David’s mind was rattling with newly acquired intel, but he could hardly complain. The information helped him gain a better understanding of the situation, even if some questions remained unanswered.

Aether permeated other worlds, unlike the Earthen Union, and Elves could already wield magic. However, the system arrived only after their worlds were integrated into the Pantheon. The system and the Pantheon must be one unit, then.

Even though the integration destroyed the Earthen Union mankind used to know, the Pantheon offered multiple ways to survive. It offered a Class to everyone who fought back, created System Sanctuaries, and rewarded those who exceeded the norms with boons, drops, and sometimes even Skill Runes.

Melach and Torb aren’t telling me everything, but I guess that’s to be expected. I am a stranger to them. They have only answered my questions because I helped them. Because they would have died without my support.

Maybe they had a favorable impression of him earlier, but David noticed that his barrage of questions got to them. The questions forced them to think about things they’d never thought about. Things they never doubted. Until now.

Whatever. It’s fine like this.

He accepted the situation and kept following the unlike pair in silence. Nobody said a word, but that was for the better. David had a lot to think about.

The Pantheon must have a reason to integrate new worlds into their system. They could be trying to expand their range to gain more strength. But if that was the sole reason to incorporate more worlds into the Earthen Union, they would have behaved differently to attract mankind’s interest. Or am I missing something?

David groaned in frustration. Melach and Torb glanced at him, yet no word was exchanged. Their eyes drifted back to the front, and they started chatting about mundane things. At least, they seemed mundane to David at this moment. He cared little about the benefits the Elf and Dwarf would gain from defeating an anomaly like the Mutating Giant Infected.

If we’re looking at our society, or what it used to be, the strong ruled the weak. It has always been like that, and it will probably be even worse now that mankind has acquired the means to gain supernatural powers. To become gods, just like some Elves, Dwarves, and other beings did before. The strong controlled the weak with iron fists. Those with true power could do as they please. Greed permeated our society. Nobody would have allowed others to rise to power without gaining any benefits.

He nibbled on his lips and ruffled through his hair.

The Pantheon has to be the same. Nobody would invest heavily into an Aetherless world like the Earthen Union for no reason. Nobody would watch us like this if it wasn’t for a proper reason. Are the gods of the Pantheon bored? I doubt it. It doesn’t feel like they’re putting this much effort into integrating so many worlds into the Pantheon for entertainment. If it had been for entertainment, they could have done crazier things. But here they are, giving us access to the system, altering the Earthen Union, watching us…gifting those who exceed their expectations gifts and boons

The Pantheon shared the system. It shared its power and was more than ready to accept new gods.

“Boy!” Torb suddenly called out to David. “You said a god from the Pantheon was interested in you, didn’t ya?”

David nodded slowly. Bereth was probably strong enough to be considered a god. He could also access the system and gift David something.

“Are you thinking of taking a Patron then? Since one of them is already interested in you, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to pick a Patron before your First Class Advancement Ritual.”

“Class Advancement Ritual?” David tilted his head.

“You don’t know that either? Ah, right…I always forget this world hasn’t been integrated for long,” Torb laughed lightly, but his eyes remained serious, “Once you break through the limits as an Iron Rank, your Basic Class will evolve. If you have a Patron, he will prepare several Classes for you. Depending on how favorable the Patron looked upon you, you should be able to acquire an incredibly powerful Class.”

Melach nodded in agreement, “The Classes offered by your Patron God are usually greater than the Classes offered by the system. You do not need to bind yourself to anyone, but the system can be cruel. It uses your achievements, actions, personality, and other factors to pick multiple existing Classes for you to pick. You can acquire some powerful Classes that way, however, the general knowledge is that Classes offered by Patrons are more fitting. Some Patron Gods create a customized Class specifically for your needs using a portion of their Essence.”

Being able to change his Class was great, but David didn’t like the thought of binding himself to any seemingly omnipotent being. Especially not when they were responsible for turning the Earthen Union upside down.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I’m finally free. There is no way in hell I’m going to sell my soul to some gods!

Even though he thought like that, David smiled at the unlike duo, “That sounds interesting. I will think about it.”

Torb grunted in satisfaction, “Fortress is a great Patron. Maybe you can become a Paladin or a Sacred Knight if you serve him!”

