There was still some food in the bundle. Anser took out two loaves of bread and a small piece of dried cheese and handed them to Bratt. "Eat something before you rest."

"Mm." Bratt accepted them and ate in large bites.

The two had traveled in darkness for more than an hour, tense and frightened the entire way. They were exhausted and in no mood to talk.

As Anser ate, he sensed the die in his mind, wanting to know how much experience he still needed to level up.

But the moment the twenty-sided die appeared, he nearly bit his tongue.

One symbol on its surface had somehow lit up completely, while another gave off a faint glow.

'What did I do today? How did it light up?' he wondered.

He touched the die. Memories flashed before him like projected slides: becoming a sorcerer, fighting, escaping danger, rescuing someone, fleeing for his life...

'Is it connected to my experiences?' Anser began to understand.

After a long while, the memories faded, and the illuminated symbol transformed into a mass of rainbow-colored flame.

Ding—

[You gain the Adventure Trait: Mana Control.]

<Mana Control>: You possess extraordinary control over mana. You cast spells faster and with greater stability, and failed spellcasting will not trigger magical backlash.

Mana +5, Attack Rolls +1, Spell Save DC +1.

Current Rank: 1st Circle.

Anser's heart jumped, surprise and delight mingling within him.

'What an incredible ability. It fits my current situation perfectly.'

In other words, he could almost ignore the effects of the unstable Weave and cast normally, without worrying about dying an unnatural death like Master Fabian.

His improved control over spells indirectly increased his accuracy and damage. An additional 5 mana might be insignificant later, but it was extremely valuable at this early stage.

He now felt far more confident about tomorrow's plans.

'The die has twenty faces, so does that mean twenty traits? With these, could I become a legend—or go even further?' Anser let his imagination run wild.

This world had classed individuals, legends, and gods. It was vivid, diverse, and filled with limitless possibilities.

If the natives could reach such heights, why shouldn't a transmigrator with a cheat ability dare to dream?

'One step at a time. Don't reach for what is beyond my grasp. Surviving comes first,' he warned himself. Faerûn was filled with danger.

Returning to the present, he opened his character sheet. His mana had reached a comfortable 9 points.

He checked his experience as well: 275/300, only a fraction short of leveling up.

'Why is there only Combat Experience?' He was puzzled.

Under game rules, noncombat challenges such as negotiation and trade, along with adventure milestones, could also award experience. Party members would divide experience evenly.

'Going by the rules, every class can level through combat. Wizards should be able to advance through magical or alchemical research, while sorcerers should be able to advance by training their innate magic...'

He had spent the entire day casting cantrips without using a single 1st-level spell, so he could not verify the theory.

In addition, a new item called the Staff of Goodberries had appeared in the Equipment field of his character sheet. It was probably Fabian's spare staff.

He touched the entry lightly, and a detailed description appeared at once. It was even more useful than Identify.

[Magic Item: Staff of Goodberries]

<Category>: Staff

<Rarity>: Uncommon (Requires Attunement)

A naturally magical quarterstaff, possibly cut from an ancient oak. It can be used as a melee weapon and holds 6 charges.

<Goodberry>: While holding this staff, you can cast the 1st-level spell Goodberry by expending 1 charge.

<Recover Charges>: The staff naturally recovers 3 charges each day.

'Not bad.' Anser smiled.

Goodberry was a 1st-level Conjuration spell available to druids and rangers. It summoned 10 magical berries. Eating one berry restored 1 hit point and provided enough nourishment to sustain a creature for an entire day.

It might not be especially useful under normal circumstances, but while fleeing disaster, it was a godsend.

To use its magical ability, however, he first had to attune to it—establish a mental connection with the staff.

That required at least 1 hour, during which he had to focus on the magic item, maintain physical contact, and meditate without interruption.

A classed individual could not be attuned to more than three magic items at once.

Attunement ended immediately if the wielder no longer met the item's requirements; if the attuned item remained more than 100 feet from the wielder for at least 24 hours; if the wielder died; or if another creature attuned to the item.

In other words, attunement was not soulbinding and imposed few restrictions.

'This is far better than my featureless crystal arcane focus.'

Anser decided to complete the attunement before sleeping. The staff would be extremely useful tomorrow.

"You look like you're in a good mood."

Bratt had already finished his bread and was sipping water with obvious contentment. Anyone who did not know better might think he was drinking wine.

