Leona Ravensong, a 13-year-old girl, had resorted to stealing from people just to avoid starving to death. Her malnourished appearance and tattered clothing spoke volumes about her dire circumstances, with no one to look after her.
"Girl, if you have the ability to change your appearance, use it now," Kuber instructed Leona with a stern gaze and a face devoid of emotion. Urgency radiated from his eyes.
Upon hearing Kuber's advice, Leona nodded with the poise of someone beyond her years.
The next moment, a remarkable transformation took place. Her body contorted and shifted, bones rearranging themselves to alter her form. Her once-black hair turned to a rich brown, and her previously dirty skin now appeared clean and fresh. Even her clothes underwent a change, transitioning from black to a muted shade of yellow. The very reality around her seemed to twist and contort to accommodate her new appearance.
"Young friend, have you seen a child in ragged attire around here?" Urgent concern laced the voice that called out from the alley's entrance.
Kuber turned to face the source of the voice, spotting the two civilians who had been chasing after Leona. Their exhausted appearance indicated they had been running quite a distance to catch up with her.
"Yes, I have. She just ran through the alley to the other side," Kuber responded to the civilians, calmly pointing toward the opposite end of the alleyway. Leona's transformed appearance made her unrecognizable to the civilians, allowing her to escape their notice.
"Thank you!" The two civilians chorused in gratitude before hurrying away to chase the thief who had stolen their credit coin. In this world, a credit coin was akin to a credit card, lacking a PIN or password, which meant that if stolen, it could be used by anyone.
With the civilians gone, Kuber and Leona's eyes met, a silent exchange of curiosity and scrutiny passing between them.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Are you some kind of a pervert, uncle?" Leona's arms folded as she shot him a suspicious glance.
"You're staring at me too, kid. And I'm not a pervert, just so you know," Kuber replied with an annoyed expression. The accusation of being called a pervert and an uncle at the same time was understandably irksome.
"Then why did you save me? Don't tell me you want to drink my blood because you're a vampire." Leona's words cut through the silence, her gaze unwavering as she questioned his intentions.
Leona's words were accompanied by a few steps of retreat, her fear evident in the beads of cold sweat on her forehead.
"No, I'm not that kind of person either, kid. Do I look like a starved vampire to you?"
Kuber reassured her with a warm smile. He hoped to ease Leona's anxiety, which had kept her wary of his intentions. He understood that his sudden intervention might have seemed suspicious, leading her to believe he had ulterior motives.
"Well, it's not like I'm not suspicious of you, you know? You saved me out of nowhere. People don't just do that for free," Leona replied, her expression a mixture of fear and determination. She clenched her teeth, ready to comply with whatever demands Kuber might have in order to keep herself safe.
"You're quite sharp, kid. I do need something from you, though. And stop calling me 'uncle,'" Kuber's grin took on a sinister edge, his hands rubbing together as if he'd stumbled upon a valuable treasure.
Leona shivered involuntarily at the sight of Kuber's sinister grin. Her retreat was halted by the wall at her back, leaving her feeling trapped in the alleyway. The sense of impending danger spurred her instincts to escape.
"What's the matter? Why are you stepping back like that? Do I look like some sort of thug to you?" Kuber's question was laced with genuine curiosity, his expression bemused.
Kuber's attempt to smile brightly ended up resembling more of a grin, his dark red eyes and pale skin adding an unintentionally eerie effect. Unfortunately, this sight was too much for Leona, who burst into tears.
"Aahhhh! Mommy, save me from this monster!" Leona wailed, collapsing to the ground and rubbing her eyes as she cried. In a matter of moments, her composed demeanor had transformed into that of a frightened child, overwhelmed by Kuber's unintentional fright.
"Hey, why are you crying now?"
Kuber tried to comfort her, attempting to pat her head gently. However, his efforts were futile, and Leona's tears continued to flow. Eventually, Kuber purchased a calming sweet pill from the dimensional shop using 2 stone credits and handed it to her.
"Sorry, uncle. I was just scared," Leona managed to say between sobs. She chewed on the sweet pill, gradually regaining her composure. Despite her reddened face from crying, she appeared more composed.
"What do you mean by that? Don't you have a shop section in your status screen?"
Kuber's brow furrowed in confusion. He looked at Leona with a puzzled expression, trying to understand her statement. It seemed there was a misunderstanding between them.
Kuber purchased the candy from the Dimensional Shop, thanks to his unique class. However, for ordinary people, a shop section should be available on the system screen, similar to what was experienced during the trials.
"Huh! What are you saying? The shop section is only available during the trials and disappears once they end."
Leona's gaze dropped, forming a subtle frown as her expectations clashed with reality. She merely wanted to know where Kuber had acquired the candy, but he appeared to be evading the question.
'Ah, that makes sense. No wonder the book didn't mention anything about a shop section. People in this world can't have something like online shopping and have to physically visit stores to make purchases. That's advantageous for merchants. It also explains why they use credit coins for transactions.'
Kuber's eyes narrowed as he stared into the distance, lost in thought.
"Alright, so what did you want me to do then? I promise I won't steal from anyone official, from individuals belonging to the four associations, or from reputable clans or guilds."
Leona's eyes glinted with a calculating expression as she assessed the situation before her. She concluded that if Kuber didn't want to do something shady to her then the only thing he could want would be to make her steal something.
The conditions she mentioned were a rational decision since she wouldn't want to steal from a big shot and risk getting executed or, worse, sold to slave merchants.
"Don't worry! I won't make you steal from some big shot; it's just a normal guy," Kuber reassured her, leaning in slightly. His eyes locked onto Leona as he spoke with conviction.
"You won't have to worry about anything at all, little girl. I won't make you do something that will endanger your life," Kuber's radiant smile conveyed his sincerity as he gently patted Leona's head, trying to convince her to cooperate.
"If you won't make me steal from the people I mentioned, then I'm prepared to steal whatever you want," Leona responded her gaze briefly wavering with uncertainty as she wondered what Kuber had in mind.
"Good! Follow behind me in that case," Kuber instructed, leading the way out of the alleyway with Leona trailing silently behind him.
After a while, they arrived in front of the garrison building. A group of garrison soldiers stood there, their chests puffed up with confidence.
"Do you see that soldier with a black badge on his uniform? You just need to quietly steal the credit coin from him and give it to me."
Kuber said to Leona, pointing out a soldier who wore a black badge with a dragon carved on it, indicating his status as a garrison squad leader.
Leona's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in astonishment as she registered the unexpected words from Kuber.