Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 32 - Growth : Disciple

As Lili stared at the unconscious Vahn, she couldn't help but clean the blood from around his face.

"Eeeeeh!? Isn't he way too handsome?" She was shocked when she finally saw his face. Her heart, which had just recently calmed down, began to beat loudly in her chest.

With a fl.u.s.tered expression and a mild blush, she stared closely into the face of the sleeping boy...

After a while, she looked around to confirm there was nobody in the area before mocking herself for her caution. Trying to calm herself, she began to focus on the boy once again. She reached out her hand ...and started poking him in the cheek. "Ehehehe~ Such a cute sleeping face."

While this was happening, the seemingly unconscious Vahn couldn't help but sweat internally. Although his body had been put into a 'dormant' state by the effigy, he was still aware of everything going on around him. He could feel the softness of the thighs on the back of his head and the muttering of the girl as she gently poked his cheek while laughing.

Vahn remembered how Bell had saved her in the original plot, and how she began to follow him around after the event. He began to worry she would become attached to him in the same way, but tried putting the issue to the back of his mind temporarily.

There was no way he could have ignored her suffering as it had happened right in front of him. He didn't regret saving her, nor how he had almost died due to the intermixing of the two opposing energies within his body. His only regret was the fact she had to suffer for so long in the first place. While he was running around training, interacting with people, and enjoying good food...she was still under the oppressive influence of her supposed comrades from the same Familia...

Though, this situation wasn't all bad. This incident proved that his strength was growing rapidly, and he was beginning to possess the strength that would allow him to alter the fate of those around him. If they had met sooner, he would still have tried to save her, but the outcome may have been vastly different. It was fortunate that the sc.u.mbags were all only level 1, and weren't very proficient in combat due to their lifestyle choices. Vahn knew his future opponents would be far more powerful, proficient, and experienced in combat, planning, and tactics.

At this time Lili had begun to stroke his head while mumbling under her breath. Vahn's instincts told him it would be very dangerous to listen to what she was saying since he was supposed to be unconscious right now. To distract himself, he began reviewing the changes in his status as a result of the fight and his previous exploration of the dungeon.

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Name: [Vahn Mason]

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameters: [Danmachi: 1-4]

-Level:1[+](0)

-Power: S909 -> SS1001

-Endurance: B740 -> SS1108

-Dexterity: A833 -> A887

-Agility: A889 -> S940

-Magic: SSS1493 -> SSS1611

-Total: 4864 -> 5547

Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)

Karma: 721 -> 749

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He now had raw stats nearing the peak strength of a Level 2 while his Magic and Endurance had grown to monstrous values. It turns out the collision of the forces within his body had helped to temper his endurance. Most surprising of all though was that his [Pain Tolerance: S] had evolved into a new innate skill called [Rakshasa Body].

[Rakshasa Body]

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

[Passive]: Provides a moderate increase to pain resistance. Allows the body to disperse internal forces. Promotes natural recovery rate.

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

This became Vahn's second innate skill, and would probably become one of his trump cards in the future. He looked forward to being able to test its effects, but the active component of the skill worried him a bit...

Vahn continued going through his status and had begun to grow bored, so he made casual conversation with Sis. She was sulking a bit since Vahn had gone into a 'rage' state where he once again became unresponsive, but she forgave him since it was brought about by his resolve to save someone.

(*So what are you going to do with her?*) She asked, more mechanically than usual.

Vahn thought before 'shaking' his head. ("I'm not sure Sis. The only thing I thought about was saving her. What she does from now on is up to her.")

(*Oh? Is that really the case?*)

Vahn was confused by the questioning tone. 'Was she still angry with him for earlier?'

(*Now that you've saved her, you have to take responsibility for your actions. If you don't take care of her she'll just end up in a similar situation in the future. That is unless you plan to wipe out the Soma Familia and every other disreputable adventurer in the entire City?*)

That was one of the things Vahn was worried about as well. Lili was still young, probably between 12-13 years old. She had no parents to care for her, and the Soma Familia was full of sc.u.mbags and scoundrels that only cared about making money to satiate their addiction. The biggest factor...was that she was weak. Even if she wanted to become independent, she was unable to do so because of her lack of talent. That's why she was so easily exploited by mere level 1 adventurers.

The only options seemed to require that he either: take care of her and protect her or, help her become strong enough to protect herself. He knew she wanted to become stronger, but lacked both the confidence and the aptitude to do so.

("Sis, can I purchase items from the shop to help increase her strength?") Vahn was curious, as the thought of using his system to empower others hadn't really crossed his mind before.

(*It is impossible Vahn. Unless you were able to alter the structure of their body, they wouldn't be able to use the items within the System. The only reason you're able to do so is that The Path' had integrated with your soul and took part in the construction of your current body. The energy contained within your body is 'source' energy, while the inhabitants of this world use 'mana'. There is a fundamental difference between the structure of your body and the body of those born within the 'records'.*)

("Wait, does that mean [Senzu Beans] don't work on people in this world? And what about equipment?") After finding out about the differences in his body, he asked about the pressing matters in his mind. Was it possible that if he had given the [Senzu Bean] to Lili she would have experienced the same thing he had gone through!? The thought brought a chill to his mind.

