It was time to dive into my Profile, or Personal Information, as the system called it. I took a breath and started clicking down the lines, one by one, with my mind. It was surprisingly smooth.
First was my name. There was this odd sense of potential, of a possibility. Like I could just change it with a thought. Why would I want to change my name? It made little sense.
Moving on.
My age had the same option to edit, as if I could tweak the years like adjusting the brightness on a screen. I had no idea why would I want to, so it also stayed until I could figure out the reason for this option.
Then, I reached "Class," clicked, and a new block of text scrolled in front of my eyes:
Gate Traveler
Unique Class
A Gate Traveler can move between worlds through Gates that connect to different planets, planes of existence, and parallel universes.
This class offers many unique abilities to assist Travelers and makes learning new Skills and Spells much easier. A Traveler needs to know many things to travel successfully.
The first three Class abilities are free, but additional abilities cost Ability Points.
Each level gives +1 to all stats, +5 free stats, and 1 ability point.
I read the description over twice, letting the words sink in. "Planets, planes of existence, and parallel universes…" I mumbled, feeling a strange thrill in my chest. This wasn’t just about travel. It was the universe, all of it, up for grabs. Every place, every world out there—suddenly, they felt like actual possibilities, not just ideas from sci-fi movies.
And the line about making it easier to learn new skills and spells? That totally got my attention. How much easier? I wondered, feeling the word practically glow in my mind. And why capitalize it?
My excitement was practically buzzing, but right there, in the middle of it, came this gut-punch of sadness. Sophie should’ve been here for this. I could practically hear her voice, full of that unstoppable energy, asking every question I hadn’t thought of yet. She’d lean in, eyes wide, and say, “What do you think the worlds are like, really? Maybe there’s a world where the stars light up in different colors, or where trees can talk.” She’d have theories—dozens of them—and would probably get lost in researching every single one, taking us along for the ride.
I swallowed hard, blinking back the sudden sting in my eyes.
God, I miss you, baby.
For a moment, it felt like she was right there, leaning on my shoulder, laughing at the absurdity of it all with me, her hand squeezing mine like she always did whenever I was about to do something I was unsure about. That steady, grounding presence she had. The ache hit me all over again, hollow and heavy, like a stone in my chest that wouldn’t budge.
I stayed there for a while, rubbing my chest and letting the memories wash over me until the ache dulled enough to let go. With a shaky breath, I wiped my face and looked back at the screen. Time to keep going, one line at a time.
Gates. Nothing new popped up, which was disappointing, but I was getting used to this trial-and-error approach.
Next, "Available Stats…" My mind nudged the thought around, and a strange awareness told me I could assign stats or maybe convert them into something else.
Convert into what?
The idea was murky, almost like I could see it just out of reach. Still, it felt solid somehow, like an option waiting in the wings.
Finally, I tapped "Class Abilities," and the text exploded across my vision, blocks of information stacking up faster than I could blink. Just reading it all made my head spin; it was like staring down a mountain of choices, each one packed with who-knows-what. Overwhelming didn't begin to cover it.
Gate Traveler Abilities
Conversion between stat points and ability points:
Unique Class Ability
Exchange 5 stat points for 1 Ability Point.
No cost in mana or Ability Points.
I squinted at the text. “Five stat points for one ability point?” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. “Are those points that valuable?”
Keep looking and then decide.
Travelers' Archive:
Unique Class Ability
By Travelers for Travelers.
Gain access to the Travelers' Archive, where Travelers share knowledge. In each new world, access notes from other Travelers to help you navigate that world, and before you leave, add your own experiences to assist future Travelers.
Explore the General Information section for tips on becoming a successful Traveler.
No cost in mana or Ability Points.
I felt a spark of curiosity flicker in my chest. The idea of a Traveler network, a kind of interdimensional guidebook, was both comforting and surreal. “A cosmic travel blog?” I mumbled, leaning forward as if getting closer would make the words clearer. I couldn’t help but smirk. Might actually save me a lot of headaches—and embarrassing mistakes. I could almost hear Sophie’s voice teasing me, “What’s next, a Yelp for alien planets?” My smirk faded into a sad smile. For a moment, I just sat there, letting the memory settle before clicking to the next ability.
Identify:
Common Ability
Get basic information about a creature, object, or being by looking at it. Use it often to level it up and reveal more detailed information.
No cost in mana or Ability Points.
I rubbed my chin, imagining the possibilities. “An instant ID app,” I chuckled, thinking of my annoying habit of forgetting names. Practical, straightforward—a lifesaver in disguise, if it worked as promised. I made a mental note to test it out next time I headed out. A twinge of excitement nudged at me, urging me to see what came next.
