Location: Still Pondsville. Still muddy. Slightly more cursed.
Objective: Catch a carp
Bonus Objective: Don't think too hard
Penalty for Failure: Disappointment. Again.
Oliver sat completely still, staring at the SeaBlade now embedded in the dirt like it had always belonged there. The glowing edge hummed with dark energy. His fishing rod dangled off the dock like an afterthought.
"…So do I stab the fish now, or…?"
he asked no one in particular.
The sword pulsed ominously in response.
[SYSTEM TIP: You can only equip ONE weapon at a time.]
[Would you like to equip: SeaBlade of the Aquatic Lords instead of Grandpa's Rod?]
[WARNING: Fishing with a sword may result in lost bait, limbs, or narrative consistency.]
Oliver selected: [Keep Rod. Poke Sword Later.]
He reeled his line back in, still using the soggy breadball he called bait. The rod twitched.
Another bite.
Another fish.
Another disappointment.
[SYSTEM ALERT: You have gained 1 Common Carp.]
+2 STR
"An aggressively boring fish. Will haunt your dreams with mediocrity."
"…That's not supposed to happen."
LEVEL UP!
Ren – Bugged Fisherman
→ Level 2
HP: 20 → 24
STR: 30 → 32
AGI: 26
WIS: 7 → 8
INT: 8
CHA: 4
LCK: ??
Unlocked: Fishing Talent Tree (Glitched)
New Perk: Muscle Memory – +5% chance to auto-parry projectiles with your fishing rod while idle.
"Wait, what?"
A duck swam by. Looked at him sideways. Sank under the surface.
Oliver narrowed his eyes.
"Don't test me, bird."
He cast again. Caught a bluegill.
+1 AGI.
"Shimmery. Slippery. Slightly smug."
Then a catfish.
+3 WIS.
"Knows more about taxes than you ever will."
Then a fish that seemed to be made of jello.
[SYSTEM WARNING: You have caught a Gelatinous Carp. It is… breathing?]
"Congratulations. It's mildly sentient."
Oliver gently put it back in the pond.
"Yeah, nope. Not today, Flubber."
Across the kingdom, the anomaly logs in the Adventurer's Guild continued spiraling out of control.
Guild Mage Maria: "Sir, this… this says he just leveled up from a carp."
Guild Master Beck: deep sigh "Do we… do we smite him, or… promote him?"
Intern Peter: "He caught a talking eel just now. It whispered secrets of the deep."
Beck: "We're all going to die, aren't we?"
Back on the dock, Oliver wiped his hands on his shirt.
"Okay. So either I'm hallucinating from eating expired bait bread… or I'm now some kind of broken fishing god."
The pond bubbled.
He blinked.
[SYSTEM PROMPT: Incoming Quest – "Hooked on Something Horrible"]
Objective: Survive the next cast
Reward: Unknown
Penalty: Also unknown. Probably teeth or death.
Oliver stared at the line.
"I swear, if it's another carp with opinions—"
The rod bent.
A massive shadow loomed beneath the surface.
The music changed. He could feel it. Like someone just flipped the genre to orchestral anime boss battle.
Oliver stood up. Gripped his rod and braced himself.
Then the water exploded.
TO BE CONTINUED…
SYSTEM LOG [Updated]
Oliver – Bugged Fisherman
Level: 2
HP: 24
STR: 32
AGI: 26
WIS: 8
INT: 8
CHA: 4
LCK: ☠️
Perks:
• Hooked on Growth
• Muscle Memory
Inventory:
• Grandpa's Rod
• SeaBlade of the Aquatic Lords (stuck in ground)
• 1 weird fish with trauma
• 1 talking eel (in bucket, muttering lore)