On our third day by the Gate, I felt something was happening—I could sehe Gate activating. I waited for whoever was ing through… and waited… and waited. It was strange. When I went through the Gate, it was instant. But now, even though I knew someone was using it, it took a long time.
After about ten or fifteen minutes, I felt the Traveler’s presence. I could sehey were there, and a lot strohan me, but I still couldn’t see them. I started getting anxious, but none of my usual indicators—Luck, Perception, or anything else—warned me. So, I kept waiting.
Then, about a mier, the Invisibility dropped, and I saw it was a man. He had a smooth, youthful face, but something in his eyes made him seem much older. He was about 1.75 meters tall, lean, with tan skin, long bck hair, and glowing green eyes. His face was unique enough that I would’ve thought he was iing if I’d seen him oh.
We locked eyes, just standing there for a moment.
After a few seds, he broke the silend asked in English. “What are you doing here?”
“I think I’m waiting for you.”
“Expin.”
“I’m a raveler, and there are a ton of things I don’t uand, especially my mana. Once I raised my Luck attribute over 20, I could activate it and sehe dire I needed for something. I want to uand how my mana works, so I asked it, and it led me here.”
He seemed to rex and said, “If you are new, let me teach you some Travelers’ etiquette. When two Travelers meet, we say our name and where we are from; we do not identify each other. So, my name is Lissarom Munyon, but I go by Lis, and I am from Twisari, a medium-mana world so many Gates away from here that I do not think I have enough life left io return.”
“My name is John Rue, and I’m from the ph, a low-mana, low-tech world you just came from.”
“You are John Rue? Let me shake your hand, and I will answer your questions without expeg an exge.”
We shook hands, and I asked, “Why?”
“Your description of your world helped me immensely. Usually, I dislike tech worlds; they are too fusing. But with all the information you wrote, I could navigate it easily and even began to uand the logic of tech worlds for my future travels.”
“I’m gd it helped you. I tried to be as thh as I could.”
He ughed, a warm, hearty ugh, and said, “A little too thh, but more is better than less.”
I gestured toward the valley below and said, “I have a camp set up down there. Would you like to join me?”
He smiled and replied, “Gdly. Thank you.”
We climbed down the mountain to my Gmpi, and he whistled appreciatively. “That is a ent.”
“Thanks. It’s like a mansion equivalent of tents.”
He ughed, sat down on one of the camp chairs, and asked, “You have a mansion of a tent, but why do you use folding furniture instead of sofas or armchairs?”
I wao facepalm and answered him sheepishly, “Because I didn’t think of it…”
He ughed again, got up, and summowo armchairs. “Better, no?”
I nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Do not be embarrassed. You are new; you will learn.”
I couldn’t help but ask, “What do you stay in when you travel?”
He shifted slightly, expining, “When I am with people I do not know or trust, I use equipment appropriate for that specific world. I use my portable when I am alone or with a trusted group.”
I was intrigued. “ I see it?”
He nodded, walked away a bit, and summoned a house. It was no ; it was a HOUSE, in the immense sense of the word. Standing on legs or stilts, with a big -around porch, deck furniture, and two hammocks. It was two stories tall with big windows. I just stared at it in awe.
I looked at the stilts and asked, “How e those legs adjusted to the uneven ground?”
“Ented. Do you want to see inside?”
I nodded enthusiastically, my excitement palpable. “Yes!! Please!!”
He ughed again and led me iretch stopped by the door and barked, and I sensed a question from him. “ my dog e ioo?”
“It is a dog? Not a wolf?”
“Yes, I was surprised too when I found out.”
His eyes lost focus for a sed, and he said, “Huh! I was sure he was a wolf. But why did you call him Stretch?”
“Whe, he was emaciated and looked stretched. Sihen, he gained weight and filled out, so now he looks normal.”
His eyebrows lifted, and he looked genuinely impressed. “You knew how to awaken and bond with a regur animal? Impressive.”
Embarrassed, I rubbed my ned replied, “It kinda happened by act?”
He stared at me in disbelief. “By act?”
I shrugged. “Yeah…”
He leaned in, intrigued. “Please expin.”
I hesitated before sharing, “I didn’t know, but I was feeding him mana-rich meat until he awakehe me, licked my blood, and we bonded.”
He nodded, still puzzled. “But how did you know to flood him with mana beforehand to prime him for awakening?”
I blinked, fused. “Flood with mana?”
He nodded, “Yes. You feed regur animals mana-rich meat; doing so will make them stronger, but they will never awaken or bond with you. To properly prepare them for awakening aablish a bond, you must flood them with mana while maintaining pure iions. Animals are quite perceptive and rely on instinct. If your iions are not genuine or pure, even if you flood them with tremendous amounts of mana, they may awaken but will not form a true bond with you. The siy of your iions makes the differenly then will they fully respond and bond with you.”
I thought for a moment, remembering. “Whe, he attacked me, and I hurt him badly. I felt sorry and healed him, as well as his old injury. Maybe that’s rimed’ him?”
He looked thoughtful. “Did you have your Luck trait before you met?”
I nodded slowly. “Yes…?”
He smiled, clearly pleased. “That is an outstanding trait; I have it too. It led me to a lot of good enters and es. It led you to your panion and helped you take the necessary steps. But if you have already bonded, I reend you also make him your familiar; it will be you both.” He turo Stretd added, “e iretch; you should also be part of this discussion.”
We stepped into the living room, and the space immediately felt impressive. The room had a cozy, wooden vibe, with natural light p in through the rge floor-to-ceiling window at the back.
There were three maiing areas spread out. O of sofas and armchairs faced an unlit firepce, its stone mantle adding a bit of rustic charm. To the right, a group of low tables and fy chairs surrounded a long bar filled with bottles. Another seating arra stood fag the back wall, allowing for a perfect view through that big window.