Storage:
Unique Class Ability
Unlock a storage space with an initial size of 64 cubic meters (4x4x4m). Items in this space stay in a suspended state. Expanding it by 4 meters in each direction costs 1 Ability Point, allowing storage growth from 64 m³ > 512 m³ > 1728 m³ > 4096 m³. Expansions are limitless, but without increased stats, expanding can cause mental strain.
No mana cost, but accessing storage on worlds with mana levels of 10 or below takes more time and concentration.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I let out a low whistle, imagining the possibilities of a portable storage space. “No more luggage,” I murmured, my eyes widening. Finally, freedom from the curse of waiting at airport baggage claim. Leaning back, I cracked a grin—until I noticed the line about “mental strain.” My excitement faded as I rubbed my temple, frowning. Let’s hope it’s not the kind of strain that leaves you with a migraine for days. Still, the thought of traveling light was too tempting. I went ahead and bought my first 64 m³ of space, bracing for the mental strain… but nothing happened.
Local Adaptation:
Unique Class Ability
• Spoken Language: Gain basic understanding of a language by listening, and improve by speaking it.
Cost: 1 Ability Point, with a onetime mana cost of 500 per language.
• Written Language: Learn to read a language by viewing at least five words, and improve fluency by reading.
Cost: 1 Ability Point, with a onetime mana cost of 500 per language.
• Runes/Magic Script: Understand the meaning and use of runes and magic symbols. Mastery grows with additional symbols.
Cost: 5 Ability Points.
You can learn three types of rune or magic script languages; each extra language costs 1 Ability Point.
Mana cost: 50 per rune or symbol.
I ran a hand through my hair, imagining the sheer possibility of picking up languages on the fly. The idea of instantly understanding a new language sent a thrill up my spine, like I’d just unlocked some secret superpower. “Rosetta Stone, eat your heart out,” I joked to the empty room, grinning at the absurdity of it. I could almost picture Sophie’s face, rolling her eyes at my lame humor but secretly amused. This ability wasn’t just a luxury—it was practically essential. Even if I stayed on Earth and didn’t travel a single world, I could use this one right here.
Working in the ER, I’d lost count of how many times I’d struggled to communicate with patients who didn’t speak English. Those moments were a nightmare of clumsy charades and desperately hunting down someone to translate the basics. Where does it hurt? Are you allergic to anything? Such simple, vital questions, but the language barrier turned them into obstacles. Just the thought of never having to go through that again was like a weight lifting off my shoulders. I almost wished I hadn’t already spent my free Ability Point on the Storage.
Then again… I glanced back at the Storage description, a smile creeping onto my face. I’d never lost my luggage in transit, but I’d heard enough horror stories. No more luggage hassles. Maybe I’d made the right choice after all.
Travelers' Map:
Unique Class Ability
In each world, access a Map of that world, updated by other Travelers. The Map will continue updating as you explore. You can study existing maps to pre-fill parts of your Map, but these additions won’t update on the general Travelers' Map or be visible to other Travelers.
Cost: 1 Ability Point, with a onetime mana cost of 100 in each new world.
This one felt lackluster. More precisely, if I stayed on Earth, it’d be pretty useless—Earth’s maps were detailed enough. But if I decided to travel, then it’d be invaluable. No wonder Ability Points were so valuable, needing five stat points just to get one.
One of the Crowd:
Unique Class Ability
Everything a Traveler needs to hide their status as a Traveler.
On many worlds, abilities or devices exist to view personal information. This ability lets you cloak or modify your details:
• Change your name to blend in with local norms.
• Display one of your sub-classes or professions as your primary class, or show a false class based on your Skills or Spells.
• Hide parts of your information and replace them with question marks (Warning: This can draw unwanted attention).
Cost: 1 Ability Point, with no mana cost.
• On some technological or mana worlds, identification is required, like papers, badges, or ID chips. Use this ability to conjure suitable IDs:
Standard ID creation costs 100 mana.
Advanced IDs, like central database-linked chips, cost 500 mana.
• If the world doesn’t recognize your race, apply a glamour to appear local. The glamour drops once you pass through a Gate to a new world.
Cost: 300 mana per world.
• To travel successfully, a Traveler may need extra documentation. This ability allows you to conjure whatever documents are required.
Mana cost: varies based on specific requirements.
This one was incredible—total anonymity, even here on Earth. I’d lost count of the times I wished I could just disappear, blend into the background, be completely unnoticed. Maybe I’d been too hasty with that first Ability Point on Storage. If I ever decided to start traveling, this would be a game-changer. The thought of slipping through crowds, moving unseen, stirred something deep in me—a thrill I hadn’t felt in ages.
I grinned to myself. “Guess I’ll have the perfect disguise next time I wander into an orc tavern,” I joked, imagining the absurd scene. My laughter echoed in the empty room, filling the quiet space, and for a brief moment, it almost felt like Sophie was right there beside me, laughing along. The warmth of that thought settled over me, turning a small grin into a full smile.
