Capítulo 488: Brunch
Using the map that Vahn had drawn out during their previous exploration, as he could quickly scribe it onto a piece of paper with a high degree of accuracy, the group continued their exploration of the 54th Floor by searching areas and corridors they hadn't visited previously. With Vahn's map, it was easy to see the paths they had taken and it wasn't remotely close to the presumed size of the actual Floor. As there were certain to be explored regions, which could be found easily with Vahn's detection ability, everyone was determined to find something new. Even Vahn felt like there had to be a reason why the Dungeon had orchestrated the Dragons Vase as it had. It was almost like the Dungeon didn't want people to spend much time on the floors, almost like it was concealing something.
After searching for nearly seven hours, without finding anything new and interesting, the group came across another set of stairs that led further into the Dungeon. Just like the floors above, there were several possible ways to progress through and it wouldn't be surprising to find more than a hundred such stairways on any given floor. As it was a good opportunity, the group took a rest for lunch while Vahn spent the time searching around the 400m of stairs and the adjoining rooms. He was curious about why the Valgang Dragons didn't target the stairs with their breath, since the materials were fundamentally the same as the rest of the Dungeon. Other than a variation, almost like a 'break' in the flow of mana, there were no real differences between the stairs and the rest of the floor.
Vahn wanted to know why there were two functionally identical flows that ran alongside each other without actually intersecting. By inspecting the top and bottom of the stairs, he could confirm that the 'break' passed through the entire set of stairs and even continued beyond his perception. It was hard to imagine, but Vahn felt like he could theoretically bore through the Dungeon and, as long as he follows the secondary flow, he would be able to reach all the way to the surface or even follow down into the depths. Though the planned to test it in the future, as he 'had' to know if this was the truth of the matter, Vahn set it aside for now and simply logged his deductions in a journal.
When Vahn returned to the group, Tiona perked up and asked, "Did'ya find anything, Vahn~?" Vahn plopped down next to the table while shaking his head and saying, "It's something I'll have to look into later, but it would be much safer to test on the upper floors. I'll let you know how it goes, but you shouldn't worry about it too much right now." Though she looked like she was listening attentively, Tiona didn't care that much about Vahn's actual words and just wanted to talk with him. When he finished his 'explanation', Tiona nodded her head and asked, "When we get to the surface, you said you were going to try and finish the 'proto-type' armor, right~? I'm interested to see how things turn out, so please ask me if you need any assistance. Even if it's just to model, I don't mind helping out~."
Spurred on by Tiona's words, the topic of discussion at the table immediately transitioned to the armor Vahn was making. Even Gareth and Finn were quite interested in it, but Vahn said it wasn't the type of thing he ever planned to sell. Because of the complexity of the design, Vahn only intended to make enough to be used by the girls within the Hearth Manor and would worry about other things after the fact. Though he was a [Master Smith], it wasn't actually a trade Vahn intended to pursue for profit or mastery.
Vahn simply made the things he wanted to make, without putting too much thought into anything other than making them interesting and efficient. His main reason for doing so was because of the restrictions of the shop within the system, as it would be 'troublesome' to only give each girl one piece of armor every few weeks. Though he had been able to get around things a bit with the girls that had their extra parameters unlocked, as he could give up to three items to some of them, it still wasn't really a practical solution.
During the conversation, Gareth supported his cheek with his fist and commented, "I have a personal contract with Tsubaki, so I'm not really bothered by not obtaining any equipment. However, it wouldn't be a bad idea to accept a few contracts of your own in the future, Vahn. Even if you don't have the 'heart' of a blacksmith, you certainly have more than enough skill to make use of. If you truly end up making new and innovative armors, you might be able to forge even more alliances in the future by creating custom-made equipment for powerful Adventurers." Hearing Gareth's words, Vahn knew it was true but he simply didn't have the 'time' to manage such things. It would be more 'convenient' if he just purchased them something through the system shop instead, not that he could explain things in such a way.
