I'll admit, I'm a sucker for adventurer stories like this. So without further ado, I present to you, Mushoku Tensei ~Isekaiittara Honkidasu~.
Mushoku Tensei ~Isekaiittara Honkidasu~ (無職転生 ~異世界行ったら本気だす~), Jobless Reincarnation ~It's all out once I go to a different world~, is a recent Japanese novel written by an author who goes by the alias of 理不尽な孫の手(Unreasonable Backscratcher), illustrated by Shirotaka, and published my MFBooks. There is currently 1 volume out, with a second volume set for release on March 25, 2014.
Summary:
Reading this gave me quite a few good laughs, so I've decided to make a teaser. I skipped the prologue since the summary just about sums it up...If you want to know more,The 34 year-old, jobless, virgin of a neet is driven out of his house penniless and finds himself completely at his life's end. The target of his own regrets, he is run over by a truck and quickly dies.
Then when he opened his eyes--it was in a world of swords and magic!!
Reborn as a baby named Rudius, he decides, "This time I'll live out my life to its fullest...!", and sets out on a life with no regrets.
Making the best use of his knowledge from his previous life, Rudius he awakens his talents in magic in no time at all and undergoes the tutelage of a young girl. And to add, she was a beautiful quarter-elf with emerald green hair. With this encounter, his new life begins to take motion.
--His long awaited fantasy where he is reborn and gets to do things over again now begins!
Spoiler! :
He dies. Brutally.
Spoiler! :
Chapter 1: It can't be...? / Another World
When I opened my eyes, the first sensation that came to mind was the overwhelming brightness.
Light filled my vision as I squinted in discomfort.
As my eyes slowly got used to it, I came to realize a young, blond woman looking at me.
A beautiful girl...no, she could be called a beautiful woman.
Who is she?
Beside her was a brown haired man of the same age who faced me with an clumsy smile.
He seemed like a man who indulged in strength. His muscles were incredible.
His brown hair was selfish in its own right...you'd think I'd cringe back being seen by such a typical DQN, but strangely I felt no feelings of revulsion. (Note: a DQN is Japanese slang for someone with no common sense.)
It was likely his hair wasn't dyed. It was beautiful brown hair.
"—***—******"
The lady looked at me and said something with a big smile.
What was she saying? I was dazed and found it hard to catch her words. I don't get a single bit of it.
I can't be that this isn't Japanese...can it?
"—********—*****..."
The man gave a gentle response. Yeah, I really have no clue what you're saying.
"—***—****"
I could hear a third voice coming from somewhere.
I couldn't see her.
I tried to get up and asked them where I was and who they were.
It's not like me being shut-in got in the way of my communicating with others.
I could do at least that much.
"Ah—, Wa—"
Or so I thought, but what came out of my mouth was a sound indistinguishable from a gasp or moan.
My body also wouldn't move.
I could feel my fingers and arms moving, but my body wouldn't get up.
"—*****—********"
And as I thought this, the man lifted me up.
Really? Did he just lift up the heavy, hundred kilogram me that easily?
Well, if I've spent countless days confined here, then I may have lost some weight.
The accident was just that serious. There was a high chance I lost some of my limbs.
This is living hell...
On that day.
Those were the thoughts I had.
★ ★ ★
One month's worth of time has since flown by.
It would seem I was reborn. I've finally understood that fact.
I was a baby.
I've finally confirmed it after seeing my own reflection while being picked up and cradled.
I wasn't sure why my previous memories remained, but them remaining didn't trouble me.
Still, I wouldn't have thought that that wild thought would come true...
The man and woman I first laid my eyes on when I woke up seemed to be my parents.
They should be in their young twenties.
It was evident they were younger than the previous me.
As the 34 year-old me, I could even call them youngsters.
I'm completely jealous they had a baby at that age.
I've noticed this since the day I've woken up, but it would seem this wasn't Japan.
The language was different and my parent's feautures didn't belong to a Japanese, and their clothing was somewhat...exclusive.
I don't see anything that might be an electrical appliance. ''That person dressed as a maid is cleaning with a dust cloth.'' The furniture and tableware also seemed to be made of a low-quality wood. This did not appear to be an advanced country.
The lighting wasn't provided by a light bulb, but candles and lamps.
They might even be especially poor and unable to pay their electric bills.
...Could it be that possibility is actually really high?
I was sure they had some money because that maid person is here, but...
It wouldn't be too strange to think of her as my father or mother's sister. She might only be wearing it to clean the house.
I certainly wanted to redo things, but it's going to be tough living in a house poor enough that their unable to pay their electricity bills.
★ ★ ★
An additional six months has passed since then.
I've been listening to my parents' conversations for half a year now, and I've been able to get a basic grasp of the language.
