That was right: Cain was a transmigrator. It had been twelve years since a truck sent him to this world, and he had only awakened this system last week.
Without this jobless training system, he would probably have kept a low profile until he inherited his master's position as Sword God, spending his entire life in the Sword Sanctum.
Cain glanced at the blue panel's unbelievable assessment of his sense of direction and clicked his tongue. How could I possibly be bad with directions?! I've never even left the Sword Sanctum. Is this panel broken?
He sighed. Although he possessed top-tier, Divine Rank Sword God Style swordsmanship, he did not even have a sword in his hands. That was hardly acceptable...
"Didn't Master say he'd give me a sword once I became a Sword King? I should count as a Sword Emperor now, second only to him."
Cain thought for a moment, then smiled faintly and waved it off. If he was going to cut ties, he should do it cleanly. Once he left this place, he would have to rely on himself for everything.
"Forget it. Where's the nearest town? If I can't find a job, I'm really going to go hungry tonight..."
Having lived in the Sword Sanctum since childhood, he knew little about the outside world. To be honest, he knew practically nothing. All he understood was how to swing a sword, and how to swing it faster.
He had a heart that yearned for strength. He wanted to become stronger than anyone, doing everything he could to improve and seizing every opportunity to grow stronger.
The reason was simple. As a weak child wandering the Demon Continent, he had suffered through nearly being eaten by monsters, being trafficked, and almost dying after eating poisonous plants. Those childhood experiences had left an indelible mark on him.
So, to avoid being eaten, starving to death, being sold off, dying in some inexplicable Mana Disaster, or falling victim to anything else that threatened his life, he had begun swinging his sword like his life depended on it, devoting all his attention to honing his swordsmanship.
Fortunately, his talent for swordsmanship was exceptional. By twelve, he had already reached the pinnacle of the Sword God Style.
He felt around in his pocket and found two Asura Large Copper Coins.
"Great! There's my dinner money!" Cain smiled faintly.
Walking over to a pile of stones beside the road, he slowly opened his hand. Magic power gathered without a chant, and the stones fused together, gradually forming a simple, somewhat crudely made stone sword.
This was a bonus the system had given him. Cain's talent lay solely in swordsmanship, not magic, but since the system had granted him magical talent, chantless casting skills, and vast reserves of magic power, he naturally had no intention of wasting them.
He picked up the stone sword and tested its weight. Looking at its pitted blade, he nodded slightly and smiled happily.
"Nice! Now I have a weapon, too!"
Cain slung the stone sword over his back and rubbed his small hands together, breathing out a cloud of white mist. With battle aura protecting him, he could barely feel the cold, but surrounded by white snow, he still did it instinctively.
Just then, the door behind him opened with a clatter.
"Hm? Master?"
Leaning beside the gate was his master, Sword God Gal Farion.
"Where do you plan to go?"
"Out into the world to find ways to get stronger! To fulfill my dream! I'll surpass the gods and become the strongest in the world!"
"Ugh... Say something I can actually understand."
"I'm going to become an adventurer and earn enough to live on..."
Sword God Gall folded his arms and frowned slightly.
"Tch. With your current swordsmanship, any kingdom would pay you at least ten Asura Gold Coins a month. Why bother becoming an adventurer?"
"Huh? That much?!"
"Yeah... You didn't know? What an idiot of an apprentice..."
Cain scratched his cheek and gave a helpless smile. He really had not known! So palace guards make that much money?!
Gal Farion sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. He had almost forgotten that this idiot apprentice of his did nothing all day but swing his sword. He barely bothered learning anything about the outside world. He was single-minded, but far too single-minded...
Still, idiot or not, he's the finest apprentice I've ever had...
It's precisely because he's such a single-minded idiot that he might eventually surpass me.
That thought made Gall feel much better. Among the ornate swords at his waist, he selected a magic sword shaped like a tachi, unfastened it, and held it out with one hand.
"What's this?!"
"You said your dream was to surpass the gods. Tell me, did you mean it?"
"Yes!" Cain answered without hesitation.
"Good! That includes the Dragon God, doesn't it?"
"The Dragon God? Who's that? If he's a god, then he's someone I'll aim to surpass!"
Much of the solemnity faded from Gall's face. He nodded slightly and smiled.
"Hmph. Is that so? Then do whatever it takes to get stronger, Kayin Brand! I'm entrusting my dream to you, too."
The corners of Gall's mouth rose slightly as he patted Cain's shoulder, hope shining in his eyes.
"Your dream? Do you want to surpass the gods too, Master?"
"No. I only want to surpass the Dragon God. But as I am now, I'm no match for him."
Stronger than Master...
Cain narrowed his eyes slightly, then a smile curved his lips.
Now that's someone worth surpassing!!
