《Unlimited Potential》 Chapter 001 What the heck? I was walking into the kitchen back home one moment and in the next, I''m walking down the right-hand side of a cobblestone street. That''s a sudden and unexpected transition and I need to stop walking for a moment to take things in. The buildings around where I am are all constructed of brick with glass windows showcasing goods to be sold. Right beside me is a bakery with pastries of various kinds sitting on the shelves and a few customers inside. Most signs have both letters in a language I''ve never seen before and icons representing what they are. Interestingly, I can actually read the language on the signs. I can even understand what people are saying despite having never learned it. This ability to understand their language doesn''t appear to be through some sort of translation magic, though ¨C it''s as if it was just another language I learned growing up even though the only one I knew was English. Whatever being brought me here must have granted me knowledge of the local language. I''ve read enough stories to know that something summoned me here, and since I just appeared on a street instead of in some sort of summoning ritual, it was probably a deity of some form. The people walking this street barely give me two glances, almost as if no one noticed my sudden appearance. My outfit shifting to match the more local style probably helps me to not stand out some as well, even if my platinum-blond hair and azure eyes are a contrast to the brown hair and eyes more common around here. Rather than the pair of black shorts and green sleeveless I was wearing back on Earth, I''m dressed in a pair of black pants, a dark green tunic, dark brown leather boots, and a matching belt that has three pouches and six slots for what are probably vials on it (judging by the belts of a few other people I see). The local streetlamps are tall metal posts with yellowish crystals floating in their glass shells. No light shines from them right now, though I''m sure the crystal will either begin to glow on their own or get turned on once the sun begins to set. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, it''s afternoon here rather than evening, so I have a few extra hours in my day now. That''s going to be fun, considering today was already a long one and I''m exhausted. I''m going to have to figure out sleeping arrangements and food in this unknown world. Why couldn''t the deity that summoned me here have at least waited until after I''d eaten dinner? They didn''t give me an instruction manual, either. Or any directions or advice, for that matter. I continue walking as I assess the situation, soon reaching the end of this street and the start of a circular plaza. Plenty of people are going about their business in here, coming from or going to shops, passing through, talking with others, or just relaxing. Some garden boxes are set to either side of each of the thirteen benches in the plaza, though no plants are growing in them at the moment. It''s a little chilly out, so I''m going to assume it''s only the end of winter and spring growth hasn''t begun yet. That''s the sort of feel the air has, anyway. A fountain rests in the center of it, a basin that''s twenty-seven feet in diameter and two feet in height, the water inside reaching up to about two inches below the top, even as water continues to pour in from the statue. The statue is pure white stone, a figure standing 5''9" in height with a slim, well-defined build to it. He''s standing with his right hand on his hip, his left hand casually hanging down by his side, and head cocked a little to right with a mischievous smile upon his face. He''s ithyphallic ¨C his dick is erect rather than limp ¨C and the uncut carving is rather large. Other than the hair carved onto his head, there''s none on his body or crotch region. If that were an actual person, he would probably be bangable. Floating around the statue are five orbs of water, with a stream of water flowing out of the top, curving away from the statue, and then cascading down into the basin of the fountain. Each one is about three feet away from the statue, which is at the exact center of the fountain''s basin. The statue stands on a three-foot-tall, four-foot-wide pedestal made of the same white stone as both the statue and the basin''s wall. Some of the water flows out of holes toward the top of the basin, splashing down onto the plaza ground below and creating a water zone where a trio of boys are currently playing. My guess is that the statue is a deity of some sort. Perhaps the one who summoned me here? The floating orbs confirm that there''s magic around here, though the man entertaining a group of six children by creating figures of light in one section of the plaza was already proof enough. He''s seated on one of the benches, the children gathered on the ground in front of me. In the stories I''ve read, there''s typically some sort of cheat the main character gets after being summoned to another world. While I''m not sure if I''m a main character or not, I was definitely summoned to another world. Do I have any cheats? "Hm¡­" I think about the situation. Some stories had a System in place. While that''s mostly just fantasy, it doesn''t hurt to check if I have something like a Status. The moment I want to view my Status, one startles me by actually appearing in my vision.
Name: Jamie Age: 19 years
Species: Human Sex: Male
Rank: 0 Total Level: 0
Mana: 10/10 Mana Regen: 0.010/second
Strength: 8 Constitution: 9
Agility: 8 Dexterity: 9
Magic: 10 Mind: 10
Vitality: 10 Soul: 10
It appears that fantasy can sometimes be reality. Checking that was purely on a whim, too, as I didn''t actually think such a thing would be real. My guess is that my stats are about average, so I don''t have any advantage there. After skimming through the Attributes, I figure out that I can access information on them through the System. They mostly do what I expected, but it doesn''t hurt to check. Strength is one''s average muscular strength, while Constitution is one''s average physical toughness. Agility is one''s speed of reflexes, allow a person to react faster; it also affects the mind a little so they can keep up with any speed they obtain from the mixture of Strength and Agility. Dexterity is one''s skill with their hands, probably more useful for craftsmen than combatants. Magic is the magical power one has, and so it determines the strongest spells one can cast for most spells. Mind is one''s resistance to mental magics and affects the strength of mind magics a person can cast. Vitality affects a person''s aging at a rate of one year aged for a passed period of time equal to one year for every 10 Vitality. If I''m understanding that correctly, someone with 20 Vitality would only age one year for every two that passed. Soul appears to be the strength of one''s soul and affects several things, but the description only specifies the strength of one''s soul magics and resistance to them. Since there''s a Class System, I''m curious how that works. The stories I read gave different variations of them. One possibility is that my ''cheat'' is just having the System itself, while another would be the potential for a great Class or some sort of absurd Skill. I can''t just ask people about this, though, as I don''t know how common summoned people are or if the System is just me or something everyone has. That''s something I''ll need to find out, and subtly. Instead of talking to others, I walk over to the fountain and take a seat. There are a few other people sitting on the fountain wall, so I''m sure it''s not an issue for me to do so. My next step is exploring the System''s various menus that I can locate. There''s one for Classes, one for Titles, one for Quests, one for spells, and one for Skills. That last one has two categories in it: [Languages] and [Ultimate]. The former has two Skills, English at Level 6 and Tielmarn at Level 10. My guess is the latter is the local language and the reason I can understand the people and signs here. That also confirms that I was given stuff by whatever deity summoned me to this world. There''s a single Skill in [Ultimate], and it''s definitely an interesting one, and that''s not just because it has no Level to it despite my other Skills having some.
Unlimited Potential
The potential to become or obtain anything you desire is within your grasp, so long as you try for it or are in need of it, regardless of how impossible it is or difficult it would ordinarily be.
The implication there is that normal limitations don''t apply to me and that I can learn things even faster than normal if I actually want to learn them. Just how quickly, I''m not sure, but I sort of want to test it out. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Looks like he finally decided to approach me now that most people are gone from the plaza. I watch as someone who stands out even more than my platinum-blond hair walks toward me. I noticed him following me while I was still walking down the street but wasn''t too certain that he was actually following me until he tried to subtly watch me in the plaza while looking like he was sharpening his sword. The guy who''s walking toward me is about my age, and has jet-black hair, orange eyes, and a slim build with well-defined muscles. He''s wearing a pair of black pants and black leather boots with dark red laces, along with a black leather belt with a few pouches and vials fixed onto it. On his right hip is a knife and on his left hip is the sword he was taking care of for the last little while. Both weapons have black hilts, a reddish-orange crystal set into the pommel and either side of the crosspiece of the sword. Their scabbards are black leather with dark grey metal caps. Him being bare-chested is part of what makes him stand out, but not because everyone else is wearing a tunic and pants or a dress. It''s because he has some scales. A one-inch strip of scales runs from either side of his face starting on his jaw, going down his neck, then onto his shoulders before stopping on his upper arms. A two-inch strip of scales starts just a little below his pits and travels down his sides, disappearing under his pants. In addition to the scales, he also has a scaled tail that tapers down to a rounded point. I''d estimate the tail to be around five feet in length, and I think it''s three inches at the base, which is just-above his crack and has its own hole in his pants, a buttoned flap above that keeping the pants together. That kind of implies there''s a slit in the pants to let the tail down to the hole, rather than him having to carefully push his tail through it. I saw the back of his pants when he was sitting down, it''s not exactly visible right now since he''s approaching me. Overall, this guy is actually rather hot. Just as bangable as whatever god that statue was modeled after. The scales are a little off-putting, but the rest of him is nice. "Hello, newbie," he greets me when he reaches me. "Newbie?" I ask. "Someone from another world," he clarifies. "Some god finds it amusing to pull people from other worlds and just plop them here without any explanation. He does it about once every month or so and has for nearly three thousand years now. I saw you arrive, and while it could have just been teleportation, your Mana is far too low to be able to ignore their wards or travel very far that way and your confusion made it evident you were uncertain about things. So. Newbie." "I see," I say. "Would it be rude to ask you what you are, since you''re clearly not human?" "Not at all," he answers. "I''m a demihuman dragon. That is, I have draconic ancestry. You won''t find my people around here, we don''t leave our area much. A lot of other species of people find ours¡­ unnerving." It''s probably the dragon in them making his people seem that way, though he comes off as rather friendly. "You seem nice enough," I tell him. "The name''s Jamie." "Adam," he dips his head to me. "Pleasure to meet you, Adam," I say. "Do you know if there''s a way I can get some food? I was kind of getting ready to eat at home when I found myself here. Anything that can quickly cover the food expense would be nice, too, if you know one. Sorry to plop that on you right after meeting you, but I figured it doesn''t hurt to ask." "It doesn''t," he smiles. "There are plenty of places to get food around here, be they stalls for buying groceries or restaurants to pay someone else to make it for you. Come, I''ll pay for your dinner." "You don''t need to do that," I tell him. "You''re right," he says. "But I''d like to. It''s not every day I get to meet an other-worlder. This way." Something tells me he''s planning on asking me questions about my world. "Alright," I stand. "Where to?" Adam leads me to a restaurant that just a little around the corner from the plaza with the fountain. The building is dimly-lit, filled with people of varying ages and warm from all of the people packed into it. Unlike the streets, the restaurant is illuminated with fire-based lanterns rather than crystal-based ones, and that probably adds to the heat in here as well. "I heard that this is one of the best places to eat when you''re on a budget," Adam tells me as someone approaches us. The person approaching is tall, slender, and has pointy ears, her eyes green rather than brown. I''m not surprised there are elves here, though she''s the first one I''ve seen. Everyone else so far has been a human by appearance. Well, except Adam. "Just us two," Adam tells her. "Okay," she says. "This way." The elf leads us to what seems to be the only empty table in the restaurant and walks away. One she does, a human woman approaches us to take our order, the choices being either a stew or pulled pork. Adam and I both order the first one, with Adam ordering a strong ale for himself and a light ale for me. "Ever had alcohol before?" Adam asks. "No," I answer. "Okay," he nods. "So something to know ¨C you can''t get drunk off of meal ale, and it''s what most drink when eating. Water isn''t safe in many places, especially in places inhabited by people. So you''ll have to get used to the taste." "Alright," I say. "So how much of you is dragon and how much of you is human?" "Asking physically or personality-wise?" Adam asks. "Both." "Well, my starting Attributes are about the same as anyone else," he says. "But I do have the scales and tail, as you can see. I can also see heat, and when I''m older, I''ll develop the ability to straight-up see magic rather than needing to sense it. My senses are superior to those of any other species of person. "When it comes to personality," he says. "We''re a bit of a mix of the two as well. I like raw meat ¨C but not person meat, that smells awful to me ¨C but can handle cooked, and while I like cow, deer, or sheep, my main taste is for predators like snakes, birds of prey, and wolves. I like shiny things and that tends to make me less willing to part with money, and I have a rather nasty temper if provoked. But I''m generally pretty chill unless someone is being an ass or intending to provoke me or some such thing." "I see," I say. "My turn," he says. "What kind of world are you from? You seemed rather surprised to see magic even though most worlds that are pulled from have it. Of those that don''t, the majority have tainted water and need to drink something safe, like alcohol. Summoned aren''t too uncommon even if they''re not extremely common, so a lot''s known about the other worlds." "Hm¡­" I say. "Well, clean water is supposedly a thing in most civilized countries, though part of that kind of depends on the local government and such, and you have to pay to actually get it. Our streets ¨C at least where I live ¨C have fewer people and more vehicles. Ours don''t need beasts to pull them." "Magic carriages?" "Not really magic," I tell him. "But I don''t know the full process, myself. It''s not something I was ever taught and requires specialists to make." "Specialists can be everything," he nods. "Do you know how I can go back?" "Do you want to go back?" Adam asks. Thinking about it, I realize that¡­ I really don''t want to go back. I know how things are going back on Earth and what things are like there. Unless something strong happens to change the course of my life, I''d have the same terrible life there as I''ve always had. Here in this world of magic, with a Skill like [Unlimited Potential], endless new possibilities are before me. "No," I admit. "Good," he says. "Because there aren''t any records of the god who summoned people here sending anyone back. None have ever left ¨C but none have ever really wanted to go back." Adam and I continue to talk about our worlds, and it sounds like Earth is one he hasn''t heard any stories of before. Some of the other people eating here also add in a bit of advice and tips about this world for me as well. Eventually, we finish eating and leave the restaurant, Adam having offered to rent a room for me tonight since it''s a bit late for me to get started on earning money. It''s a small little inn not far from the restaurant, and he pays for both rooms with four copper coins, each one stamped with a ten in Tielmarn. "Here," Adam hands me one of the keys we were given as we walk toward the stairs leading up to the actual lodgings. "Before we go to bed, I want to offer you something." "Oh?" "You''re pretty new here," he says. "So you''ll no doubt be approached by someone on your own regardless. Summoned people are famous for having some sort of absurd Skill or set of Skills immediately upon arrival. They''re also famous for not giving two shits about others'' political goals, which is why you weren''t approached by someone from the local government already." "Approach me to offer me some help with getting adjusted to this world?" I ask. "Yeah," he nods. "If it''s like what I heard is typical when a Summoned appears, it''s usually a small bit of money and training in exchange for them helping out with monsters in the area. Trying to take advantage of a Summoned never goes well, so any politician with a brain avoids trying to make them a tool of some sort." "Got any examples of how badly it goes?" "On my journey here," he grins. "I heard that an idiot noble tries to turn a new Summoned into a tool and weapon to bolster his own power about six months ago. Turns out, he wasn''t aware that Summoned have an innate immunity to any form of enslavement magic. Now, imagine how someone with some absurd abilities gifted to them by the gods would react after someone tried to turn them into a slave." While the god who summons us isn''t kind enough to ask us if we want to come here or to give us any directions or advice, he is at least nice enough to give us knowledge of the local language and an immunity to being magically-bound into the service of another. "I feel no pity for the idiot noble," I say. "Few did," he say. "So what''s the offer you have?" I ask. "Let me give you some training in the morning," he tells me. "The basics for combat. I''m rather good with a sword, a knife, and martial arts. There''s a Dungeon a little outside of town that you can farm for some Experience and loot. No obligation or repayment needed." "What do you get out of it, then?" I ask as we reach the rooms we''re renting tonight. "I mean, I know that there are people who genuinely want to help, but you don''t seem that kind of guy." "I''m not," he admits. "But my grandpa always said that the gods bless those with good luck who truly help the Summoned. Luck is something I could use, and you''re a Summoned." "You''re hoping a little bit of luck comes your way for helping me," I say. "Yeah," he shrugs. "I don''t know if I''ll get any, but I''d like to help if I can." "I''m not sure about learning to fight with a weapon," I tell him. "But I''ll give it a try. Meet you downstairs in the morning?" "Yeah," he nods. "Let me know what you think then." "Will do," I tell him. "Good night, Adam." "Good night, Jamie." Chapter 002 Even without any expert abilities or experience with such things, I can tell that the man''s outfit is on the more expensive side. It''s not woven with gold or flashy or anything like that, it just seems more expensive. He carries with himself an air of confidence as well. I''m leaning against a support beam in the wall of the inn lobby while waiting for Adam to show up, and this is the fourth time someone has approached me in the last hour. "Hello, Jamie," the man greets me. "I was wondering if you''d be interested in hearing an offer? My employer, Jeffery, is the head of one of this town''s largest merchant guilds, the Silver Fox Trade Company. He would like to help you get started off in this new world, and-" "I''m not interested in anyone who doesn''t approach me themselves," I inform him. "My employer is a very busy man-" "And yet he wants to take advantage of someone with absurd Skills," I say. "Even without knowing what they are. That alone bothers me, and the fact that he''d send someone else to make the offer instead of approaching me himself under those circumstances is insulting. If I''m really valuable enough to help me out, then the person in charge needs to be the one to approach me." "He would like to meet with you at-" "Only those who are willing to approach me directly," I say. "Are worth listening to the offer to. It''s a way of showing that they''re not just going to view me as some sort of tool, you know? Were you aware that the earl himself showed up earlier?" "Did he really?" Adam asks, approaching. "He did," I nod. "I told him I''d been given another offer, and I''d give it a try first as it had less strings attached. He told me I''d be allowed to take him up on his offer if I found I didn''t much like this one." "What was his offer?" Adam asks. "Monthly pay of five silver coins," I answer. "On top of whatever I get from loot or other sales and work. A room for free at his mansion for the duration of my stay here in Ratton. Basic equipment to start off with. Free training for one month from experts he hires or has on-staff already, based on what I''m interested in. Six months of working for him as part of the contract." "A fair deal," Adam nods. "More than I can offer. And?" Right now, the only offer that doesn''t come with strings attached is Adam''s. "I''m not sure I want to tie myself down," I tell him. "I mean, I might stay here for six months, but I bore easily. Your offer has no strings attached, so I want to give it a try. If what you offer me is more than enough, then I''ll let the earl know I''m declining." "Okay," Adam says. "Come, let''s go buy you a weapon. You''re okay with learning how to fight using one of those, right? I know some magic, but probably not enough to help you out on the mage front." "I can give swordsmanship a try," I tell him. "If it turns out I don''t like it, then I''ll see about making the shift to magic. Er¡­ should I hold off on getting a Class until I know for certain?" "You unlock Classes automatically," he informs me. "There''s no limit to the number of them you can have. So if you give physical combat a try and discover you don''t like it but are still interested in fighting monsters, you can switch over to magic without an issue. Well, it depends on your own affinities, but you know what I mean." Only when Adam mentions it do I realize that the idea of fighting and killing monsters doesn''t bother me. I''ve never been hunting before yet I''m not even fazed by the idea of hunting down and killing a beast. Is that just a part of who I am, or did the transfer to this world alter me a little? "Alright," I say. "That''s good to know. Lead the way." I flash the merchant''s employee a wave before following Adam out of the inn. The demihuman dragon leads me to a market street, where we look in a couple of different shops before he settles on a basic sword with a matching knife. They''re fifty copper and twenty copper, respectively, but Adam manages to haggle the clerk down to forty copper for the pair. "No armor?" I ask as Adam helps me properly fix the scabbards onto my belt. "Not needed for the parts you''ll be in," he says. "Personally, I find that armor just gets in the way, but that''s me. Others gear up fully. It depends on the person." "Makes sense," I say. "What now? Are we going straight to the Dungeon to fight?" One of the things brought up during dinner last night was the local Dungeon. In this world, Dungeons are pocket dimensions accessed through portals that simply appeared in the world one day. They create a new instance for each Party that goes inside, so people generally don''t run into each other inside of them unless they''re all part of the same group. Within a Dungeon are monsters, plants, minerals, and traps. I was told that this Dungeon is rather basic, but no one got specific about what was inside of it. "No," Adam answers. "We''ll head outside of town first so I can give you a little training before we go in. Better that you at least have some training on how to poke with a sword than to go in blindly. The monsters are ridiculously easy early in, but many a novice can still hurt themselves because they didn''t bother learning the first thing about combat before taking them on." "Alright," I say. "Lead the way, then." We''re finished equipping my weapons, so Adam nods and leads me out of town through the western gate. There''s a forested cliff in the distance, and I realize the path is on a slight downward slope and leads straight to the cliff, where I can make out what looks like a cave entrance. Rather than taking me all the way there, Adam takes me about halfway down the road, then sets off north. "How come the town wasn''t built by the cliff?" I ask. "Since the Dungeon is there, it''d make most sense, wouldn''t it?" "That fountain we met at?" Adam asks. "You''ll find them in every Dungeon Town. Nobody builds them, they just appear. They''re actually the primary way to finding a Dungeon. If you see one nearby and there''s not a town or whatever, you know that there''s a Dungeon within three miles." "So it was built around the marker rather than the Dungeon?" "Yeah," he nods. "Several reasons. First, there''s a stream that flows past the eastern side of town. That''s used for watering the crops to sustain the town. While they could divert it a bit, it''s simpler to use the area there. Second, the Dungeon isn''t that resourceful. It has very little worth collecting inside. Third and finally ¨C all initial Dungeon Camps are around those fountains because monsters can''t come within one hundred yards of them. That protects the laborers from any wild monsters in the area and reduces the amount of people who need to be watching out for wild beasts." "So those fountains are something divine?" I ask. "Yeah," he nods. "No one knows who the statues are of, but it''s assumed it''s a god we don''t know the identity of rather than some forgotten hero." "A forgotten god?" "Just a theory," he shrugs. "No one knows for sure. Anyway, this spot is good. We''ve got plenty of space here." "Alright," I stretch. "What do we do?" "First," he says. "Tunic on or off? It''s a little cool since today''s the first day of spring, but you might get pretty hot and sweaty depending on how much you do." "Tunic off," I pull off my tunic and fold it up before setting it down. Adam examines my torso for a few moments, his tail flicking from side to side slightly. I''m slender and smooth, and the swordsman''s expression makes it clear he''s staring a bit due to attraction. If I were in his boots, I''d do the same thing. In fact, I''m taking the time to admire his abs right now. They look mighty fine to me. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "So," I say after about a minute of this. "I assume it''s more than just draw the sword and swing it?" "Er¡­" Adam''s face flushes for a moment. "Okay. Draw your sword." Adam draws his sword at the same time I do, and he begins running me through some basic moves. None of them involve striking at each other, he''s just using his sword to demonstrate the attacks. Quite a few of them seem to focus on attacking someone lower than my knees. I try as best as I can to learn the lessons Adam teaches me, though it becomes evident rather fast that I''m not built for using a sword. That''s simply a lack of training more than anything, and likely won''t be a problem if I do decide to become a swordsman. For now, at least learning to use a sword is a good idea so I do my best.
You have learned [Sword Mastery].
You are now a Level 1 [Swordsman]. Attributes have been increased.
The moment those notices appear in my vision, additional knowledge of how to use a sword enters my mind and it feels as if some of the moves are now ingrained into my muscles, even if my muscles themselves aren''t honed for swordsmanship yet. While [Unlimited Potential] made it clear that I could learn things more easily if I just put in the effort to try, I didn''t realize it would be this easy. I thought it would take me training a few hours a day for at least a few days before I gained the first Level in the Skill. At my estimate, it''s only been two hours with a fifteen-minute break in the middle. "Don''t worry if you don''t get results right away," Adam tells me as I pause to read the notice. "You need to actually reach a beginner level in a normal Skill before you actually unlock the Skill. Now, depending on what Skills you obtained by being summoned by a god, it could take you anywhere from a few days to the normal amount of time it would have taken you." "I got it." "¡­what?" "That was actually why I stopped," I tell him. "I was reading the notice and being surprised that it was this easy. So learning it in a few days is actually normal for someone summoned over?" "Yeah," he says. "But¡­ two hours! What do you have, an Ultimate Skill or something?" "Er¡­ yeah, actually." "Wait, seriously?" He asks. "You have an Ultimate Skill?" Adam groans. "It''s [Unlimited Potential], isn''t it?" "So you know of it?" "Every species has a unique Ultimate Skill," Adam tells me. "Their effects can be similar to others, but they''re considered the ultimate of the ultimate. And the ultimate of those? Is the human Ultimate Skill. It fits the very nature of humanity ¨C adaptable. That Skill essentially embodies the core of humanity''s adaptability. The potential gains are limitless." Adam walks forward and puts a finger against my sternum. "You have the ability to gain any Skill," he tells me. "Even ones that would ordinarily be impossible. I''m not talking gaining something like [Night Vision], as enhanced ability to see in the dark isn''t a stretch of human ability. I''m talking about things like [Water Breathing], where your body actually does stuff a human body shouldn''t be able to do." "[Water Breathing]?" "The ability to breathe water," he nods. "Not like a dragon''s breath, that would be [Water Breath]. No, [Water Breathing] is useful underwater. You can breathe in water, and your body will use it as if it''s air." "Like a fish?" "Yeah." So if I actually put in the effort to try ¨C or found myself in a situation where I needed it ¨C I could actually gain the ability to inhale water and absorb the dissolved oxygen gas in it. No wonder Adam seems shocked. "Oh," I say. "So I guess I should probably keep it under wraps, huh?" "Yeah," he takes a few steps back. "Since it''s known you''re a Summoned here and they know you just arrived, it would be best to say you received a Skill that buffs your growth with learning how to use weapons." Adam runs his fingers through his hair, then sighs. "Honestly, [Unlimited Potential]?" He mutters. "They had to throw me at someone with that kind of ability? Well, it doesn''t matter since I''m leaving here soon, anyway." "Er¡­ Adam?" "Sorry," he shakes his head. "Just thinking to myself. Anyway, you should have received [Swordsman] upon gaining the Skill, some additional knowledge about fighting with a sword, and some of the basics are now in your muscle memory. Improvements always happen when you gain a Skill Level." "Alright," I say. "Since you''re not from this world," he says. "You''re not quite used to the System. Most people learn how to adjust to a new Skill Level by the time they''re thirteen years old. Since you haven''t had that experience, take some time to get used to it." "What do you mean?" "Er¡­" Adam realizes that he didn''t actually tell me what he meant, probably because he''s used to the System and how it works. "Okay, so some moves and forms are now in your muscle memory, right? And you know a few additional moves, while your ''ability'' with ones you were taught have improved somewhat. "What can happen if you''re not used to this," he says. "Is you try to do one thing while your body attempts to do another, and that will trip you up. Practice some strikes and listen to your body. Let it move on its own as you try to do the moves. Sort of like running ¨C you already know how, you just tell your body to do it and it does it." That''s not quite what happens when someone runs, but I understand what Adam''s saying. It''s more like learning a sport ¨C at first, you have to constantly remind yourself of what to do. Once you know how to do it, you just do. Having [Unlimited Potential] will probably make this easier for me. "Alright," I say. I prepare to practice a few attacks and find that my body is able to move into the position easily on its own when I want it to. Some of the attacks happen just by me trying them while others are new moves that aren''t set into my muscle memory. Even those ones aren''t an issue for me, and I just need to correct my form slightly with them. "That''s¡­ honestly rather awesome," I tell Adam. "Yeah," he nods. "The System allows for a growth which is ordinarily impossible to people. Nobody knows which god actually created it, and there are rumors that it may have even been a god or group of gods who no longer interact with this world. Gods that were forgotten long ago." "Such as the one for the fountain?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "Though that''s only a theory and not a verified fact. Anyway, with the System, things which are ordinarily impossible no longer are. To account for this, the System gives us all a bit of support when going up in Skill Level. That minimizes potential issues that can arise from gaining new abilities faster than we should have been able to." "What do you mean?" "Hm¡­" He thinks for a few moments. "Okay. So one way to increase a Skill is to train and work on improving it. For spells, that means getting more familiar with the spell and fixing issues with your spellcasting that might limit the range, power, effects of the spell or even which increase the cost of the spell. For a Skill like [Sword Mastery], that would be learning new moves and techniques and improving the ones you already know." Sort of like increasing belt rank in martial arts for a place that bases it on Skill rather than discipline and virtues and community service. "Makes sense," I say. "Yeah," he nods. "The effects of the boost from the System are less noticeable when that happens, because you actually built up to it. However, you still gain some extra benefits. For example: I could tell that you were actually learning the techniques I was showing you. That means you didn''t simply gain the Skill because of your Ultimate Skill, the Ultimate Skill simply made it easier for you to learn. That, in turn, made the acquisition faster." "But there are ways to increase them without training," I say. "Yes," he says. "Repetition. Mind-numbingly boring repetition. Punch the air the exact same way ten thousand times and you will gain [Martial Arts Mastery] at some point. Now, you suddenly have a bunch of knowledge and abilities you didn''t have before. Stuff your body wasn''t trained for." "So the System also lets you actually be able to use it," I say. "Yeah," he nods, then points down toward the cave entrance. "And this becomes more prominent in Dungeons, especially with combat-related Skills. Fighting monsters in general helps boost the growth faster, and doing it in a Dungeon makes it even faster than that." From what it sounds like, Skills are more meant to be achieved and improved in that fashion than through actual hard work. It probably makes it easier to fight monsters out in the wild and defend settlements against monster attacks that way. The god or gods which created it must have been looking more of at how things were back when they created the System than the future. I''m sure monsters were a bigger threat to civilization in ancient times, when there were fewer people and more wilds. "Alright," I sheathe the sword and stretch. "Since I have the Skill and the Class, is that''s all that''s needed?" "Yeah," Adam answers. "Do you want to try getting [Martial Arts Mastery] and [Knife Mastery] today, then I can take you to the Dungeon tomorrow? That would get you a little bit more Strength before going in, though you can handle the first zone on your own. It really is a beginner zone. I''ll handle buying your food and renting a room again tonight if you want to work on getting the other two Skills first." "Zone?" I ask. "Dungeons are broken up into zones," he nods. "You can''t leave until either you clear one or use a warping stone from that Dungeon. The first Zone for this one has a straight path to the boss, which someone without a Class can beat. Though there are also paths leading off as well if you want to just get used to fight monsters or try to see if you can find some additional loot." "I mean," I say. "I''d prefer to pay my own way, so that would mean going to the Dungeon now, right? And I just realized that we don''t have any food for lunch." "Er¡­ right," Adam says. "I forgot about that. I''m used to eating monster meat from Dungeons and hadn''t thought about staying out here all day. And paying an additional day is fine to me. You''d get better loot in the second Zone, which would make paying your own way a lot easier than what you''d find in the first Zone." Go to the Dungeon now and get some meager loot, or train a bit more and go in tomorrow to get better loot, but rely on Adam further? While I''d rather not rely on Adam further, I could probably pay him back a little more easily by running the second Zone tomorrow than running the first Zone for a few days. I do intend on paying him back, too, as I don''t like being indebted to people. "Should we do knife or martial arts first?" Chapter 003 "So Adam¡­" I trail off there with the intent of getting him to respond. We''re nearly to the Dungeon entrance now, and Adam has been lost in thought the entire walk, his tail flicking from side to side slightly. I''ve mostly watched his back, the slight shifts in his muscles as his arms move. "Yes?" Adam glances at me without pausing in his steps. "So I get that we didn''t bring anything for lunch," I say. "As you like to eat food you obtain in the Dungeons, and I decided I''d give it a try since you offered to go in with me and you know fire magics, which means it should be safe to cook." Adam suggested it just so he could give me some pointers on running a Dungeon while in one. "Yeah," he nods. "How come we don''t have something to carry loot in?" I ask. "I tried to search for some sort of inventory that we can access through the System, but there doesn''t appear to be one. Not unless I''m missing it somehow." "There isn''t," he answers. "The loot here isn''t worth all that much because it''s an extremely low-ranked Dungeon. I''m actually stronger than anything inside of it by a little bit, and they won''t give me any Experience. So I figured that you would do the killing and I would carry the loot of any value. Some of it can be tucked into our belts, while others can simply be carried in our hands. It really is rather cheap." "Even if we only get a copper per item," I say. "Wouldn''t it make sense to have something to carry them in so we could build it up?" Adam thinks about it for a few moments, then shrugs. "Most loot takes several items or a decent volume to be worth one copper," he says. "It''s not worth it." "Adam?" "Yes?" "I was planning on using loot sales to pay you back what you spent on me," I say. "You''d be better off fighting monsters outside of this Dungeon for that," he says. "There are a few beasts you can hunt that could earn you some decent change. This Dungeon is really for people who want something a bit more safe. You only need around 10 Strength for the entirety of the first zone, and you can earn a few copper in a day from that, if you loot everything. "However," he says. "You don''t need to do that. I''m not expecting to get repaid, the luck I''ll get from helping you out will suffice. If I hadn''t run into you, I would''ve left after getting up yesterday, not stayed another two days. Money¡­ isn''t really a concern for me. I might want to hoard my funds rather than spend them, but I do have plenty and can spend as needed. I''ll earn more from the next Dungeon I run." Here I was thinking that the reason he wanted luck was to earn more money for his hoard. Apparently, that''s not the case. "What do you need the luck for?" I ask. "Nothing for you to worry about," he tells me. "Just a personal quest my grandfather sent me on." "Ah." "How the fuck I''m supposed to find a dragon no one''s heard of, I don''t know," Adam mutters. "I really need luck for that." I''m going to pretend I didn''t hear that. "We''re here," Adam says as we get within a few yards of the Dungeon entrance. The cave tunnel itself is only about seven feet in height and four in width, and it stretches about twenty feet back before opening up into a cave that''s a little more than twenty feet in diameter. At the very center of the cave is the Dungeon Gate. An archway constructed of green stones with a darkness swirling within, the Dungeon Gate is three feet in width and seven in height. "The cave was carved around the gate," Adam informs me. "You come out of the back of a Dungeon Gate when you exit a Dungeon. Without a clear space behind it, you end up stuck. Not all Dungeons form with an access on both sides of their game. Some actually form without any access and are found through hard work." I''m assuming by ''access'', he''s referring to the front or back of the Dungeon Gate actually being clear of obstacles, such as a mountain or a cliff. "And this one?" I ask. "Dunno," he shrugs. "Didn''t look into it that much. Only enough to know what''s inside to help you out." When did he do that? "Since we''re here for you to fight," Adam says. "I''ll let you be the Party Leader. Go ahead and make the Party, then focus on me with the Party Menu open with the intent to invite me in." "Alright," I access the Party Menu and make a Party. "Oh, cool, I can choose the name." It defaults to [Jamie''s Party], but I edit the name a little, then focus on Adam and send him an invite.
You have invited Adam to the [Flaming Tail Party].
"My tail is on fire?" Adam looks at his tail. "It''s not?" I roll my eyes. He flicks his tail a few times, his brow furrowed in confusion. Thankfully, he gives up after just a few moments and accepts the Party invite, a notice informing me that he has appearing in my vision. "Let''s go in the Dungeon now," I step through the Dungeon Gate. There were multiple things I expected for the transition from the main world to the Dungeon. A warping of space, dizziness, nausea, becoming unbalanced¡­ those are just a few of them. What happened instead was I just stepped through the Dungeon Gate and found myself in a Dungeon. "That''s neat," I comment as Adam walks straight into my back. "Whoops. Sorry, Adam." "It''s fine," he says. "First time in a Dungeon you''re bound to take it in." "Actually, I was marveling at how smooth the transition was," I inform him. "Let me take it in now." Adam snorts as I examine the Dungeon. I have no actual awareness of what''s in here except what I guessed at due to the way he was training me yesterday. We''re in another cave tunnel. This one is about five feet wide and ten feet high. That explains why he was focusing on more tight attacks than wide slashes and swings from above. I won''t necessarily have the room to perform those. Torches are fixed into metal brackets spaced every twenty feet along the walls on the right-hand side, the light from them not too much. The areas towards the center of the space between the torches is a fair bit dimmer than around the torches themselves. "Something to say before we go further into the Dungeon and you start fighting monsters," Adam says. "Is that [Unlimited Potential] isn''t necessarily limited to gaining or improving Skills." "What do you mean?" I ask. "The very essence of it," he explains. "Is that it is a human''s unlimited potential to grow and adapt, turned into a Skill that benefits the wielder. In other words, as long as you''re actually putting in the effort with the intent of getting stronger, it will work towards improving your stats and even your Experience." "Wait," I say. "So if I worked out for the sake of getting stronger, I''d improve my Strength a lot faster than someone else?" "Yes," he nods. "And if you fight monsters with the intent and goal of getting stronger, then you''ll gain a little bit more Experience from killing them than an equivalent person without said Skill would, too. Against the rats in here, it likely won''t be a large difference, but it''s something to keep in mind after we part ways." "So the monsters here are rats?" "Yes," he answers. "Are you ready to delve deeper into the Dungeon?" "Yup," I confirm. "Lead the way." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I begin walking down the tunnel, Adam following me from about five feet back. He probably wants to make sure I have a bit of space in case I need it for a fight. About five minutes into the Dungeon, I come across my first monster. It''s a rat that''s almost up to my knees in height but not quite, it''s grey-brown fur looking coarse, its eyes blood-red. Upon seeing me, the rat hisses and charges forward. Letting my body flow into the motions I want, I sidestep the rat at the last moment and stab downward with my sword, piercing into its neck. Well, the goal was to stab it in the neck, but I hit a little behind the neck instead. I pull my sword out as the rat cries out, its charge finished. Its life ends when I slash into its neck. There wasn''t enough force to behead the beast, but there was enough for my sword to fully enter the monster''s body.
+0.42% [Swordsman] Experience.
"That was surprisingly easy," I say. "It gets more difficult when there are several of them," Adam says. "Though the ones this early only have about 8 Strength and 8 Constitution. They''ll hurt if they manage to bite you, but they won''t do more than leave some minor scratches. Not since you have a few points more. They just don''t have the force and Strength necessary." "I''ll still try to avoid getting bitten," I say. "So we don''t loot it?" "We could," Adam says. "But a pelt from a rat like this isn''t worth much, nor is its meat or tail." He looks thoughtful. "Maybe we could get a few copper selling the beast?" He muses. "Well, it doesn''t matter. We can''t take it back with us." I roll my eyes as I continue down the Dungeon''s tunnel. Every rat I face walking down it is just as easy as the first one, with me finishing them in only one or two hits. Since nothing in this first Zone is going to prove much of a challenge to me, I decide to just head straight for the Boss Room rather than taking any of the side branches. When I come across two rats rather than one, I shift to the side to avoid the charge of one while kicking the other back a bit. The first rat dies without issue, and after I kill the second one, I find myself surprised.
+0.38% [Swordsman] Experience.
+0.13% [Martial Artist] Experience.
"Just kicking the rat counted as martial arts?" I ask. "It was the way you did it," Adam says. "And the reason behind it. But yes, it counts as martial arts. Don''t it expect it to every time, it really does depend on the reason behind it and the effect it had on the fight." "Got it," I say. "Let''s keep going." The walk down the straight hall to reach the Boss Room takes roughly an hour. That''s not because of the fights, either as those were only every few minutes and lasted only a few seconds each. The Dungeon itself is apparently huge. "I expected more," I comment when we reach the Boss Room. "There would''ve been more monsters if you''d gone down the other tunnels," Adam says. "No," I point into the Boss Room. "I was expecting more than a single giant rat for the Zone Boss." The Boss Room is about fifty feet in width with a slightly-domed ceiling, being ten feet in height towards the edges and twelve at the center. Torches are once again only set into the walls. Even with their light being brighter in here, the center of the room is fairly dark. At the opposite end of the chamber from here is an archway of green stones identical to the one we used to enter the Dungeon. Standing in the center of the Boss Chamber is a single rat that''s the same size as the others I''ve kicked, stabbed, and slashed today. Considering it''s the Zone Boss, it''s probably only a little bit tougher than the others I''ve faced so far. "Oh," he says. "No, it''s just that. This is an extremely weak Dungeon. It typically takes three or four days of running the first Zone just to gain a single Level. Then two or three weeks to gain a second one. Some Dungeons have more than one monster in the first Zone''s Boss Room, but not this one. It''s just too weak." "Alright," I say. "Well, here goes the fight." The moment I set foot into the Boss Room, the giant rat in the center begins charging at me. There''s enough distance between us that I have plenty of time to react to the beast, even with it being a rat. Though normal rats are rather fast, the ones here in this Dungeon aren''t. Since magic is involved, I know their size isn''t an issue ¨C it''s to make fighting them actually feasible for beginners. I side-step the rat and stab with my sword. To my surprise, there''s a decent amount of resistance from this beast, only the tip of my blade cutting into it. The beast hisses at me as it turns around and I slash at its side as it charges past me. When the monster charges at me again, I make sure to put in more force behind my stab, my sword cutting deeper into the beast''s neck. That temporarily stops the beast''s charge as blood flows down its neck. I did enough damage that it has to take a few seconds to recover, and I take advantage of that. "Hyaaa!" I exclaim as I slash downward with as much force as I can. My blade cuts into the back of the rat''s neck and it lets out a pained squeal for a moment, then collapses.
+0.63% Experience!
You have cleared the Zone! You may now exit the Dungeon or advance to the next Zone.
"Whew!" I exclaim, then work my sword out of the beast''s body. "That was¡­ jeez. And the monsters in the next Zone are even tougher? I''m sure people try to grind out a couple of Levels before heading in there." "Probably," Adam says. "They also likely have various potions and salves on hand as the monsters are more dangerous. Some can inflict the [Bleed] affliction, which makes it more difficult for healing magics to apply, while others can inflict the [Poison] affliction. Through their bites and scratches, I mean." "Er¡­ and we don''t have any of those." "They''re not fast enough to touch me." The more I talk with Adam, the more I''m amazed he''s still alive and hasn''t been hunted down for trying to kill people ¨C without realizing he''s doing that, of course. "Adam," I sigh. "You do realize that they can pierce my skin, right? Without something that can help me deal with that, I''d probably end up dead in there." Adam''s expression makes it clear that hadn''t occurred to him. He was factoring in how things were for him as his basis for how things will be for me. "Sorry," he says. "I didn''t think about that." "So," I look to the right-hand side of the cave. "That Dungeon Gate appeared after I beat the boss, while the one ahead activated at the same time. What''s the difference?" "The one straight ahead leads into the next Zone," Adam approaches the remains of the Zone Boss and kneels beside it, touching it with his right hand. "The one to the side is a gate that leads directly out of the Dungeon. If we wanted, we could also backtrack ¨C the Dungeon Gate we entered through is also active again. If we enter the next Zone, we won''t be able to leave until after we clear that Zone." "I''m not going further into the Dungeon without what would be useful there," I tell him. "Understandable," he says. "For that, you''ll need loot. The pelts and meat are probably worth more than I expected, so you can get a few copper from this. Do you want to kill a few more beasts today, or would you rather leave, rest, and relax or train some more?" "Leave and relax," I answer. "An hour of fighting is enough for me right now. I can come back tomorrow and push myself up to Level 2 [Swordsman] for that extra bit of Strength." Considering that he said "you" instead of "we", I''m assuming that means he''s not planning on staying tomorrow. "I might come back after lunch," I say. "If you don''t mind being a pack mule, you can carry the pelts after we collect them, then we can sell the loot. As you said, we probably could get some money out of these. Even if rat leather would no doubt be quite cheap, it should have some uses for people who can''t afford much." "Yeah," Adam nods. "Maybe we''ll come back later. First, though, I want to teach you something." "Teach me something?" "A basic spell," he nods. "It doesn''t have an actual Skill or anything, and is more like raw manipulation of your Mana. Can you sense your Mana?" I close my eyes and focus on feeling a magical energy within me, succeeding in mere seconds.
[Mana Sense] learned!
The feeling of my Mana within me is faint and weak, no doubt because I don''t have very much of it. However, I can feel it so long as I''m focusing on doing so. "Yes," I answer. "Alright," Adam holds up his right hand with his index finger pointing up. "Focus on manipulating it, on channeling it into the tip of your index finger and then out of it." A pale, bluish-white glow forms at the tip of Adam''s finger. I try to do the same, and once I succeed, Adam starts drawing something in the air, the light lingering behind a little. "This is a trick called magelight," Adam tells me. "It lets you draw in the air. The more Mana you put into it, the longer it lasts. There are spells that work better for it, but this is something anyone can do regardless of their skill with magic." "So long as they can sense and manipulate their Mana," I say. "So long as they can sense and manipulate their Mana," he nods, then waves his left hand through the pattern before drawing a new one. "Now. Memorize this, then draw it in the air." Adam draws a new pattern in the air and I imitate it with my own magelight. "Good," he nods. "You learned that fast. Probably because you have an unfair Skill," that part was muttered. "Visualize that rune setup within your Mana as you push your Mana through your hands while touching the rat." "Er¡­ okay?" I place my hands against the rat and do as Adam instructs. It takes me about half a minute, but his goal quickly becomes evident when the rat itself dissolves into ash at the successful pulse of Mana I send into the corpse. As the ash fades away, the pelt of a large rat is left behind ¨C with no marks or damage to it. It''s roughly rectangular, without legs, tail, or head, but it still contains the fur. Considering there''s no blood or gunk on the underside, it''s already treated, too. I examine it through the System.
[Rat Pelt]
Quality: 1
This rat pelt is of a low quality with coarse and unappealing fur, but can be used in making cheap leather goods.
