Cast the line.
Catch something.
Cast the line.
Catch something.
What is even going on with this sea?
This isn't just a good haul. It's absurd.
And everything I'm catching is a Water Dragon.
The Levels are all over the place, but every last fish-like thing I hook comes with the Water Dragon Skill attached.
Is the Water Dragon Skill just default equipment for sea Monsters in this world?
What an incredible sea.
It's a dragon paradise.
Nope.
Not having it.
What kind of terrible paradise is this?
With this many dragons swarming the waters, wouldn't even sending out a boat for fishing be a death sentence?
Back in my previous world, I'd heard crab fishing was a life-or-death occupation, but is fishing in this world seriously that high-difficulty?
Could it be that fishermen here are some kind of elite handpicked squad?
The image flashes through my mind: sea-faring men who outclass the Knight-class I fought before, locked in a death struggle against dragons.
Half-naked, ripped-to-shreds guys diving courageously into the ocean with harpoons in hand.
Wait, that's actually kinda cool.
Once I'm done fishing here, I should look for a fishing village.
There might be some nice-looking older guys there.
Cast the line.
After all this nonstop fishing, the catches have gotten worse. I think they've wisened up to me.
They're not really fish, after all.
They're proper Monsters.
They've gotta have at least that much sense.
I relax and let the line dangle.
A huge haul is fun, but this kind of laid-back downtime isn't bad either.
Letting the line hang, I let my thoughts drift to what comes next.
Finding a fishing village is settled. The question is what comes after.
So I find a fishing village — then what?
Ogling the local sea men is a given, but after that, what should I do?
I don't really have any intention of wiping out humanity at this point.
Culling the numbers to some degree is fine, but slaughtering innocent villagers doesn't sit right with me.
Fighting warriors or soldiers who've steeled themselves for death feels like the least likely to leave a bad aftertaste.
Those kinds of people train specifically for combat, so the Experience Points should be better too.
Which brings me to the subjugation force that'll probably be dispatched after me at some point — taking them on would be ideal, wouldn't it?
Ahhh, but how would that even work?
I've wandered outside the labyrinth, destroyed the fortress — the subjugation force has to react somehow, right?
Before, I could've just waited in the labyrinth and let the Knights come to me, but now that the fortress is gone, word's definitely going to get out that I've left.
So would they organize a search party before sending the main subjugation force?
But I don't exactly have the patience for all that.
Maybe I should just head to some big city and start causing trouble from my end?
A big city would have a decently armed force, at least.
Ahhh, but what if that armed force turns out to be stronger than I expected?
Hmmm.
Oh well. Whatever.
At this point, it's not like someone can one-shot me. If the opponent's too strong, I just teleport away.
For now, I'll just wander the world at my own pace, I guess.
That suits me way better than planning massacres and whatnot.
I mean, I'm fully aware this isn't like me.
Shoving aside Gyuurii's earnest warnings just to get involved in this world — that's completely out of character.
But y'know, it just rubs me the wrong way.
Yeah.
It really does.
Even if I do nothing, this world was supposed to work out its own answer on its own.
Depending on what that answer is, the world could end, and it'd become my problem too.
But that's still a ways off.
From what I gathered meeting Gyuurii, that guy isn't okay with letting the world be destroyed.
I personally think it'd be fine to just abandon it, but what a softie.
Well, it's not that he won't abandon it — he can't.
What a pickle.
No matter how things go, nothing but misery awaits Gyuurii.
Whichever of the two options he chooses, it's hell.
In other words, Gyuurii is already cornered.
Die together with the woman he loves, or betray her to save her.
Right now, he's planning to die with her.
But that doesn't sit right with me.
So I'm going to meddle.
Do as you wish.
I'm acting for no reason other than that it bothers me.
This feeling is genuine — it's my own will, untainted by anyone's influence.
D would want me to move forward by my own will too, right?
Then let's do it.
I'm deep in thought when I feel a sharp tug on the line.
Here it comes!
Wha—!?
This force — it's on a completely different level from before!
The biggest catch of the day.
But it's still not enough for me!
I pull.
In the distance, the catch on the line thrashes violently.
It was a Water Dragon.
Release!
Are you kidding me!?
Catching a Water Dragon on a fishing line — that's just not a thing.
I mean, I've been catching Water Dragons left and right, but still.
Seriously, doesn't that Water Dragon have any pride as a dragon?
What are you doing getting hooked?
Ahhh, that startled me.
I released it on pure reflex.
But maybe I shouldn't be killing any more dragons anyway.
I don't want to pick a fight with Gyuurii over something careless like that.
Also, what is actually up with this sea?
Let me investigate a bit.
Okay then — ruler authority, Skill search.
Target Skill: Water Dragon. Begin search.
The ruler authority's Skill search is a handy function that scans for anyone in the vicinity carrying the designated Skill.
Since it accesses the system directly, there's no MP or divine-domain consumption.
Well, the trade-off is that after using it once, it takes a while before I can use it again.
Plus, the results are vague — something like "they seem to be in that general direction" — so it's not the most precise tool.
I've made it way more usable by linking it with the Wisdom map function, though.
So, the search results — what the heck is this?
Water Dragons are absolutely everywhere within sight of the sea.
It really was a dragon paradise.
I can't even.