Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1788

Feeling a pleasant warmth pervading her entire body, Hinata was somewhat reluctant to stir from her peaceful slumber. If not for the feeling of ’fullness’ that gave her an almost instinctual urge to clench up her abdominal muscles, she wouldn’t have hesitated to doze off. Instead, she took a slow and steady breath before contracting all of her muscles to their limits, a wave of pleasure spreading through her body that elicited a sharp inhalation from the man hugging her from behind.

Realizing that Hinata had awoken, Vahn issued a light chuckle as he cupped her breast, pinching her left nipple as he remarked, "Naughty kitten..." before kissing the top of her head. This caused Hinata to answer with a giggle of her own before placing her hand overtop his, guiding his motion as she asked, "How long was I out...?"

Without needing to calculate the time himself, Sis whispered the answer into the back of his mind, prompting Vahn to answer, "About five-and-a-half hours..." as his penis began to swell within the mischievous girl’s perpetually moist pressure chamber.

Hearing she had been sleeping for more than five hours, Hinata showed an expression of genuine shock, eyes widening momentarily. Before she could think to apologize, however, Vahn just hugged her a little closer, chin resting on her head as he whispered, "Don’t...time spent with you is never a waste..."

Feeling Vahn’s warmth flow through her, a radiant smile spread across Hinata’s face as she intoned a happy, "Nn~!". She loved that Vahn was always so considerate, and, though she knew he behaved the same way around others, it still made her feel special when they were together like this. Still, she knew that, whenever he was in the mood, Vahn couldn’t be sated with just a single woman. He had quite the ’appetite’, and, thanks to her previous ’lesson’, she could perceive he was in a particularly voracious mood.

Contrary to Hinata’s expectations, Vahn was actually thinking about just binge-watching anime for the rest of his break. It was undeniable that he was in the mood for more, but, after thinking things through for the better part of five hours, he had largely calmed down. At this point, he just wanted to continue hugging Hinata, lounging about in their birthday suits, and casually playing around with each others’ bodies.

With nobody to correct the misunderstanding between them, Hinata decided to take matters into her own hands, rubbing her thighs together and twisting her waist from side-to-side as she asked, "Have you decided on your next Template? If not, I have a few...ahh...suggestions~."

Though he was a little curious about who she might suggest, Vahn got the impression that Hinata’s intentions weren’t exactly ’pure’. He was actually trying to stray away from creating Templates that he wanted to have sex with, not because he was holding himself back, but because he wanted them to have the freedom to choose. If he created someone at Hinata’s suggestion, right when they were in the midst of having sex, the process would invariably be corrupted by his wayward thoughts and expectations...

Preventing Hinata from needlessly complicating an already complex social dynamic, Vahn tilted the girl’s face toward his, sealing her proposals with a kiss. There were actually a number of Templates he was interested in creating, but, with seventeen unnamed Templates and potentially years before they reached the 20th Floor, he wasn’t in any rush. He also had a number of ongoing experiments, most revolving around helping his Templates develop a True Ego, so, at least for the time being, he was more than content with the current situation.

Quickly forgetting what they were even talking about, Hinata did her best to reciprocate Vahn’s affection as they gradually eased into another long, slow, and passionate session of lovemaking. It was a lot less intense than usual, but, as she had yet to recover from her previous exhaustion, she didn’t particularly mind it. Rather, the longer he tenderly scraped against her insides, the stronger her desire to remain connected became. For a brief moment, she even began to wonder what their children were going to look like as a burgeoning desire to become pregnant sprouted within her heart and mind...

After binge-watching three seasons of an adorable anime known as Dog Days, Vahn departed the Little Garden with a relaxed smile on his face. Hinata’s words nearly caused him to create a template from one of the characters, but, having already made up his mind, no amount of temptation could force him to change it.

Emerging from behind the blue privacy curtain, Vahn found Nare registering the information of a Regular who looked like she originated from the same region of the Tower as Hatsu, a place known as the Eastern Isles. This gave her dark black hair, matching black eyes, and, as could be expected, distinctly oriental features. Unfortunately, if her missing arm and the eyepatch over her eye were any indicators, she had been considerably less fortunate during her ascent up the Tower...

Noticing Vahn’s emergence, Nare was about to explain the woman’s situation, but, before she was able to, the latter promptly kneeled down, head lowered to the ground in a one-armed dogeza as she firmly stated, "My sword is my life. If you are able to heal my injuries, I swear to abide by your will until my dying breath."