"That''s not a Skill," Adam informs me. "Or a proper spell. It also only works on things in Dungeons. You can use it to ''loot'' things, but not just monsters. If you come across moss, mushrooms, plants, ore stones, and so on, you can use it on those as well. Better things give better loot, but you''ll usually only get one things." "And I can''t use it on beasts outside?" "Correct," Adam picks up the pelt. "It''s the difference in the nature of the items within a Dungeon and the items outside of it. Nobody knows for sure what it is, just that the trick only works in here." "Alright," I say. "Let''s get out of here. I might come back in this afternoon to get a few more things to sell, and maybe reach Level 2." It all depends on how I feel after resting up a little. "Okay," Adam''s tail is flicking from side to side. "I''m hungry. Let''s go back to town and get something to eat." Chapter 004 Curiously, the official-looking person waiting in the inn''s lobby hasn''t approached me while I wait for Adam to come downstairs. I would''ve expected him to approach me with an offer as I''ve already been approached by two people today and was approached by five yesterday. The fact that he has four strong-looking guards with him concerns me a little, but they''re all just chatting in one corner of the inn''s lobby. A yawn starts to escape me and I cover my mouth. I think I went a little overboard in the Dungeon yesterday afternoon. After bringing [Swordsman] up to Level 2, I worked on bringing [Knifeman] up to Level 2. Once both of those were finished, I brought [Martial Artist] up to Level 2. It took two and a half runs to achieve all of that, and my body is rather sore. Even more sore than it was yesterday. Today''s aches are probably a mixture of my body recovering from the training two days ago and how hard I pushed myself yesterday. I probably could''ve attempted to take on the second Zone to make things a little easier, but I didn''t want to ask Adam to spend the money that would be necessary for me to handle any injuries I received there. True to his promise, Adam carried the loot, though he also did most of the looting as he has more Mana than I do. Mostly, we just sold rat pelts for a copper each, and I now have a pouch of my own. There are only a few coins in it, though. That''s enough for me right now, as I''m getting into the swing of things. "Morning, Adam," I greet the warrior when he finally descends the stairs. "Morning, Jamie," Adam greets me, then approaches the desk to turn in his key. He''s renting the rooms by the night, so we have to turn in the key each morning. As soon as Adam has finished checking out, the official-looking man and his guards approach the warrior. "Adam," the official-looking man says. "It has come to our attention that you have been acting as a combat trainer without a license. Here in Ratton, it is required that anyone who trains others in combat be licensed with the town. Also, it is required for anyone acting as a guide in Dungeons to be licensed with the town. As you have done neither of these, you are in violation of the law." Adam furrows his brow a little as he takes in the man''s words. "I checked for such policies," Adam says. "None were made clear to me." "They were both established in the year 783," the official-looking man says. "At the inception of this Dungeon Town. It is for the safety of those being trained and guided to ensure that they are receiving proper guidance from their mentors. The penalty for failing to do this is a fine of five gold per day per offense. You spent both morning and afternoon training another, which is two offenses, and morning and afternoon running a Dungeon with four runs, for a total of six offenses between them. That is a fine of thirty gold. Now that you are aware of the fee, you will be penalized an additional ten percent of the current for every day you do not pay." "That''s odd," Adam''s frown deepens. "I checked with the Dungeon Guild and the town''s Adventurer''s Guild. Neither one of them mentioned this policy to me. Do you mean to tell me that you''re going to fine me for breaking a law town officials directly told me did not exist?" I see what''s going on here. They want to get Adam out of the way because they know that he only intends on helping me out until he leaves here. Without knowing when he''ll leave, they''re concerned he''ll stick around for longer and I''ll gain enough that they can''t give me a deal that seems rather good. So either they''re pulling out a false claim of law violations or they hid the law from him to use this as a backup. That way, he no longer provides me training and the offers from the various people here will seem enticing. They know that there''s no obligation for me to repay Adam and that he''s just doing it to help out a little before he leaves. That creates no attachment to him from me, and the way he''s talked made it clear that this training is only while he''s here in town. In other words, I''ll lose the free training I''ve had these last couple of days. They''re really focused on that detail there, and I can use that for my own gains. This town wants me because I''m a Summoned. Let''s see how well that works in my favor. "And if I refuse to pay the fine for a policy I was directly told by town officials didn''t exist?" Adam asks. "You will be arrested and sent to work in a debt camp until you pay off the fine," the official-looking man answers. "And any assets you have on you will be seized and used to pay off what it can." "Let me get this straight," I approach. "Adam checked with the town to see if he needed to be licensed, was told he wasn''t, and is now being penalized for not having a license? What''s your name?" "Jeffery," the official-looking man answers. "Alright, Jeffery," I say. "Based on that, it seems that town officials lied to Adam just to get him into trouble. Taking that and the fact that Adam was planning on leaving here soon anyway into consideration, why not simply ban him from the town for¡­ let''s say five years. That''s probably how long it''d take to work off such a massive debt, right? Give him time to buy a few supplies for his trip, then escort him out of town. I think that would be a reasonable change, yes?" Jeffery looks a little uncertain, but nods. Agreeing to this still gets Adam out of the way and it will make me more friendly with them. That''s what they''re thinking. "Then it''s settled," I say. "Adam gets to buy a few things for his trip, then he leaves Ratton and doesn''t return for five years. Our first stop should be to get you a pack." "I don''t need a pack," Adam says. "I can carry what I need just fine." "Right," I roll my eyes as we start to leave the inn. "You do have some nicely-defined muscles there. You said you''re going to be going through some wilderness after leaving here, yeah? I''m sure you''d encounter some rare plants or something on your trip. You going to just carry that the whole time? And what if you find food but aren''t hungry? You need a pack, Adam. It''ll also let you carry more potions and salves than what you can fit into the vial slots and tin straps on your belt." Adam''s belt has two straps for holding three-ounce tins of salve and six slots for holding half-ounce vials of potion. Something he mentioned in the Dungeon yesterday was that it''s usually enough to make it from one town to the next, but not if he goes off-path and into the wilderness. "Having more of those would be useful." "Then it''s settled," I say. "You''re getting a pack." We go to a store that sells supplies for travelers and adventurers, and Adam looks through the packs. It''s clear he''s not comfortable with any of them, but eventually settles on a sturdy one. "Hey, Adam," I say. "Could you buy me one, too? It''ll make carrying loot from the Dungeon much more easy, since I won''t have you to help me out anymore." "You could get one from whoever you let sponsor you," Adam says. "Yeah, but I don''t want to waste their money on something so basic," I tell him. "I mean, the Dungeon is super low-quality, after all." "Hm¡­ okay." I also talk Adam into buying some soap for the road, as well as a set for me, and some cooking tools because he apparently just¡­ uses fire magic to cook meat and eats veggies raw. I talk him into buying some traveler''s provisions for both of us ¨C him for the road and me for when I do a longer Dungeon run. "That way," I say. "I can listen to all of the offers over the next few days without having to rush." "That''s fair," Adam nods. Adam haggles the price down on everything I talked him into getting for the road, then heads to an alchemist''s to buy some potions and salves. Since he has a pack now, he can carry a box of [Mana Recovery Potion]s¡­ and apparently has the funds to pay for them. One that restores 8 Mana costs 10 copper, while one that restores 20 Mana costs 25 copper. He buys a case of twenty-eight potions on top of the six he buys for his belt. Without me asking, Adam buys me a couple of tins of healing salve, including a poison-relief one, and he buys me a few [Poison Cure Potion]s. "Thanks," I say. "And do you really only have one pair of pants, Adam?" "Yeah," he answers. "I just give it a scrub in water as needed. Buy a small amount of soap at a washer''s when in a town." What does he do without another pair of pants to put on, while he''s cleaning and drying his? "You should get more," I tell him. "And no tunic?" This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I don''t like them." "Alright," I shrug. "But you should still buy more pants. It''s not good to wait in the nude for them to dry." Adam sighs, but agrees to buy some clothes. I talk him into buying two more pairs of pants as well as two more sets of clothes for me. He''s not happy about buying me so much stuff, but I think me being attractive prevents him from actually complaining while convincing him to give in. A slight, happy smile from me is most of what it takes when he looks like he''s going to say something. I feel absolutely no shame in what I''m doing. Not for convincing someone else to buy me stuff, and not for using my looks to do so. Once all of Adam''s supplies are purchased, I accompany him to the northern gate, the guards escorting him as well. "Remember," Jeffery tells Adam. "You are not to return to Ratton for five years from today. If you do so, you''ll be arrested immediately and sent to prison. Are we clear?" "Yes," Adam responds, and I know he was likely not planning on returning ever. "Goodbye, Jamie." "Goodbye?" I ask. "What are you talking about? I haven''t paid you back for anything you''ve bought me. I don''t like being indebted to people, especially good people, and I''d rather not have to track you down once I''ve earned the money. I''m coming with you." "You-" "Can actually cook," I tell him. "And with two of us, that means we can take turns keeping watch at night. I''m sure you''ve had your sleep interrupted more than once from a monster attacking." Adam stares at me for several moments before realization dawns on his face. I wasn''t talking him into buying me that stuff for free just to get more out of him. No, I was talking him into buying it so that I could use it as a way of sticking it to the town. They expected me to have no desire to pay back the free goods, to just take advantage of Adam. Instead, they''re finding me wanting to pay him back for what he''s bought me. Treating Adam as a proper sponsor. "Maybe I''ll see you around again," I tell Jeffery. "If I don''t, though, then I hope that you have the life you deserve." The looks on the faces of Jeffery and the guards is priceless as they realize that their plan to get Adam out of the way backfired. Instead of creating an opportunity to get me to work for their merchants, nobles, or earl, they''ve now lost me and the perks that come with having a Summoned around. "And if the god who the statue for the Dungeon Fountain is modeled after is still around," I say. "Then I hope he blesses Ratton with all it deserves." Immediately after I finish saying that, several bolts of lighting strike down into the town at exactly the same time. The flashes were too bright and blinded me, and the thunderous booms that came with them shake the air, making it hard to breathe for a few moments. In fact, I find myself thrown backwards from the force of something. When the bright spots in my vision fades, I find¡­ that Jeffery and the guards with him are nothing more than ash, charring on the stones making up the road where they had been. The gate guards are staring in shock where they''d been knocked to, and I find Adam grabbing me and pulling me to my feet. "Thanks," I say. "What¡­ the fuck just happened?" "Considering we were only hit with the blast from the thunder and impact," Adam says. "Rather than with actual lightning effects¡­ that was a god deciding to strike him and his guards with lightning. Lightning that was powerful enough to obliterate even their armor. I kind of want to know which god it was¡­ and where the other strikes hit. I counted seven other bolts." Adam was able to count them? Now that I think about it, he was still standing, too. It seemed almost like he reacted immediately and braced himself. Is he actually extremely powerful, or was he just able to withstand the blast because he had braced himself? "Ah," I say. "Well¡­ unless some other god decided to act, I think we know that the statue for that fountain is modeled after a god and that he''s still around." "Yeah," Adam frowns a little. "Still around." He shakes his head, then suggests we leave. I follow Adam down the road leading past the farms to the east. There''s nothing but fields to the west, and the road ends after about a mile and a half. From there, we walk through the grassy fields and hills. There are occasional boulders and trees, but nothing else in sight. "Thanks," Adam says after we finish our lunch break, which consists of some bread, jerky, and cheese. "For?" I ask. "Coming with me," he says. "You didn''t have to, you know." "I know," I say. "But you''re friendly, and I did want to repay you for the meals, rooms, and weapons. Sorry for talking you into buying me extra stuff. I know the trip could have gone fine if you only bought me gear, but I wanted to avoid letting Jeffery catch on until the end." "It''s fine," Adam says, then snorts. "And don''t think I didn''t catch what you were doing, Mr. Sexy Smile. I didn''t realize why you were doing that until you revealed it at the gate, but I did know that you were appealing to my attraction to you. How did you figure it out?" "You mean how did I figure out you thought I looked nice when you so obviously ogled me when I took off my tunic a couple of days ago?" I ask. "Probably just a lucky guess." His face turns bright red. "Was I really that obvious?" "Yup." "Sorry," he apologizes. "I mean, I get that you clearly weren''t uncomfortable by it, but I shouldn''t have done that." "Hey," I say. "If a sexy guy who''s pretty cool thinks I''m attractive, who am I to complain? It''s not like you''re a creep or anything. Though I guess if I''d been the type to get uncomfortable with gays, I''d-" "Not possible." "Er¡­ I didn''t even finish." "I know," Adam says. "But the god who summons people over here only summons over gay guys who are eighteen to twenty years of age. They''re always confident people who are sure of who they are and give zero shits about hate thrown at them. Honestly, that''s the main reason I felt comfortable thinking about you." "That is an oddly specific thing to look for in a person to potentially summon over." "The gods are odd and whimsical," he says. "And gay. All of them." "Wait, really?" "Yup," he answers. "There''s a rumor that they all used to be the harem of another god, but no one''s entirely sure if it''s true or not." "Ah," I say. "So¡­ where are we going? You never told me before, probably because you''d planned on leaving alone. I''m not intruding on your journey, am I? You just seem rather nice and I''d rather travel with you than those jerks." "No, it''s fine," he says. "I don''t mind the company, it''s just that I don''t often find someone comfortable traveling with me. I guess you don''t have the prejudices against people with draconic traits that someone raised here would." "I mean, they do kind of make me a little wary," I say. "So I can see why people more be uncomfortable being around you for too long. But you''re a pretty decent person, so it''s easy for me to get comfortable." "Right," he says. "So we''ll traveling north of here for about two weeks. There''s no road directly to our destination as it''s rather hilly terrain for most of the way and not much on the road there, so no other settlements were really ever constructed on that way. So there was no real reason to put in a road. It''s also another kingdom entirely, though it''s not one of the ones that require a border check or whatever. Those are annoying." "Another kingdom?" "Mostly beastkin," he nods. "They''re¡­ sort of like me, I guess. Human base form, but with some animal characteristics. Mostly, altered senses, sometimes an affinity for things related to their more bestial side, tail and ears of their more bestial side ¨C things like that. No body hair." He scratches the back of his head. It''s a pretty cute movement, though I refrain from saying that. "Though they kind of don''t like demihuman dragons," he says. "But the twin villages are¡­ well, they''re a bit detached from the conflicts as they''re toward the far eastern end of the kingdom, so I''m hoping they''ll let me run their Dungeon." "Beastkin don''t like your people?" I ask. "How come?" "My people''s land borders their western edge," he says. "And we, ah, have territorial disputes. It started a few centuries ago when some of their hunters ''got frightened''," he makes air quotes there. "And killed one of our people while hunting in our territory. Claimed they were terrified because he was very draconic and threatening and they were fearing for their lives. It''s just been bad blood between our people ever since. I mean, the fact that his clan wiped out their entire village didn''t help. That''s kind of a custom for our people, though. He was the next clan-head and killing one of those is declaring war on the clan. Among our people, if someone does that, you wipe out their clan or lose your life trying. It just got applied to a village from another kingdom instead." Then that kingdom saw it as them instigating things, and it''s just never been resolved. "Alright," I say. "Why do you want this particular Dungeon, if you don''t mind my asking?" "Well, it''s not actually the Dungeon I want," Adam tells me. "I want to pass through the kingdom. The ''proper'' route to go around it would take me an extra few months due to the terrain. If I can pass through the twin villages, though, I can stock up on some more supplies, then head to the town north of them, then past there. I just want to run the Dungeon as I pass through for some Levels." "Ah," I say. "And what''s north of the kingdom? Do you think the town you''d pass through would be welcoming to you?" "They''d probably be a little hostile," he admits. "But they owe my grandpa a debt. I have a token showing that debt in my pouch. As long as I use it to just pass through and maybe stay a night or two, I should be fine. "As for north of the kingdom¡­" he trails off, lost in thought. "Well, it''s not important. I might not go there if my research in the town fails to yield results." Right. He''s looking for a dragon no one''s heard of. I guess he suspects it might be living north of that town. My guess is that even without people having heard of such a dragon, Adam still has something to go off of for where it might be. Though I''m curious about how people can just lose a dragon. That just doesn''t make sense to me. "Well," I say. "For as long as we travel together, I''ll help you out. I''m not coming with you just to pay you back, so if we find that we make for good companions, I''ll be sticking around for longer. And I''m sure there are things a human can manage that a demihuman dragon can''t. For example ¨C I could go into the twin villages and ask around to check how they''ll react to you and gauge whether or not they''d let you into their Dungeon." "That''s¡­ actually a good idea," Adam says. "I mean, they probably don''t have very many strong people there, but it''s better to not risk it. Thanks, Jamie." "You''re welcome," I say. "But be ready for a very boring two weeks," he says. "It''s going to be just boring, grassy hills for the next week, then a boring forest for the week after. I know stories in this world are all about adventure and whatever for every step of a journey, but the reality is so much more boring." His expression tells me all I need to know: he was hoping his travels would be exciting, only to find that a lot of it is just walking by himself. "Well," I put a hand on his shoulder. "It''s better to be bored with someone else than bored all alone. At least we can tell stories and make up games or whatever to give us some entertainment." "Yeah," he nods. "And by the way?" "Yeah?" "I''m selling this pack once we reach the twin villages," he adjusts the pack he''s wearing. "You can carry our stuff. I don''t like the weight. Or the feel of the straps." "Alright," I chuckle. "I can accept that. So. What kind of stuff did you do in your free time before you began your journey?" Chapter 005 "No offense to you," I tell Adam as we wash our breakfast dishes in the river cutting through the forest we''re in at the moment. "But I am so glad I can finally talk to someone else." The last two weeks really have been extremely boring, with the most exciting thing to happen being us getting attacked by a deer that shot [Flamethrower]s from its burning antlers. Even though Adam had nearly twice the Strength I did, we both had to work together to take that beast down. That fight was a few days ago, and my side is still a little sore from where the beast managed to ram me. At least we had something to take care of the burns, as light as they were. We kept the antlers and ate some of the meat, but that was all we could loot from it. We wanted to transport the hide, but it would have been bad by now if we tried. Other than that fight, nothing much has happened on the trip. We just walked across the grassy hills for a week, then journeyed through this semi-hilly forest for another week. The river we''re by ends in a marsh south of here, which we encountered about four days ago. Adam said that''s how we knew we were on the right track ¨C the villages are off of the river a little north of the forest. The river was more of a stream when it reached the marsh, only about twenty feet in width and rather shallow, and it surprised me that it was able to make a marsh. I suppose that it''s being helped from water in the ground itself from a source other than the river. Where we''re at now, however, the river is almost a hundred yards in width and I''m certain it has a decent depth to it. Not that I can tell from here. The water is extremely clear, and that messes with perception a little. "You are good company, yes," Adam inspects the dish he was washing before setting it on the towel spread out. "But there is only so much one can talk about with an individual. And having only a single person to talk with for two weeks was¡­ tiring. No offense to you." "None taken," I stretch before sitting back a little. "Only having you around to talk with was a bit tiring for me." "Where did you find those berries?" Adam decides to shift topics. "That was an interesting breakfast you prepared for us, with those and then the stuff you scrambled into the eggs you found." "A bush a few minutes that way," I point north. "It''s right off of the river." "I see," Adam says. "I might eat some while waiting for you to return." "Alright," I say. "You said the villages shouldn''t be more than an hour''s walk north of here?" "If my memory of the map is correct," he says. "Then yes, it shouldn''t be more than an hour''s walk north of here. The forest is rather calm and peaceful, as you''ve noticed, so you shouldn''t have to worry about monsters attacking you." "Alright," I pull on my pack. "I''m going to head to the villages and see about selling some of the stuff we gathered while walking. Those antlers may sell for a decent coin, but some of those herbs are good, too." I don''t even need to be here to know that an Item Quality 2 leaf with healing properties can sell for a pretty copper. "Yeah," Adam looks a little uncomfortable. "What is it?" I ask. "What?" "You look like you want to say something," I say. "But are uncomfortable with it. We haven''t fucked, but that doesn''t mean you can''t be honest with me if something''s wrong." Adam and I are just travel companions, but we''re both definitely fine with the idea of having sex with the other. The reason we haven''t done that yet is we''d rather make sure we''re nice and clean first ¨C and do it with lube. As we''re lacking that vital item for making it more comfortable, we haven''t done anything as we''d rather wait until we can do anal to even do oral. "Er¡­" Adam hesitates, and I raise an eyebrow. "So something I didn''t tell you about the twin villages¡­" He really seems uncomfortable here. "Yes?" "I''m not sure if it''s true or not," he says. "But I heard that they mostly keep to themselves and don''t interact with the rest of the kingdom very much. Not that they''re hostile to outsiders, just that it''s a typical village setup in the first place, and then they have their own little conflict. Basically, they''re only part of the kingdom just because of where they''re located." Which explains why he''s sure they''ll be fine with him. "What conflict do they have?" "I''ve heard that the two villages are on opposite sides of the river," he tells me. "And that they really don''t like each other and try to pull in visitors into their war against the other side. I''m not sure how true this is, but be careful not to get caught up in things." "I''ll keep that in mind," I tell him. "Alright," he says. "See you when you get back, Jamie. And remember, it''s fine to spend a couple of days there if needed." Adam told me during a previous discussion that the villagers might give permission for him to come into the village and run the Dungeon as long as I do some stuff for them first. That would ''prove'' that we don''t have ill intentions for them. When he told me that, he assured me that it would be fine to stay a night or two if the stuff they want me to do takes awhile. Also that he''d come into the villages to check to make sure I''m okay if I''m not back on the third day. "I remember," I say. "I''ll still try to be back before tonight, though." "Okay," he says. "Good luck, Jamie." "Thanks," I tell him. I set off following the river upstream. After about an hour, I leave the forest and find myself on the foothills of a mountain. I suppose they may have actually started much further away and I might actually be on the mountain now, just a more flat portion of it. That would explain why the terrain has been so hilly for the last couple of weeks. I can definitely see a mountain on the horizon, too. It stretches as far as I can see to the east and west. The river widens up to about five hundred feet by the time it reaches the villages, which are rather obvious after leaving the forest. No walls surround either one as those are actually expensive to maintain and so aren''t typically built unless it''s needed to protect against attacks from monsters or other people. Though I guess they might also be built to show off the wealth of the town or city. Both villages are about a mile north of the forest, with most of the houses spaced out a little bit so that the residents can grow their own food. Based on what Adam''s told me, most people who don''t live in a town or city grow their own food and trade for what they need. I may not actually be able to sell our goods here, but I might still be able to trade them for supplies. Both villages have huts that look like they''re made out of animal hides fixed to frames made of branches, and I can see smoke coming out of a few of them. There appears to be some sort of cover with a gap between it and the roof of the huts to allow the smoke to escape without allowing rain to enter. In the center of the river is an island about a hundred feet from east to west and around three hundred feet from north to south. It''s situated directly between the two villages, which I''m assuming is why they were built in those spots. Standing on the island is an archway made of stone, which looks dark blue as I draw nearer. Half a mile from the first building on this side of the river is a man fishing. Even though I was warned about beastkin already and have traveled with Adam for two weeks, I''m a little surprised when I take in his ears and tail. The man''s ears and tail are those of an otter''s, his body slender in build. His hair is brown and looks kind of soft and fluffy. I''d estimate him to be in his late thirties to early forties, and he''s dressed in just a pair of old, light brown pants. He''s slender in build with only light muscle definition, not a trace of hair on his torso, just as Adam told me was normal for beasktin. If I had to hazard a guess, I''d say he''s probably only about 5''4", but it''s hard to tell with him sitting down. I guess beastkin might also have heights and builds more resembling their bestial parts? A woven basket sits beside his seat, which is a folding stool made of a wooden frame with a woven reed seat. A few fish are already in the basket. Across the river from him is a man with the ears of a bear, his hair brown. That man is fishing as well, but with a bigger basket beside him. That man is bigger and more muscular than the otterkin, though I can''t make him out too well due to the distance. I do think the bearkin looks around the same age as the otterkin, though. He, too, is dressed only a pair of pants. The two of them are currently bickering, which makes me wonder both if either of them noticed me approaching and if they''re going to be able to catch anymore fish. "Ha!" The bearkin yells across the river as he grabs a fish out of his basket. "A tiny otter like you could never hope to reel in a catch like this!" The fish is on the larger side, roughly a foot in length. All of the ones I can see in the otterkin''s basket are around six-to-eight inches in length. "It''d be too heavy for your puny frame!" The bearkin yells. "You''d never manage to reel it in! In fact, I bet it''d pull you into the water!" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Considering that [Fishing] is a Skill and [Fisherman] is a Class, I''m sure that''s not true at all. That Class no doubt adds Strength every Level, which means that the otterkin could probably build up the Strength needed if necessary. Though I doubt a fish the size of the one the bear''s holding is even able to put up enough fight that someone would need several Levels in [Fisherman] just to reel it in. I''m pretty sure I knew people who caught fish that big when we were ten. Chances are, they''re just harassing each other. It doesn''t seem aggressively hostile, just¡­ taunting between rivals. "You brutes only ever think about size!" The otterkin retorts. "Why, you''ve only caught four fish today! I''ve caught fifteen already and I''ve been here for five minutes less than you!" Unless the fish don''t notice the arguing, I doubt either of you are catching anymore fish. "Oh yeah?" The bearkin responds. "I bet that if we compared my four to your fifteen, I''d have more meat for eating!" I think this is enough to tell me all about the ''war'' between the two villages. Deciding to interrupt the argument, I put my left fist in front of my mouth and clear my throat. Immediately, the otterkin looks at me. Damn can his head turn. "Oh!" He exclaims. "Hi! Wasn''t expecting to see a human around here! Ignore the brute on the other side, he doesn''t know what it''s like to have fun. If he had a brain, he''d have greeted you instead of continuing to harass me." "If I had a brain?" The bearkin stands. "You say that to my face, Martin! At least I don''t slide around in mud to get into the water!" "At least I can swim underwater!" Martin stands as he yells back. "You just sink like a rock, Kevin!" "Ha! Have you forgotten who''s a stronger swimmer?" Kevin asks. "I seem you recall you struggling against a current! I bet a leaf could have swum up that current, but you just got swept away!" "I thought the race was in the other direction!" Martin yells back. "I can out-swim you anytime!" "Excuse me," I hold up a hand, and both beastkin look at me. "I have some questions, if that''s alright." "Come over here!" Kevin calls over. "Those otters have fish for brains and wouldn''t be able to help you if their lives depended on it." "Yeah?" Martin asks. "You bears only think about your strength. I bet you''d just break his questions!" "That''s not even possible!" Kevin counters. "Questions aren''t physical things!" "Guys!" I exclaim while trying to not laugh at this. "Hello! Human with questions! I don''t mind if you both answer. To determine who gets to answer first, both of you make a guess at my age. Whoever is closest gets to respond first." "Eighteen!" Martin calls out. "Twenty!" Kevin responds. That makes me pause for a few moments. I didn''t think about if they were both the same amount off. Maybe I could go with whichever age I''m closer to in terms of months? "Okay," I say. "That was a bad one. I''m nineteen, so you''re both one year off." "What if you went by months?" Martin asks. "I bet I''d be closer!" "Ha!" Kevin exclaims. "I''d be closer than you, Martin! You just don''t want to-" "Do I need to pull out a talking stick?" I ask. "Jeez! You both look about twice my age, stop already so I can talk! We''re going to do a ''guess my Total Class Level''. Whoever is either right or closest to it gets to talk first. No interrupting. Now make your guesses." "Level 10!" Martin asks. "Ha! As if he''d be that weak! He''s Level 20! At least!" "Er¡­ I''m actually Level 7," I say. "So Martin was closer." "How did you know my name?" Martin asks. "Are you a psychic?" "Kevin shouted your name," I answer. "And you shouted his. Kevin, is there any way you can come over here? Shouting so you can both hear me is kind of hurting my throat." The only reason Kevin can hear me is probably because he has more sensitive ears than a human does. He is five hundred feet away, after all. I can hear him only because he has powerful lungs and is able to project his voice rather well. Kevin thinks for a few moments, then dives into the water and swims over here, climbing onto the shore once he arrives. "Keep at least fifty feet away at all times," Martin holds up his hand. "I don''t want your smell on me, bear." "As if I want your smell on me," Kevin says. "You can jump in the river if you''re so concerned. The human has questions for both of us." "Yes," Martin says. "And I won the guessing game. Don''t you forget it!" "You were only closer," I say. "You only would''ve won if you''d guessed my age correctly." Kevin sticks his tongue out at Martin, who glares at him. Two grown-ass men acting this way. Jeez. I get the feeling this is how both villages are, too. They''re just massive, somewhat antagonistic rivals to each other. "I really will get a talking stick," I say. "Don''t make me do it." "Sorry," both men apologize. "Thank you," I say. "And before we get started with the questions, my name is Jamie, not ''human'' or ''the human''. Got it?" "Hello, Jamie," Martin greets me. "Pleasure to meet you, Jamie," Kevin says. "Alright," I say. "Now that that''s out of the way, I''m traveling with a demihuman dragon-" They both make a face saying that they''re not too happy about that. "-and we were wanting to pass through this area," I say. "He wants to get onto the mountains up north and doesn''t want to have to deal the wilderness further to the east to go around this kingdom. At the same time, he heard you guys had a Dungeon your two villages share and was hoping to be allowed to run it once or twice before moving on." They both start to talk, stopping when I hold up my left hand. "He''s also understanding if you guys want to decline," I add. "We just felt it wouldn''t hurt to check. If neither village wants to let him pass through, then we''ll just go around. Do you know if passing through and possibly using your Dungeon would be allowed? If so, who should I talk with regarding that?" "Where''s he at?" Martin asks. "In the forest," I jerk a thumb behind me to indicate it. "He felt it best to wait a fair distance away from the villages just in case you guys were hostile towards his kind." "We don''t have an issue with his kind passing through the area," Martin tells me. "As long as they don''t come too close to our village." "Same with ours," Kevin says. "Letting him use the Dungeon, however-" "It''s my turn to speak," Martin says. "You can''t answer both questions in a row if I haven''t answered the second one yet." "Martin, grab a fish from your basket! That is the talking fish! I talk, then whichever of you has the fish responds, then hands it to the other when he''s done so the other can talk!" Both men look sheepish and Martin grabs a fish from the basket. "Now," I say. "You guys mentioned it''s okay for Adam to pass through the area as long as he doesn''t come too close to your villages. Does that mean we won''t be able to run the Dungeon?" "There''s no issues with humans running it," Martin tells me. "But no one will feel comfortable letting a demihuman dragon that close to the villages." He stops there and I stare at him for about ten seconds. "Pass the fish, Martin." Martin very reluctantly hands the fish to Kevin as other otterkin approach us, likely curious about what''s going on. I''m sure a bearkin on this side of the river was rather noticeable and it looks like some of the bearkin on the other side are swimming over to investigate the situation as well. Curiously, all of the males are bare-chested ¨C they''re all wearing either just pants, just shorts, or those and boots. "We bearkin don''t mind if humans run it," Kevin says. "But just like the fish-brains, no one will feel comfortable with a demihuman dragon getting that close to the villages." At this point, the otterkin and bearkin approaching us are close enough to hear the discussion for certain, no one in the water anymore. "Alright," I say. "Thank you. Now, we''ve been traveling for two weeks without much rest and are rather exhausted. We also haven''t interacted with people other than each other in two weeks and kind of want to socialize a bit. While I know you guys won''t want to talk with a demihuman dragon, would it be permitted for us to keep our camp in the forest for a few days? Just to rest a bit?" "A demihu-" an older otterkin begins to talk, having just reached us. "The only people allowed to talk are me and whoever has the talking fish," I interrupt. "I''m not wanting to deal with people talking over each other. So if you want to respond, please raise your hand and wait for the talking fish." There''s a very uncomfortable silence here, all of the beastkin looking rather awkward. "Kevin, give the old otterkin the talking fish." "A demihuman dragon staying near us for a few days," the elder otterkin says once he has the talking fish. "Will be too uncomfortable for us. We may not have anything to do with the conflict to the west, but we still know the tales of what they do." "Right," I say. "And we can move our camp a little further away if needed. Now, Adam has some hunting ability, a little bit of extra Strength thanks to his Classes, and some level of ability with fire magics. He''d be willing to help out a little bit if it let us stay closer to the villages for a few days so we can rest from our journey, if it won''t get him permission to stay in a proper house. We''re both willing to provide some assistance as well if it would get him permission to enter the Dungeon for a run or two before we continue on our journey." Several of them start to open their mouths. "Look," I interrupt before anyone can speak. "First, talking fish is what gives anyone other than me permission to speak. That makes it easier to avoid people talking over each other. Respect the talking fish. Second, this is only an offer, not a demand. If you say no to this, then that''s that. I''m simply putting it out there so you know we''re willing to provide some help in exchange. It''d also give you a chance to decide for yourselves whether or not this one demihuman dragon is okay. But again, if you say no, then that''s that." An older bearkin who same over opens his mouth, but stops when I stare at him. He raises his hand and I tell the otterkin to hand him the talking fish. Despite clearly being around sixty, the elder bearkin is just as muscled as the younger ones. "If you''re willing to prove that you can be trusted to vouch for someone," he tells me. "Then we''ll consider giving your demihuman dragon friend''s offer for help some thought. To prove you can be trusted, you have to outlast their best breath-holder in the water without using magic to assist you. If you can manage that on your first try, then we''ll believe you''re superior to the fish-brains." All of the other bearkin here add their agreements to that, and I find this a really weird way of proving someone can be trusted. Something tells me that the otterkin who can hold their breath the longest can do so for a time that would be considered ridiculous to most humans. "Alright," I look at the otterkin. "And you guys?" The elder otterkin who had the fish before raises his hand and is given the talking fish. "We''ll consider it as well," he says. "If you can catch a fish bigger than any they''ve caught on your first try and within ten minutes. That''s at least thirty-two inches." Ah. I see what''s going on here. I''m guessing that they''re both attempting to use me as a proxy in their little conflict with each other. These two villages are ridiculous, but at least it''s something simple. They''ll probably compare my best time or the fish size to the other side''s average in an effort to show the other side is ''bad''. "Hm¡­" I think about this. "Alright. I would like some time to prepare for the competition. Also, I don''t have any proper shorts to swim in, just normal pants." "The competition will take place on the island," the elder otterkin with the talking fish "We can take you there on a boat. Meet us at the village docks in time. Both competitions will take place at that time, so be prepared. I''m sure the berry-brains can provide you a pair of swimming shorts." While I''m certain I can handle the part where I have to stay underwater longer than the otterkin who can hold their breath the longest, I don''t think I can catch a fish like that in that time. At least one out of two isn''t bad, and we can deal with only one village being a little more hospitable to us. "Alright," I say. "Do I have permission to pass through the village? I want to find a spot alongside the river that feels suitable for practicing." While I could return to the forest to prepare for the challenge of holding my breath underwater, my gut is telling me to travel up the river a bit more. "We can allow that," the otterkin says. "Alright," I say. "Is everyone in agreement about the terms and conditions, location, and time for this proving test? No need for the talking fish for that." There''s agreement all around, so I dismiss everyone. "Jeez," I mutter once they''ve walked or swam off. "That was like handling my siblings and their friends." Chapter 006 The bushes stop moving as I get closer to them. I''ve walked about half an hour north of the village, following the river, and come across some reeds, ferns, bushes, and other plants that flourish alongside the river or in its shallow portions. Adam and I have encountered a few patches of things like this along our journey, and there are at least some lighter amounts of them all over. This spot here, however, has plenty of it for a stretch of over three hundred feet along the bank of the river. Judging by the growth on the side of the river here, this isn''t a place people normally come. Probably why these two were here. The villagers apparently keep closer to their village or go to the south of it rather than north. "Sh," a voice whispers. "Keep as quiet as possible and we won''t get caught." "Okay," another voice whispers back. "They sound really close." "They''re definitely really close." Close enough to hear the whispering. I''ve always had a little bit good hearing, and I''m almost right on top of the bushes. I wonder if the two guys hanging out in them know that I can see their shorts a little off to the side? It''s clear that they''re naked and were probably doing it when they heard me coming. In fact, I could hear them doing it as I approached¡­ I wonder if they know that they''re fooling no one. "If you want me to toss your shorts to you, I can." "No, thanks. Wait. Crap. There''s no one here. You''re imagining things." "Really?" I ask. "Because I''m fairly certain one pair of shorts fits a bearkin and the other pair of shorts fits an otterkin. I mean, that''s the size difference for two adults, right?" "You don''t see shorts. Those are hidden in bushes." "Not that well," I roll my eyes. "Relax. I''m a human passing through the area, and I''m not going to tell your villages that a bearkin and an otterkin are fucking." There''s quiet for a few seconds, then the bushes rustle a bit before the head of a bearkin pops up. He looks about my age, and his face is filled with curiosity and concern. "Really?" He asks. "Because they''d put me on fishing duty for a month if they found out." "Really," I assure him. "I''m Jamie." "I''m Colby," he introduces himself. "And, uh¡­ this is Yai." The bushes rustle a bit more, then Yai''s head pops up out of them. "I''m Yai," Yai introduces himself. "We''d both probably get into a lot of trouble with our parents if they found out, even though I''m twenty and he''s nineteen. Do you really promise you won''t tell?" "How do you keep them from smelling it?" I tap my nose. "It wasn''t hard to figure out both sides have good noses." "Oh, we have special soap we use," Colby looks down a bit and rummages through the ground before finding whatever it is. "Here!" He holds up a bar of soap that has a leaf from the bush stuck to it. "It gets rid of the smell rather well," he says. "Yeah," Colby says, then sniffs. "I can smell otterkin and bearkin both on you. And¡­ something else? It smells reptilian. You have a pet lizard?" "I''m traveling with a demihuman dragon," I say, and they both immediately look cautious. "He''s in the forest south of the villages right now. Also, he''s a rather good guy. I''ve been traveling with him for about two weeks now and he''s been pretty helpful to me with learning about traveling, hunting, tracking, and more." "I heard demihuman dragons will slaughter an entire village if you treat them wrong," Colby tells me. "That their might is absolutely unmatched by any normal species of people." "Is it true that they like eating raw meat?" Yai asks. "And that they don''t make a distinction between people and beasts when it comes to food?" Both of them are trembling slightly. If those are rumors that reached this place, it''s no wonder people are wary. "First," I say. "Adam says that slaughtering an entire village, town, city, clan, whatever only happens if you kill a clan-head or a future clan-head unprovoked or take out a full clan of theirs, or any other attack on such a level. The town we met in chased him out just so that they could try to buy my loyalty and his reaction was pretty much ''whatever''. "Second," I continue. "Adam is Total Level 23 and only has 31 Strength and 24 Magic. I''ve seen his Status directly, so I know he wasn''t lying. Demihumans start off with about average for their stats just like humans, beastkin, elves, fairies, whatever do. Any impossible-seeming might is just a result of a ridiculously high Level. "Third," I finish. "Adam definitely doesn''t eat people. His face is rather honest about things and his reaction when I asked him about that made it clear that the idea of eating the meat of a person ¨C even a dead one ¨C was a horrifying thought. He prefers the meat of more carnivorous-leaning beasts like wolves, leopards, snakes, and birds of prey. While he does like it more on the rare side or just completely raw, he also has no issues eating it cooked. So if he''s in a town or something and eating with other people, he''ll eat just like they do. It''s more when he''s eating on his own, without others around, that he''ll eat the meat raw." That seems to relax both of them, but they still look uncertain. "Honestly?" I ask. "The worst thing about him in the few weeks we''ve known each other is how stingy he is with his money. Makes for a good haggler, but damn does he go for the stuff that''s already low in price. It''s why I have this sword and not something better. I examined his just to see how cheap it was. Man was I surprised to find that it was Item Quality 7. Then I found out it and the matching knife were a birthday gift to him and that made more sense." Colby and Yai chuckle a little at that. "So, um¡­" Colby suddenly looks nervous as he remembers another rumor. "Is it true that demihuman dragons are exceptionally horny and make anyone traveling with them be their bottom boys?" "I''ve heard that, too," Yai nods. "Dragons are known for being horny and it''s said that their part-human descendants have that trait and can''t control themselves very well, so they-" "No," I say. "Adam is all about consent. I''ve also got no interest in bottoming, while Adam''s fine with it, though we don''t have lube so nothing''s happened. And if he had tried to force me, I wouldn''t still be traveling with him." They both relax a little bit more now. Something tells me that the gut feeling to come this way was to meet these two lovebirds. It could be to help them out with getting their relationship approved, or it could be so that they could help me out with something. I''d say the chances are good that it could even be both. "So, uh¡­" Colby hesitates for a moment. "What brings you this way, if your demihuman dragon companion is in the forest?" "We were hoping for permission for us to both get to run the Dungeon here a time or two," I answer. "And while the villagers are uncomfortable with the idea of Adam coming anywhere near them, they agreed to give letting us in exchange for some help with stuff some consideration. However, that consideration comes with conditions." "Such as?" Colby asks. "Each village has a different condition," I say. "And failing it for one doesn''t invalidate passing it for the other. For the bearkin, I have to go underwater and outlast the best breath-holder among the otterkin. For the otterkin, I have ten minutes and one try to catch a fish bigger than any ever caught by the bearkin. The challenge is on the island with the Dungeon Gate and will take place at noon today." Yai groans as he slams his head into his hands, and Colby wraps an arm around him while nodding in agreement at that action. "I know what they''re really doing," I snort. "They want to use me to prove that the other side isn''t as good as they claim. They''re also giving me a challenge that''s basically impossible so that they can just deny Adam''s presence while saying that they gave us a chance." "Yeah," Yai groans. "At least they''re trying to be nice about it. How did you talk to both sides? With how early it is in the day, how long it takes to get here, and how long it takes to get to the village from the forest, you''d have had a hard time managing that. They argue way too much." "I have a certain¡­ air of authority," I say. "I''m used to dealing with squabbling children. How do you think the two sides would react if I actually managed to succeed at one of their tasks?" "Wonder how you managed it," Colby answers. "Though if you''re planning on asking us to help you cheat, we''re going to decline. They''d find out and I don''t want to get into trouble. Finding time to meet up with Yai is already hard enough. Besides, catching any fish over eighteen inches in this river? Almost impossible. The biggest one in our records was caught in a lake in the wilds east of here, and it was about thirty-two inches." Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "I''m not concerned about that one," I tell him. "I have¡­ what you''d call a rather unique ability. There wasn''t much reason to try it out before, so I didn''t. It would be a massive boost to beating the beast breath-holder underwater, though." "Not possible," Yai shakes his head. "Not without using magic to cheat. Dez can hold his breath for about eight minutes. The average human is way less than that. I''ve heard some manage to hold for five, but that''s after months or even years of practicing. It''s an impossible task without magic." "Something I didn''t tell them," I say. "Is that I''m a Summoned. I felt it might make them make the challenges a bit more difficult." "What kind of Skills did you get?" Colby asks, both he and Yai looking quite interested. "Something that lets my body adapt," I answer. "Especially in a time of dire need. In other words: if someone holds me down underwater so that I can''t escape, I should ¨C in theory ¨C be able to gain a Skill that lets me breathe water similar to a fish. I was going to ask Adam to help me, but my gut said to head north instead and I ran into the two of you." I appraise Colby a little. He''s on his knees rather than standing, most of his body still concealed by the bushes. Yai''s even more hidden, his shoulders barely above the tops of the bushes while Colby''s entire upper chest is. "You look rather strong," I tell Colby. "And not just because you''re muscular." "I have 30 Strength," he tells me. "I''m proficient in using a sword and a spear, and have Skill in both fishing and lumber-working. It''s built up a little." "Then you''re strong enough to hold me down," I say. "You two know how to rescue someone who''s drowning, right?" "Of course," he answers as Yai nods. "Perfect," I say. "So Colby, why don''t you hold me down underwater until I get the Skill? If I start tapping your arm a few times, then that means I need to come up for air. It might take me a few attempts before my special ability triggers, but a repeated need for oxygen while underwater should make it happen. And since it''s an alteration to how my body itself functions, that means it''s not cheating as it''s not magic." Colby and Yai look at each other for a few moments, then look at me and agree to help me out with this. I pull off my pack, then get undressed as they emerge from the bushes. They were definitely in the middle of it when I approached judging by Colby''s crotch, and I pretend to not notice as he quickly cleans up. Once I''m naked, we all jump into the river, the water a little on the freezing side. "Fuck, that''s cold!" I exclaim as I come up for air, and Colby and Yai both laugh a little. "Hey! I''m not built for colder waters, and even if it''s spring, we''re still in a cooler time and area! Fuck, this is cold! Give me a minute to adjust." "Alright," Colby says. "Let me know when you''re ready. Do you want me to just hold your head down, or should we sit on the bottom of the river with you in my lap, me holding onto you to minimize you struggling?" "The latter," I answer. "The more of me that is able to struggle, the harder it''ll be for you to keep me down without accidentally breaking one of my bones. As long as I can still tap out, I''ll be fine." "Got it," he says. "Let me know when you''re ready." I nod, then dive under the water a few times in an attempt to adjust to the cold. Since it''s taking me more than a few minutes to adjust to the cold just treading water and ducking down a few times, I decide to try to swim a little bit in an effort to get some blood pumping up. While I didn''t swim very much before arriving here in Tielmar, I still knew enough to rescue someone if they were drowning. Which is why I''m not surprised that I receive the Skill notification once I''ve swum a few yards. What does surprise me is that it doesn''t come with just that.
You have acquired [Swimming]. Swimming is at Level 2.
You now have [Cold Resistance].
The moment the notification appeared in my vision, the water didn''t seem as cold anymore. I guess I spent long enough trying to get used to the frigid water that [Unlimited Potential] triggered. While there still is some feeling of cold due to how frigid the water actually is, it''s now tolerable and only takes me another minute to adjust. "Alright," I tell Colby. "Let''s do this." Colby nods, then takes a deep breath and dives down. Yai and I do the same thing. Once down at the bottom of this part of the river, I sit in front of Colby, who''s sitting with his legs spread out. As soon as I''m seated, he locks his arms and legs around me, keeping my left arm free enough I can move my hand to tap him. The otterkin sits cross-legged across from us and watches, his brown eyes focused quite intensely. With the water as clear it as it is and the riverbed (in this section) mostly small rocks, we can have our eyes open with little issues. There''s a light stinging in my eyes, but I ignore it as it''s only mildly irritating. The moment we''re all in position, I let out my breath and inhale again. Immediately, my body reacts in an effort to get me to swim up to the surface, but Colby''s grip remains firm. I try to force my way through this, but ultimately have to tap out. My chest hurts from how much it was heaving in an attempt to expel the river water while I''m feeling dizzy and light-headed from lack of oxygen. We stay in the water as I rest for about five minutes. It''s shallow enough here that I can keep my feet on the bottom with my head above water. Colby is a solid 6''4" so he''s definitely above water, while Yai is only 5''3" and so is too short for that. He makes do by alternating between treading water, returning to the shallows, and just plain swimming around. After about five minutes, we give this another try. I persist for as long as I can, but ultimately have to stop again. This time, Yai spends half of the rest kissing Colby, stopping when it''s time to return to attempting this. I can tell the two of them start to get discouraged and even a little suspicious after the fourth attempt, so I hope that the trigger happens soon. This isn''t something my body should be able to handle which is likely the reason it''s taking longer. Each time, I try to push longer and longer. On the seventh attempt, I actually pass out due to not alerting Colby in time. I wake to find it being Yai doing chest compressions. He jerks back as I turn over to cough up the water still in my lungs. "I think that''s enough," he looks uncomfortable. "One more try," I tell him. "I almost had it, I''m certain of it." "I''m not so sure," he says. "Besides, there''s no reason to actually believe you. How do I know you''re not trying to put moves on my man and are just using this as an excuse, since we''re all naked?" "I''m not into tall and muscular," I tell Yai. "Slim or slender with a range from there to well-defined is more my thing. If I was going to put moves on anyone, it''d be you. And you''re taken, so I wouldn''t do that. The only reason I''d do something with Colby would be if it was a threesome with you, and only if you were both cool with that. And I don''t approach people in relationships. So you''re cool and your boyfriend is safe. Don''t worry." Yai still looks uncomfortable but agrees to one more attempt. This time, just as I can feel myself starting to pass out, there''s a noticeable shift in me as a notification appears in my vision.
You have acquired [Water Breathing].
Immediately, my body stops fighting for me to get up to the surface to breathe in some air. It stops attempting to force out any water that gets taken in. Colby notices immediately and lets go of me, resurfacing for a minute before coming back down. While he does that, I focus on calming my body, on breathing in and out. I''m not receiving very much oxygen from this, but it''s enough that I can start to replenish what I was missing. Still not enough, though. It might be too little. Even after a few minutes, I''m still light-headed and dizzy. Is there not enough oxygen gas dissolved in the water? It''s also possible that the Skill is too low-Level at the moment to be fully efficient. This is something the human body ordinarily can''t do. As I think that, I realize that I don''t know for certain if it will affect my ability to breathe out of water. "It won''t," a voice speaks to me, the sound still traveling through my ear yet doesn''t appear to have been heard by Colby or Yai, both of whom have resurfaced for air at least once. "[Unlimited Potential] prevents negative alterations to your body. With that Skill, you can breathe in air and water alike. Get used to it, and it will become more efficient. There''s enough in this river to support you." The voice stops there, and I realize that I could feel a sort of presence while it was speaking. Was that the god who summoned me over? Adam did tell me that the god who brings people over will sometimes give them tips about the Skills he gave them. I send up a silent prayer to thank that god for some information. I also make a mental note to think about stuff like how gaining something might negatively affect me in the future. At least it worked out this time. In the hopes of being able to bring [Water Breathing] up to Level 2, I remain underwater for longer, keeping my breathing slow and steady. Colby and Yai both resurface for air a few times, and I''m fairly certain I catch glimpses of them kissing on a couple of them. They don''t have to stay in the water with me. The bearkin has to resurface more than the otterkin down, but when they''re both underwater, they''re sitting with Yai on Colby''s lap, Colby''s arms gently around his boyfriend''s waist. It''s actually kind of cute, especially since they look cozy.
[Water Breathing] is now Level 2.
The moment that appears in my vision, I can feel that I''m getting more oxygen with every breath. The dizzy, light-headed state I''m in clears up a little bit more, and I decide to end things here and resurface. Upon my head exiting the water, I cough up the water still in my lungs before gulping in some fresh, sweet air. I''m super dizzy for a moment before my head clears, then I give Colby and Yai a grin, both of them surfacing when they saw me doing so. "So," I say. "I think that means I can definitely outlast the others. But let''s not tell them about me being a Summoned first, yeah? I want to see the looks on their faces once they realize how long I can stay underwater." "Sounds good to me," Colby grins. "Same here," Yai says, then looks a bit sheepish. "Sorry for being annoyed with you, Jamie." "Hey," I say. "It''s understandable. I''m sure I''d have suspected the same thing if I were in your shoes. Er. Boots. Uh¡­ actually, I didn''t see those. And since you aren''t in pants or shorts, I can''t really use those. So let''s just say in your position." "Alright," Yai looks relieved. "Thanks for not being mad." "Thanks for being understanding," I tell him. "It would''ve been wrong of me to get mad at you for thinking I was trying to put moves on your boyfriend in that situation. I think I''m going to get out and rest now. I don''t get enough oxygen from that yet." "Alright," Yai says, and he and Colby start moving out of the river along with me. "We were talking during one of the times we came up for air, and wanted to ask you something. Stuff to do while waiting for time to head down for the challenge. Before that, though¡­ you''ve mentioned ''oxygen'' a couple of times. What''s that?" This world doesn''t know about oxygen yet? Or that it''s what we''re breathing in air to receive? They do have a word for it, so maybe it''s just smaller areas like this that don''t know it. "Let''s get out and start drying off," I say. "As effective as that might be in this chilly spring mountain air." "We have towels," Colby says. "They''re in the bushes, too." "Why was everything but the shorts in the bushes?" I ask, and their faces turn red. "Never mind. Let me explain about oxygen." Chapter 007 "Yai!" A woman runs up to Yai as we near the docks of the village. "Where have you been? I''ve been looking all over to tell you about a human who''s gotten a challenge from both villages! And why is there a bearkin with you?" Yai and Colby both look uncomfortable as her exclamation. I''m going to assume that this is Yai''s mother based on similarities between him and her. "Hello, the human getting challenged over here," I raise a hand up and she only then seems to notice me. "I found them up north while looking for a spot to practice in. They were having an intense swimming competition. Colby''s definitely the stronger swimmer, but Yai''s more agile." "O-oh." "I was told there would be a place for me to change?" I ask. "It''s over by the docks," she tells me. "This way." Colby, Yai, and I follow Yai''s mother near to the docks, where the elder otterkin I spoke with earlier is waiting. He''s holding a pair of blue shorts, which he offers to me while telling me where I can change. I enter that hut and change, leaving my pack and gear in the hut before exiting it. Since I''d be removing my boots anyway when I start to swim and pretty much everyone else is barefoot, I leave those behind as well. Rather than accepting the offer to ride over to the island on a boat, I swim with the rest of the people here. Everyone going over to the island or already there have changed into some sort of blue swim gear for the swimming, and I''m guessing that their swimming clothes are made of a special material that''s better for aquatic movement than their normal clothes. Even Colby has, as his shorts from before were actually swim shorts, though they''re orange rather than blue. Swimming to the Dungeon Island with the rest of the otterkin (and Colby) will no doubt earn me a little bit more favor than taking a boat over would. The island isn''t big enough to fit everyone as each village has around four hundred members, but there''s still at least a hundred people from each side crowded toward the southern end. Someone even put up some sort of wooden barrier to keep people from accidentally running into the Dungeon Gate. That''s probably meant more for keeping the kids out, as there are at least twenty of them here. The elder otterkin leads me to the southern part of the island, where the elder bearkin from before is waiting. Considering that everyone seems to defer to them, I''m going to assume they''re the village''s chiefs. My guess is that the southern island was picked to reduce the currents that would be battering me and Dez, whoever that is, while we compete for staying underwater the longest. Not that the current is too strong here, it''s actually rather decent. The water itself is fairly calm even closer to the middle of the river, so I guess it''s just a slow section. There''s not much actually here on the island, just grass up to the edges of it, which seem to be more of a sheer cliff than a slope into the water, which reaches up to about an inch from the island''s top. Though I suppose the island actually has a slight slope, just not one that goes into the water itself. The people gathered closest to the southern edge of the island, with a small clear space between them, are bickering about which village''s challenge I should do first. I think both sides are conflicted on this. The otterkin want me to take on their challenge first, but they also want to see how long I can hold my breath for. The bearkin want me to take on their challenge first, but they also want to see how big of a fish I can catch in just one try. If I manage to catch one in under ten minutes. An otterkin boy who looks about ten is sitting on the southern edge of the island, his feet dangling into the water, and he looks bored. He''s honestly the calmest person here, with the adults all bickering or glaring at each other and the other kids running around, chasing each other ¨C but only the kids from their own village, a harsh word from their parents stopping them anytime they try to play with the kids from the other village. A bearkin baby is held in his mother''s arms, a sling wrapped around her to make carrying him easier. She''s bickering with the otterkin as well, and the baby looks like he might be ready to cry. He and the sling are a bit wet as well, which suggests that she swam over with him. I guess they start young? "Excuse me, ma''am?" I approach her. "Is it okay to ask if I can hold your baby for a minute?" She looks uncertain, but allows me to take her son when a bearkin man steps up next to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. My guess is that he''s the father and has assured her that he''ll make sure I don''t hurt their son. "Thanks," I accept the baby from her, making sure to gently cradle him in my arms. "Oh? You''ve got your own pair of swim shorts, too, don''t you? I was expecting a diaper." The baby babbles a little to me. "What''s his name?" I ask. "Terrance," the mother answers. "He''s six months old." "Six months?" I look down at him. "Wow, that''s impressive, little guy. You don''t like all the arguing, do you? Do you? No, you don''t. You don''t like it at all. But it''s okay, they''re going to stop arguing soon." I talk with the baby for a minute and he babbles and giggles at me, the arguing people around him forgotten in favor of the much more friendly face. "Alright," I tell him. "My voice is going to get a little loud now, okay? But don''t worry, the arguing will stop once I do that." I press one of his ears against my chest while I cover the other with my left hand, then I clear my throat before addressing the crowd. "Hey!" I call out as loud as I can and people turn to look at me. "Since I''m the one doing the challenges, I''m going to decide which one to do first as I know what my strengths are! And until the competitions begin, the only person allowed to speak unless I address them directly is the person holding Baby Terrance, got it? That way, we can have a nice, orderly discussion about this and get it done at some point today rather than just dealing with constant bickering until next month. Am I clear?" Murmurs of acceptance fill the air, and I release Terrance''s head so that I can hold him properly once more. "There we go, Terrance," I say. "All the arguing''s gone. See? Just like I like promised." I look at the two elders. "Now," I say. "Let''s review the terms here. Each village will take into consideration my trustworthiness and think about allowing myself and my demihuman dragon companion to run the Dungeon here, possibly in exchange for helping out, so long as I can complete that village''s challenge to me. Is that correct?" Both beastkin elders confirm that. "For the bearkin," I look at the bearkin elder. "I must remain underwater longer than their best breath-holder can and I am not allowed to use magic to do so, only my body''s own abilities. It is full-submersion and we will be sitting on the bed of the river. This will occur here at the southern end of this island. Is that correct?" "That is correct," the bearkin elder answers. "Okay," I look at the otterkin elder. "For the otterkin, I must catch a fish that''s bigger than any that the bearkin have on record as having caught. That is thirty-two inches in length at a minimum, I will have ten minutes to catch it and I will have only one chance to catch a fish. This will occur here at the southern end of this island. Is that correct?" "That is correct," the bearkin elder answers. According to Colby and Yai, this is actually a standard challenge for travelers that the villages don''t really trust. No one''s ever beaten them because it''s pretty much impossible to do so. Very few species of people can hold their breath underwater longer than an otterkin can and they''re using the one who can do it best. Fish the size of the biggest one ever caught by the bearkin don''t swim in this river. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Which is why I''m not even going to bother with that challenge ¨C it''s an impossible task. However, the fact that I actually succeed in the bearkin''s challenge will likely earn me respect from both sides. That should at least count for something. "Okay," I say. "I will be doing the challenge from Finlum first. Who is Dez?" "I am!" The boy sitting on the southern edge of the island speaks up, and I look over to see him waving. "Oh," I say. "Hello, Dez. Alright. I have several younger siblings so I know all of the tricks. We will be sitting on the bed of the river. There is to be no contact between us, no attempts at getting the other surface first, no tricks, goofy faces, or anything of the sort. It is purely a test to see who can stay under longer on their own, and doing something to cause the other surface sooner will result in an automatic forfeiture. Deal?" "Yes," he nods. "That goes for everyone," I address the crowd. "Anyone who attempts to make me surface early in any way, shape, or form will be counted as a cheater and their village will be punished by the gods to catch no fish for a month." The sound of splashing behind me draws my attention as Dez lets out a shout of surprise, and I turn around to find more than a dozen fish leaping out of the water for a few seconds. Pretty much everyone stares at them while Terrance reaches out with his hands as if wanting to catch one. Then the sudden leaping fish show ends and the fish swim away, disappearing down the river as I watch. "Well¡­ that was weird," I say as I turn back to face Terrance''s mother. "I think he wants some food," I hand Terrance back to his mother, then address the crowd. "Alright! The competition is starting now! Since it''s a challenge from the bearkin, their leader is the one who calls for it to start. Dez, let''s get in the water first." Dez slides into the water and I jump into it, then we face each other. The bearkin elder counts down from three, then Dez and I sink down into the water and sit on the river bed. This part of the river is twenty feet deep, so we sink down a fair bit before we''re actually sitting. The edge of the island really does seem like a cliff face when I look at it here. Was this always a river, or did the river fill in a small ravine of some sort that already existed? I look back to my opponent, who''s staring at me with his eyes wide in shock. We''ve been in the water for about thirty seconds now and the fact that I''m breathing is definitely obvious by the air bubbles that come out of my mouth when I exhale. Then he clamps a hand over his mouth and I know that he''s doing his best not to react to the revelation that he''s going to lose for sure. A sudden shock like this can make someone stop holding their breath, so he''s doing good for a ten-year-old. I''d honestly expected him to let out a small sound of surprise and lose immediately. That would technically count as cheating, but I''d point out that all I was doing was breathing and they would''ve tried changing the challenge if they knew I''d win. After about eight minutes, Dez swims up to the surface. I give him about a minute to tell them before I resurface, then I cough up the water that''s left in my lungs. "Ugh, that''s unpleasant," I complain as I tread water. "I''m not sure I''ll ever get used to it." "Y-you-you can breathe underwater?" The bearkin elder exclaims. "Yup!" I answer. "And Dez did a rather good job of not letting his discovery of that stop him early. Congrats, kid. I doubt very many people your age could manage that." Dez beams at the praise. "B-b-but you''re a human!" The bearkin elder exclaims. "You shouldn''t be able to hold your breath underwater for more than a minute or two, even if you trained! You can''t breathe underwater!" Colby and Yai look like they''re trying not to laugh. "Hm?" I respond to the bearkin elder as if a bit ignorant of why he''s surprised. "Oh, right. I probably should''ve mentioned that I''m a Summoned who has a Skill that lets my body adapt to situations when needed. As in, it can make modifications that a human ordinarily wouldn''t have. My ''preparations'' earlier involved seeing if it would let me be able to breathe water instead of air. Fortunately, I ran into Colby and Yai while looking for a good spot to test it out and Colby was more than willing to hold me down." "If I had known that you could-" "If you had known that I could breathe underwater," I say. "You''d have changed the challenge to be something else that should have been impossible. Something like, I don''t know, racing their best swimmer up and down the river? Now, regarding the fishing challenge-gh!" Something I cannot see slams into my stomach from within the water, sending me back a couple of feet with the impact. I react on instinct, grabbing the invisible object and holding it tight. The attack is rather large and feels¡­ "Huh?" I blink a few times as whatever it is tries to wriggle out of my grip. "Scales?" With a great effort, I manage to shift my body while keeping hold of the squirming object. "Hyup!" I grunt as I throw the creature out of the water and onto the island. The creature comes into view as water slides off of it, but only where there''s not plenty of water coating it. The beast is a twelve-foot-long fish with bluish-green scales that have a silver tint to them. It flops about on the island as people stare at it. No wonder it knocked me back so far and felt so heavy when I tried to throw it. Honestly, I''m amazed I managed to get it out of the water. "Well, don''t just leave it there!" I exclaim. "That thing''s big enough for a feast!" Colby dashes forward and slams a fist into the fish''s neck, a loud crunching filling the air at the contact. In that moment, the giant fish stops moving. Everyone stares at the giant fish in shock. I don''t think anyone here expected that ¨C least of all me. Did¡­ did one of the gods send this fish here just so I could win the challenge from the otterkin? If so, I''ve had a rather interesting time in this world, with not one but three divine events in less than three weeks. "Alright," I say, and eyes are drawn to me once more. "Now, either we can all be respectful of each other and not talk over them, or we can go back to having a talking object. We can''t use Baby Terrance anymore since he''s feeding, so only his mama would get to talk other than me. If we need to go back to a talking object, we can use a fish. Everyone agree to leave the bickering behind for this discussion and take turns talking?" There are reluctant agreements all around. "Good," I say. "Now. I have clearly passed both tests, and the fact that such a creature showed up here is a sign from the gods that you better listen to me. Anyone who tries to protest by saying the challenge hadn''t actually started yet loses their speaking privileges for a month and I''m sure the gods would be happy to actually mute them to enforce it. That fish was from the challenge issued by the otterkin, so we''re going to take it to the west side of the river, go a little south of there, and have a feast. Both villages will get to participate. Bring additional fish, fruits, berries, veggies, drinks, whatever and turn it into a party to celebrate the catch of this big fish. Otherwise, I get the fish all to myself. Once the feast is done, I''m going to make a proposal for a way to settle the score between the two villages for good. Any objections? No? Good. The feast begins in three hours." I swim back over to an area south of the village on the western bank of the river and get out of the water, then collapse onto the grass to rest. Some of the otterkin swam back over as well, though most of them returned to their village. Most of the kids who were there ¨C otterkin and bearkin alike ¨C come over to congratulate me and ask me about a thousand questions about my swimming abilities. Or to tell me how much awesome they found it that I can breathe underwater and how they wish they could do that. Fortunately, the kids haven''t been inducted into the absolute ridiculousness of the rivalry between the two villages yet. While they do dislike each other and try to claim they''re superior while putting down the others'' skills, they''re at least able to talk with me together without arguing. Their parents break it up rather fast, though, and the kids reluctantly return to their respective villages. "Your ability to take command like that," Colby says as he and Yai join me, and I sit up to properly face them. "Is rather astonishing. I''d heard that those summoned by the god had certain auras about them, but I''ve never actually met one in-person before." "That was super intense," Yai tells me. "I was even a little intimidated by you during that. But that fish! Hah! I bet even the otterkin fishing luck couldn''t catch us one like that! And a whisperwater gill, too! Those are always signs of good fortune to come." "A¡­ what?" "Whisperwater gill," Colby tells me. "It''s an extremely rare breed of fish. Something in their scales is magical and causes water to affect light on contact, turning them invisible. They can be found in all sorts of water, be it fresh or salt, but almost no one ever notices one. They don''t go after bait from fishermen, don''t swim into nets or traps¡­ you just luck into finding them. If you manage to find one, then good things will happen. If you manage to catch one, then you''re showered with luck for the rest of your life." Sounds like a superstition to me rather than actual fact, but I think I can use that to my advantage. "And you caught one bigger than we''ve ever seen on record!" Yai exclaims. "They can range in size from, like, minnow-sized to whale-sized, but the only ones ever spotted in this area have all been about a foot in length! Well, that was the estimates, anyway. Only one was ever caught, and that was about three centuries ago. It was some demihuman dragon passing through the area. He caught one that was two feet in length." A demihuman dragon passing through the area? Could that have been Adam''s grandfather? Adam did admit that he''s not sure if his token would work because of how long it had been since his grandfather helped out the town. He got really evasive when I asked how long ago that had been. Three hundred years would definitely have been a long time ago. "Yeah," Colby nods. "I wasn''t told what his name was, but I heard that the river didn''t even exist here back then, we''d just have random floods that would damage the huts constantly, some of the water would route into the small ravine, then flow away. Also that there was a bridge from each side leading to the island." "Yeah," Yai says. "But the story says that a little after he passed through the area, the river formed! And all of the massive floods stopped then, too. Now, we otterkin and bearkin don''t have to go to lakes to hunt for fish! The gods really blessed us when that whisperwater gill got caught before, and it was only a third the size of this one! I''m curious what''s going to happen now." Something tells me that I won''t be able to convince them out of the superstition, so I don''t bother trying. Instead, I ask them what they think will happen at the party. Chapter 008 Several of the beastkin start to look uneasy while looking behind me, and I turn around to find Adam approaching, escorted by two bearkin and two otterkin. Huh. I wasn''t expecting them to send for someone to bring Adam to the party. Perhaps the fact that the last time a whisperwater gill was caught here, it was by a demihuman dragon and they got good luck caused them to be a little more comfortable with his presence? They may suspect that denying him entry when his traveling companion caught that rare fish ¨C and such a large one ¨C may turn the luck from good to bad. The party "started" at some point, though it was more that there were enough people here that it stopped being prep and started being a party. Kids are running around playing, adults are talking, food is cooking, and beastkin are looking very uncomfortable with having to maintain civility with their rivals. As always, Adam is dressed in just his pants and boots, and currently has his pack strapped onto his back. Interestingly, the four villagers didn''t bring back just Adam. Walking with them is another person, this one a pretty sexy dude. The newcomer is about 5''9" in height with a slender, lightly-toned body and faint traces of six-pack abs. He''s dressed in a pair of light grey shorts with dark grey hems and a dark grey waistband, his boots light grey with dark grey laces. A dark grey belt is fixed around his waist, two pouches, two knives, two tins, and six potion vials fixed onto or set into it. Unlike Adam, he doesn''t have a pack at all, making me wonder where he came from. Much like most everyone here, he isn''t human ¨C he''s a beastkin as well, but not from either of these villages. The sexy guy that came with Adam and the four escorts/guards has the tail and ears of a snow leopard, his eyes green and his hair white with black rosettes. Looking at both of them, I realize that they both have injuries ¨C the snow leopardkin with bruises on his torso and arms, and Adam with a couple of bruises and some burns, and both have some light cuts on them. A slight glisten on the injuries indicates that healing salve has been applied to them. "You have no right being that powerful," Adam is telling the snow leopardkin as they approach. "Jealous that someone only a couple of Total Levels higher whupped your ass?" "You didn''t whup my ass," Adam says. "It was a draw." "Oh, I''m sorry? Weren''t you asleep at the end of the fight?" "As if! That barely touched me. Why is your magic so strong, anyway? You''re a martial artist, not a wizard." "I focus on magical effects, duh. I might have only 18 Strength, but the flames of my magic have 41 Magic behind them, which can leave a nasty mark when I strike. As you learned. No need to hit hard, just make sure the attack connects and let the magic take hold." "That''s a stupid way of fighting." "You''re stupid." "Hey!" I snap at them. "No bickering is allowed here." "Oh! It''s the human I can smell on your stuff!" The snow leopardkin exclaims when he sees me. "Hi! I''m Caleb! What''s your favorite type of guy?" "Who''s this?" I ask Adam. "Mercenary," Adam answers. "He was apparently hired by a town that didn''t like me to bring back my head. Found and attacked me while I was sunbathing. These guys," he indicates the otterkin and bearkin that were escorting him here. "Showed up during the fight and broke it up. They said something about a party?" "Yeah¡­" I say. "How much did they tell you?" "That you caught a twelve-foot-long whisperwater gill," Adam''s gaze turns to one of the tables set up for the feast, which has the fish getting prepared for cooking. "And that''s a massive whisperwater gill." "Whoa," Caleb says. "That is¡­ damn. Even my dad didn''t catch one that big. They said you caught it with your bare hands? And that you can breathe underwater? I knew these two villages were off in the head, but damn." "Hey!" One of the bearkin with them exclaims. "Who are you calling off in the head?" "People from the villages that are constantly warring over who''s stronger, the better swimmer, and the better fishermen," Caleb answers. "Is it true you guys can''t even fish near each other without getting into an argument?" Something tells me that it''s not just Caleb who thinks the villagers are off in the head. