Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

In the period of time, nearly ten hours, that Vahn was asleep, Tsubaki had to deal with quite a few problematic issues. There had been so many messages on the network that she was honestly surprised that other hadn't come to interfere. Fortunately, a number of girls had explained away the matter and placed their trust in Vahn to deal with the situation. Naaza and Lili were able to confirm that both Tsubaki and Vahn were still locked within her room, so there wasn't a major panic and they had simply chosen to wait while speculating about what they were up to.

As someone that had 'experienced' Vahn's capabilities in the past, Hephaestus simply believed that Tsubaki and Vahn were overindulging like when he had visited her in the past. This started a strange like of conversation where the matter of Vahn's stamina was discussed. It was still fresh in many of the girls' minds how he had 'boldly' claimed to be capable 'dealing' with everyone that had been present at the time without issue. If he really could keep at things for more than a day, it was a relatively 'significant' matter that needed to be taken into consideration. It was good, in a way, since it meant Vahn wouldn't be overstressed when sleeping with several women. However, it was also problematic, since there was a genuine concern that Vahn also couldn't be 'satisfied' by any single girl either. If he was less restrained in his behavior, there could be all kinds of problems in the future.

When Tsubaki finally jumped into the conversation and explained that Vahn had used his [Hands of Nirvana] and a special technique to alter her body, it wasn't long before the network exploded in a buzz of questions. Generally speaking, Vahn's massages lasted for an hour and, even in that relatively short period of time, the girls would feel revitalized for days. Their skin would turn glossy and any discomfort and aches they had would have vanished in their entirety by the end of the pleasant sessions. It was hard to imagine what Vahn could have done after spending nearly an entire day and there were more than a few people that were interested in the outcome. When Lili added her own tidbits saying how Tsubaki had literally 'reverse aged' it wasn't long before it was decided that Tsubaki needed to meet with Hephaestus and Loki to determine the extent of her change. They also needed to hear the details from Vahn himself and decided to wait until he woke up before pressing for more information.

It was slightly after 8 AM when Vahn finally woke up, and he noticed his body had been wiped down and he was wearing nothing but his briefs. There was a towel on his head wrapped around a small magic item that was able to heat up after inserting a small magic core into the slot at the center. After asking Sis about the details of what happened after he lost consciousness, he discovered he had spent more than twenty-three hours using 'Nirvana' on Tsubaki before blacking out for an additional ten. It wasn't too unexpected since the actual procedure was stated to take an entire day to perform. The fact he took slightly less time showed that he had completed the operation quickly, but it also worried him that he might have made a few mistakes so he crawled out of the futon and wore a new grey tunic and a pair of black trousers before making his way out of the room.

Along the way, Vahn could detect several presences on the west side of the house and knew that two of them were gods. He released a short sigh and hoped that he hadn't caused a major stir and taken things too far. During the procedure, Vahn had been so focused on ensuring everything went smoothly that he hadn't noticed the overall changes to Tsubaki's body until the very end. Even he had been surprised when he saw the changes and he was the one that actually conducted the procedure from the beginning. Since it had been his first time using the technique, Vahn didn't know anything about the changes other than what was mentioned in the description. The technique just detailed how it could restore the vitality within cells and remove any sequelae that had been experienced by the patient with the passage of time. It could return life to the dead, but its use on living flesh focused more on 'rebirth' than 'resurrection'. In summary, the final results depended on how far he pushed his efforts but it almost guaranteed that things like aging could be stalled for a time.

When Vahn stepped into the dining room, he scanned over the surprised faces of Hephaestus, Loki, Tsubaki, Naaza, Lili, and, surprisingly, Riveria. Seeing the youthful look on Tsubaki's face and the somewhat out-of-character clothing was a bit of an impact on his recently recovered mind, but he didn't get time to adapt to the change before Lili assaulted his body by tackling around his waist and hugging him tightly. Vahn habitually stroked her head as he laughed to the room and said, "Good morning, everyone...it seems I might have gone a bit too far? Hahahaha."

Though he could go longer periods of time without food, Vahn was happy to be able to eat a hearty meal as he sat down surrounded by people he trusted and cared about. During the meal, he was constantly barraged with questions by the two goddesses, but it was Riveria who asked a few pointed questions that struck at the root of the matter. Vahn explained his theories about vitality and energy and detailed the larger details of the procedure, including what he had done to help balance out Tsubaki's body and remove any negative buildup that had appeared in her joints, arteries, organs, and blood. The biggest impact was when he unabashedly talked about his impromptu operation to potentially fix the fertility issue after explaining the probable causes to the group of shocked women. Tsubaki's expression had been somewhat priceless as her face had actually turned pale, with wide eyes, for a while before a youthful blush settled into her cheeks and her expression turned into a mixture between relief and happiness.

