Jobless Reincarnation: The King with a Mental Problem

It was late at night, and the snow was still falling.

The Shadow Lord lay alone on the rooftop, his hands clasped behind his head, letting the fine snowflakes fall on his face, into his collar, and onto his outstretched palms. The coolness seeped into his skin, bringing some clarity to his overloaded mind.

The king needs this snow.

Tonight's battle was a complete and utter defeat.

Wang isn't someone who can't accept defeat; the problem is the way he lost—he didn't even raise his hand.

Those tactics that were repeatedly rehearsed and honed in actual combat, those combos that were thought to be ingenious, and those "contingency plans" used to deal with various situations—all became a joke in the face of absolute strength.

Staring at the gray night sky, snow fell from unseen heights, seemingly without end.

[If a nuclear explosion could be used, at least we could both perish.]

When this thought popped into my head, I was stunned for a moment.

Then I realized: this was my previous way of thinking.

I'm always thinking, "What trump cards do I have?" These trump cards, which I can "have if I want to," give me a false sense of security. It's as if as long as I hold these cards, I have nothing to fear.

But that's not how it is in reality.

The reality is: it takes time to reveal your hand. But the real enemy won't give you that time.

How strong is that guy exactly? I don't know.

But no matter how strong he is, can he be stronger than a god?

There are only five years left.

Five years later, the Great Transfer. Then came the Human God, the Dragon God, the Battle God Armor... those true beings who stood at the pinnacle of this world.

If I can't even keep up with a random middle-aged man on the street, how can I talk about cutting off my destiny? Isn't that just all show and no substance?

"What are you thinking about?"

Luo Qixi's voice came from the side.

I don't know when she climbed up. The witch sat down next to me, her skirt falling softly onto the snow. She wasn't too close, nor too far away—it was that "I'm right next to you, but you can choose to say no" distance.

"...I'm thinking about how to become stronger," I said.

"Because you lost?"

"because……"

I didn't continue.

Because there are too many. Because the "bottom line" mentality is wrong. Because there isn't enough time. Because I'm afraid that no matter how hard I try, in the end I still won't be able to change anything.

I dared not look at her, afraid she would see the fear in my eyes.

Luo Qixi did not ask any further questions.

She just sat there, watching the snow fall from the night sky with me. The wind blew from the north, brushing her hair against my face, carrying a faint, indescribable fragrance.

"I'm sorry," she suddenly spoke, her voice soft yet exceptionally clear in the snowy night, "but unfortunately, I don't have any mind-reading abilities. How can I know what you're thinking if you don't tell me?"

I did not answer.

"I might not have done better than you in that duel just now."

She paused.

"But—you don't need to doubt yourself because you lost to someone."

I remained silent for a while.

"I just..." I carefully chose my words, "...just came to understand myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm. I just realized that I can't see myself." I gave a wry smile. "To see myself clearly, I need the reflection of light; to recognize my own shortcomings, I need to interact with others."

Luo Qixi did not respond immediately.

"I see, that seems to be true. I used to think I was really something, until I met you guys."

"Was the witch sister discouraged?"

"...Of course there are. Three geniuses from such a small village, I thought you guys were some ancient powerhouses who were reborn together."

The king was amused by the witch's wild imagination.

"Hahahaha!!! Didn't I say from the beginning that I'm a king who can transcend the barriers between worlds?"

"Pfft~" The witch laughed, mistaking it for a bout of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome). "Now I really am a witch exploring forbidden topics..."

She lowered her head and drew several circles in the snow with her finger. The snow was still falling, and the circles were quickly filled in.

"So you're alright now?"

"Yeah, it's alright. Losing this match is a good thing; it helps me identify my weaknesses. And I..."

"But you always manage to find a way."

I was startled when the witch interrupted me.

"From teaching Rudy magic, to refining those basic spells, to that experiment on the beach that almost blew us all up—you've always been creating. Not learning, but creating."

Her voice was calm.

