Liu Bei and her sisters' home was a small thatched cottage tucked away in a corner of Zhuo County's market. It was shabby, but neatly and cleanly arranged.
Inside, bundles of well-dried straw used for weaving mats and completed mats were stacked in orderly piles, while the savory scent of grain porridge wafted through the air.
Minjun swallowed two steaming bowls of porridge in no time, shamelessly ignoring his manners, and only then managed to come to his senses.
“Whew... Thank you so much, Sister Xuande. You brought me back from the brink of death.”
When Minjun sincerely bowed his head, Liu Bei gave him a benevolent smile.
“Think nothing of it, Ziming. It is only natural for people in difficult circumstances to help one another. But where did you come from to be wearing such unfamiliar clothes? Is your homeland...?”
At Liu Bei's question, Minjun hesitated for a moment.
‘I dimensional-transferred here from Seoul, South Korea, while playing a game in the future!’
There was no way he could say that.
“Ah... Yes, it's a very distant place. Across the sea... then over mountains and across rivers... Anyway, it has a very distinctive culture. I wandered from place to place to escape war and famine, and somehow ended up here.”
Minjun improvised the most plausible story he could.
Perhaps thanks to the effect of Charisma: 100, Liu Bei seemed to believe him without much suspicion. If anything, she felt even more sorry for his plight as she spoke.
“You must have suffered terribly after leaving your homeland. Our house may be humble and poor, but if you have nowhere to stay for the time being, you are welcome to remain here. One room is vacant, so please make yourself comfortable.”
“What? Are you really sure? Is it all right for me to impose on you like this...?”
Minjun was surprised, but delighted as well.
He had solved his food and lodging situation this easily!
The effect of Charisma: 100 was beyond anything he had imagined.
He bowed politely once more.
“Then... I hope you won't mind my imposing on you, Sister Xuande. I'll gladly accept your kindness.”
Liu Bei smiled warmly and led Minjun along.
“This way, Ziming.”
The room was small and plain.
There was one small window that let in plenty of sunlight.
A simple bedroll and a small table made up the entirety of the furnishings.
But it was clean and tidy, without a speck of dust.
The space reflected the neat and orderly nature of Liu Bei and her sisters.
‘This is more than I could have hoped for.’
Minjun felt genuinely grateful.
“Sis! Aren't you being way too nice? We don't even know what kind of guy he is yet!”
Zhang Fei flared up again from the side.
But this time, not only Liu Bei but Guan Yu as well stepped in to stop her.
“Yide, don't make a scene. When I look into Ziming's eyes, I don't sense any evil in him. And... Sister Xuande has never been wrong about judging people.”
Zhang Fei pouted at Guan Yu's words, but she could not argue any further. Instead, she turned to Minjun.
“Hmph! I'll be watching you! Don't cause trouble for my sisters!”
She snapped that out and spun around.
She certainly seemed to have a strong tsundere streak.
The next day marked the beginning of Minjun's strange life as a houseguest.
First, he changed into the shabby but ordinary hemp clothing Liu Bei had obtained for him.
‘It kind of suits me, I guess.’
In his new clothes, he at least looked a little more like a person from this era.
He washed the hoodie and jeans he had arrived in by hand, folded them carefully, and put them away. They might come in handy someday if he found a way to return—or in an emergency.
‘But what can I even do here?’
The problem was that there was almost nothing Minjun could do.
Wanting to repay Liu Bei and her sisters in even the smallest way, he tried to learn how to weave mats. But thanks to his atrocious manual dexterity, he did nothing but ruin huge amounts of straw.
[Action failed! You have no talent for weaving mats.] [Low Might has left you lacking in delicate hand skills.]
‘Ah... Is this system message seriously calling me out this hard?’
Minjun was crushed.
Manual labor was out of the question too. With his pitiful Might of 3, he could not manage it.
Watching Minjun struggle helplessly because he could not even carry a single water jar properly, Zhang Fei doubled over laughing.
“Sisters, look at him.”
Guan Yu gazed at him with an expression that mixed pity and exasperation.
“Whew... I think I really am a completely useless person...”
