The newcomer was Roxy Migurdia.
After acknowledging her hasty warning, Allen's thoughts involuntarily drifted to the original plotline.
No doubt about it—her appearance here and now, suitcase in hand, clearly meant she'd just parted ways with Rudy's family and left Buena Village to resume her journey as an adventurer.
He'd missed her.
And yet—he hadn't.
Or rather, barely made it.
Which brought him to the real question.
The [Jobless Reincarnation System] had given him a very specific mission: participate in key events spanning each of Rudeus Greyrat's developmental arcs, and leave a trace in the eyes of both main and supporting characters. Points would be awarded based on the level of involvement.
So—was this one of those chances?
Allen was convinced that getting close to Roxy could net him a heap of points. After all, Roxy was crucial to the original story.
In Rudeus's path, his conflict with the Human-God served as the central narrative. And Roxy's presence was the catalyst for that god's appearance.
After the Teleportation Catastrophe, Roxy helped Rudy search for his family. Along the way, the two grew close and eventually had a child—Lara, who would become instrumental in sealing away the Human-God in the future. It was this change in fate, brought about by the Catastrophe, that allowed the Human-God to glimpse his own downfall through future vision—prompting him to intervene in Rudeus's life and thus kicking off the main storyline.
A golden opportunity lay right before him—yet Allen hesitated.
As a reader, his greatest advantage was a pseudo-future sight, followed closely by the system.
In other words, his meta-awareness of the plot shouldn't overly interfere with the narrative. Ideally, he'd insert himself into major events as a powerful but otherwise peripheral figure.
If his interference went too far and caught the attention of Orsted, the Dragon God wandering the cycle of reincarnation, he'd be dead before he could even explain. Judging by the system's current capabilities, facing Orsted was still a fantasy in the far-off future.
Which made future vision his most important early tool—it could help him avoid premature encounters.
Roxy watched Allen's gaze darken with thought and shifted uneasily. She fidgeted with the hem of her blue bangs, her eyes darting to the nearby bloodstained grass as she opened her mouth, trying to say something.
Just then, clouds of smoke appeared in mid-air, blocking Allen's view of Roxy.
He blinked, confused.
Huh? The system's activating now? But my sword skill hasn't improved enough to trigger an update...
At once, lines of bold, underlined red text formed in the air.
Allen's expression froze.
[Jobless Reincarnation System – Real-Time Mission Issued]
[First Encounter with Roxy Migurdia]
[Mission Background: The host has once again missed the early event where Roxy tutored Rudeus. She has now been separated from Rudeus for two days. This accidental encounter is the host's last chance to make up for it.]
[Mission Objective: Gain Roxy's favorability within 1 hour. Gain Rudeus's favorability within 4 days.]
[Mission Reward: Healing Magic Rune Slot – Unlocked (2/4)]
[Healing Magic Rune Slot: Four magic glyphs can be engraved into the host's Dragon Qi Core, representing the healing magic disciplines: Healing, Detoxification, Barrier, and Divine Strike.]
[To acquire a glyph: make physical contact with a being who has cast one of these spells in the last 60 seconds. The system will replicate and crystallize the spell signature as a glyph. Once activated, the glyph will autonomously apply the spell's effects to the host until mana is exhausted. Note: glyph effects are exclusive to the host's body.]
[Mission Start]
[Roxy – Countdown: 0:59:59 | Success = Unlock Healing Rune]
[Rudeus – Countdown: 95:59:58 | Success = Unlock Detoxification Rune]
Excuse me??? Favorability??
Huh?
System, are you for real?
Winning over Roxy, fine—but Rudeus? What kind of bizarre dating sim is this?? And what's with the 2/4 rune teaser? Don't pretend to be mysterious, I can guess the other two are clearly the other female leads!
As Allen's face morphed through a range of expressions, Roxy finally couldn't hold back. Trying to ease the tension, she scratched her cheek shyly and offered an awkward explanation.
"Um… I was traveling overnight and saw firelight in the forest… I thought someone might be in trouble. I acted on instinct and cast magic when I saw monsters. But it turns out you handled them just fine. I guess… I overstepped. I almost hit you, too."
Her stammering, cute voice pulled Allen out of his daze.
The system panel had vanished. He could once again see Roxy clearly.
Under the flickering campfire glow, the goddess (as Rudy called her in the original) stood bashfully, legs twitching. The black knee-high socks on her calves had slipped slightly, exposing red pressure marks on her pale skin. A blush bloomed across her cheeks as her eyes flickered nervously around—anywhere but at Allen.
With his battle aura receding, Allen suddenly felt a rush to his nose.
Drip.
A nosebleed.
(Not from seeing her legs, hold on.)
He absentmindedly wiped the blood, eyes flicking to Roxy's twin blue braids. He hesitated—though in truth, only for a second.
