Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos-Novel

Chapter 1945: Going with the Flow

Though he could have immediately departed the 44th Floor, Vahn decided to stick around for a while in order to make good on his promise with Roen's fan club. He also needed to find a place to deposit people like Eduan, who, since his arrival in the Little Garden, had been having a time and a half growing stronger in the Seventh Layer.

Since it was impossible to conceal his involvement in the man's sudden appearance, the simplest solution seemed to be coordinating with Leticia to put Eduan in contact with the Khun Family. The non-interference policy of the Empire and the efforts of the Tu Perie Family seemed to be guiding things in the direction of mutual cooperation, so, while there were bound to be conflicts, Vahn now had the option of handling things in a more 'above-board' manner if he really wanted to.

With this in mind, Vahn split his time between the Eighth, First, Second, and Seventh Layers, in that order. His time in the Eighth was obviously him just relaxing and spending time with his extended family. As for the other Layers, it was mainly just him observing various peoples and checking in on the research team. This was made easier by the fact he could adjust the flow of time within each of the Layers individually, so, while it might seem like he was spreading himself a little thin, he actually had ample time to invest in each Layer without interfering with the happenings in others.

Though he sometimes felt as though he was leading multiple lives simultaneously, the time Vahn had spent in Actualized Worlds, combined with the memories and experiences he received from his Templates, made him surprisingly suited to such a lifestyle. Of course, the most important thing was that the time he invested in other projects and interests didn't detract from the time he was able to spend with his family, friends, and loved ones. It was almost like every world he partook in revolved around him, and, while this might sound a little egotistical, his escalating power, combined with his ability to alter the fate of an entire Record just by entering it, seemed to support this sentiment...

---

As it hadn't taken long for information related to his blessing to spread, Vahn found himself in the rather envious position of supporting the taciturn Sona's legs, her back pressed against a wall as he slowly and gently probed her depths. There was a misunderstanding going around that having sex with him was a requirement to receive his blessing, and, while he could have easily corrected it, the truth of the matter was that most of the women present within the First Layer were fully aware that this wasn't the case. It was simply a convenient excuse to make progress towards the completion of their individual objectives, and, most importantly, it was a method for them to become stronger.Googlᴇ search N(o)vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.nᴇt

With the social hierarchy of the Tower, individual might was only outvalued by political power when said individuals lacked the power to force the change they desired. To this end, the procurement of power was the highest priority for many residents of the Tower. Most dedicated their entire lives, a period often exceeding several thousand years, in its pursuit. Thus, after learning they could grow stronger by simply sleeping with someone they were already assigned to sleep with, it became the highest priority among some members of the so-called research team. This wasn't solely due to the existence of the Quest System. Rather, as Yvonne had experienced, receiving his seed was the same as having your body tempered and refined. The sudden release of energy provided a rather drastic increase in strength immediately after the fact, and, though the effects would wane with time, their total reserves would have increased marginally with each successive session.

Simply put, having sex with Vahn was essentially a form of 'dual cultivation', not simply because he was comprised of Source Energy, but because his Soul was far stronger than the vast majority of his partners. As a result, bathing his aura provided substantial benefits to a person's growth, and, given enough time, it was possible to experience an increase in Soul Tier simply through exposure.

Though they were unaware of the existence of Soul Tiers, the allure of being able to increase their strength while simultaneously experiencing pleasure beyond their wildest expectations was difficult for even the most reserved of maidens to resist. Sona was no exception to this, so, after challenging him to a duel and suffering a rather one-sided defeat, she voluntarily entrusted her body, mind, and training to him. This placed Vahn in an awkward position, but, considering the number of positions he had put the taciturn beauty in, offering her a bit of advice wasn't much trouble...

Feeling a startlingly hot sensation spread through her body, Sona tightened her legs around Vahn's waist while simultaneously squeezing his shoulders and burying her face into the nape of his neck. Fortunately, Vahn had agreed to use a silencing spell on her beforehand, as, more so than anything else, Sona hated the sounds her own voice made whilst having sex. They were embarrassing to the point of being intolerable, and, were it not for his strange ability to completely muffle her cries, her pride would make it difficult to approach him of her own accord.

What Sona didn't know was that, despite her silence, Vahn was perfectly capable of hearing her voice. His ability to resonate with his partners had increased exponentially since his experimental days in Danmachi, so, even without initiating the melding process, he could empathically link with the person he was making love to. If he really wanted to, he could even establish a direct link using Unit Management, but, as that had gone awry a number of times in the past, he tended to avoid that particular functionality during love-making...

After supporting her body for a few minutes longer, Vahn allowed Sona to stand on her own two feet before extricating his member from her convulsing folds and covering her somewhat swollen slit with a paper tag. The girls seemed to believe that the increase in strength was proportional to the quantity and amount of time they were exposed to his seed, so, while it was a little strange, he acquiesced to helping them ensure it stayed inside their bodies as long as possible.

