The Lost Second Sword God

Right, Kayin was an otherworldly traveler, having been sent to this world by a large truck twelve years ago, and had only awakened this system last week.

If not for this Jobless Training System, he likely would have remained hidden until inheriting his master's position as the Sword God, staying in the Sword God's Holy Land for his entire life.

Kayin glanced at the blue status panel showing his unbelievable lack of a sense of direction and clicked his tongue. How could he possibly be direction-challenged?! He had never even left the Sword God's Holy Land, so was this panel broken?

He sighed. Although Kayin possessed top-tier, divine-rank swordsmanship in the Sword God Style, he did not even have a sword in his hands right now, which was hard to justify...

Didn't master say that becoming a Sword King would earn me a sword as a reward? By now, I clearly should have earned the title of Sword Emperor, which is second only to his.

Kayin thought for a moment, smiled faintly, and waved a hand. If he was going to cut ties, he would do it cleanly; anything that happened after leaving this place would have to depend entirely on himself.

Forget it, where is the nearest town? If I can't find any commissions, I really am going to go hungry tonight...

Having lived in the Sword God's Holy Land since childhood, his understanding of the outside world was not very extensive. To be honest, it was basically nonexistent; he only knew how to swing a sword, and how to swing it faster.

He possessed a heart that wanted to grow stronger. He wanted to become stronger than anyone else, doing his utmost to increase his strength and seizing every opportunity to grow.

There was no other reason. In his youth, weak as he was, he had wandered the Demon Continent and suffered harrowing experiences where he was almost eaten by demonic beasts, almost sold into human trafficking, and nearly died from eating poisonous plants. Those experiences from his childhood ran far too deep.

Therefore, so as not to be eaten, not to starve to death, not to be trafficked, and not to die from an inexplicable Mana Disaster or anything else that could threaten his life, he began swinging his sword for dear life, pouring every ounce of focus into honing his swordsmanship.

Fortunately, his talent for swordsmanship was exceptionally brilliant, and by the age of twelve, he had already reached the ceiling-tier strength of the Sword God Style.

He felt around in his pants pocket and found two Asura copper coins.

"Alright! Found the food money for tonight!" Kayin smiled faintly.

Walking over to a pile of stones by the roadside, he slowly opened his hands. Mana gathered without the need for an incantation, and the stones condensed together, gradually merging to form a simple stone sword with somewhat crude craftsmanship.

This was a gift attached to the system. Kayin's talent lay solely in swordsmanship with no magical aptitude whatsoever, but since the system had granted him magical talent, chantless casting techniques, and a massive pool of total mana, Kayin naturally had no desire to waste that gift.

He picked up the stone sword, weighed it in his hand, looked at the pitted and uneven surface of the blade, nodded slightly, and smiled happily.

"Not bad! I have a weapon, too!"

Kayin strapped the stone sword to his back and rubbed his hands together as a puff of white vapor exhaled from his mouth. Of course, with Battle Aura protecting his body, he basically could not feel the cold, but looking at the vast expanse of white snow all around him, he still did this instinctively.

At that moment, with a click-clack sound, the door behind him opened.

"Hm? Master."

Leaning against the doorframe was his master, the Sword God Gal Farion.

"Where do you want to go after this?"

"To go out and find a way to become stronger! To realize my dream! To surpass the gods and become the strongest in the world!"

"Sigh... You punk, say something your old man can actually understand."

"To go outside and become an adventurer, and earn some pocket money..."

The Sword God Gal crossed his arms and frowned slightly.

"Tch, with your current swordsmanship, you could easily secure an employment fee of no less than ten Asura gold coins per month in any kingdom. Why on earth go be an adventurer?"

"Eh? Is it that much?!"

"Hmph... You didn't know? What a blockheaded apprentice you are..."

Kayin scratched his cheek and smiled helplessly. He really hadn't known! So palace guards paid so well?!

Gal Farion sighed and covered his forehead. He had almost forgotten that this blockheaded apprentice of his only knew how to swing a sword and swing a sword day in and day out, basically never learning anything about news from the outside world. He was pure, but far too pure...

Yet, blockhead though he was, he at least counted as the old man's most outstanding disciple...

And it was precisely a pure blockhead of an apprentice like him who had the qualifications to eventually surpass himself.

Thinking this, Gal felt much better inside. He searched among the several ornate magical swords at his waist, found a katana-shaped magic sword, untied it from his belt, and offered it out with one hand.

"This is?!"

"You said your dream is to surpass the gods. Tell the old man, is that true?"

"Yes!" Kayin answered with unyielding resolve.

"Good! The Dragon God bastard is included in that, too, right?"

"Dragon God? Who is that? As long as it's a god, I will treat them as my target!"

The heavy expression on Gal's face dissipated by more than half as he nodded slightly and smiled.

"Hmph, is that so? Then use every means at your disposal to grow stronger! Kayin Brand! The old man's dream is entrusted to you, as well."

Gal's mouth curved up in a faint smile. He patted Kayin on the shoulder, his eyes carrying high hopes.

"A dream? Does Master also want to surpass the gods?"

* * * "No, I only want to surpass the Dragon God. But the old man as I am now is simply no match for him."

Stronger than Master...

Kayin narrowed his eyes, then the corners of his lips lifted into a smile.

Now that was a value worth surpassing!!

