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 – even a dead one – 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."

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"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 – in theory – 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."