บท 5: Training and The Wanderer

Hi, I have an important news that will affect the plot.

As you know, the harem was going to be big, and at the beginning it was going to be 8 Waifuss that I found, but while I was looking for more characters for the plot, I found good characters and backstories, and also more waifus to create backstories, and after thinking for a while, I decided that the harem has no limits, I plan to make it very big, and although I don't promise anything, I will try to create romance and make them love it for a reason, although I don't promise it will be the best, at least they won't fall in love with him because he is beautiful and has a huge penis.

Now I feel more free, and I can keep looking for more characters and background stories, without putting limits on myself, I love it~.

[130 words]

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Previous Chapter

'What luck, it seems I was able to accompany the mysterious boy. According to Lady-Elara, he was a handsome young man with most of his face covered. Lady-Elara herself wanted to keep him company, but fortunately, she is busy. And I have to accompany him.'

"What luck, today I'll pick a good fruit."

.....

Without Merlin knowing, he didn't enter just any inn; it was an inn with special services, and he was saved by sleeping there.

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Third POV

It was the next morning, and the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, painting the sky in soft shades of orange and pink.

Merlin woke up in the inn, feeling refreshed after a night of restful sleep, not knowing that he saved his fruit for a future greengrocer [xd]

The mental fatigue of the previous day had vanished, and his mind was clearer than the day before, where he had to quickly adapt and accept that he had died, and now he was in a new world.

Sigh

-'Although I died, I adapted quickly since in my old world my mother and father had died from the pandemic, my grandparents had already passed away from old age, and I had no aunts or uncles, nor siblings. I had friends, and I suppose they are the only ones who will mourn my death. But what can you do, I'm in an isekai world, from an anime where the protagonist uses hacks, and where if I die, a god on a whim can play with my soul.'

Shaking off his thoughts, Merlin dressed himself, putting on his clothes and then the tunic, adjusting the handmade mask given by Erza, and picking up his sword, he started to head down to the inn's corner.

-'I need to buy more clothes, I can't train in the same outfit, and also buy a sheath, as I can't go around with the sword out in the open all the time, a backpack wouldn't be bad either, if I'm going to travel, I need a way to carry my things'-

Arriving at the inn's dining area, the aroma of freshly baked bread assaulted his senses, and the sounds of morning activity could be heard everywhere.

He greeted the innkeeper, who looked at him strangely, and sat at one of the wooden tables.

Soon, a plate of scrambled eggs, fresh bread, and a jug of warm milk were placed in front of him. Thanking the seductive waitress, Merlin began to eat while thinking.

-'Well, I already have plans, but I'll summarize them quickly so I don't forget: train, practice martial arts, find a master to teach me the basics, practice smithing every morning, buy books and create stories from my world to have a budget, buy a journal to write my adventure but in my world's language, get a musical instrument to earn more money, etc.'

-'After getting a budget and enough training, I need to travel and search for objects mentioned in the canon, like that powerful weapon that was abandoned. Also travel to find a goddess who is at least in the main hierarchy of her religion, and change the canon but from a distance, which would give me a great advantage over the other reincarnated. Also, try to learn magic without Falna.'

-'And how could I forget the most important thing, find the characters from other verses. Although the Real mentioned that they would be different from their other versions, he never said anything about their skills and talents. Assuming they are not in Orario, as the Real said, but still, he included them, means that at least they are talented, because if not, it would make no sense for him to include them, as their presence would be insignificant. And also maybe they have skills from their main versions, which means they all have a lot of talent and abilities. Therefore, the best path to follow is to go around the world and, if I find them or the opportunity arises, recruit them for my future family.'

Shaking off his thoughts, Merlin finished eating, satisfied, he left some valis on the table as payment and tip, and set off for the smithy.

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Merlin arrived at the smithy and was greeted by the Tiger Man.

"Hey, old man, do you have time to teach me now?" he asked with barely contained enthusiasm.

The blacksmith, with a throbbing vein on his forehead, looked at him and responded:

"I'm not old! I'm middle-aged!... Oh, sorry, but we didn't introduce ourselves yesterday. What's your name?"

"Ah, I forgot. My name is Merlin, old man. And yours?" Merlin replied as he removed the tunic covering his body, leaving on the mask he had made.

The Tiger Man let out a deep laugh, then looked at Merlin and answered.

