Chapter 387 - 385: Another Use for the Strange Fish, I’m Going Too

The days grew colder and colder.

The once-turbulent, roiling sea had frozen into a rough, uneven sheet of ice.

And beneath the ice was nothing but black seawater, home to terrifying, polluted mutant fish.

These mutant fish wouldn’t break through the surface, but they would swarm and attack the bottom of the rafts.

Although people on board could use the system’s 3D raft model to repair the damage with materials, the constant cycle of destruction and repair was exhausting. It was manageable with two or more people on a raft, but otherwise, there was no way to get any real rest.

No one knew when their raft would be damaged, and if it got too bad, basic materials like wood and stones wouldn’t be enough to fix it.

Enduring it for a day or two was one thing. Pushing through for three or four days was still possible.

But now it was the fifth day. The temperature had dropped so low that it had even stopped snowing, and there was no end in sight.

Furthermore, with the sea frozen, it was impossible to fish for treasure chests. Of course, some people ventured directly onto the ice to search, but that was even more of a gamble than fishing for them. You could wander all day and not find a single Wooden Treasure Chest.

What was worse was the cold. People were bundled in layer after layer of clothing, but they still couldn’t keep the chill out.

Anyone with a Constitution below Tier Three who wasn’t wearing a temperature-regulating suit would inevitably get frostbite if they stayed outdoors for more than three hours.

On top of that, someone had to constantly monitor the raft for damage.

According to the information Faye Yardley gathered from the national channel, it wasn’t unheard of for people to cut through the ice to specifically lure and trap those black mutant fish.

Seeing that others were having success with this method, Faye Yardley also cut an ice hole a short distance away from her raft.

She had to do it farther away. The ice beneath the raft was densely entwined with Bramble, which seemed to maintain a reasonable perimeter, not foolishly expanding its reach or delving deeper.

At first, endless waves of mutant fish would throw themselves at the thorny branches, tangling with them.

After a while, with so many of their kind dying, it seemed the mutant fish started to get smarter.

They began to automatically avoid the area protected by Bramble.

However, Bramble would occasionally bloom a flower to lure them in.

The numbers weren’t as high as in the beginning, but it was better than nothing.

Under Bramble’s protection, Lucy White also went into the sea for about an hour every day. Afterward, she would ride Bella to a more distant spot to cut an ice hole and lure mutant fish.

The mutant fish left behind corpses when killed on land. Of course, their flesh was so polluted that the system couldn’t even be bothered to break it down.

To get any use out of their flesh, you had to collect some of the black seawater, toss the fish corpses in, and they would dissolve into wisps of energy.

In truth, even out of the water, those mutant fish were still extremely aggressive on the ice.

Their movement speed and agility were on par with the snakes that used to live on land.

In the beginning, many people were caught off guard, ending up either severely injured or killed outright.

As more people trapped them, they began to share their experiences. At first, it took a Third Tier individual to barely manage to kill one. Later, even Second Tier and First Tier individuals could hunt a mutant fish on their own—a sign of massive overall improvement.

Faye Yardley was back to normal after a day of rest. In the following days, she would cut an ice hole, jump in, kill a wave of fish, get out, and then go back in after a short while...

Just as she climbed out of the ice hole, Faye Yardley heard a long-awaited system notification: [Constitution +1].

Without even looking at the mutant fish trying to pursue her, Faye Yardley sidestepped and sliced it in half with a single stroke, sending the pieces falling back into the seawater.

Its blood attracted more mutant fish. Heads desperately tried to squeeze through the opening, but there were so many that they all got stuck, unable to move.

Faye Yardley stood at the edge, looking down into the ice hole, which was now a dense mass of bulging red eyes.

"Heh~"

Faye Yardley pulled a basin of sand from her backpack and sprinkled it evenly over all the fish eyes, hearing shrill, piercing hisses.

Then, she fired an explosive arrow into the hole.

BOOM—

WHOOSH—

A huge plume of fire suddenly erupted.

Huh??

Faye Yardley hadn’t expected these mutant fish to be such excellent fuel.

The flames blazed, and the temperature was quite high.

The mouth of the ice hole was actually widening slowly.

’So this stuff can be used as fuel,’ she thought. ’In that case, it would be perfect for the fireplace or a Fire Pit.’

Faye Yardley called her brother and Zachary Pierce, telling them not to rush to dissolve the fish they caught in seawater, but to try throwing them into the fireplace instead.

Soon, Zachary Pierce reported back: "Yardley, thanks for the tip. When we burn these mutant fish, the raft doesn’t get attacked by them. Looks like we need to step up our hunting efforts."

They quickly posted this news on the national channel.

The mutant fish could increase a person’s Attributes and could also be burned to prevent raft attacks. This was great news for everyone, especially for those who were running out of basic wood.

The price of wood on the trading market had already reached a point that most people couldn’t afford.

After all, aside from the few who had entered Dungeons, the vast majority of people needed wood to make charcoal and repair their rafts. With no way to replenish their supply, it would have been strange if the price hadn’t skyrocketed.

Now, not only did they have a method for luring them, but they could also use the mutant fish corpses as fuel and stop the fish from attacking the rafts.

This news was incredibly uplifting, and the public channel was swept clean of the previous despair and talk of waiting for death.

As for the ungrateful comments that still popped up on the public channel, they were simply ignored.

Faye Yardley’s raft, protected by Bramble, had never been attacked, but she had sent a good amount of her wood and stones to support her brother’s group.

Seeing the fire in front of her still blazing furiously, Faye Yardley frowned slightly. ’This fire isn’t going to set the whole sea ablaze, is it?’ she wondered. ’Wouldn’t that turn it into a sea of flames?’

Fortunately, that worry didn’t come to pass. However, the burning ice hole had now expanded to nearly a hundred square meters.

The fire burned for the entire afternoon before it slowly died down and eventually went out.

"Bramble, catch some mutant fish and bring them up."

Bramble extended a small thorny branch and waved it up and down. A moment later, a thick, thorny branch shot out from the enlarged ice hole, coiled around a mutant fish.

Faye Yardley had Lucy White and Bramble work together to haul up as many mutant fish as possible.

Who knew when they would encounter these mutant fish in such large numbers again if they missed this chance.

Stockpiling some in the warehouse was an excellent idea.

While all the survivors on the sea were doing their utmost to catch mutant fish, the black seawater under the ice had unknowingly begun to recede, revealing a two-to-three-centimeter layer of clear water on top.

When Faye Yardley came out of the training room, Willow Yardley said, "Sister, I’ve put all the mutant fish that Bramble and Lucy White brought to the raft into the warehouse. You can just transfer them to your own storage."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Willow Yardley smiled and shook her head slightly, then added, "Also, Lucy White said a layer of clear seawater has appeared beneath the ice. The black water is starting to sink."

"So soon? We only just found a way to deal with them today and the water’s already receding? Tsk, we’ll have to speed up if we want to cash in. You hold down the fort, I’m going out too."