Mushoku Tensei: A different path

(Rudeus POV)

The alpha kept its eyes locked on me, never blinking once, as if it took pleasure in seeing me frozen like a statue.

The other dragons didn't dare make a move in the presence of their leader. They snarled and waited patiently, biding their time.

I felt like I might wet myself from the weight of the air in this vast chamber, its walls closing in around me, suffocating the previously spacious room.

Once the alpha had enough of my fearful stillness, it stepped back and released a low roar, signaling to its underlings that the time to attack had come.

At once, the dragons lunged at me, fangs and claws bared, eager to tear me apart.

Time seemed to slow as I gripped my staff tightly, paralyzed by the hopelessness of it all.

Even if I defended myself, I wouldn't last long enough to even escape.

I closed my eyes and braced myself for what seemed like an inevitable end. But reality had other plans.

The dragons didn't charge. Instead, they retreated, positioning themselves at the far edges of the room.

The only part of my brief delusion that held true was the alpha stepping back.

Its tail lashed behind it, scratching deep marks into the stone floor. Its wings twitched, the claws on them flexing as its prideful, bloodthirsty eyes remained fixed on me. The intensity of its gaze made it clear—it wasn't here to play.

I began to understand. They weren't attacking me all at once. The honor of the kill belonged to the alpha.

No, it wasn't about honor—it was about revenge. They could smell the scent of their fallen kins' blood on me. This wasn't about simply eliminating an intruder. It was personal now, and the alpha, as the leader, had to deal with me.

The dragon took its stance, its obsidian claws gleaming in bioluminescent light as it prepared to strike.

Was I really just going to stand here and let this beast do as it pleased? No. The chances of winning were slim, but if I could take down their leader, the rest of the pack would fall into disarray.

Deep down, a nagging feeling told me I'd regret not trying to defend myself. I didn't go through 10 years in this world just to go down without trying.

I swallowed, my throat dry as dust. I channeled a massive amount of mana into my staff, hoping for a lucky break to end this with a single strike.

The alpha let out a deep, rumbling growl that reverberated like distant thunder in the room. Its wings spread, casting a shadow that amplified its already imposing size.

I gripped my staff, breath tight in my chest. When the alpha lunged, I conjured a jagged [Earth Wall] to shield myself. The barrier shattered on impact, debris scattering everywhere. Just in time, I managed to roll away, heart pounding.

The alpha's tail came at me next, a battering ram of force. I barely reacted in time, channeling Wind Magic beneath my feet to propel myself sideways. The tail struck the spot where I'd been standing, sending a shower of stone flying.

Before I could regain my breath, the dragon leaped, claws slashing downward. I summoned another gust of wind, wrapping it around my body, sending me soaring backward and narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. The claws scraped the ground, leaving deep gashes in the stone.

I landed unsteadily, pain shooting through my right leg. This everlasting injury has been more than inconvenient this entire time.

The alpha snarled, eyes narrowing as it realized its prey, me, had slipped away. It must've thought this would be easy.

But I wasn't going to give up without a fight. I steadied myself, wincing from the pain in my leg. I'd have to rely on Magic and wit if I couldn't overpower it with strength.

I raised my staff and fired a concentrated [Fireball] at the alpha's face. It dodged by snapping its head to the side, but the heat singed the edge of one wing. Roaring in rage, the alpha lunged at me with renewed fury. I used [Earth Hedgehog], conjuring a wave of earth spikes before the alpha, hoping to slow it down.

But the dragon's claws shattered the spikes with ease with its claws, and it charged right through them.

The force behind its movements made it clear—it wasn't just angry. It was a predator, relentless and merciless, yet comprehensive in its attacks.

I swung my staff again, conjuring a wave of water that froze instantly, creating a sheet of ice beneath the alpha's feet, trapping it in place for me to aim a [Stone Canon] for a weak spot.

For a brief moment, the dragon faltered, its claws unmovable, but with its physical strength, the alpha swept upwards with a powerful flap of its wings, narrowly avoiding the collision against my spell.

 Within an instant, it launched itself forward with blinding speed in its flight, determined to end this fight.

I fired a barrage of [Rock Bullets] at it, but the alpha took the blows as though they were nothing. Its claws swept toward me again.

