Mushoku Tensei: A Life Not Meant for Me.

Jiang Feng felt as if his consciousness was being forcefully tugged, like someone was kneading and twisting his very soul.

When he finally came to and managed to open his eyes with effort, a face suddenly zoomed in close, startling him.

On reflex, Jiang Feng threw a solid punch right into that handsome face.

The blonde man cried out in pain, clutching his eye as he stumbled back and flailed on the ground.

Clearly, the poor guy took quite a hit.

Jiang Feng blinked and took a closer look at the young man rolling on the floor.

He was tall and strikingly handsome, with short golden hair and deep blue eyes. His build was strong and athletic, muscles well-defined but not overly bulky. He wore a simple outfit, just a white shirt and black trousers, but everything about him looked clean and sharp.

Only, at the moment… he seemed to have made a bit of a misstep.

Jiang Feng blinked innocently.

He wanted to say, "Hey, you're the one who got too close."

"Paul, are you okay?" A gentle female voice came from the side.

Paul, still holding his eye in pain, quickly replied, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Looks like our baby's got quite a bit of spirit."

He stood up, forcing a rather awkward smile through his slightly swollen face as he looked down at Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng studied his features again and finally recognized him, it was Paul Greyrat.

He then looked at the young blonde girl lying on the bed. She had soft golden hair that cascaded down her back, features as elegant as Tsunade's, a slender and graceful figure, and emerald eyes that shimmered with exhaustion. Her whole presence radiated noble grace.

There was no doubt about it, this was Zenith Greyrat.

Jiang Feng lifted his tiny, chubby hand and felt his own small, delicate body. In that instant, it all became clear, he had been reincarnated.

But he was still confused. Had he taken over Rudeus' body?

The very next moment, Paul's words answered his question:

"Then let's name him Roya Greyrat!"

That's what Paul had said.

Jiang Feng, or rather, Roya, blinked again and turned to the clearly youthful Paul. Despite his handsome face, Paul still looked young, with slightly raised brows and emerald eyes that carried a sharp glint. The corners of his lips curled with confidence, no, pride.

Roya glanced around and spotted a red-haired girl wearing glasses.

Lilia.

Paul's junior.

Currently working as a maid in the Greyrat household.

Lilia was watching the baby swaddled in front of her. He was undeniably adorable, round, chubby cheeks and a little mess of fine golden hair. But what stood out most were his eyes, not green like Paul and Zenith's, but pure golden. Clear and bright like a spring, yet somehow unsettling.

Her instincts whispered: This baby isn't ordinary.

Roya's gaze met Lilia's.

Those golden eyes made her pause. It was as if they could see straight into her heart, yet at the same time, they gave off a warmth that soothed her.

Lilia blinked.

She didn't understand why, but she couldn't bring herself to dislike this child.

Roya looked away and scanned the room again. No one else was around. This large house held only the four of them.

So that's how it is…

He hadn't been reborn as Rudeus??

And judging by the situation, it seemed he had arrived before Rudeus was even born?

How strange…

This couple was... a little slow on the uptake.

They showed no surprise at all that their newborn was unusually calm.

Paul carefully picked up Roya and walked over to Zenith.

He gently placed the baby into her arms.

A soft smile bloomed across her beautiful face. There was no denying it, Zenith was an exceptional woman.

Even Roya couldn't help but be momentarily dazed.

All the good cabbages end up with pigs… he sighed internally.

Paul reached out and gently pinched Roya's chubby cheek. "Come on now, say 'Mama'!"

Roya froze for a moment, then attempted to respond. What came out were a few babyish, meaningless coos.

Paul and Zenith exchanged a warm smile, clearly pleased.

Alright... I guess this is how it's going to be.

Roya silently looked up at the ceiling.

After all, this was beyond his control.

Forgive me.

....

Two years passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside a bedroom, a two-year-old child with golden hair and golden eyes lay in bed.

For some reason, his hair had grown remarkably fast, already long enough to reach his waist at just two years old.

What's worse… Roya was starting to notice that he was growing more and more off-track.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror with a sigh.

A delicate, adorable little boy was staring right back. Big golden eyes, a porcelain doll-like face, silky hair down to the shoulders, and wearing the exact same outfit as him. When Roya smiled, the boy in the mirror smiled. When he turned his head, so did the reflection.

...I'm a boy, right?

Sure, at this age, gender features weren't super defined. But still, his appearance was way too soft and gender-neutral.

He subtly reached down and checked his "equipment"... and let out a small breath of relief.

Okay. Still a man.

Still... was this really okay?

Roya's room wasn't very big, but it had everything he needed. On the desk lay a thick magic book, it was something he'd asked Zenith for.

Back when he was first born, both Paul and Zenith had been quite interested and involved.

But after a short while, they got preoccupied with trying for their next child and completely left Roya to fend for himself.

Figures. To them, kids are just a byproduct of romance.

Roya sighed again.

His soft pillow pressed against his little face, the warmth of the blanket wrapping around him... but in his heart, he felt nothing but cold.

Today, I may look like a dainty little girl, but inside, beats the heart of a beastly man!

And as for what happens when I grow up... that's future me's problem.

With a speechless expression, Roya tapped on the small floating orb at the bottom right of his vision.

A transparent screen appeared before him.

The interface was simple, with only three functions:

[Character Status]

[World Scan]

[System Shop]

Unfortunately, every item in the System Shop was grayed out and inaccessible.

Clearly, the god of the system was really pissed, he had even revoked Roya's shopping privileges.

Still, there was one silver lining: Roya had managed to absolutely fleece the system during his reincarnation.

He scrolled through the Shop's long list of dazzling items and spotted his own innate skill, [Fool], in the third column of the first page.

Its price? An eye-watering S-rank purchase clearance ×3.

Then there was another one, [Greed], a B-rank talent, but its price wasn't much better. It also required a sky-high amount of points and two A-rank purchase clearances.

Roya didn't fully understand the exact value of "points" and "purchase clearance" yet, but thinking about the stingy faces of capitalists, he guessed these were numbers a system wage slave couldn't earn even in ten lifetimes.

Which meant, he had seriously hit the jackpot.

He didn't just win at life, he'd bled the system dry until it was spitting blood.

.....

Chapter 3 Ended....