The person who had arrived was Roxy.
After responding to her hasty warning, Allen's thoughts inevitably drifted back to the plot of the original novel.
There was no doubt about it—her appearance here, at this time and place, with a luggage trunk in tow, could only mean one thing: she had just parted ways with Rudeus and was on the road again, continuing her journey.
He'd missed it.
But then again… maybe he hadn't.
Just maybe.
Which meant—here came the question:
The goal assigned to him by the Transmigration Guide System was to participate in the major events of Rudeus Greyrat's life at each of his growth stages, and to leave behind a mark in the eyes of both main and supporting characters—to earn participation points.
So, was this a chance?
According to Allen's original plan, getting close to Roxy would definitely rack up some serious points—because, well, Roxy was simply too important to the plot.
In Rudeus's journey, the battle against the Human-God was the story's central axis. And Roxy? She was the origin of that confrontation.
After the Teleport Incident, Roxy helped Rudeus search for his family. Along the way, the two grew close and eventually fell in love. Their child—Lara—would later become the key figure in sealing away the Human-God. The shift in fate caused by the Teleport Incident was what alerted the Human-God to his future demise, which prompted him to start meddling with Rudeus in the first place.
So yes, this was absolutely a crucial moment.
And yet, Allen hesitated.
As someone who had read the novel, his greatest cheat wasn't the system—it was pseudo-future-sight.
Which meant, ideally, he shouldn't interfere too heavily based on personal feelings toward canon characters. The safest approach was to insert himself into major events as a strong, but ultimately peripheral figure.
If he changed too much… and caught the attention of the Dragon God, who wandered the cycles of reincarnation…
Let's just say, Orsted wasn't known for sitting down and talking things through. He'd probably stab first, ask never. With Allen's current stats, going up against Orsted was a laughable notion—something for the far future.
That's why future-sight mattered—so he could avoid crossing paths with that dragon of doom for as long as possible.
Roxy, sensing Allen's suddenly solemn expression, fidgeted uncomfortably. She tugged at her bangs and fixed her gaze on the blood-stained grass beside them, as if about to say something.
And then—
Wisps of smoke coalesced from thin air, drifting between them and cutting off Allen's line of sight.
He blinked, startled.
Huh? The system now? I haven't made enough progress in swordsmanship to trigger an update…
Then came the red, bolded, underlined text—so familiar and so irritating.
[Mushoku Tensei Transmigration Guide – Instant Quest Issued]
[Encounter with Roxy]
[Mission Background: Host has once again missed the childhood-stage event of Roxy tutoring Rudeus. She parted with him two days ago. This chance meeting is the host's final opportunity to compensate.]
[Mission Objective: Within one hour, gain Roxy's favorability. Within four days, gain Rudeus's favorability.]
[Mission Reward: Healing Magic Slot — Unlock (2/4).]
[Healing Magic Slot]
Four spell slots can be engraved on the host's [Dragon-Saint Aura Seed], each corresponding to one of the following categories: [Healing], [Detoxification], [Barrier], and [Divine Strike].
By making physical contact with a creature that has cast one of these spells within the past minute, the system will extract the magic signature and etch it into the slot as a rune.
When activated, the rune will cast the corresponding magic directly on the host's body—until mana is exhausted.
Note: Runes are bound to the host's body and cannot be cast on others.
[Quest Timer Active]
[Roxy: 0:59:59 remaining]
Completing this will unlock Healing Magic Slot.
[Rudeus: 95:59:58 remaining]
Completing this will unlock Detoxification Magic Slot.
Wait—what? Favorability??
Excuse me?
System, are you being serious right now? Roxy I get, but—Rudeus favorability?! The hell is that?!
And what's with this shady 2/4 reveal?! You couldn't just be upfront about needing the other two heroines too?! Even a foot can figure that out!
As Allen's expression morphed through various shades of disbelief, Roxy finally gathered her courage and spoke, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"U-Um… I was traveling by night and saw a fire through the trees, so I came to take a look. I saw monsters attacking a human, so I… instinctively cast a spell. I didn't expect you to be able to handle them on your own… I-I almost hit you too… sorry about that."
Her stammering voice—gentle and awkward—pulled Allen out of his system-induced stupor.
The system window had vanished. He could see Roxy clearly again.
Bathed in the firelight, the goddess—(a reference from the original, where Rudeus reverently calls Roxy his goddess)—stood with her legs slightly turned inward. Her knee-high black socks had slipped a little, revealing a faint red mark on her pale skin. Her cheeks were tinged pink, eyes darting nervously around—but never once meeting Allen's gaze.
In that moment, the turbulent aura within Allen finally calmed.
Then came a sudden nosebleed.
