Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

"First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for coming. I hope you all were able to have fun and enjoy the game despite the relatively low stakes. I am of the opinion that not every Gift Game should require the participants to place something of value on the line. The Little Garden should be a place where everyone is able to live freely and have fun. With that in mind, I hope to see you all in future games hosted by the Sage Dragon's Hearth. This will not be a one-time thing. I give you my word."

In response to Vahn's short and concise speech, the crowd erupted into a violent cheer that seemed to shake the very foundations of the Little Garden. There were a lot of suppressed peoples in this highest of realms so it was refreshing for them to hear someone speak of freedom and having fun. It had been too long since many of them had hope, so, now that there was a Community willing to host events that didn't require them to make sacrifices, many were looking forward to working with the Sage Dragon's Hearth in the future.

Waving to the crowd, Vahn offered a sincere smile in response to their cheers. Hosting events like this could be a little troublesome, but, once he had found his footing in the 4-Digit Gates, he could always have someone else host them on his behalf. He also enjoyed seeing people happy, so, for the remainder of the closing and reward ceremony, he stuck around to personally pass out medals...

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"Congratulations, everyone. The Sage Dragon's Hearth is now, officially, a 5-Digit Community~!"

Unable to suppress her excitement, Black Rabbit released a number of party poppers as everyone around the table either cheered or returned a smile. Fenrir, Leticia, Hime, and Nono weren't exactly the type to openly exclaim. As for Seraphina, she had already retired to her bedroom as she never liked being around such a large group of Vahn's lovers. This left Vahn, Usalia, and Sarina as the only people cheering from the side of the Sage Dragon's Hearth.

Fortunately, the Sage Dragon's Hearth wasn't the only Community present. Vahn had also invited the core members of Twice Twilight, Leviathan's Tail, and the No Names to participate. These were the three Communities he had convinced to act as Subordinate Communities in order to meet the qualifications for hosting the Vahnatus. Thus, while more than half the members of his Community were taciturn beauties, the response to Black Rabbit's cheer was enough to cause Will to activate a sound dampening formation in the recently constructed banquet hall.

Though they were a little surprised by the sudden decrease in volume, none of the guests bothered to inquire about the cause. Instead, they began to mingle among themselves while Katana, hired to document the event, skulked around the edges of the banquet hall with a camera in hand.

Seizing the opportunity to do a little mingling himself, Vahn, accompanied by Fenrir, made his way over to the area where a peculiar duo was seated. His approach immediately caught their attention, a smile spreading across the woman's face as a troubled expression marred the teal-haired youth at her side.

"Lily, Jin, I'm glad the two of you could make it. I see someone decided to loosen the seal I placed on them..."

Extending his hand, Vahn habitually caressed the smiling Lily's head. The last time he had seen her, she resembled a ten-year-old girl with a petite frame. Now, she had grown from around 136cm to a commendable 158cm. As for her figure...well, she was the descendant of a Fertility Goddess...

Rubbing her head against the palm of Vahn's hand in a somewhat spoiled manner, Lily maintained her usual smile as she explained, "With all the changes that have been occurring recently, I decided it might be for the best if I grow up a bit. How do I look...?"

Returning a smile of his own, Vahn ruffled the affectionate fox's hair before retracting his hand and answering, "You could give Black Rabbit a run for her money."

While it was generally rude to compare one woman to another, Vahn knew that Lily idolized Black Rabbit's beauty. Moon Rabbits, prior to their destruction, were famous throughout the Little Garden for their appearances so it was quite the compliment to be compared to one. Thus, rather than take offense, Lily's expression brightened considerably as she cupped her reddening cheeks and issued a bashful yet gratified laugh.

So things didn't become too awkward, Vahn took advantage of Lily's momentary distraction to shift his attention to Jin, asking, "Why the long face, kid? You look like someone who just found out their dog died."

Smiling wryly in response to Vahn's words, Jin's expression became visibly apologetic as he hung his head and answered, "Sorry...I've had a lot on my mind..."

Extending his hand, Vahn ruffled the teal-haired youth's hair, a serious expression developing across his face as he said, "Let me share with you a bit of advice I received from one of my first masters..."

With Vahn retracting his hand, Jin looked up with a curious yet hopeful look in his eyes, In response, Vahn channeled his best Tsubaki impression as he balled his hand into a fist and said, "You think too much."

Before he could react, Vahn gave the top of Jin's head an affectionate bonk. With Lily appearing in her current form, it didn't take a genius to realize what was bothering him. He was clearly troubled by his lack of maturity, and, more importantly, his lack of power. These two things had always been a source of stress for the young mage, so, now that he had three remarkably powerful individuals to compare himself to, it was no surprise he was a little stressed out.

