"How many more times do I need to scrub you?" I ask Aster, who woofs in response.

I've thoroughly scrubbed his fur five times and the water still isn't running clear at the end of the scrubbing. Aster tries to run to another part of the shower, tail wagging, but I grab him and pull him back to where I'm sitting. Sometimes, having a shower big enough for several people to fit inside can be a bad thing, and I'm learning that now that I'm attempting to clean a magical pup that wants to dash back and forth under the water.

It's a waterfall-style shower, which is part of why I gave it so much space when I had the house built. From the impressions the wolf has given me, he loves playing in waterfalls as well… which apparently isn't enough to clean off his fur.

Sighing, I squeeze more shampoo into my hand and start scrubbing it into the wolf's fur. He sits and lets out a soft rumble noise that gives me an impression of contentment. As much as he wants to run back and forth under the water, he also likes getting scrubbed like this.

"Give me a paw," I say, and scrub the paw he offers to me. "And another. Alright, time for a back paw. And the other. And your ears. Now let's do your tail. Flip onto your back so I can do your tummy."

The soap still turns a little bit brown from this, but not very much. I rinse him off, then scrub him a seventh time, the bubbles remaining the pale green-white they normally are this time and the water runs clear when it comes off of him.

"Alright," I scratch behind his ears. "You can do your thing while I clean myself, now."

I clean myself off and rinse, then step out and dry myself off before shutting off the water and letting Aster out. He tries to charge out but I catch him in a towel and start drying him. The small wolf lets out a soft rumble as I do that and I can feel the happiness in his mind. Either he's aware that I have [Animal Communication] or he's able to do some degree of that kind of communication with a person on his own. Either way, he's definitely making sure I can tell that he's enjoying this.

With both of us clean and toweled-off, I use my hairdryer to finish the job for my hair, then use it to finish drying Aster.

"Alright," I say as I hang up my towel. "I'm going to get dressed, then I'll take you back to the Mythic Forest, okay?"

Aster woofs, runs in a circle, then vanishes. He can teleport?

Why is this a surprise to me? The Mythic Forest is a limited space that seemed to be completely dead, yet the azulvitt pups were able to show up, Redips came to visit, and even Aster appeared. Mythical creatures – and whatever sort of beast Aster is – can clearly come and go from it as they please.

Just as I go to exit my bedroom, Aster reappears with a blackberry in his teeth. He shows it off to me, then swallows it. That seems to be him letting me know he can go there on his own, and it seems that there wasn't a large time difference in the fifteen seconds he was gone.

"No making a mess in my house," I tell him.

At least he's not sticky again. I reach down and rub his very soft, silky fur to confirm that. All he did while gone was grab the berry and return. If I'm right, then the time he spent there probably matches up with the time here.

The same as when I'm there. Time seems to pass at the same rate between the two while I'm in the Mythic Forest even if it's faster there when I'm here. I really want to know what's going on, but I don't think I'll receive an answer to that anytime soon. The fact that time seemed to match up when Aster was gone only adds to the mystery.

What happened to the Mythic Forests, how monsters can survive there without food, why their mana levels are so low, why time passes at inconsistent rates between the two places, how the mythical creatures can come and go as they please… those are all things I want to learn the answers to.

Hopefully one day, I'll receive those answers. For now, I should prepare for my date.

For it, I select a pair of purple boxer-briefs, over which I pull on black jeans. After I slip on some black socks and a pair of sneakers, I pull on a grey t-shirt, then a light purple short-sleeved button-up, which I leave unbuttoned. It's my usual outfit, except with black jeans instead of blue. I always match my underwear to my shirts.

While this is a date, it's not one with a formal dress code. I let Ryan plan it out so I don't know what we're doing aside from nothing requiring formal wear. Ryan's already assured me of that, but I already suspected it before then.

Everyone I've gone on dates with, whether in just the early stages or who I progressed to exclusive status with, has preferred dates that are more casual rather than fancy. Most of the people I've hooked up with long-term was the same way as well, even if we never went on dates.

As I finish dressing, there's a knock on the door. A quick look at the time reveals it's six-thirty, or time for Ryan to be here.

When I answer the door, I find Ryan dressed in black jeans, a tight-fitting blue-grey shirt, and sneakers. His hair's been slightly styled and those orange eyes of his fill with happiness upon seeing me.

We're both dressed about the same as normal, but I don't mind that. Ryan's wearing a trio of storage bracelets, just as I'm still wearing mine. This is my first time seeing his in-person, though. A quick glance shows they're each three-cube, but a much higher rank at Tier 250. They're intended not just for his Category 5-3 Dungeons but potentially for Category 5-4 ones as well, based on that quality Tier.

He can't survive in a Dungeon that difficult due to its ambient mana, but it seems he's preparing for it now that he's nearing that Level.

"Hey," Ryan says, then quickly pulls me in for a hug and a quick kiss. "Sorry… was that too fast?"

