Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As more people began to trickle into the dining room, a variety of breakfast foods, including eggs, sausage, pancakes, biscuits, gravy, fruit, yogurt, and other ’staples’ began to manifest out of thin air atop a series of banquet tables. This gave people the opportunity to pick and choose their favorite breakfast foods, a notion that brought smiles to the faces of many.

Being one of the first to arrive, Gandr secured himself a stack of twenty pancakes, a literal pot of sausage gravy, a plate full of buttermilk biscuits, and an entire pan of bacon. Despite this, he was largely finished eating by the time everyone else began to arrive, a massive grin spread across his face when he noticed that half of Shibisu’s was swollen.

Noticing Gandr’s smile, Shibisu returned an awkward one of his own before making his way over to the buffet table. Most of the other guys followed close behind, the only exceptions being Baam and Hatsu since neither had much of an appetite. It was from the latter that Gandr learned about what had happened in the bath, a recounting that caused his ears and tail to twitch happily at the notion of Shibisu’s suffering.

Fortunately, despite their altercation, there didn’t seem to be any particularly hard feelings between Shibisu and Chunhwa. The massive bruise on Shibisu’s face was enough to pacify the latter’s anger, and, though he couldn’t help but redden when Nare entered the room, everyone pretended not to have noticed.

After securing food for themselves, the girls quickly invaded the boys’ table, Endorsi taking the seat left to Gandr while Anak took her usual seat on his right. This caused the boy in question to adopt a wry smile, not because he was seated between the two Princesses, but because Endorsi, despite her penchant for avoiding meat, had a single large sausage on her plate. She also had a teasing look in her eyes, and, though it garnered her a considerable amount of attention, she took her time to bite the very tip of the sausage, all while staring directly at him.

To make matters even worse, causing Endorsi to literally choke, Yoruichi confirmed what everyone else was already thinking, plainly remarking, "You’re gonna need a bigger sausage, Princess." This caused Endorsi to basically inhale the piece she had just bitten off, requiring a few heavy pats on her back in order to dislodge it...

Emerging from the kitchen, Vahn couldn’t help smiling when he saw how ’lively’ things were in the dining hall. His presence caused things to calm down quite a bit, but, based on the vibrant colors of everyone’s auras, it was easy to see how well everyone got along. He was worried that the training might cause some animosity to build between them, but, thanks to the healing qualities of the hot spring and the calming effect of the Little Garden, everyone bounced back pretty quickly.

Deciding to join everyone for breakfast, Vahn made his way over the table, smiling when Yoruichi, in her cat form, leaped up to his shoulder. This drew the attention of several people, especially when she began licking the area near his sideburns, but Vahn didn’t particularly mind their stares. Instead, he sat down next to Hinata, affectionately patting the girl’s head for a few moments before turning his attention to the table at large and asking, "So, how was everyone’s first day of training?"

Without even a moment of hesitation, Endorsi promptly pointed directly at Hinata, a very light flush coloring her cheeks as she exclaimed, "That woman is a demon! She might look sweet and innocent on the surface, but I thought I was going to die more than a dozen times during our training! I want someone else to teach me...!"

Though he was slightly annoyed by Endorsi’s remark, Vahn’s smile became more prominent as he instantaneously answered, "Denied. Hinata is the most suitable teacher for both you and Anak. She will help strengthen your bodies, and, so long as you follow her teachings properly, you will quickly become masters at hand-to-hand combat. If you’re sustaining injuries, it means you are charging in without using techniques. Most of her abilities rely on counters and exploiting gaps in the enemy’s guard. Stop leaving yourself open."

Not expecting her complaint to be shot down so unceremoniously, Endorsi found herself unable to offer a retort, mouth moving but no words coming out. She felt compelled to offer a rebuttal, but, before she was able to, Vahn’s expression seemed to soften slightly, smiling as he added, "You’re a tough girl, Endorsi. I don’t believe you are unable to continue with this training. Besides, it will help to refine your beauty even further. The technique Hinata uses is even more effective than the pellet that was consumed by Rachel. The latter only removes impurities from the body, enhancing beauty and making it easier to manipulate energy. The former refines the body down to the cellular level, drastically increasing your strength and durability while also providing a similar effect to the pill. If you took a photo of your current self and then compared it to the version of you a couple of months down the line, I imagine you’ll be pretty shocked."