"My name is Gorim, and stop calling me old. Come on, Merlin, you need to clean that area over there and then I'll teach you."

Looking where Gorim pointed, Merlin quickly began cleaning the tools, removing the dust and accumulated dirt. He finished quickly since he had some experience handling tools, although many were new to him. While sweeping the dust from the floor, he asked:

"Gorim, I wanted to ask if you sell sword sheaths."

Laughing, Gorim looked at him.

"Ha, ha, ha! Kid, did you forget to buy something as basic as a sheath? Well, you're in luck. I don't have a sheath, but if you want, I can make one to measure, but it will cost you."

Merlin, with a tone of embarrassment, responded:

"That would be great. I want something sturdy and comfortable to carry, but tell me the price first."

Gorim, with a smile, replied:

"It depends on the materials and the time it takes me to make it. For a good quality sheath, you're looking at around 500 valis, but I assure you it's worth it."

Merlin thought about his budget and agreed. "Alright, Gorim. I trust you'll do a good job."

Taking valis from a place where they wouldn't be stolen and where 'you' wouldn't want to know where it is, Merlin handed Gorim a total of 2000 valis.

"Here you go, old man, 500 for the sheath, and 1500 for the lessons."

Gorim nodded with approval and a smile. "Good, Merlin. We'll start once you finish cleaning. And remember, I'm not old, I'm 30."

Merlin smiled under his mask and continued cleaning. Bored and nearly finished, he began to whistle, imitating Tapion's melody from Dragon Ball.

Hearing Merlin's melody, Gorim listened and thought, - 'What a surprise, what a beautiful melody, and it seemed like he already knew it. I wonder if he wants to be a singer, but the question is, why does he buy a sword then? Well, it's not my problem, maybe he wants to do many things. My only job is to teach him smithing.'

Shaking off his thoughts and seeing that Merlin had finished cleaning everything, he decided to start the lessons.

"Perfect! Then, let's start with the smithing lesson. We'll talk more about the sheath afterward," said Gorim, heading towards the forge.

Merlin followed Gorim, ready to learn what would initiate the phase of his 'Great Plan,' or rather, his 'Great Creation.'

Gorim led Merlin inside the smithy, where the heat of the fire and the sound of the hammer working the metal filled the air.

"We're going to start with the basics," said Gorim. "I'll teach you the fundamental steps of smithing."

"Step number 1: Ignite and Maintain the Fire."

Gorim began with the forge, lighting it with coal as fuel. Once it caught fire, he used a bellows to stoke the flames and keep the fire burning, which increased the temperature of the fire.

"You need a constant, hot fire to work the metal. Using the bellows helps control the air entering the forge, stoking the flames. The more air you give it, the hotter it gets."

"Step number 2: Heat the Metal."

Gorim took a metal bar and placed it in the fire, positioning it in the heart of the flames. He waited until the metal became red-hot while explaining to Merlin that the color indicates the temperature, with bright red being ideal for working.

"The metal must be red-hot to be shaped. If it's too cold, you can't shape it and might damage it."

Step number 3: Hammer and Shape.

With the metal red-hot, Gorim removed it from the forge and brought it to the anvil. Using a heavy hammer, he began to shape it with firm, controlled blows, turning the metal and working all sides to maintain an even shape.

"It's not just about hitting hard but hitting accurately. Keep a steady rhythm and ensure you work the entire piece of metal evenly."

"Step number 4: Reheat the Metal."

After a few strikes, Gorim placed the metal back in the forge when it started losing its bright red color.

"Remember, always reheat the metal before it cools too much. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to handle. So, while shaping it, keep it hot and repeat this process as many times as necessary."

"Step number 5: Shape, Cool, and Temper."

Once Gorim had given the piece the desired shape—a small dagger—he submerged it in cold water or oil to cool it quickly. This hardens the metal and gives it durability.

"The basic shape is important. We can refine the details later. The quick cooling process is called tempering. It helps harden the metal, but be careful not to do it too quickly, as it could crack."

Wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead, Gorim turned and showed the dagger to Merlin while saying,

"Done! Here you have a weapon. It just needs sharpening and a few final touches, and you'll have a usable weapon. Now, I want you to replicate what you saw without any mistakes. After that, I'll teach you how to sharpen your sword."

Merlin, super impatient and moving like a child on a sugar rush, nodded his head rapidly and shouted,

"Yes, Master!"

For the first time, his thoughts matched his outward expression.

