Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1743

While Gandr was experiencing a unique trial all his own, Team Wolf Pack, at the direction of Khun, was on the verge of guaranteeing victory.

Though they were drastically outnumbered by the Barnacle Goblins and Giant Marsh Worms, this quickly became an irrelevant factor when Striped Ground Pigs began to, literally, bore their way out of the giant worms. This was the result of Khun having Laure collapse very specific tunnels, forcing the Striped Ground Pigs to pass through the area where the Giant Marsh Worms were probing. As a result, they ended up being absorbed by the worms' elastic and vacuous maws before subsequently tearing their way out using their vicious fangs and claws.

The Striped Ground Pigs already had an antagonistic relationship with the Barnacle Goblins, so, as could be expected, they were reacted 'extremely' hostile to being eaten. This resulted in both sides committing to annihilating the other party, an opportunistic situation that was heavily exploited by the members of Team Wolf Pack.

With Laure using his levitation and telekinesis to help periodically change their vantage point, the Spear Bearers were able to rain spears upon the battlefield with complete impunity. As for the rest of the team, they had been split into multiple guerilla forces, ambushing any and all who attempted to either flee or pursue the Net Dolphins.

By the time half an hour had passed, more than sixty percent of the Striped Ground Pigs had been completely wiped out. As for the Barnacle Goblins, only a few of the more cowardly members, those who fled early on, would live to see another day. Without their Giant Marsh Worms, however, it was hard to say how long they would survive.

Needless to say, Team Wolf Pack had all but guaranteed the success of the Test. All they needed to do now was wait until Baam and Rachel were 'expelled' by the Net Dolphins' Queen. This caused a few of them to gather around for preemptive celebration while those like Laure, having reclaimed his most precious treasure, promptly found an isolated area to enjoy a late-afternoon nap...

With the vantage provided by Phae, Vahn was able to witness Team Wolf Pack's strategy and battle from start to finish. There had been a few 'unexpected' guests partway through the scuffle, but, with both Ren and the Bull already dealt with, there was only one variable remaining that could threaten the party's interests: Rachel.

Though he had wanted to make a grand entrance by plummeting onto the battlefield like a literal meteor, Vahn had decided to abandon his chance in the spotlight, following his instincts to prevent anything remiss from happening. Rachel still gave the impression she was a coiled snake waiting for its opportunity to strike, so there was no way he would just leave her and Baam alone in a situation where all audio and video surveillance had been cut off.

Fortunately, even as the Test was gradually drawing to its conclusion, Rachel and Baam continued to sit back-to-back, seemingly discussing matters related to the past and future. As for Vahn, he was hiding a few hundred meters away, suspended in the extremely concentrated Shinsu that emulated water but had properties reminiscent of air. This allowed him to breathe freely, but, if he didn't have the ability to 'float', falling would be equivalent to jumping off a cliff rather than sinking into a body of buoyant water...

Seeing the 'mouth' of the Queen gradually open like the gates of heaven, complete with a vibrant light that empowered those basking in its glory, Vahn was beginning to feel like he had just wasted the last eight-and-a-half hours of his life. Fortunately, though an argument could be made that is was extremely unfortunate, Rachel's true nature came to the surface at the exact moment both he and Baam had eased their tensions. As a result, Baam ended up being pushed from the small platform contained within the bubble, his body falling with increasing speed towards the black abyss below.

Exhaling a sigh, Vahn teleported behind Rachel without revealing his presence, curious to see what kind of reaction the woman would have after pushing the person who trusted and cared for her to his death. Unfortunately for her, an audible sigh of 'relief' escaped her lips, prompting Vahn to say, "You made the wrong choice..." in a heavy tone.

Surprised by the sound of a voice emanating from behind, Rachel nearly fell off the platform herself due to how quickly she turned around, her expression paling the moment she saw Vahn. For a brief moment, her aura even fluctuated slightly, flickering like the flame of a candle that was disturbed by someone lightly blowing into it.

Even without reading her mind, Vahn could guess what was going through Rachel's head, so, while maintaining his grim expression, he gestured towards the chair, advising, "Take a seat. Don't worry, this bubble isn't going anywhere. You have all the time you need to think of an excuse."

Hearing Vahn's words, panic could be seen in Rachel's gaze as she looked around and noticed the bubble they were in was no longer moving. Vahn was holding it in place using his Telekinesis, all but guaranteeing she was going to fall the test.

Fearing her path towards the top of the Tower was being cut off, Rachel ended up digging herself even deeper into a hole, forgoing an excuse as she shouted, "If I fail the test, everyone else will fail as well! You're not even supposed to be here! You can't interfere like this...!"

Turning his head sideways, Vahn adopted an expression similar to someone looking at an exotic yet disgusting creature as he plainly stated, "None of the rules prohibit other people from entering into the Wine Glass. Also, you might be unaware of it, but one of the Administrators tried to assassinate one of the testing Regulars. Even the Bull was under their control, so, unless they want to risk going against the Guardian's wishes, they would need to allow us to pass or provide the opportunity for a retake. We still have three Irregulars on our side, each qualified to take the Guardian's Test...besides, even if we failed, there is nothing to stop us from moving higher up the Tower. The rules fabricated by the Jahad Empire have absolutely no bearing on me. You, however...I'm afraid your journey ends here, Ms. Michelle Light..."

