Nathan cursed. Sandwiched between the King Crab’s main force on the shore and the flanking maneuver of zombie bass and regular crabs, they were trapped. A zombie bass lunged, its milky eyes fixed on Nathan. He twisted, water erupting from his hands in a swirling vortex. The bass slammed against a jagged rock, its vacant gaze flickering before it went still. Another bass darted in from the side, snapping its jaws. Nathan barely dodged, feeling the rush of fetid water as it passed. A crab scuttled past the fallen bass, its pincers clicking menacingly.
Crabs swarmed, their carapaces scraping against each other as they advanced. One nipped at Nathan’s leg, tearing a small gash in his scales. He grimaced, a trickle of blood blooming in the water. He pressed his hand to the wound, a faint blue light emanating from his palm as he used [Ocean's Embrace] to knit the flesh back together. A crab scuttled towards his other leg, pincers raised. He stomped down, crushing it beneath his foot. But another immediately took its place, and another after that. The clicking of their claws on the riverbed was a relentless, unnerving chorus.
“Fall back!” Finny shouted, his voice strained. “Nathan, get back here!”
Nathan glanced back. The fish mafia members were struggling, surrounded by a sea of snapping pincers and snapping jaws. One of them was dragged down by a cluster of crabs, disappearing beneath a writhing mass of chitinous legs.
He turned back to the fight. He launched himself forward, hands outstretched. Water erupted from the riverbed, forming powerful currents that swept away clusters of crabs, sending them tumbling end over end. He then focused the current into a tight, pressurized jet, blasting a zombie bass against a rock with a sickening crunch. But for every crab he sent tumbling, another seemed to take its place. Every time he crushed one beneath his heel, another scuttled forward to take its place. The clicking of their claws grew louder, more insistent. The air was thick with the smell of brine and decay.
Finny swam back to him, his eyes wide with desperation. “Nathan, you have to do something! That King Crab, it’s controlling them! You need to take it down! They’ll scatter if it falls!”
Nathan turned his gaze towards the massive crab on the shore. It remained motionless, observing the chaos with cold, beady eyes, one massive pincer slightly raised. He knew Finny was right. This was it.
He reached for his harpoon, the bronze head dull and worn. He hefted it, took aim, and with a grunt, unleashed [Throw Harpoon]. The harpoon spun through the air, striking the King Crab squarely in the chest. The impact was met with a dull thud. The harpoon bounced harmlessly off the thick, cracked shell, falling into the sand at the creature's feet. The King Crab didn't even flinch.
A wave of panic washed over Nathan. He gathered the water around him, preparing to unleash [Riptide Mastery], focusing all his energy into a massive wave aimed directly at the King Crab. The water surged and swelled, forming a towering wall that crashed against the creature. But the King Crab simply braced itself, its massive form unmoved. The wave dissipated, leaving the creature completely unaffected.
His breath caught in his throat. Nothing was working. He felt a cold dread creeping into his heart. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his will. He reached into his magical inventory, feeling for the familiar shape and weight. His fingers brushed against the worn leather grip of his old metal fishing rod. He grasped it and pulled it forth, the rod materializing in his hand. The metal was cold and worn, the once-gleaming surface now scratched and pitted.
He raised the rod, pointing it towards the King Crab. The creature’s beady eyes seemed to fix on the rod, a flicker of something that might have been surprise crossing its face. Nathan channeled all his energy into a powerful [Cast]. The rod groaned under the strain, the old metal creaking ominously. A blinding flash of light erupted from the tip as Nathan unleashed the full force of his Diamond+ ability. The energy coalesced into the hook, hurtling towards the King Crab.
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The King Crab raised its massive pincer, attempting to intercept. The hook slammed into the pincer with an ear-splitting crack. The air shimmered, then exploded in a deafening burst of light and force. Nathan’s fishing rod shattered in his hand, the pieces spraying outwards. The magical energy that had been contained within the rod’s core erupted outward from the hook in a devastating wave, engulfing the King Crab.
