The Gate Traveler

Tr. SP

Opportunities and Dangers in Worlds Undergoing Integration

The connected universe is growing and expanding constantly. This can 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 monumental process of integration. New worlds are assimilated into the ever-expanding network of interconnected mana worlds in a ceaseless stream. Given the unfathomable vastness of the universe—some even speculate that its size is infinite—the number of worlds undergoing integration could be far greater than we can comprehend.

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

The first time I experienced this, I was a young woman in my home world. Our society has built highly sophisticated technologies, from nanobot medical systems to energy shields that protect entire cities. At that time, I was completely unaware of my latent abilities as a Gate Traveler. Fortunately, I received the Archer Class at the beginning of the integration process. This unexpected boon allowed me to survive after all my family and friends were tragically killed.

During the initial chaos, our advanced weapons systems—plasma rifles, laser blades, and energy cannons—failed inexplicably. Soldiers found themselves defenseless as these once-reliable weapons malfunctioned or stopped working entirely. This left us vulnerable to the increasingly aggressive mana beasts 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 collapsing infrastructure and failing technologies, compelled me to act swiftly. I gathered all the equipment I could and left through a Gate, hoping to find safety and answers in another world.

This experience affected me deeply for many years until I resolved to examine the integration process thoroughly. Today, I am over 450 years old and have visited two worlds on the verge of integration. I chose to stay and fully experience and document the process. During my travels, I also met other Gate Travelers who experienced worlds on the verge of or during integration. I conducted extensive interviews with them to collect data and understand the process.

The Integration Process

Phases of the integration process typically span fifteen to twenty years. The difference in 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 connecting to mana worlds, although not exclusively. The first sign of a world on the brink of integration is the presence of over 100 Gates, increasing to around 200 as integration nears.

Second Phase

• • In the second phase, the mana levels start to rise. Typically, a world undergoing integration begins at mana level 0, which increases gradually. As mana levels rise, the number of Gates continues to increase.

Third Phase

• • The third phase occurs when mana levels reach 5-6. At this stage, the world's inhabitants begin to experience initial phenomena indicating integration. Advanced technological devices break down faster, and buildings made of advanced materials or with advanced technological systems exhibit instability or inexplicable material erosion.

For example, in one of the more advanced worlds I visited, entire skyscrapers constructed from an alloy known as Tetrud-Duranius—a material renowned for its durability and resistance to extreme conditions—showed signs of stress fractures. These fractures appeared without apparent external force or environmental change, baffling the engineers. Similarly, residential complexes 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.

Technological 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, malfunctioned frequently, sometimes even disintegrating mid-operation. Another striking example was the breakdown of Bio-Synaptic Interfaces, advanced medical devices designed to heal neural damage and enhance cognitive functions. These interfaces began to degrade, losing their efficiency and, in some cases, causing harm to the patients they were supposed to heal.

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

Phase Four

• • In Phase Four, these symptoms worsen when the mana levels reach 7-8. Technological devices start or stop working intermittently, advanced buildings deteriorate more rapidly, and various natural disasters begin. These disasters vary among worlds but commonly include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, unexplained sandstorms, lightning storms, tornadoes in unusual locations, significant global warming, and altered sea currents.

For instance, in one world undergoing integration, we witnessed massive earthquakes that toppled towering skyscrapers, creating chasms that swallowed entire city blocks. Volcanic eruptions became frequent, spewing ash and lava that devastated surrounding areas and plunged regions into darkness. Coastal cities faced relentless tsunamis, with towering 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 landscape reshaped by wind and sand. Meanwhile, regions known for their mild weather faced unprecedented lightning storms. These storms produced lightning strikes with such intensity and frequency that they caused widespread fires and destroyed infrastructure.

Tornadoes appeared in unprecedented locations, causing widespread destruction in towns and cities. Global warming led to melting ice caps and rising sea levels, forcing populations to flee inland. Altered sea currents disrupted marine ecosystems, leading to the collapse of fisheries and the displacement of coastal communities.

In one particularly striking example, an ordinarily temperate region experienced a series of violent, mana-charged cyclones that uprooted ancient trees and demolished centuries-old structures. Unaccustomed to such extreme weather, the local population struggled to adapt to the new and hostile environment.

These examples illustrate the profound and often catastrophic environmental changes that occur during Phase Four of the integration process, as worlds adjust to rising mana levels.

Mana Level 9

• • When mana levels reach 9, the integration process begins in earnest. Waves of mana flood the world through the Gates, creating areas with uneven mana. Those areas can be as mild as a low mana world and as dangerous as a very high mana world, with all the dangerous mana beasts and monsters usually present in such worlds. All technological devices cease functioning during a mana wave, as the air becomes saturated with mana. Inhabitants start discovering magical abilities and receiving Classes. Technology may function again once a mana wave passes, but many devices will never work again. Advanced buildings, such as sky-high arcologies housing millions of residents, floating cities supported by anti-gravity technology, and subterranean metropolises powered by geothermal energy, collapse. Vegetation undergoes a massive growth boom, and local animals grow rapidly, some mutating into mana beasts.

Due to the rapid mutation, most mana beasts become crazed and aggressive. Even those that do not become crazed often exhibit increased aggression, especially if they previously feared the world's inhabitants. After a mana wave passes, pockets of mana may remain, spawning low-level monsters initially, but increasing in level with successive mana waves. Excessive mana accumulation can create dungeons that actively absorb mana and grow stronger with each wave.