Outside, I could see the porch ing around the house and the back deck with more furniture and some metal setups that looked like a fire pit and a barbeque. The yout made the pce feel open and inviting, blending seamlessly with the outdoors.
“Before we talk, I have the house tour?”
He nodded and replied, “Sure, follow me,” as he motioned for me to e along.
He led me around the house, and it ! Just wow! After the living room, there was a dining room with an enormous table and chairs and a kit. The kit had w spaces, roual ptes that I suspected were for cooking, an oversized pantry, and a big 2-door cupboard that, when he ope, I discovered was a fridge—one side with food, and the other with drinks.
I tilted my head toward the roual objects and asked, “Are those for cooking?”
He nodded in firmation.
I frowned slightly, curious. “How do they work? And how is the refrigerator cold?”
“The entire is ented. I have cold and hot water, temperature trol, fire prote, shielding from attacks, cooking and baking amenities, and much more.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Where I get one of those?”
He shook his head with a slight grin. “In a high-mana world. You are not ready; you would be dead ihan five minutes.”
I let out a disappointed sigh. “Bummer!”
He ughed again, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Waving me over to sit in the living room, he said, “The sed story has three bedrooms with bathing rooms, two toilets, and my library.” He pointed casually at a door on the right and added, “If you need a toilet, there is another ohere.”
I flopped into a nearby chair, my eyes widening as I took in the space. “Your home is super amazing, and I’m super jealht now.”
He shrugged with a grin. “You get ooo. It may not have the entments, and the size will depend on your Intelligerait level, but you get one.”
That uzzling.
“Why Intelligence? And what does it have to do with the number? I don’t uand.”
He leaned bad interlocked his fingers, adopting a thoughtful pose that reminded me of a teacher uidance selor. “When we use our Ste, it requires a certain amount of tration aal strain. You do not feel it with the small things, but as the size a increase, so does the tration needed. You will need Intelligence over 50 for a this size, or you will be uo store or retrieve it.”
I looked at my stats s. “I’m at 49 already, so will I be able to summon a smaller house?”
He raised an eyebrow, surprised. “You have it at 49 already? How?”
I shrugged, scratg the bay head. “Well, between my Gate Traveler css, my profession, and my two sub-csses, it kind of climbed…?”
He stared at me, utterly bewildered. “You mao get a profession and two sub-csses in a low-mana world? How?”
With a chuckle, I tried to expin. “I only got the Wizard css here. I got the Healer and the Mert on my home p.”
His fusion deepened as he shook his head. “You got a css and a profession in a tech world? How?”
I leaned forward. “I healed an injured person with magid got the Healer css. Then I sold and bought things for a lot of money and got the Mert profession.”
He furrowed his brow, his eyes lost focus, and he looked lost in thought. I took a breath, preparing to ask about his reas, but he lifted a finger in the universal sign of “wait a minute,” so I settled bato my chair and waited patiently.
After a few minutes, he finally spoke up. “Tell me, did you earn skills or spells in your home world? I do not mean with ability points but by as?”
I nodded, a smile tugging at my lips. “Yes, and it was easy. I developed healing spells and attended workshops to farm skill points.”
“Workshops? Farm?” he asked, his forehead sched in fusion.
It was my turn to ugh, shaking my head as I expined, “A workshop is a short one-day or two-day css to learn a specific skill. The word ‘farm’ es from fi, borrowing the cept of growing food and harvesting it, and applies it to doing things, then ‘harvesting’ the bes.”
He nodded, seeming intrigued. “’ Farm,’ I like this word. But I have arming news for you.” His expression turned serious as he leaned forward. “I think your world is heading towards iion. It is not that easy to acquire skills or csses in regur circumstances. It is rather hard unless you have a specifid distinct talent in something.”
I sighed and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I know. I read an article in the Archive that made me realize it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Which article?”
“Dangers and opportunities in iion, or something like that,” I said, shrugging slightly.
He nodded knowingly. “Yes, I know it, and the dy who wrote it.” He paused momentarily, then asked, “Are you returning to help them through it?”
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t think so.”
He looked puzzled. “Why not?”
I sighed again, leaning back. “I didn’t have a good life there. Disc my Gate Traveler css was a way for me to leave that pce behind.”
He hummed, nodded, and looked deep in thought.
After being very patient and giving him a few minutes of ption, I finally asked, “ I ask you a question that’s been bugging me?”
He leaned forward, his expression open and encing. “Sure, go ahead.”
“I ’t figure out whiy attributes affects my mana. The books say it’s Intelligence, but even when I raise my Intelligence, my mana doesn’t increase. It seems to rise arbitrarily, and I ’t make sense of it.”
“Why would your mana be ected to your traits? Your traits are just that – traits. Specific attributes that define how you haasks reted to your css or profession. Traits like Intelligence or Strength influence how effectively you perform as and solve problems. They serve as tools that guide your iions and help you excel in your chosen path. You perform the as your css or profession requires, and the Guidance rewards you with adva iraits. This adva might involve mana, but that mana is external, from the os, not your own.
“Mana, however, operates differently. While traits affect how you use mana, they are not the source of it. Mana represents your personal energy and potential—it reflects who you are and yrowth. Uraits, whifluence how you i with the world externally, mana is entirely internal. It is not depe on the os but es from within you. More accurately, your mana level depends on what is within you. Of course, you still ee usiernal mana.
“Your mana directly represents your inner self, your abilities, and your personal progression. It reflects your capacity to harness and el magical energy based on your experiences and development. As you advand grow your mana increases, showg your progress as a person and your evolving capacity to wield this iergy. In essence, while traits guide your as and help you manage mana, the mana itself is a maion of your personal grootential. It is distinct from the external ic sourana. They are two separate things.”
I scratched my head, still puzzled. “So, how e it rises?”
He raised an eyebrow, clearly trying to simplify. “You raise your mana based on its attribute.”
