Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnated as the weakest Sword God

[Gesse Pov]

I was inside a white room. Nothing else was here, just a white floor that had no end. I liked this place; it took me back to those years when I was a nobody full of great hopes and dreams.

Young, inexperienced, dumber than shit.

I was born in a small village in the south of the demon continent, free as a bird. However, I didn't think the village was good enough for me. I was conceited enough to think I was born for great things, and so I ran away.

And in the end, I achieved great things. Nope!.

Not even one, the only skills I got were things anyone could do, cooking, washing, cleaning...

Yes, I could draw a map, negotiate, or deactivate a trap, but if you asked me how I compared to a real professional... well, it's best not to think about it.

If I wasn't such a coward, maybe I could have even believed in myself, but the fact remained that I couldn't even fight to save my life.

My only use was hanging out with strong, amazing guys and covering up their weak points.

When I was in this room, the fact that that same idiot, me, was somehow alive always shocked me, but I wasn't going to let things end this way. I was going to accomplish something important, something that would allow me to look in the mirror.

"Ah, yes, of course, it can't end this way, I know exactly how you feel!" said a strangely blurry figure in a sarcastic manner, Hitogami.

It was creepy that your eyes couldn't see him properly, and the way he always appeared when you least expected it, but he was also a strangely calming presence to me.

Ever since I was completely bored inside my tiny village, he had appeared in my dreams to give me advice.

He was my holy Human God...

"I'm sorry to interrupt when you're wallowing in sentimentality, but it's about time you got down to business, isn't it?" Hitogami chided me.

"You've been slacking off too much ever since you recruited Gull Farion, but no matter. From my vantage point, I have to question whether your willingness to die affects the bigger picture; it worries me," Hitogami said.

"Hey! Look who's talking! Who was it that came to me whining and saying, I can't win! Help meeee!?" I replied.

"Yes, and that's precisely why I'm being so careful, I'm depending on you" he replied.

"Hah! And just as you wanted, I'm gathering more and more people to take down Rudeus, Orsted, and Gino, I'm all in" I declared.

"It's true, your recruitment has been perfect so far, even if it's only because I told you their weak points, from their childhoods to their desires, to the perfect time to approach them..." Hitogami grumbled.

"Well, yeah, it hurts a little when you say it like that...but come on, at the end of the day, I'm still the one convincing them, I'd appreciate a little more trust," I said

"Understandable, I do trust you, but we're running out of time" he replied.

"I understand that it's important that we do it on the right day, right?" I asked

"Yes, he's Rudeus's weakness, so we have no choice but to use him, I have no doubt that it would work" he replied

"Yeah, I don't know... no plan is guaranteed to succeed, you know?" I muttered

"I'm well aware of that, ever since Orsted got involved, all my plans have gone wrong, I'm sick of it" Hitogami grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"Still, I'd rather get as many people as possible, especially the next guy, he's an important one, maybe on the same level as the first one, or even stronger" I guessed

"Do you think you can pull it off?" Hitogami asked as he looked at me.

"Come on, I could think of some reasons for him to fight, upset him, and then set things up behind the scenes, before you know it, you've got a reliable ally ready, just like the others, right?" I said

"Fine, fine, I don't know what I'd do without you" Hitogami grumbled.

"Heh, keep congratulating me like you mean it, anyway, where am I going tomorrow and how do I get there? You better have something good prepared, I'm counting on you" I said unsure.

"Yeah, of course, tomorrow when you wake up, travel straight west, and then wait in the shade of a rock, you can sleep there if you want, then go straight west once more when the sun sets, and you'll reach a village at dawn, go to the only tavern in the village if you do, I'm sure you'll find it...sure..."

My consciousness faded away with Hitogami's words echoing in my ears.

...

My eyes widened.

I sat up, cracking my neck and checking that all my parts were working, no tingling in my limbs, no indigestion, no strange weird bumps on my skin, I was hungry, but other than that, as healthy as a lark.

I got out of my tent and stretched, feeling my back creak as I yawned as I watched the sunrise.

After that, I tried to figure out which direction was in front of me, it was my daily routine, and I couldn't start the day without it.

"Very well" I muttered.

A desert stretched out before me, as far as the eye could see, this was the Begaritt Continent, the second most dangerous place in the world after the Demon Continent, this place was flooded with monsters as fierce as any on the Demon Continent and the environment was merciless.

I had been raised in the Demon Continent, and even I found myself thinking the second most dangerous place.

Well, I understood the reason, here, in general, there were fewer monsters, plus the central and northern regions were quite safe, things like that make you think that Begaritt is not so bad.

"Let's start with this," I said, packing my things and leaving towards the west.

The desert was empty, but that was only on the surface, beneath the sand lay hordes of worms that could swallow you whole and scorpions with poison in their tails that would slowly melt you into soup.

But I had Hitogami's protection, I could go straight to the west without being detected by any monster, and it couldn't be easier.

