TravelingDreamer

  Tr. SP

  Opportunities and Dangers in Worlds Undergoing Iion

  The ected universe is growing and expanding stantly. This be seen by the new Gates appearing in worlds previously explored by Travelers. During my journeys, I returned several times to worlds I had visited before, and in two cases, there were new Gates to worlds I had not yet known.

  Another awe-inspiring facet of this expansion is the moal process of iion. New worlds are assimited into the ever-expandiwork of interected mana worlds in a ceaseless stream. Given the unfathomable vastness of the universe—some evee that its size is infihe number of worlds undergoing iion could be far greater than we prehend.

  The iion processes I have personally experienced have left an indelible mark on my soul.

  The first time I experiehis, I was a young woman in my home world. Our society has built highly sophisticated teologies, from nanobot medical systems to energy shields that protetire cities. At that time, I was pletely unaware of my tent abilities as a Gate Traveler. Fortunately, I received the Archer Css at the beginning of the iion process. This ued boon allowed me to survive after all my family and friends were tragically killed.

  During the initial chaos, our advanced ons systems—psma rifles, ser bdes, and energy ons—failed inexplicably. Soldiers found themselves defenseless as these once-reliable ons malfuned or stopped w entirely. This left us vulnerable to the increasingly aggressive mas that roamed the streets. While fleeing from one such beast, I sensed a Gate nearby and instinctively discovered my ability to travel through Gates. The dire situation in my home world, with its colpsing infrastructure and failing teologies, pelled me to act swiftly. I gathered all the equipment I could ahrough a Gate, hoping to find safety and answers in another world.

  This experience affected me deeply for many years until I resolved to examihe iion process thhly. Today, I am over 450 years old and have visited two worlds on the verge of iion. I chose to stay and fully experiend dot the process. During my travels, I also met ate Travelers who experienced worlds on the verge of or during iion. I ducted exteerviews with them to collect data and uand the process.

  The Iion Process

  Phases of the iion process typically span fifteen to twenty years. The differen the indicated time period is due to different worlds measuring time differently and having varying gravity, which affects the length of the seasons.

  Initial Stage

  During the initial stage, new Gates appear across the globe, primarily eg to mana worlds, although not exclusively. The first sign of a world on the brink of iion is the presence of over 100 Gates, increasing to around 200 as iion nears.Sed Phase

  In the sed phase, the mana levels start to rise. Typically, a world undergoing iion begins at mana level 0, whicreases gradually. As mana levels rise, the number of Gates tio increase.Third Phase

  The third phase occurs when mana levels reach 5-6. At this stage, the world's inhabitants begin to experienitial phenomena indig iion. Advaeological devices break down faster, and buildings made of advanced materials or with advaeological systems exhibit instability or inexplicable material erosion.For example, in one of the more advanced worlds I visited, entire skyscrapers structed from an alloy known as Tetrud-Duranius—a material renowned for its durability aao extreme ditions—showed signs of stress fractures. These fractures appeared without appareernal force or enviroal ge, baffling the engineers. Simirly, residential plexes built with Nano-Resin, a self-repairing material that could autonomously mend minor damages, deteriorated rapidly. The Nano-Resin lost its self-repair capabilities, and walls began to crumble.

  Teological devices, such as the Quantum Translocators used for instant transportation, became unreliable. These devices, which previously had a failure rate of one in a billion, malfuned frequently, sometimes even disiing mid-operation. Ariking example was the breakdown of Bio-Synaptiterfaces, advanced medical devices desigo heal neural damage and enhance itive funs. These interfaces began to degrade, losing their effid, in some cases, causing harm to the patients they were supposed to heal.

  These instances of advanced material and teological erosion underscore the profound impact that rising mana levels have on iing worlds. While the materials and teologies in less advanced worlds might not exhibit such dramatic failures, the phenomenon clearly indicates the iion process at work.

  Phase Four

  In Phase Four, these symptoms worsehe mana levels reach 7-8. Teological devices start or stop w itently, advanced buildings deteriorate more rapidly, and various natural disasters begin. These disasters vary among worlds but only include earthquakes, volic eruptions, tsunamis, unexpined sandstorms, lightning storms, tornadoes in unusual locations, signifit global warming, and altered sea currents.For instance, in one world undergoing iionessed massive earthquakes that toppled t skyscrapers, creating chasms that swallowed ey blocks. Volic eruptions became frequent, spewing ash and va that devastated surrounding areas and plunged regions into darkness. Coastal cities faced relesunamis, with t waves sweeping away everything in their path.

