After returning from their training session, Vahn had his usual meeting with Finn and discussed various matters that were going on with the expedition. They had been fortunate enough to only sustain a few injuries, with only one death thus far, but their reserve stock of healing supplies had started to diminish. By Finn's approximation, they would be able to continue their efforts for three more days without any issues, but it would become increasingly dangerous to take action as their supplies grew thin. If an emergency situation did occur, later on, it would potentially turn into a disaster if they didn't have potions on hand to deal with the situation.
Though Vahn had several hundred such potions in his inventory, he kept the matter to himself for the time being so it wouldn't weight into Finn's decisions as Commander. He would use them during an emergency, assuming he couldn't heal the wounds on his own, but he wasn't going to support the Expedition unnecessarily since they were nearly finished with all their missions. At this point, the Loki Familia was just gathering 'extra' stuff while the members focused on increasing their strength and earning personal profits. Vahn wanted the journey into the Deeper Floors to take place sooner, so he didn't see any need to turn over his own emergency supplies for the benefit of others. Even if it was required at some point, Vahn would still request proper payment because he had to take into consideration the 'status' of the Hestia Familia. They weren't the patsies of the Loki Familia to be used for their 'convenience' after all...
Once his meeting with Finn had come to an end, Vahn updated Riveria with the pertinent information because he trusted she would make decisions that took into consideration the Hestia Familia and the Alliance as a whole. Finn was very 'loyal' to the Loki Familia, but he was somewhat biased as a result of his ideologies and the life he had lived. As Riveria was a resident of the Hearth Manor, and someone he trusted, Vahn gave her a list of his 'emergency' supplies after briefing her about Lefiya's progress and the growth of the other girls. They were both keeping track of the data and towards the end, Riveria told Vahn to keep his own Level-Up a secret and, if possible, put off letting the others increase their levels until they returned to the surface. This would allow them to rest properly after increasing their strength and also give them less of a reason for wanting to venture deeper into the Dungeon. The exception to this was Fenrir, as she was a 'monster' and it wasn't that conspicuous for her Level to increase through combat.
As a result of his discussion with Riveria, which Vahn shared with the other girls, it was decided that he would help them increase their parameters as much as possible but they would have levels increased by Hestia before reporting their updated levels to Eina and the Guild. Though they all had a desire to grow even stronger, the girls understood that it was important to adapt to the changes in their body so they don't overdraft their potential. It might not be an issue, as they all had flame seeds in their chests, but it was a real concern they needed to take into consideration. Growing too quickly could affect the mentality of a person and cause them to develop an ego or result in them making a grievous error during combat. By refining their skills through training, they would be able to make better use of their parameters in the future while also promoting their growth further.
Since he wasn't prone to keeping secrets, at least from the people he trusted, Vahn also discussed his own strength with the girls and the direction he was taking his own growth. This included informing Tiona and Tione that he was almost to the point where he was stronger than both girls. Knowing this was important for two reasons, as it meant Vahn was very nearly at the point where he could give the girls a flame seed of their own while also becoming a 'capable' mate for the future. Though neither girl intended to get pregnant yet, especially knowing what the future might hold, just knowing they could made them excited. When they returned to the surface, Vahn promised to 'take care' of them both...
Tione didn't seem to want to wait, but she wasn't able to do anything since everyone slept in the same room. Unless she could 'catch' Vahn away from the encampment somehow, there was no way for her to actually make any advances on him. With Tiona and Ais around, she wouldn't be able to 'trick' him into leaving the camp with her either. As Vahn was stronger than she was, had higher perception, and even made use of a magic called [Shundo] that she couldn't really deal with, Tione had no choice but to be patient. She had already waited for a while, so it wasn't that difficult to wait for a little longer. However, this didn't stop her from fantasizing about 'accidentally' breaking the crates of Elixirs so things would be sped up...