Though he trusted Gareth, Vahn wasn't going to explain his reasoning about things and simply nodded in affirmation of his words. Unless they took the same level of vow as the residents of the Hearth Manor, Vahn couldn't disclose any specifics to the three men present as there was always a remote chance they could disseminate it to other people. Finn and Bete were especially troublesome because there was no way of knowing how Finn would use the information while Bete was simply the type that rambled away 'sensitive' information when he was drunk. Vahn didn't want to be seen as a 'convenience' by Finn, nor did he want to have rumors circulate as a result of Bete's drunken ramblings when he vented his frustrations.
From this expedition, Vahn understood there were various 'problems' associated with moving large groups of people through the Dungeon. Of course, in order to ensure their supplies were protected, it was 'necessary' to do so, but this wasn't a restriction Vahn faced. He had been thinking about ways to reach further into the Dungeon to increase the strength of his own Familia in the future and was planning to try and get a foothold on the 39th Floor in the future. Though this expedition had been an interesting experience, Vahn wasn't too fond of how things had played out and it almost felt like a waste of time, at least for him. If not for the fact he had been able to help the girls increase their strength quickly, while also finally reaching Level 4 himself, Vahn would have found things to be a bit droll.
The simple truth of the matter was, Vahn had the capacity to make any expedition run much smoother than any other Familia on the surface. If he had been in charge of things, Vahn would have separated everyone into smaller cells to thin out enemies before they met up at various 'safe' zones like the relatively secure stairs and the actual safety areas of the 18th, 39th, and 50th Floors. Even on the floors where monsters attacked in 'waves', it was possible to deal with them in smaller parties by simply avoiding the fight or having a balanced composition. Though monsters were very powerful, some far more so than Adventurers, they weren't intelligent and they couldn't adapt to strategy and subterfuge at all.
Traveling as a larger group, though necessary for large Familia expeditions, was something Vahn could circumvent entirely as a result of his Inventory and the 'limitless' supplies at his disposal. Even a slow day on the 51st Floor earned him more than 200,000OP and, though he couldn't buy Elixirs and Potions that could be used by others, Vahn could purchase the materials used to make them. If they had a few people with the [Mixing] skill in the expedition, they could easily produce consumables for the entire party. This also applied to things like food, equipment, and a variety of other things. If there was enough support behind the idea, Vahn was even confident in establishing the relay point on the 39th Floor within the next year before moving down to the 50th Floor and beginning construction of their 'Haven'...
Since Vahn had been lost in his own thoughts for a bit, Ais poked his cheek with her gloved finger and said, "Vahn, don't worry so much...just do what you think is best. We will follow you..." Hearing Ais's words, Vahn looked into her shining gold eyes before looking around and seeing the supportive looks on the faces of the other girls. In fact, even Finn and Gareth showed appreciative gazes with the only exception being the always disgruntled Bete. Vahn decided at this moment that he needed to 'educate' Bete when they returned to the surface before nodding his head to Ais and addressing the table as he said, "I think for the next planned expedition, we should stop on the 39th Floor and begin making a settlement there to serve as a relay station. Though it may be more 'profitable' to come down to the Deeper Floors, there are too many unknowns and we're simply not ready. Until we can establish a supply line and get a proper foothold, I don't think it's wise to keep trying to go deeper..."
Finn looked like he wanted to say something, but Vahn shook his head slightly and said, "I'm not considering the matter from simply the perspective of the Loki Familia, Finn, though I'm sure Loki would support me in the future. I'm trying to consider things for the Hestia Familia and the Alliance as a whole...and not just them, but for every Adventurer that delves into the Dungeon and all those that live on the surface. If we, some of the strongest and most capable, aren't the ones leading the way, what happens when things develop to a point where we 'need' to lead? I believe that, if you want people to walk the correct path, you need to lay it out for them and show the way..."
