Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill
Chapter 298 - 298: William Learns a New Language, and Practices Sword Fighting

The man tried to speak with William too.

"Hey, can you understand me?" he asked.

William stared at him, clueless. He shook his head slowly in denial, hoping the gesture would get the message across.

When the man saw that, he looked genuinely shocked.

His son noticed the reaction.

"What's wrong?"

"You know the language we speak is the same throughout our kingdom—and in the two neighboring kingdoms as well. They were all part of the same empire once. So, if this man doesn't understand us… then he must be from very far away. And not just that—he fell from the sky. So who exactly is he?"

Something clicked in the boy's mind.

"You're right, Father! Are we even safe? What if he's dangerous?"

"I don't know," the man replied. "But it's not like we can just leave him. Let's help him—and then we'll see what kind of man he really is."

The man's name was Undir. A humble warrior. He looked after his only son and protected everyone in their small village.

There was no way he would abandon someone in need, especially someone so badly hurt. William had lost an arm, and he couldn't even communicate.

Undir would help him. He only hoped the man he was helping wouldn't turn into a threat later.

William, meanwhile, was filled with curiosity.

"It seems I really am far away," he thought. "What a surprise."

Then another thought followed.

"Maybe I can learn their language."

Thanks to his passive skill that enhanced learning speed, and his high intelligence attribute, William was confident he could do it in no time.

In fact, he was sure he'd learn it in less than a month.

But even with his focus on learning, two things continued to bother him.

First: his missing arm. It hadn't grown back. No signs of regeneration. Not yet, anyway.

Second: the portal skill.

He had no idea how long he'd be stuck in this place—or even where he really was. Would using the portal again send him somewhere else entirely? Back to the ocean? Or even a different time again?

There were too many unknowns.

For now, it was best to stay in this peaceful village—recover, observe, learn the language. That was the plan.

*

Three weeks passed.

During that time, William remained inside most of the day, healing and studying.

Undir's son, Rebo, wasn't too busy during daylight hours, so he spent time teaching William their language.

And in just three weeks, William had become proficient.

"How did you learn our language that fast?" Undir asked one day, baffled. "Are you some kind of genius?"

William laughed. "No, I'm not a genius. Well… maybe I am."

Now that they could speak directly, Undir finally sat down for a proper conversation.

William had thought long and hard about what to say. He doubted the full truth would be believable, so he'd come up with a simple explanation.

"I was working on a magical experiment… and ended up here. It wasn't successful, obviously. But at least I'm alive."

"A magical experiment?" Undir raised a brow. "So you can use magic?"

He nodded slowly.

"Well, that makes sense," Undir said. "No ordinary man would survive a fall like that."

That one line gave William a clue: this place wasn't cut off from magic—it was a land that knew it.

Undir and his son, Rebo, both had a basic grasp of magic, though they weren't strong. Just ordinary users. Two other villagers also had magical ability.

William, of course, hadn't revealed his true aura. He kept it suppressed, and in his current wounded state, it was easy to hide.

They had no idea how powerful he really was.

And that's exactly how William wanted it.

"So, where exactly are you from?" Undir asked.

"That's the problem," William said, sighing. "I think I'm from really far away… Like, I've never even heard of your kingdom."

"Really?"

Undir and Rebo exchanged curious glances.

They were clearly interested in William's past, but for now, they seemed satisfied with the answers he gave.

Now that William could speak their language fluently enough and had recovered some of his strength, he decided it was time to walk around the village—get to know the place and meet the people.

The moment he stepped outside, well… he basically became a celebrity.

Everyone wanted to talk to him.

"So it's true? You really learned our language in just three weeks?" an older woman asked, amazed. "That's incredible! If only my son were as smart as you… He's sixteen and still messes up his words."

"Mother!" a nearby young man said, his face turning red with embarrassment.

The villagers were friendly.

There weren't many warriors among them, though.

Undir explained why.

Their location was naturally protected—high in the mountains, surrounded by thick forest. The area was peaceful. No flying beasts roamed the skies, and the land beasts were weak.

That safety allowed them to live simple, comfortable lives.

And for William, that was perfect.

He still needed time to recover.

He didn't fully understand what had happened to his body, but he had a good guess.

That serpent transformation—combined with the injuries he'd taken—had left lasting damage.

The toll it took was heavier than he'd expected.

And it was clear now… returning to his former strength would take far longer than he'd hoped.

William's sword, Asura, was long gone—lost somewhere in the ocean. He had no idea how he'd ever get it back.

After chatting with the villagers for a while, they all eventually dispersed, each returning to their daily tasks.

In a place like that, everyone had a role.

Some cared for the food, the cattle, and the crops. Others were busy collecting wood, fishing, crafting clothes or forging tools.

Every person mattered in that village.

And they knew it.

That was the beauty of a small place—everyone knew each other, and everyone understood their value.

It wasn't like the big cities, where you could live your whole life and still feel like a nameless cog in a giant machine.

William had felt that before. Especially back on Earth.

He didn't have much to do now, so he took comfort in the stillness of the mountains.

He hopped over a wooden fence and sat among the sheep, resting on a patch of soft grass. From there, he stared out toward the distant horizon.

The sun shone brightly above a clear blue sky.

He could hear the breeze sweeping gently through the fields, the distant murmur of the villagers going about their day.

It was… peaceful.

Then, Rebo appeared with a wooden sword in hand.

He walked toward a training dummy just outside the sheep's enclosure and started swinging.

"Wanna see me practice?" Rebo asked, glancing at William with a grin. "I'm not that good, but I'm getting better."

William laughed.

"Do I even have a choice? You're basically in front of me, swinging at a dummy."

Rebo frowned. He didn't like being talked down to like that.

"Are you saying I can only fight a dummy? Don't get me wrong, William, but… I could beat you. You only have one arm."

"Oh, really?"

William grinned. He liked where this was going. He stood up, brushing the grass from his clothes.

"Do you have another wooden sword?"

Without hesitation, Rebo ran off to his house to grab one.

When he returned, he wasn't alone—Undir came with him.

"I heard he wants to train with you," Undir said, crossing his arms. "So I came to see it myself."

Undir had always felt there was something off about William. So seeing him train with his own son? That was a golden opportunity.

Still, he didn't think William had any major advantage.

To him, William seemed like a mage—probably one of those who specialized in long-range spells and magical support. Meanwhile, Rebo had been training with the sword for a few years already. That alone made a big difference.

Not to mention, William only had one arm. His body was still wrapped in bandages, and he was visibly recovering. So, in Undir's eyes, his odds were low.

Of course, that was just Undir's assumption.

The truth was: William was on a completely different level. Even without any arms, he could beat them both and raze the entire village if he wanted.

Anyway, Rebo tossed a wooden sword toward him.

"If you want to give up, just say it," Rebo said, smirking. "I don't want to hurt an old man like you."

"I'm not old," William replied.

Though, to be fair, he looked older now.

His hair had grown long, and so had his beard. After spending so much time unconscious—and mindless before that—it had all gone untrimmed.

It gave him a more mature, rugged look.

Rebo clearly saw him as much older than he actually was.

William didn't mind. In fact, he liked it.

It made him look wiser. Stronger.

And just a little more intimidating.

"Here I go," Rebo said.

He dashed toward William, wooden sword in hand, ready to prove himself.

But to William, it was… pitiful.

Not because Rebo lacked talent—the kid was actually decent. His movements were clean, sharp, and when he swung his sword, there was clear intent and training behind it.

But he was just too slow.

Way too slow.

William blocked every strike with ease. He barely moved. Each parry was effortless, like he was swatting away a fly.

To him, Rebo's attacks were happening in slow motion.