The Gate Traveler

I trudged wearily to the Gate, my mind and body drained of all energy. When I crossed, I had even forgotten to cast Invisibility, a sign of my exhaustion. Fortunately, there was nobody on the other side. Lis and Mahya, though tired, still had some spark left in them. Rue, on the other hand, was full of energy; he napped while we worked. I was so worn out that I couldn’t even decide if he was a lucky dog or a lucky familiar.

We checked our phones on the other side of the Gate, and to my surprise, five days had passed on Earth. I blinked in disbelief; I didn’t think we’d been on the other side that long—maybe a day and a half, tops.

With a puzzled expression, I turned to Lis for answers. “Don’t you think the time skip looks too long?”

He shook his head, seemingly unfazed. “No,” he answered calmly. “It can be even longer. I think it has to do with distance, but I don’t have proof.”

“Distance?” I echoed, still trying to wrap my head around the concept.

“Yes, the distance between the planets that the Gate connects.”

I opened my mouth to ask more, but my exhaustion hit like a tidal wave. My body craved nothing more than a long, uninterrupted sleep. Mahya was already on the phone, calling Lyura to find out which hotel she was at, while Lis ordered a taxi for us. I just stood there, barely able to keep my eyes open, and dozed off on my feet.

On the taxi ride to the hotel, Mahya leaned over and asked me quietly, “Do you have Silence or Privacy?”

“Privacy,” I replied, blinking myself awake.

“Cast it, please,” she requested.

I did as she asked, and once the spell was active, she spoke up again, “Lis, I think there might be a wild dungeon on the other side of the Gate.”

Lis’s eyes narrowed in thought. “What makes you think that?” he asked, his voice low.

“We cleared three tribes of mana beasts, but you still managed to find enough monsters for John’s class,” Mahya explained, her tone serious. “With that number of mana beasts, there shouldn’t have been a single monster; they would have been wiped out instantly. The monsters weren’t strong enough either; they were too weak for a world with a mana level of 61. I believe it’s a concentrated pocket of high mana, which explains the presence of three tribes of mana beasts instead of one, leading to the formation of a fledgling dungeon in that area.”

Lis’s expression grew more serious as he considered her words. “You might be right.”

“We should go back, clear the dungeon, and get the core,” Mahya suggested, determination in her voice. “It will help us with our project.”

Lis seemed lost in thought, his gaze distant as he mulled over the idea. After two minutes, he nodded slowly. “You’re right, and we’d better do it quickly. With the time skip, the dungeon can mature and grow stronger if we delay too much.”

When we finally returned to the hotel, Lyura rushed to Mahya and hugged her tightly. “I was so worried. Thank you, Spirits; you’re all right,” she said, her relief palpable.

“Do you know about the time skip?” Lis asked her.

“Yes,” Lyura replied with a nod, “but I thought it would take three days, not five.”

I hadn’t even considered a one-day skip.

Why does everyone seem more knowledgeable than me? It’s not fair!

But I was too tired to dwell on it, so I asked, “Did you get us rooms?”

“Yes, here is your key card,” Lyura said, handing it over.

I took it gratefully, already picturing the bed waiting for me.

The following morning, we headed to a café for breakfast. After the server brought our food, Lis cast Privacy around us and leaned in. “Mahya thinks there’s a wild dungeon on the other side of the Gate, and it might be a good idea to clear it.” He then turned to Lyura, his gaze questioning. “You want to come with us?”

Lyura hesitated, looking down at her coffee. “I’m not sure I can handle a dungeon in a world with 61 mana. It’s too high for me.”

Lis considered her words, then nodded thoughtfully. “We think it’s a young dungeon, at least judging from the monsters in the area. It might be your level. What’s your element?”

“Lava,” Lyura replied, her voice uncertain.

“A good element,” Lis remarked, nodding with approval.

Lyura shook her head. “Not really. It’s very limited.”

Lis leaned back, arms crossed, considering her words. “Maybe now. But once you advance, you can separate it into stone and fire, and you’ll have control over two very powerful elements that are abundant, so you’ll always have mana available.”

“Yes,” Lyura said, a faint smile appearing as she recalled something. “My mother said that, but it’s very limited right now, and with my mana level, I’m very limited if I don’t have a source to fill from.”

