Chapter 9: Getting Your Feet Wet
"Phew...home sweet home..." muttered Vahn, the words bringing a smile to his lips as he looked around his hotel room before hanging up his uniforms and promptly plopping face down on his bed. Someone had made it while he was away, but that was apparently normal unless he informed the staff not to.
(Good night, Vahn...) said Sis, her voice gentle as Vahn's consciousness slowly slipped away. It was only 2:17 PM, but since he had been up since the previous evening and had never met and interacted with so many new and interesting people before, he was thoroughly exhausted. It wasn't like the usual exhaustion, though. It was soothing, pleasant even...
As the last vestiges of Vahn's consciousness slipped away, replaced by a dreamless slumber, a figure with crimson hair briefly appeared in his mind. He had developed crushes on several female characters in the anime and manga he had seen and read, but meeting Rias had awakened Vahn to the realization that he may actually be able to get a real girlfriend someday. It probably wouldn't be Rias, as she was a super high-ranking Noble, but he was certain there was at least one person within the limitless Records just for him...
...
..
.
After rousing from his slumber, Vahn checked the time to find it was 8:43 PM, meaning he had slept a little over six hours. He expected to sleep at least ten, but since he awoke feeling completely refreshed, he decided to get up and pick up where he left off the previous night.
"Okay, I'm ready," affirmed Vahn, sporting all his equipment, including his Legendary Spear. In response, he felt a tugging sensation as his vision briefly zoomed in on a single point before expanding outward, his view of his bathroom mirror replaced by a dimly lit chamber of stone with a single direction for him to head.
"This is the Corridor of Intertwined Fates...?" asked Vahn, swiveling his head and body to take in his surroundings. The room he was in appeared to be a cube roughly five meters in all directions, and the only observable light source was a blue-green glow flecking the floor, ground, and ceiling, which, upon closer inspection, were revealed to be tiny crystals.
(More accurately, it is the Starting Point of the Inner Sanctum's First Strata.) stated Sis, further explaining (Monsters cannot cross over the threshold separating this place from the stratum beyond, and you'll need to return here or find a checkpoint when you're prepared to return.)
"That's really useful information..." Vahn noted. "Is there anything else I should know before leaving this room?"