The moment he stepped through, the smell hit him first—damp earth, the faint tang of resin, and something floral yet sharp, like a meadow after rain. He glanced around, eyes widening.
It looked like he was standing in a forest. And surprisingly, it was now dawn in this place. The first light of the sun had only just begun to spread.
He was stunned.
[Welcome, Host. You have successfully entered a different world.]
A panel of glowing text floated before his eyes—
World Name: Eldravia (D-47X-AL)
Risk Level: Moderate
Rotation Period: 24 Hours (Solar Day)
Climate: Diverse biomes
Opportunity: Unlimited
Host Location: Eastern Forest, Dawn
He quickly looked around. The trees resembled oaks from his own world, but the leaves were somewhat elongated, and their veins glowed with a faint light. It seemed as if the trees themselves were radiating life force.
Suddenly, something stirred in the bushes to his right. For a brief second, his instincts screamed danger, but what emerged made his jaw drop.
A rabbit—at least it looked like one—bounded out. Except this rabbit had two delicate antlers sprouting from its head. They gleamed faintly in the morning light.
"Damn… a deer-rabbit?"
The creature froze, looked at him, then ran back into the bushes.
"This… this really is another world."
In that instant, a thought struck his mind like lightning.
He could livestream this—overnight, he'd become wildly popular. The man who discovered world travel—instant fame, interviews, maybe even a Netflix deal. His name would be written in golden letters in history, without doubt, since this was the greatest discovery mankind had ever made.
But there was a problem. The moment he opened his mouth about it, some shadowy government types would kick down his door, drag him off to a black site, and lock him up in some filthy basement—or worse, experiment on him. Goodbye freedom.
So, the smartest move was to keep it a secret and use it to gain influence and power. That would be his goal from now on.
He then asked the system—
"Sista, is there a settlement nearby? Any locals around?"
[Apologies, Host. You do not have access to that function yet. You must raise your level to unlock more system functions.]
Michael frowned.
"So… basically, I know nothing about this place. How the hell am I supposed to even survive?"
[You are a Street Trader. Use your profession. A merchant's first resource is information. You must gather knowledge directly from the locals. To succeed, you must work for it.]
Michael whistled softly. "Brilliant. So basically, I'm stuck in bloody tutorial mode."
He exhaled deeply, his head swirling with thoughts.
Then suddenly, another question came to him.
"Wait… can I return to Earth whenever I want?"
[Of course, you can return. Simply say—'Open Earth Portal.']
Michael said, "Open Earth Portal."
[Portal opening to Earth…]
[Dimensional Energy Consumed: 5%]
The portal opened before him.
This time, however, it was different. There was no blinding surge of light, no crushing air pressure, no long seconds of waiting while reality cracked apart. Instead, the portal simply unfolded in front of him the instant he spoke.
So the first time takes effort to establish the connection, but once a link exists… it's instant.
"Huh. That's a relief."
Michael stepping inside, he found himself back in his grandfather's room.
"Ah… that's good… cool."
But then another question ran through his mind.
"All right, Sista. What exactly is this… Dimensional Energy I just spent?"
Sista's voice echoed inside his head—
[It is a type of primal force, used to open portals. Each time you open a gate, 5% energy is consumed. If your energy drops to zero, you will no longer be able to travel to Earth or any other world. The only option then will be to purchase energy from the Store—using D Coins.]
"Wait… so if one day I run out of energy and don't buy any from the Store, I'll be trapped forever in another world?"
[Correct, Host. Dimensional Energy is a crucial resource for inter-world travel.]
"God damn… right then, D Coins. Do I only earn them from missions?"
[You will receive D Coins for every completed mission. In addition, you may also convert earthly currency or foreign world currency into D Coins. Not only that—you can also exchange D Coins for any currency you wish.]
"Huh… so I can convert them into Euros or Dollars as well?"
[Absolutely, Host. Simply enter the Currency Converter and select the currency you want.]
With a pop sound, a new screen floated before him.
On a transparent panel, in large letters, it read—
Currency Converter
[Select the currency you wish to convert from and to]
From (the currency you're converting):
[Dropdown Menu]
To (the currency you want):
[Dropdown Menu]
Amount:
[__________]
You will receive:
[Convert] Button
Michael selected—
From: D Coins
To: Euro (€)
Amount: [1]
You Will Receive:
24,000 Euro
[Convert] Button
Michael stared at it in astonishment.
"One coin… equals twenty-four thousands Euros?" he whispered, almost afraid the system would correct him.
His eyes darted back to the [ATTRIBUTES] panel.
D-Coins: 500
His pulse quickened. The math screamed at him— "Holy—shit… that's twelve million."
"I'm bloody rich now…"