As Minjun was digging in a corner of the yard, Liu Bei approached and gently patted him on the shoulder.
“Ziming, don't be so hard on yourself. Everyone has things they are good at and things they are bad at. You must have some other precious talent.”
Liu Bei encouraged Minjun and suggested that he come with her to sell mats at the market.
“Who knows? Maybe business will go even better today thanks to you, Ziming.”
Liu Bei had meant it half as a joke, but the result was astonishing.
When Minjun stood beside Liu Bei, wearing the bright, wholesome smile granted by Charisma: 100, and awkwardly helped attract customers, far more people than usual crowded around their mat stall.
“Well, would you look at this handsome young fellow! For some reason, I just feel like I can trust him. The Lus' mats were always good quality, but they look even better today! I'll take one!”
“That's right. Looking at that young man puts me in a good mood. I should buy one too!”
“I ought to give one to the widow next door. Maybe some of that young man's bright energy will rub off on her. Ha ha!”
People felt drawn to Minjun as if pulled by a magnet, and they gave Liu Bei and her mats, which stood beside him, an equally generous evaluation.
Whenever Minjun clumsily explained the mats' advantages, people nodded and willingly opened their wallets.
Three times as many mats as usual sold in the blink of an eye.
Liu Bei looked at Minjun with a mixture of surprise and joy.
“My goodness... Ziming, you really are a lucky charm! Thanks to you, we had an incredible haul today!”
“Ah, no, not at all. It's only because your mats are so good, Sister Xuande...”
Minjun felt dazed, but also incredibly proud.
Just then, a system message appeared before his eyes.
[Achievement unlocked! First successful commercial activity!] [Experience gained in boosting sales using Charisma!] [Politics increased by 1! (8 -> 9)] [Title acquired: ‘Lucky Salesman’!] * Lucky Salesman: When you participate in sales activities, the purchasing motivation of people nearby increases slightly. Charisma receives a +5 bonus during commerce-related actions.
‘Whoa! My Politics went up! And I got a title too!’
Minjun cheered inwardly.
It was only a one-point increase, but the fact that his attributes could grow at all gave him tremendous hope.
The other stats were simply too pitiful for him to rely on Charisma alone.
Several days later, Zhang Fei caused a commotion at the market.
She had seen a few drunk thugs causing trouble and could not stand by without getting involved.
In the middle of the menacing atmosphere, just as Zhang Fei was about to throw a punch, Minjun hurried over once again and planted himself between them.
“All right, all right, everyone! Let's calm down! We can talk this out. Fighting will only get someone hurt, and nothing good will come of it!”
Minjun began trying to calm both sides with his trademark gentle smile and composed voice.
As the aura of Charisma: 100 radiated from him, the excited thugs and Zhang Fei alike instantly lost some of their momentum.
“Come on, gentlemen. Looks like you had a few drinks and were having a good time, so why are you acting so hostile? This young lady's got a bit of a fiery temper, that's all. She's not a bad person. Seems like a little misunderstanding brought on by the alcohol. Why don't we all apologize nicely and call it a day? How about it?”
Minjun listened to both sides and mediated the situation like a skilled negotiator.
His sincere attitude and strange, disarming powers of persuasion soon made the thugs, who had looked ready to draw blades moments ago, grow sheepish and apologize first.
“Well, now that you mention it, I suppose we did go too far. The young man's right.”
“Sorry, miss. We picked a fight for no reason.”
Zhang Fei stared back and forth between Minjun and the thugs with a dumbfounded expression.
Normally, the situation would have ended with at least a few people beaten senseless. Instead, Minjun had settled it with a few words.
“W-What the... That weakling's really something when it comes to talking...”
Though Zhang Fei grumbled, the way she looked at Minjun had clearly changed.
It was more than simple curiosity; there was a measure of admiration and surprise in her eyes.
Guan Yu, who had been quietly watching, also seemed to be deep in thought as she reassessed Minjun's strange abilities.
Another system message appeared before Minjun's eyes.
