Reborn in Mushoku Tensei

"Master, what are we doing today?" Roxy has been my teacher for about a week now. Since I already know elementary magic, she's been teaching me about the deeper aspects of magic—its workings, the pros and cons of different spells.

"Today, we'll move on from lectures. I'll start by showing you intermediate magic. Since water magic is my specialty, I'll demonstrate Water Cannon."

If only she knew…

"Make sure you pay close attention to how this works."

[Supple spirit of water and princess of streams that flow through the earth, sweep away all things with your hidden inner might. Water Cannon!]

A decent-sized water ball shoots from her wand, traveling at blinding speed for a couple of miles before dispersing.

"Wow, Master Roxy, you're really skilled with magic." Hearing my compliment, Roxy sports a proud smirk of accomplishment.

"Alright, now it's your turn." I raise my hand and wait a couple of seconds before releasing the spell. I make it a little slower and smaller to make Roxy's demonstration look better.

"Dang, mine couldn't compare to yours. You're just too strong for me, Master." Roxy still looks shocked, struggling to grasp that a random kid knows advanced casting.

"You know, Master, you're going to learn this too, so soon you'll be far ahead of me."

"Could I even learn this?" Roxy mutters quietly to herself, wearing a self-conscious look.

"Don't worry, Master. You'll learn it. You're the best. If you don't have pride in your abilities, then there's no point in having them." I let my words sink in. Roxy clenches her fist and grits her teeth.

"You're right. I won't let this shake my confidence."

"Can we get back to the lesson now? We got really off track." Roxy blushes a bit at her mistake before getting back to teaching. We spend a couple of hours practicing Water Cannon and its practical applications. Roxy not only teaches me how to cast it but also how to apply it effectively in battle. I'm grateful that Roxy's past as an adventurer gives her practical knowledge that you can't find in books.

My deal with Roxy hasn't started yet. I've been brainstorming a fast way for her to learn incantationless magic. I know it's harder for adults because they're conditioned to think incantationless magic is almost impossible.

"I guess I'll have to start tonight."

"Roxy, tonight come to my room. It's time for my part of the deal."

"Okay, Rudeus. I'll swing by your room tonight."

I walk away from Roxy and head to the backyard. In my past life, I had photographic memory. It wasn't particularly useful then, but it did give me an edge. I'm not a genius or anything, but I'm not exactly clueless either. I watch Paul every day, observing his form when he strikes. I think I have a basic grasp of what Sword God looks like. I haven't seen him use Water God, probably because it's a defensive technique.

Even so, after a week out here, I still don't quite get it. I think my footwork is off, and my hand-eye coordination in this body isn't the best.

"Young Master Rudeus, I see you're practicing the sword. Has Master Paul shown you this?" I turn around and see Lilia walking towards me with a cold towel in her hands.

"No, I've just been watching him and trying to copy." She places the towel on my face, and I take it, wiping the sweat away.

"Hmm, I see. What's the problem? You won't just grasp it by watching. You need an instructor."

"Oh my god, it's a godsend. Lilia knows Water God."

"Um, Lilia, could you teach me Water God? Father mentioned you trained in it at a dojo."

"Hmm, I never knew Master Paul discussed such matters with you. Well, yes, I trained in Water God in my youth, but I'm not sure if I'm fit to teach you."

I kneel down, looking up at her with my best puppy-dog eyes.

"Please, Lilia. Any instructor is better than none. I'll be a good student. Plus, I could surprise Father when he starts teaching me."

"Sigh, Master Rudeus, you're quite a handful sometimes." Lilia smiles warmly, her maternal presence comforting.

"Tomorrow, after your session with Roxy, come straight here. I'll train you for three hours every day. I'm strict, so don't be late."

"THANK YOU, LILIA! YOU'RE THE BEST!" I run up to hug her, and she looks a bit flustered before returning the hug.

======

Who knew Lilia would be such a tough teacher? I can't move; my legs are trembling and my arms dare not try to move. My whole body is immobile.

"Lilia has been working me down to the bone every day. My body is turned into mush. For a woman who hasn't trained in many years, she seriously beats me up bad."

"Rudeus, you need to get up now. Our 20-minute break is over."

