Mushoku Tensei: Life and Strife.

As the battered soldier fell onto the comfort of his bed, Zenith entered the room with an annoying smile.

“So~?”

“…”

It was hell. Hell, I tell you. The tension was fiercer than the War of the Titans, and the silence far more dreadful than Nyx’s anger. A punishment worse than what Hades had in mind and the boiling embarrassment far beyond what Tartarus could offer. That’s what it was.

Hah. After shooing Zenith away, I lay in bed like a cat in the summer heat. Living is a chore. Just as I thought it was a mutual agreement to never speak of the matter, that woman had to bring it up AGAIN! Hah. Damn it, Roxy! Why?

I rolled in the sheets. Luckily, when I noticed that she wasn’t capable of loading and kept stuttering like a looping program, I switched topics by luring her into a hypothesis about chantless incantations.

There’s nothing special about it. Since Rudeus in the novel theorizes that children under five are sensitive enough to feel mana, hence capable of chantless, I simply added another clause to the same theory. As adults grow and they become desensitized, they are unable to perceive mana.

But desensitized is the keyword here. It’s desensitized, not incapable of sensing. So theoretically, if the mana was dense enough for someone to sense it, then naturally they could learn how to move it around, eventually learning silent casting.

But Laurel, is it dangerous? By standard, yes and no. Too much mana compared to your body could kill you, as seen in Nanahoshi and the Superd tribe; however, I—yours truly—had the ability to absorb mana and discharge it, therefore being capable of ensuring that no one gets hurt in the process. I truly am the best.

“Hmph!”

I snorted arrogantly. Where else in the world could you find a talented individual such as myself?

“Good job, current me.”

I patted myself in the back… Speaking of, I wonder what her mana is like. Well, considering the odds, probably blue or tear; you know, as in ice and stuff.

Anyway, at first she was reluctant—probably an adult’s pride or something—but I managed to tempt her into learning it in exchange for demonic language—I mean, Demon God Tongue. Wait. No. That sounds wrong for some reason. Ah, whatever; basically, you get my point.

Anywho, thanks to her love for knowledge, I’d managed to escape the enthrallment of awkwardness. So, I’ll leave her be for now. Rather than her, I probably should be focusing on myself right now.

First, the multi-language project had been set in motion as well, obtaining the languages of both humans and demons. Given the opportunity, I might be able to learn the Beast God language from Ghislaine and maybe the others as well if I were lucky enough.

Second was an advanced level of telekinesis as well as other elements. Not much to brag about here, but considering that saint-level magic is the combination of multiple elements, reaching it might not be too far off.

Third was Intermediate Swordsmanship, no thanks to Paul. Honestly, the top position of blacklisted teachers I could think of included Paul's. If I hadn’t had foundational knowledge on swordsmanship from YouTube, I wouldn’t even understand a single thing he was doing. Still, I can’t manifest an aura, so I couldn’t reach Advance anytime soon. Rudeus… wasn’t faring at all.

Then fourth… Uh… Do I have a fourth?

“…”

The sudden realization that I may or may not have forgotten about my plans was somewhat concerning. So, I decided to write a knowledge book, filled with my personal experiences with both magic and the blade. Honestly, it was a bit of a summary of things I learned, so it wasn’t phenomenal or anything; at most, a few cool ass lines about not giving up and progress to not look pathetic.

… The feeling of dread that someone might read it made me feel mortified. But then again, who would bother reading a book about swords and magic experiences?

So I added additional things in. Little thoughts and experiments. Since swordsmanship requires good footwork and positions, I’ll need good footwork.

I thought as I sketched the basic circle-geometry footwork of La Verdadera Destreza. It was flexible enough for me to use even in this world, so I intended to use it as the foundation of my combat style. However, I wasn’t a swordsman; I was a mage. And a mage knows magic.

Naturally, beginner and intermediate-level magic would be added to the game. Water, fire, electricity, telekinesis… shooting them wouldn’t be a problem. However, too much becomes excessive. And a good swordsman only needs a blade to do the job.

So I intend to fight like the dual-wielding style of the rapier. In one hand is the blade to slay the enemy, and in the other is magic that can deflect the opponent's blade and even slay them if necessary. And they won't see it coming.

As swordsmen rely on their legs, mages rely on their hands. And I was both. I was a different breed entirely. Walking to position myself at an advantage point? Good but predictable. Waving your hands to attack? Also predictable. But I could do better.

The basis of La Verdadera Destreza is to move as simply as possible with nothing but steps, relying positioning and defending. It was a mix of North God and Water God styles, making it an advantageous self-defensive swordsmanship. However, things like moving the shoulders or footwork are telltale signs.

But I have telekinesis. What if I don’t move those and instead swing myself, making my movements more erratic and unpredictable? Worse, what if I use telekinesis on the opponent’s blade or the opponent themselves, creating openings that was never there?

Not only that, I could blast people with smoke, zap people with electricity, and get people stuck before they could move with quagmires.

The simple yet subtle attacks that weaken the opponent while giving me an advantage. What’s more, they’ll be confused and end up in despair as I tear them down like weaklings, ehehe… Ok, I have to admit I am becoming more and more villainous by the day.

Luckily, I didn’t wrote those cringy lines down. I didn’t want my future self to be reminded about the edgy sides… That would’ve been embarrassing.

Whatever the case, the book is basically completed. Now I need a name for it… What the hell am I going to name this thing?

Tap. Tap. Tap. I tapped the pen in hopes that something cool would appear. But nothing. Whatever. I’ll be the only reader anyway, so I’ll do what I want. I thought as I wrote the most ridiculous words to describe it.

[The Art of War, Vol I]