Chronicles of the Multiversal Traveler

After choosing a sword and leaving the shop, Luka and I walked in awkward silence down the dusty road. The atmosphere felt thick, like words were on the tip of both our tongues but neither of us spoke. I decided to break the tension.

"Luka, uh... believe me, my sexual orientation is totally normal," I blurted out, my voice cracking slightly.

Luka gave me a long, skeptical look. I felt compelled to keep explaining, describing how I'd always been interested in perfectly normal things. But Luka's expression didn't waver.

"Yeah, sure, Ryuu, I believe you," he said flatly.

"Ayo, don't say that with that kind of face! Even I'm starting to doubt myself," I groaned. What the hell was going on with me? Why did I feel so drawn to these swords? It's not like I had a sword fetish—at least, I was pretty sure I didn't. In my previous life, I was a healthy man with perfectly normal tastes. I'd even proudly declared to anyone who'd listen that "thick thighs save lives."

But now, seeing swords gave me this weird, unexplainable feeling, as though they were calling out to me. I decided to shelve the thought for later. Right now, I needed to find a good spot to train.

"Hey Luka, where do you usually train? I want to get started on my training too."

"Usually in the forest," Luka said, "but there are monsters there now, so I switched to the backyard of my house. You can train with me if you want."

"Thanks, Luka."

"No need to thank me—that's what friends are for."

We made our way back to his house, and I noticed there was still some time before lunch. We arrived just in time to see the backyard bathed in soft sunlight. Luka immediately started his "clown training," swinging his sword in elaborate patterns that looked more suited for a circus act than a battlefield.

Meanwhile, I stood there, thinking about what I should do. Should I train my body first? My sword skills? Maybe magic? I only knew the basics: slashing and thrusting. As for magic, Luka said he'd give me his mother's book later. If I remembered correctly, his mother was one of the two strongest angels in heaven under the command of that annoying goddess.

Looking down at my slightly pudgy belly, I made a decision—Saitama training it was.

"One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day for a whole year," I declared to myself.

I started with push-ups.

"One... two... five... eight..." I gasped, collapsing onto the ground. My arms felt like jelly.

"Hoooooof! Hoooooof! Why is this so hard? I only did eight push-ups, and now I'm panting like a pig in heat!"

I knew it would be tough, but this was ridiculous. I needed a logical approach—I wasn't some naive protagonist with infinite stamina or a magical system to cheat with.

"Okay, for the first week, I'll do at least half of the training: ten of everything and a one-kilometer run. By the end of the week, I'll aim for fifty reps and a five-kilometer run."

Steeling myself, I pushed forward.

"Come on, Ryuu, you can do it. Didn't you always say acquired strength is better than strength gifted by systems in those novels you read?"

After what felt like an eternity, Luka finished his flashy training and turned to me.

"Oy, Ryuu, I'm going to make lunch. Is there anything you want?"

No answer.

When he turned around, he saw my half-dead body sprawled on the ground, drenched in sweat. A literal puddle had formed beneath me.

"Holy Ilias! Ryuu, are you okay? Do humans normally sweat this much? I can see my reflection in that puddle!"

"I...m o...ka...y L...uk...a," I wheezed, every muscle in my body screaming in agony. It felt like I was paying for all my past life's sins. I remembered how my friends always tried to get me to start working out, warning that I'd regret it one day. They were right.

"Stay here—I'll bring water," Luka said, running off.

He returned with water, and I drank it like a dehydrated whale. Slowly, I came back to life.

"Thanks, Luka. You're a lifesaver. I thought I was going to die."

"No problem. It's good that you're willing to train this hard to get stronger—like me!" Luka laughed, clearly proud of himself.

I ignored his boasting. He wasn't wrong—right now, he was stronger than me.

"Anyway, I'll make lunch. Come inside when you feel better."

"Okay," I said, lying on the ground, staring at the sky. "This is really hard, but I have to do it if I want to survive."

After a hearty lunch—which, predictably, consisted mostly of bread—I resumed my training. The food had given me a bit of energy. Sword training, huh? I'd never wielded a sword before, nor had I seen anyone do it outside of anime.

"Stab and slash—that's it," I muttered. I remembered a line from a novel: "The sword is just a tool to kill; fancy moves aren't necessary." I resolved to master the basics.

Picking up my sword, that strange feeling from before returned, though not as intense. I felt a connection to the blade, as if I understood its structure and purpose.

"Hmm... maybe it's related to the powers the system gave me. I definitely didn't have a sword fetish before. Could it be a Longinus, a Stand, or a Noble Phantasm? Only time will tell."

