A Puji floated quietly in the deep blue water, its entire body submerged, only its green cap bobbing on the surface.
The seemingly drifting cap was tethered by three twisted mycelium tentacles into a sturdy rope, anchored to the ceiling’s mycelium carpet. Hidden inside the Puji’s body was a small sickle-shaped weapon, serving as a hook.
On the shore sat a group of standby Pujis and a gathering of Big Black Mushrooms, who spawned randomly in Puji clusters when Lin Jun wasn’t directly commanding.
At first, when Gray saw the Puji floating, she too wanted to dive in. But the other Pujis stopped her. So now she just leaned against the bank wall, staring at the waterborne Puji, lost in thought.
Suddenly, the Puji dipped underwater, then bounced back to the surface.
Something had taken the bait!
Lin Jun focused intently.
Truthfully, he had no fear of “empty fishing.” With real-time feedback from his bait, how could he miss?
That underwater creature had just torn off half the Puji’s leg, intending to drag it down. But the rope severed the limb. Surely, it would return.
Sure enough, the bait Puji sensed a surge of current approaching—A massive catfish leapt from the water, jaws snapping shut around both the Puji and half the rope, before plunging back down.
The tether went taut in an instant. Pujis on the shore reached with tentacles to reel it in—but before they could hook it, the ceiling anchor tore loose, rope and rubble sinking into the depths.
…
That’s fishing. Anything can happen—that’s the fun.
Lin Jun stayed calm, moved the Pujis to a new spot, infused mana, regrew rope, tied on a fresh hook, and carefully baited a new Puji.
Round two: cast!
A giant shrimp snapped the line in two…
A frost eel froze the surface solid, leisurely devouring what lay beneath…
A bone-armored crocodile turtle crushed hook, rope, and Puji in one bite…
What truly broke Lin Jun’s spirit was Gray.
Apparently realizing what the Pujis wanted, she slipped underwater herself and—barehanded—snatched up a catfish, tossing it onto the bank for them.
…
…
…
Clearly, it wasn’t his technique. The seventh floor’s fish were no ordinary fish.
They were monsters.
Ferocious aquatic monsters!
Normal fishing wouldn’t cut it.
Hours later, a new Puji squad returned, brimming with confidence.
After tossing some mushrooms into the water as chum and waiting a while, six Pujis leapt in one by one.
【Infrasound Attack LV6】
Invisible waves spread through the water. On the surface, not a ripple.
Soon, a slew of ruptured, dead fish floated up.
Yet Lin Jun frowned—no big ones.
Large, high-HP monsters had fled the attack. Only true small fry had perished.
He tossed the carcasses onto the mycelium mats. After accelerated decomposition, results were as expected—worthless.
He needed the big ones.
Luckily, he had another plan. A Fatty Puji waddled forward.
Despite its bulk, it was low-density, belly hollow, so it normally floated like a balloon. Lin Jun had it swallow several rocks first.
It sank straight to the bottom.
This was the waterway’s edge, barely ten meters deep.
Fatty lay still on the bed. Little fish nibbled at it, but Lin Jun ignored them.
Confidence from sheer HP!
Then a frost eel slid in, coiling around Fatty Puji as prey—
A muffled boom reverberated underwater, sending ripples across the surface.
Several Cowhorse Pujis, equipped with 【Underwater Adaptation LV4】, dove in. No live fish remained—all had fled.
Soon, they dragged up chunks of exploded frost eel, along with a giant shrimp. The shrimp tried to take a bite of Fatty, but blew itself up instead, losing its claws.
Merciful, Lin Jun even retrieved the claws, reuniting them with their owner.
【Seven Sins: Greed Triggered】
【Skill Plundered: Path of Frost LV1】
【Skill Plundered: Frost Shield LV1】
【Skill Plundered: Jetstream Burst LV1】
【Skill Plundered: Saliva Arrow LV4 → LV5】
【Skill Plundered: Water Sense LV1 → LV2】
【Skill Plundered: Giant Claw Crush LV1 → LV2】
…
After dissecting both, Lin Jun finally obtained the skills he wanted, though still low-level.
Tests with prototype Pujis clarified them.
【Path of Frost】 and 【Frost Shield】 were eel abilities. The former briefly froze surroundings, the latter conjured a temporary ice shield. Both were of limited use on Pujis.
The shrimp’s abilities, however, looked much better.
【Jetstream Burst】, as its name implied, expelled stored water for acceleration—excellent for dodging or retreating underwater.
Once again, the old veteran Fatty Puji proved invaluable.
With that confirmed, Lin Jun began mass-producing Fatty Pujis in all areas where the mycelium mats had spread on the seventh floor.
With a little mana boost, in half a month he’d have a full roster of underwater skills ready.
The rift problem was not one to take lightly. This was no time to conserve mana.
——
On the water’s surface, a palm-sized scented pellet floated, seeping pinkish essence. Four Gold-ranked adventurers hid quietly on the shore, waiting.
A faint ripple stirred. All grew tense.
It was here!
A giant catfish burst from the water, swallowing the pellet whole.
“Now!”
The mage’s staff flared.
Fifth-tier magic—Ice Prison!
The ten-meter-wide waterway froze solid. The catfish slammed against the ice, its tail trapped, thrashing violently in survival instinct.
“Don’t give it a chance to break free!” The captain barked, leading the charge.
Well-trained, the team swiftly dispatched the helpless fish.
Slicing off the whiskers, the captain then split open its belly. The whiskers were alchemy material, while a section of belly meat was prized cuisine, worth money—or at least a feast for themselves.
“Hm? What’s this?”
Fishing around, the captain drew out a small sickle from inside the catfish…