(*That is correct, but it's not as bad as you're imagining. Since the essence contained within the bean is fundamentally different from this worlds 'mana', their body would simply filter it out and disperse it into the atmosphere. The same 'Laws' that keep the mana contained within their body would expel any foreign energy. As for equipment, any clothes or armor you purchase is automatically sized to fit your body. If you wanted to give equipment to others, you would have to unlock the 'Gift' function after triggering its quest.*)

Vahn relaxed as he listened to the first part of her words, before growing increasingly interested in the second half. He was relieved that his potential slip-up wouldn't have endangered Lili's life, and was curious about how to trigger the 'Gift' function Sis had mentioned.

After asking, Sis informed him that she couldn't disclose any information about triggering the system's functions. He would have to rely on his own efforts to discover their requirements.

...

After the three-hour imposed dormancy, Vahn finally 'awakened'. Lili, who was currently smiling as she enjoyed playing with his [Plague Mask] noticed his gaze and began to blush fiercely.

Vahn tried to lift his head from her lap, but she panicked and held his head down before speaking in a fl.u.s.tered tone. "Y-y-you shouldn't be moving so-so-suddenly. You just woke up after all!" She had been caught up in playing around with his 'unconscious' body and hadn't yet prepared herself to interact with him normally.

"I'm fine. I was just knocked unconscious as a side-effect of the item that had healed my wounds. My body is in perfect health." Though he found her actions amusing, it was very uncomfortable being held down by his head and neck. He could easily free himself if he wanted, but he didn't want to startle the girl before they had a proper conversation.

Lili reluctantly released his head before hiding her face. As Vahn checked his body, she would give him curious glances from time to time.

He looked around at the blood and gore surrounding them, and then gazed towards the shy girl who seemed to be completely oblivious to the corpses and stench surrounding them. Vahn himself was overcome by the foul smelling odor and ended up vomiting due to the induced nausea.

Lili gave an incredulous glance at the still retching Vahn, ("He is acting as if he has never seen a dead body before. Why was he able to kill them in such a ruthless manner if he can't even keep calm seeing the result? Could it be...")

"Excuse me Vahn...sama. Could it be you've never killed anyone before?" (A/N: Let me know if using honorifics is odd. I can remove them if people don't like it.)

Vahn wiped the drool from his mouth and gave her an awkward smile before shaking his head.

Seeing his response, Lili was overcome with powerful emotions. ("It's his first time killing someone, and he did it to save me!?")

She began to panic, thinking her weakness had caused the handsome and innocent boy to turn into a murderer. She even began to regret that he had saved her in the first place after seeing how much pain and trouble he had to go through...

Suddenly, a thought hit her. Though she knew his name, she hadn't even told him hers' yet. She was still being influenced by her fear and hate for adventurers, and even though the boy had saved her life she hadn't even told him her name even as he was 'dying'. The second wave of guilt hit her at the realization, and she began to cry, unable to look into the face of the boy she had wronged so irrevocably.

As she sits, crying at her own realization, a warm hand is placed on her head. She holds back her tears and looks upwards at the boy who stares at her with a gentle smile. Feeling his kindness, the guilt in her heart becomes palpable, threatening to devour her from the inside. She tries to speak out, but can't seem to form the words. She wants to apologize but doesn't know how...

Vahn smiles gently while patting the small girls head. She really is much smaller than he remembered from the manga. When standing, she is probably only around 105-110cm, so when she is sitting on the ground like this she looks like a crying child. He can see loss and guilt in her eyes and knows that she probably blames herself for everything that happened.

As he tries to comfort her, he begins to recall all the experiences he had on his date with Chloe. Every word and action seemed to be trying to help him break down the walls he had built around his heart. She didn't try to bear his burden or take advantage of his weakness. Instead, she allowed him to expose himself before her without judging him for his cowardice. Finally, she helped guide him on a path that would allow him to overcome his past and even gave him a goal to work towards...

Remembering all this, he looked down at the crying Lili and saw an image of himself, weak and afraid. It had been such a short period of time, but he was already able to become much stronger...and Vahn decided he would give her the same opportunity. He couldn't live to protect her, but he could help guide her along a path that would enable her to break free of her fears and inhibitions.

"Do you wish to become stronger?" He gently whispered the words causing Lili's body to startle.

She looked towards him with her tear stained face...and nodded. She didn't want to be weak. She didn't want others to suffer like the old couple that had helped her. She wanted to become strong enough to stand on her own two feet without having people sacrifice themselves to save her. She wanted to be like the boy in front of her...

Vahn stood up from his kneeling position and extended his hand towards the crying Lili. (A/N: Lili is quite smol so Vahn had to kneel to pat her~)

"I am Vahn Mason. If you can trust me, I can help you find your way to the path you seek."

Staring at the face of the boy, she couldn't help but imagine that the radiance of the cave had increased by several folds. After a brief hesitation...she grasped the outstretched hand.

"I'm Liliruca Arde. Please show me the way...Master Vahn."

...

[View Affection: Liliruca Arde] [Affection: 88[Trust], Intrigue:61[Curious]

(A/N: She uses Master at the end instead of Sama, because it's more personal. She sees Vahn as someone that can help her get stronger, instead of just as the boy who saved her.)