192 Fishing Part 2

The sea.

Fishing.

Swimming?

No.

Not doing it.

No incident where attempting freestyle resulted in a spider-type flipping over and nearly drowning.

None whatsoever.

The terror of not sinking into water.

Imagine it.

Being plunged upside-down into water while wearing a life ring around the waist.

And that life ring cannot be removed.

Flailing legs cut only air.

Thought I was going to die.

I am immortal, though.

Ah, no.

That moment of near-death did not happen.

Must have been a hallucination.

A magnificent being like me drowning in the sea? Impossible.

Hahahaha.

Forget about that unfortunate accident. Time to fish.

As before, attach random bait and cast the line into the sea.

Hit.

Caught. Caught.

The sea remains as easily caught as ever.

Heavy resistance.

This suggests a large catch.

Wait.

A large catch here? That shouldn’t be possible.

As expected, the catch was a Water Dragon.

Reported level twenty-three.

Reported strength comparable to the Earth Dragon, Gele.

Yet it lies stranded on the shore, caught by me alone.

Ah… yes… right.

Its level is high. Stats are high.

Skills are numerous. Comparable to Gele. Quite strong.

Still, against me now, a direct confrontation would be effortless.

Direct confrontation.

As its name implies, it is a dragon of water.

Living in the sea, its combat effectiveness underwater is high.

But what happens when it reaches land?

Answer: it lies flailing helplessly on the beach.

This Water Dragon is specifically specialized for underwater combat.

It cannot adapt to land.

It lies flailing on the shore, resembling a beached whale.

This is no longer a matter of fighting me. It will die if left as-is.

Is this acceptable, Water Dragon?

The Water Dragon previously hauled ashore was a water-land hybrid type.

Water Dragons appear to vary by evolutionary lineage.

There were no known Earth Dragons of the same species. Dragons may be unique individuals.

Even if not, Earth Dragons alone demonstrate a variety of forms. Thus, a wide variety of Water Dragons is not unexpected.

Among the many types, it is not unreasonable to find one fully adapted to water, with no capacity for land.

In fact, such types may be more common.

The Water Dragon-like monsters previously captured were all based on creatures from Earth's oceans.

Naturally, they had no adaptation to land.

Could it be that the water dragons evolved from there are predominantly unsuited to terrestrial environments?

Unmatched in strength underwater, but powerless on land.

If the earth dragon is a tactical specialization type with heightened stats, then the water dragon is an environmental specialization type, benefiting from the sea as its field.

While lost in thought about such senseless matters, the water dragon grew increasingly unstable.

As if lacking the energy to move anymore, it twitches spasmodically.

HP has decreased significantly.

Death approaches within minutes if this continues.

Is that it?

Is it not possible without Ela's breath?

Hmm.

I did not see it.

Now, let us continue with the fishing.

As if nothing had happened, she cast the thread back into the sea.

The one caught was the pufferfish-like creature previously summoned by the summoner.

Ah—she does have the Water Dragon's skill, after all. So, a Water Dragon, by any other name is still a Water Dragon.

A poison user, huh.

Wait?

In the previous life, one could not be precise—had to eat the entire organ containing poison. But now, with a humanoid hand, could one not extract just the organs cleanly?

Test it out. Give it a try.

First, slice the abdomen thinly with the sickle.

Insert the humanoid hand into the incision and spread it open.

Scrape out the contents.

Don’t know exactly where the pufferfish toxin resides within the organs. Just remove all of them.

Feels good, doesn’t it?

Try eating the separated flesh.

Ah—works, works.

No distinctive bitterness, unlike when consuming poison.

Clean, refreshing taste.

Huh.

Forgot.

Ate it all, just because it was delicious.

Purpose was to preserve food—now it’s just snacking.

Well, whatever.

No need to rush.

The Demon King is still locked in battle with the Earth Dragon.

Likely to end today.

That means there’s still room for delay today.

It’ll take several days to crawl up from the lowest tier, and evading with teleportation will cause no issues.

I’ll spend the day fishing and relaxing.

But what about this internal organ?

It’s immune to status effects, so consuming it poses no risk. Still, eating something I already know is inedible… that’s not ideal.

Hmm.

But leaving leftovers contradicts my principles.

I can discard clearly inedible parts like scales, but this is a toxin—technically consumable, after all.

Toxins aren’t food, I know. But I’ve eaten nothing but toxins since birth. It’s too late to change now.

Fine.

I’ll eat it.

Ugh, disgusting.

Fugu toxin is said to be potent, after all.

Toxins in this world differ in composition from Earth’s, but the skill level for venom attacks is 4—so it’s undeniably strong.

"Is poisoning yourself a hobby of yours?"

That is not a hobby.

I am consuming this only out of necessity, to avoid leaving residue.

Hm?

May I inquire as to your identity?

"Long time no see."

Before him stood the Administrator Gurielidistdies.