---
Over the next four days, as there had been no major incidents that resulted in things being sped up, Vahn continued training with Fenrir, Mikoto, Lefiya, Lili, Naaza and the somewhat 'troublesome' Haruhime. She knew there was pretty much nothing preventing her from being with Vahn any longer so she had been making steady advances on him while even trying to seduce him when they were in the bath together. After accepting her offer to wash his body, Haruhime had covered her chest with soap before 'grinding' against him while sitting in his lap. If Vahn had less control over his body, and Fenrir wasn't present to keep her in check, things might have developed in a 'dangerous' direction.
As a result of their efforts, most of the girls were at the peak of their growth for their respective levels and Vahn was satisfied to see they were all around 4400-4700 parameters per Level. As they were all Tier 1 souls, not that Vahn could determine this accurately, they had reached the limit of their growth and would have to increase their level if they wanted to progress further. After reaching their 'peaks', each girl had become somewhat restless yet tired at the same time. Just like Vahn had felt 'full' when he reached the limit of his own growth, they all complained about aches in their bodies which generally resulted in Vahn pampering them a bit.
The only exception to this was Mikoto, as even Lefiya had opened up a great deal when they were in private, who continued to polish her skills almost tirelessly. Unless Vahn made her take a break, she spent the majority of the time she wasn't on the 51st-floor training in the forest. Her [Battōjutsu] had increased to G-Rank now and she had started experimenting with trying to use the techniques listed within the scroll. So far, other than the setup strikes, Mikoto hadn't had any major success but it wouldn't be too long before she reached a basic mastery of the beginner techniques. She would likely be polishing the style for several years, so it wasn't too surprising that she hadn't made much progress after just six days. Her Agility and Dexterity had broken through the 'limit' though, so she had a much stronger foundation to work with now...
During the evening of the fourth day, Vahn found himself inside the Command Tent with Gareth, Riveria, and Finn as they began discussing the matters that would take place starting tomorrow. Their food stores were still more than 80% full, as Vahn had been supplementing them a fair amount to appease the expedition members, but their essential supplies like Elixirs, Antidotes, and Medicinal Bandages were running low. They had reached the point where it was better to shore up their defenses than it was to continue trying to venture into the 51st Floor. This meant it was time for the main party, which consisted of Finn, Gareth, Riveria, Bete, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, Vahn, and Fenrir would be making their way deeper into the Dungeon.
Finn wanted Haruhime to accompany them into the Deeper Floors, as her [Uchide no Kozuchi] would be quite 'useful'. However, Vahn outright refused to take her along because there was no easy way to guarantee her safety. He knew better than anyone how powerful her Level-Up magic was, but he wasn't going to 'use' her just because she was convenient. Vahn was against trying to break beyond the 59th floor right now since it would potentially cause their enemies to panic and do something drastic, so he didn't mind if they returned to the surface sooner. Since Finn was one of the important members of the Alliance, Vahn directly told him about the potential threat their enemies posed and that it was simply 'unwise' to provoke them until they were absolutely ready.
Though he understood Vahn's reasoning, Finn was obligated to at least try to break the record as it was the purpose of the Expedition currently. Vahn once again disagreed, however, as he said the purpose of their expedition was to complete their assigned missions and ensure the greatest profit with the least risk to their personnel. Even if it took longer, they would eventually have even stronger members to accompany them into the Deeper Floors into the future and this would guarantee the Loki Familia was able to break the record. There was no sense in 'forcing' the issue in the present, especially since there were few benefits to actually be had probing into unknown arctic floors. If they waited a year or two, Vahn could make equipment that was completely weatherproof while also increasing the capabilities of all the core members. Putting their lives at risk for 'temporary' glory was pointless, as the 59th floor wasn't the bottom of the Dungeon.
As a result of Vahn's insistence, and him receiving support from both Gareth and Riveria, Finn found himself in a difficult position where he was forced to compromise. The current clear record for the Loki Familia was the 53rd Floor, so Finn said they would turn back if they were able to breach through to the 54th Floor, or if their supplies ran low. Though it was a bit shameless, Finn was relying on Vahn's 'storage magic' to hold the majority of their supplies so they wouldn't have to be reliant on weaker Supporters. It was customary for them to take some of the Level 4s from the second group to act as their Supporters in the Deeper Floors, but Vahn's presence invalidated that.