I ducked, narrowly escaping the deadly swipe, and retaliated with a [Wind Bind] aimed at its legs and wings.

The spell connected, briefly binding its limbs, but the alpha broke through it easily, making a graceful landing instead.

I wasn't fast enough to avoid its next move. The alpha's tail lashed forward, colliding against my torso.

I braced for impact, but to my surprise, the force barely registered. Even as the tail threw me against the chamber wall, I felt strangely numb, as though the pain was less than a fraction of a second.

I managed to gather myself, coughing up dust from where I crashed.

Shock filled me when I checked my chest. My clothes were torn, but there was no sign of injury, almost as if I hadn't been hit at all.

"How is that possible…?"

I didn't have time to finish the thought before the alpha was upon me again, jaws wide.

Reacting quickly, I pushed myself to the left, springing away from its deadly bite with an unprecedented burst of strength, a strange sensation enveloping my legs.

With my staff raised mid-dodge, I shot a [Stone Cannon] at the alpha's head.

The dragon snapped its neck, crushing the stone between its teeth with a sickening crunch.

I landed awkwardly, pain searing through my left foot. It felt like I'd torn a muscle.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath. "Why now?"

There was no time to chant a spell. The alpha lunged again, jaws wide and claws swiping toward me from either side.

Instinct took over. I unleashed a [Earth Lance] with unparalleled speed, a dark pillar rising in front of me just in time. The alpha's jaw collided with it, halting its attack, but I had to duck as its claws passed just above my head.

For a brief moment, I thought I was safe, but a sharp, searing pain shot through my arm. I gasped, stunned by the unexpected agony.

My previous performance had exceeded all expectations, but now my body felt the consequences.

Fortunately for me, the alpha was momentarily distracted, giving me a chance to create a mist for cover and try to heal my foot.

I didn't get far before the alpha was upon me again, breaking through the mist and forcing me to use Wind Magic to propel myself away. I cursed my inability to cast Healing Magic without the chant.

'Hold on,' I thought in the spur of the moment. 'How was I aware of the alpha's movements behind the mist? It felt like I could sense it lunging through the dust.'

I didn't have time to question this newfound awareness. My instincts screamed at me to move, and I acted without thinking, dodging just as the alpha's claws slashed through the mist yet again.

'Was it mana? Could I be sensing the dragon's magical presence?'

I didn't have time to dwell on it. Its claws ripped through the air toward me, sharp as daggers. I barely reacted in time, rolling sideways as the claws crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact.

I couldn't afford to hesitate. The alpha was relentless, its rage intensifying with each failed strike.

I summoned another blast of Wind Magic beneath my feet, propelling myself backward, but the mist cleared, exposing me from my cover.

This monster was unyielding. I could barely catch my breath or tend to my injuries, my footing unstable with every move.

The alpha lunged once more, faster than before. Instinct drove me to strike, and I aimed a [Earth Lance] at its underbelly. But the dragon deflected the attack with a sweeping wing, spinning to reposition itself.

Before I could react, its tail swung at me with immense force, hitting me against my right shoulder and sending me crashing into the black stone pillar I had conjured earlier.

The impact knocked the wind out of me, and I gasped for air, pain spreading throughout my body. I lost my grip on [Aqua Heartia], and it clattered out of reach.

I scrambled to rise, but the alpha was quicker. Its massive claw pinned me down, its weight pressing into my chest like an immovable boulder.

I struggled, but the pain in my shoulder made it difficult to push its claws off me.

I reached for the ground, pouring mana into [Earth Lance], but I wasn't fast enough.

A sickening squelch echoed as the alpha's claws tore through me. I barely managed to gasp in pain, the sounds of splatting echoing in my left ear.

Frozen in place, I locked eyes with the alpha, its golden gaze filled with anticipation.

Unsatisfied with my silence, it moved its claw to my face, its tip piercing my forehead, slowly dragging down through my flesh and cutting right through the middle of my left eye.

The pain was unbearable. Each second felt like an eternity as the claw sliced through my face, the poison coursing through my veins, making the agony worse.

When it finally finished, delirium washed over me. Colors danced in my vision, and my mind began to drift.

The roars of the dragons turned into distorted laughter, twisting memories of great and traumatizing humiliation from my past life. I wondered what I had done wrong to deserve this second, unredeemed end.

