Allen's face was completely flat—his so-called "Pseudo-Undying Body" skill only lasted 6 minutes and 36 seconds, yet its cooldown was a staggering 800 days. In the world of Mushoku Tensei, where one year equaled roughly 300 days, that meant more than two years to recharge.
If, in the future, his Chiyu-jutsu (Healing) skill advanced enough to regenerate severed limbs, the mana cost would increase, shortening the skill's duration even further.
Was this supposed to be a berserker's ultimate move? Allen seriously suspected the system was trolling him.
Last night's mysterious [6] was proof enough.
[How could this be?]
[The Chiyu-jutsu Mamon (Healing Spell Engraving) is meant to help the host recover after battle. Continuous activation is only for desperate situations. This world is relatively peaceful—where are you going to find life-or-death fights every day?]
[And think about it—if you had a Divine-tier healing spell engraved, you'd basically be immortal. Combine that with high-level Ryūsei Tōki (Dragon Saint Douki) and you'd be invincible. Forget being Allen, just call yourself Cockroach-kun. You could steamroll the game.]
Allen spat on the ground, as if to defile the system's condescending text.
"Divine-level healing? Get real. Those spells take absurd amounts of mana and long chants—completely useless in actual combat. I don't remember anyone in the original novel ever using Kami no Chiyu-jutsu (God-tier Healing)! Who's going to help me engrave that?"
"If you're going to show up just to explain mechanics, then tell me how to increase the capacity of Ryūsei Tōki."
"Right now, the embryonic core only lets me squeeze out a few droplets of diluted Douki to enhance what I already have."
[...Contact...Orst...]
The system's text became garbled and then scattered like smoke.
Allen raised a brow, surprised.
"System?"
No reply.
He furrowed his brow. "Ever since I met Roxy, the system's been oddly chatty… like it's been excited. That's never happened before. Now it's suddenly gone silent?"
"Feels like I lost signal. But level updates and event scoring still come through instantly. No delay so far."
"Is the world suppressing it? Is it a limitation of my cheat? Or did the system just run out of memory?"
"…I don't have enough information to tell. But it did give me one answer: 'Contact Orsted.'"
"That fits. Ryūsei Tōki originates from Ryūjin-ryū (Dragon God Style). To grow stronger, I'll need to train with Orsted."
"But going near that guy now would be suicide. Better level up a bit first. If I'm lucky, maybe I can win his trust. Right now, I don't even have the right to kneel before him."
"As for the healing spell's pseudo-immortality: 6 minutes and 36 seconds at the cost of 800 days to recover. Based on PvP battle logic in this world, fights are usually over in a few moves."
"Which means: 1 minute per 120 days, or 30 seconds per 60 days. Reasonable for all-out death matches."
"In normal combat, I can use short bursts while catching my breath or while taunting. The mana cost and healing efficiency balance out."
"And if I pretend to be weak, I might bait enemies into an ambush with Hokushin-ryū (North God Style) or Suijin-ryū (Water God Style)."
"All things considered, it's a solid cheat. I was never meant to be an invincible protagonist anyway."
Allen fell silent.
Still no response from the system.
He narrowed his eyes and glanced at the sky.
"…"
"Well, time to go see Paul. To be part of Mushoku Tensei's major events, I'll need to integrate into his household like Roxy did."
"Gaining Rudeus' trust shouldn't be too hard. Unlocking the Dokuyaku-jutsu Mamon (Poison Cure Engraving) would be useful too. Not as good as healing, but it's another tool in the bag."
Clang! The sword was sheathed.
He resumed walking.
Sunset, Buena Village
The orange glow of the setting sun bathed the white walls of the Greyrat family's estate in fiery red.
Just like Lilia's flushed face.
Her red hair was tied in a neat ponytail. Her black-and-white maid outfit was tailored perfectly. She stood behind a second-floor window, quietly watching the garden below through her glasses.
In the yard, three figures stood beneath the golden sky: a beautiful blonde lady, a tall, handsome man, and a boy looking down in shame.
A harmonious family scene…
…If you ignored the fact that the husband's hand was hidden behind his wife's skirt, shamelessly groping her.
'Master and Madam have such a strong relationship… passionate every night. I hear everything so clearly…'
Lilia's hand instinctively touched her lower back. Her eyelids lowered.
In the garden:
"Rudy, we agreed you'd spar with me this afternoon to test your progress. Why are you just now getting home?"
Rudeus stared at the grass, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
"Well, I went to scout the area and examine plants… and sort of got carried away. Heh. Cough, cough."
Paul squinted at him, tightening his grip. Zenith, who'd meant to ease the tension, had a twitching vein on her forehead. She forced a smile, blushing fiercely.
Her rehearsed speech of mediation? Forgotten.
Paul growled:
"Rudeus. Be honest."
Rudeus straightened up, clutching his botany book under one arm.
"I really did go exploring. But… I admit, a small part of me thought that if I came back late, I wouldn't have to spar. I'm sorry!"
Paul nodded, then turned to Zenith and winked.
"Go make dinner, dear. Me and Rudy have a man-to-man to finish. Ahem! AHEM!"
Zenith shot him a glare, elbowed him in the ribs, and smoothed out the wrinkles on her white dress.
Then she crouched down to Rudeus' level, smiling warmly.
"If you don't feel like training with your father, you can tell us next time, okay? Mommy was worried when you didn't come back."
"Hey! Rudy's totally into training! Don't make it sound like I forced him!"
"Darling, you're missing the point again!"
Watching his parents' crisscrossed arms and flirty bickering, Rudeus made a face.
Geez… get a room, you two.
Eventually, Zenith walked off. Paul, now free from distraction, leaned toward Rudeus and whispered:
"Hey, hey… be honest. You sneak off to flip a girl's skirt, didn't you?"
Don't project your own habits onto me, Paul!
Rudeus was about to snap back—at least in his mind—when a strange chill ran down his spine.
Like a snake slithering across his skin.
A gaze. Someone was watching him. A type of stare he hated most in his past life.
Slowly, he turned to look toward the estate's gate.
There stood a middle school-aged boy with terrifying eyebrows and a solid build.
No—those brows weren't terrifying, just sharp and slanted like blades. His messy hair was tied back. The aura he gave off was razor-sharp.
Rudeus instinctively tensed. This kind of presence reminded him too much of his former bullies.
The boy was stroking his chin, staring at Rudeus with obvious interest.
Their eyes met.
The boy raised an eyebrow, as if discovering something amusing.
He smirked.
(End of Chapter)
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