After the newcomers were introduced to the group, we had to establish housing.
Dyliana had spoken about moving into Thomasu's house and allowing the two men to share hers, which confused me at first until I realized that the older man and woman had grown fond of each other.
I was confused as to how it had slipped past my notice, but it made sense. I never set foot in the man and woman's houses; they must have spent most of their romantic time together in theirs.
This proved convenient and allowed space for the new men.
Shortly afterward, as the night was still young, Osidon visited me in my head once again.
"We meet again, Vale, god of the broken, and I am proud to see that you have survived. Not only that, but you were able to recruit some of the invaders, a task that was only achieved by twenty of the other gods. Congratulations, Here are your new stats.
Population: 7
Realm Prosperity: 150
Power Level: 4."
So my realm is more prosperous.
The thought granted me solace, though I knew the increase in number was probably mostly connected to the increase in population.
I wondered about the exact mechanics behind the number.
My power level has also increased from 1 to 4, which also made sense. I was indeed stronger, but I could tell that I was still far from my true strength as a god.
"Alongside the five new inhabitants you have earned as a reward for surviving the event without suffering any losses, you have also earned the hidden reward for recruiting one or more of the invaders. This reward will be another house that I myself will raise from the dust. This will save you and your people the troubles of construction, for now."
I felt ecstatic at the news, as I had no clue how I would have housed the five new people.
Though it would be difficult to have them all live in one house, it was much better than nothing.
I wondered what their personalities would be like and how difficult it would become to remember all the faces and names of those that would eventually live in my world.
The thought bothered me that it might not be possible, but I reminded myself that even rulers on earth hardly remembered the names of those beneath them. I would at least try my best.
Perhaps in the future, I will be granted some sort of power that will allow me to communicate with my people more efficiently. I hoped.
"Now," Osidon spoke again, though this time his voice was much more powerful, as though he spoke to more than one person at once. "It is time that I explain to you all the First Tier of Godhood."
As I sat in the field, and my disciples put out the fireplace and returned to their homes, I heard the earth shaking from behind me.
In an empty space, I noticed wood impossibly and gradually emerge from the earth. It was truly a sight to be seen, as I watched the materials begin to shape themselves into a house that would be larger than the others.
Osidon's voice interrupted my amazement.
"The Tiers of Godhood is the path that you will all take towards becoming a true God, one like myself and the other Absolutes."
Absolutes, I remembered the title from my first meeting with Osidon. They were clearly a powerful type of god.
"I will only tell you of the first Tier, and when you breach the second, I will speak to you individually, further explaining your next step."
Osidon continued, as I sat on the red grass, watching the house slowly and magically being created in front of me.
"Now, the first tier of godhood has already been explored by most of you, though of course some more than others.
Simply put, it is the mastery of the physical body, the most basic feat that separates gods from humans. Currently, you are much more physically capable than humans, but that can be pushed to a colossal scale.
To help you on this path, there will be optional events called the Tragedies, where you will be entered into unique scenarios on worlds with extreme conditions. There are titans that roam these worlds, and slaying them will allow you to truly push yourself further and further. I will not go into details of these Tragedies for now, until you have made the decision to enter one.
The main importance is that you push yourself to the max in all physical areas:
strength, agility, precision, perception and more. Over time you will learn more about the arts of physicality and grow as a god. Such is the essence of the first and most simple tier."
All the new information was hard to contain, but finally learning more about my journey towards true godhood filled me with ecstasy.
I was finally able to make up for the lack of physical exercise that I lacked on earth, and it was good to hear that the first stage towards godhood seemed to be something as simple as training my body.
The Tragedies did fill me with a fearful curiosity though. Of course, they were optional, so I had no reason to truly fear them, but somehow I knew that when faced with the opportunity to join one, I would most certainly accept.
I could not allow myself to fall behind any of the other gods.
"As I said before, I will only speak to you about the second tier once you are close to achieving mastery of the First Tier, the physical body. You will know when that time nears, as your understanding of power will have increased drastically. But remember this, oh gods, even if you reach that stage, you have only barely scraped the surface of what it means to be a true God. An Absolute."
...
The words hung in my head for a few moments, before Osidon decided to continue.
"I was not going to mention it, but I believe it will be interesting to see the reactions it elicits from you all. There is a god amongst you who already nears physical mastery. He goes by the name of Lucifen, God of Deception."
And with that, Osidon's words faded from my head.