Since he didn't want to pressure Finn too hard, Vahn agreed to the compromise and became a back-line Supporter for the duration of the dive into the Deeper Floors. He didn't too much though, considering he wanted to protect Fenrir and Lefiya from danger anyways. This also allowed him to make better use of his support capabilities and allowed him to conserve energy for emergency situations. Simply being present to replenish Riveria's and Lefiya's mana already made him a highly valuable asset to the group. Riveria had seen Lefiya's new staff and had eyed it like a predator as she took several notes about its usage and capabilities.
Because she had been so interested, Vahn informed her that he could 'create' her a staff that was similar, as it would be beneficial if she had 'no-chant' magic on hand, but Riveria declined for the time being. Her staff was already near the pinnacle of S-Rank and was considered one of the five best staves in the entire world. When he had asked to analyze it with his Inventory, Riveria had agreed but Vahn found that he couldn't actually store the item away at all. Though he wasn't able to see through it, the staff apparently had a 'spirit' of its own and simply refused to be 'kept away' from its user. This was a surprising discovery for Riveria as well and she accepted the staff like it was a priceless treasure, and decided to study it more in the future.
From what he could discern, with his [Master Smith], [Metallurgy], and [Eyes of Truth], the staff was made out of Mithril, the incredibly valuable Holydite metal, the carved branch of a sacred tree, and nine Magic Treasure Stones embedded in the head. Compared to most weapons, it actually had a bit of an 'aura' to it, so Vahn could understand why it was considered to have a spirit. Unless he earned the respect and trust of the weapon, it probably would never allow him to put it away in his inventory. This meant Vahn was relatively 'blind' as he wasn't able to analyze the items forged by other people without letting them sit for a little while. He was, however, relatively confident he could re-forge the staff on his own and perhaps glean some insight into it as a result...?
When Vahn had this thought, a very different one entered his mind and he simply opened up his shop and searched for the [Magna Alfs] within. Many of the items he received from the shop were 'forged' by other blacksmiths, at least in their original records, so there was no reason he could think of that it wouldn't be listed. As expected, Vahn easily found it's price listed at 3,700,000OP and was rather surprised. However, he noticed that there were actually multiple [Magna Alfs] listed, including a version that was only worth 290,000OP. Vahn wasn't sure which version Riveria had but, since it was purported to be one of the five best staves in the world, he assumed it was on the higher end.
(A/N: Btw, Vahn can't see items he forged within the system shop for obvious reasons :P)
---
After finalizing their future plans, Vahn left the Command Tent with Fenrir and returned to the rest to explain the decisions that had been made. Haruhime had a slight complex look on her face when she heard that Vahn refused Finn's request to have her accompany them, but she didn't say anything. Vahn had already made his decision and it would just stress him out unnecessarily if she tried to be insistent. Besides, her presence would make it much easier for them to progress even deeper and Haruhime kind of wanted to return to the surface sooner. She was looking forward the hitting Level 3 and finally adding her name to the 'schedule'. Though it had only been a few months since she was saved by Vahn, Haruhime hadn't wanted to wait one day, much less a hundred. She had put in all of her efforts to become stronger, all so that she could stay at Vahn's side, and there wasn't going to be anything in her way once they returned to the surface...
Since the majority of them would be rising early in the morning, everyone went to bed rather early after Vahn provided the food for a private dinner with just the residents of the Hearth Manor. Vahn discussed the importance of the other girls staying safe while he was away, something they were all well aware of, while Tiona incessantly teased Lefiya by handing her food. Even though Lefiya wasn't hungry, she felt a strange compulsion to eat things that were offered to her and it was difficult to refuse since Ais was also present. She had been able to open up a bit more in the past few days, as a result of Vahn's 'orders', so Ais and her had grown a lot closer.