I frowned, leaning in slightly. “You lost me.”
Lis leaned back, his eyebrows knitted in thought, aured with an open hand, “Look inside yourself with your awareness; you should find an orb of power. If it is in your head, your mana attribute is Mind. If your mana attribute is Spirit, it is below your heart. If your mana attribute is Body, it is in your abdomen.”
“And if I have all three types?”
He blinked, clearly taken aback, and raised an eyebrow. “You have three?”
I nodded.
He rubbed his , his expression shifting to one of , and said, “What is the in world of your father?”
“Earth…?”
He sighed, his cheeks flushing slightly as he shifted unfortably in his seat and looked away. “You better talk with him about it. I do not want to get in the middle of a familiar misuanding.”
“I never knew my father; there is no misuanding to get in the middle of.”
He tapped his thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing as he mulled things over. The hum that escaped his lips turned into a thoughtful murmur, and his gaze grew more focused every sed. He gave a slow, deliberate nod, and the crease in his brow eased. His shoulders rexed a bit, and his whole demeanor shifted, letting on that he’d settled on something.
“I am sorry if it shocks you, but your father is a Traveler. Only children of Gate Travelers traverse the Gates. It does not occur in the general popuo matter what world. Also, a tri-mana system is a characteristic of very-high mana worlds exclusively and the upper echelon of that category. Very high mana worlds are from 75 mana level and up. But tri-mana does not appear before mana level 85 and higher.”
He paused, his gaze fixed on me, allowing his words to sink in. His eyes remaieady, showing a mix of empathy and curiosity.
“I have a question for you,” he tinued, leaning forward slightly. “In what ways are you different from the people in your world?”
I scratched my head, thinking. “The people of my world look different if they are from other tis, but I get your meaning. I was different as a child. I was always the smallest physically but much stronger, faster, and a much better student. When I was little, my eyes were too big for my face, but it became less evident as I grew up; their color was also unusual. I have almost no body hair, and the little I have is so fine and light that it’s virtually invisible. Also, everybody around me reached their maximum height at the age of 17 or 18, but I reached my max at the age of 30.”
As I spoke, I saw his eyes widen slightly, and he houghtfully.
“What you said makes me admit to myself something I suspected at the bay mind from the moment I discovered the Gate,” I said, shrugging with a hint of self-deprecation, “but I didn’t want to front or aowledge this faow I feel stupid for putting my head in the sand.”
He pced a f hand on my shoulder, squeezed it, and smiled reassuringly. “Do not feel bad about it. I imagi was quite a shock disc the Gate and your ability. You did not grow up as a son of a Traveler.”
I looked up at him, curiosity piqued. “How did you know it was my father and not my mother?”
He tilted his head slightly. “Male Travelers have only male children with the ability, and female Travelers have only female children with the ability. Nobody knows why.” Then he added, “With the points you mentioned, I ot guess where your father is from, but I am sure he is from one of the long-lived races based on your description of aging slower.”
I absorbed this information, my mind rag. “ we return to the mana issue? I still don’t uand how it rose in the past and how to raise it iionally.”
He gestured with his hand. “Look inside and tell me. Which of your power orbs is the biggest?”
“The one below my heart,” I replied, fog inwardly.
He nodded, encio tinue. “Did yress emotionally or spiritually sihe Gate awakened your mana system?”
“Yes,” I said, remembering. “I was grieving my wife’s death. Also, after her death, all the ive experiences from my past became more substantial in my mind and were pressing down o felt like I was buried under an avanche of grief and pain and was severely depressed. When I started to heal from my grief, I could let go of the past as well and look at the present and future with optimism instead of fear. When I actively let go, I think my mana rose.”
I paused, thinking hard. “Now that I think about it, I had another rise in mana after experieng closure regarding my life oh and aime after I let go of my sense of obligation or duty to heal every person I meet. It felt like I had regained my power of choice.”
As I tried to restruct everything, I sifted through my memories. “I also experienced a jump in mana after I got the spell se, eled my full mana into myself, and did a deep se…”
He wi the mention of the se, his face showing a tinge of disfort, and fidgeted. He said nothing, but his rea spoke volumes.
“How much mana did you el for the se?” he asked, his voice tight.
“Five or six thousand, I’m not sure,” I replied, notig his increasing unease.
His face turned a shade of green, and he winced harder.
“I see you imagine how it went,” I said, a wry smile toug my lips.
He nodded, his disfort clear.
“How did you know that the Gate awakened my mana?”
“It ot awaken below mana level eight. Your world is a tech world, and it has not started the iio.”
“I see,” I said, processing this new information. “Anyway, after the se, my mana jumped again, and my Body orb is the one in size. Is there a e?”
“Definitely,” he nodded. “Yressed your body, so your ma up. As I said, your mana is a representation of you.”
I thought for a moment, my brow furrowing in ption. “So how do I progress it now? I overe grief only once, and I have no iion of doing another se.”
He leaned back, his eyes thoughtful. “Regarding the se,” he began, his voice steady, “you should do it at least awo or three times, but do not worry—the worst is behind you. Usually, it is done in stages: a thousand mana to start, then two thousand, and you keep raising the numbers until you reach six or seven thousand. This way, it is much more pleasant and bearable.”
He paused, gng at me to make sure I was following. I nodded, encing him to tinue. He shifted his posture slightly, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.
“Tress your mana, you must focus on advang its attributes. Let me break down eae for you.”
He adjusted his position, interlog his fihoughtfully as he expihe first attribute. “For the mind attribute,” he started, his tone deliberate and precise, “imagi as the world’s intellect—a vast accumution of all existing knowledge. It is about expanding your uanding and gaining new insights. This attribute represents your capacity to learn, research, and discover. The more you deepen your uanding of the world around you, the more you advahis attribute.”