Responding to his words, Tiona raised both of her arms as if she were very fired up and shouted, "Alrighty then! Let's turn this Dungeon into our own personal stomping ground so that other people can safely venture into it in the future~!" Surprisingly, the next person to speak up was Riveria who nodded her head and said in a calm tone, "Vahn is right, we can't simply wait around in hopes that things 'improve' naturally. We need to be the ones that are taking proactive action if we want to truly bring about change..." Knowing what the future potentially held, Riveria didn't think it was the correct decision to keep acting passively on things. One of the things mentioned in Vahn's journal was his idea about creating an 'Advanced Academy' on the 50th Floor and she had thought it was an interesting idea since it would prompt people to become stronger.
After Riveria, Ais, who had been staring at Vahn, said, "I want to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon one day...but until then, I want to try and find happiness in my own way. After we defeat Enyo...I..." Though it wasn't the first time Vahn had seen her blush, it was one of the first times he had seen Ais frown in mild frustration as she struggled to speak the words from her heart. Vahn smiled at her before reaching out his hand and stroking her silky golden hair with his 'combination' skills. She showed a slight smile before resting her cheek against his palm and saying, "I want to become a real family..."
As if it were some kind of competition that had been incited by Tiona's initial words, everyone began stating their own wants and desires for the future. Lefiya wanted to reach the pinnacle of magic, Fenrir wanted to 'protect' Vahn, and Tione embarrassed Vahn slightly by saying that the only thing she wanted was to be loved. She had looked to him with a somewhat amorous look and Vahn felt like she might have attacked him if it were just the two of them alone. As for the men at the table, Gareth just laughed heartily and chimed in with his own, "If we really end up making a settlement on the 50th Floor, you should open up a pub that serves that [Dwarven Drought]. I guarantee you'll see an influx of powerful Dwarves coming all the way down to the 50th Floor just to get a sip of the stuff!"
Gareth's words always made Vahn feel warm inside so he nodded his head and said, "Not just [Dwarven Drought], I have plenty of other alcohols that can't be found anywhere else in the world..." Hearing Vahn's words, Gareth suddenly became very serious as he said, "That won't do, Vahn. You can't simply serve unknown alcohol to guests...I'll make sure to test it all for you before you make it public. You might not think it to look at me, but I'm quite reknown in the circle of Dwarves for my capable alcohol tasting abilities. With my word and reputation, forget Dwarves, you'll have people coming as far as the Far East just to sample a shot!" Vahn chuckled slightly as Gareth started laughing heartily as he slapped his knee with his hand a couple of times.
Seeing how things had played out, Finn felt slightly exasperated because he knew Vahn would easily be able to get the support of Loki. In the future, instead of Vahn accompanying their Familia, it might be the case that the Loki Familia was 'escorting' him on his own expeditions. When they did establish a settlement on the 50th Floor, Finn had little doubt that Vahn would be the representative and that the credit would likely fall to the Hestia Familia, even if he did it in the name of the Alliance. With the amount of support he could garner as the 'Sage Aldrnari', Finn couldn't help but imagine a somewhat 'brighter' future than the current state of affairs he had come to know. Though it couldn't be called a natural charisma, Vahn had the capacity to draw people together, something that was especially effective when it came to the ladies...
After taking a bite of the juicy steak on his plate, Finn felt his resistances 'break' as he chimed in after Gareth, "Your reputation has grown a fair amount within the Loki Familia as a result of this expedition. I'll explain the situation to Loki-sama and talk to a few key members to get support for the idea of establishing a settlement on the 39th Floor. I'm certain that, if you can provide proper incentives, we will be able to make it a reality in the future." Hearing Finn also 'concede' to Vahn, Bete clicked his tongue and said, "Even you're giving in to this kid, Captain? Has everyone lost their bloody minds...?"
Everyone present heard Bete's snide remark and showed slightly awkward expressions until Tione slammed her fork hard enough that it embedded in the table as she shouted, "Damnit Bete, if you don't fix your attitude I'll fix it for you! Vahn has never done a single thing to earn your ire, so why do you have to be a little bitch about everything!? You never even thanked him for saving your little girlfriend!" Bete looked like he was about to yell back at Tione but swallowed his words with an expression of disgust and incredulity when he heard her mention Lena. Though he had never said it, Bete was actually thankful to Vahn for arranging to have the Amazons stay with the Loki Familia. He never planned to be with Lena when she was a prostitute but, now that she was within the Loki Familia, Bete had been looking after her.