The creature’s pincer, already cracked and splintered, completely disintegrated. The force of the blast threw the massive crab onto its back, its legs twitching feebly. A cloud of dust and sand erupted around it. When the dust settled, the King Crab lay motionless, a gaping hole blasted through its shell.
The surrounding crabs froze, their scuttling abruptly ceasing. A moment of stunned silence hung in the air, then they began to scatter, retreating in disarray. The zombie bass, deprived of their apparent control, simply floated aimlessly in the water.
And then, in Nathan’s hands, his fishing rod split down the middle and cracked in two.
----------------------------------------
Nathan stood amidst the wreckage, his hand still outstretched, the remnants of his fishing rod scattered at his feet. He stared at the fallen King Crab, his heart pounding. He had done it. But at what cost? He picked up a piece of the broken metal, running his fingers along the jagged edge. He felt a pang of sadness.
The silence after the explosion was deafening. The only sound was the gentle lapping of the river against the shore. Nathan stood amidst the debris, the weight of what he’d done settling upon him. He looked at the shattered remains of his Metal Fishing Rod, a wave of regret washing over him. It was just a rod, he knew, but it had been with him for so long.
Finny swam towards him, his eyes wide with awe. “Nathan, you you did it! You actually did it!” He looked from Nathan to the fallen King Crab, then back again, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe it. That old thing?” He gestured towards the broken rod.
Nathan’s lips lifted into a smirk. “It had one last cast left in it, I guess.”
The fish mafia members, who had been scattered and struggling just moments before, were now regrouping, their faces etched with relief.
Several zombie bass lay scattered amongst the debris, seemingly unaffected by the King Crab’s demise. But these weren’t just any zombie bass. These had an unusual number of fins, far more than any bass Nathan had seen before.
Nathan inspected them.
[Bass of Many Fins]
“Nathan! Look!” Finny called, pointing towards the odd fish. “There’s a lot of them.”
Nathan waded over and saw the creatures. Their milky eyes stared blankly ahead, but the sheer number of fins was striking. They rippled slightly in the gentle current, an almost mesmerizing sight. There were at least twenty of them scattered around the area.
Nathan reached out and gently touched one of the [Bass of Many Fins]. As his fingers made contact, the fish shimmered, then vanished in a puff of light, leaving no trace behind. A notification appeared in his vision:
[Spring Carp] - COMPLETE
[Cursed Desert Tilapia] - COMPLETE
[Translucent Fish] - COMPLETE
[Spirit Fish] - COMPLETE
[Bass of Many Fins] - COMPLETE
Quest: Upgrade [Sand-Worn Fishing Rod - D Rank] complete!
[Sand-Worn Fishing Rod] has been upgraded to D+ Rank!
Nathan pulled the [Sand-Worn Fishing Rod] from his inventory. It was no longer a simple, worn piece of equipment. The sand-colored wood now had faint, swirling patterns that seemed to shift and change like the currents of the ocean. The grip felt warmer to the touch, and a faint hum of energy emanated from it. The description had also changed:
[Sand-Worn Fishing Rod - D+ Rank]
A rod crafted from driftwood touched by the tides. It whispers secrets of the deep, hinting at a connection to something far greater than the shore.
Nathan held the rod in his hand, a brief moment of satisfaction washing over him. Then he remembered the other bass. He couldn’t just evaporate them all. Zayen needed them.
“Finny, I need to collect these,” Nathan said, gesturing to the remaining bass. “Zayen needs them for a potion.”
Finny blinked. “Right. You mentioned something about that.”
Nathan began carefully picking up the remaining [Bass of Many Fins]. As he touched each one, instead of vanishing, they were placed directly into his inventory. He received a notification for each one:
[Bass of Many Fins] added to inventory.
After collecting all of them, Nathan had nineteen [Bass of Many Fins] in his inventory, in addition to the one he had used for the rod upgrade.