Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With their departure scheduled for the following morning, Vahn gathered the members of Team Wolf Pack, sans Parakewl, within his room. As for the latter, he had promptly been ejected, not just because Vahn had said so, but because he had disregarded orders during the Submerged Fish Hunt. His actions had not only jeopardized the entire plan but, rather than accept responsibility for his mistake, he had actually attempted to spin the blame onto others.

Fortunately, though the revelation caused quite a bit of bitterness, Rachel's betrayal had left even Baam feeling a lot less forgiving. As a result, Parakewl had no allies arguing for his inclusion in the group. To make matters even worse for himself, the fool attempted to cause a scene, approaching Vahn with the intent to shout in his face. This resulted in Phae sending him flying into the wall with a backhand, a cold expression on her face as she told Gandr to drag the unconscious man over to the Medical Ward.

Following these orders exactly, Gandr ended up grabbing Parakewl's ankle, dragging him from the room rather unceremoniously. Then, once he had returned, Vahn gathered everyone's attention, his expression slightly apologetic as he said, "Sorry about that. Though I try to be lenient with people, I have little tolerance for opportunists who would readily betray their comrades if it meant they could secure benefits for themselves. That man would have become a cancerous element, festering within the party and putting everyone's dreams at risk in the pursuit of his own..."

Resisting the urge to sigh, Vahn took a slow and steady breath to calm himself before adopting a more serious expression as he added, "Enough of that...I have gathered you all together for three reasons. First, I will explain to you the type of existence I am. Once you have a better understanding of my power, I will then offer you a choice. Lastly, once everyone has made up their mind, we will all discuss our future objectives. In regards to that last one, you should know that I have no actual goal in this Tower. I am simply passing through, but, due to the nature of my existence, it is certain that I bring great change to this Tower."

With the atmosphere immediately becoming tense, it was Khun who built up the courage to raise his hand, asking, "So, what exactly are you then? I mean, other than an Irregular..."

Grateful for the young man's assist, even if it was unnecessary, Vahn offered a curt nod toward Khun before explaining, "Though I am the Sage Dragon Emperor I purport myself to be, I am also a God that represents Infinite Possibilities. In my tenure as a Deity, I have presided over Space, Time, and Creation. Most importantly, however, I represent the myriad paths in which people walk. Mine is an existence that drastically influences the fate of those around me, and, through me, people, planets, and even other Gods are able to shape their own destinies."

Though they had expected a lot of things, none of the people present expected Vahn to proclaim himself a God. Even Anak, who was usually indifferent in such situations, had a rather incredulous look on her face as she asked, "What about Phae and Gandr...?"

Rather than answering for them, Vahn allowed the duo in question to explain, starting with Phae adopting her usual smile as she said, "As I told you previously, Gandr and I are extensions of my Lord. Though it isn't entirely accurate, you can consider me the aspect that represents my Lord's creativity and desire to care for others. As for Gandr, he is a little different...in the end, however, he is another extension of my Lord. Soon enough, there will be others like us, each unique entities in their own right, but, when it ultimately comes down to it, we are all part of a much greater whole..."

Following Phae's explanation, Gandr adopted an apologetic expression, his ears drooping rather pathetically as he added, "Please don't think of this as us deceiving you. It just wouldn't have been possible to convince you of the truth without first building rapport. If my Master had called himself a God on the very first day, none of you would have believed him..."

Since the majority of them still didn't believe Vahn's claim, no one could really argue against the truth contained within Gandr's words. Fortunately, without any prompting whatsoever, Baam was able to ease the growing tensions by stating, "I trust in Ms. Phae, Mr. Gandr, and Mr. Vahn! Even if they are Gods, they are still good people! I wouldn't be nearly as strong as I am today with the help of Mr. Vahn. Don't you agree, Mr. Laure?"

Though he had been lying on the ground with his eyes closed, Laure had been listening closely to the conversation happening around him. Thus, in response to Baam's words, a tired sigh escaped his lips as he sat up and replied, "Yeah, yeah, no need to shout.". Then, after looking lazily over at Vahn, he moved the conversation forward by asking, "So, what is this 'choice' you wanted to offer us?"

Appreciating the man's directness, a smile spread across Vahn's face as he stroked his beard for a few moments before answering, "Outside of the Tower, there is a concept known as Familia, a word meaning Family in an ancient tongue. Simply put, a Familia is comprised of people who have either been acknowledged by a God or adopted as their surrogate children. In exchange for the power of belief, nothing more, the Gods reward their children by bestowing their Blessing upon them. This is often in the form of a Familia Crest, an emblem that is inscribed upon the back using the Language of the Gods. Though the crests can differ between Gods, mine provides you with the opportunity to shape your own destiny. To make things easier to understand, try and imagine the Questing system popularized in RPGs and other games. My Blessing gives you the ability to accept such Quests, and, so long as you complete them, you will be able to boost your capabilities, obtain rare items, and, in certain circumstances, change everything from your race to your gender. With my Blessing, there is no path you cannot walk."

