I blinked several times before my mind could register it.
These were my data.
They seemed like Fate's servants.
Luck E? Seriously?
That would explain why I ended up in the middle of the snow.
"Instinct A" ... well, maybe it was the only reason I was still breathing. And "Charisma B" ... before all this, I didn't consider myself a natural leader, but these skills, aren't they Arthuro's?
Does that mean I will inherit his abilities?
The idea wasn't entirely bad. After all, if I was going to be stuck in this world, it wouldn't be so bad to have a set of legendary skills...
As long as it doesn't involve dying young in a magical war.
Although now that I think about it...
What kind of world have I fallen into, that I need these skills?
Instinct to dodge death.
Charisma to manipulate or convince others.
Luck... well, that was a bad joke.
Unknown class...
And all this after just one day.
It doesn't sound like a school life, that's for sure.
And is Kiana the protagonist?
I kept staring at the fire, without saying anything. Kiana was sleeping next to me, wrapped in the coat, her gentle breathing marking a serene rhythm.
So... Was she the protagonist?
White hair like snow outside, blue eyes like the sky, it reminded me of a certain professor who ended up like a KitKat.
That won't happen to her, right?
I decided to stop thinking about things I can't control, and instead focus on what to do and how to survive in this world.
I looked around.
The cave was small but cozy, it held up well against the cold and Kiana.
And if she was the protagonist, maybe... staying close wasn't a bad idea.
Protagonist = Important events.
Important events = Rewards.
Rewards = Survive.
Okay, new objective: not to die. Second objective: keep the protagonist alive. Third objective... hope that everything goes well.
Tomorrow will be another day.
One where my adventure truly begins.
…
"Are you going to follow me?" Kiana asked me while looking at me with curiosity.
"Yes," I replied without hesitation.
Kiana smiled, showing her white teeth with a mischievous spark in her eyes.
"Then get ready!" I won't wait for you if you fall in the snow.
"I'll keep that in mind."
He jumped up, with renewed energy, as if the cold, the snow, and the possibility of freezing to death were mere insignificant details.
"So, any plan?" I asked while trying not to clumsily step on anything as I approached.
"Yes." Walk until I find my dad.
I stopped.
"That's not a plan, Kiana." That's a wish with steps.
"It's the Kaslana method!" he said proudly.
I swallowed hard.
I was definitely going to need luck.
And mine was rank E.
…
This is definitely the protagonist's luck.
I didn't expect that wandering aimlessly would lead us to a small village in just a few minutes. Compared to me, who walked for hours and almost froze to death...
"Look, Arthur!" shouted Kiana, pointing at the houses with snow-covered roofs and faint smoke rising from some chimneys. "I told you following me was a good idea!"
I nodded, still processing the injustice of the universe.
Now that I think about it... we need money.
My stomach growled right at that moment, as if to remind me that I hadn't eaten anything decent since I arrived in this world. Kiana also stopped, crossing her arms as she looked at the houses of the small town with a serious expression.
"Do you have any money?" I asked, although I already imagined the answer.
"No."
"Great." "Because neither do I."
We stood in silence, both of us in the middle of the snowy road, observing a world that seemed perfectly normal... except for the small detail that we were completely broke.
Wait, I have Charisma rank B.
"People tend to help you even when you don't deserve it."
Begging? It didn't seem like a bad idea, but we needed more money.
A show? It could work.
"Kiana, I have a plan"
She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, chewing on an apple she had somehow managed to get.
…
Minutes later, we were at the corner of a busy street in town. I used a tablecloth to cover a cardboard box that we pretended was a magic table. Kiana had a cube on her head because she said it made her look "more mysterious."
"Ladies and gentlemen!" I shouted, using the longest branch as a magic staff, "Behold the ancestral power of the Great Arthur the Summoned!"
"WOOOOH!" Kiana shouted with enthusiasm, throwing some snow into the air.
An elderly couple stopped. A few children approached. A drunk gave us a thumbs up.
"Look at this ordinary egg!" I said, showing an egg I had obtained through questionable methods from a restaurant.
I covered it with a handkerchief and hit the table.
"Abra cadabra, and empanada!" I shouted.
Kiana made a drumroll sound with two stones.
I removed the handkerchief.
The egg was still there.
"...Oops"
The crowd laughed. At least it wasn't silence.
"Part of the trick!" I shouted. And I threw it up.
"Now for the next trick!" "Before you!" "The incredible magic hat!" I shouted enthusiastically, attracting some.
"Ooooh!" shouted Kiana, doing the sound effects.
"This hat can transform any object...into something completely different!"
I took an old onion from my pocket (courtesy of the trash can) and showed it to the audience.
"Observe!"
I threw it inside the hat.
"Kiana, invoke the ancestral power of the stars!"
Kiana shook the hat, waved it, tossed it into the air, spun it three times... and then put her hand inside.
"And now...!"
He took out a red scarf.
"TA-DA!"
The crowd, though small, let out a small exclamation. Some even applauded.
A child shouted:
"That's not magic, you swapped the onion for the scarf!"
"Young skeptic!" I shouted, pointing at him with the stick I used as a wand. "Don't question the mysteries of the universe or the hat will turn you into a turnip."
The boy laughed, and his mother left money in our improvised box.
"Let's see another one!" an old man requested from the bench.
"Of course!" exclaimed Kiana, now putting a small stone into the hat.
She took out a wrapped candy.
"From rock to candy!" "Total transmutation!"
The applause grew louder. Some people were starting to leave more coins.
I bowed in an exaggerated bow.
"Thank you, thank you." The hat accepts tips. And also food.
That day we got enough money for hot food and a night under a roof.
And all thanks to the most useful hat in the world... and a bit of Charisma B.