Holding the top of his head, tears began to build in the corners of Jin's eyes as he stared up at Vahn like an aggrieved maiden. This gave the latter the urge to give him a second punch. Instead, he just shook his head before ruffling the pouting youth's hair and saying, "When you experience problems you can't overcome on your own, there is no shame in seeking the assistance of others. That is how bonds of trust are formed. Now, tell me, what's the problem?"

Feeling the pain in his crown quickly fading away, Jin managed to suppress his tears with a sniffle before explaining everything that had been troubling him. He talked about how powerless he felt, and, most notably, how envious he was of the abilities of Izayoi, Yo, and even Asuka. To others, this might have made him sound petty. Vahn, however, appreciated the youth's honesty. After all, even adults could rarely verbalize everything that was troubling them. Jin was only eleven years old, so, despite his feelings of powerlessness, he was actually ahead of the curve in regards to power and character...

After listening to all of the youth's grievances, Vahn nodded his head in understanding before asking, "So, what are you going to do about it...?"

Now that he had gotten everything off of his chest, Jin was feeling a lot more confident as he stared up at Vahn and answered, "I want to enter your Game Board. I want to accumulate experience while training my body and mind. I don't care about remaining Leader. So long as I can become someone my Community can rely on, I'll be happy."

Though he nodded his head in approval, Vahn shifted his attention to one of the pillars lining the inordinately large banquet hall, asking, "And what about you three...?"

Stepping out from behind the pillar, Izayoi had his usual cheeky smile on while Asuka crossed her arms in defiance. As for Yo, she just waved towards Fenrir, who, after exhaling an inaudible sigh, returned a wave of her own.

"My only question is, will I be able to have fun...?"

Having witnessed Izayoi's power firsthand, Vahn briefly adopted a contemplative look as he stroked his chin and answered, " That depends. With your current power, you should be able to reach the bottom floor of the Dungeon in about two and a half years. The biggest issue you'll face is the fact you're a tsundere. Even if it's just an illusion, my Danmachi Game Board is a near-perfect replica of an actual place. Prior to my conquest, there were a lot of people suffering for a variety of different reasons. Given your nature, you won't be able to simply ignore them."

Furrowing his brows, Izayoi's expression became slightly hostile as he asserted, "I'm not a tsundere."

Ignoring the youth's remark, Vahn shifted his attention to Yo and Asuka, adding, "As for the two of you...you'll have a difficult time depending on the Familia you join. If you choose to stay together, I would suggest the Ganesha Familia. They specialize in taming monsters, mediating between other Familia, and providing entertainment to the people of Orario. Since most of them are beast tamers, their members can be pretty crude. Their God, however, is among the most caring and responsible deities I've ever met. He genuinely cares for the people of Orario and his Captain, Shakti, is a fervent believer in his ideals."

Though Asuka didn't seem particularly enthused by the prospect of joining the Ganesha Familia, Yo's eyes had practically turned to stars. The notion of being surrounded by beasts made her as giddy as a kid in a candy store. Sure, they might not be real, but that wouldn't stop her from doing everything in her power to befriend each and every single one of them.

As amused as he was by the young brunette's glittery-eyed expression, Vahn shifted his attention back to Jin. The appearance of Izayoi, Asuka, and Yo had caused him to visibly pale. He hadn't even considered that they might want to enter the Game Board alongside him. If they did, all his efforts would, once again, go to waste...

Forming his hand into a fist, Vahn gave Jin another 'gentle' knock on the head as he asked, "What's with that expression? You just said you didn't care about being Leader and that you just wanted to become someone your Community can rely upon. Which is it, Jin? Do you want to become reliable or do you simply wish to be stronger than Izayoi, Yo, and Asuka? Make up your mind."

Hearing Vahn's words, feelings of guilt and shame pervaded Jin's body. They helped him to realize just how selfish he was being, so, after balling his hands into fists and biting back tears, he adopted a resolute look and asserted, "So long as I can be of use to my Community, I'll be happy..."

Nodding his head in approval, Vahn extended his hand to help ease the pain atop Jin's head as he said, "Good. That is the correct mentality. When you get inside the Game Board, I want you to seek out a Goddess named Hestia. She is a bit of an oddball and won't be able to provide you with much in the way of resources, but, so long as you stay resolute, you'll be able to learn more from her than most other Goddesses."

With a tremendous amount of knowledge contained within his mind, Jin immediately recognized the name Hestia as the Goddess of the Hearth. This caused a look of realization to flash across his eyes as adopted a far more serious expression and answered, "I understood. No matter how hard the journey ahead becomes, I will continue pressing forward."

Though Jin's choice of words caused him to feel strangely guilty, Vahn just nodded his head before retracting his hand and saying, "Very well. For now, everyone should just relax and enjoy the party. Once things have calmed down, I'll go over the specifics regarding the Game Board and everything you'll need to know about its structure and your objectives. After that...you're on your own..."

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Banzai~!','Jin is simultaneously very mature and very childish...','I can totally see Izayoi going toe-to-toe with Ottar within the first two weeks xD...')