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" The kids I was playing with draw my attention back to them, having gotten impatient over me stopping. "Sorry, guys," I reach down and pick up one of the otterkin boys here, this one five years old. "Bird time again!" I raise him up into the air, and he spreads his arms out to the sides with his legs straight back, feet together. Once he''s in position, I run around swooping him through the air as he giggles. The other kids run around as I chase after them with him, and Colby and Yai and some of the other younger adults join in, picking up kids to run around with as well. Adam watches everything from close to the river as Caleb mingles with the adults and eats some of the fish that''s being served raw. It''s easy to tell that the demihuman dragon doesn''t feel comfortable here, and the uneasy looks the adults are giving him doesn''t help. He''s taken off his weapons and set them beside his pack, which is a few feet away from him. That''s probably an in effort to make him come off as less threatening to the locals. His boots are by the pack as well, though that has me thinking it might be because everyone else here is. "Whew," I set down my kid as the chase comes to an end. "Did you have fun?" "Yeah!" He answers. "But you didn''t throw me in the river! Daddy always throws me in the river after!" I look over to see the other young adults tossing their kids into the river rather than setting them down. As they say ¨C when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I pick up the kid, charge toward the river, and take a jump before throwing him. He squeals in delight as he tumbles through the air, a massive wave caused when he lands as I land still on the shore. The kid resurfaces laughing before joining the other kids in a light wrestling match. "Hey, kids!" I call out. "Come here real quick!" The kids all rejoin me as the other young adults who were playing with them approach out of curiosity. The youngest of the kids is the five-year-old I picked up, while the oldest looks to be about seven. There are three girls and five boys in total among the group of kids playing, so I think this should work. One bearkin girl and two otterkin girls, three bearkin boys, and two otterkin boys. Yeah, this should work just fine. "Okay," I lower my voice. "So there''s something super important I need you all to do." All at once, the kids start asking me what it is. I let them do that for a few seconds before I quiet them down with a gesture. "It''s a super secret thing," I keep my voice low. "So you have to be as quiet as possible. Can you guys do that for me?" The kids all nod, quietly giggling while making shushing sounds. "See my friend over there?" I point at Adam. "The demihuman dragon? See how he looks really sad?" The kids all look over at Adam, then back to me as they nod and say he does. "Your super secret mission," I say. "Is to sneak up on him and push him into the river." Some of the other young adults snort and cover their mouths when I say that. A couple of them look uncomfortable, but the kids are all taking the secret mission in stride. "Ready, kids?" I ask, and they all nod and whisper that they are. "Alright! Remember, be as quiet as possible as you sneak up on him. If he sees you, you gotta charge him. Make sure that he gets in the river, alright? Now go!" The kids all ''sneak'' up on Adam, but he notices them coming from yards away and look over, frowning slightly. As soon as he sees them, the five-year-old otterkin boy yells ''charge'' and they all charge at Adam. "Wai-wh-hey!" Adam tries to protest and ask what''s going on, but the charging kids don''t let him and he just keeps fumbling for words. "Gah! Jamie! Wh-ah-kids-!" I can''t help but laugh at his bewildered expression and exclamations as the kids try to push Adam into the river. As he''s not the kid of person who would attack a kid for no reason, he''s mostly trying to keep them from climbing up on him. That''s resulting in him back up a few times, before two of the bearkin boys get the idea to go behind his legs and trip him as he backs up. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Whoa!" Adam exclaims as he falls backwards, right into the river. "Yeah!" The kids exclaim before jumping into the water. "Oh, what the hell," one of the young bearkin women here mutters, then charges toward the river and jumps in to join the kids. Some of the other young adults rush to the river as well and I join them in the water. We all splash each other and wrestle around, and Adam tries to figure out what to do for a few minutes before giving in and just letting the kids have their fun. At one point, some of us end up with kids on our shoulders, the kids ''fighting'' each other to see if they can knock the other off. If a kid falls off of their mount, then a different young adult picks them up. After a few rounds of this, one of the kids asks Adam to pick him up, and watching Adam be awkward is rather amusing. I can tell a lot of the parents have come over to watch their kids out of caution over the demihuman dragon, but they don''t try to put a stop to it once they realize that he''s just another guy. "You set that up, didn''t you?" Adam asks once everyone from this group leaves the river and we make our way over to the food areas to get something to eat. He''s got the five-year-old otterkin boy on his shoulders, shouting, "Faster! Food awaits! The tummy calls!" "One hundred percent," I respond while trying not to laugh at the kid''s antics. "It did get people more relaxed with you, though." "That''s not the only reason you did it," Adam gives a pointed look to some of the other groups of people talking. He doesn''t elaborate, probably because he doesn''t want to directly say what it was. I''d managed to get kids from both villages to play with each other without arguing, and that got some of the young adults to join in. Some of the older kids watched or started playing together on their own, though they were mostly just competing with each other. Once I had the kids from both villages playing together, I put them into a situation that would get their parents to unify regardless of village: I got the kids playing with someone both sides were uncomfortable with. Neither village likes demihuman dragons because of the rumors about them and the conflicts between the two lands. By having one goof around with the kids, the parents came over to watch and make sure he didn''t eat or kill them. That gave them something to talk about without too much bickering. Before that point, the otterkin and bearkin were still mostly separated into groups from their own villages. Now some of them are mingling more properly with the other village. Judging by the looks the elders of the villages give me, they figured out what I was doing as well. The otterkin boy is passed off to his mother once we reach the food, and everyone breaks off into various groups, leaving Adam and me alone. Colby and Yai come over to chat a little and Caleb joins us after that. The snow leopardkin and Adam don''t get along very well, however, so I send him off. "Unless you can behave yourself," I add. "Otherwise, go. This is a party to have fun and I won''t tolerate any hostilities." Caleb grumbles under his breath but leaves and I shake my head, then return to talking with some others. The villagers are more willing to talk with Adam while he''s with me, so Adam sticks with me as I walk around the village. With the ice broken between the kids and their older siblings and the young adults, the kids run around playing with each other on their own now as well. "I need to go for a walk for a bit," Adam tells me. "Everything okay?" I ask. "I''m just a bit tense from all of the stares," Adam tells me. "It''s pretty obvious that everyone is uncomfortable with my presence here and it''s making me uncomfortable. So I want to go for a walk by myself to shake it off." He has seemed tense the entire time he''s been here. "Alright," I say. "I''ll be around." Adam nods and leaves, and I continue to mingle with others. Some of them are in awe at my abilities, others ask me what I think the catching of such a large whisperwater gill will bring to the villages. This really was an easy situation to handle. The younger kids had never been allowed to interact with the others, so they only knew what their parents and the older kids claimed. All I had to do was get them to start playing with each other and they forgot all about what their parents said. To the kids, they were just other boys and girls to play with. After that, some of the teens and young adults came over to watch, but then got begged by the younger kids to join in. Not wanting to upset the kids who were so clearly having fun, they joined in and started playing with us as well. Nobody wanted crying kids during what was supposed to be a happy party meant to celebrate the catching of something that represents good luck when caught. Then I got Adam involved because the adults'' fear that he''d eat their kids would cause the adults to come over. Finding something they had in common, they were able to start discussing things. Yes, there was still some bickering, but it wasn''t as bad as before. My guess is that the villages just never got to look outside their own box before, that nothing ever led them to. Those who did were probably shunned because it went against the way they were nurtured. Now, I''ve let them see that the other side isn''t as bad as they thought. Though once I leave here, they might go back to their rivalries. That''s why I told the elders I had a way to settle the score between the villages. Getting the two onto civil talking terms was absolutely necessary for it, though. I let everyone talk for awhile before I gather the village elders and chiefs together. Caleb joins us as well, and Adam returns just as I''m about to begin. Some of the other adults are here as well out of curiosity about what this is, though thankfully, I don''t have to shout to the entirety of both villages. There''s only about fifty people gathered in front of the table I''m standing on for the discussion. This time, I came prepared with a talking object: a torch that I''m currently holding in my right hand. The sun has set by this point, making a torch ideal for the talking object as it is something that helps draw attention to the one holding it. "Alright," I say. "This torch right here is the talking torch. I can talk without it and those I address directly can respond without it. For anything else, you raise your hand and wait for your turn with the talking torch. Anyone who breaks this rule gets banished from the discussion. This is to ensure it goes smoothly and minimizes arguments. Okay?" Everyone agrees to those terms. "Good," I say. "Now, as I''m sure all of you can agree that the other village is inferior to you, right?" Everyone agrees about that, which causes arguments to start. "Hey!" I yell, and everyone quiets down. "Do we need to cancel the solution to who is superior instead of letting it get settled? Because that''s what''s going to happen if y''all don''t keep your mouths shut when it ain''t your turn to talk!" There are sheepish looks all around. This place really needs an arbitrator to get them to get over this silly war and I''m certain most people who could do it either nope out of here the moment they find out what''s going on or just plain avoid the area entirely. "Thank you!" I huff. "Alright! Now, on to the solution. Now, the bearkin claim that they''re the better fishermen and swimmers and that they''re stronger. The otterkin claim that they''re the better fishermen and swimmers and that they have better luck when it comes to fishing. Something I noticed is that no one contests the third one for each. In other words, y''all can agree that the bearkin are superior when it comes to might and the otterkin are superior when it comes to catching more fish and rarer fish. "We''re going to focus on that first," I say. "Because both villages fish for their primary food source and I heard that y''all have an issue with arguing when in fishing boats over who gets to fish where when it comes to net fishing. Solution: the otterkin pick the spots and cast the nets, then the bearkin pull the nets in. Both sides get half. Use a scale to weigh it. Boom. You both get fish and no longer have to argue over territory. The bearkin don''t have to worry about bad luck with picking a spot and the otterkin don''t have to worry about having to pull in the nets too early because they don''t have the muscle." While they can increase their Strength through their Classes, Colby and Yai told me that most don''t gain much because they don''t have very many people with combat-based Classes and it''s not common to get a high Level in labor-based Classes. That means that most of their fishermen only have the average Strength of their species, maybe a little bit more. Not everyone can take time out of their day to go fishing, so net fishing isn''t too uncommon for some in order to bring in fish they can share with those who can''t catch them. This solution might need some tweaking the villagers can handle those tweaks on their own but I''m sure that once things are actually being done. "Now that that''s sorted out," I say. "Let''s move on to the claims of fishing and swimming ability. On the sixteenth day of every month, the two villages will hold a swimming competition. It will have three judges from each side and the competition will feature the five strongest swimmers and the five most nimble swimmers. The first group will compete to see who is the strongest swimmer while the second group will compete to see who is the most nimble. It''s an individual contest, so each otterkin and bearkin is competing against every other otterkin and bearkin. "The one who scores first gets ten points," I continue. "Second-place gets nine, third-place gets eight, all the way down to one point for tenth-place. The village which earns the most points wins that challenge for the month. They get bragging rights over strength or nimbleness until the next challenge. The village with the most points for both gets bragging rights over swimming ability entirely until the next challenge. I''m sure you guys are able to figure out the more specfic requirements for the contests. Does that sound like a fair way to prove your village is superior?" Thankfully, everyone agrees that it does. I really will leave them to figuring out what the challenges themselves are as I''m not a swimmer despite knowing how to swim. How the hell would I be able to determine what''s a good test of swimming strength or nimbleness? "Good," I say. "Now on to the next part: fishing ability. Same scoring scheme as with the swimming challenge, with bragging rights to the winning village. Five fishermen from each village. The challenge will occur on the first of each month, but the two villages will discuss the optimal time frame for it. I''m sure you can manage that. "How it will work," I say. "Is that, for a set amount of time, the competitors will fish to the best of their ability. After the competition is over, the amount of fish each competitor caught is counted and they get ranked based on how many fish they caught. After that, all of the fish caught by each team is put together, then weighed against the other village''s catch. The village with the most meat wins that competition. Bragging rights for a month, and you can all have a feast after to enjoy the fish that was caught. I mean, you guys proved today that you can have a feast together so I''m sure that works, right? Do these competitions sound fair to you guys?" There''s agreements all around. Considering the nature of their arguments and disagreements, bragging rights should be all that''s needed to solve things. If I''m right, then the swimming competition will result in a tie when comparing the two versions together, so both sides will get one sort of bragging right by likely begrudgingly agree that the other is on equal terms with them. As for the fishing competition, well¡­ I''m sure they''ll at least have fun with it. The otterkin will no doubt win the quantity version while the bearkin will probably win the weight one. So both will win bragging rights there. If the gods have any say in this, I''m sure the two villages will start to overcome their rivalries and acknowledge each other''s strengths. The flipside is that the two villages just go back to the way they were, but I''ll be gone from here and so don''t really care. That honestly seems like the more likely event. Truthfully, the only reason I''m even making an effort with this is because of the potential for a run in the Dungeon. The town north of here is a three-day trip and they may not let us into their Dungeon. Getting to rest here a few days would also benefit me in terms of recovering from the two-week journey I''ve already been on. So me trying to help these two villages is purely for selfish reasons. "Okay," I say. "Then it''s time to discuss the more fine details. Who wants the talking torch?" Chapter 009 "How does getting conned feel?" Caleb asks. At the moment, we''re waiting in line to enter Caniton, the town a few days'' travel north of the twin villages of Finlar and Finlum. The town itself sits on the mountain, and we could tell as we approached that the town has several ''layers'' to it as a result of the slopes it was built on. It seems that instead of building it on the more level ground in front of it, the builders decided to simple level several areas and construct stairs leading to them. As a result of this design, the road coming from the west joined up with the one coming from the south, the combined road going straight north to the town''s southern gate. We''ve passed by several farms as we neared the city and are now waiting behind beastkin of a few different varieties in an area that is clear of farms and trees. I suppose the people on the town''s walls want a clear view of anyone approaching the place. Adam and I left the twin villages a few days ago, after I convinced the two villages to compete in a more healthy manner, and Caleb decided he was going to accompany us. His claim is that he''s keeping an eye on Adam and will eliminate him if he finds that traveling with us is less profitable than collecting the bounty. Unfortunately, the two of them really don''t like each other and I''m breaking up a fight between them nearly every few hours. There was some quiet as we waited in line, but I guess Caleb got bored because he decided to start in on me. "We didn''t get conned," I say. "The villagers were just idiots." "No, they definitely knew what they were doing," Caleb says. "Those chiefs outsmarted you." "Caleb," I roll my eyes. "Almost no one in the villages knew the contents of the Dungeon because the villages were peaceful, even if a bit off in the head. They didn''t do much hunting at all. Between the eight hundredish members of them combined, there were only six who had combat ability." "Sure," he says. "But the elders knew you wouldn''t be able to do the Dungeon!" Both villages let us run the Dungeon the day after I completed the challenges, but Adam stopped us from entering. Apparently, he could tell once we were at the gate that it wasn''t a low-tier Dungeon at all and that we''d need to be several times as strong as we were to run it. Caleb nearly went into it on his own anyway, but decided not to "because I need to keep an eye on the beast". He was pissed I didn''t invite him into my Party. "Keep telling yourself that," I tell Caleb. "Maybe one day, you''ll actually convince someone of the truth. And it''s almost our turn. Why don''t you go harass other people?" "I''m keeping an eye on-" "Between Adam and me," I say. "Is there one of us you''d be hesitant to fight?" "Neither," he answers. "I''m able to take on both of you in a match. Even fighting both at once. My magic is more than twice your Constitutions." "Then I''ll make sure not to wake you when I rip your heart out of your chest for annoying me one too many times." Adam snorts as Caleb pales. The rest of our wait to enter the town is pretty quiet now that I''ve silenced Caleb, and the check to enter is mostly just to verify we aren''t criminals. There''s no attempt at searching my bag or Adam''s. "So I really can enter?" Adam asks in surprise once the check is done. "Yes," one of the guards answers. "You showed us a token that allows it. Make sure to show it when looking for a place to stay as well to increase the odds of them allowing you to rent a room there." "Whoa," Adam breathes out in awe. "I was thinking I''d have to go around Caniton. That would''ve been a hell of a trip." "You do know there''s nothing past us, right?" The guard asks. "Just mountains and wilderness." "Yeah," Adam answers. "I''m looking for someone who might be up that way. Might not be. Won''t know until I check." The guard seems confused by that but waves us through so that the next group can be checked. Adam''s presence draws a lot of stares from the natives as he stands out rather well due to not wearing a top of some sort. His scales being on full-display only make his status as a demihuman dragon evident since people are more likely to notice something higher up before they notice the tail. While it''s evident the people here aren''t comfortable with him, they at least don''t appear to be hostile. "Where are we going first?" Caleb asks. "To get some food and sleep? It''s getting late." "You can go fuck off and do your own thing," I tell him. "You''re not a part of our group. I''m serious about ripping your heart out of your chest while you sleep. Actually, I''d probably just stab you first to make sure you''re dead, then cut it out. Adam and I have been enjoying a quiet, peaceful journey and you''ve done nothing but bother us ever since you decided to follow us around. Either try to claim the bounty and leave or fuck right off. I''m tired of your bullshit and you will regret it if you don''t stop." "Towns don''t put bounties on people for no reason," Caleb states. "Which means that he deserved that-" "Right," I say. "Are you sure that the bounty wasn''t put on him for no reason? Because in the time I''ve known him, Adam has been a rather decent person who''s tried to abide by the laws. From what he told me, that town was just pissed at him for what amount to no good reason." Adam wouldn''t tell me the actual reason, but I''m fairly certain he''s honest with me. "How do you know it isn''t lying?" "Caleb," I step forward and place my left hand on his shoulder. "With all due respect, fuck off." "Unk!" He gasps-squeaks, eyes widening in shock and pain. I pull my knife out of him and use his pants to wipe it off, then I sheathe it. "If you continue to follow and harass us," I tell Caleb as several people stop to stare. "And if you continue to attempt to bring harm to my traveling companion, then any actions we take against you will be in self defense. Leave. Us. Alone. This is your final warning." I turn and continue down the street, leaving the stunned and bleeding snow leopardkin behind. Adam stares at him for a few minutes before hurrying to catch up with me. "That''s going to come back to bite us in the ass," Adam tells me. "Let it try," I tell him. "Caleb''s attempted to kill you on at least one occasion and has repeatedly talked about how he''s going to kill you. Only someone willing to admit they''re corrupt would attempt to take action against us for taking action to lessen the odds of us being killed without reasonable cause." Adam looks pretty uncertain about that, and I sigh. "Caleb''s not going to kick up a fuss about it," I say. "As big as he talks, he''s trying to prove himself. He''s got skill, but also a need to be validated and prove his worth. I don''t know what his backstory is, but he''s not going to call for help and admit he got bested like that. He''s going to tough it out. Now. Let''s find a place to sell our shit." Though Adam still doesn''t look sure, he nods and starts looking around. Almost everyone here is either a wolfkin with grey or brown hair, a dogkin with black or golden-blond hair, or a foxkin with white hair. The wolfkin all have gold eyes, the dogkin all have brown eyes, and the foxkin all have green eyes. I stop a few different people in different areas to ask about places to sell some loot and get some equipment commissioned, then use that information to pick a place. Most of the people continue to appear uncomfortable with Adam while accepting his presence. At least the kids here seem more curious about him than anything. One even cries when her mother pulls her away, the girl wanting to ask the ''strange man'' if his scales hurt. "This isn''t any of the locations we were given," Adam tells me as I push open the door to a shop. "Not one of them at all." "I listened to what the locals told us," I explain. "Factored in that they were probably sending us to less-quality places based on not being comfortable with my traveling companion''s species, and then picked a spot that seemed quality based on that." "I''m not so sure about your logic." "Just let me handle the stuff," I tell him as I approach the counter. "You might be a good haggler, but most of the loot is mine to sell. If you want, you can handle the sales for your shit." The shop we''re in isn''t all that large, with an area for customers in the front section of the room and a counter running the width of the room about three-quarters of the way in. A few items are set up for display on shelves behind the counter, most of them monster parts. There''s a section of counter that can lift up to allow for passage between the front and back of this room and a door on the back wall to allow access to the back of the shop. Standing behind the counter is a wolfkin who looks to be in his late forties or early fifties, though his grey hair probably comes from his wolfkin race rather than his age. "How can I help you young men?" The shopkeeper asks, his wary gaze focused on Adam. "We''ve just had a bit of a long journey and have some items to sell," I answer as I pull off my pack. "Do you only accept monster parts here, or will you accept herbs and plants as well? They''re mostly dried out as we couldn''t preserve them, but we did find a few rare ones. My name''s Jamie and this is Adam, by the way." "I''m Ryan," the clerk responds. "It''s a pleasure to meet you. I mostly handle monster parts, but can also do plants in some cases. If I can''t take them, I can direct you somewhere that can." Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Probably based on how much he likes us when he makes the recommendation. "Thank you," I open up my pack and pull out some of the monster parts Adam and I have acquired during our journey. "Adam has some in his pack as well, but we''ll bring those out once this part is done." The clerk nods, then examines each of the items I''ve set out. There are the antlers from the [Flamethrower]-using deer, the horns of a rabbit that could shoot stone spikes from its horn, the beaks and claws of a few birds we encountered, the scales of two snakes that tried to attack us early in our journey, and the skull of a wolf. I almost hesitate on putting that last one out in case it''s considered a slight of some kind, then decided that it''s better to find out now than to not try and sell it only to learn later that it might be even more valuable than Adam claimed. "Hm¡­" The clerk examines the goods. "Oh? A stoneeye wolf skull? Don''t see those too often." "We ran into it in the forest south of Finlar and Finlum," I tell him. "It tried to attack us while we were sleeping. Adam said its pelt was useful, but we weren''t in a position to actually harvest it and bring it with us." "Yes," the clerk nods. "Harvesting, treating, and transporting pelts can be quite an effort on a journey and there''s no guarantee they would make the trip in good condition. Many a novice hunter has tried to do that, only for the hides to rot as they weren''t properly treated." "Yeah," I say. "But Adam said that the skull was good." "Their magic is focused in their head," the clerk tells me. "So the skull is the bone with the most magic within it. This can be used to make a variety of things, the earth element within it helping to enhance. Though the eyes would have been best." Adam dismissed the wolf''s eyes as being "just weird stones with no real use", but maybe I should have looked at their information in the System? "Ah," I say. "We weren''t aware of that, but we''ll keep it in mind should we run into another." The clerk nods, then continues to inspect the goods. Other than the skull, the only objects of note are the antlers. Much like the skull, they have enough magic to make them worth buying. "That''s not to say I won''t buy everything," Ryan tells me. "They all have magic, and even the ones with weak properties can be used for something. A novice adventurer would be better-able to afford an item made of cheaper materials than more expensive ones, after all." "Indeed," I nod. "That''s why we collected some of the items. Even weak, someone could find use for them." "For the snake scales," the clerk tells me. "I can offer you twenty copper for each set. Five copper for each stoneshot rabbit horn and for each beak, and six for each claw. For the skull, I can offer you fifty copper, and I can offer you thirty for each antler. In total, that would be two silver and twenty-one copper for the lot." "Round it to twenty-five copper and we have a deal," I tell him. An extra four copper won''t break the bank for him and I''m not really in the mood for more intense haggling like Adam likes to do. "Then we have a deal," the clerk tells me, then pays me before gathering up the goods and setting them on the back counter. "Now, you mentioned your companion had something to sell?" "Yes and no," I say. "His stuff was mixed in with mine. The thing in his pack is actually all mine ¨C he wasn''t around when I caught it. Someone else killed it, but¡­ well, it''s mine." Adam pulls off his pack and pulls out a sack from within it, the objects inside clacking together as they move. The clerk raises an eyebrow as something catches his attention. "That smell," he says. "Fish scales? Those don''t sell for much, even in a high quantity." "They''re rather magical scales," I say as Adam sets the sack on the counter. I open up the sack and pull out one of the scales inside. It''s a bluish-green scale with a light silver metallic shine to it, the scale itself about an inch tall and half an inch or so wide.
[Whisperwater Gill Scale]
Quality: 3
This scale comes from a whisperwater gill, a rare breed of fish believed to grant good luck to whoever catches it and wherever it is caught. Innate to these scales are light-bending and water-slipping magics, reducing water''s effect on the scales while bending light to turn the wearer invisible. This property allows for the whisperwater gill to swim around quickly and without being noticed by others. The whisperwater gill this scale came from was over a century in age and over twelve feet in length, making it more rare and more powerful than most.
"These are¡­ and so huge!" The clerk exclaims. "A century-old one? And if that sack is full of them¡­" The clerk upends the sack to dump out the rest of the scales onto the counter. Some of the fall onto the ground to either side of it, and he picks up the ones on that side while Adam and I pick up the ones on this side. I don''t need to see the clerk''s tail to know it''s wagging, I can hear the air being shifted by the speed. After seeing the quality of these scales, I mentioned to Colby that I was surprised the fish was weak enough to die just from getting punched like that and he admitted that he was actually a lot stronger than he''d revealed. It seems he''s a bit shy about being Level 47 and had only told Yai the truth before our discussion. Even if he''s the one who killed the beast, the credit for the catch goes to me so I was given all of its scales. The sack of them that Adam pulled out actually filled up nearly his entire pack, leaving room for pretty much nothing else. To absolutely no surprise of mine, the clerk spends awhile excitedly examining each and every last scale. He mutters to himself as he works, bringing the scales up to his eyes to inspect them before setting them to the side, sorting them out as he goes. "Well," the clerk looks at me after finishing. "It''s been a long time since I was able to handle something so rare. However did you find such an old specimen of the whisperwater gill?" "Er¡­ it actually kind of slammed into me," I tell him. "I was swimming down off of Dungeon Island at Finlar and Finlum and the beast whacked me with its body. On instinct, I grabbed it and threw it onto the shore, then one of their few hunters killed it. Since I caught it, they let me keep the scales to sell off. Considering its abilities, I''m assuming they sell for a decent amount?" "The scales can be turned into useful armor," the clerk tells me. "Or crushed for use in alchemy. Based on their size and quality, I can offer sixty copper for each scale." "Sixty seems a bit low," I say. "From what I''ve heard, light-bending properties are pretty rare in magic beasts and armor made from this would be good for if you have to swim in a Dungeon or something." "Hm¡­ yes," the clerk nods. "While that is true, it wouldn''t be as simple as just stitching the scales onto armor. The effects are heavily reduced as they''re no longer a part of the living beast they once were. I can bump it up to sixty-five copper per scale, however." "Even if their magic is reduced now," I say. "And might need some extra work to draw out more of their power, they''re still Item Quality 3. That''s worth a fair bit. How about ninety copper per scale?" "They may be of a high quality," he says. "And the light-bending property is rare, but that in and of itself is rather limited in use. One isn''t likely to find an aquatic battle around here, either. Most of them will likely be used in alchemy instead. Though I suppose some might be bought by collectors to add to their collections of rare monster parts. Seventy-five copper per scale is the best I can do." "Seventy-five a scale it is, then," I say. "Just out of curiosity, but what is the legality of making armor that can bend light?" "Hm¡­" he thinks about it for a few moments. "Well, the legality depends on where you are. Here in Caniton, you need a license to make such gear and the buyer needs to register that they have it. So if you brought in any invisibility gear, you should get it registered now." "We didn''t," I say. "I was just curious about it since the scales have that property. Something I noticed was that you didn''t mention it was limited to when the scales were in contact with water. Does that mean that doesn''t hold true for these? They still bend light when wet." "Raw, they do," he nods. "But they can be treated to separate out that property so that they bend light when Mana is channeled through them." "Huh," I say. "Interesting. Now, considering the number of scales there are, will the payment be too big to handle at once? If so, then we can take the scales and come back later for the full payment." "If you don''t mind waiting about twenty minutes," he says. "I can have the payment here." "We can wait," I tell him. "Should we leave while waiting, or-" "I''ve got someone else here," he says. "Reynold! Come watch the front!" A twelve-year-old wolfkin boy with grey hair comes out of the back of the shop, dressed in dark brown pants, a light brown tunic, and a dark brown apron. His hair is ruffled and looks annoyed. "What?" "Watch the front while I get payment for these young men," the clerk says. "I don''t have enough on-hand to cover the payment for the scales. It shouldn''t take me more than twenty minutes." Reynold starts glaring at us and the clerk excuses himself to leave. For about ten minutes, we wait for the clerk to return in silence as the kid glares. "Is it true that demihuman dragons like to eat the children of their enemies?" Reynold breaks the silence. "No," Adam answers. "I don''t eat people. Well, usually. Sometimes, a parent will offer up their misbehaving kid as a sacrifice. We don''t have an issue eating those, their parents willingly gave them to us to eat. It''s one less misbehaving kid to cause trouble, after all, and the parent finally gets rid of something causing them stress and problems." Reynold''s eyes widen. "Adam!" I exclaim. "Don''t mess with the kid! Reynold, demihuman dragons don''t eat people. They prefer animal meat, just like you. Rabbits, deer, cows, pigs, and chickens are all on their menu. He prefers more predatory beasts, though, like snakes, falcons, and wolves." "Scott says they sneak into villages in the middle of the night to steal the kids of their enemies back to their own villages to eat as a big feast." "As if we''d ever sneak around!" Adam''s indignant reply causes the kid to jump. "The very thought of that is offensive! Those are lies spread by our enemies to make people fear us! And we don''t kidnap people, either! The only thing we do to our enemies is charge in and kill them so that they stop being our enemies! There''s no honor in sneaking about to do that! And we only attack to defend our territory or take back what''s ours! Or in retaliation for attacking us!" "Scott said-" "Let me meet this ''Scott''," Adam stares down the kid, who shrinks back a little in fear. "Why don''t I tell him all about how some beastkin poisoned my clan''s water supply, then killed off the survivors while they were weak from sickness? How that''s a coward''s move. How my clan did its best to stay out of the conflicts but was targeted just because we had a Triple-Ranker among our ranks and they were afraid that he''d eventually get involved even though he hadn''t for centuries? How they used dragonfire weed to poison us in order to ensure they could eliminate him? A poison known for being incredibly lethal and torturous to those affected by it? How even a single drop of its oil causes agony for weeks? How-" "Adam!" I snap. "Enough!" For a few moments, Adam continues glaring at Reynold, then his gaze softens and he huffs, then turns away to take a few deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. That''s the first time Adam has mentioned this in the time I''ve known him. Has this just been bottled up inside of him all this time, Adam ready to burst at the slightest provocation? How has he not ended up killing Caleb over the snow leopardkin''s comments? I''m honestly amazed that Adam has been as calm as he has been all this time, that he''s not let out a single trace of aggravation about the conflict. However, I''m also now concerned about why he''s looking for a specific dragon. "They didn''t even finish off my grandpa," Adam mutters, barely loud enough that I can hear it. "They just left him bleeding out on the ground. I tried to save him, but none of our medicines and potions and salves worked. He died in my arms." The rest of the wait for the clerk to return is filled with an extremely awkward silence and Reynold disappears to the back almost as soon as the boss returns. There''s an older foxkin man and a brown-haired wolfkin woman in her late twenties or early thirties accompanying them, the woman carrying a pair of wooden boxes in her hands. "Sorry for the delay," Ryan says. "Took a little longer than I expected. And I do apologize if Reynold gave you young men any trouble, he''s been a bit moody lately." "It''s fine," I look at the other two. "These are from a guild," the clerk tells me. "I had to go to them for the payment as I don''t have enough on-hand to cover it and they''d be the ones buying the scales from me, anyway." The foxkin man examines some of the scales, nodding to himself for a moment before signaling to the wolfkin woman. "Here you go," she says. "The amount discussed between you and Ryan here." I check the contents of the box, verifying the amount is equal to seventy-five copper per scale. Adam''s attention is on the coins in the box and I know he''s wishing that was his loot. "Thanks," I accept the payment. "Do any of you have a recommendation for where we can sell some plants that we gathered on our journey? Mostly dried. And for a place to sleep? If it has private bathing rooms, that would be a plus but if not, we can use a public bath to get cleaned up. It''s been a bit of a journey for us." Chapter 010 "Good morning, Adam," I greet Adam as he enters the foyer of the inn we''re staying at. This one is much nicer than the one we stayed at in Ratton, compliments of me actually being willing to spend some decent coin on it. There aren''t any of the perks that I''d find in one on Earth like free breakfast and a pool or gym, but the bed was rather comfortable and we were even able to get rooms that had their own bathing rooms attached. I rented separate rooms for Adam and me the last few nights, despite how much I''d like to have someone in my bed. He''s had something on his mind ever since we arrived here in Caniton and I''m sure it has to do with why he''s looking for the dragon. After learning about his past and his evasiveness on all things related to it, I''m fairly certain there''s cause for concern with Adam''s search. I''d rather wait until his mind is able to focus on other stuff before approaching him about our sleeping arrangements. "Morning," Adam greets me. "I finished looking into the local Dungeon," I tell him. "It''s actually pretty mapped-out, so there won''t be too many surprises in it. Based on what I heard, we should be able to handle it. I was thinking of going to the Dungeon Guild and asking about anyone looking for a team to join for a run, to make it safer. Would you like to come with me, or do you still want to do your research?" Most of the time we''ve been here so far, Adam''s spent trying to find out what he can about the dragon he''s looking for. He''s made no effort to conceal the real reason he''s here and the statement he made at Ryan''s shop our first day has spread around a little. Quite a few people are nervous about his presence, but whatever his grandfather did for this town was big enough that the lord running it hasn''t made a move to push him out. One thing I did find out was that his grandfather more than likely was the demihuman dragon that passed through Finlar and Finlum three hundred years ago. There was one that showed up here around that time as well, though no one''s been able to tell me what, exactly, he did in the area ¨C other than that the lord at the time promised him a lot. "I think I''ve learned all I can," Adam tells me. "The Dungeon is a good idea. But you don''t have your pack?" "We can hire someone there to carry the loot," I tell him. "That way, fighters don''t have to worry about dealing with the packs while moving about in combat." "Ah," he says. "Well. We''re not going to find people who will work with us." "So you think," I say. "Maybe your mysterious shadow will join us for the hunt." Something I''ve noticed anytime I''m around Adam these last few days is a wolfkin who kind of stands out. He looks to be in his late twenties or early thirties, and has has pitch-black hair with eyes that are more orange than gold. His outfits consist of black and greys and he wields a sword on each hip. Whether or not he''s trying to hide himself, I''m not sure, but I feel it''s time to let him know that we''re aware that he''s following Adam around. "Maybe," Adam shrugs. "By the way," I say as we leave the inn. "You mentioned a few days ago about your grandfather being a Triple-Ranker. I know I could''ve looked up what that meant, but figured I''d ask you. My Status shows a Rank as well." "Oh, that," Adam says. "Few people ever go above Level 35, even for adventurers. They reach a point where they''re comfortable and then stop as higher stats aren''t really needed unless you''re going deep into wilderness, facing down a powerful demon, or taking on a high-tier Dungeon. "When you reach Total Class Level 100," he continues. "You stop gaining Experience and can undergo something called a Rank Advancement Trial. It''s a very difficult, very challenge trial that basically proves you''re worth your abilities. It can kill you. If you complete it, however, you gain some decent boosts to all of your stats and can gain Levels again. I think you also gain an Ultimate Skill for it, but I''m not sure. Meeting someone who''s done it once is extremely rare, though. Doing it three times makes you exceptional." "Huh," I say. "Sounds pretty neat. So your grandpa was like, peak warrior?" "Yup," Adam answers. "Using dragonfire weed was basically the only the way for people to put a dent in his life. We really did stay out of the conflict at the border, too. Killing our entire clan for that was stupid as fuck and it pisses me off and-" "Adam," I interrupt before he can burst again. "Are you looking for the dragon to have it take revenge?" "What?" Adam gives me a confused look. "No. I already killed the assholes responsible for it. They were weak as fuck and only resorted to dragonfire weed because they were cowards. I don''t know what their plan was." So then he''s not looking for revenge? "In that case¡­ what the heck are you looking for a dragon for?" I ask. "And this specific one, too?" "My grandpa entrusted me with something as he died," Adam answers. "Asked me to deliver it to the dragon. I don''t know what it is. It''s a small orb, but doesn''t have any information when I look at it through the System." "Doesn''t everything?" I ask. "Except monsters, people, animals, and such? I mean, even plants that are still alive have information in the System." "Yeah," Adam nods. "I kind of suspect it''s something divine in nature, those are known to be immune to inspection through the System." That''s not something I knew, but I file the information away in case it becomes important later. "Do you think it was smart to let the tail know we knew he was following me?" Adam asks. "What if he starts doing it more discreetly? Or hires someone who doesn''t stand out as much? Or makes a move to attack?" "I don''t get that kind of vibe from him," I say. "And how well do you think he or a new tail would manage to hide from your senses?" Adam thinks on that for a few moments, then shrugs. As it turns out, a dragon''s senses are exceptionally powerful and demihuman dragons have a significant portion of it. This town was built to handle the senses of beastkin, but Adam claims that he can hear stuff going on a few buildings away from the inn we''re staying at. When he''s submerged his head in the bath. I''m not sure if he''s serious about that or exaggerating, but it''s pretty evident that his senses are good. The fact that he can actually be so calm and collected when assaulted by all the things he''s taking in right now amazes me a little. The Dungeon Guild is located near the northern end of the town, on one of its highest sections. Though the town was built off of the river that flows down the mountains as normal, it was built on this sloped area rather than a more flat one because it was easier to gain access to the Dungeon Gate that way. They actually constructed a building around the Dungeon Gate, and that building is the headquarters for Caniton''s Dungeon Guild. Due to Caniton nearing a city in size with its almost five thousand residents, there are actually quite a few people in the Dungeon Guild''s headquarters when we arrive. Workers at the main counter, workers behind the bar for ordering food and drinks, and various adventurers here looking to head into the Dungeon or finishing up their business inside of it. It wouldn''t surprise me to find out that the Dungeon Guild also handles various forms of adventuring in the wilderness north of Caniton as well. "Hello, how can I help you?" The worker I approach greets me when it''s our turn at the counter. "Hello," I say. "My name''s Jamie and this is Adam. We''re both swordsmen looking for Party members to go into the Dungeon with us. If possible, we''d also like to hire someone to carry loot for us so that we don''t have to worry about it." "Fill out this form here," she reaches under the counter and pulls out a clipboard. "And we can post the notice up on the board. It may take some time to form the Party, please note on there when you''re planning on going in. Do know that a sooner run might not yield members." "Understandable," I say. "Let me come with you." "Fuck off." "Hey!" Caleb protests. "You didn''t even look at me! I''m a skilled martial artist who specializes in striking with magic! I can be of great help in this Dungeon!" "And how can we trust you to not ''accidentally'' hit Adam in the meantime?" I look at him. "So fuck off." "I swear on my honor as a member of the Titan''s Grasp that I will not bring harm to Adam while in the Dungeon!" Caleb thumps his right fist to his chest. "I don''t think I can trust anyone from a group that puts ''grasp'' in their name," I turn back and start filling out the form. "That just sounds like they don''t want to let go. Sort of like you and your quest to collect payment on that job you were hired for. Don''t think we didn''t notice you watching Adam the last few days. You were looking for an opportunity for when his guard was down." "How about¡­ I swear on my honor as an ex-boyfriend who got tossed six hundred yards that I want to run the Dungeon, too?" As I go to look at Caleb in confusion, I notice that Adam''s face is bright red. "I don''t care about your relationship status," I say. "I''m sure you got thrown because you were an annoying shit. Now leave me alone, I''m trying to fill out paperwork and you are not joining my Party." "Adam didn''t tell you?" Caleb asks as I return to filling out the paperwork. "Tell me what?" I ask. "That you tried to kill him when you first met?" "That wasn''t our first meeting," Caleb says. "I''m from near where Adam''s clan lived. He''s the ex." I glance at Adam, who mutters something about bad judgment. Several of the nearby beastkin snort at that. "So you did something to piss him off," I say. "He dumped you, threw you six hundred yards ¨C ignoring the logistics of that considering his Strength ¨C and now you decided to accept a job for killing him?" "First, he convinced a dragon to throw me," Caleb says. "Second, I woke up to find that he''d vacated the area completely. Third, I didn''t do anything to piss him off, he just decided he was done with me after his clan was wiped out. Fourth-" "Bullshit," Adam interrupts. "You told me that my clan getting wiped out was just a fact of war and that it was our fault for having someone so strong there! Then I realized that the only reason I was with you in the first place was because you were good at taking it in the ass! When I tried to break it off because of how annoying you were, you insisted that there was nothing wrong and we could stay together! And I didn''t convince the dragon to throw you, he decided to on his own because of how fucking annoying you are! All I did was vent to him about what a piece of shit you are!" "You also killed my dad!" "Your dad helped poison my clan! You''re lucky I stopped at just the ones who came after us rather than the entire village like my people normally do, or you''d also be-" "Boys! Put them back in the pants before I whip it out and show you both just how inferior you are!" The argument between them stops as the entire lobby goes quiet. "Adam," I say. "You need to tell me in the future if a bounty hunter coming after you is after your head because he''s pissed you killed his dad in retaliation for killing your family. Important information needs to be shared with the Party. Caleb, I''ve already stabbed you once, don''t make me follow up on the threat to actually kill you. From what I hear, your dad had it coming so putting the blame on Adam is absolutely inappropriate. Both of you, I''m only taking into the Dungeon with me people I can trust to behave themselves during the trip, so if I can''t trust that you''re going to work as a team with myself and whoever else is in there, then you don''t get to go! I need people who can keep a level head while fighting and exploring a place filled with monsters that we can''t leave until we reach a certain point. Am I clear?" The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Adam and Caleb reluctantly accept the scolding. "Thank you!" I turn back to the clerk. "Sorry about that. I feel like I''ve been dealing with a lot of over-sized children for the last week. The form asks for the type of party members I''m looking for. Is that referring to combatants, supporters, and loot-carriers?" "Yes," she answers. "And what specific types you''re looking for as well. Archers, mages, healers, defenders, close-range combatants¡­ even the more specific types can be specified. Make sure to note the general power range you''re looking for." Based on what I heard about the Dungeon, it doesn''t have any flying monsters. I''m only planning on the first Zone today as well, so people who can deal in brute force are better. Maybe one supporter, one person to carry the loot, and two or three other close-range physical fighters. "I can handle both carrying the loot and fighting at close range," a voice says, and I look over to find the man who''s been following Adam around approaching us. "I have a dimensional storage space that we can put the loot in. The space is quite large, so we can fit plenty in it." Accompanying the man is a younger man about our age, dressed similarly to the older man and resembling him a fair bit. Father and son, then? The son doesn''t have any weapons on him, though. "Finally decided to approach us, eh?" I ask. "It''s your companion who has my attention," he looks at Adam. "I want to see the abilities of this young man who''s looking for the dragon Avuldrax for myself. You can call me Fang and my son Claw. I fight with swords while Claw battles with martial arts. The first stage is child''s play to me, so we''ll act as backup when needed rather than as primary attackers. Do you think your sword will be enough in there?" "I can do martial arts as well," I say. "And not all of the monsters are made of stone, according to my research." Fang nods, then looks at Caleb. The snow leopardkin shrinks back a little under the man''s intense gaze. Then Fang looks at me once more. "If you take both into the Dungeon with us," Fang tells me. "I''m sure they''ll behave themselves. The snow leopardkin wouldn''t dare attempt to sabotage a Dungeon run by bickering with someone who returned less than eye for eye. That''s the sort of thing that would cause misfortune to befall him." Caleb gulps, then gives a reluctant nod. Something tells me that the wolfkin was delivering a very clear threat to him. "You cause the slightest issue with our run," I tell Caleb. "And I will personally see to your death." "Understood," Caleb responds. "Can we join?" A pair of women and a guy our age approach, all three of them brown-haired wolfkin, all three with bows; it was one of the women who spoke. "We''re archers who specialize in casting magical arrows, our attacks can damage the monsters to some degree. They''re good for tripping them up or causing distractions. We were looking for a Party for the first Zone." Going off of the quality of their gear, they''re all somewhat beginners as well. My instincts are telling me that we can accept them for the run as well. Those same instincts assure me that Fang and Claw can be trusted in there. "Alright," I say. "That makes eight out of fifteen slots, but I think this should be enough." "Then there''s room for three more, yes?" A voice asks. "Your Lordship!" The clerk exclaims, and I turn to face the speaker. The speaker is a white-haired wolfkin who looks to be in his late forties, a sword on his hip. Accompanying him is a woman and a man, both foxkin with hair just as snow-white as the wolfkin''s, both appearing to be in their late thirties. "Lordship?" I ask. "The duke of Caniton," Fang says. "Been a long time, Charles." "Hello, ''Fang''," the way Duke Caniton says that suggests that Fang isn''t his real name, which probably should have been obvious. "Been what, a century?" A century? If he only looks to be in his forties but is over a century in age, then he must have a high Vitality. While I didn''t look into ways that it could be increased, something tells me that both of these men are Rankers to have the Vitality needed to look as young as they do at their ages. "Didn''t think you''d be interested in a couple of boys like this," Fang says. "Hm¡­" The duke looks at Adam. "The demihuman dragon is interesting, using the token that was given to Asher three centuries ago. A direct descendant, from what I''ve assumed?" "My grandfather''s name is Asher," Adam says. "The token was his. He gave it to me right before he died." Fang snorts and Adam glares at him. "An amusing thought came to mind," Fang tells Adam. "Nothing to concern yourself with. So you wanted to see the abilities of Asher''s grandson for yourself?" "Actually," the duke looks at me. "He was only a small part of my interest. I was curious about the Summoned accompanying him. You are¡­ fascinating." He could tell I was a Summoned? I''m curious about how. "Fascinating in what sense?" I ask. "You''re not the first Summoned I''ve met in my time," the duke says. "But the aura you give off is¡­ unique. Even among the Summoned. Something tells me that the Skills you were given by the gods are leagues above the rest. I''d like to see your abilities for myself. If you don''t mind me and these two guards accompanying us. Much like Fang and Claw, we can stand in the back and let you all do the fighting, stepping in only if needed." In other words, he wants to test me. I don''t sense anything hostile coming from him, it does seem to be mostly curiosity that''s led him to approaching us. That doesn''t make me any less nervous about having several very obviously powerful people watching my Dungeon run. Though I''m not sure refusing is much of an option. Since I don''t sense anything hostile, though, I''m sure I can relax a little. "Alright," I nod, then turn to the clerk. "Looks like we don''t need the form after all. Sorry for wasting your time." "That''s fine," she says. "You can head back to the Dungeon once you''re ready, and we have rooms for Party members to get to know each other if you''d like to use one." "Thank you," I turn to the collection of people who are to join my Party. "Let''s use one of those, shall we? We can do some proper introductions in there." Somehow, we end up with another three people in our group by the time we make it to the meeting room; a grey-haired wolfkin man in his late forties and two golden-haired dogkin women in their late thirties. At this point, I''m just assuming any older person joining us is going to be someone important. The fact that this man was shown some respect by everyone we pass by and seems to be on a first-name basis with the duke seconds that. "Alright," I put a chair against the door. "There''s only one more slot in this Party and we''re not filling it up. I''ll get started on the introductions, but first, I want to be clear that based on what I know of this Dungeon, we could be in there for the entire day, possibly several days, just to complete the first Zone. Does everyone understand that and accept that they may not be returning home tonight?" Everyone acknowledges this fact and confirms that they accept it. "Alright," I say. "We''ll introduce ourselves, our fighting style, our role and goal in the Dungeon, and maybe a little bit else about ourselves. My name is Jamie, and I''m the head of the Fangs of Fire-" "I thought it was the Flaming Tail?" Adam asks. "I changed the name," I say. "Do I need to get a talking object? I thought we left that behind when we left Finlar and Finlum?" Several people snort when I mention the name of the villages. Something tells me they''ve had first-hand experience with those guys down there. "Now," I say. "Back to the introductions. My name is Jamie, and I''m the head of the Fangs of Fire. I''m also the one heading the Dungeon run, so it''s my Party anyone joining will be in. I primarily fight with a sword, though I also know martial arts and how to use a knife. While I don''t know any magic, that won''t hinder my fighting style. "As the duke here mentioned," I gesture to the duke. "I''m a Summoned. I was only brought here less than a month ago, so I''m still learning about this world. As no doubt everyone knows since we Summons aren''t an uncommon existence here on Tielmar, that means I have some pretty unique abilities. The important one is that my body is somewhat adaptable to the situation. I haven''t tested it out, but there''s an implication that I''ll be able to gain some Strength and Constitution as needed as long as the difference isn''t too high. I don''t want to have to test that out, however. In the Dungeon, I''ll be focusing on the more squishy monsters. My goal in the Dungeon is to get stronger and acquire some loot to bring back." I gesture for Adam to speak. "I''m Adam," Adam states. "I fight with a sword, martial arts, a knife, and some magic mixed in. For the Dungeon, I''ll probably mostly use martial arts against the opponents as they''re fairly resistant to blades. My goal with the Dungeon is to get a little bit stronger and grow my hoard of money. In an emergency, I''m able to temporarily cover myself in dragon scales that are as tough as authentic dragon scales, meaning my defense becomes significantly superior to what my Constitution would suggest when I activate that ability." That''s new to me, but I think Adam''s only stating it because he''s trying to let the others here know that he can make himself extremely tough if needed. I''m curious what the cost is for that, though. "Contrary to what that thing claims," Adam says. "I never dated it. I fucked it for a month and a half until it tried to defend its father assisting in the unwarranted slaughter of my clan just because we had someone powerful there and despite the fact that we stayed out of the conflicts with your kingdom." "My name''s Caleb," Caleb says once Adam finishes. "I''m a member of the mercenary group known as the Titan''s Grasp and am currently under contract for a job to hunt down and kill the demihuman dragon who came into our town and slaughtered forty-seven people." "Village," Adam says. "It''s had more than two thousand residents for ten years," Caleb states. "That makes it a town." "Glorified village." "I''m serious about getting a talking object," I say. "I primarily fight using magic martial arts," Caleb continues his introduction. "In other words, my focus isn''t on Strength but on Magic. I can do it with arcane force, the four base elements, the three primary afflictions, and holy." "Four base elements are fire, water, earth, and air, right?" I ask. "Yes," Caleb answers. "What are the primary afflictions?" "Poison, sleep, and stun," he answers. "Got it." "In the Dungeon, I''ll be assisting as a primary combatant utilizing my martial arts," Caleb says. "My goal in the Dungeon is to get stronger." "You may call me Fang," Fang says. "I fight using swords and in the Dungeon, I will provide backup assistance if necessary to those going in to get stronger. I will also utilize my dimensional storage to help bring back any loot acquired within. My goal in the Dungeon is to observe the grandson of Asher, the demihuman dragon who came to this town three centuries ago and slayed the dragon that was causing issues here as well as fixing other issues that were going on at the time." So that is what Adam''s grandfather did, huh? "You may call me Claw," Fang''s son introduces himself. "I fight using martial arts. In the Dungeon, I will provide backup assistance to the people who are here to actually run the Dungeon. Like my father, I''ll also utilize my dimensional storage to help bring back loot. My goal with the Dungeon is merely to help sate my curiosity about the grandson of Asher." "My name is Katie," one of the young women introduces herself. "I''m the head of the Raven''s Call Party, which consists of my boyfriend and girlfriend here in addition to myself. We used to have more members, but they abandoned us recently and we''re looking for a new group. We''ve never been in the Dungeon before and are hoping that this run can help us gain a few Levels and earn some extra coin. I''m an archer who primarily uses conjured arrows of arcane force and conjured arrows of compressed air. As a ranged fighter, I''ll provide backup to the close-combat fighters." "My name is Elise," the other young woman introduces herself. "I''m a member of the Raven''s Call Party and am Katie''s girlfriend. I''m an archer who primarily uses conjured arrows of fire or conjured arrows of water, though can also use conjured arrows of ice. My role in the Dungeon will be to provide ranged assistance to the close-combat fighters, usually with my [Ice Arrow] spell. My goal with the run is to get stronger and earn some loot." "My name is Chance," the young man introduces himself. "I''m a member of the Raven''s Call Party and am Katie''s boyfriend. I''m an archer who primarily uses conjured arrows of stone or conjured arrows of arcane force and will provide ranged assistance to the close-combat fighters in the Dungeon. My goal with today''s run is to get stronger and earn some loot." "My name is Charles," the duke introduces himself. "I''m the duke here of Caniton and the surrounding areas, but you can all call me by name for the purpose of the Dungeon run. I fight using a sword and will provide backup assistance to those actually attempting to run the Dungeon if needed. Much like Fang and Claw, I have a dimensional storage ring that I can help store loot with. My goal in the Dungeon is to observe the abilities of the Summoned and to observe the grandson of the dragon who provided a great assistance to the territory three centuries ago." "My name is Phillip," the foxkin man accompanying Charles introduces himself. "I am one Charles''s aides. My primary fighting style utilizes knives mixed with magic. Much like Charles, I am here to observe the Summoned and provide backup assistance to the primary group as needed." "I am Michelle," the foxkin woman accompany Charles introduces herself. "I am one of Charles''s aides and my primary fighting style involves magic. I will provide backup assistance to the primary group as needed and am here to assist in the observation of the demihuman dragon." "My name is Henry," the wolfkin man who joined us on the way here introduces himself. "I am the head of Caniton''s Dungeon Guild and am a magic martial artist, much like the mercenary here. I have a spatial storage ring we can store loot in as needed and will provide backup assistance to the primary group as needed. My goal with the Dungeon is to observe the grandson of Asher and the Summoned who came here. Mostly, I''m curious about the people who pulled Charles and ''Fang'' out of their hiding holes." So seeing those two men are a rare sight, then? Even with one being the duke? "I don''t hide," Charles adds. "I mostly manage the city without drawing attention to myself. It''s easier that way." "Sure," Henry snorts. "I am Tiffany," one of the dogkin women introduces herself. "Assistant Guildmaster of the Caniton Dungeon Guild. I am a magic martial artist and will provide backup assistance to the primary group as needed. I am here to provide assistance to Henry for the observations during the run." "I am Jennifer," the other dogkin woman introduces herself. "Another Assistant Guildmaster of the Caniton Dungeon Guild. My specialty is healing magics and I will provide healing as needed to those in the Party for the duration of this run. My goal is to assist Henry with his observations during the Dungeon run." "Alright," I say. "Now that introductions are out of the way, let''s go to the Dungeon. Last chance for anyone to back out if they''ve changed their mind on potentially not being home tonight." Sadly, no one does. While I''m grateful that we''re basically guaranteed to survive no matter what, I''m not sure I feel good knowing that eight of the fourteen people going into the Dungeon are here to observe two of us. There are more observers than there are people here to actually run the Dungeon. Please, whatever gods are out there, let this be a good run. Chapter 011 The Dungeon Gate is an archway made of dark green stone and it opens up into a stone hallway. It''s not a hallway made of stone bricks but of smooth, unbroken stone without any gaps or cracks save for the corners where the walls meet the floors. Without those or any roughness to the walls, it''s almost as if they were poured into molds. The hallway we''re in is about twenty feet wide and roughly fifty feet high at the peak of the arch, around forty in height at start of the curve. Green ivy grows up the walls here and there with their leaves glowing faintly, providing a small bit of light. More light is provided by moss that grows in patches on the ground. According to my research, we can harvest both to sell. Since it''s so abundant, however, it won''t sell for much. "Everyone here?" I ask once the full Party has entered the Dungeon. "Good. Now, some of you have probably been here numerous times, some of you have probably researched the Dungeon beforehand, and some of you have probably not the slightest clue about the contents of this Dungeon." I send a look at Adam and Caleb when I say that. Both of them at least have the dignity to look a little sheepish at being called out on not doing any research about a Dungeon before agreeing to enter it. "So I want to make sure we''re all on the same page," I say. "And that means covering what is known about the section we''re running today. Please add anything that may be necessary about the first Zone of this Dungeon as needed." This is something we should have done before coming into here but I didn''t think about it until we were entering the Dungeon and it was too late to turn back by that point. I''ve made a mental note to remember this for future Dungeon runs when I head into a new Dungeon with unknown members. "According to my research," I say. "This Dungeon has three Zones to it with the first being a stone maze. The primary monsters in here are goblins and stone statues. There''s no one route to the end of this Zone, with multiple possible Boss Rooms. Also, the Dungeon itself can''t be mapped out as its path changes for every run." "Not quite true," Charles says. "Though most aren''t aware of it because they just assume it''s fully different every time and don''t investigate further. There''s a ''base'' layout that''s known and it''s believed that the Dungeon''s actual ''maze'' is much simpler, but it adds in walls to create dead-ends or forced paths." "I have a map of that here," a large scroll appears in Henry''s hands. "Even if we don''t know what the exact routes we can take are, it can be useful to know the main layout." Henry unrolls the map and spreads it out on the ground, and we all gather around the ten-foot-wide square parchment. This is actually a map of the first two Zones, as the Dungeon''s layout is the stone labyrinth surrounding a hedge labyrinth, at the heart of which is a tower. If the Dungeon didn''t create walls to change the routes, we''d have an easy time reaching the nearest Boss Room, only needing to take four turns and spend maybe twenty minutes walking at the most. Instead, it may be easier for us to reach the Boss Room on the opposite side of the tower from here, which could take us a day or more depending on how many paths the Dungeon cut off. Which is why pinning down an amount of time for how long this Dungeon will take is pretty much impossible. Apparently, a Dungeon shifting routes for each run isn''t even an uncommon occurrence and more than half of all Dungeons in the world do it. "When it comes to the monsters," I say. "The stone statues are humanoid sculptures of stone; masculine, nude. Early on, they have around 25-30 Constitution but are resistant to piercing so force will be required. Adam and I will fight those here early into the Dungeon. Katie, Elise, and Chance will provide backup with their arrows as necessary. The arrows likely won''t do any piercing work, but they should be able to blast some small craters into the statues from the impact." The archers confirm they''ll do their best. "We each only have around 25 Magic, though," Katie informs me. "So unless we fight quite a lot of statues early on, we won''t be able to provide much assistance with them further into the Dungeon." "That''s fine," I say. "Depending on how much Experience I gain, I''ll have to stop soon after we leave the early stages of this Zone. Adam will continue fighting the stone statues after I''m no longer able to if he''s still capable of it, and Caleb will start once they get more on his level. That way, Adam and I can get some more Experience and Caleb doesn''t affect the amount we gain, then he gains some on his own. "Regarding loot from them," I continue. "Based on my research, there''s not much worth looting from the stone statues in Zone 1 unless their stone dick is erect instead of flaccid. The odds of us running into that are low, however. "With goblins," I say. "The early ones have around 20 Constitution, allowing for the weaker Party members such as myself to fight them more easily. Adam and Caleb will keep a step back early on, allowing me to get some experience for [Swordsman] and the archers to work on getting a little Experience as well. Once we transition to the point where the monsters are more on their level, then Adam and Caleb will join in. The only thing worth looting from those is anything special they might be carrying on them, such as a ring or a necklace. Basic gear isn''t worth keeping. Everyone clear on their rolls here?" Everyone confirms that, so I point to a few spots on the map that Henry has spread out on the ground. "Here, here, and here," I say. "Are chambers marked as safe zones. I''m assuming that means that monsters don''t appear in there and won''t enter it. Is that correct?" "It is," Henry responds. "Okay," I say. "Those seem like the most likely spots for us to end up in first, but if we''re unlucky, it may be here or here. Regardless of which it is, we''ll take small breaks as needed to rest up and recover, and a larger break once we reach one of those chambers. Does anyone have anything else to add?" "One common thing for a Party taking this more seriously," Henry says. "Instead of just running it with basic information, is to make their own map of the Dungeon, marking the routes that exist. We can use this map to note down where the paths end. This will allow us to keep track of where we have already been as well, for if we come across an area again or need to turn back. I''ve brought some ink so that we mark them when we come to them." "Alright," I say. "Then let''s do that. Thank you for providing the map, ink, and marking tool, Henry. In the chaos of everyone joining me, I forgot to ask the clerk about buying some paper and something to write with so I could make my own map. You just saved us some money and trouble." The archers thank Henry as well, and his expression tells me that he had planned on attempting to charge us for their use as if buying them from the guild. Fortunately, I beat him to the price and it looks like his assistants are amused by that. "In addition," Charles says. "This Dungeon upgraded recently, which means there are some unknowns to it. We haven''t had a chance to fully explore the new version yet as it means getting a Party strong enough and willing enough to scout it out. The layout for Zone 1 should largely be the same as before, but don''t be surprised if the base path is actually a little different." "The Dungeon upgraded?" I ask, which seems to be news to most. "Yes," Charles answers. "On occasion, a Dungeon will upgrade when a Summoned is nearby. It''s more likely to happen in the Summoned''s first six months on Tielmar. The upgrades can include things like new features, new areas, changed routes, stronger monsters, and a puzzle only the Summoned can solve. Where that puzzle is located remains an unknown until someone reaches it. So we may not reach it with this run, as we''re only doing the first Zone. However, if it is in the first Zone, then we''ll encounter it as a guarantee ¨C the puzzle is always on the route of the Summoned''s first time in that Zone." That has me a little curious. "What''s the purpose of the puzzle?" I ask. "Do you know? Is it to test to see our skills?" "Hm¡­" Charles thinks. "What''s known is that it usually provides some sort of reward to the Summoned, something that can help them out greatly during their journey in our world. A powerful weapon, a miracle cure, a pouch of infinite money, a spatial storage ring superior to any that mankind can make, and indestructible armor are just some of the possibilities. One Summoned I met back when I was not yet a teen received an egg from the puzzle. From that egg hatched a spirit beast stronger than any summoner could call." "They usually only receive one or two powerful things from the upgraded Dungeons," Henry adds. "But can receive more normal stuff, such as food, clothes, or more basic gear. Once they''ve either completed the puzzle or left the area, the puzzle shifts to one that can be completed by others. Said shifted puzzles usually have more normal rewards for them." "I see," I say. "Also," Henry adds. "This upgrade is how stronger Dungeons come to be, so don''t be put off by it and try to avoid towns for your first six months. It can also happen after that, just less commonly." "How stronger Dungeons come to be?" I ask. "You mean that Dungeons don''t appear already powerful?" "Correct," Henry answers. "Dungeons start off ridiculously easy when they first appear. Only when they receive an upgrade from the presence of a Summoned do they grow more difficult. This Dungeon upgrading was how we knew that there was a Summoned in the area." "I see," I say. "It won''t cause problems, will it?" I ask. "No," he answers. "The upgrades aren''t usually too severe, so people who were running it regularly can still run it again, they just might need to be a little more cautious. If they were on the boundary of being able to handle the Zone they''re running and needing to stick to the previous Zone, then they may need to do a few more runs of the previous Zone before they can handle where they used to." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Okay," I say, then address the group. "If there''s nothing else to add, then we should get started with our run." No one has anything else to add, so we begin walking down the tunnel. I assign Henry to making sure the map is up-to-date so that us fighters can focus more on combat instead. Only a couple of minutes pass before we come across our first enemy. Just as I''d heard during my research, the stone statue is about 5''9" in height, lean and muscular, with male features and no weapons. Adam and I charge forward with Adam choosing to fight the statue head-on while I slip past its attempt at punching me to get behind it and deliver a kick to its back. The grunts Adam lets out while blocking attacks lets me know that the statue''s strikes are rather heavy, which I somewhat expected, anyway. Since the demihuman dragon has 8 Constitution more than me, it''s better if I avoid being struck at all. Which isn''t as easy as it sounds as the statue tries to focus on attacking both of us. Me after I deliver a couple of attacks to its back, and Adam when he delivers a couple of strikes to it. The statue attempts to barrel past me so that it can face both of us together, only for a transparent arrow of shimmering blue force to strike it in the back of the right calf, bits of stone breaking off from the force. Then the statue tries to rush past Adam to attack Katie and Adam kicks out a leg to trip it as I kick at the back of its right knee. Arrows of force, ice, and stone slam into the front of the statue, breaking off more pieces as it starts to drop to the ground. Without hesitation, Adam delivers a roundhouse kick to the back of the statue''s neck, slamming its head to the ground. As it tries to stand back up, I deliver a dropkick to its head to give Adam an opening to shift positions. He takes advantage of it to drop down onto the statue and wrestle the monster into a lock with its head facing the archers. The archers send three arrows at it each, their attacks striking into the statue''s face in a pretty tight cluster.
