Year 412 of the Armored Dragon Calendar
It was the second year since Roxy had taken residence in Buena Village as Rudeus's home tutor—the same year he ascended to the rank of Water Saint in magic.
Southern foothills of the Red Dragon Mountains, northern frontier of the Fittoa region.
The forest lay shadowed in twilight, the moonlight spilling through gaps in the trees like silver mist. From the shadowed ridge of the Red Dragon range, mountain winds swept downward, threading through the branches and brushing across the face of a boy sitting quietly by the fire.
The orange flames flickered in his dark grey eyes, mirroring their dance.
A charred stick snapped suddenly in the fire with a sharp crack, breaking his reverie. He blinked, then looked down at the well-worn map of the Kingdom of Asura in his hands.
At the center of his gaze, a crimson circle had been drawn at the northern edge of Fittoa. Four characters had been carefully penned inside the ring:
Buena Village.
The map's owner rested his chin on his hand. He looked young, but his eyes were calm, composed. His sharply arched eyebrows lent his face a trace of steel.
"One more day on foot… and I'll finally meet Rudeus."
His name was Allen. A transmigrant.
Back in his previous life, Allen had been working overtime, field-testing the road conditions for a self-driving system at an internet-based automotive company. Having contributed to several iterations of the project from the ground up, he had full confidence in the system's safety protocols.
Which is why, during a lull, he'd pulled out his phone to sneak in another chapter of Jobless Reincarnation: The Side Story.
Perhaps it was fate, or maybe it was his furrowed brow that betrayed his passion for the series—but the driving system, in a rare moment of empathy, seemed to acknowledge the plight of the overworked corporate drone.
The speedometer spiked.
Zero to one hundred in under three seconds.
A sleek drift into a curve… straight into the waiting maw of a parked freight truck.
By the time someone found him, his phone had embedded itself neatly between his brows. His eyes were wide open. He had not passed peacefully.
Age at death: twenty-five.
He was reincarnated as an infant in the world of Jobless Reincarnation. Nine years had passed since.
By a curious twist of coincidence, this world even bore the same name as the one from the novel he had once loved. Not in Chinese, of course, but in the phonetic "Human Tongue" of this world—close enough to Mandarin in its inverted syntax that Allen, free from native-language interference, picked it up almost effortlessly.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing.
"Too bad… When Rudeus was born, I was only four. No way I could've trekked to Buena to be part of the main plot's first 'major event.'"
As if responding to his lament, smoky words formed in midair before his eyes—wisps at first, then solidifying into sharp lines of script.
Allen had verified it many times: these characters didn't appear on his retinas. They were a sort of spiritual hallucination, visible only to him, perceived directly by his soul.
[Jobless Reincarnation Transmigration Guide]
[Host must participate in major events of the "Jobless Reincarnation" timeline. Leave your mark—be it in the eyes of heroes or the shadows of side characters.]
[Your goal is to attain a passing score (60/100) for each stage of Rudeus's life arc: Early Childhood – Home Tutoring – Adolescence – Youth. Failure to do so may result in revocation of transmigration privileges. Consequences unknown. Likely: spatial rejection or existence erasure.]
Allen stared at the system panel, lips twitching.
When he'd first realized he'd been reborn, he'd been ecstatic. Sure, his death had been undignified—but a second chance, orphanage setting or not, was a blessing. A reset button.
A fresh start with a mom—who wouldn't want that?
And the best part: no more dragging himself to 9-to-9 shifts, eyes ringed in fatigue.
Then, even before his infant eyes could focus, before he could even recognize his own mother's face, he'd "seen" his second mother—the metaphysical one.
The System.
Those two underlined, boldfaced characters: Erasure—in Songti font, no less—remained permanently etched into the panel.
How… heartwarming.
He snapped himself out of the thought and scanned further down the interface:
[Current Stage: Early Childhood | Participation Score: 2/100]
[Available Development Paths:]
● Path of the Magician (Abandoned):
Received Laplace's Magic Factor. Mana capacity enhanced, increased mana affinity, double magic aptitude.
Blessing: Stunning green hair.
Trade-off: Body cannot circulate battle aura.
● Path of the Swordsman (Selected):
Received Dragon God Orsted's Proto-Battle Aura Core. Reduced mana cost to convert aura, increased aura affinity, double swordsmanship aptitude.
Blessing: A robust, muscular physique.
Trade-off: Mana regeneration rate equals that of Orsted.
Current Swordsmanship Proficiency (based on the average skill level of all swordsmen in the Jobless Reincarnation world; levels are updated automatically when the host reaches within 10% of the next tier):
Sword God Style – Intermediate
Water God Style – Advanced
North God Style – Intermediate
In the past nine years, Allen had reviewed this panel countless times. But every time he read the phrases "stunning green hair" and "robust, muscular physique," a certain image uninvitedly resurfaced in his mind:
A river goddess—the so-called "Transmigration Guide"—emerging from filthy waters, one hand dragging a neon-haired effeminate delinquent, the other lifting a buff, bronzed muscle brute.
Smiling sweetly as she asked:
"Dear host, which one is yours?"
Allen could only feel… despair.
As for why he chose the Swordsman path and gave up the Laplace factor—why not go full Rudeus 2.0?
Simple.
One, in this world, swordsmen were stronger. And in light novels, "sword" often stood for all cold weapons—katanas, broadswords, you name it. Allen had always preferred good, solid, visceral combat.
Two, Orsted's aura? That was the cheat. The man was a top-tier combatant in the main arc. Choosing Laplace just didn't make sense.
Not that he was swayed by the "stunning green hair" or anything.
"If I miss her this time, I'll have to rely on Sylphy, Rudeus, or his family to raise my score. Risky. Roxy's too pivotal in the early arc."
Allen swept away the floating words, brushed aside a stray knot of hair near his temple, and stood, hand resting on his blade.
The campfire light glinted off him. At nine years old, he was already a full 160 centimeters tall. His toned frame filled out the torn and patched swordsman's uniform with a proud, upright shape.
But Allen had no interest in admiring the "blessings" the system had bestowed upon him. His gaze shifted to the darkness beyond the fire.
Outside the ring of light, the blackness stirred.
Then, four figures stepped into the glow.
The only high-quality "Jobless Reincarnation" fan novel on Qidian. Not a multiverse harem grindfest. The first 30 chapters butterfly-effect the original, laying groundwork for a wholly original story. Chapter 76 = arc climax. If you're book-starved, give it a try—it's all free, after all.
Plot Note: Deep lore involving system conspiracy theories and divine entities. Yes, the system can read minds. If the protagonist's interactions with it sometimes seem… off? That's a clue.
Protagonist Identity: Older brother of Eris. Held hostage as a political pawn in the royal capital.
Wishing all readers a joyful read, and peace and success in your lives, studies, and careers.
(End of Chapter)