The Least Heroic Hero, North God II

The post station in Turan Town had a spacious rear courtyard.

Cui Ciyou held an ordinary iron sword as he stood in the relatively open space.

Slowly, move by move, he practiced basic slashes, chops, thrusts, and upward cuts. None of these movements came from any particular school.

They were merely the crudest imitations he had put together from vague impressions of what he had seen in films and games in his previous life, along with his observations of Carl and the other guards' fighting stances over the past few days.

The strength, speed, and reflexes of his current body far surpassed those of an ordinary person.

But Cui Ciyou understood that he possessed only brute force and lacked truly effective combat techniques.

Against low-level monsters or ordinary bandits, he could still crush them with the Anti-Magic Field and his physical abilities.

But if he encountered a genuine master, this completely unstructured style of attack would likely be full of openings.

He desperately needed to learn how people in this world fought.

"Lord... Ciyou."

A voice with the bright clarity unique to a youth, yet mixed with nervousness and reverence, came from behind Cui Ciyou.

Cui Ciyou stopped his somewhat awkward sword swing.

He slowly turned around and saw the young man standing behind him—Carl's son, Dak.

"Is something wrong, Dak?"

Cui Ciyou's tone was calm. His pronunciation still carried a slightly stiff accent, but after three months of study, it no longer affected daily communication.

Under Cui Ciyou's calm gaze, Dak nervously rubbed his hands together, seeming to gather his courage.

Then, in a tone full of anticipation and excitement, he said:

"Lord Ciyou, I... I saw you practicing swordsmanship just now... Um... do you... do you know?"

"The story of the legendary hero—North God II, Alex Kalman Reibak?"

North God II... Alex Kalman Reibak? Cui Ciyou's heart stirred slightly.

He did not know much about that name. From the original work, he only knew that the North God was one of the Seven Great Powers.

He truly knew nothing of the North God's personal deeds. He had even learned his real name from Dak only today.

Yet Cui Ciyou gave nothing away. He merely put on a puzzled expression with a hint of inquiry, then slowly shook his head and replied in simple words:

"North God... II? I do not... know."

He wanted to hear what these legendary heroes looked like in the mouths of ordinary people in this real world.

Sure enough, after hearing Cui Ciyou's "negative" response, the light already shining in Dak's eyes became even more fervent.

It was like a singer's fan on Earth wanting to share their favorite songs with a good friend.

In the world of Mushoku Tensei, the North God Style did not pursue ultimate offense like the Sword God Style, nor was it as skilled in perfect defense as the Water God Style.

Yet its founder, First North God—Kalman—and North God II—Alex Kalman Reibak, who carried the North God Style to glory and was even praised as "the strongest North God of all generations," were renowned throughout the world for their astonishing vitality, unconventional methods of combat, and legendary feats of always creating miracles in desperate situations.

That was why stories of the North God Style were so beloved by edgy youths like Dak, much like the heroes of tokusatsu shows such as Armor Hero and Ultraman in this world.

Dak seemed to have found an opportunity to share the "idol" in his heart with a friend. His whole body trembled slightly with excitement.

He cleared his somewhat dry throat and began speaking at length in an impassioned tone full of boundless admiration and sincere pride:

"Lord Ciyou, you may not know this! North God II—Alex Kalman Reibak."

"He is the greatest legendary hero known throughout the entire Central Continent—even throughout the whole world!"

Dak's voice trembled faintly with excitement, and his bright eyes gleamed with the fanaticism of an obsessed fan.

"They say that Lord North God II was the son of First North God Kalman and the Immortal Demon King Atofe."

"He was a half-blood of the Human and Demon races."

"He defeated the evil Dragon King of Kings—Kashakute!"

"He created the divine sword, the Dragon King Sword, and brought the North God Style swordsmanship to greatness!"

"He became one of the Seven Great Powers!"

"North God II is a true hero!"

"..."

The more Dak spoke, the more excited he became. Waving his arms and imitating a bard's exaggerated gestures, he continued:

"Lord North God II's fighting style is the North God Style!"

"It is completely different from those rigid, so-called orthodox swordsmen!"

"He never confined himself to fixed moves or routines, nor did he care about so-called chivalry or fair duels!"

"In his combat philosophy, there was only one goal—to use every available means at any cost to defeat the enemy and survive himself."

"Whether it was exploiting the terrain, using poisoned weapons, or even pretending to surrender before launching a despicable sneak attack..."

"As long as a method could help him win and preserve his life, he would use it without hesitation."

"Because of that, many people privately called him 'the least heroic hero.' Some pedantic fools who prided themselves on justice even slandered him as 'despicable and shameless' behind his back!"

"But," Dak abruptly changed tack, his voice filled with unwavering conviction and defense,

"Those of us who truly understood Lord North God II's legendary deeds deeply admired him."

"Because we knew that everything he did was simply to struggle stubbornly to survive in this cruel world where the strong devoured the weak."

"With his life, he proved to everyone that as long as one possessed the faith to never give up and the wisdom to seek a way to live in desperate circumstances, one could overcome any seemingly unbeatable foe and remain standing in the end!"

No matter the means, only victory and survival... This North God Style combat philosophy really is... rather interesting.

Cui Ciyou quietly listened to Dak's passionate account, and he could not help feeling a faint sense of agreement with—and a measure of appreciation for—this legendary North God II.

Cui Ciyou greatly appreciated this combat philosophy of doing anything at all simply to survive.

Dak did not know about Cui Ciyou's complicated thoughts. Immersed in his boundless worship of North God II, he continued in a tone full of longing:

"They say Lord North God II also had three immensely powerful disciples beneath him, whom the world respectfully called the Three Heroic Swords of the North God."

"Lord North God II and they together created the glorious legacy of North God Style swordsmanship!"

"Many warriors in our Northern Territory consider it the highest honor to learn even the slightest trace of North God Style sword techniques!"