Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 480 - Unexpected Changes

Though they could have continued for a while longer, Vahn ended up calling the excursion to an early end after a little over five hours because he had started to feel a strange 'fullness'. All of his joints ached slightly and hit total parameters had just crept over the 6,500 mark during their earlier battles. Even though he wasn't contributing that much to the actual fights, Vahn was expending a great deal of energy while sustaining both Fenrir and Lefiya while also practicing his elemental control when it was suitable. He wasn't gaining a lot of exillia, but his mastery of his own Innates and his comprehension of the laws themselves were promoting his growth. Just like when he experienced huge developments in his Magic parameter in the orb, as a result of his Innates increasing in strength, Vahn was circ.u.mventing the worlds restrictions a bit.

After the exited the 51st floor, Vahn decided to take a short rest to increase his own Level so he turned to Fenrir and Lefiya before saying, "There isn't anyone within 509m of our location, but I can look around for a bit and make sure there isn't anyone beyond that either. I'll set up a basin if the two of you want to wash up and then I'm going to increase my Level. You can wait until we return to the encampment, but I can update your Status Board here if you want to check your growth..." Fenrir raised her paw like a rocket and said, "Fenrir wants to take a bath~!" before Lefiya had any chance to offer input of her own. Not wanting to make an enemy out of the small wolf girl, Lefiya showed a small smile and said, "I don't really need to take a bath...but I'd appreciate it if you set up a tent before checking the area. Taking off my clothing in the open forest is a little..."

Vahn nodded his head and removed one of the already established tents he had set up previously. Other than his large tent, Vahn had several smaller ones that were already in a condition to be used at a moments notice. To get around having to stake them down to the ground, Vahn had developed flat stone slabs that the tent rested on so he could create an entire encampment with the wave of his hand if necessary. Lefiya thanked him before making her way into the tent as if she were retreating while Fenrir was content with having an open-air bath. She wasn't worried about anyone showing up at all because she would have been able to smell the scent of any enemies if they had been in the area recently.

After filling a large basin with the 'essence' water and heating it up to a steamy temperature, Vahn scouted the surrounding area for a few kilometers and updated his minimap before returning a few minutes later. Other than a few small animals and insects, there were no other life signs and Vahn could tell by the relatively stagnant currents of mana that there hadn't been anyone coming through this area while they were down below. The only signatures he could pick up were small spatial fluctuations he had created earlier in the day and there were no discernable tracks left behind by other Adventurers. As an extra precaution, Vahn sent out several pulses of his sonar-like ability just to make sure there were no 'invisible' enemies trying to exploit a momentary gap in his awareness.

Satisfied with the relative security of the area, Vahn made his way back to their makeshift encampment and nearly fell over when he landed nearby. Though she had said she didn't need a bath earlier, Vahn found Lefiya trembling slightly as she scrubbed Fenrir's hair and fur with a special shampoo that had no scent, as Fenrir was very sensitive to 'perfumes' of most cleaning agents. She had removed barrette that held her golden-yellow hair up in a ponytail so it drapped around her back and shoulders as she made a futile attempt to hide her n.a.k.e.d figure behind Fenrir's body. As for the wolf-girl in question, Fenrir waves both paws at Vahn with a smile on her face and said, "Fenrir and Lefiya decided to take a bath together. Vahn should take a bath also~."

Though the basin Vahn had set up for Fenrir's use was quite large, as she liked to splash around a bit in the water, it wasn't a size that would be comfortable for three people to use. He scratched the side of his hair with his eyes averted to the side as he thought of a solution but was surprised to find that Lefiya, who was still using Fenrir as a shield, peeked around and said, "I...I don't m-mind..." Vahn looked over at Lefiya's fiercely blushing face and she once again hid behind the grinning Fenrir who seemed especially pleased, almost like a child that had completed a prank. Vahn had only been gone for about seven minutes earlier so he had no idea what Fenrir had done to convince Lefiya to go to this extent...

As Lefiya had likely mustered up a lot of courage for this act, Vahn decided not to disappoint her and the mischevious Fenrir. After unequipping his clothes, Vahn made his way over before lowing himself into the basin, opposite of Lefiya with Fenrir between them. Because of his height, his legs intertwined with Lefiya's which caused her blush to turn crimson as she breathed loudly through her nose. Other than when she had cared for his body, this is the closest Lefiya had willingly been to Vahn during their bath when other girls weren't around. If not for Fenrir blocking her line of sight, and her unwillingness to stare at him, there wouldn't be anything blocking her from viewing Vahn's figure up close...

Vahn could see Lefiya had lost herself in her thoughts once again and decided to let her come back to her senses on her own as he picked up a sponge and began wiping down Fenrir's body. She lifted her chin up high in response and spread both of her arms so Vahn could get all the nooks and crannies. Fenrir liked being washed by Vahn more than anyone else and it always made her feel very happy, like there were little fairies dancing about in her stomach. Fenrir had never eaten a fairy before, but she felt like this was the most accurate description because she knew they spread happiness.

