Author’s Note:
So, a little note before we get started.
This story is going to be a lot more chill than my other works.
My other stories have gotten pretty heavy lately, with increasingly complicated plots, fights, politics, and a lot of moving pieces to keep track of.
I love writing them, but sometimes I just want to sit down and write something fun without having to think twenty chapters ahead.
That’s basically why Crossroads exists.
This is meant to be my more relaxed story: a guy running a pub, meeting people from different worlds, making money, and seeing where the road takes him.
There will still be action, serious moments, and larger plots eventually, but I’m not planning to make things overly complicated.
Mostly, I just want to have fun with it.
Hope you enjoy the ride!
(Warning: NOT a Gary-Sue protagonist (he isn’t perfect-will make mistakes, misjudge situations, or do stupid things from time to time).
If you want a perfect protagonist that makes the best decision in every situation and never makes a single mistake, then this (and all my other stories) is not for you.)
Mattheus Octavian Garcia Innocenti was struck by lightning on a perfectly clear day (there was not a single cloud in the sky, just the scorching sun and blue sky as far as he could see).
One moment, he was walking along a dirt road beneath the merciless summer Spanish sun, hands in the pockets of his shorts and regretting his decision to leave the house (alas, having fields to tend left him little choice), and the next, the sky flashed white.
Everything went black, and when Mattheus opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a wooden floor.
“Did I piss off God?” he muttered as he sat up and examined his surroundings.
Four plain walls enclosed a space roughly the size of his bedroom.
There were no windows, no doors, and no furniture.
The only source of illumination was a small light hanging from the center of the ceiling.
Mattheus remained seated for several seconds.
“Is this kidnapping or something fruitier?” He asked aloud.
“Hello, Mr.
ROB?
God?
Satan?
Zelretch?
Morgan Freeman?
Aqua?”
He should probably have been panicking, but then again, panicking had never improved any situation in his experience; quite the contrary.
He checked himself first.
No burns.
No broken bones.
His light-brown hair was not even smoking.
“Good start.”
His phone was still in his pocket, and miraculously it appeared undamaged.
Mattheus unlocked it, intending to call the police, although explaining his location might be difficult.
Hello, I was struck by lightning and woke up inside a doorless box.
No, I don’t know the address.
Before he could open the call menu, an unfamiliar application launched by itself.
Its icon depicted a wooden tankard surrounded by stars.
THE MULTIVERSAL PUB
Mattheus stared at it.
“I don’t remember downloading you.”
The application did not say anything, which was good, because elsewise it would have been very weird.
Well, no more weird than being kidnapped by lightning.
The app had several functions:
-User Status
-Store
-Pub Upgrades
-Inventory
-Contracts
-Encyclopedia
-Enter Pub
He tapped User Status.
Name: Mattheus Octavian Garcia Innocenti
Age: 19
Race: Human
Occupation: Pub Owner
Powers: None
Titles: Owner of the Multiversal Pub
System Points (SP): 0
Mattheus raised an eyebrow.
“Pub Owner?
I did not sign up for that, Mr.
kidnapper.”
He explored the other menus.
The Store was a universal catalog containing virtually anything from across the multiverse: weapons, ingredients, magical objects, technology, knowledge and even access to other worlds could be purchased—provided he possessed enough System Points (the currency used by the app—according to the introductory explanation, he would earn System Points by selling goods and services to his customers).
It also contained a gacha function that made Mattheus very wary.
He had played enough gacha games to understand that they were colorful traps designed to empty your wallet.
Fortunately, he had always had restraint and he had never spent much money on them before.
Surely that restraint would undoubtedly remain now that the potential rewards included magical powers and access to universes he had dreamed of living in since he was a kid.
Absolutely.
100%
…
The Pub Upgrades menu allowed him to expand the establishment and unlock new facilities: living quarters, a kitchen, bathrooms for customers, storage rooms, a brewery, a distillery, and dozens of more options—it even included an arena, which gave him far too many ideas (he had watched far too many YT videos debating which fictional character would win in a fight—Goku or Superman, Ichigo or Naruto, and countless others.
