Gus looked a little tempted, but Willy pressed the question.
“Is it alive or dead?”
“Alive,” Leon replied.
At that, Willy imdiately shook his head and waved his hands, every inch of him radiating rejection. “No way. If you’ve got a live tiger shark thrashing around on the boat, we’re done for. She’ll flip for sure.”
But Gus caught on to sothing else. “So your special ability can store live creatures? Does that an you could put us in there if we were in danger?”
“Uh… never tried it, and I don’t really want to.” Gus’s words reminded Leon of the idea he’d once had, but he truly didn’t want to attempt it lightly.
“Just kidding, just kidding.” Gus quickly realized how inhumane his comnt sounded and rushed to explain himself.
Willy, anwhile, had recovered and teased, “And here I was showing off my magic fishing box. Turns out you’ve got an even better way to keep live fish.”
“I hadn’t eaten a Starfruit before, rember?” Leon explained. It was the excuse he’d co up with, and it sounded far more convincing than the one he’d given Haley last ti.
“Ah, Starfruit. No wonder. That kind of magical fruit does give people strange abilities,” Gus said in sudden realization.
Willy, however, asked Leon again, “So can you eat a second Starfruit?”
“No problem. I’m naturally gifted,” Leon replied.
“Good, good.” Willy let out a breath of relief and quickly changed the subject. “I need to keep steering. Leon, keep fishing if you want. Gus, you getting used to the waves yet?”
“Uh—”
That reminder hit Gus like a wave to the gut. He imdiately doubled over the side of the boat, retching into the sea.
Leon instinctively stepped back, putting so distance between them, but he wasn’t so heartless as to just watch. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the cabin—sothing he’d spotted earlier while getting his fishing rod—and handed it over. The cabin also held plenty of canned food and sealed oak barrels; Leon had no idea if those held fresh water or alcohol.
“Thanks.” Gus slumped against the side of the boat, rinsed his mouth, and drank half the bottle before he felt a little better. He leaned back, pale and breathless.
“How long until we get there?” Leon asked Willy, eyeing Gus’s miserable state.
“Before nightfall, I think,” Willy replied after a mont. “We should make land before dark.”
The rest of the trip passed with Willy focused on the helm, Gus sprawled on the deck fighting his seasickness, and Leon standing at the bow with his rod.
When Leon reeled in a cod about forty centiters long, a long-missed System Prompt chid in his mind.
“Long hours of fishing have given you new insight into catching fish. Your Fishing skill has increased by one level.
Because waiting for a bite takes considerable ti, you have decided to learn a bait that can speed up the process. Bait recipe unlocked.
You have received the Blessing of the Sea. The first three fish you catch each day will never break free once they bite.
Bait ×5 (Bait): Attach to your hook to make fish bite faster. Materials required: Bug at ×1.”
“So fast?” Leon thought, surprised. It hadn’t been that long since his last level-up. Compared to the fish he’d caught from level 0 to 1, and then from 1 onward, this felt quick. The tiger shark must have given him a huge amount of fishing experience.
But he still had no idea how the system calculated experience. There was no prompt, no bar—nothing to asure progress. It was baffling.
This upgrade’s special ability wasn’t exactly exciting. So far, he hadn’t lost a single fish. The ‘first three fish never break free’ buff wasn’t much help right now.
Still, it wasn’t useless. If he used it to target a legendary fish, and made sure the catch was within those first three of the day, he could reel it in for sure. After all, if he could exhaust a three-ter tiger shark, no two-ter fish king could withstand him.
Maybe next ti it rained, he could try for the springti lake king in the mountains.
“This cod’s a beauty. You’d never catch one like this near the shore. Looks like we can add cod soup to dinner,” Willy said happily.
“That’d be a waste. Pan-searing cod brings out its best flavor,” Gus protested from where he lay.
“Fine, fine,” Leon said, tossing the cod into the holding pool. He didn’t know much about fish dishes anyway—his only specialties were pickled fish and fish head tofu stew. Sea fish? Never touched them.
“Just listen to ,” Gus said weakly, raising a hand. “I’m the chef here.”
“Alright, all yours,” Willy said quickly. If Gus was willing to drag himself upright just to veto cod soup, he clearly couldn’t stand seeing it wasted. Willy wasn’t about to risk ending up with canned food for dinner.
Leon looked between the two old friends and found them amusing. He put away his sea rod, decided he’d fished enough, and crouched down beside Gus for a chat.
“How’s that barbecue project we talked about coming along?”
“Still testing. The cumin you ntioned is hard to find. No market for it in the east, no steady suppliers. I’ve asked the Traveling rchant’s Guild to source it from the north. Should have an answer soon,” Gus replied, still sounding weak.
“The Traveling rchant’s Guild, huh?”
Leon was a little surprised. Clearly, the guild had reach and reputation here. But why had he never heard of it back in Zuzu City, while Joja Corporation was everywhere?
The thought passed quickly. “When you’ve got it ready, let
know.”
“Of course.” Gus gave him a thumbs-up, then leaned over the side again to keep chumming the waters.
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