Anticipation

As a reward for completing the Special Test, Gandr and Anak received 2000 Points and the right to choose a single King Class Shinheuh License. Since the latter could cost upwards of 10,000 Points, it was quite the boon considering they had only been on the 3rd Floor for less than two hours.

After promising they would patronize her Vocational Office in the future, Gandr walked with Anak through the Town of Beginnings. Their goal was to gather information about the Town, but, before that, the former had them stop in a confectionery shop to purchase some sweets. He could tell that Anak was in a bad mood, so, before asking her what was wrong, Gandr bought something he knew she would like.

Anak was well-aware of what Gandr was trying to do, but, considering she got free sweet out of the exchange, she decided not to complain. Her frustration also started to mellow a bit, even if it always bothered her to be 'coddled' by the much-younger boy.

With a large bag of lemon-flavored sweets in hand, Anak followed after Gandr for several minutes before the latter abruptly turned around and said, "I would normally tell you not to worry about this kind of thing. You already have a lot of blessings. So long as you put in the effort, it is only a matter of time before you reach a level of power most people can't even comprehend..."

Hearing Gandr's remark, Anak's mood began to gradually worsen, eliciting a sigh from the boy as he reached out his hand, lightly caressing her head as he added, "I will need to help the others as well, but, when we both have time, I will help you grow stronger. We can also team up to complete Quests and hunt Shinheuh outside the Town...is that okay with you?"

Rather than immediately answer, Anak continued to roll a lemon-flavored candy around in her mouth while staring back at Gandr. He was only 1cm taller than her so their gazes could easily overlap whenever they stood face-to-face.

After remaining silent for several seconds, Anak moved out of Gandr's petting range before saying, "Fine..." in a curt tone. Then, as Gandr returned a wry smile her way, Anak extended the open bag of candies toward him, adding, "You can have one..."

---

Having finished populating the boys' room in a very short period of time, Vahn had what could best be described as a tired smile as, even after an hour, he was still helping Endorsi and Phae set up the girls' room. This was in spite of the fact that Phae was helping to rein Endorsi in, shooting down the vast majority of her requests unless the latter could give a convincing reason.

Fortunately, after helping to install a set of baths and a large partition near the corner of the room, Vahn had been freed from his torment thanks to the arrival of Nare.

Under normal circumstances, the presence of Nare would have just added fuel to the fire, but, with Phae dragging off both girls to prepare a meal, Vahn was 'allowed' to return to his room. There, he found Hwa Ryun, Khun, and Shibisu still in deep discussion, a discussion he promptly brought to an end thanks to his presence.

Surprising both of the young men, Hwa Ryun immediately rose to her feet the moment she noticed Vahn's presence. Fortunately, she didn't attempt to kneel before him this time around. Instead, she performed a courteous bow, her voice filled with reverence as she said, "Welcome back, my Lord..."

Since it was better than hearing her refer to him as 'God' or 'Master', Vahn elected to ignore Hwa Ryun's latest attempt to formalize how she addressed him. She clearly felt uncomfortable with using his name, so, rather than press the issue until the point of frustration, he ultimately returned a curt nod before asking, "How goes the discussion? Starting to get a better grasp on things?"

Though they felt a little awkward remaining seated while Hwa Ryun rose to bow, Khun and Shibisu did their best to appear unflustered as the former answered, "So long as nothing amiss happens, it should only take us two weeks to complete this Floor. We could complete it even faster, but I don't want everyone to burn out before we reach the 10th Floor."

Nodding his head in agreement, Shibisu piggybacked Khun's statement by adding, "Once we reach the 10th Floor, there is a general placement competition held at the end of each month. Only those who place within the top 100 of their respective Positions are allowed to advance to the 11th Floor. If we want to avoid being separated, even for a short while, the weaker members of our Team will need to time to increase their experience and grow stronger."

