WebNovels

Chapter 2 - Chapter 2 - Part One: I hate sardines!

The rain came steady now, hissing against the water's surface like oil on a hot pan. Gray clouds swirled low over the open sea, casting the world in steel shadows. Beneath it all, the deep ocean waited — silent, endless, watching.

Ming Sūlín pulled her deepwater suit from inventory and unrolled it with practiced hands. The blue-black fabric clung to her arms as she slid it on, cool and slightly stiff from storage.

Ming Sūlín pulled the last seal tight on her deepwater suit, then slipped on the flippers. Both pieces were old, but still held together well enough. The breathing slug at her mouth clamped down, reacting to her breath and locking into its feeding position. She checked her map again — the fish were fast, and they were closing in.

The large fish school darting in the water was already veering closer — silver flashes slicing through the blue below.

She didn't wait. She couldn't afford to. Nor could her little raft.

Ming Sūlín dove straight in.

She swam hard, pushing a few feet away from the raft — far enough to intercept the school's trajectory.

The water was cold. Not freezing, but colder than it had been last week. It swallowed her in every direction, pulling at her limbs like it always did — soft at first, then demanding.

The first fish passed beneath her, skimming the edge of her feet.

They were circling. She could feel it more than she could see it. She slowed her kicks just enough to drift, not panic, and angled herself toward a low stretch of tangled kelp not far off. If she moved fast, she could lose them or at least draw them in long enough for the raft to drift clear.

One hand drifted to her side.

She still had the knife and harpoon — the sharp fillet knife — tucked in her grasp. It wasn't much. But if it came to that, she wasn't going down without trying.

If they reached her raft, it'd be over. The damn thing was barely stitched together with string and prayer. She had no interest in finding out how long it'd last under assault.

The surface began to break — slow ripples, then sharp waves. Something was coming. She could feel the water drawing inward. If she hesitated now, her raft would be ripped apart.

Her flippered feet hit the water first, and the suit reacted instantly — tightening, calibrating for temperature and pressure. A faint green flash ran along the seams. Her breath evened out as the slug began releasing filtered oxygen into her lungs.

[Thermal Protection: 30 mins active — 1 hr cooldown | +2 DEF (temp)]

[Flippers: 15 mins active — 1 hr cooldown | +4 AGI (temp)]

[Breathing Slugs: 2 uses — 15 mins each (up to 3 hrs)]

The notifications reminded her she was on the clock — and that she'd better end this fast.

Her eyes adjusted quickly. Below the surface, visibility dropped to a blur of motion and darkness.

Not small.

Nothing in this world seemed to be small.

The only thing she could see clearly was the massive shape moving toward her raft — and the smaller hulking shadows peeling off from it.

The first of the fish surged toward her — thick-scaled, the size of a grown man, with jaws wide enough to bite her in half. She twisted, avoiding it by inches. Its tail whipped past, throwing a vortex behind it.

Another closed in from the right.

She drew her curved blade and harpoon arrow — not elegant, but sharp enough to hack through bone. Kicking upward, she picked up speed and spun underwater, building momentum. Then she brought the weapons down across the fish's gill line.

The blade and harpoon arrow caught. Blood spiraled into the water like red smoke.

The beast thrashed violently before jerking to a dead stop.

[You killed x1 Adolescent Sardine]

[+4 Kill Points | +30 EXP]

[Loot: x6 Fish Skins, x12 Fish Bones, x18 Fillet Fish Meat, x230 Copper Coins, x6 Ironscales]

[All items added to inventory]

Ming Sūlín glanced at her map — still swarming.

Another fish dove toward her from below. She twisted in response, driving her blade upward through its jaw. The next closed in from the left, circling her, testing her distance.

They weren't a school.

They were a hunt.

And she was in it.

She turned mid-water, caught the next two in a sweeping jab and twist. One dodged. The other — the one behind it — took the hit instead. She didn't hesitate. Using the flippers' boost, she raced to its side, dove under, and sliced through its soft underbelly.

[You killed x1 Adolescent Sardine]

[New Skill Unlocked: Fillet Slicer | +50 EXP]

So cool! She hadn't realized she could unlock skills from simple attack patterns. That little discovery gave her a surge of motivation.

She dove back in.

Three minutes in, and it was a full-on fight. The swarm didn't back off — if anything, they moved closer together, tightening their spiral like a net. She recognized that tactic: they were syncing up. In seconds, they'd swarm her from all angles.

She switched tactics immediately.

Two more down.

Five killed.

Three left.

[Congratulations Ruler: You have leveled up!]

📜 PLAYER PROFILE: MING SŪLÍN

• Identity: Ruler / Refugee

• Level: 1

• EXP: 0 / 400

• Energy: 150 / 150

• Life Value: 100

• World Territory Level: 0 / 10

• Establishments: None

• Territory Defense: None

• Citizens: None

• CP (Citizen Points): None (need citizens to earn)

• Profession: None

• Race: Human

• Skills: Fillet Slicer

• Attributes:

 • Intellect: 9

 • Strength: 6

 • Defense: 4 +2

 • Charm: 8

 • Agility: 5 +4

 • Constitution: 3

 • Wealth: 10 silver, 967 copper coins

[Bonus Reward Unlocked: First Blood Among Blue Planet Players]

[Rewards: x1 Blue Grade Boat House Blueprint, 100 Gold, x1 Low-Grade Defender Drone Set (Basic Security), x1 World Fish Index, x1 building blueprint for Adventure Guild.]

Level One?! Already? So much good stuff for her?! Why thank you of course.

She blinked, stunned for only a moment before excitement settled in. She was the first Blue Planet player to level up — and the first to kill anything. Not bad.

She adjusted quickly. Oxygen level: stable.

Muscle fatigue: low.

The suit's damage shielding was dented but holding.

Only three more left.

Quickly gaining ground, she killed two more sardines.

Not giving them time to fall back and recover in a swarm, she completely blocked off the counterattack abilities.

[You've killed x2 adolescent sardines. KP: +6 | EXP: 60]

[Loot: x24 Fish Skin, x23 Fish Bone, x34 Pieces of Fillet Fish Meat, 15 Stone, 14 Wood, x1 Roll of Tangled Fishing Line, a Black Market VIP Auction Token, 12 Gold, 10 Silver, 301 Copper Coins, x1 Blue Grade Busted Self-Diving Pod]

And then she saw it flee — a hollow undercropping, half-buried in drifting sand and twisted roots. Small, but enough. She kicked toward it, heart thudding, trying not to burn too much energy.

She slipped inside just as another rush of water pressed beside her.

The fish passed — not giving chase.

Yet.

Ming steadied her breath. The walls of the hollow were rough, ribbed with old glowing coral and pale growths. Safe for the moment. But she knew better than to think that would last long.

She crouched there, silent, one hand still on the knife.

Above her, the fish turned again — when this time a larger fish appeared above them.

Waiting.

More Chapters