A loud crack of thunder awoke Prashant. He didn't remember why he was out in the wild. He was just on a train to the capital and fell asleep due to constant rhythmic motion. He found himself in coarse cotton clothes in a cave, the rain was almost like July's monsoon. Wait, monsoon? It was just February, how come it was raining so hard? Have our gods learned from the meteorological department and decided to prank India? "Hmmm, why is my head hurting? What, blood? What happened? Was I kidnapped? But why? I was not carrying anything valuable, so why go so far as to take me away and leave me in a place where I can't even see a building?" As Prashant tried to look towards the horizon, all he saw was the forest. Thankfully, he was on a hill, so he could see farther away, but that didn't solve his problem. "Let's check inside to see if I can understand a thing." The cave was a small but clean place with no footprints and signs of occupancy by animals and humans alike. The rain had made the ambient light dim too much, but his instinct told him it was afternoon. Not even a water bottle or a snack, he always carried in a bag. Thankfully, he is not hungry yet. But he can't go on like this; he needs to find where he is, and how can he go to the nearest settlement? Thankfully, at least a blue light has lit the dim cave. Wait. "Blue light?" Then Prashant realised a transparent wall of text just above his eyeline, present for the whole time.
[Name: Prashant
Stats
Strength: 6
Constitution: 6
Mana: 0
Trait: Normal human, above average for a medieval peasant.
(Additional stat categories will be unlocked as you explore this new world.)
]
"Huh? What is this? Am I still dreaming the fantasy? Wait, I can almost feel the status window in my mind. Let's try if this is true, if I can recall it in my mind, the cave should go dark." And it did. The usual pinching, trying to read, and sensory feel of the surroundings told Prashant that this was indeed reality. Now he is confused and ecstatic at the same time. Who doesn't want to be a superhero? The status window clearly mentions mana, so he is definitely in a fantasy world, or better yet, only he has mana in a normal world. Either way, it's truly a dream come true. "But wait, why not maintain my surname? Plus, why mention medieval and new in the context of the world? Am I in a medieval setting? And by new, does it mean literally a different world or just a new experience for me? Ah, even more questions, but no answers. Wait, if the status window is to help me, then surely it will give me something apart from this cave and clothing." Just at the cue, a message came to his mind, he decided to keep the status window in mind, the temporary loss of light doesn't outweigh the benefit of keeping things secure.
[You have received 10 points for allocation.]
"Received? So, is there a possibility of getting more in the future? At least it's not that type of game, that doesn't allow an increase in stats, and the only way to get stronger is to equip better things. Let's see, apart from points, I haven't received any skill tree, encyclopedia, or power. So let's try adding one point to mana and see if I feel any difference." Mana: 1, even after searching hard for a while, Prashant didn't feel any mana, nor could he conjure light by Lumos, and all let the world bend by your will shown in movies. He decided to skip mana till he gets some guidance or direct skill award from the cheat. "So my stats are already above average for peasants? But that's not saying much, which peasants? Starving Europeans, or relatively well-fed Indians, or any of the myriad worlds. But one thing is sure: medieval armies often conscripted peasants for battles, and many peasants managed to survive those. So let's put it below the Constitution. The worst thing about the medieval world is not the oppression of nobility, which could be changed within the system, but if one winter you got cold, then usually that would be fatal. So let's add 7 for the constitution and 2 for the strength."
A cool sensation erupted from within, and surprisingly Prashant felt good, I mean one would think that he should feel warm in this rain with this cheat, or the cool sensation ruin his mood of getting new abilities, but all he felt was simple good, almost as if the body liked the new state. "Unfortunately, no muscles or increased height. Speaking of which, whose body is this? A usual rebirth story puts someone in their own body from a past life. I do feel this is me, the face and entire body feel familiar. Oh, wait, the blood on the head? Gone? Was this the welfare benefit of cheat initialisation or the effect of raising my constitution? Should I try pricking myself to test if I can heal faster?" But Prashant still decided not to be a masochist, come on, he just got a cheat, and now everyone expects him to hurt himself? No thanks, his previous life was one of leisure and idleness. He doesn't want to start a grinding, min-max life in this new world. He is going to carry his blind optimism and stay the same person.
Now, with that out of the way, Prashant summarised everything till now. This is a new world, and no one will come searching for him, so he needs to move and look for people to save himself. Unfortunately, he has no survival skills, so he can't go hunting or looking for berries in the wild to stave off his eventual hunger. At least the rain looks fine, and drinking water won't hurt him. At least that's what his confidence tells him with zero supporting evidence. Anyway, he won't be that unlucky to die of poisonous rain right at the start, right? As it turns out, praying to Hanuman and Ganesha is a tried and tested method of success. He didn't die; the rain was sweet. "Let's move while it's daytime, in the absence of any markers, all I can do is slowly walk downwards along streams in the hope of reaching a village while trying my best to avoid any animals. If only there were a luck entry in the status window." [User found a new function, 1 point awarded.] [Luck: 6] "What a pleasant surprise, so what if I recount every supernatural, metaphysical thing, won't I be swimming in free points? Jedi Force, Inner Qi, Zero gravity, Telekinesis..... Nothing? And why was I even trying zero gravity? Everyone was right, I have the habit of letting myself go too much. Well, it seems the cheat won't trigger itself all the time. Hmmm, considering I was awarded points only after thinking about luck, I had better be a good boy and allocate it to luck; no need to go against our cheat teacher. So there goes my additional, newly minted, freshly baked, mesmerising, groundbreaking,... control Prashant, control. This is not the time to go off track."
