Roa fell into thought. This trip would likely take a considerable amount of time. Although he could adjust the flow of time with his temporal energy, he still needed to give Rudeus an answer. After some consideration, Roa said, "Three months? Or maybe two?"
Rudeus immediately protested, "Two months? You want me to teach Eris for two months alone? Do you want to come back and find your dear brother's corpse?"
Rudeus spoke dramatically, and Roa felt a bit awkward. He tried to reassure him, "It'll be fine. Don't worry."
Rudeus lunged at Roa, tears streaming down his face, and shouted, "I can't live without you, big brother!"
Roa expressionlessly dodged Rudeus's lunge, stepping back and patting Rudeus's blond hair. "Be good. Besides, Eris isn't that bad. She's becoming more sensible."
Rudeus's heart sank at those words. He grabbed Roa's sleeve and said seriously, "Can't you not go?"
Roa was getting a bit annoyed by Rudeus's persistence. He leaned in and whispered, "I actually have a mission."
Rudeus perked up and whispered back, "A mission?"
Roa nodded with a serious expression. "Yes, a mission!"
Rudeus, seeing Roa's serious face, instinctively straightened his posture, looking attentive.
Roa began to explain, "To prevent the world from being destroyed—"
Rudeus immediately slumped back down.
He yawned lazily and said, "Big brother, stop pretending. I know it was you that night, the one in the black robe, right?"
Roa tilted his head in feigned confusion, looking at Rudeus. Rudeus continued, "With that kind of power, I couldn't think of anyone else who could possess such immense magical energy. And your magic is so unique. There's no need to keep pretending. We're brothers. No need to hide things from each other."
"Oh," Roa nodded. He hadn't expected to keep it a secret forever.
Although he had managed to fool Rudeus at first, it wasn't hard to figure out Roa's identity with a bit of thought. Besides, Rudeus wasn't stupid.
Rudeus sat up and asked curiously, "Big brother, is what you said true?"
Rudeus was referring to the matter of the Human God and the so-called century-long struggle against it.
Roa smiled and shook his head. "The Human God is real, and the destruction of the world is real, but the century-long struggle is definitely fake."
"Then you?" Rudeus looked at Roa in confusion.
Roa smiled, "You want to know how I know about it? It's because of what's in my blood."
Rudeus murmured, "What's in your blood?"
Roa's eyes turned a brilliant golden-red, like molten lava. In that instant, it was as if an ancient emperor had awakened. An overwhelming pressure swept through the room, and an indescribable sense of dread filled Rudeus's heart. He instinctively backed away.
Roa looked at Rudeus expressionlessly, black scales appearing on his temples.
[Dragon Transformation]
Of course, it was only a slight transformation, just enough to protect his vital areas.
Rudeus stammered, "Big brother?"
He could hardly believe that the person in front of him was his big brother.
Roa smiled, and the overwhelming pressure vanished as if it had never existed.
Roa said to Rudeus, "Do you understand now?"
Rudeus swallowed hard and nodded. He forced a smile and said, "So, what should I call you? Big brother Roa? Or something else?"
Roa smacked Rudeus on the head. Rudeus winced and crouched down, holding his head.
Roa said expressionlessly, "Only girls look cute doing that."
After a moment of silence, Roa continued, "I'm still me, your big brother."
Rudeus finally relaxed. He had been afraid that Roa would suddenly turn on him and treat him as food.
That kind of thing was something you couldn't understand unless you experienced it firsthand. The feeling of being at the top of the food chain, the prickling sensation on his back, almost made Rudeus want to run away.
If it weren't for the fact that the man in front of him was his big brother.
But thankfully, Rudeus didn't run away, or he would have faced Roa's merciless mockery.
Roa continued, "Surprised? I'm surprised too."
Rudeus was dumbfounded. He looked at Roa and said, "You… you don't know how it happened?"
Roa smacked Rudeus on the head again and said expressionlessly, "Just talk to me normally. Why the formal language?"
Rudeus awkwardly smiled and shrunk back. Roa continued, "I had a dream. I saw a lot of things. It was a world of ice and snow. Never mind, it's not important. Anyway, when I woke up, I was like this."
Roa shrugged nonchalantly. Rudeus was stunned.
Rudeus was skeptical of Roa's explanation. Gaining power always came with a price, but Roa's method seemed too easy.
Ignoring Rudeus's shocked expression, Roa continued, "So, this trip is for that purpose. My current strength is still too weak. I can't control my own destiny."
Rudeus's heart ached. He looked at Roa in disbelief, his face twitching. He really wanted to shout, "What do you mean by weak?"
If this was considered weak, then what was he? An amoeba?
Roa patted Rudeus's shoulder and said earnestly, "You need to work hard. There's still a long way to go. Mother, father, Aisha, Norn—they all need your protection. You're their second brother. You have a heavy responsibility. The future is unpredictable. I can't always be by your side. I can't always protect you. At the very least, you need to grow strong enough to protect those around you."
Roa rarely spoke so seriously to Rudeus, and these words came from the heart. Once the plot began, he would be stretched thin and unable to take care of everything.
Rudeus nodded. He could feel Roa's deep concern. He flexed his arm, showing off his meager muscles, and said confidently, "Leave it to me."