As Vahn had been cuddling up with Fenrir and Lili every night, it was a little difficult to get space around Vahn. As a result, Lefiya had been able to cuddle up with Ais and it almost made her little heart explode in her chest the first time. Not only had she grown much stronger, to the point where she couldn't even believe it herself, but everything had been getting progressively better after she 'accepted' Vahn completely. She was able to improve her relationship with Ais, had made friend with Fenrir, and was even getting along better with girls like Lili and Haruhime. Though there had been nothing stopping her from doing so in the past, Lefiya credited her current happiness to Vahn, who had become somewhat numb to the constant increase of her Loyalty...
(A/N: This was the official end to the chapter, but I guess everyone would like to know the current Status of everyone present (with the exception of Vahn, Tiona, Ais, and Tione. Once he reached Level 4, Vahn's parameter development took a massive hit so he needs to fight much stronger monsters to grow fast again. BTW, good luck with this huge dump below xD.)
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[[STATUS]]
Name: Sanjouno Haruhime
Race: Renard
LV. 2(+)
POW: 440+(G251)->(C798)
END: 648+(G298)->(B825)
DEX: 698+(F372)->(S902)
AGI: 1053+(E444)->(S940)
MAG: 1548+(A837)->(SSS1258)
Skill: [Inari:E], [Prometheus's Blessing:A], [Heroic Strike:E->C], [Featherfoot:A->S]
Magic: [Uchide no Kozuchi:B], [Kokonoe:C->B], [Icicle Edge:B->A]
Development Skill: [Moon Priestess:Innate(sealed)], [Spirit Healing:A], [Hunter:G->E], [Mage(sealed)]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[[STATUS]]
Name: Liliruca Arde
Race: Pallum
LV. 2(+)
POW: 887+(S943)->(SSS1236)
END: 941+(A805)->(SS1001)
DEX: 676+(D558)->(C669)
AGI: 598+(C666)->(B757)
MAG: 811+(SS1002)->(SS1040)
Skill: [Artel*Assist:B], [Atlas: Innate:G->F], [Prometheus's Blessing:A], [Oniyuri:D->C]
Magic: [Cinder*Ella:A]
Development Skill: [Abnormal Resistance:F->E], [Spearman:(sealed), [Swordsman:(sealed)], [Crush:(sealed)], [Fist Strike:(sealed)], [Spirit Healing:(sealed)]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[[STATUS]]
Name: Naaza Erisuis
Race: Chienthrope
LV. 2(+)
POW: 457+(D529)->(D572)
END: 434+(D598)->(C636)
DEX: 615+(S903)->(SS1040)
AGI: 722+(A820)->(S907)
MAG: 378+(S955)->(SSS1137)
Skill: [Bow Mastery:B], [Eagle Eye:B], [Prometheus's Blessing:A], [Critical Eye:I](new)
Magic: [Awen:Innate(sealed)], [Darbh Daol:A]
Development Skill: [Mixing:B], [Mage:(sealed)], [Spirit Healing:(sealed)], [Archery:(sealed)]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[[STATUS]]
Name: [Fenrir]
Level:3(+)
POW: 1302+(C644)->(A811)
END: 1305+(D529)->(B768)
DEX: 1639+(A889)->(SSS1129)
AGI: 1543+(S931)->(SSS1304)
MAG: 388+(C612)->(B701)
Skills: [Insatiable Hunger:Innate(-)], [Lunar Cry:A], [Freezing Roar:A], [Chainbreaker:C], [Devour:SS], [Huntress:SS], [Endeavor:C->B], [Severing Claws:C->B]
Magic: -
Development Abilities: [Chain Attack:D->C], [Fist Fighter:(sealed)], [Acrobatics:(sealed)], [Mimickry:(sealed)]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[[STATUS]]
Name: Lefiya Viridis
Race: Elf
LV. 3(+)
POW: 421+(G238)->(G294)
END: 692+(D557)->(S913)
DEX: 1281+(F330)->(B798)
AGI: 1459+(F304)->(S908)
MAG: 1998+(SS1008)->(SSS1708)(A/N: Now this is pod racing!)
