What Is the Supernatural?

[Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship Level 2: Beginning to grasp the power of basic swordsmanship used in combat at sea. Equivalent in strength to an expert who has studied the sword for three years and successfully mastered the fundamentals. Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2]

After taking down another sailor, Liu Zhi eagerly raised the level of his Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship.

He saw more and more pirates leaping over from the ships on both sides. It would be difficult for the sailors aboard this ship to win.

The sailors, however, were quite confident. Even as they faced an increasing number of enemies, they did not collapse.

Just then, a firework-like signal flare shot into the sky.

Liu Zhi, who was fighting a pirate, could not help looking up. The pirate, however, was not interrupted by the unexpected sight and slashed at Liu Zhi's neck.

Fortunately, Liu Zhi's Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship had already leveled up. He no longer looked like the rookie he had been before. As the enemy's blade came down, he turned his hand, and the curved saber in his grip blocked the pirate's strike.

At the same time, the attribute boosts gained from upgrading Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship made his strength and physique somewhat greater than an ordinary person's, allowing him to block that deadly blow.

However, the advantage and initiative Liu Zhi had held at first were suppressed just like that. The pirate discovered Liu Zhi's weakness and launched a desperate, all-out assault.

Liu Zhi was left struggling to cope with the barrage of attacks, forced back a little with nearly every blow. Yet he had no choice but to focus all his attention on defending against the enemy's attacks, afraid that one moment of carelessness would get him killed outright.

Because of this, he failed to notice the +1 and +2 values flashing repeatedly at the corner of his eye.

Just then, a horn sounded in the distance. Several seagoing ships about the same size as this one appeared around them. The flags flying from those ships resembled the one on Liu Zhi's vessel; they all belonged to fleets under the Xise Silver Fleet.

They had arrived with the wind and current in their favor. Before long, they maneuvered into position around the two pirate ships from several angles, pinning them down just as the pirate ships had pinned down this vessel.

The pirates also realized that something was wrong. The pirate leader who had already charged aboard shouted loudly, seemingly trying to gather his men.

But the captain of this ship shouted first.

"Ha ha! The pirates' end is here! Our sacrifices were not in vain! Kill them, for the King!"

"For the King!"

The sailors roared and charged at the pirates. Though there were no clear stats to show it, Liu Zhi could sense a distinct increase in their strength. They looked as though they had been affected by Bloodlust.

The pirates, who had originally held the upper hand, fell into disarray. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liu Zhi held back the pirate who had been pressing him from the start.

The more Liu Zhi fought, the smoother his movements became. Caught up in the thrill of battle, inspiration suddenly struck him. The instant his opponent defended, he cut straight through the glitter of the enemy's blade and, following its path, slashed the man's left hand.

That slash filled Liu Zhi with confidence. Just as he was about to step forward and follow up with another blow to finish off this clearly formidable enemy, he suddenly felt a chill run down his back.

Though he had no idea what had happened, he instinctively ducked his head.

Then Liu Zhi saw that the captain, who had been standing by the helm without taking action, had drawn his longsword and charged down with the ship's officers.

These men were clearly using Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship as well, but Liu Zhi felt that their swordsmanship was entirely different from that of the ordinary sailors. When they swung their blades, Liu Zhi could even hear that instead of the whistle of cutting wind, there was the sound of ocean waves crashing against reefs.

Liu Zhi could even sense that the seawater around them seemed to grow much denser whenever they attacked. He even saw droplets like dew falling from the blades.

The captain and his men charged past Liu Zhi. By the time they had rushed through, Liu Zhi discovered that the enemy he had first been fighting was already dead. That pirate, who had looked rather thin and weak at first yet possessed considerable strength, had not even managed to block a single strike from the captain and his men.

But that was not what truly drew Liu Zhi's attention. The pirate they had killed was rapidly shriveling up, a layer of white frost appearing over his body. He looked like cured meat that had been salted and air-dried.

Just then, a voice sounded behind Liu Zhi.

"That is the Supernatural Trait of Xise Naval Swordsmanship. Sunlight and seawater are the hallmarks of Xise Naval Swordsmanship, but you have now seen what extreme sunlight and seawater can become."

Liu Zhi turned around and found that the sailor who had previously guided him in swordsmanship was standing not far behind him. It was clear that they were quite relaxed now, as if they had already won the battle.

But that was not what Liu Zhi focused on. It was a key term in the sailor's words. "Supernatural Trait?"

"That's right. You're from Xise nobility too. Even if your family has fallen on hard times, how can you not know even this?" The sailor looked at Liu Zhi curiously.

"My talent was poor. My family had basically given up on me." Liu Zhi could only find a reasonable excuse for his ignorance.

"So that's how it is. No wonder you ended up here. This isn't really some secret; ask anyone, and they can tell you a thing or two. Most swordsmanship styles, if practiced seriously for more than ten years, can gradually reveal the true essence of swordsmanship and allow a person to master abilities beyond normal people. For example, you're practicing the simplest Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship, right? After about ten years of practice, you can master a Supernatural Ability similar to walking on waves, letting you fight at sea.

This is the most suitable kind of swordsmanship for sailors. But for you, it won't be of much use. Once you return to Xise, you'd better learn from someone in your family. Xisa's specialized swordsmanship is far better. Even if you can't learn our Xise Naval Swordsmanship, that trash swordsmanship used by the army is still better than your Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship."

Liu Zhi did not respond at all to this naval sailor who looked down on the army. He was instead wondering what kind of world this was. Could anyone use supernatural swordsmanship so casually?

Before he could react, clattering sounds came from both sides of the deck.

Liu Zhi turned to look and found several sailors using iron chains and ropes to secure the two pirate ships to this vessel.

"All right, go back to your cabin. There's nothing left for you to do up here," the sailor said to Liu Zhi.

"Can I ask what happened?" Though Liu Zhi had some guesses, he still asked the question.