endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 132

Vahn awoke the next morning in a groggy state. He had been in high tensions the entire day yesterday, and even though he recovered his energy and stamina, it didn't prevent him from feeling mentally exhausted. When he lifted himself up from his bed and looked over, he was surprised to see that Hephaestus had disappeared sometime during the night. He felt a little sad at the thought but assumed she likely had things to take care of and didn't want to wake him.

As he had no plans for the day, Vahn wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly in the house. He felt a bit guilty about the fact that, the morning after he told the children their new schedule, he ended up leaving them behind for Anubis to deal with. As the 'Alpha', he needed to keep his word whenever possible, or it could create problems of trust in the future.

Exiting the room, Vahn nearly fell over when he came across Anubis who had been waiting outside his door. As if she didn't see his fumble, Anubis said in a polite tone, "Good morning Master." She followed her words with a polite bow and Vahn returned the greeting. He noticed that, even after he spoke, she continued to bow toward him so he reached out his hand and pet her head a bit. When his hand came into contact with her ears, Anubis's tail began to sway back and forth a bit before Vahn pulled away.

Apparently satisfied, Anubis smiled at Vahn before informing him, "Lady Hephaestus had left earlier, but she told me to pass a message to you. She said she was going to prepare a few things and that you should put your best efforts into improving your forging skills." Vahn imagined the image of a blushing Hephaestus telling him to do his best, and it made his heart feel warm as he showed a happy smile.

Afterward, the two made their way to the training area that Vahn had designated on the northern side of the property. The children had awoken early, just as he had ordered them to the other day. They were now patiently waiting for his arrival while sitting on their knees in a seiza-like posture. The moment Vahn took his place before them, they all bowed low and shouted in unison, "Good morning, Master!"

Though he sighed a bit in his mind, Vahn nodded and acted confidently before the seven bowing children. In a firm voice, he said, "Raise your heads and prepare yourselves. I will be teaching you a method of improving your footwork, as well as a variety of skills called 'Close Quarters Combat' techniques. I have a rough understanding of how strong everyone is, but from here on out we'll also be performing live sparing to familiarize everyone with actual combat."

Vahn saw that the children were staring at him with serious expressions, so he nodded his head and continued, "As I said previously, you'll be left to your own devices after our training ends, but I forbid anyone from entering the dungeon alone or without informing either myself or Anubis. You already have experience working as a team, so I have confidence you'll be able to grow even stronger after training. Your goal now should be..." Vahn paused for a moment and looked at the glowing eyes of each chienthrope child. After he passed over the entire group, he continued, "Level 5."

All of the children were very surprised by his claim, and even Anubis didn't understand why he gave them such a 'high' goal to start out with. Noticing their confusions, Vahn explained with a serious tone, "I have met people near your age that are already Level 5 and have yet to reach their full potential. They work hard and I imagine they will be able to obtain even higher accomplishments in the future. If you're satisfied with just 'the next level', you will never be able to go beyond your limits. Have confidence in your actions, trust your training, and never settle for easy to achieve goals."

Anubis had a thoughtful look in her eyes, but the smile on her face couldn't conceal the appreciation she had for Vahn's words. Each of the children was staring at him with fervent expressions as they shouted at the top of their lungs, "YES, MASTER VAHN!" They seemed to be in incredibly high-tension as their tails beat against the sides of their hips and they looked like they wanted to jump up from the ground and immediately begin training.