Skills: [Fairy Cannon:B->A], [Concurrent Chanting:E->D], [Prometheus's Blessing:A]
Magic: [Rattatoskr:Innate:(sealed)], [Arcs Ray:C], [Fusillade Fallarica:C], [Elf Ring:C]
Development Abilities: [Daughter of Wishe:I], [Mage:B], [Abnormal resistance:F], [Spirit Healing:(sealed)]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[[STATUS]]
Name: Yamato Mikoto
Race: Human
LV. 2(+)
POW: 634+(D597)->(C647)
END: 628+(D568)->(C620)
DEX: 740+(S962)->(SSS1209)
AGI: 722+(B748)->(SS1003)
MAG: 531+(B703)->(S941)
Skill: [Yatanokurogarasu:B], [Prometheus's Blessing:A], [Battōjutsu:H->G]
Magic: [Futsunomitama:B], [Apocalypse: Innate(sealed)]
Development Skill: [Abnormal Resistance:C], [Swordsman:(sealed)], [Acrobatics:(sealed)]
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(A/N: You made it. I am proud of you (UwU)~!)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP Finn's Authority...','The Return to the surface will be bloody','Massive Dump')
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After an uneventful rest, Vahn awoke early in the morning, around 3 AM, so that he could ensure everything was ready by the time they left at 5 AM. Since they were going to be apart for several days, everyone woke up along with Vahn and they all enjoyed a lively breakfast with each other as they talked about what they wanted to do when they returned to the surface. Vahn wanted to focus on forging for a while, make some headway on his research, and eventually start using the orb again once it reactivated. He accepted that Naaza and Lefiya wanted to help in his research, and Vahn expected Riveria would probably join them, or at the very least compare notes.
As for the girls, many of them just wanted to find more ways to spend time with him in the future so Vahn promised that they would do 'family' excursions on the weekends and go do some thrill-seeking in the countryside. He also wanted to map out the area around Orario more comprehensively in preparation for when enemies begin to appear. He also had the idea to start making secret bases all around the City so they would always have a safe haven if the Hearth Manor came under attack. Though he didn't expect many people would have the power to break through to the heart of the City, especially when they were surrounded by the Alliance, it was better safe than sorry.
The last part of his 'departing ceremony' with the girls was to pamper them a bit before sharing short exchanges, which typically involved him having to embrace and kiss them. It was a little awkward, as he hadn't actually kissed them too often, but Vahn also gave Haruhime and Lili a kiss when they had asked. Having to kneel down for Lili made Vahn feel a little dull in the head, while Haruhime was far more skilled than he expected her to be. She actually had a strange honey-like taste to her saliva that was a little peculiar. His most surprising parting, however, had been when Naaza also asked for a kiss, though it was significantly tamer than the 'efforts' of Lili and the 'assault' of Haruhime. As for Mikoto, she wasn't quite at that stage yet though Vahn expected she would agree if he asked her to...
Shortly after sharing his final exchange, something slightly troublesome happened that made Vahn feel a bit of panic stir inside of him. Fenrir had been watching the proceedings with her scarlet eyes and, once everyone had a turn, she asked, "Can Vahn kiss Fenrir~?" Though she knew about 'waiting' until she was older, that had been before she became more aware of the important differences between the opposite sex. Since Vahn 'even' kissed Lili and Haruhime, Fenrir didn't want to be the only person left out so she stared at him with 'pleading' eyes that actually made her look somewhat miffed.
Vahn thought about it for a short moment before asking, "Fenrir, can you keep things in your mouth without them dissolving?" Though he didn't plan to give her a 'deep' kiss, Vahn was curious about it as it could be very important information for the future. Even the Fenrir in the Divination didn't try to kiss him at all so Vahn suspected it was a 'problem'. Hearing his words, Fenrir tilted her head to the side and allowed her ears to flop before taking out her 'favorite' magic core and placing it into her mouth. There was a small knotted cord attached to the zipper of her pouch that allowed her to open it by pulling it between the gaps of her paws.