+3.62% [Martial Artist] Experience!
"That was fun," I say as Adam releases the statue. "Those arrows were too close for comfort." "They proved their aim is good," I say. "And you and I weren''t going to kill it unless we managed to break off its head. The best we can do at the moment is keep it focused on us while the archers attack." "I could break its neck," Caleb says. "Punch its head right off." "Probably," I say. "But it''s better if Adam and I fight the early ones so we can at least get some Experience in. I can barely do anything to them at the moment as I''m much too weak, but I can still at least do some damage. Let me get some Experience, yeah? And Adam is able to at least crack the statue a little with his strikes." "How much Strength do yo have?" Charles asks. "I only have 18 Strength," I admit. "So I''m a bit on the weak side here." "You didn''t even ask the archers for their own Statuses before coming in," Caleb says. "Did you know that it''s standard for a Party''s leader to ask to see that? What if they weren''t strong enough to support us? And you''re not even strong enough to damage the statues!" "I don''t need to be strong enough to damage them," I say. "Just quick enough to help trip it up. And my faith in the guidance of the gods is stronger than your level of intelligence. Let''s get a move on." Caleb tries to ask what I meant, but I ignore him in favor of continuing through the Dungeon. The statues are fought with the same strategy as we battled the first one, with Adam doing his best to keep their attention on him, me doing my best to trip it up and pull its attention off of Adam temporarily, and the archers doing the actual damage with their conjured arrows. They do need to fire them from bows and can only shoot one at a time, so there are some limitations there. We also sometimes need to rest so that they can recover their Mana as creating arrows using magic does require Mana. Goblins are relatively easy to fight as well. They''re about four feet in height with green skin, bulbous noses, rounded stomachs, and disproportionately skinny limbs. Their ears are bat-like, their eyes are brown, and their nails are black. Some wield clubs, others wield rusty short swords, and a few even have shields or wield bows or magic instead. The close-range goblins are fought by me and then me and Adam while the ranged ones are handled by the archers. On occasion, we come across some mushrooms, an ore stone, a bush, a cluster of flowers, or some such thing in here. All of it goes into one of the dimensional storage spaces held by the support members of the Party. We also stop in two safe rooms, eating lunch the first time and dinner the second time. "I''m so glad we didn''t have to spend another day running this maze," Caleb complains as we examine the Boss Chamber we''ve come across. "The air in here just isn''t fresh enough. I hate cave-slash-tunnel-slash-hallway Dungeons. They''re so stuffy." Judging by the looks of everyone else, they all agree. I guess my human senses aren''t enough to get frustrated by the air in here. It seems perfectly fine to me. "I don''t know what you''re talking about," I tell Caleb. "I found today''s run quite pleasant and wouldn''t have minded another day fighting monsters. With luck, I''d have managed to gain another Level or two before reaching a Boss Chamber if it took another day." "You know what?" Caleb asks. "Shut up, Mr. I-Gained-Seven-Levels." "I never said I gained any Levels," I say. "And didn''t you gain some, too?" "Well, yeah," Caleb says. "But only because my physical combat abilities were low enough that I could contribute without using my magic! Using my magic martial arts just made everything in here too easy! And it was obvious when you gained Levels because you were suddenly just a little bit stronger in the fights! You do know that every point of increase to an Attribute is a bigger gain than the one from the last point, right?" I did know that. Going from 10 Strength to 11 Strength is a smaller increase than going from 11 Strength to 12 Strength, but a bigger increase when going from 9 Strength to 10 Strength. It''s one of the reasons why each Level takes a bit more to earn and why we gain less Experience the easier a fight is ¨C to prevent us from just rapidly growing stronger. Not that it''s too much of an issue for me, as someone with [Unlimited Potential]. If I''m fighting monsters with the intent to get stronger and they''re already fairly strong compared to me so I need to grow stronger, the Experience gains I receive are boosted twice. "What''s the plan for the Boss Room?" Katie asks. I look into the Boss Room again. It''s a large chamber with a fifty-foot-tall ceiling, but only a single, seven-foot-tall and three-foot-wide archway allows access to it. The room is around two hundred feet in width. Glowing ivy on the walls and glowing moss on the floor provide the light for the chamber, just as they have for the halls. Some hedges grow against the back wall, with flowers and ivy glowing on them. A dark green stone archway on the hedges will no doubt provide access to the next Zone after the monsters here are slain. Standing in the center of the chamber are five stone statues, with thirty sword-wielding goblins, five goblin archers, and five goblin mages milling about as well. Each goblin swordsmen carries a shield in addition to their weapon "Only adding this because I know you''re new to this world, Jamie," Henry says. "And that you archers may not be aware of it, but you don''t gain Experience in a Boss Room within a Dungeon until all of the monsters of the fight are defeated. The gains for it are based on the difficulty of the entire fight rather than the difficulty of that specific kill." "So there''s no chance of us gaining a Level mid-fight to help us out a little," I say, and he nods. "Alright. Adam, Caleb, you two focus on the statues. I''ll focus on fighting goblins, but you two should fight any that you need to. Katie, Elise, and Chance, you three focus on taking down the ranged goblins first. As needed, shoot at any goblins that may get in an attack on us." "I can provide assistance here," Claw steps forward. "I only have 40 Strength." This is only the second time I''ve heard him speak, the first time being when he introduced himself. Him talking actually startled me for a moment. "Really?" I ask. "Thought you were stronger than that." "No," Claw answers. "I have a decent Level, but only 40 Strength. My Magic is even higher, though, so had I attempted to assist before now, I would have simply been able to overwhelm the targets much like Caleb utilizing magic martial arts. The statues should be beyond your ability to handle while the goblins are within your might. I can provide assistance to Adam and Caleb in taking on the statues. Five-on-three will be a better fight than five-on-two." "Alright," I say. "Then you''ll help Adam and Caleb. And everyone, please remember that since we won''t get an Experience notification until the battle itself is over, make sure that the monster is dead before turning away from it. Everyone ready?" "Ready!" The other fighters call out. "Then let''s go!" I draw my sword and charge into the chamber, Adam, Caleb, and Claw doing the same while the archers step inside and begin to spread out so that they can shoot from different directions. Since those going after the statues are rushing straight for them, I head off to the left and meet one of the goblins there, our swords clashing when we reach each other. It tries to bash me with its shield, but I step back and wait for the movement to finish. As with the other shield-bearing goblins we''ve fought so far, it moves its shield arm to the side for a moment while its sword arm remains held to the other side. There''s always a small opening with these goblins after the shield bash attack, and I take advantage of that to run my sword through its chest. The goblin grunts in surprise and pain, then I pull out my sword. Even though the beast drops to the ground, I make sure to cut off its head before turning and blocking the sword strike from another goblin. Our swords clang against each other and bounce back, then I perform a kick to the beast''s chest before ramming my sword into it. This time, I make sure to slash its throat it even as it falls to maximize my time reacting to another goblin. The new goblin manages to block two of my attacks with its sword and my attempt at stabbing it through the chest with its shield. I respond by shoulder-slamming its shield as I draw my knife with my left hand, then I ram my knife into the goblin''s face. The battle continues on, with an occasional goblin near me getting taken out by an arrow when I''m facing down too many for me to handle at once. For the most part, however, I face the goblins without any assistance. After the last of the goblins are killed, I wait the extra minute for Adam, Caleb, and Claw to take out the final statue, the archers providing some light assistance in the meantime. Me joining in wouldn''t make the outcome of that fight any different since the statues are a tad too durable for my attacks to affect.
+78.94% [Swordsman] Experience!
+58.93% [Martial Artist] Experience!
+62.18% [Knifeman] Experience!
You are now a Level 6 [Swordsman]. Attributes have been increased.
You are now a Level 5 [Martial Artist]. Attributes have been increase.
You are now a Level 6 [Knifeman]. Attributes have been increased.
You have cleared the Zone! You may now exit the Dungeon or advance to the next Zone.
"Whew!" I plop myself onto the ground. "That was¡­ a fight." "A pretty good one," Adam confirms as he and the other combatants for this run approach, each of them taking a seat to rest as well. "It''s been awhile since I had a fight that tough." "Same here!" Caleb''s tail moves about happily. "Though I think we could all use some more salve for our fists, mine are scraped to hell and back." "It was a good battle," Claw nods. "Though a few spots got a bit sketchy," Katie says. "We almost didn''t get some of those goblins in time, Jamie." "Yeah," I nod. "Thanks for taking them out. You three are good shots. Your former Party mates were idiots to lose you." "Things are as they are," she says, and Elise and Chance agree with her. "Give us a minute to rest," I tell the support members. "We need a breather before looting. What looting might be possible, anyway." "We''ll check over the monsters," Fang says. "You kids rest." Chapter 012 After we rest for a few minutes and the others have finished looting what can be looted, the entire Party gathers together. "The plan was to leave here after finishing this Zone," Charles says. "And if you run it again, you all will likely gain another Level or two into some of your Classes. If that''s what you all do, I would suggest waiting at least one to two days before the next run in order to allow yourselves time to recover." "That was the plan," I nod. "However," he says. "The second Zone isn''t much different from this zone. The walls are hedge instead of stone and allow for light to come in from above, and the monsters are about as tough as the ones in this chamber were for the earlier parts. The difficulty scales a little faster due to it being a smaller area than this one, however." "You''re suggesting we continue?" I ask. "Merely presenting the option," Charles says. "It would be a good opportunity for you kids to see just what your limits are, with us here to jump in if needed. In addition to hedge walls instead of stone, the ground is made of soil and grass, there is an occasional tree in the path, and there are snakes and birds of prey as monsters. There is also an occasional stream and some of the rooms have springs or ponds, a few even having a light waterfall." "No, thanks," I hold up a hand. "I''m not quite built for a deeper run yet, so I''d like to have a couple of days of rest first. What I want right now is an even better meal than the stuff you guys brought in ¨C thanks for that, by the way. I''d forgotten that I''d probably need it ¨C and a decent amount of sleep. But if you want to rejoin me in my run three days from now, be my guest. I may do a deeper run in that one depending on how the run through this Zone goes for it. As we are now, running the second Zone would no doubt result in us needing bailed out for certain." The rest of us combatants agree on this, then we all leave. Our loot is pulled out of the dimensional storage spaces and sold at the guild, then the archers ask if they can rejoin me for the run in a few days. "Sure," I answer. "Be here at seven sharp that morning." "We will, thanks," Katie says, then leaves with her harem. "What about me?" Caleb asks, his tail moving around a fair bit. "You proved you can behave yourself," I say. "Which was honestly impressive considering how you have been. Keep it up, and you can rejoin us." "Awesome!" "Now get lost," I tell him before looking at Adam. "I was thinking that we could stop renting separate rooms and stay together now." "Sharing a room instead of separate ones would be cheaper," he nods. "Yeah," I say. "And if we''re having sex, then there''s no need to get two beds as there would be no point in sleeping in separate ones after." "Yes," Adam nods. "That makes-wait. Sex?" "You do want some, right?" I start to leave. "Yeah," he follows after me, his tail thumping the ground a bit in his excitement. "I just thought you were going to take longer, since you seemed hesitant because of my dragon side." "I was waiting until you finished dealing with your hunt for information about the dragon," I tell him. "And for us to get rid of Caleb." "I''m still here! Can I join in?" "The only knife I''m putting in you is the same one I''ve already put in you," I tell him. "And the hole that will form is in your heart." "There''s already a hole in my heart." "I can make it a literal hole," I tell him. "While you behaved yourself in the Dungeon, you''ve been an absolute ass the rest of the time. I don''t sleep with jackasses." "Then why are you sleeping with Adam?" "Killing the people who slaughtered his clan isn''t an asshole move," I say. "Especially when they did it unprovoked. Now fuck off before you meet the God of Death." Caleb opens his mouth to say something, but my glare shuts him up and he leaves. "Thanks," Adam says. "I don''t know why I ever thought fucking him was a good idea." "We all make bad decisions from time to time." Adam shrugs. When we reach the inn we''re staying at, I cancel his room reservation since he''ll be staying in mine now, then I turn around and face Fang, Claw, Charles, and Henry, all of whom followed us here and who are drawing attention from those around us. At least their attendants are gone. "Is there something I can help y''all with?" I ask. "We''re wanting to do something rather private. Something which doesn''t involve a bunch of old men. We ain''t into you." "I was wanting to speak with Adam in private," Fang states. "It''s regarding his hunt for Avuldrax." "Jamie can hear whatever it is," Adam states. "He''s been a part of this journey for awhile now." "Henry and I knew Asher," Charles says. "We''d like to talk with you in private about the incident, if possible." "They can be present for my discussion," Fang tells Adam. "Okay," Adam looks at me. "The rooms are big enough for the six of us, right?" "Yes," I nod. "Come on, we can use my room." We head up to the room I''m renting, which has an open space on one side of the large bed, a narrow gap on the other side of the bed before the wall begins. Another door in here leads to the cleaning room, with another for the toilet room. Between those two doors is a desk, and a clothes chest rests at the foot of the bed. As night has already fallen, I turn on some of the lights in here, the crystals activated by twisting a small knob on their lamps. Just in case, I also draw the curtains closed, then sit on the edge of my bed. My pack rests against the wall beneath one of the windows, the only real sign that someone is occupying this room. "What did you want to talk about?" Adam asks. "Can I see the object your grandfather asked you to deliver to the dragon?" Fang asks. "Why?" Adam asks. "I know where the dragon can be found," Fang answers. "Whether or not I tell you depends on what the object is." "You know where Avuldrax is?" "Yes." Adam thinks for a few moments, then reaches into his coin pouch for a few moments. Apparently unable to find what he''s look for, he pulls it off and dumps out the contents onto the desk. I think we''re all a bit shocked by the fact that he doesn''t just have copper and silver coins in there, but also gold, platinum, mithril, and adamant coins as well. This guy really is stingy if he''s carrying around that much money but doesn''t want to spend more than ten copper on a room for the night. One of the items stored in that pouch was the token used to earn entry into town, and another is a small, crystal-like orb about half an inch in diameter. It''s primarily dark grey with some light grey accents to it. "Here it is," Adam grabs the orb as I find myself surprised that I can''t pull up information on it through the System even though Adam already warned me about it. "This is the object he wanted me to deliver to Avuldrax." "And you stored it in your damn coin pouch! How unceremonious of you!" Everyone jumps at the voice that comes out of the orb. Adam was so startled by the voice that he accidentally throw-drops the orb¡­ Which doesn''t hit the ground. Mid-flight, the orb suddenly bursts into a grey mist that swirls around, soon taking on the form of a man who resembles Adam quite a lot. He has pitch-black hair, orange eyes, black scales on his jaw, neck, and shoulders as well as in a stripe that goes from a little below his pits to about halfway down the sides of his upper legs. He''s 5''9" and just as slender and toned as Adam is, his tail moving around a little as he glares at Adam. At a guess, I''d say he''s only a few years older than me, but I''ve recently learned that some people are much older than they appear. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He''s also butt-naked, probably because his body just formed and I doubt there were clothes stored with him. "G-Grandpa?" Adam asks in shock. "Jeez!" The man who is apparently Adam''s grandfather exclaims. "I asked you to deliver a very important object to an ancient dragon, and you just toss it in with your hoard as if it''s nothing special!" "It was the safest place I knew," Adam mutters, then shakes his head. "W-what? How are you alive? What was that?" "An old trick I learned a long time ago," the twunk-looking grandpa waves a hand dismissively. "It allows me to contain my essence as I recover from damage, then come back just as strong as before. I learned it by observing the resurrections phoenixes did. While I''d recovered after only two months, I wanted to wait until you found Avuldrax to reveal the truth. I was quite surprised to find it only took you three months." So the slaughter occurred only three months ago? Adam must have a rather decent strength of mind to be able to stay composed as well as he has in the time I''ve known him. His reaction to Reynold really suggested that he was close to his grandfather, so I know that he was devastated by the loss. "Wait, but I haven''t found him yet," Adam says. "You did," I say. "No," Adam says. "Fang hasn''t told me yet, and-" "Fang is Avuldrax," I look at the black-haired wolfkin swordsman. "Aren''t you? You can change your form. I thought something was off about you at the start and you hiding your name only made you more suspicious. Then you happened to know the location of a dragon that no one else did? Black hair and orange eyes, just like traits common to the members of Adam''s demihuman dragon clan? You''re Avuldrax." "I am," Fang ¨C Avuldrax ¨C confirms, then indicates his son. "And this is my son, Avormahk. I decided to raise him in this town so that he could learn about people in a more reasonable fashion than simply being taught. I could smell Asher on Adam, but was fairly confused by that until he mentioned having an orb to deliver to me. You told me you''d studied phoenixes for awhile, but I didn''t realize you''d actually figured out their trick." "Everyone needs something to keep an advantage," Asher smiles at him. "Long time no see, Avuldrax, Charles, Henry. It''s been what, three centuries since I was last here? And I can see that you two haven''t managed to reach your third Rank-Up yet." "Unlike you," Charles says. "We''re satisfied with how powerful we are. There''s little need to even do the first Rank Advancement Trial, much less the second one." "Which means that I still win," Asher grins at him. "And from what I''ve heard, neither of you have a dragon''s death under your belt, either." "Only a maniac would go after a dragon," Avuldrax rolls his eyes. "Watch it," Asher winks at him. "I''ve already killed one centuries-old dragon, who''s to say I won''t go after another?" "You only killed him because he was causing problems," Avuldrax snorts. "If he hadn''t been-" "Person who''s actually renting the room here," I interrupt. "Lovely little banter going on, but I kind of want to get cleaned up and do some stuff before bed. So unless there''s a discussion that''s going to involve me, please skedaddle." "What about me?" Adam asks. "You can skedaddle, too," I tell him. "Since I know you probably want to talk with your grandfather a bit considering he let you think he was dead for three months. You have a key, so you can come on in once you''re done." Adam stares at his grandfather for several moments. "Sex is more important," Adam says. "Shoo." Asher bursts into laughter at Adam''s comment, then borrows a pair of boots and a pair of pants from Fang''s storage before they all leave. Claw, or Avormahk, looks like he wants to stay behind with us but ultimately leaves with his father. "Finally," I say as Adam starts shoving his hoard back into his coin pouch. "Just us." "How were you able to pinpoint that he was in this area?" I ask Adam. "Avuldrax?" Adam asks. "Yeah." "Every mountainous area usually has at least one dragon," he answers. "Some keep themselves hidden, but people still usually know who they are and where they live in order to avoid pissing them off. No one knew of a dragon in this area, though there were some small signs that people of draconic types would know meant there was one here. Since Grandpa had been here in the past and was apparently on good terms with this dragon, and no dragon seemed to have been here in three centuries¡­ I kind of figured he''d moved in and was hiding. I just didn''t expect him to have taken on the form of a person. I mean, I know that full-blooded dragons can shift like that, but it''s not something they usually do so I hadn''t thought about it." "So you can''t shift between this and dragon form?" "I''ll be able to after Ranking Up," he nods. "But the dragon form will consume Mana for me to stay in. I think it burns all of my current Mana and the amount of time it lasts is based on that." "I see," I start undressing. "Well, I''m going to go get cleaned up." "Me, too," Adam ties his pouch shut and sets it down. Though his face is rather stoic, his tail''s taps against the floor tell me enough about how excited he is. I hold back the snort that wants to come out at that, instead going to the cleaning room once I''m undressed. There''s a waterfall shower straight ahead with a large tub on the right-hand side, half of the room sectioned off by a low wall with a space big enough for several people to bathe in. Adam and I scrub ourselves clean in the shower and dry off, then head to my bed. "Now," I say. "I know you topped Caleb," I say. "But you''ve indicated before that you''re versatile?" "Yeah," Adam nods. "And I won''t expect you to do both, you don''t seem like you''d bottom." "I don''t like it," I confirm. "Do you want to get straight to the ass-pounding or some foreplay first?" "Do you have lube?" "Right," I open up my pack and pull out a ceramic bottle from within. "Here we go. Real quick, do you need some loosening up? I know I''m a bit on the massive side and it''s okay if you''re not comfortable with taking it at all." Adam isn''t small, either, with an uncut dick that''s 8" long and about 2.1" thick. That''s still small compared to my own uncut dick, at 8.5" long and about 2.2" thick. Most of the guys I''ve gotten with backed out once they realized that the pictures were real or that I wasn''t exaggerating when I was warning them about my size. "I''d actually prefer it if you slammed it in and thrust hard and fast," Adam tells me. "Taking a thick one rough is the way I want it." "Alright," I lube up my dick using the gel from the jar, then Adam lifts up his legs. "Let me know if you want me to stop." Adam nods, and I start pushing the head of my dick into his ass. He moans a little as I start to penetrate him. I move his legs so that they''re stretching past my sides, then I hold onto him before thrusting in hard and fast, just as he requested. Adam lets out a loud and pleasured moan as he grabs the blankets, his head tilting back some. The feeling of his tight ass squeezing my thick dick is intense and I''m glad I knew to add a bit of extra lube. I begin thrusting hard and fast in Adam''s ass, a soft ''ha'' escaping me with every thrust while Adam lets out a loud moan with every pull back and a loud grunt with every thrust forward. Having not had sex in a month despite being horny as fuck, it doesn''t take me too long to start blasting my load into Adam''s ass. Still horny after my climax, I bend over a little and put my hands on Adam''s chest as I start thrusting again, this time a little more slowly. Adam grabs my wrists this time, his moans a little more constant now. The expression he''s making and sounds he''s letting out thrill me a little and I start thrusting hard while pulling out slowly. That causes Adam to grunt with every thrust and he moves his hands to my sides for this. After I unload in his ass again, I pull my dick out of him, then jack him off a little while taking the head of his dick into my mouth and using some suction to make it a little bit tighter. Adam moans with a closed mouth as he puts a hand on my head, clearly happy with this treatment. After all of the stimulation I gave him in the ass, it doesn''t take Adam more than a couple of minutes to start shooting his load. It''s hot and salty and there are ten thick blasts of it, and I swallow it all before squeezing his dick and pulling up a few times to get the last little bit out. "How was it?" I ask Adam after lying beside him. "Awesome," he turns onto his side to snuggle up against me. "Can we do that every night?" "If we''re in the mood for it," I snort. "So it wasn''t too much for you? How thick I am, I mean? "No," he answers. "I liked it a lot. You weren''t too much." "Good," I slide an arm under him to rub his back. "Because I liked it a lot, too, and would love to do it again with you. Just not right now, I really am exhausted from the Dungeon run." "Same here," Adam yawns a little. "Also a little hungry still. We forgot to get something to eat before coming back here." "Yeah," I say. "But I''m a bit too tired to leave, so I guess we''ll just have a bigger breakfast in the morning." "Yeah," Adam agrees. "By the way, Jamie?" "Yes?" "Since we''re sharing a bed and having sex now," he says. "You can wake me up any way you want. I actually like getting woken up with a thick dick pounding my ass." "Alright," I snort. "I''ll keep that in mind if I wake up before you." "Thanks," Adam mumbles, nodding off only moments later. It takes me a little bit longer to fall asleep, and as I do, I think about some things here. Adam''s delivered retribution for the death of his clan and found out that his grandfather was still alive. I got observed by two different powerful men for being a Summoned and I''m not entirely sure what their opinions are of me. Something tells me that they''ll want to join us for the run in three days, too, as they seemed interested in watching me run the second Zone of the Dungeon. Then there''s the pair of dragons pretending to be wolfkin here and Adam''s own grandfather. They''re all a bit of a mystery to me, but I get the feeling that they''re okay. Caleb seems intent on staying around us because he''s pissed about Adam killing his father in retaliation. My time in this world is definitely interesting, but there have been a few curious events that make me wonder what the deal is with the summoning of people from other worlds. I did some research these last few days and while pretty much everyone knows that people are summoned to here, no one knows why. None of the people summoned ever mention being given a grand plan or a goal to follow, they''re just left to their own devices. Eventually, the Summoned fade from notice, no one able to give me a clear answer of what happens to them after awhile. The gods themselves usually don''t interact with us either, which makes my arrival extremely unusual. Back in Ratton, one of the gods smote several people after I mentioned the gods paying the town what''s due, or whatever my wording back then was. Then in the twin villages, I''m fairly certain that the jumping fish were a sign from the gods for them to listen to me ¨C and that one of the gods deliberately sent the massive whisperwater gill there. Someone is bound to start getting curious soon, and I hope I can figure things out before then. For now, though, I''m going to focus on what I want to do: which is just hang out with attractive guys, explore Dungeons and towns and areas that pique my interest, and really, figure out what it is I want to do here on Tielmar. My current goal is to find the puzzle in the Dungeon to see what reward awaits me there. After that, I''ll probably move on from here unless something else piques my interest. Adam will probably stay behind since his own quest is complete, maybe even return to his homeland. While I''m interested in him, I''m not that interested in him, so I won''t have an issue leaving him behind. I hope whoever I travel with next will be as interesting as he is. "Whatever happens will happen," I mutter as I lean my head against Adam''s. "Goodnight." Chapter 013 "You''re not hanging out with your grandpa today?" I ask Adam, a little surprised that he''s leaving with me. Adam''s spent most of the last two days hanging out with his grandfather doing¡­ I don''t really know what, I wasn''t hanging out with them. All I really know is that Adam was exhausted when he returned to the inn both of the last two nights and he slept like a log. Most likely, his grandfather was pushing him in some training. I know he had a few comments about Adam being sloppy in the various Dungeons he''s run. How Asher could actually perceive things going on around him and even outside of the pouch he was in while in soul form like that, I''m not sure I want to ask. There''s also the question of how he was able to go into Dungeons with Adam despite not being a part of the Party entering it. "No," Adam answers. "Taking a break from training to allow my body to rest before we enter the Dungeon again tomorrow." "Ah." "What are we doing today?" "You''re going with me and you don''t even know what I was planning?" "Yes." I roll my eyes. "Shopping." "Why?" "To get some new gear," I answer. "The run we start tomorrow may end up going into the hedge maze portion of the Dungeon. I want some better gear for that, as well as additional supplies. I''ve been assured that only actual combatants will participate this time." "What does that mean?" Adam asks. "It means we''re not going to have a bunch of observers," I tell him. "Just the people who are there to run the Dungeon." Convincing them to let it be just my actual Party was rather easy. I found that telling them I''ll simply leave and go somewhere I''m not going to have a bunch of over-powered deadweights taking up Party member slots if they insist on coming with me. Charles and Henry have already seen me in action, Fang and Claw already accomplished what they wanted, and Asher said that he wants to catch up with his old friend before heading back west and making sure the job to hunt down his grandson is eliminated. Supposedly, the mild earthquake that occurred as they were attempting to request that I allow them to observe another run has absolutely nothing to do with them accepting my request that they don''t join us for the run. The fact that the earthquake knocked all of them down while leaving me standing also had nothing to do that. Why the gods are giving clear signs involving me, I''m not really sure. I''m not opposed to it and made sure to thank whichever god or gods that was afterwards. "Adam," I say as we walk down the street. "Yes?" "Something I''ve read during some of my research here in Caniton," I say. "Is that the gods don''t typically interact much with others. There wasn''t a record of it for me to look at, but one of the people I spoke with at the library mentioned that that used to not be the case." "More than a thousand years ago," Adam nods. "The gods used to give out blessings to people, a sort of gift that bestowed powerful Classes of paralleled ability. Those people were their Heroes, and the gods also made themselves known more often. Nothing in the clans was very clear about what happened, but they suddenly stopped one day, revoking all of their blessings and only occasionally giving a sign that they were still watching. That was when people started to arrive from other worlds as well." "So you don''t know what the deal is?" I ask. "No, sorry," he answers. "Though there''s a Dungeon City that used to be a Holy City, a site where many Heroes originated from and settled down in and where the gods often descended. They may have answers. They''re a bit to the east of here, past the wilderness. I think it would take two or three weeks to get there from here?" "Thanks for the info," I say. "Though I''m not really interested in going out of my way to find out that kind of stuff. Right now, I''m still just figuring out what I want to do here." "But you''re running the Dungeon again?" "I want to try and find the puzzle," I admit. "Just to see what it is and what kind of reward awaits me for completing it. If the Dungeon''s too difficult, though, I''ll stop. Honestly, I wouldn''t have minded continuing on last time, but we didn''t have the supplies for it and I wasn''t keen on going further with a bunch of people there just to watch us." "Ah," he says. "So after the Dungeon, what are you going to do?" "Whatever interests me," I answer. "Might stay here for a bit, might see if there''s a small village to settle down in. Heck, I might go to that Holy City just to check out what it''s like. I like being in a world of myth and magic, but I''m not entirely certain of what I want." Adam is quiet for a few minutes. "So you''re not really sure what you want to do?" "Other than check out the Dungeon and see what the puzzle and the reward are." "What about when you first arrived?" "Find something to eat and a place to rest, and a way to pay for it if possible." "You overpaid me." "What are you talking about?" "When you paid me back," Adam says. "For the stuff I bought you. I didn''t spend a gold on it, I spent-" "Yeah, but a gold was fewer coins," I say. "And I''m surprised it took you this long to say something. Would you rather I gave you a bunch of change?" "You''re not getting it back." I snort. My repayment to him consisted of a single gold coin that came out of the payment for the whisperwater gill scales, which I slipped into his coin pouch the first night we were sleeping together. Well, it was technically the morning after, but the sun wasn''t up yet and he was still asleep. "What are you buying today?" Adam decides to switch topics. "First," I say. "Some collection bags for our archers. By my assessment, we should be fine with just the six of us going in, though we might add a healer on the way as well. Packs to carry the loot in are essential. You, Caleb, and I fight close-range and move around a lot, so us wearing one would be bad and none of us have a dimensional storage or a spatial storage object. The archers move around less when fighting, so we can give them the packs. They should still be smaller and lightweight." According to my research, the typical Party only goes as far as they can handle, then runs it over and over and over again. Even after they can start to handle the next Zone, most Parties don''t move on as they''re comfortable with their earnings. This Dungeon lacks much in the way of loot in the first Zone and only two or three lightweight packs are all that''s needed. Should we decide to go into the second Zone, then we can discard what excess we''ve gathered to make room for new loot items. Those packs will also contain our supplies, which may require going into the second Zone to earn back the cost on. I don''t want to run the Dungeon too many times, but I still want a profit off of it on top of whatever that puzzle reward just for me is. Since I''m paying for everything, that means that we should, at the very least, get loot that can pay a decent amount. "We''ll also buy some basic supplies," I tell Adam. "Since we may head into the second Zone. Some simple camping gear, like a cooking set. You and Caleb can make fire and Elise can make water, so we''re good on that front even in the first Zone." "Don''t forget healing items," Adam says. "Even if we take a healer in, it''s good to have those. Mana isn''t as limitless as people think due to taking time to recover." "We''ll also be taking in some [Mana Recovery Potion]s," I tell him. "I don''t plan on leaving until we can ¨C at the very least ¨C pay off the cost of the ones used in the run. Something I noticed a few days ago was that our archers were lacking in the Mana department. Even Caleb wasn''t able to use his magic martial arts to the fullest extent of his abilities." "Yeah," Adam nods. "Mana can be a pretty limiting factor. The battle at the end of the first Zone was a little bit more difficult than it could have been because we didn''t have enough Mana. Shouldn''t we leave buying the potions to Caleb and the archers?" The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "There''s no telling if they can afford them as they are," I say. "I know you can even with you not liking wearing packs making it harder for you to earn some coin, but how much money Caleb has is a mystery and Katie and her harem don''t have much funds. We can deduct the costs of the used potions out of the earnings before we split the pay." I''m not sure why Caleb goes around in just pants and boots as he was evasive about that when I asked. The reason Adam doesn''t became revealed to me after I found out that he sold the pack I''d bought him within a day of us arriving here. Apparently, demihuman dragons don''t like things rubbing the part where their scales and flesh meet. They''re fine with it if it''s something like being held during sex, but they''re not fine with it when it''s a constant rubbing of something like leather or a fabric strap. That section of their skin is apparently quite sensitive. If they could get away with it, they would probably just go completely naked to avoid it. Since they can''t, they put up with the agitation that pants cause. "Don''t forget to buy food, too," Adam says. "We''ll need it even if we only run the first Zone. Goblin meat is disgusting and you can''t eat stone." His expression as he mentions goblin meat''s taste suggests he''s given it a try. "I won''t," I assure him. "Come on, the shop for the packs is right here." We enter a Dungeon Supply Store and I begin browsing the goods within. It takes me about twenty minutes of looking through the options of packs that are sold here to find ones I like, and my guess is that the shop only sells them, that they source them from several craftsmen. There are just way too many pack options for that. "Can I get three of this one?" I ask the employee helping us once I find a pack that seems good for the archers to wear. "Is that possible?" "Let me check the back," she says, then heads to back. After a minutes, she returns. "We do have three of those in the back. Would you like to inspect them now or wait until you finish your shopping?" "Once I finish, thanks," I tell her, and she nods. There''s not much else to buy here, but I make sure to purchase not just the packs but also a set of cooking supplies and dishes to eat with, checking to ensure they fit in the packs just fine. Bringing something to drink into a Dungeon can be a hassle for various reasons despite being essential in many Dungeons due to their size and the uncertainty of if you''ll run into a clean water source or not. Purified water isn''t out of reach, but meal ale is cheaper. Both take up a lot of space. Despite all of the Summoned coming to this world, it seems that knowledge of how to purify water without magic isn''t known yet. By divine intervention, or has it just been that no one from a world that knew about how to purify water without magical means has been summoned here? They have magic crystals that can purify water. The one I''m looking at right now is Item Quality 1 and is a blue crystal with a green tint to it, roughly an inch in size, though not quite cubical or spherical, more like a mix between the two. It started off as just a water magic crystal, but then someone cut it down a bit to create several faces, upon which they etched in runes that were then filled with some sort of crystal substance. I''m not sure what a normal water magic crystal can do, but this one was enchanted specifically to purify water and that bumped its price up a lot. Three silver for this and it can only purify two gallons of water. "Not worth it," Adam mutters when he hears the price for the crystal. "Just run the Dungeon with a few skins of ale or purified water, using as little as necessary. We can at least clear the first Zone with that. Water in Dungeons is usually pretty clean." "But not always," I say. "It depends on where we end up in the second Zone. And with six of us going in, we''ll need more than a few skins of water to make it to the end if we want to stay in top form. And that crystal wouldn''t be of use to us in the first Zone, even if it was worth the price tag." "We do have water magic stones as well," the employee informs us. "If you break off a portion of them, water will pour forth. We have them in a variety of sizes and qualities, allowing for anywhere from a small amount to a large amount of water." "How do those work?" I ask. "Is it break once and it''s done?" "No," she answers. "You can break it multiple times, but loses effectiveness each time. It''s recommended to break off a small portion of the stone each time. That portion will give up the water it can conjure while the rest of the stone doesn''t." "But if you break it in half," I say. "One of the two pieces will give up all of the water?" She nods. "And that would just waste it unless you need all of it. Let me see them?" I check out the stones, but they''re much too expensive. It looks like we''ll need to devote some space in the packs for carrying clean water. Though I suppose that''s not really too much of an issue considering our Party make-up right now. Part of the water issue was already solved before we began this shopping trip. "Why aren''t you concerned about this?" Adam asks. "We don''t have much space since three of us won''t have packs, so we can''t carry in too much ale. There''s no guarantee we''ll get fresh water in the second Zone, either. Some of the water is contaminated, so you have purify it all." "Elise agreed to conjure water for us as needed." Magic actually creates the stuff for the spells rather than simply summoning a temporary manifestation. Actual element-summoning magicians are fairly rare, which means that Katie and her harem are actually a pretty talented group. Most element-based magicians simply manipulate what''s already there to cast their spells. Pull up dirt and stone from the ground, pull water from the air, shift the air itself ¨C things like that. Ones that need something more consumable, such as fire, are even rarer due to how hard it can be to carry enough fire around with them to be of use. That''s just another reason the old Party for the archers was a group of idiots. They literally left behind long-ranged magical support from people who could literally conjure the four elements. That gives them an extreme range of versatility in terms of use. "Magically-conjured water has a lack of taste that bothers me and she needs her Mana for fighting." "Not if we''re in a safe zone," I tell him. "And I''m going to meet her at one of the town''s archery ranges after lunch so she can teach me how to conjure and manipulate water, too. I won''t be anywhere near powerful enough with magic to make it of use in combat, but I can at least help create water for us." Adam mutters something under his breath about the lack of taste still being too problematic. "Magically-conjured water," I say. "Is almost the same thing as ultrapure, just with a slight touch of magic to it. Ultrapure water is just that ¨C lacking in any impurities. What you''re normally tasting with purified water or spring water or whatever that you drink is actually the impurities in it." "It reads as ''clean water'' in the System." "Well, yeah," I say. "But there''s a difference between clean water, pure water, and ultrapure water. And we wouldn''t need the water purification stuff without them, I was only looking for them just to see about giving a proper Dungeon experience a try. I think that''s all, ma''am, we''re ready to pay for our things." "This way, please," the employee helping us leads us over to a counter. "What did you mean by that?" Adam asks as he follows. "Jamie, why do you say we wouldn''t need water purification stuff? I looked into this Dungeon''s second Zone. Not all of the water in there is clean!" "I know how to clean water without using magic as long as the water isn''t contaminated by magic." "All contaminated water is contaminated by magic," Adam says. "There''s some sort of miasma. A strange and mysterious one that shows up and infects water but which doesn''t get mentioned in the System as anything other than ''contaminated''." Hm¡­ I pay for our things, then head back to the inn we''re staying at. Sitting on the table in here are a few jars of local water. Though they aren''t murky, they''re not safe for consumption. Drinking them would prove that quite easily. They''re leftovers from something I was doing yesterday and I know Adam was curious about them. "What does the description for that say to you?" I ask. "That?" Adam looks at the jars. "It says [Jar of Contaminated Water]. [Quality: 1]. [This water is contaminated by a mysterious force and must be purified before it can be consumed or used on a product which will have food or drink used on it.] [Quantity: 30oz]. Why?" "You know you could have just shared the System message with me, right?" "Oh. Right." "Let me show you what the System says when I read the description." I access the information on the jar and send the notification to him.
[Jar of Contaminated Water]
Quality: 1
This water has been contaminated with bacteria, viruses, and toxins as a result of waste leeching into it and must be purified before use.
Quantity: 30oz
"Your message is different," Adam mutters. "It says that it was contaminated with¡­ something, but it''s blanked out before the ''and toxins'', and then everything after is blanked out." Experiment: success. "The world at large doesn''t know it yet," I tell him. "It''s not just some random bit of information but an actual progression point in society. Because of that, the System is probably wording it in a way to indicate that there''s something mysterious about the contamination in an effort to get people to try and look into it. But your society is so focused on magical advancement that they''ve fallen behind on scientific advancements. Magic can fix the issue, sure, but it''s not the cause of it." "Like using a waterwheel to power a millstone rather than simply shifting it using [Earth Manipulation]." "Exactly," I say. "You have a magical solution to a mundane problem. However, that solution is fairly expensive because of how limited it''s availability is." "So¡­ what''s the solution to this?" "Any number of things," I shrug. "One of the reasons why ales, beers, and so on that need water in their production are safe to drink even though they use contaminated water¡­ and this is going to blow your mind, Adam¡­ is because they boil the water first." "¡­what?" "Yup," I grin at him. "Boiling water can actually get rid of this ''miasma'' that you think is in the water. Well, it actually kills it off, but that''s another matter entirely. If the water we come across in the Dungeon is contaminated, and it has particles in it as well, then we can do something else to help get rid of those particles." Adam stares at me for several long moments. "It''s that simple?" "Yes," I answer. "But only necessary if the System doesn''t call it clean water, which is why the water we collected from streams and springs on our way here was safe." "So your world knows the causes of this miasma?" "It''s¡­ complicated," I say. "Anyway, we''ve dropped off the bigger stuff. I want to get some more shopping done." "Didn''t you buy everything you need?" Adam asks. "No," I answer. "I only bought the packs and basic gear. I didn''t buy the potions and salves yet. Also, I want to get some new clothes and weapons." "Didn''t you buy new clothes in Ratton?" "I want something¡­ well, never mind that," I say. "Let''s just go do more shopping." "Can I teach you how to make and play with fire before you learn water from the archers?" Adam''s expression makes it clear he''s a little jealous, though I''m not sure why. "Sure," I tell him. "But shopping comes first." Chapter 014 "You''re looking extra handsome today," Katie comments as Adam and I approach the trio in the Dungeon Guild''s table area, and her boyfriend and girlfriend voice their agreement. One of the new outfits I bought yesterday was a set of black pants, a dark green tunic without sleeves, and a dark grey vest-like covering to go over it. The vest is made of leather that was treated with alchemy and then enchanted, giving it some extra durability. On my hands are a pair of fingerless gloves made with a dark grey fabric that''s slightly thick, giving them a little bit of warmth. They, too, have been enchanted to give them increased durability. I''m also wearing a pair of dark grey boots made of the same leather as my vest, though its laces are dark green.
[Metal Boar Vest]
Quality: 3
This leather vest was crafted from the hide of a metal boar, then treated with alchemy and enchanted to enhance its durability and provide extra protection to its wearer.
Durability: 60
[Metal Boar Boot (Right)]
Quality: 3
This right-foot leather boot was crafted from the hide of a metal boar, then treated with alchemy and enchanted to enhance its durability and provide extra protection to its wearer.
Durability: 60
[Metal Wool Fingerless Glove (Right)]
Quality: 3
This right-hand fingerless glove was crafted from cloth spun from the wool of a metal sheep, treated with alchemy and enchanted to enhance its durability and provide extra protection to its wearer.
Durability: 60
The Durability factor is the item''s equivalent to a person''s Constitution, meaning that they can handle attacks the same as I would at 60 Constitution. That''s more than enough to provide protection through to the end of the Dungeon with only minimal damage to them, if any. A bit overkill, but to make sure that no matter how long it took me to reach the puzzle, I wanted to have at least something to provide extra defense. The vest is to protect my organs, the gloves and boots are to make my punches and kicks not affect my hands and feet as much. They also come with the added perk of looking stylish, especially compared to some of the other things I saw in the shops yesterday. "I look handsome in everything," I tell Katie. "I had the tunic getting tailored while I was training with you three yesterday, though the boots, gloves, and vest were already purchased and back at the inn." "Well," she says. "You look extra handsome in that outfit. Did you buy new pants, too? Was something wrong with the pairs you had before?" "I did," I nod. "I wanted them to be made out of the same type of cloth as my tunic, even if the weave is different. That makes it match better." "Your outfit does look nice," she nods. "Are those the packs you mentioned?" Adam and I are each wearing one of the packs I bought yesterday while Adam is carrying the third. "Yeah," I pull off the one I''m wearing. "Here you go." Adam also hands over his packs and the archers pull them on. We move to another part of the Caniton Dungeon Guild so the trio can check their movements with the packs on and adjust the straps as needed. Once that''s done, we head to the room with the Dungeon entrance. "Remember the plan?" I ask. "Leaving me behind?" Caleb asks from right behind the archers, startling them. "I knew you''d shown up," I tell him. "And that you were coming over. You''re late. Now. Does everyone remember the plan?" "We''ll run the first Zone," Katie says. "Depending on how well we manage the run, we''ll take on the second Zone as well." "Both of those should take us about a day each," Elise says. "The first Zone because of how large it is, the second Zone because the fights are tougher and so will take more time to finish, meaning we''ll likely need longer rests as well. Using some of the stuff you bought and my water magic, we should be able to handle staying in the Dungeon for an extended period without having someone devoted to carrying supplies." "If we do the second Zone," Chance says. "And we find that it wasn''t too difficult, then we''ll take on the third Zone after getting some rest. However, pushing further only happens if we''re feeling good about the run we had in the Zone we''re in. If we feel things are still too difficult, then we''ll end the run there and return three days later." "It typically takes up to ten runs," Caleb says as we pass through the Dungeon Gate and into the Dungeon itself. "To be able to handle the Zone you were running. Gaining Experience can be¡­ a struggle. You don''t gain very much, so you just have to keep running an area over and over again until you hit a Level, then repeat that again." "That''s why everyone generally sticks to grinding out up through a certain Zone most of their life," Katie nods. "Some will push through to the next Zone and farm it, or even the Zone after, depending on how strong and comfortable they are. If it was just the three of us and another Party, we wouldn''t even dream of going to the second Zone until we''ve done this one for at least five years." "Really?" I ask. "Yeah," Katie nods. "By that point, we would definitely be strong enough to handle it. Each further Zone you go increases the danger, and it''s better to act with caution. But if we''re satisfied with our earnings from Zone 1, we may never go past it. That''s just how most people are." I''d looked into the sell prices of items from the various Zones and was wondering why there was a significant increase in price when selling things that can only be found in deeper Zones. While a price increase was expected, items being double or even triple in value wasn''t. The fact that most groups probably never go past the first Zone hadn''t occurred to me. Up until now, I''d just assumed it was a deal of taking a year to get the Levels needed to progress, then working on the next Zone. I didn''t think that Parties would deliberately stall just because it was easier. Most probably never want to risk themselves and so just stick with what''s most comfortable for them. "Makes sense," I say. "But you three are okay with potentially going further now if we think we can?" "Yes," Katie answers. "The six of us together are already able to handle the first Zone, as proven in our last run. Based on that, it probably wouldn''t be more than two or three more runs for us to have the Levels needed for us to be able to handle the second Zone." "Also," Chance adds. "We know that if we didn''t come with you and you couldn''t find others that you liked, you''d probably just run it with yourself and Adam alone regardless of difficulty." "Hey!" Caleb exclaims. "What about me?" "I don''t think he''d trust you without at least three others around," Chance states, then looks at me again. "If you didn''t have us, you''d run this with just Adam and go to the second Zone, wouldn''t you?" "Yup." "Wait, seriously?" Caleb asks. "Do you have any idea how insane that sounds?" "I''m a Summoned," I fix my gaze on him. "I have abilities beyond the norm. If I actually put the effort in, I could have run this Dungeon from start to finish without having earned any Skills before entering it, while butt-naked and without any supplies." Caleb stares at me in confusion. "I don''t get the point of that exaggeration." "You did notice I gained a lot of Levels last time, right?" I ask. "The archers already figured it out, but I gain Experience at an accelerated rate inside of Dungeons." "Even with that," Caleb says. "You wouldn''t be able to run all the way through, not on your own. You-" "You already gain extra Experience when something is more dangerous," I remind Caleb. "My perk basically gives that a boost as well. One of the Skills I received upon arrival was [Dungeon Delver], which basically guarantees that I gain enough Experience to at least make it through the Zone I''m in. A group can take down monsters more easily than an individual can, in normal circumstances, so I need a lower Level to make it through a Zone when in a group rather than alone. If I were alone, I''d need a significantly higher Level to manage it, so I''d gain even more Experience." That''s an actual Skill that some Summoned are found to have according to my research, so I''m using it to help explain why I gained so much Experience before. "Now," I say. "It only works if it''s actually possible for me to complete the Zone with those boosts. So if the Dungeon has factors I can''t handle no matter how strong I am, I won''t receive a boost. So going into a Dungeon filled with undead will result in my own death. I don''t have any abilities that can actually properly take down undead." "This Dungeon, however," Adam says. "Is full of monsters that can be taken out using physical combat. With his perk that gives him a boost to combat-related Skills, he''d gain [Martial Arts Mastery] at the very least, possibly [Sword Mastery] as well if he picked up a goblin''s sword." "Damn," Caleb says. "And you even proved that you can breathe underwater thanks to that other Skill. The gods must really like you to have given you so many useful Skills to start off with. The possibilities for you are basically unlimi-" Caleb cuts off as his eyes widen. The Ultimate Skills of each species aren''t an unknown thing, but they''re also not things that a person can be granted. They''re something we have to be born with according to what I learned when I was looking stuff up a couple of days ago. Since the information isn''t unknown, that means that anyone who actually knows about the Ultimate Skill for humans could piece things together and figure out what I came to this world with. I wasn''t granted a Skill, I had one innate to me already and it''s manifested itself through the System as a way to boost me even further. Though having such a Skill is definitely a rarity and would likely make me a high-value commodity in some ways, I''m not too concerned with people realizing it. I''m a Summoned, after all ¨C trying to take advantage of a Summoned is a well-known folly. Caleb takes a few steps up to me and puts his hands on my shoulders, staring me dead in the eye. "You just became a million times sexier." "I was already at the top of the universe in looks," I say. "I''ve apparently now made it impossible for anyone to come close to me." Caleb opens and closes his mouth several times, then his face turns bright red as he steps back. Adam chuckles at his response. "What is it?" Katie asks, brow furrowed a little in her confusion. "Caleb just finds people who have the power to become strong as fuck attractive," I tell her. "He''s forgetting that he''s yet to have made a good impression on me. By the way, Adam, what do you think your grandpa is going to do once he gets to Caleb''s hometown?" "Asher''s going to my hometown?" Caleb asks. "Why?" "To let them know that the bounty on me is unjustified," Adam tells him before looking at me. "Custom for their actions would to be completely wipe out their town in response for their town''s members wiping out our clan. But since I was acting clan-chief and only wiped out the people directly responsible for the attack, he''ll probably just tell them that we should leave it at that unless they want a Triple-Ranker breathing fire down on them." "How long will it take him to get there?" I ask. "Depends on how he travels," Adam shrugs. "If he walks or rides a carriage, a couple of weeks, maybe? He can also grow draconic wings and could probably fly there in a few days." "He can do what?" I ask. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "It''s a Rank Advancement perk for demihuman dragons," Adam tells me. "If Avuldrax returns to dragon form and lets Grandpa ride him, then he could probably get there in an hour or two. Five minutes if Avuldrax flies as fast as he can." Would it be possible to learn a spell that can fly me that fast? I file that thought away for future research. "Archers," I say. "You each have a map in your pack and stuff to mark it with. I''ll be leaving you three with the responsibility of mapping out our run today, as discussed yesterday." "Got it," the archers say. "Everyone ready?" I ask, and they confirm. "Then let''s get going!" Today''s run is a little bit easier than the previous run was, no doubt because we''re all just a tad bit stronger than we were for the last run and because we''ve already had some experience fighting the monsters here. Adam, Caleb, and I are even able to take on a stone statue alone, though Caleb struggles a little if he''s not using his magic martial arts. My new gloves and boots work wonders. The gloves prevent my fists from getting torn up with my punches against the stone beasts yet have don''t affect my grip for my sword and knife. That''s one of the perks of them being made from a fabric with a magical metal aspect to them. Both my gloves and my boots are durable enough to withstand the hits as well, so they aren''t falling apart. In addition, they help absorb some of the shock from the impact to reduce how much it affects me beyond just protecting my skin. After we stop for lunch in a safe zone, the three archers begin comparing their maps together. They all look the same to me, so I can''t figure out what''s going on. "You guys noticed it?" Caleb asks the archers, who look up. "Notice what?" I ask. "I overheard some people talking," Caleb says. "But didn''t know if they were just yanking chains of some newbies or if they were serious. Ever since the Dungeon upgraded the other day, it''s had the exact same path for the first Zone." "What?" I ask. "It wasn''t noticed immediately, of course," Caleb says. "Since people stopped comparing routes awhile ago because there''s no discernible pattern to what determines them. It was only when someone who''s good at memorizing routes ran the Dungeon a second time since the shift that people noticed. Then some others ran the Dungeon''s first Zone, compared their maps, and realized it was true. For some reason, the Dungeon decided to make the path set." "And you''re only telling us this now?" I ask. If this is true, it also partly explains why so many important people were wanting to run this Dungeon the other day. They were wanting to investigate this as well. "I didn''t think it was serious," Caleb shrugs. "So I dismissed it." "If you want to run this Dungeon with us," I say. "You need to tell us everything you hear that may hold relevancy, even if it might not be true. We could''ve come in with a map of this already instead of having to navigate around like lost ducks." "That''s weird," Katie says. "We started realizing it a little bit ago, but yeah, our maps are matching the one from our last run, at least, as far as the areas we''ve gone that we went before. But this Dungeon''s first Zone is notorious for the fact that it''s different every run. That''s one of the reasons why there aren''t any other challenges here besides the two monsters. The maze is the challenge." A sudden shift to how this Dungeon works? That shouldn''t be how it goes. Upgrades make things more difficult, not easier. "Wait," I say. "Archers, you have the old map memorized?" "Yes," Katie nods. "Mark up one of those with the stuff that we haven''t already crossed." "I can do one better," Caleb says. "I have the new map completely memorized." Caleb takes one of the maps and starts marking off all of the routes. I watch as he does, surprised to find that the Dungeon doesn''t just change the paths for each run, but it even completely isolates some areas, preventing a way to get in it. That must be to help create an illusion of the Dungeon being larger than it really is. This design¡­ "You''ve got to be fucking kidding me." "What?" Everyone stares at me. "Remember what the old men told us?" I ask. "When a Dungeon upgrades, it adds in a puzzle that only the Summoned who caused its upgrade can solve. The puzzle remains the exact same until either the Summoned solves it or leaves the area." "You''re suggesting that the new path is the puzzle?" Katie asks. "Yup," I answer. "That''s why it''s not changing ¨C because the puzzle is to navigate to a specific part of the maze. Until I clear it, the puzzle is the exact same for everyone. In this case, that forces the maze into the exact same pattern every time." "How can you be certain that this is the puzzle?" Adam asks. "The map," I answer. "The design it creates, to be more specific. If I unfocus my eyes slightly¡­ I can make out letters from my native tongue. Most of the letters are written plain, except for here, where I can make out the word ''decide''. It''s written in a stylized form called cursive, which is when apart from certain dashes and dots, you don''t pick up your pencil or pen. Or, uh, whatever you''re using to mark with. And the dots and dashes go after. This one has only one dot and no dashes. There''s a sealed-off section of the maze right at the start of the word, as if you''d be coming from there, another at the very end, and another set between the dot and the rest of the letter it goes to." "Meaning what?" Caleb asks. "You think that one of those three sectioned-off halls are the goal?" Katie asks. "Possibly," I answer. "There are four more of them, one at each of the first two and last two letters, inside of them. But I think we can rule those out. There''s a possibility that we actually have to walk the route from start to finish, so let''s give that a try. If it fails, then we check out the space between the dot and its letter." "What''s the path?" Adam asks. "We start here," I point at the appropriate spot on the map. "We''re not that far, we should be able to get there in about ten minutes." "Let''s go!" Caleb says. The six of us pack up and head out, and I make sure we do not stray off of the path, ignoring the questions when we go through loops that make no sense to the others. Cursive sometimes has us writing over a spot we already wrote and I want to make sure we follow the path exactly, just in case. This entire section of the map doesn''t have any off-shoots, meaning that we can''t stray too much, anyway. In fact, the only ways in are from the left-hand side of the top of the first ''d'' in the word and from the right-hand side of the bottom of the last ''e'' in it. The moment we reach the end of the word, there''s a chiming sound and runes appear on the wall before us ¨C the wall that blocks off this side of the sectioned-off hall, creating a chamber within.
Enter Now, O Chosen One, and Reap the Reward Which Awaits You
"That''s definitely you," Caleb says. "I bet if we tried to go through the wall-" Caleb charges the wall and slams straight into it. "Oof. Yup. Solid wall." I roll my eyes and approach the wall, putting a hand against it. The wall ripples as my hand passes through it. "Back in a minute," I tell the group, then step through the wall to find myself in a chamber that''s only twenty feet long. Ivy grows up each wall as well as on the pedestal in the center of the chamber, that plus the moss covering most of the ground providing a gentle green light to the room. Blue flowers grow here and there on the ivy, adding a touch of faint blue light to the room as well. Floating above the center of the pedestal is an orb that looks to be made almost entirely out of shadows. Transparent, but dark. Everything viewed beyond it is tinted as if cast in an unyielding shadow. When I reach the orb and inspect it to see what my reward is, I find that the orb itself isn''t my reward for solving the puzzle.
You may choose which reward you wish to accept, Summoned One.
