On our way back from the guild, we headed straight to the Den, hoping to calm down after the incident while I kept ranting non-stop.


    — Who does that jerk think he is?! — I fumed with rage, while Axel remained silent. Too silent. Maybe he was still shaken by what had happened. After all, if that guy had wanted to kill us, he could''ve done it in less than a second. Compared to that swordsman, we were less than ants.


    — You guys okay? Looks like you lost a pretty bad fight! — Bartra greeted us as soon as we entered the Den, probably noticing how defeated we looked.


    When we told her about our encounter with that pompous, bossy swordsman, we received some unpleasant news. He didn’t just have the right to order people around; he was the law and order of this place.


    — By Celestia, you should consider yourselves lucky that the Sword Saint is as merciful as he is. He’s extremely strict about fights between adventurers. And even then, they say he’s the calmest among the Royal Guard’s elite members — Bartra said in a serious tone.


    Axel grew curious and asked about the other members of this so-called Royal Guard.


    A mage with nearly impossible powers. A giant-born amazon. A savage demi-human. And, of course, the Sword Saint’s very own apprentice. A truly monstrous group.


    — That settles it! Man, it''s training time! — Axel declared with confidence, already back to his usual mood. And honestly, I agreed. Because, like it or not, what else could we do right now? Just sit around and wait for them to take even more things away from us? If this kept up, soon even holding a sword would be regulated—if it wasn’t already.


    We needed to get strong enough to set our own rules. But the real question was: how? I mean, obviously, we had to train, but we didn’t even know the right way to do it. How could we ever reach Kai’s level? Or at the very least, climb out of the lowest rank?


    When I shared my thoughts with Axel, he already had something in mind. Lifting his nose and striking a solemn pose, he said:


    — The answer to this question is as clear as day, my young squire. We must train relentlessly for a year. After that, we shall simply reap the glorious rewards.


    His speech was pompous and refined. He was trying to imitate a noble—and failing miserably.


    — Right, genius. Like a single year of training is really gonna change anything.


    — Think about it, bro. These people spend their whole lives fighting just to survive and eat. And that Arrogant Sword Guy doesn’t even look old, maybe in his early thirties at most. Sure, he must’ve trained, but fighting to survive and eat also played a huge role in his progress.


    — And? I still don’t get how that explains how we’re magically gonna become insanely strong.


    — Listen up, dumbass. We don’t have to worry about food or a place to live. We don’t even need to worry about making money for now. If we don’t use THIS opportunity to get stronger, we never will.


    — Okay… I get your point. But how do we actually do that?


    — Well, first thing tomorrow, I’m gonna start reading the city library’s books. I haven’t seen a library around here, but come on, it’d be a crime for a fantasy world not to have one.


    — And I’ll... figure something out.


    With that thought in mind, we went our separate ways. Axel left to find out where the library was so he could start studying the next day. Meanwhile, I headed for an equipment shop. Obviously, I wasn’t planning to buy a new weapon, but at the very least, I wanted to see if I could get my blade repaired or polished. If the monsters didn’t die from my strikes, they’d definitely die from tetanus.


    By the end of the day, I’d walked a lot. I almost considered skipping dinner because of the sheer amount of free samples I’d grabbed from food stalls in the city center. But when dinner was served, it was like I hadn’t eaten in days. Bartra’s cooking was on another level.


    As we ate, their little daughter, Sofia, kept us company. Axel made up all kinds of stories, acting as if we were seasoned adventurers. I, on the other hand, didn’t make anything up, but I did tell her some stories from the cartoons I used to watch in my old world.


    Honestly, for someone who spent most of their time locked in a room playing games, I wasn’t missing technology as much as I thought I would. Axel, on the other hand, despite having adapted almost completely to this world, still complained about the lack of tech and called them backward for it.


    Before I knew it, another day had passed in this new world. That night, I had a dream where I was doing military drills while a “Marshmallow Sergeant” rushed me through a candy-covered training ground. It was fun.


    When I woke up the next morning, bathed in sunlight, I got ready to train in the forest where we had first escaped when we arrived here. It was a quiet, secluded place. I preferred areas like that to enjoy my solitude.


    Axel, being as shameless as ever, asked Sofia for a packed lunch to take to the library, along with two water canteens. I wondered why he needed two, but he quickly tossed one to me and told me to be more mindful of these things.


    Finally, standing in front of the Den as the kingdom’s streets bustled with life, we split up to start our individual journeys.