As Vahn had expected, the moment the core went beyond her teeth it broke down into a liquid form and Fenrir swallowed it on instinct. She had an expression like she had swallowed a fly until Vahn said, "I'll give you a small peck on the lips, but you can't do anything further. I might get a phobia related to kissing if I ended up losing my tongue..." Fenrir perked up a bit and trotted over to Vahn as she said, "Fenrir won't eat Vahn's tongue~! Kiss, kiss, kiss~!" As 'innocent' as it sounded, Vahn couldn't help but feel slightly worried as he bent down and kissed the excited wolf girl for a brief moment before parting. She placed both of her paws over her mouth and rocked her body from side to side in a happy manner like she was trying to stifle a laugh.
Once that small trouble was taken care of, though Vahn expected it might evolve into a bigger one later, he made his way to the rendezvous area with Ais, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Fenrir in tow. Command of the encampment had already been turned over to Raul, though Vahn wasn't exactly sure of the reasoning, so Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Bete were already waiting for them near the camp's entrance. Bete, always the abrasive egoist, saw them arriving and commented, "It's about time you bastards showed up..." before sniffing the air and saying and scoffing. Fenrir seemed to be very annoyed by Bete's well, everything, but Vahn had told her several times not to associate with him. To enforce it, Vahn had even 'ordered' her to do her best to ignore him unless he was trying to harm her or one of the members of the Hestia Familia.
Completely ignoring Bete, Vahn smiled to Riveria and Gareth before saying, "I double-checked all the supplies, so we're good to go, Finn." Nodding his head, Finn smiled at the group before looking around and saying, "Very well, it looks like everyone is ready to go. Our objective is to clear down the 54th floor and gather proof from the monsters located there. If possible, we'll document any new species and collect as many items as we can before returning to the encampment. If our supplies hold out well over this short expedition, we may stay a while longer on the 50th floor, but we'll evaluate that when the time comes."
Vahn nodded his head in affirmation before adding, "Keep in mind that there are enemies lurking within the Dungeon, so if you see anything strange share it with the group. Don't wander off on your own and keep your wits about you..." Hearing his words, Beta clicked his tongue before muttering, "This weakling is cautioning other people..." However, Vahn didn't even have to consider rebutting him because Ais looked at Bete with her golden eyes and a slightly displeased expression as she said, "Vahn is already very strong...even stronger than you...probably." Though she was confident in Vahn, Ais hadn't actually seen his performance recently and she knew that Bete wasn't exactly weak either.
Bete seemed to be very offended by Ais's words and shouted, "Eeeeeiii!? What the fuck did you say!?" Just as he was about to take a step forward though, Gareth grabbed him by the arm and had a stern expression on his face as he said, "We have a mission to perform, now isn't the time for things like this. If you want to butt heads, do it like men and make a wager of it up on the surface. No sense in insulting each other and starting fights in the heart of the Dungeon. Besides, Vahn is right to be cautious, as that is the type of mentality that saves lives. You should be well aware of that, Bete..." As Gareth had been something of a father-figure for Bete for many years, the aggressive Werewolf boy simply jerked his arm away from Gareth's grasp and started walking toward their destination.
Finn turned to the rest of the group with a somewhat awkward smile before returning to normal as he said, "Everyone, stay on your toes and let's do our best to set a new record for both of our Familia!" Following Finn's words, everyone raised their respective weapons and gave a short hurrah before heading in the same direction as Bete. Their pace would be relatively slow, as they were trying to conserve as much energy as possible, so it was a good opportunity to just make idle conversation for a while. Vahn was in the back of the group, acting as a Supporter and ranged combatant, alongside Riveria, Lefiya, and Fenrir. Since they had yet to actually start fighting, Tiona was hanging around Vahn and they were having a fun conversation until reaching the entrance to the 51st Floor.
