With their vacation having ended, the members of Team Wolf Pack inevitably made their way to the 5th Floor's teleportation array. The only requirement for ascending to the next floor was becoming a B-Class Citizen, so, with a plethora of Points in their Pockets, Team Wolf Pack bid farewell to the large crowd that had gathered outside before stepping atop the large array that would take them to the 6th Floor.
—
A stark contrast to the 5th Floor's rather scenic Paradise Bay, the 6th Floor was an incredibly dark and dreary place. The only visible light at their destination was the ghostly glow emanating from the Test Administrator, a lanky man with eyes like will o' wisps and garments that resembled those of a Grim Reaper. He even had a rather vicious-looking weapon in his right hand, but, rather than a scythe, it was a gnarled wooden staff with a shovel-like head formed from blue crystal.
Adding to the man's eerieness, his face was veiled by shadows beneath a wide-brimmed cap as he somberly explained, "I hope you enjoyed your stay in Paradise. From this moment onward, you will be ascending the Tower in much the same way as Jahad and the Great Warriors. Your only goal is to find the stairway leading upward to the next Floor. You will face various challenges and trials along your journey, but, so long as you work together and trust in your companions, it is only a matter of time before you bask in the light of glory. Good luck, Regulars…though, with a group of this size, I believe you will be just fine…"
With those parting words, the reaper-like man promptly vanished from view, shrouding Team Wolf Pack in absolute darkness. Fortunately, it took very little time for Khun and Phae to produce their Lighthouses, illuminating the area to reveal they were inside an ancient-looking room. This included a patterned cobblestone floor, thick moss-covered stone walls that glistened with moisture, several destroyed statues, and a small shrine that was cracked down the center.
Taking charge of the situation, Khun created a perimeter using his Lighthouses, scanning the area as he said, "Gandr, Endorsi, and Anak will scout the external corridor connecting this room. The rest of our Scouts will inspect this room for any sign of traps. This room will serve as our command center until we get a better grasp of the situation."
Responding to Khun's words almost immediately, Jung raised her hand up high, chiming, "I want to go with Gandr~!" in an enthused tone. Unfortunately for her, Khun immediately shot her down, his tone leaving no room for argument as he said, "I have already made my decision. Gandr, Endorsi, and Anak have been working together for a long time. You will have plenty of chances to team up with him in the future. For the time being, just stay put with everyone else. If you run around and trigger a trap, I'm banning you from having any sweets for the remainder of the day…"
Though she looked like she wanted to argue at first, Jun's huffy expression immediately mellowed when she heard Khun's threat. Her entire life revolved around fighting and sweets. Since the sweets given to her by Vahn and Phae were much better than anything she had eater prior to joining Team Wolf Pack, she couldn't bear to part with them. As a result, she ended up scampering over to Phae's side, hiding behind the woman before peeking around and glaring towards the blue-haired youth.
Ignoring the vengeful loli's glare, Khun continued to delegate roles and responsibilities to the rest of the group. He knew Vahn wouldn't simply allow them to 'cheat' by using the Little Garden, so, with the expectation they could be stuck inside the Labyrinth for several months, his primary focus was on establishing a base camp. There was no sense in venturing out into the darkness without an idea of where their destination was located so he wanted to get a better grasp of their immediate surroundings before deciding what to do next.
What Khun didn't expect was for Vahn to promptly produce Hwa Ryun from the Little Garden, an amused smile on his face as he stroked the woman's head and explained, "Guides are able to freely traverse the Tower. I didn't allow her to participate in the Survival Test since there was no reason to have her sit around for an entire month. Now that we're inside a Labyrinth, however, her ability will be of great use."
Enjoying having her head pat a lot more than she ever thought possible, Ryun felt slightly saddened when Vahn inevitably retracted his hand. Then, with a cold and serious glower, she looked towards Khun and explained, "The 10th Floors bi-annual Positional Tournament is scheduled to take place in twenty-nine days. Our goal should be to clear the 9th Floor within three weeks. This shouldn't be an issue with our Team's composition, but we will still need to move quickly."
Frowning in response to Ryun's words, Khun looked to Vahn just as the latter was nodding his head in approval, saying, "The delay on the 5th Floor was the result of my selfishness. Since I'm also the one pushing you to move forward, I will allow the Little Garden to be used between the hours of 2 and 5 AM. This will give you around fifteen hours for both rest and study each day."
Feeling considerably relieved, Khun released a tired sigh before lightly patting his chest in an effort to calm his heart. Afterward, he immediately adapted his strategy to account for the assistance of a Guide and the fact that Ryun had directly stated they would need to move quickly. She was the type to play around with words, so, rather than continuing to establish a basecamp, he recalled Gandr's scouting party in order to arrange their traveling formation…
—
After sticking around long enough to make sure everything was running smoothly, Vahn made a show of entrusting the Little Garden to Phae before retiring to the interior. He had more important things to worry about than traversing a dark Labyrinth filled with traps and monsters, even if it did make him feel more than a little nostalgic.