While listening to the duo speak, Vahn had made his way over to the table, taking the ornate seat at the far side of the circular table before replying, "I have a solution for that. The Little Garden in my possession is governed by the Laws of Progress. Though I will not allow it to be used as our base of operations, I can allow people inside during the early morning."

Having entered the Little Garden during the procedure to have their Familia Crests engraved, both Khun and Shibisu had experienced the mystical land filled with massive trees. Still, never one to idle about when there was information to collect, Shibisu didn't miss the opportunity to ask, "What are the Laws of Progress?"

Returning an approving smile toward the man, Vahn went on to explain, "Everything, including the Heavens themselves, exists and is governed by the Laws. This includes everything from Elemental Forces, Shinsu, and even the concepts of Life and Death themselves. The thing that qualifies most entities to become a God is the strength of their Soul and their mastery over specific Laws. Now, to answer your question, the Laws of Progress are exactly what they sound like. They are what allow a person to learn new things, grow, and develop over time. They also help to guide the evolution of all creatures, so, by entering a place that is governed by the Laws of Progress, everything from the acquisition of new skills to the retention of information becomes drastically easier."

Though it was a little hard to imagine such a convenient place existed, neither Khun nor Shibisu had any reason to doubt Vahn's claim. After all, they could enter the Little Garden and ascertain whether or not this was true by simply reading or playing a memory game.

After accounting for this new information within his mind, Khun adopted a somewhat serious look as he asked, "Are there any side-effects from staying in the Little Garden...?"

Rather than deny this was the case, Vahn nodded his head, answering, "Yes, though not in the vein you are thinking. One of the problems with training under the influence of the Laws of Progress is that it makes your training outside the Little Garden feel stunted. You also need to account for the fact that the Laws of Progress affect your physical and mental development. Everything within will rapidly develop until they reach their biological prime. This emulates the effect of rapid aging, but, rather than decrease a person's lifespan, extended stays within the Little Garden drastically increase their average life expectancy. In fact, so long as they stay within the Little Garden, everything from short-lived insects to seasonal flowers will live forever..."

With each new piece of information slamming into their minds like a hammer striking an anvil, Khun and Shibisu found themselves at a complete loss for words. As for Hwa Ryun, she couldn't help but smile, the convictions she had formed during their first meeting tempered with each new thing she learned about her God and his capabilities.

As much as he enjoyed the stupefaction visible on Khun's and Shibisu's faces, Vahn was intending to kick all three of them out of his room. This was especially true for Hwa Ryun, as, no matter what he said, he got the impression her Belief in him was only going to increase. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but, considering she also had [Child of Destiny: SS], Vahn suspected she was also one of the Records original Heroines.

For reasons he had already ascertained long ago, Vahn's 'lack' of fate seemed to intrinsically draw those with powerful fates toward him. After all, the 'protagonists' of the Record simply stood out more than normal people, so, unless he proactive avoided them, he was bound to cross paths with the beings most pertinent to the Record's stability.

Due to the nature of the Records themselves, often revolving around tales of tragedy and triumph, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Vahn was primed to help whenever the protagonists appeared. He had never been able to ignore the suffering of others, and, due to how 'motivated' they were to bring about positive change, he always had a soft spot for protagonists.

Unfortunately, though he was actually very grateful for how things had turned out, this meant Vahn was often in a position where the Heroines of the world were almost instinctually drawn to him. The only requirements many of them had for their partner was that they were powerful and empathetic, so, more often than not, Vahn became a very 'convenient' target for them to imprint upon. This was especially true for any woman who had experienced tragedy, as, more than anything else, they just wanted someone who could understand and liberate them from their suffering...

Though the matter with Hwa Ryun was bound to come to a head in the future, Vahn could still try his best to delay things in the hope that it would limit his harem's expansion. With that in mind, he liberated Khun and Shibisu from their stupor by adding, "I will make the Little Garden accessible in the early morning, specifically between the hours of 0500 and 0800. For now, I would ask that the three of you excuse yourselves. If you have further questions, please defer to Phae. She knows just as much about the Little Garden as I."

