Chapter 1: Opening – Heading to Buena Village!

In the year 412 of the Koryu calendar, five years after Rudeus had advanced to the rank of Water Saint Magician, Roxy found herself staying in Buena Village, marking her second year as Rudeus's home tutor.

At the southern foot of the Red Dragon Mountains, north of the Fittoa region, the deep forest swayed under the moonlight. The mountain wind blew down from the dark ridges of the Red Dragon Mountains, slipping through the gaps in the trees and brushing past a young face illuminated by the orange glow of a campfire.

The flames of the bonfire flickered in his dark gray eyes. Suddenly, a burning stick snapped with a crisp crack, and the owner of those eyes blinked, looking down at the map of the Asura Kingdom in his hands.

In the center of the map, the northern edge of the Fittoa region was circled in red ink, with four characters written inside: Buena Village.

The map's owner, a young man with a sharp pair of upward-slanting eyebrows that gave his face a determined look, rested his chin on his hand. Though he appeared young, his demeanor was steady.

"...It should take about another day's journey to meet Rudeus," he murmured.

Allen, a transmigrator, had been working overtime in his previous life, conducting road tests for the autonomous driving system of an internet-based car company. Having been involved in the development and testing of the system from the beginning, Allen had full confidence in its safety.

So, he pulled out his phone and started reading Mushoku Tensei: Side Story to pass the time.

Perhaps sensing his deep love for reincarnation stories, the driving system decided to show some mercy to the overworked employee.

The speedometer needle shot up, reaching 100 km/h in just three seconds, followed by a sharp drift into a curve!

And then—crash!—it slammed into a heavy truck waiting on the side of the road.

By the time he was found, Allen's phone was embedded in his forehead, his eyes wide open, his death anything but peaceful.

He was 25 years old.

After being reborn into the world of Mushoku Tensei, nine years had passed in this new world.

Coincidentally, his name in this world was the same as in his previous life—though not in Chinese, but in the "human language" of this world, which happened to sound similar. Thanks to its inverted sentence structure, which was close to Chinese, Allen had quickly mastered the language without being hindered by his native tongue.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, a look of helplessness on his face.

"Too bad I was only four when Rudeus was born. I couldn't travel to Buena Village to participate in the first major event of the Mushoku Tensei main story."

As soon as he finished speaking, lines of text, like smoke, materialized in front of him. After numerous tests, Allen had confirmed that these words didn't appear on his retina but were instead a phantom image perceived directly by his soul. No one else could see them.

[Mushoku Tensei Transmigration Guide.]

[Host must participate in major events of the Mushoku Tensei world, leaving your mark in the eyes of the main and supporting characters as the tides of the era flow.]

[Based on Rudeus's growth trajectory (Childhood – Tutoring Period – Adolescence – Youth), you must achieve a participation score of at least 60 out of 100 in each stage. Failure to meet the minimum score will result in the loss of your transmigration guide privileges. The consequences are unknown but may include being erased from existence by the flow of time.]

Allen's mouth twitched as he read the system panel.

When he first realized he had been reborn, he had been thrilled. Sure, his previous death had been gruesome, but being reborn as an infant in an orphanage was a chance to start over—a rare gift.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a mother?

And more importantly, wouldn't it be great to escape the daily grind of waking up early with dark circles under his eyes to clock in at work?

But before his infant eyes could even fully develop, his soul had already "seen" his rebirth's wild gift—the system.

The words "erased from existence" on the panel were even bolded, underlined, and highlighted in red.

How heartwarming.

Allen shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside, and continued reading:

[Current Stage: Childhood. Cumulative Participation Score: 2 points.]

[Available Career Paths:]

[Path of the Magician (Abandoned): Gain the magical factor of the Demon God Laplace, increasing mana capacity, mana affinity, and doubling magical comprehension.]

[Blessing: Possess a beautiful head of green hair. Cost: Unable to generate battle aura.]

[Path of the Swordsman (Chosen): Gain the embryonic core of the Dragon God Orsted's Dragon Saint Battle Aura, reducing mana consumption for aura conversion, increasing aura affinity, and doubling swordsmanship comprehension.]

[Blessing: Possess a sturdy and robust physique. Cost: Mana recovery speed equal to Orsted's.]

[Current Swordsmanship Levels (Based on the average skill level of all swordsmen in the Mushoku Tensei world. If the host's swordsmanship improves to within 10% of the next level's average, the system will automatically update):]

[Sword God Style: Intermediate.]

[Water God Style: Advanced.]

[North God Style: Intermediate.]

Even after seeing this panel thousands of times over the past nine years, Allen couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease when he read the phrases "beautiful head of green hair" and "sturdy and robust physique." A vivid image popped into his mind:

The River Goddess of the Transmigration Guide emerged from the murky waters, holding a green-haired, flamboyant man in her left hand and a muscular, dark-skinned warrior in her right.

With a smile, she asked, "Which one did you lose, traveler?"

Allen felt utterly lost.

As for why he had chosen the path of the swordsman over the magician, rejecting Laplace's factor and the chance to become a second Rudeus?

First, swordsmen were stronger in the Mushoku Tensei world. And since Japanese light novels often lumped single-edged and double-edged blades together under the term "sword," Allen personally preferred the idea of mastering the art of close-quarters combat.

Second, Orsted's Dragon Saint Battle Aura was simply too enticing. Orsted was, after all, the pinnacle of combat prowess in the main story. Choosing Laplace's factor made no sense.

It definitely wasn't because the "beautiful head of green hair" had clouded his judgment.

"According to the original story, Roxy will leave Buena Village this year. I've already delayed for a few months. I hope I can still make it in time to meet her..."

In the winter of 411, Allen had already decided to head to Buena Village. Having missed the major event of Rudeus's birth, he couldn't afford to miss Rudeus and Roxy's meeting. Though still young, he had made thorough preparations to leave his original environment and participate in the major events of Mushoku Tensei.

But unexpected circumstances had forced him to wander the lower reaches of the Red Dragon Mountains for several months, and it wasn't until late spring of 412 that he finally arrived near Buena Village.

"If I miss this opportunity, I'll have to pin my hopes on Sylphie, Rudeus, and his family for my childhood participation score. That's risky... Roxy is too important in Mushoku Tensei."

Allen waved his hand, dispersing the smoky text, and brushed aside the tangled strands of hair on his forehead.

He stood up, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The bonfire's light illuminated his figure. Though only nine years old, he was already 160 cm tall, his well-proportioned body filling out the tattered swordsman's uniform.

But he paid no attention to the "blessings" the system had bestowed upon him. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze to the side.

Beyond the reach of the bonfire's light, the thick darkness swayed with the wind.

Four figures emerged from the shadows, stepping into the firelight.