TravelingDreamer

B7—Chapter 15: The Spiral That Kicked My Butt

On my way to the healing hall, a man walked toward me. I stopped and stared. He appeared to be in his fifties, with salt-and-pepper hair and a simple robe, but what caught my attention was his beard and the trouble it was causing him. It reached the floor, and every couple of steps, he stepped on it, nearly tripped, then righted himself and kept walking.

I had my suspicions.

Bu Casure
Wizard Level 32

Ha! I knew it.

I checked...

B7—Chapter 14: Takeaway for Gorgoruts

I finished clearing the backlog of patients in Outpost Three, including those in the healing hall and those recuperating at home, and even managed to regrow a few limbs. There was still neither hide nor hair of House Pelmen. That was good in a way. I didn’t want to relocate yet, but on the other hand, I really liked the cool stuff we’d collected from the last group.

I took a couple of days off. Three of the local long weeks of nonstop healing had been good for my class and progress,...

B7—Chapter 13: An Unexpected Milestone

We headed out of the outpost but stopped by the Cleaner’s office on the way. The gang waited for me while invisible, and I slipped into a shadowed corner, dropped mine, and walked in plain sight for what I figured would be my last visit with Fu. His secretary had already left for the night, but Fu was still in, his door open and light spilling into the hall.

I leaned on the frame and stuck my head inside. “Can I come in for a minute?”

Fu glanced up from the papers on his des...

B7—Chapter 12: A New Official Family Member

When I came down in the morning, Mahya, Rabban, and Sonak were sitting at my breakfast bar, plates in front of them. Rue was licking his chops beside an empty bowl.

“You cooked?” I asked Mahya, genuinely shocked.

“Of course not.” She jabbed a thumb toward Rabban. “He did.”

Now the world made sense again.

I moved to the counter, pulling out the coffee pot and filling it with water. I glanced back over my shoulder at them as the smell of roasted beans started...

B7—Chapter 11: Never Trust a Duck

I was in the kitchen, scooping coffee into the pot, when Al came down looking neat as always. He gave me a polite nod before pulling out a stool and settling on it, folding his hands on the counter like he was waiting for something.

“Do you know when they’re coming back?” I asked as I poured water into the pot.

“Two of the local weeks.”

I almost spilled the coffee. “What? Why so long?”

“Mahya purchased a portal with a two-week duration until clear. They...

B7—Chapter 10: Crazy System of Greed

We picked up Rue from his after-lunch nap by the hostess stand in the restaurant, and Rabban led us to the residential area. It was big. There were a lot of people in the outpost, but I hadn’t thought there were that many. The residential area could house a few thousand people, if not tens of thousands. Tall seven-story buildings stood in the same square design of gray boxes with small windows. There were also long two-story buildings and private houses, ranging from tiny to huge. Pools dot...

Update

Hi guys and girls,

Tomorrow is the first day of school after the summer vacation, and I spent the whole day with my kid. We had to buy a ton of stuff, and he wanted to have fun and eat in restaurants on his "last day of freedom."

I just got back and won't have time to write a chapter. Instead, you'll get one tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

Have a great evening,

TD

B7—Chapter 9: Pi’s Hug and Other Shocks

On the way to the post leader, Mahya glanced sideways at Rabban. “Where is the closest Magitech guild?”

Rabban shook his head. “They don’t have guilds here.”

Mahya blinked at him. “No guilds?”

“No.” He spread his hands. “I told you. Everything is controlled by nobles.” He jabbed a finger toward a centipede-like vehicle rumbling past, its segmented body clattering. “House Jook, the one that controls this outpost, builds the Ironcrawlers.”

He sh...

B7—Chapter 8: When Old Faces Come Knocking

On our way to the outpost, we passed a large herd of strange monsters with horns and long, bright turquoise fur, fighting with something brown. I couldn’t see what it was, hidden among all that fur.

“We should come back and skin those,” Mahya sent telepathically. “They’ll sell for good money in Saa.”

“If they don’t dissipate,” I said.

“They won’t. I saw a couple dead on the ground.”

Al also sent joyous sounds ...

B7—Chapter 7: It’s Not Only People Who Level Up

The next Gate after Earth was also a disappointment. No mana or tech level, so we just crossed it for the count and kept going. None of us wanted another assault with the contents of a chamberpot. The trip to reach it took almost four weeks, with several dungeons along the way and three hailstorms that each lasted between three to five days. One storm caught us just as we landed to clear a couple of dungeons the wind had pointed out, so we first had to wait out the murder balls before clearin...