Though he hadn’t interacted much with Hatsu, Vahn knew he was the type of man who would not even hesitate to perform seppuku if it meant restoring his honor. He hailed from a land where pride and honor were the most important things, and, much like feudal Japan, it was considered ’normal’ to dedicate your life to your Lord or Benefactor. This all but confirmed his suspicions regarding the woman’s origin, but, with very little desire to have ’anyone’ dedicate themselves to him, he casually replied, "Raise your head. I am neither your Liege nor your Lord. I heal everyone that comes into my clinic so there is no need to lower yourself in such a manner. If you want to thank me, just dedicate your sword to helping others from now on. Now, step behind this curtain and let me take a look at your injuries."

Abiding by Vahn’s orders, the black-haired woman reluctantly lifted her head before climbing to her feet with a sullen expression on her face. It was the penultimate goal of every swordsman from her home country to find a Lord worthy of dedicating both their sword and their lives to. Vahn seemed like an extremely suitable candidate for the position of her Lord, but, as the decision was ultimately his to make, she could only lament the fact he had refused.

Waiting until the woman had walked passed him, Vahn lightly shook his head before disappearing behind the same curtain. He might have allowed her to join Team Wolf Pack if not for the fact she was virtually guaranteed to imprint on him. Had this not been the case, he might have introduced her into the group just to have a female who wasn’t interested in Gandr. There were already quite a number of women vying for his affection, and, if something wasn’t done soon, it was only a matter of time before his relatability with the other males was strained...

Closing the curtain behind him, Vahn adopted a professional demeanor as he looked down at the 153cm tall woman and said, "You will need to remove all garments and bandaging covering your injury. The entire process will take around twenty minutes, and, though it will be extremely painful, this is necessary to ensure that all the nerves are properly attached. Don’t worry. Even if you scream at the top of your lungs, there are soundproofing barriers that will prevent your voice from traveling beyond this curtain."

Nodding her head in understanding, the petite woman loosened her red sash before taking a deep breath and loosening the fabric of her kimono-like top. Her culture considered it inappropriate for a woman to expose themselves before a man who wasn’t their Lord or Husband. This was one of the reasons she had wanted to pledge herself to Vahn, but, as he had already refused, she did her best to ignore her apprehensions for the sake of restoring her dominant arm...

Noticing the girl struggle with removing the bandages wrapped around her breasts and shoulder, Vahn had her turn around before helping to expedite the process. At the same time, he remarked, "These bandages are very neatly wrapped. Is there someone in your team who knows first-aid...?"

Though she wasn’t particularly in the mood to converse, the woman reacted with a curt nod before replying, "The Light Bearer on my team, Fumiko, usually helps me out...we’re all that remains of our original group of six so we try to help each other when we can..."

Sensing the depressive aura radiating from the woman’s body, Vahn didn’t need to ask in order to know what had happened to her other companions. Most females made the mistake of joining an all-women’s team on the 3rd Floor, and, as a result, they ended up being targets for virtually every other team. This was one of the many reasons there were fewer women the higher you climbed the Tower, the only real exception being those who had integrated into powerful parties or descended from notable families.

Finished with removing the woman’s bandages, Vahn had to forcibly restrain a sigh as he saw the misshapen stump where her arm used to be. He could also see several other slash and puncture wounds on her body, several of which were disturbingly ’fresh’. It was clear that her time on the 5th Floor had been filled with trials, and, based on what he could tell, the most recent injury, a puncture wound that fully penetrated her abdomen, was only two days old...

After promptly deciding he would have Gandr send a Shadow Clone to watch over the woman for a few days, Vahn handed her a leather bit, saying, "Put this in your mouth and bite down. You might have tremendous pain tolerance, but nothing will have prepared you for the experience of having your nerves regrown. For some, it helps to watch the area as it regrows..."

Nodding her head, the woman placed the bit between her teeth before looking toward her stump with her one good eye. A few beads of sweat had already started to form across her body, but, with a look of unwavering conviction, she watched as Vahn placed his left hand on her shoulder and his right hand on her ribs. She was surprised by how startlingly hot his palms felt against her body, but, before she could think about the reasons, a sudden and intense pain began to surge from her right shoulder...

Over the course of twenty agonizing minutes, Vahn kept the woman firmly seated in place as the stump of her right arm swelled like a bloody red balloon. Shortly after that, the scar tissue began to flake away as a bloody mass of bone, muscle, and sinew began to slowly extrude from the bulbous mass. This was where the pain truly set in, and, if not for the fact he was dulling her senses with his source energy, there was a very real chance the woman might have died from the shock alone...

Seeing her arm regrowing at a rapid yet agonizingly slow pace, the woman clenched her teeth hard enough to nearly bit through the durable leather bit as she focused intently on the process. She felt like she would lose her mind if she looked away; so, no matter how desperately she wanted to pull herself free, she forced herself to continue watching even as bloody tears protruded from beneath her eyepatch...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Vahn be like, "I already get enough hate in the comments section..."’,’Dog Days (OwO)...’,’Piccolo makes it look a lot easier...’)