Mushoku tensei: A New Path

How many days has it been? Two, three, maybe more, since I first realized the truth? The truth that I've somehow reincarnated into the world of *Mushoku Tensei*. Ever since that moment, I've been overwhelmed by nothing but stress.

Paul, Zenith, and even Lilia have all noticed my distress. They've each tried, in their own ways, to comfort me, but I can't seem to care right now. It's difficult to even explain why I feel this way. In the Web Novel I once read, Rudeus's story was clear: this was his second chance at life, an opportunity to live fully and correct the mistakes of his past life.

Sure, that sounds great if you just focus on Rudeus. But what about the countless lives that will be lost in the Mana Calamity? What about Paul? What about Zenith?

In my past life, I knew too well the feeling of loneliness and weakness. Despite the comforting words of Father Joseph and the Old Nun at the orphanage, the truth was that some of us had no one. There were kids with parents who loved and cared for them, who didn't wear donated clothes or hope endlessly for someone to adopt them.

Rudeus Greyrat was lucky—born to a knight's household with a magician for a mother. Was it luck? Was it fate? If he had been born a slave, would the story have been any different?

My anger and frustration are pointless until I confirm whether this truly is the world of *Mushoku Tensei* or just some medieval world with coincidentally similar characters. And the best way to confirm it? Have Zenith perform magic on me. But why would she cast magic? To heal me, of course.

Why have I started talking to myself as if breaking the fourth wall like in the web novels I once read? Am I truly going mad from stress? And I'm not even a year old!

I took a deep breath, mustering what little strength I had, and crawled toward the staircase. Grabbing onto the wall for balance, I stood up. It hurt, but I could do it. Zenith and Lilia watched anxiously, ready to catch me if I fell. I climbed the first three stairs, letting go of the wall. Losing balance, I tumbled down.

The pain was sharp, but not unbearable. What shocked me more was the look on Zenith and Lilia's faces—they hadn't expected me to fall so suddenly.

Zenith rushed to pick me up, her eyes filled with concern.

"Oh, Rudi," she murmured, "how did you fall like that? You were holding the wall! Why didn't I catch you in time? Are you hurt?"

She inspected me closely, and that's when my plan came into motion. Zenith began chanting softly, and a green light emitted from her hands, erasing all the pain I had been feeling.

The doubts I'd harbored vanished. There was no denying it anymore. I had reincarnated into the world of *Mushoku Tensei* as Rudeus Greyrat.

Tears welled up in my eyes. These weren't tears of happiness. How was I supposed to protect my family from the Mana Calamity? How could I stop Zenith from becoming an invalid or save Paul from death? The pressure was overwhelming.

Zenith held me close, thinking I was scared of her magic, and tried to soothe me. I truly needed that comfort right now.

But what should I do next? I wished Jack and Peter were here; they always had some good advice.

------------------------------------------

A few more days passed. I was distant and quiet, still consumed by my worries. Paul, Zenith, and even Lilia made several attempts to cheer me up, but they couldn't understand the source of my gloom. Zenith, being both a healer and an herbalist, deduced that my problem wasn't physical.

After spending so much time lost in stress, I made a decision: I would fight to change fate. I'm a Marine, lucky enough to be born into this world, and I won't let Old-Nun's (Zenith's) voice go unheard.

I needed to focus. Sure, I wasn't particularly athletic, studious, or creative in my past life, but I had perseverance. That same determination helped me survive boot camp, and it will help me survive here. My greatest asset is my meta-knowledge. I know who the enemies are, their allies, and potential future allies.

I could make changes—surpass both the original Rudeus and even Oldeus.

My first goal was to begin mana training, to exhaust my reserves and increase my mana pool. In the original story, Rudeus started depleting his mana reserves around two years of age, eventually growing to possess as much mana as the Demon God Laplace. I'm only six months old now, so starting early could give me a massive advantage, allowing me to surpass them both.

But how do I begin depleting my mana when I can barely understand what these people are saying? The only reason I grasp anything is thanks to Paul's bedtime stories about the Armored Dragon King Perugius and his adventures.

I can sense the meaning behind conversations through a few words I've come to recognize and the facial expressions of my parents and Lilia.

Speaking of Lilia, her behavior is different than what I expected. In the web novel, she was wary of Rudeus due to his behavior. Yet, she seems friendlier toward me. Perhaps my behavior is different—after all, I'm not the shameless pervert Rudeus was.

If I want to learn magic, I'll have to observe Zenith closely. But to do that, I need her to perform magic often—and that means getting hurt frequently. I'll memorize her incantations and practice on my own when I'm alone.

After all, no pain, no gain.