B7—Chapter 6: When a Gate Throws a Curveball

Mahya and Al wanted another couple of days before we moved to the next Gate. She had some idea about how to open up the parts of the Magitech cleaning robot, but after two days, it led nowhere, and she walked around with storm clouds over her head, growling at everyone. She glared at me about the noise my mixer was making and barked at Rue when his tail brushed against her leg. Since the dungeons were closed and the monsters cleared, there was no good outlet for her mood. At one point, she ev...

Interlude 5: The Lucky Princess

Author's note

Hi gang,

Here’s another blast from the past. This one picks up right after the chapter Luck Stat and Its Intricacies, when John saved a pregnant princess and her daughter. They named her Sophia, honoring both him and his late wife, and he gave her the Lucky Bracelet.

Have fun,
TD

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Sophia Age 0

She entered the world on a dusty road in...

Interlude 2: World Falling Down 

Author's Note

Hi gang,

I’m working on revisions of book one for publication and added a couple of side stories. This one takes place right after the chapter One Last Thing To Do …, where John “loots” his wife’s parents.

I’m not uploading it to RR or SH—it will only be in the book—but I thought you might like to read it if you’re interested. It’s out of sequence and drops you back into the past, so if you’d rather not rewind tha...

B7—Chapter 5: How Not to Celebrate a Cleared List

My original plan was to leave the next morning, but a hailstorm ruined it. For the rest of the day, I stayed in the library, searching for information about mind magic with little success. The only book I found with any connection to the subject was about illusions that were based on mind magic, not like my bard illusions.

By late afternoon, I came up with a better way to spend my time and went to the spell room. If I could find an appropriate spell, it would be expensive. To offset the...

B7—Chapter 4: Mind Control Sucks

It was night in Zindor. I took out the core and almost opened the house, but then stored it away and took to the sky. It was better to process things with friends around. This time, I flew slower, not like all the denizens of hell were on my tail, and regenerated actively. Occasionally, shudders ran through my body, and goosebumps kept breaking out on my skin.  This was a dangerous adventure. I suspected that my curiosity would get me in trouble one day, but I was sure it wouldn't be thi...

B7—Chapter 3: Know your Limits

Author's Note

Here's an extra chapter this week as an apology 😊

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I jolted upright, fully awake, before I even knew why. Luck, Perception, the link to the system, everything screamed in unison. DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!

I was still in my small inn room, the scent of old wood and faint cooking smoke lingering from the night before. Soft dawn light touched my face, and the sky beyond the window was just beg...

B7—Chapter 2: What the Hell?

After five days in the wilderness, it was time to meet the locals. I basked in the quiet. It was great, fantastic, amazing, glorious, marvelous, wonderful, and every other epithet I could think of. It filled my mental reserves and rejuvenated me, along with my excitement for everything, but I no longer needed it. My peopling reserves were full for days to come.

On the Map, the stream I followed connected to a big river that had a town on its other bank. As good a destination as any.

B7—Chapter 1: Campfire Songs of Old Roads

For the first two days in Marita, I stayed by the Gate. All around me were the same “unnatural” colors of everything and the same pointy peaks. Of course, expecting the world to change was a bit odd, but plants usually shift with the seasons. Trees turn from green to the colors of autumn and then lose their leaves. Here, nothing changed, even though I could feel it was a different season. The air was much colder. Before, we wore T-shirts and felt hot. Now I needed a long-sleeved shirt and...

The Beginning

The Gate called me with unseen threads,
Locked my mind on target.
Pulled my feet from the well-worn trail,
Unlocked the hidden secret in my blood.
An open universe, unknown,
Full of magic and wonder.
But also a confusing time,
Without understanding.

Chorus
My blood hid a secret,
So big and bold,
It overshadowed everything.
But it also opened a door,
A door to achieve anything.

From a junk-filled Archive,
To mana’s rise,
From healing to m...

Update

Hi guys and girls,

Israel is experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees in the shade and humidity at 90 percent. The result is a pounding headache. I tried to write and even managed about a thousand words, but I’m calling it quits for now. The heatwave is expected to continue tomorrow, so I’m not sure how things will go. Either way, I’ll make up for the missed chapter as soon as I can.

B6—Chapter 67: Leaving the Kids

To go solo traveling, I needed to do some preparation. The first stop, or rather, multiple stops, was locating all the dungeons with the help of the wind. They weren’t ready to start clearing them yet, but I did need to find the locations to save them time.

