Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnated as a Beast Race

Along a road stretching across vast plains of green grass, a large carriage stood by the roadside, with two horses grazing nearby. The sun was already setting on the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. Beside the carriage, an improvised campsite had been set up, where a crackling campfire burned as Skoll, Ghislaine, and Rygar sat around it. The irresistible aroma of a well-seasoned stew filled the air, drawing hungry sighs from those present.

Geese Nukadia stirred the thick broth in the pot with practiced ease, a mischievous grin on his face as he watched his traveling companions' expressions while telling his story.

"So, when I rescued him from there with a rope, he told me he was from Fittoa, from Buena Village. And I remembered that Paul and Zenith had moved there. After we went to the nearest adventurers' guild, we found two more people from Fittoa, and gradually, the news of the teleportation spread. That's when I decided to look for you, Paul, and Zenith, who are probably the only three who were there during the teleportation incident."

As he spoke, he kept adding spices and some unknown herbs to the pot, but Rygar and Ghislaine weren't entirely focused on his story. Both of their gazes were locked onto the bubbling pot, the rich and tantalizing aroma making their mouths water. Even Skoll, the enormous giant wolf, kept his eyes fixed on the roasting meat nearby, occasionally licking his lips in anticipation. The night breeze carried the delicious scent throughout the campsite, making the moment even cozier.

A short distance away, Eris was launching fierce attacks at Eidar, shouting with vigor. "Haaaaah!" Her strikes were full of raw energy, but Eidar, now much more refined, easily dodged and defended, his posture impeccable and his movements calculated. On the second day of the journey, Eidar had faced Ghislaine in battle, and that fight had been the missing piece for him to break through the final barrier and reach the Saint level in the Water God Style. He had asked Ghislaine to attack him with full force, and by managing to withstand and react at the right moment, he finally advanced to the next level. At 17 years old, becoming a Water Saint was an impressive feat, something only a few managed to achieve at such an age.

Eris, in turn, had exploded with fighting spirit upon seeing Eidar's progress. Her 10th birthday was approaching, and Rygar had decided to talk to Ghislaine about something. After she agreed with his idea, he told Eris: "If you can become an Advanced-rank swordswoman by your birthday, you can become an adventurer." Those words seemed to ignite a blazing fire within her, and since then, she had been training with absurd intensity. The desire to become an adventurer had always been in her heart, and now she was determined to reach that goal.

Eidar was also excited to test his newfound strength, experimenting with how his movements had changed after his breakthrough. He exchanged blows with Eris, analyzing his own reflexes and trying to familiarize himself with the sensation of his improvement. Even though Eris wasn't much of a challenge, at the very least, she was quite determined.

Meanwhile, Skoll continued watching the food with visible hunger. He was already a massive wolf, and Rygar had learned that Ebony Wolves like him reached adulthood at three years old and lived between 25 and 35 years. This meant that Skoll was already in his adolescence, becoming increasingly fierce and dominant. His hungry gaze at the roasting meat made Rygar chuckle internally.

Turning his attention back to Geese, Rygar asked, "Geese, what can you tell me about Paul Greyrat?"

Ghislaine raised an eyebrow and looked at Rygar, while Geese stopped stirring the food for a moment, glancing between the two before smiling, seemingly choosing his words carefully.

"Let's just say he was a womanizer," he said, laughing. "He used to chase after women all the time before settling down with Zenith. But he was also a talented swordsman and a good leader... just never went further because he was lazy and irresponsible."

Rygar absorbed this information, thoughtful. From the tone of previous conversations between Ghislaine and Geese, he had picked up on small details indicating that Paul and Ghislaine had been involved in the past. But to Rygar, that wasn't particularly important—he just wanted to know if this Paul was in love with Ghislaine or something like that. But it seemed like it was just one of many flings. In both his previous world and this one, such relationships were quite common, so it wasn't something that surprised him.

His eyes drifted to Eris and Eidar, who were still training fiercely. Then, without taking his eyes off them, he asked Ghislaine, "Ghislaine, before I left, I told the Legion that when I returned, I would be the next Sword God." He then turned to face her directly and continued, "What are my chances, in your opinion?"

Ghislaine remained silent for a moment, thoughtful. Her lips curled slightly into an almost imperceptible smile—a detail that Rygar found extremely cute. Then, with absolute confidence, she replied:

"As long as my master is still the Sword God, 80%."

Rygar was surprised by that response. He expected her to say something like, "It depends on your effort," or, "You have a chance if you train hard." He hadn't expected such optimism, especially from Ghislaine, whom he knew deeply respected her master.