"No," I return the kiss. "Just surprised me for a moment."

"Okay," he gives me another hug, then steps back. "Do you want to know what I planned, or-"

"Woof!" Aster greets him.

"You tamed something?" Ryan asks, looking down at the pup. "Did you leave town?"

Monsters in Daily and Weekly Dungeons can't be tamed, only ones from the wild or normal Dungeons. Since Dungeons have stopped spawning, leaving town is the only route he'd know about for me to tame something.

"No," I answer. "I'm not quite sure what he is, but his name's Aster. He was pretty sticky when I found him so I cleaned him up and told him he was good to go, but he just left and came right back."

"Woof!" Aster confirms.

"Ah," Ryan looks at Aster again, then at me. "I'm okay with him coming with us if you are."

"Sure," I say. "I think he'd follow us, anyway."

"Woof!"

I wait for Aster to exit my house, then I close and lock the door.

"Do you want to know where we're going?" Ryan asks. "Or would you prefer to be surprised?"

"I don't mind either way," I tell him. "Just as long as I'm not party to anything illegal."

"We can walk to the first place," he says. "And the weather's nice. Do you mind doing that?"

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I checked the weather earlier and there's no forecast for rain, just a clear and sunny rest of the day and a clear night. Considering I don't see Ryan's truck here, I'd probably have to be the one to drive if we didn't. While I don't mind that, I also don't mind going for a walk.

"Not at all," I say. "Let's go."

Ryan and I begin walking with me on his right, and he slips his right hand into my left as we walk.

"How'd your day go?" He asks. "Did you get your Dungeons done? I heard that it's all with a crafting-based Class who's under Level 5 who still have access to their Daily and Weekly Dungeons."

"I did," I tell him. "Can restock my shop tomorrow and add some extras. There's enough reagents to make potions for resisting the cold, and I was able to put in an order to get scrolls so I can make [Scroll of Flamethrower]s, too. There won't be too much of a market with those right now, but scrolls last a lot longer than potions before losing their effects."

"Some of those who can handle Category 5-2s have a job they're being asked for," he tells me. "They're leaving on Wednesday, and it's to an area with a lot of plant monsters. That might actually be useful for them. They'll need something for the earth-based monsters as well, but I know the bureau's looking into a supplier."

"You're one being called?" I ask.

"No," he answers. "Adam, Kelsey, and Wyatt are among those called for it, though, and we all talk with each other."

"Ah," I say. "What's your favorite part about being an Awakened?"

"Honestly?" He asks.

"Yeah."

"Getting to kill monsters."

"Seriously?" I ask.

"Yeah," he chuckles. "I honestly love the thrill of getting to take down strong beasts that put up a decent fight. Not dominating a fight with absolute superiority – though that part's not bad – but when I find myself actually challenged when facing off against a monster.

"That's not all I like it for, though," he says. "I like seeing the different environments, especially the ruins. Not as much as taking down tough monsters, but it's still nice. Most of those are clearly not human ones, so it makes one wonder: are they based on civilizations from other worlds? I like seeing their designs, even if I don't quite understand their language. It's taking me awhile to learn it."

"We're not alone out there," I say. "The mythical-level beasts supposedly have their own realm, but I don't think that counts. Some of the ancient texts I've read, though, indicate there are others. And when the designs of ruins are looked at more closely, we can actually group them into nine categories."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I answer. "Mostly by which reagents can be found growing in them. They can be divided into nine distinct groups based on this, with each group having three to five different architecture styles for a total of thirty-nine unique styles."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," I answer. "Manapples, for example, can only be found in two of the nine groups. Emberries can only be found in one of them, and only in two of the different architecture styles for ruins. Using reagents-based data, they're able to guess which of the nine groups Dungeons without ruins fit into."

"Huh," he says. "I never noticed there were similarities like that."

"How often do you actually pay attention to the loot you get from them?"

"Not much," he answers. "So I guess that's probably why. I can usually guess that there's going to be certain things there based on some of the monsters, though. I take it even they fit into the groups?"

"Yeah," I answer. "Goblins show up in all nine of them, but minotaurs only show up in one. It doesn't get taught at the academies, though, as the notices at Gates tells you the environment and general monster type."

"Which gives people information before even entering what they need to prepare for," he says. "We're going left here. It also doesn't really matter what loot a Dungeon has when we go in, since either we or the scavengers grab pretty much everything. I take it the groupings are mostly used for those who study them?"

"Yeah," I answer.

"Does it affect other sorts of loot?" He asks. "Such as the ancient tomes? You read plenty of those."

"It does," I confirm. "Generally speaking, which of the groups and subgroups Dungeons fit into have similarities in the contents of the texts found within. However, the majority of ancient tomes come in one language, and most of the text in the ruins are written in it as well. From time to time, there's one written in another language. They've logged a total of more than fifty unique languages found in Dungeons over the last several centuries."