While he washed her body, Vahn was passing his eyes over Fenrir with a bit of intrigue and concern as he carefully attended to her. Even though it had been several months, Fenrir's body hadn't changed at all and even the arrangement of her fur was exactly the same. Though her parameters were also increasing, there were no signs of their influence on her body and Vahn felt a similar concern for her as he had for Eva within the orb. He knew she would one day want to do 'a.d.u.l.t' things with him but Vahn was worried it would be a very painful experience for her unless he could find a way to help her body mature and evolve even further. As she was genderless as a Kobold, Fenrir's transition into becoming a female included some of the 'troublesome' aspects as well. As he often tended to her body, Vahn knew that she could be considered a 'maiden' and there was a very high chance she would always be one...

When he had been talking with Eva about her past, one of the things she confided in him was the reason why her real form was a v.i.r.g.i.n even after six-hundred years. Though her real body wasn't developed, Eva could change her form with magic and emulate the appearance of an a.d.u.l.t at the cost of a bit of mana. However, she 'complained' to him about how creepy most men were during her time as a Shinso Vampire and that regeneration almost guaranteed the event would be very painful. As she was an immortal with nearly instant regeneration, Eva would be as much a v.i.r.g.i.n before having s.e.x as she was during and after the act came to an end. Though Fenrir didn't have instant regeneration, she still returned to her default state after enough time passed which meant her body would always be trying to 'return' to normal instead of 'healing'...

Unaware of what he was thinking, Fenrir pat her paws on the water surface, since Vahn already washed her arms, and said, "If Vahn was like Fenrir, she could wash him...Fenrir really wants to wash Vahn sometime..." Broken from his mild rumination, Vahn looked into Fenrir's eyes and saw the briefest hint of a plea contained within them. Since he was afraid that he might accidentally scratch Lefiya, Vahn pulled his feet closer to his body until he knees came out of the water before a magical light appeared and caused his body to change. In even less time than the past, Vahn completed his transformation into a Vanargandr and instantly felt his legs get soaked through by water. Fenrir was ecstatic at the change and immediately dove at Vahn before nuzzling affectionately against him like she had the first two times he adopted this form.

Lefiya had been stirred to awareness by the fluctuations of magical energy and was surprised to find Vahn's hair had turned the same color as Fenrir's as a large pair of ears drooped slightly atop his head. Though she wasn't entirely sure why, Lefiya felt a little less fearful now because she knew there was little chance of Vahn doing anything now that he had paws and claws. After releasing a small sigh of relief, Lefiya realized she had lost her 'shield' because Fenrir's butt was popping up out of the water as her tail splashed about. She lowered herself further into the water and covered her chest in an attempt to hide her b.r.e.a.s.ts but noticed that Vahn wasn't really paying any attention to her. Though she had been relieved earlier, Lefiya now felt slightly vexed because she felt like she wanted him to look even though she would hide away from him if he did...

Though he might not have known the reason, Fenrir knew exactly why she acted in this manner every time her Master became the same as her. She felt a powerful compulsion to mix her scent with his, almost as if she were marking him with her scent. It was also very comfortable to rub against his body without having to worry about hurting him so it was very difficult to stop herself from indulging for a little while whenever he changed. When she was finally satisfied, Fenrir decided to keep true to her word by picking up the sponge and using it to wipe around Vahn's chest, neck, and arms in a very unskilled manner. She couldn't hold the sponge properly since her claws would just tear through it, so she had to compensate by holding it against Vahn's body like she was squishing it.

Vahn regretted his actions a little bit because Fenrir was 'eagerly' washing his body while straddling his h.i.p.s. Fortunately, even though Syr had 'taught' him to react to a girl's actions, Vahn was still able to control himself and avoid a potential disaster scenario. He just enjoyed the somewhat unskilled washing of Fenrir and casually commented, "We can't do this too often, Fenrir, but every now and then is fine..." Hearing his words, Fenrir nodded her head several times before patting Vahn's shoulder with her paw and saying, "Fenrir will wash your back now~!" Then, instead of waiting for Vahn to turn around, Fenrir stood up from the basic and 'climbed' around Vahn's body before plopping into the water behind him. Vahn squinted his eyes as a small smile appeared on his face because of how 'clever' Fenrir was trying to act...

