Chapter 169: Full Collection of D-level Fish

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Full Collection of D-level Fish

To be precise, it was only after opening her eyes that Seraphina Sinclair realized it was the sound of crying.

In her sleep, she hadn’t been able to distinguish it at all, merely sensing some noise disturbing her rest.

Seraphina Sinclair had just woken up and was still groggy. It was warm under the covers, and the heated air left her feeling a little flushed.

But that warmth quickly faded.

The crying was intermittent, a low, drawn-out sob, like a cold silk thread seeping in from the pitch-black lake outside and coiling around Seraphina Sinclair’s eardrums.

Her heart pounded wildly in the silent room, its THUMP-THUMP-THUMP forming a bizarre duet with the faint, phantom-like cries.

She held her breath, straining to listen.

The crying was quiet yet incredibly piercing. It didn’t sound like a human child’s wail; it was more ethereal, more sorrowful, as if it carried millennia of accumulated resentment that directly assailed a person’s Spirit.

’A Kelpie?’

’Or some unknown aquatic monster?’

’Or... is this some kind of Spiritual Pollution being released by who-knows-what?’

Seraphina Sinclair cautiously activated Water Stopping first. Only then did she go to the bathroom to put on her Protective Clothing before returning to the mobile cabin, long knife in hand.

The crying hadn’t stopped. The Sunflower seemed to have noticed something was wrong, too.

It had curled up, using its leaves to cover its blossom, looking for all the world like a person covering their ears.

’Kind of cute, actually.’

Seraphina Sinclair swallowed nervously, gripping her knife as she searched the mobile cabin for the sound’s origin.

Even with the Protective Clothing on, Seraphina Sinclair could still hear the thing crying.

It just wasn’t coiling directly around her eardrums anymore. The Protective Clothing was clearly working.

’What on earth could it be?’

The door was closed. To open it...

...required courage.

Seraphina Sinclair stood behind the door, her hand gripping the cold doorknob, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip.

The crying from outside seeped through the thin door, becoming clearer. That ethereal sorrow felt like a tangible chill, trying to penetrate the barrier of her Protective Clothing.

The effect of Water Stopping had minimized the sound’s impact on her Spirit, but the physical discomfort remained. Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.

She took a quiet, deep breath to steady her nerves. Her other hand tightened on her long knife, its tip pointing slightly forward, ready to face whatever horror lay beyond.

Then, she yanked the door open!

The door swung open, and the cold, damp air of the early morning rushed in to meet her.

Outside was not the ferocious Kelpie or twisted monster she had imagined. Under the faint light of dawn, the lake’s surface shimmered with a grayish-blue light, as tranquil as ever.

The sound was still there. And it was so close, it was as if it were crying right in front of her.

The moment that thought occurred to her, Seraphina Sinclair’s body went rigid.

The firelight from the hearth was completely blocked by the door, plunging the area directly in front of her into darkness.

She took the luminous flesh-lump she had acquired during the day from her earring. A soft, steady white light instantly dispelled the darkness, illuminating a small area before the door.

Where the light fell, Seraphina Sinclair saw the source of the sound.

It was indeed coming from right in front of her, on the wooden board just outside the mobile cabin’s door.

Seraphina Sinclair slowly lowered her gaze.

Lying there was a...

...Ugh, an indescribably ugly fish.

Its body was like a translucent gel, now limp as mud. Its pink skin was dull and fragile, its massive head drooped over a fleshy nose, and a small mouth hung slightly agape beneath.

The crying Seraphina Sinclair had heard was coming from it.

The fish’s soft side fins were vestigial, and its entire body was scaleless. From deep within its folds, a pair of small black eyes stared at Seraphina Sinclair, looking blank and aggrieved.

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’It had the nerve to look aggrieved?!’

’Crying at someone’s door in the middle of the night!’

’The owner of the house comes out to see what’s going on, and this stinking fish has the gall to look wronged?!’

Seraphina Sinclair laughed in exasperation, but she didn’t let the anger cloud her judgment.

"Insight!"

The moment she spoke, a panel popped up.

[Blobfish (D+ Level)]

[Description: A special fish species that inhabits high-pressure, deep-water environments and has floated to the surface due to drastic environmental changes. Its body is gelatinous to adapt to high pressure; under normal atmospheric pressure, it becomes flaccid and fragile, causing it to emit a continuous, ethereal, sorrowful cry due to intense physiological discomfort. This sound has a degree of spiritual interference, causing unease and anxiety in listeners. Due to structural changes, its flesh is rich in special moisture and gentle energy. When properly prepared, it is an excellent ingredient for hydration and calming the Spirit. However, consuming it raw or preparing it improperly may exacerbate spiritual disorder.]

Reading the Description, Seraphina Sinclair finally understood.

’So this thing had been forced to the surface and ended up stranded at her door.’

Looking at the fish, so ugly it was almost pitiful as it continued to whimper, Seraphina Sinclair didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry.

’But... since you delivered yourself to my doorstep, you can’t blame me for putting you in my Silver Moon Earrings.’

Seraphina Sinclair crouched down and carefully prodded the Blobfish’s gelatinous body with the tip of her knife.

It felt limp and cool to the touch. As she poked it, the fish’s body quivered, and its cries fluctuated, making it sound even more pitiful.

Seraphina Sinclair met its small black eyes for a moment, then dispatched it with a single, clean stroke of her knife.

After dealing with the uninvited guest, the world outside returned to the proper silence of the lakeside, with only the faint sound of the breeze rippling across the water.

A sliver of fish-belly white had appeared on the horizon, and the morning chill grew heavier.

As she stored the item in her Silver Moon Earrings, a notification panel instantly popped up in front of her.

[Congratulations, Survivor Blacktiger Ford! You are the first on the server to collect all D-level fish ingredients. Do you wish to make a server-wide announcement?]

’This...’

’So this was the last D-level fish I was missing.’

’As for the choice... was there even a choice to make?’

[Congratulations to survivor "Blacktiger Ford" for becoming the first survivor on the server to "collect all D-level fish ingredients"! A server-wide announcement will now be made as encouragement!]

The system announcement wasn’t loud. Those who were asleep stayed asleep, but this message sent a shockwave through everyone who was awake.

"What was that? What D-level?"

"Did I hear that right? No, am I dreaming? Isn’t it four in the morning? Master Blacktiger, what in the world are you doing?!"

’Indeed.’

’Four in the morning.’

’Then again...’

’...who could have known that after being woken up in the middle of the night, you could find a fish on your doorstep? And that it would just so happen to be the very last of all the D-level fish species.’

"Holy shit! Holy, holy shit! What’s going on? An announcement?! All D-level fish collected?! Master Blacktiger, don’t you ever sleep?!"

"...I just woke up because I was thirsty, and before I even got my bearings, I get a system announcement slapped in my face... Master, give us a break, will you? It’s just one psychological blow after another."

"Where the hell are you fishing! This fisherman really wants to know! I haven’t even seen a river yet, but I’ve already got my rod and bait ready! I just hope fish will bite on this meat I’ve carved off monsters."

"Wait!! I just realized something important! If there are fish, doesn’t that mean there’s water? Master, don’t go! @Blacktiger Ford, Master, are you selling water? I have Black Fog Coins! I’ll pay you for it!"