With her voice restored, a contented sigh escaped Sona's lips as she caressed her own stomach in a daze. It was only when Vahn used cleaning magic on her that she returned to her senses, a subdued yet adorable yelp emanating from her throat as her silvery eyes focused to meet his. This caused an awkward silence to persist between them for a brief moment, but, shortly thereafter, Sona managed to meekly utter, "Thank you..." before averting her eyes and ultimately departing in a hurry.

Rather than feeling offended, Vahn just smiled as he watched Sona's retreating figure pass through the temporal barrier he had generated before effectively stopping in place. They had actually been having sex in the middle of the hallway, and, though it was indecent of him, Vahn had orchestrated the encounter in order to indulge the silver-haired beauty's exposure fantasies. This wasn't the first time they had 'randomly' encountered each other throughout various parts of the estate, and, with each passing day, Sona was becoming increasingly bold, albeit only internally...

Restoring the flow of time to normal, Vahn watched until Sona had disappeared around the corner before walking in the opposite direction with a smile on his face. It was moments like this that made him feel like the master of all things, and, while this might not be the case outside, it was refreshing to be able to act without inhibitions in the Little Garden, his Realm, and the dozen or so Actualized Worlds he had manifested.

With such thoughts playing across his mind, Vahn reached his original destination to find Yvonne in her private workshop wearing an Aegis top reminiscent of a black sports bra and a pair of coveralls tied around her waist. There was also a thin layer of sweat covering her olive-toned body, and, due to the efforts that had allowed her to become an Advanced Ranker, her partially figure was rather alluring in the low-light of the room.

Despite noticing Vahn's presence long before he had arrived, Yvonne waited until he had entered her workshop proper before wiping away the sweat from her brow and tossing aside an oversized wrench. Then, using gravity to her advantage, she slid from the top of the manta-like craft she had been working on, remarking, "Someone's in a good mood." as she walked over and linked her arms around his waist.

Ever-amused by how Yvonne's casual act, Vahn returned her embrace with a smile before planting a kiss atop her head and asking, "How's it going? You've already been at it for the better of five days. Have you made any progress?"

Rolling her eyes, Yvonne remarked, "Your habit of asking questions you already know the answer to feels like bullying at times. You knew when you gave it to me that it would take far more than a few days to analyze and disassemble something like an Ancient Lighthouse. My father might be the one credited with the creation of Lighthouses, but there were similar objects in circulation long before the rise of the Great Warriors. This particular Lighthouse predates modern iterations by thousands of years so it's going to take some time before I'm able to deconstruct and reproduce it. I mean, it is an A-Rank Quest..."

Chuckling in response to Yvonne's slightly pouty expression, Vahn allowed his hands to slide down her back, the tips of his fingers tracing the boundary between flesh and fabric in a way that caused her expression to brighten despite her wry smile. Then, in a slightly chiding tone, she leaned against him, eyes upturned as she mused, "You mentioned how long I've been working...aren't you the least bit concerned that I might be fatigued?"

With a somewhat wolfish grin developing across his face, Vahn leaned a little closer to Yvonne as he said, "If an Advanced Ranker got tired after a mere five days, their status and power wouldn't be so coveted within the Tower..."

Smiling in response to Vahn's words, Yvonne closed the remaining distance between their faces by standing on her toes, their lips briefly overlapping before she extricated herself from his embrace and stated, "It might not bother you, but I'd like to take a bath first. You're more than welcome to join me, of course, but I'd rather not have to deal with the friction of making love in the bath. You are certainly gifted when it comes to lovemaking, but my body can only produce so much fluid at a time. Certainly not enough to contend with an entire bath of scalding hot mineral water..."

Though he was capable of producing an oil-based lubricant capable of combating that particular issue, Vahn had already decided not to disclose information about his constitution to the research team. This had little to do with keeping secrets, however. Instead, it was predominately because he found Yvonne's efforts to research him rather interesting. She was remarkably sincere when it came to the subject of understanding him, so, while he could make her job easier by explaining a few key points, allowing her to make discoveries of her own was, ultimately, more fulfilling for them both.

With this in mind, Vahn had been spending more and more time with Yvonne, and, though most of this was invested in licentious acts, there was also a fair amount of discussion between them. There was an infinite number of topics they could talk about that had absolutely nothing to do with him, so, whenever they were basking in the afterglow of an intimate rendezvous, talking is exactly what they would do. This had drastically increased the value of Yvonne's Affection, and, though she was far from being infatuated with him, Da Vinci had taught him that there wasn't much of a difference between scholarly obsession and love...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Is it considered a God Complex if the person is an actual God...?','Yet another quiet one xD...','Vahn be living the dream...')