It was time to delve into my Profile, or Personal Information, as the system called it. I took a fortifying breath and tapped each lih my mind.
First, there was my here was this odd sense of potential, of possibility. Like I could ge it with a thought. Why would I want to ge my made little sense.
I shook my head, bewildered. Moving on.
My age had a option, too. I had no idea why I would want to use it, so I left it until I could figure out the reason for this option.
Then, I reached “Css,” clicked, and a new block of text scrolled in front of my eyes:
Gate TravelerUnique Css
A Gate Traveler move between worlds through Gates that ect to different ps, pnes of existence, and parallel universes.
This css grants a variety of unique abilities desigo aid the Traveler and accelerate the acquisition of new Skills and Spells. A Traveler needs a wide range of knowledge to travel successfully.
The first three Css abilities are free, but additional abilities cost Ability Points.
Each level grants +1 to all traits, +5 free points, +1 ability point.
I read the description twice, abs the words. The line ‘ps, pnes of existence, and parallel universes’ flooded my mind with images—a swirling os, stars, and ps in endless motion, eae a door left ajar, invitio step through. A shiver ran down my body, a mix of thrill and apprehension. This wasn’t just travel; it was the universe up frabs. Every world out there suddenly felt like an actual possibility, not just ideas from sci-fi movies.
And the line about accelerating the acquisition of new Skills and Spells practically glowed in my mind. Just how much of a boost would it give me?
My body practically buzzed with excitement, but right there, in the middle of it, came a gut-punch of sadness. Sophie should have been here for this. I could almost hear her voice. That familiar, soft voice full of teasing warmth mixed with a sharp spark of curiosity. Her words would spill out faster than she could think of them, brimming with that unstoppable energy, and her hand would grab my arm, grounding me. I could almost smell the fairace of her favorite perfume—a soft, sweet st she always wore—mixing with the brush of her hair as she leaned in close, her eyes wide, saying, “What do you think the worlds are like? Maybe there’s a world where the stars light up in different colors, or where trees talk.” She’d have dozens of theories a lost in imagining every one, dragging me along for the ride.
A hollow ache, heavy as a stone, lodged under my ribs, pressing on my heart and lungs, making it hard to breathe.
God, I miss you, baby.
For a moment, it felt like she was right there, leaning on my shoulder, ughing at the absurdity with me, her hand squeezing mine like she always did whenever I was about to do something I was unsure about. That steady, grounding presence she had. The ache hit me again, hollow and heavy, a stone lodged in my chest.
I stayed there a while, rubbing my chest, letting the memories ebb. When the ache dulled, I drew a shaky breath, wiped my face, auro the s. I wao linger, but I had to keep going. This curve ball that life threw me shocked me out of my pain, and I had no iion of letting myself submerge again uhe onsught.
Gates. Nothing new popped up, which was disappointing.
Finally, I tapped “Css Abilities,” a exploded ay vision, blocks of information stag up faster than I could blink. Just reading it all made my head spin. It was like staring down a mountain of choices, each packed with who-knows-what. Overwhelming didn’t begin to cover it.
GATE TRAVELER ABILITIES
versioween stat points and ability points
Unique Css Ability
Exge 5 stat points for 1 Ability Point.
No cost in mana or Ability Points.
I squi the text. “Five stat points for one ability point?” I mumbled, rubbing the bay neck. “Are those points that valuable?”
Keep looking and then decide.
Travelers’ Archive
Unique Css Ability
By Travelers for Travelers.
Gain access to the Travelers’ Archive, where Travelers share knowledge. In eaew world, access notes from other Travelers to help you navigate that world.
Before you leave, add your own experieo assist future Travelers.
Explore the General Informatioion for tips on being a successful Traveler.
No cost in mana or Ability Points.
That was ued. The idea of a Traveler work, a kind of interdimensional guidebook, was both wele and surreal.
“A ic travel blog?” I asked the s.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. It might actually save me a lot of headaches—and embarrassing mistakes. I almost heard Sophie’s voice teasing me, “What’s , a Yelp for alies?” My smirk faded into a sad smile. I sat back, letting the memory settle before I scrolled to the ability.
Identify
on Ability
Look at a creature, object, or being to reveal basiformation about them. Use it often to level up and reveal more detailed information.
No cost in mana or Ability Points.
I rubbed my , imagining the possibilities of gettiime info with just a gnce. An instant ID app, I chuckled, thinking of my annoying habit of fetting names. Practical … if it worked as promised. I made a mental o test it the ime I headed out. A twinge of excitement nudged me to check what came .
Ste
Unique Css Ability
Unlock a ste space with an initial size of 64 cubic meters (4x4x4m). Items in this space stay suspended.
