There might be a way, but it’s not something anyone has tried so far.

“At this point I’m ready to try anything.”

You can go to one of the temples and ask from the deities directly. They are the only ones that grant abilities. Normally dungeons make such requests in person, but since your avatar is technically part of you, that should count as well.”

“You’re asking me to go to a temple with my avatar and have it ask that I be granted the ability to grant it abilities?” There was a long moment of silence. “You’re getting sneaky, Spok. I like that! Before that, I need to pack as if I’m a normal person.”

It was astonishing how quickly Theo had forgotten what it was like to be a human. It didn’t help that in his past life, he had seldom left the city, let alone the state.

Creating a backpack was the first thing that came to mind. Of course, that was before Theo was reminded that one of the items obtained from the thieves was a dimensional ring. From a magic perspective, the item was somewhat puny, merely containing a few swords, two dozen daggers, and a few thief tools of the trade. A quick mana jolt from the dungeon later, the space inside vastly increased. Clothes were first on the menu, followed by the local equivalent of a sleeping bag, some pillows, rope, a grappling hook, pots, pans, and everything else Theo could think of.

The dungeon had to be reminded about food and water—both things he didn’t need, but required to keep up appearances. Cmyk was sent to the nearby market with a few coins of gold, and quickly came back with a large assortment of bread, apples, bottles of ale, and “fresh fish.” All those were diligently cooked—in Theo’s new kitchen—wrapped and added to the ring just as there was a knock on the door. Cracking open one of the upper windows, Theo saw that Liandra had arrived to pick him up with a pair of horses.

“Quick, teach me riding,” Theo whispered.

LEGENDARY HORSEBACK RIDING

Complete mastery of horseback riding.

Straightening his clothes, Theo’s avatar rushed to the door and opened it.

“Lady Liandra,” he said with a smile. “How punctual of you. Not only did you pack fast, but you managed to find me so soon.”

“Your house is the only one that suddenly appeared.” The woman smiled. “Are you ready to go? Or do you need more time?”

“Quite ready. I just finished packing my ring.” The avatar made sure to tap on it for effect.

“A dimension ring?” Liandra nodded a few times. “A lot of adventurers are using these nowadays. I prefer to stick to traditional methods.” She pointed to the backpacks of her horse.

“Pfft, adventurers. What do they know?” Theo’s avatar laughed. “It’s not like they managed to catch this Claw Hook.” He went out and closed the door behind him. “Just one minor thing. Might we pass by the temple before we go? I’d like to say a quick prayer, just in case.”

“Um, sure.” The woman tilted her head slightly, visibly surprised by the request. “Which temple do you want to go to?”

“Which temple?” Theo whispered in the attic of the building, while his avatar stood on the street outside.

Luminaria, Spok said. Goddess of Light.

“The temple of Luminaria,” the avatar repeated.

“Wow. And I thought I was old school.” Liandra chuckled. “I’m not even sure there still are temples dedicated to her in this part of the continent.”

“Has she fallen from grace?” Theo felt storm clouds form in his basement.

“Rather, the opposite. No one dares dedicate a shrine to the high deities out of fear it won’t be perfect. You can pray to Peris, goddess of journeys and first maiden of Luminaria.”

The proposal made Theo feel even worse. It was as if he were just informed that he could no longer meet the CEO of the company, but could have a chat with his secretary instead. The dungeon had no idea who this Peris was or what she stood for. Sadly, the only option he was left with was to agree with a smile and follow Liandra to the temple in question.

There wasn’t a single person at the temple. Given the unparalleled strength of deities in the world, Theo expected the place to be packed. Instead, he learned that it didn’t even have a dedicated priestess.

A single statue of white marble stood in the center of the prayer hall, covered by light shining through the stained-glass windows. Without a doubt, a number of extremely highly skilled artisans had been involved in the initial construction of the temple. Since then, though, it had fallen on hard times. If there had been pews or furniture, they had long been removed, leaving empty bare walls, dusty floors, and more than the standard amount of spiderwebs.

Someone has it rough, Theo thought as he walked to the statue and knelt down.

“Umm, hello there,” he whispered. “I’ve no idea what the proper etiquette is, but seeing how empty this place is, I don’t think you’d care much.” He paused for a moment. “Thing is, I was told that only a deity can grant me new abilities. Now I know you’re not Luminaria, and most definitely have no idea who I am, but if you could do me this small favor, I’ll be extremely grateful.”