Hearing Vahn's words, Rachel felt like she was on the verge of hyperventilating. She knew the man in front of her wasn't going to listen to any of her excuses, and, regardless of whether she tried to jump to her death or attack him, neither had any hope of success. This caused her to feel helpless, but, more than anything else, she felt rage, indignation, and 'envy'. If she had as much power as the man in front of her, she wouldn't have to suffer through all of this. She would be able to climb the Tower with impunity, removing all obstacles in her way using overwhelming power...

Seeing the dangerous gleam in Rachel's eyes, Vahn couldn't help but release a sigh, shaking his head as he said, "You really are a remorseless fool...not only did you betray the person who would have willingly sacrificed everything to make your dream come true, you now look at me like I'm the one who wronged someone. Utterly ridiculous..."

With her rage gradually overriding her common sense, Rachel continued glaring back at Vahn, her voice sounding strained and hoarse as she shouted, "You don't underst-"

Tired of hearing people shout the same argument over and over again, a tired sigh escaped Vahn's mouth as he used Reverse Flow Control to freeze Rachel mid-sentence. Then, with a stern tone that left no room for discussion, he stated, "You don't even try to empathize with others yet claim they are the ones who don't understand...it's a good thing you never put in an effort to gain power. With your self-centered mentality, you would have become a complete monster. It's sad, really...if seeing stars was truly your end goal, I could have allowed you to see them whenever you wanted. Not just a projection, but actual stars..."

If someone else were to make the same claim, Rachel wouldn't have believed them, not even for a moment. When Vahn said such things, however, his words carried a certain 'surety' that made them hard to refute. He also stood nothing to gain by lying to her, so, with her body still frozen in place, a steady stream of tears began to roll down Rachel's face. She wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of her lungs, the anger within her heart quickly turning to anguish as her hatred for both Headon and the Tower reached new heights.

Sensing Rachel's lamentation, Vahn allowed the woman free reign to scream as loud as she wanted. He was hoping she would actually learn something from this, as, much like Hoh, she was not too far gone. If she could show genuine remorse, he wouldn't mind helping her achieve her dream, as, with his Realm, he could easily grant her wish at any point in time. He could even grant her power if she was willing to work for it, so, while she was busy screaming a crying, another version of himself was busy wrapping things up in the abyss below...

With several hours' worth of time to kill, Vahn ended up exploring much of the Wine Glass, a large underground lake which, as its name implied, was shaped like a wine glass. He got the impression there was a greater meaning to this specific location being chosen for the Test, so, with nothing better to do, he ended up mapping out the entire region to make sure there was nothing amiss.

Unsurprisingly, Vahn found a number of 'peculiarities' within the Wine Glass, the two most notable findings being a temple protected by a powerful seal and a completely isolated subspace near the 'neck' of the Wine Glass. The former prevented any kind of spatial movements, so, unless he wanted to force his way in, Vahn had no way of entering the Temple. As for the latter, it took on the form of a red fragment that generated a phenomenal amount of Shinsu, enough to covert the water within the Wine Glass into a pseudo-Shinsu mix that, for reasons Vahn could only guess, was much easier to control than normal Shinsu.

Though the peculiar fragment was carefully concealed within the void, it's influence on the waters within the Wine Glass made it easy to locate for anyone with the ability to read the Flow of Shinsu. After all, the density of Shinsu increased exponentially as you got closer to the sub-space, so, after an hour or so had passed, Vahn had not only managed to locate the fragment, he also managed to liberate it from the void without any real difficulty. After that, he tried to place it into his Inventory, but, unsurprisingly, he was unable to do so. There seemed to be a consciousness sealed within the fragment, so, after placing a seal of his own around the fragment, he stored it safely within the Little Garden before spending the remainder of his time trying to find a way into the sealed temple.

Unfortunately, the seal on the temple was much stronger than the almost 'lazy' effort that had been put into concealing the scarlet fragment. As a result, he was forced to abandon the temple, though not before placing a spatial anchor that should allow him to return at his leisure. Then, before Baam could fall to his death or be crushed by the pressure of the Wine Glass' depths, he teleported to the boy's side, slowing his descent before using his domain to emulate a Shinsu bubble.

As could be expected, Baam had a look of extreme confusion and conflict after being betrayed by the person he trusted more than anyone else. Tears immediately began flowing from his face, and, now that he could breathe properly, he began hyperventilating, clutching his chest as he fell to his knees and shouted, "Why!? Why would Rachel do this!? I don't understand...this pain...aaaaaaagh...!"

Seeing the innocent and naive Baam suffering from the pain of betrayal, Vahn couldn't help but feel pity for the boy. Rachel was basically his 'whole world' prior to his entrance into the Tower, the one person he cherished more than anything else. He had dedicated everything to her, and, so long as it was for her sake, he would have conquered the entire Tower in order to make her dream a reality.

Unfortunately, for reasons only Rachel herself was fully aware of, she had decided to betray Baam in the pursuit of some arbitrary goal. It wasn't difficult to imagine she was being used, but, regardless of her reasons, it was an inviolable fact that she had betrayed the one person who would have done anything for her. Thus, in response to the boy's outburst, Vahn extended his hand toward Baam, his voice firm and steady as he stated, "Let's go find out..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'When handling snakes, never take your eye off the head...','You done fucked up now, hon...!','Vahn over here being a loot goblin...')