words rather amusing, Vahn issued a light chuckle before shaking his head and explaining, "Though we benefit more from our direct followers, the power of belief doesn't actually require such direct methods. Just by virtue of my existence, my power will grow exponentially as I climb up the Tower. After all, fame is also a form of belief, so, once my exploits become known, it is only a matter of time before I become one of the strongest beings in the Tower. The main reason I am giving you this choice is due to the fact that I simply have no interest in the Tower or its politics. I will open the way forward, helping as many people as I can along the way. Then, once the time for my departure has come, I will place those I have observed to be of noble character in charge of the Tower."
Though they still sounded like the promises of a Devil, a few of the Regulars present couldn't help but swallow in response to Vahn's words. He was basically telling them that, so long as they worked hard, they would eventually become the rulers of the Tower. This was especially intriguing to people like Khun, who, for a number of reasons, strongly desired to conquer the Tower. Were it not for his propensity to mistrust other people, he would have been the first to agree to Vahn's proposition.
In the end, surprising nearly everyone present, the privilege of being the first to agree went to Nare, who, with a gleam in her eyes and a small amount of drool leaking from her mouth, promptly raised her hand and shouted, "I'll do it! I'll accept your Blessing...!"
As he was sitting immediately to Nare's left, Hong Chunhwa was the most surprised by his youthful-looking lover's outburst. Before he could ask her if she was certain, however, she happily explained, "I'm not very strong, and, even if I pushed myself to my limits, I would eventually become a burden the rest of the party. My original goal for climbing the Tower was to obtain enough money to start my own breeding business. If I can become a powerhouse in the process, there's no way I'll pass up on such an opportunity...!"
Hearing Nare mention becoming a 'powerhouse', a lot of the other Regulars in the room seemed to make up their own minds. Thus, starting with Anak, nearly everyone else ultimately accepted Vahn's proposal. The only exceptions to this were Rak, who loudly insisted he was the strongest, and, much to the surprise of many, Hatsu. His reasoning was that there were no shortcuts to the true zenith of swordsmanship, so, even if he ultimately lagged behind everyone else, he was determined to reach the pinnacle through his own effort.
Hatsu's conviction gave the others a reason to reconsider, but, as there didn't seem to be any major downsides, it was hard to pass on the opportunity to control your own fate. This was especially true for those with tragic pasts and great ambitions, Khun, Anak, Endorsi, and Baam being chief among them. Khun, in particular, had the greatest ambitions among everyone else present, as, unlike Baam, who didn't really have a plan, Khun had made all kinds of preparations prior to climbing the Tower.
Fortunately, though he wouldn't learn this until much later, Vahn genuinely had no interest in the Tower and its affairs. He also wasn't trying to exploit or mislead any the Regulars present, at least not in the way many of them suspected. Rather, because of their friendship with Gandr, Vahn saw the rather peculiar group as his friends. He was the type that would even help a complete stranger if they were in need, so, when it came to his friends, Vahn had a propensity to go a little overboard when it came to helping them achieve their dreams.
With that in mind, starting with Nare, Vahn took each of them into the Little Garden, returning mere minutes later with the red-faced girl in tow. This earned him a few looks of suspicion, but, with Nare fervently dismissing any accusations while also attesting to the existence of the 'Quest Board', there weren't any major issues. The girls had simply overlooked the fact that the crest was placed on their backs, meaning that they would need to expose themselves in order to have it applied. Fortunately, there were only three girls present, so, with Anak not really caring about being seen naked, the only real problem was Endorsi. As for the boys, none of them cared about such things, so, with Phae and Gandr assisting with Anak and Endorsi, Vahn ultimately accepted nine new Children into his Familia, a few of which had some 'very' unique statuses...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP Pickle','Hatsu is, unsurprisingly, a very resolute individual','Cucumber be like, "What? It's just being naked."')
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Chapter 1748: Peculiarities
Though it was not uncommon to find multiple people with the [Child of Destiny] Innate, Vahn was a little surprised to learn that nearly every member of Team Wolf Pack had it. The only two who were exempt, at least among the people who had accepted his Blessing, were Chunhwa and Nare. As for the rest, even Ship Leesoo, better known as Shibisu, was in possession of the coveted Innate, albeit only with a Grade of C.
Unsurprisingly, Baam's [Child of Destiny: SSS] was the highest-graded within the group. His Shinsu Tension was also double that of anyone else present, rivaling Vahn's at a ratio of 100:1. Even Anak and Endorsi, both possessing the Innate [Jahad's Blood Curse], had a Tension of 50:1 while people like Khun and Laure, descendants of the Ten Great Families, possessed a ratio of 30:1.
