Vahn had underestimated how mischevious Chloe and Arnya could be together, not that he minded since he would be away from them for more than a week. Depending on how things played out, unless something went wrong, they would end up spending around 1 day traveling and 6-8 days actually completing their quest. Bloodsaurus, though common starting at the 30th floor, weren’t so easily processed for their blood and the majority would likely end up vanishing into purple dust depending on how they were killed. Typically speaking, one of the best ways to deal with them would be to sever the spine at the base of the neck in order to completely immobilize them. This would give you enough time to drain their blood before they inevitably dissipated.
Even though he hadn’t gotten too much sleep, Vahn ended up peeling this mischevious kittens off of his body in order to prepare for the coming day. Arnya seemed to have developed a ‘taste’ for him the previous night and, even though she was still sleeping, she would periodically lick his chest throughout the night. When he moved them, both girls woke up and opened their slightly glowing eyes which enabled them to see in the low light of the room. Vahn habitually reached out and pet the two of them as they snuggled up against him and began to nuzzle their heads and faces against his own. Though he didn’t have a ‘preference’ persay, this was one of the reasons Vahn liked beast-people, since they had somewhat animalistic qualities that made them very adorable at times.
After spending a few minutes with the girls, Vahn explained the situation before patting their bottoms and sending them back to bed so they wouldn’t be tired for their big day. Before he left, they both had him refasten their ribbons for them, claiming that it felt ‘better’ when it was tied by the person they loved. When he finally ended up leaving his room, Vahn was in a great mood because of the affectionate actions of the girls throughout the night. He knew they were probably just trying to ‘encourage’ him, and Vahn was very grateful for their combined efforts…
When he got back from the Dungeon, Vahn planned to try and find out from Arnya exactly why she had been so down recently. As he was laying in comfort the previous night, Vahn replayed through the scene at the Hostess of Fertility that fateful night and remembered that Arnya was originally against having children. She had actually apologized to him several times in the beginning yet, by the time the girls were taking the contraceptives, she had changed her mind entirely. Vahn could see the melancholy hidden deep within her eyes and he knew there was something more that she had yet to mention. He had confidence she would eventually tell him on her own, but Vahn wanted her to confide in him earlier, especially if it was something relating to their child.
Likely due to the fact that they would be heading into the Dungeon very early this morning, there was a lot of activity within the Manor even though the sun had yet to start rising in the sky. When Vahn had gone to take his early morning bath, even though he got some strange look from the beast girls, almost everyone was present and talking amongst each other as they waited for his arrival. Because he was going to be ‘gone for a long time’, they had wanted to spend some extra time with him. Vahn felt very warm at the notion he was such an important fixture in their lives, so he spent some extra time helping wash down the bodies of the girls he would be away from for the next week.
Vahn’s ‘care’ ended up making them miss their morning training and the group spent the remaining time eating a lively breakfast and talking about future plans. Though it wasn’t the best time for it, Vahn had been talking about his own desire to grow stronger so he could help the other girls increase their own parameters in the future. His words had caused a change in the tone of the conversation and brought up the topic of rare skills and Vahn’s apparent ability to help people awaken them through the use of his [Mentor] Development Ability.
After the girls found out that Riveria had allowed Vahn to check her Status Board in the past, which revealed that she also had ‘sealed’ skills, Vahn ended up having to check the Status Boards of the other girls that would be entering the Dungeon alongside him. Vahn didn’t mind that much, as he was very curious about the parameters of the girls from the Loki Familia, but he felt like it had turned the lively atmosphere into a rosier color tinged with pink. Many of the girls in the Manor had few inhibitions around him, given the fact that they all bathed together, but it didn’t stop people’s auras from fluctuating the moment clothes started coming off…
(A/N: I know some people would be curious about their ‘hidden parameters’, so I did my best to average them out based on the growth of the girls recorded on the Wiki. Let me know if you find any inconsistencies and I’ll try to update them later~! As for why Vahn would know this, Riveria would have gotten the information from Loki and helped him track it since they are ‘researching’ things together.)
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[[STATUS]]Name: Tiona Hiryute
LV. 5
POW: 3577+(G203)->(G208)
END: 3439+(H182)->(H185)
DEX: 3161+(H133)->(H137)
AGI: 3199+(H145)->(H151)
MAG: 0+(I0)->(I0)<— These are big fat zeroes~!