[Box of Infinite Meal Bars] [Celestial Water Tree Sapling]
[Staff of Ancient Missiles] [Sword of Celestial Flames]
[Jar of Infinite Lube] [Refilling Coin Pouch]
[Spirit Wings] [True Dimensional Storage Cuff]
Even though the message doesn''t state it, I somehow know that every Summoned who does one of their puzzles in its original form is presented with a choice like this for their reward. The choices are submitted by the gods and may vary from puzzle to puzzle. Not just for what the rewards are, but even which gods submit a reward option can vary. Something else I instinctively know is that the reason there was no mention of this during my research is because I''ll be completely unable to reveal the truth to others. The moment I leave this chamber, I can only state and reveal the reward itself, not that there were choices, nor that the rewards are actually from the gods themselves. I read through the eight choices offered by the eight gods who submitted them. Surprisingly, I''m able to actually view the item''s information when I try. All eight of them are Item Quality 9, which I suppose fits for a reward offered by a god. The [Box of Infinite Meal Bars] allows people to, at the cost of 5 Mana, pull out a meal bar with a standard flavor. If they spend an additional 5 Mana on it, they can even choose the flavor of the meal bar to "nearly anything they can imagine". The box itself isn''t large, only eight inches long, three inches wide, and two inches thick on the outside, but with half-inch-thick walls. The meal bars are conjured in the inner space when the lid is closed after the Mana is supplied. Even though there''s a Mana cost for this and only meal bar can be produced at a time, that''s still effectively infinite. According to the description, they contain ''all of the nutrients needed for a healthy meal'', and whether it''s breakfast, lunch, or dinner is decided upon conjuration. The [Celestial Water Tree Sapling] is an immortal sapling that produces water from its leaves when Mana is infused into it. If planted into the ground, the soil around it becomes more moist. Once it grows, a pond forms around its base, and eventually, a lake. Even if not planted, it can be used on journeys to provide clean water at all times. It can also be used to produce water for alchemy or cooking, which are also boons. The [Staff of Ancient Missiles] is a magic staff that casts [Arcane Missile], a more powerful form of the [Arcane Bolt] spell. They can home in on targets, fly further and faster than the base spell, and when cast by the staff, cost only 1 Mana and have ten times the Magic of the wielder. That¡­ is ridiculously powerful. Even a non-mage could use that to essentially blast their way through most targets. Not that the [Sword of Celestial Flames] is any better, being a high-durability sword that can produce flames at ten times the user''s magic for a cost of only 0.100 Mana per second and with an edge sharp enough to cut through quite a lot. Then there''s the [Jar of Infinite Lube], which is exactly what it sounds like. For a cost of 10 Mana, one can even change the flavor, color, scent, and slickness of the lube. That''s the only thing that costs with it, too ¨C it just keeps refilling itself as lube is removed. Handy if someone''s planning on doing it a lot instead of adventuring or whatever. Would be perfect if all I was going to do was settle down. The [Refilling Coin Pouch] would be extremely useful, as it would ensure I''d never need to worry about earning money again (so long as it didn''t get stolen). There are seven coin types: copper, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, adamantite, and godsteel. Each one has five denominations: one, five, ten, twenty-five, and fifty. This pouch contains five of each type of each denomination ¨C or one hundred seventy-five coins in it. When a coin is removed, a brand-new one is generated within. Just like the jar, there''s no cost to produce more coins. That would basically pay my way through life here. The [Spirit Wings] are a set of spectral wings that I can summon at any time for no cost, and they would allow me to soar around at will. There''s no flight cost if I use the standard speed or slower, but there''s a little bit of a cost if I want to fly faster. Finally, the [True Dimensional Storage Cuff]. It''s a dark grey metal cuff one-and-a-half inches in width that can be worn on a wrist, with some green runes engraved on it. The cuff is a portal to a pocket dimension that is "essentially infinite" and has a temporal lock on it, maintaining the exact state an item is in when placed inside. There is zero cost to put items inside or pull items out of it. What''s more, a temporal lock that places everything in stasis probably means that if a living thing goes into it, it would come out exactly the same as when it went in. To the plant or animal or person ¨C if possible on those last two ¨C no time would pass. They would enter and leave immediately after from their perspective. All of those look extremely useful to me, some more than others. The God of Journeys and Travels, the God of Agriculture, the God of Magic, the God of Weapons, the God of Desire and Sex and Love (and other related things), the God of Commerce, the God of Beasts, and the¡­ "Huh," I examine the last item again, as I realize that I don''t just know the identity of the god who provided it. "That''s interesting." I can tell that it was submitted by a god as with the others, but I have zero clue who the god is. That''s an object I can''t just ''glean'', either, as I''m not entirely sure which god of the ones I know would offer an object for storing goods in. Though it does seem that not all of the gods who submitted an item are known to still be active in this world. The God of Agriculture and God of Commerce were both mentioned as having not interacted with the world in centuries and so are assumed to have left it. Yet both have submitted an item, which means that they''re both clearly around right now. "Though the choices really narrow down to two," I think aloud as I examine the list again. "Even if everything would be useful. I want them all, but practicality. The [Refilling Coin Pouch] and [True Dimensional Cuff] are the better options. Could go with the sword or staff for this Dungeon and maybe future stuff, but they would probably draw too much attention. And make things too easy." Even if I don''t quite yet know what I want to do long-term here, I know that simply obliterating every monster without any effort won''t be fun. At least, not when it''s through some magic item I simply acquired. If I become strong enough for that? Then I''ll definitely be fine with simply obliterating them. "The pouch will ensure I never have to worry about money again," I say. "But the cuff means I won''t have to leave behind any valuable materials I find while traveling. Those materials might be rare and even able to be fashioned into stuff I can use superior to something I could just buy." If my time here continues as it has been, money won''t be an issue for me, anyway. Those scales gave me more than twenty gold coins in total and I barely spent five gold coins on my new gear. That''s even with me getting boots, gloves, a vest, a sword, and a knife all at Quality 3. All of this gear is also superior to what''s needed for this Dungeon. In other words, I''m probably never really going to need to want for money. At the moment, I definitely don''t need to worry about finances, and the cuff will make it so that I don''t have to worry about deciding what to loot and what not to loot while doing this Dungeon run and any future ones I do. I can just loot everything. "Alright!" I make my decision, and the cuff appears in the orb of shadows. I reach into the orb and grab the cuff, then pull it out and examine it. The object is just as the description provided. Even though the quarter-inch-thick cuff has no gap in it to help it slip onto my wrist, it slides on just fine. Not only that, but it''s a perfect fit for me as well. There''s definitely magic involved to ensure that it slides on fine and doesn''t slide back off on its own. "Thank you," I say to the god who provided this reward, then I leave the room the way I came. "Neat cuff," Adam says. "I was hoping it was money." He looks extremely disappointed as the others all notice the cuff and inspect it. "Considering we can now loot everything," I tell him. "We can make more money. And remember that the reward is for the Summoned, Adam. If it was you, it probably would have been money." I don''t doubt that in the slightest. "Now," I say. "Let''s go finish this Zone. It''s been fairly easy thus far, so let''s just head straight to the end now that we know the path. With our Party dynamic and the Levels we''ve gained so far, we can probably take on the Boss Chamber without issue." Chapter 015 "You have the [Cooking] Skill, don''t you?" Caleb asks. We''ve just finished cleaning up after breakfast, having decided after easily clearing the Boss Chamber yesterday that we would continue on through Zone 2 and see how well we do in it. Rather than pushing through immediately, we spent the rest of the day resting, then we went to bed. There were only a few hours left in the "day", anyway, so it''s not like we would have done very much in the next Zone if we had pushed through. "Yes, why?" I answer. "I knew it!" He exclaims. "That''s the only way someone could take whatever random ingredients they found in a Dungeon or brought in with them and make a delicious breakfast!" "Er¡­" I try not to laugh. "Caleb, I spent most of my life having to cook for my younger siblings. It''s not the Skill that gave me the ability to make a decent breakfast, it''s experience with throwing together whatever random crap I find." Caleb gives me a suspicious look for a few moments, then his expressions shifts back to a more normal one for him. "By the way," he says. "The next Zone''s path is the same as usual: different every run with the same base layout. It just opens up new entrances or closes off paths to change the route." "Thanks for that," I thought I was going to have to beat it out of him. "That said," he says. "I do know where the puzzles are for the previous upgrades." "The¡­ previous upgrades?" I ask. "They''re all in the second Zone?" "Well¡­ no," he says. "I got curious about the upgrades when a Summoned is around and did some research into it. The only one that''s known for Zone 1 is a really complicated one that takes at least six hours to do no matter what, so no one ever does it. Especially since the reward is a cloak at Item Quality 1 that has very little additional magic or durability to it regardless of variation." "How many times has this Dungeon been upgraded?" I ask. "First time was the appearance," Caleb says. "From what I was reading, Dungeons only appear if a Summoned is nearby, and it seems the very first puzzle is there from the start. They all start with one to three Zones. This one lonely had one Zone at first, the stone labyrinth that we''re in right now. They all also start very weak. The cloak puzzle dates back to the first appearance of the Dungeon, which is how we know that it was likely initiated by the presence of a Summoned. The appearance, I mean." So not only do Dungeons have a chance of upgrading when a Summoned is nearby, they have a chance of appearing when a Summoned is nearby. That must be why all of the Dungeons I''ve looked up while staying here in Caniton were the only Dungeon for miles ¨C there must be some hidden list of requirements for their appearance and one of them is probably a lack of other Dungeons nearby. That, or a Dungeon in the area already heavily reduces the odds of a new one appearing. "So Dungeon''s spawn is the first one," I say. "Yes," he answers. "Then about twenty years later, there was another upgrade. The stone statues appeared, though infrequently. Their increase in numbers occurred with later upgrades. No no one knows what the puzzle was, but we can assume there was one since there''s always a puzzle with the upgrades. "Third upgrade," Caleb continues. "The hedge maze got added in and there''s a puzzle in there. Fourth, the monsters grew tougher and a puzzle was added to the hedge maze. Fifth upgrade added the tower at the center and a puzzle to both the hedge maze and the tower, and the sixth upgrade toughened the runs and added a puzzle to both the hedge maze and the tower." "But none to the stone labyrinth?" I ask. "Correct," he nods. "There''s only one known puzzle in here, but four in the hedge maze and two in the tower." "What are you thinking?" Katie asks me, and I look at her. "You have an expression like you''re thinking about something." "Yeah," I nod. "I think that the stone labyrinth has puzzles, too ¨C but they''re not as obvious as the others, so they were missed. Caleb, what''s the puzzle for the first zone? The one that''s known, I mean." "Map?" Chance pulls his map out of his belt and hands it to Caleb. We''re storing nearly all of the supplies ¨C including the packs ¨C in my cuff now since it means less weight to carry around. Even archers can make use of added mobility, especially if we''re fighting in a chamber instead of a hall. However, the archers still have the maps on them as it''s easier for them to map out of the Dungeon if they have, well, the maps. Caleb spreads out the map and examines it before pointing at one of the rooms. "You start here," he points at the place where we entered the Dungeon into. "And when reaching intersections and not counting turns without an intersection, you take the first right, then the first left, then the second right, then the third left, then the fifth right, then the eighth left, and so on, alternating left and right while adding the two previous skips together to determine the number of skips needed for the next one. So if the last one was taking a left at the eighth intersection with a left-hand turn you''ve come across and the one before that was a right at the fifth intersection with a right-hand turn, then the next one would be-" "A right at the thirteenth intersection with a right-hand turn," Adam says. "Right," Caleb nods. "It''s a long an annoying path that will always eventually end up here, even if the route itself is actually different every time and the number of times you need to take a turn varies based on the Zone''s current maze. The cloak is found in this chamber once you arrive, hanging off of one of the vines." I can see why nobody really wants to do that. This also explains why no one has really found the other puzzles in Zone 1. They do exist ¨C I''ve been told that the puzzles remain if the Summoned leaves the area without clearing it. They''re just not things someone would normally find even though they devolve down into something that can be solved by other people in this world. "There are other puzzles in here," I say. "Four others, to be precise. It seems that there''s always a new puzzle added to each Zone when the upgrade happens. Think about it ¨C we honestly wouldn''t have found the one for me in this Zone if you hadn''t already memorized the map." "Because the puzzle required already having a map that contained the section with the word," Katie says. "Yeah," I nod. "I''m willing to bet that we had passed right by that part of the Dungeon last time but didn''t go in. It was right in our path." "Actually," Chance says. "We did go in it ¨C just from the opposite end, and we didn''t walk over the spots we''d already walked through for some parts." "Which only proves the point," I say. "We completely missed the puzzle. I''m willing to bet that all of the puzzles for the first Zone involve something to do with the route itself. How the fuck the first guy figured out his, I don''t want to know. But if I''m right, then that''s the exact reason no one has ever figured them out." "They''re too complicated," Elise says. "Yeah," I nod. "What are the puzzles for the second Zone?" "Um¡­" Caleb thinks about it, then looks at the map. "One can be found here. There''s a pond with lily pads in this chamber, and you have to sink the lily pads in the right order using stones from the chamber. The wrong order automatically locks the puzzle, but if you get it right, you get a ring. Sometimes it''s a really expensive decorative ring, other times it has magic properties." Because the rewards always have the same base form for that spot, even if the properties can be different. "Over here," Caleb points to another section of the hedge maze. "Notice that the section of hall here is blocked off on both ends? That''s standard for every run. There are four rooms there, one here, one here, one here, and one here. Each of these three rooms has a door leading into it from this hall. Here, here, here, and here." I was wondering about that section of the maze and the door icons on the wall there. "Each of the rooms contains monsters," Caleb says. "One has one, one has two, and one has three. Always goblins. If you clear all three rooms in order of fewest to most monsters, then the door to this room unlocks. The, uh, item is a jar of pickles. The type of pickle changes from run to run. No one really knows why that is a reward." Considering that the gods submit items to be chosen by the Summoned and they seem to try to tailor it to the wants or needs of the Summoned, my guess is that the Summoned for that puzzle liked pickles, received that as an option, and picked it. That''s assuming my theory that the future reward for the puzzle clears is based on what the Summoned picked. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. In other words, the items earned from my puzzle in the previous section will probably always be a cuff of some sort. "Then there''s this puzzle," Caleb points to another section of the second Zone. "The actual location of it changes from run to run, but it''s in this general area. You have to find the vines that are wrong. Once you do, you can pull them off to reveal a hidden nook in the hedge that contains the reward, which is a thirty-ounce jar of¡­ something. Sometimes berries, sometimes herbs, sometimes slime goo, sometimes lube, sometimes a salve, sometimes magic frog eyes. But it varies. Pull the wrong vines, and the nook never reveal itself even if you pull them all off." Caleb looks over the map for a few moments before pointing to another chamber in the second Zone. "Then there''s one in this chamber," he says. "There are ivy growths with flowers in the chamber and some of them are used in the puzzle. You have to kiss the top-most flower on the ivy involved in the correct order. The order and how to tell what it is varies from run to run. If you succeed, then a stone in the ground sinks down and a pedestal rises with the reward atop it. The reward is always a necklace of some sort." Rather than using the maze itself as the puzzle, the second Zone challenges people with the features of the maze. Lily pads, doors with monsters behind them, vines, and flowering ivy. That actually gives a helpful clue for what to keep an eye on as we travel through the second Zone. "Since you did your research on this," I tell Caleb. "Do you recommend we go for those items if we can? Or no?" "Only if we come across them," he shrugs. "If it involves going out of our way, then no. They''re good for selling, but with our ability to loot everything we come across and not having to worry about space, we''ll easily make more than what they sell for." "Got it," I say. "Let''s get moving, then. If we do well in the second Zone, we can give the third one a try. Not so sure about the fourth, but-" "There are only three Zones," Caleb says. "The stone labyrinth, the hedge maze, and the tower. Which, admittedly, started off with four floors and then gained eight with the sixth upgrade, so probably has twelve now, but that''s the last Zone." "First, third, and fifth," I say. "All caused either the appearance of the Dungeon or a new Zone within it. There''s a new Zone at the top of the tower, we just don''t know it yet because of how long the Dungeon is and how few people actually even do the third Zone. Chances are, no one''s found it yet. Or if they have, they hadn''t left the Dungeon before we entered." "How would that even work?" Caleb mutters. "It''s fucking magic, why would it need logic?" "He''s got a point," Adam says. "Let''s get moving." We head into the second Zone using the gate leading into it, immediately finding ourselves in the next Zone. Just like the first one, the halls are tall with an arched roof and twenty feet in width. The hedge itself is rather thick, about five feet thick if it''s the same as the stone labyrinth in that regard. Very little light can make it through the hedges, but some does filter down to us from above. Judging by the actual color of the light and the dimness of it, I''d hazard a guess and say that the sky above the maze is more like one filled with thick clouds. Most of our light is provided by the ivy and moss, both of which emit a faint green light with the occasional blue flower on the ivy emitting a faint green light instead. "Remember," I say. "In addition to the naked stone men and the goblins, we''ll have to face off against snakes and falcons as well. All of the snakes are venomous with ones further in inflicting a stone curse with their venom. We do have counters for that and for the normal venom, but try not to get bit. As for the falcons, they can generate [Air Slash]es, small arcs of compressed air. They can also emit a high-pitched screech, which I guess might be hell for you guys." "We''ll do our best to take out the falcons and snakes immediately," Katie tells me. "As we discussed yesterday, that would be better than the three of you attempting to fight them head-on." "Yeah," I nod. "Thanks. Let''s get moving, everyone!" I''ll need to be a little bit better at combat in this Zone as I was in the previous, since the monsters are a little bit stronger than they were in the last one. Though I can still fight them, I need to be better now. The first monster we come across doesn''t take long to make an appearance, a stone statue that steps out from a passage into another hall that we were discussing taking as we approached. The plan is for me to tackle it first, then Adam will join in if I need help. Caleb only will if we both need help. We''ll alternate like this on lone statues, and all three of us will jump in if there''s more than one. The archers will only assist if necessary. Since it''s my turn to attack, I dash forward and duck under the statue''s attempt at punching me, my right fist connecting with its stomach. The statue attempts to kick me, and I block the attack with my right leg before deflecting another punch with my right arm. Spinning around the statue''s body, I deliver a quick punch to its lower back before it turns around swinging. Act better, Jamie, I tell myself. Faster. Superior. I grab the statue''s arm with my left hand as it attempts to strike me again and punch it in the side. The statue yanks its arm out of my grip, nearly toppling me from the sudden movement, and I''m unable to block as it punches me in the chest. A small grunt escapes me, and I''m glad for the leather vest armor I''m wearing. I quickly find my foot before stepping back to avoid a kick. As the statue finishes the kick, I kick up and strike the back of its leg, unbalancing the heavy statue from the force and the fact that it was now moving faster in that direction than it was expecting. Taking advantage of the statue''s temporary lack of balance, I shift forward and punch it square in the face. The monster reacts almost immediately, somehow finding its balance and attempting to kick back toward me. I block the kick with my arms, grunting as I''m slid back a little from the impact. Without hesitation, I immediately move my hands and grab the statue''s cold, stone leg and pull. "Hyup!" It takes a lot of effort to pull something that heavy, even with my current 35 Strength. However, it does exactly what I expected and I take advantage of the statue suddenly coming toward me to elbow it straight in the stomach. That hurts my elbow like hell, but I manage to crack the monster''s stone. The statue quickly takes a couple of steps back and I charge toward it, punching its chest with as much force as I can before it''s able to bring its arms up to defend. Then I shift my body, twisting my torso as I kick upwards and forward, delivering a solid strike to its stomach with my calf. That hurts as well, but it knocks the statue off-balance again. I dash around the statue and jump up onto its back, putting its body into a lock as I bring it down to the ground.
[Martial Arts Mastery] is now Level 1.
Looks like I''ve done enough to reach that point, but I can''t focus on the increase right now. "Now!" I call out as the statue attempts to break out of my grip. I might be a little bit stronger than the statue, but it will break free if it moves its arms enough. Unlike a creature of flesh and blood, it''s not too worried about possibly breaking bones to get free. Even with stone in its limbs cracked, it can still move around. Some of the speed might be lost, but the beast will still fight. Arrows of arcane force, ice, and stone blast into the statue''s head, three waves of arrows striking the creature in the face before it dies.
+3.21% [Martial Arts Experience]!
"There we go!" I say. "Getting a little bit more again now that we''re facing tougher monsters." "Yeah," Katie nods. "Almost double what we got in the previous Zone. The monster didn''t seem that much tougher than the ones we fought toward the end of Zone 1, though." "It was only a little bit tougher, yeah," I nod. "There''s a bonus to Experience with each Zone you progress," Adam says. "So monsters in Zone 2 give more Experience than the ones in Zone 1, even for two monsters that are exactly the same." "Huh," I say. "That''s certainly¡­ nifty. Adam! You have plenty of Mana. Come loot this." "What?" Caleb asks. "But it''s not hard! I mean, it''s stone, so of course it''s hard. But it''s not erect! All it''ll give us when looted is a stone! We''ve got dozens of them from yesterday!" We looted all of the statues on top of anything that might give us value after I received the cuff yesterday. I know it''s frustrating him, but it''s not like I''m asking him to do the looting. "A heavy, durable stone perfect for construction," I tell him. "We can still sell it. Not many people loot them because they''re fairly heavy and so aren''t good for carrying around. We can definitely sell it for a little bit of coin." Caleb sighs and Adam snorts. Adam approaches the remains of the statue and presses his right hand against its chest. A glow forms around his hand and sinks into the statue, which then dissolves into ash. A dark grey stone block one foot in length and almost six inches in width and height plunks onto the ground.
[Heavy Stone]
Quality: 2
This heavy stone is quite durable, making it useful for setting foundations that won''t break easily.
I''m sure there are other uses for a heavy stone that''s highly durable, and also that it will sell for a decent bit ¨C especially since it''s Item Quality 2. I place my right hand on the stone, and it immediately disappears into my cuff, which I''m wearing on my right wrist. "Alright," I say. "Let''s keep moving. Caleb, you have a lot of Mana, so I want to see what happens if you try looting one of the trees in here." "What?" Caleb asks. "Are you insane? Maybe a branch. Or some of its leaves. Or fruit if it has some. Even vines or ivy that might be hanging off of or growing up it would be fine! But the entire fucking tree? Are you insane?" The various parts of the trees can apparently award different objects when loot. One might get just a branch or some firewood, or they might get a staff or a wooden carving. They might get jam from a fruit, or some sort of extract from leaves. There''s also a chance nothing will drop at all. But the entire tree? That will probably cost at least 50 Mana to try and loot, and I''m not sure if the archers will have enough after we clear out any monsters around it. While we could wait for their Mana to recover, Caleb will probably have the Mana then. "The only person who''s insane is the one who doesn''t try to loot everything." "¡­is that why you''ve looted some of the moss and ivy we''ve come across?" Caleb asks. "I mean, I get putting some of it into your storage since it can be sold. But you were even using the looting technique on them!" "Didn''t we teach you how to do that?" I ask. "You owe us, Caleb. Use your Mana for the good of the Party!" "You''re planning on cutting down a tree, aren''t you?" Katie asks. "You had axes for ''cutting off branches'', you claimed. But now that you can actually store a tree, you want to take some out with you, too, don''t you?" "Hey," I grin. "A Dungeon-grown tree might have properties you wouldn''t find elsewhere. Let''s keep moving. And Caleb? Just imagine what interesting object might drop if you loot the entire tree rather than just part of it. It may actually sell for quite a lot. Enough that you won''t need to scrape by for money or leech off of the generosity of others." Caleb grumbles under his breath. "Come on, guys," I say. "Let''s not waste time here. We don''t know how long it the route for this run will take before we reach the center, so we should keep moving as much as possible." Chapter 016 "Hyup! Hya! Hya! Hnh!" Adam''s staff clacks against mine, and I let my arms pull back a little before I thrust them upwards, sending his staff backwards. With Adam temporarily unable to defend, I shift my position and ram the butt of the staff into his stomach. He lets out a massive grunt before calling a yield. "That''s unfair," he complains. "What is?" I ask. "You got [Staff Mastery] in under half an hour!" We were resting after dinner and I decided to play around with one of the staffs we received by looting some of the trees here. Adam decided he wanted to spar with me to see if he can gain [Staff Mastery] as well, though I don''t think he did. Right now, we''re both in just our pants and boots, with my tunic and other weapons currently stored in my cuff. We''re both a little soaked in sweat as well from the training we''ve done for the last hour. Just as I expected, we can get some pretty neat items from looting them, though I did cut down and store some of the trees in my cuff''s space as well. I also looted individual parts of some trees. "[Spear Mastery], too," I twirl my staff for a moment before sending it into my cuff, a spear appearing in my hand. "Didn''t expect to get one of these as loot from a tree." The spear has a simple wooden shaft with a metal head that''s dark grey on the non-blade part and a lighter grey on the edges of the blade. There''s a sort of slim, dark green cord wrapped around the spear where the head and shaft meet, though I think it''s purely decorative rather than actually serving to hold the spear''s head in place. At the very bottom of the seven loops of the cord, the two ends of it are tied off and a couple of dark grey beads are slipped onto each end. "How did you even get them so fast?" Adam complains. "It took you much longer for [Sword Mastery]!" "Probably from experience using other weapons," I point the spear at him. "And my desire to see how well I can fight with them. Adjusting to using them wasn''t all that difficult. My Skill really gives a lot of help." "We figured it out," Katie announces, and I look over to where she and her small harem are examining their maps. "You did?" I walk over to them as Caleb sits up from where he was napping (he sleeps curled up and with his tail right in front of his face and it''s actually kind of adorable). "What is it?" Part of the reason Adam and I spent an hour training was because we''re in the safe room nearest one of the exits into the Boss Chamber. The path leading to there only took us most of the day, and we decided to stop in the next safe room we found, which took another half-hour. Fortunately. The last one we''d found on the way to the Boss Chamber was a two-hour trip away. That''s why we figured there was one not far from where we were. Since we''ve figured out that there''s a puzzle in every Zone for every Summoned who caused an upgrade starting with that Zone''s existence, the archers said they would put their heads together and see if they could figure out where mine was. It had to have been in our path at some point. "Here," Katie points to a room we passed by a few hours ago. "That''s the room with the stacked stones, right?" I ask. "Yeah," she nods. "We didn''t think anything of it at the time since it''s something that can occur in various rooms and we even encountered it in other rooms. But based on the types of puzzles this Dungeon has ¨C assuming Caleb''s correct ¨C then this is our best bet." "What do you mean, assuming I''m correct?" Caleb asks. "You think I''m lying?" "What makes you think it''s that room?" I ask. "Well," Chance points at a few spots on the map. "We also think it could be here, here, or here. However, we were talking and realized that there''s something crucial missing from information we were given. Why the puzzle is always on the path leading to the next Zone? That''s something we were told, right?" "Yeah," I answer. "It''s always on the direct path-wait. It''s not always on the direct path, right? I mean, we definitely probably could have gone another way and gotten to one of the entrances to the Tower Garden faster." The "Tower Garden" is apparently the common name for the grassy yard around the tower, as it''s one area with the Zone Boss being at the sole entrance to the tower itself. "Yeah," Chance nods. "And that''s what led us to realizing that it''s possible that there are several potential puzzles, but only the first one the Summoned it''s for encounters works. And since it''s something that only someone from their world would know or understand¡­" "No one else who came across it would realize," Katie says. "This chamber here is the closest possible one that we thought of. Look at the map ¨C there''s a sectioned-off portion of hall bordering this part, this part, and this part. That part''s just a dead-end that leads to the wall of it, so we know it''s not. But if your last puzzle had an actual room for you to go into¡­" "Then it would stand to reason that might be the case here as well," I say. "So there are several potential puzzles, but I''ll only be able to do one of them. That suggests that the Dungeon may also change a little as we travel to add the puzzles along the path." "Yeah," Katie nods. "We thought of that." "Okay," I examine the route. "It''ll take us about an hour to reach that room, then an hour to get back here, then another half-hour to reach the Boss Room. Do you guys think we should attempt it, or should we just move on?" "We can do the Boss Room in the morning if needed," Katie says. "We already discussed that and agreed that since it''s late enough, we can handle staying another night if we try for the puzzle." "Adam, Caleb?" I look at them. "What do you two think?" "Fine with me," Adam shrugs. "Guess I''m outnumbered," Caleb says. "So let''s do it." "Alright," I nod. "Let''s get going, then." We set off and make our way back to the chamber that the archers indicated. Since we already cleared out pretty much all of the monsters on the way, we encounter almost nothing in our path. I begin examining the room almost immediately after we enter it. Though I''d given it a check last time we were in here in case there was a puzzle hidden, I might have missed something. There''s a small pond against the wall that has a dead-end tunnel on the other side of it, a few lily pads on it with flowers on some of those. Seven stacks of stones are spread throughout the room with varying heights. Ivy covers most of the walls for the first ten feet up with flowers that are reddish with a slight pinkish-purple tint, flowers that are yellowish with a slight orange tint, and flowers that are green with a slight blue tint in addition to the standard blue or green ones we''ve found throughout the Dungeon. The floor is mostly stone pieces, moss covering most of it with all of the moss emitting a faint light. As the "sun" in this Dungeon has set, the only light we have right now comes from the glowing plants. Just like with the other flowers, all of the ones of the other colors glow as well, which is also standard for any we find on the glowing ivy. "Hm¡­" I assess the room. "Maybe there''s a mysterious word in the flowers?" Caleb suggests. "Like, the way the ivy is grown?" "Probably not," I say. "I doubt the Dungeon would use the same puzzle twice, especially not for the same Summoned. Similar ones, maybe, but no¡­ and I have to operate under the assumption that the puzzle itself might not necessarily be against a section of hedge that has a sealed-off room behind it." "Why not?" Caleb asks. "Not all of the others do," I tell him. "It''s-wait." "You figured it out?" Caleb asks. I look at the ivy. "Katie, Elise, Chance," I say. "Where are the entry-less rooms?" The archers show me the areas where those rooms should be. Examining them, I realize that Caleb was partially right ¨C it''s the flowers. More specifically, it''s the ones that are a different color from the standard ones. In a few different spots in each of those sections is a trio of those flowers in a vertical line. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Red, green, glowing yellow," I muse to myself. "Green, red, yellow. Green, green, red. Yellow, red, red. Guys, look for a vertical trio of them that has red on the top, yellow in the middle, and bluish-green on the bottom, uninterrupted by the blue or green flowers. That''s the solution." "How do you know?" Adam asks. "Because I remember seeing one last time we were in here," I say. "Ah! There it is! Such an idiot. I should''ve realized as soon as I made the comparison that this was the puzzle." It''s a stoplight. I approach the section with that and touch the wall. Nothing happen. Hm. We did learn that the flowers in this room stop glowing if we pluck one of the petals. I pluck off a petal from the red flower and from the yellow flower, but leave the bluish-green flower glowing. This time, the wall allows me to pass through. This choosing-chamber for this puzzle is almost the same as the one in the first Zone, but with walls made of hedge instead of walls of stone and a ground of grass-covered soil instead of mossy stone. I approach the pedestal in the middle and examine the floating orb of shadows.
You may choose which reward you wish to accept, Summoned One.
Box of Infinite Meal Bars Celestial Water Tree Sapling
Jar of Infinite Lube Replenishing Coin Box
Spirit Wings Charm of Regeneration
Pouch of Infinite Tricks
The God of Magic and God of Weapons must have realized that their offers would have little chance of being accepted by me, seeing as those are missing from the list. I really don''t want to just receive an item that would allow me to obliterate anything and everything in my path. If I can do that, I want it to be because of my own efforts ¨C even if I do need less effort than others would to reach that point. Then there''s the [Replenishing Coin Box]. That''s still an offer from the God of Commerce, but it''s an inferior version of the [Refilling Coin Pouch], even if it''s still Item Quality 9. Instead of having a set amount of coins that always replenishes when some are removed, the [Replenishing Coin Box] will, once a month, replicate up to ten of each of five coins placed into it. "All I would really need to have effectively infinite money with that is put in something at platinum or higher," I muse. "I doubt I''d need more than ten plat a month. Let''s hold off on picking something like that while I''m still trying to figure out if I like the adventurer''s life or if I want to settle down for good." Though I guess the gods can change, add, or revoke their offers with different puzzle rewards. He may not offer it in a future one. "Does that mean they''re actively submitting this every time?" I wonder aloud. "Or do the rewards carry over once offered until either accepted or the god decides to revoke it? Probably the latter, I doubt the gods would actually put in the effort to update their offering every time." There''s also a reward offering from a god who didn''t offer something last time. The [Charm of Regeneration] is a small talisman that can be worn on a bracelet, necklace, anklet, etc. While worn, it provides a powerful healing buff to the wearer, allowing them to recover from even near-death within seconds. That¡­ would honestly make me nigh immortal unless I received an immediately-fatal wound. "Jeez, the rewards are ridiculous," I say. "There''s no way someone hasn''t accepted the God of Life''s reward before if it''s been offered, and I doubt I''m the first to get it. How come no one''s mentioned such powerful rewards?" Also, why do the Summoned vanish from public eye after awhile. That part has been bugging me ever since I discovered that Summoned seem to disappear within a year or two of their arrival. They''re known about and tracked, and then they just vanish. I shake my head. No use worrying about that now. We probably get sent back home or something, likely with some perks or something. My gut''s telling me that I might be the first from Earth to come to Tielmar, which would help explain why no one on Earth seemed to know anything about magic and whatnot if we do retain some magical benefits from this trip. "And then there''s the reward from our mysterious but lovely god," I muse. "He''s offered up quite the interesting object." The [Pouch of Infinite Tricks] is a pouch similar to the coin pouch on my belt. Small and portable ¨C and filled with infinite tricks. Really, they''re actually glass marbles and new ones appear inside of the pouch anytime one is removed from it. Their effects are unknown until they''re activated to Stage 1 at a cost of 1 Mana, and then they can either be directly sent into Stage 2 ¨C where the effect actually happens ¨C by the wielder or automatically enter it thirty seconds after activation of Stage 1. Something tells me that the effects can be beneficial to the user, but also potentially detrimental. I kind of like that sort of chaos and want to see what it does, but I''m not insane enough to actually give it a try. What if it results in a town being hit by a meteor? "Yeah, no," I mutter. "So let''s see. The meal bars, sapling, and wings seem like the best bets here. The jar can be useful but not necessary, I want to try earning my money right now rather than just receiving it for free, the charm would make every Dungeon run too easy and possibly actually be counter to letting me get stronger because of that, and the pouch just seems too chaotic for me to use, even with my curiosity at it. "I''ll nix the meal bars," I say. "The Mana cost isn''t really an issue, but foraging for food and hunting beasts is something that seems feasible everywhere and I''d rather just make the meals myself. If I decide I don''t want to adventure, I also wouldn''t need a small, portable food source. I mean, it''d be useful, but nah." Maybe in a future puzzle completion, though. If nothing else meets the factors I''m looking for, then I''ll grab that just in case of an emergency need for food. "So that''s the wings and sapling," I look between the two options. "The wings would let me fly basically anywhere I wanted, and the speed is fairly decent as well. Probably faster than most forms of travel in this world even at the default speed." Ten miles per hour is rather good, especially since the wings can maintain that indefinitely. "But the sapling¡­" I think about that one for a bit. "The water at the roots of the tree would, ultimately, be extremely pure no matter what, so long as the tree doesn''t get cut down. I can store it in my cuff and there won''t be any issues, too. I can use it for something to drink on any journey without having to worry about spending money on it or treating the water and it''s cheaper than just conjuring water myself. If I decide to settle down instead, I could sell it off or plant it on my own property. If I''m understanding this correctly, the water from the tree once planted will actually have holy properties." Wings or effectively infinite water. The cost for water from the sapling is the same as it would be to conjure that much water with [Water Creation] Level 20, so it would also be useful for providing water to clean with as well. That''s extremely useful, especially in a prolonged Dungeon run or if I end up traveling somewhere where water isn''t too common. "Alright," I accept the sapling, and it appears in the center of the shadow orb. The sapling comes with its roots in a canvas bag, soil nearly up to the brim. Its stem is about six inches in height and is green in color, with a few leaves shooting off of it on small ''branches''. Other than the stem being a little bit on the thicker side, it appears almost as if it could be just about anything leafy. However, this is a divine gift. Ordinary it may appear, but this plant is far beyond extraordinary. I reach into the shadow orb and pull out the sapling, examining it.
[Sapling of the Sacred Water Tree]
Quality: 9
This is a rare sapling of the Sacred Water Tree. When planted, it will grow strong and tall with a pond forming around its roots, eventually turning into a lake around the great tree, its waters pure and magical, blessed with holy power. Before being planted, the sapling can be imbued with Mana to produce water on its leaves at a cost equal to [Water Creation] Level 20.
Despite the description not mentioning it, I also know that the sapling is virtually indestructible. Branches can be ''harvested'' from it once it''s fully-grown, but not very easily and not very often. The tree actually has a soul and will defend itself from harm if there''s something that can harm it. To receive a branch, one must ask it kindly and be liked, on top of making the request while it''s in a good mood. I send the sapling into my cuff. Since that actually works, I can assume that still-living plants can enter it, at the very least. None of the living monsters I attempted to put into the cuff actually entered, so that nixes the idea that I could store people inside of it. "What did you get?" Adam asks after I leave the choosing room. "I don''t see anything new on you." "A water source," I tell him. "It''s in my cuff right now, but can effectively provide us with unlimited pure water. We just need the Mana to draw it out, but the cost is fairly cheap." "How cheap?" "[Water Creation] Level 20 kind of cheap." "Damn," Elise says. "That''s higher than most dedicated water wizards reach in their entire life." "Yeah," I nod. "Let''s head back to the safe room. Even if we did clear pretty much all of the monsters around here, there''s no telling if one might wander in while we''re resting." "How come you aren''t getting money?" Adam asks. "Money is always a good reward." "Money could be a good reward," I agree with him. "But only if you don''t plan on doing stuff that will earn you a ton of it, anyway. What use is infinite money if you''re not even using it? Even if we stop after this Zone, this run will earn us four or five gold coins each, at a minimum. That will last us months unless we spend it recklessly. That''s also assuming we don''t just take time off. From what I hear, a single gold can last a normal person two or three years." Longer if they aren''t trying to live comfortably but in a more frugal manner. "Infinite money?" Adam asks. "If we got infinite money, I could make my hoard really big. But it''s not as if you could get infinite money, Jamie. But why not something that could get us, like, a hundred godsteel''s worth of gold coins? I could make my hoard really big with my share." Right. I''m talking to someone who has draconic aspects and likes hoarding shiny coins. Seems like gold coins are the ones he likes most. "Adam," I say. "The reward is mine as the puzzle was designed for me. And remember, this cuff lets us store all of the loot we can get in this place, vastly increasing our earning potential. Also, if I wanted to sell the source of pure water, don''t you think that would sell for an absurd amount?" "Oooooh, yeah," he says. "Alchemists would pay out the wazoo for infinite pure water. But I still think money would be the better option." I step directly in front of him and place my hands on his shoulders, meeting his gaze. "Adam," I say. "If there ever is a puzzle designed just for you ¨C as impossible as that seems since those types of custom Dungeon puzzles are only for Summoned ¨C then I pray to the God of Commerce that you''re able to get a lot of shiny, golden coins." The odds of Adam getting a custom puzzle are nil, but the prayer boosts his spirit a little. "Come on," I say. "Let''s head back to the safe room. I''m fairly exhausted and want to get some sleep. Tomorrow, we''ll tackle the Boss Chamber." Chapter 017 The Boss Chamber for the second Zone of this Dungeon is actually a clear space about fifty yards from the hedges to the tower. The tower itself is constructed of dark grey stone with no visible windows and only the green stone archway on the ground providing access to it. Without a ceiling of hedge above the Tower Garden, there''s nothing to obstruct our view of the sky ¨C which does look like it''s filled with dark grey clouds. Waiting in front of the archway leading to the third Zone are two stone griffins, four statues of human males, fifty goblin swordsmen, ten goblin mages, ten goblin archers, and four snakes easily a hundred feet in length and a foot in thickness. One hundred monsters in total. The biggest fight we''ve had yet. "According to my research," I say as we examine them. "The griffins don''t fly very high. However, that can still be troublesome. Archers, try to take out their wings if they take off. Otherwise, stick to the plan we used for the first Zone ¨C focus on the ranged goblins and strategic strikes against others that may bring the three of us harm." "Got it," the archers respond in unison. I''ve already given them more [Mana Recovery Potion]s, so they should have enough to handle this job. "Adam," I say. "You and I will deal with the snakes and normal goblins first. Engage the stone statues only if their attention is on you. Caleb, your job will be to focus on the stone statues with your magic martial arts. Don''t be afraid to use the potions I gave you if you need to, but try not to waste Mana. If the statues aren''t dead by the time we finish with the other goblins, then Adam and I will jump in to assist." I could handle the statues about as well as Caleb can with the Levels I''ve gained in here and how much more Strength I''ve obtained as a result. However, the goblins and snakes are a bigger threat, so I should focus on taking those down first. "Everyone clear on the plan?" I ask, and they confirm it. "Alright, now drink the potions I''ve handed out." These extra potions were bought with the expectation we would take on the second Zone. Some of the monsters in this group can inflict status effects ¨C can wield affliction magics ¨C and these potions will help us deal with that.
You now have [Fear Resistance] Level 1 for 10 minutes and 31 seconds.
You now have [Poison Resistance] Level 1 for 10 minute and 27 seconds.
You now have [Stone Curse Resistance] Level 1 for 10 minutes and 32 seconds.
"Jeez, those tasted horrible," I say. "Let''s try to at least get rid of the mages, archers, and snakes before those buffs run out. Let''s go!" I charge into the Boss Chamber with the others following after me and almost immediately need to deflect an arrow with my sword. I do so without hesitation and continue on, dodging past a goblin''s sword swing before stabbing it in the back. My Attributes are technically a little too high for this Zone thanks to [Unlimited Potential] and my lower Levels working together to give me bigger amounts of Experience. Fighting monsters with the purpose of getting stronger really helps out, too. A goblin attempts to bash me with its shield only to find me kicking the shield hard enough to crack the wood and break the beast''s arm. Another tries to conjure a cloud of poison gas where I am to weaken or possibly even disable me. One of the snakes attempts to bite me while I''m ''distracted'' with dodging a poisoned arrow from a goblin archer. None of their attacks manage to land or affect me. I never allow the blades to touch me, the poison cloud is ineffective thanks to the resistance potion I took for it, and the snake isn''t sneaky enough to avoid being heard ¨C or resilient enough to keep its head when I slash down on it with my 44 Strength after dodging the attack. Some of the goblin mages try to conjure "clouds of fear", or what appears to be some sort of black fog, but we took resistance potions for those. "You good?" I call out to Adam after noticing a slash mark on his left arm. "Can we eat one of the snakes after?" Adam responds while bashing in the head of a goblin with the butt of his sword. "Focus on not getting hurt!" I ram my sword through the back of a goblin before pulling it out and stepping to the side to avoid another goblin before slashing with my sword to cut off its head. Judging by Adam''s response, it was one of the snakes that cut his arm. Their venom can inject the stone curse, so it''s good he drank that potion. An arrow soars past my head and slams into the head of a goblin mage that was attempting to cast several stone spikes to shoot at me. I holler out a thanks as I return to slaughtering monsters. That''s really what this is: a slaughter. While Adam and the archers are roughly as strong as the monsters in this chamber, Caleb and I can easily outdo the beasts. Caleb finishes up with the statues before we finish up with the goblins, so he ends up joining us for the remainder of the battle.
+36.12% [Swordsman] Experience
+35.71% [Martial Artist] Experience!
+33.93% [Knifeman] Experience!
+31.82% [Spearman] Experience!
You have cleared the Zone! You may now exit the Dungeon, return to the previous Zone, or advance to the next Zone.
Maybe I should have pulled out one of the staffs in my Inventory as well? No, I probably would have gained even less Experience for the other Classes if I had done that. It''s already lame that I didn''t even earn a full Level''s worth of Experience for [Spearman] despite it being Level 1. Then again, I didn''t use the spear all that much due to the fact that I''m still adjusting to wielding one. "Anyone other than me disappointed by how little Experience we got here?" I ask. "Jamie!" Katie exclaims. "I don''t know how much you gained here, but normal people might have only gained one Level between all of their Classes here! If they were at the level of might for this challenge! And that''s if they''re lucky!" "No, I get that," I say. "But still. I mean, we fought eighty monsters here. Even considering that we each shared some kills, we can probably safely say that each of us contributed to or directly killed thirty monsters each. Not just each, but during a fight against others, where we had to keep in mind where others were and make sure they were safe. I feel that we should''ve gained at least 1 Level to each Class used for that alone." "Totally unfair," Adam mutters. "Jamie, you have medical stuff, right? I think this gash is deeper than it looks." We treat Adam''s wound ¨C the only injury any of us sustained other than some light bruises on Caleb ¨C and it turns out to be not as severe as Adam thought. In fact, it''s barely a scratch at all. "Adam," I say. "You gained more Levels this run than you mentioned, didn''t you?" "Huh?" Adam asks. "Oh, yeah. Why?" "Because your Strength was definitely a bit too high for this Zone as well," I tell him. "And the damage isn''t as much as it should have been." "Oh," he says. "I forgot to tell you." I roll my eyes, then look at the archers. "His arm will be fine in an hour or so thanks to the salve," I tell them. "What are your thoughts on heading into the tower? From what I heard, it''s actually one of the faster parts of this Dungeon." At an estimate, I''d say that the circular tower is about two hundred feet in width and a little more than two hundred in height. The Dungeon information I received said that each level was fifteen feet in height with three feet of thickness for the actual floors of each level, or eighteen feet per level of the tower. "It''s taller than the reports said," Caleb comments. "By half. I guess you were right about it becoming taller due to this upgrade, Jamie." "Yeah," I say. "Based on the information I received about it, the tower''s monsters should be around 30-35 Constitution and either Strength or Magic, depending on what we face. There''s a central staircase that goes straight up to the top, so the only monsters we''d be forced to face are the ones that attack us on the way and stop us from continuing up." "However," Katie says. "There are a variety of things throughout it. The majority of the floors are libraries, but there are some workshop spaces spread throughout on the fifth through eighth floors. We don''t know what the four new floors might have." "Monsters for the known floors," Chance says. "Include stone statues ¨C humanoid again ¨C magic books, and mimics. If you come across a chest, it could either have loot or eat you. Most methods of determining the truth can typically cause damage to or destroy the contents. However, you can tell a difference by smell. I''m not sure if you''ll be able to notice it, Jamie, but we beastkin and Adam should be able to detect a faint scent of something more alive than just wood and metal from the ones that are mimics." "Yeah," I nod. "I probably won''t be able to. According to what I found, you can use the looting trick on mimics to get some actual loot. Fortunately, I already taught it to you three, so if you come across one, make sure to use it after you kill the thing." "Wait, so we''re going in?" Caleb asks. "What about the vote?" "All in favor, raise your right hand," I raise up my right hand, as do Adam and the archers. "We''re going in after we loot this area and Adam recovers." "Oh," Caleb says. "I guess we''re going to Zone 3. In that case, the first puzzle involves finding a shelf where all of the books on it have the same color cover, but in different shades. Pull them off in order from left-to-right, then place them back on the shelf from left-to-right in order of lightest shade to darkest. If you do that, the books will vanish and leave behind a ring of some sort. This puzzle is somewhere on the first four floors, but a different location every run. The cover colors used for it can be different between runs as well." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "How valuable are the books compared to the ring?" I ask. "They''re all empty books," Caleb shrugs. "But paper is expensive, so you can easily get fifty to seventy copper per book, minimum. But adding even one book to a pack increases the weight and takes up more space, so not many people loot the lib-dammit, Jamie! Stop looting everything!" "More loot means more money," Adam says. "I suggest we loot a decent amount of the books to sell instead of just progressing immediately through the tower. It''ll give us a chance to get more loot from other things. At this point, none of us will gain very much Experience from the monsters up there due to the differences in power, but we can definitely get loot. Mimics can drop trinkets or potions or salves if the looting technique is used on them." I''m satisfied with my gains for the Dungeon so far in terms of Levels, so I doubt I''ll really gain much more Experience thanks to [Unlimited Potential]. At this point, continuing the run is more to see what sort of loot we can get ¨C and what the other puzzles for me are. "All in favor?" Everyone except Caleb raises their right hand. "Since we''re decently strong, we can probably pair off, one close-ranged fighter with one archer. Honestly, we could probably split up entirely, but let''s be safe. Katie, your abilities would compliment Caleb. Elise, yours would compliment Adam''s ¨C being that you can put out any fires that he accidentally sets while trying to kill a flying book. Chance, that leaves you with me. Everyone agree to this?" "I won''t set any fires," Adam says. "Sure, sure," I say. "The tower''s floors aren''t all that large, and even with bookshelves and stuff scattered throughout to create some ''halls'' or a slight maze, I can probably get most books into my ring within an hour or two." "No!" Caleb exclaims. "No looting the entire library!" "When it comes to monsters," I say. "Just loot them and leave the loot behind, I''ll grab it as I make a pass there. Everyone agree to the plan?" "No!" Caleb exclaims as the rest agree. "Alright!" I say. "Then let''s loot the statues and snakes in here. Adam''s arm is healing faster than expected, so we can move on pretty fast." "What about my say?" Caleb asks. "You mean the say of the guy who still wants to kill one of my Party members and is only along so that he''d fuck off and leave us alone after?" I ask. "The guy who wouldn''t really have been missed if he didn''t come with us as Adam and I could have handled the stone beasts on our own without him? The guy who lost the vote one-to-five? You can leave if you want, Caleb. There''s a Dungeon Gate right over there to give you a way out." All of those are important points, especially the fact that he literally lost the vote. Caleb stares at me for several long seconds before looking away and muttering, "Fine." We loot everything we can from the battle in this area, then rest a few more minutes before passing through the gate leading into the third Zone. Immediately, the smell of old books hits my nose, the air in here a little bit stale. Worn-out carpet covers the floor and bookshelves line the walls and cover them from floor to ceiling. There are a few additional bookshelves spread throughout the massive room, along with a few tables and chests. The shelves not against the walls are only about six feet in height and lanterns with glowing crystals inside rest atop them as well as hang from the ceiling in a few spots, providing us with light in here. In the very center of the room is a spiral staircase leading up, just as I was told. Two stone men stand guard at the staircase, awaiting someone to dare to approach them. "Let''s spread out and start looting," I say. "Adam, you go right. I''ll go left. Caleb, you go straight forward and take on the statues, you can still gain some decent Experience for [Martial Artist] if you don''t use magic. Adam, make sure to use your sword for the books, you should be able to cut through them. Archers, aim for the edges of the chests or any books we can''t hit easily. The latter for protection, the former because that will minimize the chances of damaging the contents if it''s not a mimic. Aye?" "Aye!" "Let''s go!" I immediately begin looting books, as all I need to do to send them into my cuff is touch them if that''s what my want for them. There are even some helpful ladders to grant easier access to the higher shelves. The first book to attack me is one with a red cover and it attempts to shoot me with blasts of wind. There''s nowhere near enough strength in the blasts to actually affect me, and the book isn''t fast enough to avoid my sword''s slash. When looted, I find that the book monsters here can drop ink, quills, or paper. Mimics ¨C which die to the archers ¨C mostly drop a few pieces of jewelry along with some potions and salves, just as stated before. I loot not just the books and monsters, but also the standalone lanterns. The ones fixed into the ceiling could potentially enter my cuff, but I can''t remove them and they won''t poof into it even though I can send trees still rooted into the ground into my cuff. That leaves me with looting just the ones on the shelves. Caleb''s grumblings about looting fade after he discovers the first puzzle, which rewards him with a decorative ring that''s Item Quality 3. Since he''s the one who solved the puzzle, we agree that he can keep it or sell if he wishes so he stores it in his pouch. Actually looting the room doesn''t take as long as I expected, partly because the others carry books and other goods over to me to send them into my cuff as well. Something that Adam learned was that even though only the wearer can pull things out of the cuff, anyone can put something in. That speeds things up massively. The fifth through eighth floors are largely libraries as well, though we encounter a couple of alchemy stations that get looted for all they''re worth ¨C from the equipment to the alchemy reagents. The only monsters at the stairs are a pair of statues, and Caleb handles all of those. For the final set of three floors, there are paintings as well as shelves and a couple of alchemy stations. All of the paintings are of the same god that''s got a statue at the Dungeon Fountains. Always nude, in various poses or situation. The first one I saw had him chilling on a log that''s fallen over a stream, his feet dangling over the edge, nearly touching the water. "Art in Dungeons usually feature this being," Caleb tells me when I comment about that. "No one has any idea who he is, but some people theorize that he''s a God of Dungeons or something like that." "Makes sense," Katie says. "I''ve heard that he''s always the prominent feature of the art in Dungeons. There would be no reason for that if he wasn''t the God of Dungeons." "Unless he was some significant Dungeon explorer in ancient times," I say. "One who earned a huge amount of favor from the gods and this is their way of honoring them." Though I doubt that as I say it ¨C the events at Ratton suggests it''s a god that people have forgotten. My gut says he''s not a God of Dungeons, though. "That makes sense," Katie agrees. "Hadn''t thought about that before." We try to pull one of the paintings off the wall but find that we can''t. Frustrated that we can''t sell the paintings, Adam decides to try the looting technique on it ¨C receiving a jar of paint for his efforts. "Anyone else bored?" I ask as we take care of the monsters at the stairs on the twelfth floor. "I mean, this has taken up basically our entire day and there wasn''t even a proper Dungeon Boss here, just four stone statues. This Zone really was easier than the last one." "I just hope Zone 4 is more exciting," Caleb says. "We are doing that, right? I''ll admit I was wrong to doubt your sage wisdom on that, Jamie. But now I want to know what, exactly, is through that Dungeon Gate in the ceiling." The stairs here continue up into the ceiling, passing through a Dungeon Gate that''s a circular ring of dark green stones rather than an archway. "Of course," I say. "We found the other two puzzles here, but didn''t see anything in this Zone for me yet. That means that the puzzle will-wait a moment." Everyone looks at me. "The books here," I say. "They all have letters on their spines." "All of them for these four floors have," Caleb says. "One letter or rune each." "Yeah," I say. "But these letters are in my native language. And there are exactly twenty-six books per shelf." "So?" "There are twenty-six letters in my native language," I tell him. "Give me a second. Don''t touch the books." I examine some of the nearest shelves and read the letters off. They''re all slightly scrambled, but each shelf contains one of each letter of the alphabet. PBEDGFCHWJKLMNOAQRSTUVIXYZ "Don''t touch the books," I say. "Kill all of the monsters up here, including the book monsters, but do not damage any of the books. Just like the previous two, they''re the puzzle." We spend the next ten minutes making sure to kill every monster that''s up here, then I begin examining each shelf that doesn''t have any missing books due to the monsters. Eventually, I find one that''s extremely curious. All of the books have the alphabet out of order, but they only have one of each letter, meaning the full alphabet is there. For the extremely curious setup, only five letters are out of place. JBCDAFGHMIKLENOPQRSTUVWXYZ The only books out of place on this one are the ones that spell my name ¨C and they''re set into the order that spells my name. Chances are, the solution is to put them back in their proper spots either in alphabetical order or in the order they appear in my name. "Ears or tail?" I ask. "Ears," Adam immediately answers before anyone else can respond. I pull the books off the shelf and put them in their appropriate spots going in the order they appear in the alphabet, so A-E-I-J-M. The moment I place the M back into its proper spot, I find myself sucked through the wall, now inside of a stone room with a few lanterns providing light, a pedestal with a shadow orb floating above it. "Well," I say. "It''s a good thing I didn''t just go and loot this room, huh?" I approach the orb and examine the choices presented to me.
You may choose which reward you wish to accept, Summoned One.
Box of Infinite Meal Bars Sword of Sacred Light
Jar of Infinite Lube Golden Chicken Egg
Grand Spirit Wings Charm of Sleep Recovery
Pouch of Infinite Tricks ¡û Pick that one!
I ignore the fact that the gods are apparently able to write messages in the choosing menu to examine the choices. [Box of Infinite Meal Bars], [Jar of Infinite Lube], and [Pouch of Infinite Tricks] are all the same as before. The [Spirit Wings] reward was upgraded to [Grand Spirit Wings], which can go up to twenty miles per hour without a Mana cost instead of ten miles per hour. The [Golden Chicken Egg] is also from the God of Commerce, and it''s a fertilized egg that will hatch after three days of incubation. Once the golden chicken is fully-grown, it will lay a golden egg once every ten days. The [Charm of Sleep Recovery] provides a healing boost while the wearer is asleep, healing their body at a rate of 10% of their full health status per hour of rest. In other words, if less than ten percent of the wearer''s body is damaged, they''ll heal completely in under an hour. Because of the previous Zone''s rewards, I was thinking that gods can either leave it the same or downgrade their reward if they submitted one, but now I see that was wrong. While some of the gods do seem to be downgrading their rewards after I don''t accept them, the fact that [Spirit Wings] became [Grand Spirit Wings] means that they can upgrade instead. "In other words," I muse. "By not picking a choice, the gods may think that means I feel they''re too powerful. But with the wings, he probably thought they were too weak. That''s interesting." The item I pick, however, is the [Sword of Sacred Light]. This time, the God of Combat''s offering is a sword with a blade forged of ''crystallized sacred light'', which can apparently only harm creatures of unholy or shadow forms, such as undead, demons, and shadow elementals. To determine the might of the light within the sword''s blade, the sum of my Strength and Magic are used. In other words, this sword is perfect if I encounter a Dungeon with undead monsters while I''m still seeing if adventures are what I like. If I decide to settle down, then I could sell the sword for a decent amount of coin. The sword appears in the shadow orb, which grows larger just to accommodate the weapon. The sheath is pure white leather with golden caps, the hilt is silver and gold with a diamond in the pommel, and when I draw it, I find the blade to actually be made out of crystallized light. "Damn," I say. "I can feel the holy power in it." I sheathe the sword and send it into my cuff, then leave the room, finding myself in front of the bookshelf once more. Several piles of books have been set up in preparation for my return to quicken the remaining looting process. "Let''s loot this floor," I say. "Then either leave the Dungeon or rest for the night and tackle the fourth Zone tomorrow, yeah?" "What did you get?" Adam asks. "A sword." "That''s lame." "That can only hurt undead, demons, shadow elementals, and the like." "That''s less lame." "Yup," I say. "Now let''s get looting, yeah? Today''s already been long and we''re well-past the point we should be heading to bed." Chapter 018 The roof of the tower is just that ¨C a roof. It has a stone floor and is about one thousand feet in diameter despite the tower itself being roughly two hundred feet in diameter. There''s a three-foot-tall stone wall at the edges, providing some degree of safety against falling off. Dark grey clouds are visible in all directions with their tops being just-below the wall up here despite the tower itself not being that tall. Definitely a result of this Dungeon''s dimension. I can''t see any monsters up here, but I remain on-guard just in case. "This is¡­ eerie," Adam says as he looks around. "Coming from someone who''s been in at least a dozen Dungeons, if he''s to be believed," Katie says. "That''s a little disturbing." "Very," Elise and Chance add. "A non-combat Zone?" Caleb asks. "Ugh. I hate these. They''re always puzzles of some sort." There are entire Zones that are puzzles instead of combat-filled? Though I guess the mazes could count as puzzles, couldn''t they? Those still had combat, though. "Be on the lookout," I say. "The fact that the cloud layer here is lower than it is from down below suggests that there may be monsters lurking in it." "Look at the ground," Adam says. "Hm?" I look down to find that the ground of the roof isn''t entirely the same color. We''re standing in an area of darker grey stone, but a decent amount of the stones making up the floor are tinted with red, yellow, or green. Looking closer, it seems that those three colors seem to form paths across the roof with medium grey stones making up the rest of the floor of the roof. "Think it''s like the flower puzzle?" Caleb asks. "Where you have to look for the ones that make up the¡­ the right sequence, right?" "No," I say. "Hold on. Adam, I''m getting up onto your shoulders." "What?" Adam asks. "Why?" "Higher vantage point," I get behind him. "You''re strong enough." I climb up onto Adam''s shoulders and take in our surroundings. Though I can''t make out the full layout, I can see enough from here to determine what the challenge for this Zone probably is. "How rare are Zones without any combat?" I climb down from Adam''s shoulders. "Fairly rare," Adam answers. "They usually have it, but some Dungeons might have one that''s a test of puzzle-solving abilities instead. Or other abilities. There was one I went into a couple of weeks before we met that required precise tossing of a ball. It wasn''t even a puzzle, you just had to get the ball through a hole in order to proceed." Caleb snorts. "A ball through a hole?" I ask. "Repeatedly," Adam nods. "The distances and sizes varied, and you couldn''t progress until you tossed a ball into each hole. If you failed, you were teleported back to the start. It was extremely annoying. The damn locals didn''t warn me about that when I was asking about it and that really pissed me off." "What did you do to them in retaliation?" Caleb asks. "Caleb¡­" I give him a warning stare. "I asked a stonebite viper king to guard the Dungeon Gate," Adam answers. "He was very grateful for the new home and demands a tribute from anyone wishing to gain access to the Dungeon now." "A what?" I ask. "It''s like some of the monsters here," Adam answers. "His venom can inflict the stone curse. But as a king monster, he''s much bigger and significantly more powerful than ordinary ones. He''s also evolved to some degree of proper intelligence and is able to communicate telepathically. The six of us working together wouldn''t stand a chance at beating him." Adam can definitely be extremely petty when he wants to be. "So," Katie says. "Do you know what the puzzle is, Jamie?" "Yeah," I answer. "Look at the tiles. They alternate between green and grey in most spots, then switch to alternating between yellow and grey. In some spots, they turn red immediately after a yellow or green tile. When they alternate, it''s one tile each, and that''s big enough to fit a person. In some cases, there are two grey tiles between the colored ones. "I think the goal," I say. "Is to reach the outer wall walking the paths, going from green tile to green tile. Based on what I saw, the yellow tiles begin when the path can branch off. Chances are that we have to stay on the path and not stray ¨C so don''t cross to a red tile, and don''t step off in a direction that has more than one grey tile in a row. The path is the alternating one-one tiles of green and grey or yellow and grey." Green meaning the path is safe, yellow meaning that one of the branches probably results in a dead-end, and red meaning that the path ends. "So there''s only one proper path?" Caleb asks. "Could be more than one," I say. "And I''m not sure I want to find out what happens if we stray. Could be a monster attack, could be a teleport back here, could be powerful flames. I don''t know and I don''t want to know." "What about the puzzle for you?" Chance asks. "Were you able to figure it out?" "I think this is the puzzle," I say. "Considering the colors. Chances are that the Summoned-specific puzzle is part of the path that must be walked¡­ hey, Caleb, step over here for a second." "Why?" Caleb steps over to me. "Just wanted to test something." "Test what?" I shove him out of the ''safe'' zone of the dark grey stones we''re on. The moment he stumbles out of a safe path, electricity sparks up and zaps. Caleb yelps and quickly returns to the starting point. "That''s what I thought," I say. "It''s nothing lethal. There''s no way it would be if the path itself is part of the Summoned-only puzzle, as that means no one else would be able to finish up here." "Those who didn''t know would have to force their way through," Katie says. "Though someone might be able to figure out the color path on their own." "Yeah," I say. "Which means that the puzzle path is probably hidden within this path. Let''s¡­ everyone, stay here while I walk the path." "You realized something, didn''t you?" Chance asks. "About the Summoned''s puzzle?" "Yeah," I answer. "The puzzles for a Summoned are clearly meant to be stupidly easy for them. I think I know what this is. Adam, shoulders again." I climb back up onto Adam''s shoulders and confirm my suspicious. Something I was doing while we were talking was attempting to plot out the route based on what I remembered seeing from up here. Now that I know what I''m looking for, I can clearly see what the current path I need to take is. Mostly, anyway. There are some parts that are too far away for me to make out properly. "Alright," I climb off of Adam''s shoulders. "Wait here and I''ll be back soon." I set off down a path, making sure to follow the one I saw laid out. The previous Zone used English letters while this one uses numbers. They''re supersized and following the path with the numbers in their correct order actually takes me all the way to the wall once I finish completing the path for 19. "Victory!" I touch the wall, only to find myself in a choosing room. "Wh-hey! I wasn''t done being happy! Agh. Whatever." I approach the shadow orb at the center and examine it to call up the list of choices.
