The newcomer was Roxy.
After responding to her frantic warning, Allen's mind instantly pivoted to the original plot.
Without a doubt, her appearance here, now, dragging that suitcase, meant she had just parted ways with the Greyrat family. She was leaving Buena Village to resume her life as an adventurer.
He had missed it.
But he had also, somehow, caught it.
Schrödinger's arrival.
Now, the question was:
The Transmigration Guide required him to participate in "Major Events" based on Rudeus's growth stages and leave a "mark" in the eyes of the main cast to earn a Participation Score.
Was there an opportunity here?
In Allen's estimation, getting close to Roxy was a goldmine for points. It couldn't be overstated: Roxy Migurdia was too pivotal to the lore.
In Rudeus's growth trajectory, the conflict with the Man-God was the spine of the story. And Roxy was the catalyst for the Man-God's appearance.
After the Teleport Incident, Roxy would help Rudeus search for his family. During that journey, they would fall in love. Their union would produce Lara—the key figure destined to seal the Man-God in the future. Because the Teleport Incident altered causality, the Man-God saw his own demise via future sight and began interfering with Rudeus, kicking off the main plot.
The opportunity was right in front of him, yet Allen hesitated.
As a reader, his greatest cheat was pseudo-future sight; the System came second.
That meant he shouldn't let his personal fondness for characters derail the plot recklessly. The best strategy was to participate in major events as a "powerful NPC."
If he caused too big a ripple... the Dragon God, endlessly looping through time, might notice. Orsted likely wouldn't listen to explanations before donut-ing him. Instant death. With the System's current growth stats, fighting Orsted was a pipe dream for the distant future.
Future sight is more important. Using it to avoid early encounters with Orsted is key...
Roxy noticed Allen's gaze growing heavy and serious. She shifted her weight uncomfortably, tugging at her blue bangs. She looked away at the blood-stained grass, trying to find words.
Just then, clusters of smoky text materialized in the air, severing eye contact between them.
Allen blinked in confusion.
Huh? Why is the System popping up now? My swordsmanship shouldn't have improved enough to trigger an update...
Lines of bold, red, underlined text solidified in the air. Allen's face stiffened.
[Mushoku Tensei Transmigration Guide: Immediate Mission Issued.]
[The First Encounter with Roxy.]
[Mission Context: The Host has missed the "Infancy Phase: Roxy's Tutelage of Rudeus." Roxy has been separated from Rudeus for two days. This chance encounter is the Host's only remaining opportunity for redemption.]
[Mission Brief: Within one hour, obtain Roxy's favor (Goodwill). Within four days, obtain Rudeus's favor.]
[Mission Reward: Healing Magic Slot — Unlocked (2/4).]
[Healing Magic Slot: Etches four magic crests onto the Host's Dragon Saint Touki Core, corresponding to the four pillars of Healing Magic: Healing, Detoxification, Barrier, and Divine Strike.]
[Mechanism: The Host can acquire a crest via physical contact. Requirement: The target must have cast a spell from one of these four categories within the last minute. Upon contact, the System will replicate and solidify the residual mana signature into a crest. Once activated, the crest can cast the corresponding spell on the Host's body in real-time until mana is depleted. Note: Crests only affect the Host's body; they cannot be cast on external objects.]
[Mission Start.]
[Roxy: Countdown: 00:59:59. Completion unlocks: Healing Magic Crest.]
[Rudeus: Countdown: 95:59:58. Completion unlocks: Detoxification Magic Crest.]
Excuse me? Bro? Goodwill???
Huh?
System, are you serious? Roxy's goodwill is one thing, but what the hell is "Rudeus's goodwill"?? And hiding the other 2/4 slots? You aren't hiding anything! I don't need a brain to know the other two slots are for the other two heroines!
Watching Allen's expression morph through a kaleidoscope of emotions, Roxy finally couldn't take the silence. She tried to break the awkward tension, scratching her cheek bashfully.
"Um... I was traveling by night and saw the fire, so I came over... I saw monsters attacking a human... and instinctively cast a spell. I didn't expect you to handle them yourself... seems I was unnecessary. I almost hit you..."
Her stuttering, cute voice snapped Allen out of his trance.
The System panel dissolved. He could see Roxy clearly again.
Under the firelight, "God" (a Mushoku meme; Rudeus referred to Roxy as God) was shifting her legs nervously. Her black knee-socks had slipped slightly, revealing faint red indentations on her pale skin. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes darted everywhere except at him.
At that moment, the raging Touki in his body subsided. Allen felt a sudden warmth in his nose.
Drip. A nosebleed. (Keep reading, it's not because of the legs.)
He touched his upper lip, stunned. He glanced at Roxy's twin water-blue braids. He seemed to hesitate for a long time, but in reality, it was only a split second...
His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed stiffly to the ground.
