Mushoku Tensei: Reborn Mayhem

It's not every day you find yourself contemplating how you died. It's even less common to still be thinking after the fact. But here I am—a disembodied awareness in the pitch black, wondering what comes next.

One moment, I was crossing a street on my way to the car after work. The day was unremarkable, a routine grind of deadlines and emails. No premonition, no ominous signs—just a sudden, engulfing darkness. And then… this.

At first, it was disorienting. I couldn't see or move. But the sensations… oh, the sensations. Everything felt wrong. Wet, slimy, and… cramped? Sounds filtered in from somewhere far away—voices muffled, distorted, yet unmistakably human. And my body… was it smaller? That's when it hit me: I wasn't dead-dead. I was being reborn.

The screaming confirmed it. Whoever was giving birth to me wasn't having a good time. And to be honest, neither was I. The pressure, the squeezing… it felt like I was being wrung out like an old sponge. Then, with one final push, it was over.

Light flooded my vision, blinding and overwhelming. I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust. Through the haze, I saw the face of a man staring down at me, his features familiar in a way that sent a chill down my tiny, newborn spine.

Paul Greyrat.

Oh no.

This wasn't just any reincarnation. I'd been reborn into the world of Mushoku Tensei. Of all the places I could have ended up, why here? Sure, it wasn't the worst universe—I wasn't dodging titans or living under a Death Star's shadow—but still, this world had its own brand of chaos. Hitogami? Laplace? Orsted? Yeah, future me was going to have a great time.

"Ahsha stroup, Rudeus," Paul's voice rang out, finalizing my suspicions. I was Rudeus Greyrat now. Well, nothing to do but roll with it, I supposed. One thing was certain: I needed to survive long enough to carve out a life here.

One Month Later

Time moved strangely when you were a baby. Days blurred into nights, and everything revolved around eating, sleeping, and… well, let's not get into the less glamorous aspects. I guessed it'd been about a month since my rebirth. Hard to say for sure without a calendar or even the ability to count days properly.

What I could confirm, though, was that babies—or at least this baby—learned frighteningly fast. My brain felt like a sponge, soaking up everything around me. But there was a catch: my memories of my past life were slipping away. I could still recall things like math, science, and random trivia, but faces, names, and moments with my old family? Gone, like sand slipping through my fingers. It was unsettling.

On the bright side, I was making progress in understanding the local language. Paul, Zenith, and Lilia spoke often, and I'd taken to listening intently, matching phrases to the broken fragments of English they vaguely resembled. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. Writing, however, was a lost cause for now. My tiny, uncoordinated hands couldn't even hold a stick, let alone a quill.

As for the written language? Let's just say it made the Rosetta Stone look like a picture book. It would take time—and a lot of it.

Still, adapting to this world wasn't without its hiccups. For instance, Lilia's sharp gaze had been following me more and more. Her suspicion was palpable, like she could sense there was more to me than met the eye. Thankfully, Zenith was quick to brush off any concerns.

"He's just a baby," she'd say, her tone soothing. "He can't possibly know better."

How little they knew. Still, I'd managed to avoid any major incidents… so far.

An Important Observation

One day, I spotted Paul training outside. Curiosity got the better of me. Crawling—yes, I could do that now—I made my way to the window. There he was, practicing with his sword. The fluidity of his movements was mesmerizing. The anime hadn't done him justice. His strikes were precise, his footwork impeccable. Even at a distance, I could tell this man was a force to be reckoned with.

Then it happened: my first true act of baby clumsiness. I leaned too far forward, lost my balance, and… flop. Down I went.

"Oh, Rudeus! Rudy!" Zenith's panicked voice reached me almost instantly. She rushed to my side, scooping me up like I was made of glass.

"Young Master!" Lilia's voice followed, her expression a mix of concern and wariness.

Pain shot through me, sharp and immediate. Being a toddler didn't make falls any less unpleasant. But it did bring one unexpected benefit: healing magic.

Zenith quickly began chanting, her words melodic and deliberate.

"Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment, giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again. Healing…"

A gentle warmth spread through me, tingling pleasantly as the pain ebbed away. It was my first encounter with magic, and it left me in awe. The sheer practicality of it, the way it worked seamlessly with the natural world… it was mesmerizing.

This was it. The beginning of my journey as Rudeus Greyrat. A world of magic, swords, and peril awaited, and I had no choice but to face it head-on. For now, though, I'd settle for mastering the basics—like walking without face-planting. One step at a time.