"That old man only beat you once. But what about next time? And the time after that? You'll always find a way."

Indeed, all that's needed is to develop perfect defensive magic, or to train oneself to the point where one can react in time.

I have a general idea of ​​the perfect defensive technique.

That is the Prison Master's infamous limitless technique, which can be called the ceiling of defensive mechanisms.

We must also take swordsmanship training seriously; a true master should not have any weaknesses.

Glass cannons and the like have no future.

I only have one life, and gambling like a dog in every battle is not my style.

What if someone slightly stronger than you appears someday, and you end up evenly matched, but you still have a trump card up your sleeve?

There's no need to self-destruct; winning by giving it your all would be shameful.

No need to self-destruct; even if you fight with all your might and still lose—you'll lose your life.

Using self-destruction to take down a roadside animal—it's both shameful and deadly.

As for the one who used self-destruct and still lost.

Tsk tsk tsk...

Wang couldn't help but laugh at that person's performance.

The laughter startled the witch, but it actually reassured her.

She stood up and patted the snow off her skirt.

"I don't know what you're thinking or what you're worried about. But you're so smart, you must be able to figure out a solution, right?"

She sighed, her tone suddenly becoming more relaxed.

"But after you lost once, this childish look of yours is cuter than any 'Lord of Shadows'."

Wang blushed.

"Don't treat me like a child..."

"Mmm, my king." Loki replied perfunctorily, bending down to lift the short king from the cold roof.

She held me very firmly. One hand supported my back, the other protected the back of my head, as if I were holding a fragile piece of porcelain. The chill of the snow was blocked by her body heat; I could only feel the warmth of her clothes and the heat that seeped through the fabric.

The witch led the king into the house.

"I can walk by myself."

"There's snow on the roof, you'll slip."

"I will not—"

Before she could finish speaking, her foot slipped on the snow.

Both of them froze for a moment.

"...Witch sister."

"Shut up."

She steadied herself, pretended nothing had happened, and continued walking forward.

Once she reached the ground, she sighed.

"Luckily, no one saw it."

"I saw it."

"Children don't count."

Oh......

My feet were dangling in mid-air, unable to reach the ground...

I want to become a man over 1.8 meters tall with eight-pack abs right now!

Pushing open the door, the warmth inside rushed in, melting the snow off our clothes. The fire in the fireplace was still burning, the firewood crackling and bathing the entire room in a warm orange glow, making it seem like a completely different world from the icy, snowy landscape outside.

"Now," she turned and walked toward the edge of the roof, "it's time for the King to go to sleep."

Is that so? Then please treat me like a child for now...

Under the witch's protection, the king drifted into a dream without snow.

Outside, the snow was still falling.

---------------------------

[From the perspective of a passerby, an older man]

I am Alex Karman Rebek, also known as the Second Northern God, the founder of the Northern God School of Strange Tales.

But I gave up all of those things.

Right now, I'm just an old man named Chantelle von Grandall.

No, it shouldn't be called abandonment; it should be said that I am unworthy of such a name and title.

I spent the first half of my life striving to become a hero. I defeated the Dragon King Kashakut, whom my father couldn't defeat, the colossal Behemoth, the evil priest, the giant man-eating ape, and the tyrannical king. I defeated every enemy I encountered and earned the title of the strongest.

I am the real deal, the strongest hero who has surpassed my father.

That's what I thought.

Later, my sword was taken by a sword saint who was a sword god.

That's when I realized that my greatest strength came from that sword.

The kingdom of the king and priest I defeated did not become better after it disintegrated; instead, it became countless small kingdoms, which is now the conflict zone.

It turns out I'm not even a hero.

I arrogantly considered myself a hero, and then I defeated the enemy that I unilaterally believed to be evil.

This resulted in the situation becoming worse...

After realizing that I lacked the talent to be a hero, I began to teach martial arts to my disciples, hoping that one of my disciples would become a hero and carry on the name of the Kitakami-ryu school.

But the result was still laughable; the disciples I trained were all assassins and bandits.

