Stubbornness

Though everyone else seemed to have reached a tacit agreement not to inquire, Endorsi ended up serving as the mouthpiece for the rest of her team as she entered the dining room and noticed the ears twitching atop Ryun's head. She even went as far as to rub her eyes in disbelief before pointing directly at the redheaded beauty and shouting, "What the hell!? How do you have ears like Gandr!?"

Since she was still adjusting to their heightened sensitivity, Ryun's ears flattened out in response to the sudden noise, frowning as she chided, "Stop shouting. There are still people trying to sleep. You already know how I obtained these ears. I obviously didn't grow them on my own..."

Hearing Ryun's response, Endorsi shifted her gaze toward Vahn, her ghostly-yellow radiating a hazy glow as she said, "Do me next! I want to have fluffy ears and a tail!"

Having just swallowed a mouthful of oatmeal, Vahn nearly choked upon hearing Endorsi's sudden demand. He knew she didn't mean it that way, but, after keeping Ryun company all night, his mind was still a little preoccupied with licentious thoughts.

Surprised by Vahn's reaction, Endorsi displayed a befuddled expression before noticing the red hue that had spread through Ryun's cheeks. She was also receiving a number of strange looks from the rest of the table so it didn't take long for the realization of what she had said to don upon her. As a result, the upper half of her face turned completely scarlet as she stammered, "I-I-I...I didn't mean it like that...!"

With even her ears turning red, Endorsi ran out of the dining room, unable to face anyone until she had calmed down. This elicited a few light chuckles from several other members of Team Wolf Pack, at least until Shibisu asked, "So, are the two of you a couple now? Was that a requirement for Hwa Ryun to become a Vanargandr?"

Unable to restrain himself, Vahn released a tired sigh, rubbing his forehead as he replied, "You really have no filter on that curiosity of yours..."

Worried that he might have provoked Vahn again, a cold sweat began to spread across Shibisu's body as he readied himself to apologize. To his surprise, however, Vahn dropped his hand from his face, smiling as he casually remarked, "Well, there's no sense in keeping it a secret. It has nothing to do with her transformation into a Vanargandr, but Ryun and I have, indeed, become lovers."

To emphasize his point, Vahn wrapped his hand around Ryun's waist, startling her enough to make her ears perk up adorably. Then, despite feeling extremely bashful with several people staring, she nestled a little closer to Vahn before placing her head on his shoulder.

As if he had an Innate related to seeking death, Shibisu showed a comical expression of incredulity as he remarked, "Holy hell, man. You really don't hold back. Don't tell me the reason so many of the girls can transform into animals is because-"

Without waiting for Shibisu to finish speaking, Vahn teleported the man into the icy cold waters that flowed around the central island. This caused silence to descend upon the room, broken only when Vahn had finished his tea and explained, "I am the God of Infinite Possibilities. Though my power is limited by your own beliefs, I can effectively modify everything from your appearance, race, gender, and even your inborn affinity. The more you desire the change, the easier it is for me to facilitate. As for Ryun, she sincerely wished to become a Vanargandr so it took a relatively small amount of belief to grant her wish."

Though they really shouldn't be, everyone present was more than a little surprised by the indirect explanation of the Modify Function. The implications behind his words were incredible, so much so that Nare couldn't help but raise her hand like an excited student, asking, "Can you make me a little taller!? I don't want people to keep teasing my Chunhwa about being a Lolicon...!"

Like many of the people at the table, Vahn couldn't help but chuckle in response to Nare's sudden exclamation. This caused both hers and Chunhwa's faces to turn red, but, as it was something very important to her, she fought back the moisture in her eyes as she asked, "Well!? Can you!?"

Since the tears of a Loli could be pretty devastating, Vahn ceased laughing almost immediately after Nare's second outburst. Then, with a calm expression, he smoothly replied, "Of course. Wouldn't it be a little strange for a God of Infinite Possibilities to be able to change someone's genetic makeup but not their height...?"

The moment she heard Vahn's words, a look of conviction flashed across Nare's yellow eyes as she said, "Tell me what I need to do. So long as it isn't sleeping together...I'm willing-"

By performing a zipping motion in the air, Vahn silenced the noise coming out of Nare's mouth, an incredulous look on his face as he remarked, "As I said previously...Ryun's change has nothing to do with any acts of intimacy. So long as you have a sincere desire to change, I only need to consume a bit of your Belief, Allegiance, or Loyalty in order to make your wish come true. Your Loyalty is a little low, but I can still do something like this so long as I have your consent..."

Though it wasn't too noticeable, Nare's height increased by around 2cm by the time Vahn's words had completed. This caused her yellow eyes to sparkle like gold coins, but, due to the 'silence' that Vahn had imposed upon her, she was currently unable to speak. This allowed him the opportunity to explain, "Since 2cm isn't too noticeable, I also made your ears sharper. I know members of the Golden Pixie tribe have pointed ears so it was a pretty easy change to make."

