I Don’t Want to Die as a Mob in My Second Life! ～A Story Where I Kept Training from Inside the Womb and Ended Up Being Mistaken for a Monster～ - Chapter 02: I Have No Choice but to Train…!

Chapter 02: I Have No Choice but to Train…!

“Just three months until your due date. Please, be born healthy.”

It had been a few days since my death and subsequent awakening. 

Despite the overwhelming drowsiness that kept hitting me, I kept observing my surroundings until I was sure of one thing:

I had somehow returned to being a fetus.

In other words, this watery place was actually the amniotic fluid inside my mother’s womb.

“Ugh… (Man, I never thought I’d be living my life all over again).”

There’s probably only one explanation for this: it must have been the power of that Meat Angel who killed me.

That thing was likely a top-tier Conceptual Spirit with control over [Regression].

The reason the other Reisoushi’s necks were thinned out like snakes might have been due to a regression-related effect, turning them back to a fetal state in that area. 

It might have also reversed their spiritual attacks back into raw spirit energy.

Yeah, there’s no way humanity can win against that.

And then—

“Blub, blub, blub…! (So, in twenty-three years, that Meat Angel will reappear, right…!?)”

This is bad. Seriously bad.

That thing is capable of manipulating cause and effect, even time itself, just like it sent me back to the past.

It wouldn’t be surprising if, after killing me, that Meat Angel went on to destroy Shibuya—or even all of Japan—in that original timeline.

“Blub, blub, blub…! (Ugh, I really don’t want to be born…! A world where that kind of monster exists? No, thank you!)”

Just as I was thinking about staying holed up in the ‘baby room,’ trying to avoid being born into such a messed-up world—

“I’m home!”

I heard my father’s tipsy voice echoing around.

“Oh, welcome back, dear. You seem like you had quite a bit to drink tonight.”

“Haha… yeah, that’s the tough part of being from a Junior Third Rank family. You’ve got to keep up appearances, or they’ll stick you with unpleasant missions like hunting down Conceptual Spirits of [Venereal Diseases].”

“Da… (Yeah, that sounds like a real nightmare…)”

It seemed my father had quite a tough time.

The fifth head of the Soranaki family, Michitaka Soranaki. As a Reisoushi, he held the rank of Class-2.

It suited him, really—my memories of him were of a timid, unremarkable man, just like me.

“Fufu, don’t worry, dear. Our two older kids are very talented. They’ve been top of their class since the early grades.”

My mother, Hinako Soranaki, was a Class-4 Reisoushi from a regular family background.

For more prominent families, arranged marriages were the norm. But since our family was more like the lower ranks of nobility, they were able to marry for love.

And that’s how I came into existence.

“Yeah, that’s right. Hinami and Michio are really talented. They’ll definitely make the family name great.”

That’s absolutely true. My sister Hinami and my brother Michio will go on to dominate and reach Class-1.

Seems like the family genes skipped me entirely.

“And I’m sure our little Kanata will grow up to be wonderful too.”

Wrong!!!

Those family genes worked too hard, and I’m destined to be a forgettable mob character wherever I go!

“Let’s trust in our child, born from our love…”

“Hinako…!”

“Michitaka-san…!”

The two of them started getting all lovey-dovey. Seriously, I’m right here in between you two, so can you please stop?

“Ah, hu, hu… (Well, it’s nice that they’re a loving couple, but…)”

But ten years from now, my father will be sent to fight a powerful Conceptual Spirit and end up dying. 

And two years after I’m born, my mother will have to return to the field.

Both are inevitable. After all, anyone born with spiritual power is required to fight as a Reisoushi.

If you don’t comply, you get branded as a ‘Medium’ and become a nationwide target. It’s a nightmare.

“Ugh… (Yeah, it’s like being trapped with no way out).”

Even if I’m born without talent, I’ll still be sent to the battlefield, just like in my previous life.

Will I be able to survive when that time comes?

I’ve faced plenty of dangerous situations before. There were countless times when I dodged attacks purely on reflex.

Even with my memories from my past life, there’s no guarantee I can pull off those clutch moves a second time. 

And then there’s…

“Meat… An… gel… (That damn thing)”

The Meat Angel—likely a top-tier Conceptual Spirit with control over [Regression]—will appear in the world in twenty-three years.

If I live my life the same way as before, I’ll end up assigned to Shibuya and face off against it again. 

Even if I somehow avoid being stationed in Shibuya, if that thing devastates the city, they’ll probably call me in as backup. The death rate among Reisoushi is high, so there aren’t that many of us.

If that happens, I’ll…

“I’ll make sure to give our child a good education once he’s born~”

Just when I was sinking into despair, I felt warmth against my back—my mother, probably stroking her belly.

“The spirit conduits that extend from the soul to the body… Those are easiest to develop during the early, immature years.”

What!?

“According to the theory of Ascension, just like an insect takes its final shape inside the cocoon, it’s best to start spiritual training while still young. That way, the body will become most suited to controlling spiritual power.”

“Ahh…! (Of course, that makes perfect sense…!)”

According to that theory, me as a fetus is exactly like a cocoon.

So, what would happen if I started training from this stage?

What if I began spiritual training before fully becoming human, even before learning how to walk?

If I did that… maybe even a regular mob like me could become a bit stronger.

“Alright… (Let’s do this…!)”

I might as well give it a try.

Whether I like it or not, I’ll be born in three months.

And I can’t escape my fate of becoming a Reisoushi.

So, the best way to protect myself is to get stronger. I’ll do whatever I can now.

“Haha… But Hinako, to start spiritual training, you first have to be able to perceive your soul, you know? Can someone that young really do that? I only started training at three, and it took me until I was seven to finally sense its outline.”

My father’s hesitant voice echoed.

Yeah, that was the same for me. It took me until I was eight to grasp it. The soul is a hard thing to understand.

But—

“Me… I… (I already…)”

I already know exactly where my soul is.

“Ah… (Time to start the basics of training then).”

With my small fingers, I formed a sword gesture and placed it over my heart.

I focused on the rhythm of my heartbeat, feeling the pulse of life. I sharpened my senses, following the flow of my blood, tracking the path of red blood cells. I let my awareness sink into my veins, tracing the route of each red blood cell, and like Orpheus descending into the underworld, I reversed the flow.

I traced the path of the red blood cells back to their source, following them through the liver, through the spleen, until I finally reached the bone marrow. I found the stem cells that produce blood, and I kept going deeper, pushing my awareness toward the very core of my being.

And then—

“Found it.”

Beyond the darkness, I reached a ‘pale blue flame.’

That flame was my soul. The essence of my spirit. It was the furnace that fueled my life, the command center that directed my body, shaping the person I am.

Alright, let’s get started. 

I focused my mind even further and dove straight into my soul.

All of this, to begin modifying my body.

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[Tips]

Reisoushi Ranks: There are seven ranks for Reisoushi: Class-4, Class-3, Semi-Class-2, Class-2, Semi-Class-1, Class-1, and Special-Class.

Most talented individuals can reach up to Class-1 Reisoushi. To become Special-Class, however, you need to have an extraordinary, almost inhuman uniqueness.

Conceptual Spirit Ranks: Conceptual Spirits are divided into five ranks: Lowest, Lower, Middle, Upper, and Top.

The higher the rank, the stronger and more intense the conceptual power they exert on their surroundings.

For example, a Lowest-rank [Scissors] spirit might only be satisfied with cutting hair. But if a Top-rank [Scissors] spirit were to appear, it could cut through buildings effortlessly, ignoring the length, distance, and hardness of the target—just by performing a cutting motion.

Additionally, higher-ranking spirits tend to have greater intelligence.

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