A gurgling sound kept coming from the water in the distance. The [ Epic-Level Giant ] could occasionally stick its head out to catch its breath, but it was clear to everyone that it wouldn't last much longer.
"Oh my god, help! Someone's in danger!"
Someone immediately shouted.
"How can we save this?!"
Another player countered with a question.
Although they were not far from the water's surface, the depth was clearly beyond their imagination.
Without knowing the enemy's size, players who rashly enter the water will only Incarnation targets for food.
Just when everyone was in despair, the figure of the [ Epic-Level Giant ] appeared mysteriously not far from the shore.
As soon as he emerged from the water, he resembled a stone fountain spout, continuously spouting water. Upon seeing this, the players quickly rushed forward and pulled him out.
Once the [ Epic-Level Giant ] was fully out of the water, everyone noticed that the part of his right leg below the knee had disappeared, with a few strands of flesh and torn trousers intertwined, highlighting the gruesome nature of the severed area.
Still shaken, the [ Epic-Level Giant ] sat by the fire, panting heavily. The loss of his lower leg only caused him a slight stinging sensation, which was perfectly tolerable.
"What's going on, buddy?"
[ Zhongde ] took the initiative to come over. Now he was a contractor, and if one of his players died while fishing, it would be a very serious safety incident in the other world.
So he immediately opened a Vine Bandage Pack and bandaged the [ Epic-Level Giant's ] wound before asking about the whole story.
"It's nothing, I just didn't expect that thing to be so big..."
As he spoke, he gestured with both hands:
"It definitely weighed over 100 pounds, and it bit off my leg in one bite. By the way, what should I do now in this situation?"
The surrounding players were astonished. For hours, [ Epic-Level Giant ] had been tinkering next to the construction site, and they had all watched as he assembled a fishing tackle from a long stick, a vine, worn-out iron tools, and fish scraps...
I never expected to encounter such a thing on my first cast. Not only did I not catch any fish, but I also ended up baiting the spot with my own body. It's truly a pity.
Having witnessed the entire event, Ed recalled his past when he crossed this river on stilts. Back then, he was so ignorant when he first came into this world that he didn't even realize he had almost died.
[ Dawn Ah ], who was grilling fish below, asked a different question instead:
Is the fish that bites you the same as the one we're grilling?
[ The Epic-Level Giant ] recalled for a moment and said:
"I think I see sharper claws, so it must be the same kind, just much larger."
[ Dawn Ah ] nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that this " Claw Fish " must be the most powerful monster in this river. After all, the river was only limited in width and depth and was still in a freshwater basin, so it was not as terrifying as the deep sea in some works.
Therefore, wherever this river connects, there should be these highly aggressive fish, which will be included in the encyclopedia later...
[ Zhongde ] then leaned over and said:
"In your case, you're still alive but have lost a limb. You need to find a guide to perform surgery, but I don't know the price."
"It costs money again?"
A worried expression appeared on the face of the [ Epic-Level Giant ].
"It shouldn't be too expensive. I remember the price list said the more parts missing, the more expensive it would be. You're only missing a calf, so it shouldn't cost more than ten silver coins."
"That's still very expensive, isn't it?"
[ Epic-Level Giant ] The thought of my wallet being drained is making me wince.
"Learn from your mistakes, next time you'll be more careful, and cut the line if necessary."
"Cutting the thread is impossible, I would never cut the thread in my entire life..."
[ Epic-Level Giant ] declined [ Zhongde's ] offer and hopped towards the castle, eventually spending 12 silver to buy a fresh leg from Ed.
[ Howling Pothos ] witnessed the whole thing, and with his keen sense of observation, he felt that there was something strange about it; at least, it wouldn't make sense according to the logic of another world.
Soon, he found the [ Epic-Level Giant ] whose leg had just been reattached:
"Dude, I have a few questions for you."
"Speak up, I'm a newbie, what do you have to ask me?"
[ Howling Pothos ] asked the question that made him feel uncomfortable:
How long can you hold your breath?
"About a minute, okay?"
"It took three minutes from when you were pulled in until you swam to shore."
[ Epic-Level Giant ] was utterly shocked:
"Has it taken that long?"
"It really was three minutes, so you don't find it strange?"
[ Epic-Level Giant ] pondered for a few seconds and replied:
"There are some absurdities, such as the feeling of choking on water not being as unpleasant as in real life, and choking on water not affecting my actual movements. Apart from that, it's almost exactly the same as reality. But that's quite reasonable, after all, it's just a game, they can't really let me drown, can they?"
"I see."
[ Howling Pothos ] left with the answer to the question. The swimming and diving systems in this game seemed to be very detailed and unique. Combining his real-life swimming experience, [ Howling Pothos ] had a bold idea.
He quickly found [ Dawn Ah ] who was sharing grilled fish with the newbies and led him to a riverbank some distance from the camp.
"What do you want from me?"
"Do me a favor, and I'll make sure you don't have to pay back the money you owe."
[ Howling Pothos ] offered a condition that [ Dawn Ah ] couldn't refuse.
In order to get activation codes for his junior and mentor, [ Dawn Ah ] worked like crazy today and successfully hired [ Howling Pothos ], the strongest character at the moment, for a full six hours to finally gather the six sacrifices required to complete the special mission.
Ed accepted the offering with satisfaction and then entered the NPC's unique roaming mode. It was only after [ Howling Pothos ] told [ Dawn Ah ] that the game platform's backend could find the activation code that he was finally at ease and had the leisure to grill fish for everyone in the hours before logging off.
"It's a deal. Just tell me, and I'll definitely help if it's possible!"
[ Dawn Ah ] held the other person's hand tightly, willing to do many things to wipe that debt clean.
"It's simple. I'll put my head underwater, and you pull me up in five minutes."
"Ah?"
"That's it, only if I succeed can I have a reason to explain myself."
As it was saying that, [ Howling Pothos ] had already reached the riverbank and plunged into it.
Five minutes later, [ Dawn Ah ] pulled [ Howling Pothos ] up. He watched as the other spat out the water from his mouth and nose as if it were a soaked rag, and for a moment he was speechless.
"So... what did you verify?"
[ Howling Pothos ] smiled, her face covered in green algae.
"I've discovered that we, as people in a vegetative state, can actually go for a long time without breathing. With proper training, staying underwater for ten minutes shouldn't be difficult; it's just that our conditioned reflexes in reality make it hard for us to do."
[ Dawn Ah ] was immediately dumbfounded:
"What's the use of this?"
[ Howling Pothos ] erased the loan records for the two players from the player panel, then patted him on the shoulder with a smile:
"It's really not very useful for casual players, but it's very useful for combat players."