"Please, Lilia, give me 10 more minutes. My body feels like it's going to explode if I move."

"Rudeus, there are no excuses. Get up now; we need to continue our practice."

"Ugh, fine." I stand up, my legs still wobbling, and pick up the stone sword I made since I don't have a wooden sword yet. I get into the stance she's literally beaten into me; I have the bruises to testify. Who knew she could be so brutal?

"Hmm, you've finally got the stance down. Good, you're a quick learner. Now, come at me."

"I thought Water God was a defensive technique."

She doesn't move or make a sound, standing in place, waiting for my sword swing.

"Man, I'm going to get beat up again. God help me." I take a deep breath and calm my mind. I look at Lilia and see her stance; I notice a couple of openings, but I'm not good nor fast enough to exploit them. I bend my legs, use every single muscle, and take off at inhumane speeds, putting my sword above my head to attack before my body stops abruptly. My sword and whole body are redirected to the left.

"A perfect block." I go flying, hitting the ground, but my body keeps its momentum until I hit a bush. It's not the first time I've hit this bush, nor will it be the last.

"Your attack is good, but any Water God user could block it. Your intention is way too obvious. If you want to beat a Water God user, you have to clear your mind and intentions. Even though your mind was clear, your intentions still laid clear."

My vision still spinning, I rub my head. After being blocked like that, she reflected all the force I gave her back onto myself, even though I tried to use the basics of the first form of Thunder Breathing to go faster.

"Lilia, you're so strong. I'll never be able to beat you."

"Give it time, Rudeus. You're only three; in due time, you'll defeat me easily, without a second thought." I ready myself again, and we go at it for another hour. I keep getting back up and going faster and harder… pause…

Even so, I've barely made any progress. Every attack she blocks perfectly. She said she could feel the intentions of my attack. If I want to one day beat the Water God, I'll have to get past this. I'll either have to be really fast or figure out how to use that technique. It would definitely be easier than becoming overwhelmingly fast.

"Today's practice is over. Be here tomorrow at the same time. If you're late, you know what will happen." I feel the cold glare of Lilia piercing my back, making goosebumps appear on my neck. She's so nice sometimes, but now she's like a drill sergeant.

Man, I lay down on my back and spread my limbs out.

"That was hell, and I have to do this until I beat her." After resting, I go inside the house and head upstairs. I see a cold bath waiting for me; without hesitation, I take off my clothes and jump in.

I hear someone open my door and see my blue-haired teacher walk in.

"Um, Rudeus, isn't it time for our-" She looks at me, I look at her, our eyes locked. She's in her nightgown, while I'm butt naked in the shower.

"I'm sorry, Rudeus. I'll come later." She begins to leave and opens the door.

"Wait! Stay. It doesn't bother me if you see me like this. We can start our lessons now." She takes a glance back at me, still with an awkward look on her face.

"Okay, now sit down on my bed." Roxy takes a seat on my bed.

"Okay, I need to tell you how it works. Incantation-less magic works by controlling your mana itself instead of using incantations to control it. When you use incantations, it uses your mana to make a spell with a set size and speed. When you use it without incantations, you have to control your mana and think of the spell you want to use, setting the size and speed yourself." Roxy looks at me with a sideways look, not seeming to get it.

"I'm not that good at explaining, but all you really have to do is feel your mana first. Try to move it around in your body, close your eyes, and focus on it." Roxy closes her eyes and begins to try to feel her mana. She sits there for five minutes.

"I can't get it."

"Hmm, I guess it makes sense. Usually, you need to be a kid to learn this type of magic because it'll be easier."

"So, I'm hopeless." Roxy looks dejected, thinking it's impossible for her to gain such a valuable skill.

"No, I didn't say that. All we have to do is break down all your mental barriers and reconstruct how you view casting."

"Wait, give me a second. I need to put on my clothes." I hop out of the bucket and put on my night clothes that were on my bed. Roxy turns her head, not wanting to peep on my changing.

"Okay, now close your eyes again and just try to move mana to your hand. Try to feel your mana, look deep within yourself." I wait another five minutes until Roxy opens her eyes.

"I think I felt my mana, just faintly for a bit. But I think I felt it." I grin widely.

