Rei's arms ached, his muscles stiff from the repetitive motion of casting and reeling.
His fingers felt numb, the skin raw from gripping the fishing rod for hours.
Each movement had become slower, heavier, but he didn't stop.
Eighty…
Thirteen…
Sixteen…
The numbers blurred together in his mind.
The once-empty boat was no longer empty.
Glowing fish piled up, their faint, blue-white light illuminating the wooden planks beneath him. The sight was almost surreal—his little fishing boat bathed in an ethereal glow, a floating island of light in the middle of the vast darkness.
But there was a problem.
"I'm running out of space."
The fish, though small, were piling up fast.
If he kept going, he wouldn't even have space to sit, let alone move.
He let out a slow breath, trying to ignore the soreness in his shoulders.
"Alright, time to use this."
Raising his hand, he muttered the word.
"Subspace."
A small, swirling black hole flickered into existence before him.
It wasn't anything impressive. Only about the size of a backpack, nothing like the massive storages he'd seen in games or novels.
But it was enough.
Carefully, he began storing the fish one by one, watching as they vanished into the dark void.
It was oddly satisfying.
There was something almost hypnotic about the way the glowing bodies disappeared into nothingness, like tossing pebbles into a bottomless well.
One by one, he cleared the boat—until suddenly—
DING!
A sharp chime rang in his ears.
A notification flickered into view, its golden text standing out against the night.
> [Quest Complete!]
[You have caught 30 Light Fish.]
[Reward: Mystery Box]
Rei froze.
Then, as if summoned by the words, a small golden chest materialized before him.
It hovered slightly before settling into his open palms, its surface glowing faintly.
His heart pounded.
"Finally!"
Excitement rushed through his veins.
Up until now, the system had done nothing but mock him—giving him a fishing rod, throwing him into danger, watching as he suffered.
But this—
This was his first real reward.
He tightened his grip around the box, took a slow, steady breath, and opened it.
The moment he did—
The chest disintegrated into golden particles, dissolving into the air like sand slipping through fingers.
In its place, a new notification appeared.
> [You have obtained: Ocean's Forge]
[Skill Acquired!]
[Ocean's Forge – Crafts unbreakable gear from the sea's essence.]
Rei's eyes widened.
"A… crafting skill?"
The words sank in, his brain scrambling to piece together the implications.
"Does that mean I can make weapons? Armor? Tools?!"
His pulse quickened with anticipation.
But just as he was about to celebrate—
Another line of text appeared.
> [Skill Level: 1]
[Current Crafting Ability: Basic Equipment Only]
His excitement deflated a little.
"So it's weak for now…"
Still—
The fact that he could create something meant he was finally making progress.
For the first time since this insane survival trial started, he wasn't just reacting. He wasn't just barely holding on.
He was building toward something.
His fingers curled into a tight fist.
This was good.
This was really good.
His gaze flickered to his fishing rod, then to the pile of glowing fish still left on the boat.
A thought formed in his mind—slow, uncertain, but persistent.
"Can I make something out of these?"
The skill was called Ocean's Forge.
And these fish—these glowing, mystical creatures—they were part of the sea, weren't they?
He took a slow breath, centering himself.
Then, he focused.
Tried to will the skill into activation.
A faint blue glow shimmered around his hands.
The light pulsed—soft, warm, alive.
Rei stared, heart pounding in anticipation.
This was it.