Though he normally would have explained things, Finn knew that Vahn's group had enjoyed a great deal of success on the 51st floor and it was unnecessary to brief them on it. Thus, without any major flair or hesitation, the group continued along the path until the first batch of monsters spawned. It was still the same old Black Rhinos, something Vahn had seen more than ten-thousand times over the last two weeks, but the number that emerged from the corridor was much higher than what he had seen previously. As their party size was at ten, far more than the three Vahn had been traveling with, the standard spawn of monsters was between 60-200 on the low end, compared to the 9-15 Vahn usually dealt with. Though they weren't a major threat, especially with Lefiya's 'Radiant Lancers' now piercing through enemies and devastating them, Vahn could see why it was impossible to take an expedition through these floors.
Unlike the majority of the upper floors, the 51st and beyond had corridors that were only around 8m wide, 8m tall, and there were several twists and turns that appeared all around. It was truly the most labyrinthine structure Vahn had seen and it would be impossible for a large group to traverse through with how many monsters would spawn. Vahn couldn't even imagine what it would look like with several thousand Black Rhinos clogging up the Dungeon floor, but it didn't seem like it would be pleasant at all. Even now, with groups larger than one-hundred, they had to be dealt with quickly or there was a chance of them overwhelming the group with their tireless charging.
Seeing how 'devastating' Lefiya had become in such a short period of time, Finn looked back and commented, "It seems your training with Vahn has been going well, Lefiya. I'm truly amazed at how strong you've become in such a short period of time..." Though he truly meant the compliment, Finn's expression became a little weird because he saw Vahn walking with his hand on Lefiya's shoulder. It was a little out of place, as they were in the Dungeon, but it was especially strange that Lefiya was 'okay' with it. As it seemed like a strange thing to ask, the only thing Finn could do was shake his head and continue fighting while mentally commenting how 'another' girl had 'fallen' to Vahn.
Finn was beginning to think that Vahn's idea about 'saving' people and helping them become stronger was the 'correct' path since Lefiya's growth was simply ridiculous. Seeing as how she also seemed fond of Vahn, Finn wondered what it would be like if he raised a few capable Pallums up into warriors in the future. Even if he didn't specifically raise a girl to become his wife in the future, there was still a chance something might happen. Though he wasn't the type to brag about it, there had been more than four-hundred women that had sought him out in the past so Finn believed the odds were favorable...
As for why Vahn was walking through the Dungeon with his hand on Lefiya's shoulder, it was to obviously let the girl continually cast her magic without having to worry too much about her mana consumption. Vahn had already confirmed that he could help promote Lefiya's Endurance by the constant baptism of source energy, so there was really no reason not to do it. He had even shared this with Riveria, though he didn't mention anything about source energy, and she had even been tempted to 'test' it herself. However, Riveria wasn't really casting magic simultaneously like Lefiya so there was no need for Vahn to 'feed' her a constant supply. She was conserving her mana for things like Monster Parties and other dangerous situations, so it simply wasn't the proper time to test Vahn's theory. Besides, Riveria wasn't like Lefiya and she couldn't imagine showing any form of affection in public, even if it wasn't actually intended to be one.
Since he wasn't supposed to be fighting, unless it was an emergency, Vahn continued to scan around the Dungeon and picking up any of the loose materials that would sometimes be hidden in the grass. Some of them were important ingredients in creating potions and Vahn knew that Naaza would be grateful for the extra resources for her research. He was also looking for any signs of 'tampering' to the Dungeon itself while keeping his eyes peeled for enemy movements.
It had been a total of sixteen days since the expedition entered the Dungeon and there had yet to be any signs of them at all. However, since the red-haired woman was able to track him down twice in a short period of time, Vahn knew they had some way to track them. They had probably set up some kind of trap, perhaps during their return trip, so Vahn hadn't dropped his guard.
---
Because of the complexity of the floor, it took the group nearly seven hours before they reached the stairs leading to the 52nd Floor. Along the way, they had killed more than nine-thousand Black Rhinos and a total of 108 Formis Spiders, which had almost all been killed by Lefiya. Though she was already near the peak of Level 3, Lefiya still had a bit of room for further development and she would potentially even be able to reach as high as 5,000 parameters if she were lucky. Vahn had noticed a subtle change in her 'spiritual body' after she awakened her Innate and it seemed to have increased her 'potential' a fair amount.
