Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the Test Director giving everyone an extra day to contemplate their participation, Vahn was beginning to think the only reason it took people so long to climb the Tower was the ’mandated’ breaks. He had actually been looking forward to taking the Guardian Test then and there so it was a moderate disappointment to be told it wouldn’t take place until the early morning, two days later.

Fortunately, now that he had officially joined the party alongside everyone else, he no longer had as much a reason to keep himself isolated. Thus, when many of the Regulars, including some who had failed, were getting together for a separation party, he was able to attend. His presence, as could be expected, caused quite a number of people to feel nervous, but, after providing a plethora of exotic foods and drinks for, tensions rapidly waned.

Curiously, with the exception of a woman named Serena, nobody seemed particularly concerned about Ghost’s, Hoh’s, and Hwa Ryun’s disappearances. This put into perspective how little most of the Regulars cared about what happened to anyone outside of their own party, but, considering it had only been a month since the majority of them met, that wasn’t too surprising. Rather, they had spent the last month actively competing against and trying to eliminate each other, so, with Gandr’s group being an obvious exception, it was hard to form strong bonds with strangers competing for the same prize...

While Vahn was off making the going-away party tenser than it had to be, Phae had been invited by Khun to discuss strategy alongside Shibisu. They were considered the brain of the current party, so, while she had wanted to make sure Anak didn’t drown herself on too much alcohol, Phae had been roped into compiling a list of everyone’s strengths and weakness while the three of them worked to develop numerous formations and strategies.

It was during this process that Khun asked an understandable but amusing question, his expression serious as he asked, "Though I understand he is a Wave Controller, where do you think Vahn would have the greatest impact in a formation?"

Since they would be part of a team in the future, Vahn had asked that everyone simply refer to him by name unless they had officially agreed to become his vassals or subjects. This caused quite a bit of unease, but, as it was even more awkward to continue referring to someone as an Emperor, there was no real resistance to the idea.

In response to Khun’s inquiry, Phae issued a laugh that caused both boys to feel a little nervous, an emotion that was amplified when she cheerfully remarked, "Trying to predict my Lord’s actions is an exercise in futility. He has no position in a party because he is effectively a one-man army. The only thing you can be certain of is that he will always act in a way that either draws the most attention or causes the greatest impact on the battlefield. You will understand more about this in the future, but, to surmise, he will basically do whatever he wants. Don’t worry though, as, more often than not, his actions lead to the ’best’ possible outcome."

Khun and Shibisu got the impression that Vahn was going to be a nightmare teammate, but, with Phae present, neither of them would dare make such a statement. She could be very scary when it concerned her ’Lord’, so, after hearing her explanation, the two just laughed as Shibisu noted, "That will certainly make the journey up the Tower more interesting...hahahaha..."

Though he had some sway over her behavior, Gandr was ultimately unable to prevent Anak from drinking a rather excessive amount of alcohol. She seemed quite fond of the substance, and, since she was well over three-hundred-years-old, it wasn’t like he could prevent her from treating the bottle like a best friend.

Fortunately, after the previous incident, Anak seemed to gain a bit more awareness regarding her condition whilst drinking. As a result, she stayed next to him most of the evening, nursing a bottle nearly a third the size of her body as she watched the festivities from the side. This earned both her and Gandr a fair amount of teasing, Endorsi being the chief culprit, but it wasn’t like either of them were particularly bothered by such remarks.

In the end, Gandr helped most of the girls return to their room, this time leaving Anak to sleep with Endorsi. The two had become pretty close over the last couple of weeks, and, though they would still butt heads ’very often’, there was no real animosity between them. Rather, they behaved very similarly to biological sisters, and, whenever Gandr was included in the equation, the three of them gave off the impression of close yet highly competitive siblings.

Though he always carried the suspicion that ’something’ might happen in the future, Gandr enjoyed the current dynamic he had, not just with the two Princesses, but everyone within their group. Them making him their mascot was a little embarrassing but it also made him feel a type of happiness he had always sought after but could never quite grasp. This was especially true whenever he just hung out with Shibisu, Hatsu, and Baam, the latter of which currently competed with him to represent the very ’heart’ of the group.

Even if he hadn’t been friends with Baam and the rest, Gandr, or, more specifically, Vahn would have helped them. After all, it was his nature to be a bit of a busy-body, so, with the Tower having a clear path of progression, it was inevitable that he would have helped countless people before ultimately forcing change. Now, however, he had a ’legitimate’ reason to help out, as, for what felt like the first time in more than three-hundred-years, he had people he could grow alongside; friends and rivals who would share the same burdens while helping each other improve. Thus, when Baam appeared before dawn to ask him for help with his training, Gandr couldn’t help but wag his tail slightly as he readily agreed to help the boy...