Rygar tilted his head slightly, reflecting on Ghislaine's answer.

"Why 80%?" he asked, frowning.

Ghislaine crossed her arms and replied in her usual expressionless tone:

"You have the greatest talent I've ever seen. You have the motivation and determination. And, above all, you have the confidence." She paused briefly, observing him with her sharp eyes. "Objectively speaking, my master is very strong—the strongest Sword God, in my opinion. But unless he's found a new motivation to push himself even further since I last saw him, you will eventually defeat him."

Rygar narrowed his eyes. "But didn't you say I wasn't improving?"

Ghislaine gave a slight nod. "Yes. I still don't understand the reason for your decline, but I'm sure you can figure it out."

Rygar remained silent, contemplating her words. "You seem to think I have some idea of what the problem is..."

Geese laughed loudly, breaking the slight tension in the air. "So, I'm in the presence of the future Sword God! A toast to that!" He raised his mug and took a long sip. "Haaaaah!"

Rygar let out a short chuckle. At first, he had found Geese strange. His instincts told him that he was friendly, but at the same time, there was something peculiar about him, something hard to define.

Now, after interacting with him for so long, Rygar realized that Geese was just an eccentric—someone who strictly followed his own beliefs, his Jinx code. His ideas were strange and specific, but in the end, Rygar had come to like him a little.

Geese possessed many unusual skills, all incredibly useful—but fighting was definitely not one of them. However, from a certain perspective, he was someone worthy of admiration. He had managed to make it this far in a world where individual power was crucial—and he had done it without any aptitude for combat.

Rygar crossed his arms and stared at him. "Geese, have you ever thought about learning how to fight?"

Geese let out a hearty laugh. "Boss, I have no talent for that, believe me. I've already tried."

Ghislaine shook her head and commented in an almost monotone voice, "I tried teaching him once myself, but he's really bad at it. Very bad. I think I've never taught anyone worse before."

Geese cleared his throat loudly and hurriedly changed the subject. "The food is ready!"

The announcement was enough to attract Eris, who ran to the campfire with an excited expression. "Really?! Finally!"

Eidar, who had been watching the training from a distance, walked over to them with his arms crossed. He looked at Rygar and asked:

"Hey, Rygar. Do you think the Temple Order will try anything along the way?"

Rygar reflected for a moment. Before he could respond, Geese intervened, spinning his wooden spoon as he stirred the stew.

"I think it's very likely. They're all fanatics. Even if the leaders don't act directly, the more fervent followers might try something. That's just how they are."

Rygar looked at him curiously. "You sure know a lot about Milis, huh?"

Geese grinned as he served himself a portion of stew. "Let's just say I've been to many places and seen a little of everything. But Milis has a special way of handling things. You'll understand soon enough."

The scent of the stew spread through the camp, and Skoll, the massive wolf, watched the roasting meat with keen eyes. A light breeze passed through the area, carrying the aroma to every corner.

Geese then said, "You can eat too, boy!"

Without needing further confirmation, Skoll lunged at the roasted animal. He needed to eat a lot now, as this was the most important phase of his growth.

Eris soon arrived and approached Rygar, her eyes shining with excitement. But she hadn't shouted when talking to Rygar for a long time now. "Hey, Rygar! Can I learn to use that flaming sword?"

Rygar raised an eyebrow, surprised by the question.

"You want to use chantless magic?"

"Yeah! That technique you used against Ghislaine the other day! It's so cool!"

Rygar crossed his arms, pondering for a moment. He already knew that Eris didn't have much talent for magic. And she was already nine years old, almost reaching her tenth birthday—her mana capacity wouldn't surpass Taes'. She could barely use elemental magic, and learning chantless magic was as much about talent as it was about starting training early, according to his theories. She had neither on her side. It would be an extremely difficult process for her.

"You could," he began, choosing his words carefully, "but it would take many years of dedication just to learn the basics. You have great talent, but that talent lies in the sword. If you try to focus on learning magic, you'll end up wasting potential that could take you much further."

Eris furrowed her brows, her expression turning slightly sulky, but she said nothing.

"Hmph! Then forget it!"

She huffed, turning abruptly and going back to her training with exaggerated expressions of disdain. Despite her attitude, Rygar could tell she was genuinely disappointed.

She learns quickly and has strong willpower... but only in things that involve physical activities. I don't think she's capable of mastering this kind of technique. The Sword God style she's been learning from Ghislaine since the beginning is extremely compatible with Eris and doesn't rely on magic—focusing only on that would suit her better in the long run.