Hearing Vahn list out the various benefits of being Hinata’s punching bag, Endorsi got the distinct impression she was being tricked. Despite this, she still chose to believe in his words based on the premise that ’God’s couldn’t lie’. She was also very weak to compliments, so, hearing Vahn say she was a ’tough girl’, Endorsi felt compelled to demonstrate the veracity of this claim. There was also the fact that she had experienced a much worse hell during her childhood, so, while it was certainly very painful, Endorsi knew she could tough it out, just like she always had.

Noticing the ’fire’ within Endorsi’s eyes, Vahn responded with an approving nod before shifting his attention to the rest of the table and saying, "Things might not be easy in the beginning, but, once you adapt the training and become accustomed to overcoming your limits, you are bound to grow stronger at an exponential rate. If it was easy to become strong, everyone would be a powerhouse on the level of Jahad and the Ten Great Family Leaders. Instead, most people waste their talents by making excuses, blaming others, and envying those who were more ’fortunate’ than themselves. In the end, talent will only get you so far. True power is something that is obtained through effort. It is not gained from a desire to suppress others, but a resolution to overcome yourself. Each of you has unlimited potential. Don’t waste it."

Not expecting a ’motivational speech’ during breakfast, an oppressive silence promptly descended upon the dining room in response to Vahn’s words. This made the atmosphere a little awkward, but, proving why he was the ’protagonist’ of this world, Baam shattered the tensions by excitedly saying, "Mr. Vahn is right! People have no control over the circumstances of their birth so I won’t waste my time envying others! I will continue to grow stronger! Strong enough to obtain all the things I want! Strong enough to protect all the things I want to protect...!"

Hearing Baam speak so spiritedly, smiles spread across the faces of many as the atmosphere quickly reverted to the liveliness that had been present prior to Vahn’s arrival. This caused the latter to feel a little awkward, but, rather than fret over his inability to compete with a ’protagonist’s aura’, he just smiled along with everyone else before enjoying a hearty breakfast...

After promptly kicking everyone out of the Little Garden at 8 AM, Vahn decided to kick back and relax for a few hours, lying on his bed with Yoruichi curled up on his chest. There was something calming about having a cat purr on your chest, so, while he got the impression she was acting a little ’too’ clingy, he didn’t particularly mind it. Rather, it made him a little excited to imagine that the velvety black cat lying on his chest was actually a beautiful woman allowing him to stroke her body at his leisure...

Unfortunately, like all good things, Vahn’s relaxation was interrupted by a sudden ping emanating from his Pocket. At the same time, the spherical black device appeared right next to him, indicating that the person calling him was none other than Marble. This was a little earlier than expected, but, rather than simply ignore the call, Vahn lightly tapped the Pocket with his left hand before casually remarking, "Good morning, Ms. Marble."

Seemingly surprised by the casual greeting, Marble remained silent for several seconds before her voice could be heard softly replying, "Good morning..."

Amused by the petite Dwelfling’s remark, the ends of Vahn’s smile curled up slightly as he asked, "I assume you are calling to inform me about the preparations? Tell me what I need to do."

Having recovered her senses, Marble adopted a more confident tone as she answered, "Everything has been taken care of. Your first Special Test will be against a Test Administrator named Siddallino Rubeus. He doesn’t belong to any of the Ten Great Families, but he is pretty famous as an up-and-coming Ranker. You can find his office at the coordinates I uploaded to your Pocket. Keep in mind that he is not an affiliate of Wolhaiksong so you should avoid revealing your own association with our organization..."