With time seeming to pass within the blink of an eye, Team Wolf Pack had packed into the school-shaped Suspend Ship used by the Administrators to transport Regulars to various locations on the Floor. Only certain locations allowed for teleportation, and, more often than not, they required an intermediary at a relatively close range to facilitate the transfer. Thus, with the location of their Test being several thousand kilometers from Evankhell’s Resort, it was only natural to travel via Suspend Ship to their destination.

During the two-hour-long journey, Director Yu, being the Proctor for the Guardian’s Test, went on to explain the actual objectives to the group of fifteen ’Regulars’. This included the green-skinned man named Parakewl, who, despite Vahn’s warning, tried to buddy up with other members of the group as if he had known them for years. Because of Vahn’s warning, however, the only person who was willing to humor the man was Baam, but, considering he had even forgiven Hoh, this wasn’t too surprising...

With all eyes focused on him, Director Yu, accompanied by Administrator Lero-Ro, wore a genial mask as he explained, "Now that we’re approaching our destination, allow me to explain the rules of this, the Submerged Fish Hunt, test. Simply put, you have to hunt the submerged fish and catch them."

Hearing Director Yu’s explanation, an excited gleam flashed across Rak’s red eyes before he loudly exclaimed, "Ha! You want us to catch fishies!? That’s my specialty! This Test is going to be a breeze! Hahahahahahaha!"

Adopting a deadpan expression on his face, Director Yu waited until Rak’s laughter had begun to settle before explaining, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you won’t be the ones hunting the fish..."

Following Director Yu’s remark, a holographic light display unfolded out of thin air to reveal what appeared to be an adorably cartoonish seal. They were chubby creatures with dark-blue skin, seal-like features, large flippers, and a wreath of anemone-like protrusions forming a ring around their necks.

Using a compressed needle as a pointer, Director Yu lightly tapped the hard-light display as he explained, "These are known as Net Dolphins, a type of Shinheuh that hunts by creating a massive net of Shinsu. They use this net to gather up as many fish as possible, feeding them to their much larger Queen, a massive Shinheuh located in the very center of today’s testing grounds. Your main objective is to protect these Net Dolphins from their natural predators, Striped Ground Pigs, and an opportunistic hunting tribe known as Barnacle Goblins..."

In response to Director Yu’s words, the display changed to show another remarkably cartoonish species of Shinheuh, this time appearing like a fur-covered alligator with stubby legs and a tiny tail. As the name implied, it had a series of zig-zagging stripes running along its body. As for the other Shinheuh, they looked more like Orcs than Goblins, each possessing dark-green skin and muscular physiques that were capped off by dinosaur-like heads covered in black scales.

After affording everyone a few moments to read the information on the screen, Director Yu tapped the display, this time showing a leech-like Shinheuh covered in leathery, flesh-colored, hide. Next to it, the silhouette of a human and a Barnacle Goblin could be seen, obviously intended to serve as a reference for scale. This put into perspective how truly massive the ’Giant Marsh Worms’ were, as, if the scale was accurate, they were easily more than a hundred meters long and fifteen meters wide at their midsections.

Answering the questions on everyone’s minds, Director Yu went on to explain, "Net Dolphins are a favorite of the Striped Ground Pigs, a mammalian species of Shinheuh that also has an antagonistic relationship with the Barnacle Goblins. The latter breeds and domesticates Giant Marsh Worms in order to pilfer some of the daily tribute submitted by the Net Dolphins to their Queen. Your main goal for today’s Test is to protect your Bait, represented by Mr. Baam and Ms. Rachel, and the Net Dolphins. If the latter is predated by the Striped Ground Pigs, they will not be able to properly form a net in order to feed their Queen. You will fail the test if your Bait, protected by a barrier of Shinsu, leaves the lake without being consumed by the Queen. This is where the Barnacle Goblins come in, as, with their Giant Marsh Worms, they are capable of pilfering large quantities of fish from the Net Dolphins. If you do not intervene, it is almost guaranteed that your Bait will be consumed by one of the Giant Marsh Worms, so, not only will you have to protect the Net Dolphins from their natural predator, you will also need to hold back a tribe of Barnacle Goblins. Sounds simple enough, right?"

Seeing the deadpan expressions on several people’s faces, Director Yu couldn’t help but giggle in a manner that didn’t suit someone with such a deep voice. He only stopped when his gaze settled on the aptly named Imperial Trio, none of which seemed even remotely concerned. This caused a smile to spread across his face as he tapped the hard-light display, this time showing the silhouette of a vaguely humanoid Shinheuh as he explained, "Unfortunately, things are rarely straightforward when it concerns Irregulars. While you are completing your other objectives, you’ll also need to be on the lookout for the Apex Predator that wanders this region, a creature we simply refer to as the ’Bull’. It is a creature that even strikes fear into the hearts of some Rankers, so, if you are unlucky enough to encounter it, you only have yourselves to blame for choosing this path...now, any questions?"

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Vahn likes to show off...’,’Gandr is a goodest boi’,’You’d have to be an idiot not to understand this is a trap (O ^ O)...’)