X772, the Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia Town.
“So I’ve been reincarnated into the Fairy Tail world?”
Ron frowned and rubbed his temples, wearing an expression far too troubled for a ten-year-old.
Memories from his previous life were still settling into place.
Back then, his name had been Ronan, and he had been an ordinary office worker until a truck sent him flying into the next world.
In this life, his name was essentially the same, though by the local naming conventions, he was now Ron White.
His new beginning did not seem too terrible.
His parents in this world were both alive and wealthy.
At the moment, they were simply away on an extended vacation, traveling wherever the mood took them.
Once the flood of memories finally subsided, Ron sat in a daze for several seconds before looking around and realizing he was seated at the dining table.
A lace-trimmed tablecloth covered the table.
In front of him sat a steaming cup of black tea and a plate of toast he had prepared himself, each slice spread with cherry jam.
Ron picked up the small mirror lying nearby and examined his current appearance.
The face reflected in the glass belonged to a ten-year-old boy who had not yet reached puberty.
Aside from his dark gray hair and much younger features, he still had the same refined, striking face he remembered from his previous life.
“Being young again is pretty great.
My skin is ridiculously soft!”
He pinched one of his round cheeks, marveling at a softness he had not felt in years.
After spending his previous life being relentlessly beaten down by work and adulthood, receiving a young, healthy body again felt like the greatest blessing imaginable.
His delight lasted only a moment before reason reclaimed control.
Ron tilted his head, and his brows furrowed once more.
‘This body has lived here for years, so why did my old memories come back now?
Why this morning, of all times?’
He carefully surveyed the room, then lowered his gaze and noticed two opened envelopes on the floor.
While puzzled, Ron picked them up.
The first was covered in writing, and the signature at the bottom belonged to Mr.
and Mrs.
White—his parents, who were currently traveling.
From what Ron remembered, the Whites had always been lively, energetic people who seemed to possess an endless supply of enthusiasm.
He had not expected them to spare a thought for the son they had left home alone while setting off on a second honeymoon.
With rising anticipation, Ron began reading the letter.
Surely, if they had taken the time to write to him, the page would be filled with concern for their beloved child.
His eyes quickly moved through the densely packed lines.
Slowly, the smile on his face froze.
The good news was that Mr.
and Mrs.
White were perfectly safe.
The bad news was that they were having far too much fun.
The entire page could be summarized quite simply: during their travels, they had rekindled the passion in their marriage.
After an agonizing amount of consideration, they had decided to enjoy themselves for a little longer and extend their honeymoon by another ten years.
To make up for missing the rest of Ron’s childhood, they had generously decided to leave him all the family’s remaining assets.
They had also handed over ownership of the Pure White Theatre Troupe.
Ron felt his blood pressure rising.
“What do you mean you’re so deeply in love that you can’t bear to be apart again?
“What about me?!
Do I not count as a person?”
They were blatantly dumping their problems on their own son!
Ten years!
Not ten days.
Not ten months.
Ten entire years!
How many decades did a person even get in one lifetime?
As far as Ron knew, magical theatre troupes had already fallen badly out of fashion.
With all sorts of new magical entertainment appearing in recent years, old-fashioned stage performances had lost most of their audience.
The troupe was essentially a money pit.
It had only remained open because his parents were sentimental and had been using their accumulated wealth to keep it afloat.
His parents really had nerves of steel.
They had casually abandoned their fortune, a failing business, and their underage son, then wandered off to enjoy themselves.
Ron sighed, too exasperated to stay angry.
“Good thing I’m already past the age of needing my biological father to make up for my childhood.
At least they left enough money for me to live comfortably for over a decade.”
Between the remaining savings and the house, Ron would be fine.
If he sold that broken-down theatre troupe as well, he could probably spend the next several years doing absolutely nothing.
Then he opened the second letter.
His blood pressure immediately threatened to rise again.
It was an asset liquidation statement from a law office, packed with detailed accounts and financial records.
The document also listed every debt Mr.
and Mrs.
White had accumulated, along with a helpful reminder that the person now responsible for the estate should remember to make the payments on time.
Ron counted the zeroes following the red numbers one by one.
The debt was greater than the value of everything his parents had left him!
As he pieced together what had happened, Ron realized that reading these two letters must have shocked his previous-life memories awake.
He laughed in disbelief.
‘So my memories only came back because my own parents traumatized me badly enough?’
Just then, a voice echoed deep within his mind.
[The host has been confirmed as the owner of the Pure White Theatre Troupe.
The Multiversal Roleplay System has been activated.]
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
The resentment in Ron’s heart vanished instantly, swept away by the sudden surprise.
“Mom, Dad, I’m sorry.
I misjudged you!”
He silently apologized for his earlier, terribly unfilial remarks.
His parents had clearly gone to extraordinary lengths to help him awaken his system!
Without their absolutely unhinged decision-making, how could he possibly have unlocked such an incredible advantage?
Ron instinctively put on a deeply moved expression and wiped away tears that did not exist before carefully examining the screen.
[Multiversal Roleplay System]
[Ron White]
[Magic: Requip Magic (E), Visual Effects Magic (E)]
[Skills: Acting (B), Basic Magic Control (D), Local Languages (A)]
[Talents: Magic Power Capacity (E), Charm (A)]
[Overall Evaluation: Third-Rate Actor, F-Class Mage]
[Current Roles: 0/1]
According to the status screen, ten-year-old Ron had only learned magic useful for stage performances.
His Requip Magic could change his clothes in a second at best, while Visual Effects Magic allowed him to create illusory lights and images for theatrical productions.
Both types of magic had plenty of potential, but they were only E-rank at the moment.
As things stood, Ron possessed no combat ability whatsoever.
He stared at the screen in confusion.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a multiversal roleplaying system?
Where were the characters?
It could hardly expect him to roleplay without giving him anyone to play.
Responding to his thoughts, the translucent screen shifted to a new interface.
[Multiversal Character Summoning Pool]
It resembled the summoning screen from a gacha game.
Countless shadowed figures filled the display, with a large summoning button positioned at the bottom.
A line of black text appeared before him as the system’s voice sounded again.
[The beginner’s first summon is ready.
A B-rank character or higher is guaranteed.]
Golden light began glowing around the button, almost as though it were eagerly waiting for Ron to make his first pull.
“A hero can’t run away when the moment comes.
Let’s do it!”
Without overthinking it, Ron activated the button with a thought.
The interface immediately began to change.
The entire summoning pool trembled as a red-bordered card appeared in the center of the screen.
A huge letter A was emblazoned across it.
Ron’s eyes lit up at the unexpected red glow.
He had assumed he would only receive the guaranteed B-rank character, but apparently his luck was better than expected.
The shadowed figures filling the screen dissolved one after another until only the selected silhouette remained.
Bathed in light, it steadily expanded and merged with the card in the center.
Ron watched eagerly as the glow faded and the character’s image became clear.
The smile slowly disappeared from his face.
His eyes widened in disbelief, and his brows drew together more tightly than ever.
The card showed an adult man dressed in a gray suit and pink tie, his orange hair combed neatly into place.
[Mob Psycho 100 — Arataka Reigen]
Reigen stared back at Ron with a calm, supremely confident expression.
One look at those eyes—the eyes of a man who could sell bottled air as a spiritual cleansing product—and Ron nearly forgot how to breathe.
Arataka Reigen?
Mob’s master, who did not possess a single psychic power?!
“Seriously?!
Everyone else with this kind of system gets to start by roleplaying Homelander, and you give me a comic-relief character with zero combat power?!”
Ron glared at the screen.
“System, are you collecting my negative emotions or something?!”