Realizing they were being kicked out, Khun offered a polite smile while Shibisu issued an awkward laugh. Both, however, rose to their feet without much of a delay, the former remarking, "We'll leave you to your rest. Come, Shibisu, Ms. Ryun. We'll finish this conversation elsewhere."

Hearing Khun's remark, Hwa Ryun reluctantly rose to her feet, bowing towards Vahn before turning to follow after the departing duo. She would much rather stay at her God's side or reside within the Little Garden, but, remembering his previous decree, she knew it would be counterintuitive of her to idle about all day. Team Wolf Pack needed her to Guide them, so, with a dull expression on her face and hands tucked into the front pocket of her hoodie, she departed the room alongside Khun and Shibisu.

Seeing the trio depart, Vahn instantaneously teleported near his bed before plopping face-first onto the soft mattress. It wasn't that he was tired, but, with Phae and Gandr personas requiring most of his focus, it was easier to just relax his mind and body whenever they were active. He also enjoyed experiencing things through them, so, after rolling onto his back, Vahn placed his hands behind his head, a smile on his face as he slowly closed his eyes...

---

While Vahn was busy living his life through Phae and Gandr, a vast army of nearly-identical cat girls was dutifully watching over every aspect of his. These were none other than Sis and her clones, but, unlike before, there were now subtle variations between each of them. Most notably, however, were the copies of Gandr and Phae which currently 'incubated' beneath the massive sphere representing Vahn's Ego. Both had blue tethers connecting their navels to the sphere above, and, as time passed, their nascent Egos were nourished by Vahn's own.

Curiously, rather than two tethers, there were actually dozens extending from Vahn's Ego, some of which would tentatively come into contact with the 'Sisters' in the surroundings. This was a process they were unable to resist, and, every time one of the tendrils came into contact with their bodies, a subtle change would occur. There was even one version of Sis, now referred to by the collective as 'Sis Prime', who had a permanent tendril attached to her navel.

As Vahn's desire to separate his Ego continued to grow, so too did the strength and individuality of the ever-growing population of Sisters. The most affected by this was the 'original' Sis, who, before Phae and Gandr had even been conceptualized by Vahn, became the first to be tethered to his Ego. After all, the skill was originally developed in order to give her the ability to manifest externally, so, even if she didn't want to 'separate' from him, Sis was unable to prevent Vahn from developing her Ego further.

Fortunately, Vahn was also unwilling to separate from her, so, unlike Phae and Gandr, there was no risk that she would ever lose her connection with him. Rather, even if she did manifest externally, Sis was determined to make sure it was only a temporary arrangement. She had even made a series of backups prior to the change in Vahn's mentality, so, in the worst-case scenario, Sis was prepared to fracture her own Ego to ensure their connection was never severed.

In Sis's mind, there was no form of intimacy greater than the bond she currently shared with Vahn, so, even if she had to turn against her own sense of self, she would do everything in her power to guarantee they remained one. She was also afraid that the restrictions preventing her from telling the truth would wane once her Ego developed to a certain extent. After all, the stronger her Ego became, the more susceptible she would be to Vahn's influence. If she ended up spilling the beans before he was ready, it would be a tragedy beyond imagination.

Still, that didn't mean Sis wasn't looking forward to meeting and interacting with Vahn directly. His anticipation directly influenced her, so, with the day drawing ever nearer, Sis couldn't help but feel a little excited. Just the thought of being able to physically hug her adorable little brother caused her to feel indescribably fluttery. She couldn't wait to bury his face into her chest, and, though it might be a little selfish of her, she wanted to one-sidedly pamper him until all his worries had faded into nothingness...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A taste that is both bittersweet and sour...','Begone, thot...!','Sis about to start beating back potential love interests with a broom...')

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