My grades in English wasn't exactly good, but it seems it really was true that learning another language while being surrounded in your native one slowed your progress. That, or this body was ''very'' capable. Maybe it's because I'm still young, but my memory was surprisingly good.
By this point in time, I'm now able to say words like 'Bye bye'.
Being able to move is a wonderful feeling.
I've never felt so grateful for being able to move my body.
"I take off my clothes and he immediately moves off to somewhere else."
"Isn't it good he's so energetic? I was worried when he didn't cry when he was first born."
"He's not crying now either."
The two parents said, as they turned to look over at me.
I'm not at the age where I would cry when I get hungry after all.
Then again, there's no point in holding it in down there, so I just let it out when I need to.
Besides the words 'bye bye', being able to move has helped me learn a few things.
First: this family was prosperous.
The building was a two-story house built of wood with over five rooms. They hired a single maid.
I first thought the maid was my aunt, but she was too respectful to father and mother to be a member of the family.
We lived in a rural area.
The scenery I glimpsed from the window was that of a peaceful countryside.
There were few other houses, and I could only see two or three spread across the entire wheat field.
It was a spread out area. I could see no lamps or telephone lines. There was likely no power plant nearby.
I've heard they placed the power lines underground in other countries, but then it'd be weird for this house not to have electricity.
It played the part of a rural area too well. It might be a bit too much for me who's grown up in civilization.
Even reborn, I'd like to at least feel up a computer.
These thoughts filled me on a certain day until the sun set.
With nothing to do, I thought I'd observe the peaceful countryside. I climbed up the chair and was surprised at the sight I came across when I looked out the window.
My father was swinging his sword in the garden.
Wait a—huh? What's he doing?
You mean to tell me the one swinging that thing around at this age is my father? Does he think he's still in junior high school?
Ah. Crap...
At that surprised moment, I fell off the chair.
Even as I grabbed onto the chair, my undeveloped arms couldn't support my body and I fell head against the ground.
"Kyyaaaaahh!!!"
The instant I landed with a thump, I heard a scream.
I turned to look. My mother had dropped the clothes she was folding and looked down at me with a hand over her pale face.
"Rudie! Are you alright?!"
Mother rushed over to me in a panic and held me in her arms.
On meeting her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief and stroked my chest.
"Phew, looks like nothing's wrong."
When someone hits their head, it's better to not move it around too much, ma'am.
I thought these words of advice to her from within.
Seeing her get so flustered, you'd think it was a terrible fall.
Well, I ''did'' hit the back of my head. I might've turned into an idiot. That doesn't change much, does it?
My head was throbbing. It's worth mentioning I did try to grab onto the chair, so I didn't hit it too hard.
I turn around to face mother, who stopped panicking, to find she's pale as a sheet. It should only be a bump.
Mother carefully examined my head.
She did it with an expression that screamed, ''It'll be terrible if there's even a single injury on you.''
And to finish it off, she placed her hand on my head.
"Just to be safe......By the powers of the gods let flow become substance, bestow power unto those who have lost them so that they may stand once more『Healing』."
What the heck? Is this supposed to be this country's 'Pain pain go away'?
Or does my mother also take after my father and think also she's in junior high school?
A soldier who marries a priestess?
I thought this for a brief moment.
Mother's hand seemed to glow faintly and then my pain instantly disappeared.
......eh?
"Okay, that should make you all better now. You might not know it, but your mother's a well known adventurer."
My mother proudly says this.
I'm shocked.
Swords, warriors, adventurers, healing, aria, priests. Those words whirled around my head.
What was that, just now? What did she do?
''What's wrong?''
Hearing mother's scream, father stuck his head in from outside the window.
He must have been swinging his sword, because he was covered in sweat.
"Listen to this, dear. That Rudie, he somehow climbed the chair......and seriously injured himself."
"Boys have to be that energetic after all."
A slightly over the top mother and to match that, a carefree father.
I see these scenes a lot.
But maybe because I hit my hit my head this time, mother didn't let it go.
"You know, dear, this child hasn't been born for even a year yet. You should be more worried!!"
"I said it, didn't I? Children are things that fall down, tumble over and still turn out perfectly fine. And if he does get injured, you can just heal him."
"But I can't help worrying if he gets a big injury that I can't heal..."
"It'll be fine."
Father said this and hugged mother and I.
Mother's face turned red.
"I was worried in the beginning because he never cried, but if he's this mischeivous, he'll be fine..."
Father gave mother a smooch.
Oh Oh, look at you two go, *whistle whistle*.
After that, these two laid me down in the next room, moved upstairs, and went off to work on making me a younger brother or sister.
They probably don't know that I could hear them creaking and moaning even if they went all the way to the second floor. Damned reality bastards.
Still...magic, huh.
★ ★ ★
Since then, I've paid close attention to the conversations between my parents and the maid.
In doing so, I've noticed a lot of commonly used words.
