Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the corpses of several Six-Petaled Flower Mantids littering his surroundings, Gandr casually leaped to the largest of more than a hundred giant lilypads. Though it had the same structure as a normal lilypad, it was more than thirty meters across, more than big enough to support the weight of a person.

Of the optional objectives listed by Quant, Gandr had, as could be expected, chosen to complete the most difficult among them. This included going to the very center of the Forest of Death, the location of a lake spanning more than three kilometers across. There, a small black pylon could be seen at the very center of the largest of several lilypads, each representing the territory of six-meter long insectoid Shinheuh called Six-Petaled Flower Mantids.

Though they had rather beautiful and ornate bodies, appearing similar to blooming lotus flowers while stationary, the average Six-Petaled Flower Mantid could easily cut kill most budding Regulars in a single blow. This was largely due to their two large forelimbs, each appearing like exceptionally durable pink scythes. If that wasn't enough, they were also exceptionally quick, capable of blitzing inexperienced Regulars before many could even react.

Unfortunately for the mantid colony, Gandr wasn't the average Regular, nor did he lack experience in dealing with large, fast-moving, monsters. As a result, it only took him eight minutes to kill all of the Six-Petaled Flower Mantids, his sword tracing graceful arcs through their steel-like carapaces without any discernible difficulty.

Placing his Pocket in the center of the pylon, a smile spread across Gandr's face as his point value increased from 1,948 to 2,948 in an instant. A thousand points was an incredible boon, and, though he didn't really need them, it was less suspicious to buy a mountain on food from the commissary than it was to continually pull out large quantities from his Inventory.

With his objective completed, Gandr did an about-face before skipping across the surface of the Shinsu-infused water as if it were flat ground. In the end, it only took him a few seconds to move from the very center of the lake to the distant shore, a cheeky smile on his face as he saw the trio who were taking a rest after barely killing a single Six-Petaled Flower Mantid Scout, the smaller variant that patrolled the Forest of Death.

Seeing Gandr return so quickly, Shibisu had an incredulous expression on his face as he asked, "Did you already finish? Seriously, man, you're a monster...I'm glad we're on the same side."

Though she was largely just tagging along with the group, firmly believing it was smarter to stay at the side of the strong, Nare nodded in agreement, adding, "It's a shame you're not really my type. I would have liked to climb the Tower with someone as strong as you protecting me. My Knight isn't weak, but I can't even imagine him catching up to you, Gan-chan."(A/N: I have decided to use a few honorifics since it feels more natural in the dialogue.)

Hearing Nare's pet name for him, Gandr scrunched up his nose a bit before smiling mischievously and stating, "No worries. I don't really have a thing for chibis anyways."

Reinforcing her childish image even further, Nare puffed her cheeks in response to Gandr's words. She knew he was just teasing her, but that didn't stop her from retorting, "Hmph! What does a brat like you know? I bet you've never even kissed a girl before, right? I'm warning you, Gan-chan, if you don't learn to treat women more delicately, you won't be popular once you grow up!"

Rolling his eyes in response to the girl's outburst, Gandr resisted the urge to tell her he had done a lot more than simply kiss a girl. Unfortunately, those were the escapades of a much older version of himself. The most he had done in his current form was bathe with Fenrir and act as the body pillow for various women in the Inner Sanctum.

Thinking Gandr was annoyed by Nare's words, Shibisu decided to give his youthful companion a hand. More specifically, he made a thumbs-up gesture, smiling as he said, "Just ignore her words, Gandr. Most guys can't even approach a Princess of Jahad, much less get close to two. Even if the Tower prohibits it, you have my support if you want to elope with Endorsi. If you use your ears and tail as collateral, I think she could be convinced to run away with you~."

Though he knew Shibisu was joking, Gandr deadpanned directly at the man before saying, "If you want to reach the center lilypad, you'll have to swim..."

Originally, Gandr had agreed to help everyone across, as, even with his speed, Shibisu was unable to run across water. The most he could make it was a hundred meters before he plopped into the crystal-clear, ice-cold, water below. Because of this, Shibisu's expression immediately turned into a stressed smile as he awkwardly laughed and said, "Come on...you know I was just messing with you. Please don't make me swim across..."

Rather than respond directly to the man's plea, Gandr just snorted before walking over and picking up the incredibly light Nare. This caused the young woman in question to blush slightly, but, having been carried during the journey over, she managed to avoid flustering. Instead, she adopted a small smile as she appended, "Well, you have some redeeming qualities..."

Ignoring the little girl's remark, Gandr immediately changed her impression of him as he tucked in her head, not to display affection, but to prevent her neck from straining due to his spontaneous acceleration...

With the sound of Nare's scream echoing in the distance, Shibisu released an exasperated sigh as he stared at the crystal clear water below. As for Hatsu, he removed his top, wrapping it around his katana before placing it near the base of a rock. Then, without any hesitation at all, he jumped from the small cliff, diving into the water so he could swim across using his own power...

With the rest of his morning passing uneventfully, Vahn released a long yawn as he pulled himself from the bed and prepared to make his way to the commissary. He wasn't quite sure of the reason, but he had been feeling a peculiar form of exhaustion ever since first arriving in the Tower. His first hypothesis was that this had something to do with the Shinsu exerting a constant form of pressure on, not just his body, but his mind and spirit as well. Now, however, he was beginning to feel like it was something different, almost like he was on the verge of some kind of breakthrough...

Rather than mull over the strange feeling, Vahn decided it was best to simply ignore it. There were times when your pursuit of something either led you astray or prevented you from obtaining. Thus, with other thoughts occupying his mind, Vahn decided not to let an inexplicable sensation interfere with his short-term plans. Instead, he made his way over to the commissary, finding his fellow Wave Controller classmates, Baam included, waiting for him to arrive.

