The sun shone down from above, heading up the bare dirt all around me. A battered tree stump stood in front of me menacingly, its only remaining branch protruding at me threateningly.
I stepped forward, swinging the stick in my hand down towards the stump.
My opponent stayed still, it seemed to think that dodging my strike wasn't necessary!
Clack!
The stick in my hand bounced off of the stump, the reflected force sending a shiver down my arm. Instinctively, my hand loosened up, and I dropped the stick.
'Ha! Did you just lose to a balsam poplar tree stump? You are definitely going to die in the war.'
A voice rang out in my mind as I reached down to grab the fallen stick.
I suppose I should give some context.
My name is Drav, and I am a transmigrator… or I was reincarnated here, one of the two. I was a fairly typical guy back on earth. Hockey player, history buff, and book enthusiast. Then, one morning, I woke up in a different world. Maybe I died in my sleep and reincarnated here, or maybe I was transported here somehow. I'm not sure, but it isn't too big of a deal. I'm here now, so why worry about it?
This world is a lot like earth, minus all the new technology. Horses and carriages ruled the transportation market, and the only available weapons are cold ones.
I arrived here fifteen years ago, as a newborn. A fairly typical isekai plot, right? Along with coming to this world, I got an added bonus! I have a system.
The legendary system, containing infinite knowledge on how to gain strength, it was the main character's main helper in every book!
The only problem with mine was…
'I think you will need a better weapon than that ironwood tree branch. That branch won't even work as a club.'
All it is good for is telling me about plants and animals! Sure, if it was a human, knowing every plant and insect in the forest might be a bit impressive. But this was a system! Infinite knowledge! Why is it so dumb…
When I first got to this world, the system didn't have much of a personality. It was pretty much just an empty shell filled with useless knowledge. I named it Sil, and after spending the last fifteen years with me, it was at least a bit interesting to talk to.
'Then are there any better trees I can use for a sword? I need to be good with it before war breaks out!'
War.
In this world, I was born into a decent family living in a small kingdom. Tensions between two of the larger nearby countries have been rising, and I plan to get in on the fighting.
It might sound stupid, but why would I have to worry? I'm a transmigrator with a system. If anyone in this world is a main character, then it's me. No main character would ever die off from a random arrow on the battlefield, so I don't have to worry!
I'll make my name known across the world as the best warrior ever to live!
The first step to my goal of this is getting into a good army. I'll start with my current country's army, then move to a bigger country if this one loses.
Speaking of which, the country I was born in here is the country of Vosnan. Quite an unoriginal name, considering that the name of the continent I'm on is known as Vosnia.
Despite their lacking creativity in coming up with names, the royal family ruling over my country is pretty ambitious. They plan to use the friction of the neighboring countries to snatch up more land and expand their territory.
One wrong step, and we will face the wrath of countries we stand no chance against… but if we play all our cards right, Vosnan might just come out of this war with the greatest gains!
'Nothing you can use as a sword here, you need an actual sword for that. A bow is a much better idea, that way you can stay out of harm's way while fighting.'
Sil still didn't seem to understand, despite me explaining it to him multiple times. I am going to be a hero, a legend on the battlefield! I can't cower behind my allies with a bow!
That being said, I know that bows are an important and lethal weapon, especially in a world lacking guns.
When I said I was a history buff, I wasn't kidding. I have read about and studied almost every war that occurred on earth. I know all the mistakes made by armies in the past, and how to best fight. In this world, it wouldn't be much of a question of IF i got an army of my own, only when.
And when I had an army under my command, I would make them into an unstoppable force.
But for now, I needed to get stronger.
I had previously learned from Sil that black ironwood is the heaviest wood around, so I already gathered a bunch of it. For the past five years, I spent all of my free time training. There were no schools in this world, and kids would instead learn everything they would need in life from their parents.
Normally, kids my age would be working on the family farm or training to take over the family business, but I didn't have to worry about that. Five years ago, my last parent died.
I wasn't too sad. Sure, he was my dad in this life, but I didn't have the mind of a kid. To me, he was just the person who provided food and clothes to me.
Heck, he wasn't even that good of a parent. If I didn't have a mature mind, then I definitely would have been beaten a few times. My dad was a violent drunkard, so I ended up spending most nights hiding from him. My mother in this life died during childbirth, leaving just dad and I. He didn't handle mother's death very well, leading to his bad habits.
After fifteen straight years of heavy drinking, 'ol pops finally kicked the bucket.
I guess the alcohol finally caught up with his liver.
I sold off all of my family's assets, with the exception of our house. I didn't need to worry about working a regular job. I was going to be a soldier, not some manual laborer!
So, for the last five years, I lived alone. I didn't bother trying to make friends, instead putting all of my time into training.
The age limit of the army is fifteen years, just under a month away for me.
One month until I start my journey to fame.
One month until the real action starts!