“What’s your mana?” Lis asked.

“620.”

“Any other skills that can help you in a dungeon?” Lis pressed.

“Sword fighting and Archery, but they are at a low level,” Lyura admitted, a hint of frustration in her voice.

Lis nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Yes, I agree. This dungeon might be too hard for you.”

Lis then turned to me and asked, “So, are you coming with us?”

“You tell me,” I replied, feeling unsure. “I’ve never been to a dungeon before, and the snake seemed terrifying, so I don’t know if it’s just me or if the difficulty is too high.”

Lis gave me a reassuring smile. “I think you’ll be fine. You killed the monsters I brought you without a problem, and anyway, healers advance in dungeons not from killing monsters but from healing the party they’re diving with. So, Mahya and I will protect you, and you’ll heal us as needed.”

“What about Rue?” I asked, glancing over at the big dog.

“He should definitely accompany us. It’s critical for him to gain experience; being at level 0, he will gain the most from this,” Lis explained, his tone matter-of-fact.

I nodded, but then added, “I think we should wait a day or two. My mana channels feel raw and strained after everything I did.”

“Actually,” Lis responded, leaning in slightly, “this is the optimal time for this. Enlarging your channels through strain is a common method for advancement.”

“But what about the book you recommended about channel enhancement?” I asked, remembering our previous conversations.

“That one is for the secondary channels. For the primary channels, you have two options: either employ your method with the spirals, a technique exclusive to wizards, or push them to their limits without causing damage and continue to advance them.”

“Okay, if you think it’s a good idea, I’m in,” I said, feeling more confident.

Lis then turned to Lyura. “See if you can find a short-term apartment for us. There’s no reason to spend a fortune on a hotel, and when we return, John will have a lot of cooking to do.”

“Thanks for voluntelling me!” I quipped, throwing my hands up in mock exasperation.

They all laughed, and Lis clapped me on the back, his grin wide.

I turned to Lyura. “Can you drive?”

“Yes, I bought the skill,” she replied, sounding proud.

“Good,” I said with a nod. “Let’s rent a car. I don’t think repeatedly calling a taxi to the Gate is a good idea. Especially since it’s in the middle of nowhere, without anything near it that can explain our presence. I’m still worried that the US knows about the Gates. I don’t want to be captured.”

Mahya and Lyura spoke up at the same time, their voices overlapping in concern. “What?” “How?”

“I have no idea,” I said, frowning as I recalled my past experiences. “But when I was Gate hopping in the Americas, eight of the Gates had army bases around them.”

“That’s not good,” Mahya said, her tone dropping.

“No, it’s not,” I agreed, my mind racing. “That’s why we need to be careful.”

Lis’s expression grew serious as he nodded in agreement. “I forgot about that. I think we should check out of the hotel, go somewhere crowded, use a bathroom, and change our glamour and documents just in case. We lived in London and then Paris for a long time, and we’ve been moving a lot recently. Let’s hide our trail.”

We all agreed, the gravity of the situation settling in as we prepared to cover our tracks.

We headed to Revontuli Mall, making a beeline for the bathrooms. After a quick sweep to ensure there were no cameras and the coast was clear, we got down to business, changing our identities. I picked the name Jonathan Clark—because, let’s face it, with all the fighting I’d been doing lately, I felt like Superman. A brief nod to the Man of Steel wouldn’t hurt.

Shifting my vision, I glanced at Rue. He now looked like a massive, fluffy mountain of brown fur, even more so than his usual state. After some quick online research, I settled on a Tibetan Mastiff as his new breed. The transformation was perfect; he looked like he could’ve been a bear in another life.

Re-conjuring his identification and service dog credentials took a lot of mana, but I reminded myself that we were heading to a high mana level, so it would be worth it. My re-glamour and re-identification set me back 400 points total—worth every bit for the new alias. Rue’s re-glamour and re-identification were even pricier, costing 500 and 600 points respectively, with each aspect running 300 points. Familiars, it turned out, were an expensive business, whether it was feeding them, maintaining their glamour, or keeping their paperwork in order.