“We’ve arrived,” Melach announced, spreading his arms as the glory of Arc unfolded before David.

The first thing David noticed was the lack of noise. Earlier, he’d heard some Infected but hadn’t seen them. They didn’t attack their group either. However, as they approached Arc’s perimeters, the undead’s snarls and groans ceased.

It was almost like they were back in peaceful times. Dreadful boring times.

The damaged city’s outer perimeters made space for the System Settlement; the destroyed concrete street transformed into a narrow, cobbled street connected to stone pathways that disappeared behind buildings with stout stone bases and rustic timber frames.

Medieval structures. That’s almost too cliché to be true.

David snickered, his eyes drifting across the buildings unfolding before him. Not everything was built in the same medieval style. There were also various homes and shops with modern features. A few homes had glass windows with subtle metal frames, and there were even structures that reminded David of solar panels discreetly integrated onto rooftops.

A hint of technology was integrated into the System Sanctuary, taking David by surprise, but he was happy about it.

If they have solar panels, or whatever these panels are supposed to absorb, there should also be properly functioning toilets and showers. That is exactly what I need!

David followed Melach and Torb silently as they entered the perimeters. Guards stopped them momentarily, but they let the trio through when Melach showed them a thin stone slate the size of his hand. However, David noticed none of that. His eyes lingered on the buildings and the wide variety of people strolling around. There were humans, quite a few actually, but David discovered many men and women from other races as well. He didn’t recognize any race from fairy tales if one excluded dwarves and elves.

It didn’t take long until they reached Arc’s center. It was a large market square with old wooden stalls and vendor cards selling various products and essentials. To his left, David discovered some merchants with a stall overflowing with metal armaments like the shield and mace Torb carried, and to his right was a small vendor with your average toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other modern essentials.

Near the market square was also a massive stone watchtower covered in moss and deep claw marks. It felt like the watchtower had been standing strong for centuries, surviving the attacks of countless ferocious monsters, yet it was now used for two purposes. Maybe there was more to the watchtower, but David could only discover the communication equipment on top of the watchtower. It looked like an antennae engraved with countless glowing letters. The antennae didn’t even attract David’s interest, but the engravings were interesting.

“We call them ‘enchantments’. They act like Skill Runes, except they’re engraved on an object. As long as you have Aether, you can activate them, no matter the Class.” They can be found on magical equipment and various other necessities. We cannot afford any magical enchantments yet because they’re expensive. Exorbitantly expensive.” Melach explained when he noticed where David looked.

“The Fragment of Power can be ground and concocted into an enchantment tincture. The tincture is already very valuable due to its expensive ingredients, but concocting it is even more expensive. It requires an experienced Alchemist to produce the tincture and a great Engraver to etch a spotless enchantment on the armament.”

“So money is a thing here,” David murmured, “That makes sense. You guys were talking about it earlier.”

Torb flinched at that, but David waved his hand dismissively, “I won’t take your money. If not for your help, I wouldn’t have found Arc. Maybe I would have never entered it, either. I’d probably be prejudiced and avoid everything related to the Pantheon and foreign Invaders for as long as I can.”

Torb relaxed visibly while Melach snorted, “David saved our lives.”

The Dwarf looked at Melach, whose gaze bore deep into Torb’s soul. He looked defeated and nodded slowly.

“Of course. He cleansed my infection and helped us defeat the mutant. He will get a share.”

“A fair share.”

Torb winced but nodded, “A fair share.”

David smiled but turned around to inspect Arc a little longer.

To his left was a long, wide, cobbled street. The first building cornering the market square looked like a library with thick stone walls and arched doorways. However, the large sign with a book symbol exposed the building's identity. The book was moving, the pages turning while glistening sparks spurted out in all directions.

This place is nuts. I like it!

David’s eyes trailed the long street, but his eyes narrowed when he saw various stone statues.

“The Panthena, the street of the gods. You can find the Pantheon’s temple and the statues of the most prominent gods in that street,” Melach explained, while Torb added sourly

“The Panthena looks the same in all System Sanctuaries, yet none of them have a statue of Fortress!”

“What’s the temple used for? Can I talk to the gods over there? Will they respond to me?” David asked, his heart drumming like a war drum.

A plan formed in his mind.