Sub-Classes/Professions:
Unique Class Ability
Allows you to acquire up to three additional classes and professions to support your travels. While these are less powerful than primary classes, they still offer valuable abilities.
• 1st sub-class/profession: 1 Ability Point
• 2nd sub-class/profession: 3 Ability Points
• 3rd sub-class/profession: 5 Ability Points
No mana cost to gain a sub-class or profession.
My grin spread wider. The idea of picking up random skills sounded like a dream. “Why stop at Gate Traveler when I can also be a blacksmith or a pilot?” I muttered, excitement bubbling up. I could be the ultimate jack-of-all-trades. Leaning back in my chair, I shook my head, imagining all the ridiculous combinations. “Gate Traveler by day, mage-baker by night.”
General Spells and Skills:
Unique Class Ability
Travelers can learn any Spell or Skill from the connected worlds, allowing for versatility and adaptability. Each new Spell or Skill costs between 1-3 Ability Points and starts at level 1.
Mana cost for use varies by Spell or Skill.
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Reaching Level 10 in the Gate Traveler Class unlocks additional options.
SEE FULL LIST
Opening the list of Spells and Skills was like entering an endless library where every scroll and book was dedicated to some kind of ability or knowledge. At first, I was excited—how hard could it be to find something useful? But as I scrolled, that excitement turned to something closer to awe… and a bit of panic.
There were martial skills from every discipline I could think of, from Earth’s traditional martial arts to combat techniques that sounded like they belonged in some ancient myth or futuristic sci-fi epic. Fencing, swordsmanship, archery, staff fighting, hand-to-hand forms that had names I couldn’t even pronounce, and a range of weapon skills spanning from medieval axes and crossbows to laser guns and gravitic pulsers—some sci-fi tech straight out of a blockbuster.
And that wasn’t even the half of it. There were skills for every type of vehicle imaginable: driving, sailing, and piloting covered everything from a basic car to sailboats, motorbikes, helicopters, planes, and even spaceships. Spaceships! I could almost picture myself at the helm of some advanced vessel, cruising the stars.
Then I reached the magic section, and that’s when the list really got wild. Every school of magic you could think of, and many I’d never even heard of, were there—elemental spells, healing, necromancy, illusion, shadow manipulation, and even more obscure branches like dream weaving. Each category came with subcategories, and those had even more layers. It was like someone had compiled every fantasy trope, plus a dozen more, and stuffed them into this endless database.
But it didn’t stop at combat or magic. I found professional skills for every imaginable trade, from blacksmithing and carpentry to rare crafts like glassblowing and gem crafting. There were skills for things I never would have thought were worth training for, like animal taming, potion brewing, enchanting, and warding. Some labels sounded like things from fairy tales—dungeon engineering, spellbinding, formations. Even cursing had its own category, with subsections for everything from minor hexes to full-blown banishments.
And then, of course, there were the general skills—an encyclopedia of everything a regular person might pick up over a lifetime. Cooking, cleaning, and sewing were the basics, sure, but there was also swimming, rock climbing, fishing, and playing any instrument you could think of, from piano to lyre to some instrument I’d never heard of called a "thermablaster." Industrial machines had their own skills, covering everything from factory-level production to delicate work with micro-machines. The list even included things like diplomacy, negotiation, and spy craft, all just waiting to be learned and leveled up.
I scrolled and scrolled, and the list just kept going. It was like it had a life of its own, constantly adding new skills and spells to tempt me, mocking me with possibilities I couldn’t even wrap my head around. The sheer scale of it all hit me like a tidal wave, drowning me in endless options. This class wasn’t just overpowered—it was ridiculously overpowered! I could be anything!
A bubbling laugh escaped before I could contain it. Then another, louder this time. I couldn’t stop myself—I sounded like one of those people on the gaming forums, the ones raving about “OP MCs” that I couldn’t understand last week.
I could be an OP MC!
The thought was so outrageous, so completely over the top, that it sent me over the edge.
I laughed so hard my stomach cramped, doubling over, trying to catch my breath but failing miserably. The room echoed with my laughter, and soon, tears were streaming down my face. Every time I thought I’d gotten a grip, I’d picture myself as the overpowered main character, some unstoppable force casually mastering everything from spaceship navigation to rune magic to… dungeon engineering? The absurdity of it brought on another wave of laughter, leaving me gasping for air.
It was hysterical, a laugh that came from somewhere deep, a mix of awe and disbelief. The absurdity kept hitting me over and over, each time setting off another round of hysterical laughter that echoed through the room. My sides and face hurt. I couldn’t take a full breath, but I still couldn’t stop laughing. It was too surreal.
Me! An OP MC!
Another wave of hysterics …