Skills: [Titan Virga:Innate(sealed), [Magic Devouring King:Innate(sealed)], [Berserk:B], [Intense Heat:B]
Magic: –
Development Abilities: [Fist Strike:A], [Diving:B], [Abnormal Resistance:C], [Crush:C] [Berserk]
Rank: B
Use: Greatly increases attack power every time the user takes damage.
[Intense Heat]Rank: B
Use: Greatly increases all parameters in a pinch. Increases critical hit rate depending on stress levels.
[Fist Strike]Rank: A
Use: Greatly increases striking potential and efficacy of bare-handed combat. Allows the user to shape energy in the hand and imbue it into their strikes. Naturally enhances critical hit rate and provides a moderate increase to agility.
[Diving]Rank: B
Use: Enables the user to swim as well as a fish underwater while also increasing the base power of physical attacks in the water. Greatly increases the ability of the user to resist pressure and enables them to hold their breath for a long period of time.
[Abnormal Resistance]Rank: C
Use: Nullifies abnormal status effects such as poison under the given rank.
[Crush]Rank: C
Use: Greatly increases critical hit rate when equipped with heavy weapons. The heavier the weapon, the greater the increase.
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(A/N: Ais is a monster…killer? OP nonetheless~!)
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[[STATUS]]Name: Ais Wallenstein
LV. 5
POW: 2241+(F302)->(F305)
END: 2182+(G288)->(G290)
DEX: 3293+(E441)->(E447)
AGI: 3266+(E428)->(E433)
MAG: 3600+(E472)->(E480)
Skills:[Sylph Queen:Innate(sealed)], [Progenitor of Wind:Innate(sealed)], [Avenger:A]
Magic: [Void Sword:Innate(sealed)], [Ariel:B]
Development Abilities: [Child of Destiny:Innate(sealed)], [Hunter:B], [Abnormal Resistance:C], [Swordsman:A], [Spirit Healing:A] [Avenger]
Rank: A
Use: Greatly increases attack power against monsters; Massively increases attack power against dragon type monsters; Proportionally increases attack power based on hatred. Critical hit rate increases based on emotional state. Causes explosive damage on critical hits. Active Trigger.
Restriction: Inhibits emotions and damages weapons used by the user.
[Ariel]Rank: B (Spirit)
Use: Super Short Chant magic that creates a barrier of wind around the user that can be used both for both offense and defense. Greatly increases the agility of the user and adds a piercing effect to all attacks.
Chant: Tempest
[Hunter]Rank: B
Use: Improves abilities against monsters that the user has fought before and gained exilia from
[Abnormal Resistance]Rank: C
Use: Nullifies abnormal status effects such as poison under the given rank.
[Swordsman]Rank: A
Use: Increases comprehension of sword skills and techniques. Provides a moderate increase to the kinetic vision and spatial awareness of the user.
[Spirit Healing]Rank: A
Use: Greatly increases the recovery rate of mental energy and mana.
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(A/N: Tione has a wall of text compared to her ‘little’ sister TT__TT)
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[[STATUS]]Name: Tione Hiryute
LV. 5
POW: 3273+(H185)->(H191)
END: 3069+(H156)->(H163)
DEX: 3130+(H141)->(H144)
AGI: 3128+(H142)->(H145)
MAG: 788+(I71)->(I74)
Skills: [Titan Bruna:Innate(sealed)], [Wrath:Innate(sealed)], [Berserk: A], [Backdraft:B]
Magic: [List Iorum:E]
Development Abilities: [Fist Strike:B], [Diving:A], [Abnormal Resistance:B], [Healing Power:D] [Berserk](A/N: Btw, some skills have variations. Tiona and Tione have two different types of berserk)
Rank: A
Use: Greatly increases attack power every time the user takes damage with the effect increasing based on the anger of the user. Influences rationality based on anger levels in exchange for enhancing all parameters.
[Backdraft](A/N: Unlike Tiona’s [Intense Heat], Tione’s [Backdraft ONLY affects Power. RIP Vahn~!)Rank: B
Use: Raises the users attack power exponentially in a pinch. Guaranteed critical hit rate.
[List Iorum]Rank: E
Use: Binds the target based on probability and emotional state. Success rate dependant on magic parameter.
