Kira Hawthorne sighed, tossing an apple core toward the ground far below. She sat comfortably on a swing made of verdant green vines drooping from the branches of a tall tree.

The lanky teenage girl looked like a youngster from the countryside: she wore knee-length denim shorts and a sleeveless shirt revealing tanned arms spotted with freckles, like clusters of stars on her shoulders. She seemed oblivious to the fact she was barefoot in the wilderness, or that her dirty blond hair tied back in a casual messy bun had a few leaves sticking out of it.

Her round face had more freckles splattered across her cheekbones and upturned button nose. Bright blue fox eyes were usually drooping in a lazy expression, thin lips curved into an almost constant idle smile.

Her surroundings were simple, almost idyllic. The tall tree grew atop a lone hill in the midst of a field of flowers that stretched as far as the eye could see. Somewhere beyond the limit of her vision the ground began to curve, so that when she looked upward she could see a familiar forest rather than an empty sky.

It was as though she were constantly at the bottom of a strange hollow sphere. No matter where Kira walked, the ground was beneath her feet and a different area of the Gate was above her head. Despite this odd arrangement there were obvious day and night cycles with lighting and shadows from the mysteriously invisible sun and moon.

Deer, foxes, squirrels, and other wildlife frolicked in the flowers without a care in the world, completely oblivious to her presence.

Even when she whacked a raccoon upside the head with an apple core, it merely took its prize from Heaven and ran.

Kira had long accepted her strange fate. One moment she was getting ready for school, grabbing her backpack and notebooks from where she threw them a few days before. Then she found herself stepping through a door not into her usual familiar old hallway but into a vast forest.

In hindsight her bedroom door looked a little different than usual and maybe she should have inspected it more closely before running through. But in Kira's defense: it was a rainy Monday morning, she spent all night doing a big raid in her favorite video game which she was both main healer and party leader for, and she wasn't entirely conscious when she ran out.

And then there was the whole thing with the Janus guy, and the System...

It took her awhile to get over the initial freak-out.

Once she calmed down Kira realized it was actually an excellent opportunity. Obviously she stumbled into one of the Gate things, so she could just hide out for awhile and take it easy! Explore the Gate instead of having to go to school, deal with teachers and other students and tests and homework...

Everything she hated about her life, she could just. Ignore for awhile!

So she did.

The Gate wasn't completely peaceful but it provided the necessities and always had perfect weather. Clean water, fruit, and vegetables were everywhere. Fat slow fish drifted lazily in the several forest ponds, creating a simple source of protein. Aggressive creatures distinct from normal wildlife were easily dispatched with a throw of a rock, and she gained the 【 Dismantle 】 skill under highly insistent tutorial instructions from the new System.

And in the forest was a small cottage surrounded by a village of fluffy talking creatures who called themselves Porin. She had to buy supplies for exorbitant prices through the System Shop, trading in dismantled monster parts and foraged goods for pitiful amounts of Credits, but it allowed her to have things like toilet paper and blankets.

Days faded in to each other.

She wasn't sure when it began, but her perception of each day seemed to become a bit blurry. Perfect weather, abundant food, a safe place to sleep and friendly little talking creatures to socialize with.

Kira grabbed a vine and freed herself from the swing, descending slowly to the ground with the support of the rope-like plant.

"I've been having such a good time on my holiday... Maybe I should figure out how to go back now. They're gonna be so mad at me..."

Kira meandered through the woods with both hands in her pockets. Despite her casual pace and lack of anything resembling stealth, none of the monsters on the way even bothered tossing her a single glance.

They used to scare her, the big wolves and boars and vicious bunnies with rows of sharp little teeth, but somewhere along the line they just became background noise.

As far as she could figure, it probably had something to do with her special passive skills.