You may choose which reward you wish to accept, Summoned One.
Camp Protection Field Charm of Learning Planes
>Jar of Infinite Lube Celestiatite Ingot x5
Grand Spirit Wings Charm of Sleep Recovery
Pick that one! ¡ú Pouch of Infinite Tricks ¡û Pick that one!
Looks like there are three new options. All three are from gods who offered something previously and only one offer comes from a different god than I''ve seen before. The [Camp Protection Field] is still an offer from the God of Journeys and Travels, and it''s a crystal orb that creates a protective field that stretches thirty feet in all directions, preventing any enemies from entering the area. From what I can tell, it really means any enemy ¨C beast and person alike. That would actually be extremely useful if traveling alone or in a small group. It means that we could sleep without having to take shifts. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. At a glance, it seems like it would just keep them from entering the camp, but it actually deters them from even perceiving the camp. A group of bandits or whatever couldn''t just surround it and wait for us to wake up, they wouldn''t even know it existed. Extremely powerful and useful, and I''m leaning toward grabbing that this time because I''m kind of interested in traveling at least a little bit more. The [Charm of Learning Planes] is sort of exactly what it sounds like. The wearer can use it to enter a ''learning plane'' while they''re asleep, that plane devoted specifically to teaching about the desired ability. Want to learn more swordsmanship? Then that plane will have a bunch of training dummies to spar with and directions on how to fight. Want to learn magic? Then the plane will be filled with books on magic and places to train them. Want to learn alchemy? There''s a plane for that! Though the skills don''t actually transfer over into the mortal plane I''m from, the knowledge will remain in my mind and soul. That will make it significantly easier to learn basically anything I want. In addition, time passes at a third the rate within the plane as it does outside, granting extra time to spend studying. "Seems a little too OP," I mutter. "But could still be useful if I wanted to go that route. [Unlimited Potential] kind of makes it easy for me to learn things anyway, but maybe that has a wealth of knowledge that''s been forgotten?" Moving on to the third new offer, it''s another from the God of Commerce. I''ve never heard of celestiatite before, but it seems to be an extremely powerful metal. Can be molded to any form and enchanted with any magic, blades crafted using it will never lose their edge. The metal is extremely lightweight despite its durability, quite possibly more lightweight than any other metal out there. "Honestly," I sigh. "All three are exceptional offerings, aren''t they? A way to learn about anything I want to learn about even if I have to relearn it again after I wake up, a protective field for camps when traveling, and metal to make powerful gear from." Chances are pretty good that not just any smith can work celestiatite and I don''t think a sword forged from it is one I would use against just any opponent. Five ingots is also probably too much for one weapon. If desired, I could also probably gift one to someone to open a door that may not ever open otherwise. I''m torn between those three offers. In the end, however, I choose the celestiatite. Keeping watch at night is part of the traveler''s experience and I kind of want to get the full one. A place to study anything I want sounds amazing and might be picked in the future if it''s ever offered again. A metal that can be used to forge an unbreakable shield or a sword that never loses its edge, or which I can have an item made as a gift to someone as an offering, is superior to those. If I decide to stop traveling, I could also sell the celestiatite and use the money to do whatever I want after. Not that I''ll need to worry about money again after this run. At least not unless I spend it stupidly or live an extremely long time and never earn another copper again. The library of the tower will be a phenomenal boost to my funds. That''s only extra proof that the God of Commerce''s previous offerings weren''t much in the long run. The God of Commerce seems to change his offering every time as well, which means that I may never receive this one again if I don''t accept it now. At least with the offers from the other gods, I think I might still have the chance to receive them if I do another puzzle tailored to me. After confirming my selection (the strikethroughs don''t affect it), I reach into the shadow orb and pull out the ingots. Each one is about eight inches long, two inches thick, and four inches wide. I''m no expert when it comes to smithing, but I''m sure that one ingot is enough for a sword. Maybe even more than enough. They really are extremely lightweight as well and I could easily mistake them for a lighter-colored iron by appearance if the System didn''t tell me otherwise. I slip the ingots into my cuff and almost immediately after that find myself standing where I was before. The others in my Party are standing here, the roof now entirely grey stone. An archway of dark green stone with darkness swirling within stands against the wall before us. "I take it that as soon as I went in," I say to the group. "The paths disappeared?" "Yeah," Adam answers. "We received the notice that we''d cleared the Dungeon, too." "Yeah, that''s in my vision," I dismiss it. "This was a boring floor. Maybe the tougher version of it will have monsters. Or be even larger. What do you guys think the normal variation will be, since this was designed after concepts from my world?" "In the first Zone," Katie says. "It will probably just be Tielmarn words or runes. In the second Zone, it will probably be shades of the same color with needing to find the ones that go in order from lightest to darkest or darkest to lightest, then disabling them. Maybe something a little different." "For the third Zone," Chance says. "It''ll probably just use Tielmarn runes instead of your native language''s, and we''d have to find the set of books that''s set up like yours." "Where one of them has the runes to a word placed in the proper order for it," I say. "Like how mine was my name." "Yeah," he nods. "Here¡­ it will probably do the paths thing again. I''m not entirely sure what your pattern was, but it was clear you were following some sort of pattern as about a third of the way through you kept having a straight line." That would be when I was on the 1s. "Ours would probably be some sort of pattern," he says. "Like a flower or a beast that stretches all the way from the start to the end. Though the stones for us would likely be brown with light, medium, and dark taking the place of your green, yellow, and red." "You''re probably right about there being multiple paths," Katie says. "We were going to try seeing if we could find the others once you returned to us, but¡­ turns out that the puzzle apparently also takes you to the wall." "Yeah," I snort. "By the way, have any of you heard of celestiatite? The reward was five ingots of that and your faces all say that you know of it." "Of course," Adam says. "Celestiatite is the rarest metal on all of Tielmar. It''s been centuries since anyone last acquired some. Centuries. No record I know of mentions where it can be found." "Same," Caleb says and the archers all voice their agreement as well. "I don''t even know where you''d go to find someone who could smith it," Katie says. "The Holy City might," Adam says. "It''s got a collection of people from all over. If no one there can, you might be able to find out where to go to find a smith with the level of skill needed for it." Celestiatite being extremely difficult to work seems to be correct. "Come on," I stretch. "I want a proper meal and a hot shower. We''ve been in here far too long for me and a comfy bed would also be appreciated." "You''re going to buy one just to stick it into your cuff, aren''t you?" Adam asks. "Hey," I say. "If there''s space, there''s space." I walk through the Dungeon Gate and find myself back in the room at the Caniton Dungeon Guild with the entrance. The other members of my Party exit behind me, then we exit the room. "Whoa," I say. "So noisy. And so busy." There are far, far, far more people here than there have been the other times I was in the building. Workers are running around as they do their business. Adventurers are talking, arranging Parties, looking for new Party members, talking at the counters, and more. Random other people are here to listen. "What''s going on?" I grab a passing wolfkin man about my age. "Didn''t you hear?" He asks. "The Dungeon''s gotten bigger! The third Zone is fifty-percent larger now and there''s a whole new Zone at the top! A high-Level group came back yesterday after exploring it and gave us the news! Another one got back this morning and confirmed it! Though no one was able to figure out the fourth Zone and had to power their way through the zaps." "Seems a couple of groups that go to the third Zone were in there when we went in," Caleb comments as the wolfkin runs off to continue whatever it was he was doing. "Jamie!" A voice booms over the noise of the Dungeon Guild and nearly everyone goes silent. I look over to the balcony to the second-floor loft over the dining area to find Henry, the Guild Master, standing up there. "Welcome back from your trip! Did you solve the puzzle?" He''s no doubt asking about the fourth Zone''s puzzle. I''m not sure if people are aware that the upgrade is a result of my presence yet or not, but they probably know that once it''s solved it should be easier to figure out. It looks like Tiffany and Jennifer are both standing beside him as well, each one holding a clipboard. "Yes," I answer. "So the fourth Zone''s layout should be easier for those going in and challenging it now. The puzzle is incorporated into it." "Come up here," Henry says. "I''d like to learn about the trip you made so that we can better-inform future runners of Zone 3 and Zone 4. Not that Zone 4 has given any rewards¡­" "Probably will now that it''s been solved properly," I tell him. "Also, do you have a sizable room to talk in?" "Why?" Henry asks. "I looted the tower," I hold up my wrist to show off my cuff. "All of the books from inside of it are in here. Heard they sell for a pretty coin due to how expensive paper is." Henry stares at me for a few moments, then bursts into laughter. "We''ll transfer them to my own storage," Henry beckons for me to come up to the balcony. "Then you''ll get your pay and I''ll restock the Guild''s stores of them as needed." "Come on," I tell my group. "Let''s head up there." We join Henry, Tiffany, and Jennifer, then he leads us into an office for the debriefing. As I tell him about what we did, I begin transferring the books to him as well. The Assistant Guild Masters count the books to keep track so that Henry and I can focus on the discussion. "The two groups that had done the fourth Zone," Henry tells me. "Had figured out that the colored paths had something to do with the route, but they couldn''t figure out how." "They might have eventually figured it out if they tested things long enough," I say. "Or it''s possible there''s something that prevents people from being able to logic it out." "Maybe," Henry nods. "And the guess as to the form it will take now is probably correct. If the assumption that the rewards for completing a puzzle caused by a Summoned''s nearby presence are based on what was received by the Summon himself, then we can conclude that there will be a cuff of some sort, a sword of some sort, and ingots of some sort. As for the sapling''s rewards¡­ maybe seeds? I''m not entirely sure how that one can be downgraded properly." "Me, neither," I shrug. "The fourth Zone was really boring. I was expecting more fights." "Maybe that will be after the next time it gets upgraded," Henry says. "If it does again. Regarding the celestiatite¡­ I''d recommend not spreading around that you have it too much. Few can forge it, but that doesn''t mean people won''t covet it." "I wasn''t planning on it," I tell him. "Do you know of where I can find someone who can smith it?" "I''d recommend checking out any of the Holy Cities," he answers. "With their Dungeons, it''s possible one has an extremely skilled smith who can work it. If not, then you could probably get a lead on one." "That''s what they said," I indicate my Party members. "Seems even you don''t." "Hm¡­" Henry thinks. "Ashran or Avuldrax might know where one is, though. In a more specific location than just ''try the Holy Cities'' and see if they either have one or know where you might find one. I think they''re back." "Back?" Adam asks. "Yeah," Henry nods. "They left a little before dinner last night. Startled the town a bit due to a dragon suddenly appearing. Soared off west. I heard someone mentioned that it returned about an hour before you did, but I was expecting you to return today so waited here instead of heading off to confirm." "Alright," I say. "Once we finish the transfer of books, should I head downstairs to sell the rest of our loot or can we do that up here? Also, is there a chance that we''ll end up having more loot than the Guild can afford? If so, we''ll accept recommendations on where to sell the rest." "How much loot is there?" Henry asks. "Well," I say. "I tried looting everything after I got the cuff, so there''s a decent amount. Would probably need several really large bins to fit it all in." "He''s insane," Caleb points at me. "We can handle it in here," Tiffany tells me. "And we can afford it all, even with the immense number of books you''re dumping." "Just keep in mind that it was a twelve-floor library," I say. "This might take awhile." Chapter 019 "Adam!" Asher approaches with Fang and Claw close behind him. "How did your Dungeon run go?" We''re currently on our way back to the inn, having already given everyone their share of their funds. Caleb has decided to accompany us for some reason, though I think it''s because he wants to stay at this inn over his own and can afford it now. There was no need for him to join us for dinner a well, but he did. Transferring all of the books took quite awhile, so we were served lunch with Henry, Tiffany, and Jennifer. I was also asked to never loot the entire library and then try to sell it again. Since I plan on visiting the Dungeon at least a few more times just to max out my gains, I''m going to ignore that request. The library will get looted in its entirety again, and I will sell the books for more coin just to fuck with people. Though I''ll do it in another town, one where they don''t know that I''ve looted tens of thousands of books. At least Caniton likely won''t have a shortage of books and paper for awhile. "Grandpa," Adam says. "How did your trip go? Henry mentioned you rode Avuldrax out of here this morning. And returned shortly before we left the Dungeon." "Yes," Asher nods, a scroll appearing in his hands. "Caleb, this is for you." Caleb gives the scroll a suspicious look but accepts it. He unties the ribbon and unfurls the scroll, eyes widening as he reads it. "Thanks for being somewhere easy to find," Asher tells him. "I hope that clears things up with my grandson." "What is it?" I ask as Adam peeks at the scroll. "Just a notice from the Titan''s Grasp Guild letting him know that the bounty on Adam has been rescinded," Asher answers. "They were most cooperative when I spoke with them regarding the incident, and quite understanding when I told them that by the code of our clans, Adam would have been in his full right to kill everyone there, not just the people who came and attacked our clan. All he did was eliminate monsters who attacked a peaceful group." "T-that''s not all you did!" Caleb exclaims. "According to Wesley, you flew to every city, town, and fort at the border and informed them that the battles between the clans and the kingdom were over unless they wanted to find their entire settlements reduced to ash!" "Yes," Asher says. "I imagine having a Triple-Ranker and a full-blooded dragon making that threat was quite effective. I also informed the clans not to act against the kingdom anymore unless the kingdom continued their antagonistic attitude. The fact that I nearly lost my grandson has quite upset me and I would like to make sure their petty conflicts doesn''t take his life. He''s the only family I have left now and I would like to see him live as long as he''s able to." Caleb pales a little at the implied threat there. If he ignores the order from his Guild and attempts to take Adam''s life again, then he''ll probably find himself dead. This discussion happening on a street with other people around is probably not the best thing for it, but I don''t think Asher cares. "Grandpa," Adam says. "Who''s the best smith you know?" "Among the clans," Asher answers. "That would be Adrian, the one who forged your sword and knife. Why? Nothing you''ve encountered thus far has been anywhere close to the ability to damage them. They should be in good condition for months or even years to come." "Not that," Adam shakes his head. "Jamie has a lot of money after looting the library in the Dungeon here and was thinking of commissioning a stronger sword than what he can just buy. I told him that if he''s going to spend a lot of money on it, he should get one that will last an extremely long time. By a master or grandmaster smith. It should be at least on-par with my own sword." Wow. The normally off-minded Adam actually thought of a clever way to disguise inquiring about a smith for celestiatite. That''s a completely plausible story and I was actually going to ask Asher and Fang something similar. "I see," Asher thinks for a few moments. "Well, Adrian is a grandmaster smith and he wouldn''t have an issue forging something for a human. The best he can make is Quality 8, if he has the right materials. He only has the stuff to make draconic steel so you''d need to acquire others somehow." "What about Quinton?" Fang asks. "He''d be good as well," Asher nods. "If you can find him. Last I heard, he was in the Holy City Amadikols, but that was half a century ago and it''s possible he decided to move on." "Amadikols?" I ask. "It''s a Holy City east of here," Fang explains. "On the other side of the wilderness. There''s a Holy Dungeon with five Zones in it located there. You can get there in, oh, two or three weeks of traveling? That was the last place I knew him to be. If you can''t find him there, you can probably at least find a clue to where he went. Quinton always leaves a clue behind." Based on that location, that''s the city Adam suggested I head to next if I want to continue with seeing about an adventurer''s life. "Alright," I say. "Was already thinking about heading there after getting some more runs in at this Dungeon to max out my gains here first. Thanks for the info, Asher, Fang." "You''re welcome," Asher says. "By the way, Adam, did you-" "We had a long trip through the Dungeon," Adam interrupts as his tail taps the ground every few moments. "I want to soak in some hot water for awhile, then get some proper sleep." That is not at all what he wants and I guess he''s impatient for it. "Alright," Asher chuckles. "You boys have a good night." "Night," Adam starts walking again. "See you guys around," I tell Asher, Fang, and Claw. "Have a good night." I follow after Adam, whose tail is flicking back at forth for just the first few inches of the tip. Just as I expected, Caleb continues to walk with us. "Are you two boyfriends or just friends with benefits?" Caleb asks. "Why?" I ask as Adam shoots him a glare. "Thinking of asking Adam to top you again?" "As if I''d ever do that!" Adam scoffs. "I don''t ever want to touch it again." "Not Adam," Caleb says. "You. You''re really sexy, Jamie, and if you two aren''t exclusive, then I was hoping we could do some stuff? Especially since I''m sure you must be horny after not getting off in the Dungeon and Adam wants to go straight to bed." "First," I say. "Adam cut off further discussion with his grandfather because he''s horny, not because he''s tired. Second, I still don''t like you very much. Though you were helpful in the Dungeon and managed to avoid getting into intense arguments with Adam, you still haven''t made a good impression on me." Third, I don''t want Adam complaining about the smell of Caleb on me or whatever. That''s not something I care to voice out loud, though. Caleb would get offended and more annoying and Adam would probably make a comment about smelling Caleb for awhile until he manages to fully scrub clean everything he brought into the Dungeon. "I don''t have an issue with it," Adam tells me. "Under three conditions. First, you fuck me first. Second, he licks you clean after that. Third, he does not share the bed with me. Caleb likes it long and thick so you''re perfect for him." "So the bulges I''ve seen a couple of times weren''t exaggerations?" Caleb asks. "I was wondering if they were real." Something tells me that Adam''s being a little mischievous here, but I don''t think I''ll know what it is until after. Honestly, topping Caleb isn''t really an issue so much as his personality and conflicts with Adam. If Adam is okay with things, however, then I guess I''m being a bit too judgmental of Caleb. There''s probably more to their history and Caleb''s hunt of him than what was revealed to me. "Alright," I say. "First, I can agree to doing it in that order of who I''m doing it with. I''d prefer it that way, anyway, especially if you let me top you again immediately after him. Second, you don''t get to set the conditions for my own sexual activities, Adam. If he doesn''t want to do that, then he doesn''t have to. Third, it''s my rented room so I get to choose who sleeps in the bed." Adam grumbles something quietly enough I can''t pick it up, but continues on toward the inn. Once we reach the door of my room, Adam stares at Caleb rather hard. "No touching me." "Got it!" Caleb answers, his tail swishing back and forth a little. We enter my room and strip off our clothes, though I leave on my cuff. Now naked, we enter the bathing room and thoroughly scrub ourselves clean, then dry off before moving to the bed. Adam and Caleb stay on opposites sides of me the entire time, though I can tell it''s obvious Caleb is wanting to touch Adam in some form. Not necessarily in an antagonistic way¡­ I think he had genuinely liked Adam before the incident even if Adam didn''t return those feelings. Which would explain why he called Adam his ex-boyfriend. Those feelings still linger and he''s a little bitter about things. "Uh¡­ guys?" I ask after we''re both on my bed. "Yeah?" They both respond. Adam is on my left while Caleb is on my right, with me facing them and their backs to the pillows. "So, uh¡­ we''re gonna have to pause for a moment." "Why?" Adam asks. "Because someone was in here while we were washing up." Both of them immediately sniff the air, their frowns after that telling me they can''t smell anyone else having been in here. That immediately makes me suspicious and wary as it means someone wasn''t just able to prevent them from being heard over the water, but even able to conceal their scent from a demihuman dragon. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "I don''t smell anyone," Adam says. "Just us." "Same," Caleb says. "What makes you think someone was in here before we cleaned up?" "Because those weren''t," I get off my bed as I walk over to the table against one wall. "I would''ve noticed them sitting here as we passed by." Resting on the table are four new objects. Two of them are notes resting against the other two items. One is a clear jar with a brown-and-green root-like pattern on the lower half of it, the jar itself about three inches wide and six inches tall with a metal cap. The cap itself has a violet jewel set into the center of it. Another root-like pattern flows out of jewel and down to the edges of the cap. The other actual item is a brown leather pouch about three inches wide and a little more than that tall, a golden drawstring woven through the edges of the opening. With the pouch open right now, I can see that it''s filled with colorful marbles. Each note is different. The one against the jar refers to it. Hahahah! I stole this from Malrioke! Have it and have lots of fun, Jamie! Oh, but the cost for changes is 1 Mana instead of 10 Mana because I altered this one to make it better for you. It''s¡­ a [Jar of Infinite Lube]. Based on that note, there''s definitely more than one of these in existence. The wording implies that the offered items aren''t created upon the acceptance but rather, things that already exist. Also that a god can steal from another god and modify the items, but I''m sure that''s a whole different can of worms. Or, uh, a whole different [Pouch of Infinite Tricks].
[Jar of Infinite Lube]
Quality: 9
This jar contains a mystical lube that will always refill when some is removed, allowing for it to be used infinitely. The jar and lid are indestructible and the lid will always return to the jar if lost or moved too far away. By calling up the jar''s menu via the crystal, one is also able to change the color, flavor, scent, and slickness of the lube for an extraordinarily low cost of only 1 Mana.
My guess is that Malrioke is the name of the God of Desire considering that''s who offered the jar to me for the rewards. It''s also easy to figure out stole it and gave it and the pouch to me just by the name of the pouch. The note left by that particular god also makes it extremely clear.
[Pouch of Infinite Tricks]
Quality: 9
This pouch is filled with plenty of Marbles of Mysterious Tricks. When one is removed, a copy of another Marble of Mysterious Tricks from the Grand Trick Storage takes its place. Whether it will be a copy of the same one or a different one is unknown! Each marble contains a special trick that is only revealed after they''re awakened for the low, low cost of 1 Mana! After the marble is awakened, the wielder will learn the truth of its trick and have thirty seconds to activate it by intent! Should they fail to do so by that time, then the effect will activate automatically!
Oi! Why didn''t you accept my second offer? It''s even better than that cuff by magnitudes! None of the marbles I''ve made have malicious abilities, meaning they''re all super safe to use! The intent is to cause mischief, not hurt people! Go on! Try one! They''re masterpieces! And they''re only copies of the ones I actually crafted, so you never have to worry about running out! Also, there are plenty of the marbles in the storage, so you may take awhile to find repeats. Or you might get four of the same one in a row. It''s really random. Try it, Jamie! Come on! Do it! Those last three sentences appeared as I finished reading the note. I was ignoring the pouch for a reason, but it seems the mysteriousgod figured out that I wasn''t going to accept it ever. Instead of making notes saying to choose in the reward choice menu and putting a strikethrough on the other ones, he could have just¡­ put in the description that it wasn''t malicious. I''m also a bit nervous of what a "trick" from the mysterious god counts as considering that he apparently has no issue stealing from other gods. Also, he crafted the marbles himself? I know that it says that the pouch simply receives copies, but if there really is as numerous of them as he claims then just how much time does he have on his hands? Something tells me that he''s actually hand-crafting these, not just willing them into existence. "What is it?" Adam asks. "A god stole an item from another god to give to me," I answer as both notes vanish, probably to avoid tipping them off to the full truth. "And also gave me an item of his own. None of my research mentioned a god who likes pulling pranks and such." "I think I remember hearing about one a long time ago," Adam shrugs. "But that he''s been gone for¡­ uh, as long as anyone can remember. So a really long time. Why?" "Because this pouch is an item from a god," I hold it up to show them the pouch. "Read its information." Adam and Caleb read it, their eyes widening at the description. "He left a note," I say. "But it''s gone now. It was really insistent on me giving it a try. As in, extra text appeared on it just to tell me to once I finished reading." "Always a good rule to follow," Adam says. "Is to never leave a god waiting." "I agree," Caleb nods. "If this mysterious god wants you to use that, then you probably should give it a try." Nodding, I set the pouch down and pull out one of the marbles. They''re almost completely clear and without any color, looking almost like plain glass marbles.
[Marble of a Mysterious Trick]
Quality: 9
This marble contains a secret trick! Triggering the trick costs 1 Mana and will reveal the nature of the trick to you! Once you have triggered the marble, you will have 30 seconds to then activate the trick. If you don''t, then the trick will activate automatically at the end of the deadline.
Praying for something that''s actually acceptable, I trigger the Marble. Immediately, a notice alerting me to the marble''s effect appears in my vision.
[Marble of Swapped Eyes]
Quality: 9
Everyone within 250 feet of this marble will have their left and right visual feeds swapped for 5 minutes upon this marble''s activation!
I hurry to the window, open it, and chuck the marble as hard and as far as I can. Let it be the problem of other people. "What was the trick?" Caleb asks as I close the window and pull the curtains closed once more. "Someone else''s problem," I answer. "We''ll probably hear about it tomorrow with people wondering what happened, but it''s no longer our concern. You two ready for sex?" "What''s the other item?" Adam asks. "You''re blocking the view." I grab the jar and bring over to the bed as both of them stare at it in shock. They decide not to question things, and I leave it as the default clear lube with a Slickness Factor 4, its flavor and faint scent being sugar cookies. Who knows why it''s that, but I''m not complaining. Adam and Caleb are sitting about three feet apart on the bed, but lie down now that we''re ready to get started. Adam lifts up his legs as I lube up my dick, the slickness at what I feel is a perfect level for this. I slide my dick into Adam''s ass and he moans lightly, eyes closing as he tilts his head back. A small moan escapes me as the tight feeling of his ass around my dick intensifies the more I slide in. Once I''ve got me dick all the way in, I push Adam''s legs forward a little so they''re more over him, then lean forward and brace myself against the bed with my hands before I begin thrusting. A small grunt escapes Adam with every thrust forward, grabbing onto my arms at first before shifting to holding his legs. I reposition myself a little so that I''m pressing onto his right leg with my left hand and am thrusting with a little bit of a different angle now. Caleb changes position so that he can watch my dick as it slides back and forth into Adam''s ass. "Oooh!" I thrust all the way in as I hit my peak, leaning back a little as well. "Unh! Unh! Unh!" I continue to moan a little with every blast of cum I shoot into Adam''s ass. Not getting off for a few days has built me up a little and I know I shoot a couple of blasts more than normal. Adam sighs in satisfaction as I pull out of his ass, and Caleb immediately shifts to being on his hands and knees. "My turn!" Caleb says. "Hard and fast, Jamie!" A snort almost escapes but, but I suppress it before shifting over to him and moving his tail to the side. It ends up curling behind me a little and is significantly softer against my back than I expected. Very fluffy. I add a bit more lube to my dick, make sure it''s coated well, and then ram it into Caleb''s ass. "Ah!" He gasps. Just as he requested, I thrust hard and fast in his ass, gripping his hips while enjoying how much tighter his ass is than Adam''s. Caleb lets out a loud, pleasured grunt with every thrust and ends up having to brace himself against the headboard of the bed with one arm. Having just hit a climax before starting this, it takes me longer to reach one with Caleb, and we don''t change position at all for this. Though it''s weird to have something soft and fluffy rubbing my back a bit during this, or against my stomach with every thrust. I''m sure I''d end up bruised in the stomach if I fucked Adam this way. As the feelings from the stimulation intensify, I lean forward and little and move my hands to Caleb''s sides, my thrusts growing rougher. Caleb seems to enjoy that and is even thrusting his hips back a little now. "Unh!" I start grunting a little as I begin blasting my cum into Caleb''s ass, slamming my dick all the way in for my orgasm. Once I finish cumming, I slide my hands under Caleb and tease his nipples a little, then pull out of his ass and flip him onto his back. There''s a little bit of precum leaking out of his foreskin, and I get between his legs and start licking. Caleb shoots a hand to my head as he moans softly. His dick is 7.5" long and 1.8" thick, making it smaller than Adam''s but just right for Caleb. After licking up the precum that''s leaking out of the foreskin, I pull the foreskin back and begin licking up what precum was caught beneath it. His dick twitches a little and a stream of precum shoots up, right into my mouth. I lick around the underside of his foreskin and all over the now-exposed head of his dick, Caleb playing with his right nipple with his left hand while holding my head with his right hand. "C-c-cumming!" Caleb warns me. "Oh!" I swallow every drop of his hot, salty cum, then give his dick a quick bit of suction with my mouth over it before releasing it from my grip. I look over at Adam, who''s gently stroking his own tool. "Want me to suck you off or fuck you again?" I ask. Adam immediately lifts his legs up and actually somewhat bends his body over¡­ so that he can insert his dick into his mouth. That''s impressive, and I''m guessing it means he doesn''t want a mouth that just had Caleb''s dick and cum in it touching his dick. Honestly, his face as he changed positions told me that as well. "Alright," I chuckle. "But you know that position suggests you''re opening up your ass again." Adam pauses in his attempt at sucking himself off, then lets out a sigh around his dick before flicking his hands down a little. I think it''s meant to be an indication of his ass but he''s trying to keep hold of his legs. There''s a bit of resignation on his face now. He doesn''t want me to because this dick was in Caleb''s ass and hasn''t been cleaned yet. "Nah," I say. "I think I''m going to get cleaned up. Caleb, come on. We''ve both gotten sweaty again and could use another scrub." "Huh?" Caleb asks. "But I wanna watch you-" "Come on, Caleb." I head back to the bathing room and scrub myself clean, Caleb joining me for it. Once we''re both thoroughly scrubbed, we make sure to dry off. Adam''s done taking care of himself by the time we rejoin him in the bedroom, though he gets up to go scrub off from the sex as well. "So¡­" Caleb trails off for a moment as I climb onto the bed. "That was fun Jamie. Let''s do it again sometime! But you seem like you''re done for tonight, so I''m gonna go get a room." "You can stay here tonight," I tell him. "But Adam-" "It''s my rented room," I say. "Not Adam''s. If he doesn''t want to snuggle me while you are, then he can get another room. We''re not boyfriends and we''re not exclusive. He doesn''t choose what I do. So if you want to stay the night, come join me up here." Caleb looks a bit uncertain, but turns off the light in here, then climbs up onto the bed and crawls under the covers with me. The position he moves into on his own is with me spooning him, our legs and his tail tangled up a little. When Adam comes out of the bathroom, I can hear him pausing a little. In the end, he decides to stay with me tonight and climbs up into the bed, spooning me from behind. I do have to stop him from trying to subtly push Caleb away within the first five minutes, but he settles into just hugging me after that. Minus the brief kicking of the legs he and Caleb do before I clear my throat. That stops any budding conflict in its tracks and I finally get to fall asleep without worry. Chapter 020 "Everyone!" I call out, then point at Adam. "Round of drinks on him!" "No! No!" Adam exclaims. "Not paying for drinks for everyone!" That earns laughter from pretty much everyone in the Caniton''s Dungeon Guild at the moment. Over the last few weeks, those present have come to learn how stingy Adam is when it comes to spending money and it doesn''t surprise them at all that he hasn''t paid for a single drink tonight. Not even his own. Officially, the Dungeon Guild is currently closed, though people can still enter the Dungeon if they wish. There are definitely some people inside, though most are likely only running Zone 1 or up to Zone 2. Not many Parties went up to Zone 3 even before the Dungeon got an upgrade and added in four more floors to it and an entirely new Zone. However, the Guild being closed except for those coming and going from the Dungeon doesn''t mean it''s anywhere close to empty. The dining portion of it is packed with people. Adventurers, nobles, merchants, and just family members of those are here right now, the guests sitting at tables, standing, or walking about. Asher, Fang, and Claw are all here as well. There''s even a group of musicians playing up on the loft balcony in here. Adam, Caleb, and I have been in Caniton for a month now and I''m leaving the town tomorrow. This is a farewell party for me, which isn''t something that''s normally done for foreigners ¨C especially humans. I''m no ordinary human, however. I''m a Summoned whose presence upgraded the Dungeon and gave it another Zone as well as some additional rooms on an existing one. My looting of the tower''s books in that second run has performed a long-term temporary solving of a paper scarcity. On a few occasions while resting between Dungeon runs, I''ve also helped hunt some beasts outside of the town. Many of the adventurers here came to know me as a friend of some sort, and there were even requests to join my Party for my runs after that second one. Then there''s the nickname of Dragon-Tamer that went around because of Adam basically doing whatever I ask. Though really, it''s because I apparently didn''t close the window all the way after tossing the marble and people heard the sex and know that Adam''s submissive to me in bed. Answering questions about the marble and its effect was difficult but I managed to avoid revealing too much. "Hey, Jamie!" Chance puts an arm across my shoulder and holds up his stein of beer. "Do a marble!" He''s definitely drunk right now, as are most of the people here. That drunkenness is not what led to this request, though. Quite a few of the locals have wanted me to use the marbles after finding out just how wild some of their effects can be. "I''m not sure that''s a good idea," I chuckle. "Marble!" He holds up his stein. "Marble! Marble!" Definitely drunk. Chance chanting this causes others to start. Even Adam joins in and he''s not comfortable with them after the one that turned all tails within a one-mile radius into a cat''s tail for twenty-four hours. Though I think Adam''s also a bit drunk at the moment¡­ which is a first. Draconic beings, even demihuman dragons, apparently have a pretty insane tolerance to alcohol. Kind of makes me wonder what he''s been served. "Alright, alright!" I laugh, and the chanting dies down. "Don''t blame me for what happens, though!" I pull the [Pouch of Infinite Tricks] out of my cuff, then remove a marble from it and send the pouch back into my cuff. After confirming that everyone here wants to see me use the marble, I pulse Mana into it.
[Marble of Soaking]
Quality: 9
Upon activation, this marble will burst into a torrent of water with a one hundred-foot soaking range.
I''m not entirely sure how the walls and windows will affect the range. It could mean that water simply appears in that range, or it could mean that water is simply blasted out to that range. Fortunately, the building should be sturdy enough to withstand that. None of the effects so far have actually been dangerous. "Everyone, get ready!" I exclaim as the timer ticks down, and I toss the marble up at just the right moment. Right as the marble hits the peak of its height, it turns into water that blasts out in all directions, thoroughly soaking anyone and everyone in the room. Not just us, but every object as well. Caleb''s face says he wasn''t expecting that at all while Adam looks contemplative. There''s a layer of water on the floor now and someone opens the doors of the Guild to let it flow out a little faster. "Anyone smell a wet cat?" Adam asks. "Hey!" Caleb exclaims as quite a few people laugh. "This place smells more like wet dog than wet cat!" They still bicker a little bit, but at least they also get along a little. At the very least, they don''t have their little mini-fight over who gets to snuggle me at night anymore. Sort of. We''re working on baby steps. Ryan, the merchant I met when I first arrived here, approaches with his grandson, Reynold, to talk a little while Caleb and Adam bicker a little over smells. "I heard you provided some of the meat for this party," Ryan glances at some of the dishes on the table. "As soaked as they''ve become." The meat dishes of the party features meat from a rare boar, a rare bird, and a rare fish, caught in sufficient quantities to feed everyone. There''s plenty extra to replace what''s been ruined by the flood, not that it''s going to stop the drunks here from eating. "You''re wondering if it''s from the same boars as those tusks?" I let out a small, nervous chuckle. "Yeah. It was just supposed to be a party to thank the Guild for the time here and their support in letting Adam stay. They turned it into a farewell party after finding out I was leaving. Heh." "Parties focused on you make you uncomfortable?" Ryan asks. "More that I''ve never really had any for me before," I answer. "So it''s more like they make me feel a little awkward." "You''ve never hard a party?" Reynold asks. "What about for your entering-of-development party? Or your coming-to-adulthood party? Or your first hunt?" "We don''t have that last one where I''m from," I tell him. "Though it''s normal to celebrate birthdays where I''m from. My parents were¡­ neglectful, to say the least. My birthdays were always spent taking care of my younger siblings. One of the older ones offered to arrange something for me the last few years, but those plans ended up getting nixed due to varying circumstances." "That''s sad," Reynold''s ears and tail droop, then he peeks over at Adam. "Do you think he, um¡­ never mind." "Go ahead and ask him," Ryan nudges the kid towards Adam. "The worst that can happen is he says ''no''." Many people here still have reservations about Adam, though they''ve accepted his presence and the presence of his grandfather as well. Reynold gives his grandfather a nervous nod, then approaches Adam, who''s stepped away to arm-wrestle an adventurer and I think they''re betting drinks on it. That''s motivation for him to win. "Good luck on your journey," Ryan tells me. "Thanks," I say, then he walks over to join his grandson. "Jamie!" Henry slams a hand down on my shoulder, gripping it tightly. "Did I hear right that you''re planning on traveling through the wilderness to Amadikols by yourself?" "Based on the reports of the forest between here and there," I say. "The monsters are all within my range of ability to handle. It shouldn''t be too difficult a trip for me. Honestly, I''ll probably have to deal with boredom more than anything." "No," Henry says as the duke approaches us. "I mean, you''re going by yourself and not with Adam and Caleb?" He''s not given any indication before that he wanted them out of this town and Charles hasn''t, either. That makes me curious about what''s going on. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Do you need them gone?" I ask. "Caleb''s been talking about heading back home the last few days. Asher was also talking about heading back over to the clans to settle down again and I know Adam''s planning on going with him." I''m going to miss fighting alongside them and the sex at night, but we aren''t in a relationship and we''ve all got our own things to do. Caleb''s a mercenary for the Titan''s Grasp and has been neglecting his duties as a member. He wants to earn money more than he wants to adventure and I know he received a letter from his boss a couple of days ago. It seemed important as I''ve overheard snippets of muttering that made it sound like he''s got a job that needs done. Adam''s entire reason for going on this adventure and getting stronger was to meet Avuldrax and deliver the marble to him at his grandfather''s request. Now that he''s found out that the marble was his grandfather and the man is very much alive, Adam has no reason to continue journeying now. He''s been talking a lot the last few days about he can''t wait to eat some of the beasts back in the territory of the clans again. Most of it has been focused on getting eat them again. In full honesty, some of the stuff he''s described sounds rather delicious. It''s been fun adventuring with them, but I''m not going to ask them to sacrifice their own lives and jobs just to come with me as I figure myself out. "I see," Henry says. "And no, we weren''t wanting them gone. We were just surprised since the three of you got so close." I look over at Adam, who''s now spinning around while holding Reynold''s hands in order to swing the kid. The boy''s giggling like crazy, then lets out an excited yell when Adam lets go, resulting the kid flying into a group of adventurers. He lets out an, "Awesome!" as he pumps his fists into the air while the drunk adventurers laughs. Then there''s Caleb, who''s now on top of a table with three other guys, all of them shirtless, all of them drunk, and all of them dancing. It''s not an inappropriate dance and kind of reminds me of line dancing back on Earth. Their song sounds like it''s about fish but I can''t be too certain. "We might have become friends," I say. "But that''s about the extent of things for us. Temporary adventuring partners. Honestly, I''ll be glad to be free of the bickering between them, it''s been getting on my nerves. I don''t want to deal with conflict, I just want to have fun." "A fair assessment," Charles says. "I wish you luck on your journey, Jamie." "Thanks," I say. "I hope your life continues to be long and happy." Charles nods. "A word of advice," Henry finally releases my shoulder from his grip. "Bring your combat Skills up to Level 10. At least, if you''re planning on adventuring alone ¨C or going into a powerful, long Dungeon with many Zones." "Why?" I ask. "It''s how you upgrade a Class," Henry answers. "Bring a relevant Skill up to Level 10. There''s no minimum Class Level for this and the upgrade happens automatically. The bonus is applied immediately as well. So if you''re Level 5 [Swordsman] and bring [Sword Mastery] up to Level 10, you become a Level 5 [Grand Swordsman] and your Attributes will increase to match." "Oh," I say. "That''s pretty nifty. I''d been meaning to ask about how to further Classes, since I knew there were different Class Tiers. So it''s not that you gain a new Class but that you upgrade an existing one into a new Class?" "Correct," Henry confirms. "You''ll probably take some time before managing it, Jamie, but doing so will help you out greatly. There''s a decent chance that if you keep adventuring, you''ll reach Total Class Level 100. The Trial you receive is based on all of your Classes, meaning that it becomes more difficult if you do advance them." "But you get stronger and can handle other things more easily," I say, and he nods. "Well, I''ll keep that in mind, Henry. I probably won''t ever do the Rank Advancement Trial if I do hit Total Class Level 100, since there''s very little outside of Dungeons that would ever need it. But I do appreciate the information." "You''re welcome," he says. "Now, I''m going to get back to the party. Tiffany wanted to challenge me to a drinking contest and I''m not going to lose!" Henry and Charles walk off to go find Tiffany, and I just chuckle a little, then return to mingling with the people here. As the party starts to wind down, I head back to the inn. Caleb''s chatting with a few people while Adam''s continuing his arm-wrestling contests with some of the adventurers and I see no reason to interrupt them. Either I''ll fall asleep alone and wake up with them snuggling me or they''ll be here before I fall asleep and we enjoy each other''s bodies one last time before parting ways. The moment I enter my room at the inn, I can tell that something is off. I turn on the lights and look around, quickly spotting an object resting on the desk. When I unroll the parchment, I find a decent-sized map of the area. It''s not just a map of the area around Caniton but one of the area from Caniton to Amadikols and their regions. It shows the town and the city, the rivers, streams, waterfalls, ponds, and lakes, the forests and woods, the mountains and cliffs. This is far more detailed than any other map I''ve seen. "An old castle?" My attention is drawn to a castle that''s a little northwest of Amadikols, resting on the mountains. "Why''s it circled?" The castle is marked as the Old Valdaliis Castle, suggesting it''s actually ruins. If I''m correctly remembering the history I was given, Valdaliis was a kingdom that fell about five hundred years ago. They were located in that general area as well. No one was able to tell me why they fell, but I guess some of their ruins remain. Whoever put this map here circled the castle with red ink. That suggests three possibilities for what''s going on. First is that someone just thinks it''s a place I should explore but doesn''t want to tell me why. Second is that someone wants me to go there for a trap. Third is that the mysterious god is at it again and there''s something he wants me to check out. If it were him, though, I''m sure there would be an actual sign to make it more clear that it was him. Which leaves the other two possibilities. There may be monsters that can challenge me there or a treasure that''s been missed by looters but which is worth a lot. In either of those cases, it''s probably just rumors someone heard. Though there would be no reason to hide their identity from me in that case. That lends credence to the theory that someone''s set up a trap there. If nothing was wrong with that place, they would have no reason to hide themselves from me. I send the map into my cuff, then strip down to just my cuff and put everything into it. Now nude, I enter the bathing room and scrub clean, admiring my body a little as I do so. [Unlimited Potential] definitely has the ability to adapt more than my abilities and Status. Despite being slender when I arrived here in Tielmar and only having around a month and a half of training, my body''s toned up nicely. I''m still slender, but have some decent muscle definition with my abs visible now. There''s not a doubt in my mind that [Unlimited Potential] adapted my body for physical combat that has a reliance on quick movements rather than brute force. No complaints from me about that ¨C I don''t mind being a twink or a twunk or on the border of the two. I look damn fine regardless. After I finish scrubbing away today''s sweat and rinse off, I soak in the bath for a little while, enjoying the feeling of the heat seeping into my muscles. I must have been more exhausted than I thought I was, too, because I definitely doze off. Adam and Caleb joining me in the bath is what wakes me. Neither of them are as drunk as they were earlier. In fact, they both look fairly sober. "What time is it?" I ask as I try to squish the sleep from my eyes since rubbing it wouldn''t be a good idea due to my hands being wet. "A little after two," Adam answers. "Why''d you take a nap in the bath?" "Didn''t mean to," I say. "Two hours? You two look sober now." "Grandpa has medicine that sobers you right up," Adam explains. "He was even generous enough to offer it to Caleb." "Ah," I stretch a little. "I think I''m going to head to bed now, I''m definitely exhausted. Was hoping for one last bit of action with you two, but guess it''s too late for that, huh?" "Last bit?" Caleb asks. "Only if I don''t come with you, right?" "To Amadikols?" I ask, and he nods. "Didn''t you have business in your own town? I know you got a letter from¡­ what was his name? Wyatt?" "Wesley," Caleb answers. "And yeah. I let him know that the guy I was hanging out with here was heading off to Amadikols, so I was going to be coming back home soon. Since I mentioned Amadikols, he offered me a job out that way. Seems one of our groups vanished in that area and he wanted to know if I''d investigate, especially now that I was a bit stronger. The other group was all around 15-20 Strength or Magic while I''m nearly triple that now thanks to running the Dungeon so intensely." We have all gained a fair few Levels from running the Dungeon here. Even the archers were impressed by how much stronger they grew. I''m certain that any one of us could solo-run the entire Dungeon now. Some voice deep inside of me was telling me that [Unlimited Potential] may have actually influenced my Party members a little as well in order to ensure better runs for me. If that''s the case, then it''s truly an absurd Skill. "So mind if I tag along a little bit more?" Caleb asks. "Since I''m heading out that way for a job as well?" "Sure," I shrug. "Two will have a safer trip than one, after all." "Can I come as well?" Adam asks. His tone suggests this is something he''s thought about a little rather than something he''s asking in response to Caleb sticking with me for longer. "Weren''t you going back to the clans with your grandpa?" I ask. "You''ve been talking about it a lot." "Well¡­ yeah," Adam says. "I want to go back to the clans. Nobody stares at me there or judges me based on the tendencies of dragons. Plus, the beasts there are far more delicious. And I can talk about eating wolf meat without getting uncomfortable stares. There are lots of sexy guys to hang out with. I can also just sit back and relax and not fight again." Adam''s made it clear that he''d actually prefer to just laze about, something that no doubt comes from his draconic side. That is probably a bigger argument than all of the others for why he wants to return to the territory of the clans. "But?" I ask. "But the sex with you is great." I laugh as his honest admission of the reason he wants to tag along. "Sure," I say. "You can come with me to Amadikols. Do know that Katie, Elise, and Chance aren''t. They''re staying here." The three of them are planning on relaxing with the money they''ve earned over the last month and occasionally run the Dungeon here or hunt some monsters in the nearby area. This is their home and while they enjoying hunting monsters and running the Dungeon, they aren''t the traveling sort of adventurers. "That''s fine," Adam says. "Alright," I say. "I was going to ignore it, but since you two are coming with me I might as well mention it." Adam and Caleb give me a curious look. I tell them about the map and my theory regarding it. "You''re right," Caleb says. "That''s definitely a trap. And considering that it was believed Adam and I weren''t going with you, it''s probably meant to ensnare you and you alone. But with our senses, we''d have an easier time picking up on things. I say we investigate. Who knows ¨C maybe I''ll even find a clue there about what happened to the missing mercs." "A trap meant for someone with over 50 Strength probably won''t have clues for missing people with 20 Strength," Adam says. "But it does make me wonder. I don''t mind investigating a little just to see. If we determine it''s dangerous, we can back out before it ensnares us." "Alright," I stand and step out of the bath. "You two enjoy your soak. I really am exhausted, so I''m going to head to bed now." Chapter 021 "When we agreed to check out the ruins," I say. "I expected, y''know, ruins that seemed uninhabited. Those are ruins, but they ain''t uninhabited." The castle''s walls are mostly demolished, though I can spot a few figures walking along the parts that are still stable. A few people are standing near the holes as well to keep watch. They''re dressed in red cloaks with black decorations, some of them also looking like they''re wearing dark red armor. With night having already fallen, torches and braziers are the sources of light. Well, them and Tielmar''s two silver moons and much larger blue moon, which are shining in all their glory right now. That makes it kind of easy to take in the mountain resting on the edge of a cliff from our own spot hiding on another, taller cliff. Two of the castle''s four towers have fallen and the keep is somewhat crumbled. A significant portion of the main building itself has also been demolished. The three of us are currently lying on our stomachs to examine the ruins of the castle. "This was definitely the sight of a battle," Caleb says. "Look at some of the stones ¨C they''re straight up boulders and their forms suggest magically-created. Most castles are built with potent wards, and that was true five hundred years ago. Whoever attacked here was extremely powerful." "But why wouldn''t they start cleaning up?" I ask. "It''s almost as if they don''t plan on staying here for very long?" "They don''t," Adam answers. "Something they said I can''t hear?" Caleb asks. "No," Adam answers. "Something I can smell. Demonic energies. It''s¡­ rather strong. Plus, that ritual they''re doing that? You don''t paint the runes with blood." I barely manage to make out the ritual that''s being set up. Or rather, the ritual that cloaked figures are currently checking it over. Though I can''t make out the details too well from this distance, I can see enough to tell that they aren''t setting it up anymore. It contains a massive ritual that looks black from here but is probably blood based on what Adam said. A brazier of black-and-red flames burns in each of twelve points around the ritual''s border. At the very center of it is a square table. I think it''s made out of stone but I''m not too sure. There''s some sort of pattern carved into it based on the texture it has from here but I can''t tell what''s actually carved there. "Demonic energies?" I ask. "There are demons here?" "Probably a long time ago," Adam responds. "Not anymore. The way it feels¡­ most of it is probably from an object. Though each person also has demonic energies, but it''s not theirs." "Demon-worshipers, ugh," Caleb makes a face of annoyance. "I remember dealing with some of those a few years ago. There must have been some sort of demonic item sealed in these ruins. Some idiot managed to locate it, break the seal, and started a cult. The members are all injected with some of the demonic power. It''s¡­ corrupted them, for a lack of a better word. They''re still human or whatever else they were before, but their magic has a darker touch to it. They can''t use any holy or light magic and the other magics they can used are infused with demonic energy. That makes it a pain in the ass to counter." "How''d you deal with them?" I ask. "Eh," Caleb says. "We gave up trying to find a way to handle it ourselves, tracked down a powerful magician, and hired them to drop a meteor on their camp." If all else fails, drop a meteor? "Their weapons are all probably infused with demonic energy as well," Adam frowns a little. "So getting cut would be a bad idea. We don''t have stuff to boost our resistance to demonic energy. That means any injuries received will take longer to heal, hurt a lot more, bleed worse, and weaken us, among other things." "You think it was a trap to lure me here," I say. "So that they could use me, a Summoned, as a sacrifice for that ritual? Because I''m a bit certain now that''s meant as a sacrificial ritual." "Not you," Adam says. "Whoever gave you that map a couple of weeks ago wanted you to take care of this." "How can you be certain?" I ask. "They''re all weak," Adam huffs. "You''d be able to handle this alone, with some effort. With all three of us? It''s a piece of pie. The timing of our arrival, though¡­ I think it was your mysterious god friend who gave you the map." "Why?" I ask. "A solstice will occur in two hours," Adam answers. "The moons will go dark. During the Triple Blood Moon, the balance of energies is perfect for summoning a demon. They must be wanting to summon a high-level one." For us to arrive here only hours before it happens would take an intense level of prediction. If someone knew this was going to happen, they could have gone to Amadikols instead. The people there would likely have dealt with this before now. Unless they''re in on it, of course, but my gut says otherwise. "It always amazes me how those of draconic heritage can sense that sort of thing," Caleb says. "By the way, that sword of light you got from the Dungeon is extra-effective against demons." "Demons, not people with a touch of demonic energy," I say. "You''re certain they weren''t just estimating we''d arrive in the last few days, Adam? We did go off-course a little and could have been here a couple of days ago." "Positive," Adam says. "Their sacrifice is a fairy." "How certain are you?" Caleb asks. "Fairies are notoriously hard to find. Even the Titan''s Grasp doesn''t know where the nearest gate to their realm is." "I can smell them," Adam taps his nose. "They might have the same base Magic and Mana as most people, but their bodies are made of magic. It has a unique scent, too. I only ever heard about it from Grandpa, but this is definitely the smell of fairy. With their bodies made of magic, it makes them perfect as a sacrifice. Ah. There he is." A semi-unconscious man about our age is being carried by four of the cult members, each holding a different limb. The most I can make out is that he''s male, has what I think is brown hair, and has some sort of cuff on each wrist and leg in addition to a gag in his mouth. As I watch, the cultists chain him to the stone table at the center of the ritual, then ungag him. The fairy tries saying something, but I can''t make it out due to our distance. "What''s the plan?" Caleb asks. "It''s about three hundred feet from here to the ritual, right?" I ask. "Closer to three hundred and fifty, why?" Adam asks. "Why?" "I can handle that kind of tumble," I say. "What do you mean?" Adam asks. "I want you to throw me down there." "¡­what?" "You have the Strength for it," I say. "Just pick me up and throw me. They''re keeping an eye on the outside in case someone shows up. Let''s crash their party straight at the heart of it. If you''re right about how weak these fuckers are, then let''s fuck up their plans from the start. I kill the ones at the ritual, you two then find your own way down and help take out the rest of these fuckers." If needed, I''ll help the fairy return to his realm as well. I''m sure his family would be grateful for it and being owed a debt by some fairies doesn''t sound like a bad idea. Actually, there''s a chance it could be since I know almost nothing about real fairies. For all I know, they could be tricksters like some of the fae myths back on Earth. Adam sighs, then tells me to get ready. I sit on the ground and hug my knees to my chest, then Adam picks me up and spins around a few times before releasing. The throw sends me high into the air as well as rather far and the speed surprises me enough that I lose my breath for a moment. Just as I catch it again, I crash straight into one of the demon cult members. He''s not wearing metal armor, which makes it quite the soft landing. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. For me, at any rate. None of my bones seem to have broken but I heard some crunching from within my landing cushion. "Perfect aim!" I exclaim as I stand and stretch, cult members staring for a few moments. "Anyone here want to surrender peacefully?" A few of them draw their swords while others begin firing off spells. I draw my own sword and run it through the cultist I landed on, then avoid a few attacks. Adam wasn''t wrong about how weak these guys are and I easily cut through all of them without taking a single attack to myself. "You know," I say when I clear out the cultists close enough to the ritual to cause a problem. "You''re actually kind of cute up close. Let me get you out of those chains, we''re here to help." The fairy looks like a guy my age, if a bit on the short side at 5''5", and he has a really cute face. He''s slender in build, the back tops of his ears are slightly pointed, and his hair is brown while his eyes are green. I can''t find a way to unlock the chains so I decide to use my immense Strength to simply tear the metal apart. Much like the people here, it''s fairly weak. Tearing them still takes a bit of time, but I''m fortunate in that Adam and Caleb crash-land in to take out the approaching cultists. Once the fairy is freed from the chains, he sits up and rubs the cuffs on his wrists. "Mana-draining, huh?" I ask as I read the descriptions. "Well, doesn''t mention adverse affects if broken. Let''s try¡­ ah-ha! Weaklings. Couldn''t even make ones that can resist 50 Strength or higher. Those tore easily." I finish tearing off the cuffs, then the fairy rubs his wrists a little more. "Want some help getting home?" I ask. "Or is it through a secret fairy method that others aren''t allowed to use? We''ll have no issues with that." "We''ll have to wait for the king to open a gate," he shakes his head. "He probably sealed them all after I got kidnapped." "The king?" "Er¡­ yeah," he nods. "The Fairy King, first and most powerful of all fairies. These bastards broke one of our gates to get in and His Majesty probably closed the rest to avoid anyone else getting kidnapped. Well, my disappearance may not have been reported, seeing as it''s already been a few days and no one showed up." A few days? I was told about this a couple of weeks ago. Definitely a god''s work, then. Why did the mysterious god want me, specifically, to deal with this? And why did he let me know where this happened but not guide the fairy''s brother¡­ "Wait," I say. "Your disappearance wasn''t reported?" "Probably," he shrugs. "My brother and I got into a massive argument a few days ago and I sort of ran off. It''s not the first time I''ve disappeared on him, so he probably thinks I''m just doing my own thing right now instead of having gotten kidnapped by a demon cult. Do you¡­ have any [Mana Recovery Potion]s?" "Why?" I ask. "Oh. You don''t like being low on Mana? Here." I hand him a couple of potions and he downs them all before asking if I have a couple more. The cost isn''t too much with my funds and the fairy probably wants the feeling of Mana again after having been drained of it for a few days. Adam did mention that they''re creatures made of magic, after all. After the fairy finishes those, he stands up and stretches. Then he claps his hands above his head, turns his hands around so their backs are touching and palms facing away. The fairy brings his hands down to his sides until they''re about waist-height, palms still facing downward. Light begins to flow out from beneath him, quickly taking on the form of a magic ritual. It''s a golden light that seems to radiate away from him as his a sort of wind seems to blow upward, strong enough to affect his hair. "Come!" His voice is filled with magic. "Evisalb!" A sort of drawn-out chime sound fills the air as the sounds of Adam and Caleb fighting the cultists stops. From the light below the fairy appears a creature, a fox with greenish-blue fur, silver eyes, and flames on its paws, the tips of its ears, and the tip of its tail. The fox ¨C I''m assuming that Evisalb was its name and not some magic phrase ¨C lets out a small war cry, then charges forward at an incredible speed. It crashes into the chest of a cultist, who drops like a rock. The creature continues to fight, occasionally turning into water to allow attacks to pass right through it. "That''s pretty nifty," I say. "Yeah," the fairy nods. "I''m a [Summoner] by focus, though [Mystic Beast Summon] is only Level 1 so I only have Evisalb at the moment. Summons only last as long as an amount of time equal to one second per 1 Mana as well, which is why I wanted to get back up to full. Though he does drain my own Mana for his spells once he uses up what he has and I don''t have much since I used it all on him." "The charges and water-shifts?" "And the bites and tackles," he nods. "The running is wind magic, the water-shifts is water magic, the screaming from the bites is because he''s injecting fire straight into them, and the tackle is earth magics." The water magic is pretty obvious since he''s switching into it. The wind magic involved is probably for bursts of speed, while earth magic probably makes his body harder and heavier to increase the amount of force on strike. Injecting fire magic straight into someone sounds¡­ like something I hope never happens to me. I have no qualms with someone using it against evil, demon-summoning bastards like these, though. They were going to sacrifice someone for their spell and deserve horrid pain. "Nifty," I hand him a couple of more potions. "Here. He seems capable of handling this on his own. How did you get captured?" "A trap," he answers. "I had full confidence my brother would show up to rescue me which is why I wasn''t too bothered by this. A human, a snow leopardkin, and a demihuman dragon¡­ that was a surprise." His brother must be pretty influential if he can convince the Fairy King to come search for him directly. How does the fairy hierarchy work? "Seems one of the gods felt your brother might not make it on time," I say as he downs a potion. If the gates are sealed, what are your plan for returning home?" "Probably hang out at the nearest gate until it gets opened up," he downs another potion. "People tend to be weird about fairies. They either love us, hate us, respect us, want to sacrifice us¡­ you get the drift." "Yeah," I answer. "We were actually guided here by a god, so if you''d rather not spend the wait alone, you could join us for our trip. We''re heading to Amadikols, the Holy City a couple of days'' travel southwest of here. You should be safe for that." The fairy contemplates that choice while Evisalb finish up his job, then vanishes into a puff of light. Adam and Caleb collect the bodies of the cultists, and Adam throws [Fireball] after [Fireball] at the pile until it''s nothing but ash. "There''s a demonic item here," the fairy tells me as Adam and Caleb approach us. "I think it had been sealed in some sort of secret vault that someone managed to stumble upon. Probably while looking for anything loot-worthy. With how powerful the item was, it probably called to them. It''s in the temple now. Problem is that it''s high-tier and needs something holy to destroy." "I know some basic holy magic," Caleb holds up his right hand and golden light wraps around it. "Really just [Holy Burst] and [Enchant: Holy]. High-tier compared to these guys is definitely-" "More powerful than you," the fairy states. "Significantly more powerful. Holy magic is good and all and will definitely be twice as effective, but at your power? Not enough." "Hm¡­" I say. "Alright. Let''s go get the object." "What?" The fairy asks. "Why?" "Well," I hold up my right wrist, showing of the cuff. "I can store it in here. Since everything gets hit with a temporal lock, that will render the demonic item inert until such a time as I pull it out ¨C which I won''t do until I have a way to destroy it." After examining the cuff, the fairy nods and leads us to the object. It turns out to be a book with a cover of leather made from human skin, a dark red jewel set into the center of the cover and black chains wrapped around it with no visible end, keeping it tightly bound. "It''s extremely high-tier," the fairy tells me as I examine it. "Able to speak to others. It''ll probably start talking, whispering sweet words to us in an effort to get us to kill each other so that we can''t tell others. Or to convince us to side with it in exchange for power. I think it''s actually an archdemon that''s been bound up, which would explain a few things." "Oof," Adam says. "Sucks to be him. We''re going to a Holy City, so we can probably find someone powerful enough who can destroy it." "Probably not," the fairy says. "You''d need at least 1,500 Magic if using purifying holy magic or 3,000 Magic if not. This thing is extremely durable and last I heard, the average Level for the typical adventurer is only around Level 30 or so. Even among us fairies, that''s true." Which means I can''t just stab it with my sword. That sucks. "Adam?" I look at him. "I don''t think Grandpa or Avuldrax are close to that," Adam shakes his head. "Even as old and powerful as they are." "It''s not an issue," the fairy says. "We just need to wait for the Fairy King. He''s Rank 5 and nearly entirely thanks magic-based Classes that are Tier V. He knows holy magic. With his power, destroying that thing would be a breeze. So all we have to do is wait for my brother to realize I''m missing and the tome''s destruction will be a matter of how long it takes them to track me down." "Is he really Rank 5?" Caleb asks. "I''ve heard the rumors, but you fairies are so secluded and keep to yourselves enough that no one really knows for sure." "He is," the fairy answers. "Though he doesn''t flaunt it. Most fairies don''t actually know his real level of power. I only do because he showed me his Status a few years ago. Hanging out with people would be much preferred to waiting by the gate alone. I''ll take you up on that offer." "Alright," I say. "My name''s Jamie, that''s Adam, and that''s Caleb." "Pleasure to meet you," the fairy says. "I am Leif. Let''s get the tome and get going. I want to get out of this creepy place." Adam and Caleb voice their agreement to this place''s status as creepy. "Yeah," I reach for the tome. "What is it that you-" "Zip it, punk," I slap the book. "Sweet words aren''t going to work on me." "But if you-" I pull out my [Sword of Sacred Light] and stab the book, which yelps. It''s not strong enough to actually damage the tome, but the holy power within it is enough to cause pain for the item. "Now," I say. "That didn''t do any damage, but the raw holy power within it really hurts, doesn''t it? Want another taste of it? No? Keep your fucking voice to yourself, got it?" The tome tries to protest, only for its words to fall silent once I chuck it into my storage. I notice Leif staring at my sword as I send it into the storage as well. "Found that thing laying around," I tell him. "Thought it might come in handy so I kept it. Do you want some clothes? Mine will be a little big on you, but you won''t have to be naked." "Hm?" Leif is still distracted. "Oh. Yes. Clothes." I hand him a pair of brown pants and a dark green tunic, though his feet are a size smaller than mine so my spare boots won''t fit him. No matter. "Alright," I say. "Let''s put a safe distance between us and here, and once we''re in Amadikols, let''s see if we can''t replicate what Caleb''s merc group did in the past." "What did they do?" Leif asks as we begin walking. Caleb decides to answer this extremely enthusiastically, his tail flicking about energetically. "We hired a high-power mage to drop a meteor on a camp of demon-worshipers!" Chapter 022 Amadikols comes into view well-before we arrive at it due to us coming from higher up the mountain the Holy City is. Much like Caniton, Amadikols was constructed by leveling off sections of the mountain rather than on a flat area. That has created layers to this city as well, though the settlement is much larger than Caniton was. There are also two rivers here, one flowing past the eastern edge of the city and another that flows through the city, in a series of waterfalls thanks to the terrain. The latter river flows out of the city''s southern end and continues down a little bit further into a lake. Walls a hundred and fifty feet in height surround the city, towers fifty feet taller than the walls spaced out evenly along it. It''s truly an impressive sight and I don''t doubt for a moment that even magical sieges would struggle against it. "You''d be right about that," Caleb answers. "Those towers aren''t just there to add distance the guards can watch from, they have potent magical wards woven into them. You can probably sense the magic if you try hard enough, but there''s actually a barrier over the city as well. The towers help guide the magics for that." "Managing to destroy one tower won''t break the barrier, too," Leif adds. "By the size of this city, I''d estimate that you''d need to destroy three or four of them. Just breaking one would take a massive effort." Leif is floating alongside us as though fairies apparently don''t typically have wings, they do have an innate flight magic that consumes very little Mana. Without wings, they can''t do much more than hover outside of the Fairy Realm, but he says that he can soar around just fine when he''s home. "It must take a massive expense just to maintain it," I say. "It''s a Holy City," Caleb says. "Even if the gods mysteriously went silent thirteen centuries ago, that still means something. Those in charge wish to keep it ready for the day the gods return." "If they even believe it will happen," Adam says. "They''re really just keeping up appearances because it being a Holy City makes it a place for pilgrimages for those who still believe and a tourist destination for those who don''t. It also helps retain researchers, which results in more money being brought in. They just want money." Adam''s probably only saying that because of his own desire to have more money and grow his hoard, but I''m leaning towards his version of events more than I am Caleb''s. After thirteen centuries, the odds of a leadership still believing in the gods is slim. "Caleb," I say. "What other things are there I should know about the city?" The reason I''m asking him this despite him never having really been out this way before is because Wesley''s message to him contained information about the city. "It''s a mix of peoples," he answers. "Humans, beastkin, elves, and dwarfs. Demihumans used to be accepted because of the ancient preachings, but it''s been centuries since then. Though they still claim to be the same Holy City of old, they''ve subtly changed a few of the teachings over time. We can probably expect some hostility over Adam''s presence. "That said," he adds. "Summoned are also viewed highly in certain circles within them. If it gets out that you''re a Summoned, you''ll be viewed rather highly and probably get a decent bit of attention. Those who still believe in the gods view the Summoned as the gods'' chosen, their new version of Heroes in this silent era. A test to see how worthy we are of their power." Even those who don''t believe in the gods view the Summoned in a high light because of our extraordinary abilities. They don''t know why we come to this world, just that we are the top of the food chain and have some protections that shield us from being forced into servitude. "A test that''s failed constantly," Leif says. "Light says it''s a bunch of crap and that it may be some sort of automated system the gods put into place when they abandoned us. Kind of makes sense considering what happened." Something we''ve learned since meeting Leif is that the Fairy King''s name is Light. Apparently, he''s also extremely old, though Leif hasn''t given us an exact age and I suspect he''s not entirely sure of it, himself. "What do you mean?" I ask as Adam and Caleb both stare at Leif in confusion. "Er¡­" Leif hesitates. "So Light said that mankind has basically forgotten about it. Honestly, I think the only reason he knows is because he was around for it. But the reason the gods abandoned us¡­ was because there was an extremely rare occurrence: a demigod." "Considering the gods of this world are all gay," I say. "I can see that being a rare occurrence. So the abandonment was because one of the gods did that?" "No," Leif shakes his head. "According to Light, it was a child of the God of Mysteries, though how it happened is, well, a mystery seeing as he definitely wouldn''t have actually done it with a woman." I stop walking and hold up a hand. "Hold up, Leif," I say. "There''s a God of Mysteries?" "Yeah," Leif answers. "The statues in the Dungeon Fountains take his form. He''s also the godking of this world. The other gods are all his harem." Talk to a fairy and learn quite a lot. So the mysterious god who''s acted a few times and made those offerings at the Choosing Rooms isn''t a mysterious god, he''s a God of Mysteries. I suppose that''s why his identity felt a mystery to me ¨C because it is mystery itself. "Anyway," Leif says. "The God of Mysteries somehow had a kid about thirteen centuries ago. There was a lot of turmoil going on and groups were claiming that the gods'' Heroes were the reason there were so many monstrous threats and blah-blah-blah. A collection of nations gathered together¡­ and kidnapped the demigod to sacrifice him both as an act of defiance against the gods and to summon a demon god, who they felt would do a better job of running this world." "Damn," Caleb breathes out. "No wonder the gods abandoned the world," Adam says. "That¡­ was an ultimate act of heresy." "Yeah," Light nods. "The only real trace of them since has been the arrival of the Summoned, but even that may be an automated system. I know you believe that one may have given you that map, Jamie, but it''s unlikely. And the smote incident you mentioned¡­ dunno. Could have just been a powerful mage who decided to handle things with surprising coincidence." No wonder Leif has been skeptical about the jar and pouch and their origins. He probably believes they came from special chambers in a Dungeon. Now that I know the reason the gods went silent, I can understand doubting that the gods are around. "The God of Mysteries seems to have been forgotten," I say as we continue walking. "Why''s that?" "He was the godking," Leif says. "But he was never a prominent figure among the mortals. Light says that he was forgotten pretty fast among those who didn''t actually know him or his former chosen. Well, within a few generations. Though he''s also the only one that Light was able to confirm having left Tielmar, too. But he believes they all up and abandoned us for a new world." "How was the Fairy King able to confirm that?" I ask. "Light used to be one of his Heroes," Leif answers. "A rather devoted one who ended up with a touch of divinity in him. He could semi-access a divine space devoted to the God of Mysteries and can still sense it. According to him, it''s been empty for the last thirteen hundred years." I know for a fact that the gods are still here, watching over things. Maybe not all of them, but some are. It might be possible that they come and go on their own. However, the God of Mysteries disappeared after the incident thirteen centuries ago¡­ And has returned now, around my own arrival. "Oh. My. Fucking. Gods." Everyone stops walking again to stare at me. "What?" Adam asks. "That sounded like a revelation." "A massive one," I say. "But not something I can share with you guys. Not yet. Come on, let''s get to Amadikols. I want to rent a place for the night so that I can get a nice, hot shower. May not be close to night yet, but doesn''t mean we can''t turn in early to recover from the trip." They try to press me for more information but I say not a word about what I realized. I''m not sure about the other Summoned, but I think I was directly brought here by the God of Mysteries. He must have spotted me during his travel of the universe and felt I was perfect to bring to his own world. It would explain why no one I''ve talked to has heard of my world before, why Earth seems like it was an entirely new world for Summoneds to be pulled from. That''s because Earth is an entirely new world to have peopled pulled from. Either the god or gods or system that''s doing the summonings must not have known about Earth ¨C it was probably too far away. That''s also why the God of Mysteries is acting so much around me. I''m essentially a Hero without being a Hero. When I prayed to the god of the Dungeon Fountain to deliver them their karma, he acted to smite them down in response because he chose me. The jumping fish were a sign to the beastkin in the villages and the giant whisperwater gill was sent there by him. The voice I heard was probably his as well. I now understand why he could just steal something from another god ¨C he''s on top of that one. Honestly, I''m pretty sure the God of Desire just sighed and rubbed his temples or something in response. The [Pouch of Infinite Tricks] and the origins of the marbles makes it clear that the God of Mysteries is probably ADHD and I wouldn''t be surprised if the others are used to his antics. In fact, he may have even completely forgotten about the event thirteen centuries ago. If [Unlimited Potential] is something in the core of my soul, then he probably saw it and got curious about what would happen on Tielmar if someone with it were here once more. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Not that I''m complaining, as I''m very much enjoying life here on Tielmar. Even if I''ve yet to figure out what I really want to do¡­ We enter a line of adventurers and hunters returning from the north of the city as they wait their turn at the gate. Caleb wasn''t kidding when he said there was a variety of people here. With a city of almost fifteen thousand residents and a Holy Dungeon within it, there are a lot of adventurers around. Just this line that we''re waiting in has four groups, each of seven or more members. Of them, I can spot humans, elves, dwarfs, catkin, foxkin, lionkin, wolfkin, and a bearkin. They do all seem a bit uncomfortable by Adam''s presence. "Guys," I say. "Why is this city''s Dungeon a Holy Dungeon? I mean, what''s the difference between a normal Dungeon and a Holy Dungeon? I get that the city''s a Holy City because it used to be a gathering place for Heroes, but is there something more to it? Or is the Dungeon just called a Holy Dungeon just because?" "Actual reason," Adam states. "And it''s the Holy Dungeon that drew others here and turned this place into a Holy City. Unlike most Dungeons, a Holy Dungeon allows a person to skip straight to the Boss Chamber of any Zone they''ve completed, provided all Party Members have beaten that Zone Boss before. There won''t be a Zone Boss there if you do that and you can go straight to the next Zone." "Also," Caleb adds. "There''s a decent chance that Zone Bosses will drop [Dungeon Warp Stone]s. Not using the looting technique, as I really doubt that''s widespread considering I didn''t know it. I mean that they just appear on the ground after the room is beaten." "Partially correct," Leif says. "A chest appears. We have a Holy Dungeon in our capital and I''ve seen it happen a few times. The chest is decent in size and has some good loot in it and there''s a chance for there to be [Dungeon Warp Stone]s inside of it, an amount equal to one per Party member. So a full Party will have fifteen of them inside." "What do they do?" I ask. "Let you warp to the Dungeon Gate from elsewhere?" "Sort of," Leif answers. "They let you warp out of the Dungeon from anywhere. Even in a Boss Chamber, in the middle of a fight. However, they only work within the Dungeon they dropped in. There''s a chance of the chest appearing in normal Dungeons, but it''s extremely rare and only has the stones if it does." "While the chest is a guarantee in a Holy Dungeon, with other loot in it and a chance for the stones," I say, and he nods. "Nifty. I take it that means most Parties go in with one for each member?" "Not sure about here," he says. "But in the Fairy Realm, it''s standard. Everyone who goes in keeps up to three on them and gives any they find beyond that to the Dungeon Guild. The Guild then distributes the stones to new delvers who don''t have them." People probably have to buy them here. I can see why the Dungeon is considered holy now. Such an item is extremely useful and was probably originally thought of as a blessing from the gods. We finish waiting for our turn at the gate to the city, where the guards eye Adam suspiciously. There are more guards here than there were when we first joined the line.Something tells me that they''re going to turn either Adam away or all of us away. There''s no reason to bring more guards in otherwise. "What''s your business for coming here?" A guard stare at Adam, this one a black pantherkin. "We''re here to-" I begin. "I''m asking that," the guard points at Adam. "I''m a Summoned making a pilgrimage," I ignore him. "And this Holy Dungeon was on my list of destinations to go to. I was told that I may have a chance of conversing with the gods if I managed to do well enough in the Dungeon and I was hoping to ask about the reason for my arrival here and if there''s a way to return to my family." Whether or not they believe me about being a Summoned doesn''t matter too much. If they believe me, then it should add some protection to me due to the rumors of what happens when someone messes with a Summoned. The tale of what I''m here for should also make me seem less threatening. If they don''t believe me, well, then it will make them suspicious of my real motives and probably a bit cautious of me at first. Long enough that they''ll probably find that I''m harmless as long as they leave me alone. I really don''t want to play into someone''s politics or scheming. "This here is Leif, and as you can see, he''s a fairy. Members of a demon-worshiping cult in the Old Valdaliis Ruins broke into the Fairy Realm, drugged him, kidnapped him, and tried to use him to summon a demon. We slaughtered them and rescued him and he''s joining us as he waits for the Fairy King to show up and bring him back as the Fairy Gates are currently closed as a result of the breach." Word that an extremely powerful being will come looking for Leif as a protective figure should put some level of protection on the fairy. Someone might be willing to risk the rumors of the Fairy King''s might being false, but I doubt many will. From what Caleb and Adam have told me since we met Leif, there are plenty of rumors of what happens to those caught messing with fairies so he''ll have some safety, anyway. "This here is Caleb," I indicate Caleb. "He''s a mercenary from the Titan''s Grasp. When he found out we were coming to Amadikols, he asked to tag along for added protection on the journey. It seems that some of their members have disappeared around here recently and they asked him to investigate it instead of simply sending out a larger group." Caleb shows the guards his membership badge for the mercenary group. Knowledge that he''s here instead of a larger force to investigate something will probably add some protection to him as well. If he disappears, then his superiors might send out an even more powerful force ¨C and more numerous. It could also cause some conflict between this kingdom and the beastkin kingdom if it''s known that an investigative force vanished here. In other words, it may not be just a mercenary group sending out investigators if something happens to him. "And this is Adam," I say. "The only reason he came with us was because he liked bottoming for me. Between you and me, I think he just doesn''t want his ex-fuck-buddy to get more from me than he does. He seems to be the petty sort." "Wh-hey!" Adam exclaims as Caleb chuckles and Leif laughs. "It''s¡­ only here for sex?" The guard raises an eyebrow "He tends to be a bit off in the head." "Jamie!" Adam protests. "After a number of incidents in the past," the guard says. "Demihumans of any variety aren''t allowed in the city." "I''m sure that demihumans aren''t the only ones who''ve caused problems," I put my hands behind my back. "And Adam''s fairly well-behaved. He is a person who has discipline, after all." "No exceptions allowed," the guard states. "Not even for one night?" I ask. "We''ve been traveling for weeks and could use a good meal, a hot bath, and a warm bed." "No. Exceptions." "To be clear," I say. "Is only Adam being turned away? Or are all of us." "Only demihmans." "Alright," I look at Caleb. "Looks like this is where we part ways. Good luck with your investigation." "Wait," Caleb says. "You''re just giving up?" "It''s not like this is the only Holy City in Tielmar," I say. "And to deny entry to one member of my group is to deny entry to the whole group. Adam''s whole reason for being here is to sleep with me and I''m not going to say he has to abandon that just because of some haters. We''ll go wait for the Fairy King at the Fairy Gate with Leif. After he goes home, Adam and I will set off in search of a Holy City that will allow my full team in." "So I''m not part of your group?" "You''re part of the traveling group," I say. "But we were parting ways here since you have your own business to attend to. They won''t budge on Adam entering so I can''t enter either. Besides, it''s not like the gods are going to retaliate for refusing my entry by stripping the city of its protections or anything. We can leave without worry." A shine akin to light running along glass flashes over the city''s walls, then there''s a sound like glass shattering. At the same time, the appearance of cracked glass forms all over the walls in sight, then that barrier burst. I think that''s the barrier, anyway. The fragments of the barrier clink together as they fall and dissolve in the air. "Then again¡­ the gods have been pretty clear on some things," I say. "Did you know that a minimum of eight people were smote in Ratton after we got kicked out? At least, there were eight lightning strikes." "That¡­" Leif stares with wide eyes. "I could feel the divine power! You¡­ you weren''t kidding about the gods!" "Of course not," I say. "The gods are very serious business. I''d never lie about them. I''m also sure they''d be willing to restore this city''s barrier if they grant me entry." The guards are currently staring at the walls, but my words prompt action from them. They talk for a minute before two of them run off into the city. I can see a clamor occurring within, residents freaking out over their city''s great barrier suddenly breaking in a very clear way ¨C and without any threats that they could see. It takes half an hour before the guards who ran off return, this time with about twenty other people. Some of them are guards, some of them are probably city officials. The human man at the lead approaches us with a suspicious look. "How did you break the barrier?" He asks. "I''m sure you can sense how much Mana we have," I say. "And our capacities. You really think the four of us combined have enough power to break the barrier of a Holy City?" "The gods abandoned us centuries ago," he states. "They no longer grant signs. The breaking was not by divine act, it was by mortal hands. Where is the part of your group that broke your barrier in an effort to force entry?" "Did they leave out the part where I said I was leaving?" I ask. "I straight-up said that and was about to leave. If I wanted to force entry into this city, I would''ve done something much more extreme. Honestly, I wasn''t even expecting the gods to do that. It was just me messing around." "Demihumans are forbidden from entering the city," the man states. "There are no exceptions. As you have damaged our barrier, we will also be-" I''m sure the very large message that appeared in my vision appeared in his and the reason he cut off was because he started reading it.
We the Gods view all enlightened species as people of equal value. Due to repeated failings by our Holy Cities to uphold this virtue, we have hereby bound the holy magics of all across the globe. Only those whose pray honest prayers at a Fountain of Eternities may find them unlocked once more until such a time as we believe sufficient people have repented. Once sufficient people have repented and ceased this act, we shall unbind said holy magics for all to use once more. We have also broken the protective spells on all Holy Cities across the globe. The protections of any individual Holy City will remain inactive until such a time as said Holy City has repented for their acts of heresy. Should acts of heresy which violate our Laws continue instead of lessen, then we will take further action.
Sincerely, The Gods of Tielmar
Divine Law #2: When dealing with people, treat individuals by the individual and groups by the group. Judge not an individual for the actions of an unrelated group or a group for the actions of an unrelated individual.
"Y-you may enter," the city official nervously tells Adam. "Thanks," Adam says, and we start walking through the gate. "Jamie?" "Yes?" "What makes you special?" "What do you mean?" I ask. "I mean," Adam says. "I get that you''re a Summoned and all, but that''s the second time the gods have reacted to you saying something. First, they smote a bunch of people in Ratton when you wished karma upon those kicking me out over breaking a law they told me didn''t exist. Now they broke the barrier for Amadikols in response to you saying that it''s not like they would do that just for kicking me out." "Honestly?" I ask. "I think they''re just tired of this treatment of demihumans when they view demihumans as people. If what Leif said about the pantheon is true, then I''m willing to bet they were unable to perform divine messages and stuff while the godking was gone. Now that he''s back, they''re able to do so again." More specifically, I think he banned direct interactions with people due to the ancient heresy. Then he left, so they were never able to get permission to interact again. Now that he''s back, however, they were able to get permission for it. The fact that a violation of their Laws occurred at a Holy City while he was here was probably what pushed them to asking for the ban to be revoked. "Hey, Leif," I say. "The global notice mentioned that that was the second Divine Law. I take it you know the first?" "Light ensures all fairies know the Divine Laws by heart," Leif answers. "He wants to ensure that we know what they are so that we do not break them. The first one is, in summary, that all enlightened species are people of equal value ¨C like the message started with." "Neat," I say. "Let''s find a place to get lunch, then an inn to rent for the night. I want a hot bath to soak in and a warm bed to crash in." Chapter 023 "Was it really necessary to buy a house?" Adam asks as we leave the office. After eating lunch, I decided to check out what the process was for buying a house here in Amadikols. The main reason for that was because this city houses a large, powerful Dungeon that I''m currently interested in running. Though I may change my mind later, I currently want to attempt to take on the entire thing. Based on my experience with the Caniton Dungeon, it will take us awhile to actually clear this Dungeon. I''m not planning on rushing through like I did the last one. What little information we already received suggests its Zones are even bigger than the ones in Caniton Dungeon. Since we can simply warp to the end of a Zone if we''ve completed it, that means that we can run that Zone a few times to get stronger, then progress further once we''re comfortable. Since that''s what I''m likely going to do, I thought it might be better to buy a home to stay in rather than rent a place. Even if I decide to stop running the Dungeon, it will give me a place to stay for a little while if I want to. If not, I can just sell it again. Should things with houses work here like they do on Earth, fixing it up will even earn me a profit. "Not in the slightest," I answer. "It''s a good investment." "Didn''t you buy one that''s run-down?" Caleb asks, having decided to stick with us a little longer. "I very clearly remember her saying the house was in a bad condition and needed repairs." "Yeah," I answer. "That made it cheaper. I can spend a little to fix it up, that''s not an issue for me." "You could''ve just rented-" "It''s my money, Adam," I say. "If I were spending yours, we''d have gotten a much nicer house." "You''re not spending my money," Adam''s right hand quickly moves to his pouch in a protective motion. "If I wanted to spend your money," I say. "All I''d have to do is smile at you. Being shirtless while smiling would make it a guarantee." Adam''s face flushes red, probably because he did give in to my smile before even while knowing what I was doing. I refrain from rolling my eyes as we walk. He''s not that easy, it was all smaller purchases back then and Adam was also wanting to help out. This sort of teasing is one I know he''s okay with, though, so I couldn''t help but make the poke. "Will there be much there?" Leif asks as we walk. "Probably not," I answer. "So purchasing some furniture will likely be an immediate must. Also, the agent said that the bathing room is broken, so we''ll have to use public baths until we get it fixed. The property itself is of a decent size and has a good location; however, it''s not fancy enough to have glass windows. We might need to replace some of the shutters and there likely aren''t any curtains since the place has been abandoned for a few years now. We''ll stop to pick up a few things before we arrive. Anyone who wants to stay there with me is going to have to help out with cleaning it up and keeping it tidy. Understood?" They all agree to that and I bring us to the first location on my list. After purchasing four beds, a dining table, and eight chairs, we head to the next shop. The furniture went into my storage, as do the cleaning supplies I purchase. Mops, brooms, buckets, dustpans, and soaps are all essentials. I also buy sheets, blankets, and pillows, and other things for around the house, then some groceries. "Hold on," Caleb says as we''re nearing the house. "Let''s go this way a bit. Based on what I can assume¡­ the Fountain of Eternities should be right this way." "What''s a Fountain of Eternities?" I ask. "The notices from the gods mentioned it." "Sacred fountains nearly as mysterious as the Dungeon Fountains," he answers. "But significantly rarer ¨C they''re what Holy Cities are built around. Nearly all Holy Cities have them at the very center." "Ah," I say. "And I take it they''re an extremely sacred thing?" "Yes," Leif responds. "Even Light doesn''t know what they''re supposed to mean." We locate the Fountain of Eternity, which has quite a surprising form for me. It''s similar to the Dungeon Fountains in the base form, but much wider to accommodate for the seven statues. Those are of seven of the gods, Leif explains, though the God of Mysteries isn''t among them. As with the God of Mysteries for the Dungeon Fountains, these gods are in the nude rather than clothed. Artistically nude rather than pornographic. Each god has his left hand on the right shoulder of the one next to him, the seven of them forming a circle. Their circle isn''t tight, the statues spaced out a little to create a bigger formation. An orb of water two feet in diameter floats behind the head of each god, a stream of water flowing from it to the one to either side of it to form another circle. Water flows down from those streams and onto the pedestal the statues stand upon. From there, the water flows into the fountain''s basin in an unbroken but light waterfall. Where the feet of the statue split the water''s flow, the water simply rejoins at the other side in order to create the unbroken fall. As with Dungeon Fountains, water steadily flows out of the basin itself from near the top of the wall through a series of evenly-spaced holes. With it being mid-afternoon, there are some boys splashing each other with the water on the ground while parents watch from benches or on spots along the basin between the spots where the water flows out. We''re actually a little further north and a little higher in elevation than Caniton was. How the kids are able to tolerate what must be freezing-cold water is a mystery to me. Perhaps most people in a place like this acquire [Cold Resistance] from playing in the freezing waters of the fountains? There are also people praying at the fountain, probably freaked out by the notice the gods sent to the world. A few men and women who look like priests and priestesses are also here, preaching to those passing through the area. Some are even scorning the parents allowing their children to play in the ''sacred waters'', though it looks like some of the city''s guards are keeping them from approaching the children directly. Caleb, Adam, and Leif all pray at the fountain, then explain after that it''s custom to do that when arriving in a Holy City after a long journey. "To thank the gods for their blessings and the safe guidance they gave us," Leif says. "Though I understand most don''t follow this anymore." "I see," I say. "If we''re all done, let''s head to the house." The house only takes about five minutes for us to reach from the plaza with the Fountain of Eternities, and it''s in a little bit worse of a condition than the clerk told us. Though it''s a sizable lot with a two-story house on it and there''s even a ten-foot-tall wall surrounding it, the wall is cracked or even broken in a few places. Moss and ivy grows on the walls and ivy wove itself through the rusty metal grate. Weeds fill the yard and the paving stones leading from the gate to the front door of the house are covered with dirt and weeds, rendering them invisible. I can only even spot them due to where the soil is slightly lower than the rest. Half of the shutters for the windows are broken or missing and the front door is also broken. Entering the house requires nearly ripping the door off of its hinges. Floorboards creak as we walk through and explore the place. There''s no furniture and most of the interior doors are broken. The well pump out back works, though the bathing room is just as broken as we were promised. "That bitch lied to us," Caleb says once we finish the tour. "The stairs up to the second floor aren''t even safe to walk on! Thought I was going to put my foot through it! She told us that the house only needed minor repairs apart from the bathing room! I counted twenty-three major issues!" "I knew she was lying from the start," I tell him. "You think I haggled that aggressively over something that only needed minor repairs? She wasn''t happy about there being a demihuman in the group that''s going to be living here but wasn''t saying it. Don''t worry, the gods have made it clear that there are punishments for those who violate that law. I''m sure she''ll find that trying to cheat us won''t go over well." Caleb still grumbles under his breath. It will take time for people to change, even generations. Though I suppose change might happen a little faster here if the gods are taking action. There will be some resistance and reluctance ¨C like the clerk at the agency ¨C but I''m sure the divine punishments will help lessen it. She wasn''t even trying to hide her disgust about Adam and I''m surprised they didn''t realize she was trying to cheat me on the house. I knew with how easily this one was offered up with "only minor issues" that it had some major problems. Granted, I didn''t expect half of the roof to have been collapsed, but that''s not an issue, either. "The bedrooms are all up on the second floor," I say. "But it''s not safe to go up there. The cellar still looks safe. Let''s clean out a space down there to set up the beds in, just for the next few nights. We''ll get the floors and supports replaced over the next week, then we can move the beds up." "Are you sure we can get it done that fast?" Leif asks. "I''m not an expert on the affairs of other enlightened species, but I''m sure there will be those who look for a way around the Divine Laws. They can make claims such as housing for adventurers or non-locals isn''t a high priority due to us not being here very long, or some such thing." "Haven''t you here?" I smile at him. "We Summoned tend to have frightening abilities when we want something done. Let them try to drag their feet or do a shoddy job and we''ll see how fast that lasts." "He really can be frightening," Adam whispers to Leif. "Let''s get to work," I say. We clean out the cellar of cobwebs, dust, and rats (with me having to keep Adam from eating the little critters), then I set up the beds. Since Adam and I will be sleeping in the same bed and Leif and Caleb sleeping in separate beds, I set up three of the four that I purchased. Adam is insistent on cleaning the place further, so I decide to head to the local bath house to get cleaned up while he does that. Caleb and Leif decide to stay behind to keep an eye on Adam, though I think they also want to make sure no one tries to do something to Adam while he''s there due to him being a demihuman. The local bathhouse is quite large and has a showers room with waterfall showers lining the walls apart from where the door to the changing room and the one to the bathing room are. The latter room also has a direct doorway to the changing room, though policy states that one must scrub clean before heading into it. I scrub myself clean in the showers, then head to the bathing room. Although it''s recommended to take off jewelry before heading in, according to the signs posted, I leave on my cuff to reduce the risk of it getting stolen by another. It''s also where I store my clothes and gear, so I won''t have to worry about someone stealing those while I''m soaking. The bath is fairly decent in size, roughly fifty feet wide and a hundred feet long. Statues of a god are seated along the edges of the bath, all of them of the same god. He''s slender in build and the statues are ithyphallic. The statues have their hands held close in front of them; a six-inch orb of water floats between them with one inch of space between the water and the hands. A one-inch-wide stream of water flows out of the top of the orb in an arc toward the bath, the water already steaming from its heat. I don''t recognize the statue, though I also don''t know the types of all of the gods of this world so I probably wouldn''t know which one it was, anyway. Maybe I could ask one of the other men here? They all seem to be in their late teens to late twenties, now that I think about it. Only about a dozen other guys are in here at the moment as well. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Though curious why the age range here is a bit restricted, I decide to sit down in the bath and relax, leaning my head back. I can always ask someone later, I really do want to just relax and enjoy the feeling of the heat seeping into my body. The journey here was long and there weren''t many options for a proper hot bath. Splashing extremely close to me indicates that someone''s taking a seat almost right beside me despite there being plenty of space here. I''m also certain it''s not someone I already know as well since they''re all back at the house. While other guys are sitting close to each other and chatting in here, I''m fairly certain that''s only for after they meet or between people who have already met. "It''s rude to sit right beside a guy soaking in here when you don''t know him," I murmur. "Please scoot over a little if you want to talk. In the opposite direction of me. By a couple of feet. Preferably five or more." "Do you apply that rule to gods as well?" He asks. "Depends on the god." "How about¡­ the one you kept ignoring the offered reward from?" I open my eyes and look to my left to find a man who matches the statue for the Dungeon Fountain perfectly. Well, except that he''s an actual person and not a statue, his skin appropriately-colored for that, his hair brown, and eyes a deep green. A slight smile is upon his lips which his eyes contain a trace of mischief. "Don''t worry," the God of Mysteries tells me. "I''ve made it so they can''t understand our conversation. If anyone were to actually pay attention, they''d hear us discussing the perfect meal to make while traveling through wilderness. What they see if they attempt to read our lips would be the same." "There was an expectation of some sort of divine energy that can be felt or something when I met a god," I tell him. "I could do that," he shrugs. "But I don''t want to mess with their heads right now," he indicates the others soaking in the bath. "I came here just to chat with you." I can think of several reasons he might want to speak with me directly. "Oh?" I respond. "First," he smiles. "Let''s be clear, the other gods were banned from direct interactions with people, but they were still able to use the System to send messages. They simply didn''t in order to comply with the ban. Until earlier, when they started freaking out over their concerns of what I might do upon seeing such a blatant violation of my laws from a Holy City. Truthfully, they''ve been in a state of panic ever since I returned." "Why''s that?" I ask. "Does it have to do with what Leif mentioned?" "Somewhat," he shrugs. "But I also tend to be on the whimsical side as well. Also impulsive. I''ve spent the last thirteen centuries exploring the universe, messing with various worlds. A couple of months ago, I came across a fairly advanced planet known to its inhabitants as Earth." "My world," I say. "Yup," he says. "Was going to flood it with magic just to see how its people reacted. Before doing that, I was checking to see if there were any interesting souls there ¨C and I found you! And I thought to myself ''hey, I want to see what this dude would be like in a world of magic'' so I yanked you over to my world!" "Weren''t you¡­ going to flood Earth with magic?" "Thank you for reminding me that I forgot that," he says. "We gods can make mistakes or forget things. Besides, this world is far better for you than Earth. That one was a hell for you." "Yeah," I nod. "It was. I''ve heard that Summoned tend to disappear after a year or two of being here. Is it okay to ask why?" "Hm¡­" he thinks. "You know, I''ve spent most of my time since returning watching you and haven''t really had a chance to check out what''s been going on these last thirteen centuries. It wasn''t until you heard about it that I learned of it. Hey, Zolmakos, can you explain?" Much to my surprise another god takes a seat beside me, this one to my right and matching one of the statues at the Fountain of Eternities. Though instead of being made of white stone, he''s a fair-skinned man with golden-blond hair and dark blue eyes. He''s 5''8" and has a slim, slightly-toned build with only faint traces of his abs visible. "Oh, hey, it''s a divine party!" The God of Mysteries exclaims. "Can I-just-" I sigh. "This is Zolmakos," the God of Mysteries tells me. "He''s the God of Journeys. How come the Summoned disappear after a year or two? More importantly, how come you keep bringing people here from other worlds? I did check after Jamie found out it''s a regular occurrence and it seems that you summon over three guys per continent each month, or one every two days. I mean, I''m not complaining about that as we could always use more twinks and twunks for eye candy, but-" "Myst," the God of Journeys interrupts. "You told me to." "I did?" The God of Mysteries frowns. "I don''t remember that. When did I do that?" "After you canceled our ability to directly interact with people?" The God of Journeys asks. "I pointed out that the lack of our blessings and Heroes will make it much more difficult for this world to survive the monsters due to our Heroes being the main force keeping them in check back then. You then told me to bring over one gay guy eighteen to twenty years of age with an impressive soul every two days and grant him some perks to make it easier for him to adapt to this world. Since it was an order, I have to abide by it until you cancel it ¨C and we didn''t know where you were so we couldn''t ask you to stop." "I did?" The God of Mysteries tilts his head to the side a little in thought. "Oh, right, I did. That wasn''t an actual order, you know? I mean, you could''ve just stopped at any time." "How was I supposed to know the difference?" The God of Journeys asks. "It sounded very much like an order to m-wait. You weren''t serious?" "No?" The God of Mysteries responds. "I was just annoyed with the pestering while I was busy getting ready to leave, so I just said the first thing that popped into my head. Probably meant to say ''if you''re so concerned'' in front of it so you knew. Oh, well. It''s made this place have plenty of twinks and twunks to ogle!" The God of Journeys groans as he slams his head into his hands. "So?" The God of Mysteries reaches across me and pokes the God of Journeys. "Do you end up sending the Summoned back? I guess that''s technically allowed. What happens to them?" "We''ve never sent any back," the God of Mysteries looks up. "They just all eventually try taking on a Divine Dungeon for some reason and end up dying inside." I haven''t heard of those. "Divine Dungeons," the God of Journeys looks at me. "Are immense Dungeons even larger than any Holy Dungeon. They''re impossible to leave once entered unless you completely clear it. There''s one on each continent. I don''t recommend trying to take one on, they were designed as an ultimate test for Heroes. They actually require Skills that only Heroes have in order to complete. And no, I wasn''t reading your mind. Your face made your question clear." "Ah," I say. "But all Summoned try to take them on despite this level of difficulty?" The God of Mysteries giggles. "What did you do?" The God of Journeys asks. "Oh, not me," the God of Mysteries answers. "It''s just¡­ I examined the Summoned sitting over there," he points at a wolfkin who looks about twenty, with a lightly-toned build, grey hair, and brown eyes, who is currently talking with a human. "Yeaaaaaaaaaah. You messed up the Summonings." Coming across another Summoned this early into my arrival here wasn''t in my expectations. Though there are now seven of us present in the city based on what I heared, this place has over fifteen thousand residents. The odds of us running into each other are actually pretty slim. "I¡­ did what?" The God of Journeys asks. "How did I mess them up?" The God of Mysteries giggles again. "What?" The God of Journeys asks. "Look," the God of Mysteries points at the Summoned wolfkin. "See that? When you give them their Skills, you do it as a sort of blessing. That trips the same flag in a person''s soul that receiving our blessing to become a Hero does. That flag is what compels them to take on a Divine Dungeon within two years. Remember? It was meant as a test for our Heroes to prove their worth. They had to enter it within two years. You''re causing the same thing in the Summoned ones. To avoid that, you have to give them Skills by doing this." The God of Mysteries is moving his finger around a little as he talks. I''m going to assume he''s doing something that the God of Journeys can see, probably highlighting something in the soul of the other Summoned. "Naturally," the God of Mysteries says. "I didn''t trip that flag on Jamie''s soul as I didn''t give him any Skills. He only has [Unlimited Potential] because it was already there within him and the System has merely recognized it and turned it into the Skill. So he''ll never have that compulsion." "I thank you for that," I tell him. "You''re welcome!" If he had a tail, I''m sure it would be wagging right now. "Can I ask why you guys were freaked out?" I ask the God of Journeys. "Or is asking you guys questions a sort of taboo?" "If we make an appearance to you," he answers. "You can ask questions. And it''s always cause for concern when this mischief-brained god is quiet for any period of time. Even more so when he quietly smashes a Holy City''s barriers in response to something rather than something bigger. He''s always hated it when the Divine Laws he set aren''t followed in holy places and our lack of ability to interact with the world for the last thirteen centuries has made some things difficult." That doesn''t answer the question. "They were worried I''d send a tornado or something." "The ''or something'' is the part we''re concerned about," the God of Journeys tells me. "Exempting the heretical act ¨C which was a joint effort by nineteen kingdoms across the world, mind you ¨C the last time an area pissed him off by not treating all of his enlightened species as equals did not go well." "All I did was make it rain." "Living gummy bears," the God of Journeys says. "That would random explode and spray goo everywhere. Goo that got stuck on everything. Also exploded and did that if they were killed. They would go pretty much anywhere. And that went on for a month before we convinced you turn it off." "I forgot I had it happening," the God of Mysteries whispers into my ear. "And he''s leaving out the part where the gummies were designed to harass anyone treating an enlightened species as less than the others." Now I can see why they were panicking. "The time an area in general repeatedly violated one of the Divine Laws before that," the God of Journeys says. "He dropped about five hundred meteors on it. Meteors that burst into waves of acid that completely destroyed the area." "Five hundred and seventeen!" "Not helping your case, Myst." "Gotta be precise with stuff like that," the God of Mysteries says. "And let''s not forget that humans are the only native enlightened species here. Elves, dwarfs, beastkin, demihumans, and fairies are all the result of humans with [Unlimited Potential] morphing into something else or breeding with something else." "What?" I ask. "That''s actually true," the God of Journeys says. "Back when this world was new and this dolt was the only god of it, there were far more humans with the adaptability needed to gain that Skill, and he implemented the System quite early. Elves were the result of forest-living humans with [Unlimited Potential] adapting to the forest environment. They became slender and lightly toned, gained a high affinity with archery, nature-based magics, and alchemy. Then when they reproduced, their children had fully transitioned into elves as we know it. Dwarfs were similar ¨C children of humans with [Unlimited Potential] who adapted to mountains and forging. Fairies were similar to elves, but in a more spirit-based and magic-based environment." "And beastkin and demihumans?" I ask. "Beastkin were the result of human males with it breeding with animals," the God of Journeys explains. "While demihumans were the result of human females breeding with animals. Your sperm is actually somewhat versatile due to [Unlimited Potential] and can result in a pregnancy in things you aren''t normally compatible with ¨C but only with other mammals, as its their body that does the developing." Which is why demihumans can have non-mammalian traits ¨C the original ones were developed inside of a human body. That probably caused [Unlimited Potential] to ''adapt'' them for the sake of the mother, or some such weirdness. It''s magic, so it doesn''t really have to make too much sense. Despite their¡­ uncomfortable origins, both of those are still viewed as equals by the gods. If anything, I''d say that humans are actually superior to any of the other species as the others are all derived from humanity. Though they may have some qualities superior to a human, at the end of comparisons, humans can outdo all of them in their weak areas and in sheer perseverance. And apparently, the willingness to breed with anything. "Now," the God of Journeys looks at the God of Mysteries. "Can we please finally get a response from you? We''ve been trying to talk to you for the last two months because it really seems like you''re trying to set Jamie up for becoming a Dark King." "What?" I look at the God of Mysteries, who said the exact same thing at the same time. "You''re manipulating events," the God of Journey says. "We know you picked that spot because he''d run into Adam, and we know you guided Caleb to him. We also know you guided him to that castle and that you were manipulating some other events-" "Well, yeah," the God of Mysteries says. "But since when I do intentionally forge Dark Kings? Jeez. Stop misreading things, would you? Just because I''m putting choices in his path, some of which could take him down a dark path, that doesn''t mean I want him to be a Dark King. I just want him to find the life that he likes best here! That''s it and not a thing more!" "That still means he could become a Dark King." "If that''s how he''s inclined, then yes," the God of Mysteries responds. "But if you look at his choices so far, he''s acting more in his interests of not having to deal with stupid shit than being actually malicious." "Stupid shit like two gods suddenly coming down and having semi-arguments over me?" "Attaboy!" The God of Mysteries claps me on the back. "Just keep being you, Jamie! I''m doing my best to make sure you have a life that you like! So if being an adventure isn''t your thing, then don''t sweat too hard over it! I''ll manipulate events to give you other choices so you can figure things out." I''m not sure how I feel now that I know that even if everything has been my choice so far, some of the choices presented to me have been because a god decided to manipulate events. That''s both amusing and terrifying. "Please communicate with us more," the God of Journeys tells the God of Mysteries, then looks at me. "Until next time." He inclines his head, then vanishes. I look at the God of Mysteries, who''s solemnly nodding. "They''re right," he tells me. "I really should stop letting things build up. I''ve been so focused on making sure you''re adjusting well and getting opportunities to figure out what kind of life you''d like to live here that I''ve been really stressed. There''s a whole backlog of things I haven''t done that I really want to get done. See you, Jamie!" The God of Mysteries vanishes. Somehow, I feel like that''s actually a bad thing. "Not for me to worry about," I mutter. "Based on the energy I felt from him¡­ he''s just gonna go pull pranks on the other gods." Chapter 024 "Mind if I ask you a question?" Martin, a white-haired wolfkin twink, asks. We''re currently outside of Amadikols, near the edge of a cliff. I met Martin a few days ago and arranged for this meeting between us for this morning. The spot we''re at has a small patch of grassy ground with a little bit of forest around us. Learning magic in a small glade outside of town felt like a better idea to me than learning it in the city. Less prying eyes here for whatever my learning curve is. That''s part of why I chose this particular person to be my mentor as well. The fact that he''s handsome doesn''t hurt, either. Martin is a decently-skilled magician, and is currently dressed in a dark green coat with a fuzzy brown lining, a dark green tunic underneath that, brown pants, and dark brown boots with a dark brown leather belt. A dark brown sash and matching dark brown buttons keep his coat closed. His hands are tucked into the pockets of his coat, his breath fogging in the air. I''ll admit, it''s a little bit chilly here even with [Cold Resistance] Level 1. Our elevation is decently high and a cold front moved in over the last few days. It may be the middle of their equivalent of the month of May here, but that doesn''t mean their weather necessarily matches Earth''s. They can apparently drop below freezing here from the ninth month of the year through the fifth month of the next and it never gets ''hot'' in this area. A mountainous northern area in a world of magic? Yeah, I can see why they might be fairly cold here. That hasn''t stopped me from continuing to wear the sleeveless tunics and the vests that I bought over in Caniton. They were a bit warmer there, though they''re also more south and about three thousand feet lower in elevation than Amadikols. "If it has to do with how I''m not cold," I tell him. "Despite it being freezing outside, the answer is [Cold Resistance] Level 1." Though the kids who play in a fountains'' water during the colder times do often end up with [Cold Resistance] Level 1, most kids aren''t that crazy. Martin, it seems, was not one of the ones who was. "I kind of assumed that," he says. "I was wondering why you wanted to meet here instead of somewhere in the city. I get that you''re a Summoned and all, but people are used to the strange abilities of the Summoned. Though I suppose it''s because you don''t want people seeing you struggle?" Martin seems genuine with that question, though I''m a bit confused by it. The fact that he seems sincere only makes me wonder why he would think that. "Why would I struggle?" I ask. "Because you want to learn magic despite being a swordsman," he indicates the sword on my left hip. "Your sword and toned arms and the abs I saw in the baths a couple of days ago made that evident. You''re a budding swordsman and I''ve gotten the sense that you''re actually fairly good with the blade." Martin may only be twenty-one years of age, but he''s experienced with teaching people magic, including Summoned. From what I could find, he''s mentored twelve Summoned in the last six years. I''ll be his thirteenth. That suggests he''s talking from experience here rather than a pure assumption. "Swordsmen struggle with magic?" I ask. "Hm¡­" he thinks about his wording. "Okay. So everyone has affinities for different things, right?" "Yeah," I answer. "Adam is good with using a sword and fire magic. Caleb is good at using magic martial arts even though he''s only mediocre with those individually. Leif knows basic magics, but is extremely skilled with summoning mystic beasts." This combination is what made me think of learning magic. I don''t mind using the sword or martial arts, but I do mind being up close and personal with monsters in a fight. If it''s necessary I''ll do it, but I''d rather be in the back. In addition to that, we don''t actually have a proper ranged fighter. Leif can summon Evisalb and have that fight enemies, but its time is limited and that''s the only actual combat ability he has. Even if he could fight from a distance on his own, there''s also no telling when his brother will realize he''s actually missing. The Fairy King could show up to bring him home at any time. I''m not going to ask Leif to stay here just to stick with the group, he''s got his own life back in the Fairy Realm. Even if he wasn''t heading home soon, we need a proper magician. "Right," Martin says. "And Caleb is a prime example of the main issue with trying to learn different things. No one is really good at everything. He''s mediocre with martial arts and magic, but he''s actually good at mixing the two together. He also has no affinity with a sword, based on what you told me." "So what you''re saying is," I say. "Someone who''s got a high affinity for physical combat is likely to have a low affinity for magic?" "Correct," he answers. "In fact, I''ve never met someone who''s actually good at both. From my understanding, it''s because affinities are within your soul and there''s only so much space for them to in there. You can get an even increase to all affinities by raising your Soul Attribute, but that''s notoriously hard and I''d have been able to tell if you''d already done that since it can only be done through a Rank Advancement Trial." "And you can tell if someone''s done one?" "I can sense your Mana," he clarifies. "It''s around average for starting out, maybe a little higher. So you''ve learned some basic spells, maybe elemental conjuration and manipulation?" "Yeah," I answer. "So a person''s affinities are within their soul and there''s only so much space for affinity in there. Because of that, it''s rare to find someone who has a high affinity for two things, and if they have a high affinity for one thing, they''ll likely have a low affinity for everything else?" "To a degree, yes," he answers. "Though someone who''s good in one area might have a slightly-higher affinity for other areas." That makes sense. Someone who''s good at martial arts is probably going to have a decent talent for gymnastics, since the areas overlap. "I see," I touch the sword at my hip. "This is mostly for show. I''m toned because where I''m from, exercise is emphasized and I developed a bit more from hiking around these mountains for the last couple of months. There were more than a few times where I had to climb a cliff." Martin doesn''t look like he''s buying my explanation. I really did climb a cliff a couple of times. There were occasions while traveling when climbing one was a faster and safer path than the alternate route. "Don''t be disappointed if learning magic takes awhile," he tells me. "Only people with really high affinities can learn it quickly." Based on the explanation provided, I can assume that a person with [Unlimited Potential] has extra space in their soul for affinities. One of the reasons we have it is because of how adaptable we are, which isn''t possible without having a high degree of affinity for basically everything. "Understood," I respond. "What are the magics you know?" Martin asks. "I can create and manipulate the four elements," I answer. "Thought about learning arcane magics or holy magics from Caleb, but decided to wait for an actual teacher." Not that it would be needed, I just didn''t feel like learning before now. Since I decided to learn magic to make up for the team''s lack of ranged combat ability, I decided to see how a teacher of magic would teach. They might mention something I didn''t think of. "Show me," Martin says. I hold up my hand and fire flashes above my palm for a moment, followed by water that forms and swirls around, then shoots off. A rock appears above my palm and floats up, spinning for a few moments, then drops to the ground. "As for air," I say. "That one''s a bit hard to show since it has no color. I actually shifted to air at the end there." "I could tell," he says. "I don''t know how much you practiced those to be able to flow with them so quickly, but do know that even among mages, people with talents for more than one area of magic are rare." "What do you mean?" I ask. "It''s not that you have a hard time learning other magics," he explains. "But that magic itself is inherently difficult. You''re taking your Mana and imposing your will upon it to create an effect, supplying everything needed through your Mana itself in most cases. Even people with an affinity for magic will have an affinity for some aspect of it. You probably have one for elemental magics. Which is honestly impressive because most people only have one or two elemental affinities and struggle with the rest." "So someone like Caleb is rare, then?" "What do you mean?" "He''s good with magic martial arts using arcane, elemental, affliction, and holy magic," I tell him. "I''ve seen him in action ¨C he''s able to seamlessly transition between them. He swirls the magic around his fists and releases them in bursts when he strikes." Martin thinks about that for a few moments. "Then he probably doesn''t have much talent with martial arts," Martin tells me. "He may actually have a decent affinity for magic and little else. There are several different ''types'' of magic outside of the standard ones. Summoning magic, close-ranged magic, long-ranged magic¡­ those all require different talents and aspects. Caleb may have figured out early on that he''s good with a variety of magics, but only at close range. To make up for that, he probably learned martial arts and studied quite hard in order to build up real skill." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. That makes a decent amount of sense, and it would definitely explain why Caleb is only mediocre at martial arts even though he''s good at magic martial arts. Even without talent, one can get decent or even good at something with hard work. I suppose there might be some things someone might struggle with regardless of effort, but martial arts probably isn''t one of those for Caleb. "Let''s start you off with some proper spells," Martin tells me. "Those ones are actually counted as techniques, though they''re still enough to gain you the related Class." "Alright," I say. "The are four base forms," he says. "Plus a couple of variations. These base forms are used in nearly all spells. First is ''orb''," he holds up his right hand and a one-inch orb of flames floats above his palm. "Second is ''rod''," the orb vanishes and a two-inch-long, quarter-inch-thick rod of flames appears in its place. "Third is ''burst''," the rod vanishes and a small burst of flames shoots up from his palm. "Fourth and finally, there''s ''disk''," a flat disk of fire forms above his palm, three inches in width. It burns for a few seconds before fading. "Though many learn ''knife'' instead of ''rod'', which is a variation on the latter that creates a small knife of it. Actually, it''s a variation that combines ''rod'' and ''disk''." "Got it," I say. "When creating an element, all I need to do is visualize my Mana becoming that and impose my will into the Mana to make it take form. Manipulating the element involves ''grasping'' it with my magic and imposing my will upon it. How does casting proper spells like those work? Is it the same, or different?" "It depends on the spell itself," Martin answers. "I''d recommend starting with water if you can, as it''s less-destructive at weaker Magic levels. Air is as well. Your own fire won''t burn you, but only so long as it''s still part of the spell. If it ignites something else, however, it will burn just the same as normal fire of the same strength." "Got it," I say. "So the basics?" "Start with [Water Orb]," he tells me. "It''s a similar principle to just creating water. This time, however, visualize the form of an orb. Most find it easier to first visualize the orb, then convert it to water. It''s also usually easier if you put your hands close together, palms facing each other. Sort of like the statues in the baths. This is the simplest of them as it''s almost the same as conjuring water, just around a single point." I hold up my right hand with the palm facing up and focus on casting the spell. Rather than simply creating water, I visualize water in the form of an orb. Whether it''s because of a natural talent for magic, [Unlimited Potential] boosting me, or something else, casting the spell is fairly easy. It feels just as easy as simply conjuring water.
You have learned [Water Orb].
Martin frowns a little as I examine the one-inch orb of water that''s floating a few inches above my palm. The surface of the water ripples a little, sunlight reflecting off of it in some spots. It''s surprisingly cheap to cast even though I can tell that there''s a proper structure to the spell rather than it just being some water that I''m holding in the shape of an orb. With that, I would just create the water and then deliberately hold it in the form of an orb. For this, the spell structure does that so all I need to do is focus on maintaining the orb, which requires less attention and focus from me even if it costs a little bit more Mana. "You cast that fairly fast," he says. "You already knew it, didn''t you?" "No," I answer as the orb slowly starts to increase in size. "This really is my first time learning something other than creating or manipulating the elements. Here." I call up the menus that contain my spell Skills and send them to Martin so he can see that this is my first spell outside of those. The first one I send him is just the spells Skill Menu itself, which contains each of the spell categories, so that he can see I only know fire, water, earth, and air magics. Then I show him those categories'' menus to show I only know Tier I spells from them, and finally, the actual Tier I spell menus from those categories. "Doesn''t mean you didn''t know it before," he mutters, his tail flicking a little in agitation. Martin clears his throat as he looks at me again. "Alright. Let''s go with [Water Rod] now that you know [Water Orb]." My orb is currently two inches in diameter. Actually increasing it without breaking the spell or disrupting the spell formula was a little bit of a challenge, but I''m happy with my progress on it. I was also mostly doing that just to kill a little bit of time while we talked. "For [Water Rod]," Martin says as I flick my wrist, the orb flying off and falling apart once the spell runs out of fuel. "Visualize a rod instead. It''s not as basic as [Water Orb] is. An orb-type spell is easier to cast because it''s just that thing wrapped around a single point. Or radiating out of it. For rods, you need to visualize a rod as you shape your Mana. "Think of it like a line," he draws a line through the air with his right index finger, a thin line of green light forming. "A thin focal point rather than a dot. The water wraps around that line. Rather than being just a straight line of water, however, it has a more straight end to it." "Like a cylinder," I say. "Yes," he flicks a finger and the line vanishes. "This spell is a little bit more difficult than [Water Orb] because you have a longer focal point. You can make a line of water and sustain it easier than this, but the spell makes it so you don''t need to keep the full focus." "Alright," I hold up my right hand again, palm facing upward. "So visualize a line that water is wrapped around, the ends more flat, but not necessarily completely flat, than if I were just creating water and stretching it out." A very thin line of water forms above my palm, about five inches long, and begins to thick. It takes about two seconds for it to become a quarter of an inch thick, and Martin is staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed in shock.
You have learned [Water Rod].
"I pick up on things fairly fast," I tell Martin. "And you did say it''s basic magic. The main difference between it is just the focal point of the spell ¨C a line rather than a dot." "Well, yeah," he says. "But it normally takes a little bit longer for someone to succeed after learning [Water Orb]. About one to two minutes and sometimes up to 20 Mana in attempts. You just¡­ flipped it over." "The issue is a shift in focus and visualization, right?" I ask and he nods. "Most people probably consciously or subconsciously resist that shift for a few moments. They probably try to turn it into an orb even with the line, probably without realizing it. Already knowing [Water Orb] probably doesn''t help, especially if they had only just learned it." I had no issues shifting my attention for the spell, which probably had nothing to do with [Unlimited Potential]. "Alright," Martin says as I flick the [Water Rod] away from me. "Then let''s go to [Water Disk]. It''s a similar concept to [Water Rod]. Rather than an orb, it''s a bit of water that''s flowing around a bigger focal point. This time, that''s a filled-in circle, like this." Martin draws a circle in the air with his green light, then touches the center of it. Green light spreads from his finger to fill in the circle and he pulls his finger away. A flick of his finger causes the disk of green light to shift so that it''s laying flat in the air instead of floating vertically. "Rather than a thin line that it wraps around," he says. "It''s a flat object. However, visualize the water more thin this time rather than thick. An eighth of an inch or thinner." "Alright," I focus on casting the spell above my palm again. The first two spells let me get the hang of this and a three-inch-wide, eighth-of-an-inch-thick disk of water forms above my palm. It starts off as a single point at first before quickly extending out to take on its full form.
