Sword Master In The Strange World

Chapter 2: Storyteller.

The next morning, as usual, Jonas went outside early in the morning to begin his training. As soon as he opened the door, a powerful gust of wind slapped him in the face.

A quick look at today’s weather didn’t seem any better than yesterday. In fact, it was worse. However, Jonas didn’t mind; harsh weather like this would help him train his body better.

Jonas’s life in this town, even the path he walked, felt desolate. People avoided him, despite his cleanliness and lack of any foul odors or contagious diseases.

They treated him like a mobile plague and constantly shooed him away. Pedestrians would unconsciously shift to the side when they saw him. Some even changed directions. Not only adults but children in the town also treated Jonas with disdain.

Perhaps they had been taught by their parents that Jonas was something utterly repulsive and to be kept away from. Some children even cried when they saw him.

But Jonas seemed to have become accustomed to this, considering it as something natural. Wherever he went, the streets would fall silent, and people in conversation would unconsciously stop and look at him warily.

Children playing would immediately rush into their homes or hide in a corner. Some bolder ones might throw stones or objects at him.

However, Jonas always dodged these, even though he couldn’t see. His other senses were incredibly sharp, especially his hearing. So, he could feel even the slightest movements around him.

What he looked forward to most on this route was passing by Selena’s bakery, where he could smell the delicious aroma emanating from it—warmth and sweetness.

Simultaneously, he could hear her voice as she interacted with customers. When her bakery was bustling with people, it reassured Jonas that she was doing well and her life was peaceful. That was probably enough for Jonas.

But today, something unusual happened as he approached Selena’s bakery. Unlike any other day, he couldn’t smell any delicious scents.

There was no smoke coming from the oven, no hurried footsteps or the gentle and playful reassurance of a customer service voice. And when he truly arrived in front of the bakery, he was certain that it was closed today.

This had never happened before. Selena’s bakery was open early in the morning and closed late at night every day. She was a hardworking young lady. However, today the bakery was closed, and the cold, eerie breath coming from it made Jonas feel uneasy and puzzled.

But then he comforted himself, thinking that perhaps the shop was opening late today. After all, Selena, despite being diligent, was just a young girl.

She wasn’t a pre-programmed robot that could function flawlessly on schedule without fatigue. Maybe she overslept, which caused the bakery to open late. Perhaps she had a personal reason for not notifying anyone, or maybe she was feeling unwell.

These thoughts put Jonas at ease, and he decided he would return in the afternoon to check the situation.

With that in mind, he continued on his way, following the familiar path up the mountain. As he left the town, the path became more challenging and rugged.

There were steep inclines, and his staff, which had initially served as a guide, now doubled as a mountaineering aid. The higher he ascended, the stronger the wind howled. Each gust of wind felt like it was screaming in his ears, a natural sound he couldn’t understand.

The wind seemed determined to push him down, topple him, expel him from its territory, and warn him never to return. But these things seemed to have no effect on Jonas. Despite his small stature, he was remarkably strong. In no time, he had climbed to the summit.

This was a mountain ravaged and chaotic, having been mined by workers, leaving its heart hollow and now a shell of its former self. Everywhere were rocks, large and small, piled haphazardly with no semblance of order. But this place was an ideal training ground for Jonas.

Usually, no one ventured here; it was considered a discarded place, much like Jonas himself. However, this provided ideal conditions for Jonas.

He began by lifting his staff, and through some mystical power, it transformed, gradually taking the shape of a sword. But this sword was also peculiar; much like its owner, it was imperfect, bearing cracks and imperfections on its blade.

However, sometimes power didn’t correlate with a weapon’s perfection and appearance. Right now, Jonas adopted a basic stance, his feet slightly apart, his body leaning forward to maintain balance and quick mobility.

His hand gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, and he looked incredibly formidable. He swung the sword with a swift, razor-sharp motion, cutting through even the winds that tried to hinder him.

The sword followed the gusts of wind, despite the winds’ attempts to stop him. Then loud noises echoed all around as large rocks were split in half, and others shattered into pieces.

Dust swirled in a murky haze. At this moment, Jonas was astonished; compared to yesterday, his strength had increased unexpectedly.