He touched a hand to his upper lip in a daze. Glancing at Roxy's twin sky-blue braids, he hesitated—though in reality, it lasted only an instant.
And then—
He rolled his eyes back and collapsed like a log.
Of course, he was faking it.
As for the nosebleed—
[Twenty-Fold Slash], a technique from the North God Style's practical school, was a high-speed draw technique relying entirely on physical strength and precision. At his current level, Allen's body wasn't developed enough to pull off five rapid consecutive slashes without consequences. The rapid burst of aura had ruptured several capillaries.
It was also why his North God ranking hadn't improved—his body simply couldn't sustain long-term use of combat techniques. As for the bizarre and flashy Trick Blade school, he'd only managed to grasp a few of its absurd techniques so far.
It wasn't that he couldn't—just that he really didn't want to.
After all, some of those tricks were utterly ridiculous. Like that North King from the Asura succession war arc who coated his body in mirrors and turned himself into a disco ball. Allen had no plans to turn into nightclub decor unless absolutely necessary.
By all logic, this nosebleed alone wouldn't warrant fainting.
But.
The system had handed him a mission, complete with a ticking clock.
And the opportunity had just fallen into his lap.
So why hesitate?
—In fact, fainting was the most efficient way to win Roxy's favor quickly:
Through the Franklin Effect / Social Reciprocity Theory.
The best way to gain someone's favor in a first encounter isn't to help them—it's to ask them for help.
It gives the other party a sense of value and importance.
Psychologically, people want their efforts to feel worthwhile—so they're more inclined to continue investing in you emotionally after helping you once.
In short:
"What's my relationship with them? Hmm… I did help them once, so I guess we're on pretty good terms~"
Right now was the perfect time to trigger the Franklin Effect. Allen's dramatic collapse became the natural precondition for asking for help.
Even better, Roxy already felt a twinge of guilt for nearly hitting him with her [Waterball].
Which meant—
Now. Right now. This exact moment—was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for an unrefusable favor request.
Thud!
Allen hit the ground.
Franklin Effect, don't let me down. Roxy… don't let me down!
With his eyes closed, Allen silently prayed for divine grace.
Sure enough, Roxy's flustered voice soon followed, along with the shuffle of panicked footsteps.
"H-He collapsed?! Did the [Waterball] actually hit him?! What should I do?!"
Allen: [Healing] spell!
"Should I… run?!"
Allen: WHAT?!
"W-Wait, Roxy, don't panic! Calm down. Breathe…"
A cool hand touched Allen's lips.
"He's breathing. External injury. If I use [Healing] Magic now—it's not too late!"
Allen: …Praise be. Thank you, my goddess.
Relief flooded through him. This frantic side of Roxy reminded him of the time she accidentally summoned a thundercloud using a Saint-tier Water spell and zapped Rudeus's horse. That wide-eyed panic was adorable in the novel—seeing it in real life was ten times better.
More real. More charming.
The contrast between her poker face and total emotional chaos was perfect.
Well—
Except for the part where she briefly considered ditching his body and fleeing.
Adventurer instincts, I guess.
Then Roxy's voice rang out, rapid and earnest:
"O goddess of motherly love and mercy, please heal this wounded soul! Restore his body to health!"
"[Healing]!"
Allen had been waiting.
The moment she finished chanting, he popped up like a salted fish on a frying pan!
In one swift move, he grabbed Roxy's hand. Her eyes went wide—caught somewhere between shock, embarrassment, confusion, and relief.
With utter seriousness, he looked her in the eye.
"Thank you, Goddess."
Roxy: Σ(°ロ°)!!
Immediately, the smoky system window reappeared.
[Favorability with Roxy acquired. Time taken: 2 minutes 47 seconds.]
[Rating: Fast Boy. Bold. Golden Retriever Energy.]
[Healing Magic Slot Unlocked.]
[Detected physical contact with Roxy. Retrieving last spell cast within 1 minute…]
[Retrieval complete. Rune engraved — Intermediate Healing.]
Allen blinked, slightly moved. He stared at the blue-haired legal loli before him, still frozen with her hand in his.
For a moment, he couldn't tell whether the warmth in his chest came from the Franklin Effect…
…or from genuinely praising her.
But one thing was beyond doubt:
She was a goddess.
Generous. Pale. Beautiful. Adorably flustered.
The "goddess" pulled her hand away, cheeks pink, and nervously brushed her bangs aside.
"I-I'm no god… It was just a basic healing spell… C-Calling me god is way too much…"
And so easy to fluster.
Allen glanced at her sitting cross-legged beside him, duck-like. Her heavy-lidded eyes still sleepy, her mouth a little tight—but the way she squirmed under the praise gave away her delight.
That gap moe was killing him.
Rudeus Greyrat… your 34 years of dating sims and galgame training?
You were not wrong.