-'Great! Now if I learn to sharpen my weapon and maintain it, it'll be useful when I go to Orario Dungeon. I remember in Sword Oratoria, Ais's weapon loses its edge very quickly, even with the Durandal property. Plus, with this, I can create the fictional weapons I want. My first goal before leaving Melen is to create Ludwig's sacred sword. It's useful and will help me handle the future weapon I plan to find.'

While Merlin was lost in thought, Gorim had the illusion of seeing fire coming out of his eyes and a fiery aura around him, looking more motivated than ever.

"Ha ha ha, youth!"

Thus, the ordinary mortal, with no monstrous background or dark past, began to teach his student, someone who in the future would become his greatest pride.

Merlin, his first and last student, under the guidance of his first master, officially began his journey.

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After completing the first smithing lesson, Merlin set off towards the center of Melen, a bustling place filled with vendors offering all kinds of goods. He was determined to start by getting the basic things he needed for his training and survival.

First, he went to a clothing store and acquired training clothes and a pair of sturdy boots. He also got some everyday clothes.

Next, he headed to get some writing supplies: a notebook, ink, and a pen, to start recording his adventures and writing stories from his old world. He found these easily.

Seeing that he couldn't carry everything, Merlin thought:

-'I need to buy a backpack, and I only have 34,000 valis left. I need to get a guitar to earn some valis in the plaza so I can obtain valis in a way other than hunting monsters. I have to remember that this isn't Orario, where I can get monster cores and drops just by going to the dungeon. Now I'm outside, and in a safe place like Melen, it's complicated to get valis through adventuring.'

Shaking off his thoughts, Merlin arrived in front of a store that sold backpacks. He grabbed a comfortable one where he could carry his things, handed the valis to the clerk, and quickly set off for the library.

Upon arriving at the library and paying a total of 4,000 valis, Merlin spent the rest of the day reading books.

In the library, he obtained valuable information such as basic sword handling, survival skills, monster clearing techniques, the geography of the world, more detailed histories, and he also found some stories to take with him.

["World" of DanMachi, written by myself and probably won't use it lol]

Leaving the library and seeing that it was already night, Merlin headed to an inn recommended by the librarian.

-'Seriously, my talent is monstrous. Just by reading quickly, it gets imprinted in my head. I think I even have photographic memory. I also did well to study the geography. The world is much bigger than I imagined. I took the heroic books with me for two simple reasons: one, to know what kind of book I can write, and two, to see if by chance I can find something used by these heroes, like a weapon or something similar. Although the chances are almost 0.01%, as long as it's not 0%, I'm fine.'

Arriving at the inn quickly and paying the burly man at the counter, Merlin went up to his room and went to sleep. Thus ended Merlin's second day.

.....

The next day, after waking up and having breakfast, Merlin went to train with Gorim. After finishing his training at the smithy, he went to practice his sword handling.

-'The first thing is to make sure I have a safe place to train. Although I would like to have a master, I don't think there is anyone good at sword handling in this place, much less in the world. Most rely on experience and instincts, though there are exceptions like the god Takemikazuchi. That's why I prefer to perfect the basics and then try to perform various techniques from anime.'

Reaching the outskirts of the city, Merlin found a small clearing in the forest, perfect for his training. He began practicing basic sword movements, recalling in his mind what he had read about the basic movements and adding some exercises he had seen in movies and series from his world.

Following the steps of the book he read yesterday, and beginning, he started to memorize everything while executing them. Merlin began with the initial stance.

It consists of standing with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and the sword held firmly with both hands, right in front of him.

After adjusting his stance, Merlin quickly continued with fluid sword movements from left to right, keeping his shoulders relaxed and his body balanced.

After finishing the horizontal movements, he swiftly transitioned to vertical cuts, raising the sword above his head and bringing it down with controlled strength.

His movements became more natural over time. Repetition after repetition, Merlin improved, as if he were conversing with the sword and it was guiding him.

Without wasting time, Merlin began practicing thrusts, moving his dominant foot forward and extending his sword straight ahead.

With fluid movements, Merlin started practicing blocking, feeling somewhat inept since he had no way to properly train it until he thought of imagining himself fighting against opponents, a training method used by Goku and Baki.

Unfortunately, the training didn't yield the desired results. No matter how hard he tried.