Plus you can't let your guard down.

"It's not like I have enough tricks to allow me to relax" I muttered to myself.

"I have to be really careful.

I continued west, never changing course. I had wanted to buy a horse or a camel or something, but apparently, that would bring monsters. This time the options were to go on foot or die.

I'm dying of thirst, I thought as I took a few sips from my canteen to rehydrate myself.

Every now and then I would bring a hand to my forehead and neck to check that there was nothing wrong with me. If I felt too hot, that would be a warning sign, but for now, I was fine.

Demons are resilient, so even a poor devil like me is a bit more resilient than a human, but only a complete moron would think that's enough to stay alive.

"Well, I'm here," I muttered.

The huge rock appeared before me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

It must have been about twenty meters high, so big that you had to twist your neck to get a good look at it.

It stuck out of the desert sands like a thumb. There it was. Where I would stop to rest, just like Hitogami said.

I sat in the shadow of the huge rock for a while, doing nothing, young people get impatient at times like this, they feel like they have to be doing something, but sometimes the best thing you can do is do nothing, only that way you don't waste energy.

I wonder what other people did, did scholars read books? What did I do in the past?... Right, I fantasized.

All my fantasies were about what kind of adventurer I was going to be.

Hah, I bet the me from back then would be really happy to hear what I was doing now... Traveling through the desert following the advice of a God, taking a nap in a safe place surrounded by poisonous plants, put that way it sounds pretty cool, don't you think? It could be a good story to tell in a bar.

...

I resumed my journey at sunset and arrived at the village after walking for about three hours.

Hitogami didn't let me walk while the sun was high, and along the way, I discovered the reason.

There was a landmark in the village: a rock that glowed with a bluish-white light, so you could see it from a long distance, it made me wonder if that rock didn't attract monsters to the village... but well, I bet it was an important rock for the locals.

The village I arrived at was small, it was nothing more than a couple of buildings together.

The houses were a mix of shacks covered in filth and tents scattered here and there.

It looked like it was going to disappear at any moment, there was an inn, a tavern, and a store to serve the population, as expected, there were no signs of an adventurer's guild here, these guys were self-sufficient, selling whatever they could grow to the occasional merchant who came by and bought the little they needed.

I entered the tavern, it also served the purpose of being the village's dining room, a couple of dark-skinned workers with muscular bodies were drinking and hanging out after finishing the night shift.

There were many older people and almost no young people around, yep, this had to be the famous desert warrior village.

When I entered, they all looked at me with the same surprised look, to be fair, I doubted many demons visited these parts.

"Welcome, visitor... if that's what I should call you," said a man with a reddish face.

"Yep, I'm definitely a visitor" I replied raising my hands to show them.

"You don't look like a merchant," said the man

"Yeah, I'm not, actually, I'm looking for someone, though he's not from around here..." I muttered

The man grunted in response, then nodded in satisfaction.

"The person you're looking for is up there," he said, pointing out the window.

Rising from the sand was a huge rock, very similar to the one I had used to rest on, all of it glowing faintly, perhaps it was because of magic crystals embedded in it? I squinted to get a better look at it and saw that it had scaffolding and a staircase extending to the top, looking a bit like a combination watchtower and lighthouse.

"I see, thanks," I said, tossing him a copper coin for the information.

"What's this?" he asked.

"For information, you don't do that?" I asked.

"That information isn't worth a fee," he grumbled.

"So think of it as a token of friendship," I said.

"Come on, you don't see coins like that every day, do you? It's a bronze Millis coin," I said with a smile.

The man stared at me intently for a few seconds, but in the end, he put the coin in his pocket, and then clasped his fists together in gratitude.

I bet you're wondering why I chose a Millis coin instead of money from this place, the truth is that the teleportation circle that brought me here was in the middle of nowhere, so I didn't have time to change my money.

I left the tavern and headed towards the dimly lit rock, the closer I got, the better I could appreciate its colossal size, there was a scaffolding platform and a ladder, but the rock was so big that it wasn't much of a comfort.

"Hey, do I really have to climb that thing?" I muttered to myself.

...

contrary to what I had expected, the ladder was sturdy and there was no wind, the only thing that made it difficult was the darkness, but I managed to reach the top without slipping

that flat top of the rock was riddled with daggers, and adorned with pieces of red cloth, there were mystical letters written on the surface, much like a magic circle.

I looked up "Well, that's quite a view" I muttered to myself.

The sky was filled with stars, the desert shone blue under the bright moonlight, and the stars followed the curve of the sky down to the horizon.

"so what are you doing here? You're not here just for the view, right?" I said, turning to another figure further up the rock.

He was wrapped in several layers of tattered clothing, to be frank, he looked like a pile of rags, but I was pretty sure he was a person, I'd look like a stupid asshole if he actually ended up being a pile of rags, but so what, I had nothing to lose.

"So what if I am?" he replied, it was a young man's voice, phew, so he wasn't just a pile of rags.

