Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-2120

"You don't have to participate, but this is an opportunity to gain publicity and begin building a legend of your own. If you intend to become a God or something similar, you'll need to work hard to obtain a Divinity. I can prolong your life and provide numerous forms of biological immortality but it is against my principles to grant power arbitrarily."

Though he had jumped the gun a bit by deciding to host a Gift Game, Vahn was still interested to hear what everyone else thought. Thus, after explaining the events in detail, he had asked for their input while making it clear they didn't actually have to participate if they didn't want to.

Fortunately, even Seraphina seemed interested in participating, musing, "There's a shooting event? Count me in. It's high time the people of the Little Garden were afforded the privilege of witnessing their future Empress in action. Oh-hohohohohohoho~."

Understanding she would probably go on a rant if he made a comment, Vahn just nodded his head in remark to Seraphina's statement before passing his gaze over the rest of the table.

As the first person Vahn had set his sights on, Usalia's expression morphed into a slight pout as she said, "I want to participate in the Pankration, but I don't want any men to touch me..."

Combining the events of boxing and wrestling, the Pankration was widely considered to be one of the most ancient forms of mixed martial arts. Its origins could be traced back to the battle between Theseus and the Minotaur of the Labyrinth. Thus, when it came to ancient Olympic sports, it was the most celebrated among the entire roster. After all, people absolutely adored watching other people beat the living daylights out of each other.

Having already taken this into consideration, Vahn supplied a curt nod before explaining, "Each of the events has been sub-divided into men's and women's categories. I can't promise there won't be any opportunistic perverts among the female competitors but there are precautions to prevent any mishaps."

As that was her only real concern, Usalia visibly relaxed as an expectant smile developed across her face. She doubted any of the competitors would be able to compete with her but she was looking forward to the opportunity to demonstrate her power. The way people looked at her when she was walking around with Vahn always bothered her so she wanted to prove she wasn't some trophy just anyone could admire.

While offering a silent prayer for anyone unfortunate enough to cross Usalia's path, Vahn shifted his attention to Fenrir. To his surprise, she seemed to have already made her decision, a serious look on her face as she said, "I'm going to participate in the javelin toss."

Though her decision was a little odd, it had been decades since Vahn questioned Fenrir's decisions. Instead, he just adopted a smile, musing, "I almost feel bad for the people competing against you."

Snorting through her nose with a proud expression on her face, Fenrir's tail began to gently waggle even as Vahn's attention shifted to Shirayukihime.

Understanding it was her turn to speak, Hime adopted a slightly awkward smile as she asked, "Does the women's swimming event require a swimsuit?"

Nodding his head, Vahn explained, "For the sake of fairness, each competitor will be supplied all the necessary equipment to participate. There is also a provision that prohibits the use of Divinity, Gifts, Spiritual Energy, and Magic. In other words, everyone will be competing using their physical bodies. After all, this is a friendly competition."

Since he knew she would ask, Vahn created a three-dimensional projection of Hime wearing a white and blue sports swimsuit. It left very little to the imagination but it was a heck of a lot more modest than the string bikini she was expecting.

Though she couldn't help exhaling a sigh, Hime still nodded her head in understanding. Swimming was the only event she could realistically compete in without her powers, so, unless she chose to sit this one out, her options were limited. Since she wanted to be of service to her Master, Vahn, there was no way around it. She would swallow her shame and do her best.

Resisting the temptation to remind Hime that she could participate using her true body, Vahn just smiled before shifting his attention to the next person in line, Sarina. When their eyes met, he could see her throat move up and down, a faint blush developing across her face as she stated, "I'm going to participate in the Horse Race. I'm not all that confident in my strength but I learned how to ride a horse during my time in the Game Board. I prefer a saddle but I'm confident riding bareback..."

Now understanding the reason for Sarina's blush, a light chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat as every girl at the table shifted their gazes to the raven-haired teen. Seraphina, in particular, seemed genuinely impressed by Sarina's bravado, hand covering her mouth as she exclaimed, "Oh my! How bold~!"

Blushing even fiercer due to Seraphina's remark, Sarina eventually had to cover her face with both hands before sinking into her chair. Her remark had been intentional but that didn't mean it wasn't embarrassing.

Sparing Sarina the awkwardness of prolonged silence, Vahn restrained his laughter as he directed a smile towards Nono. In response, the auburn-haired beauty returned a delicate smile of her own as she softly declared, "I will stay home to look after the children."

Understanding that Nono was functionally powerless without her Gifts, Vahn simply nodded his head in understanding before shifting his gaze to the only person not seated at the table, Leticia. She took her duties as his 'Personal Maid' very seriously, so, while everyone else was sitting around the table, she had been standing next to him in a black and white maid outfit.

Offering a curt yet polite bow, Leticia raised her head before stating, "I was going to participate in the Javelin Toss. However, as that honor has been taken by Lady Fenrir, I have chosen to participate in the archery event. I am confident in my ability to secure the Gold Medal."

Though her words might sound arrogant to others, Vahn knew full well that Leticia was more than capable of securing the gold. There was a chance an outlier might appear, but, unless they were a literal God or some kind of Ancient Titan, there was little chance of them outperforming Leticia in a contest of strength and accuracy...

