Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After everything was moved inside the material storage, Hephaestus gave Vahn a list of all the materials and it shocked him greatly. Not only did it include the names of every material, it also included their quantity, weight, and price. Though Vahn had noticed there were quite a lot of materials, he hadn't expected the total price to be 2,183,449,812 Valis. Seeing the astronomically high number, he looked at Hephaestus with a bit of concern on his face.

Hephaestus saw his look and said in a firm tone, "You don't have to worry about the price of the materials, as it's only a small portion of my actual assets. If you want to pay me back, don't slack off!" Vahn found her words to be somewhat penetrating, so he nodded his head without refusing the materials. He couldn't deny that this was exactly what he needed to start forging his own equipment in the future. One of the biggest expenses he would have had would be the procural of materials. He had no mining rights and he couldn't hire people to gather for him, so he would have had to purchase everything from the distribution center of the Hephaestus Familia.

After everyone was cleared out, Hephaestus gave Vahn a 'key' that would activate the defensive formation. He, as well as anyone he attuned it to, were the only ones that would be able to access the area where the materials were stored. Vahn was very grateful since it would have been impossible to transport the materials without anyone noticing. Vahn expected there would be endless troubles with burglars if he didn't have such an extensive formation setup. He wondered why they weren't more common, and it wasn't until much later in the far future when he learned the reason. The formation itself had cost nearly 900,000,000 Valis to establish.

Once everything was ready, Hephaestus was preparing to leave without staying any longer. She had a lot of work to do and several other matters to attend to. However, before she could leave, Vahn ended up stopping her. Before she could complain, Vahn suddenly pulled her into his embrace and kissed her passionately. He felt so thankful for everything Hephaestus was doing for him, that it made him feel sad to see her leave without him thanking her.

Hephaestus wanted to resist, but after the previous night, which still clouded her mind, she couldn't muster the willpower to resist Vahn's embrace. Even without him using [Hands of Nirvana], just his touch made her body feel warm and she was quickly losing herself in the passionate kiss. Hephaestus wrapped her arms around his back and held him close as she sought out more pleasure from his lips. It wasn't until Vahn's hands found their way to her butt that she was finally freed from the spell and pulled away with a flushed expression.

She gave him a 'mean' look with her still blushing face as she sharply asked, "Why are you always grabbing my butt!?" Vahn, who seemed a bit sad when she pulled away, tilted his head and began to seriously ponder her question. The longer he delayed, the angrier Hephaestus seemed to get, as Vahn's 'innocent' and contemplative state was very frustrating for the goddess. Luckily, before her anger materialized fully, Vahn said in a very serious manner, "I think it feels really good to touch. It is very firm, but it's also soft enough for me to sink my fingers into. I feel like I can pick up your whole body easily just by lifting up your butt a bit."

Vahn's 'serious' and honest words made Hephaestus's mind blank a bit as she repeated them in her own mind. She didn't know if she should be happy or annoyed by the boy in front of her, but her body seemed intent on being 'happy' without her permission. She could feel a sweetness in her chest that slowly clouded her mind. Eventually, Hephaestus sighed before closing the distance between Vahn and hugging him again. She knew he was giving her a compliment, and hearing him seriously consider and respond to her question made her feel a bit of pride as a woman.

Vahn put his hand around her lower back and just held her for a bit while she hugged him. He was glad that she seemed to be less upset now, but her next words made him feel even better. Hephaestus leaned into him a bit and pressed her body into his as she whispered into his ear, "Then grab it...and never let me go, okay? Work hard, because not even I can wait forever."

With her permission, Vahn firmly grabbed Hephaestus's butt, and just like he said previously, he put a bit of strength into his grasp until she was slightly lifted off the ground. Since Hephaestus was still taller than he was, he had to pull her up against his body a bit causing her b.r.e.a.s.ts to contact his chin. Hephaestus released a short m.o.a.n and then kissed the top of Vahn's head from her elevated position. Though it felt strange to have a boy pick her up, Hephaestus felt a bit of happiness at how possessive his action was. She even secretly decided to start exercising a bit more to tone up her butt for the future...

Hephaestus finally managed to escape from Vahn's grasps, and he escorted her all the way to the main road before they parted ways. Vahn tried to give her another kiss in public, but she started walking away quickly like a startled deer. Vahn's eyes followed her retreat, and he noticed that she had very well shaped and long legs that perfectly accented her plump butt that was always attired with a figure-hugging cloth. Vahn even suspected that Hephaestus liked to show it off, or why would she wear such tight pants all the time? Either way, he was enamored by the sight and looked forward to holding her again in the future.

After she had walked out of sight, Vahn headed back to his residence and quickly entered his workshop. He already had plenty of materials on the shelves which Hephaestus had prepared for him prior to the 2BV expense. Since it was one of her private residences previously, it was stocked with various mid and high-grade items as well as a variety of tools. Vahn was very grateful since they would have likely cost several million Valis.

Nanu was also in the workshop and Vahn had her begin organizing and preparing things while he checked through his system for a bit. Though he had briefly glanced at the notifications, he hadn't had the time to seriously look through everything since he had been so focused on Hephaestus after the meeting with Loki.

//Quest Completed//

[Quest: Forge an Alliance, Progressive]

Rank: A (I-SSS)

Objective: Convince Gods/Goddesses to form an alliance between their Familia(s). Current Allies (1)

Rewards: 10,000 OP x Familia Rank. Currents Ranks (S:100,000OP). Quest completion rank depends on the total number of allies.