As the Tower was a place that specifically gathered people who had strong desires, Vahn's words had a deep impact on everyone present. They were like the seductive words of a Headon himself, promising 'everything', seemingly without asking for anything in return. The only thing Vahn had mentioned was the 'power of belief', prompting Shibisu to ask, "So, how does the power of belief benefit the Gods? There must be something you get out of this exchange."

Nodding his head in affirmation, Vahn went on to explain, "Though it varies drastically between different planes of existence, the power of most Gods is proportional to the amount of belief they are able to garner from their followers. In other words, the greater their following, the greater the strength of the God. I am a bit of an exception to this rule due to representing Infinite Possibilities, but, like other Gods, I still benefit greatly from the quantity and quality of my followers."

Ever the astute young man, an understanding glimmer flashed across Shibisu's eyes as he smiled and said, "So, in other words, the stronger we become, the more you benefit? Does this mean you intend to establish a religion or something as you climb up the Tower?"

Finding the man's words rather amusing, Vahn issued a light chuckle before shaking his head and explaining, "Though we benefit more from our direct followers, the power of belief doesn't actually require such direct methods. Just by virtue of my existence, my power will grow exponentially as I climb up the Tower. After all, fame is also a form of belief, so, once my exploits become known, it is only a matter of time before I become one of the strongest beings in the Tower. The main reason I am giving you this choice is due to the fact that I simply have no interest in the Tower or its politics. I will open the way forward, helping as many people as I can along the way. Then, once the time for my departure has come, I will place those I have observed to be of noble character in charge of the Tower."

Though they still sounded like the promises of a Devil, a few of the Regulars present couldn't help but swallow in response to Vahn's words. He was basically telling them that, so long as they worked hard, they would eventually become the rulers of the Tower. This was especially intriguing to people like Khun, who, for a number of reasons, strongly desired to conquer the Tower. Were it not for his propensity to mistrust other people, he would have been the first to agree to Vahn's proposition.

In the end, surprising nearly everyone present, the privilege of being the first to agree went to Nare, who, with a gleam in her eyes and a small amount of drool leaking from her mouth, promptly raised her hand and shouted, "I'll do it! I'll accept your Blessing...!"

As he was sitting immediately to Nare's left, Hong Chunhwa was the most surprised by his youthful-looking lover's outburst. Before he could ask her if she was certain, however, she happily explained, "I'm not very strong, and, even if I pushed myself to my limits, I would eventually become a burden the rest of the party. My original goal for climbing the Tower was to obtain enough money to start my own breeding business. If I can become a powerhouse in the process, there's no way I'll pass up on such an opportunity...!"

Hearing Nare mention becoming a 'powerhouse', a lot of the other Regulars in the room seemed to make up their own minds. Thus, starting with Anak, nearly everyone else ultimately accepted Vahn's proposal. The only exceptions to this were Rak, who loudly insisted he was the strongest, and, much to the surprise of many, Hatsu. His reasoning was that there were no shortcuts to the true zenith of swordsmanship, so, even if he ultimately lagged behind everyone else, he was determined to reach the pinnacle through his own effort.

Hatsu's conviction gave the others a reason to reconsider, but, as there didn't seem to be any major downsides, it was hard to pass on the opportunity to control your own fate. This was especially true for those with tragic pasts and great ambitions, Khun, Anak, Endorsi, and Baam being chief among them. Khun, in particular, had the greatest ambitions among everyone else present, as, unlike Baam, who didn't really have a plan, Khun had made all kinds of preparations prior to climbing the Tower.

Fortunately, though he wouldn't learn this until much later, Vahn genuinely had no interest in the Tower and its affairs. He also wasn't trying to exploit or mislead any the Regulars present, at least not in the way many of them suspected. Rather, because of their friendship with Gandr, Vahn saw the rather peculiar group as his friends. He was the type that would even help a complete stranger if they were in need, so, when it came to his friends, Vahn had a propensity to go a little overboard when it came to helping them achieve their dreams.

With that in mind, starting with Nare, Vahn took each of them into the Little Garden, returning mere minutes later with the red-faced girl in tow. This earned him a few looks of suspicion, but, with Nare fervently dismissing any accusations while also attesting to the existence of the 'Quest Board', there weren't any major issues. The girls had simply overlooked the fact that the crest was placed on their backs, meaning that they would need to expose themselves in order to have it applied. Fortunately, there were only three girls present, so, with Anak not really caring about being seen naked, the only real problem was Endorsi. As for the boys, none of them cared about such things, so, with Phae and Gandr assisting with Anak and Endorsi, Vahn ultimately accepted nine new Children into his Familia, a few of which had some 'very' unique statuses...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP Pickle','Hatsu is, unsurprisingly, a very resolute individual','Cucumber be like, "What? It's just being naked."')