*Tumble* *Splash* *Plop* When Rhys was told that he would be facing the finest swordsman in human history, he was thinking about opponents such as King Arthur, or Sir Lancelot, or such other legendary swordsmen that went down in history as one of the finest to ever hold a sword. However, as he found himself on-board a Spanish Merchant ship, Rhys felt confused as to who his opponent was going to be, as he did not expect to be out in the ocean. Somehow, during his fall from the feathery realm, his clothes changed from his Scaly Armor, to proper Spanish Sailor clothes, as he found himself in the middle of the ocean, on the deck of a merchant ship. The deck was a flurry of activity, with sailors bustling about, securing ropes and adjusting sails. The salty sea air mixed with the scent of tar and wood, creating an unmistakable aroma of seafaring life. Tall masts loomed overhead, their rigging swaying gently with the ship's motion. The sun glinted off the polished brass fittings and c

Durban needed no crossing ropes to get from his boat to the merchant ship as he effortlessly jumped and covered the over 15 meters gap between the two ships easily. "You….." he said, tilting his head from side to side as his almost demonic eyes scanned Rhys with keen interest. "You look like you have been to Central Africa. Are you an Ascender?" Durban asked, implying that Rhys had been to the tower of ascension just like him. In the days of the old, when the world wasn't mapped out as well as it is today, people living on the other continents were not as aware about the Tower Of Ascension as they are in the modern day. Back then, reaching the tower wasn't as easy and many humans lived their entire lives simply without ever knowing about the existence of the tower and considered the myriad monster waves that sometimes originated from the tower as nothing more than divine punishment for their sins. However, in the late 1500's as more and more capable ships were started to be produc

Rhys knew he could not beat Durban in a fair fight.Durban was a far superior swordsman, and there was no way that Rhys could win by actively taking him on.Rhys understood that to beat Durban his only hope was to think outside the box and come up with a creative solution to win the fight. As only by using the external environment around him could he hope to defeat Durban.Looking around, his eyes landed on the ship's mast, towering above the deck, as an idea began to form in his head.While Durban menacingly walked towards him, a predatory glint in his eyes, Rhys quickly thought of a plan to hopefully win this fight as he created a sequence of events in his head that if executed perfectly could help him achieve one moment of opening up Durban's defenses.Looking at the mast, Rhys thought of a plan where he could use the ship's massive and heavy mast to his advantage.The plan was risky, but it was his only shot, as with Durban approaching, he did not have enough time to come up with

Once Rhys defeated Durban, he felt his bloodlust not dying down at all as he could not calm down after that blood pumping fight that he just had.As if turning into a demon possessed, he looked for the next strong opponent that he could face to possibly continue feeling this rush of beating death, however, as he started to look for the next opponent, the ship and his surroundings began to fade away into small granules of dust as if they were never real matter and were just an illusion from the start.Soon, he returned to the fluffy feathery room where he once was, while the injuries that he suffered over his body during the fight against Durban began healing rapidly as if they were fake too.To him it felt like he had just cleared a game stage and he had been returned to the previous floor after the boss raid was over, However, this was the real world and not a game, which made the fight he experienced all the more bizarre."Was it all just an illusion?" Rhys asked the Griffin-Like cr

Rhys stood in the feathery room, his eyes fixed on the five scrolls before him. Each scroll represented a unique path, each with its own advantages and challenges.While all five paths offered attractive choices, in the end he could only choose two of the five which was why he needed to choose very wisely.After thinking for a while, Rhys decided to make his decision by the process of elimination, as he eliminated the scrolls least suitable for him first, so that he could focus on the ones he really wanted with a clear mind.First, he considered the [Path of the Tempest Blade].The ability to harness the power of the wind, to strike swiftly and almost invisibly, was incredibly appealing. However, he knew that while he had decent agility, it wasn't his strongest suit.Relying on sheer speed and precision in combat wasn't his preferred style, if he had learnt anything after fighting Durban it was the fact that agility wasn't everything in swordsmanship as while Durban was nowhere near a