Instinct

While waiting for the rest of the Hunting Party to arrive, Gandr stood at the edge of a massive lake, large enough that it was impossible to see the distant shore unless you ascended high into the sky.

The Fortress Turtle was similar to an Aspidochelone, the island-sized earth elemental that Vahn kept in the Garden of Avalon. Instead of being an island, however, it resembled it loosely resembled it's namesake, appearing much like an organic fortress. There were even several types of Shinheuh that lived within its mossy black shell, many of which would support the monstrous turtle the moment it was under attack.

If he were being honest, Gandr wasn't particularly fond of the idea of arbitrarily killing creatures. He, or, more specifically, Vahn, would even ignore most monsters unless they were directly attacking a town or a group of people. After all, they were simply trying to live their lives, and, so long as they didn't proactively cause damage to the environment, it almost felt wrong to kill such majestic and colossal creatures.

Seeing the Fortress Turtle just lazily sunbathing in the middle of the giant lake, an area it was not known to wander from, Gandr harbored no delusions about who was in the wrong. The only crime the Fortress Turtle was guilty of was defending its territory when other Regulars tried to hunt in the region. It never went out of its way to attack the Town of Beginnings, yet, for the sole reason that its existence was an inconvenience for the Regulars hunting in the region, it was given the designation of a King, fated to be hunted by those who wished to accelerate their ascent up the Tower.

Reminding himself that this same logic applied, not just to Shinheuh, but most monsters he had met across the Records, Gandr gradually suppressed his misgivings about what was to come. This was just another expression of 'survival of the fittest', one of the fundamental laws that served as the foundation for most worlds. Just as the Fortress Turtle hunted millions of smaller Shinheuh over the course of its long life, it would now become the prey to a much stronger predator...

Shaking his head, Gandr took a half-step back to evade what appeared to be a large Sailfish. It was about three meters in length and possessed a needle-like nose that allowed it to cut through both Shinsu and water with ease. There was also a segmented dorsal fin on its back, appearing much like a series of spined barbs that were netted together by a thin and flexible membrane.

Just as other creatures never really thought about their prey, Gandr decided to stop worrying about things he actually had total control over. There was nothing 'forcing' him to kill the Fortress Turtle. Its death was necessitated by the situation, but, if he really wanted to, he could always purchase a different contract. Instead, he had selected the Fortress Turtle 'specifically' due to its passive nature and relatively slow reaction time. After all, he would rather the Fortress Turtle be sacrificed than risk the lives of his friends...

With the oversized Sailfish doubling back for a second attempt at skewering his body, Gandr took another half-step, this time reaching out with his right hand, cutting the Shinheuh along the side using the nail of his right index finger. This ended up shaving the upper half of the creature's body clean off, killing it almost instantaneously as the two halves separated cleanly.

Though he was unable to use Severing Laws, Gandr's mastery of Sword Laws translated to virtually everything, his own body included. After all, the default pinnacle of swordsmanship was to become one with the blade. This was a state he had achieved long ago, so, even without a sword in hand, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that every part of Gandr's body was a finely-honed blade.

After storing the Sailfish into his Inventory, Gandr decided to relieve some tensions by unequipping his clothes, leaving only a pair of swim trunks, before diving into the sapphire blue waters. He could let Vahn worry about the ethics of slaying Shinheuh. His persona was supposed to be that of a hot-headed shonen protagonist who only had bouts of insight when his friends needed good advice. At times like this, the only thing he needed to concern himself with was the next moment, so, with his stomach demanding sustenance, Gandr decided to do a little fishing before the rest of the Hunting Party arrived...

---

Thanks to the [REquip] system that had been supplied to all of them, Anak was able to fix her dress, good as new, by the time the group had escaped from the expanding horde of Little Rock Fish. This was yet another benefit of being in Vahn's Familia, one that was viewed as a literal Godsend by the females within the group. Even Anak wasn't an exception to this, as, despite not caring about being seen, she didn't like appearing in a sorry state. She would rather be seen completely naked than in a tattered dress, so, immediately after her wounds had been wrapped, she promptly fixed the state of her clothes.

Unfortunately, even with her increased healing factor and the boons of Shinsu, it still took time for Anak to recover from her injuries. Thus, almost immediately after they escaped the group of Little Stone Fish, Baam looked towards her, worry visible in his countenance as he asked, "Are you okay, Anak?

Even if she knew he was legitimately concerned about her, Anak still felt annoyed by the fact that Baam had drawn attention to her injuries. She didn't like being pitied in the slightest, but, before she could lambast the boy for his 'thoughtless' remark, Endorsi lightly nudged in in the shoulder, saying, "Don't be a jerk..." in a flat tone.

Though she felt even more annoyed by Endorsi's remark, Anak looked around to see that everyone, excluding Baam, had blame visible in their eyes. This caused her to loudly snort, but, rather than say anything excessively rude, she just grumbled, "I'm fine..." before walking ahead of the group.

Seeing Anak walk off, her bandaged tail swaying with each step, Baam was tempted to call out to her. Like she had for Anak, however, Endorsi interrupted his attempt, gripping his shoulder with her vice-like strength as she said, "Leave her be, Baam. Girls don't like clingy boys, you know~?"

Misbelieving that Endorsi was referring to Rachel, Baam's mood immediately turned depressive, his eyes losing a bit of their luster as he replied with a dry laugh. This caused Endorsi's brow to twitch while Khun, standing off to the side, released a tired sigh. As for Rak, he just released a loud yawn before saying, "Give me some chocolate."