From behind him, Fenrir pushed against his head a little and said, "Vahn, you need to scooch forward or I can't fit." Vahn was very well aware of this but he wasn't the only one as Lefiya was looking at him like a small animal that had just encountered a hunter with their bow drawn. Her bottom jaw trembled slightly as her rosy complexion began to turn somewhat pale. However, though she had obvious inhibitions, Lefiya moved back slightly and pulled her feet up to allow Vahn more space to move. Vahn smiled slightly and said, "Lefiya, go ahead and turn around...I'll help wash your hair and also update your Status Board since its a good opportunity..." Though she was being very 'brave', Vahn could see Lefiya's aura sputtering like a flame caught in a powerful wind so he wanted to give her an 'out' that didn't result in her having to retreat and overtax herself.

When she heard Vahn's words, Lefiya felt a great deal of relief as she pulled in her legs close to her body and spun around in the basin without rising. She found that it was much easier to tolerate the situation with her back to Vahn and felt some small comfort knowing that he was worried about her. Though he smiled at her, Lefiya could see the concern in his eyes and knew he was giving her a 'compromise' that still allowed her to be bold. He didn't know it, but when Vahn had left earlier to scout the area, Fenrir had come into the tent and continued to tell her that she was a 'good' girl and that it was 'okay' to get pampered by Vahn.

According to Fenrir, it would trouble Vahn if she kept 'struggling' so much and it was very obvious to Fenrir that Lefiya wanted Vahn's attention because of her behavior and the earlier remark she uttered under her breath. It was a little strange, as Fenrir was somewhat ineloquent, but Lefiya found her words strangely compelling and she eventually decided to craft a scheme with the surprisingly 'clever' wolf girl. After mustering up all of her courage, Lefiya ended up getting into the bath as she anxiously awaited Vahn's arrival. Various thoughts ran through her mind and she was very curious how Vahn would react to her sudden appearance. However, she was also very embarrassed to be seen and her emotions were at war with each other and Lefiya didn't know which ones to focus on...

Vahn could sense Lefiya's struggle as he gingerly moved her hair to the side and traced a line of blood down her back. Though he had claws now, there were small paw pads on the ends of his fingers and Vahn had pricked into one of them while paying special attention to avoid touching her skin with his claw. A blue light shone on Lefiya's back as the blood disappeared and was replaced by the smiling clown crest of the Loki Familia interspaced with several hieroglyphs that were written in the language of the gods that Vahn was easily able to interpret as a result of The Path's influence.

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[[STATUS]]

Name: Lefiya Viridis

LV. 3(+)

POW: 421+(H119)->(G238)

END: 692+(H150)->(D557)

DEX: 1281+(G202)->(F330)

AGI: 1459+(G243)->(F304)

MAG: 1998+(D577)->(SS1008)

Skills: [Fairy Cannon:C->B], [Concurrent Chanting:E], [Prometheus's Blessing:A]

Magic: [Rattatoskr:Innate:(sealed)], [Arcs Ray:C], [Fusillade Fallarica:C], [Elf Ring:C]

Development Abilities: [Daughter of Wishe:Innate(sealed)], [Mage:C->B], [Abnormal resistance:F], [Spirit Healing:(sealed)]

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Vahn saw that Lefiya's magic had already broken through the cap, which made sense seeing as how she had killed well over a thousand monster while casting spells almost non-stop, but the most shocking thing was the change in her Endurance. Lefiya hadn't been engaging in direct combat and hadn't been moving around much, which was why her Agility had suffered a bit, so there was no reason for her Endurance to increase so 'explosively'. The only explanation was that she had been influenced by Vahn's source energy and this was a very surprising revelation that he would need to test in the near future. Though it was only D-Rank, it was nearly reaching the combined totals of Lefiya's previous two levels so it was a significant matter that required further study.

After recording Lefiya's status, Vahn handed her the piece of paper for her own perusal as he explained, "As you might have expected, your magic underwent a qualitative change today and you already managed to reach the 'standard' peak. Though you might normally level up in this type of situation, your body should be capable of withstanding around 2,000-2,2000 additional parameters so I would encourage you to stay at your current level for a while longer..." While he spoke, Vahn had already started combing through Lefiya's surprisingly long hair as he treated it with a light oil-based shampoo that was popular with the girls that had long hair. Lefiya's trailed all the way down to her butt, and he had seen her using it in the past and knew she was fond of the slight citrus smell.

Lefiya had been so dazed by her own parameters that she didn't even have time to 'worry' about Vahn's expert-level care and just kept staring at her Magic stat with wide eyes. Though she knew it was possible, as she had accepted the flame seed from Vahn in the hopes it would one day come to pass, Lefiya still had trouble believing she was seeing her own stats. Now that it was confirmed she could indeed break through the 'limit', Lefiya felt a rising anticipation that spread through her body and made her tremble slightly.