Chant: My desire that was sunk in the sea, my longing that was nurtured in the sea – the time has come. Shape yourself, bare your fangs, and become a snake. Escape the sea, cross the land, and cover the world. Capture time, stop time, and trample over time
[Fist Strike]Rank: B
Use: Increases striking potential and efficacy of bare-handed combat. Allows the user to shape energy in the hand and imbue it into their strikes. Naturally enhances critical hit rate and provides a moderate increase to agility.
[Diving]Rank: A
Use: Enables the user to swim as well as a fish underwater while also increasing the base power of physical attacks in the water. Greatly increases the ability of the user to resist pressure and enables them to hold their breath for a long period of time.
[Abnormal Resistance]Rank: B
Use: Nullifies abnormal status effects such as poison under the given rank.
[Healing Power]Rank: D
Use: Increases efficacy of healing items and magic on the user. Very moderate increase in natural regeneration and stamina recovery.
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(A/N: Oh my goodness, Lefiya’s power and endurance xD. I had to retcon numbers for her or she would literally be weaker at Level 3 than most of the girls are before they hit Level 2. Not sure what the hell the original Author was thinking x_x. She would have had an average of 2530 Status per level, which is simply ridiculous. Even after updating the numbers, she is still ridiculously weak…I’m not sure how mages even survive in a world where people can move faster than the speed of sound. This child needs some [Mentor]ship badly…)
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[[STATUS]]Name: Lefiya Viridis
LV. 3
POW: 371<-Original-Retcon->421+(I58)->(I159)
END: 538<-Original-Retcon->692+(I72)->(I74)
DEX: 1069<-Original-Retcon->1281+(H122)->(H125)
AGI: 1113<-Original-Retcon->1459+(H149)->(H154)
MAG: 1998<-Original-Retcon->1998+(G208)->(G215)
Skills: [Fairy Cannon:D], [Concurrent Chanting:E]
Magic: [Rattatoskr:Innate:(sealed)], [Arcs Ray:C], [Fusillade Fallarica:D], [Elf Ring:C]
Development Abilities: [Daughter of Wishe:Innate(sealed)], [Mage:H->Retcon(C)], [Abnormal resistance:I->Retcon(G)] [Fairy Cannon]
Rank: D
Use: Increases the efficacy of magic. Effect doubles when used with attack magic. Active Trigger.
[Concurrent Chanting]Rank: E
Use: Allows the user to chant while moving about even under intense strain. Provides enhanced control over magical energy and prevents backlash from chant disruption.
[Arcs Ray]Rank: C
Use: Single-target homing magic. Twice as effective against dark elemental entitities and the undead.
Chant: Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow. Shoot, sniper of the fairies. Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy
[Fusillade Fallarica]Rank: D
Use: Wide area attack magic that rains fire down upon enemies.
Chant: Proud warrior, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows. Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies. Falling like rain, burn away the savages
[Elf Ring]Rank: C
Use: Summon Burst Magic that is able to use any Elven Magic. Requires the user to know the chant of each magic used and have the requisite amount of mana required for both spells.
Chant: I wish upon the name of Wishe. Ancestors of the forest, proud brethren. Answer my call and come to the plains. Connecting bonds, the pledge of paradise. Turn the circle and dance around. Come, ring of fairies. Please – give me strength
[Mage]Rank: C
Use: Improves magic power, widens effect range, and increases the efficacy of all magic. Creates a magic circle under the user when chanting magic.
[Abnormal Resistance]Rank: G
Use: Nullifies abnormal status effects such as poison under the given rank.
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(A/N: Refresher for those that might want to know. I’m already like 2 hours into this info dumb, so might as well~! I’m starting to realize that the original Author seriously f***** over everyone except Bell. The average parameters between levels seems to hover around 3300-3600 for most people, yet Bell gets to have 5546, 5396, and 5258 per Level? Even Ais only had 3668 when she hit Level 6. What kind of consistency is this stuff, when Bell literally gets to Level 4 in 4 months while EVERYONE else takes several years xD???)
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[[STATUS]]Name: Ryuu Lion
LV. 4(+)
POW: 1637+(F385)->(E400)
END: 1583+(F311)->(F317)
DEX: 2371+(B798)->(A808)
AGI: 2409+(A804)->(A813)
MAG: 2018+(C645)->(C652)
Skill: [Aeolus:Innate(sealed)], [Fairy Serenade:C], [Mind Load:C], [Aero Mana:A], [Concurrent Chanting:A]
Magic: [Sovereign of the Wind:Innate(sealed)], [Luminous Wind:B], [Noah Heal:D]
Development Skill: [Hunter:B], [Abnormal Resistance:B], [Magic Resistance:C] [Fairy Serenade]
Rank:C
Use: Increases the efficacy of magic at night.