"Well, this is what I promised. This magic blade is named Instant Void, and from now on, it is your weapon."

"Thank you!"

With a serious expression, Kayin gave the Sword God Gal a generous and proper bow. He solemnly took the gold-patterned katana in both hands and weighed it.

"So light!" He felt the entire blade weighed no more than three catties.

Kayin drew Instant Void and took a look. The blade emitted a low hum, featuring golden wavy patterns along its single edge—the kind of weapon that made one realize at a glance that it was a fine sword.

"Heh, of all seven of the old man's magic swords, this one has the fastest draw and swing speed. Its sharpness is fully bared, and the old man feels it suits you well."

With that, Gal crossed his arms and looked at Kayin solemnly.

"Kayin, the old man won't be content to lose to you! The next time we meet, I'll spar with you again, and with real swords!"

Kayin tied the sword to his waist, raised his head, and revealed a stern and earnest expression on his youthful face as he answered the words of his master, Gal.

"In that case, I'm afraid I will never return. Farewell, Master..."

The Sword God Gal opened only one eye, arms crossed, feeling a strange mixture of loneliness and a small sense of relief in his heart.

"Heh, brat, the old man will write a letter to Water God Reida. Their Water God Style headquarters dojo serves as the royal guards within the Asura Kingdom, and they are sorely lacking in swordsmen of the Sword God Style like you. Didn't you want to study swordsmanship, grow stronger, and challenge the gods? Then the Water God Style is indispensable."

"After all, the one you have to face is the strongest god in this world; learning all you can is never too much..."

Saying this, the Sword God Gal tossed a small pouch into Kayin's hand.

Untying the pouch and looking inside, he found a single Asura gold coin and four silver coins lying quietly at the bottom, alongside a deerskin map.

"The help the old man can give you is only this much. Set off, carrying your dream and mine!"

"Master, take care..."

Kayin bit his lip, his expression complex as he respectfully and solemnly bowed to the Sword God Gal, then turned and walked out into the wind and snow.

"Oh right, from now on you can call yourself the Second Sword God! If the old man dies, you are the new Sword God of the Sword God's Holy Land."

"I, I understand..."

Kayin bit his lip, his emotions exceptionally complicated and his eye sockets somewhat red. He had been taken in at the age of three, and now nine years had passed. Leaving the Sword God's Holy Land where he had lived for many years, a sense of sadness was inevitably stirring in his heart.

Watching that petite figure waving his hand as he was gradually swallowed by the heavy snow, the Sword God Gal leaned against the door panel and smiled faintly.

"Surpassing the gods... He really is just like I was when I was young, but a mountain cannot hold two tigers...

"Blockheaded apprentice, you can only leave this place carrying your teacher's dream. But this is also a good thing. Go and become stronger! Until you surpass that Dragon God!"

The next morning, Gino and Nina, who were sweeping away the accumulated snow in front of the gates of the Sword God's Holy Land, both twitched at the corners of their mouths upon seeing that familiar figure walking back.

"Kay? Kayin?! Why are you back?"

"I... um, I forgot my map..."

"A map? Father should have prepared one for you, shouldn't he?"

Kayin's face flushed slightly as he scratched his cheek and glanced sideways away from Nina and Gino's suspicious gazes.

Gino, standing off to the side, looked over at the circular footprints Kayin had left behind yesterday in the distance, seemingly noticing something.

"Eh? Could it be that you got lost?"

"I didn't get lost..."

"Then how come you walked right back?"

Kayin spoke up with a serious expression.

"After I went outside, I looked at the map, walked into a forest, and the more I walked, the more I ended up right back here."

"That means you did get lost! X2"

"Hoo..."

Nina covered her forehead, somewhat speechless. His swordsmanship was so astonishing, and he was recognized by their father himself as the Second Sword God, yet he was an absolute blockhead...

Glancing at Kayin's flushed cheeks, she opened a single eye and helplessly pointed in a certain direction.

"Anyway, keep walking straight in this direction and you'll find a small village. During the day, Adventurers' Guild carriage convoys pass through there, and you can hitch a ride through the Red Dragon's Upper Jaw to enter the Asura Kingdom."

"Th-Thank you..."

Ah, he had been lectured by a younger junior by many years... (How sorrowful)

Kayin gave a slight bow, checked the location marked on his map, and slowly took his leave.

"Will this guy really be okay..."

Gino and Nina watched the retreating figure, who kept looking around left and right, and sighed helplessly.

"Yup, this time I'll definitely reach the Kingdom of Asura! Absolutely!"

Kayin nodded slightly, thinking earnestly in his heart as he walked with resolute steps into the wind and snow.

Three days later, in the early morning, located in the northern part of the Central Continent: the Ranoa Magic Kingdom, one of the Three Magic Nations.

"Where is this?!"

That's right, Kayin was lost again...

He hadn't even managed to find that small town only a little over five hundred meters away from the Sword God's Holy Land...

After inquiring with a passerby and confirming that this place was indeed the Ranoa Magic Kingdom, Kayin verified the reality that he was lost once more.

Still, as Kayin walked along and looked at the bustling sights of the streets, his mood improved slightly. At least there were people here; he hadn't wandered off into some desolate wilderness...

Even though his sense of direction was abysmal, fortunately he had stumbled upon a proper city. Since he hadn't ended up in a completely uninhabited place, he at least ran no risk of starving to death.