Roa sighed and patted Rudeus's head. "I really hope you can grow up quickly."
Rudeus was stunned by Roa's words. It was the first time he had heard Roa say something like this.
Looking up, Roa's handsome face carried a hint of melancholy. It was a strange sadness, but it made Rudeus feel a bit guilty.
Roa's posture was still upright, his back straight as always. Suddenly, Rudeus remembered the night they were kidnapped.
The cold glint of the sword under the moonlight, the Sword that had cut his skin and nearly taken his life.
If it hadn't been for that man in black—no, if it hadn't been for Roa—he would have been dead.
Although he knew Roa had probably been watching from the shadows, failure was failure. Rudeus didn't make excuses for himself. Thinking back to how confidently he had promised to handle things, Rudeus felt his cheeks burn.
In truth, Rudeus had been a bit overconfident.
Although he had always been overshadowed by Roa, and it seemed like he could never catch up, Rudeus wasn't the type to chase after Roa's back. He was more laid-back. Roa might be an insurmountable figure, but why did he have to become or surpass Roa?
After learning that his magical abilities were not weak—in fact, quite strong—Rudeus had become a bit complacent. Rudeus was highly talented, and even though he was always overshadowed by Roa, that didn't change the fact.
A seven-year-old saint-level mage—how many people in the world could achieve that?
Naturally, Rudeus thought that even if the kidnapping plan had a few hiccups, he could handle it.
And then, Rudeus almost died because of those "hiccups."
If it hadn't been for Roa, Rudeus shuddered at the thought.
This time, Rudeus became serious. He said to Roa, "I'll work hard."
Roa smiled and patted his foolish little brother's head. "Good. That's the spirit."
The rest of the day was spent on routine teaching. Eris continued to listen to Roa's lengthy lectures with a pained expression, while Rudeus stared out the window, lost in thought.
Time passed quickly, uneventfully and quietly.
The last day was no different from the others.
The next day, Roa woke up early and left without a sound.
Roa didn't bring any luggage with him. After all, he was going to another world, not really dealing with any worldly matters.
The morning sun cast its rays on Roa's handsome face as he walked along a narrow path, eventually returning to the forest. He spread his magic to sense his surroundings, confirming that no one was nearby, and then activated the system.
[Second Star World Found: ???]
[Time ratio between the Second Star World and the current world: 4:1]
Roa began manually adjusting the flow of time in the world, trying to stretch the timeline as much as possible.
The 2200 points of temporal energy he had couldn't do much. Just the act of crossing over consumed 1000 points, and the rest would be spent quickly.
This time, adjusting the time limit for each day cost 10 points of temporal energy, which was quite expensive. Moreover, it could only be adjusted forward, not backward.
Since he didn't know what the situation would be like in that world, Roa was worried about either over-adjusting and causing awkwardness or under-adjusting and failing to complete his mission.
In the end, Roa decided to spend 500 points of temporal energy as the entry fee, which meant he would stay in that world for about five years.
This immediately consumed nearly 1500 points of temporal energy, leaving his once-plentiful reserves significantly depleted.
[World coordinates successfully located]
[Please choose your method of entry: 1. Soul Projection (requires control), 2. Physical Crossing]
Roa's mind stirred, and he chose the option of physical crossing. Immediately, three more options appeared.
[Please choose the identity you will assume for this invasion.]
[A. Wealthy Heir]
[B. Homeless Wanderer]
[C. Ghost]
[Note 1: This choice will slightly affect your innate talents. Please choose carefully.]
[Note 2: Physical crossing will be subject to the constraints of the world's rules, resulting in a brief period of weakness. Please avoid using powers that do not exist in this world. If detected by the world's consciousness, you will be expelled.]
Roa raised an eyebrow. Note 2 was quite interesting. It was a way of nerfing him, but how much he was nerfed would only become clear once he entered the world. Still, it was within reason. In an emergency, Roa would have no choice but to go all out and then make a quick escape.
The fact that no special traits appeared was within Roa's expectations. After all, if a bug-like skill like "The Fool" could be easily obtained, it wouldn't be classified as an A-level rare skill. However, option C was intriguing.
Ghost.
The term "ghost" had many meanings and could represent various roles. It also appeared frequently in anime. Just from the term "ghost," it was impossible to gather any useful information, but Roa instinctively thought of an anime called Demon Slayer.
The story was straightforward, focusing on a world where demons ate humans, and humans fought back.
However, the combat level in this world wasn't particularly high. The only tricky aspect was the demons' immortality.
Roa didn't dwell on it too much. First, option C had to be ruled out. That left options A and B, and it was almost a no-brainer that A was the best choice.
Roa reached out to select option A, but suddenly, a heavy force struck him, as if he had been hit on the head. He felt dizzy and disoriented.
In his dazed state, Roa vaguely felt himself wrapped in a transparent membrane, speeding through space, with blurry stars flashing by.
"Thud."
It felt like his head had hit a wall. Roa's consciousness sank, and he fell into a deep sleep.
When Roa woke up, he found himself surrounded by festive decorations and a lively atmosphere.
This made him slightly stunned.
He looked around in confusion.