The Angler Who Never Gives Up

Qilajie, with a bucket on his head and a fishing rod on his back, lurked in the foul-smelling swamp like an alligator.

Several Skeleton Monsters walked around him, yet failed to notice such a large living person.

It wasn't their fault, though. Not far away, an Adventurer had made a bigger commotion, drawing the attention of the area. The Monsters rushed towards that Adventurer.

"Thank you, brother," Qilajie said, tears streaming down his face as he watched the Adventurer's retreating back. He knew his brother was likely never coming back.

"I'll catch an extra fish for you, in memory of your sacrifice."

He stared intently at the Monsters until they were gone and could no longer catch up to him, then suddenly stood up!

However, he wasn't the only one to stand up. There was another group of people. Counting himself, there were nine in total!

Each person was dressed the same: a bucket on their head, a fishing rod on their back, a fragrant bait tied to their waist, and a face full of grief and indignation, as if their eyes proclaimed, "The meaning of the dead must be bestowed by the living."

These were the brothers Qilajie had met in the Food Area a few days prior.

They shared the same ambition, to fish in the Food Area no matter the cost.

Not for any other reason than that there were many fish in the Food Area, it was hard to come back empty-handed, and catching them was incredibly rewarding! Plus, the price was good, and it could supplement their household income, so their families would no longer object to their fishing!

And with food everywhere, they only needed to bring buckets and fishing rods when they went, making it a veritable paradise of their dreams!

In recent times, the Food Area had not only become the biggest topic of conversation in Bed City but had also attracted a large number of people into the Sain Underground City. Simply put, it had expanded its reach.

Originally, many people had little interest in Dungeons, let alone difficult ones, because Dungeons were perceived as places for endless fighting and killing, exhausting work all day long.

But if you said there was a place in the Dungeon that was sunny, provided plenty of food and drink, and offered unprecedented delicacies, then everyone would have to go and take a look.

After all, delicious food often attracted people more than fighting and killing.

The abundant fish resources in the Food Area had also attracted a large number of fishing enthusiasts. What was the most satisfying thing for a fisherman? Wasn't it catching a new type of fish? Coincidentally, the Food Area was filled with fish never seen before.

Thus, fishermen had been going crazy cataloging new species during this period.

However, there was a problem that deeply troubled everyone.

That is, they were all a bit… weak.

Perhaps it wasn't just "a bit," but "very" weak.

Among these ten people, Qilajie was a T1 level combatant. The rest were either ordinary middle-aged men or Adventurers with little combat ability. Entering the Sain Underground City meant a one-in-nine chance of survival. Even though a shortcut to the Food Area had been discovered, the journey was still fraught with peril.

This was because the Sain Underground City was alive. The Monsters inside didn't stay in fixed locations; they roamed around!

One might memorize the locations of traps, but wandering Monsters were sure to provide unexpected surprises.

Thus, the weaklings gathered together for warmth and came up with an idea.

"Hey, shouldn't we just choose a brave warrior each time we're surrounded by Monsters to lure them away?"

"We can take turns, ensuring everyone gets to fish at least once every two days. Isn't that wonderful?"

The crowd considered it and agreed wholeheartedly, finding the method quite effective.

Don't ask why they didn't hire Adventurers as bodyguards. Given the difficulty of the Sain Underground City, anyone who could ensure their own survival was a god. Besides, the fishermen present were ordinary people with no spare money to hire bodyguards.

It was rumored that a popular strategy group had recently stumbled here and suffered a setback, leaving its members disheartened and still recovering.

"Everyone, run!"

At the command, they moved as fast as lightning and as swift as the wind, their legs churning. Time was life, and time was fishing!

Their commotion naturally drew the attention of other Monsters. They charged forward without hesitation, as long as they entered the Food Area, these Monsters wouldn't pursue them.

However, they were still a step too slow and were surrounded by another group of Monsters. At this critical moment, one person suddenly leaped out and shouted:

"I'm going!"

"Farewell, hero!"

The person, shouting loudly, ran in a different direction from the group, successfully drawing away a large number of Monsters.

A true man should be like this.

After another desperate sprint, when the group finally tumbled into the bird-singing, flower-fragrant Food Area, only seven people remained.

A total of three heroes had sacrificed themselves so that everyone else could fish.

"Remember their names," Qilajie said solemnly. "Next time, it will be our turn to make a sacrifice."

The crowd responded with fervent enthusiasm. If an outsider were present, they might have thought these people were about to sacrifice themselves for some great ideal.

A pot of tea, a puff of smoke, a fishing rod for a day's catch.

The morning passed quickly. Qilajie stretched and sighed as he looked at his empty bucket.

He had clearly come back empty-handed.

To come back empty-handed in a place so rich with fish was, in its own way, a testament to his unique talent.

Alas, without some extra income, he wouldn't even have enough money for today's meals.

His teammates were currently too afraid to enter the Sain Underground City, saying they would take on small quests outside to gain experience first.

Qilajie wasn't interested in the cat-and-dog-finding quests they took on, so he came fishing with a group of newly made fishing buddies.

If he could catch a fish, selling it at the market would be enough for three to four days' worth of meals. If he didn't catch anything, it wouldn't matter.

He also accepted some commissions to collect specialty items from the Gourmet Zone; he could do them easily while failing at fishing.

"Let me see, Ox Tongue Dandelion, at least twenty. That's simple, they're everywhere."

"Soy Sauce Locusts, these things are too fast, not easy to catch."

"Hunt a Roast Whole Pig? Who put this on my commission list? Isn't this asking for death?"

"Five Speedy Mushrooms, two Life Durians."

Qilajie bared his teeth. He had been too hasty when accepting the commissions and hadn't read the contents carefully.

Speedy Mushrooms, it was said, were magical ingredients that could temporarily increase one's speed when made into a dish.

Life Durians, after eating them, could make someone who was severely injured and half-dead jump back to life.

These ingredients had special effects, a stark contrast to most ingredients in the Gourmet Zone that were only delicious. They also had a larger market.

But the problem was, these ingredients grew deep within the Gourmet Zone.

As everyone knew, the Gourmet Zone was divided by rivers, and the resources obtainable in each small area were limited and almost always fixed in type.

To get more and better resources, one had to explore deeper!

This progressively difficult mode separated ordinary people from Adventurers. Ordinary people could collect general resources in the safe zone of the Milk River, while Adventurers could explore deeper to find greater opportunities.

Honestly, Qilajie quite appreciated the rules of the Gourmet Zone, but only when he himself didn't need to go deep.

He handed his fishing rod to his companion, gritted his teeth, and crossed the Milk River.

Five minutes later, a notification came from Gong Qiying's side.

Mental Power +91.

He glanced at it and ignored it. The crystal ball displayed many scenes, but one scene was magnified.

In it were a few figures, seemingly also Adventurers, but upon closer inspection, one could notice something off.

Because these guys had jet-black skin, were extremely robust, and had horns growing sporadically on their heads and limbs. They also had all sorts of features, such as tongues so long they dragged on the ground, several pairs of bat wings growing on their backs, and scales on their bodies. At first glance, they looked like a fusion of humans and Monsters.

"These things..."

Gong Qiying muttered to himself:

"I think they're called the Demon Race. How did they get mixed in with me?"

It's the end of the month, thank you all for your monthly votes, I love you!