[Mind Load]Rank:C
Use: Increases power in proportion to the amount of mana imbued into attacks.
[Aero Mana]Rank:A
Use: Greatly increases attack power based on how fast the user is running.
[Concurrent Chanting]Rank:A
Use: Allows the user to chant while moving about even under intense strain. Provides enhanced control over magical energy and prevents backlash from chant disruption.
[Luminous Wind]Rank:B
Use: Attack Magic that summons green stardust to attack the enemy
Chant: In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky. Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire. Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler. Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy
[Noah Heal]Rank:D
Use: Healing magic that is capable of healing wounds and restoring the target’s stamina
Chant: The song of a now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you
[Hunter]Rank:B
Use: Improves abilities against monsters that the user has fought before and gained exilia from
[Abnormal Resistance]Rank:B
Use: Nullifies abnormal status effects such as poison under the given rank.
[Magic Resistance]Rank:C
Use: Increases resistance against all magical attacks.
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(A/N: Someone asked, so I’ll explain why Vahn can see the basic description of Fenrir’s Innates. It is because Vahn’s subordinates (which were remade using his source energy) are a part of him and a produce of The Path. Just like his own Innates, he can’t see through them, but he CAN see the basic information about them.)
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[[STATUS]]Name: [Fenrir]
Level:2(+)
POW: F339->D582
END: H195->E470
DEX: E404->B801
AGI: F307->C671
MAG: H121->G275
Skills: [Lunar Cry:C], [Freezing Roar:C->B], [Chainbreaker:C], [Devour:SS], [Huntress:A]
Magic: –
Development Abilities: [Devour:Innate(SS)] [Lunar Cry]
Rank: C
Creates an emblem of the moon that becomes progressively more crimson depending on the amount of blood spilled. Enhances all attributes but may cause the user to enter a berserk state.
[Freezing Roar]Rank: B
A blood-curdling roar that can resonate with the body of the target and cause paralysis. Low chance of causing mental collapse.
[Chainbreaker]Rank: C
Status increases if the wielder is bound, sealed, or imprisoned. Increase is proportional to the stress of the user and their desire for freedom.
[Insatiable Hunger]Rank: Innate (-) *Innate skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash.*
Passive: Hunger tied to emotions. The greater the stress, the more powerful the urge to eat. Affects rationality as hunger grows.
[Devour]Rank: SS
Passive: Allows the user’s teeth to melt anything and convert it into energy within the body to accelerate growth.
[Huntress]Rank:A
Greatly enhances all senses when excited. The greater the desire to hunt the target, the more powerful this skill becomes
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[[STATUS]]Name: Sanjouno Haruhime
Race: Renard
LV. 1->2
POW: 440+(I10)->(I43)
END: 648+(I10)->(I77)
DEX: 698+(I10)->(I80)
AGI: 1053+(I10)->(H153)
MAG: 1548+(I10)->(G218)
Skill: [Inari:Innate(E)], [Prometheus’s Blessing:A], [Heroic Strike:F],[Featherfoot:B]
Magic: [Uchide no Kozuchi:B],[Kokonoe:C],[Icicle Edge:D]
Development Skill: [Moon Priestess:Innate(sealed)], [Spirit Healing:B], [Hunter:I], [Mage(sealed)] [Heroic Strike]
Rank: F
Use: Raises power exponentially based on willpower and resolve.
[Featherfoot]Rank: B
Use: Increases comprehension of movement abilities and footwork. Provides a moderate increase to stealth related abilities.
[Uchide no Kozuchi]Rank: B
Use: Level Boost Magic that can only be used on a single target, after which an interval occurs before it can be cast again. It cannot be used on the caster. Enhances all parameters on the target by 30% of their hidden status total.