With determination, I started thrusting and slashing until nightfall.

After a much-needed bath and a hearty meal with Luka, he handed me the book he'd promised.

"Here it is—my mother's relic. Please be careful with it; it means a lot to me."

"Don't worry—it's not like I'm going to eat it or something," I joked.

The book was pure white and emanated a strange, holy aura. With anticipation, I opened it—only to find blank pages.

I stared at Luka with a deadpan expression.

"What do you mean by that look?" Luka asked.

"I told you it was strange and gave off a weird feeling, but it's empty. I never said it could help you. Maybe you can figure something out. I'm going to sleep now. Oh, and please take the vegetables on the table to Uncle Mars tomorrow when you go to work. Good night."

"Yeah, good night, Luka," I said, still staring at the book. After an hour of fruitless investigation, I gave up and went to sleep on the couch.

"I should sleep now. Tomorrow, I'll wake up early, train, go to work, train again, and try to figure out this book. Just thinking about it makes me tired," I muttered before slipping into a deep sleep.

On the table, the book began to emit a faint light, wrapping around me before disappearing.

The next morning, I woke up early.

"Ahhhhh, good morning, world!" I said, full of energy. It was strange—after yesterday's intense workout, I expected to be in terrible pain, but I felt great.

"Let's not dwell on it too much. It's probably 6 a.m. now. Time to train: twenty push-ups, twenty sit-ups, twenty squats, and a two-kilometer run. Then sword training and another look at that book. Oh, I should leave a note for Luka so he doesn't worry."

I headed to the backyard and started training. After two hours, I lay panting on the ground.

"Hooooof! It's hard, but..." Looking back at myself, I felt proud. I'd doubled my reps from yesterday.

"Yes! Let's keep up this pace. Now, I should run to the old man's shop—it's time to work."

When I arrived, the blacksmith greeted me with a wide grin.

"Good morning, young man! You're on time. So wha..." He trailed off, staring at my pale face.

"What the hell? You look like you've been squeezed dry by a woman! Did you hook up with someone yesterday?" he teased.

"Shut up, old man. I was just training," I grumbled.

"Training, huh? That explains the terrible smell. Go take a bath and come back," he said, tossing me a key.

"It's the key to the bathroom. Go on."

"Okay," I agreed quickly, eager to wash off the sweat. After the bath, I returned, feeling refreshed.

"So, what should I do?"

"That depends. Do you want to learn forging or watch the store?"

"Forging, please," I said, eyeing his biceps.

"Okay, but do you know anything about it?"

"Not a single thing," I admitted.

"Troublesome. Fine, just watch me. I've never taught anyone, so it's up to you if you learn anything."

"Okay," I agreed, and my forging training began.

By evening, I returned home exhausted. My arms felt numb.

"Who knew forging could be this hard?" I muttered, dragging myself to the backyard to train with my sword. Despite the difficulty, I felt a growing connection to swords. I was definitely improving.

"Haha, I really feel like a protagonist," I chuckled.

I spent another two hours thrusting and slashing before Luka returned. We ate together, and he asked me about my day.

"How was your day, Ryuu? Was work hard?" he asked, sounding like a concerned parent.

"It was hard, but I managed," I said with a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Good. So, did you figure anything out about the book?" he asked.

"Nah, it's weird, but I don't feel anything special. Just leave it with me for now."

I had a gut feeling the book was important.

"Okay, since you think it can help, keep it for now," Luka agreed.

After the meal, Luka headed to his room while I dragged my battered body to the couch. I fell into a deep sleep, and the next morning, I woke up brimming with energy.

"Euh, this is weird. In my last life, two days of intense workouts would have sent me to the hospital," I muttered. Then I glanced at the strange book on the table.

Could it be the reason I felt so energized? I decided to test my theory by giving the book back to Luka and seeing how I felt the next day. If my energy levels dropped, then it was definitely the book.

Another day of intense training passed, and the next morning, I woke up with every inch of my body crying for help.

"I...m d...yin...g," I groaned before fainting back into sleep. That confirmed it—the book had some kind of holy aura replenishing my energy.

"I think this book is just a normal diary tainted with holy energy from a high angel," I concluded.

Well, it wasn't the grand artifact I'd hoped for, but maybe prolonged exposure to it would help my body absorb the holy energy. After all, in this world, holy energy was one of the purest forms of magic.

With that realization, my training plan for the next year was set: train my body in the morning, work and learn forging during the day, train with swords in the evening, and absorb the book's holy energy at night.

And so, I repeated this routine until a whole year had passed