Chapter 64-2: Fishing Growth Path (2) |
After a week of effort, his Gargoyle had reached level 12.
The leveling process turned out to be unexpectedly enjoyable, especially the sensation of physical attribute boosts with each level-up, which completely immersed him.
But compared to hunting for levels, he never forgot his core goal in playing this virtual game.
Now that his skills were ready, he felt it was finally time to embrace the joys of a fisherman.
After changing into a new game suit, Wu Quan entered the game pod and pressed the start button.
As nutrient solution flowed in, his body automatically connected to the neural interface tubes, and his vision was gradually engulfed by darkness.
Several minutes later.
Emperor’s Mound Mountain Range, Turtleback Lake.
The lake water was crystal clear and shimmering.
Not far away, clusters of reed-like plants swayed lightly in the breeze, their shadows reflecting on the lake, blending with the sky into a picturesque scene.
Wildflowers bloomed vibrantly around the simple fishing platform built by the shore, and Wu Quan, sitting among the flowers, was surrounded by their fragrance.
Fishing in such an environment was undeniably an exquisite pleasure.
He pressed a bait ball, made from minced meat from a canned food ration mixed with water, onto his handmade fishhook, then flicked his wrist. The fishing line, spun from Iron Shell Bug silk, drew a graceful arc through the air and landed precisely on the water’s surface.
Summoning the built-in forum, Wu Quan leaned back in his vine-woven chair, holding his rod in one hand while browsing forum updates and leisurely fishing.
He also kept the guild chat window minimized in the top left of his vision, occasionally glancing up to check what his guildmates were doing.
The breeze caressed his face, and Wu Quan felt utterly content.
At that moment, the fishing rod gently trembled.
Sensing a bite, Wu Quan tensed up and instantly switched to Gargoyle Form, gripping the rod tightly.
The fish sensed danger and started struggling. The fishing line went taut like a drawn bowstring, producing a ‘whoosh’ as a surge of brute force pulled against him. Wu Quan’s arm muscles tensed with each tug, his expression a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
The fish’s struggle intensified, and Wu Quan shifted from sitting to standing, firmly holding the rod.
After an intense struggle, a large fish burst from the water, flipping its tail mid-air and scattering crystalline droplets, its red scales gleaming under the waning moon’s light.
“Come here!”
Wu Quan exerted force, and the fish, unable to find any leverage mid-air, flew toward the shore.
Thud!
The large fish landed in the flowerbed, thrashing wildly, each tail slap launching it several meters into the air.
Focusing his gaze, analysis data appeared before him.
[Red-Scaled Fish (Monster)]
Hunt Level: 4
Description: A low-level monster unique to the Emperor’s Mound Mountain Range, primarily feeds on aquatic plants, but will attack other aquatic creatures when excessively hungry.
Guide Annotation: This monster has high edible value. After killing, you may choose to automatically decompose it into ‘Red-Scaled Fish Meat’ for your inventory, or choose a normal kill to gain evolution points and sacrificial power.
—
This was Wu Quan’s first successful catch, and he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
But he didn’t rush to process the Red-Scaled Fish. Instead, he activated the screenshot function and took a photo with the fish, sending it to the guild chat.
Sharing was one of the greatest joys of fishing.
After that, he pulled out the short-handled axe he had bought while leveling, and struck the thrashing fish dead.
At once, a kill reward option popped up in his mind.
Choose fish meat or evolution points and sacrificial power. After a brief consideration, Wu Quan chose the fish meat.
The Challenger System’s Extraction Power immediately activated, and under invisible forces, the dead Red-Scaled Fish was dismantled, leaving behind a pile of filleted fish meat.
[Red-Scaled Fish Meat x3]
Spiritual Food Grade: 2
Consumption Effect: Restores satiety. Each portion grants 30 body tempering experience upon use.
—
The analysis surprised Wu Quan.
The three portions of fish meat offered a total of 90 body tempering experience, which, if converted into sacrificial power, equaled 90 sacrificial power, far higher than what he earned hunting Evil Entities.
A typical level 4 Evil Entity wouldn’t yield nearly as much sacrificial power.
The only downside was that choosing to convert it into fish meat meant no evolution point gain, and fishing took much longer than killing several Evil Entities.
Even so, this discovery excited Wu Quan.
It meant that fishing could also make him stronger.
Killing aquatic creatures granted evolution points and sacrificial power, while the fish meat could serve as rations to boost body tempering experience.
This discovery opened up many future possibilities for his fishing career.
Strength was the key to surviving Monster World. He could grow stronger through fishing, and in the future, rivers, lakes, and seas throughout Monster World could all become his fishing grounds.
Thinking of this, Wu Quan was overjoyed, feeling that he had found his future path.
Picking up the Red-Scaled Fish Meat, he stored two portions in his inventory and sniffed the remaining piece.
A light, pleasant aroma lingered in his nose, making him, who normally disliked eating raw fish, feel tempted to take a bite.
Remembering this was a game with no risk of parasites, he cautiously bit off a small piece.
The moment the fish touched his tongue, Wu Quan’s eyes widened.
It was a taste he had never experienced in the real world. The tenderness and smoothness far exceeded anything he’d imagined fish could taste like. It contained a kind of indescribable liveliness and freshness, like morning dew gliding over young leaves, or a mountain spring brushing against one’s heart.
As he gently chewed, the fish melted on his tongue.
The light aroma intensified, bursting into rich waves through his mouth and nose, saturating his taste buds with freshness.
His pores opened wide, as if every cell in his body was awakened by this peerless delicacy, cheering in delight.
“Holy crap, this is too good!”
The Red-Scaled Fish Meat, imbued with spiritual essence, completely conquered Wu Quan’s taste buds. He quickly devoured the entire piece and then pulled out the remaining two portions meant for rations and ate those as well.
While gaining 90 body tempering experience, Wu Quan still felt unsatisfied.
“So good. Just too good.”
After this first taste of Monster World’s fish, Wu Quan’s enthusiasm for fishing was fully ignited.
“I wonder what grilled fish tastes like.”
He bought a torch from the shop, planted it beside the fishing platform, sat back down, and cast his line again full of anticipation.
As he continued fishing, Wu Quan decided to share his discovery on the player forums as a strategy guide.
In his days playing this game, he had learned an important lesson:
In any field of the game, fast development couldn’t be achieved by individual effort alone. It required large numbers of players joining together to explore and develop.
For example, the Arms Dealers Guild was founded by a group of players who loved weapon development and advanced that field together.
Similarly, powerful Star Vein builds had only emerged thanks to the collective contributions of countless players experimenting with soul combinations.
As a fishing enthusiast, Wu Quan felt that fishing gameplay also needed many players to join and push its limits together.
Bait crafting, line selection, rod making… to catch high-level aquatic creatures, he alone couldn’t go very far.
More players were needed to collaborate, brainstorm solutions to future challenges, and even upgrade fishing equipment.
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