The evolution process was just as brutal as he remembered. Blood spilled, bones cracked, pained roars filled the entire cave.

Noah couldn't help but clench his hands until the bones within them creaked. They had spent only a short amount of time together, but the reptiled monster had saved his life countless times. He was a friend; a companion–and Noah didn’t take that lightly.

Seeing him in this much pain was agonising. Although he couldn’t directly feel the pain he was going through, they were still connected by mind. He could see the grit and determination that Krall held within his stalwart mind. No matter the suffering, Krall was withstanding it.

He didn’t know if it was the need for survival that monsters held, or if it was unique to him, but Noah deeply respected it. Noah stood by his side and protected him from anything that may pop out within the darkness. Splashing his body with healing potions, all he could do was wait.

Five minutes passed and it was coming to an end. Krall had undergone an enormous change.

Krall stood and Noah’s eyeline followed. All the way up until Noah had to crane his neck upward. Krall grinned and smashed his fists together. He walked back and forward, then, Krall fell onto his new front limbs with a crashing thud.

It reminded Noah of a gorilla. It could stand up but it could also run on its legs for max efficiency. That wasn’t the only change. The armour around his body remained, only it was now thicker, and covered his sides, face, chest, and especially the dense plates around its arms that reminded him of a shield.

Krall twitched his nose. The whites of his eyes flashed as he gazed at the twitching whiskers that had now grown out of his nose. Presumably, they acted the same way the mole’s did; it was to feel the faint vibrations in the ground to detect prey.

Noah smiled and leapt onto his back. He let out an audible sigh of content. Finally, he had a proper mount. There was no armour on his back, only a tough hide. But even that was like a cloud of comfort compared to the previous bony armour that surrounded him previously.

Peering off the side, he also noticed his hands had undergone a big change. They were now wider and webbed. It was easy to see why as Krall dug his hand into the ground then shoved the dirt to the side in a wide arc.

It amazed Noah at how simple minded Krall was. He had just experienced a never ending amount of pain and suffering, yet there he was playing with dirt with a smile on his face.

Shaking his head, Noah was about to head towards one of the tunnels when he noticed a shimmer against the ceiling. He squinted his eyes, then approached the man-made tunnels that were smashed beyond repair.

There was a gap in the rocks. Small, but a gap nonetheless. Noah ordered Krall to dig through it. Showcasing his new evolved strength, It took him only seconds to excavate the large rocks from the hole. In the distance, the floor moved. It looked like it was squirming more than anything.

Noah wanted to approach it, but the ceiling was cause for concern. After all, only a few minutes ago he used it to crush the mole king under its might.

He put Krall to work. There were spare beams in the wide open room that he used to push against the ceiling. Only after dirt stopped falling did he meander through the tunnel at a brisk pace. As he made his way through the tunnel, he glanced at each wall. His heartbeat rose.

Shit, I hate tunnels. Noah had no idea how people back on Earth could do this as a hobby. No way in hell. His way of fun was adventuring nice lush forests, beaches and ruins, or fighting different monsters, and looting. Not squeezing through drab dark spaces with no way of knowing when he would get stuck, or if the ceiling would fall down on his head. It was such a disappointing way to die.

Despite that, his curiosity got the best of him.

Nearing the squirming floor, it was actually a deep pool of water. So clear. Noah licked his chapped lips as he gazed at the water. The clarity of it was almost hypnotic. Especially after suffering through tepid jungle water, the sight of the pool was like a heavenly treasure.

He dipped his finger in then placed it in his mouth for a taste. It was clean. Just as he was about to scoop up some with his hands, a System notification popped up within his vision.

You have encountered a Rare Fishing zone.

His hands itched at the words. He quickly searched his back for the bait, but he could only find the five Uncommon ones that Nathan Kayne had sponsored him with. Other than that, he didn’t have any others. He was too focused on reaching the Hub and taking the challenge to remember to pick up any.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Noah looked around on the floor for any potential targets. He bent down and sifted through the soil with his hands, but there was nothing that could be considered bait, only damp soil, and fragmented pieces of rock.

Vision turning from the ground to Krall, an idea formed. “Hey buddy, think you could put your new evolution to use?”

Since the command wasn’t clear, Krall just tilted his head at the words.

Snorting, Noah wiggled the Uncommon bait in the air. “I need more.”

Finally, Krall bobbed his head up and down with enthusiasm before disappearing back into the main room of the cave. Only the sounds of earth being excavated were heard.