This filled him with immense excitement. Although he couldn’t see the overall effect, he could sense the tremendous destruction he had just caused. He spun around, and the sword moved through the air at an unimaginable speed, leaving only a streak of light.

Everywhere it passed, things were cut in two or shattered into pieces. Even the unsuspecting grass and leaves lying beneath the blade were not spared.

Jonas continued training like this until evening. When he heard the call of an owl from the mountaintop, he knew it was time to return.

He paused his movements, and as the sword glided through the air, no one could perceive its actions clearly. What they could see was just a flash, followed by an explosion. Jonas had reached an astonishing level of speed.

His chest heaved up and down from the exertion, and sweat dripped profusely, trickling through the bulging muscles all over his body. But soon, the wind dried the sweat.

Jonas lowered the sword, and it gradually transformed back into a regular walking stick, harmless in appearance.

Then he descended the mountain slowly, following the familiar path back to town.

Upon entering the town, a lively and warm atmosphere immediately surrounded him. However, he knew that this warmth wasn’t for him. Everyone continued to avoid and shun him in the same manner.

Now it was time for Jonas to go to the restaurant to start his livelihood. Despite receiving daily meals from Selena, he couldn’t rely entirely on that. To survive in this town, he still needed money to cover other expenses, as well as a backup fund.

But no one in town wanted to hire him; they always considered him a harbinger of bad luck and misfortune. Therefore, Jonas had no choice but to become a wandering storyteller.

Every evening, he would go to the restaurant during dinner hours, when the wealthy began to relax and indulge. He would bring stories from Earth and share them with the locals to earn a bit of money.

At first, the restaurant manager was hesitant and caused Jonas a lot of trouble. However, later on, the stories that Jonas brought were so intriguing that they drew in customers. The manager eventually agreed to let Jonas work there.

But today, he wanted to take a detour to Selena’s bakery to check ahead of time. He wanted to see if her bakery had reopened, or at least, if it had, he would feel more at ease. Throughout the day, an uneasy feeling had lingered in his heart.

But what Jonas had feared the most eventually happened; Selena’s bakery remained closed.

Jonas stood in front of the rolled-down shutters, and at that moment, his heart turned to ice. He furrowed his brow briefly, feeling the growing unease.

Suddenly, there was chatter nearby. Jonas knew there were people around, and right now, the only thing he could do was ask those around if they knew anything.

So, he spoke up, “Excuse me, do you know why this bakery isn’t open today?”

Jonas could tell that the person nearby was a woman by her husky voice. He determined she was also relatively older.

And it wasn’t just her; there were other people nearby as well.

But Jonas paid no attention. At this moment, he was waiting for an answer. However, what he received was a burst of mocking laughter, as if a slap in the face.

“So, you’ve come here today because Selena’s not open, and you want a free meal, huh?”

“Must be here to beg for food. Selena is indeed a kind but naive girl, giving bread to people like this every day.”

“That’s right, people like this have no shame, taking free food and still demanding. If you don’t see her opening, just leave it be. Why come here and ask someone else? Do you have no shame?”

...

Countless insults were thrown at Jonas. Most people believed he had come here for a free meal, and since Selena’s bakery was closed, he was inquiring.

Knowing there was nothing to gain, Jonas left.

He was taunted and insulted until he got to the Élégant Restaurant.

The Élégant Restaurant was where he would begin his storytelling job. This town was in the heart of Count Silvermoon’s territory, making it relatively peaceful.

However, many classes of people came here every day, from merchants to nobles, and even wandering travelers. Jonas had decided that staying longer at Selena’s bakery would be pointless and might even earn him more insults.

Therefore, he came here. Besides working, he thought he might gather some information, and who knew it might be related to Selene?

The reason Jonas chose this job was because he could eavesdrop on various pieces of information from different regions here. His ears and mind were extremely sharp; he could tell stories while simultaneously listening to what people around him were saying.

Seeing Jonas arrive, a man called out, “Hey, storyteller, tell us an interesting story. I want to hear one today.”

Jonas didn’t display any reaction; he just quietly made his way there. The wealthy man tossed a few gold coins towards him, and the coins rolled to his feet, spinning around before settling, unmoved.

Jonas bent down and picked them up.

In an era without electronic entertainment, storytelling was an incredibly effective form of entertainment. And so, he began:

“Today’s story is about a man named Ather...”