---

After promising to convey Yuri's messages to Gandr, Endorsi, and Anak, Vahn enjoyed a pleasant meal alongside Phae before remarking, "I'll be meeting with Marble after this. Watch over the kids while I'm away."

Amused by Vahn's words, Phae issued her characteristic giggle before replying, "Certainly. I doubt anyone will target them within an area designated for Regulars, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Don't worry, I am quite confident in my ability to defeat even Rankers if absolutely necessary~."

Since they were effectively his words, Vahn couldn't help but respond with a chuckle of his own. He quite enjoyed talking with both Phae and Gandr, so, even when nobody was looking, he carried on the intrapersonal communication in the hope that it would expedite the development of their Egos. This was a notion that both Phae and Gandr shared, obviously, so it wasn't uncommon for them to have long discussions with just the three of them.

Finished with his meal, Vahn helped Phae clean up before promptly departing from the room via teleportation. Spatial transference was actually easier than high-speed movement within a field of Shinsu, so, while he would continue to move around normally using Phae and Gandr, Vahn wanted to establish himself as a powerful psychic capable of crushing things with his mind, freely levitating his body, and teleporting. He also intended to master command magic, or, more specifically, the method to infuse his authority and intent into words.

Though he had never been able to use it effectively outside his Realm, Vahn knew that Authority was one of the most powerful Laws in existence. Those with enough mastery could literally order things to die, and, so long as their will was more powerful, the target would have little choice but to comply.

The curious thing about this ability was that, much like how Sword Laws could affect even concepts, those with enhanced mastery over Authority Laws could bend reality itself to their will. This was the type of power one would expect from a Tier 6 or 7 entity, so, rather than put it off, Vahn intended to focus all of his efforts into developing his Authority until even the most distant stars in the night sky obeyed his will.

With this in mind, Vahn ignored the stunned expressions of various Regulars as he gracefully landed near the entrance of Marble's Vocational Office. They all assumed he was a Ranker, so, the moment he appeared, they quickly moved aside so that he could pass. After all, Rankers were effectively the Nobles of the Tower, and, so long as they didn't cause trouble, powerful Rankers were even allowed to build Kingdoms and Countries in the Outer Tower without fear of censure.

Continuing to ignore the group of gawkers, Vahn surprised them greatly by joining the shortest of three lines. This all but confirmed his status as a 'Regular', but, perhaps as a result of his grandeur, the person standing immediately in front of him turned statuesque the moment they looked back to see what all the commotion was about. For a brief moment, it looked like they were even going to let him pass, but, after seeing the 'disarming' smile on Vahn's face, they promptly turned around and continued to wait nervously for their turn.

Fortunately for the young Regular, one of the staff members came over to inform Vahn that Marble was waiting for him upstairs. Immediately after receiving this notice, Vahn nodded toward the tiger-like woman, who literally had the features of a tiger, before teleporting directly into Marble's office. This surprised the petite Ranker quite a bit, but, as someone who had lived for nearly five hundred years, she quickly regained her bearings, asking, "You are the Sage Dragon Emperor, correct?"

Before nodding his head in affirmation, Vahn pulled out the six-winged Winged Tree Badge from his Inventory, tossing it over so that she could confirm its authenticity. Shortly after that, she returned it to him in a respectful manner, presenting it with both hands as she said, "Please don't go throwing this around in the future. It might not mean much to you, but it carries great meaning for those of us who seek a life outside the Tower."

Nodding his head in understanding, Vahn accepted the Winged Tree Badge from Marble, admiring it for a few moments before pretending to place it into his interior breast pocket. This was enough to put Marble at ease, a dainty sigh escaping her lips as she explained, "I have received orders to provide support for you and your party for the duration of your stay on the 3rd Floor. The others should have received similar orders by now, but I will confirm it later this evening. Now, is there a particular reason you have come to my office? So long as it does not jeopardize my position as a Test Admin, I will do my best to meet your needs."

Returning a smile in response to Marble's seriousness, Vahn resisted his instinctual urge to pat the petite woman's head as he replied, "I just wanted to make sure everything was going according to plan. For now, I will continue to watch over and guide the team of Regulars I have taken an interest in. If there was anything at all, I would ask that you coordinate with the others so that I can take all of your Special Tests. If you're worried about revealing your affiliation with Wolhaiksong, feel free to include unaffiliated Administrators as well. Regardless of their difficulty, I am certain I can complete any Special Test without incident."

Though she would normally be skeptical of such words, Marble, like all members of Wolhaiksong, knew just how ridiculous Irregulars could be. Even Gandr had completely taken her by surprise, so, considering he was a subordinate of the man standing before her, Marble had no doubt regarding the veracity of Vahn's claim. Thus, with a serious expression on her adorable little face, she nodded her head and answered, "I understand. I will inform you the moment preparations have been made. Is there anything else you need?"

Unable to restrain himself, Vahn caused Marble to become statuesque as he reached out his hand, patting the top of her head as he replied, "No, thank you. You have been a great help..." before he even realized what he was doing. At that point, however, it was already far too late, so, rather than retract his hand, he continued to caress the petite woman's head with a somewhat wry smile on his face...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Gandr be like, "Not my problem (O,...,O)~!"','Mmm, chocolate...','The first step towards becoming the God of Petting~!')

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