Book 2: Chapter 82: Potent


    A breeze blew through the surrounding trees, their leaves rustling softly. Ethereal moonlight shone down from above, illuminating theke’s surface. mes licked at the campfire behind us, its orange glow joining the blue-white light of the moon. Within that beautiful vista, Maria’s line tore through the water.


    “Fish on!” she repeated,ughing as her eyes grew intense.


    The fish darted to the right, trying to escape her clutches—there was nowhere to go. My fingers twitched, my entire body aching as I watched her rod bend beneath the fish’s mighty kicks. The hooked fish darted back to the left, charging toward my line.


    “Shit,” I hissed, reeling in so they wouldn’t get tangled


    Something bit at my line, making my adrenaline spike. When it didn’t move, however, I understood.


    <em>A snag,</em> I thought, letting out a sigh.


    I held the tip of the line low, trying to get it out of Maria’s way, but then my snag <em>moved.</em>


    <em>“F-fish on!” </em>I yelled, excitement blooming in my core.


    “Double hook-up!” Maria let out a liltingugh. “Last one to catch the fish has to cook dinner!”“Deal!” I replied, not at all bothered by the fact Maria had already lost that particr bet with our race to theke.


    I stepped to the left, keeping our lines away from each other. My fish had other ns. It dashed to the right, just as Maria’s continued going left. I held my rod high and she slipped beneath it, neither of us needing to utter a word. Whatever we had hooked, they were both <em>powerful.</em> Not sitting still for a moment, they used their lean muscles to seek any possible avenue of escape. As was so often the case, however, we were more than their match.


    Maria’s fish darted toward us, taking a course it had no way of knowing was the wrong one. She didn’t waste the opportunity, reeling in the line and keeping it tight. It turned, swimming adjacent to the shore, its silvery scales shing beneath the moon’s otherworldly light. It was <em>big.</em>


    “No way…” Maria uttered.


    Her hand never stopped winding in line, and with its proximity to the surface, water swirled around each kick of its massive tail. Holding her rod up in one hand, she stepped into the shallows, easily looping a hand under its gill te and hauling it up onto the shore. I wanted to gaze at it, wanted to let my eyes get drawn into the unknown fish, but I had my own fight to focus on. The fish I’d hooked continued trying to escape, but for every method it tried, I was ready to counter it. I drew it ever closer, and when it finally reached the shallows, I followed Maria’s actions, reaching down to lift it from under the gills. Its body was as long as it was formidable, and if I was a regr human, I might not have been able to wrestle it to shore. With my enhanced body, however, I brought it up with one hand, sliding it up on the grass.


    The moment I’d seen its mouth beneath the pale moonlight, I understood why Maria had grabbed it by the gills. Its elongated face was lined with rows of teeth like a crocodile, and even with my strengthened body, I didn’t want to chance having my hand ripped to shreds by those razor-sharp daggers. Its body was at least a meter long, its stomach as round as my muscle-packed thigh. As with the mudminnows, its scales held a brown hue, likely to help it camouge within the silty waters of theke. It snapped at me with its tooth-filled mouth. I dodged, positioning myself above it so I could hold the mouth closed with both hands.


    As I stared down at its inhuman eyes, my gaze was drawn into it.


    <strong>Mature [unknown] Alligator Gar</strong>


    <strong>[unknown]</strong>


    <strong>[unknown]</strong>


    Before I could say anything, the next lines of text appeared.


    <strong>New species discovered: Mature [unknown] Alligator Gar!</strong>


    <strong>im and identify species?</strong>


    I nced at Maria; she was staring back. We both nodded. Borks let out a loud bark, not entirely understanding what we were doing, but happy to just be there.


    I willed my ascent, as did Maria.


    <strong>New species identification bonus: +10 to fishing! Congrattions!</strong>


    <strong>Mature [unknown] Alligator Gar</strong>


    <strong>Unique</strong>


    <strong>This species variation of the Alligator Gar has evolved through its predation of Jungle Mudminnows over thousands of years, an unnatural fish created by the followers of Ceto. There is more to learn about this species for those willing to partake of its flesh.</strong>


    I dismissed the System message, the orange glow of the campfire flickering as the fish flopped about, trying to escape. I held it, making its efforts futile as I turned to Maria. Before I could say anything, power welled up from within me. It flowed out as a heady pulse, the golden light making me stumble. With my increased power, I managed to stay standing. Something fell to the ground behind me, letting out the jangle of coins as it struck the grass.


