Preparation

Roa stepped forward and helped his fallen father to his feet.

Paul stood up and said with some emotion, "Roa, you've grown up. You deserve a better teacher. In a few days, I'll ask an old friend of mine to teach you swordsmanship."

Roa knew at once who Paul meant: Ghislaine, the Sword King.

It looked like Eris's story was about to begin.

But when he thought of Eris's awful temper, Roa honestly felt a headache coming on.

She wasn't like Roxy, who had such a good temper. Her attitude toward strangers was downright unreasonable.

While Roa was lost in thought, Paul suddenly asked, "Roa, can you tell me how you dodged that strike?"

Paul was genuinely puzzled. By all rights, there was no way a boy could have avoided that slash, yet the fact was right in front of him.

Roa couldn't explain the skill in words, so he could only say, "Instinct, I guess. I sensed what you were going to do and dodged ahead of time."

A wry smile tugged at Paul's lips. "Your talent is... terrifyingly incredible. If your teacher saw you, he'd probably be eager to take you on as a disciple."

After a moment of exclaiming over it, Paul turned to Rudeus, who was standing nearby in a daze. "Rudeus, come train."

Rudeus swallowed instinctively and forced a strained smile. He knew his father had a terrible temper. After losing to Roa, Paul would definitely look for someone else to take it out on.

But Rudeus was no match for Paul. Even magic might not be enough to beat him.

Just as expected, Paul loudly berated Rudeus as he beat him until he was thoroughly routed, then finally knocked him down with a single sword strike.

Paul looked exasperated. "Can't you learn something from your big brother? The gap in your abilities is way too obvious."

Rudeus lay sprawled on the ground, expressionless. "Father, there may only be one monstrous genius like Roa in the whole world."

Paul sighed and waved a hand helplessly. "Get ready over the next few days."

Rudeus asked curiously, "What's going on? What should we get ready for?"

Paul grabbed Rudeus and hauled him up, then patted the dirt off his clothes. "You're going on a trip. You'll earn some tuition for your Zenith while you're at it. Our family may have a little money, but it's definitely not enough to support two people in school, let alone three."

Then Paul looked at Roa. "You'll learn swordsmanship from Ghislaine. Once you've learned everything this musclebound woman has to teach you, go study under the Sword God."

The Sword God was one of the Seven Great Powers, and his strength was terrifying.

The Sixth Great Power: "Sword God."

The Sixth Great Power was the only human among the Seven Great Powers. Like the "Fighting God," the "Sword God" had no permanent name. The main reason was that humans had shorter lifespans, so there hadn't been many people who held the title of "Sword God." They had all reached the pinnacle of the world in human bodies, which showed just how powerful they were.

To be honest, humans weren't especially remarkable. They lacked the Long-eared tribe's longevity, the demons' strange abilities, and the dragons' powerful, imposing bodies. Humans were merely average.

But every so often, young people of exceptional talent would appear.

The Sword God was the representative of that generation.

Earning the title of Sword God basically meant that he was the strongest human of his era.

Roa nodded in understanding. If he wanted to defeat the Dragon God, he needed to grow stronger quickly in this world, too.

Thinking of that, Roa couldn't help shifting his perspective to the version of himself in Sword Art Online.

Has it started? I hope you won't disappoint me.

The boy muttered to himself.

He opened his status panel.

[Character: Roa Greyrat]

[Age: 10]

[Strength: E-]

[Agility: E+]

[Stamina: E]

[Intelligence: B+]

[Talents: Pure Body (Stage One), Fool (Stage One), Greedy Swordheart (Level One)]

[Skills: Advanced Magic Knowledge, Sword God Style Swordsmanship (Advanced), Torrential Thunderstorm (Water Saint level), Demon Sword, Magic Seed]

[Evaluation: You have acquired the basic qualifications to venture out into the world.]

These were Roa's current stats.

Honestly, he was fairly satisfied with his strength. He'd reached this level through diligent training alone, and his body hadn't fully developed yet, leaving plenty of potential to explore.

But his strength still wasn't enough. He needed even greater power.

With his current abilities, he couldn't become a Shadow.

Roa's definition of a Shadow: cool, powerful, and ruling everything from behind the scenes.

Well, he could think of Old Bone—only an upgraded version of him.

Roa continued training and experimented with new ways to use his mana.

Time flew by. Two days weren't long at all, and they passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, Paul solemnly called Rudeus and Roa into the living room.

Paul looked from one to the other. His stern expression softened a little, but when he saw Rudeus, his face tightened again without thinking.

Rudeus noticed the detail and felt utterly speechless.

After a long pause, Paul spoke. "Rudeus, Roa, it's time for you to leave today."

Roa nodded calmly. He'd been ready for this. Everything in his room had already been packed into a bundle, so he could be hurried out the door at any moment.

Rudeus felt a little reluctant, since Paul had already said they might be gone for a long time.

He wouldn't be able to see Zenith for a while. He tried asking Paul if they could take her along.

Paul gave him a look like he thought he was an idiot, which left Rudeus feeling terribly awkward.

Roa didn't feel much of anything about it. Going away was a necessity. Even if Paul hadn't said anything, Roa would have set out on a new journey.

Being the Sword God of the beginner's training grounds was certainly nice, but there was a much wider world outside. Even his projected self had started working hard, so how could he afford to slack off?

The weather was clear and sunny. That day, the clatter of hooves approached. A muscular beastfolk warrior climbed down from the carriage. She had a broad, powerful build, a fierce scar across her face, and an eyepatch. Her features were well-defined, and she had the air of a gang leader. Her expression was cold and fierce. She wore revealing leather clothes, and scars could be seen all over her body.

She climbed down from the carriage with an impassive face. Seeing only Roa and Rudeus, she glanced around in confusion. "Where's Paul?"

Sylphiette explained to Ghislaine from nearby, "Paul's inside with his other two daughters. These are my two children. Paul wants them to study under you."