He looked at me ily, making sure I was following. “You also advance magic with the mind attribute. Look through the spell list for spells reted to mental faculties—these will help yress this attribute. Advaudy of magic, spell creation, magical iions, and solving plex mental challenges tribute to this growth. Essentially, it is about engaging with knowledge aal discipline. Wind magic is associated with the mind element because it symbolizes the flow of thought and ideas.”
I rying to uand the cept. He smiled, clearly pleased with my uanding, and then moved on to the following attribute.
“For the spiritual attribute,” he said, his tone softer and more reflective, “sider people as the soul of the world, its spark of life. Spirit is deeply ected to the essence of life aions. Tress in this attribute, you o eh people, uand them, ahem. In your case, healing others pys a signifit role. It is about making a meaningful impa those around you.”
He leaned forward slightly, his expression ear. “Art also falls uhe spiritual attribute,” he began, “because it represents the soul of a culture or society. You might choose to appreciate or create art based on your preferences.”
He paused, making sure I was following along. “More importantly, the spirit attribute is about fully experieng and expressiions. Most people only allow themselves to feel certaiions while suppressing others they sider ive. This approach is fwed because all emotions are important—not just the pleasant ones.”
He shifted in his seat, his gaze inteo truly advahis attribute, you must embrace the full spectrum of emotions. If you are angry, let yourself feel that anger deeply. If you are afraid, experiehat fear fully. Of course, you should address the source of your fear, avoiding harm, but do not suppress the emotion itself. Your mana represents you; if you suppress parts of yourself, your mana ot reach its full potential.”
He tinued, his tone now refleg a sense of vi. “Water and fire magic are key elements for the spirit attribute because they symbolize the flow and transformation of emotions.”
He gauged my rea, and I took a deep breath, refleg on his words. He tinued, his tone firm as he addressed the st attribute.
“For the body attribute,” he said, his gaze steady, “you o focus on physical adva. This involves pushing your physical limits and enhang your physical capabilities. As we level up, we all gain trait numbers, but have you ever challenged yourself to reaew limits?”
I shook my head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Push yourself,” he urged, his tone encing. “Whenever your traits increase, test your new limits. Engage in physical activities that push your boundaries—whether it is dang, fighting, swimming, or other forms of exercise. From a magical standpoint, work with matter. The world’s body is posed of matter, so maniputing matter helps advahis attribute. Earth magid its subdivisioal, stone, wood magid the like—are essential here. Physical creations and their manipution also fit into this attribute.”
He leaned back slightly with a thoughtful look on his face. “You might also notice that spell creatiical iions fit into the spirit category, but if those creations are physical, they overp into the body category. Learning and mastering these things cross into the mind attribute as well. We are posite beings of spirit, mind, and body, sic reflects this bance, even if our primary power attribute is limited to one or two.”
He looked at me with a mix of admiration and envy. “I, for example, have the mind magic attribute. So, I progress the most when I advance my mind. But if I do not apply those advances in the world, my mana does nress. With your tri-mana system, you have a unique advantage. Now, I must admit, I am a bit envious.”
I chuckled, shaking my head with a smile. “It was a very philosophical expnation.”
He gave a small, knowing smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Of course,” he said, his tone light. “Philosophy be defined as the study of the nature, meaning, causes, or principles of reality. This is our reality, and we live in it. Tress within it, we o uand not just the world around us but also ourselves. We truly advance by applying this knowledge to the material universe.”
He leaned back slightly, crossing his arms as he let his words linger in the air. The iy of his gaze softened, and he looked almost reflective, as if pting the very principles he had just described. “It is about more than just mana attributes,” he tinued. “It is about seeing the intereess of everything—how our internal states affect our external reality and vice versa. Uanding this interpy allows us to grow in a more banced and profound way.”
I nodded, feeling a mix of ption and appreciation. “Thank you,” I said, my tone sincere. “It wasn’t what I expected, but it does make me think about some things.”
He smiled warmly, the lines around his eyes deepening with genuine uanding. “That is the goal,” he said softly, his voice imbued with a soothing ce. “To challenge your perspective and help you see beyond the immediate. Growth often es from viewing things in a new light and applying those insights to both the magical and mundane aspects of life.”
He shifted slightly, his posture being more rexed as he tinued. “One more thing to remember,” he said, his gaze focused and ear. “if you do the things I mentioned, do not expeana to increase gradually. It does not work like that for some reason. tih those practices; occasionally, you will experienents whehing es together, and your mana will make a signifit leap. When this happens, there is a particur sensation—it feels spiritual but has a tangible, physical aspect. Do you know what I am talking about?”
I nodded slowly, thinking back to those moments. “Yes, I felt it a couple of times.”
“So, you will reize it iure,” he said with a nod of approval. “Good.”
I needed a few moments to process everything he’d shared; it wasn’t what I had expected. Taking a deep breath, I asked, “Would you like a beer or some other drink?”
He ughed, a genuine sound that filled the room with warmth. “I should have offered; after all, we are sitting in my home.”
“Yes,” I agreed with a grin, “but I ambushed you by the Gate, so I don’t think standard ventions apply here.”
He ughed again, nodding in agreement. His ughter was tagious, and I decided he must be naturally cheerful—his ughs were hearty and genuine, never mog.
“I would love a beer,” he said, his smile broadening.
I took out two beers. As I popped the caps and handed oo him, Stretch, lying quietly beside me, decided he wanted a beer, too. He put his paws on my shoulders, gazing into my eyes with an unmistakable look of “give me.”
I couldn’t help but ugh. “Okay, okay,” I said, grabbing a bo beer for him. Stretch pped it up eagerly, his tail wagging in te.
Lis watched the exge without a hint of surprise. Curious, I asked, “You don’t look surprised he likes beer. How e?”
