Whale Island
The place where dreams begin.
The warm sunlight bathed everything in its golden glow, as white seagulls circled high in the sky. In the distance, a beautiful rainbow arched gracefully over the deep blue sea.
"Brother Li Ke, I'll have to trouble you with these fish!"
Uncle Cohen, clad in waterproof overalls, placed a bag of fish on the cutting board and beamed a wide smile.
"Just leave them here, Uncle Cohen. I'll take care of them shortly," replied Li Ke, the owner of the fish shop.
With short black hair, sun-kissed skin, and a height of 1.75 meters (5'9"), his lean and muscular frame resembled that of a sleek cheetah. His chiseled features gave him the look of a storybook hero.
No one would have believed that this handsome young man was once a skinny, starving child who relied on the charity of others and was thought unlikely to survive his first winter 15 years ago.
Li Ke had not only grown up but had become strikingly handsome and strong. Many young women secretly admired him.
Yet, few knew about Li Ke's hidden troubles.
He was a transmigrator.
Having been transported to this world 15 years ago, he started life here as an infant, barely escaping death by cold. Step by step, he fought to survive and grow.
Now, he was the most famous and skilled fishmonger on Whale Island.
The reason?
Li Ke had spent the past ten years mastering the art of fish slaughter. Starting at the age of five, he worked at the fish shop, eventually inheriting it when its previous owner passed away.
The other reason for his success was the Infinite Trait Plunder System, which had accompanied him into this world.
As its name suggested, the system allowed him to plunder traits from any creature he killed, provided the body was still warm.
Killing people? Li Ke had never tried it and had no plans to do so for now.
Instead, he had spent the last ten years killing fish.
With a splash, Uncle Cohen dumped his fish into the tank, where they flopped and splashed energetically.
To Li Ke's eyes, these fish were not just ordinary sea creatures.
Name: Tuna
Traits: Frenzied (White), Strong (White), Swift (Green), Underwater Breathing (Green)
Name: Clownfish
Traits: Drowsy (White), Toxic (White), Underwater Breathing (White)
Name: Grouper
Traits: Greedy (White), Camouflage (White), Strong (White), Underwater Breathing (Green)
Killing fish was the easiest and fastest way to obtain traits on Whale Island.
Li Ke had honed this skill for a decade.
Using a net, he deftly scooped a fish from the tank and placed it on the cutting board.
Thwack!
A swift blow knocked it unconscious. Then, one after another, his blade flashed.
[You have killed a tuna. Trait plundered: Strong (White)] [You have killed a grouper. Trait plundered: Camouflage (White)] [You have killed a clownfish. Traits plundered: Drowsy (White), Toxic (White)]
The system's melodious voice rang in his ears.
[Trait fusion in progress: Mighty (Purple) - 92%] [Trait fusion in progress: Underwater Breathing (Gold) - 22%] [Trait fusion in progress: Deadly Poison (Purple) - 11%]
This was the joy of fish slaughter.
After ten years, Li Ke had lost track of how many fish he had killed. His strong, resilient physique was a result of these traits' effects.
However, ordinary fish on Whale Island now contributed little to his trait progress.
Li Ke's fish-slaughtering skill had reached a near-perfect level, making him a popular and respected fishmonger on the island.
[Detected negative traits: Drowsy, Frenzied. Reject absorption?]
"Reject," Li Ke replied.
Some fish carried negative traits, but the system allowed him to reject their absorption. Without this safeguard, his body would have been burdened with countless debuffs over the years.
"Li Ke! Hurry up! Something amazing happened!"
Suddenly, Uncle Cohen rushed over, his face alight with excitement.
"Uncle Cohen, your fish are ready. Do you want to take them now?"
"Forget the fish! Little Jack just caught the Swamp King! The whole island is in an uproar! This is the first time in ten years anyone has caught it since Jin did! Come on, bring your knife—everyone's waiting for you!"
Uncle Cohen grabbed Li Ke and dragged him toward Whale Island's square.