Vahn had previously discussed this with Lefiya and also mentioned the existence of the two items he had received from her, which he explained were the 'proof' of their bond with each other. Knowing that Vahn had been able to create an item that was actually capable of reviving the dead had been a shocker to Lefiya, but hearing about the [Wishe's Blessing] had left her in complete disbelief. An item that could purify the bloodline of Elves and High Elves was something that would, without embellishment, cause the High Elves to go to war in an effort to obtain. There would be no end to the killing that would be brought about as the result of such discovery because the 'purity' of their blood was the most important thing.
Though he had offered to use it on her, after returning to the surface, Lefiya adamantly refused to accept it because it was far too dangerous. She was well-known amongst the other Elves and High Elves so there was no way she would be able to keep it a secret if it somehow made her into something like a High Elf, or even a Spirit. Just knowing she was a direct descendant of Wishe was enough for her right now, though Vahn didn't plan to let the matter lay in the future. He would undoubtedly have a conflict with the High Elves anyways, so he didn't see the need to be so round-about regarding the situation. Lefiya would only benefit from receiving [Wishe's Blessing] in the future, and Vahn was certain he could convince her to take it when they return.
To guarantee things would go well, Vahn also discussed the matter with Riveria, who had an equally 'mortified' response. Riveria didn't know that Lefiya was a direct descendant of Wishe, as most of her descendants were High Elves, but knowing that he had an item that purifies blood was a big 'problem'. Lefiya wasn't a High Elf, so she would probably be killed if she tried to return to the Elven Kingdom after it became known. There was no possibility that the noble families would allow someone that wasn't a member to run around with 'their' bloodline contained within her. They would treat her as the daughter of a traitor and potentially even kill her entire family just to ensure that there were no others born of the same heritage.
Vahn hadn't taken into consideration Lefiya's family as she had never really talked about them in the past. Though he had her [Hearts Desire], Vahn talked to her about it and she asked him to hold onto it for the time being, just like Riveria. Though she couldn't give many details, Vahn learned from Riveria that Lefiya was actually 'orphaned' and had spent many of her formative years studying at the Guild-sponsored School in Orario. Even Riveria wasn't entirely sure about where Lefiya originated, but it was actually very rare for an Elf to have dark-blue eyes. One of the reasons Riveria had made Lefiya her protege was in order to protect her while she researched her origins.
Now that she had learned that Lefiya was a descendant of Wishe, her origins likely related to the High Elf family known as Dal Alfan. Though they weren't the only Elves to have dark-blue eyes, they were the ones that purportedly claimed to belong to the direct lineage of Wishe. Riveria wasn't sure how an 'Elf' was born to a family of High Elves, but it most likely meant that one of their members had a tryst with a normal Elf that resulted in pregnancy. Typically, such children would become servants and sent out to various branch families where their lives wouldn't be that great. If they actually found out about Lefiya's existence, they would likely try to 'claim' or 'kill' her in the future.
Though she didn't disagree with Vahn using the [Wishe's Blessing] on Lefiya in the future, Riveria stressed that he should wait until they had already opened dialogue with the Elven Kingdom. At the very least, the Hestia Familia needed to increase its own power, so that assassins wouldn't be able to target her in the future. When he mentioned potentially having Eina or herself use the item, Riveria hesitated for a while before saying it was only 'right' to use it on Lefiya. Besides, she wasn't a 'direct' descendant of Wishe and actually hailed from the 'main' bloodline of Alf, one of the ancestors of the High Elves. All of the members of her Family could typically be recognized by their emerald-green hair, but their most distinctive trait was their jade-colored eyes. Of all the elven families, they were the only ones that had 'jade' eyes, though there were several variations of green spread amongst other families. The easiest way to confirm if the green was the correct 'jade' was the fact that their eyes caught the light from angles and made them appear to glow, whereas normal green eyes didn't have such a feature...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir want kiss (Ծ‸ Ծ)','BeteReeeeeeeee~!','Lefiya's Origins (⊙﹏⊙)?'
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