    — Good luck, bro. Hope to see you as a beast next time — Axel said, ruffling my hair like I was younger than him, even though I was taller and we were the same age.


    — Same to you, bookworm — I replied, giving him a firm handshake before heading off.


    I made my way to the forest from a few days ago. The days here were scorching hot, thanks to the two suns. I mentally thanked Axel for forcing me to bring a canteen, or I would’ve gotten heatstroke just walking there.


    Once I reached a more wooded area and stepped further into the forest, I set my things down next to a rock and started training.


    Push-ups, jumping jacks, sit-ups—I trained a little bit of everything. Lately, I’d only been gaming, but it’s not like I was completely out of shape. I played a lot of sports when I was younger.


    After a physical training session, I moved on to sword practice.


    — SHA! WAH! KATABLAU! — I shouted while swinging my sword. I’d always seen protagonists do this, and I had to admit, it was fun.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    It was only the first day, so I didn’t expect any spectacular results. The only thing I achieved was wobbly arms and legs from all the training.


    I left before it got completely dark. So far, I hadn’t seen any creatures that could really be considered monsters. Some horned birds and two-headed cattle were more like weird animals than anything else.


    Pulling my hood up so no one could see my exhausted face, I noticed some strange looks as I walked back. I probably looked pretty suspicious, but I didn’t take it off until I reached the Den.


    When I walked into the place, a few adventurers who had been chatting and laughing suddenly went silent and started staring at me. Max, the bar owner, narrowed his brows in a threatening expression, but as soon as our eyes met, he broke into a wide grin.


    — Oh man, it''s just you! HAHAHAHA! — he said warmly.


    — Hey, Mr. Max. I didn’t see you around today.


    — Good evening, kid. Today was ingredient pickup day with the merchants, so we’ve got some special dishes for tonight’s dinner! — Max spoke enthusiastically. Looking towards the kitchen in the back, I could see countless huge crates. If Max had carried all of this by himself, he could easily claim the title of the strongest man in the world where I came from.


    Bartra and Sofia were carefully peeling vegetables. When they noticed me, they smiled and waved. Bartra was much more reserved compared to her daughter and husband, who both had the same playful aura. Watching them was... refreshing, in a way. I guess this is what a real family should be like.


    — Has Axel arrived yet?


    — Yeah, your bro has been running around all day. He’s in your room now. Dinner will take a while, but don’t forget to come eat. — Max said with a smile, giving me a thumbs-up. I nodded silently and headed upstairs.


    When I entered our room, I was met with a... unsettling scene, to say the least. The room was split in half: my side was perfectly maintained just the way I left it, but Axel’s side had hundreds of books stacked and scattered in every possible space. Among those books, sitting at his desk, drooling over the pages while napping, was Axel.


    I slowly walked through the piles of books, careful not to knock them over. Even though I couldn’t see any logical order in them, Axel was extremely organized... in his own way.


    I gave his shoulder a few light taps, but he only mumbled something incoherent. — No... that’s the wrong rune... let me... — I chuckled at him and went to lie down for a bit.


    This routine went on for a long time. Every day, we got up at sunrise and started training, only returning when the suns set on the horizon.


    The progress was slow, painfully slow, but each passing day, I could feel my training paying off. A path that once left me gasping for breath when walking, I was now crossing at a sprint just to warm up.


    I didn’t fully understand how it was possible to improve so much, but I could already say my strength had surpassed that of a normal human. Here, continuous training truly bore great results, just as Axel had predicted.


    The days were peaceful... until he decided to pay me a visit.


    — Looks like you’ve been training hard, huh? — that old geezer said.


    — That’s none of your business, Kai. Actually, why don’t you get lost? You’re in my way.


    — Haha, so grumpy. I’m just on patrol, kid.


    In the middle of the forest? Yeah, right. He was probably keeping an eye on me and Axel to make sure we weren’t up to anything. Or maybe he was just hoping we’d mess up so he could get rid of us.


    This guy pisses me off. But as quickly as he came, he left.


    I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day after that visit.


    Months went by, and again and again, he kept showing up or watching from a distance. At least once a week, he would be standing on the wall with a few regular guards, watching me. They were probably doing the same to Axel, but it’s not like Axel ever left their sight. Bro rarely left the library.


    On one of the few days I actually saw him practicing, his magic had grown to an insane level. He could now cast fire spells and water blasts effortlessly. Not only had he mastered elemental magic, but he could also use support spells like healing and reinforcement magic, though at a much more basic level.