NAME SPECIES CLASS TITLES Kira Hawthorne Human Geomancer 《 Relic 》 RANK LEVEL HP MP F 1 20/20 50/50 STR INT AGI DEX 4 6 1 3 PASSIVE 【 Acrobatic 】 【 Human Adaptability 】 【 Keen Aim 】 【 Sense 】 【 Trifling Presence 】 SKILLS 【 Dismantle 】 SPELLS 【 Throw Rock 】

None of the monsters gave any experience no matter how many hundreds or thousands she killed. Over time she learned a Skill, a Spell, and a few Passives. She looted a Class Medallion that made her into a Geomancer for some reason, but unfortunately...

Without something like Scan she couldn't actually analyze her own information. Or even that strange title that popped up on its own one day! And she only knew that because of tutorial tooltips that popped up in the first few days whenever she encountered new things.

While she could buy Skill Books from the System Shop, they were stupid expensive. High-level Skills like Scan, Inspect, Appraise, all cost more individually than the total amount she earned collectively during her entire time in the Gate.

A time which she was pretty sure wasn't anything to sneeze at.

Through the System Shop she could buy books, music, even episodes of television series with her handful of Credits, but she couldn't communicate with the outside world.

On top of everything, her brain felt a bit fuzzy. She couldn't clearly remember when she found the Class Medallion, what monster it dropped from, or even when she started fighting monsters instead of running and hiding like she did in the beginning.

The first week or so in the Gate was a clear sequence of memories, and then the most recent week was always clear. But how about in between?

Everything was an odd dream-like haze. It didn't feel uncomfortable or particularly alarming, just... Unfocused.

"How long have I actually been in here?" Kira muttered, plucking a piece of Sweetgrass from a clump growing nearby and biting down on the tough stalk. It tasted a bit like cotton candy with the texture of a marshmallow. "Two weeks, a month? Two months?

"Mom's probably furious. And the school. Ahhh... I'm gonna be so behind on homework! But... It really can't be helped if I don't know how to leave."

Kira made her way back home at a leisurely pace.

"Welcome back, Kira!"

"Hi, Kira!"

"Welcome home!"

A chorus of voices greeted her as she entered the glade where her cottage and the Porin village were located. Giant mushrooms and tree stumps surrounded the cottage, with various openings for their Porin occupants to freely enter or exit.

Fuzzy little balls of fluff of every color, with eyes like black marbles and big mouths forming silly grins, countless Porin bounced up and down around her feet and ankles without obstructing her path. The smallest were the size of a ripe plum while the largest could compete with a basketball.

Some of the more bold Porin scrambled up her body, clinging to her clothes to avoid scratching her skin with their little claws. "Kira! Kira! Will you play with us today?"

"Kira! Did you get more snacks today?"

"Kira, Kira!"

"Kira, can we play?"

"That's quite enough children," a wizened old voice interrupted. An enormous pure white Porin, bigger than the others by far with fur growing to resemble an elderly beard in shape, waddled through the crowd. "Miss Kira is troubled. Now is not the time to play."

The biggest and oldest Porin, known only as Elder amongst his peers and Gramps to the teenager, didn't object when Kira lifted him into her arms and carried him onto the cottage porch. All the other little Porin grumbled and scattered to continue their daily routines of romping and eating berries.

Kira sat with the elder on a cushioned bench. "How can you always tell when I'm bothered, Gramps?" People usually complained she wasn't expressive enough, but even the most subtle of her moods were always detected by the wise old Porin.

"We've known each other a long time now, Miss Kira." Elder chuckled, kneading the cushion with his paws before settling into a comfortable loaf position. "Long enough for your face to be as familiar to me as my own."

"Really...?" Kira sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "That long, huh..."

Comfortable silence stretched out between them. Kira yawned and leaned back on the bench, but Elder knew better than to rush Kira through her thoughts. He waited patiently while she sorted words and concerns into something concise and manageable.

"Do you know how to leave the Gate?" She finally asked, scratching her neck again.

"I do."

"Can you tell me?"

"I cannot."

Kira sighed. "Any hints?"