He shrugged, a slight smile pying on his lips. “Bonded mas have some rather peculiar tastes. I know a giant feline who loves hard liquor and falls asleep sn loudly two minutes after drinking it. So, a wolf—sorry, dog—drinking beer is nothing out of the ordinary.”
When we finished our beers, he shifted and looked at me. “You mentioned you had questions, plural, but so far, you have asked only one. Is there anything else you wao know?”
Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, I chuckled. “I have so many questions I don’t even know where to start.” I paused, sidering. “When we first met, you mentioned you dislike tech worlds and find them fusing. You seem much strohan me, and you said your home is very far away, so I’m guessing you’ve traveled a lot. How e tech worlds still fuse you?”
He leaned back with a disgusted expression. “After my sed tech world, I decided I did not like them. Initially, I was still ied in earning money, so I would locate the closest city, buy cheap manufactured goods, and leave. When I stopped g about money, every time I touched a Gate to a tech world, I would look for a different Gate. Many Travelers from mana worlds dislike tech worlds for the same reasoruggle to adapt to the ana and the pletely different progression track.”
“So, how e you came to Earth?” I asked, intrigued.
He sighed, a hint of weariness in his eyes. “There was no choice. I was esg from a hazardous, very-high mana world.”
“I see,” I said, sidering his response. “You also mentioned you’d answer my questions without expeg an exge. What exge and why? Is it a must between Travelers?”
He nodded, his expression turning more serious. “You are just starting as a Traveler, so maybe you have not discovered it yet. Travelers tend to be wealthy. We are like paimals with our Ste. Most of us expand it at least four or even six times or more and stop g about money. What we value is information—about worlds, magical knowledge, iing dungeons, fasating iions, dao avoid, and so on. Even you were waiting for me to gain knowledge. It is traditional for Travelers to exge information. I said I would answer without exge because your information has already helped me, so I felt I should repay you.”
I sidered his words and then brought up aopic. “In the descriptions of our traits, there’s a mental aspect tied to physical traits. For instarength says it helps you handle shocks better, and Agility mentioal agility. I’ve been shocked at every turn, overwhelmed, and ughed hysterically. I still fet to use Identify and basic things. For example, I carried a dder up a mountain instead of st it. And my dog, MY DOG!, pointed out that I could store the tent assembled instead of breaking it down and reassembling it. I don’t feel like those traits are w. Are my traits broken, or am I missing something?”
“Y told you to store the tent?”
“Yes, it was quite embarrassing,” I admitted with a rueful smile.
“Smart dog,” he remarked, nodding appreciatively.
“Very.”
He leaned forward, his expression ear. “Let me ask you a question: When you were shocked, overwhelmed, or hysterical, did it make you quit entirely and fet about everything? Or did you mao overe it and tier a while?”
I thought about it, then answered, “I could tinue pretty quickly.”
“Now think of the people you know personally and how they would have reacted in such a situation.”
I mentally ran through my acquaintances and said, “Yeah, I see what you mean. Most would have thought they’d lost their minds and sought a prescription. The rest would have ig and prete never happened.”
“And there is your advarength,” he said with a knowing smile. “Our traits are not a magical shield against the world. We still experience fear, surprise, sadness, and all the other emotions. What our raised traits do is help us deal with those things better. Disc you are a Traveler without guidance is a shock.”
“What about the mental agility?” I asked.
“When you were a baby,” he asked, his tole, “did you run right from the start, or did you first crawl, then walk with support, then walk without support, and finally run?”
“It’s not the same,” I said, slightly defensive.
“Of course it is,” he tered with a soft chuckle. “You came from a tech world, airely different enviro from a mana world. Your entire uanding of reality was built on a pletely differe of rules. When you suddenly find yourself in a world where mana flows like a river, it is like being handed a new set of tools and told to build something intricate without any prior experiehe expectation that you should instantly master these new cepts is what is truly illogical.”
He paused, letting his words sink in before tinuing. “Think about it: you are essentially starting from scrat a pletely fn field. In your tech world, you did not have to deal with the nuanagical theory, the flow of mana, or the intricate ws of spell craft. Now that you have been thrust into a mana enviro, it is only natural that it takes time to adapt. The process of learning and mastering something new is ily gradual. Just as a child learns to walk before they run, you are developing your skills step by step.”
He gestured with his hand, emphasizing his point. “You received the Wizard css, which, in my opinion, is the most powerful aile magical css avaible. And to have received it in a low mana world means you have already explored the basic possibilities of mana. This shows that you are capable of great things. It is not a question of whether or not you have mental agility—it is about uanding that mastery takes time, especially when dealing with such a radically different system.”
He leaned forward, his eyes meeting mih a steady gaze. “The expectation of instant mastery overlooks the reality of learning and adapting. The process of grappling with new ideas, experimenting, and gradually iing them into your uanding truly reflects mental agility. Your progress might feel slow, but it is a natural part of the learning curve. Embrag this process, rather than expeg immediate perfe, is where true growth occurs. So, how is it not mental agility? Your struggle to adapt and learn is a testament to your mental resiliend adaptability.”
“I never looked at it like that,” I admitted, my perspective shifting.
“Yes,” he nodded, “we are often our own harshest critics. Sometimes, we need an outside perspective to see the truth.”
I opehe trait descriptions and looked at them again through the new viewpoint he suggested.
Strength
Physical: This quality determihe iy of force or power—how hard you hit, how much you lift; how much opposite force you exert against another object.
Mental: This quality determines how effectively you deal with challenges, pressures, and stress in life without breaking down iving up.
Agility
Physical: This quality determines quiess and ease of motion, as well as how well you trol your body, speed, flexibility, and bance. Your physical rea time.
Mental: This quality determines your ability to think and draw clusions quickly; your ability to ge your mind based on new information; intellectual acuity—your mental rea time.
stitution
Physical: This quality determines your body’s ability to withstand fatigue and physical hardship, as well as your resistao diseases, trauma, and harsh ditions.