Before things got out of hand, Vahn gestured to Tione and said, "Relax, I know Bete isn't actually as harsh as he tries to act. I'm certain he has his reasons, and I already ignore most of the things he says...I don't really need his gratitude for things like that, as it was a decision I had made for myself, not on his behalf..." After turning his eyes away from Tione, Vahn looked at the disgruntled Bete and said, "When we return to the surface, I will show you that you have a severe misunderstanding about my strength, Bete. Afterward, I'll have you keep your snide remarks to yourself or you can only blame your own actions for how I will treat you from then onwards..." As Vahn spoke, he allowed his aura to bear down on Bete and saw his hairs stand on end slightly as a fierce expression appeared on his face. However, Vahn could see that his aura was fluctuating greatly under the pressure and was even diminishing slightly when Bete said, through gritted teeth, "We'll settle it on the surface then..."
Though the atmosphere was somewhat tense, Gareth didn't seem to mind it at all as he asked, "Speaking of that little lass, when do the two of you plan to get married, Bete?" Hearing Gareth's words, Bete felt forward and nearly slammed his face into the table before looking to Gareth and shouting, "Butt out, Old Man! Don't concern yourself with my business!" In response, Gareth simply began laughing as the tense atmosphere from before completely dissipated. Bete had a very slight blush on his face as he looked around at the table and decided to escape away at the last moment when he saw that even the 'monster' girl was snickering at him. After grabbing his cup from the table, Bete stood up and walked off to the side without saying a word to the rest of the group.
For the rest of their break, the group at the table started talking about ideas they'd like to see implemented when they began making the relay station on the 39th Floor. Vahn started taking notes of things, even though he knew the majority of them were somewhat impractical. Though creating bathhouses and the like weren't too difficult, things like opening up a bakery and stuff were somewhat 'advanced' for what they had in mind, at least for the time being. Once the 'Haven' became firmly cemented in the 50th Floor, Vahn didn't even mind turning it into a small city, much less having a single bakery present. He already planned to build an Academy there, so it would make sense for other types of business to also be present. However, such things would need to be strictly regulated as Vahn wouldn't tolerate criminal activity and the like occurring within 'Haven' at all...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Peculiarity within the stairs','Gareth is the Dad of the group','Little Slice of Haven')
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Capítulo 489: Fiery Wrath
For an additional two days, the group continued to explore the 54th Floor until they had mapped a large majority of the Floor. Other than a few variant monsters, which were simply stronger versions of present enemies, there were no major discoveries made. Though Vahn could see through large sections of the Dungeon, his vision was still limited to the range of his Domain and the floor itself was more than 350m thick, on average. As for the walls, though they were much thinner, many of the corridors simply connected to others to create the larger labyrinth. Other than a new plant, which Vahn had discovered was named [Vitaelilia] through his Inventory, there were no other major discoveries thus far.
The group was currently encamped in one of the stairwells they had discovered, this one leading up to the 53rd Floor. Vahn had confirmed that the stairwells all 'continued' further above and below the Dungeon, but he hadn't been able to see where they lead. Though he could see the path of mana, it continued on further than his perception reached and was almost entirely comprised of the bedrock that made up the Dungeon Floors. He wanted to try tunneling through them one day, but only when he had enough confidence to be able to defeat a Juggernaut without assistance.
Vahn had been making the night watch easier for everyone present and not even Bete had any rude remarks to say during most of the meals. Though there was a spot prepared for him at the table, he spent the majority of the time eating his food in solitude. The only exception to this was during the evening meal when he would sit silently in between Gareth and Finn as he brooded over his own thoughts. When it had been his watch, Vahn had 'compromised' with him by setting out some tea and snacks to accompany him during his shift. Though Bete didn't thank him for it, it seemed to improve his mood a bit.