Some of them have so little text and context clues that could be used to understand what they say. They've only managed to start interpreting eleven of the languages outside of the one commonly referred to as the ancient tongue.

"What do you think about them?" He asks. "Think they're based copies of parts of other worlds? That's the theory I've heard the most."

"They could be," I say. "I've heard some theories that they might actually be portions of other worlds that are sectioned off and reused after said worlds fell to their own monsters."

"I've heard that theory, too," he says. "But since they all use the same language… that doesn't seem too plausible."

"Unless some external force is altering things to make them more uniform," I say. "And the exception are just the ones which slipped through the cracks. But honestly? I think it's more that the System is generating the Dungeons based on various civilizations throughout the universe, but not as copies or segments."

"How come?"

"Just a feeling," I shrug. "Nothing concrete. With the languages that don't match into the ancient one, it could just be the System attempting to give us a little bit that's 'from' those civilizations it's borrowing from. Why? I don't know. Are we going to Greenmarket?"

That's not the official name for the location, but it's what most people call it. I can see it from here, three rows of canopy tents set up near the edge of the large park in our district. The tents themselves are provided by the city while the vendors vary from day to day, with the tents being rented out with a permit.

Most of the vendors are selling food, either fresh fruits and vegetables or to-go foods, while others sell trinkets, handmade crafts, and the like. The two outer rows of canopies face inward, while the middle row is two rows put together, facing toward the outer tents. With two walking paths between them and dozens of stalls, there are plenty of things to look at there.

It's often a busy market at peak hours and with the time being close to quarter 'till seven, there are plenty of people there right now. Not enough to be cramped, though. Most of them are parents taking their kids for an evening trip to the park and stopping in for food or to look at what goods can be found right now.

This might be his dinner plan for tonight, which is a pretty decent one. Even if the food vendors can change day-to-day, there's always something good.

As for its unofficial name, that's partly because of the greenery around it, and partly because the covers for the tents are all green in color. "Greenmarket" is used for it enough that I doubt most people even know that's not its real name.

"Hope you don't mind," Ryan tells me. "You've mentioned it a few times before and they do often have good food."

"They do," I agree. "Let's see what they have."

We enter Greenmarket and look at the different stalls, until one catches my attention. They sell a circular to-go plate which comes with a portion of meat, a portion of rice, and a portion of salad. The meat's a marinated beef, while the rice is plain and the salad is leafy but with some other veggies sliced into it into either chunks or thin strips.

"Hey, Thomas," I greet the man in his mid-forties working the station.

"Hey, Evan," he says. "How's it going?"

"Not bad," I say. "How about you?"

"Not too bad, not too bad," he glances around, then watches as a nearby visitor walks away, leaving enough space for him to say something quietly. "Have you heard about what's going on with Dungeons?"

Thomas mainly uses meat from magical beasts hunted either in Dungeons or outside, though he'll use ones from ranches within the city if he can't source from monsters.

"I have," I answer. "I'm guessing it's affecting your supply?"

"A little bit," he says. "I'm using varyihn beef from a Dungeon this week but once it's gone, I'll have to resort to the ranch-grown bulls for awhile unless the external hunts are good. Prices are going to go up soon on everything else."

Varyihn beef comes from minotaurs, so I'm surprised he was able to get his hands on a batch of it since I'm sure the demand on it was pretty high. Minotaur beef is difficult to come by even when Dungeons are at a normal rate and it's a good quality with a nice flavor. He wouldn't lie to me about the origins so I know it's true.

"Might be one of the ones I took out the other day," Ryan tells me.

"Oh?" Thomas looks at Ryan. "You a hunter, then? I wanted some of the beef from a particularly rare minotaur that was in there but alas, all of that beef was bought up by others before I could get my hands on it. The price was a bit too high for me, anyway."

"I am," Ryan pulls out his phone and calls up the photo he took of him posed with the minotaur. "That's me after taking down a rare specimen the other day."

"Nice, nice," Thomas says. "Do you boys want something?"

Ryan and I don't need to get food from the same vendor and I do like supporting Thomas. It's been awhile since I had something from his stall here.

"Sure," I tell him, then look at Ryan. "No need to get the same thing as me, if you want something else."

"It's fine," he says. "I'm open to trying it. Two plates, please."

"Wait, no, I can pay-"

"I'm paying," Ryan says as Thomas gets to work preparing our plates.

"That's $20," Thomas says after packaging it up. "You want them in a bag?"

"No, thanks," Ryan tells him as he inserts his card into the reader.

Thomas finishes the transaction, then hands us the plates and a receipt.

"Enjoy your food," Thomas says. "It was good seeing you again, Evan."

"You as well," I say. "And good luck with your stock."

Ryan and I leave Greenmarket and start looking for somewhere to eat, eventually settling on a table near the small lake within the park. It's got a good view of the water, which has a small flock of ducks swimming on it near to the shore and a few kids are playing in the shallow part of it while their parents watch from nearby tables.