The Gate Traveler-Side Story 1: The [Very] Difficult Childhood of Guar Shum

Guar Age 14

"Dad, I can't run anymore!"

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.

"Yes, you can. When I was traveling the demon realm Jehenam, I had to run for …"

Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before—me and every other person who knows about the Gates and would listen to you for more than five minutes.

The ground blurred beneath my feet, each step a battle against the weight in my legs. The rhythmic pounding of my boots echoed in my ears, drowned out only by the burning rasp of every breath. My lungs burned with each gasp.

Still, I pushed forward, tuning him out.

"… and I entered the cave, and there were those giant lizards with horns …"

He's still going about it?

I barely had the energy to roll my eyes.

Age 15

A sharp throb shot up my forearm as I stumbled back, shaking out the lingering sting. "Ouch, Dad, you almost broke my arm!"

He glared at me. "You have to learn to block."

"I did block, but you hit me too hard. I don't have the Trait numbers like you!"

I flexed my fingers, testing for damage. My arm still worked—barely—but damn, that hurt.

He pointed an accusing finger at me. "Those are just excuses; Trait numbers are not everything. When I traveled the demon realm Jehenam, I had to fight …"

Here we go again …

Biting back a groan, I braced for another long-winded tale. Meanwhile, my arm was still screaming in protest, but sure, let’s pretend that was just an excuse.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Age 16

"Mom, I can't eat that! It's raw!"

The pale flesh glistened under the light, and the smell—sharp, metallic, and way too fresh—turned my stomach.

"Yes, you can. You have to learn to adapt. When your father was traveling the demon realm of Jehenam, he had to survive on raw …"

Oh, Blessed Spirits of Old, not you too!

I dropped my head into my hands, groaning as the inevitable lecture began. First Dad, now Mom? Was there some secret agreement to test my endurance—physically and mentally? My appetite had already fled, and now my patience was running for the hills, too.

Age 17

"Swear to me!" He pressed.

"But it's not fair!” I shouted back. “You left our world with 50 gold that Grandad gave you. Why can't I leave until I earn 5 gold on my own? You are setting me up to fail!"

Frustration burned in my chest, my fists clenching at my sides.

"NO! I'm preparing you for every eventuality. When I was traveling the demon realm of Jehenam, I had to …"

Blessed Spirits of Old, please kill me; I can't hear this again.

My head tilted back, eyes searching the sky for some merciful force to strike me down before the lecture ran its full course. I could hear the next part in my head, or even recite it with him.

Age 19

I threw my hands in the air, frustration boiling over. "Seriously? You want me to leave with one week of food rations and two weeks of water supply? You left home with all of Grandad's traveling equipment, food and water for months, and 50 gold. How is that fair?"

He fixed me with a stern expression, standing like some great sage imparting the wisdom of the ages. His arms folded, his chin lifted just enough to make it clear I wasn’t about to win this argument.

"You need to make your own fortune in the universe. When I was traveling the demon realm of Jehenam …"

Yeah, yeah, three demons wanted to eat you and chased you for five days. You had to fight monsters, and then they found something else to eat and left. You didn't have ability points to buy Invisibility, so it took you twenty-two days to sneak to the Gate. You Gate-hopped home and never left.

" … I climbed the cliff …"

Blessed Spirits of Old, why do I deserve this? Did I offend some great deity? Why me?

I rubbed my temples, bracing for the full saga. If past experience was anything to go by, this would take at least an hour, complete with dramatic pauses and grand hand gestures.

Age 21

Travelers Gate #186227376

Destination: Shimoor

Status: Integrated

Mana level: 17

Threat level: Very low

Finally!