Faking it, of course.
As for the nosebleed...
The North God Style — Combat Variant: Twenty-Fold Slash relied entirely on physical conditioning and proficiency to execute rapid-draw strikes. His nine-year-old body wasn't fully developed enough to support five consecutive strikes in such a short burst. The Touki had surged too violently, rupturing capillaries.
This was why his North God Style rank remained low—he couldn't sustain the Combat Variant in prolonged fights, and the "Eccentric Style" (tricks and gadgets) was too weird for him to have mastered much of it yet.
It wasn't that he couldn't do it; he wouldn't.
Sure, there were effective tricks, like the North King in the Asura Kingdom arc who covered himself in mirrors to blind opponents. But unless it was life or death, Allen refused to turn himself into a walking disco ball.
Technically, a mere nosebleed didn't require fainting.
But... the mission was issued. The timer was ticking. The opportunity had literally walked into his camp.
So, no hesitation.
To gain Roxy's goodwill in a short time, fainting was the simplest, most effective strategy:
The Benjamin Franklin Effect.
The most direct way to win a stranger's favor isn't to help them, but to ask for their help.
First, it gives them a sense of "self-importance," validating their value.
Second, due to the subconscious desire to avoid cognitive dissonance (sunk cost of kindness), they will inevitably pay more attention to you afterward, leading to increased fondness.
It manifests as: "How is my relationship with him? Well, I helped him once, so I guess I like him."
This was the perfect window for the Franklin Effect. By fainting, Allen created a natural, undeniable pretext for "soliciting help."
Plus, Roxy's Water Ball had almost hit him. She already felt guilty.
It was obvious.
—Right now! Here! This was a limited-time request for help that absolutely could not be refused!
Thud. Allen hit the dirt.
Come on, Franklin Effect! Do your magic! Blue Mama... help a child out! (Just a fan meme, don't get weird ideas, casual readers.) You are the one true God of the Jobless world! Chant a spell and let your faithful believer rise again!
Allen prayed internally. Sure enough, Roxy's panicked muttering and pacing reached his ears immediately.
"F-fainted? Did the water ball hit him after all? W-w-what do I do??"
Allen: Healing magic! Use it!
"Should I... r-run away?"
Allen: Huh???
"W-wait, wait, Roxy. Don't panic. Calm down. Calm down."
A cold hand touched Allen's lips.
"Still... still breathing. It's internal trauma? No, external? Healing magic... my rank is high enough!"
Allen: ...Saved. Thank you.
He breathed a mental sigh of relief. Roxy's frantic reaction reminded him of the novel scene where she used Cumulonimbus to summon lightning, accidentally knocked out the Greyrats' horse, and panicked.
It was real. More real than the anime or the book. The "Blue Mama" with the cold, deadpan face looked serious, but her internal klutziness provided a massive gap-moe.
Although...
The attempt to abandon the body and run was also very real.
She was an adventurer, after all.
Roxy's slightly rushed voice rang out.
"O benevolent spirit of the earth, rich with the source of life! Heal this person's wounds! Restore his healthy body! Let this be a healing!"
Allen had been waiting for this. The moment the chant ended, he opened his eyes and sat up like a corpse springing from a coffin!
Fast!
He reached out and grabbed Roxy's hand at light speed.
Amidst her expression of shock, shyness, confusion, and relief, he looked her dead in the eye, sincere and earnest.
Allen: "Thank you, God."
Roxy: Σ(°ロ°)!!
The moment the words left his mouth, the smoky System panel floated up.
[Roxy's Goodwill acquired. Time elapsed: 2 minutes 47 seconds.]
[Evaluation: Fast man. Fierce. Potential NTR protagonist energy.]
[Healing Magic Slot unlocked.]
[Detected physical contact with Roxy. Searching for Healing Magic cast by Roxy within the last minute...]
[Search successful. Magic Crest etched — Intermediate Healing.]
Allen blinked, genuinely moved. He stared straight at the legal loli with blue hair who looked like she'd seen a ghost.
He couldn't tell if the sudden goodwill was due to the Franklin Effect or simply because he called her "God."
But one thing was certain:
This was 'God'.
Generous. Pale-skinned. Beautiful. Cute.
God's cheeks flushed red. She pulled her hand out of Allen's grip, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes darted away again.
"...What do you mean 'God'... it was just a standard Intermediate Healing spell. Calling me God is an exaggeration..."
And easy to coax.
Allen looked at Roxy, who was sitting in a 'duck sit' posture right in front of him. Her half-lidded eyes usually looked sleepy or cold, but the flustered joy she couldn't quite hide—stemming from being praised as a deity—betrayed her completely.
Gap moe.
Tsk. Rudeus Greyrat.
Your XP—forged from thirty-four years as a seasoned Japanese NEET marinated in visual novels—was valid.
You didn't lie to me.