-'Damn it, even though my mind is brilliant right now and I have thousands of books in my head, with thousands of characters who handle swords, it's almost impossible to imagine fighting against them. I lack the visualization that characters like Baki have, or the experience of Goku. The only thing I'm fighting against right now is my own mind, since my mind itself tells me where to block. I need to gain more experience and comprehension of martial arts if I want to do shadow training.'

"Thss, I suppose reincarnating and becoming a genius went to my head. I need to control that. I can't think I'm the best and that I have everything under control. People like that are easy to manipulate and die easily. Control yourself, Merlin."

Despite being deep in thought, Merlin never ceased his practice.

Time passed, the moon began to peek out in the sky, and the stars started to make their presence known. Throughout this time, Merlin practiced the same movements over and over, perfecting every detail he could.

Sweating and panting, Merlin reclined on a rock, gazing up at the stars.

With his eyes fixed on the starry sky, Merlin began to appreciate the vast cosmos, that immense place in which his existence was nothing more than a mere attempt, a simple particle moving without any sense in the enormous universe.

"Ha, after reincarnating and knowing I was going to a new universe, I felt enormous," Merlin reflected.

"I was someone who would reincarnate like those protagonists, but now that I think about it, how insignificant are we? I always thought we were less than particles in the universe, but now it turns out the omniverse exists. What is my place in it?"

Total Silence

Suddenly, he stood up and, looking at the stars, Merlin began to laugh, uncontrollably.

"Hahahahahaha...! I felt like a giant, but now I feel very, very small... But it doesn't matter, one day I will be very big, very, very big. I will reach the stars, explore the universe, understand life, and accept death. I am Merlin, the one who controls mana, the fool who is weak and dreams big. Merlin, the man who abandoned his name and started anew."

With each word, Merlin felt more secure within himself, a spark of a fire began to ignite inside him.

The laughter quickly faded, leaving a solemn calm as his thoughts deepened even further.

'As Rick Sanchez said—"To live is to risk it all; otherwise, we're just inert chunks of randomly assembled matter drifting wherever the universe blows us."'

...

|Two Weeks Later|

During the following two weeks, Merlin worked hard under Gorim's guidance. He learned to handle the hammer, heat and mold metal, sharpen swords, create sheaths, and design.

Gorim's initial promise of "teaching him the basics" evolved into "teaching him everything he knew."

This simply happened as Gorim saw how quickly Merlin learned and the interesting ideas he presented. Gorim decided he had to polish this metal as much as he could.

In these two weeks, Merlin not only mastered blacksmithing to the extent his current self could but also focused on training in the clearing.

During these two weeks, Merlin trained not only in swordsmanship and martial arts but also honed his skill, Mana Control.

Training daily in swordsmanship caused him to master the basics a week ago, but he decided to continue for another week to perfect it as much as possible. Now, the basic movements were second nature to him.

Each day, Merlin would wake up at dawn, practice his swordsmanship and martial arts in the clearing, and then head to Gorim's forge to work and learn. His routine was intense, leaving little time for anything else, but he was driven by a burning determination.

In his spare moments, Merlin would experiment with his mana control, learning to channel it more efficiently and effectively. He discovered new ways to infuse his weapon with mana, enhancing its cutting power and durability. He also practiced creating small mana barriers, which could one day serve as shields in battle.

Merlin's progress was astounding. Gorim watched with pride as his pupil rapidly advanced, surpassing even his own expectations. He knew that Merlin had the potential to become something extraordinary, someone who could change the world.

As the days passed, Merlin felt a growing sense of purpose. He was no longer the lost soul who had arrived in this world by chance. He was forging his path, one swing of the hammer, one stroke of the sword, and one burst of mana at a time.

Merlin's journey was just beginning, but already he could see the glimmers of his future greatness. The stars above no longer seemed so distant, and the vast universe felt a little more within his grasp.

His mana control advanced quite well. Although he couldn't handle elements at the moment and could only control pure mana, he decided to practice 'Mana Skin' from Black Clover, and also practiced controlling the fishing line with mana. One could say that in the destructive aspect, he didn't advance much, but his control over mana became better, although unfortunately, he still didn't understand mana, something that Merlin felt limited him.

And last but not least, he trained in martial arts like King Boxing, Taekwondo, and Boxing. It could be said that he mastered them the fastest since he had practiced before, and now adding that his body control is much superior to that of his old world, he could practice everything with relative ease. Merlin had a theory as to why this was in his diary.