Shaking his head, Vahn looked toward his right to find a 156cm tall redhead wearing nothing but lingerie staring up at him with a vibrant smile on her face. She seemed to constantly exist within the periphery of his vision, and, unless he was directly focused on someone or simply stopped thinking about her, Vahn could see her wandering around and investigating things like a child exploring the outside world for the first time.
With a somewhat wry smile on his face, Vahn asked, "Did you enjoy exploring the outside world for a short while…?"
Nodding her head, the Law of Identity adopted an even more radiant smile as she replied, "It is very exciting to be able to see and experience things directly. Before the Creator blessed me with a body of my own, I was only able to experience the interactions of others. Thanks for letting me finally be myself~!" in a cheerful tune.
Though her words made him feel strangely guilty, Vahn's expression softened quite a bit when he saw the sincere smile on the girl's face. He had been able to sense her presence within everyone he had interacted with ever since her creation so there was a very real chance she was directly linked with the true Law of Identity. This meant she was a part of everything, vicariously experiencing the world through others without a direct means to interact with it herself…
After forcibly restraining most of his power, applying various seals across his body in a very short period of time, Vahn extended his hand to caress the smiling girl's head. This seemed to make her very happy, but, considering he was the only person she could actually interact with, it wasn't hard to understand why…
With the Law of Identity offering no resistance whatsoever, Vahn continued to caress her hair and the sides of her face, a thoughtful expression on his face as he asked, "What should I call you from now on? It will be a little awkward if you go around without a name…hmmm…"
Seemingly finding his words very amusing, the Law of Identity giggled in response before saying, "I already have a name. It is the one the Creator gave to me~!"
Confused by her words, Vahn lightly furrowed his brows as he asked, "Can you tell me what your name is…?"
Adopting an instantaneous pout, the Law of Identity stared up at Vahn with moistened eyes as she asked, "How could you forget such a thing? I'm [ ]! [ ]…!"
Hearing absolutely nothing when the Law of Identity shouted her name, cold sweat quickly spread across Vahn's body as he found himself at a loss for words. He was absolutely certain that the only thing in his mind at the time was manifesting her as the Law of Identity. It wouldn't make sense for her to have a name if she was the origin of everyone else's identities so he hadn't actually come up with a name for her…
With the redhead on the verge of tears, Vahn's instincts began to sound alarm bells within the back of his mind. Thus, in a desperate attempt to keep her calm, he adopted a wry smile and asked, "Can I call you Akasha…?"
Immediately following his words, the Law of Identity's appearance changed to resemble an awe-inspiringly beautiful statue. It had the appearance of an indescribably beautiful woman that was 190cm tall. She had perfectly symmetrical hair that flowed away from her scalp like feathers, soft features that gave her a very peaceful appearance, and several clear gemstones running from the top of her crown to around her navel, visible due to the fact that she was completely naked…
Though the woman appeared to be made from pure white stone, hands clasped together as if she were praying, Vahn felt a boundless aura of vitality flowing from her. It was so vast that he suddenly felt like an infinitesimally small existence, an impression that caused his body to literally shrink until his [Will of the Emperor] passively kicked in, liberating him from the dream-like state imposed upon him by the woman's aura.
Realizing that the woman in front of him was likely Akasha, several trains of thought raced through Vahn's mind all at once. This was further proof that the Law of Identity was a part of everything and everyone, even other concepts. The problem was, the moment he referred to her as Akasha, the [ ] in his Unit Management completely disappeared. Akasha's name was also absent so there was a very real chance he had just manifested a higher concept by happenstance…one he had absolutely no control over…
Doing his best to suppress his feelings of trepidation, Vahn gazed toward the statuesque woman's face. Immediately after that, her peacefully slumbering expression seemed to melt away as her eyes slowly opened to reveal translucent eyes that resembled the gems adorning her body.
Though she had nothing like irises or pupils, Vahn had the distinct impression that the statuesque woman was able to see through him completely. This feeling only persisted for a very short period of time, however, as she soon adopted a familiar smile, shattering the illusion of a timeless goddess in an instant. Then, seemingly very intrigued by the changes in her body, 'Akasha' began inspecting herself before asking in an excited tone that seemed to resonate through his entire body, "Did your preferences suddenly change? I kind of liked my previous form though~."
Unable to restrain himself, wry laughter, the kind that someone would emanate after completing an excruciating marathon only to find out it was the first challenge, escaped Vahn's throat. This caused the pale woman to show an expression of concern, but, before she could ask what was wrong, Vahn allowed himself to fall backward onto the soft grass, arms sprawled out as he stared blankly at the blue skies above…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Shovel Knight would be proud','Gotta go fast','User Vahn has disconnected from the server…')
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