'Though she did seem a little disappointed...' He let out a sigh and decided he had thought about it enough.

Night was beginning to fall, and the camp had a relaxed atmosphere. Geese was chatting with Eidar, telling some story about Reidar, the first Water God, which actually caught the boy's attention, while Ghislaine was reading a small, worn-out book—probably The Three Swordsmen, which he had recommended to practice reading.

Rygar, on the other hand, decided to do something different.

He closed his eyes and began to meditate.

That restlessness in his body had been bothering him for a while. His touki was becoming fiercer, more violent—which was actually a good thing—but his control over it seemed to be slipping. His body felt like a wild, untamed beast, unrestricted. He needed to find balance.

In his previous world, there were stories about warriors and cultivators who used meditation to tame their bodies and minds. Maybe that could help him now.

He took a deep breath, focusing. He tried to empty his mind, to feel the flow of energy within himself, to perceive the details around him. The sound of the wind blowing through the plains. The wood crackling in the fire. The muffled voices of Geese and Eidar.

Then, something different happened.

He finally felt something approaching.

His instinct warned him, like an alarm. Something was there, right in front of him. He tried to focus his senses, to capture that presence more clearly... but before he could understand what it was—

LICK!

A rough, warm tongue ran across his entire face.

"Urgh...!" Rygar's eyes snapped open, feeling his face completely wet.

He blinked a few times and saw Skoll in front of him, staring at him with an excited expression and perked-up ears. The massive wolf wagged his tail and tilted his head to the side, as if curious about what Rygar was doing.

Rygar blinked again and sighed, wiping his face with the sleeve of his clothes.

"Skoll..."

The wolf let out a low bark, as if responding, and licked its snout.

Rygar narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"How about a bath, big guy?"

The moment Skoll heard the word "bath," his ears twitched, and he froze for a brief moment. Then, without warning, he spun on his heels and bolted across the camp at high speed.

"Hah! You think you can escape me?!" Rygar laughed, jumping to his feet.

He raised his hand and created a large ball of magical water, swirling in the air as if ready to engulf something.

"Let's see if you can dodge this!"

Skoll playfully growled and ran even faster, skillfully dodging. The chase began, with Rygar laughing as he conjured more water spheres, trying to hit the giant wolf, who was desperately running to avoid the bath.

Geese watched the whole scene while taking a sip of his drink, shaking his head.

"Heh, who would've thought… The Red Wolf, feared by most major factions for his destructive power, playing with a dog."

Ghislaine, still holding her book, looked at the chase with little reaction.

Rygar leaped over a rock, launching another water sphere.

The wolf jumped to the side but then slipped on the grass-soaked ground, tripping over his own paws, spinning in the air, and landing on his back.

"Gotcha!" Rygar hurled the water ball with force.

The water burst over Skoll, who let out a low whimper and shook off his soaked fur, utterly defeated. He shot Rygar a look of pure resentment, but Rygar just laughed.

Turning away from Ghislaine, Rygar paused for a brief moment before saying:

"Hey, Ghislaine, would you like to try a mental exercise that involves calculations, tactics, combat prediction, and battlefield awareness?"

Ghislaine looked at him with curiosity, slightly furrowing her brows.

"Such an exercise exists? How can it train all of that at the same time?"

Rygar hesitated for a moment. Initially, he had thought about introducing her to Shogi but quickly dismissed the idea, thinking it would be too complicated to teach. With a smile, he replied:

"It's called Chess. I'll teach you."

Ghislaine crossed her arms, still intrigued, and asked:

"Chess? How can that help improve our combat skills?"

"Think of it as a battlefield simulation," Rygar explained. "Each piece has its own value and movement, just like different units in war. Pawns represent basic soldiers, while rooks, bishops, and the queen symbolize stronger forces. Playing chess requires you to calculate, plan, anticipate your opponent's moves, and develop attack and defense strategies—essential skills for any warrior."

Ghislaine, absorbing Rygar's words, slightly tilted her head in understanding.

"So you believe that by training in chess, I can improve my ability to predict and react in battle?"

"Exactly," Rygar responded, though, in reality, he just wanted a chess partner and made up an explanation on the spot.

"Over time, this will sharpen your mind and help you develop strategic thinking that can be applied both in combat and leadership. Let's start with the basics, and little by little, you'll see how every move on the board can be compared to a tactical decision in battle."

Ghislaine raised an eyebrow, still somewhat skeptical but visibly interested in the idea.

"Alright. Show me how it works."

And so, as the sun began to set on the horizon, Rygar created the first chessboard in the Six-Faced World.

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