This was irrefutable proof that she had the capabilities of becoming a powerful Mage that could even surpass her mentor, Riviera, who was considered one of the most prolific Mages in several centuries. She had always been lauded as a genius, but now Lefiya knew such things weren't nearly as important as pursuing your path with an open mind and making efforts to improve yourself...limits were something that was arbitrarily decided by other people, not something you needed to be bound by. When she thought of this, the image of Vahn appeared in Lefiya's mind and she was suddenly very aware of his actions in caring for her hair. Her body began to tremble for a slightly different reason, but Lefiya furrowed her brows slightly to resist it as the anticipation she had felt began to change into a resolve...

While he was washing her hair, Vahn saw an 'anomaly' appear all of a sudden and parted Lefiya's hair to get a better view. He had yet to lock up her status board, so the Loki Familia crest was still visible and Vahn had seen a slight change sneakily take place. Though most people might have missed it, Vahn was very attentive when he was treating a girl's hair and had seen the small shift. After getting a better view, a small smile appeared on Vahn's face and he was about to say something before a bit of soap got into his eye. Fenrir had been scrubbing around his shoulders and head once again and had lathered up enough shampoo that Vahn's hair and ears could hardly be seen now. He wasn't sure if she had done it intentionally, but a small trail of shampoo had trickled down his face when he parted Lefiya's hair before it traced a path directly into his right eye...

Vahn rubbed his eye and said, "Fenrir, I think that is enough shampoo..." before rinsing his hair with a wooden pail. Fenrir surprisingly started laughing in a somewhat mischevious manner before dropping the sponge into the water and hugging Vahn's back while leaning against him. She still had suds in her own hair so Fenrir wanted to get rinsed off at the same time as him. Understanding this, Vahn continued to pour the hot whatever over them as he remarked to Lefiya, who had turned her head slightly to look at them, "I'm not sure what changed, Lefiya, but I just noticed something very important that you need to be aware of..." Lefiya tilted her head slightly and asked, "What is it...Vahn?" as a blush began to rise on her face once again.

Though he wasn't sure what she was thinking of, Vahn smiled and explained, "You awakened a rare skill, but it shows up in the Development Abilities category as [Daughter of Wishe]. I'm not sure what it does, or how you actually develop it, so it'll be up to you to figure it out. If you need any help, feel free to consult either me or Riveria and we'll both do our best to help you..." Lefiya had been very curious about what Vahn was going to say but his spoken words were far beyond any of her expectations and caused her eyes to open wide. A rare skill was something worth discussion amongst an entire City while a rare magic was something that could become a 'legacy' for an entire clan. However, neither were comparable to a rare Development Ability and Lefiya even knew partially why it had awakened when it did...

Moments before she felt Vahn part her hair, Lefiya had decided to try her best to reach the true 'pinnacle' of magic, which didn't seem to even exist. The only way she could do this was staying at Vahn's side, but Lefiya didn't want to take 'advantage' of him just because she wanted to learn from him. Knowing that the flame seed in her chest was dependant on her affections for Vahn, Lefiya had resolved herself to do everything she could to become closer to him in the future. Though it was a strange comparison, Lefiya wanted Vahn to treat her in a similar manner as he treated Fenrir since the two seemed very comfortable and affectionate with each other.

Lefiya even had a slight delusion about him turning into an Elf, or even a High Elf, to match her as he washed down her body with the same attention that he showed Fenrir. When this thought had crossed her mind, Lefiya sent out a silent prayer to Wishe, one of the first Elves born from a spirit in the past. Even the magic she was most known for, [Elf Ring], used Wishe in the chant and Lefiya always felt a strong bond with the ancestor of the Elves...now that she had awakened a Development Ability called [Daughter of Wishe], Lefiya wasn't quite sure of what to think but there were two things she firmly believed. From now on, she would become closer and closer to Vahn until there was no discernable distance between them. At the same time, she would endeavor to become one of the greatest Mages in history while studying and researching magic at his side. Though it took a bit of courage, Lefiya relaxed her body a little bit before turning around to face Vahn without making any attempt to conceal herself from his eyes...

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//Lefiya Viridis Has Reached Maximum Affection//

//Lefiya Viridis Wishes To Become Your Subordinate: Y/N?//

//Quest Completed: [The Hearts Desire:C-SS]//

Completion Grade: S

Rewards: 10,000OP, 1x[Hearts Desire: Lefiya Viridis]

Grade Rewards: 1x[Wishe's Teardrop], 1x[Wishe's Blessing], 9,000OP

[Wishe's Teardrop](A/N: Dayum, Completion Grade: S rewards are legit...)

Rank: Unique

Use: If used within sixty seconds, this item can resurrect the dead and fully revitalize their body.

Restriction: Causes a strong impact on the soul and will result in the loss of parameters depending on the state of the corpse.

[Wishe's Blessing]

Rank: Unique

Use: Helps to purify the bloodline of any descendant of Wishe.

Restriction: Elves and High Elves.

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'You thought this was a chapter about Vahn reaching Level 4?','Bath time with two gluttonous girls','I could really use a Wishe right now...')

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