While at the mall, I discovered that it’s possible to purchase prepaid cards at R-Kioski. We took advantage of that, storing away the old cards to empty them before leaving Earth again. With the new cards in hand, we didn’t waste any time picking up burner phones. Once we sorted that out, I diligently racked my brain to make sure we had left no loose ends that could lead back to us.

Satisfied that we’d covered our tracks, we rented a car and drove straight to the Gate.

After we crossed into Tuonela, Mahya stayed with me at the Gate while Lis went ahead to make sure nothing dangerous awaited us. When he returned, he immediately asked, “Do you have armor?”

“Yes, I bought some in Shimoor,” I replied.

“Show me,” he said, extending his hand.

I took out the armor, and Lis examined it carefully. “With a mana shield, this will do for now,” he said. “But you should look into getting something better at the first opportunity. You might want to check on Earth; they could have developed something useful for the police or military.”

Mahya chimed in, “Do either of you have spare armor?”

Lis shook his head, but I took out the three armors I had left after selling the rest and laid them out for her to choose from.

While Mahya looked over the armors, Lis asked her, “Did you convert your mana shield?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Why don’t you buy Stone Armor from the Guidance?” Lis suggested.

“Not a good idea for me,” Mahya responded, shaking her head. “My combat subclass is Bladesinger, and I rely heavily on my Agility.”

Curious and not wanting to be rude, I hesitated for a moment before asking, “May I ask what kind of classes you have, or is that considered taboo?”

Mahya smiled reassuringly. “Generally, it’s not polite to ask about classes unless you’re planning a dungeon dive together. But today, it’s fine. Besides, I’ll always answer you, no matter the circumstances.” She paused before explaining, “As I mentioned, I’m a Bladesinger—a fast, acrobatic melee fighter that combines spells. I use spells like Slow, Entangle, and Sink to slow down my opponents, Blind and Confuse to disorient them, and others to boost my speed, like Wall Dash or Jump. I also have the Wood Artisan profession.”

“So, the trees were for you?” I asked, piecing it together.

“No, the project we’re working on integrates both my profession and Lis’s new subclass,” she explained. “It’s rare to get a chance to cooperate with someone from a different profession, so we’re both making the most of it.”

“Sounds cooler than being a Merchant,” I commented, half-joking.

“It depends on your perspective,” Mahya replied with a small grin. “As a new Traveler, you’re already richer than I was before the elves robbed me, so there are definitely benefits.”

“I spent close to a million dollars on Earth before leaving; that’s not from my profession,” I pointed out.

“It’s still a good way to earn money and travel without worrying about expenses,” Mahya noted.

While we talked, Lis took out one of the green snake skins and began working with it. He cut a large piece, made holes along the sides, and then fashioned leather cords from the same material, threading them through the holes. After a few minutes, he called, “Rue, come here; I want to fit you in armor.”

Rue padded over obediently, and Lis wrapped the leather around him, securing it with the cords. He stepped back, eyeing his handiwork critically. “Walk around and see if there’s anything that bothers you,” he instructed.

Rue trotted around, testing the fit, and after a minute, returned to Lis with a satisfied expression. Lis made a few adjustments, then nodded in approval when Rue sent a mental “I’m good” to all of us.

“Cast a mana shield on yourself, Rue,” Lis told him, “And re-cast it every time the spell ends. When you start running out of mana, ask John to re-cast it.” He glanced at me with a hint of a smile. “You too, John.”

“Yes, Dad,” I replied sarcastically, earning a laugh from Mahya. Lis just shook his head, smiling.

We began our walk from the Gate, with Lis leading the way, followed by Rue, then me, and Mahya bringing up the rear.

After about three hundred meters, I couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know where to go? You don’t even look around; you just go.”

“This is where I found all the monsters yesterday,” Lis explained. “At some point, we’ll have to start searching for the dungeon.”

“Is there a way to locate them?” I asked, curious about how dungeons worked.

“Some specific types are easier to spot,” Lis said, “but usually, it’s by appearance.”

“What does a dungeon look like?”

“Like a very dark entrance,” Lis answered simply.

“Which types are easy to spot?” I continued.

“Fire or ice dungeons are relatively simple because the monsters that escape typically burn or freeze everything around them. Undeath dungeons are also easy to detect; everything nearby starts to die. For other types, you have to look for signs.”