While the name [Jahad's Blood Curse] was obviously a red flag, there wasn't much Vahn could do about it in the present moment, so, until it became a bigger issue, he would discuss the matter with the two Princesses using Phae as a proxy. The far more concerning revelations were, unsurprisingly, related to Baam.
Not only was Baam a monstrous 9,983-years-old, but his Race also purported him to be equal parts Human and 'Primordial Sin'. The Primordial Sins, better known as the Seven Sins, were an extremely common concept within various Records. These included Pride, Wrath, Greed, Lust, Sloth, Envy, and, of course, Gluttony. Baam seemed to be directly related to or was the Primordial Sin of Gluttony, as, not only did it reflect in his Race, it appeared within his Innates, quite literally, as the [Primordial Sin of Gluttony: (sealed)].
Though it was currently sealed, Baam obviously benefitted from possessing the [Primordial Sin of Gluttony] Innate, as, within his Skill category, he had the Skills [Adaptive Body: S], and [Absorption: B]. The former allowed him to consume and adopt the traits of anything he had directly absorbed into his body, seemingly without limit. This included everything from different forms of Shinsu to even 'techniques', the latter of which Gandr had experienced personally.
Prior to the revelation of Baam's unique origin, Vahn, Phae, and Gandr had merely assumed the boy was extremely talented. Instead, it seemed like he had the ability to, quite literally, absorb the talent of others, including their experience and techniques, by simply receiving their attacks. So long as he was directly affected by the ability, his body would 'instantly' memorize it, allowing him to make use of virtually any attack he had ever been hit with.
The only limitation of Baam's current ability was that his [Absorption] was only Grade-B, at least for the time being. This meant he couldn't absorb 'everything', his specific limitations revolving around skills and abilities that were derived from an inordinate amount of mastery or powered by types of energy not traditionally found within the Tower. In essence, though he could adapt martial skills, he could only 'master' them up to the grade of his [Absorption]. As for skills derived from other energy systems, he could probably manage with weaker forms of energy, but, as was often the case, he had no way of adapting skills derived from Source.
Fortunately, even if Baam was incompatible with sword techniques or magic, his ability to master all forms of martial arts just by experiencing them would be extremely beneficial. He could also master virtually any Shinsu technique that was used against him, irrespective of element, so, while he might not be a conventional prodigy, it wasn't an exaggeration to say Baam had monstrous potential. The only thing he needed was time and careful guidance, two things he would find plenty of within the Tower and under Vahn's tutelage...
---
Though Baam's status was the most interesting among the newest members of Vahn's Familia, that didn't mean there weren't other surprises in store. These included Endorsi's [Child of Destiny] being SS-Rank, heavily implying she was a Heroine, Anak's actual name being Anak Permata, and, though it wasn't really that relevant, the fact that Khun was only 17 came as quite a surprise. This made him the youngest person within the group, as, despite their appearances, Anak was 338 while Nare was 33.
Even more surprising was the fact that Endorsi seemed to have some relation to the Primordial Sin of Lust, even if it was only a distant relation. Her Innates were [Child of Destiny:SS], [Jahad's Blood Curse: (-)], [Starved Princess: A], and [Champion of Lust: (sealed)]. This heavily implied that she was originally intended to be one of Baam's love interests, and, to a lesser extent, it also explained why she was such a vain woman.
Fortunately, at least for the time being, Endorsi's [Champion of Lust] was still sealed. Had it already been awakened, there was no way of knowing what kind of personality she would have possessed, but, consider Baam was an exceptionally pure boy, despite being the Primordial Sin of Gluttony, it was safe to assume that the Seven Deadly Sins were a little different in this Record. Still, that didn't mean Vahn, or, more specifically, Gandr, could drop their guard around the woman.
Prior to her encounter with Yuri, it was pretty obvious that Endorsi only saw Gandr in the same vein as a younger brother. Now, the seeds for something 'more' had been planted, so, with less than 20 months before the inevitable reunion with Yuri, Endorsi would undoubtedly feel a little pressured to act. Gandr would either need to distance himself from the woman in some way or, better yet, invite her to participate in Baam's training. As for Anak...well, even after her encounter with Yuri, she didn't seem to change much at all.
If there were any women Vahn and Gandr needed to worry about, they would be Hwa Ryun and Ha Yuri Jahad. The former's Belief was steadily growing, and, though she was unlikely to take proactive measures, Vahn knew how scary 'devout' women could be. As for Yuri, she seemed to have a rather 'dangerous' preference, and, most troublingly, a decisive mentality. She was similar to Aoko in that regarding; the type of woman who, once she had made up her mind, would continue to pursue her objective without second-guessing herself.