You have learned [Water Disk].
It seems that I''m not the only one who''s gotten used to things as Martin''s not looking shocked at this cast. He nods in acceptance and I send the disk off to the side, the water falling to the ground like normal water rather than structured water once it runs out of fuel. "Next," Martin says. "Is [Water Burst]. This is often easier than [Water Orb] and most people can imitate it with just [Water Creation] and [Water Manipulation]. Instead of creating water and then shoving it forward, visualize the water forming as the burst. It forms at one point and blasts forward from there upon creation. Just like that, yeah." I made sure to aim forward rather than up for this spell when I tried it, the small splash of water only traveling a few inches before dropping to the ground. It wasn''t something I ''sustained'' like the others, so the spell was finished the moment the water formed.
You have learned [Water Burst].
"And those are the basics," Martin tells me. "Though as I said, there are some variations. Usually, it''s recommended to get yourself familiar with the ones you''ll be using for other spells. That is, practicing them until you can bring the casts up to instant. That is, they form fully-created rather than spreading out or expanding, like yours did." "I have a relatively decent regeneration rate and I''m paying you for lessons for as long as it takes today," I tell him. "It probably won''t take me too much practicing to get them up to instant-casts. What combat spell will we go with first?" At this point, I probably know enough that I can just learn them on my own, but I would like to continue the lesson just in case I learn something new. "Hm¡­" he thinks. "Well, I usually teach the spells based on how much someone seems attuned to that part. Some people have an easier time with orb-type spells, others with bolt-type spells, and so on, even among specific schools. Your friend Caleb likely uses burst-type spells for his magic martial arts, that''s the most common one and is what it sounded like by your description. "Honestly," he says. "The standard combat spells are bolts. At lower amounts of Magic, [Water Bolt] won''t do much more than wet your target, though a higher amount can cause it to blast through them much in the same way that [Water Jet] would rip through them." "So switch to earth magics?" I ask. "Not necessarily," he says. "You can use compressed air instead of wind or ice instead of water. Fire will burn the target even if it doesn''t pierce at weaker levels of power. If you want to go with [Ice Bolt], I''d recommend learning [Water Bolt], then practicing with it a little bit before shifting to learning [Ice Rod] and [Ice Burst]." Casting the spell seemed simple enough to me, but it has a burst aspect to it? "You use burst in bolts?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "One of the things that happens as you get familiar with the base spells is that you get familiar with the actual components to them. There''s really more that goes into magic than simply converting Mana into a spell, but we don''t need to deal with that for the most basic spells because of how simple they are." "But not for more advanced spells?" I ask. "Correct," he says. "And that''s the difference between spells at Tier I and spells at Tier II or higher. At least, among more basic magics like the elements or arcane force. A Tier I spell just needs a visualization of the form you want. But how do you make a rod that travels forward? You combine the ''rod'' aspect from [Water Rod] with the ''move forward] aspect from [Water Burst]. To do that, you first familiarize yourself with both basic spells. Learn to sense feel those parts in the spells as they form and how they operate, then apply them to [Water Bolt]. "That''s one thing the System helps with, too," he says. "I''m sure you noticed it the moment you received the Skills, but you gained a little bit of knowledge about them. You gain a little bit more every time you improve enough to go up a Skill Level, too. It essentially places the knowledge of the proper casting technique into your mind." "So I''m not actually learning the spell itself," I say. "But doing enough to qualify as having cast it, and the System teaches me the rest." "Pretty much, yeah," he shrugs. "No one knows who designed the System and gave it to us, but it certainly makes learning a spell easier. You take ''rod'' and ''move forward'' together by visualizing those aspects in a rod that soars forward and if you succeed in mashing them together to form a spell, then gain the spell Skill and the knowledge of the proper casting technique." I like his wording. Mashing them together. That''s probably exactly how it normally goes. "Nifty." "Yeah," he nods. "It''s extremely helpful as it cuts down on how much learning you have to do. For normal magicians, it still takes some time to be able to properly put the different aspects together. And ice magic is a little bit more difficult than water magic. Also, [Water Bolt] will break apart once it hits its target at first, since it''s weak enough that it can''t hold its form. So it will just splash if it hits something right now." "Which makes it safe to train with as well," I say. "Yeah," he answers. "Which is another reason it''s recommended to learn it before trying for [Ice Bolt]''s basics." "Alright," I say. "Let''s see how much Mana it takes me to be able to separate out those aspects and combine them into [Water Bolt]." Chapter 025 Learning magic with Martin today has been rather productive and he''s even relaxed a fair bit after getting used to how easily I learn the spells. We just went with the basics and bolts for now and I can probably figure out more magics on my own later. If I find that I need to learn other spells and can''t just intuit them on my own, then I''ll probably pay Martin to teach me again. That said, there''s one question that''s been on my mind ever since he taught me how to cast spells of wind and air. It''s not actually the difference between those that I have a question about. Those were simple enough to understand. Spells that have ''wind'' in their name through the System are spells that use ''loose'' air. It kind of shifts around on its own, sort of like wind, even if staying in the form. At higher levels of magical power, that wind will even move enough within the spell that contact with it can rip skin. Much like water magic, that''s fairly useless at weaker levels of magical power. On the other hand, spells with ''air'' in their name have more solid forms due to being condensed air rather than wind shaped into a spell. They take on an appearance similar to glass but only around the edges, and they don''t reflect light. The appearance is mostly the result of the denser air bending light. "Martin," I hold up my right hand and an [Air Orb] and [Wind Orb] appear above it. "I had a question about these." "The blue tint?" Both spells have a faint blue tint to them. That''s another reason why [Air Orb] is noticeable, though it still would be even without that. [Wind Orb], on the other hand, shouldn''t be visible unless something''s caught in it, such as glitter or dust or a leaf. The faint blue tint to it makes the swirls of air pretty obvious, as well as the gaps between them. "Yeah," I say. "There''s none in any of the air I create or manipulate, just the ones in the spells themselves. You didn''t comment about it so I figured it wasn''t too important right away. It does kind of take away some stealth factor, though." "It does," he nods. "That''s actually a result of an improper spell boundary." "Huh?" "You know how the spells have a structure to them?" "Yeah." "It''s inefficient," he says. "That''s one of the reasons why you can lower the Mana cost by training the spell. The more familiar you get with a spell, the less mistakes you make it with. Given enough time, you''ll qualify for another Level and that''s when you''ll see real results thanks to the small boost the System gives. Or you can deliberately focus on improving it by studying the spell when you cast it and while you''re sustaining it, then making corrections." The drop in Mana isn''t just because I got better at the spell but because I fixed mistakes in it that caused it to cost more. "And this improper spell boundary¡­ causes it to take on a blue tint?" "Well¡­ sort of," he says. "What causes the tint is your Mana leaking into other parts of the spell. That''s a very faint trace of pure Mana. It''s in all of your spells, but it''s most noticeable in air magics because they don''t have a color of their own already. If you look closely enough, you''ll be able to spot it in your water magics as well. Once you learn how to cast the spell flawlessly, it''ll lose the tint." The difference with just conjuring or manipulating air is that there''s no spell boundary in the first place and Mana isn''t leaking. It''s the most basic of basic elemental magics. "Huh," I say. "That''s good to know, thanks." "You''re welcome," he says. "You''ll find that this happens with most force magics as well, since those should also be clear. The tint is more prominent and it actually makes them shimmer a little as well, since raw Mana is more of a glow or light in form. Force magics, such as [Arcane Bolt] are made up of raw magical force. In simple terms, it''s just turning magical energy into magical force. "Which is why it''s more susceptible to this," I say. "Got it. Thanks for the help today." "No problem," he says. "Here''s the pay," I flip him a coin worth five gold. "A little extra just because, though I''d also appreciate it if you kept quiet about just how fast I was learning. Summoned are known for learning fast, but it might make people a bit more wary if they realize I''m faster than the norm." "I can do that," the coin disappears into one of his pockets. "Though you''ve honestly blown out of the water everyone I''ve taught before, even other Summoned." "I''m naturally gifted," I smile at him. "Let''s head back to town." Martin and I return to Amadikols, where we part ways with him heading to go do whatever he''s doing and me heading to my new home. The property looks a little bit different than when I bought it eight days ago thanks to the amount of money I''ve sunk into it. Over the last week, I''ve had construction crews coming and going to fix the place up. The floors, walls, windows, doors, and roof have all been repaired or replaced as needed. The stairs to the basement and the ones to the second floor were ripped out and replaced. When I paid for the shutters to be replaced, I also paid for some glass windows to be added in just because I could. I had the gate to the external wall repaired as well. The damaged or missing stones from the wall surrounding the house have been replaced, though they were altered a little with earth magics to match the rest of the wall so nothing looks out of place. Their appearance matches the old-wall look it has and I even requested that some ivy was grown on the wall in a few extra places to make it look even more ''old''. Some was already spread here and there, but I like the look with the extra. It''s not completely covered in ivy, just enough so to make it a little bit more homey. When I had the nature and earth mages fixing up the yard the other day, I also asked for a few bushes to be planted along the walls. Not completely around the walls, just in strategic spots on both the inside and the outside and I had some planted against the house as well. Some native grasses and flowers were also planted against the walls and house. It''s made the yard a little bit smaller, but it''s also cozier now as well. A few trees already grew on the property, in both the front and the back, and that adds to the coziness. I''m considering having a small pond added in but I think I''d need to pay for a pump for it to keep the water flowing and that turns out to be a fairly expensive thing. Today''s crews should have fixed the magic plumbing system as well and the bathing room should have been renovated a little to make it nice. It seems that with the bathing and showering system, it''s set up using enchantments that push, heat, and purify water. It cost me fifteen gold just for the system to be replaced, and that''s not including the cost in mana crystals to keep powering it. Then I''ll need to keep replacing those as they run out of juice, and replacing the rest of the bath also had an expense. Public baths don''t even run on this system, they have actual people heating the water themselves due to the cost of fueling the magitech baths long-term. The water flows for both the baths and the showers are mostly just gravity and the location of the heating/water-cleaning area, though they do have some pumps to move it and a bit of purification magic to clean the water. I wouldn''t need to spend as much for the pond''s pump, but I would need to keep replacing the mana crystals depending on how long they cost. With it being uncertain how long I''ll be here, I''m not sure I want to invest in something like that just yet. The property already feels pretty homely. It''s officially the nicest home on the block as far as I''m concerned, even if it looks older and a little overgrown. When I enter the house, Caleb is spread out on the floor of the living room while Leif and Adam are playing cards in the dining room, both of them wearing just their pants and expressions of intense concentration. There''s not much in the living room at the moment, just a coffee table and a couple of rugs. The living room is fairly large and I have the coffee table close to the fireplace and will be setting up a couch on the side opposite of that. I''m debating on an L-shaped one or a corner-shaped one (with equal-length legs) right now, which is why I haven''t bought it yet. One of the rugs is under the coffee table right now, just a little bit wider and longer in size than the table. A fire currently burns in the fireplace, a stand with pokers and a stand with some logs sitting beside it. With more than double the space that the table and couch will take up in the living room, I put the other rug in the middle of what''s currently an empty floor. That''s where Caleb is currently lying, arms and legs spread out as he stares at the ceiling. His tail is completely still and I almost think Adam might have killed him before noticing the faint rise and fall of his chest and a blink of his eyes. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Rather than going bare-chested, he has on a dark grey tunic with a black leather belt, along with his brown pants and black leather boots. Caleb normally strips off his tunic and boots as soon as he gets home, too. This is new. "Caleb?" I ask, and he looks at me without moving his head. "Everything okay?" "I managed to find the inn the team stayed at," he tells me. "But the innkeeper didn''t know anything beyond that they just didn''t turn the key back in when it was time for them to leave. When they went to check the rooms, their gear was still there. It got dumped into storage and forgotten about. I had it moved to your basement, if that''s fine." Caleb''s really been looking hard for the missing mercenaries these past seven days and that''s the first piece of information he''s found about them. I''ve been starting to wonder if it''s depressing him even if he wasn''t showing it. Based on his current decision to spread out on the floor like this, I''m going to say I was right. "That''s fine," I tell him. "Were you able to learn anything else? What were they doing here?" "They were trying to locate a woodcarver who specialized in making weapons. Bows, mostly, but also wooden parts for other weapons. I''m looking into them as well but can''t find anything." "Alright," I say. "Good luck." Caleb nods. "Rematch!" Adam exclaims. "Nope," Leif says. "I won fair and square. You lost that much. Come on, do it." "No!" "Going back on your word?" Leif looks mischievous when I look over. "Thought draconic beings hated doing that." Adam''s face reddens a little as he grumbles under his breath about an unfair hand, then he gets up and strips off his pants before leaving the house. "Uh¡­ what was that about?" I ask. "We were playing a stripping game," Leif casually answers. "We offered to let Caleb join us but he turned us down to be a potato over there." "Why did Adam leave naked?" "First one naked has to run down the street before they get dressed." As much as I want to know how he talked Adam into doing that, I''m not sure asking is a good idea. "Ah," I say. "I''m going to get started on making dinner." I enter the kitchen to get started. There''s no magitech stove here so I have to use wood to cook the food. That''s not much of an issue for me and funding and using a magitech stove would be about as ridiculously expensive as the bath. Right now, I''m only interested in one major ongoing expense. I have enough money to be comfortable with it for now but I want more than that just in case of an emergency or my plans change or something. "How''d your training go?" Leif follows me into the kitchen. "It was to learn magic, right?" "Yeah," I answer. "It went pretty well. Only learned the basics and some simple combat spells, but it should be enough for now." "Alright," he says. "What are we doing for dinner tonight?" "Looks like the bread finished rising," I say as I examine the balls of dough resting on the counter (also new). "So we''ll pop those into the oven once it heats up. Not just yet, they''ve got another stage first. It''s a dish similar to ones already found here." "Can I help?" "Here," I place a basket of tomatoes on the counter. "Wash them, remove the rest of their stem, cut them down into smaller chunks, and then mash them a bit. I need them as a sauce, so we''ll have to cook that as well." Leif nods, then starts working on that using water and air magics. Raw creation and manipulation of them rather than any proper spells. He may not be a combat mage but I''m sure he''d do just fine considering how well he can puree the tomatoes using air magic. While he does that, I put wood into the large stone ovens and use fire magics to ignite them. This house was originally built to house fifteen to twenty people and also probably host parties with more than that, so its kitchen facility is quite decent and their oven is no exception. A fairly large oven is perfect for what I want to make. There are actually two ovens here, which works out even better. We had a brick oven at my home back on Earth but it wasn''t big enough to do this so I didn''t do it too often, usually when I could easily make enough to feed the siblings that were home. I chop some additional vegetables and herbs, with some of the latter entering the sauce as it simmers. Some meat that I have is crumbled and cooked lightly, then I get to work on preparing the base. "What are you doing?" Caleb looks over after hearing the sounds, and Adam looks over as well, having returned and pulled his pants back on by now. "You know that dish you guys have," I say. "Where you have some flatbread with toppings on it? Usually cooked vegetables or some oil and herbs and stuff?" "Yeah." "This is a later variant of it from my world," I say. "I was pleased when I found out that there are markets that sell vegetables out of season here so I grabbed stuff to do it. It''s called pizza and it''s pretty good. But the dough needs special treatment." With Amadikols being a major city, they have both special greenhouses that they can use to grow certain crops all year but also a dimensional gate network that connects to a few other major cities, allowing for the long-distance transport of goods as well. In the week I''ve been in this city, I''ve found plenty of ingredients familiar and not in their markets. I''ve also learned a lot about which foods I know that are here and which ones aren''t. "Pizza?" Adam asks. "Piece of what?" I pretty much made up the Tielmarn version of the word using the words that match the similar ones in English, so I can understand his confusion. "No," I say. "That''s just the term, translated from mine as best as I could make it. Does sound similar. Anyway, it''s a softer dough crust with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Each oven is big enough to make four at once and we have some decent appetites among us. There we go. The base-slash-crust is a round piece of dough. Whether there''s a thicker edge to it or not is a personal preference and I prefer thicker, so you leave it up a little." I finish making the crusts for the other pizzas, of which I make six in total, which is why I''m using both ovens. Each crust is coated with sauce, then a couple of different cheeses, then I start adding toppings. Two pizzas have several meats as their topping, including the ones I crumbled and cooked. Sausage and beef, along with their version of pepperoni. I do one pizza with just one of each of those, then a pizza with all three plus some vegetables like onions and bell peppers. Diced to pieces of appropriate sizes, of course. "There''s more dough leftover," Adam says. "Yeah," I say. "Not done yet. We''re doing some bread sticks to go on the side." I shape the bread sticks and brush them with lightly-melted butter before sprinkling an herb blend with garlic powder onto that, then sprinkle a light layer of cheese on top of that before I start moving the pizzas into the oven. Leif helps me with putting the pizzas into the ovens using the tools I had made for this, and the bread sticks will be put in later since they''ll cook faster. To also go on the side, a healthy salad is prepared. I make sure to use vegetables that don''t compete with the ones used for the pizzas. It''s stupid to put onion slices and tomato pieces (or cherry tomatoes) in a salad to serve alongside a pizza with a tomato sauce and onions on in. At least, that''s my personal opinion. This is something I made sometimes for my little siblings if there weren''t too many of us home. Our parents hated me using the stone oven we had but the kids loved having a fresh, home-made pizza that was baked in there instead of the oven. The meltdowns that occurred when I told them it was banned was one of the few times our parents actually made a smart move. I learned how to make it from scratch and even how to toss the dough just to make it even ''better'' for the kids. Drinks for tonight include beer, ale, some red wine, and lemonade. When it''s time to pull the pizzas out of the oven, I use compressed air to slice them (and to separate the bread sticks). Everything is set out on the table with spare pizzas on the counter, then we start eating. Predictably, Adam and Caleb only want to eat the meat pizzas while Leif wants to try a slice of each. Everyone ends up trying the supreme and the salad as well regardless of their preferences and no food is left once we''re done eating. I don''t need to ask how they liked the meal because they all commented about it before. "So," I say as Caleb gets to work on cleaning the dishes. "What was with the loser-has-to-streak thing?" "Adam and I got into a debate on if anything would be said if we ran naked down the street," Leif tells me. "I told him that they''d probably just think of a demihuman dragon doing it as ''that''s just how they are'' because of the view of them as beasts in some people. And that for my people, ''no one understands the mind of a fairy'', so they''d just accept that it''s probably something we do, especially if I was casually walking down the street. Adam was arguing that they''d probably say something and maybe even arrest him, so we made a deal and that''s how that happened." I guess that''s one way to settle an argument. "Alright," I say. "I''m planning on checking out the first stage of the Holy Dungeon tomorrow. Form what I''ve learned, it should be a beginner area. I just want to check it out and see some of the stuff in there, then I''ll kill the Zone Boss so that I can just go straight there whenever I want to take on the second Zone. There''s no need to come with me, but if anyone wants to I won''t complain as long as they behave. I will also be doing some grinding for my [Elemental Wizard] Class, too. Keep in mind that the place is fairly large and I''m going to be spending some time doing stuff, so I may be in there for two to four days." Each stage of the Holy Dungeon is extremely large, according to my research. Just reaching the area with the Zone Boss for Zone 1 can take an entire day and I don''t plan on rushing things. "I''ll stay here," Adam says. "No one''s messing with the house right now but they might if you leave it alone. They''re at least not going to do anything if someone''s home. Presumably." "If they do, I''ll make sure they regret it," I tell him. "First by attempting to ''negotiate'' repayment. If they get physical, they''ll probably learn what it means to take on a Summoned who can solo a Dungeon with four Zones within two months of appearing on this world." Though hopefully, things don''t come to that. I hate dealing with petty conflicts and would rather everyone just leaves me alone. "Can I come with you?" Leif asks. "It''s better than being bored around the house and I want to try and get some more Experience, too." "Sure," I answer. "Caleb?" "Going to continue my investigations," Caleb looks apologetic. "Otherwise I''d take you up on that, but I really need to find out what happened to the team." "Alright," I say. "Then it''ll just be Leif and me heading into the Dungeon tomorrow. Minds can be changed up until we leave, though. Since that''s settled, I''m going to go take a shower, then soak in the bath for a bit if anyone wants to join me." Adam and Leif both say they will while Caleb says he''ll join us after he finishes the dishes. Leif doesn''t have sex with us but that doesn''t mean he won''t join us for a nice soak. Chapter 026 "Will running Zone 1 really take several days?" Leif asks as we leave the house. I''m in my usual outfit plus the gloves I wear when preparing for combat, while Leif is wearing his standard one for going around town right now. It consists of a pair of brown pants, a dark green tunic with a brown sash around his waist, and a pair of dark brown leather boots. He looks pretty cute in it and I''m sure he knows that. The sun has barely begun to rise but we''re already making or way to the Dungeon right now. I want to get an early start for several reasons, not the least of which is how large the Dungeon is. "Yeah," I answer. "It''s a little bit more than ten miles or so just to reach the closest Boss Area in Zone 1. A normal traveling group might walk that far in a day, accounting for pacing to avoid burning out or over-extending one''s body, a break for lunch, potential pit stops, and not leaving first thing in the morning but taking time to wake up and eat and break down camp, then factoring in setting up camp and eating in the evening." "Isn''t that for normal traveling?" Leif frowns. "And only if you''re traveling in areas without a place to stay the night, too?" "Yeah," I say. "But keep in mind that this is also a Dungeon, Leif. We''ll also have to fight monsters as we cross that distance. Though we might be leaving early, it could take us until sunset just to reach the Boss Area even if we did it as a straight shot there. I want to train up my magical ability a little first, but also to check out some stuff. There''s a lake in the first Zone, for example." "Really?" "Yep," I answer. "More than one, actually, but we aren''t going to spend that long in the Dungeon." There are also lakes in the second and third Zones as well. "Huh," he says. "I never went into our Holy Dungeon and haven''t heard much about it, so don''t know what it''s like." "We can ask Light when he comes to take you home." "Yeah¡­ there''s a reason the Fairy Gates are hidden," Leif tells me. "He has a strong hatred of non-fairies, and it''s based on centuries of experience of humans, beastkin, elves, dwarfs, demihumans, and so on catching us and using us for rituals or whatever. Unlike you guys, our bodies are made of magic and that sort of makes it a prime material for a lot of things." "So I''ll have to ask nicely, got it." Leif sighs but decides not to press on this thing about his king further. We reach the massive stone building that''s the headquarters for the Amadikol''s Dungeon Guild and enter it. Leif looks around a little nervously as we start to make our way to the room with the Dungeon Gate in it, then tugs on my tunic a little. "Jamie," he whispers. "Are you sure Adam and your house will be fine while you''re in the Dungeon? You did mention it''s known to take awhile." "Yeah," I respond without bothering to whisper. "Taking action against my house or Adam for any reason can be rooted back to something that violates the Divine Laws, and the gods were pretty clear about that. When you consider that the gods did it in response to Adam being refused entry into the city, it can be assumed that they''re watching this particular situation rather closely. Screw up again, and the town may just find its water supply dried up or the soil in their farm buildings no longer fertile regardless of how much it''s replaced or fed with magic." That''s just from what the normal gods might do to this place. I don''t know the God of Mysteries all that well but do know enough that I can say he''d do something pretty drastically different. "Doesn''t mean people might not try it anyway," Leif says. "People can be pretty dumb sometimes." "Yeah," I say. "People can be pretty dumb. Don''t worry, things will be fine." We''ve reached the area for entering the Holy Dungeon. A city like this has a higher-than-normal percentage of adventurers than others would so there''s usually a line first thing in the morning. That''s why I had Leif wake up a little earlier than first-thing. You can''t get stuck in a line if you show up before the line. The Dungeon Gate for the Holy Dungeon is made up of medium-grey stones, but otherwise looks pretty much like the other three Dungeon Gates I''ve seen so far. I step through it without any issues and find myself in a grassy field. The grass here grows around a foot and a half in height, which is a little problematic but we''ll make do. Despite it being more than ten miles away, we can see the mountain that sits past the end of Zone 1. Something we normally wouldn''t be able to see from here on Earth or this world. The Dungeon is flat rather than curved, however, so the ground doesn''t get in the way of the view. That said, the mountain''s still far enough that it''s more faint on the horizon than clear, with a blue tint to its base and snow-capped peaks. Between here and there, I can see the occasional tree, boulder, and rock structure. This place is mapped out well enough that a larger map for the Zone actually includes every single one of those. With as much money as I have, buying comprehensive maps wasn''t an issue for me, but I won''t be relying on maps for most of this. I know the general area and where I want to go, and will rely on that unless we get lost. Only then will we whip out the map to use, unless we want to discuss checking out another feature. A Holy Dungeon really is extensive and even a simple Zone has a lot of things in it. That probably comes with the territory of being massive, unlike the Dungeons in Ratton or Caniton. Another thing I can see here and there are birds soaring through the sky or a deer standing or wandering around. The monsters are largely solo, so fights likely won''t involve more than one beast at a time early on. "Fairies have good senses, right?" I ask as Leif enters the Dungeon. "No," he answers. "Our senses are only about the same as a human''s." "I mean magically," I clarify. "Like, you''re good at sensing magical energy and presences, right? I read that the other day but wasn''t too sure how accurate the tome was." "Oh," he says. "Yes on sensing presences, and sensing magical energies requires [Mana Sense] same as you, and we have to train it up. But we''re generally better at other enlightened species at training it up due to our bodies being attuned with magic already." "How good at your at sensing snakes?" "Depends on how weak their presence is," he answers. "A normal snake, I''d probably have to be focusing a bit to sense. Magical ones would take less focus, and if it''s a decently-strong one, I could sense it without trying. That''s for presences. I''m fairly decent at sensing Mana, and as long as it has more than about 15-20 Mana, I can passively sense a person or being from about thirty feet away." "Really?" I ask. "Huh. I should improve my [Mana Sense] a bit more, then. Alright, then that won''t work for now. You mentioned in the bath last night that you actually do know more than just the creation and manipulation of the elements?" "Yes," Leif tells me. "Just a few of the basic spells, nothing combat-focused. I wanted to come here to train up [Mystic Beast Summoning] a bit. Er, wait, if we''re only doing the first Zone. Oh, well." "The normal scaling in Zone 1 is up to 40 Might," I tell him. "Then up to 80 Might for Zone 2, increasing by the same every Zone here. This place has apparently had several upgrades in the last two months. As in, it upgraded toughness factor, then added in a sixth Zone, then upgraded toughness factor again." That''s not the real reason for Zone 1''s higher difficulty level towards the end. In reality, that''s the Dungeon''s base level of power and upgrades bump it up by half. As a result, Zone 1 requires about 60 Might at the end while Zone 2 requires about 120 Might at the end. Then when a new Zone is added, it gets dropped back down to the original scaling. Which is how they knew that Zone 6 exists ¨C and also Zone 7, which appeared while I was dealing with the guards at the entrance to the city. In the time I''ve been on this world, this Holy Dungeon has received four upgrades after spending centuries with less than that. I can''t help but wonder if the God of Mysteries has something to do with that. "So it''s tougher than normal in here?" Leif asks. "No," I tell him. "It drops back down when new Zones are added, and there''s a seventh one now. What basic spells do you know?" "Er¡­ pretty much all of them?" He answers. "Just at a higher Skill Level than you due to having trained them longer. They''re all around Level 5." "Alright," I say. "One of the monsters here is a creature called a crimson field viper. The early ones don''t have very much Mana, so you won''t be able to sense them based on what you said." Adam and Caleb would be able to hear them moving around, and probably smell them as well. Sadly, we don''t have either, so alternative measures will need to be taken. Fortunately, I didn''t come here alone which means I don''t have to spend as much Mana on a way to make it easier to detect their approach. "Unless you want to summon Evisalb to deal with scrubs," I say. "You''ll be in charge of clearing the grass." "Clearing the grass?" Leif answers. "Yeah," I gesture with my right hand and blue-tinted wind swirls out. My conjured wind flows down to the grass, becoming thin, arc-shaped blades of compressed air that spin about around us, quickly cutting down the grass. I clear out a space thirty feet from us in all directions. "That cost a lot of Mana for me," I say. "Since I''m still relatively new to this and have very little Mana at the moment. You have more Mana, a higher regen, and a lower cost for creating and manipulating air or with using the [Air Disk] spell. That was a modified version of it to turn it into arcs with sharp edges. Would you be able to maintain that to cut the grass down thirty feet in the direction we''re walking at all times? But keep it as a ring around us as well in order to strike any of the snakes that draw close?" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Yeah," Leif answers. "And I guess doing it that way would be better than the actual spell." "Huh?" "The [Air Arc] spell," he says. "That''s essentially what you just did, but not as the proper spell. You were still using [Air Disk]. Well, not even that since you created it as wind first, then shifted it to compressed air, then shaped it." "Huh," I say. "Didn''t know that was a thing. I can provide [Mana Potion]s as needed. So you can do it?" "Sure," he says. "How close to the ground should I do it?" "How fine is your control?" "Within a tenth of an inch of where I want." "Between an eighth and a quarter of an inch above the ground," I tell him. "The vipers will have to go over it that way, but they''re long enough that they can''t just completely avoid it if we''re moving." Leif nods, then gestures with both hands. Ten thin disks of compressed air form, then reshape into two-foot-long arcs that are even thinner than before. He spreads out his arms and the disks soar down to the ground and move to thirty feet away from us, rapidly spinning around in a circle around us. The experienced, stronger mage is able to move the spells at a higher speed than I can, which will work even better for dealing with the vipers than if I were doing this. Now that my own arcs are no longer needed, I dismiss them. I also hand Leif some potions from my cuff, which he ties to his sash using ribbons that seemed to come out of nowhere. At the very least, I don''t know where he was storing there or where he pulled them from. Those potions should be enough to hold him over for at least the next hour or so as long as he sips them instead of wasting the Mana that they recover. "If I''m doing this," Leif drops his hands to his sides. "Then what are you going to be killing?" "There are three main monsters for the fields," I tell him. "The first of them is the vipers. Second up are magical hawks that fire stone needles with flaps of their wings or later on, sonic screeches and gusts of wind. Some of the later ones can even summon dust storms. Minor annoyances, based on what I heard." "So you''ll be fighting those?" "Yeah," I answer. "And the deer monsters as well. There are two varieties: earth and air. They create orbs of stone or compressed air or arcs of their element like the ones you''re using to clear the grass, then fire them off at their target. Stronger ones have miniature versions of the arcs swirling around their bodies when they attack. That''s actually how I got the idea to reshape the disks. Guess I should''ve realized it was an actual spell, huh?" "Everyone goofs up a bit sometimes," Leif chuckles. "So the only real difference between them is which element they use?" "Not quite," I tell him. "The deer with earth magics shake the ground as they charge at you. They''re a little bit fast since they''re deer, but it''s manageable as long as you''re dodging or have a solid defense set up. With my stats, I''m a little bit faster than the early ones." "So the trick is to take them down or disable them before they reach you." "Yup," I say. "And that goes more so for the air-attuned deer. Those boost their charging speed with wind magics, making them even faster. They''ll be the tricky ones." "So what''s the plan?" Leif asks. "First," I point off to our left and a little north. "We go that way. I want to check out the lake over there. Supposedly, it has giant frogs though it''s around ten miles from here so the trip will take most or all of the day. By the time we reach it, I should be a little bit of a higher Level. Enough that I can take those beasts on." "Levels don''t come that fast," Leif says. "They do for me." "Jealous." I snort and start walking. He''s just accepting what I''m saying without question even though he''s not seen too much of my actual abilities and despite knowing that I''m a trained physical fighter. Based on what Martin told me yesterday, then Leif should know I can''t be that talented with magic. Yet he accepts that I''ve learned spells already and that I can gain Levels quickly without question. Either he''s hiding his doubt and confusion very well or he''s fully aware of how ridiculous the Summoned can be. "Can I ask what the Fairy Realm is like?" I ask. "Hm¡­" Leif thinks for a few moments. "I''ll take that as a hard ''no''," I say. "It''s not that," he says. "The Fairy Realm used to be much bigger. It''s a series of islands connected by the roots and branches of a tree ¨C some in the water, some floating in the sky. You can either walk or fly between the islands, though some require flight. Many of the creatures there, monster and animal alike, can bear similarities to ones in this world, but with some slight changes that make them distinctly of the Fairy Realm." "Back up a bit," I say. "Islands connected by roots and branches of a tree?" "The same tree," he nods. "The Great Spirit Tree. It''s very sacred to us and is immense beyond belief. Dozens of miles in height and more than a mile in diameter. Its roots and branches stretch far and only Light has ever flown even more than a third of the way up it, it''s so immense. He says that normally, you can''t even go that high in normal flight because of the lack of air and how cold it gets. ''The void of space starts to take form'' are his words, though I don''t know what that means." "But you can with the Great Spirit Tree?" I ask. "Yes," Leif nods. "It''s immense beyond belief and ''fixes'' the air and atmosphere within its reach. While you can just rest on branches when you need to if flying that high up, there''s no real point to it. Everything we need is lower down and it just drives you further from others. Though Light does claim that there are some fairies that live higher up, no one''s entirely sure if he''s serious or just screwing with people." "Ah." "The islands are mostly forested, too," Leif tells me. "And with the hundreds of them that exist, it''s easy even for a fairy to get lost. My brother probably thinks I''m sulking on one of them right now, there''s one specific one I usually go to after we have an argument. It won''t be until he comes to look for me to apologize that he realizes I''m gone and reports it." "You make him apologize by vanishing until he comes to do it?" I ask. "That¡­ sounds a little toxic. Sorry." "No," Leif shake his head. "My brother''s a little too protective of me and our fight was regarding that. I wanted to challenge myself in a Dungeon rather than do some easy grinding and he was vehemently against it and said some¡­ rather unfair things. So I flew off to cool down before I said something that we both regretted and when I do that, I have a tendency to lose track of time. If he wasn''t in the wrong, then he''d come look for me to try and talk with me about it to show me why I was wrong." "Ah," I say. "That''s better. "What are the islands like?" "Forested, mostly," he answers. "Some grassy areas, some lakes and rivers and waterfalls. The Fairy Realm is absolutely brimming with magical energy and it''s created a pretty unique environment. Light claims to have even traveled to worlds other than this one and not seen a place like the Fairy Realm." The kind of the fairies has traveled to other worlds? Is that something he can do by his own power or something that the gods allowed or even caused? "Fairies can go to other worlds, too?" I ask. "Hm¡­" Leif thinks for a few moments. "I''m honestly not sure. Light controls the Fairy Gates and he''s the oldest of all fairies, as I told you before. He can alter their destinations as he pleases, so it''s possible that he''s deliberately chosen for them to open only to this world. All of his tales of going to other worlds stems from a time before the birth of the next-oldest fairy, too. So I would say it''s possible that the Fairy Gates can open to any world within a certain range of wherever it''s at." "What do you mean?" I ask. "The ''wherever it''s at'' part, I mean." "The Fairy Realm isn''t a world on its own," he says. "Though the islands are situated on an ocean that stretches endlessly, monsters growing stronger and stronger the further you travel to deter people from actually reaching the boundaries of it. No one really knows where it is other than that it''s not located on any world. One theory is that it''s a pocket dimension a god created for us to live in, another is that it''s actually floating through space and the Great Spirit Tree creates the world-like atmosphere for us." "And you?" I ask. "I''m not sure," he shrugs. "Light''s always been evasive when I ask which means that¡­ there''s something to the realm that he knows but doesn''t want anyone else to." Leif contemplates the question a little more. "I honestly can''t come up with an explanation," he admits. "Light is especially cryptic. I do think our realm is actually on a world ¨C just that the magical energy levels of that world are so high that it''s difficult for life like humanity or beastkin or whatnot to take hold. We live in the shelter of the Great Spirit Tree but outside of that are monsters of absurd levels of power. Imagine a wolf with the might of a dragon, then imagine that as a normal wolf. That''s the equivalent of a common monster for the waters around our land once you leave the protection of the Great Spirit Tree." "Damn," I say. "So a world like that would be a place where even a Ranker couldn''t survive?" "More than likely," he nods. "You''d need to be at least Rank 2 or even Rank 3 to survive outside of the shelter of the Great Spirit Tree. In fact, the ambient levels of magical energy in the air alone requires you to be at least Rank 1 at a minimum just for your body to survive it. We fairies can despite not being that strong at base only because we''re made of magic, ourselves." "Wait," I say. "Then how were you kidnapped?" "That''s outside of the protection of the Great Spirit Tree," he says. "The protection provided by the Great Spirit Tree doesn''t just weaken the monsters there, it also enables those within it to survive the absurd levels of magical energy without having their bodies eroded to nothing." "Ah." "As for why the Fairy Gates only lead to this world¡­ I think that''s because Light likes the gods of this world," he tells me. "I might only be twenty years of age, but I know him well enough to know that he''d prefer to only interact with worlds whose gods he likes, even if they''re silent or missing." "Makes sense," I say. "Monster incoming." A deer with a stone-grey pelt and stone-grey antlers is approaching us from the direction we''re walking. Hostility fills the monster''s eyes as a three-inch orb of stone begins to form in front of its antlers. The monsters this early take a few seconds to cast their spells and I spent a decent portion of yesterday practicing to reduce the cast for my bolts to nearly instant. I don''t give the monster a chance to finish casting its [Stone Orb] to launch at me, a blue-tinted [Air Bolt] soaring through the air. My spell smashes into the orb and shatters it. The impact performs enough damage to the bolt to destroy it as well, the blue tint fading as the compressed air dissipates, joining the air of the Dungeon. I''ve already sent a second [Air Bolt] on the way, which soars straight into the deer''s forehead. Skin and blood burst out a little, though the attack wasn''t enough to break its skull. The second [Air Bolt] to strike the beast deals a little bit more damage, and the third breaks the rest of the way through the bone and into the monster''s skull. Another thing I worked on yesterday was my aim and I feel I''ve gotten pretty good at it. Even the monster''s small flail after the first of the three hit it wasn''t enough to affect my aim too much. Shame these spells can''t track a target, though. If they could I probably could have had them all hit the same exact spot rather than roughly the same spot. I check the notification as I approach the monster''s remains.
+0.87% [Elemental Wizard] Experience!
"A decent gain," I say as I close the notification. "Depending on how things go, I should be able to reach Level 2 in [Elemental Wizard] by lunch." "Seriously?" Leif asks. "Yeah," I answer. "I gain Experience a little bit more quickly than others in Dungeons, it''s one of the effects of my Skills from being a Summoned. Even being a little above a monster in terms of strength doesn''t slow me down that much. I need a bigger gap, but the main source of Experience for me has been Dungeons. With how many monsters they have in them, I can make up for a lesser amount from a large gap in power." Simply by killing more monsters. If I''m only gaining 0.1% Experience per kill and there are over a hundred monsters that I can reach in under five minutes¡­ then I just gained 1% Experience or more in just five minutes. "Huh," Leif says. "That''s¡­ yeah, I can see you doing that instead of working with a team." "Speaking of teams," I say. "Party members of mine also gain a buff to Experience gains while we''re in a Dungeon." "Wait, seriously?" "Yup." In theory, at least. "That explains why I got more Experience for [Elemental Wizard] than I expected with the viper kills." "You did kill some?" "Yeah," he answers. "Should''ve told me," I say. "We can use the looting trick on them to gain some loot to sell in town. In fact, I''m about to do that for this beast. Er, well, I would, but I should probably wait until after I kill the hawk, huh?" "What hawk?" "That one," I point at a hawk soaring towards us. "Outside of your sensing range, it seems. Wanna make a bet on how many attacks I need to send off before I kill it?" Chapter 027 (Final) "Whoa," I say. "The lake is really beautiful." The lake is pretty large and with a more organic shape than I was expecting. It looks like a natural lake rather than one someone created for the purpose of being a decoration in a Dungeon. There are a few more trees and shrubs and other plants around the lake, as well as some boulders and rock formations. Hills rise up along the western and northern side of the lake until they form a cliff thirty feet in height toward the northwestern part of it with the upper fifth of it protruding out about eighteen feet. A five-foot-wide waterfall flows down from the "flat" as it''s known here, crashing down into the lake. Despite the constant feed of new water, there''s no visible external flow. The waters of the lake shimmer lightly, sparkling in the evening sun. Despite this being a Dungeon, it does have a day-night cycle that matches outside, though the weather does not. It''s still a little bit chilly here, but not enough so that I might wonder if snow is on its way. "Thought you said there were giant frogs?" Leif looks around in confusion. "I don''t see any-ack!" Leif jumps back in shock as a giant frog jumps out of the lake and onto a nearby boulder. The frog is easily nine feet in height and has a green-brown skin that''s slightly slick with mucus. It lets out a deep ribbit that causes the air to vibrate upon sighting us and begins to turn to face us. "Yo!" I give the giant frog a wave as I send a pair of [Air Bolt]s to it. The spells slam into the monster''s side and blast small holes into it, though not enough to actually kill the thing. It has around 20 Constitution and I have 18 Magic at the moment, so my attacks won''t be enough entirely on their own. I''ll definitely have to use several hits to take this thing down. As I send another pair of [Air Bolt]s at the giant frog, it attempts to attack us using its tongue-strike attack where all it does is flick out its tongue. That''s easy enough to avoid if we know it''s coming and there''s a tell to look out for that makes it even easier. If the monster isn''t readying a jump and it''s facing directly at me, it''s going to lash out its tongue. See? A simple and easy tell, so all we have to do is keep moving so that the monster doesn''t face us directly. That''s what I do as I continue to shoot [Air Bolt]s at the beast in an attempt to dish out enough damage that it dies. Death by a thousand cuts can work against monsters. All I need to do is make it bleed too much. The monster lets out a massive cry of pain as an [Air Bolt] slams into its right eye. I click my tongue in annoyance. Both eyes were supposed to get taken out but only one bolt struck true. The other bolt was a little low and grazed the monster''s side. I take a sip of potion to restore my Mana, then keep dodging attacks as I cast a spell new to me. Fire plus orb plus travel plus burst. It takes me almost ten seconds and roughly 15 Mana, but a three-inch ball of fire forms above my hand.
You have learned [Fireball].
"Oh, no," Leif sounds a little bit scared. "We''ll be fine." I shoot the [Fireball] forward at the next moment I see the frog preparing to shoot its tongue forward. Already in the action of attacking, the monster is unable to stop and the [Fireball] soars straight into its mouth. Just before the [Fireball] hits, the monster''s mouth clamps shut again. Perfect timing and that wasn''t even planning. A fwoomp sounds out as the [Fireball] detonates within the monster. The beast''s body expands a little as heat and force are blasted out in all directions inside of it. Flames shoot out of the monster''s mouth as it''s forced open by the spell, though they don''t travel too far.
+0.88% [Elemental Wizard] Experience!
"Oh, good. That worked." "You''re insane!" Leif exclaims. "What if that failed?" "Eh. I would''ve figured something out." Leif groans as I walk over to the frog monster''s remains to use the looting trick on it, sipping some potion to restore my Mana in preparation. I receive some frog leather, a glass jar of magic frog mucus, and a small glass jar of magic frog eggs. Those are all sent into my cuff, then I look at Leif. "I take it we''re going to clear out this area, then set up camp for the night?" Leif asks. "Since it''s starting to get late." "Actually," I say. "Now that I''ve fought one of the giant frog monsters¡­ I''m kind of bored." Leif stares at me for a few moments. "What?" "Bored," I say. "Like¡­ I''m not really enjoying the Dungeon run. It''s just boring stuff. When I was running the other one, it was mostly just to get stronger and earn money so that I could have the funds and ability to figure out what I want to do. Now that I''m in another city and I''m not as pressed for that¡­ I kind of don''t want to keep running Dungeons? Not as a regular thing. Or even hunting monsters. I just want to sit back, relax, and¡­ hang out with Adam and stuff." At this point, I really am disinterested in running the Dungeon. I might run it again from time to time just to acquire more stuff to sell, but even that''s not really a necessity. It would mostly be to stretch myself and flex my powers a little. The only reason I even wanted to run it today was to get my magic Classes up in Level so that when the full group comes to run it, I can properly provide support as a mage. However, there are two issues with that. First, I''d gain the Levels during such a run, anyway. Second, Caleb is only here to investigate the missing guild members, Leif is leaving once his brother realizes he''s gone, and Adam''s only interest is being with me. None of them actually care about running the Dungeon¡­ and nor do I. When I think about things more, I just want to settle down a bit and move away from having to be active all the time. Raising my siblings in place of our asshole parents pretty much required nonstop activity from me. Things like learning how to properly make pizza from scratch and in a brick oven were rare ''breaks'' for me, but even those were aimed at doing stuff for my younger siblings. I never really had me-time and here, I''m spending most of my time doing some sort of work or training or running a Dungeon and¡­ I want to stop. Chances are good I''ll come back to run the Dungeon just for fun or to fill time, but I think I want to settle down into a slower, more relaxed life. It''s time for me to have some real me-time instead of squishing it in between training or hunting or Dungeons. "Are you alright with leaving the Dungeon now?" I ask Leif. "Or want to keep going until we clear the stage?" "Leaving now is fine," he says. "But how would we do that? We haven''t killed the Zone Boss yet so we don''t have warp stones, and even if we had, we could just go through the Gate there." "Er¡­ I bought some?" I pull a pair of the small grey orbs out of my cuff''s storage space. "Just because I could." Leif mutters something under his breath. "Okay, yeah, it probably was just ''spending money for the sake of it''," I say. "But I ran another Dungeon solo three times just to loot the twelve floors of library in the tower that was its third Zone and paper is kind of expensive. So is ink. I can earn thousands of gold just from that, and that''s not even getting into me being able to sell some pretty rare ingots if I needed the coin." I''ll probably still have a sword made from the metal just because I can and I''ll definitely keep the sapling for any future extended Dungeon runs. Aside from minor issues here in Amadikols, however, this isn''t a bad place to live. Those issues will fade over time as well. "You''re insane," Leif says. "Just a tad," I say. "Before we leave here, how long do you think it''ll be before your brother notices you''re missing? Just wondering since you were comfortable coming in here for a few days despite waiting to go home." This was a thought I had since we''re getting ready to leave early. "Depends on how soon he realizes he was being an idiot and decides to find me so he can apologize," Leif answers. "Usually takes another week or two. So I felt I''d be fine with it for a few days." "Ah," I offer him one of the warp stones. "Can I have, one, too?" A voice says from our right. Leif and I both jump as we turn to face the speaker¡­ who''s wearing armor made of bark and dark green fabric, including a helmet that conceals all but his deep green eyes. A pair of beautiful, black-and-green butterfly-like wings extend out of his back, probably in holes within the back of his armor, though how he put the armor on with wings¡­ that''s another question. He grips in his right hand a spear with a dark wooden shaft and a dark grey metal head with green runes etched onto it. A vine-like pattern runs from where the spearhead connects to the shaft all the way down to the butt of the spear, a small green crystal set here and there along the length of the spear (but not in the vine pattern). "Who are you?" I ask. "Wait, how did you get in here? You''re not a part of my Party!" "Light?" Leif looks bewildered. "W-what are you doing here?" "Light?" I ask. "Wait. The Fairy King?" "I broke in," Light responds. "Breaking out is a little bit more difficult and would draw unwanted notice from those in the city. My original plan involved doing that, but I see there is no need." I look at Leif, since it seems the Fairy King is ignoring me. "It''s Light," Leif tells me. "He''s in battle armor. Which is overkill for a place as weak as this, Light." "One can never be too cautious," Light says. "When dealing with a potential attack on a fairy." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Leif exclaims something in a language I don''t know, which leads to him and Light to start bickering in that language. As much as I can''t understand their words, I think I know what''s going on. It seems that Leif was deliberately hiding from me the fact that his brother is the Fairy King, for whatever reason he had. I let them argue for all of a minute before intervening. "Hey! The Party Leader for this Dungeon here! Stop bickering or so help me, you are both in trouble!" Both fairies stop arguing and look at me, Leif looking a little stunned while Light is¡­ hard to read considering he''s wearing a helmet. "Now," I say. "I ain''t sure what the fuck y''all are arguing about, but this is my Dungeon run, which means my rules until we leave." Light "whispers" something to Leif in their native language, who then responds in the same. I clear my throat. "How the fuck did you break into a Dungeon run?" I ask Light. "Especially considering how many instances there are? As far as I knew, interfering with a Dungeon ain''t possible." "I''m almost two thousand years old," Light scoffs. "And I directly slept with four different gods in just seven hundred of those years and was a Hero of the God of Mystery, the creator of the System and Dungeons. Figuring out how to access their administrative controls wasn''t that difficult. All I had to do was look for which one you went into and then change the Dungeon Gate''s destination to that. But I can''t do that from inside so I''d either have to kill the Zone Boss, which would count as you doing it and thus enable you to just warp to the end of this Zone with the Boss dead, or actually use dimensional magics to tear a hole through the Dungeon''s fabric and exit it." There are administrative controls for a Dungeon¡­ and a fairy figured out how to access them? I''m going to assume that either they have lesser security measures because actually finding them in the first place requires being a god or Light was able to because of the spark of divinity within him. "Setting aside that mess," I say. "Why did you follow us in here?" "I''ve been suspicious of you ever since I first saw you," Light states. "I was just about to rescue my brother when you suddenly dive-bombed the cultists. After that, I decided to follow you four in secret to ensure Leif''s safety and see what your plans were. The fact that you were so weak yet also somehow able to interfere with my ability to hear some discussions, see some things, or even follow you at times heightened this suspicion. When you allowed Leif to come into the Dungeon with you, I suspect you were going to take action here." There are several things in what he''s said that creates more questions. "What kind of action did you think I was going to take?" I ask. "Fairies are creatures of magic," Light states. "I expected it to be something such as killing him and then harvesting his parts and storing them in your cuff for later use. Claim he died through an accident here. Fragile little fairy." "I''m not interested in killing people." "Then you''re a rare one." "My only interest with Leif has been keeping him company until he returned home," I say. "That''s it." "Liar." "Er¡­ that''s not a lie?" I say. "That really is the extent of it." "I am able to detect lies," Light says. "You want something else from him. You have another desire." "Er¡­ I didn''t think ''sex if he wants it'' counted." "¡­anything else?" "No." "You want sex with me?" Leif asks. "If you want it," I say. "But I knew it''d be a temporary thing so I was avoiding getting too attached. Wasn''t too hard as long as I accepted that you''d be leaving soon." "Huh," he says. "Well, you''re very handsome." "Thanks," I say. "You''re very cute. Now, Light. You were about to rescue Leif when I showed up?" "Yes," he answers. "I was contemplating which of my mystic beasts I would summon to slay those foul cultists and-ack!" "Destroy that, would you?" I ask to Light catches the tome and starts examining it. "Since you apparently decided not to take care of it or bring your brother home right away. Jeez. You could have just revealed yourself then and destroyed the tome, then brought Leif home. He''d have been happy." "Leif was still angry with me," Light says as the tome bursts into golden-white motes that drift a little as they fade away. "I was concerned that revealing myself right then would make it seem as if I was trying to prove a point to him. It was part of the reason it took me so long to decide which beast to use to rescue him, though I would not have let them harm him further regardless." "Was it really a demon bound into there?" Lei asks. "Yes," Light answers. "An archdemon that I once battled, back when I was weaker. You didn''t hear it, but he was begging me to not kill him. I am now powerful enough to simply wipe him from existence." "And your holy power wasn''t affected by the declaration?" I ask. Caleb retained his ability to use holy magics without needing to pray to the gods and repent. That was most likely because he was part of the group that caused the intervention from them and didn''t display the characteristics that led to the situation. "Indeed," Light answers. "My holy power stems from the spark of divinity within me rather than a power the gods have granted to mortals. Only Myst is capable of removing it as it stems from him, and despite the gods now interacting with the world once more, he has not returned." "Uh¡­ yeah, actually, he has," I say. "In fact, he and another god started some light bickering over me while I was at the bathhouse on my first day here. You said you haven''t been able to see or hear everything involving me, that you''re sometimes blocked¡­ did the lack of being able to follow me include when I went there on the first day." "If Myst were to have returned, he''d have already let me know," Light says. "I do know how you are interfering with-" "Whoops!" The voice of the God of Mysteries fills the air. "Sorry, Light! Forgot to let you know! Here, have another of my pouches! We can hook up after I finish some stuff." A [Pouch of Infinite Tricks] appears in the air in front of Light. All three of us stare at it for a few moments, then Light sighs and grabs it and the pouch vanishes. "The God of Mysteries is the one who summoned me to this world," I tell Light. "More specifically, he was visiting my world, saw me, and decided to see how I''d react to a world of magic. That was something he told me when he actually approached me the other day." Light mutters something that is probably him insulting the God of Mysteries, but I can''t understand the fairies'' language so I can''t know for sure. "I think it''s time to get out of here," I say. "I think we all want to get home, yeah?" "Yeah," Leif quickly nods. "Of course," Light says. "I hate being in this realm. And speaking of that¡­ the Fairy Realm is is another realm of the universe entirely. One with far more magic than this one. So you were wrong, Leif. I just don''t talk about it much because the Fairy Gates are currently the only safe way to pass between the realms unless you''re a divine being. The fewer people who know this, the better." "And you''re letting some random human know?" I raise an eyebrow. "I would prefer not to, but Myst has told me to," Light explains. "He said that you''re trustworthy and won''t spread it around." The God of Mysteries is talking with Light right now? That''s pretty awesome that Light can maintain two conversations at once like that. "Ah," I say. "Well, he''s right about that. I can imagine how that can be problematic. The fewer people who know, the fewer people will try to make their own version of the Fairy Gates." The presence of the System and the gods there suggests that there''s some connection to this realm as well. Though in all honesty, I wouldn''t be surprised if that was just because of the God of Mysteries. "Indeed," Light states. "Leif, you are coming home, yes?" "Yes," Leif nods, then looks at me. "As fun as hanging out with you has been, Jamie, I''m ready to return to the Fairy Realm." "That''s fine," I say. "You know where to find me if you want to get into trouble again." "Yeah," he chuckles. "Unless you decide to move, but I''m sure I can find you even if you do." "Also," Light says to me. "In exchange for taking care of my brother, I''ll give you one bit of knowledge before we leave here." "Oh?" "Yes," Light says. "Caleb is not on an official mission from the Titan''s Grasp Guild. He has been relieved of duties to allow him to travel and be with you." "He''s looking for-" "That''s a lie," Light tells me. "It was the excuse he came up with in order to stick around. I know not what his plan is for continuing the lie, but he purchased used gear and some supplies in order to pretend that he had found a lead. He requested permission from his Guild Master to quit the guild in order to stay with you. From what I read in the letter he left in his room, he was given permission to travel and be with you without quitting the guild as long as he sent them information on where he was or where he was going anytime he traveled so that they could let him know if they needed something taken care of there." "It''s not nice to read other people''s mail," I say. "I have been thoroughly investigating the three of you to ensure my brother was safe," Light says. "I will stop at nothing to do so." "That''s a discussion we will continue once we get home," Leif tells Light, then looks at me. "Sorry. And¡­ I kind of suspected it was something like this. Caleb''s seemed happier when you''re around and didn''t seem that interested in investigating things." "Huh," I say. "Well, I guess that''s good to know, though I might let him continue with it just to see how long it takes for him to admit the truth. Maybe not. It depends. Anyway, let''s get out of here." "I''ll be imperceptible," Light says. "But I''ll be accompanying you the whole way. Once Leif picks up his things, I''ll teleport the two of us to the Fairy Gate and-" "I don''t have anything I need to bring with me," Leif says, then looks at me. "Can you tell them I said goodbye?" "Sure," I say. "It was fun hanging out with you, Leif." Leif nods, then Light turns invisible and we activate the warp stones. Immediately, Leif and I are standing at the Dungeon Gate. Leif gives me a light hug, then vanishes after stepping back. I''m a little disappointed he can''t stay longer but understand his desire to return home. Instead of selling my loot, I make my way to my new home. When I enter it, I find Caleb relaxing on the couch and Adam sitting with a tray of large rolls on the table. Both of them look at me when I approach. "You''re back early," Caleb says. "Thought it was going to be a few days, not just today?" "Originally planned on it," I say. "But then I realized that I''m not that excited for Dungeon runs. I just want to hang out and relax, and maybe occasionally do a Dungeon run or hunt a monster." "Ah," he says. "Adam was trying to figure out if he bought the right rolls to use as buns for burgers, he was going to try to make them tonight instead of just cooking up some meat." "Yeah, we can use those," I say. "By the way, Light is Leif''s brother, and he can apparently break into Dungeons. He followed us in to see if I was planning on hurting Leif in there." "Since he''s not here, I take it that means he went home?" "He said to tell you guys goodbye," I say. "But he might come back from time to time just to visit and hang out." "Aw," Adam pouts a little. "Before I go take a shower to scrub off today''s sweat," I say. "I just wanted to ask about the relationship between the three of us." "What do you mean?" Caleb asks while Adam frowns a little. "What I mean," I say. "Is what are we? I know you two don''t get along too well, but I also know you''re both interested in me. Adam, you literally gave up returning home and being among those who won''t treat you bad just for being a demihuman as well as being with your grandfather just so you can keep traveling with me. Caleb, you literally tried to quit your guild and made up a mission and even spent money to buy gear to try and support the mission claim just so you can be with me more. Honestly makes me think you both like more more than just as a friend-with-benefits." "You knew?" Caleb''s eyes widen. "So," I say. "What are we? Just friends-with-benefits, or are you two both my boyfriend?" "Boyfriend," Adam answers without hesitation. "Boyfriend," Caleb more calmly responds. "If you''re okay with that." "Of course," I say. "Then we''re boyfriends. Alright. I''m going to go get cleaned, then I''ll make dinner so that we don''t end up with steaks on buns instead of proper burgers." Caleb snickers at the reminder of Adam''s attempt at making burgers the other day and Adam growls at him. "If you two start wrestling," I start making my way to the bathing room. "Don''t break anything." "Got it!" Caleb exclaims, then charges Adam. "Wha-hey!" Adam protests. I snort at their antics. Coming home from whatever I was doing to these two being my boyfriends rather than just friends-with-benefits is definitely something I''m going to enjoy. The short time that I''ve known them has been more than enough for me to know I like them. Caleb was a bit annoying at first but he''s become more tolerable and acceptable now that we''re here and I think it''s because he''s given up on being annoyed by Adam''s rejection of him. My time here in this world has definitely been a breath of fresh air and I''m extremely grateful to the God of Mysteries for bringing me here. I really can be whatever I want here, and now, I''m going to be a semi-rich guy with two boyfriends and who does basically whatever he wants. That means just relaxing and hanging out with some hunting and training mixed in. A simple life without the chaos of my old. "Thank you, God of Mysteries," I send up a prayer to him. "For this opportunity and journey." It''s been much appreciated. Now, however, I''m going to take things easy and just relax.