"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 – 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 – like the clerk at the agency – 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.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

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 – 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 – 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 – which was a joint effort by nineteen kingdoms across the world, mind you – 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 – 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 – but only with other mammals, as its their body that does the developing."

Which is why demihumans can have non-mammalian traits – 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."