As dinner was preparing to wrap up, Finn got everyone attention by clapping his hands a few times before saying, "I believe we've just about discovered the majority of the prominent features of the 54th Floor at this point. Though there are likely secret passageways and unexplored regions, we haven't found any ways to access them and I believe it is about time for us to return to the 50th Floor. Our supplies have been holding out splendidly, something we all owe our thanks to Vahn for, but I see no purpose in continuing as we are. Tomorrow morning, we'll begin our journey up before making a decision about whether or not to return to the surface..."
Hearing Finn's words, everyone was in a much better mood, especially the girls that had spent the last few days without an opportunity to enjoy a long bath. Vahn had been helping clean them with his magic, but they had grown accustomed to the comfort brought by the hot water. Tione was especially happy, though for 'moderately' different reasons than everyone else. She didn't so much care about the surface itself, as she was the type that didn't mind fighting every day, but she was looking forward to being able to spend some 'personal' time with Vahn.
During the night watch, the order had been decided as Riveria, Tiona, Ais, Bete, and, to wrap up everything and awaken everyone for the return trip, Finn. Just as he had been doing, Vahn added some small comforts for those on watch, including study materials for Riveria, a Vahn-shaped doll for Tiona and Ais, as he had been fond of the one Ais made for him in the past, and a mug of lukewarm cocoa for Bete. As for Finn, Vahn figured he was the overly serious type so he just woke up a little after Finn's watch began and started preparing breakfast for everyone. The majority of members present were relatively poor chefs, so Vahn found himself preparing the meals ever since the first day.
As he was coating some small sausages with a light layer of butter and honey, Vahn allowed his mind to wander a bit because of how 'uneventful' things had been. He started to believe that his presumption that the enemy wouldn't take action until the 'original' events were scheduled to take place. Though Enyo seemed to have an interest in him, she didn't seem to be willing to compromise her plans just to try and plot against him. Vahn even felt like the only reason the red-haired woman had 'stalked' them was because he had spied on her in the bath and even 'stolen' her bathwater. The earth mage that had attacked him might not even be related to Enyo at all, so it was possible he had just made several assumptions and come to misunderstand a few things.
Vahn was certain the red-haired woman was an enemy since the vibe she gave him was something he had only ever seen from 'villains'. Though her aura had been somewhat neutral, this could simply imply that she was relatively 'disinterested' in him, though her impression had fluctuated a bit when she last parted with him. Vahn felt like she was a predator that was stalking him from the shadows, but his domain was much larger now and he had yet to see a single sign of her ever since. Unless she was somehow able to account for his growth, something that seemed incomprehensible to Vahn at present, there shouldn't be any way for her to circumvent his constant vigilance.
After sitting down next to Tiona and Fenrir, Vahn took over the role of helping feed the voracious wolf girl as he looked around the table and asked, "How is the food?" Tiona immediately held out her fork with a piece of sausage on it and shouted, "This is delcious~! It's savory and sweat at the same time. I think it might even be my new favorite breakfast food~!" Everyone else seemed to have a similar opinion and complimented Vahn for his culinary skills. Even Lefiya, who had become quite the glutton these days, seemed fond of the small mountain of biscuits he had made for her. Just like the sausage, Vahn had glazed them with honey and she had gone through more than twenty of them in the short period where they had been eating breakfast.
As everyone was highly motivated to return to the 50th Floor, breakfast came to an end earlier than normal when Finn said, "Okay, everyone, I'd say it's about time for us to return. I'm certain everyone else would be able to relax when we appear on the 50th Floor." Since the record-party consisted of every executive of the Loki Familia, it was rather unnerving to have them probe into the 'unknown' without having any means of maintaining contact. If they were 'missing' for more than a week, the expedition would have been forced to make the dangerous journey to the surface without their strongest members. The only other option was 'waiting' but, without a way to replenish supplies, this was simply a death sentence if something had actually happened.