The fact that he had potentially discovered the cause of infertility in Half-Races, as well as potentially discovered the secret to maintaining a person's youth, was a big impact on the group present. It was decided that the information needed to be guarded as an absolute secret until Vahn could better understand the process. If news spread that he could not only help i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e goddesses but could also perform an operation to replenish a person's youth, there would be no end to the troubles the entire group would face in the future. Vahn also made it very clear that the procedure was far more complicated than the girls understood and it was decided that Riveria and Lefiya would be in attendance the next time he used it. Elves had a natural ability to sense mana, and talented ones like Riveria and Lefiya could even see the flow of elements in the air and understand the mystical properties of magic circles to an extent. Lefiya herself was what Riveria called a thousand-year prodigy and she could even commune with the primordial spirits and borrow their power on occasion.

Vahn agreed to not publicize and use the skill whenever he wanted, as he already had no intention of doing so. It was an incredibly taxing procedure and it was only worth using in somewhat drastic situations, typically those involving life and death. Tsubaki had been an exception because Vahn wanted irrefutable evidence to convince her since he understood her intentions from the moment she brought it up. He knew that, unless he did something drastic, she would try and make an excuse to dismiss the changes he had brought about unless they were undeniably evident for everyone to see. Though she had been 36, and still way, she now looked like she hadn't even crested 25 and had a youthful vigor that could even rival some of the more mature girls in the group like Hephaestus and Anubis. She also radiated a bit of power from her body and her aura had increased in size by an almost imperceptible amount so Vahn figured he had actually raised her potential and mentioned updating her Status Board to verify his assumption.

Since it was common knowledge among the upper echelons of the network about his ability to update statuses, it was decided that Vahn would update Tsubaki's status and she unabashedly shrugged off the purple kimono she was wearing before removing the sarashi holding up her now 'beautifully sculpted' b.r.e.a.s.ts. Loki even whistled at the sight while several of the girls raised their eyes in abject appreciation of the visual. Tsubaki herself laughed at their reactions before plopping down on the ground and having Vahn sit behind her. She had never been the bashful type from the start, so she didn't care about being seen by other girls, nor Vahn himself. They had bathed together often in the past, and now he literally knew her body better than she herself. Besides, being appreciated by the other girls present made her feel a bit of pride in her 'new' body and she felt like showing off a bit.

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[[STATUS]]

Name: Tsubaki Collbrande

Race: Half-Dwarf

LV. 5

POW: A823->A865

END: B775->A841

DEX: S914->S939

AGI: D564->D583

MAG: D557->C689

Skill: [Cyclops:Innate], [Overheat:B], [Surge:D], [Dragon Killer:B], [Oniyuri:B]

Magic: [Will-o-Wisp:C] (A/N: I'm going with the idea that she taught the skill to Welf, since it doesn't make sense that he ever learned magic or read a grimoire when he wasn't even Level 2, or a blacksmith, by the time the original plot started.)

Development Skill: [Master Smith:G], [Hunter:B], [Fire Resistance:B], [Abnormal Resistance:C]

[Overheat]

Rank: B

Use: Absorbs oxygen through the pores to increase blood flow. Causes the body to heat up and enhances all physical parameters. Massive stamina drain.

[Surge]

Rank: D

Use: Infuse mana into attacks to enhance their power.

[Dragon Killer]

Rank: B

Use: Enhance all physical parameters by 50% when fighting against Dragons. Enhance all physical parameters by 25% when fighting against Dragon-Subspecies.

[Oniyuri]

Rank:C

Use: Enhances physical parameters while decreasing the physical parameters of enemies hit by this skill. Has poor mana efficiency.

[Will-o-Wisp]

Rank: C

Use: Super-Short-Chant Anti-magic fire that can disrupt other chants and cause magic to backfire.

Chant: Burn out, Illegal work~!

(A/N: I'm not going to keep repeating the description of skills that commonly appear unless the readers don't mind the info dump when skills are discussed.)

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After updating her Status Board, Vahn showed Tsubaki her status sheet and she was very surprised by her own growth. She was at the point that, no matter how much she pushed herself, there were rarely changes in her stats more than a few points every now and then. The boost she received from Vahn's 'Nirvana' was literally nothing short of monstrous. This showed that not only did the skill revitalize the body, but it also strengthened it and increased the potential of the recipient. It made sense considering that Vahn had actually massaged her muscles and removed any damage that had been contained within through excess training and overuse. The biggest surprise was her Magic stat increasing to a large extent, and Vahn explained that her aura had actually increased marginally during the procedure.

As Tsubaki's goddess, Hephaestus was able to see her updated Status while the others weren't privy to the information since it was very private. Even though they were allies, everyone needed to keep their own secrets, especially someone like Tsubaki who was the Captain of an entire Familia. This didn't prevent Loki from asking about things after she saw the changes in expression from Vahn, Tsubaki, and then Hephaestus. Vahn had been surprised that Tsubaki actually had her Innate skill awakened, but it made sense considering her actual alias was 'Cyclops'. She was already Level 5, so she had probably awakened it long ago and obtained her moniker from the skill itself. Tsubaki was surprised by everything that had been happening within the last day, and her own status was just a cherry atop the mountain of things she had to process. As for Hephaestus, she was very pleased with the revelation that Tsubaki's growth had accelerated to such a level and it was likely just the start. Now that her body was revitalized, it stood to reason that her potential had increased further and she would be able to finally break the limits of Level 5 in the future. The only thing she needed was an achievement and she would be able to Level-Up immediately thereafter.

