Sea Survival: My Luck is Off the Charts

Faye Yardley blinked, ran over, and peered into the water. "I don’t know," she said, sounding uncertain. "Why aren’t there any tadpoles in the pond? I was thinking of keeping a frog as a pet."

"Hahaha! To think someone would want a frog for a pet! Haha... that’s hilarious."

A squirrel in a tree was clutching its stomach, roaring with laughter.

A talking squirrel... In this Fairy Tale World, that was probably as normal as it gets.

I could tell from Faye’s expression—angry, but not surprised—that she already knew some animals could talk.

"You damn yellow-furred rat! How dare you laugh at my sister! I’m going to catch you, string you up, and give you a good thrashing." Faye was already moving as she spoke. She scrambled up the tree with incredible speed, using both her hands and feet. Before the squirrel could even react, she had it by the scruff of its neck.

"Let me go! Let me go, you damn human!"

Faye held it in her right hand and slapped it repeatedly with her left. SLAP! SLAP! The squirrel was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture.

Then, Faye simply let go. The squirrel-sicle bounced off the high branches once, twice, before hitting the ground with a THUD, nearly shattering on impact.

Suddenly, a ball of fire shot out from the side, spraying across the ice sculpture. The ice melted in an instant. The squirrel, shivering uncontrollably, immediately scurried off into the distance.

"Hmph. Meddlesome."

"My, my, young lady, no need to be so fiery. It is true that no one around here keeps frogs as pets, isn’t it?"

An aged voice emerged from the tall grass. A moment later, an old hedgehog appeared, walking upright with one hand on a cane and the other clasped behind its back.

From the moment the squirrel appeared to mock her, Faye Yardley had been completely dumbfounded.

’What the hell? Just what kind of fantasy world is this?’

Faye leaped nimbly down from the tree and stood in front of the old hedgehog. "We’ll keep whatever pet we want. It’s not for anyone else to mock."

"Yes, you’re right. That squirrel was indeed rude. As an apology, I can tell you where to find some frogs." The old hedgehog seemed quite agreeable.

Faye Yardley quickly refused. "Thank you for the kind offer, but that’s alright. My sister and I were just trying our luck. If we’re not lucky enough to find one, we shouldn’t force it."

Faye shot her a surprised glance, but seeing she was serious, turned back to the hedgehog. "Alright, you heard my sister. You can go now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind a taste of hedgehog meat."

"My, you’re still such a hothead, young lady. Fine, fine. There’s an apricot tree up ahead. The apricots on it are ripe and red. Go on and pick some."

Faye’s face finally broke into a smile. "Alright, thank you, Grandpa Hedgehog."

Faye Yardley clearly saw the old hedgehog roll its eyes.

Then, Faye grabbed Faye Yardley’s hand, picked up their basket from the ground, and headed in the direction the old hedgehog had pointed, searching for the red apricots.

What does it feel like to stand under an apricot tree that’s at least five stories tall?

The whole tree was covered in red apricots, a truly cheerful sight.

"Faye, let’s climb up and pick some together," her sister said. "The redder they are, the sweeter they taste. They’re delicious."

"Okay."

’Another item for the list of edible foods. Excellent.’

Once she was up in the tree, Faye Yardley picked an apricot and popped it into her mouth. She took a bite. It was refreshingly sweet with a faint tartness—delicious and quite appetizing.

[Ding! Consumed special red apricot. Mood +1. Temporary luck boost for one hour.]

Seeing her eat it, Faye said, "Delicious, right? The old hedgehog planted this tree. No one’s allowed to pick the fruit without his permission. Let’s just pick some of the fully red ones today. We have to leave the rest for him."

"Got it, Sister."

Faye Yardley started picking the red apricots. Whenever her sister wasn’t looking, she stashed them in her backpack. ’My god, these things give a temporary luck boost! How could I not sneak a few extra?’

’If Eamon could grow a new tree from these pits, I’d have an endless supply of luck-boosting red apricots!’

"You little glutton," Faye teased. "You can’t just keep eating them, no matter how delicious they are."

"I know, I know."

’Apparently, Faye could tolerate a little bit of rebellion now and then. It wouldn’t be enough to change her attitude toward me.’

By the time they jumped down from the tree, Faye Yardley’s basket was half-full of red apricots. Her sister’s was even fuller.

The old hedgehog ambled over. He wasn’t stingy at all, and even offered a compliment. "You two little ones aren’t bad. Not too greedy."

"Thank you, Grandpa Hedgehog. The red apricots you grew are so delicious, we couldn’t help but pick a few extra. Here, let me give you some of the mushrooms my sister and I just gathered. They’re very tasty too." Faye Yardley offered her basket forward.

The old hedgehog didn’t stand on ceremony. He leaped up and did a quick roll in the basket, emerging with ten mushrooms stuck to his quills. "Alright, this old man won’t take too many. You two should hurry on home."

Faye Yardley hadn’t asked her sister before offering the mushrooms, but Faye clearly didn’t object. In fact, she was watching with a smile.

After leaving the towering red apricot tree, they made a series of turns. When Faye Yardley looked back again, the tree was gone.

It had been so tall, towering over all the other trees, yet now it was nowhere to be seen.

’This really isn’t a normal place.’

As they gathered more mushrooms on their way out of the woods, Faye Yardley couldn’t resist asking, "Sister, is there a castle around here? Little Red Riding Hood said she’s seen one."

Her sister hummed. "There is. The King lives in it, but it’s pretty far from here. I doubt you’ll ever get to see it."

’Never get to see it?’

A chill went down Faye Yardley’s spine. She picked another mushroom before asking tentatively, "Sister, am I not allowed to leave this forest and the village?"

"You want to leave?" Her sister stopped and looked at her, her expression serious. "But it’s very dangerous outside."

Faye Yardley’s mind raced. ’I have to answer this carefully, or she might snap.’ "I’m just a little curious," she said, forcing a playful tone. "But I’ll stay wherever you are, Sister. Don’t even think about abandoning me and running off on your own!"

Faye broke into a radiant smile. "Don’t worry. I would never abandon you and run off."

"Good. Let’s head back. Little Red Riding Hood might have already reached Grandma Hayes’s house."

"There’s another pond up ahead, you know. Don’t you want to go take a look?"

Faye Yardley blinked. "Oh, there are that many ponds in these woods? If it’s on our way, let’s check it out. If not, maybe next time. I’m starting to feel a little tired."

"That’s true. The wound on your head probably hasn’t healed completely. I’ll need to brew another bowl of medicine for you."

The strange sense of crisis suddenly lifted, and Faye Yardley couldn’t help but breathe an inward sigh of relief.

’Being with a sister like this is so... intense.’

’I have no idea what’s happening with the others, but so far, I haven’t met a single person of my own kind. From the villagers I’ve seen to the people I’ve interacted with more—Faye, Grandma Hayes, and Clementine—it’s obvious none of them are the sea survival players from the event.’