Mana Level 10

• • At mana level 10, all technology collapses permanently. Advanced buildings that survived the initial phase collapse. However, natural disasters cease, and the world stabilizes. The world begins to absorb and produce mana, leading to stabilized mana levels. This process can be likened to breathing: the world draws in the excess mana from the atmosphere, akin to inhaling. After absorbing this mana, the world then releases it in a more controlled and steady manner, similar to exhaling. This cycle of absorbing and releasing mana allows the world to achieve a new equilibrium, gradually balancing the influx of new mana with its own natural mana production.

Some Gates collapse or cease functioning as Gates, reducing the number of active Gates to 50-70, stabilizing the mana influx. As Gates collapse 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 comes from itself, absorbing and dissipating any external mana. This initial stabilization results in areas with varying mana levels, from safe low-mana zones to very dangerous high-mana zones teeming with monsters and dungeons. Over time, the world's "breathing" of mana leads to more uniform mana levels globally. The integration process, lasting fifteen to twenty years, culminates in the stabilization of the world's final mana level.

Based on the data I have collected so far, this describes the process a world undergoes during integration. It is possible that future discoveries may contradict these findings, and if so, I will update my conclusions accordingly.

Opportunities and Dangers

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

Dangers

1. Natural Disasters: Sudden and severe natural calamities.
2. Infrastructure Collapse: Breakdown of technological systems and advanced buildings.
3. Mana Beasts: Crazed and aggressive beasts resulting from rapid mutation.
4. High Mana Pockets: Areas where high-level monsters spawn.
5. Dungeons: Rapidly progressing dungeons that pose significant threats if not cleared.

Another danger stems more from human nature and not from the process. Some people band together to survive and try to rebuild society. On the other hand, some negative individuals take advantage of this occurrence to give free rein to all their lowest, criminal, and dangerous desires and dreams. These people become killers who prey upon others and are sometimes the most significant danger the 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 classes but still possess high levels of magic, that can create stable or temporary portals. They go through these portals or send representatives to collect resources from the world. Sometimes, these resources are slaves.

I heard of one case where a Traveler became captive as a slave and then successfully escaped. I have never been able to verify the story, but I heard it from two Travelers, and both claimed 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

1. Accumulating Ability Points and Classes: In a world in one of the stages of the integration process, earning Ability Points and gaining Classes is significantly easier. A simple action or brief instruction can earn a skill point or class.
   • The most significant opportunity in a world that has started or is already in the integration process is accumulating Ability Points or getting Classes 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 subject and receive a short instruction from them, and you already get the point.
   • As you know, in normal circumstances, to get a skill point, you have to undergo extensive training from a professional, and only when you can perform the actions without supervision do you get the point.
   • Now compare this to getting the blacksmithing skill; instead of learning for two or three years until you get the point, you only need to 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 advanced stages.
   • When the actual integration starts at level 9, performing the action once or twice, even without instruction, is enough to earn the ability point.
2. Resource Collection: Technological goods become abundant and unclaimed, providing opportunities for industrious Travelers to collect and sell them in other worlds.
   • So far, all the worlds I have heard of undergoing integration are technological worlds that have advanced their production levels.
   • When the process begins, the residents do not care about goods. They want safe shelter, food, and weapons. So all those things sit there and are slowly eaten away by the mana waves. An industrious Traveler can increase their storage, move from place to place, and collect all these goods to sell in other worlds.
3. Dungeon Cores: Newly formed dungeons offer valuable cores and high-level rewards. Dungeon cores are precious commodities with endless uses, but they are challenging to obtain in established mana worlds due to strict regulations and severe penalties for removing them.
   • I'll explain to the unknowing: In worlds with established mana, the dungeons are also established and usually controlled by noble families, cities, states, or guilds that use them to collect resources that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Therefore, they forbid you from removing the core after clearing the dungeon. All places severely punish the removal of the core, and in quite a few places, the punishment is death.
   • In a world undergoing integration, thousands of new dungeons emerge which people can 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.
4. Weapon Trade: The demand for weapons in integrating worlds presents lucrative trade opportunities for Travelers with substantial inventories.
   • The inhabitants of an integrating world desperately need these weapons, which is an excellent opportunity to trade and sell inventory in the Storage.
5. Knowledge and Technology Exchange: Worlds undergoing integration may still have remnants of their advanced technology and knowledge. Travelers can collect and document these technologies and scientific discoveries, which can be highly valuable in other mana worlds, particularly in less advanced regions.
6. Creation of Safe Havens: By utilizing their knowledge and abilities, Travelers can create safe havens or fortified settlements for the local population. These sanctuaries can serve as bases of operation, trade hubs, or power centers in the integrating world.
7. Economic Opportunities through Mana-Rich Agriculture: The mana-rich environment can lead to the growth of unique plants and crops with magical properties. Travelers can cultivate and harvest these crops, creating new economic opportunities through trade and commerce in mana-enhanced agricultural products.
8. Environmental Restoration and Mana Management: As the world stabilizes, there will be a need for environmental restoration and mana management. Travelers can offer their expertise in managing mana flows, restoring natural habitats, and creating sustainable ecosystems, earning the gratitude and resources of the local population.
9. Research and Scientific Discovery: The integration process provides a unique opportunity for scientific research and discovery. Travelers can study the effects of mana on various elements, organisms, and ecosystems, contributing to the broader understanding of mana and its potential applications.

To conclude, while the integration process brings numerous dangers, it also presents significant opportunities for those who navigate it wisely. By understanding and leveraging these opportunities, Travelers can thrive and contribute to the evolving landscape of integrated worlds.

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