'Why?' I thought. 'Why does this happen to me? Where did I repeat myself? When did I make a mistake? And how could it have led to this cruel end of mine?'

My thoughts blurred as memories of my past life flashed before me—my family, my teacher, my students, my first job as a tutor—all of it fading away until there was only darkness.

I laughed, or perhaps I wept, unsure if I was losing my mind or if it had already happened.

Eventually, silence fell, and I felt as if I was burning for a moment before feeling as if I were encased in concrete, stiff and unyielding.

But then, light began to appear—strange lines and circles. I could read them, understand their mechanism, and even think of variations and modifications.

For some reason, I knew what those were. Those were Magic Circles; they were so… mesmerizing to look at.

There were too many to process, and I didn't know what to do besides watch them form into their respective shapes.

I was getting… curious, eager to learn what they could do, but my entire body was disobeying me, the stasis permanent on me.

Slowly but surely, I felt all mental strength dwindle. Not a second thought mustered as I continued watching the circles form together, new knowledge seeping into my head and overwriting any other desire.

***

(Third POV)

The year 417 of the Armored Dragon earned its place in history as one of strange and unprecedented occurrences, remembered for decades. Central to its notoriety was the Displacement Incident that unfolded in the Fittoa region of the Asura Kingdom.

In this catastrophic event, the region's inhabitants were inexplicably teleported to locations scattered worldwide. Many tragically met their demise due to the hostile environments into which they were teleported.

The Asura Kingdom's King sent out the Magic Division to initiate investigations, but answers remained elusive as to what the cause may have been.

Yet the teleportation incident was not the sole anomaly marking this extraordinary year.

Rumors spread of a massive, dragon-like creature with shimmering gold and silver scales sighted in the northeastern reaches of the Central Continent. Initially identified as a King Dragon, its unusual size and coloring defied the norm for this species, leading to the belief of misleading intel.

Eyewitnesses reported that the creature would appear out of thin air, then vanish on the same day and reappear somewhere else. It showed no signs of aggression toward humans nor any indications of its origin or specified route.

Some claimed to have seen a shadowy figure dressed in dark rags and wearing an unusual hat astride the beast, but no credible evidence supported these accounts.

Meanwhile, on the perilous Demon Continent, another mystery unfolded in the Biegoya region near the city of Rikarisu. Over several weeks, various monsters migrated in masses to a mountain recently claimed as a Black Dragon's Nest.

The Adventurers' Guild initiated an inquiry, uncovering findings that astonished even experienced veterans.

Of the dispatched team, only one member returned, barely surviving to recount the events.

According to their fragmented testimony, the mountain had undergone alarming changes. The base had become hazardous to approach, plagued by violent storms that raged incessantly over its peak.

Despite the dangers, the party managed to ascend to the mountain's summit and cautiously entered its interior which had become covered with black stone veins, the type of which being unidentifiable.

The outcome of the investigation was grim: the sole survivor returning smeared in blood reported that their comrades were annihilated, but they were too traumatized to provide further details.

The Guild, recognizing the severity of the situation, classified the mission as S-rank and adjusted the reward to reflect the unpredictable peril involved.

Over the next few weeks, five parties—comprising a mix of A-rank and S-rank adventurers—dared to investigate the mountain's anomalies. Only two adventurers from different parties returned alive, and their accounts finally shed light on the situation.

Their reports revealed that the mountain, once home to a flock of Black Dragons, had transformed into a labyrinth, harboring numerous abnormalities.

This unprecedented change in the nest began attracting various monsters native to the region, creating a perilous environment unlike anything seen or heard of before.

Several Magic Traps have been stated to appear inside even the first floor, showcasing a variety that spans all four types of Attack Magic.

Faced with the unnerving rapidity of these changes, the Guild formally designated the labyrinth as an S-rank difficulty, cautioning all adventurers of its exceptionally high mortality rate and unknown numbers of floors.

The labyrinth gained the nickname White Fire Coffin due to reports stating that upon slaying, any living being, whether monsters or adventurers, would be enveloped in white flames, not damaging the corpse in the slightest.

In due time, it was quickly considered as a place of no return, a hell not worth dying for despite the immense treasure lying deep inside it.

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