Chapter 29

7th July 2008
Alaska
A day after Dionysos hanged himself ritually

Paulo was sure he was on the right track. The developers of Dionysos : The Game had clearly implied that there were hidden things in real life. He'd already watched videos of influencers and content creators revealing the location of certain hidden places IRL - a bar, a nightclub - exactly the same as in the game! - but he was sure there was more to it than that.

So he analyzed the whole game, collected hidden clues...and flew to Alaska. He'd been walking for three days, following the clues, and...finally! A mysterious-looking cavern appeared in front of him, at a bend in a forest path. Trying to gather his courage and motivate himself - perhaps there was a fake adventure waiting for him, like in the game? It looked strangely like a dungeon...

Paulo entered the cave.

Ding!
Welcome, player!
You're the first to find [Dionysos Original Dungeon]
Paulo
Human
Lvl 3

8th July 2008
Japan
Karakura Town

Ichigo Kurosaki awoke to the soft morning light, his orange hair tousled from restless dreams. The scent of breakfast wafted through the air, courtesy of his younger sisters, Karin and Yuzu, already bustling in the kitchen. As he prepared for another day of high school, he stopped. Something strange was floating in the air.

[You have slept in your bed!]
[All HP and RK are restored!]

Ichigo Kurosaki

Lvl 4

"Uh?"

10th of July
England, The Burrow

"Lumos," whispered Georges. Fred stood behind him, wand raised, ready to cast a spell. They'd already been tricked into being ambushed once...so now, the two pranksters were ready.

Before the start of their seventh and final year at Hogwarts, strange things had happened at the Burrow. They had discovered a huge burrow (duh) at the foot of an old tree at the bottom of the garden - and they were sure it hadn't been there the last time they'd been there. Curious, they crawled into the hole, and stumbled upon huge tunnels in the earth.

And as they entered the first of the mysterious corridors, strange things written in the air appeared before their eyes.

Fred
Prankster
Lvl 9

George
Prankster
Lvl 9

If they didn't regularly consume Muggle porn magazines - where ads for video games were plentiful, they wouldn't have recognized the strange windows.

But they loved porn.

So, having become video game characters, they had begun to explore their first dungeon.

[Beginner's Dungeon - Pixies in the Burrow]

8th of July 2008
Rukongai

"B...Boss...A Shinigami!?"

Thoas sighed.

"What, again? Don't they ever stop?"

"And this time it's...it's..."

Someone kicked his door open. Fucking shinigamis from that "eleventh" thing. Thoas didn't understand. He was too drunk, and he hadn't sobered up since he'd realized you could be drunk even if you were dead.

"So, you are the infamous Thoas? The soul of the Rukongai capable of defeating Shinigamis?"

"Can't you be less of a cliché? Everyone else told me the same thing…"

"I'm not like the others."

"Yeah. They've all said that too".

But Thoas knew that, for once, the fat man in front of him wasn't lying. This was the first time it wasn't an "Unseated" guy who came.

Renji Abarai
Shinigami
6th Seat of the 11th division
Lvl 76/150

Fuck.

This guy was strong.

17th of July
Alaskan Dungeon

"Huh?"

There was someone else at the entrance to the Donjon? Paulo had been coming to this magical place every day for over two weeks now! A real-life dungeon! Incredible!

Paulo
Human
Class : Rogue
Lvl 13

He had been able to choose a class from level 10! And it was just like a game! The first floor of the dungeon was full of mutant rats - he'd killed hundreds and hundreds of them - and the boss was a rat king. But the second, more complicated level was full of skeletons... And there were so many of them! So what if there was another adventurer who, like him, had been a chosen one...like in the game with the son of Dionysus? Maybe Dionysus really did exist? And that he was a chosen one?

"Hey," greeted a pretty redheaded girl, rather cute.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare
Human
Class : Magician
Lvl 17

2nd of August 2008
Soul Society, Seireitei

"AAAAAH! I can't take it anymore!" cried Thoas, and exited the classroom.