Grade Reward(s): 40,000 OP, 1x [Banner of Command]

[Banner of Command]

Ranke: Unique

Use: Enhance all allied units parameters by 10% of users within an area for 10 minutes. Once set, the banner is indestructible and cannot be moved.

With the quest rewards, Vahn now had a total of 998,309 OP, just 1,601 OP shy of the requirements for completing his quest. There were also matters like how Loki's affection had increased to 70(Favored), but that wasn't any concern of Vahn at the moment. Now that he was so close to completing the quest, Vahn did something he never would have done previously. Fumbling around with an ingot made of adamantine, Vahn converted it into OP through the system and received 2,000 OP in exchange.

He had never used any of the materials or items he had received from Tsubaki and exchanged them with the system because, even if she let him use them, they weren't 'his'. Now that Hephaestus had gifted him a bunch of rare materials, he didn't mind exchanging just a few to make up for the difference he needed. Though the ingot would have been worth several million Valis, Vahn really wanted to finish his quest so that he would be able to use his shop more in the future.

With a sigh, Vahn exchanged one-million of his OP to the system to complete his quest. He had experienced so much while working toward its completion and he was kind of grateful for having done so. If he never went into the dungeon at that time, he wouldn't have been able to fight the Goliath and inevitably join up the Loki Familia where he obtained two new lovers. Though the quest had been a struggle, Vahn couldn't help but send a silent prayer of gratitude to 'The Path'. After he was done, he looked at the notification that had sounded in his head with a bit of expectation and excitement.

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//Quest Complete//

[Quest: Birth of a Legend]

Rank: SS

Completion Grade: SSS (317D09H43M Remaining)

Rewards: 'Gacha Function Unlocked', [Enkidu:SSS], 10+1 Premium Gacha pull, 1000 Karma

Grade Reward(s): 1x [24 Hour Discount Gacha Coupon], 100,000 OP

[Enkidu:]

Rank: SSS

Slots:0

P.Atk: 100

M.Atk: 0

Ability: Indestructible, Piercing(Divine), Sealing(Divine), Soulbound(Vahn Mason)

Indestructible magical chains forged by the heavens to bind even the gods. The spears on the ends of the chains can pierce through anything, while the chains themselves can restrict everything. The stronger the Divinity of the target, the more powerful the binding strength.

[24 Hour Discount Gacha Coupon]

Rank: Unique

Use: Reduces the requirements for all premium gacha pulls by 50% for 24 hours.

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Vahn was completely in awe of the random weapon he had received for completing the quest. Though it seemed to have a relatively low attack, it had the trait of being able to pierce anything. Vahn didn't know what would happen if he pierced through a giant monster with an item that only had 100 Atk, it was a very strange thought. But, the most surprising fact was that it was apparently able to seal away gods or those that possess Divinity. Since he was currently located in a world full of gods, Vahn was terrified by the implications should he decide to misuse the item.

Curious about its appearance, Vahn tried to equip the [Enkidu] and was surprised to find that he was unable to do so. After asking Sis, she informed him that, since the item was soulbound to him, he actually just had to 'use' it like a normal item and it would bond with his soul. Following her instructions, he used [Enkidu] and felt like the inside of his body was strangely filled with limitless golden chains. Though they weren't physically there, if he focused his intent inside, he was able to feel their presence. For Vahn, it was a very strange sensation, but he also felt like the chains contained limitless power.

Now that [Enkidu] had entered his body, Vahn tried calling it out and felt a strange sensation like his blood was beginning to flow rapidly out of his palm. From the center of his hand, a golden light shone and an indescribably resplendent spearhead slowly emerged. Vahn could feel that his energy was beginning to drain a bit, but he continued pulling out the chain and noticed the body of the chain had the same golden color as the spearhead itself.

Nanu had noticed the shining golden light but didn't think it was her place to ask what her Master was up to. She continued preparing the materials as ordered, but would periodically look over and the beautiful golden chain emerging from Vahn's palm. As the Southern Tribe worshipped the Sun, Nanu had a strange attraction to the light, because she felt that it was nobler than the celestial body her people prayed to. It almost seemed more sacred, more holy, than even the most divine artifact.

Vahn was curious about the Piercing(Divine) attribute, so he grabbed another ingot of nigh-indestructible adamantine and tried stabbing it with the spearhead. The moment it came into contact, there seemed to be a bit of resistance but, after around 3 seconds, the spear went through the adamantine effortlessly. Vahn was able to determine that the [Enkidu] could penetrate anything, but it seemed to require a bit of time before the effect activated. He resolved himself to test it more in the future but was now curious about the binding effect.

Vahn disliked the idea of binding or sealing away something, but it didn't prevent him from having some curiosity. If it came to a point where he needed to use the function but was unable to do so, it could cost him his life or the lives of others he cared about. After a long period of hesitation, he sent a mental command and waited for a minute or so with an uneasy feeling building up in his heart. After a brief delay, a knock was heard at the door before Anubis entered in with a curious expression on her face. When her eyes came into contact with the resplendent golden chain in Vahn's hand, she couldn't help but ask, "Master, what is that beautiful chain?"

Title: Enkidu

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Literally OP in this world','Nasuverse in the next 1000 chapters?','Walkies with Anubis')