Elder thought for a moment. When he spoke again, he slowly enunciated every word. "This Gate is a Teaching-type meant for the youth. I have told you this before, I believe, and explained it is for learning useful skills. But I failed to explain not all useful skills are related to combat."

"And you haven't told me this before why?"

"You never asked."

Kira coughed awkwardly. Well... That was true. Elder never offered information in all the long time she knew him, she always...

Had...

To ask first.

The girl sat up straight, feeling like a lightbulb suddenly illuminated the empty space of her mind. "Gramps! What can you teach me?"

Elder chuckled, a soft ripple spreading through his long, fluffy fur. "That took you long enough. Is it really so hard to ask for help?"

Kira blushed. Honestly, she enjoyed spending time in the Gate. Everything felt so laid back and relaxing once she got used to fighting monsters!

Playing with the little Porins, napping in the cottage or the forest or the flower fields, watching television through the System and munching on ridiculously expensive snacks...

She wasn't actually... Trying. Just... Existing.

"I wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere!" Kira muttered, avoiding eye contact with the chuckling old Porin. "Otherwise I would have noticed a lot sooner... Since you always answer my questions but never volunteer info... So, teach me! Er. Please."

Elder chuckled again. A white light enveloped his fluffy body, coalescing into an orb above his head that slowly shaped itself into a book. It dropped into Kira's hands, and a familiar tooltip screen appeared above the cover.

Skill Book Obtained 【 Earthshape 】 Learn the skill? 《 Yes 》 《 No 》

Again, without Scan or anything, she failed to obtain more useful information. Kira glanced at Elder, raising her eyebrows. "What does it do?"

"Shaping is the basis of elemental magic. Fireshape, Earthshape, Watershape, and so on. Through Shaping you use mana to manipulate a chosen element with sheer force of will. It lacks the raw power of a Spell, but is required as the foundation for Spellcraft and has its own utility as well."

"And this, this was what I needed all along to leave?" Kira frowned, tapping 《 Yes 》 to learn the Skill. The book dissolved into a cluster of golden lights that rushed to hug her head, merging information into her mind before vanishing.

"No."

Kira resisted the urge to bounce the Elder on the ground like a fluffy basketball. "Then! What! Do! I! Need!"

"Miss Kira... You need to learn to ask when you don't know something. Communication is important in life, and there's no shame in lacking knowledge. There is only shame in remaining ignorant when opportunities for enlightenment are presented before you." Seeing the girl look embarrassed, Elder smiled and placed a paw on Kira's knee. "Don't rely on personal biases. You did not think a Porin like myself could teach you anything of use, so you never asked. And yet, here we are. In the future, I hope you will keep this lesson in mind. This skill is what you truly lacked."

The old Porin waved his paw in the air. White threads of light emerged from the tips of his claws, forming a door at the base of the porch steps.

The door was solid black. In its opalescent white frame was set a glass container filled with golden liquid that sparkled and gave off its own glow. Embedded in the upper right corner of the door frame was a red gem the size of a man's fist.

Kira looked at the door, then at the calm old Porin who hopped down from the bench to waddle in front of it.

She hesitated for a moment, then asked: "Gramps... Can you... Tell me about Gate doors?"

Elder felt happiness in his little dual hearts seeing her take the lesson seriously. "Of course, Miss Kira. On a door leading into a Gate there will always be carvings depicting what enemies or challenges await within.

"The glass container is the Meter. For most Gates, it shows how close the Gate is to either being fully closed or reset. When it's closed, the Gate will merge with the world in which it appeared and cease being a separate pocket of existence. If the liquid is gold it's counting down to a closure, while silver liquid means a reset.

"A reset causes the Gate to revert to its original state. Terrain is fixed, loot restored, monsters are respawned, and non-occupants are kicked out the door."

"The gem in the corner of the frame reveals how difficult the Gate is among others of its type. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black, in ascending order of difficulty.

"Meanwhile, the door frame material refers to the quality of the Gate. Wood, bronze, iron, silver, gold, mithril, adamantium. Again, in ascending order."