Mental: This quality determines your fidend mental resilience. Your ability to stay true to yourself and your ideals.
Vitality
Physical: This quality determines your energy, vigor, liveliness, and activity level. It also determines your loy—how much life you have in you, and your physical appearance—how young and vibrant you look.
Mental: This quality determines your feeling of aliveness, participation in life, and enjoyment of life, as well as your sense of wonder aement about life.
Intelligence
Physical: This quality determines your body’s ability to deted actively mahe bance of critical chemicals and hormones for optimal health. It also determines your body’s ability to know how to engage muscles, effortlessly maintain good posture, and learn new movement skills, as well as the speed at whiething bees muscle memory.
Mental: This quality determines your ability to learn and uand new knowledge aain and apply it in practice. Deal with new situations, perceive or infer information, and solve plex problems. It determines your mind’s ability to uand principles, truths, facts, or meanings. High intelligence helps you learn spells faster.
Wisdom
Physical: This quality governs your body’s ability to interpret the input from your senses—how fast you let go of a hot stove or a sharp needle—and your body’s ability ts needs: whether it o move, vitamins, su, or anything else to thrive. It also governs your body’s ability to unicate its needs in a way that be interpreted.
Mental: This quality establishes your capacity to apply perti knowledge intelligently, particurly in circumstahat differ from the text in which you gai; your capacity to decide based on a blend of knowledge, experience, and intuitive prehension; and your capacity to learn from both your own and others’ experiences. High wisdom helps you adapt spells, bine spells in new, innovative ways, or i new spells.
Perception
Physical: This quality determines your body’s awareness of the elements in the enviro (heat, cold, humidity, or dryness); it determihe fun of your sensory ans (ho your eyes, nose, or ears are) and the iy ah of the sensory ans.
Mental: This quality determihe range and acuity of your senses, not only the sensory ans, but also the other senses, such as a sense of danger or the intuitive knowledge of an opportunity. It also allows you to perceive more thahe eye in personal iions—to uand iions and feelings, as well as the ability to perceive and uand different viewpoints.
Luck
This quality does not have physiental aspects. Luck affects ce, fate, ainy.Luck is the invisible guidance leading toward fortune, prosperity, success, and fortuitous events or circumstances.Luck is also the internal warning of danger, of knowing not to go somewhere or not to do something.Luck is the guiding hand that leads you to a better existence.
Hmm, I see what he means.
“You are right. Thank you for making me see it.” I gave him a grateful smile, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.
He nodded, his smile widening. “My pleasure.”
“Now that I’ve looked at my traits, I have another question.”
“Yes?”
“You said you have the Luck trait, tht?” I watched as he nodded, signaling that I should go on. “After I raised it above 20, I got the active ability to locate something I need. Is there another active like this ter on?”
“Yes, when you raise it to 50. But it’s ly an active ability. Please reread your luck description.”
I pulled up my profile, skimming over the description again.
“By the description, it either nudges you tood or warns you of bad. It is a subtle thing, right?”
I nodded.
“After level 50, it actively gets you out of trouble. Do not get me wrong, you still get into trouble, but it will probably save your life.”
“But it says here, ‘luck is also the internal warning of danger, of knowing not to go somewhere or not to do something.’ So, how do you get into trouble in the first pce?” I was thhly fused.
He shifted unfortably, his face flushing as he gnced around with a sheepish grin, his fingers nervously tapping against his knee. “I will tell you about my ret experience, and you will uand. I went to a very-high mana world. When I touched the Gate, it said, ‘Threat level: Lethal.’” He paused and g me. “All the Gates to very-high mana worlds have the same threat level. And always, when I touch such a Gate, my lud perception give a twinge of warning. I had traveled a few very-high mana worlds, which was dangerous, but I could always deal with the danger, so I ighe warning.”
He sighed, shaking his head slightly. “Here, it was a mistake. The magi that world owerful and unlike anything I had ever entered. It pletely overwhelmed me and my defenses. I was hunted for days and came close to dying several times. Every time I almost died, something saved me.”
He shuddered. “I was attacked by a creature that induightmares while I was awake and drained my life force through my fear. I stumbled and hit my head on a rock, which jarred me just enough tain my senses and escape. The attack was so severe that I lost three vitality points.”
I listened ily as he described his ordeal. “Two days ter, I entered tiny humanoid creatures with wings that blinked like a light. They made me feel safe, and I knew I should follow them. I followed them for a while, but a branch hit me in the face. This jarred my senses, and they lost their hold over me. I saw I was very close to a s with a giant creature swimming inside.”
He took a deep breath before tinuing. “A day ter, I entered creatures that were a cross between a person and a farm animal with horns. They pyed a musical instrument that fused my senses and made me sleepy. I wao lie down and take a nap. Suddenly, an enormous creature flew overhead and screeched. They ran away, and the creature did not see me uhe trees. It tinued like this fht days until I got out of there. Every time I was about to die, something happehat saved me.”
“That’s amazing,” I said, my eyes widening. “What’s the pce’s name so I’ll know o go there?”
“Tír na nóg.”
I jumped in my seat. “Really?! The fae are real?!”
Lis chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You know about them?”
“There are legends about them in my world.”
“Not surprising. With such high mana, they probably portal.”
“Please tell me if I’m overstepping, but could you read me the description of the level of luck?” I asked, trying to gauge his rea.
“I rarely mind,” he said with a slight shrug, “But this time, I will refuse.”
“Why?” I was genuinely curious.
“Because knowing everything in advance ruins the sense of exploration and discovery,” he expined, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
I pondered his words momentarily before responding, “Yes, you’re right. Thanks.”
He gave me a warm smile, atled bato a fortable silehe versation had taken an ued but enlightening turn.
“Any more questions?”
