Seeing the situation, the previously wary man's expression shifted to one of exasperated disbelief. Indeed, who would ambush someone with a headbutt? he thought.
He recalled an old proverb from the Eastern Ancient Kingdom about waiting by a tree for a rabbit to run into it, but he'd never heard of waiting by a tree for a cat.
The young girl continued, "I don't know what happened, but she clearly needs help, right?"
As she spoke, a soft green light glowed in her palm. She stepped forward, seemingly intending to heal the catgirl's injuries. However, Cipher woke up before she could act.
Rubbing her head, Cipher slowly sat up. An ordinary person would likely have died instantly from such an impact, but she only felt a lingering dizziness.
Only then did Cipher notice the three figures before her:
A towering man clad in heavy plate armor, a massive double-bladed axe slung across his back.
A young boy in a blue mage robe, holding a staff nearly as tall as himself.
And standing directly in front of her, a young girl in leather armor with short, golden hair that shone like sunlight.
There was no denying it—these three individuals were archetypes. The first was clearly a warrior, the second a mage, and the blonde girl, with the green light glowing in her hand, was undoubtedly a priest.
Isn't this the classic "warrior-mage-priest" trinity? Cipher thought. The most common party composition in RPG games. So I've been transported to a western fantasy world of swords and magic?
As Cipher sat up, rubbing her forehead, the blonde girl exclaimed in surprise, "You're okay?!" Her Chinese had a slight accent.
Cipher paused, then replied, "I think so..."
She couldn't explain why people from another world spoke Chinese, but it was certainly a relief to avoid any language barriers.
The blonde girl immediately launched into a torrent of questions. "You zipped past us so fast! How did you do that?"
"Are you Catfolk? This is the first time I've ever seen one!"
"What's your name? Oh, right, I'm Aria, a Holy Warrior and a Hero-in-training! Hey, are you a Class Holder too? What class are you?"
Aria was bombarding Cipher with information. After a moment to process it all, Cipher looked at the young girl before her. She noticed the longsword hanging at Aria's hip, realizing her initial assumption had been wrong—Aria wasn't a priest, but a Holy Warrior.
Holy Warriors, also known as Paladins, were melee classes capable of wielding special spells like healing magic, the invincible Divine Smite, and various aura skills. They could fill multiple roles in a party, serving as front-line fighters, melee damage dealers, or even healers.
Of course, Cipher's knowledge of these things came from her past life playing tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons and the award-winning video game Baldur's Gate 3. Whether that knowledge was accurate in this new world remained to be seen.
After a moment of contemplation, Cipher replied, "Just call me Cipher. I'm a Thief Class Holder."
Since she was starting a new life anyway, she might as well use a new name. As for being a Thief Class Holder, that was a complete fabrication. According to D&D lore, the most fitting class for her current circumstances would undoubtedly be the Rogue subclass "Thief."
"A thief?" Aria exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Hey, Cipher, wanna join our Hero Party? We're exactly one thief short!"
The young man in the mage robe frowned. "Aria, how can you invite just anyone to join our party? How do you know if she's good or bad? What about her strength? If she's not strong enough, she'll just slow us down."
"But Sister Cipher doesn't look like a bad person!" Aria insisted. "And she was running so fast earlier—she's obviously super strong! It'll be fine!"
The mage's lips twitched involuntarily. Judging someone's character by their appearance? And sure, Cipher was fast, but normal people don't run headfirst into trees!
Douglas, the tall man in plate armor, boomed, "Determining good or evil is simple! Have you forgotten I know divine magic?" He stepped forward and gave Cipher a slight bow. "Beautiful Cipher, you may call me Douglas. Would you mind if I cast a Detect Good and Evil divine spell on you?"
A divine spell to detect good and evil? Cipher raised an eyebrow. So this man she'd initially taken for a warrior was actually a priest?
She nodded. "Go ahead."
With permission granted, Douglas raised his right hand. A finely crafted metal pendant depicting crossed swords and a shield hung from his wrist. Adopting a devout expression, he whispered, "Invincible God of War, I beseech you to reveal the true nature of this person before me!"
In the next instant, a faint golden light emanated from the pendant, circling Cipher as if scanning her. The light rotated around her like a scanning beam before converging above her head, its radiant golden hue unchanged.
Even Douglas seemed momentarily taken aback. He bowed deeply again. "You have never taken a life, Miss Cipher. You are truly a kind person."
Isn't that just stating the obvious? Cipher thought. In her previous life, she had been an ordinary person who wouldn't even kill a chicken. How could she possibly have killed anyone? As for this life, she had barely been "born"!
Seeing the situation, Aria surged forward and grasped Cipher's hands, her emerald eyes sparkling. "Sister Cipher, you're a good person, and we're all good people too! So please join our party, okay?"
"Uh..." Cipher instinctively took a step back, but Aria mirrored her movement, closing the distance until their faces were mere inches apart. Staring at the young girl's adorable features, Cipher couldn't help but avert her gaze slightly, silently marveling, This child is so cute...
After a moment's thought, Cipher nodded. "Alright... I guess. I don't have anything else to do anyway."
That was only part of the reason. The other part was what Aria had mentioned earlier: they seemed to be a Hero Party. It sounded exactly like the kind of "protagonist group" destined for thrilling adventures!
Cipher's System required her to "increase her fame" to unlock her next Identity. Clearly, sticking with the "protagonist group" and experiencing their adventures was the perfect way to achieve that!
Besides, she'd had enough of mediocrity in her past life. How could she possibly refuse such an "interesting" invitation?
P.S.: Detect Good and Evil (1st-level Divine Spell): Consumes one point of Grace to detect the target. If the target has killed anyone, the more people they've killed, the redder their aura becomes.
P.S. 2: In his previous life, the protagonist was an actor who graduated from a Film Academy. He initially worked hard, but lacking connections and a privileged background, he repeatedly hit dead ends in the entertainment industry. After his parents passed away in an accident, he gave up, choosing to loaf at home and live off the substantial insurance payout he received.