"I survived another day. Isn't that worth celebrating?" Anser smiled faintly, half joking and half referring to his transmigration and rebirth.

"Ha! That's an interesting way to put it." Bratt did not press for details. His smile was carefree.

Anser looked at Bratt and was about to speak when a line of text began to appear "above" the man's head.

[Bratt, Human, Level 2 Fighter]

'Huh. A new function of the die?'

He turned his head and closed his eyes. The text was being projected into his mind by the die. As long as he focused on a target, it appeared automatically. This was not limited to living things; magic items and ordinary objects displayed text as well.

It seemed to be an upgraded form of the combat log, though the information was far too sparse.

"What's wrong?" Bratt asked curiously.

"Nothing. My mind wandered. Bratt, do you have family?" Anser deliberately changed the subject.

"Yes, but not here."

"That's good."

"Now that the wizard tower is gone, what are you planning to do? Go to Candlekeep?" Bratt asked.

"With my aptitude, I doubt Candlekeep would accept me." Anser shook his head.

Candlekeep was arguably Faerûn's greatest academy and library of knowledge. It was a neutral power, and the price of entry was the donation of a written work that Candlekeep did not already possess.

Scholars could visit but remain for no more than ten days. Formally joining Candlekeep was extraordinarily difficult; it did not accept just anyone.

"If you still want to study magic, you could go to Silverymoon. Waterdeep and Neverwinter are good choices too," Bratt suggested.

Anser laughed. "Why make life hard for myself when being a sorcerer is this good?"

"You have a healthy outlook," Bratt praised. "I've seen many people become deeply obsessed. Even when another road lies open, they refuse to adapt."

"..."

The two chatted for a while to learn more about each other, though neither revealed much that was private.

Neither mentioned what they planned to do after leaving. At least until they escaped Baldur's Gate, their goals were aligned.

As they talked, however, Anser noticed several new words appear above Bratt's head.

[Bratt, Human, Level 2 Fighter, Hit Points: 18]

'Looks like the more close contact I have with a target, the more information I obtain.' He knew far too little about the die and could only explore it step by step through practice.

Night deepened, and the hollow grew quiet.

Bratt fashioned a crude windproof lantern from a candle, then took the initiative to inventory the bundle's contents and prepare for tomorrow.

Anser pulled over his backpack and examined his spoils.

The three coin pouches had probably belonged to apprentices. Together, they held only 6 gold pieces, 7 silver pieces, and 31 copper pieces in a mixture of currencies.

The two spellbooks were nonmagical items containing copied cantrips and study notes. They were not especially valuable.

The most valuable finds were several gemstones from the alchemy room, primarily blue quartz and turquoise. They were worth something, at least.

The rest consisted of miscellaneous supplies: a pocket watch, spyglass, paper and pens, a dagger, small loaves of bread, honey, dried meat, sausage, black pepper...

'Too bad there were no diamonds.'

Anser shook his head regretfully, spread out a blanket, and settled into a corner. He placed the Staff of Goodberries across his knees, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

Bratt deliberately moved some distance away. It seemed he intended to rest along the outer edge, though Anser did not know whether that was to make standing watch easier or because Bratt feared Anser would not trust him.

Setting Notes:

1. Equipment Rarities: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Very Rare, Legendary, Artifact.

The official rulebooks use Common, Uncommon, Rare, Very Rare, and Legendary. This story follows Baldur's Gate 3 instead.

2. Attack Roll: An important D&D parameter used to determine whether an attack hits. It is the spear, while Armor Class is the shield.

You can simply understand it as accuracy. There is no need to investigate further, and it will not affect your reading.

3. Armor Class: A composite attribute representing your ability to avoid injury in combat. It is not the same thing as armor or dodging.

It represents a character's ability to avoid an effective hit through dodging, blocking, or enduring the blow with armor. Avoiding injury means the body or mind was not hit; a hit means the character failed to evade or their defenses were breached.

Your armor, shield, and Dexterity modifier all contribute to Armor Class.

Without armor or a shield, a character's AC (Armor Class) equals 10 + their Dexterity modifier.

4. Spell Save DC: One of the parameters used to calculate spell damage in D&D. For example, the 3rd-level spell Fireball requires a Dexterity saving throw. On a successful save—which can be understood as reacting quickly enough to escape the center of the explosion—the damage is halved.

The higher this value, the harder your spells are to resist.

Spell Save DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your primary attribute modifier.

(End of Chapter)