The Dragon God, Orsted, was a man of integrity, unlike the scheming Human God. Without hesitation, he followed up with a warning about potential risks that could arise.
"It doesn't matter. As long as there's a chance, even one percent, that Wood can come back, I'll hold onto it with everything I've got. Whether it's my memories or something else you need from me, I'll give it all—just let my child come back to me!" Zenith cried, kneeling on the ground, clutching Wood's cold, lifeless body as tears streamed down her face.
Hearing Zenith's plea, Rudeus slowly lowered his magic staff, Pride of the Water Dragon King. Despite seeing Orsted as a dangerous figure—one no different from the Human God—Rudeus, like Zenith, couldn't accept Wood's death. Even the smallest chance of bringing him back was something he couldn't afford to abandon.
"What do you want from us? You didn't just come here out of the goodness of your heart to grant our wishes for free, did you?" Rudeus asked, glaring at Orsted with hostility. While the Human God was the mastermind, Orsted had still been the executioner, and for that, Rudeus hated him deeply.
Yet, they couldn't act against Orsted now.
Setting aside whether they could match his strength, the main issue was that Orsted was their only hope of bringing Wood back.
"Using the Dragon Clan's secret arts to return to the past will consume a significant amount of my magic power. Normally, I'd have enough, but after my battle with Wood Greyrat, my reserves were greatly depleted. We'll need time for my magic to recover, or if you happen to have a way to quickly replenish my power—such as storing magic crystals—that would help speed up the process."
"As for what I want you to do for me... even if I didn't say it, I'm sure you'd do it anyway. I need your help to eliminate the Human God—once and for all."
Upon learning that the so-called "Human God" was the one who had orchestrated everything, leading to Wood's death, Zenith immediately agreed to the Dragon God's deal on behalf of the entire Greyrat family.
For Zenith, as long as there was hope for Wood's return, she was willing to do anything. Besides, their target was already their sworn enemy.
With Zenith, the true head of the family, agreeing, Paul and Lilia had no objections, fully supporting the decision. This was, after all, their shared goal.
As for Rudeus, though he still didn't fully trust Orsted, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
After all, it had been Rudeus who suggested going to the Dragon King Mountain Range, and Wood had died while buying them time to escape.
In a way, Wood's death could be attributed 50% to the Human God, 30% to Orsted for delivering the fatal blow, and at least 20% to Rudeus himself.
In some sense, both Rudeus and Orsted had been pawns in the Human God's game. Orsted was the weapon, while Rudeus, unknowingly, had pushed Wood towards that weapon.
Rudeus had noticed that, after learning the full truth, Zenith hadn't blamed him. However, the subtle distance in her gaze towards him stung even more than words ever could, filling him with pain and guilt.
But Rudeus held no complaints. He believed Wood had died because of him.
Though they were twins, Zenith had always shown more affection for Rudeus than for Wood.
In their infancy, Wood had been cared for by Lilia, while Rudeus had been in Zenith's arms. As a magic-user herself, Zenith had naturally been more drawn to Rudeus, who had demonstrated greater magical talent from a young age.
Even as they grew older, it was Wood, the younger of the two, who had left home first to begin his training.
It wasn't until Paul's and Lilia's affair came to light that Zenith realized, with shame, how much she had neglected her second son, Wood.
It was no wonder Wood preferred Lilia's company—perhaps it was her failure as a mother.
Wood, with his mature mind and thoughtful nature, had always been meticulous, seemingly indifferent on the surface, yet caring deeply for every member of the family.
Whether it was Paul's and Lilia's scandal, Aisha's and Norn's strained relationship, or even Zenith's conflicts with her mother, Claire Latreia, Wood had always been aware. He even hid his strength to protect Rudeus' pride.
All these little things, things that even Rudeus himself had failed to notice, were handled by Wood.
That boy had always smiled so kindly, exuding an aura of humility despite his incredible talent and strength. Even Claire, the most critical of people, had praised Wood to no end, wanting him to inherit the Latreia family name and become its future head.
But the more perfect Wood appeared, the more Zenith's heart ached.
Such a wonderful, selfless child, always thinking of his family, had now become a cold, lifeless body in her arms. How could Zenith ever accept that?
Back in the maze city, Wood had nearly died once before while protecting her and Norn from the Hydra. Now, he had chosen to sacrifice himself again to save his brother.
Every time Wood faced danger, it wasn't for his own sake but for his family.
After exchanging information about the Human God, Orsted left, leaving the Greyrat family in an atmosphere of sorrow and grief.
Wood's death had hit Zenith the hardest. For days, she hadn't spoken a single word, her mental state worrying both Paul and Rudeus.
Rudeus had tried to comfort her, but she had silently pushed him out of the room.
Wood's body had been preserved by Rudeus' ice magic, and they planned to return him home for burial. However, before that, they needed to head back to the Holy Kingdom of Milis to retrieve Aisha and Norn.
When the two young girls learned of their brother Wood's death, they wept for days, resenting their other brother, Rudeus.
They blamed him, believing that if Wood hadn't gone to save Rudeus or hadn't listened to him, he wouldn't have died.
After Wood's death, Rudeus painfully realized that his family's attitude towards him had shifted. But he had no words to offer, for if he hadn't trusted the Human God, Wood wouldn't have been caught up in this disaster.
Feeling weak and powerless, Rudeus bid his family farewell and set off for the Magic Academy.
He had to grow stronger, not only to take revenge on the Human God but also to find a way to bring Wood back.
In the past, such a goal would have been a fool's dream, but this was a different world now.