Speaking of the diary, Merlin decided that he would differentiate it by notes, and all the notes would be numbered. In each note, he would write what he did and some questions, although he had already asked them before, simply so as not to forget them, because even though he had a photographic memory, he didn't have a kind of mental palace at the moment.

Looking at his diary, Merlin smiled. It was no longer the same simple diary he bought; it was now modified by Merlin. Well, more than modified, it was remade from scratch.

Made with the skin of an unknown monster, strongly held at each corner by molten ferrous sand that Merlin collected from the beach of Melen. This metal, unlike the one from Earth, was a bit red, and its pages were made from the bark of the Tree of a Thousand Years that Merlin obtained thanks to rummaging through the trash...

Yes... rummaging through the trash.

Merlin didn't know why someone would throw something like that away, but he supposed it was because someone asked for a staff, and the bark of the wood from this staff was discarded since it was useless and was just bark.

Well, continuing to describe the book, it was enormous. Someone who measured 180 cm had to carry the book under their arms because of how big it was. And on its cover, Merlin drew a skull, a sword, and both surrounded by different gems. Above all that was the name of the book...

The Enchiridion

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Note 1 The Enchiridion

Theory of the Wanderer:

The Theory of the Wanderer consists of the accumulation of talents from my Outcast class; therefore, I am much more prodigious than someone who decided their class.

I base this on the fact that the talents I have accumulate with each other. Someone with the Mage class would have talent in that, and someone with the Martial Artist class would have talent with the body.

Now, what would someone with multiple talents from all classes be like? Wouldn't they be a monster in everything? Or would they just be good at everything and master of nothing?

Well, I believe that classes accumulate with each other. An example would be that the Warrior class has talent in multiple weapons, while a Swordsman class has talent with swords.

Let's assume that talent has a limit of 10.

A Swordsman class would have a talent of 8 in sword handling and 0 in things unrelated to swordsmen.

While a Warrior class would have 3 in sword handling but also 3 in all other weapons and shields.

Now, I, who have the Wanderer class, have the 8 from the Swordsman class and the 3 from the Warrior class. The same goes for all the other classes.

Now I have to add other classes that may exist, such as Mage, Warrior, Sorcerer, Healer, Cleric, Martial Artist, Blacksmith, Alchemist, Scientist, Assassin, Bandit, Ranger, Archer, Lancer, among others, they stack on top of each other.

Wouldn't this make me a talented monster?

I would say yes, as there is also evidence that my body control is what I do best. I can control it super easily, I suppose it is due to the accumulation of multiple classes related to body control.

But still, it is called a theory for a reason, as I don't know how talented the other reincarnated people are. Maybe all the classes give you such monstrous talent in their respective fields, but I lean more towards my theory.

[End of page 1]

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In those two weeks, he also got a guitar and started playing in different inns, thus earning valis and a place to sleep.

In the villages, he was known as "Merlin the Iron Mask," because he always walked around with most of his face covered and was a blacksmith.

Merlin didn't mind much and liked the nickname because it reminded him of Baldwin IV from the movie "The Leper King."

But he did not expect what happened after his training today.

It was like any other day. Merlin finished training and was walking back along the beach of Melen. Sometimes he would wander off, and other times he would simply go along the beach.

While walking, Merlin discovered that an area of the beach seemed to have disturbed sand. It was as if something big and heavy had dragged itself into the depths of the forest.

His instincts told him to leave, but his mind told him he had to go.

After debating for a few seconds, he decided to simply follow his head and go...

Walking into the depths of the forest and reaching a hill that allowed him to see Orario and the lake of Melen.

Under the starry sky that was reflected in the beautiful lake with Orario in the background, Merlin saw it...

There he saw them....

Something that would forever change the life of the young reincarnated.

Something that would be a before and after in the history of the entire world.

The young Merlin saw them there, two legends, two heroes to many and villains to others. That day might be the beginning of everything or the end of everything...

Only time will tell.

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[End of chapter 5]

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Note: I think many people believe that their class is broken, and they are not wrong. I based it on the Outcast class from Dark Souls, where if you are a novice, it will be difficult to advance. It's simply better to choose the Pyromancer class. However, if you are someone who knows how to play and make good decisions, it is the best class.

Additionally, there is the disadvantage of the stats, which someone smart enough knows how to overcome.

[4657 Words]