Data.75 – Old Bowman, Pisces Trial

“Well, I’m going to go down the mountain now.”

The Pisces labyrinth was west of the first town.
In other words, as the town of Dapan was at the foot of the Foggy Mountains, which were also in the west, it would be best to go from there.
I had already unlocked fast travel to the sky town…well, it had been done before I knew it.

Turns out that the requirement was just ‘make a job request that involved something rare at the workshop.’
After all, once you asked him to repair or evolve something that was rare, you would be required to return later and retrieve them. So the requirement made sense.
Still, it was shockingly considerate.

And so there was no need to climb up that foggy cliffside.
I could just warp from other towns.
From now on, if I ever found any promising materials, I would show them to Mister Yu.

“I’ll also return to the event soon enough, so perhaps we’ll meet again.”

“Yeah. Let’s hope we can both clear all of the labyrinths. Oh, and the final trial as well.”

Today, the clouds around Foggy Mountain were on the thin side.
In the distance I could see the Serpent Palace above the first town. It seemed to be waiting for players to come and fight the final battle.
We were supposed to fight against Charin there. But I had no idea what kind of battle it would be.

“The best players should reach it in a few days. And then I’ll be hearing all about it even if I don’t want to. Well, at least we aren’t too far behind.”

“I’ve been getting about 2 a day, and now have 5 of the medals. But the fast players probably have at least 10 by now…”

“The pro gamers must be excited to be the first to find out the secrets of the Serpent Palace. That’s the way to get the most attention and become famous. So both the veterans and the newcomers will work hard.”

“The first, huh… While I can see the appeal, I think that I prefer to go at my own pace. Besides, I don’t think I’ll even be able to finish it unless I get a little stronger… It’s just a feeling. So I’m going to work on my skills and equipment as I make progress. Also, leveling. I will probably max out my 2nd job soon.”

“Sounds like a good idea. It’ll only slow you down if you hurry and end up breaking your equipment again. Also, about the Ghost Guild, I think that I’m going to accept Necoco’s offer.”

“Oh? You are?”

“Yes. I realized that there’s nothing easier than for people to live by helping each other… In other words, I also have to help others. And since she invited me, she must see something in a player like me. So I think that I’ll do what I can.”

Satomi had been hesitant about joining the Ghost Guild due to being intimidated by Necoco’s passion for the game.
I had just joined because it seemed interesting. But I suppose Satomi just wanted to enjoy the game and relax, and felt that it might not be for him.

“Well, the idea is that we’ll come together if there is any content that is exclusive to parties and guilds. So we can think about it when the time comes.”

“Heh…that’s true. Well, see you later.”

“Yeah, later.”

I opened the map and selected Dapan.
My body was enveloped in light and in the next second, I had arrived in the town filled with pandas.

◆ ◆ ◆

From there, I walked down the main road and towards the pin on my map which indicated the location of the Pisces labyrinth.
And while I was walking, I noticed something.
The pin was actually located inland.
All the other labyrinths that seemed to be related to the sea were near the beach. But this one that looked like it could be related to fishing was near the center.
But I got the answer to my question soon enough.

“I see… So that’s why…”

A river. A great river had been altered into a fishing pond…!
The large boulders were removed, and there were man-made differences in level and areas separated by nets. And inside, fish were swimming.
Players would stand still, tilt their heads and change spots etcetera.

As it was still part of a river, the fishing pond was very long.
So there would be plenty of space even if there were a lot of players there at once.
And so I decided to get a fishing rod and start the trial.
Oh, I had to learn the requirement for winning and getting the special reward first.

‘Hey-heey! The fish will be scared if I talk too loud, so this time I will speak at a normal volume-nyon.’

This Charin…just looked like a fisher. There was nothing fantastical about her.
A vest with a lot of pockets, waterproof pants, and boots…
She even wore a cheap looking cap on her long blonde hair.
Still, it wasn’t bad, seeing a girl put on clothes that would usually be seen on guys.

‘In a way, this trial is the most simple-nyon. You will use the fishing rods that I’m going to give to you, and catch some fish here. That’s all-nyon. The pond won’t run out of fish, so don’t worry-nyon. You will receive a medal if you catch a fish that has a rarity level of 4 or more stars. The special reward is for players who catch something with the highest rarity level of 5 stars-nyon.’

That really was simple.
On the other hand, this fishing pond was exclusively for the event. So just because you caught a lot of fish, they could not be sold for money or used as materials.
In other words, catching anything that was 3 stars or lower was meaningless…

‘Fishing is very simple-nyon. Just raise the rod quickly if the float sinks… That’s it-nyon. You’ll know if you catch something big, because of the way the water surface will splash. But as long as you don’t drop the rod, you should be able to catch it-nyon. In other words, this trial is just about reflexes-nyon.’

…What!?
I had a feeling she had said something frightening… But was it just me?
This was a VR game with the most recent technology, and yet it was just like an old fishing game with timed button presses…
But the fishing I did at the southern sea was so realistic…

‘Yes, yes. Just like that certain famous relaxing game-nyon. Just one button press once the float sinks! The timing of that moment is all that matters. It could be a killifish or a coelacanth, and the result will be the same-nyon.’

…Well, this is an interesting trial you directed me to, Satomi.
It was a trial that would test how much I had grown.
Your reflexes were not as fast when you aged… It was the unavoidable truth.
However, I was sure that I had improved since starting the game.
And I felt like I was now a part of this world.

So perhaps I would show them.
My true capabilities now that I have adapted to this game…

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