Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With Gandr choosing the most-optimal route, the members of the Hunting Party were able to navigate the forested terrain of the 3rd Floor without any issues. They could even avoid combat entirely if they really wanted to, but, as that would defeat the purpose of their excursion; Khun had them make frequent stops near the habitats of various Shinheuh, starting with a species known as Little Stone Fish.

Little Stone Fish were a type of Shinheuh that, as their name implied, resembled fish made from malleable copper-colored stone. They weren't particularly dangerous in small numbers, but, like most Shinheuh, they had a tendency to form large groups. This, combined with their hard bodies and their ability to bite through stone, made them exceptionally dangerous if you ended up being swarmed.

The true danger of the Little Stone Fish, however, was their ability to liquefy stone, dirt, and other mineral-based matter. This allowed them to dive into the ground, and, though the affected area would quickly return to normal, they had a habit of capturing terrestrial prey by producing large areas of quicksand-like terrain. If you ended up getting caught inside, they would use their strong jaws to take large chunks out of your body, consuming both flesh and bone without leaving any traces.

Fortunately, the ability of the Little Stone Fish to liquefy their surroundings wasn't omnipotent. They had a much easier time traveling through sand than they did solid rock. So long as you stayed away from areas with loose soil and dirt, it was relatively easy to kill the peculiar bass-like creatures. The only requisite was that you had enough power to shatter stone or create shockwaves, a feat only Shibisu and Nare would struggle to achieve...

From his position high above the ground, Khun was able to observe the entire battlefield from the relative safety of his Lighthouse. This would normally allow him to gather information on the enemy numbers and any environmental hazards they would need to be aware of, but, thanks to Gandr, his primary job was to direct people to their destination while observing the battlefield for any sign of unexpected changes.

Confirming there were exactly as many Little Stone Fish as Gandr had reported, Khun suppressed a sigh as he adjusted the displays within his Lighthouse to show three different perspectives. The first showed Baam and Rak moving along the edge of a cliff overlooking the deep crevice that served as the Little Stone Fishes' habitat. As for the second and third, the former displayed the scene of Anak literally using one Stone Fish to beat another while the latter showed Endorsi skillfully manipulating two Compression Needles to string together several of the unfortunate Shinheuh from an elevated position.

Unsurprisingly, Endorsi and Anak had no trouble dealing with the Little Stone Fishes. Even the one that had managed to latch onto Anak's shoulder was unable to draw blood due to her body, quite literally, being harder than stone. The only thing it succeeded in was tearing her sleeve, resulting in the current scene of her using its body to beat its brethren. As for Endorsi, she had a considerable amount of combat experience, so, from the very start of the hunt, she had avoided taking even a grazing blow by nimbly jumping between large boulders and using the Lighthouse as a platform.

Khun thought about teaching Endorsi a lesson about standing on top of his Lighthouse by taking a few screenshots of the contents hidden beneath her skirt. Each side of a Lighthouse could serve as both a display and a camera, so, whenever Endorsi was standing on top, he always had the option of turning the recording function on. Unfortunately, this wouldn't end well for him, so, as tempting as it was to try and blackmail the Princess, Khun resisted the almost instinctual urge...

While Khun was busy fighting with the devil in his soul, Baam tentatively approached the edge of the cliff, his expression paling the moment he looked down. As for Rak, he stood tall and proud, fearlessly peering over the edge with a vermillion spear in hand. At his side, albeit only visible to him, a coffin-like device known as a Pipe housed several spears of similar make and model.

Though it wasn't completely necessary to have multiple weapons, as spears registered to a Pipe automatically 'teleported' back to the sheath, most competent Spear Bearers carried numerous different types. This allowed them to pick and choose the most suitable weapon for dealing with a certain type of enemy; specifically choosing between broad-headed, needle-like, and flat-bladed spears.

Since Little Stone Fish were made of stone, Rak sheathed his preferred flat-bladed spear before pulling out a thicker variant with a reinforced cross-headed tip. Then, with a predatory glimmer in his red eyes, he looked toward Baam and said, "Stand aside, Black Turtle. I don't want you to fall off when I throw my spear."

Hearing Rak's remark, Baam issued an awkward laugh before literally crawling away from the edge of the cliff. He had gotten on his hands and knees since he felt extreme vertigo while standing near the edge. Heights were an instinctual fear of most terrestrial beings, so, despite having a body that was strong enough to survive from falling over a hundred meters without issue, Baam was still scared of 20m deep crevice.

Seeing Baam back away, Rak released visible steam from his nose before planting one foot firmly near the edge. Then, with the posture befitting a Greek statue, he struck a majestic pose, his spear radiating an intense red light before he threw it down with meteoric force.

Despite missing the Little Stone Fish entirely, Rak's attack was powerful enough to generate a small explosion from the impact alone. This created a shockwave that killed most of the Stone Fish within a three-meter radius while simultaneously stunning those within five. Better yet, the spear returned to his Pipe almost immediately after contacting the ground, allowing Rak to continue raining down meteoric strikes from high above...