He had no idea what was going on, but one thing was certain: he was fed up. Fed up! Once that guy Renji had beaten the shit out of him, he'd taken Thoas to some sort of city and thrown him in a classroom of this "Shinigami Academy" building where everyone was dressed strangely. Telling him he'd make a great shinigami or something. But nobody had explained to him what that was! And after a month, nobody had fucking explained anything about what was a Shinigami! He only had classes on a Kido stuff and on how to swing a sword. And nobody get anything when he talked about greek gods, thinking he was drunk, or something. So, he had stopped asking about that and just went with the flow.

At least, to his great satisfaction, he could increase his level again. His sacrifice had drastically increased his level cap - but not his level! And it had frustrated him, gods, it had frustrated him! He just had to meditate, the instructors had said, and absorb this stuff, the "Reiatsu". He hadn't understood how. On the other hand, he'd quickly realized that Reiatsu was everywhere. Even in alcohol. And he knew how to absorb alcohol. So he spent his days drinking, and got stronger and stronger! Paradise! Or at least, it would have been fucking Paradise if he wasn't forced to listen to an old man talk about stuff in a classroom-about what, he didn't know. He wasn't listening.

At first, other students had tried to bully him. But he'd smashed their faces in. So he'd clearly become the top dog - and he'd force bullies to fan him or rub his feet when he drank alcohol.

"Yo. I hear you've gotten even stronger...If it wasn't for your Kido sucking, some would even talk about graduating you straight from the academy. And that's why I'm here. To test if you're good enough", Renji Abarai said.

Ehe. You came to fight, Uh? Perfect!

Renji Abarai
Shinigami
6th Seat of the 11th division
Lvl 86/150

Revenge time.

Thoas
Shinigami
Drunkard and Son of Dionysos
Level 97/500

15th of August of September 2008
Camp Halfblood

"Are you sure you've got everything? Have you forgotten anything? Your cuddly toy? Did you take your blankie?" asked Sally.

"Mummy!" complained Percy as Annabeth giggled. The young daughter of Athena hid her smile behind the moving box she was lifting, but everyone heard her burst out laughing.

With the help of the Dionysus Reforms, Chiron had opened a co-ed high school in the camp, which operated throughout the school year. After being expelled from too many schools, Percy had finally convinced his mother to let him move to the camp permanently. Sally agreed... on the condition that she move in with him. Since the fall of the force field, mortals had technically been able to enter the camp. But the situation was complicated. Obviously, Luke - even as the Eponymous Archon - was not in a position to allow a mortal to move into the camp. So Percy had had to ask Dionysus... who was not here, but Pollux, as a priest or something, spoke to the "Spirit of the god" or something, who had agreed immediately.

Best god ever. Every night, he would sacrifice some food to him.

Even if it had been a long time since he saw the god at the camp.

26th of August 2008
Alaska

On August 26, the official Toplessness Day, Dionysus opened his eyes. He rose from his reclining position - he was lying on a huge stone altar encircled by vines that seemed to have grown supernaturally down the tree.

Dionysus
?
The Liberator
Mortal
Lvl 1/∞

You have "Yeeted" your domains out the Greek Pantheon

You gained the perk [Unlimited Growth]

You are no longer constrained

Ỹ̵̛̲ǒ̸̮̰ư̶̡̤ ̸̼͂̐g̵̟͐̃ȃ̷̮͝i̸̱̊͑n̶͇͑͝ȩ̶͚͝d̴͎͉̄̿ ̷̥̱̊t̷̹̟̐h̵̠̒́e̷̟͔̚ ̴͎̐͊͜p̸̜̹̓̉e̴̪͂r̸͓̀͝k̸̢̥̃ ̵͙̬̈́[̸̧̞̓̈G̵͖̀͆ȓ̸͍̞̂e̴͇̔͛ͅa̵̦̻̓t̸̡̓̐ ̷̢̡̊̓Y̵̤̬͋͠o̴̜͉̊u̴͛̏͜n̶͓̣̑́g̵̼̏͘ ̷̹̔O̷͍̒n̵̢͗̒ę̵̰́̔]̸͙͈̔͒
̶̠̔?̷̺͊͜?̶̖͕͆̔?̸̜͋̅
̶͙͒
You gained the perk [True Human]

You embody the only species whose destiny is not set in stone.

You are Human, you are able of growth.

No supernatural being will be able to identify you as something else than a human if you don't want to, even if you gain your divinity back!