Expanding it by 4 meters in each dire costs 1 Ability Point, allowing ste growth from 64 m3 > 512 m3 > 1728 m3 > 4096 m3. Expansions are limitless, but expanding cause mental strain without increased traits.
No mana cost, but accessing Ste on worlds with mana levels of 10 or below takes more time and tration.
I breathed out a low whistle, imagining the possibilities of a portable ste space.
“No more luggage,” I murmured, my eyes widening.
Finally, freedom from the curse of waiting at the airport baggage cim. Leaning back, I cracked a grin—until I noticed the line about “mental strain.” My excitement faded a bit as I rubbed my temple, frowning. Let’s hope it’s not the kind of strain that leaves you with a migraine for days.
Traveling light was too tempting. I bought my first 64 m3 of space, brag for the mental strain, but nothing happened. Shrugging, I checked the ability.
Local Adaptation
Unique Css Ability
? Spoken Language: Gain a basiderstanding of a nguage by listening to it and improve by speaking it.Cost: 1 Ability Point, with a oime mana cost of 50uage.
? Written Language: Learn to read a nguage by viewing at least five words, and improve fluency by reading.Cost: 1 Ability Point, with a oime mana cost of 50uage.
? Runes/Magic Script: Uand the meaning and use of runes and magic symbols. Mastery grows with additional symbols.Cost: 5 Ability Points.You learn three types of rune ic script nguages; each extra nguage costs 1 Ability Point.Mana cost: 50 units per rune or symbol.
I ran a hand through my hair, imagining the possibility of pig up nguages on the fly. Instantly uanding a new nguage thrilled me, like unlog a secret superpower.
“Rosetta Sto your heart out,” I joked to the empty room.
I could see Sophie’s face, just for a moment, rolling her eyes and sg her nose in that pyful, exaggerated way, her lips curling at the edges despite herself. She always did it whehought I was being a smartass, and I could almost feel her prese my side, her hand squeezing mihe ache in my chest fred again. I held onto the memory for a moment longer, a go.
Even if I never left Earth, this ability wasn’t a luxury but essential. W in the ER, I’d lost t of how many times I’d struggled to unicate with patients who didn’t speak English. Those moments were a nightmare of clumsy charades and desperately hunting down someoo trahe basics. “Where does it hurt? Are you allergic to anything?” These were such simple, vital questions, but the nguage barrier has turhem into obstacles. The thought of never having to gh that again was terrific. I almost wished I hadn’t already spent my free Ability Point oe.
Then again… I gnced back at the Ste description, a smile creeping onto my face. I’d never lost my luggage in transit, but I’d heard enough horror stories. No more luggage hassles. Maybe I’d made the right choice after all.
Travelers’ Map
Unique Css Ability
In each world, access a Map of that world, updated by other Travelers. The Map will tinue updating as you explore.
You study existing maps to pre-fill parts of your Map, but these additions won’t update on the general Travelers’ Map or be visible to other Travelers.
Cost: 1 Ability Point, with a oime mana cost of 100 in eaew world.
This one was ckluster, in my opinion. More precisely, if I stayed oh, it’d be pretty useless—Earth’s maps were detailed enough. But if I decided to travel, then it’d be invaluable. No wonder Ability Points were so valuable, needing five stat points to get one.
One of the Crowd
Unique Css Ability
Everything a Traveler o hide their status as a Traveler.
In many worlds, abilities or devices exist to view Personal Information. This ability lets you cloak or modify your details:
ge your o blend in with loorms.
Dispy one of your sub-csses or professions as your primary css, or show a false css based on your Skills or Spells.
Hide parts of your information and repce them with question marks (Warning: This draw unwatention).
On some teologiana worlds, identification is required, like papers, badges, or ID chips. Use this ability to jure suitable IDs.Mana cost: 100 mana for standard ID creation; 500 mana for advanced IDs, such as tral database-linked chips.
If the world doesn’t reize your race, apply a gmor to appear local. The gmor drops once you pass through a Gate to a new world.Mana cost: 300 mana per world.
To travel successfully, a Traveler may need extra dotation. This ability allows you to jure whatever dots are required.Mana cost: varies based on specific requirements.
Cost: 1 Ability Point.
This one was incredible—total anonymity, even here oh. I’d lost t of the times I’d wao blend in a into the background like some invisible bystander. High school alone had been a minefield of moments I’d rather fet, and the thought of finally having an escape hatch from that kind of scrutiny? I could almost feel the tensioing away from my shoulders. I imagined myself slipping through a crowd, unseen, a ghost able to vanish when the world closed in. Wish I’d had that back then.
Maybe I’d been too hasty with that first Ability Point on Ste. If I ever decided to travel, this would be a game-ger.