With magic in existence, anything was possible. After all, with reincarnations and time loops already in play, why should resurrection be considered impossible?
In the world of One Piece, Wood slowly opened his eyes, waking up once again in his own bed.
The twelve years of Wood Greyrat's life seemed like nothing more than a fleeting dream. Yet the memories were so vivid, so real, as if they had truly happened.
"Just like my first life simulation, this one left behind so many regrets."
"System, if I get another chance at life simulation, is it possible for me to return to the previous world?"
Compared to the "Zero Familiar" world, the world of "Jobless Reincarnation" had left Wood with far deeper regrets.
Due to his lack of understanding of that world, Wood hadn't even realized who had manipulated him in the end. If he had the chance to return, he would make sure to personally kill that so-called Human God.
Wood hadn't expected a response from the system, which usually remained silent. But to his surprise, this time, the system provided a thorough answer.
Returning to a previously simulated world wasn't entirely impossible. There were generally two scenarios in which it could happen.
First, Wood's simulations were random selections from the infinite worlds, meaning if he happened to draw "Jobless Reincarnation" again, he would naturally return to that world.
However, this was an incredibly rare occurrence, and even if it did happen, the timeline would reset, and Wood might not even be the same Wood Greyrat.
The second possibility was if the internal factors of the simulated world itself influenced the situation.
Though the simulated worlds were "simulations," they were, in fact, real existing worlds in alternate dimensions. These worlds continued to operate normally even after Wood left.
If someone in that world used abilities like "resurrection" or "soul summoning" to bring Wood Greyrat back to life, the system would automatically detect that Wood had not truly died, allowing his life simulation to continue.
After hearing the system's explanation, Wood dismissed the first possibility, as the chances of it happening were lower than winning a lottery.
The second possibility, however, seemed more plausible. After all, it was a magical world where resurrection wasn't out of the question, and Rudeus was a protagonist with special powers.
If Wood ever returned to the world of "Jobless Reincarnation," he vowed that the next time, when he was stronger, he would crush both the Dragon God and the Human God.
[Ding! Your simulated character has died. This multi-world life simulation is now complete. You have acquired the following abilities from Wood Greyrat:]
<<Swordsmanship: Sword God Style, North God Style, Water God Style>>
<<Magic: Fire Magic (Emperor Level), Water Magic (Emperor Level), Healing Magic (King Level), Wind Magic (King Level), Earth Magic (King Level)>>
Due to learning magic, your mental and willpower attributes have increased significantly.
"The multi-world life simulation has ended. Besides the fixed rewards from the simulated character, you may select one of the following rewards:"
<<<<1. Magic Eye—Future Sight>>>>
<<<<2. Hydra Physique—Magic Resistance>>>>
<<<<3. Sword 'Dragon's Fang'—Magic-conductive attribute (can be grafted onto 'Tenku' and 'Asatsuyu' to enhance their quality).>>>>
The fixed rewards were powers that Wood Greyrat had learned, while the random rewards were drawn from his encounters.
As he looked at the three options in front of him, Wood felt a bit disappointed that neither the Dragon God's nor the Human God's abilities had appeared. However, the abilities on offer weren't weak either.
First, the Magic Eye—Future Sight was a power possessed by Rudeus, said to have been acquired from a self-proclaimed "Magic Emperor" loli.
The effect allowed the user to consume magic to briefly see a few seconds into the future, similar to the "Advanced Observation Haki" that Katakuri and others possessed.
Just based on the description, it was clear this ability was incredibly powerful. Unlike Katakuri's passive foresight, this Magic Eye could be actively controlled!
Honestly, Wood was tempted to choose this ability, but the other two rewards were also highly appealing.
In comparison, the ability to briefly foresee the future was the first power Wood eliminated from consideration.
After all, his Observation Haki was already highly developed. Being able to predict the future was something he could eventually achieve through his own training.
In other words, while the Magic Eye was undoubtedly powerful, it was redundant.
As for the Hydra Physique's magic resistance, it was highly tempting as well. While magic didn't exist in the world of One Piece, there were plenty of Devil Fruit users with a wide variety of abilities.
Setting aside Paramecia and Zoan types, the attacks from Logia-type Devil Fruit users were essentially elemental magic.
With the Hydra's level of magic resistance, Wood would likely be able to negate a significant portion of the damage from Logia users, if not entirely.
Finally, the third reward was easy to understand. It allowed Wood to transfer the magic-conductive properties of Wood Greyrat's sword, Dragon's Fang, onto his current swords, Tenku and Asatsuyu.
Ultimately, Wood chose the third option after some deliberation.
That is, he opted to transfer the properties of Dragon's Fang to his swords, Tenku and Asatsuyu.
Some might argue that Wood had chosen the least useful reward of the three, but he had made this decision after careful consideration.
While Dragon's Fang seemed like the least impressive option, it was actually the most practical for Wood.
In the world of One Piece, the power system was highly versatile, allowing for the use of magic. However, this world lacked magic staves!
Even without a staff, Wood could cast magic to a certain extent, but he couldn't perform high-level spells.
Furthermore, in the world of "Jobless Reincarnation," Wood had mastered an advanced form of swordsmanship that combined magic with sword techniques, known as the "Hyakki Yagyo Sword Style."
Without materials that could conduct magic, Wood's newly developed elemental sword techniques would be rendered useless, and the techniques he had gained from "Jobless Reincarnation" would be severely diminished.
Without a magic-conductive medium, his magic would be limited to mid-level spells—hardly a threat in the world of One Piece.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek (@->a)