Because they had slept in the adjoining corridors leading to the stairs heading to the 53rd Floor, the group only had to clear two Floors in order to reach the relative safety of the 51st. Vahn once again took up the rear of the group with Lefiya, Fenrir, and Riveria as they started their miniature marathon to break through the Floor. Shortly after they began, Vahn felt raging flames enter his domain without missing a beat as they tried to intercept the group. He hadn't had any luck diverting the flames thus far, and it had grown somewhat 'annoying' to constantly be barraged by them. Vahn had even been tempted to split from the group to jump down the hole and eliminate the Valgang Dragons below. Since he had the [Hero's Reprieve], Vahn would be able to escape easily but decided against it as the item was rather precious. However, he promised to clear the entire 58th Floor in the future because it was supposedly one giant room. This meant he could seek 'vengeance' against them to his heart's content once he made his way down there naturally.
Just as they had done hundreds of times over the last few days, Ais easily dodged the pillar of flames as Vahn picked up Lefiya and Fenrir under his arms and leaped over the hole with the rest of the group. They could both make the jump easily, but Vahn wasn't going to let any potential accidents happen like them slipping into the hole. After reaching the other side, Vahn set them down on their own feet and they continued running forward without hesitation. Though she still flustered a bit, Lefiya had gotten very used to Vahn suddenly picking her up lately and no longer thanked him every time he helped her. She also knew she could make the jump easily, but it made her heart flutter whenever Vahn grabbed around her waist and jumped forward with her...
At this point, Vahn was certain the flame breath of the Valgang Dragon had nothing to do with their actual perception and it was almost guaranteed the Dungeon was 'telling' them where they were located. Vahn had tested this by compressing his domain and infusing [Stealth] into it to the point where he was nearly indistinguishable from the air itself. Vahn could even move right through a detection formation like this, yet the Valgang Dragons still targetted him regardless. He couldn't imagine their perception was greater than a Juggernaut's, so the only explanation that he could think of was that they had a way to detect movement, pressure, or their location itself after the Dungeon pass the information to them. After all, monsters typically had little to no intelligence so there had to be something helping them make the calculations.
Vahn wanted to try increasing his [Featherfoot] to S-Rank in the future, or potentially learning a way to prevent his weight from being 'detected' by the surfaces he stood on. At the very least, this would allow him to test his theory and, even if he was wrong, it would put him one step closer to understanding the mechanic behind it. Since he was sure there was a secret contained on the troublesome Floors, Vahn wanted to explore every nook and cranny of them in the future. Though he didn't care about the secret that much, even though it was interesting, it was the fact they had gone through so much trouble that made Vahn feel compelled to learn what it was.
A few monsters bared their passage along the way, but the group eventually reached the stairs leading to the 52nd Floor after a short four hours of travel. Though it was a bit early, the group took a short break and replenished their stamina before continuing on to the 52nd Floor. Once they managed to clear this one, they would be on the 'safe' 51st Floor and then take their time to return without having to worry about any major threats appearing. Almost everyone present, even Lefiya, could potentially slay the Cadmus with proper preparations, so even the strongest monster of the 51st Floor wasn't a concern.
Unlike the fast clear of the 53rd Floor, it took the group nearly ten hours to find a staircase leading upwards, almost as if the Dungeon was playing with them a bit. Toward the very end, Vahn had even come to a stop out of frustration and said, "Lefiya, Fenrir, move into the corridor..." before coming to a stop. Though they looked back at him, both girls listened before the entire group became aware of Vahn's peculiar behavior. Finn looked back with a complicated expression on his face from across the threshold leading into the stairs and asked, "Vahn, what are you intending to do?" In response, Vahn gestured dismissively and said, "I'll be perfectly fine...if I'm not back within ten minutes, send Fenrir down and we'll return to the surface on our own."
