Above The Sky
Chapter 263 - 263 251 The World That's Gone to Rot 44

263: Chapter 251 The World That’s Gone to Rot (4/4) 263: Chapter 251 The World That’s Gone to Rot (4/4) Adventurer… Adventurer is not a term of praise.

It refers to those who have left their homelands, who cannot live a stable life, and must “adventure” to survive—they are dangerous elements that lords fear and officials frown upon as unsettling factors.

They survive on brute strength and courage, seeking money and thrills as warriors who could have made better choices, such as becoming soldiers or guards, yet chose a path dreaded and discriminated against by others.

In the end, adventurers are merely a group of barely legal brigands, madmen who take on tasks that others desiring a quiet life are unwilling or dare not undertake.

Green Tide was indeed an adventurer, and he took pride in it.

He chased perilous journeys, thrilling battles, and the wealth and satisfaction after adventures—these were what sustained him and his fellow adventurers as they traversed this continent, causing more and more adventurers to emerge ceaselessly.

And now, in the ancient ruins of Ice Abyss, battling against a horde of previously unseen Aberrant Beasts and Magical Beasts Giant Insects… was this not a grand adventure?

The Ape-Beasts had already rushed forward, and Green Tide could smell the stench and the weird sweetness from their mouths.

Without thinking, his sword flashed as he made his move.

An unremarkable horizontal slash severed the neck and left shoulder of the Ape-Beast as easily as cutting through soft hemp fabric, and Green Tide didn’t stop there.

He took a step forward and swung another arc, shimmering with a water-light.

The three Ape-Beasts running towards him couldn’t even lift their claws in time to strike before the residual force of his sword blow sent their bisected bodies and blood flying.

The Wave Scout, or ‘Wave Scout’ for short, was once the exclusive True Form of the navy of Whale Song Cliff’s army.

Although it has begun to spread across the continent in recent decades, its strength has not been rendered obsolete and is still adopted by many naval sailors and adventurers.

Possessing the ability to control both water and wind, the Wave Scouts excelled in wielding their longswords to slash out air-cleaving water edges sharp enough to sever steel and iron.

In the war of the Three Seas of yesteryears, when facing the sweeping onslaught of the Sea Demon Worm armies like surging waves, it was five thousand Wave Scouts, led by their leader, who simultaneously swung their swords to unleash sea-parting sword lights so formidable that even tsunamis retreated, allowing them to break through the encirclement of the besieged vanguard fleet and bring back crucial information on the nest-master of Sea Demons.

Green Tide used to always hear his father, a proud retired soldier, talk about that great battle, pointing to the scar and badge on his chest, saying that he was one of those five thousand Wave Scouts.

His father always said he hoped Green Tide would become a respected Whale Song Cliff Swordsman, someone who could traverse the waves and not be stopped by the great sea itself.

His father taught him to wield the sword, to move with proper steps, to sense the breath of the sea, to fight against Magical Beasts and people, and every time he made progress, his father excitedly lifted him up and scraped his cheek with his rugged beard.

However, such a father died.

Because of the worsening injuries after the war, because there weren’t enough good medicines, because the military pension wasn’t fully paid, because there were too many retired wounded soldiers after the Three Seas War, Whale Song Cliff couldn’t distribute enough Maras, not enough to give those soldiers who should have received their salary, the rewards they deserved.

Just three hundred Maras, just ninety Talles, just…

—Why did I choose to become a Sublimator, spending all of my family’s savings?

—Why didn’t I sell the sword, knowing full well I don’t deserve such a good sword!

—Why… do they have such high expectations of me?

Green Tide’s swordplay became even faster, the mere brutish Ape-Beasts became laughably childlike before him; with a mere wave of his sword, Ape-Beast heads rolled.

The strength of the High Rank of the First Energy Level might be nothing before a real powerhouse, but before these Aberrant Beasts, it was an insurmountable wall.

Centred around Green Tide, the assault of the Aberrant Ape-Beasts didn’t just slow down, it even reversed—with his push forward, many Ape-Beasts drew back, because if they didn’t, swift and merciless death awaited them.

At this moment, the Seaborn Longsword in his hands caused even the ice and snow in the air to tremble, for ice is but a property change of water’s Origin Quality.

If only he could reach the Second Energy Level and become a ‘Tidal Swordsman’, not just solid wind and snow, but even the misty vapors and chill would become part of his sword light.

However… just this…

It isn’t enough.

The number of Ape-Beasts was in the thousands, an army large enough to start a war, and the Moths, noting Green Tide as an especially conspicuous target, began to attack with Ice Cones and hail—suddenly, the Swordsman had to restrain his slashing of the Ape-Beasts to confront those flying ice bolts instead.

He was very skilled; the Wave Scouts in the army didn’t need these techniques, but a lone Wave Scout, not in an army but venturing alone, abandoned the techniques that could cause combined waves of sword energy, focusing instead on multiple combat skills for solo adventurers.

But how could one man stop everything?

Moreover, this time the speed of the Moths was faster than before, other fronts were fighting, the squad members looking for other exits hadn’t returned, and now Green Tide was truly fighting alone.

So, it was not negligence, but an inevitable cone of ice that pierced his thigh and waist, causing the Swordsman to let out a muffled groan and forcefully stop in his tracks.