Mushoku Tensei: The Fool Magician

Once the beef had thawed completely, Roy poured a spoonful of oil into the pan. As the oil began to sizzle, he tossed in slices of ginger and hot peppers. Instantly, a sharp, tantalizing aroma filled the air.

Next, he added the beef, turning the heat down low to let it simmer gently. The rich, savory scent of cooking meat soon permeated the kitchen.

A splash of oyster sauce, a dash of soy sauce, and a handful of chopped celery completed the dish.

The meat grew tender as it simmered, and Kirito, watching from the side, couldn't help but salivate.

Meanwhile, Suguha struggled to plug in the rice cooker.

Roy glanced at Kirito, who was standing idly nearby, and remarked, "Aren't you going to help your sister?"

Kirito chuckled sheepishly. "She insisted on doing it herself. Said I should take it easy as her older brother-" He hadn't even finished his sentence when Suguha walked up to him, her expression ice-cold, and stomped on his foot with a vengeance.

"Ow!" Kirito yelped, clutching his foot.

Roy suddenly understood. So that's why Suguha was acting so strange today.

After the meal, everyone reclined in their chairs, utterly satisfied.

"It's so great having you around, Nii-san."

"It's so great having you around, Nii-sama."

The same sentence came from both Kirito and Suguha at the same time. The siblings exchanged a glance, and Roy burst out laughing, pretending to look shy. "Oh, come on, you're making me blush."

Kirito suddenly straightened in his chair, locking eyes with Roy. With a serious tone, he declared, "Shall we?"

"Let's do it!" Roy replied with equal seriousness.

The two of them turned to their computers in perfect sync, leaving Suguha staring longingly after them.

"It's not that we don't want to include you, Suguha." Kirito teased, his tone cheerful. "It's just that… well, you're not quite good enough yet."

That comment immediately set Suguha's temper ablaze. With a huff, she spun around and stormed off.

"Fine! I didn't want to play with you two anyway!" She shouted over her shoulder.

Her indignant words echoed from the hallway as she disappeared.

Roy and Kirito exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter.

Roy smirked and teased, "You really need to stop teasing her like that. One day, I won't be surprised if she charges into your room with a knife."

"Not a chance." Kirito replied with a dismissive wave.

And so began their gaming marathon for the afternoon.

Time flowed like water, days turning into weeks. The mundane days passed in a blur.

Roy, now 15, had grown into his features. His once boyish looks had matured into strikingly handsome ones. With well-defined facial features, a sharp nose, and striking golden eyes, he was the type who could stop traffic if he stood on a busy street corner. Years of physical training, coupled with a brief stint in swordsmanship, had left him with a lean, athletic frame—one that looked slim in clothes but revealed toned muscles when uncovered.

Today was special—it marked both his birthday and the release of the closed beta for Sword Art Online.

Both Roy and Kirito had managed to secure beta access. Kirito, through sheer dumb luck, and Roy… well, through less conventional means. By discreetly modifying data and hacking into the official site, he'd secured his spot without a hitch.

Honestly, Roy couldn't help but admire Kirito's luck. Out of the mere thousand slots available across Japan, with a success rate that might not have even reached 0.01%, Kirito had managed to win his spot fair and square. It was the kind of luck that defied explanation.

"You can't even call it luck anymore." Roy mused to himself.

Today marked the first day of the Sword Art Online beta test.

The massive electronics company ARGUS had developed a cutting-edge civilian interface device called the NERvGear, enabling full-dive into virtual reality. SAO—Sword Art Online—was the first large-scale VRMMO to utilize this groundbreaking technology.

Unlike traditional gaming systems that relied on flat screens and handheld controllers, the NERvGear offered a single, streamlined interface: a sleek helmet that completely enveloped the user's head and face.

Beneath its surface lay countless signal components. These components generated multiple electric fields, creating a direct connection between the helmet and the user's brain. Without relying on their actual eyes and ears, users could experience visual and auditory stimuli through data transmitted directly to the brain's visual and auditory cortices. Beyond sight and sound, the NERvGear could also replicate touch, taste, and smell, fully immersing users by stimulating all five senses.

A revolutionary invention for fully immersive virtual reality gaming, this groundbreaking technology was the brainchild of Akihiko Kayaba, a genius of his generation.

Even Roy had to admit Kayaba's brilliance. The game's code was so airtight, vulnerabilities were nearly nonexistent, and installing bugs into the system was practically impossible.

It was a virtual world constructed from strings of code yet felt astonishingly real—so much so that Roy couldn't resist bending the rules once inside.

Through a barrage of data manipulation, he managed to hack into the code governing his HP. But Roy wasn't one for absurd cheats like one-hit kill, flying through walls, or other outlandish exploits. Instead, he implemented something modest—just a lock on his HP, ensuring it would never drop below one point.

"Come on, it's not like immortality is overkill for The Fool like me." Roy mused to himself.

"Maybe a slight speed boost isn't too much, either? A touch more attack power? Surely, just a little isn't too far?"

He paused and chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, better not push it. If I go too far, I'll have the admins breathing down my neck—or worse, my other self back in the another world might kill me for being reckless."

So, Roy settled on his single hack: the locked HP. Subtle enough to avoid detection by GMs scanning for anomalies.

"Is it cheating?" He pondered with a grin. "Maybe. But it's subtle cheating, which is the best kind."

When he reached the character creation screen, Roy didn't overthink it. He simply kept his real appearance. "What's the point of tweaking perfection?" He thought smugly. "There's no face better than mine."

With his golden hair and striking gold eyes, Roy knew he was born to be a protagonist.

After entering his username and password, he paused momentarily before typing his in-game nickname: Roy. Then, he initiated the neural link.

When he reopened his eyes, the vibrant scene of a massive plaza greeted him. In front of him stood a small potted plant containing an unrecognizable species.

Roy opened the main menu and inspected his character's stats.

[Roy

[Strength: 10 (10)

[Agility: 10 (10)

[Stamina: 10 (10)

[Luck: 5 (10)]

He raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, then glanced around the plaza. Spotting a familiar figure, he strode over and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, Kirito, what the heck is this avatar?" Roy smirked, his expression dripping with mockery.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

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