    The only magic he hadn’t explored further was light magic, which, despite being his first spell, didn’t interest him enough to dig deeper. As for “dark magic” like in RPG games, he hadn’t found a single mention of it in any book—but he still persisted in his search.


    I was curious about how magic worked in this world. Even though I was always a gaming addict—especially RPGs—I never played as a mage. Which is kinda ironic, since that’s basically the most famous class in RPGs and MMOs.


    When I asked how mana worked, I got an annoying response.


    — Well, well, what a surprise! The relentless swordsman wants to use magic, huh?


    — Haha, shut up. So, how does it work?


    — To use magic, you gotta understand how mana works in this world. I guess in our world, it’d be kinda like life force or something, you get me?


    — I think so.


    I didn’t get it.


    — It’s like an extension of yourself. Imagine a stream flowing through your entire body nonstop. All you need to do is take a little bit of that water and shape it however you want. Try picking an element—like fire—and visualize that stream. Maybe that’ll help.


    The explanation was solid, but could I actually put it into practice? We went to bed with that thought lingering in my mind.


    The next morning, Axel came to the forest with me to see my training results.


    — Step back a bit. I don’t want the future greatest mage of the continent losing an arm.


    — Cocky, huh? Haha. Alright, show me what you got.


    Gripping my sword tightly, I swung it diagonally, slicing a tree clean in half with a single motion.


    — Wait, was that wind magic? Damn!


    — Magic? Nah, I just swung my sword with all my strength. — I said, striking a cool pose while Axel looked equally impressed.


    — That’s insane, bro! I think you’re ready for your first guild mission.


    — What? Hold on, that was just a tree. Who knows what kind of monsters are out there? — I said, feeling unsure.


    Eleven months had passed since we started training—almost a year. Was that enough to match up to the Saint? Bro placed a hand on my shoulder, telling me to keep my head up and have faith. He always knew the right things to say. Maybe it was worth a shot.


    — What about you? Still gonna keep studying and training?


    — Yeah, I’m gonna test a technique up north where I won’t accidentally hit anyone. If it works, it’ll be an awesome secret weapon! — he said, eyes gleaming with excitement. I really hoped his special attack worked.


    — Alright, see you at the bar tonight.


    We shook hands and parted ways. I headed to the guild, remembering that awful day. The adventurers were looking at me with pure hatred and disgust. Looks like I’d really made a name for myself.


    — Look who decided to show up, boys.


    That annoying voice was easy to recognize—even in my sleep. It was that former B-rank, now E-rank, and his little gang of bullies. This time, things would be different. Bring it on!


    I was just thinking out loud but didn’t say a word—maybe out of fear. I still didn’t feel that confident in my abilities.


    —Stop right there, or I’ll call Sir Kai or someone from the guard immediately,— said the same pink-haired receptionist from last time.


    —Relax, doll, we were just passing through. Let’s go, guys!— He walked past me, giving me a shove—clearly looking for a fight. This time, I decided not to retaliate, but he’ll pay for that later. I clenched my fist tightly at the thought.


    That thought caught me off guard. Was I… excited to fight? No, no, I must be going crazy. That guy would still wipe the floor with me. I’m not a thug… am I? I got lost in thought. Even after all this time here, we still had no clue why or how we arrived in this world. It didn’t seem like we were summoned to save the kingdom or anything. There was no great threat that actually required two heroes. And even if there was, there were already strong people around to handle it.


    —Hey, hooded guy, here for some missions?— The receptionist asked, a little nervous. I had been spacing out while she was talking—yeah, she was definitely annoyed.


    —Oh, yeah. I’d like a low-rank mission, please.— She started checking the available quests.


    —Well, we have an E-rank mission to kill slimes, but if you want to rank up faster, I’d recommend this D-rank one to hunt goblins. If you get the right equipment, it should be pretty easy.— She was pretty friendly when talking about missions.


    —What about this one?— I asked, pointing at an unranked quest.


    —Well… That one’s just an investigation into a group of adventurers who went missing near the Black Forest. It’s probably best left to the Royal Guard.—


    —I’ll take it. Just point me in the right direction.— I pulled up my hood and adjusted my sword at my waist as she explained the different sections of the forest and how this part was called the “Black Forest.” Most likely, the adventurers got lost and ended up killed by a group of monsters. From the way she spoke, she seemed a little sad about it.


    —Don’t worry. I’ll be back.—


    I walked out of the guild and, in an instant, dashed out of the city at an insane speed. Anyone watching from a distance would probably mistake me for a rocket—haha, alright, Black Forest, here I come! I took off at an unmatched speed.