Though all ten of the Great Families were bound to be a problem, the Ha Family, in particular, was like a minefield from Vahn's perspective. They were basically Amazons, and, though they were able to produce male offspring, the matriarchal household was overflowing with powerful, resolute, and beautiful warrior women. Yuri was bound to inform her Great Grandmother, known to be one of the top three beauties in the entire Tower, of her findings on the 2nd Floor. From that moment onward, it was only a matter of time before members of the Ha Family came seeking Team Wolf Pack, eager to find a mate or simply enjoy a good fight.
To make matters even worse, the youthful-looking woman traveling with Yuri was clearly a member of the Eurasia Family, another of the Ten Great Families. Her childish appearance, combined with her pink hair and eyes, characteristics commonly associated with Eurasia Family Descendents, were both dead giveaways that this was the case. As for why this was a problem, well, for reasons neither Vahn nor Da Vinci had been able to fully comprehend, women with perpetually youthful appearances and quirky natures seemed to be intrinsically drawn to him.
Vahn had thought that his older appearance might serve as a deterrent, and, while this was indeed the case in most situations, it seemed to work against him in others. He didn't even know the name of the woman who had accompanied Yuri, yet, with what could only be described as an impish grin on her face, she fearlessly passed over her contact information. This would allow him to contact her using his Pocket, and, so long as he wasn't inside the Inner Tower, which limited communications to other residents of the Inner Tower, they would be able to communicate between Floors.
Since it could be useful to have a High Ranker's contact information, especially one belonging to one of the most powerful organizations in the entire Tower, Vahn had little choice but to add the impish woman's contact information to his Pocket. There was a good chance she had been asked by Yuri to exchange contact information, so, even if accepting raised a number of dangerous flags, there were more benefits to be had than losses to be suffered. After all, even if the Eurasia and Ha Families became 'very' insistent in the future, they had no hope of 'forcing' him against his will.
With a Realm filled with innumerable beauties, many of which made the women in the Tower look rather plain, Vahn wasn't in a hurry to expand his harem. Rather, if he could reach Tier 7 without any additions at all, he wouldn't be particularly disappointed. His nature made this nigh-impossible, but, at the very least, he could limit the number of additions by proactively avoiding situations where his more troublesome habits came into play. Fortunately, in the very near future, he would have quite a bit of protection against such circumstances...
---
Following the application of everyone's Familia Crests, Vahn had Phae explain both the Quest Board and the Skill Tree while everyone sat around engorging themselves upon the food he had proffered forth from his Inventory. The combination of delicious food, high-quality alcohol, and the sense of unity everyone had from belonging to the same Familia caused the atmosphere to quickly become festive and lively. This was aided by the fact there were actual Quests related to things like drinking competitions, arm wrestling, and various forms of gambling. As a result, it quickly became clear that the Quests functioned as promised, allowing some to learn new skills on the spot while others were able to obtain items, seemingly out of thin air.
Needless to say, things became 'very' competitive once everyone realized they could literally grow stronger while playing games and simply having fun. Unfortunately, much to Khun's chagrin, it was impossible to 'cheat' the system by deciding who would win beforehand. Though it was possible to fool people, manipulating the outcome through subterfuge and strategy, you couldn't openly cheat the system by picking and choosing the victors. The rewards were also dependent on the individual difficulty of the Quest, so, if victory was almost assured, the Quest might only be E or F-Rank. If you had absolutely no chance at victory, the Quest could be as high as S-Rank.
Using the [Arm Wrestling Tournament] as an example, it was graded as an F-Rank Quest for Gandr. For Endorsi and Anak, it was C-Rank, and, as could be expected, it ramped up to S-Rank for people like Shibisu, Nare, and even Chunhwa. Their reward potential was also exponentially greater, but, as could be expected, it was impossible for them to win without Gandr, Anak, or Endorsi throwing their matches. The moment they gave up or went easy on someone, the Quest would either retroactively downgrade its difficulty level, or, in most cases, simply become invalid.
Fortunately, there were more than enough Quests to give everyone a chance at receiving suitable rewards for their effort. There were even Quests related to playing board and card games, the latter being far more popular due to the presence of alcohol and the relative simplicity of most forms of gambling. After all, the easier the rules were to learn, the easier they were to exploit by those who had mastered them.
Perhaps as a result of her [Greedy Nymph] Innate, Nare ended up being inordinately skilled when it came to card and dice games. She even seemed to get a substantial boost to her luck whenever the game involved the exchange of points. As a result, she ended up securing quite a number of points for herself, and, though the rewards for F-Rank Quests weren't that great, even tiny drops of rain, in high enough quantities, could fill a lake...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Other people have to train for years. Baam be like, "Hit me! I want you to hit me...!"','Vahn is underestimating his power as a DILF xD...','Imagine asking your enemy what they did to get so strong and they reply by answering, "I played Five-Card Draw and Blackjack every day for a year...!"')
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Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
173 Power
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