Mushoku Tensei: The Fool Magician

Night had fallen.

In the distance, faint lights flickered, their glow unsteady and ephemeral. A gentle night breeze caressed the face of a young man as he gazed at the moon, calm and serene. Its pale radiance bathed the street before him in a soft, ethereal light.

The boy, Roy, sighed as he pulled out his recently purchased smartphone. But tonight, the screen displayed something unsettling—two lines of text, clear and impossible to ignore:

[Do you wish to understand the meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?]

[Yes / Yes]

Eighteen-year-old Roy, fresh from completing grueling college entrance exams, was in the midst of awaiting his admission results. His life was, by all accounts, ordinary yet comfortable. Though his family wasn't rich, they lived a stable middle-class life, with hardworking parents who provided well for him.

In short, he was content. He had no interest in discovering the so-called meaning of life, much less in becoming some pawn of a unkown god. Yet the bizarre options flashing on his screen left him both amused and exasperated.

Roy was an avid internet user, and he'd seen these lines countless times in novels. He'd even imagined what he might do if faced with such a scenario himself. But now that it was staring him in the face, he hesitated.

Was this some hacker's elaborate prank? A ploy to trap gullible dreamers into handing over their bank details?

After much deliberation, Roy decided not to press either button. Surely, not engaging was the safest choice.

Yet the phone screen refused to relent, glowing incessantly since last night. He'd been unable to use his phone for an entire day. When he borrowed someone else's device, the same eerie text appeared, overriding the screen.

The question lingered: Should I press it?

But the ominous simplicity of the choices—[Yes] or [Yes]—felt like signing a contract with the devil.

Lost in thought, Roy wandered the quiet streets beneath the moonlit sky. He didn't realize he wouldn't have to decide much longer.

Out of nowhere, a car hurtled toward him at breakneck speed. He had no time to react. The collision's brutal force sent him flying like a ragdoll, the sound of metal screeching and twisting filling the night air. Pain exploded through his body, a sensation so overwhelming it obliterated his consciousness almost instantly.

When Roy finally opened his eyes, he found himself in a world of endless white.

A thick, grayish-white mist surrounded him, making it impossible to discern his surroundings. Startled, he glanced down, relieved to find his body intact despite the harrowing accident. Tentatively, he stepped forward, his foot brushing the ground. The white expanse rippled like water beneath him.

Frowning, Roy pondered his situation. He was dead—of that, he felt certain. But how strange it all was. First, the cryptic text, then a car appearing out of nowhere to whisk him away, and now this surreal limbo.

He thought bitterly: Have Isekai'd methods evolved to this level? First, you ask politely. If that fails, you just run someone over? What's next, a KPI for Iskeai'd?

He tried to speak, but his voice refused to come out. The silence was oppressive, as if this strange realm were a vacuum where sound couldn't exist.

Surveying the endless whiteness, Roy felt frustration rising. No God, no celestial figure introducing themselves as a Goddess of Wisdom. Nothing.

You dragged me here against my will, he grumbled internally, and now you can't even send a representative? Great customer service, truly.

With no other option, he began to walk. The vast, featureless expanse stretched endlessly in every direction, and Roy trudged forward aimlessly, the solitude pressing down on him.

He didn't know how far he walked, how many steps he took. But eventually, the emptiness began to seep into him, loneliness wrapping cold fingers around his heart.

Bit by bit, the isolation transformed into fear, an overwhelming tide threatening to swallow him whole.

At first, Roy glanced around nervously. Now, he walked in silence, his steps steady but unhurried.

The path stretched endlessly before him, lifeless and monotonous. No sound broke the oppressive stillness, no signs of vitality emerged from the vast expanse of white.

No colors. Only an infinite sea of blankness.

What is this place?

A faint, bitter smile tugged at Roy's lips.

He was here—wherever here was—but there was no god or some random omnipotent being, no guiding presence, no grand revelation. All that greeted him was this barren, desolate world.

Exhaustion crept in. His body ached, his mind felt heavy.

He needed to rest.

Lowering himself to the ground, Roy sat. The white surface rippled beneath him, subtle waves spreading out as if the world itself acknowledged his presence.

He lifted his gaze, taking in the vast, unchanging landscape.

This place—it wasn't just white. It was devoid of life, of warmth, of anything resembling a world. It was like a blank canvas, waiting for an artist's first stroke of ink, or an empty book, yearning for an author's pen to fill its pages.

A bold thought stirred in Roy's mind: No God. No Goddess. Could it be... that I'm the one meant to write this world's story?

As this idea took root, he began to reminisce about the moments before his sudden arrival here.

He remembered that quiet night, the city blanketed in darkness yet alive with faint glimmers of light. Neon signs blinked like constellations, their glow cutting through the shadows. Fewer and fewer people walked the streets, save for the occasional drunken figure stumbling home.

The wind had whispered softly through the trees, rustling leaves like a lullaby. Far-off skyscrapers shone brightly, towering like modern-day castles over the slumbering city. Most shops had shuttered their doors, but a handful of late-night food stalls still beckoned with tantalizing aromas.

A stray cat had appeared out of nowhere, prowling toward a trash can with careful precision. It sniffed, licked, and began to feed, its quiet sounds breaking the stillness. Somewhere, a dog barked, shattering the fragile silence of the night.

Roy had wandered through this urban tableau, feeling both captivated and alienated.

Above him, stars glittered like scattered diamonds on velvet. The moon, serene and radiant, peeked out from behind a veil of clouds, bathing the world in silvery light. In the distance, a nightingale's song echoed, its melody hauntingly beautiful.

The city, cloaked in darkness, felt alive yet otherworldly—a place where mystery thrived, where the unknown beckoned. It filled Roy with a strange mix of wonder and solitude.

But the stillness of his memories began to shift.

The blank, white world around him trembled, then cracked. Roy looked up, startled, as the void gave way to a new reality. The sky transformed into the inky blackness of night. A full moon hung above, its light cascading down in soft silver waves. Streets materialized, bustling with life and energy.

A black-and-white cat darted into view, its sleek form weaving through the chaos as if summoned by his memory. Scenes unfolded rapidly, blooming outward from where Roy stood, until the barren void had become a vibrant, thriving world.

He stood still amidst it all, no longer gripped by loneliness or fear of the unknown.

Instead, a thrill of discovery surged through him, a deep curiosity for this world that seemed to spring from his very thoughts.