Chapter 177 - 134: This Thing Is Also a Fish (Part 2)

It didn’t really matter to Faraway in his Soul state.

But for his Candle Spirit Body, this was not good news...

...

Of course, the Prison Players’ journey wasn’t confined to the solo instance of the Casa Peninsula.

While the high-risk instances in the unknown seas were explored by relatively fewer people, they still attracted a considerable number, including one special group, for instance...

Fishing fanatics.

"Hey, Old Yu, where the hell have you dragged me now? I’ve been playing this game for days, and all I’ve done is kill monsters. You sure this is the ’fishing game’ you were talking about? Can you even fish in a place like this?"

On the Spirit Fire Ship, a player with the ID "Tobacco and Alcohol Drifter" gave his companion, Brother Yu, a bewildered look.

"Old Yan, if you’re going to talk like that, then let me ask you something." Hearing this, Brother Yu turned and handed him a fishing rod.

"Tell me, is this a fishing rod or not?"

"Yeah, but..."

"And tell me, is this the sea?"

"Yeah..."

"What’s this in my hand?"

"A fish basket."

"...It’s a fish!" Brother Yu retorted, pulling out a small fish and waggling it in his face. He then slapped the deck of the Spirit Fire Ship beneath them. "We’ve got rods, we’ve got the sea, we’ve got fish, and we’ve got a boat. So you tell me, isn’t this a fishing game?"

Old Yan was taken aback for a second. He then scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "You know what? You’ve got a point. As long as we can fish, right!"

"That’s more like it." Brother Yu nodded, satisfied. "And just look at this weather—perfect for fishing. The game is so realistic, isn’t it?"

Old Yan looked up at the pitch-black sky. His shiny bald head didn’t even catch a glint of light...

The weather might have been a bit off, but Old Yu was right about everything else. So, he nodded in agreement.

"I’ll give it to you, Old Yu. Never thought a fishing nut like you would find a virtual fishing spot in a game, haha..."

"...You know it. But let’s head in a little deeper. This spot doesn’t look like it’ll yield any big ones..."

"Sure. Oh, by the way, what’s this young fella’s name? You haven’t even introduced us."

"Oh, right. Just call him Li Qun. He’ll be on net duty later. Li Qun, this is Old Yan."

"Good to meet you, Brother Yan."

"Ah, just call me Old Yan, haha! You’re a fine-looking young man, haha..."

"Er, I wouldn’t say that..."

"..."

Venerable Li Qun felt a bit awkward, but he made a few reserved comments to play along.

’He had been roped into this by Brother Yu. He’d thought he was joining a pro player to form an adventuring party and explore a new map. But now... this was less an ’adventuring party’ and more of an ’old man club’...’

Brother Yu and Old Yan quickly fell into casual conversation, occasionally dropping some insider jargon that sounded like it was about antiques.

Of course, they mostly talked about fishing, but they also touched on some old-school games. Li Qun could actually understand that part and chime in. Brother Yu didn’t leave him hanging, and the atmosphere between the three of them was congenial.

As they chatted, the Spirit Fire Ship continued on its course.

The sky was oppressively dark and thick with clouds, looking as if it could unleash a torrential downpour at any moment.

But this was just an illusion. The weather was fixed; players who explored these seas had never once seen it rain.

The edge of the darkness remained blurred, like a mysterious giant creature lying in wait to devour someone. The Ocean, too, was profoundly dark, with relentless wind and waves.

Even after sailing for a good while, judging by the view ahead, they were likely still on the very edge of this unknown sea.

"This game is pretty well-made. The map is huge," Old Yan, who hadn’t been playing for long, couldn’t help but remark at the sight.

"Alright, there’s nothing to see here. Bait your hooks, let’s get fishing," Brother Yu urged.

"What? We’re not putting down any chum? Just casting blind?" Old Yan asked, surprised.

"This is a game! Why would we need chum..." Brother Yu was exasperated.

’Besides,’ he thought, ’chumming in a small river or stream is one thing, but this is the bottomless sea. We don’t have any special bait, so what would we even use? Li Qun, the Frogman player?’