"Then I'd say, I'm surprised an important guy like you came here just to look at the stars," I said

"How about I say that's not the reason I'm here either?" he replied.

"Then I guess I'd ask, what are you doing here then?" I replied

"But I could answer you, couldn't I?" he said

"Hah!" I said

What the hell was the point of diverting the topic?... Still, putting aside his roundabout way of speaking, this had to be the guy I was looking for.

"The truth is, I'm looking for the lord of the Begaritt continent, a Behemoth," he said.

 Aha, I got my answer!

 "The lord was always roaming the continent, so there's no way to know where he'll be, although they say that once every few hundred years he appears near this rock," he said 

"And that once every few hundred years is today?" I asked

 He didn't answer, he just slowly turned around to face me, he was a young man with black hair. 

The look he gave me told me I was right. "No, it's not like that," he said later.

 Well, forget that. 

"It was always just a legend, I don't even know if this lord really exists" he answered.

"Then why are you sitting in a place like this?" I grumbled

"Because it could be today" he replied

Only the truly obsessive guys talk like that.

"You see, the lord passed by here once several hundred years ago, and he hasn't returned since so it could very well be today, do you understand? He didn't come yesterday or the day before, several hundred years later it could be today, right?" the boy said.

"You're not wrong," I said with a smile.

His eyes said I was serious, he really believed that tomorrow could be the day that the gentleman would happen to pass by this huge old rock.

"What made you want to hunt the lord down? Did he kill your family or something?" I asked

"In fact, that's exactly it" he replied with a smile.

"Liar" I replied.

"You call a stranger a liar? Hahahaha! Well, I guess that was a lie." He laughed.

"Then why are you here?" I asked.

"Mmm, have you ever seen someone great, and wanted to be even greater?" He replied

"I guess a couple of times" I muttered.

"There is a great hero that I want to surpass someday so that I can become the greatest hero this world has ever known!" The boy said with growing excitement.

"What? And hunting the lord here in the middle of nowhere is the ritual that will turn you into this super amazing hero?" I asked

"No, that's not it, I want to surpass this great hero, right? But the problem is how to surpass him...do you understand?" He muttered

"Can't you have a duel with this great hero and defeat him?" I said confused

"Yes, there is logic in that, but that's not the way I want to achieve it" He replied

"It isn't?" I replied

"People can't always remain at their peak, battles are influenced by one's condition and luck, winning a battle won't do me any good if people say that I just won by chance, or that I had a stroke of luck" he explained.

gooooood.....

"Personally, I would never dismiss a victory obtained by chance or by a stroke of luck, but the rest of the world isn't that understanding, you only become truly great when people call you great, not even a second before" he continued.

"Great, then how do you make people call you great?" I asked.

"That's easy, you do something that a great person did, right?" he muttered.

"So that's why you're here to defeat the lord?" I asked

"Bingo, I'm going to defeat the lord... the largest Behemoth on the Begaritt continent," he said

In the past, the great hero he wanted to surpass had also killed one, the story had been passed down through the years and spread throughout all corners of the world, together with his companions, the hero overcomes adversity, saves the suffering people, and then goes to fight the huge Behemoth and emerges victorious, a heroic gesture.

This child aspired to do the same, now if you wanted to be really picky about it.

He's alone, he wasn't overcoming any adversity and there were no suffering people, he had no good reason to go after the Behemoth.

Unless you take into account wanting to surpass his great hero.

Now he was here, waiting for the Behemoth with no idea when it might arrive, on a rock in a small village in the middle of nowhere.

"That's true, it makes sense, since you want to be a hero" I muttered

To tempt this airhead with aspirations of being a hero, all I needed were words, did he want to be the protagonist of a historical feat? Impressive, I would play the wise man of history

"Very well, now I will tell you the reason why I am here" I said

"Oh? Were you here by any chance?" he asked.

"Didn't it seem strange to you? I am not a merchant and I don't have a group, what would a useless adventurer like me do in a place like this?" I muttered

"Hah... so the reason why you are here is..." he muttered while looking at me.

In my best prophetic voice, I intoned "set out at dawn with your back to the sun and walk for half a day from there"

an oppressive silence settled over us, the boy's eyes were shining with obvious interest at my sudden prophecy, instead of answering, he turned around, placed a hand on the rock and stared at me, even showing a smile

"if you win" I added "come back here, I'll tell you something even better" then I turned around to leave.

"wait! what does that mean?" he said trying to stop me.

I didn't turn around or answer him, I couldn't get out of character, it was time to make a quick retreat...

oops, that's right, we're on a giant rock, shit, I couldn't just jump from here.

I grabbed onto the ladder and started to go down, the boy didn't go after me, but as I descended I caught him looking at me, there was something in his gaze that made my hair stand on end.

My performance had been a little difficult at the end, but that was okay, I assumed it was good enough.

======

Long chapter!!

Please give me power stones!!!