Hephaestus had looked over toward Loki after reading the information and stated simply, "We already agreed that this needed to be kept a secret, but now things are far more serious than we imagined. Vahn's technique seems to be able to increase the actual potential of the recipient, though I can't say anything about the changes without Tsubaki's consent." Tsubaki began to laugh as she heard Hephaestus's words and said, "I feel like I could even give some of your children a run for their money now, hahahaha~!" Loki's eyes widened marginally at their words and asked in a serious tone, "Is it really that drastic a change?" Though she could tell they were being serious, it wasn't something she could just let slide in a dismissive manner.

Instead of allowing Hephaestus and Tsubaki to answer, Vahn spoke out to interrupt the flow and said, "All I did was awaken a bit of the potential already contained within Tsubaki's body. It isn't to the extent that I increased it by a large amount, and it probably wouldn't have a drastic effect on anyone with a growth-related skill or those that have already broken through their normal limits. I'm not sure how long Tsubaki has been Level 5, but it was very obvious from my observations that she had stalled at her current level for a long time. If not for this fact, there wouldn't have been such a drastic change." Tsubaki nodded her head and said, "That makes sense...I've been Level 5 for seven, almost eight, years. Now that my muscles have been loosened up and my joints and tendons have been restored to an undamaged state, it makes sense that my parameters would increase a fair amount..."

Loki released a theatrically exasperated sigh and said, "What a letdown ~. It would have been amazing if you could keep using that skill the constantly improve the parameters of other people. Well, you should still consider using it on some of the girls to get a better understanding of the skill...though, don't push yourself too hard." Vahn nodded his head in agreement before everyone sat around and discussed the matters of the future in detail. Because of the strain, and complexity, of the 'Nirvana' technique, Vahn decided to not use it unless the situation called for it. He did plan to research the matter of infertility in Half-Breed races though and intended to record the details of his study within a journal.

Riveria offered to help him out since it was very difficult for elves to get pregnant as well. They had a long gestation period, nearly 13 months, and the children born were often frail and sickly and required mana to sustain their health. Since Vahn showed an interest in resolving such issues, Riveria wanted to contribute since it was theoretically the most important topic to research in the entire world. Everything Vahn did was borderline 'revolutionary' on a fundamental level, and she felt like he would create a stream of endless miracles in the future with proper guidance and mentorship. She even offered to guide him on his magical studies, since it was common knowledge that Vahn's magic parameter was far beyond mortal levels. Since Vahn actually had a vested interest in learning magic, he willingly agreed to her request and they had decided to exchange communication scrolls to keep in touch about their research. Riveria even gave him a magical grimoire, since he had talked about having Haruhime train in magic as well. She was surprised by Vahn's claims about the Renard girls magical capacity and she was very interested to teach such prodigious students.

By the time the discussion came to an end, it was nearly 1 PM and the group had eaten lunch together before splitting up to go about their various duties. Tsubaki left with Naaza and Lili to rendezvous with the expedition party, since they still needed to report to the Guild and exchange all the drops items they had obtained for Valis. Loki wasn't really busy, but she said there were a few things she wanted to look into without going into any details. Hephaestus needed to return to her own workshop as well, but Vahn escorted her and they held hands throughout the entire hour-long trip regardless of the number of eyes they drew. After dropping her off at her workshop, Vahn and Hephaestus shared a long kiss with each other as he affectionately rubbed her belly. When they finally parted, Vahn made a quick stopover at the Hostess of Fertility to greet all the girls present and enjoy a light snack and coffee before finally returning to the Hearth Manor.

The moment he stepped into the foyer, Vahn caught the twin-tailed bullet that shot at his diaphragm like a lethal projectile. Hestia pounded on his chest with her tiny fists and said, "You can't be gone for so long without telling me, idiot, idiot, idiot~!" Vahn just cradled her body in his embrace for a while and consoled the bereaved goddess for a while before spending a bit of time tending to, and spoiling, her. Everyone except Preasia was currently in the dungeon, so Vahn spent some time cuddling with Hestia on the sofa after finding a room where Preasia wouldn't easily find them. She didn't seem to realize he was home yet, and Vahn felt like it would be somewhat awkward if the three of them were in a room together. Thinking of the timid sheep girl, Vahn began to wonder if he should help her find a bit of direction along the path she had decided upon. He knew Naaza would move into the Hearth Manor in the future, and he was considering having her mentor Preasia since she was interested in medicine...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Network Ablaze','Tsubaki's Changes','Path of Divergence: Future Potential')

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