“Yes. Regarding the csses and ability points. I uand that the ease of obtaining them es from the immi iion. But I have two questions about that.”
I ted them on my fingers.
“1. How do you usually get skills, spells, or csses?
Why it’s so easy during iion?”“The usual way to learn spells is through mage scrolls, which be purchased but are quite expehe most on spells start at around ten gold and be as high as 50 gold or more for the more plex ones. I am aware that mage families, healers’ guilds, and simir anizations, even in a low mana world such as this one, have methods for teag spells. However, I regret to say that I do not know the specifics of their methods. I know the process takes time, with apprenticeships sting for several years.
“Skills be learned in two ways. Ohod is to use a skill that you do not yet have, as an official Skill from the Guidance, in a dangerous situation, and you may acquire it. Let me give you an example from my experience. In a medium mana world with mana at the high end of that category, I traveled through an area poputed with dangerous mas. I had the choice of navigating around the area for over a week, including a perilous river crossing, or crossing it in just two days. I chose to cross but soon realized that the area was far more dangerous than anticipated. For two days, I had to move stealthily from tree to bush to boulder. Sometimes, I had to crawl on my belly, c myself in mud to mask my st. My Invisibility was of little help, as these beasts had sharp senses beyond their vision. When I finally emerged from the dangerous area, I hysically aally exhausted but had acquired the Stealth skill. I know for a fact that if I had not been in stant mortal danger, I would not have gai.
“The other way to learn a skill is from a professional in the field until you reach a level where you perform it indepely, without supervision. I know several Travelers with either very low magical capacity or who are not ined to use magic, renticed with a bcksmith to learn how to repair and maintain their ons—not te them, but to repair them. It typically took them about six months to acquire this skill.
“Regarding your sed question, I do not have a definitive answer, only a theory. This theory is not my own; it es from the dy who wrote the article about the dangers and opportunities. She did not include it iicle because she did not know it was a fact. She believes that because the iion process introduces an utterly unknown factor, the mana, the Guidance provides this advanced ability to the locals to assist them in surviving and learning to harhe unknown factor.
“sider this: if you o purchase scrolls or appreo a mage to learn magic, how you achieve this in a world undergoing iion? The same applies to skills with magical aspects. Sihose individuals are not Travelers and ot access this knowledge, the Guidance facilitates the acquisition of skills and spells, making it easier for them.”
“Yeah, makes sense,” I said, nodding.
He leaned back, his posture rexed but attentive. “I thought so, too. Any more questions?”
“Yes, still about skills,” I tinued, my brow furrowed in thought. “Iips & Tricks se, there was a suggestion to learn skills you don’t need and then give them up to vert to ability points. It seems like a ‘cheat.’ How su advanced system have a cheat? It doesn’t make sense.”
He chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I like your use of the word ‘cheat’ as a noun instead of a verb; very colorful.”
I shrugged, a small smile pying on my lips. “It’s not my idea; I got it from a book.”
He ughed, his eyes kling at the ers. “Either way, it is eaining. Regarding your question, it is not a ‘cheat,’ as you call it, but an easier version of aing fun for Travelers. You find it in the Archive, and most Travelers are children of Travelers, so they are familiar with this method. If you need a skill or spell and do not have the ability points, you attempt to purchase the skill you he Guidance will inform you that you ck the necessary ability points and will ask you which spell or skill you will sacrifice to vert to the new one.”
“Oh, so it’s not a cheat but a shortcut?”
“Exactly.” He nodded, his expression serious. “But be aware that you only vert general spells or skills. Css or profession skills, spells, or abilities are off-limits.”
“Why not?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I have no idea, but it is a fact.” He shrugged slightly. “Also, be cautious when giving up abilities; once you relinquish them, you ot repurchase or recover them through any other means.”
I mulled over this for a moment, sidering the implications. It seemed much more logiow.
“I have another question…” I said, hesitating slightly.
He nodded, his expression open and inviting. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for me to tinue.
“Aren’t we kind of overpowered?” I asked, leaning forward slightly. “I feel like Superman pared to the popuce.”
He ughed again, a hearty sound that filled the room. “Superman? From a book?”
“A movie,” I crified, a hint of a smile on my lips. “You know what movies are?”
“Yes,” he replied, his eyes lighting up. “I like movies. That is ohing I enjoy about tech worlds.”
“Good to know,” I said, nodding. “So, what about the whole overpowered thing?”
He leaned ba his chair, his fiapping thoughtfully on the armrest. “The answer is yes and no, depending on the world.”
“ you expand on that?”
He nodded and expined, “In your home world, you mentiohat you were already stronger, faster, and a better student pared to others. You were more powerful than those around you. Whether or not you utilized those abilities does not matter. The fact remains that you were already sidered overpowered, as you call it, in parison.”
He leaned forward slightly, his fiappily oable. “It is quite simir in a low-mana world. Here, most people have professions, but these are not professions granted by the Guidahat they advao crify, some individuals have professions from the Guidance, but they are mostly familiar professions passed from parents to children or, in the absence of an heir, through apprenticeship. These individuals represent only a small pertage of the popuce.”
He paused and waved at me. “Even true healers, like yourself, are rare and require a truly selfless individual. on healers in these worlds have learned basiowledge about the body and a few healing spells. From the purely magical csses, such worlds typically have only the mage css, and only at a low level of knowledge. Only the truly exceptional individuals among them might possess a css or profession granted by the Guidanerit.”
He shrugged slightly. “Additionally, monsters are rarely found in these worlds. When they do appear, they are usually very low-level.”
He flipped his palm upward, signaling a shift in perspective. “In trast, in worlds where mana levels reach 25 and above, professions and csses beore prevalent. The monsters are stronger and more numerous, though they generally remaiively low-level, usually between levels 3 and 5. Given these levels of the popud monsters, it is uandable that you feel like a super-man.”