  In another world, previously arid deserts experienced sudden and severe sandstorms. These storms, filled with mana-charged particles, were strong enough to scour the surfaces of buildings, leaving behind a ndscape reshaped by wind and sand. Meanwhile, regions known for their mild weather faced unpreted lightning storms. These storms produced lightning strikes with sutensity and frequency that they caused widespread fires aroyed infrastructure.

  Tornadoes appeared in unpreted locations, causing widespread destru in towns and cities. Global warmio melting ice caps and rising sea levels, f poputions to flee innd. Altered sea currents disrupted marine ecosystems, leading to the colpse of fisheries and the dispt of coastal unities.

  In one particurly striking example, an ordinarily temperate region experienced a series of violent, mana-charged cyes that uprooted arees and demolished turies-old structures. Unaced to such extreme weather, the local popution struggled to adapt to the new and hostile enviro.

  These examples illustrate the profound and often catastrophiviroal ges that occur during Phase Four of the iion process, as worlds adjust to rising mana levels.

  Mana Level 9

  When mana levels reach 9, the iion process begins in ear. Waves of mana flood the world through the Gates, creating areas with uneven mana. Those areas be as mild as a low mana world and as dangerous as a very high mana world, with all the dangerous mas and monsters usually present in such worlds. All teological devices cease funing during a mana wave, as the air bees saturated with mana. Inhabitants start disc magical abilities and receiving Csses. Teology may fun again once a mana asses, but many devices will never wain. Advanced buildings, such as sky-high arcologies housing millions of residents, floating cities supported by anti-gravity teology, and subterranearopolises powered by geothermal energy, colpse. Vegetation undergoes a massive growth boom, and local animals groidly, some mutating into mas.Due to the rapid mutation, most mas bee crazed and aggressive. Even those that do not bee crazed often exhibit increased aggression, especially if they previously feared the world's inhabitants. After a mana asses, pockets of mana may remain, spawning low-level monsters initially, but increasing in level with successive mana waves. Excessive mana accumution create dungeons that actively absorb mana and grow stronger with each wave.

  Mana Level 10

  At mana level 10, all teology colpses permaly. Advanced buildings that survived the initial phase colpse. However, natural disasters cease, and the world stabilizes. The world begins to absorb and produce mana, leading to stabilized mana levels. This process be likeo breathing: the world draws in the excess mana from the atmosphere, akin to inhaling. After abs this mana, the world then releases it in a more trolled and steady manner, simir to exhaling. This cycle of abs and releasing mana allows the world to achieve a new equilibrium, gradually bang the influx of new mana with its own natural mana produ.Some Gates colpse or cease funing as Gates, redug the number of active Gates to 50-70, stabilizing the mana influx. As Gates colpse over several years, the world still experiences mana waves, causing monsters and dungeons to appear. When the number of Gates stabilizes, the world's mana primarily es from itself, abs and dissipating aernal mana. This initial stabilizatios in areas with varying mana levels, from safe low-mana zoo very dangerous high-mana zoeeming with monsters and dungeons. Over time, the world's "breathing" of mana leads to more uniform mana levels globally. The iion process, sting fifteen to twenty years, culminates iabilization of the world's final mana level.

  Based oa I have collected so far, this describes the process a world undergoes during iion. It is possible that future discoveries may tradict these findings, and if so, I will update my clusions accly.

  Opportunities and Dangers

  The article bears the title "Opportunities and Dangers in Worlds Experieng Iion," therefore, let us delve into this aspect.

  Dangers

  Natural Disasters: Sudden and severe natural camities.Infrastructure Colpse: Breakdown of teological systems and advanced buildings.Mas: Crazed and aggressive beasts resulting from rapid mutation.High Mana Pockets: Areas where high-level monsters spawn.Dungeons: Rapidly progressing dungeons that pose signifit threats if not cleared.Another daems more from human nature and not from the process. Some people band together to survive and try to rebuild society. Oher hand, some ive individuals take advantage of this occurreo give free rein to all their lowest, criminal, and dangerous desires and dreams. These people bee killers who prey upon others and are sometimes the most signifit dahe world offers.