“Do you know what kind of dungeon we’re heading to?” I asked.

“I’m thinking it’s nature-based, maybe a forest or something similar,” Lis speculated. “All the monsters I found were either variations of lizards or felines.”

We continued walking for another half a kilometer before Rue suddenly started growling. Lis glanced in the direction of the growling and said calmly, “I’ll control the monster; you kill it.”

A moment later, something jumped out of the bushes, only to freeze mid-air and crash to the ground. It looked like a cat but with oversized, metallic teeth. Rue lunged, tearing out its neck with precision.

Lis turned to me. “Want to harvest the crystal?”

Nodding, I quickly set to work. It only took me about two minutes to compress the monster into a crystal, and since I learned how to de-aspect crystals, I ended up with a “neutral” crystal, ready for whatever use we might find for it.

After repeating this scenario over twenty times, I came to a solid conclusion: monsters are stupid. No matter how small they were—some barely the size of a house cat—they still threw themselves at a group of three people with a large dog, as if they had any chance of winning. It was almost laughable.

At first, the monsters came at us from a single direction, like they had some kind of death wish assembly line going. But then, they started attacking from all sides, making it clear that they weren’t just random encounters anymore. Lis noted the change and said, “We should start looking for the dungeon.”

He turned to me and said, “You and Rue go together. Have your staff out and ready, and monitor with your mana.”

Shit! I had completely forgotten about monitoring with mana. Not exactly my finest moment, but I quickly fixed that, extending my senses outward.

We split into three groups and spread out, searching for any sign of the dungeon. No luck. We kept moving, checking again, fighting off more monsters, then searching some more. This rinse-and-repeat routine went on for hours.

After what felt like ten or twelve hours of this relentless search, we’d wandered so far from the Gate that I couldn’t even sense it anymore. Finally, we stumbled upon the dungeon. It was hard to miss—it looked like a dark entrance into a cave, but not your usual cave-dark. This was more like a portal of doom, the kind you’d expect in a horror movie. If I’d found something like this on my own, I’d have turned tail and bolted out of there without a second thought.

Lis looked around, assessing the area. After a moment, he walked away a bit and, to my surprise, pulled his house out of his Storage.

“Why did you get your house?” I asked, genuinely puzzled.

“It’s getting dark,” Lis replied calmly. “We’ve been walking for hours, and we’re tired. It would be stupid to go in like this.”

“But why the house?” I pressed, still not entirely understanding.

“My cabin has excellent protections, and this is a high-mana world,” Lis explained, as if that clarified everything.

“But I thought you killed everything,” I pointed out, glancing around uneasily.

“Yes, in the Gate area,” Lis said with a slight smile. “If you haven’t noticed, we’ve moved pretty far from it.”

That bit of information made me worry, and I looked around in fear, suddenly hyper-aware of how exposed we were.

Lis noticed and laughed, trying to put me at ease. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure some of the mana beasts we killed came from even further out than here. It took some of them a long time to reach us, and they didn’t attack us all at once—just alone or in pairs.

“Anyway, just to be safe, I recommend we sleep in my house with all the defenses up. In the morning, we’ll enter the dungeon. I hope you’re not disappointed that we’re not doing it today.”

“Disappointed? No way!” I exclaimed, my earlier fear fading. “I’m in a high-mana world, and I’ve killed monsters. It feels like being an adventurer from the books I’ve read.”

Lis laughed, shook his head affectionately, and waved us inside the house.

Once inside, Mahya and Lis convinced me to give the scary snake meat a chance. Reluctantly, I agreed, and I ended up cooking a stew with it. They were right—mana snakes were delicious, the meat practically melting in your mouth. It was so good that I regretted adding any vegetables to the pot. I had intended to make enough to last the four of us for a couple of days, but somehow Rue polished off the entire pot. We were all genuinely impressed—Rue was large, but not in the “eat 20 kg of meat in one meal” sense. That was a new one for all of us.

In order to be fully rested for our dungeon dive the next day, we went to bed early. Despite my usual aversion to fighting, I couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. The idea of a dungeon dive was intriguing, and even though I didn’t want to fight, the thrill of what lay ahead was undeniable.