"Roxy, you know what this means, right? One day, you'll be able to silently cast." Realizing what I said is true, Roxy is in disbelief; she doesn't know what to say.

"I'm so grateful, Rudeus. I don't think I'll ever be able to pay you back for this skill."

"Don't be like that, Master. You teaching me is enough. Also, don't teach anyone else this type of casting when you learn it." Roxy looks troubled at that.

"But wouldn't you want the whole world to learn this? It's knowledge that could change the way people cast forever."

"Yeah, I know. But I want to at least have an advantage for a bit. One day I'll tell the world, but it won't be soon, so please keep this secret."

"Sure, Rudeus. I'll keep your secret since you were so kind to teach it to someone like me."

"Thank you, Roxy." She gets up to leave and opens my door.

"Get some rest, Rudeus; you'll need it. I'm waking you up early tomorrow."

"Okay, Roxy. Goodnight." She leaves and shuts my door, and I get into bed and lay down. I start manipulating my mana until I pass out.

When I had a headache, it felt like I was punched multiple times in the head. I get up and walk downstairs; I see everyone at the table eating. I walk down the stairs and join everyone at breakfast.

"Good morning, Rudeus." Lilia greets me and pulls out my chair for me to sit down.

"Thank you, Lilia, and the food looks so good; I'm starving." I sit down and grab a plate, starting to put food on it.

"So, Rudeus, how's your magic studies been going?"

"Oh, it's going well, Mom. Master Roxy and I have been making good progress. She's been teaching me how magic works and the history behind it." Zenith has a big smile on her face; she's glad that Roxy is the one teaching me.

I finish my breakfast and start my magic lessons with Roxy. We spend the whole morning going over magic theory and applying it to real life.

We finish, and now I have free time. I want to spend this time working on my Magic Eye. I turn it on, applying mana to my eyes, and I'm immediately hit with a headache. I can see why Ghislaine keeps an eyepatch on; this is unbearable. I can see the mana in the air and the mana in the birds and other wildlife.

It's like I'm waking up in a totally different world. My eyes start to water, and I hold my head as the pain becomes too much for my little body to handle. I deactivate my eyes and fall to my knees, holding my head and crying. I feel like I just had a loud bell rung in my ear.

After a couple of minutes, I start to feel better but still have a mild headache. I decide to sneak out to the yard for a bit and explore the village, maybe make some friends. I sneakily walk out of my yard, making sure nobody saw me, and when I'm out, I bolt away. Once I see that I'm far enough that I can't see my house, I slow my pace. I've decided to start practicing different types of magic and sword skills. As I'm walking, I see the big tree.

"Isn't this the tree that Rudeus and Sylphie trained at?" I guess this would be a goodI guess this would be a good place to train I reached the top of the hill and looked around; no one was in sight. I conjured a sword out of earth magic and began infusing it with mana to make it denser and heavier until I could barely hold it. Raising the sword above my head, my arms shook as I swung down. The sword slipped from my grasp, my whole body trembling.

"I think I made it too heavy." I abandoned sword practice for now and started experimenting with my spells.

"Hmm, from what I know, the smaller you make a spell, the more mana it takes. But what if I made a fireball really small and started condensing it with loads of mana? What difference would it make?" I formed a normal fireball and began condensing mana into it; its color started changing, and I stopped when it turned a shade of blue, releasing it into the nearby trees.

An explosion followed, not huge, barely enough to destroy a wall. I rubbed my chin in thought, noticing the fire spreading and engulfing three trees.

"Oh shit!" I ran down the hill and started throwing water balls at the trees until the fire was extinguished. Rubbing my head, I sighed in relief. Before leaving, I noticed a small footprint behind a tree.

"Hmm, interesting." I walked back up the mountain.

"Okay, time to test this fireball again." I infused mana into it, turning it blue, and then attempted to make it as small as possible. Pouring all my mana into it, it started shrinking rapidly.

"I CAN'T STOP IT! IT'S SUCKING MY MANA!" Panic set in as I felt my mana draining rapidly, my body weakening. The fireball kept shrinking until I ran out of mana completely. My head grew light, and I was about to pass out. Releasing the fireball, I saw everything being drawn into a small black sphere. Its power could be felt from afar. It took a moment, but I realized what I had just created.