  And finally, there is the danger of visitors. Traveling through the Gates is an ability that exists only in Gate Travelers. However, there are strong wizards and people from worlds with very high mana who don't have csses but still possess high levels of magic, that create stable or temporary portals. They gh these portals or send representatives to collect resources from the world. Sometimes, these resources are sves.

  I heard of one case where a Traveler became captive as a sve and then successfully escaped. I have never been able to verify the story, but I heard it from two Travelers, and both cimed to have met the Traveler and heard the story from him. Since my impression of these two honorable gentlemen is very positive, I believe them and, therefore, add this information here.

  Opportunities

  Accumuting Ability Points and Csses: In a world in one of the stages of the iion process, earning Ability Points and gaining Csses is signifitly easier. A simple a or brief instru earn a skill point or css.The most signifit opportunity in a world that has started or is already iegration process is accumuting Ability Points etting Csses or Professions to fill the missing slots.In a world already at mana levels 3 and above, gaining Ability Points is much easier than in a normal situation. It is enough to find a professional on the subjed receive a short instru from them, and you already get the point.As you know, in normal circumstao get a skill point, you have to undergo exteraining from a professional, and only when you perform the as without supervision do you get the point.Now pare this to getting the bcksmithing skill; instead of learning for two or three years until you get the point, you only o be instructed how to hit the anvil with a hammer and how to melt metal, and you already get the skill or even the Profession if the process is in its advaages.Wheual iion starts at level 9, perf the a once or twice, even without instru, is enough to earn the ability point.Resource Colle: Teological goods bee abundant and uncimed, providing opportunities for industrious Travelers to colled sell them in other worlds.So far, all the worlds I have heard of undergoing iioeological worlds that have advaheir produ levels.When the process begins, the residents do not care about goods. They want safe shelter, food, and ons. So all those things sit there and are slowly eaten away by the mana waves. An industrious Traveler increase their ste, move from pce to pce, and collect all these goods to sell in other worlds.Dungeon Cores: Newly formed dungeons offer valuable cores and high-level rewards. Dungeon cores are precious odities with endless uses, but they are challenging to obtain iablished mana worlds due to strict regutions and severe penalties for removing them.I'll expin to the unknowing: In worlds with established mana, the dungeons are also established and usually trolled by noble families, cities, states, uilds that use them to collect resources that ot be obtained elsewhere. Therefore, they forbid you from removing the core after clearing the dungeon. All pces severely punish the removal of the core, and in quite a few pces, the punishment is death.In a world undergoing iion, thousands of new dungeons emerge which people clear and collect the core. In addition, due to the high mana levels in the waves that pass over the world, the rewards for clearing a dungeon are higher than usual and sometimes even more valuable than the core.on Trade: The demand for ons in iing worlds presents lucrative trade opportunities for Travelers with substantial iories.The inhabitants of an iing world desperately hese ons, which is an excellent opportunity to trade and sell iory ie.Knowledge and Teology Exge: Worlds undergoing iion may still have remnants of their advaeology and knowledge. Travelers colled dot these teologies and stific discoveries, which be highly valuable in other mana worlds, particurly in less advanced regions.Creation of Safe Havens: By utilizing their knowledge and abilities, Travelers create safe havens or fortified settlements for the local popution. These sanctuaries serve as bases of operation, trade hubs, or power ters iegrating world.Eic Opportuhrough Mana-Rich Agriculture: The mana-riviro lead to the growth of us and crops with magical properties. Travelers cultivate and harvest these crops, creating new eic opportuhrough trade and er mana-enhanced agricultural products.Enviroal Restoration and Mana Ma: As the world stabilizes, there will be a need for enviroal restoration and mana ma. Travelers offer their expertise in managing mana flows, rest natural habitats, and creating sustainable ecosystems, earning the gratitude and resources of the local popution.Researd Stific Discovery: The iion process provides a unique opportunity for stific researd discovery. Travelers study the effeana on various elements, anisms, and ecosystems, tributing to the broader uanding of mana and its potential applications.To clude, while the iion process brings numerous dangers, it also presents signifit opportunities for those who navigate it wisely. By uanding and leveraging these opporturavelers thrive and tribute to the evolving ndscape of ied worlds.

  As new data emerges, I will update my findings to reflect the test insights and developments in this ever-ging universe.