I couldn’t deny it—I was the only one who’d undergone ridiculous growth. The gap in our abilities had been reversed and then some. All thanks to this Unique Skill.
With that said, this stuff never stays long. It’s only a matter of time before equivalent equipment, skills, and items show up.
In games with job systems, new advanced classes usually stirred up the player base when they got introduced, but...once new gear came out, sticking with an existing class generally turned out to be a safer bet.
I feel like I’m the strongest in the world right now. And we’d better clear some quests and gather some materials before the feeling wears off.
So, we picked up all the available subjugation quests around Mikakage’s wetlands, and I darted around at breakneck speeds, finding the monsters and instantly cutting them down. It was a short and unfulfilling venture.
“Next up, we can either do the instance dungeon or defeat the boss in the mines,” said Tsumugi. “But...the sun’s already setting. Why don’t we rest for the night?”
“Got it,” I replied. “Then I’ll bring in my crab traps and rebait them. Would you rather stay at an inn or the Pekkle House?”
“I want a good bath. Let’s save camping for tomorrow.”
“I agree with Lady Tsumugi. I daresay, let’s stay at the inn today.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Aight. Shouko, want to come help me with the traps?”
“I’ll keep you company.”
Together, we went to check the traps I’d set around the wetlands.
Oh? There’s a loach in this one. And a snail...and a freshwater clam too.
Collecting the crab traps bumped my Fishing Mastery back up to Rank II.
“You’ve been full of surprises today, Kizuna.”
“I’m just as surprised as you are. I never thought my stats would skyrocket this much. The problem is I’ll be completely useless if a humanoid monster shows up.”
That ninety-nine percent damage debuff would turn me into a complete deadweight.
“Like the Darkness Lizardmen, perhaps?”
Yeah...they looked like the sort that would cause Hunting Gear’s penalties to kick in.
Were they closer to humans or lizards? It was hard to say...but it was definitely worth testing.
“But if my attacks don’t get through, I’ll spread debuffs with Lure: Double Needle to support you.”
“That’s true. We’re not fighting alone, after all.”
“And then, there’s...Hiding Hunt.”
The moment I activated my concealment skill, Shouko and I faded to a half-transparent state, and the monster that had been creeping toward us suddenly lost track of our presence.
I swapped to my fishing rod and smashed my lure into it.
Then, with a flashy effect, the monster instantly went down.
“It looks like you land critical hits while hidden.”
“Seems like it.”
It was basically like an assassin’s skill set. Like Vanishing Attack or Assassin’s Kill.
Judging by the “Hunt” part of the name, it was most likely an ambush skill meant for taking prey unawares. But most conveniently, the fact I could move while concealed made it useful for avoiding unnecessary fights.
“It feels like we’ve gotten a grasp on just about everything the Hunting Gear skill is capable of.”
It gave broken combat stat boosts and bonuses to everything involving hunting—including fishing and trapping. Plus, you could stack its effects with other skills.
It made sense why only one person in the game could learn it.
It broke the game balance so badly that if another player happened to catch me using it, they’d probably cling to me out of envy.
“Do you think I can land critical hits too?”
“Dunno. Want to try it?”
“Yes, please.”
Once the cooldown ended, I activated Hiding Hunt to conceal the both of us. Shouko crept up on a monster and struck. The moment she attacked, both of our concealments were lifted, but the same flashy effect burst out as the monster took massive damage and went down in one hit.
“That’s rather powerful.”
“It’d be nice if I could stack it with Lure: Double Needle, but...it seems like it gets canceled out if I use another skill.”
Concealment seemed to lift if I used any other skill or attack.
“Just having one at a time is more than enough.”
Is it really fair for me to be chasing higher numbers at this point?
“Anyway, let’s head back.”
“Yeah.”
With the crab traps reset, we returned to the inn and sank into the hot springs for some nice rest and relaxation.
“Good night, Kizuna.”
Just like last time, Shouko and I enjoyed the bath together, gazing out at the scenery while exchanging some idle banter. I had a proper soak, but to be honest...I wasn’t tired at all. The excitement of my new skill was still keeping me going.
“Good night, and rest up. We’ll have another round of quests tomorrow.”
“Yes, then until tomorrow.”
Since she’d accompanied me for the crab traps, it didn’t feel right to drag her out for night fishing too. Pretending that I was headed off to sleep, I watched her retreat into her room.
†
“All right! Let’s fish the night away!”
I headed out into the wetlands and dangled my line. It had become a daily routine at this point.
The monsters in the area had been reduced to such small fries that I could deal with them with a smack from my fishing rod if they got too close.
That means I can fish in places I haven’t tried before!
“Hmm, hm, hmmm.”
I hummed a merry tune as I let the line drift...when suddenly I heard a strange gurgling from not far off... What looked like a giant hand formed entirely out of water suddenly sprouted out of the ground!
“Wh-What?”
The hand zoomed toward me with frightening speed.
Instinct kicked in; I entered battle mode—everything around me slowed down—and slipped past the hand, slashing it with my ice knife along the way.
But it felt like I’d cut through open air. Once again, the handlike thing came at me.
“That was close!”
I quickly dodged out of the way and leaped back.
“What’s up with this monster—”
I didn’t have time to finish that thought. Three more of the hands had already sprouted behind me, ready to strike.
“N-No fair...”
Thinking back, there had to be no way of escaping that gimmick. After all, even Shouko, Tsumugi, and Yamikage, with their acrobatic player skills, hadn’t been able to avoid it.
And then, there was me—engulfed by those massive watery hands without the slightest clue of what was happening.