Particularly, the names of countries, territories, and provinces. It can't be helped I haven't heard the name of this language.
Maybe if I did, I could figure out where this.....
No, it should be fine to make the conclusion.
This isn't Earth, but another world.
A world of swords and magic.
On that point, a thought suddenly came to mind.
...If it's this world, even I should be able to live it out.
If it's a world of swords and magic, a world different from my previous one and operating on a different logic, even I should be able to live it out.
I can live like everyone else, put in effort like everyone else. I'll stand up even if I fall and continue living facing forward.
I regretted it when I was on the verge of death in my previous life.
I died while frustrated at my own powerlessness and how I've accomplished nothing.
But if it's the me who knows this.
If it's the me who carries the knowledge and experience of my previous life, I should be able to do it.
—I'll earnestly live out my life.
When I opened my eyes, the first sensation that came to mind was the overwhelming brightness.
Light filled my vision as I squinted in discomfort.
As my eyes slowly got used to it, I came to realize a young, blond woman looking at me.
A beautiful girl...no, she could be called a beautiful woman.
Who is she?
Beside her was a brown haired man of the same age who faced me with an clumsy smile.
He seemed like a man who indulged in strength. His muscles were incredible.
His brown hair was selfish in its own right...you'd think I'd cringe back being seen by such a typical DQN, but strangely I felt no feelings of revulsion. (Note: a DQN is Japanese slang for someone with no common sense.)
It was likely his hair wasn't dyed. It was beautiful brown hair.
"—***—******"
The lady looked at me and said something with a big smile.
What was she saying? I was dazed and found it hard to catch her words. I don't get a single bit of it.
I can't be that this isn't Japanese...can it?
"—********—*****..."
The man gave a gentle response. Yeah, I really have no clue what you're saying.
"—***—****"
I could hear a third voice coming from somewhere.
I couldn't see her.
I tried to get up and asked them where I was and who they were.
It's not like me being shut-in got in the way of my communicating with others.
I could do at least that much.
"Ah—, Wa—"
Or so I thought, but what came out of my mouth was a sound indistinguishable from a gasp or moan.
My body also wouldn't move.
I could feel my fingers and arms moving, but my body wouldn't get up.
"—*****—********"
And as I thought this, the man lifted me up.
Really? Did he just lift up the heavy, hundred kilogram me that easily?
Well, if I've spent countless days confined here, then I may have lost some weight.
The accident was just that serious. There was a high chance I lost some of my limbs.
This is living hell...
On that day.
Those were the thoughts I had.
★ ★ ★
One month's worth of time has since flown by.
It would seem I was reborn. I've finally understood that fact.
I was a baby.
I've finally confirmed it after seeing my own reflection while being picked up and cradled.
I wasn't sure why my previous memories remained, but them remaining didn't trouble me.
Still, I wouldn't have thought that that wild thought would come true...
The man and woman I first laid my eyes on when I woke up seemed to be my parents.
They should be in their young twenties.
It was evident they were younger than the previous me.
As the 34 year-old me, I could even call them youngsters.
I'm completely jealous they had a baby at that age.
I've noticed this since the day I've woken up, but it would seem this wasn't Japan.
The language was different and my parent's feautures didn't belong to a Japanese, and their clothing was somewhat...exclusive.
I don't see anything that might be an electrical appliance. ''That person dressed as a maid is cleaning with a dust cloth.'' The furniture and tableware also seemed to be made of a low-quality wood. This did not appear to be an advanced country.
The lighting wasn't provided by a light bulb, but candles and lamps.
They might even be especially poor and unable to pay their electric bills.
...Could it be that possibility is actually really high?
I was sure they had some money because that maid person is here, but...
It wouldn't be too strange to think of her as my father or mother's sister. She might only be wearing it to clean the house.
I certainly wanted to redo things, but it's going to be tough living in a house poor enough that their unable to pay their electricity bills.
★ ★ ★
An additional six months has passed since then.
I've been listening to my parents' conversations for half a year now, and I've been able to get a basic grasp of the language.
My grades in English wasn't exactly good, but it seems it really was true that learning another language while being surrounded in your native one slowed your progress. That, or this body was ''very'' capable. Maybe it's because I'm still young, but my memory was surprisingly good.
By this point in time, I'm now able to say words like 'Bye bye'.
Being able to move is a wonderful feeling.
I've never felt so grateful for being able to move my body.
"I take off my clothes and he immediately moves off to somewhere else."
"Isn't it good he's so energetic? I was worried when he didn't cry when he was first born."
"He's not crying now either."
The two parents said, as they turned to look over at me.
I'm not at the age where I would cry when I get hungry after all.
Then again, there's no point in holding it in down there, so I just let it out when I need to.
Besides the words 'bye bye', being able to move has helped me learn a few things.
First: this family was prosperous.
The building was a two-story house built of wood with over five rooms. They hired a single maid.
