Chapter 142 I Am the Cleaver, You Are a Dead Pig

Lu Kuan said directly, "No problem. You just focus on fishing, and leave the rest to me."

The other few people exchanged glances, unable to conceal the surprise and excitement in their eyes.

Silverfin fish were a specialty of the holy pool. When fishing here, one would occasionally catch these small fish, only four or five centimeters long, shimmering with a silvery glow.

Oddly enough, the moment these small fish left the holy pool, they would die instantly. Even keeping them in a basin filled with water from the holy pool could not delay their demise.

Seeing Lu Kuan's calm expression, they knew that the human ranger before them must have known about this all along.

Why hesitate then? Such a great money-making opportunity was rare and hard to come by!

Their original plan had been to fish in the shade, spend the hot afternoon lounging, and go leveling once it cooled down in the evening.

However, all four of them changed their minds on the spot—they wouldn't leave until they secured the ten silverfin fish requested by Old Deer!

Fifty silver coins, in a novice village almost completely isolated from the outside world, could certainly be considered a massive fortune. Basically, they wouldn't have to worry about any supplies from levels 1 to 10, and they could even afford some high-grade bait on the side.

At this thought, Deep Sea Loach and his companions grinned from ear to ear.

Lu Kuan didn't waste time either. He put on his specialized fishing sun hat, cast his line, and began fishing while chatting with the group.

"Aside from Sister Hua, none of you seem very high level. Did you just enter the game?" Lu Kuan asked curiously.

Deep Sea Loach was a shy fellow. Hearing Lu Kuan's question, he instinctively scratched the back of his head and smiled, "I like fishing with my friends and don't level up much. Usually, it's only when my girlfriend drags me along that I bother doing quests."

As he spoke, the Druid's gaze drifted toward the female priest. Sister Hua let out a soft huff and scolded him, sounding exasperated, "I've told them before, level is the foundation of everything in the game. Even if you want to fish, without a level foundation, you're bound to run into countless difficulties in the future!"

Deep Sea Loach seemed long accustomed to his girlfriend's tone and merely chuckled foolishly. Seeing this, the female priest grew even angrier, her lips pouting high.

Accustomed to this dynamic, the other companions chuckled, and one of them chimed in, "Stop arguing. Don't we have an expert right here? Why not just ask him?"

"I'm no expert, but listening to your girlfriend definitely has plenty of benefits~"

Lu Kuan smiled upon hearing this, then addressed the Druid player: "If you want to fish in high-level waters for high-grade fish in the future, you can't do it without a decent level. Once your fishing skill reaches a certain rank, catching ordinary fish stops granting proficiency gains..."

The group listened intently, nodding from time to time with expressions of profound agreement. With Lu Kuan's knowledge, chatting with a few novices about the game's intricacies could easily last a whole year.

Fishing itself is an activity that combines labor and rest. As Lu Kuan chatted with the novices and admired the pleasing scenery around them, time flew by swiftly.

Yet, the more anxious they grew, the less the fish seemed to bite. After half an hour of fishing, the group hadn't spotted a single silverfin fish.

Lu Kuan checked the fishing spot marker on the map and wondered if they should change locations. The bite rate for silverfin fish was already very low, and spreading out might increase their chances.

Just as Lu Kuan prepared to relocate for better fortune, a dazzling flash of white light suddenly caught the corner of his eye.

The group turned their heads in surprise to see white light bursting from the direction of the resurrection point, where a group of players had materialized all at once.

"Hmph, those guys ended up biting the dust after all~" Sister Hua muttered under her breath, wrinkling her nose with a soft snort.

Stepping out from the resurrection point was the very same group Lu Kuan had encountered earlier at the entrance. Counting roughly, Lu Kuan figured the party must have suffered a complete wipe.

"Do you know them?" Lu Kuan asked curiously.

"Pfft, who would want to know them?"

Sister Hua glanced at the distant crowd with an expression of utter disdain. "Those guys should have left the novice village long ago, but they deliberately refuse to level up just so they can lord over everyone else here."

Lu Kuan was somewhat surprised.

In his previous life, such players did exist, but that was during the late stages of the game when veteran players created alts and stayed in the novice village long-term to explore hidden quests and treasures nearby.

Since there were at least several thousand novice villages in the game, running back and forth with a main character to search for clues was simply a waste of time.

Glancing back at the group across the way, Lu Kuan fell into a thoughtful state. Surely nobody would be bored enough right now to create alts... so what were these people up to? Were they just hanging around to bully novices and throw their weight around?

"Hey! Got one! Got one!"

At that moment, Deep Sea Loach, who had been concentrating on fishing, let out an excited shout. Lu Kuan quickly looked back and saw that indeed, Deep Sea Loach was gripping his rod with both hands as a small fish thrashed lively on the water's surface—what else could it be but a silverfin fish?

"Nice~ Loach is truly a veteran, awesome!"

Lu Kuan beamed with joy, and the others stopped what they were doing to watch Deep Sea Loach slowly reel in his line.

Deep Sea Loach clearly proved himself an experienced angler; his movements were practiced and his tension control was just right, quickly pulling the silverfin fish to the water's edge.

"Wait!"

Just as Deep Sea Loach reached for his landing net, a loud shout rang out from behind. Several players hurried over, rudely shoving Sister Hua and the other teammates aside to rush straight up to Deep Sea Loach.

"Are you an idiot? Taking it out like that will kill the fish instantly!"

One of the barbarian warrior players demanded aggressively, "Keep it hooked like this first; I'll buy it in a moment! If you let the fish get away, I'll deal with you."

The other party's arrogant demeanor left Deep Sea Loach deeply embarrassed, his face flushing bright red. However, not being one for words, he momentarily didn't know how to retort.

Sister Hua, on the other hand, couldn't hold back any longer. She stepped forward in a few strides and blocked the path in front of Deep Sea Loach. "Did you eat crap for lunch or something? Your mouth smells so foul—wear a mask next time you go out, or go home and let your mother teach you how to speak!"

Her retort was crisp, clean, and delivered without a single stutter. The barbarian warrior was stunned for a moment, followed by a ferocious expression contorting his face. "Bitch, you're damn well asking for a death wish..."

With that, the barbarian actually unstrapped the massive axe from his waist, raised his arm, and brought it down straight toward Sister Hua's head!

Sister Hua showed no weakness whatsoever. With a sharp "shing," she unhitched her shield, and her nearby teammates immediately rushed forward to surround them.

To Lu Kuan's surprise, however, the fastest responder among them turned out to be Deep Sea Loach.

The moment the opposing barbarian warrior made his move, Deep Sea Loach chanted an incantation, instantly casting "Barkskin" onto Sister Hua—an execution so practiced it clearly reflected a rich history of "protecting the wife" experience.

*Clang!*

The barbarian's massive axe swept through the air with a whistling wind. The next instant, a dark shadow flashed, followed by a spine-chilling sound of clashing metal as the barbarian stumbled backward three steps, tumbling heavily onto the ground.