[Achievement unlocked! Successful dispute mediation!] [Experience gained in resolving conflict using Charisma and persuasion!] [Politics increased by 1! (9 -> 10)] [Intelligence increased by 1! (12 -> 13)] [Trait acquired: ‘Mediator’!] * Mediator: When you intervene in a dispute or negotiation, all parties involved will listen more closely to what you say. Success rate slightly increases during negotiation- or persuasion-related actions.
‘Politics and Intelligence too! And a Trait... Oh, this is incredible.’
Minjun could not hide his excitement at the consecutive attribute increases.
The system of this world was definitely responding to his actions and rewarding him.
That evening, Liu Bei spoke to Minjun with a serious expression.
“Ziming, thank you so much for today. Thanks to you, our Yide avoided getting dragged into a major fight. And... I believe you truly possess a special power that can move people's hearts. More than simply being good with words, you have the ability to see into people's true nature and approach them with sincerity.”
Liu Bei's eyes shone with deep trust in Minjun and high expectations for him.
“I carry a great ambition. I want to set this troubled world right and build a nation where the people sunk in misery can live in peace.”
That was such a Liu Bei thing to say.
“But I cannot do enough on my own. Ziming, would you please stand by my side and help me with that special power of yours? We may be weak now, but I believe that one day, together, we can accomplish something great.”
Liu Bei's heartfelt offer warmed Minjun's heart.
It moved him on an entirely different level from receiving a party invitation from the protagonist in a game.
‘Could I... really be there at the beginning of this great hero's journey?’
As a die-hard Shu loyalist, Minjun could never refuse this offer.
“Sister Xuande... I don't know what to say after you think so highly of someone as lacking as me. My abilities may be insignificant, but if that is your will, I will gladly devote everything I have to following you!”
At Minjun's solemn pledge, a radiant smile bloomed across Liu Bei's face.
She took Minjun's hand and spoke.
“Thank you, Ziming! No, little brother Ziming. From now on, think of us as your own sisters and make yourself at home.”
“Yes, Sister!”
[Relationship deepened! Your bond with Liu Bei Xuande has grown stronger!] [Liu Bei Xuande has begun to recognize you as her ‘younger brother.’ Affection has increased significantly.]
Just then, urgent shouts and the noisy pounding of drums rang out from outside.
A soldier who appeared to have been sent by the county office came running up, gasping for breath, and cried out.
“It's terrible! The Yellow Turbans are sweeping across the realm!”
The soldier's face was ashen.
“After Zhang Jue of Julu launched his rebellion, the areas of Jizhou, Yuzhou, and Yan Province are all falling into the hands of the traitors. Especially in the southern regions around Yingchuan, the imperial forces have suffered crushing defeats, and their momentum is said to be piercing the heavens!”
The soldier paused to catch his breath, then shouted again.
“Therefore, Lord Liu Yan, the Inspector of Youzhou, has posted proclamations in every commandery and county, ordering all righteous men to rise up, aid the imperial family, and put down the traitors! Zhuo County is also raising a volunteer army!”
At last, the moment had arrived.
The Yellow Turban Rebellion, heralding the true beginning of the Three Kingdoms era.
Although Zhuo County itself was not yet under any direct threat, the news of the realm going up in flames and the inspector's order to raise volunteers weighed heavily on Minjun's heart.
‘So it's really starting now. I'm kind of freaking out.’
By contrast, Liu Bei's eyes shone with more resolve than ever.
She was a member of the Han imperial clan and could not turn her back on the suffering people.
Besides, this was also an opportunity to make her own will known in this chaotic age.
“Ziming.”
Liu Bei spoke in a voice filled with determination.
“I think the time has come for us to step forward.”
Minjun gulped.
A new system message appeared before his eyes.
[Main scenario ‘Yellow Turban Rebellion’ is beginning!] [Quest generated: Put down the traitors!] [Objective: Form a volunteer army with Liu Bei and her sisters, answer the call of the Inspector of Youzhou, and participate in suppressing the Yellow Turbans.] [Rewards: Experience, Fame, Contribution to Liu Bei's faction, ???]
A modern man's Three Kingdoms survival story with Charisma: 100.
With attributes that had only just learned to walk, could he survive the storm of this vast history and complete the quest?