The term "Hokushin-ryu" has now become synonymous with despicable behavior...

I have never been so disheartened. I tried to salvage the situation, but things only got worse.

At least helping ordinary people fight monsters can't be wrong, right?

With this thought in mind, I embarked on my journey of atonement.

Not long ago I heard that a man-eating dragon had appeared in Green Village, so I didn't waste any more time and set off immediately.

Then I met a boy who, along with another girl, had also come to slay the evil dragon.

How old is he? He's only about 1.3 meters tall, but he's already skilled at using healing magic to treat the wounded.

But I don't know how to do that; all I know is fighting and physical strength. So I started helping to clear the rubble.

By the time he finished treating the wounded, it was already dark. If I had done something like that when I was a child, I would have proudly shown it off.

But he didn't.

He saw me clearing the ruins, and after watching for a while, he used magic to create a house large enough to house all the survivors.

The villagers thanked him, but he avoided them.

Although this evil dragon is certainly not as strong as King Dragon, it is definitely not something a child can handle. I made up my mind to protect them and not let the seeds of heroes be harmed.

I was wrong. The two of them defeated the evil dragon with very little effort. I couldn't have done that much when I was a kid, could I?

I did not see him accept praise.

He scared me when we were dividing up the spoils that night.

The child only took a small amount of money and left the rest to the villagers. I can understand that this is a hero's choice.

But why should I keep his affairs a secret?

Why not spread the word about the hero who did something righteous?

Why can't I even see his pride and smile?

I couldn't understand it, so I asked him why, and he asked me instead if I wanted to become a hero.

Of course I want to! I want to become a true hero before I reclaim the name my father gave me.

He then asked me why I wanted to be a hero, and who my hero was.

When I think of heroes, the one that comes to mind is my father—the first Northern God, one of the three heroes who defeated the demon god Laplace, and his heroic deeds are recorded all over the world.

I remember now, I tried to make Bei Shen synonymous with heroism after my father's heroic reputation was questioned. But the result seems to have been terrible...

I was too ashamed to answer his question.

After a long silence, he began to answer my initial question.

It turns out I've been too arrogant all along. He never wanted to be a hero, so naturally he wouldn't be happy about so-called heroic deeds.

He is saddened by what people have lost, but also finds satisfaction in their happiness.

It's that simple a reason, that simple a difference.

Why am I only finding out now?

I guess I'm such an idiot...

He said he gave up everything unimportant and pursued power only to protect what was truly precious.

Something important? Is it family?

I learned a lot from him. Although I don't know who his enemy is, since it's about power, I can still teach him my Northern God Style. If he becomes the strongest, if he becomes the Northern God, maybe he will become a true hero.

Although he doesn't think so, I believe that if he had the power, he would definitely do better than me!

But... I was rejected.

When I asked him for his reason, his answer made me feel so ashamed that I wanted to disappear.

I'm even embarrassed to say that I am the second Northern God.

But as long as I fight him and let him know my strength, that should be enough, right?

This kid's tricks are really interesting. He's definitely the kind of person who can carry on the legacy of the Northern God Style. Of course, I won easily. Now you know how powerful the Northern God Style is!

He asked me if I was the strongest in the world or something. Of course not, the names of the seven great powers are still listed.

He then asked me if I could kill a god. What kind of enemy does this brat want to defeat?

In the end, I was rejected. They said that if I were to learn, I should learn the Sword God style or something, and that there was also a Sword King aunt.

Ugh......

I still properly gave myself my current name—Shandour von Grendorf.

Moreover, he should be aware of his own shortcomings.

If he really does have a Sword King aunt, he'd be utterly shocked and regretful if he just mentioned my name.

[Information Now Available to be Released: Embarrassing Thing]

Be ready to self-destruct at any time.

An elephant fighting with all its might versus a house.

He unleashed his ultimate move against the most useless guy.

Then I slept through the entire summer.

I'm talking about you!

Genius sorcerer, sir!