    Grabbing her fish around the back of the head and shooting me a knowing nce, Maria ran down to the water, cing it beneath the ck surface. The fish wasted no time in swimming back to the depths, the only evidence it was ever there the water swirling in its wake.


    I cocked my head in question.


    “Mine was out of the water for longer,” she answered, eyes flicking between me and the fish I held down. “And we only need one to learn more about it...”


    Grinning as my strength returned, I slipped the spike from my belt. With a sh of movement, I drove it into the fish, dispatching it in an instant.


    “Thank you,” I said, holding a hand to its dinosaur-like head.


    “Yeah,” Maria said, kneeling down beside me. Sheid her palm on its abdomen. “Thanks, fishy. We’ll make sure none of you goes to waste.”


    I twisted my torso, picking up the bag of coins. “More, huh?”


    Chewing her lip, Maria seemed pensive as she looked at the grown bag. Her eyes drifted toward the fire, avoiding mine. “On the subject of secrets, I know you’re still hesitant to read the notifications from the System, but do you want to know what it said when it gave me my coins...?”


    The question brought me up short, but after a moment’s consideration, I let out a sigh. “I think I already know, so you may as well tell me.”


    “You do...?” she asked.


    “Unfortunately, yeah. Did you reach a milestone? Like, say, getting level twenty-five in fishing?”


    It was her turn to sigh. “Yeah. That’s exactly what it was. How long have you known that was the cause of the coins...?”


    “Well, since you just confirmed it. Before that, it was only a theory.”


    As if sensing the moment of weakness, the System pinged me. With more than a little hesitation, I allowed it in.


    <strong>You have advanced to fishing 75!</strong>


    I shook my head, letting out a softugh. “Yeah—I just got to fishing seventy five. I guess that confirmed the ‘intervals of twenty-five’ theory...”


    “<em>Seventy five?</em>” she repeated. “ucus’s scaled tail—<em>Seventy five?</em>”


    “What can I say? I love me some fishin’.”


    Her face turned thoughtful. “Do you think the church knows? About the intervals, I mean?”


    “Good chance. I imagine more than a few of them have skills above level twenty-five by now, especially considering it takes previous experience into ount. Peter would have to be <em>at least</em> twenty-five in cooking, right? If not way higher.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Hell, all the crafters probably have at least one skill at twenty-five.” My brows furrowed. “Which begs the question: how many coins is Barry sitting on, and what is he nning to...” I shook my head, dispelling the thought. “Nevermind. Don’t wanna know.”


    Maria giggled at me, covering her mouth. “You’re cute when you get flustered.”


    Seeking to distract myself, I lifted the alligator gar and took it down to the water''s edge. With my trusty knife, I started removing its scales.


    “Why do you think the mudminnow said an unknown amount of time, but the alligator gar said thousands of years?” I asked after a stretch of silence, running the dull side of my knife along its body.


    “Hmm... because it is an evolution of an existing species?” she guessed.


    “I was thinking the same thing. I wonder if we’d caught the gar first, if the System would have said it predated an unknown fish instead of outright stating it evolved by eating jungle mudminnows.”


    “I assume so?” Maria shook her head, her hair whipping with each movement. “I feel like we could discuss the nuance of those System messages and the whole coin thing all night.”


    “Yeah,” I agreed. “There’s a lot to be gleaned from them, not least of all that we learn more by eating the fish. I won’t lie; I don’t like the phrasing of <em>those willing to partake in its flesh.</em>”


    Her head cocked to the side, her eyes curious. “Why?”


    “It makes me worry it might not have a good effect.” I flipped the fish over and began scaling the other side. “Especially because it evolved by eating four-legged horror fish.”


    “Good point. I still can’t get over how creepy those little mudminnows are.”


    I finished scaling the second side much faster than the first, then immediately started gutting it.


    “I think I should eat a bit first. We can cut a little off and cook it. Hopefully, that will unlock the unknown<em></em>info.”


    I cut back a bit of skin on the side of its body, removing a palm-sized chunk of pink flesh from the filet there. After pressing a stick into it, I held it right over the mes. The moment the flesh started to cook, the smell became intoxicating. The scents and sounds of a campfire alone were enough to make my soul sing, but with the addition of seared fish to the mix, I found myself salivating.