Though it was completely unnecessary, Hwa Ryun, and, as a result, Hoh, Rozeal, Grey, and Baam all rose to greet him. The only one who stayed in his seat was Laure, but, perhaps due to an instinctual desire to conform, he respectfully nodded before saying, "You're right on time. We were just giving Baam a breakdown of everything we discussed yesterday. Since the Instructor is bound to cover the basics on the first day of class, I'm sure everyone here would be grateful if you explained the things you hinted at yesterday."

Resisting the urge to chuckle in response to Laure's leading statement, Vahn took his place at the circular table before explaining, "The Laws aren't something that can be understood from a simple discussion. All you really need to know about them is that they are the rules that dictate everything from the structure of fundamental particles to the complexities of energy systems like Shinsu. With adequate comprehension of the Laws, you can even bend or outright break these rules, snubbing the restrictions that act upon everything, and everyone, else."

Seeing that everyone was listening attentively to his words, Vahn offered an approving nod as he went on to explain, "Some of the basic yet most important Laws are those governing the Elemental Forces. These are the easiest to glean insight into, as, with very few exceptions, everything has some kind of Elemental Affinity. In Shinsu terms, this is what many refer to as a Quality. There is a general misunderstanding that only a select few people are able to manifest a Shinsu Quality, but, the truth of the matter is that a person's Elemental Affinity ultimately determines how easily that can emulate specific forms of phenomena..."

Though words could help people understand a concept, visuals were tantamount to 'proving' what you said was true. Thus, out of consideration for the people who couldn't understand what he was trying to say, Vahn created a Baang at the very center of the table, rapidly changing its Quality from the basic water to things like Lightning, Darkness, Fire, Light, and even Earth. This caused everyone at the table to stare in awe, but, as the person most experienced with Shinsu, Laure's couldn't help but pale at the masterful demonstration...

Amused by the man's expression, Vahn's smile became slightly more prominent as he explained, "I will now inform each of you what your Elemental Affinities are. Keep in mind that, while it is rare for a person to have more than one affinity, possessing multiple isn't an indicator of talent. Rather, due to the limitations of a person's lifespan, it is often better to master a singular affinity than it is to try and unilaterally increase your proficiency in every element."

This time around, Vahn punctuated his statement by performing a simple hand gesture, producing several small squares of paper in front of each candidate. These were actually the test strips used in the Record of Naruto to determine a person's Chakra Nature, but, as most energy systems used a person's Elemental Affinity as a basis, they worked just as well when determining a person's Shinsu Quality.

Since everyone present was a Wave Controller candidate, they had at least some talent regarding the manipulation of Shinsu so Vahn didn't waste too much time explaining. Instead, he held up his own piece of paper and said, "Rather than manipulate the Shinsu in the surroundings, imagine a similar flow present within your body. Guide that flow into this piece of paper. Depending on how it reacts, you can accurately determine what kind of Elemental Affinity you possess."

Serving as a demonstration, Vahn inserted a thread of Source Energy from his body into the piece of paper, converting it into Shinsu in the process. He had a much easier time managing this kind of conversion than emulating mana, so, even if he was currently weakened by the Record's Laws, Vahn was quickly increasing his proficiency in the foreign energy system. As a result, the paper began to glow with a resplendent golden hue, the type of glow that inspired awe in everyone who laid eyes upon it.

Understanding the question in everyone's mind, Vahn preempted any interruptions by saying, "My Shinsu Quality is Divine. It is a Quality that specializes in dominating other Qualities; enhancing my power with simultaneously decreasing my opponent's. It is the Quality of an Emperor, and, if used properly, it can completely inhibit or seal another person's ability to use Shinsu."

Hearing Vahn's explanation, everyone at the table, sans Baam, showed a slightly terrified expression. They got the impression that the Divine Quality was probably the most powerful, a notion that even Laure couldn't refute. Fortunately, their eagerness to discover their own Quality helped to ease the tensions in the room, albeit only after the golden light had faded.

Following Vahn's directions, everyone at the table began trying to infuse their internalized Shinsu into the piece of paper. This was very difficult for most of them, as they were still struggling with the concept of manipulating the natural Shinsu in the surroundings, but Baam and Laure were able to succeed almost instantly. This broke the concentration of everyone else, as, though not as bright as Vahn's, Baam's piece of paper had started to release a bluish-white glow. As for Laure's, his piece of paper became exceptionally rigid, similar to metal, before splitting smoothly down the center.

Having purchased a book regarding Shinsu Qualities after discovering his own, an approving look appeared in Vahn's eyes as he habitually stroked his beard and explained, "It seems our little friend has a natural affinity with Shinsu itself. You will have a much easier time than most learning how to use Shinsu, and, though it will require considerable effort to master, you will be capable of using all variations of Shinsu. As for you, Mr. Phonsekal, you have an affinity with barriers, reinforcement, and a Shinsu Quality related to Wind. You have great potential for both offense and defense. Better yet, you will have a much easier time mastering flight compared to normal people..."

Though everyone was initially envious of Baam's Shinsu Quality, Vahn's explanation of Laure's made it seem far more useful. After all, Baam's seemed to require an extreme amount of effort to master while Laure's seemed to be useful both immediately and in the far future. With Vahn's guidance, he was even able to create a swirling green Baang in the amount of time it took for the next person to discover their Shinsu Quality...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'You don't even know how fast I am...!','RIP Nare...','Laure is well on his way to becoming a Metapod...)