"And here," Elder bounced up to tap a plaque beneath the Meter with his claws. "Are the Rules. Gates can have many Rules, or none at all. It will also list the Gate's requirements for completion and what type of Gate it is. Teaching, Challenge, Training, Conquest, or Hybrid.

"This is a Teaching Gate, which means the exit door wouldn't appear until you completed the assigned task. Now that you've passed the lesson, you can leave whenever you like.

"And that's all I can tell you. Everything else you'll have to learn elsewhere." Elder chuckled, concluding his long lecture by stroking his 'beard' with a paw.

Kira hesitated, glancing at the door then back to the old Porin. "When I leave... Can I come back in?"

Elder paused. His black marble eyes seemed to become especially watery for a moment, and he glanced off to the side. "No, Miss Kira. You've passed the lesson, and this was a single-use Gate."

"But... Then the Gate will merge with the world, right? So you'll all still..."

Elder bounced over to jump onto Kira's lap. Like the polite old gentlePorin he was, Elder pretended not to notice the girl's tears. Instead, he snuggled into her arms for an affectionate hug. "Yes, Miss Kira. We will be somewhere in the world, waiting for you to visit us again. But this farewell, you must admit, has been long overdue."

"I did slack off a little, huh?" Kira sniffled, rubbing the corners of her eyes to chase away the tears. She didn't know how long she'd been in the Gate, but from the hints Elder gave she could guess it was a bit more than the two weeks it felt like.

Thanks to the Porins, her time in the Gate felt more like a vacation or holiday than anything else. She didn't miss her family or friends yet since the little fuzzy guys kept her busy with games and little parties when she wasn't hunting monsters or lazing about. She'd really grown fond of them and their playful ways!

Leaving the cottage and the Porin village felt like moving away from her hometown.

Her heart ached.

"You are indeed a little lazy, Miss Kira." Elder chuckled, then let out a low whistle that caused the entire village of Porins to gather around the cottage. "Everyone, Miss Kira has closed the Gate! Let us all give her a grand farewell party!"

Cheers filled the air. Kira was swarmed by baby Porins rubbing their faces against her with affection, while the adults fetched stores of fruits, herbs, nuts and veggies.

Watching Porin cook was always entertaining. Kira realized after Elder's explanation that they used Earthshaping to create ovens, pans, plates and bowls of smooth stone. Water was carried from the nearest source in little stone buckets, and older children gathered firewood. They used Windshaping and Watershaping to mix and combine ingredients, then Fireshaping to heat the ovens.

She never asked if they could teach her how to do it because she thought it was inborn magic unique to their species. She expected magic to involve chants, or magic circles, or hand gestures, or wands and staves, and anything else must have been something like psychic powers, right?

Like Elder said, Kira was affected by her personal bias.

Once she recognized her mistake, she asked Porin who weren't busy cooking to help her practice Earthshaping and provide some tips.

Kira and the Porins partied for three days, singing and dancing and eating all sorts of yummy food. She sold all the excess materials in her Inventory to buy treats and party favors from the System Shop, showing the little ones the joy of party poppers and silly string.

Early in the morning on the fourth day, Kira stood before the Gate with an unusually serious expression. Elder emerged from his tree stump, waddling over to stand beside her in silence.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Kira said after a few minutes. She didn't dare turn to look at the village for fear of crying.

"We will miss you as well, Miss Kira. I... Do not know if we will change during the merge. Sometimes merging into a new world causes the Gate inhabitants to adapt their forms. We may look different the next time we meet, but... We will wait for you, Miss Kira. As long as it takes for you to find us again."

"And then we can have another party, right?"

"The biggest party."

Kira grinned, scooping Elder off the ground and planting a big kiss on his forehead. "See you later, Gramps. Thanks for everything."

Elder coughed and spluttered, his white fur turning an interesting shade of red. He barely composed himself in time to realize she'd put him back down and pushed the Gate door open.

Her skinny figure and the Gate door both disappeared in a flash of white light.