Then, eyes rolling back, he collapsed backward.
A complete KO.
…Of course, it was fake.
As for the nosebleed—
The North God Style's practical branch, known as the "Twenty Cuts," required a mix of raw physicality and precision. Allen's body hadn't fully matured, and he couldn't yet sustain five rapid slashes in succession. The overwhelming surge of qi had ruptured his capillaries.
That's why he wasn't proficient in North God Style yet—he lacked the stamina for continuous practical combat. As for the trick-style techniques, well… those were still too bizarre. He hadn't mastered many of those yet either.
It wasn't that he couldn't—it was that he didn't want to.
Sure, he could pull off something ridiculous like the Mirror Suit from the Asura Kingdom's succession battle arc, where the North King covered himself head to toe in reflective material.
But unless things got desperate, he had no intention of turning himself into a walking disco ball.
Technically speaking, this was just a nosebleed—he didn't have to pass out.
But... the system had dropped a mission, a countdown had started, and fate had kindly delivered the timing.
No hesitation.
Passing out, in this context, was the fastest way to gain Roxy's favor.
This was the Franklin Effect at work.
To win someone's favor, especially in early interactions, the most effective strategy isn't to help them—but to ask for their help.
Doing so creates a sense of personal importance in the helper. In time, their subconscious investment leads to increased emotional connection.
It becomes:
"You're asking how I feel about them? Hmm... I helped them out once, so I guess we're pretty close."
Right now was the perfect window for the Franklin Effect to shine. Allen's "collapse" created an ideal opportunity to be helped.
Plus, Roxy already felt a touch of guilt for almost hitting him with her water magic.
In other words—
Now. Right now. This moment.
The ultimate no-refusal window for a favor.
Thud. Allen went down.
Franklin Effect, do your thing!
Blue Mama… lend this child a hand!
(Unemployed Reincarnation fandom joke—don't misunderstand, dear casual readers!)
You are the one true goddess! Grant your faithful disciple strength!
Allen shut his eyes, praying inwardly.
Sure enough, he soon heard Roxy's frantic muttering and hurried footsteps beside him.
"H-He fainted?! Did… did my water spell hit him after all? W-What do I do?!"
Allen: Just use healing magic!!
"Should I… should I run away?!"
Allen: WHAT?!
"Wait, wait—calm down, Roxy. Stay calm. Deep breaths…"
A cold hand brushed Allen's lips.
"He's still breathing. Just superficial injuries. I can still heal this. My healing spell is strong enough!"
Allen: Thank you. Finally.
He secretly let out a breath of relief. Roxy's panic reminded him of that moment in the novel where she zapped Rudy's horse with a thunderstorm spell and lost her composure entirely.
Real-life Roxy felt even more genuine than in the anime or novel. That icy exterior masked a truly adorable dork underneath.
...Though the "should I abandon the body" bit was a little too real.
A true adventurer.
Then came Roxy's spellcasting, her voice rushed:
"O merciful goddess, embodiment of maternal love! Mend this man's wounds! Restore his strength! Healing Magic!"
Allen had been waiting.
As soon as the chant ended, he shot up like a spring-loaded corpse!
He grabbed Roxy's hand with lightning speed.
Under her shocked, flustered, embarrassed—yet faintly relieved—expression, Allen stared earnestly and said with full sincerity:
"Thank you… Goddess."
Roxy: Σ(°ロ°)!!
A smoky panel floated into view:
[Favorability with Roxy acquired. Time taken: 2 minutes, 47 seconds.]
[Evaluation: Fast. Aggressive. Blonde excellence.]
[Healing Magic Rune Slot Unlocked]
[Physical contact with Roxy detected. Retrieving magical data from her spell cast within the last minute.]
[Retrieval complete. Glyph inscribed—Intermediate Healing Magic acquired.]
Allen blinked, feeling a strange warmth inside as he looked at the dazed, blushing blue-haired legal loli in front of him.
He couldn't quite tell if this emotional connection came from the Franklin Effect—or simply because he called her a goddess.
But one thing was certain:
She was a goddess.
Kind, pale, beautiful, and cute.
Roxy flushed deeper and pulled her hand away, tucking her bangs behind one ear. Her gaze wandered.
"G-Goddess? That's… an overstatement. It was just an intermediate healing spell. You're… exaggerating."
And yet—so easy to praise.
Allen looked at the girl sitting like a duck beside him. Her half-lidded eyes were sleep-deprived and indifferent, but her quietly delighted expression at being called a goddess didn't match her cool demeanor at all.
That dissonant cuteness.
Tsk. Rudeus… all your thirty-four years of galgame experience as a NEET from Japan…
You spoke no lies.
(End of Chapter)