Surprised by Vahn's words, Nare moved aside her fringe bangs to reveal that she did, indeed, have pointed ears. This was more than enough proof to prove Vahn's claim, but, before everyone could begin bombarding him with requests, the person in question added, "As I stated previously, these changes literally consume your Belief and Loyalty. With the exception of Baam, most of you only have a value ranging between 300~500. Nare's was a little higher due to her explosive growth, but it has now decreased from 713 down to 108. If you want to ask for things like an increase in talent or a race change, you will need a considerable number of points."

With Shibisu currently missing in action, Khun took it upon himself to be the one to ask, "And how do we acquire these points? It can't be as simple as just believing in you...can it?"

Amused by Khun's skeptical tone, Vahn's smile became a little more prominent as he answered, "It is, actually, that simple. Though there are ways to increase the values through Questing, the most important thing is that you sincerely believe in me. The reason Baam has been able to accumulate more than 43,000 Loyalty is because he simply doesn't have the heart to doubt others. As a result, I am able to reward him with all kinds of benefits. In fact, with that amount of points, I could change his affinity, adjust his race, and even change his gender all at once. Of course, due to the nature of my power, the decision is entirely his to make."

Though Khun was the most surprised, nearly everyone at the table adopted deadpan expressions when a thin trail of blood escaped the boy's left nostril. This 'confirmed' the suspicions of several people, 'knowing' smiles spreading across their faces as the boy quickly wiped away the traces of blood before pacifying Baam's concerns. Then, with a very subtle shade of red staining his cheeks, he asked, "What is my current Loyalty...?"

Having expected this question, Vahn adopted a wry smile before shaking his head and saying, "You are a natural skeptic and a very 'forward-thinking' person. As a result, your Loyalty value is only 83 points, even after all this time. You see, Loyalty can increase and decrease based on the thoughts and actions of each individual person, so, every time you've doubted me...much like you just did, it would decrease. You now have a Loyalty value of 81...make that 80..."

Feeling a little embarrassed by Vahn's words, Khun decided it would be best to excuse himself in order to calm his mind. Unfortunately, thanks to Baam following closely behind him, a bit of red could be seen bleeding into his ears as he quickly retreated from the room...

Seeing the 'duo' depart, a wry smile spread across Vahn's face as he looked around at the table's occupants and said, "Don't tease him too much. Baam is a very handsome young man, but, most importantly, he would actually make a very adorable young lady. Khun doesn't really see him that way so don't make a big deal out of this. Now, any other questions or requests before I depart? It might be a rest day for all of you, but I still have a few things to take care of."

Surprisingly, the next person to raise their hand was none other than Anak, a subtle blush coloring her cheeks as she asked, "Can you make me beautiful...?"

Though she wasn't exactly a conventional beauty, Anak was, by no means, an ugly girl. Rather, she was actually very cute, enough that she would have easily been declared the 'mascot' of the group if not for the presence of Gandr. Her only real fault was that she was in a regressive state, refusing to change her style of dress and hairstyle despite the fact she enjoyed trying on new clothes and having Phase style her hair...

Even if he knew it would have very little effect, Vahn adopted the kindest smile he could manage, his tone gentle to the point of sounding like a whisper as he affirmed, "You are already a beautiful young lady, Anak...you just refuse to let yourself blossom. Right now, you are like a tiny spring bud that refuses to bloom. You don't need my help to become beautiful. What you really need is a little more confidence..."

Hearing Vahn's words, Anak's expression morphed into a deep frown as she averted her eyes and stared down at the table. At the same time, however, the color in her cheeks became a little more prominent due to the fact she detected no falsehoods within his words. This made her feel a little bashful, a feeling she loathed due to her introverted nature and high pride...

With Anak's reaction matching his expectations, Vahn couldn't help but suppress a sigh as he shook his head in mild exasperation. The month-long separation from Phae, combined with the fact Gandr had been spending more time with Endorsi, resulted in her taking several steps backward on the road to mental and emotional stability. This was admittedly an oversight on his part, so, once breakfast was over, he intended to discuss the matter with Phae and Gandr.

Anak clearly needed a lot of help, so, even if he had to take matters into his own hands, Vahn would do his best to convince her she was allowed to be happy. Fortunately, she actually had the second-highest value of Loyalty after Baam, the majority of which had been generated after he promised to resurrect her mother. This made her more susceptible to his words, and, though he would never do something like 'command' her to be happy, she would be able to sense his desire for her happiness. This notion would become more powerful as her Loyalty grew; so, while she was currently behaving very stubbornly, it was only a matter of time before she blossomed into the beautiful young lady he knew she could be...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Do me too...!','The trickle speaks the tru-tru...!','Bloom little Cucumber...you can do it...!')

(A/N: I wrote this while resting, so don't pester me too much xD...)

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