Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1890: The Quiet Shore

Adam walked slowly forward as the gray sand crunched beneath his boots.

Strange as it may seem, this was the first time Adam had ever been at a real shore.

At the Citadel, there were neither seas nor lakes. Even in the Second Ring, the largest territory, there were only streams and ponds – nothing too big.

This was hardly surprising, considering that the Citadel’s size was limited and everything had to operate as efficiently as possible.

The government couldn’t waste water on creating a decorative lake. Instead, there were huge underground reservoirs that supplied water to the Three Rings.

The Citadel was small compared to the rest of the world, where there were plenty of lakes. Adam had been to some of them, but the sea was a whole different story.

“Huh…” Adam watched as the gray sand trickled through his fingers. “This is my first real shore, isn’t it?”

Sure, Adam had once been at the Dark Shore, but despite the name of that vast territory ruled by the Befallen Crown, there was no shore there. At least, Adam hadn’t ventured far enough to see why that territory bore that name.

The Gray Sea surrounded the entire world. All lands had a border, and it was at that very border that the Gray Sea began.

For the Tarnished Lands, one such border was the Silent Hills. On this side, there was no place closer to the Gray Sea, and Varreyn, a monster city, was also quite close.

“Hmm, how strange…” Adam looked around.

For many kilometers, there was nothing and no one but the gray shore.

“This place is so empty. It’s not what I expected, but I can’t say I don’t like it.”

When Adam first heard about the Gray Sea, he longed to go there, ready for countless battles and rewards.

To some extent, the Gray Sea was the end of their world and the largest territory of them all. From this perspective, it was no surprise that Adam expected to see plenty of battles here.

However, as he learned more about these lands, he came to understand better what the Gray Sea was really like.

“But, only once you’re here do you realize how quiet it is…”

Splash! Splash! Splash!

One wave after another crashed against the shore, bringing Adam a sound he had never heard before.

No pool in a luxury hotel or great lake in the Primal Lands could compare to the sounds of the sea.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying this silence, right? Besides, I need to figure out where not to go.”

This time, Adam decided to play it smart and follow Laroza’s advice.

First, he planned to find the Bottomless Void and only then set out in search of Breydar.

“Maybe somewhere else I could afford to take risks, but not here. There are thousands of islands, and they’re all dangerous.”

Step. Step. Step.

Adam headed forward along the expansive shore as he pulled out his compass.

The compass needle pointed north and veered slightly to the left. That meant the entrance to the Grand Abyss closest to Adam was right there.

“Alright, so that’s where I’m headed.”

Adam didn’t know who he might encounter at the Gray Sea. There were all kinds of monsters and warriors here. Some were born right in the waters. Others had come here in search of rare treasures or for the same purpose as Adam, and still others, like Breydar, were hiding from more dangerous enemies who were hunting them.

There was only one thing that troubled Adam, and now, in the silence, amid the sound of waves crashing against the shore, he could think about it.

‘Silvana… I don’t know what she’s up to, but she’s still not done. I spent quite a bit of time at the Grad Family residence. Nealing Vador turned out to be harder than I thought. But even now, she hasn’t gotten in touch with me.’

However, Adam wasn’t in a hurry to panic. He would have sensed it immediately if Silvana were in danger or injured.

Strangely enough, he sensed just the opposite. From time to time, the Evolution Vein would tremble, indicating that Silvana was growing stronger.

‘To some extent, I’m even proud of her. This is the first time she’s decided to go training to get stronger, and she did it on her own. Fine, I hope she knows what she’s doing.’

Step. Step. Step.

A few minutes later, glancing at his compass from time to time, Adam approached the end of the shore.

Splash!

The dark water splashed in front of him as the drops fell on his coat and boots.

About two or three kilometers ahead, the first islands came into view. They could be any of the islands from A1 to A10, the safest ones.

Adam narrowed his eyes as his compass pointed directly at one of the islands. He couldn’t tell if that was because the passage was right on the island or much farther away.

He had to check it out.

“Alright, by the time I get back from the Grand Abyss, Breydar might have gone past Island A180, maybe he’ll even make it to Island A200 or even farther. I need to see what these islands are capable of.”

Whoooooosh!

Adam leaped high into the air as he prepared to fly straight toward the island, but before he could leap forward, a curious thought occurred to him.

“Wait, since I’m here, I should try this, right?” Adam smiled as he halted his energy.

He was no longer flying as he fell straight down toward the waves.

However, he didn’t want to plunge into the water, so he directed his energy toward his feet, creating small platforms beneath him just as he had done for flight.

Tap!

Smoothly, Adam landed on the water’s surface, and his sense of balance was more than enough to keep him standing even amid the moving waves.

“Hah, this isn’t so bad.” Adam’s eyes sparkled as he looked out at the endless sea full of waves ahead and a few solitary islands.

With a deep breath, he leaned forward and dashed ahead, heading toward his first island in the Gray Sea.