A heavy silence surrounded Rei as he drifted in uneasy sleep.
But his mind was not at rest.
He was back inside the Deep Eater's mouth.
The humid stench of decay filled his lungs. The walls of flesh pulsed around him, tightening with a slow, crushing force.
Then—
CRACK.
His bones snapped like dry twigs.
Pain exploded through his body.
He struggled. Clawed. Kicked.
But the monster's fangs sank deeper, tearing through his flesh.
Warm blood spilled from his lips, thick and metallic.
The Deep Eater's glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness, unblinking, hollow, cruel.
Its lips curled—its massive jaws shifting into a mocking grin.
"You are nothing."
CRUNCH!
His body shattered. His mind sank into endless, suffocating darkness.
—GASP!
Rei jerked awake, his body shooting up in panic.
His breath came in short, ragged gasps. His chest rose and fell, fast, too fast.
The echo of pain still clung to his nerves.
His fingers dug into his arms, gripping himself, grounding himself.
"It was just a dream."
He swallowed hard. His skin was damp with sweat, his muscles still tense.
Slowly, carefully, he exhaled.
One breath.
Another.
The weight in his chest eased—just a little.
His mind, still clouded with the remnants of the nightmare, finally began to register his surroundings.
And then—
His breath hitched.
The sea around him was glowing.
A soft, otherworldly light flickered across the water's surface, shifting gently with the waves.
His eyes widened as he turned, looking closer.
Beneath the water, tiny, translucent fish swam in graceful patterns, their bodies emitting a faint, blue-white glow.
They moved in perfect harmony, weaving through the ocean like falling stars in the night.
Above him, the sky stretched endlessly—millions of stars twinkling in the vast darkness.
The sea mirrored the heavens.
The glowing fish and the endless sky blended together, making it feel as if the world itself had become an infinite galaxy of light.
It was breathtaking.
For a moment, Rei forgot everything.
Forgot the pain.
Forgot the fear.
Forgot the hunger.
His thoughts, so often consumed by survival, went silent.
He could only stare.
"…This is beautiful."
The world had done nothing but try to kill him.
Yet, now, it showed him this.
A sight so mesmerizing it stole his breath away.
The vast loneliness of the ocean no longer felt suffocating.
Just for a moment, it felt… peaceful.
Then—
A deep, guttural growl rumbled in his stomach.
The trance shattered.
His awe faded into something much more pressing.
His lips twisted into a grimace as he clutched his empty stomach.
"Damn it. I can't enjoy this while starving."
The hunger had dulled after everything he'd been through, but it had never left.
And now, it was back with a vengeance.
He exhaled sharply, his gaze shifting toward the glowing fish.
They were small, fast, moving elegantly beneath the waves.
"I wonder if they're edible…"
His eyes narrowed, his mind sharpening with a new determination.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his fishing rod, fingers tightening around the handle.
"No hard feelings, guys," he muttered under his breath. "I need to eat."
With a swift, practiced motion, he cast the line.
The fishing rod sliced through the air, its string disappearing into the glowing water below.
A tense moment passed.
Then—
A sudden tug.
Rei's reflexes kicked in. His hands jerked the rod back, reeling in the catch with force.
Water splashed as the glowing form of a Light Fish emerged, wriggling wildly in the air.
A soft ding echoed in his ears.
> [You have caught: Light Fish!]
[Catch 30 Light Fish to receive a reward: Mystery Box.]
Rei blinked.
A mystery box?
His exhaustion was momentarily forgotten.
A reward could be anything—food, tools, weapons. Anything that could help.
His hunger took a backseat.
A grin tugged at his lips.
"This… this might actually be worth it."
His hands tightened around the rod, his tiredness drowned out by a new drive.
He took a deep breath.
Rolled his shoulders.
And cast the line again—
Ready to fish for his survival.