Chant: Grow. That power and that vessel. Breadth of wealth and breadth of wishes. Until the bell tolls, bring forth glory and illusion. -Grow. Confine divine offerings within this body. This golden light bestowed from above. Into the hammer and into the ground, may it bestow good fortune upon you. -Grow
[Kokonoe]Rank: C
Use: A special enchant magic that creates a maximum of nine tails on the user depending on their limit. The user adds the effects of a second magic they chant connect to each of the tails to multiply its effects. (Current Tails: 4)
Chant: Kokonoe. Beloved snow. Beloved crimson. Beloved white light. Please let me be beside you – this love I have found at the end of two thousand nights. My name is Magic Fox. Former destroyer. My name is Ancient Song. Former dreamer. For you who beat your wings like a bird, I shall allow the nine spirits to dwell in me. Echo, song of gold, sacred poem of Tamamo. White face, golden fur, king of nine tails. Oh, tails of the auspicious beast, consume all, grant all wishes (Affected Magic Chant) – Dance!
[Icicle Edge]Rank: D
Use: Super Short Chant magic that creates spears of ice that can be used to impale the target.
Chant: Piercing Chill, Icicle Edge.
[Spirit Healing]Rank: B
Increases the recovery rate of mental energy and mana.
[Prometheus’s Blessing]Rank: A
Use: Growth dependant on the strength of the caster that applied this blessing. As long as the originator lives, the recipient of this blessing will experience rapid growth based on their feelings for the originator. If the feelings fade, the flame seed within the heart will dwindle before eventually burning out.
[Hunter]Rank: I
Use: Improves abilities against monsters that the user has fought before and gained exilia from
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After Vahn finished updating everyone’s Status Board, he spent some time comparing the data that he had recorded within the System and noticed there was an incredible amount of variance. It seemed that Tiona, Ais, Tione, Lefiya, and even Ryuu, were all much ‘weaker’ than he expected. Of course, they weren’t actually weak at all, in fact, they were much stronger than he was. Regardless of this being the case, their parameters per level were simply much lower than the girls he had been mentoring. Even Ais, though she had a monstrous four Innates, none of them were active and her actual parameters were even more skewed than his own.
Vahn thought that his magic parameter was going to be one of his key weaknesses in the future, but now he realized his other parameters weren’t low at all. Though he couldn’t rival physical specialists like Tiona and Tione, he was far ahead of the natural capabilities of Ais and Ryuu. Since both girls were much stronger than he was, this allowed Vahn to understand that complementary skills and experience played a huge role in actual combat potential. He remembered Tsubaki lecturing him the previous day about slacking off in his own training, and now Vahn realized that her words were far truer than he had initially believed.
As they were both researching the ‘rare skills’, Vahn shared his data with Riveria and they spent a little time talking about the numbers, everyone’s potential, and possible ways to help awaken their abilities in the future. Vahn also took the time to ask about why Lefiya’s stats were so low and Riveria answered in a plain tone, “Mages are unique amongst most combatants and it’s often better to Level up as soon as you hit your parameter limit so you can continue growing faster. We might sacrifice some physical stats, but we can more than make up for it with our offensive capabilities. The firepower of magic makes it incomparable to the relatively small damage output that can be meted out by physical fighters and is often the key to victory in the lower floors. You’ll understand it yourself in the future when we go deeper into the Dungeon…”
Vahn sat with his arms crossed in thought as he processed Riveria’s words for a moment before shaking his head. Riveria raised her brows slightly at seeing Vahn’s reaction until he looked over at Lefiya and said, “Lefiya, if you’re not against it, I’d like to help you train in the future…though I’m reaching the limits of its use, I have a skill called [Prometheus] that allows me to enhance the potential of others based on their feelings towards me. This is one of the reasons for the monstrous growth of Haruhime, Emiru, and Maemi, and the reason why their magic parameter is able to break the limit. At the very least, I should be able to help you get a few hundred additional magic per level and it would also allow your physical parameters to develop…”
Lefiya became flustered at Vahn’s words, especially in regards to the fact that her growth would be based on her ‘feelings’ for him. However, before she could process how to respond to him, Vahn turned his eyes away and looked back at Riveria as he said, “Riveria, I think the current magic system has some fundamental flaws. I can agree that the power output is amazing, but it shouldn’t have to require the sacrifice of physical development at all. Eva, the girl that taught me about Shundo, is a mage far greater than anything I’ve ever observed in this world, including you. The most important thing is, her power and agility are so far beyond my own that I can’t even track her movements at all…no matter how I look at it, she is a true mage and every other mage I’ve seen is simply constrained by the flawed logic they’ve cultivated over thousands of years.”