Since he had already memorized the names provided by Soo-Yun, Vahn didn’t really need Marble’s reminder to keep mum. Despite this, he maintained his smile, thanking Marble for the information before allowing her to hang up the call from her end. Then, after a brief moment of consideration, Vahn picked up the black cat pretending to sleep on his chest, asking, "Feel like bullying a Ranker with me...?"

Though it looked a little creepy, Yoruichi managed a very ’human’ smile on her feline face as she replied in a very deep tone, "Of course. I can’t wait to see the expression on their face when they get bullied by a cat."

Unable to restrain himself, a light chuckle escaped Vahn’s throat as he rose from the bed, promptly equipping his shirt before placing Yoruichi on his shoulder. He was also looking forward to seeing how the Ranker would react to a cat that was able to move around at hypersonic speeds, so, after quickly informing Phae of his departure, Vahn took to the sky, once again drawing a considerable amount of attention despite the relatively short flight.

Ignoring the gazes focused on him, Vahn entered into Rubeus’ Vocational Office, this time flagging down a staff member directly instead of waiting in line. This caused the young woman to appear a little nervous, not because she was frightened, but because Vahn’s smiling expression was enough to flutter the hearts of happily married women, much less a single Regular who had been stuck on the 3rd Floor for more than a year.

Sensing the woman’s thoughts even before she had approached him, Vahn decided he would make her day by beaming even more radiantly as he said, "Good morning, young miss. Could you please inform Administrator Rubeus that I have come seeking to challenge his Special Test?"

With her face immediately turning a bright crimson, the young woman, characterized by her cherry-blonde hair, faun-like features, petite antlers, and pointed ears barely managed to fumble out the response, "Y-y-yes sir! I’ll see to it right away...!"

Though she clearly would have liked to stand around and talk for a bit, the deer-like girl quickly ran off without even asking for Vahn’s name and payment. This allowed the latter to see that she also had a tail similar to a cottontail deer, one that was currently waggling happily as she ran to the back of the room with a surprisingly swift gait.

Vahn had seen women with deer-like features in the past, but this was actually his first time talking with one. As a result, his mood had improved slightly, and, though he had no intention of following up on the notion, he couldn’t deny he was a little curious about what other traits she possessed. He could see that she had hooved feet, similar to Marble, so it was pretty easy to imagine that her legs were likely covered in a thin layer of healthy brown fur...

Shortly after this thought crossed his mind, Vahn noticed the bashful young woman burst from the back room with an embarrassed expression on her face. He could already imagine the reason, so, when she nervously approached him and asked for his name, Vahn was able to avoid laughing out loud as he returned a slightly amused smile and answered, "My name is Vahn Aldrnari Mason. Here, this is the fee to take the Special Test...Missus...?"

Realizing he was asking for her name, the deer-like girl’s expression immediately brightened as she happily exclaimed, "Blossom! My name is Faunus Beryl Blossom...!"

Though he felt she was a little too excitable, Vahn still found Blossom’s response rather adorable. As a result, he decided to make the young Regular’s entire year by saying, "It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Blossom. Would you like to join me for the Special Test? I will pay the fee on your behalf and you won’t have to worry about injuries. How about it...?"

At this point, Blossom was pretty sure she was in a dream, so, rather than refuse, her expression brightened considerably as she happily replied, "I would love to~!". Then, perhaps deluded by the notion that this ’was’ a dream, she fearlessly latched onto Vahn’s arm, leaning against his shoulder with a contented grin on her face.

Though he was starting to realize that Blossom might not be playing with a full deck, Vahn decided to just let her enjoy the moment while it lasted. She should come to her senses by the time the Test had come to an end, and, even if that wasn’t the case, he was confident in his ability to pacify her with a few headpats before promptly returning to the Inn. After all, she was certainly very adorable, but, with the ability to basically create potential harem members with a thought, Vahn didn’t really need to pick up a random Regular just to satiate his curiosity...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Endorsi is playing with fire...’,’Protagonist Aura OP’,’She might not be the smartest lightbulb in the Crayola box, but Blossom sure is lucky (OwO)...’)