    “Mmm.” Maria said. “That smells <em>amazing.</em>”


    It took little time for the thin slice of fish to cook, and when the side facing the fire waspletely white, I flipped it. The side that I’d seared dripped, its white flesh sprinkled with spots of brown from the campfire’s heat. I watched the fish intently, knowing it wouldn’t take long to cook, but then another of my senses spoke up.


    My brows drew down as I felt my abdomen resonate with the small bit of fish. It was... <em>was that </em>c<em>hi? </em>Without me doing any essence-swappy shenanigans, the chi content of the fish had increased on its own. As the flesh continued cooking, the power only grew, and when the chi within it stabilized at a potent level, I knew the fish was done.


    “Can you feel that...?” I asked, removing it from the mes.


    “Feel what?” Maria cocked her head to the side. “I didn’t notice anything...?”


    I licked my lips. “The chi content of the fish. It’s—”


    The System nudged me, offering more informational goodies. Usually, I’d have ignored it, but if it was willing to tell me about the fish, I was willing to take a chance.


    <strong>New species trait discovery bonus: +10 to fishing! Congrattions!</strong>


    <strong>Mature Potent Alligator Gar</strong>


    <strong>Unique</strong>


    <strong>This species variation of the Alligator Gar has evolved through its predation of Jungle Mudminnows over thousands of years, an unnatural fish created by the followers of Ceto. Through millennia of evolution, the Potent Alligator Gar has managed to produce a unique kind of chi that only matures when exposed to heat.</strong>


    “Holy frack...” Maria said.


    “You...” I licked my lips. “You got the notification too?”


    She nodded, staring down at the fish. Without a moment’s thought, I broke it in two, holding one half out toward her.


    “Well, we know it isn’t poisonous,” I said. “Will you try it with me?”


    She epted the fire-charred fish, watching it with hunger in her eyes. Without a word, we both ate it at the same time. We’d added no salt, no seasoning, no... anything. The only vor adding itself to the fish were the smoky notes provided by the campfire. An appreciative noise escaped my throat as its vor washed over my taste buds.


    The flesh was low in fat, and given how I’d seared it over the fire, it was firmer than some of the melt-in-your-mouth fish I’d eaten ofte. Still, it was delicious, having a mildly fishier taste than the oceanic species we usually partook of. When I swallowed, the chi heading down toward my core was like a roaring forge. It heated everything it passed, waves of warmth radiating outward.


    Maria released a shaky breath, clearly experiencing the same sensation. “That’s... wow.” She took a deep drink of water. “That’s a <em>lot.</em>”


    “Yeah...”


    We sat with the feeling for a long moment, Borksing up to each of us and sniffing at us inquisitively. I ran a hand along the top of his head, delighting in how soft his fur was.


    “I think I know how to cook the fish...” I said, thinking aloud.


    “Were you thinking shallow fry? Because I was thinking shallow fry.”


    I shot her a smirk. “Great minds think alike. The crumbs and added fat content would lend itself perfectly to the vor.”


    “Well,” she said, getting to her feet. “I’ll get the oil and bread crumbs ready, you cut up the flesh?”


    “Deal!”


    I headed back down to the fish, my knife making short work of it.


    A little less than an hourter, we’d fried all the fish, and an absolute mountain of golden-crumbed pockets of deliciousnessy atop a board. Maria, Borks, and I had been helping ourselves as we went—each portion was as delicious as the one before it.


    “I’m honestly full already,” I said, nursing my stomach.


    “Me too,” Maria agreed. “I might explode if I absorb any more chi...”


    I turned to Borks. “Wanna share some with everyone else?”


    His tail wagging, he barked in the affirmative. I lifted the board for him, letting him grab it with his mouth. With his golden tail still swishing away, he opened a portal and disappeared.


    “I’ll never get used to that,” Maria said, watching the abyssal tear in space.


    Before I could reply, Borks was back, closing the portal behind him.


    “How are they fairing?” I asked.


    <em>Good,</em> he barked,ing to lick me on the cheek.


    “You’re a good boy,” I said, ruffling his fur.


    <em>Yes,</em> he barked in reply, his whole body wagging.