It was Riveria’s turn to get lost in thought as she began thinking about Vahn’s words in a very serious manner. Time and again, Vahn had shown her how flawed their system of magic was and, like he had pointed out with the three girls, their magic growth was ‘excessive’ even without the use of magic. If Vahn could actually teach them the methods of the woman named Eva, their capabilities would probably far exceed her own in the future. Just the fact he would be able to allow Lefiya to break the ‘limits’ of stat growth would make the young elf far more capable than herself when Lefiya reached the same level.
Her current magic parameter was only at 5,826, but she was also Level 6 compared to the Level 3 Vahn who had revealed his to be 5,115. With Vahn’s help, Lefiya would probably be around 6500 at Level 6, and 8,000 when she was nearing Level 7. Realizing this, Riveria’s valuation of Vahn had increased exponentially and she knew he would cause great ripples in the world that would likely persist for millennia as each concept he introduced was something revolutionary. No matter how much effort most people put into training, they could never break the S999 limit for stats, not even she herself had ever managed to do so. Yet, Vahn made it look easy and, against conventional reasoning, he even helped other people do the same simply through guiding them through the process and supporting their growth. Just his ability that allowed him to identify hidden skills within someone’s Status Board was a significant discovery that had gone undocumented for more than a thousand years…
Vahn spent a few minutes talking with the expedition team about how to increase their strength in the future and made promises that, once he was capable of using his ‘flames seeds’ on them, Vahn would give one to Tiona, Ais, and even Tione. Ais had a somewhat ‘scary’ look in her eyes after knowing she would be able to break through her limits with Vahn’s help while Tiona was simply happy that she would potentially be able to use magic in the future. One of her biggest regrets, ever since she received her blessing, was never having developed a single point in her magic parameter. Tione was happy to be included and agreed to be the last person to receive a seed when the time came.
Afterward, Vahn stored the majority of his miscellaneous items inside a storehouse and left the task to Aki for organizing everything. Though his inventory was ‘massive’, the 170 slots had a restriction that Vahn couldn’t work around easily. Each slot held 1,000m³, but Vahn could only store a single ‘unique’ item in each. This meant that, even if it were something like a small ingot of Iron, it would take up an entire slot. Though he could store similar items in the same slot, this wasn’t the case for things like weapons, armor, and equipment in general. This was one of the reasons Vahn had been thinking about making a ‘uniform’ for the girls since he would be able to stockpile them all into the same slot. Then, when their clothing was damaged by the environment and fighting, Vahn would be able to easily provide them a change.
Of course, Vahn had already found a few loopholes around how the slots worked, as he had confirmed long ago that he could store ‘backpacks’ and containers full of stuff in the same slot. By having each girl pack luggage, Vahn could store it all into individual slots for later use. Vahn had discovered this when he stored Lili’s backpack in the past, and verified it by simply being able to store things like potions and clothing that consisted of multiple fabrics. If the inventory truly only allowed a ‘single’ type of object, it wouldn’t make sense for it to allow a glass vial and its contents in the same slot.
By the time the group was ready to leave, it was nearing 8 AM, much later than the 7 AM time they had set for their initial departure. Along the way to the Dungeon, they talked about battle formations and each person’s assigned duty within the party. Though Riveria was the most capable commander, she had given the role to Vahn since the expedition was his idea and he was also the Captain of the Hestia Familia. Thus, with her blessing, Vahn became the Commander of the expedition while Riveria became his Vice-Commander. Tiona, Ais, Tione, and Fenrir were set as the vanguard unit while Vahn himself had been delegated to the backline with Riveria, Lefiya, and Haruhime. Since he was their ‘Support’, and also the ‘Supplies Convoy’, it was too dangerous for Vahn to fight in the frontlines unless absolutely necessary. Ryuu became the rear guard for the group and would assist the vanguard if necessary while also rotating out with anyone that sustained injuries.
Though Vahn wanted to fight with the vanguard, he understood it was important for the Commander to have a larger overview of the fight and allocate personnel properly. Just like he had made Haruhime do in the past, he would regulate things from the backline and use his domain to track the enemies while supporting with his bow. He was also the most capable of protecting the backline, as his Shundo allowed him to respond to almost any situation faster than anyone else. With his [Wounds Transfer], he could even absorb the damage of the vanguard party and allow them to stay in the fight longer by using the ranged version of [Hands of Nirvana] to help recover their stamina. He hadn’t realized it before, but Vahn had inadvertently walked a path where he was closer to a control specialist and leader than a simple fighter. His situational awareness, spatial recognition, and support capabilities were simply too suited to the role he found himself in…not that he minded.