"Is that a black ho—" Before I could finish, mana exhaustion caused me to black out. When I opened my eyes, I saw the sun; it was midday, around the time I should be training with Lilia.

"She's going to kill me if I'm late, but I can barely run. My whole body hurts." I stood up, my legs visibly wobbling, and began the slow walk back to the house.

"Hmm, so I made a black hole. I guess it makes sense; if you make something smaller and keep making it smaller, it would turn into a black hole." I didn't really understand how it worked; I wasn't that into space in my last life—I was just a high school student interested in engineering.

Twenty minutes later, I could see my house in the distance. I picked up my speed a bit, still limping.

"Finally, I can get into bed and lie down." A tear of happiness rolled down my eye; my mana was starting to come back, but it was barely there. That black hole had taken a lot out of me; I felt like I had just run for three days without rest.

Making it to the front of my house, I rushed inside and found everyone in the living room. The first person to notice me was Roxy.

"RUDEUS!" She rushed over and hugged me. I felt her warm, small body pressing against mine—it felt nice. Zenith sprinted toward us.

"Rudy, I missed you!" I saw a tear roll down her cheek as she joined the hug.

"Rudy, where did you run off to?" I looked behind me and saw Paul standing in the doorway, arms crossed.

"Uh, I went out to try and make some friends." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly after explaining. Paul dropped his arms and gave me a softer look.

"It's okay; next time, tell us when you leave. Your mother, Roxy, and even Lilia were worried when they noticed you were gone."

"I'm sorry, Father; next time, I'll let you know." I looked down, feeling ashamed that everyone had been worried because of me.

"It's okay, Rudy; you're safe, and that's all that matters." I saw Zenith wipe tears from her face. We broke the hug, and I started walking to my room, still limping as I made my way upstairs, where a bucket awaited me.

"Even though I skipped her lessons, she still made me a bath." I undressed and sat in the bucket of water, lost in thought.

"That black hole I made… it felt weird, the sensation of my mana being sucked in and the fireball collapsing in on itself to create a black hole was unexpected."

After washing up and putting on fresh clothes, Roxy walked into my room for our lessons.

"Roxy, do you know anything about black holes and celestial bodies?" Roxy looked at me as if I had grown a second head.

"Black hole? What's that? I've never heard of such things in my life." I forgot that this world wasn't advanced in astronomy, making it hard to find someone who knew what I was talking about, if anyone did.

"I guess I can teach you a bit; I'm not really knowledgeable in this subject. Black holes are in space; they are bodies of infinite density that suck in mass at an incredible rate. If you stood next to a black hole, you'd be sucked in and never seen again. They don't reflect or emit light, so they're basically invisible in space; it's an enormous amount of mass compacted into a very small space."

"I don't really get what you're talking about, or how you know this information, since I've never heard of this 'black hole' thing." Roxy had a puzzled look on her face, disbelieving my knowledge.

"It's probably my explanation; I'm not really good at teaching or explaining things. I'll never be as good as you, Roxy." Roxy hid her face, blushing slightly at my compliment.

"Okay, let's see your progress now with voiceless incantation." Getting back on track, I turned my attention to Roxy.

"I haven't really gotten far; I can faintly sense my mana, but I can't move it." She closed her eyes, and I activated my demon eye briefly to observe her mana. It was my first time seeing Roxy's mana; it was bright, like a vast blue ocean. Her mana reserves were impressive by this world's standards, explaining her ability to cast high-tier magic.

"Why are you crying, Rudeus?" Roxy looked worried.

"I was just thinking about how I miss TikTok."

"What's TikTok?"

"Focus on your mana." Roxy closed her eyes again and began to feel her mana. From what I could see, there were faint movements, very small, but at least she was moving it—meaning she would be able to silent-cast; her body was adapting to using mana without incantation.

We continued for about 30 minutes before Roxy got up to leave.

"I'm getting tired; we can continue this tomorrow. I have a big lesson planned. Goodnight, Rudeus." She left my room, and I sat on my bed, contemplating.

"I have so much to do."