I first thought the maid was my aunt, but she was too respectful to father and mother to be a member of the family.
We lived in a rural area.
The scenery I glimpsed from the window was that of a peaceful countryside.
There were few other houses, and I could only see two or three spread across the entire wheat field.
It was a spread out area. I could see no lamps or telephone lines. There was likely no power plant nearby.
I've heard they placed the power lines underground in other countries, but then it'd be weird for this house not to have electricity.
It played the part of a rural area too well. It might be a bit too much for me who's grown up in civilization.
Even reborn, I'd like to at least feel up a computer.
These thoughts filled me on a certain day until the sun set.
With nothing to do, I thought I'd observe the peaceful countryside. I climbed up the chair and was surprised at the sight I came across when I looked out the window.
My father was swinging his sword in the garden.
Wait a—huh? What's he doing?
You mean to tell me the one swinging that thing around at this age is my father? Does he think he's still in junior high school?
Ah. Crap...
At that surprised moment, I fell off the chair.
Even as I grabbed onto the chair, my undeveloped arms couldn't support my body and I fell head against the ground.
"Kyyaaaaahh!!!"
The instant I landed with a thump, I heard a scream.
I turned to look. My mother had dropped the clothes she was folding and looked down at me with a hand over her pale face.
"Rudie! Are you alright?!"
Mother rushed over to me in a panic and held me in her arms.
On meeting her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief and stroked my chest.
"Phew, looks like nothing's wrong."
When someone hits their head, it's better to not move it around too much, ma'am.
I thought these words of advice to her from within.
Seeing her get so flustered, you'd think it was a terrible fall.
Well, I ''did'' hit the back of my head. I might've turned into an idiot. That doesn't change much, does it?
My head was throbbing. It's worth mentioning I did try to grab onto the chair, so I didn't hit it too hard.
I turn around to face mother, who stopped panicking, to find she's pale as a sheet. It should only be a bump.
Mother carefully examined my head.
She did it with an expression that screamed, ''It'll be terrible if there's even a single injury on you.''
And to finish it off, she placed her hand on my head.
"Just to be safe......By the powers of the gods let flow become substance, bestow power unto those who have lost them so that they may stand once more『Healing』."
What the heck? Is this supposed to be this country's 'Pain pain go away'?
Or does my mother also take after my father and think also she's in junior high school?
A soldier who marries a priestess?
I thought this for a brief moment.
Mother's hand seemed to glow faintly and then my pain instantly disappeared.
......eh?
"Okay, that should make you all better now. You might not know it, but your mother's a well known adventurer."
My mother proudly says this.
I'm shocked.
Swords, warriors, adventurers, healing, aria, priests. Those words whirled around my head.
What was that, just now? What did she do?
''What's wrong?''
Hearing mother's scream, father stuck his head in from outside the window.
He must have been swinging his sword, because he was covered in sweat.
"Listen to this, dear. That Rudie, he somehow climbed the chair......and seriously injured himself."
"Boys have to be that energetic after all."
A slightly over the top mother and to match that, a carefree father.
I see these scenes a lot.
But maybe because I hit my hit my head this time, mother didn't let it go.
"You know, dear, this child hasn't been born for even a year yet. You should be more worried!!"
"I said it, didn't I? Children are things that fall down, tumble over and still turn out perfectly fine. And if he does get injured, you can just heal him."
"But I can't help worrying if he gets a big injury that I can't heal..."
"It'll be fine."
Father said this and hugged mother and I.
Mother's face turned red.
"I was worried in the beginning because he never cried, but if he's this mischeivous, he'll be fine..."
Father gave mother a smooch.
Oh Oh, look at you two go, *whistle whistle*.
After that, these two laid me down in the next room, moved upstairs, and went off to work on making me a younger brother or sister.
They probably don't know that I could hear them creaking and moaning even if they went all the way to the second floor. Damned reality bastards.
Still...magic, huh.
★ ★ ★
Since then, I've paid close attention to the conversations between my parents and the maid.
In doing so, I've noticed a lot of commonly used words.
Particularly, the names of countries, territories, and provinces. It can't be helped I haven't heard the name of this language.
Maybe if I did, I could figure out where this.....
No, it should be fine to make the conclusion.
This isn't Earth, but another world.
A world of swords and magic.
On that point, a thought suddenly came to mind.
...If it's this world, even I should be able to live it out.
If it's a world of swords and magic, a world different from my previous one and operating on a different logic, even I should be able to live it out.
I can live like everyone else, put in effort like everyone else. I'll stand up even if I fall and continue living facing forward.
I regretted it when I was on the verge of death in my previous life.
I died while frustrated at my own powerlessness and how I've accomplished nothing.
But if it's the me who knows this.
If it's the me who carries the knowledge and experience of my previous life, I should be able to do it.
—I'll earnestly live out my life.