Chapter 12: Black Mist Catfish

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Black Mist Catfish

Taking down a Rotting Corpse head-on wasn’t a difficult task for Seraphina Sinclair.

She waited for the right moment, quickly closing the distance to the Rotting Corpse. With a swift motion, she put her full strength behind the attack, plunging her knife straight through its head.

This time, after the Rotting Corpse’s body dissipated, a Supply Box immediately appeared at Seraphina Sinclair’s feet.

To her delight, it was actually an E-level box.

Seraphina Sinclair’s spirits lifted. It was only after she carried the box back to her bed that she realized something was off.

’Didn’t the composter say it wouldn’t automatically clean up monster remains anymore?’

Seraphina Sinclair turned to check again. After confirming that the monster’s corpse had indeed vanished, she raised a hand and scratched her head in confusion.

’How strange.’

Seraphina Sinclair thought about it as she walked over to the composter. ’If the corpses keep disappearing on their own, won’t this composter become a mere decoration?’

Seraphina Sinclair gave the composter a light kick. The next second, a panel popped up in front of her.

[Available Organic Materials: Rotting Corpse x1, Rotting Beetle x1]

’So that’s where it went.’

Seraphina Sinclair chose to put both in at once. ’Since it’s for producing nutrient liquid, the more materials, the better,’ she reasoned.

The system prompted her again.

[Please add 500ml of water!]

’It needs water, too?’

Seraphina Sinclair was a little surprised, but she still brought over a bottle of mineral water, twisted off the cap, and poured it in.

’The prompt didn’t specify what kind of water, so maybe water from the filter would work too.’

Seraphina Sinclair saved the empty mineral water bottles. ’Who knows when they might come in handy?’

’Besides, this should count as plastic, right?’

’It’s a basic material, too.’

After the water was added, the composter began to operate, emitting a low hum. Seraphina Sinclair leaned in to watch, curious. She saw the agitator inside the device slowly rotating, thoroughly mixing the remains of the Rotting Corpse and the beetle with the water.

[Composter operating...]

[Estimated Completion Time: 48 hours]

[Current Estimated Nutrient Liquid Output: 200ml (E-level)]

’Forty-eight hours... that’s two days.’

’It lines up perfectly with the blueprint’s description of 100ml produced every 24 hours.’

Seraphina Sinclair sighed. It seemed she wouldn’t have any nutrient liquid to use today.

’Still, getting an E-level Supply Box today is already pretty good!’

Seraphina Sinclair stood back up on the bed, gripping her knife as she waited for the final surge of black mist.

Twenty minutes passed in a flash.

As the dense fog rolled in and completely obscured her vision, Seraphina Sinclair once again heard the Sunflower’s voice.

"Stinky."

’Stinky?’

’What is it?’

Seraphina Sinclair tensed up instantly. Just as she was debating whether to teleport to the bathroom, she suddenly heard the sound of water.

Like the ebb and flow of the tide at the seaside, the sound in the small cabin was that of lapping waves.

Seraphina Sinclair furrowed her brow, sniffing the air hard. After confirming she couldn’t smell anything foul, she was finally certain: only water had come in this time, no monsters.

’Wait!’

’Water?’

’Could it be? Did the mobile cabin pass through some kind of river? The water is pouring in!’

’Good thing all the supplies are on the bed. They definitely won’t get washed away. The composter and water filter are heavy, so they should be fine too.’

The black mist slowly receded.

Seraphina Sinclair could finally see the situation clearly.

The entire floor of the mobile cabin was covered in a layer of black water about ankle-deep. The surface rippled as the water level was clearly receding.

Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze suddenly fixed on a corner where the water was churning in a way that was clearly different from the rest.

Beneath the black water was a lively, flopping fish!

’I wonder if I can eat it...’

But Seraphina Sinclair was already getting excited. ’This counts as food, right?!’

’I have to catch it!’

She waited patiently until the black water had receded to a thin layer, then eagerly stepped off the bed.

She was wearing the sneakers that came with her tracksuit. The soles weren’t very thick, almost level with the water’s surface. If she was careful, she could avoid getting her shoes wet.

At first, Seraphina Sinclair moved stealthily, but when she saw the large black fish flapping in place, she could no longer control her Speed. She shot forward, bent down, and her hand lunged toward the fish like a pincer!

As if it could see her, the fish slapped its tail and leaped a little further away.

Seraphina Sinclair froze. She immediately realized that none of the creatures here were ordinary!

She gripped her military knife and once again closed in stealthily.

Just as the black fish thought she would try to grab it again, she tightened her grip on the knife handle and lunged forward with a sudden stab!

A fish’s life ended then and there.

Seraphina Sinclair held up her military knife, a large black fish the length of two adult hands skewered on it. She stood there, grinning for a moment, before using "Insight" to inspect her prize.

[Black Mist Catfish (E+ Level)]

[Description: A mutated catfish that grows in the Blackmist Waters. Its flesh is a translucent, milky white, with very few bones. When eaten raw, it has a light, sweet aftertaste. When grilled, its layer of fat melts to form a natural sauce. It is a rare delicacy in the Black Mist World! It loves to tease its pursuers by flicking its tail, and if you fail to catch it, it might even slap you in the face with it!]

[Special Effects: None]

’Slap in the face?’

Seraphina Sinclair frowned, but then her eyes lit up as she recalled the earlier part of the description.

She carefully removed the fish from her military knife. Its body was still twitching slightly, but it was no longer alive.

The fish’s skin felt cool and slick to the touch, and she could faintly see the glistening layer of fat beneath it.

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t a fan of raw food, so she decided to grill it.

"This is real meat..."

she murmured, already imagining the sight of fat dripping from the grilling fish.

What surprised her even more was that when she turned the fish over, a window suddenly popped up from the system.

[E+ Level ingredient detected. Decompose?]

[Acquirable: High-Quality Fish Meat x3, Fish Oil x1, glowing fish swim bladder x1]

Seraphina Sinclair had been worrying about how to process it, so she chose "Yes" without a moment’s hesitation.

The next second, the military knife flew nimbly in her hands. The scales and innards were perfectly separated, then turned transparent and vanished, leaving only the crystal-clear fish meat and two special materials.

’This feels a bit magical. It’s my own body, but it’s not under my control.’

[Acquired: Black Mist Catfish Meat (E+ Level) x3]

[Description: Like jelly when eaten raw. So delicious when grilled, you could bite your tongue off! Recommended to be eaten with bread.]

[Acquired: Concentrated Fish Oil (E-level) x1]

[Description: When lit, can repel low-level black mist creatures. Lasts for 48 hours.]

[Acquired: glowing fish swim bladder (Special Material)]

[Description: A precious material for crafting underwater equipment. As for its current uses... oh, you’re not qualified to know.]

’Not qualified...’

Seraphina Sinclair fell silent for a moment, but her mood lifted again at the sight of the fish meat.

She carefully put away the fish meat and placed the Fish Oil separately on the wooden bed. She probably wouldn’t use it now, but based on the description, it was definitely something important and needed to be stored safely.

As for the glowing fish swim bladder...

Seraphina Sinclair played with it in her hand for a while and discovered that it actually adjusted its brightness automatically based on the ambient light.