When Jasper and Barry neared the islet, they could barely see their own hands. The whole lake was engulfed in darkness. However, many bright lights were visible near the islet. Jasper counted more than five boats on one side, and there could be more people on the other side as well.
"Where is this secret path located, and where does it lead?" Jasper asked as they drew close enough to see the sheer size of the islet rising from the center of the lake.
"To be honest, I don't know where it leads. All I know is that if you find the secret path, the fish will automatically be lured out of the lake," Barry said as he slowed the boat. "However, I do know where to find the secret path." He slowly steered the boat along the rock wall.
After guiding the boat for a while, he took out a lantern that began illuminating the boat. Jasper could now see the rocky hill up close. It stood almost perpendicular to the sky.
Meanwhile, Barry examined a map covered with various markings. He rotated it several times before adjusting the boat's direction and moving a little farther along the wall. Jasper remained silent most of the time, leaving the search for the correct spot to Barry.
After spending more than ten minutes checking the map and maneuvering the boat, Jasper noticed a glow appear on Barry's face.
"Here." Barry pointed toward the rock wall. "You need to climb about seventy meters up. There will be a small hole large enough to crawl into," Barry said while directing the lantern toward the wall of the islet.
Jasper looked carefully through the light, but he saw nothing resembling a hole as far as his eyes could reach.
"Then?" Jasper asked. He needed to know what awaited him inside.
"As I said, I don't have any intel on that. You'll have to find out yourself," Barry shrugged. "But whatever you find inside will lure the fish out. So you must leave immediately after taking whatever is in there. I won't be able to catch the fish alone. I need your Berserker skill," Barry explained.
Jasper nodded after hearing what he had to do. He stood up and prepared to climb the steep rock wall, but suddenly stopped.
"What is the plan after the fish is lured out? Do you have a fishing net or something to capture it?" Jasper asked. He had forgotten to ask what they would do once the fish appeared. How were they supposed to capture a creature that even legends couldn't catch?
"Don't worry. I have a method to capture it the moment it comes out of the water. All you need to do is knock the fish unconscious with your skill. After that, it will be easy," Barry replied casually.
Knock the fish unconscious? Jasper thought. If it were unconscious, anyone could capture it. But he didn't dwell on that thought for long. Shaking his head, he moved closer to the rock wall.
"Do you have a lantern to use inside the hole?" Barry asked as he looked at Jasper's empty hands.
"No, I don't have anything," Jasper replied.
"How can you travel here to earn Achievement points without even carrying a weapon or equipment?" Barry said sarcastically.
"It seems you don't even have a Dimensional Bracelet," he added. "Here, take this. Otherwise you'll struggle in the dark." Barry handed him another lantern taken from the Dimensional Bracelet.
Jasper quickly accepted the lantern and strapped it to his waist.
With the preparations done, Jasper looked up. He couldn't see a single spot to grip. The wall looked as smooth as a flat wooden door. Since he couldn't find a hold, he would have to make one himself.
Thud!
Jasper punched the rock with moderate strength, creating a hole deep enough to grip. The stone caved inward slightly, forming a handhold. Using that first hole, he pushed himself upward before creating another one to his left.
Slowly, he began ascending the rock wall, leaving a trail of holes behind him.
Barry, who was holding the lantern toward the wall, widened his eyes. His mouth hung open as he watched Jasper climb by punching holes into the rock.
When Barry asked Jasper to team up with him, he had never imagined Jasper could climb a rock wall like this. Barry had only needed someone to accompany him to the lake. In truth, he had already lost hope of capturing the Golden Orange Snakehead after his companions beat him up.
He had asked them for a thirty percent share of the profit, believing he deserved it because he had gone to great lengths to obtain the intel. But those bastards agreed to the thirty–seventy split and then beat him up once they arrived at Fessi Village.
When he told Jasper that the secret path required climbing the rock wall, he expected Jasper to refuse. When Jasper remained silent, Barry thought he would object after seeing the wall up close.
But even after they reached the towering rock face, Jasper said nothing.
Instead, he simply began climbing.
Barry had even expected him to struggle and eventually fall into the water.
But all those expectations shattered the moment Jasper punched the rock and began climbing.
"Maybe… there really is a chance to catch that legendary fish," Barry muttered.
He took out several small cubic boxes from his Dimensional Bracelet and tossed them onto the water's surface, scattering them across a wide area around the islet.
Once the cubes touched the water, they began floating and emitted small lights from their tops. Soon they started moving slowly, spreading out to cover roughly a hundred-meter radius around the lake.
"Now all I have to do is wait for it to come out of the inner lake," Barry said while looking up at Jasper, who had nearly reached the seventy-meter height.
Meanwhile, Jasper continued punching holes in the rock and climbing, not keeping track of how high he had gone.
He punched another hole on his left and shifted his footing while gripping with his right hand. Once he stabilized himself, he prepared to make another hole on the right.
Boom!
When he punched again, the force created a much larger opening than before, even though he had used the same strength.
He noticed that the rock around the hole looked brittle. He could easily remove the loose stones with his hands without applying much force.
Once he cleared it out, the opening resembled the hole Barry had described. It was large enough for a human body and extended inward like a tunnel.
Jasper quickly crawled inside headfirst. After moving forward a few feet, he suddenly dropped onto solid ground.
He slowly stood up, stumbling slightly in the darkness. The entire place was shrouded in black, and he couldn't see anything.
He adjusted the lantern, and its light spread through the cave, pushing away the darkness. As the shadows retreated, Jasper could finally see where he was.
The hole had led him into a cave.
Jasper looked around briefly before discovering a passage deeper inside. Without hesitation, he began moving forward, trying to see where it led and what inside it could lure the fish out of the inner lake.