I connected to the wind and asked for help, and this time I did so while examining my mana system to better understand how it worked. The mana didn’t go down my wind affinity channels while I communicated with her, but there was ...

B6—Chapter 66: Mental Exhaustion

The gang went out to continue clearing the first town of monsters, and I, bolstered by my successful practice with the ice, decided to train the other elements.

The first one I wanted to work with was Wind. The way Rue blew away monsters with his breath was highly impressive. Sadly, his explanation of “Wind friend help” maybe helped him, but definitely didn’t help me figure out how to do it. I almost blacked out from too much blowing with little to show for it.

I 2025-08-07 18:47:31 +0000 UTC View Post

B6—Chapter 65: Back in the Land of Dungeons and the Home of Monsters

The hailstorm lasted two days. On the first day, all of us were happy to stay at home, relax, and eat the delicious shepherd’s pie I made. Inspired by Rue’s obsession, I made it with minced dungeon beef and smoked crab mixed in, and instead of potatoes, I used raak from Lumis. The result was one of my best creations, and the largest pan I had was gone in under ten minutes. I made three more during the day, and we gorged ourselves on tasty food. Al contributed a drink that started green wi...

B6—Chapter 64: The End of Another Adventure

I spent the entire day in the warehouse, watching Mr. Stobor, the Sales Master, in action. He was the best salesperson I’d ever seen. His class registered as Supplies Expert, level 49, but the man practically oozed Merchant. Watching him praise a ceramic figurine of a cat pawing at a ball of yarn was pure poetry. He spun a story about that silly cat so effortlessly, I almost bought it myself. Considering the fact that it was mine to begin with and I had no use for the damn...

B6—Chapter 63: Spring Cleaning

Hi everyone,

The summer vacation saga continues. Tomorrow, my kid is heading to a water park, and I’m tagging along as a chaperone. So, as always, you're getting the chapter early.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep up the tradition of early chapters, due to planned activities, for the rest of the summer break.

Have fun,
TD

>>>>>

Less than an hour into my flight toward Saa, it started raining. For the first few minutes, it was the light drizzle...

B6—Chapter 62: House of a Thousand Headaches

Hey everyone!

Tomorrow’s chapter is arriving a day early. I’ve got another D&D tournament at my place tomorrow. This time it’s only nine guests instead of fourteen, so technically that’s progress… but I still don’t think I’ll get any writing done.

Summer vacation, they said. It’ll be relaxing, they said.

Sigh.

Enjoy the early chapter!

>>>>>>

The work to finish the second story of Al’s house was surprisingly easy. We d...

B6—Chapter 61: DIY Disasters, the Magical Edition

Hey everyone,

I’m posting tomorrow’s chapter today because I’ll be at an amusement park with my kid and some friends tomorrow.

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To get ready for Al’s house project, I took out three sets of wood building spells. One I gave to Mahya, and the other I placed in Al’s lab, right in the middle of his main work table. That was the most likely spot he would notice them first. Before learning them, I reread the descriptions.

B6—Chapter 60: A Case of the Crazies

By the time we finished with my house, I had already merged eighty-four cores. The math continued to break my brain. With the smallest being approximately four centimeters in diameter and the largest just above nine, those eighty-four cores should have produced a core larger than twenty-five centimeters. They didn’t. The resulting core was only sixteen. I already understood that magic doesn’t follow the known laws of physics—or more precisely, math in this case—but it still drove me c...

B6—Chapter 59: Progress in Almost Every Direction

When I woke up, I was lying in bed, with Rue curled up beside me, his head resting on my legs. His voice shouted into my head. “Mahya! John awake!”

I groaned and lifted a hand to my face. “Don’t shout. If she’s close enough, she’ll hear you just fine without the yelling.”

In response, he licked my face from chin to forehead, drenching half of it in slobber.

Mahya burst into the room a moment later, her eyes wide. “H...

B6—Chapter 58: On the Seesaw of Creation and Destruction

I thought our stay at the lake would last a couple of weeks. In reality, it stretched into more than three months. I didn’t know the exact length of time we were there, but that was my best guess. Without a calendar or anywhere to be, the days blurred together, and it was hard to keep track of time. The weather didn’t help either. It rained every few days, and one week we had nonstop drizzle, but that was about it. I honestly had no idea if it was summer, spring, some strange version of w...