You appear human in regards to the Divine Laws of the Fates.

Awakening Quest
[The Twelve Labors of Dionysus]

Your domains haven't disappeared, but you no longer have access to them. Your domains are dormant. A piece of your soul still resides in them.

Reclaim your domains by performing symbolic acts embodying them.

Madness
Tragedy & Narratives
Mysteries
Creativity
Transformation
Growth
Ecstasy
Wine
Nature
Defying authority & rebellion against order
Transcendence
Liberation

5th September 2008
Hogwarts

Four mysterious pieces had appeared on the Marauders' map - pieces that weren't there before! So Fred and George went to see…Maybe it was a dungeon, like back in the Burrow ?

They had entered the room yesterday and…

Fred
Prankster
Lvl 11

George
Prankster
Lvl 11

Hufflepuff Dungeon
Recommended minimal level : Lvl: 10

And a fucking badger had ambushed them, forcing them to flee. But today? Today, they would have their revenge.

A low growl reverberated through the corridors, causing the Weasley twins to halt in their tracks. Emerging from the shadows was a massive badger, its eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Looks like our furry friend is back for more," Fred whispered to George, a sly grin spreading across his face. George nodded, poised for a rematch.

The badger lunged at them with unexpected speed, but the twins were quicker. The twins exchanged a glance and simultaneously cast a combined spell, turning the air around the badger into a colorful display of floating balloons.

"Take that, you overgrown furball!" George laughed, deftly evading a clumsy swipe from the badger's enormous claws.

Surrounded by bouncing balloons, the badger looked thoroughly bewildered. Capitalizing on the confusion, the twins conjured a massive whoopee cushion beneath the badger, propelling it into the air with an explosive farting sound.

+10 XP for style

Fred and George erupted into laughter as the badger crashed down, its dignity shattered. However, their revelry was short-lived. The badger, shaking off its embarrassment, charged at them once more. Thinking fast, Fred summoned a giant-sized custard pie that materialized out of thin air. With impeccable timing, George used a well-aimed Banishing Charm, propelling the custard pie towards the badger's face.

The twins exploited the distraction, casting a joint Freezing Charm that encased the badger in a block of ice from nose to tail.

You won against the first mini-boss of the dungeon! Yay!
+200 XP

"Level up, baby!" George exclaimed, brandishing his wand like a gaming controller.

7th of September 2008
Soul Society, Seireitei

Thoas was still drunk. Once he'd busted Renji's face, he'd been given a uniform, and someone had told him he was the Fourth Seat of the Eleventh Division. What? He wasn't a chair, was he? He'd started insulting people...but then some kind of creepy guy had come along. His boss, apparently - the Captain of the eleventh division. And his Captain had screamed in his face, yelling things about fighting and masculinity. So Thoas had farted on his Captain. And apparently, this Kenpachi Zaraki guy did not like being farted on very much.

Thoas had tried to defend himself, but...

Kenpachi Zaraki
Shinigami
11th division Captain
Lvl 458/500*

?th of September
Alaska

Dionysus took a step forward. Then another. And another. The biting cold of Alaska wrapped around him, the freezing air piercing through his naked form. The snow-covered ground beneath his bare feet offered no respite, each step sending a shock of discomfort through his entire being.

Despite the suffering, Dionysus pressed on. The northern lights flickered overhead. He had a strong will, and his determination that pushed him forward through the physical agony. Days blended into nights, yet Dionysus refused to stop. Sleep became a distant memory as he moved tirelessly through the unending wilderness. Exhaustion clung to him, every muscle aching with the effort. But still, he walked, his gaze fixed on an unseen destination, and a smile adorning his face.

"I've been walking for days and days," he muttered, his words almost lost in the howling wind. The giddiness and determination mingled in his voice. "No sleep, no rest. Just one foot in front of the other."

Fatigue blurred the landscape, and yet, his will remained unbroken. The cold had penetrated his bones, but he resisted its numbing call. "I am tired," he admitted to the vast emptiness around him. "But I won't stop…".

Then the lone figure started to cackle madly, not caring about the pain - as if he enjoyed it. As if he enjoyed to feel again! Ah, to be human! Human!

And so, Dionysus trudged through the frozen expanse.