I grio myself. “Guess I’ll have the perfect disguise ime I wander into a bar full of little green men,” I joked, imagining the absurd se. My ughter echoed in the empty room, filling the quiet space, and for a brief moment, it almost felt like Sophie was right there beside me, ughing along. The warmth of that thought settled over me, turning a slight grin into a full smile.
Sub-Csses/Professions
Unique Css Ability
Allows you to acquire up to three additional csses and professions to support your travels. While these are less powerful than primary csses, they still offer valuable abilities.
1st sub-css/profession: 1 Ability Point
2nd sub-css/profession: 3 Ability Points
3rd sub-css/profession: 5 Ability Points
No mana cost to gain a sub-css or profession.
My grin spread wider. Pig up random skills sounded like a dream. “Why stop at Gate Traveler when I also be a bcksmith or a pilot?” I muttered, excitement bubbling up. I could be the ultimate jack-of-all-trades. Leaning ba my chair, I shook my head, imagining all the ridiculous binations. “Gate Traveler by day, mage-baker by night.”
General Spells and Skills
Unique Css Ability
Travelers learn any Spell or Skill from the ected worlds, allowing for versatility and adaptability.
Eaew Spell or Skill costs between 1-3 Ability Points and starts at level 1.
Mana cost for use varies by Spell or Skill.
SEE FULL LIST
Level 10 ie Traveler Css unlocks additional options
Opening the list of Spells and Skills was like entering an endless library where every scroll and book was dedicated to some kind of ability or knowledge. At first, I was excited—how hard could it be to find something useful? But as I scrolled, that excitement turo something closer to awe… and a touch of panic.
There were martial skills from every discipline I could think of, from Earth’s traditional martial arts to bat teiques that sounded like they belonged in some a myth or futuristic sci-fi epic. Feng, swordsmanship, archery, staff fighting, hand-to-hand forms that had names I couldn’t even pronounce, and a range of on skills spanning from medieval axes and crossbows to hydrogeers and gravitic pulsers—some sci-fi tech straight out of a blockbuster.
And that wasn’t even the half of it. There were skills for every type of vehicle imaginable: driving, sailing, and piloting covered everything from a basic car to sailboats, motorbikes, helicopters, pnes, and even spaceships. Spaceships! I could almost picture myself cruising the stars at the helm of some advanced vessel.
Then I reached the magic se, and that’s when the list really got wild. Every school of magic you could think of, and many I’d never even heard of, were there—Elemental Spells, Healing, Neancy, Illusion, Shadoution, and even more obscure branches like Dream Weaving or Eanipution. Each category came with subcategories, and those had even more yers. It was like every fantasy trope had been stuffed into this endless database.
But it didn’t stop at bat ic. I found professional skills for every imagirade, from bcksmithing and carpentry to rare crafts like gssblowing, crochet, and gem crafting. There were skills for things I never would have thought were worth training for, like sail sewing, knot-tying, bookkeeping, and utensil repair. Some bels sounded like things from fairy tales—rituals, magic circles, spellbinding, formations. Even cursing had its own category, with subses from minor hexes to full-blown banishments.
And then, of course, there were the general skills—an encyclopedia of everything a regur person might pick up over a lifetime. Cooking, basic repairs, and sewihe basies. Still, there was also swimming, rock climbing, fishing, and pying any instrument uhe sun, moon, and stars, from piano to lyre to some instruments I’d never heard of, like a Thermabster or Susirr. Industrial maes had their own skills, c everything from factory-level produ to delicate work with miaes. The list even included things like diplomaegotiation, and spycraft, all just waiting to be learned and leveled up.
I scrolled and scrolled, and the list just kept going. It was like it had a life of its own, stantly adding new skills and spells to tempt me with possibilities I couldn’t even my head around. The sheer scale of it all hit me like a tsunami, engulfing me in an o of endless options. This css wasn’t just overpowered—it was ridiculously overpowered! I could be anything!
A ugh escaped me before I could tain it, then another, louder. I sounded like one of those users from the book forums raving about ‘OP MC’ that I didn’t uand st week.
I could be an OP MC!
The thought fshed through my mind, and I snorted. I imagined myself in some over-the-top a pose, shooting sers from my eyes hting like Bruce Lee while shouting, “Hiya!” That mental image did me in. I doubled over and ughed so hard my stomach cramped.
Dr. John, the OP hero.
I ughed until tears streamed down my face, each gasp bringing another absurd image: a spaceship navigator in a sci-fi space suit, a dandy fencer in a hat with a feather, a ship captain with ach, and a parrot. The ridiculousness of the situation was hysterical a me into more and more peels of ughter—ughter that came from somewhere deep, a mix of awe, disbelief, and sheer overwhelm.
Me! An OP MC!
Another wave of hysterics …