Hearing this, Old Yan smacked himself on the forehead and then took out his fishing rod.

Li Qun wasn’t here to fish. But in this seemingly endless sea, it appeared there were only three things for him to do.

Sailing, fishing, diving.

Li Qun chose the third option.

"Brother Yu, I’m heading in," Li Qun announced. He stood up, ready to jump.

"Alright." Brother Yu replied without looking up from his fishing rod.

But just as he was about to jump, Li Qun stared into the sea, freezing for a second. Then, he narrowed his eyes and leaned in for a closer look.

"Why’s the sea getting so dark?" Old Yan wondered aloud.

Hearing him, Brother Yu casually replied, "With weather like this, of course the sea is going to look dark..."

But before he could finish, it happened.

The sea around them suddenly seemed to swell upwards, as if some giant creature beneath the surface was displacing the water.

Brother Yu realized something was wrong. His brow furrowed, and he started to reach for his Weapon.

But... it was too late.

"Look out!" Li Qun’s face changed dramatically as he leaped to the side.

SPLASH!!!

A colossal wave erupted from the sea, and terrifyingly sharp, giant teeth rose from the water. A cross-shaped maw materialized, opening from four directions to encompass the five or six meters around the three of them. And then...

It snapped shut!

CRUNCH!

Following the muffled crunch, massive waves instantly churned the once-calm sea. The Giant Monster plunged back into the depths.

A few broken Spirit Fire Ship Wax Blocks drifted on the water. The three men were gone.

「A few moments later.」

Two piles of Wax Ash floated on the sea as the Wandering Souls of Brother Yu and Old Yan rose to the surface.

[DEAD]

"HOLY FUCK! You scared the soul right out of me! Yu, you bastard, this is the ’fishing game’ you were telling me about?" Old Yan lunged for Brother Yu’s throat.

"..." Brother Yu dodged, looking a little guilty, but he refused to back down. "It is, though! Isn’t that thing a type of fish?"

"..." Old Yan felt his vision darken. He pointed a finger, a laugh of pure exasperation escaping him. "Yu, you’ve got some nerve. And here I was wondering why you’ve been looking so refreshed and youthful lately. You must get the shit scared out of you on the regular playing this game, huh?"

"Ahem." Brother Yu coughed awkwardly, then looked around in feigned surprise to change the subject. "Huh? Where’s Li Qun? How come I don’t see his soul? Is he not dead yet?"

Only then did the two of them realize that Li Qun hadn’t died. They belatedly glanced at their chat window.

And in the party channel, messages from Li Qun were flooding in.

Venerable Li Qun: "What the fuck, what is this thing!? Brother Yu? Old Yan? You guys still there?"

"I’m screwed! I’m inside its stomach!"

"Holy crap, this roundworm is huge! It’s a monster now... a Fanged Roundworm..."

"Shit, the stomach acid is toxic!"

"Wait, no, I think there’s loot!"

"Fuck, another monster!"

"Brother Yu! Old Yan! Help me! Somebody, help!"

Brother Yu and Old Yan were stunned after reading the messages.

When the Giant Monster attacked, both of them had been on the ship, caught in the full force of its crushing, tearing teeth.

Brother Yu had tried to fight back but was overwhelmed. Old Yan, not being very strong, was helpless.

But to their surprise, Li Qun hadn’t died. He’d somehow ended up inside the Giant Monster’s stomach.

They didn’t know if it was because he had jumped from the ship.

Seeing this, the two exchanged a look. As they headed to the oceanic Milestone Spirit Candle at the entrance of the unknown sea to resurrect, they typed a reply in the party channel.

Never Air Force Fisherman: "Don’t panic. Can you find a way out? Try cutting its stomach open?"

Tobacco and Alcohol Wanderer: "Hang in there, little brother Li Qun! Old Yu and I are resurrecting right now to come save you."

Li Qun didn’t reply immediately.

But after a while, once the two of them had resurrected, Li Qun finally replied.

Venerable Li Qun: "...I died."

Venerable Li Qun: "But I picked up a chest in the monster’s stomach. We need to go get my Wax Ash."