Though Rak and Baam were far away from her location, Anak frowned the moment she heard the sound of numerous explosions. The Little Stone Fish relied on vibrations to locate targets, so, with the explosions strong enough to make the ground beneath Anak's feet tremble, it wasn't surprising that they would quickly converge towards the source.

Feeling like her prey was being stolen from her, the vein near Anak's temple began to visible pulse as she leaped several tens of meters into the air. Near the apex of her jump, she coiled her legs like a spring, releasing the tension just as she was about to reach the ground. This caused her bare feet to impact the rugged terrain with even greater force than Rak's spears. Unfortunately, as was often the case when she was annoyed, Anak hadn't considered the fact that her bare feet, legs, and body would be directly exposed to the shrapnel produced by her impact.

Anak was 'extremely' resistant to collisions and shockwaves but that didn't mean she was immune to sharp objects moving with explosive velocity. This also applied to her dress, so, despite killing all of the Little Stone Fish in her surroundings, Anak had a pained expression on her face as she pulled a thumb-sized piece of stone from her calf. This caused the wound to bleed even more, but, thanks to the benefits provided by Shinsu and her unique constitution, it wouldn't take long for the wound to close up.

More troublesome than the wound on her calf as the large gash on the underside of her tail. It was one of the most tender regions of her body, so, while she would normally never cry from something like pain, a thin layer of moisture covered Anak's eyes as she perched herself atop a large rock and used Shinsu to treat the wound. As for her dress, which currently had a massive tear along the left side, Anak didn't care about it in the slightest.

Similar to Anak, Endorsi also gave chase the moment her prey began migrating toward the sound of explosions. This allowed her to quickly come across Anak, a wave of exasperation washing over her the moment she noticed the former's state of dress and the notable bruising on the underside of her tail.

Before she got into earshot of the green-skinned Princess, Endorsi couldn't help but mutter, "How the hell did this girl survive for so long? I swear, her head must be filled with denser stone than the surroundings..."

Noticing Endorsi's approach, Anak made a vain attempt to conceal her tail, glaring at the former as she said, "I don't need your help. You should hurry and check on the others..."

Rolling her eyes in response to Anak's statement, Endorsi squat down next to her and said, "Let me see your tail. Or would you rather have Gandr take a look at it...?"

Hearing mention of Gandr, Anak's frown became even deeper as she asked, "Why does everyone keep asking me things like that? It's seriously starting to get on my nerves...!"

Ignoring Anak's statement entirely, Endorsi peered around the former's body to see a rather vicious wound surrounded by a massive purple bruise. Just looking at it was enough to feel phantom pains so it wasn't difficult to imagine how painful the actual injury must be.

Without bothering to ask for Anak's opinion, Endorsi flagged over Khun's Lighthouse, saying, "Give me some ointment and bandages." before following it up by asking, "How many more of these do we need to kill?"

Since Lighthouses could compress, store, and transfer items between linked Lighthouses, they were the most common form of storage available for Regulars and Rankers alike. This was another one of the reasons why Light Bearers were considered the leaders of their respective teams, as, more often than not, they were charged with protecting and distributing supplies.

In response to Endorsi's demand, a container of emerald-green paste and a vacuum-sealed roll of bandages promptly emerged from the Lighthouse's interior, accompanied by a flash of vibrant blue light. Then, in response to her question, Khun's voice could be heard explaining, "We have hunted a total of 166/200. You can confirm the amount by checking your Quest Log in the future. Now, hurry up and treat Anak's injuries. That idiotic crocodile is drawing way too much aggro so we're going to run away using the Lighthouses."

Though individual Little Stone Fish weren't a threat, there were several hundred located within this particular crevice. Rather, they were directly responsible for its existence, their appetite for minerals resulting in the entire region resembling a series of shallow canyons and dried-up riverbeds.

Hearing Khun's remark, Endorsi tossed the supplies directly at Anak, hitting the latter in the face as she opened up the strange light panel that only she could see. By default, this panel only displayed their Status, but, by willing it with their minds, it could also display their Skill Tree and Quest Log. It was an extremely mysterious but useful system, and, though it had required her to expose her back for several minutes, Endorsi didn't regret joining Vahn's Familia. Rather, as an orphan, she found the idea of a Familia rather novel...

Noticing the number of hunted Shinheuh rapidly increasing, Endorsi promptly closed her display before looking at Anak and saying, "We're about to leave. Do you need me to carry you, Princess?"

Clenching her teeth, Anak ignored Endorsi's remark as she continued wrapping her tail with more bandages than necessary. In the end, her tail resembled the appendage of a mummy by the time she finally used a clasp to secure everything in place. Then, without saying anything, she climbed to her feet, dusting off her torn dress before climbing up Khun's Lighthouse and staring off into empty space...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'TFW Nare is the only person Shibisu can compare to...','Baam needs to come out of his shell...','Phae needs to sit down and have a talk with this girl...')