Trapped as an NPC in a Dating Sim

Chapter 122: Fishing!

“Purification!”

“Inferno Lance!”

“Crescent Sever!”

*Roar!*

Somewhere in the corner of the WhiteLeaf forest, right next to the wetland, a huge salamander with bright yellow patches on its body was cleaved in half by a crescent of light.

Despite being at level 33, the poor creature only managed to let out an unwilling roar before it was pierced by a fiery spear and cut into two by a sword.

Even its poison was neutralized by a Healer before it could reach its target.

“Hah… this is the fifth one. Now, let’s leave this damn place already. I really don’t like this place.”

Sylvia said, while trying to find solid ground to stand on.

Rather than the poisonous monsters lurking around, what Sylvia hated most was the wetlands.

She long since lost track of how many times her shoes were soaked, the ground beneath her giving way without warning, swallowing her steps into cold, sucking mud.

“Yuck… so gross!”

Sylvia spoke in an annoyed tone while using her mana to strip away the gunk clinging to and around her shoes.

A faint shimmer passed over the soles, and the thick mud slid off as if repelled by an unseen force.

But she already knew it was pointless.

The moment she took another step, the wet ground would swallow her footing again, coating her shoes in the same stubborn filth.

It wasn’t something she could fight or burn away unless she left this damp place completely.

“Pftt… you are being too harsh. Your boot is waterproof anyway. What is there to be so worried about?”

Aria saw Sylvia’s annoyance and commented lightly, giggling a bit.

“… it isn’t that. I just… hate this gooey mess sticking to everything, it feels disgusting.”

Sylvia spoke in faint anger, realizing she once again stepped into a patch of cold, slimy mud mixed with decaying reeds.

“Ah, I hate this. Hey guys, let’s leave, shall we? What are we waiting for?”

In the end, Sylvia forced herself not to look at her feet and asked her teammates, who had already stored the body of the monster inside the inventory.

“Wait… Soren is still busy with something.”

But Evan stopped everyone and pointed at Soren, who was squatting at the edge of the massive pond, his gaze fixed intently on the water, his hand hovering lightly above its surface.

“…”

For a moment, everyone just stared, baffled.

This wasn’t the first time Soren did something like this.

All this time, he didn’t join any fight, preferring instead to tinker or play with water wherever he went.

When asked, he simply said he was “training.” What exactly he trained for, however, remained a mystery.

This time, though, Sylvia wasn’t willing to wait for his so-called training to finish.

“Hey, Soren, the monster is already dead. Let’s leave.”

She stepped closer, reaching out as if to pull him along, only for him to put a finger to his lips.

“Shush… don’t shout. It will run away.”

Soren whispered, his eyes still on the water as he traced subtle, rhythmic movements with his fingers across the surface.

“Hmm?”

For a moment, Sylvia, Aria, Aurelia, and Evan were completely confused. Still, they went silent, edging closer to see what exactly Soren thought would run away.

’Take the bait, big guy. What are you waiting for?’

While everyone went silent, Soren, on the other hand, closed his eyes and began to sense his mana-laced Resonant Strings deep under the water.

Although he couldn’t see through the murky water from above, he could still feel what was inside with the help of his Concept.

And it told him he was quite close to catching a fish with the bait he hooked at the end of his string.

*Swoosh!*

Sure enough, the fish monster, although very intelligent, failed to notice the trap and lunged at the glob of golden honey, swallowing it in a big gulp.

Only, it was unaware that by doing so, it had completely entangled itself in the thin string connected to Soren’s hand.

“Perfect… haha, finally.”

The moment Soren felt the movement, he immediately stood up in excitement, then pulled his hand upward with all his strength.

Only then did everyone notice that he was actually holding a very thin blue mana string in his hand, the other end of which was deep in the pond.

*Splash!*

And with how the water churned around, they finally realized that the “training” Soren was doing was actually fishing.

Fishing for a monster in this marshland.

“…”

For a moment, everyone stood stunned and speechless until Soren’s shout brought them back to their senses.

“Evan… help me kill this fish. Make sure it doesn’t escape, or all this effort will be wasted!”

Soren’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he tightened his grip on the thin, glowing blue mana string and pulled harder.

*Splash!*

Simultaneously, the water churned more violently, sending ripples across the pond, while the monstrous fish entangled in the string fought desperately against its pull.

Unfortunately for the fish, Soren was too strong. Even with all its thrashing, it was flung out of the pond, soaring through the air with water splashing everywhere.

Only then did everyone see that the fish was almost the size of a human, its body covered in shimmering sapphire-blue scales that reflected the sunlight, fins wide and leaf-like, and eyes sharp and intelligent.

Muscles rippled beneath its sleek frame, and a faint bioluminescent glow ran along its sides, hinting at its magical nature.

—

[Monster: Mistfin Gladefish]

[Rank: D]

[Level: 32]

[Special Trait: Aqua Evasion / Lightning Reflex – an extremely intelligent fish that moves with lightning-fast reflexes, making it nearly impossible to catch or kill while in water.]

—

“Now!”

The moment the fish was flung over the water, Soren shouted anxiously to Evan.

After all, if it touched the surface of the water, it would disappear in a flash.

Catching the Mistfin Gladefish was a very rare achievement in the game Lover’s Labyrinth.

Its difficulty rating was nearly five stars and could only be achieved by players under level 50.

However, the reason Soren wanted to capture it wasn’t for any achievement, but for its taste.

After all, it was a five-star gourmet fish in the game.

*Swoosh!*

Fortunately, this protagonist was as reliable as ever. The moment the fish left the water, he immediately swung his sword, sending a crescent of light in its direction.

Before the fish could even try to dodge, the blade cleaved through its protective water layer, splitting it instantly.

*Thud!*

In the end, only the headless body of the massive fish sprawled on the ground, flapping with its last bit of resistance.

If it had been underwater, it might not have died so easily. But it was already out of the water, completely caught off guard.

It never stood a chance.

“Haha… thanks, now that’s a real catch!”

Soren laughed heartily as he dismissed the mana string and his Concept.

He wasn’t afraid that anyone would notice his Concept, as it was merely a personal energy manifestation, so subtle it could easily pass as a skill in anyone’s eyes, even if they looked at it directly.

After all, it wasn’t like there was no skill like Sword Intent and Elemental Sight in this world.

Concepts were just abstract and extensive, with no boundaries like those of a skill.

“Hey, Soren… so all this time, you’ve been training your fishing skills, huh? Are you kidding with us right now?”