With Krall busy finding bait, Noah decided to try his luck with the ones he currently had. The roof was a bit cramped to fully cast his fishing-rod, but thankfully it wasn’t much of a concern as the pool was right at his feet.

Dropping the line into the water, all he had to do was wait. As he was standing still, his stomach rumbled with an intensity that almost shook his core.

Noah clicked his tongue. The human body was sly at masking up hunger when he was busy surviving, but now that he was standing still, the hunger arrived all at once. He dropped his bag against the wall and took out one of the rations that he was saving. Pulling back the lid on the container, a smell of marinated fish tickled the fine hairs in his nose. It only made his grumbling stomach more intense. He wasted no time and ate the entire thing. Surprisingly, the meat was incredibly dense, and only a small container was able to fully satiate his hungry stomach.

Licking his lips, he felt a small tug on his line that quickly turned into a frantic pull. Noah tightened the grip around the fishing-rod and gently pulled. It was a decent tug-of-war for a while, but Noah won in the end.

Noticing the line had turned somewhat slack, Noah tensed, and pulled his makeshift fishing-rod. The fish emerged. Sharp teeth on the front of a snubbed mouth, it launched straight for him.

Noah ducked. The fish fell at his flank. It flopped and thrashed as it attempted any which way to taste the flesh of the human. But Noah just smirked. He brandished his mace and slammed it toward the fish’s body.

In a last ditch attempt at life, it slapped its tail against the floor, and leapt straight for Noah’s face. However, Noah’s mace was already descending to its body. His mace struck its body, crunching it to the floor.

Congratulations, you caught an Uncommon Grade Fish!

| Extra experience is rewarded for catching a fish above your current Fishing Level.

You defeated a - Level 15 Subterranean Fish | Extra experience is rewarded for fighting an enemy above your level!

Your Fishing Profession has Levelled up!| Fishing Level 8 -> Fishing Level 9

Uncommon, nice. Noah kept it to the side next to his bag. It wasn't anything great, but it would provide Krall a little bonus. Even if it didn’t give anything useful, Krall still had to eat.

You have gained a World First Title - Dangerous Fishing: You are the first in the world to fish within a dungeon.

| +5% increase to Fishing Proficiency.

| Increased chance to catch a higher Rarity fish within Dungeon water.

| +5 added to the Willpower Stat.

Glancing at the new message, his lips curled in satisfaction.

Noah ended up using the other bait. He managed to catch another two fish, but the last two managed to escape his grasp. However, each one was Uncommon rated unlike the last pool of stagnant water he attempted to fish at where he received Common fish.

Just as he was about to give up, Krall returned with a handful of squirming worms. There was also a beetle. Noah wasn’t sure it could be used as bait, but once he used [Identify], he was told otherwise.

Rare Bait - Fishing Level 25 - Alluring Beetle: A beetle with an alluring appearance. It might look delicious to certain beasts, but its body is filled with a paralysing toxin.

“Oh, that looks fancy.” Noah said. Although he thought that, he refused to touch it when Krall placed it in front of him. If he accidentally squished it, would he turn paralysed? He didn’t want to test it out. Instead, since the Level was too high for him to currently use, he stored it in a secure place within his bag with a handful of soil for nutrients.

He wasn’t sure if it would live, but it was better than not trying at all.

Next up was the worms. Surprisingly, most of them were all Uncommon. It probably had something to do with being found in a dungeon. Noah noted the information for the future and immediately began fishing once more.

Since it was a high level fishing area, he wanted to make use of it while he could to gain some more Stats.

He caught a few Uncommon Fish, and Levelled up fishing twice in the process. All of a sudden, there was a mighty pull on his fishing-rod that almost launched him into the water. Noah placed his foot onto a secure rock for leverage, then pushed against it.

Through gritted teeth, Noah said, “Krall get ready to attack. It ain’t no damned anchovy.”

Just as his arms were beginning to tire, the pulling lessened. Noah took a deep breath then yanked as hard as he could. The first thing he saw was a frigid blue, but they weren’t the eyes of a prey. They were that of a predator, and Noah had just pulled it straight toward him.

The enormous fish used the extra momentum from Noah’s mighty pull and broke free from the water. A pointed snout like that of a sword screamed toward Noah’s heart.

But thanks to his order, Krall was already waiting. Waiting maybe, but the speed still caught him off guard. Despite Krall’s thick hide, and the armour at his chest, the sword-like nose of the fish penetrated in between the armoured plates. Blood spilled.

With a roar, Krall smashed it to the ground. Tail smacking the hardened ground of the cave's floor, it spun its head at Noah.