"Anyway, this is what I promised you. This magic blade is called Instant Void. From now on, it's yours to carry."
"Thank you!"
His expression serious, Cain bowed openly to Sword God Gall. He solemnly accepted the gold-patterned tachi with both hands and tested its weight.
"So light!" He felt that the entire sword weighed barely more than a kilo and a half.
Cain drew Instant Void and examined it. The blade gave a humming ring. Golden wave patterns adorned its single-edged blade, marking it as a fine sword at first glance.
"Heh. Out of my seven magic blades, this one's the fastest to draw and swing. Sharp and bold. I think it suits you."
Gall folded his arms as he spoke and looked solemnly at Cain.
"Cain, I won't accept losing to you! The next time we meet, we'll fight again, and this time with real swords!"
Cain fastened the sword at his waist and looked up, his young face solemn and serious as he answered his master.
"Then I'm afraid I'll never come back. Take care, Master..."
Sword God Gall opened one eye, his arms still folded. For some reason, alongside the loneliness, he also felt a little relieved.
"Heh, you little brat. I'll write to Water God Reida. Their Water God Style headquarters serves as the royal guard in the Asura Kingdom, and they could really use Sword God Style swordsmen like you. You want to learn swordsmanship, get stronger, and challenge the gods, don't you? Then the Water God Style is essential."
"After all, you're going up against the strongest god in this world. You can never learn too much..."
As he spoke, Sword God Gall tossed a small pouch into Cain's hands.
Cain opened it and found one Asura Gold Coin, four silver coins, and a parchment map lying inside.
"That's all the help I can give you. Now set out with both your dream and mine!"
"Master, take care..."
Cain pressed his lips together, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions. He bent respectfully before Sword God Gall in a solemn bow, then turned and walked into the wind and snow.
"Oh, and you can call yourself the Second Sword God now! If I die, you'll be the Sword Sanctum's new Sword God."
"G-got it..."
Cain pressed his lips together, his emotions tangled and his eyes reddening. He had been taken in at three, and nine years had passed since then. Leaving the Sword Sanctum, where he had lived for so long, inevitably filled him with sadness.
Watching that small figure wave as the heavy snow gradually obscured him, Sword God Gall leaned against the door and smiled faintly.
"Surpass the gods, huh... He's so much like me when I was young. But there's no room for two tigers on one mountain...
"You idiot apprentice. You'll have to leave this place carrying your master's dream. But that's a good thing, too. Go get stronger! Until you surpass that Dragon God!"
The next day, Gino and Nina were clearing snow in front of the Sword Sanctum when they spotted a familiar figure walking back toward them. Both their mouths twitched.
"Kai? Cain?! Why are you back?"
"I... Well, I forgot my map..."
"Your map? Father should have prepared one for you."
Cain's face reddened as he scratched his cheek, avoiding Nina and Gino's puzzled gazes.
Beside him, Gino looked at the circular trail of footprints Cain had left in the distance yesterday and seemed to notice something.
"Huh? Don't tell me you got lost?"
"I didn't get lost..."
"Then how did you end up back here?"
Cain explained with a serious expression.
"After I left, I followed the map into a forest. I kept walking, and then I was back here."
"That's what getting lost means!" they said in unison.
"Whew..."
Nina pressed a hand to her forehead, speechless. His swordsmanship was so extraordinary that her father had personally acknowledged him as the Second Sword God, yet he was an idiot...
Looking at Cain's flushed cheeks, she opened one eye and helplessly pointed in a direction.
"Anyway, keep going that way, and you'll reach a small village. An Adventurers' Guild convoy passes through during the day. They can take you through the Red Dragon's Upper Jaw and into the Asura Kingdom."
"Th-thank you..."
Ah, I'm getting lectured by a junior years younger than me... How depressing.
Cain bowed slightly, checked the location marked on the map, and slowly walked away.
"Is he really going to be okay...?"
Watching his retreating figure look this way and that, Gino and Nina sighed helplessly.
"Yeah, I'll definitely make it to the Kingdom of Asura this time! Definitely!"
Cain nodded slightly, affirming this to himself as he strode resolutely into the wind and snow.
Three days later, early in the morning, in the Ranoa Magic Kingdom, one of the Three Magic Nations in the northern Central Continent.
"Where am I?!"
That was right. Cain had gotten lost again...
He had not even found the little town just over five hundred meters from the Sword Sanctum...
After asking a passerby and confirming that this was the Ranoa Magic Kingdom, Cain accepted the fact that he had gotten lost again.
Still, as Cain walked along and looked at the bustling streets, his mood improved a little. At least there were people here. He had not wandered into some remote wilderness...
His sense of direction was atrocious, but fortunately, he had reached a proper city rather than some deserted place. At least he was not at risk of starving to death.
Before you continue