[Luck: 9]
So he has done everything he could and decided to go on a grand adventure. The rain stopped, as if on cue, and he started his crusade of locating a ditch. Solid plan, as anyone could tell. As if guided by someone, or just good old luck, after 5 minutes of travelling through mud, he found a creek without any interference from wildlife. And he decided to follow it to the end, because in his infinite wisdom, Prashant never bothered to make plan B if the plan didn't work out. Maybe Don Quixote should take notes. By continuing along the water, Prashant firsthand experienced the wonders of hydrology and the terrain of the world. "It's all mud!! The sandals I've got are barely staying on my feet and slipping away every 5 minutes. If I can't find a village before evening, I might as well jump in the water, as I can't keep walking like this." In three hours, the forest cleared away and the land became much more open, you know the classic monsoon nature, the lush grass everywhere, the mud... forget this part, pleasant smell in the air and birds, and animals singing in the distance. Thankfully, no carnivore decided to join the symphony, and even if it did, Prashant wouldn't be the one to notice it. He has walked so far, from the initial mountain cave, to a forest, to a grassy hill. "Remarkable variation in geography and terrain in mere tens of kilometres. Usually, this is a good sign of a robust ecosystem and hence a perfect place for humans to exploit nature. Well, not so much, medieval people lived in more harmony with nature, because A: 90% of the time, they couldn't do much against it. B: The remaining 10% know not to provoke a sleeping giant on a whim. Well, enough of this cynicism. I bet there will be some people in this paradise-like place."
Just as dusk was nearing, Prashant heard a few distant voices and shouts from people. They were talking leisurely in their loud greetings and familiar language. "Thankfully, I'm near Marathi people, reincarnation is truly a technical skill, a few hundred kilometres off and I would be in a place where I can't even ask for water without embarrassing myself with pointing fingers. Is this also an effect of luck? Or was I always sent to the correct place by Yamraj's bureaucracy? Anyway, it's better this way; I have a place to stay and eat as long as I don't do anything stupid. Remember to be calm, prepare a tear-jerking story about the loss of memory and money, and be polite. This shouldn't be a problem. I think.." He started jogging towards the nearest and loudest place. Soon, he saw silhouettes of a few people, cattle, and farms in the background. Better to approach normally without any hurry or fear.
"Ramram uncle, where is this? I'm lost in the rain. Can you point the way?" The farmers had noticed Prashant from a long way, maybe they don't often see outsiders wandering around. But still, they maintained their composure and let him start the conversation. He too decided to play straight with the least deception and common courtesy, but he was ready for the worst if things went wrong. The strength of 8 wasn't just for show; he has noticed that even with hours of walking, he hasn't even lost his breath, he thinks he could've made the journey with 20kg of weight and still be the same. On the outside, the farmers gestured to each other with their glances, and then one of the better-dressed came forward and said in a bit broken tongue, "Ramram, young man. Who are you? How come you are still lost for so long? It was raining from dawn, surely you could've found your people by now. We're farmers from the nearby village of Dongarawdi, the nearest city is half a day away by cart and two days on walking. But we haven't seen anyone else nearby looking for you, and our village is the only habitat in the mountain area."
Prashant thought 'Wow, what a detailed guy, answered almost everything without actually telling any important detail by mistake, and even tried to guess if I was making up some story. Who said ancient people were easy to fool? Come out and I'll let you try to be Sherlock here. Plus Dongarwadi? That tells me nothing except a village in the mountains. He didn't even name the town, and instead became a bit defensive. Better play along and let's see what they do.' "Thank you, uncle, for clarifying. I awoke in the wild in some cave in the afternoon, my head had been hit with something, and all my belongings were nowhere in sight. I walked just after the rain stopped and came down the mountain, hoping to find a place to stay and search my way home. I'm Prashant Patil, and I'm a bit famished now. Can your village provide me with a place to stay for a night?" "Oh, how peculiar? If someone hurt you, why did they leave you in the wild? It's not a big deal to find a place for your stay, but you need to talk to the village head. Who knows, maybe you'll turn out to be his extended clansman. Our Patil comes from a prestigious family, and even in town, he has a lot of prestige. During market days, no one dares to make trouble with us....." And with the non-stop All-India-Radio, everyone started their return journey, while Prashant was still amazed by the wit of the man. He was talking all this time without telling anything specific apart from common knowledge you can get by asking around, while subtly pressuring with a tale of their prestige. But without a doubt, the villagers held no malice apart from basic defence against a complete outsider walking in.
Soon, the village came into view, a small village with about 100 dwellings, arranged in typical clusters, probably arranged with jati in mind. The village didn't have an arch. In medieval and even in modern times, the arch, the Kaman, was almost a status symbol for a village. It is a large doorway without any walls or even a door. Just a large arch in the middle of the path. But everyone would tell you that this marks the boundary of the village. How can a point define a boundary? That is a question for the geometry teacher, not for the villagers. The arch is a symbol of power and prestige; it's not a defensive structure, but it symbolises where the village starts, where the village god demarcates his domain, and where Sanskriti, the civilisation, begins. The arch is usually ridiculously large, often tall enough to let someone ride in atop an elephant with a chattra, a symbolic umbrella, on top without dismounting. This village, however, is not one of those. But it does have other iconic structures. The village temple sits in the centre with a banyan tree next to it, almost as if proclaiming that this place is protected by its canopy. Many people sat near the tree with what seemed like a usual old grandpa meeting of the day. They must be talking about how things are not the same nowadays, how the finance minister fumbled in his policy, and how the neighbouring king should have fought in the war. Surely, the finest minds in India are found near a large tree, the hair salon, and the tea stall, regardless of era. Anyway, Prashant readied himself for an interview like UPSC, rephrasing his tale in his mind to avoid any slip-up.
[New achievement unlocked.]
[Name: Prashant Patil
Stats
Strength: 8
Constitution: 13
Mana: 1
Luck: 9
Achievements: Insider aura (makes others believe in your tales as long as not outrageous)
]