Finn frowned deeply and wanted to rebuke Vahn for his behavior, especially since he had been so 'obstinate' about not going beyond the 54th Floor. However, he let the matter slide when Riveria said, "Vahn has a way to instantly reach the surface, though it can't be used very often...we should wait for him, he'll be fine." Though they wanted to accompany him, the other girls knew they would potentially just escalate the matter into a real problem so they just looked at Vahn and wished him luck. Seeing how much confidence they had in him, and hearing Riveria make a rather 'bold' claim, Finn felt somewhat exasperated but didn't say anything to stop Vahn. Even if he wanted to, he had run out of time since the floor beneath Vahn's feet turned red-hot before a pillar of flame erupted and consumed him.
After the flame faded, Vahn was floating in the air wearing nothing but a pair of red shorts that were covered in scales while in his Báihǔ form. Almost as if he had absorbed the flames themselves, Vahn's arms and legs were glowing red hot now and even his chest was glowing bright enough that the shadow of his heartbeat could be seen through it. Without any hesitation, he allowed himself to fall into the hole that had been created as everyone watched him disappear through its mouth. Finn released a sigh before looking around and seeing that the only people that were actually concerned were himself and Bete. Even Gareth was just stroking his beard with a small smile on his face while the girls all had looks of trust and confidence. Shaking his head, Finn moved off to the side and sat against the hard Dungeon wall while remarking in his mind, ("Ah, the wall and floor are rather hard...")
---
Vahn didn't really consider himself 'hot-headed', but he felt like the constant harassment of the Valgang Dragon's had progressively eaten away at his patience. It was annoying having to constantly evade attacks that did nothing to him, and he also wanted to implant the idea inside Finn's mind that they could simply reach the 58th Floor at any time by jumping down the holes. In fact, if they timed it properly, they could easily reach any Floor between the 52nd and 58th by using the holes created by the Valgang Dragons as a shortcut. The only thing they had to do was prepare a method to stop their descent when they reached the level they wanted, as the fire breath itself wasn't a major threat to them with Riveria's [Veil Breath] active.
After falling for about forty seconds, during which Vahn let two more breaths pass over him, he finally reached the hole in the ceiling of the 58th Floor. Unlike the Floors above, the 58th was very bright and there were strange yellow-orange crystals that illuminated the entire massive room as if it were daytime. Beneath him, Vahn could see a 'herd' of giant red dragons that were more than 14m in length from the tip of their snout to their tails. In the air, there were also a few other bluish-purple dragons known as Ill Wyverns. They were relatively small, around 3m, but they were capable of supersonic flight and supposedly tormented Adventurers by making strafing passes with their toxic breath.
Before Vahn reached the floor, the Ill Wyvern flock charged at him with a terrifying velocity as the pelted his body with toxic fumes that broke against him without effect. Though Vahn felt his body itching, the fumes themselves were dispersed by the intense heat of his body while anything he inhaled was completely filtered by his body itself. When another powerful breath targetted him, the flock cleared the airspace and Vahn once again became enveloped in flames. However, before the dragon was capable of closing its mouth, Vahn had closed the remaining distance and 'helped' it do so by smashing down on its snout and causing its head to cave in. For a brief moment, Vahn had transformed into his Xuánwǔ form before immediately transitioning back into his Báihǔ form and using [Shundo] to begin his slaughter.
Valgang Dragons had incredible resistances and their firepower was some of the strongest amongst all monsters, or else they wouldn't be able to emit a pillar of flames for several kilometers. However, their attacks were completely useless against Vahn and they were somewhat over-reliant on their flames and ignored most other methods of attack. However, though their flames were fierce, Vahn found them to be mild compared to the temperature of his own body. On average, they were outputting around 2,000-degree flames while Vahn could push his body far beyond and was currently clocking a solid 4,500 degrees. His body was so hot that, every time he stepped on the ground to use [Shundo], there would be a 3m wide area of liquid bedrock where his foot had briefly touched.