Turning those arguments into reality…
and charging people to watch them?
Easy there, Matty.
He forced himself to stop before his imagination ran completely off the rails).
Inventory managed his belongings and the pub’s stock.
Contracts offered objectives and special requests from patrons.
The Encyclopedia would record information about every person, world, creature and item he encountered.
Finally, Enter Pub would allow him to return to the establishment from almost anywhere (unless he was in active combat or trapped within magical barriers or areas designed to prevent spatial magic)
Mattheus looked around the empty room again.
“So I own a pub without drinks, furniture, or even doors.
How are my customers supposed to get in?
Phasing through the walls?”
A message appeared:
Starter Pack received!
-500 System Points
-Two Gacha Tickets
“Ah.
What a kind ROB you are, Mr.
kidnapper.”
Mattheus considered his situation: he had been struck by lightning, kidnapped by some godly being, and appointed owner of an interdimensional pub.
Meh, could be worse.
At least he won’t have to work day after day in the fields, sell his crops for a pittance, and be a slave to a corrupt government that took every last penny from him.
Fuck taxes!
Plus, it was not as if anyone was waiting for him at home.
His grandparents were gone, and as for his parents… Best not to think about them.
Mattheus tapped the gacha menu and a wheel appeared on the screen, covered in colors, symbols, and question marks.
There were no displayed prizes, nor did it tell what the drop rates were.
“Freebies are freebies.”
He used the first ticket and the wheel spun rapidly before slowing with a loud dramatic ticking sound.
Congratulations!
World Access Unlocked: DC Universe
Mattheus blinked.
“Which DC Universe?”
The system offered no answer.
That was not good—DC contained everything from brightly dressed heroes rescuing cats from trees to cosmic abominations capable of swallowing reality, and the danger levels changed depending on the version.
He could be in Teen Titans Go or in Injustice and he would much prefer goofy superheroes to totalitarian tyrants.
One of the walls shimmered, and a dark wooden door appeared where there had been nothing moments before.
A small brass plaque rested at eye level.
DC UNIVERSE
Mattheus approached it but did not open it—he was easy-going, not suicidal.
Instead, he returned to the gacha menu and used his second ticket.
Congratulations!
Basic Pub Furniture Set obtained!
-One bar counter
-Three bar stools
-Three wall-mounted shelves
Mattheus stared at the reward and sighed.
Admittedly, furniture was useful but he wanted something more awesome like a superpower or a cool weapon.
“…”
He would probably need Naruto or Saber’s luck to get one of those so easily.
The items appeared inside the Pub Upgrades menu.
Mattheus selected them, and the empty room transformed on his phone into a simple decorating interface.
He dragged the counter across the screen and placed it near the back wall.
The stools went in front of it, while the shelves were arranged behind it.
It reminded him of decorating houses in The Sims (he hasn’t played for years—his Sims were probably very grateful to be free from torment).
Once satisfied, he pressed Save and the room flashed.
A wooden counter appeared before him, accompanied by three stools and several shelves.
Mattheus ran one hand over the counter—it was solid and smelled faintly of fresh oak.
“Well.
That is convenient.”
He opened the Store and purchased the cheapest starter stock he could find: several bottles of beer, red and white wine, a few common spirits, bottled water, soft drinks and some basic snacks.
He also bought glasses, mugs, napkins and cleaning supplies.
By the time he finished, only 120 SP remained.
The items appeared neatly arranged in his inventory, and with a few taps, he transferred them onto the shelves and behind the counter.
Mattheus stepped behind the counter, rolled up his imaginary sleeves (he was wearing a T-shirt), and inspected his tiny establishment.
He had three seats, just a few drinks, no bathroom (he hoped his clients had a strong bladder), and no real plan beyond having fun and going with the flow.
He smiled.
“I’ve seen worse business openings.”
Now all he needed was a customer.
As though the pub had been waiting for those words, the brass handle on the wooden door began to turn.
Mattheus straightened as the door opened and his first customer stepped inside.