He paused momentarily, his eyes narrowing slightly as he sidered his point. “The situation ges in medium mana worlds, specifically in the lower echelon of 30 to 40 mana. Nearly everyone possesses csses in these worlds, and exceptional individuals may have professions and sometimes more than one css. They have spent years honing their abilities. The mohere are stronger and more numerous, and there are mas and challenging dungeons. With your current power level, you will survive, but you will he assistance of y and will likely sustain injuries along the way. I still reeuring there, as it will be your progression. You might acquire a fighting css if you engage in numerous fights and have an open sub-css slot. However, I advise against venturing into the upper echelon of this cssification, levels 40 to 50, as you would not survive more than a few days.”
He shifted slightly and looked directly into my eyes, intending to emphasize his point. “For now, you should pletely disregard high mana or very-high mana worlds; in those enviros, you would be dead within minutes, without any warning.”
He then turned his attention to aopic. “The same principle applies to tech worlds. You safely navigate low to medium tech levels, but the more advanced worlds will pose a deadly threat. These worlds ck mana, so once you exhaust your mana reserves, you will not have the means tee and will be left pletely powerless. Additionally, many of these advaech worlds utilize various forms of physical augmentation, such as geigineering, nanoteology, cyb impnts, or chemical enhas. As a result, even your enhanced physical traits may not suffice.”
He cluded with a slight shrug and a wry smile. “So, while we may be overpowered iain pces, we are pletely underpowered in others. Even I, who am siderably strohan you, retly came close to death more than once.”
“How would I know when I am ready to move up a level?”
“When you arrived here, did you enjoy it?” he asked, his eyes searg for an ho answer.
I nodded, a smile f. “Very much.”
He smiled back, his expression warm. “Are you still enjoying it?”
I sighed, shaking my head slightly. “Less; it is getting b.”
A knowing look crossed his face. “You are ready to move up a level. The feeling of boredom, in my theory, is a nudge from the Guidance. I, myself, and every Traveler I have ever spoken to experiehis same sense of restlessness when we were ready for the level. I believe it is part of the innate knowledge of our css, like the subtle internal unexpined knowing that sometimes guides us.”
“Yeah… makes sense,“ I said, thinking of another question. “You mentiohat mages are part of the purely magical csses, along with my wizard css. What are those csses, and what distinguishes them from one another?”
He leaned back slightly, his fingers steepled as he expined. “There are many csses that utilize magic; your healer css is one example, as are bards, architects, enters, dungeon architects, alchemists, and many more. However, there are four purely magical csses: Mage, Sorcerer, Witch, and Wizard. Each has its unique characteristid limitations.”
He paused, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “Mages, for instance, only use internal mana and are restricted to spells. Advanced mages enhand bine spells, but their capabilities remain fio spell casting alone.”
He shifted his gaze slightly, as if visualizing the nuances of each css. “Sorcerers, oher hand, do not possess internal mana. Instead, they el external mana, and their spell-casting abilities are limited by how much mana they draw in. Like mages, they advance or bine spells but remain exclusively focused on spell work.”
He leaned forward, his expression growing more animated. “Witches are quite different. They have internal mana tied to their specific element and also el mana from their element to trol it. For example, a water witch has a certain amount of magic within their body—this magic is not stored in orbs or es from aernal source, but resides within them, in their bodies. They absorb more mana from the water and manipute it directly, precisely trolling it. The same applies to nature witches, earth witches, and others. While they cast spells, their abilities in that regard are limited. Their true power lies in their ability to mold their element with sheer will, achieving effects that other spellcasters might find challenging or even impossible.”
He adjusted his posture and poi me as he tinued. “Wizards, meanwhile, possess internal mana and, with time and practice, also learn to trol external mana. They work with spells but are not limited to them. Wizards inally crafted most mage spells. With dedication and experience, a wizard gain trol over a simir to a witch or even master multiple elements. Wizards are regarded as magic schors; they delve into its plexities and tribute to advang magical knowledge across all csses.”
“Wow! That’s awesome!” I excimed, eyes wide with excitement.
“Yes, it is an excellent css,” he replied, agreeing. “Only people with a high talent and affinity fic, a high mana level, or both receive it. I believe it is an iance you received from your paternal side.”
I winced slightly, and Lis’s expression turned apologetic.
“Tell me, did you learn to partition your mind already?”
“Yes,” I firmed with a nod. “I’ve managed a three-lit. That’s how I obtaihe css.”
His eyes lit up with i. “Keep practig this ability. I know an amazing wizard, not a Traveler, who partition his mind into twelve ses. Maybe even more is possible, but I have not entered it yet.”
I felt pride in my wizard css and agreed with Lis: it was ihe best magic css. I tried to recall what else I o ask, but came up empty. Feeling hungry, I asked Lis, “Would you like lunch?”
Lis’s face brightened. “I was just thinking about it. I have some iing food in my Ste. Would you like to share and pare?”
“Yes! That sounds like a great idea,” I replied enthusiastically.
I pulled out the campfire sagna I had made, bison/mukar burgers, a big sushi pte, and pasta Alfredo. Lis’s eyes lit up as he examined each dish. He grinned widely, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Then he pulled out his dishes: something that looked like a stuffed cabbage with bright e leaves, a dish of vegetables a smothered in a pink sauce, and a pie that smelled like fish.
I grabbed a big metal pte and loaded up some of everything for Stretch, who enthusiastically wagged his tail.
We sat down to enjoy the meal together. The pink sauce had a fruity, sweet, and tangy fvor—unusual, but delicious. The fish pie was fantastid the stuffed leaves were odd; I couldn’t decide if I liked them or not, kind of like how I felt about pitaya.
Lis loved the sushi, though he wasn’t thrilled with the wasabi. It made him sneeze up a storm. Stretch, as usual, loved everything, with no pints. What else is new?
TravelingDreamer
