Ripples

Ripples. A tranquil lakeside. One of the colorful bobbers floating on the water suddenly sank, sending ripples across the once-still surface.

“Hit, nyang!” A confident smile bloomed on Sion’s lips as she jerked her fishing rod upward in a sharp diagonal arc. The hook set perfectly. It was a solid hit.

-Ting! The reel went taut in an instant, and the battle between cat and fish began. Whatever she’d hooked was strong; Sion’s premium rod bent into a deep arc.

“Whoa, looks like something took the bait!”

“If it’s giving Sion this much trouble, it must be huge!”

The first fish in nearly ten minutes. We stopped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lounging in our chairs and staring blankly at the bobber, rising together to cheer her on.

“Get over here, nyang!”

Whirrr! Sion’s hands flew as she cranked the reel. Her rod bent even harder.

“Uh, that’s really tight. Are you sure it won’t snap?”

Sion must have had the same thought. She paused her reeling and eased the tension, letting the line run a little slack.

“Tsk, this one’s got some real size, nyang! Brute force isn’t going to cut it, nyang! New plan, nyang!”

Whirrrrr! The reel began spinning out at high speed. The frantic left-and-right jerking suggested the fish was thrashing with everything it had, trying to spit out the hook.

A strange, primal fear brushed the tip of my nose and the corners of my mouth.

“It’s afraid.”

“Lord Raven. Can you truly sense the fish’s fear?”

“I can. The concentration is fairly thick. Must be a big one.”

Or perhaps a creature with a higher rank than the rest.

This was a dungeon. Every being that lived here continued to grow while the creatures of the outside world aged, eroded, and eventually died trapped within their own limits. They were not bound by the external law called ‘death.’ The only constants were endless struggle and growth. In a way, the dungeon was nothing more than a jar of solitude—a colossal vessel designed to breed the world’s most lethal monsters.

That was why adventurers exercised extreme caution when exploring uncharted areas. There was no telling what kind of lethal solitude might be waiting.

“Unya nyang!”

Whoa, that scared me.

A thunderous cat cry shattered my thoughts. She was the one who insisted on silence at the fishing spot, yet she was by far the loudest one here.

Time passed, and the contest of strength between cat and fish finally seemed to be reaching its conclusion. The fish’s power had faded; its resistance to the reel was almost nonexistent. The closer Sion bent at the waist to crank the line, the nearer the enormous shadow drew to us.

Splash!!!

For a brief moment the fish broke the surface in a spray of water. Even that glimpse was enough to confirm it was a monster catch.

“Nyang! Kkachi! Landing net! Get the landing net ready, nyang!”

“Got it. Kkachi, hold the rod for a second.”

“Kkyu?”

(Are you serious, Father?)

Kkachi had been leaning against my shoulder, wallowing in the pain of heartbreak. I handed the rod to the shadow crow, then grabbed a landing net large enough to capture a contractor and headed for Sion.

I’d initially wondered if a net this big was really necessary, but after seeing the size of the creature hooked on the line, I realized it might still be too small. The thing was as thick as a human torso. I could finally understand why Sion—who could high-jump while carrying four grown adults—had struggled so much. It was a miracle the rod hadn’t snapped. The “premium” label hadn’t been marketing hype.

“Crow! Now, nyang!”

At Sion’s signal—her back arched like a drawn bow from the strain—I swung the net in a swift arc.

“...!”

Whoa, this thing is insanely heavy!?

What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the hell did this cat catch? Were there sharks living in this lake?

Flop! Splash!

The lively, heavy weight traveled up the pole. Every time the fish rammed its head into the net and thrashed its tail, the entire frame felt like it was being dragged underwater.

Crack.

An ominous sound came from the pole.

It’s going to break.

The moment the thought formed, I circulated my mana. The hot and cold energy flowing through my body converged in my right hand. I braced the net with my left and raised my right.

Invisible Hand.

A low hum. Formless, invisible power clamped down hard on the fish’s frantically thrashing tail.

Done!

Not even a mere magical creature could overcome the 300-million-worth gauntlet capable of turning a giant bullfrog into a smoothie. Whether it had given up on life or simply been scared witless, its resistance weakened dramatically.

...It’s not dead, is it?

I had controlled my strength, but I couldn’t be sure. Hard to tell when I couldn’t see anything.

I set the half-ruined net aside and lifted one hand.

Whoosh!

A column of water exploded skyward, revealing the massive shadow that had fought so desperately against Sion.

“Huh.”

“Woaaah…”

“That’s insane.”

As expected, Felis really do things their own way.

It was a head taller than the contractor and as thick around as a grown man. Its broad, oversized mouth was ringed with long, tentacle-like whiskers.

This is…

A catfish. An absolutely enormous catfish.

“Nyahaha! It’s been forever since I caught a big one, nyang! Everyone look, nyang! This is what I’m capable of, nyang!”

Once the giant catfish was hauled onto shore, the children put away their rods and approached with sparkling eyes.

“Wow, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up close it’s even more ridiculous.”

It’s a fish, but it has whiskers. Must be incredibly old.

“Sion, what exactly is this fish?”

“Ah, this guy is a giant catfish, nyang!”

“Catfish?”

“Cat?”

Hans and the contractor’s gazes locked onto Sion.

“What, nyang? What’s with those impure looks? I’m not a cat, I’m a Felis, nyang! You all want to get scolded, nyang?”

“We didn’t say anything. Right, Hans?”

“It is true that we said nothing.”

Your skill at deflecting is on another level, Hans!

“Unyang! Kkachi! Yuri and Hans are trying to walk all over me, nyang! Hurry up and do something as the oldest member of the party, nyang! I’m going to get eaten at this rate, nyang!”

This isn’t the military, and who’s going to eat you, you idiot?

I peeled the clingy cat beastman off me with moderate effort, then quietly observed the giant catfish that continued to gulp and radiate fear. It wasn’t because I was sulking at being called the oldest in the party. Absolutely not.

I bent down and gently stroked the fish. Its skin was smooth yet slightly sticky.

Tap tap.

It’s firm.

More the flesh than the scales. Either way, the density of muscle and meat was no joke.

This would make an incredible spicy stew.

Appearances aside, I used to be a military cook. I could throw together a decent maeuntang in no time. Of course, after more than eighty years without touching seasoning or a ladle, the final taste was anyone’s guess.

“Hmm.”

As I lightly tapped the catfish’s scales, recalling old military recipes for spicy stew—

In RPG games, it’s common to level up in the middle of killing monsters. This world, however, worked differently. There were specific locations where leveling up—promotion—was possible.

The first was outside the dungeon. That was why the contractor had promoted the moment she stepped out. The last were the two dungeon villages that contained save points.

That must be why. The reason I had suddenly leveled up while observing a catfish was because this place was Grindel—one of the two villages with save points.

Still, if that was the case, shouldn’t I have promoted a week ago when we first arrived in Grindel?

I feel like the last level-up was just as abrupt…

Was the Goddess really working alone? It was nice to level up, but imagining her stuck in a room doing overtime made my eyes sting with sudden tears. Remembering my own days of working until 2 a.m. filled me with unexpected sympathy for the faceless goddess.

“You’ve got it rough…”

I straightened up from examining the catfish and quietly bowed my head toward the sky, silently praying that today, at least, she might be able to leave work on time.

“...Raven really is kind, isn’t he?”

“Hmm… to make a 6-tier Road kneel so easily. Not bad at all, Fear. As expected, you are the seed of the king I acknowledged.”

For your sake, I have prepared a rather suitable trial…

You may look forward to it, Incarnation of Fear.