Chapter 517 - Stroll Through The Forest

Vahn had nearly forgotten how peaceful the forest could be since he had been so busy lately that he hadn't ventured into it in recent months. It wasn't like the forests in the Dungeon, which were typically very quiet and there were few natural sounds, so Vahn had temporarily lost his appreciation for simply wandering in nature. The Western Forest had been his first 'home' after a lifetime of suffering, but Vahn hadn't been able to truly take in everything that was happening during those seven months. He had been so focused on training, hunting, and surviving that he hadn't been able to enjoy everything the forest had to offer.

Unlike his past self, when he had been a relatively weak Level 1, Vahn was now a Level 4 that could even rival a Level 6 if it were solely based on his Magic parameter. He also had his domain now so he could feel the incredible amount of life that was present within the forest, below the ground, and even jumping about in the trees. There were millions of small signatures that belonged to insects while hundred of birds flitted about in trees picking small nuts and berries that had yet to ripen. The entire forest was in a revival right now with the coming of Spring and it was a very pleasant experience being able to simply 'take things in'.

Fenrir was also enjoying herself greatly as she bent over resting her chest against the top of his head while loosely hugging his chin and neck with her paws. It was a little awkward since she was 148cm tall and wasn't nearly as small as she seemed to believe, but Vahn didn't mind it too much since her weight was negligible at best. She never changed even so much as a hair, so Vahn had become very accustomed to her presence that seemed to be around him often in recent months. He couldn't say she was really that clingy, other than when he was in Vanargandr form, but it was more the case that she was always trying to comfort him while getting spoiled at the same time. Vahn felt like she spent more effort on reacting to how he felt than she put into her own thoughts at times...

Vahn heard a very pleasant birdsong overhead and looked up to see two Violet Thrushes, a relatively rare bird that could be sold in markets for up to 200,000V. They were very popular with young women because they had one of the most beautiful birdsongs among easily obtainable birds. Since he had been walking through the forest with his [Stealth] active, so as not to disturb the 'peaceful' atmosphere of nature, Vahn had been able to get very close to two birds undergoing their courting ceremony. With the coming of spring, many animals were preparing to find their mates as if they were eager to introduce new life to the already overflowing viridescence of the forest.

Since he thought the song was as beautiful as purported, Vahn closed his eyes and listened to it for several minutes until another birdsong suddenly reached his ears, this one much closer than the other two. Vahn opened his eyes and tilted his head slightly to see Fenrir emulating the birdsong with impressive accuracy. Her song seemed to confuse the two Thrushes as the male bounced around on its perch looking for the 'competitor' invading its territory. As it wasn't even strong enough to be classified as a Level 1, the small bird had no way of detecting their presence even though they were only separated by a few meters.

Vahn smiled before continuing to tread through the forest in a relaxed state of mind as he listened to Fenrir practice her birdsong. Ever since she had learned the [Mimickry] Development Ability, Fenrir could often be found 'copying' the voices and actions of the other girls. When she trained, she even tried to mimic their movements as if she were trying to familiarize herself with them. Vahn knew she wasn't trying to incorporate their fighting styles into her's, so it was more likely that she was 'preparing' countermeasures against their moves by memorizing them. He had taught her in the past that knowing your enemy is the key to victory, as you could use the gaps in their techniques against them. She already had the habit of 'emulating' people, primarily himself, but now it had been taken to an extreme as her vocal cords had developed in a peculiar direction after obtaining the ability.

After a half-hour, Fenrir began to tilt her head from side-to-side as she asked, "Master, do you like my song~?" Vahn gently nodded his head and continued walking forward, even though his eyes had been closed for a while as he listened to her song. Fenrir released a laugh that made Vahn pause his steps for a brief moment because she had sounded just like Tiona. Her own laughter was still a bit 'off', but she could copy the laughter of another person, something that Vahn found strange yet interesting. Out of curiosity, he asked, "Can you copy my voice?" Fenrir surprisingly startled a bit when he asked her what he believed to be a simple question.

Fenrir drooped her head and mumbled, "Fenrir has been a bad girl..." as she nuzzled against the top of his head. Vahn wanted to coax the answer out of her so he said very matter-of-factly, "Fenrir tries very hard to be a good girl, so she is a good girl. Even if you make mistakes every now and then, as long as you keep trying you will still be a good girl in my heart." Vahn felt Fenrir's tail thump against his back as her ears perked up at his words. Answering his earlier