As they were so 'proud' of their flames that they spewed them incessantly, Vahn wanted to show them what real firepower was like and used his white-hot claws to slice through the incredibly fire-resistant scales of the Valgang Dragons as if they were non-existent. It wasn't until a much larger dragon spawn from the ground that Vahn 'cooled' down a bit. However, much like its smaller counterpart, the Red Dragon spewed forth a veritable 'laser' of fire at Vahn that was more than 15m wide and completely consumed several Valgang Dragons in its path. Vahn, however, was completely unharmed by the attack and landed in the huge channel it had created before using [Shundo] to appear at the center of its long neck. Vahn could see where the monster core was located, so he appeared right next to its location before reaching his claw into its body and removing it as the entire dragon vanished in purple smoke.
Satisfied with how things had turned out, Vahn looked the items that were littering the ground while also picking up those that were raining down from the sky. As he had been pushing his [Heart of the Eternal Flame] to the extremes, including infusing it into his domain, Vahn had created an aura that was hot enough that it had been heating up the entire floor around him for around 513m. The Ill Wyverns were only at the peak of Level 3, and their defenses couldn't tolerate the several thousand degrees of Vahn's domain as they writhed about in pain before falling from the sky. Vahn thought it was quite the apocalyptic sight but had already appeased his frustrations and needed to return to the floors above.
The height of the ceiling was nearly 500m, but Vahn had a way to negate that as his domain turned a pale gold color as a link of chain emerged from the void and created a rigid line in the air. Vahn used [Shundo] to leap up and used his [Enkidu] as a foothold to reach the hole in the ceiling. It would take some time for other dragons to spawn in the area and 'pester' him, so Vahn wasn't worried about being interrupted. He needed to get out before the holes started to close up, which was why he set such a short time frame for his small venting session. Using his Báihǔ form, Vahn created footholds in the walls of the hole before bounding up with jumps that were strong enough to cause cones of air to break around his body. In less than a minute and a half, Vahn had passed through six floors before arriving at the original hole he had leaped down. With one final leap, Vahn emerged from the hole before extending his hand and placing a barrier between him and the leaping Tiona.
Because his body had yet to cool down, she would have burned herself if she got close to him so Vahn had no choice but to prevent her actions as expediently as possible. Tiona smashed into the relatively invisible barrier before rubbing her nose with teary eyes as she said, "Vahn, how cruel..." Vahn became flustered by her words but the other girls had already stepped forward as Riveria scolded, "Look at his body, Tiona, you would have burned yourself quite badly if you continued forward..." Hearing her words, Tiona frowned slightly before saying, "I don't mind getting a little burned though~!"
Ais walked over and placed her hand against the barrier before looking down at Tiona and saying, "But Vahn would feel bad if you got burned...and then he would have to heal you..." Tiona reacted as if she had just heard a devastating piece of news and looked at Vahn was an apologetic expression and said, "Sorry, Vahn...cool off quickly, okay~?" Though she seemed genuinely sorry at first, Tiona quickly recovered and bounded up to her feet as she pounded her fist against the barrier. She wasn't the only one either, as both Riveria and Lefiya had walked forward to inspect it as well. Vahn alleviated their curiosity by saying, "It's not as strong as your [Via Shilheim], but it is a practical solution to stop some physical attacks. It wouldn't work if Tiona was serious, but it...was enough at the moment." Vahn still felt awkward seeing Tiona collide into the barrier and walked forward after dispelling his heat and immediately embraced her as he said, "I'm sorry, Tiona..."
From the side, Fenrir had been watching the events play out from start to finish and couldn't help but feel that Tiona had been a little 'sneaky' this time. Her Master would have come into the stairs when he was ready, but she had jumped out regardless and caused a small incident that guaranteed that her Master would take care of her for a short while. They had all been a little worried about him, which meant they would want to welcome him back when he returned, but Tiona had beaten them all to the punch. Though she had 'suffered' a little, she now got to enjoy Masters's pampering as an apology...Fenrir thought she was indeed a very sneaky girl...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Excursion comes to an end','Vahn is an angry boi','Sneaky Tiona...')
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