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[Status]

Name: Leticia Vespula Draculea

Age: 1637(23,492), Ageless

Race: Vampire Lord, Demon, True Dragon(sealed)

Parameters: [Transcendental Path to Heaven]

Strength: 19,688,012S

Agility: 401,444A

Dexterity: 712,105A

Intelligence: 742,259A

Luck: 19,411B

Spirit: 1,005,437A

Wisdom: 882,599S

Charisma: 629,793S

Divinity: N/A

Authority: Overall Floor Master(sealed), Sun Authority: Ophiuchus(sealed)

Soul Tier: 5

Karma: 56,713,294,112,003(A/N: O_O...)

Innate(s): [Child of Destiny: SSS], [Shinso Origin Bloodline: SSS], [Descendant of the Dragon: SS], [Lord of Shadows: SS], [Ophiuchus: (sealed)]

Gift(s): [Lord of Vampire: SS], [Deceased Dragon's Portrait: S], [Sun Authority: Ophiuchus(sealed)], [Game Board: Millennium Castle(sealed)], [Game Board: Twilight Castle(sealed)]

Talent(s): [Etiquette: S], [Swordsmanship: A], [Spearmanship: A], [Archery: A], [Riding: A], [Shadow Manipulation: SS], [Service: A], [Cooking: B], [Cleaning: B], literally hundreds more~.

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While her parameters were quite a bit lower than his, disregarding Luck and Karma, Leticia was head and shoulders over the average resident of the Little Garden. Once he helped her to recover her Divinity, she would grow even stronger.

Nodding his head in approval of his own thoughts, a smile developed across Vahn's face as he clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "Great! With the exception of Nono, everyone seems to have decided on the event they want to participate in. If you'd like to practice, just let me know. I've already finished working on the Game Board quite some time ago. The actual event is in seven days but I can literally give you as much time as you need."

Though his words weren't intended as an innuendo, a rather fierce blush developed across Sarina's face. This left Vahn feeling a little helpless, but, considering they had spent weeks indulging in sex over the past two and a half days, he wasn't too surprised. Her stamina was a little lacking but she was quite the little nymph in the bedroom.

Ignoring Sarina's reaction, at least for the moment, Vahn looked around to see if anyone else had anything to say before promptly dismissing them. They had already eaten dinner and it was long past their usual bedtime. This meant his night was only just beginning, but, rather than complain, he was quite looking forward to it...

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As the others were all pretty confident in their ability to secure a Gold Medal, the only person to take Vahn up on his offer, at least officially, was Hime. He had told her she could use her dragon form if she really wanted to, but, fearing she might lower the Community's reputation by resorting to such methods, Hime was determined to win the event in her human form.

Fortunately for Vahn, this meant he got to watch Hime swimming back and forth in a massive pool a literal kilometer in length. She had always been a remarkably beautiful woman, but, seeing her in a form-fitting one-piece that perfectly hugged her figure, he couldn't help feeling like the luckiest man in existence.

"I'm glad you asked me to accompany you. This memory is going straight into my most cherished collection. Hahahahahaha~."

Having just pulled herself out of the water, Hime nearly slipped and hit the edge of the pool when she heard Vahn's words. She was, fortunately, able to catch herself but when she looked up at him her usually impassive expression had morphed into an extremely bashful look as she blushed to the very tips of her pointed, elf-like ears.

"Master...please don't say such things without warning...I need to prepare my heart..."

Demonstrating just how bashful she could be, Hime elected to sit on the edge of the pool with her back facing Vahn. She had been seen naked by him countless times, but, no matter how much time they spent together, she still behaved like a chaste maiden. It was honestly adorable, and, for a brief moment, Vahn had to summon every ounce of his willpower just to resist pushing her into the pool and promptly joining her.

("Stay focused...")

(*...*)

Ignoring the judgmental silence in the back of his mind, Vahn suppressed his rising urges as he held up his stopwatch and asked, "You ready to go again? If you're feeling sore, I can give your arms and legs a quick massage. Nothing lewd."

Though her first instinct was to politely refuse, Hime's mind blanked when she heard Vahn promise he wouldn't do anything lewd. She would never admit it, but, for a very brief moment, she actually felt a little disappointed...

"Very well..."

Since she was feeling sore after swimming several kilometers with her powers sealed, Hime waited for Vahn to place down a towel before laying flat on her stomach. Her body tensed and began to heat up the moment he knelt next to her, but, true to his word, Vahn never once targeted any of her more sensitive regions. Instead, he focused primarily on her calves, the lower half of her thighs, and the muscles supporting her rotator cuffs. This helped her muscles relax but it also caused her to feel a growing frustration until Vahn leaned down to whisper, "If you improve your time by ten seconds, I'll make sure to give you a proper 'reward'..."

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Fortunately for Shirayukihime, Vahn was nothing if not a man of his word.

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn isn't going to let any other men touch his wives/lovers xD...','Sarina is quite bold (O w O)...','Dragon waifu working hard~')