Fear, anger, and a touch of disgust still gnawed at Nexha’s insides when morning arrived. He woke up with a start, cold sweat mixing with the ocean’s moisture. His heart still echoed the icy touch of that mysterious man, and the words whispered in his dreams continued to vibrate in his mind.
— That old pervert… If he won’t stop bothering me, I’ll make him stop myself.
If that man, even while imprisoned, could affect him to the point of stealing his sleep, what else could he do? Who could guarantee that Nexha wouldn’t be dragged to the depths of that dark castle? He didn’t want to be anyone’s “treasure.”
— I’ve been too lazy… No more procrastinating. Time to farm some experience.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his fishing net and obsidian knife, swimming toward the Mother of Tides kelp field. As always, it was teeming with fish.
— No mercy… Today, I’m feeding a cachalot. — he murmured to himself, pulling the net with determination.
Thinking that bigger fish might give him more XP, Nexha searched for the most imposing school and swam slowly, careful not to alert them. These fish, nearly his size, had no idea that today, the child would be the hunter.
To make things easier, Nexha tied small stones to the edges of the net.
With a swift movement, he cast the net over the school. The extra weight forced the larger fish down to the sand, unable to swim properly. In their desperation, they only thrashed about wildly… If the net had been bigger, he could have caught even more.
He gripped the knife tightly. The hunt had begun.
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His muscles burned as he held the net against the seafloor and struck. Those large creatures were strong, fighting to escape, but his endurance allowed him to hold on for a few more hours.
When the last fish finally stopped struggling, he checked his status:
[Crystal-Scaled Mermaid]
Name: Nexha
Age: Baby
Status: Normal
Lv: 5 | XP: 320/50
HP: 45/45 | MP: 30/30
Attack: 6 (+1) | Defense: 35 (+1)
Intelligence: 15 (+1) | Luck: 7 | Beauty: 30
Nexha frowned.
— Not enough… I need more.
Grabbing the net again, he used the fish scraps as bait to lure more schools. Still searching for bigger prey, he spotted a massive dolphinfish.
The shimmering yellow-green of its scales, speckled with blue dots, and its long, strikingly blue dorsal fin nearly took Nexha’s breath away.
— There’s no way I’m letting a fish this big escape!
The great fish was focused on the remains of the previous hunt when Nexha threw the net. However, instead of sinking, the fish thrashed wildly, swimming erratically.
— Oh, no…
Realizing the problem, Nexha swam after it. The stones he had tied slowed its escape, giving him just enough time to grab the net. But the fight was far from over.
The fish, in a desperate frenzy, began dragging him through the eelgrass forest. The boy clung to the net with all his strength, trying to stabilize the capture. With his other hand, he raised the obsidian knife and struck.
The fish convulsed violently, wounded, but still fighting.
Nexha felt the impact as he was thrown against the kelp. The rough leaves scraped his skin as the fish continued to struggle. The net started slipping from his grasp, but he couldn’t give up now.
Another strike.
This time, the force of the struggle sent them crashing into the sandy ocean floor. A cloud of sediment rose, blinding Nexha for a few moments. His eyes and gills burned from the stirred-up sand, but when the dust settled…
His prize was still there.
The fish was still breathing, but it could no longer swim.
Nexha approached, feeling the weight of the fight in his arms and lungs.
— Sorry… But I need to get stronger.
The final blow was precise.
The boy rolled onto the sand, exhausted, while the chime of victory rang in his mind.
{Congratulations! You have reached Level 6! Check your status to see the changes.}