Chapter 239: Passage : Preparations
[Day 65]
While things returned to relative normalcy within the Abyssal Maw, Vahn found himself within a hemispherical stone chamber, seated cross-legged atop a thin cushion with Laevateinn, who insisted on him calling her Laev-tan, resting across his lap.
[Clear your mind. You've had things easy until now by being able to Equip weapons, but to bond with and draw out the power of a spiritual weapon, you must attune to its unique frequency and attain resonance] repeated Laev-tan, standing before Vahn in the form of a short and slender girl with short, somewhat spiky brown hair, bright blue eyes, curved black horns, a long and thin tail, and skinny legs that burned bright orange near their tips and were suffused with fissuring cracks like the surface of a cold volcanic lake. She also had long, pointy ears, a black, sports-bra-like top, buruma-like bottoms, forearm covers, and thigh-high stockings worn over a black, semi-transparent bodysuit. Less notably, only Vahn could see her.
Though he was tempted to retort that it was difficult to clear his mind with her speaking to him, Vahn's A-Rank Meditation allowed him to heed Laev-tan's guidance without mental fluctuations. The problem was, while he could attune with Laev-tan, evidenced by her ability to manifest before him, every attempt to form a link with her spiritual core ended in the same manner...
BOOM
Seeing Vahn abruptly explode, orange and black-tinged flames filling the stone chamber, charring its near-indestructible walls, Laev-tan, standing with her hands on her slender hips, closed her eyes and sighed.
[Let's end things here...] suggested Laev-tan, waiting for Vahn to reform at the meditation chamber's center before remarking, [Our resonance will increase naturally with you carrying me around, but I suspect we won't be able to achieve Spiritual Resonance until you've increased the Tier of your Soul from one to three—possibly even four.]
"Everything always comes back to that..." sighed Vahn, rising to his feet and extending his left hand, causing the roughly 130cm-tall Laev-tan to narrow her eyes and smile as he caressed her head. She wasn't resisting his efforts in the slightest, but as he was, he simply lacked the capacity to contain her immense power.
[Actually, I've been meaning to ask about that...] started Laev-tan, staring up at Vahn with an innocent expression as she asked [How are you still at the first Soul Tier? You're much stronger than most mortals could hope to be, and you're regarded as a God across many worlds. You should at least be a Hero or Lord by now.]
"I've thought about the answer to that very question...." confirmed Vahn, exhaling faintly from his nose as he revealed, "And the conclusion I came to is that my power stagnated due to me running away. I've holed myself up in a place where my power and authority are practically absolute, and to be honest...I believe I made the correct decision..."
[Hmmm? But don't you want to be stronger...?] asked Laev-tan, tilting her head adorably to the side.