Chapter 138: The Eel and the Swarm of Shrimp
Su Ning sat quietly on a small plastic boat, her eyes fixed on the rapidly scrolling messages in the communication channel.
Since they had only just entered the [Endless Sea] instance, most players didn’t seem to have encountered any major danger yet.
However, by observing the majority of replies, Su Ning noticed that many players had fallen into the sea at the start—just like she did.
In contrast, the number of players who had landed on solid ground was extremely small.
“Is that why this instance is called ‘Endless Sea’? Because land is so scarce?”
Su Ning couldn’t help but fall into thought. If that were true, it would present a major challenge for the players. After all, humans can’t survive in the ocean for seven days—and she certainly wasn’t a fish.
Moreover, the optional mission to kill [Sea Monsters] made Su Ning wary. It suggested that the dangers in this instance were anything but ordinary.
“No point in overthinking it. I should focus on finding land first.”
She muttered to herself, then sat upright in the boat. But since she was surrounded by an endless expanse of ocean with no landmarks, she had no idea which direction to go. She could only pick a random one and start rowing.
However, after more than an hour of effort, Su Ning still hadn’t spotted any sign of land.
“Forget it. The sea is calm for now. No need to rush finding land.”
She spoke casually to herself, then summoned Hong Hong and You You.
You You was the name she had given to her [Ghost White Tiger]. These two were now her most reliable companions.
The little white tiger sprang onto the boat, happily darting back and forth, occasionally peering curiously over the edge of the boat to look at the vast sea. It was eager to explore this strange new world.
As long as it didn’t fall into the water, Su Ning let it do as it pleased.
Meanwhile, Hong Hong hovered silently at the bow of the boat, warily scanning the surroundings.
With its powerful electric control and lightning storm abilities, it could protect Su Ning from potential threats in this vast ocean.
Plus, Hong Hong’s damage against sea monsters was doubled. That alone made it worth summoning.
Of course, Su Ning had to remain alert at all times—to avoid being accidentally electrocuted by Hong Hong.
“How about I try fishing?”
Bored out of her mind, a sudden thought struck her. Why not enjoy some fishing on the sea?
Since she could retreat into her personal space during storms or at night, there was no urgent need to find land. If danger came, she had somewhere to hide. So she relaxed on her little boat, pulled out a handmade fishing rod from her storage space, and settled in for a peaceful fishing session.
The fishing line was made from Thread Thread Spider Silk No. 5, tightly woven and very strong.
“I wonder if this line can actually catch anything?” she muttered.
As for bait, Su Ning didn’t hesitate to pull out a black death worm. While she wasn’t sure if it would work, she decided to give it a try anyway.
Meanwhile, You You started getting bored and began rolling around on the boat.
However, Su Ning overestimated her luck.
After all, she now had the Super Bad Luck trait. Hoping for a lucky catch on the first try—or even a bite—was almost impossible.
“As long as I don’t pull up a sea monster, I’ll be happy—”
Just as the words left her mouth, she suddenly felt a slight drain on her stamina.
Su Ning: No way. Does even talking now cost stamina?
But that wasn’t the case—it was the effect of a skill being triggered.
The next moment, her handmade fishing rod began to shake violently.
“No way… Did my jinx skill just work that easily?”
The moment she said it, a massive creature the size of a giant python suddenly rose out of the sea before her. With dark purple skin, razor-sharp fangs, and a monstrous body—it was terrifying in every way.
[Monster: Abyssal Venom Eel] (Sea Monster)
Trait – Venom: Highly toxic
Skills: Toxic Frenzy, Death Constriction
It was a giant, poisonous eel sea monster.
You You was startled by the sudden appearance of the terrifying creature. But just one second later, it regained composure, bared its sharp little teeth, and growled fiercely at the monster.
However, due to the boat’s limited space, You You couldn’t fully move, and thus couldn’t attack the eel.
Su Ning had planned to strike—but before she could do anything, Hong Hong began crackling with electricity in midair.
With a crisp zap!, a powerful electric shock struck the sea, lightning dancing across the water. The venom eel was instantly fried—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside—and floated lifelessly to the surface.
It was deader than dead.
Su Ning was immediately drawn in by the fragrant smell of the cooked eel.
“It actually smells amazing! This meat must be high quality…” she muttered to herself.
Even You You, beside her, began drooling at the scent of the eel.
Just as Su Ning was about to store the venom eel’s body in her inventory, the surface of the sea suddenly broke again. A massive creature surged up from below and swallowed the eel whole in one gulp.
The sheer force of the wave knocked Su Ning’s small boat off balance and sent it drifting away.
Eyes wide, Su Ning stared at the enormous black shadow emerging from the water.
[Monster: Tidal Shrimp] (Swarm Formation)
Trait – Swarm: Can gather in massive numbers to form a tidal monster
Skill – Leap: Greatly boosts movement speed
Note: Each individual shrimp is only 1–20 cm in size, but in swarm formation, the tidal monster can grow to over 1,000 meters!
The Tidal Shrimp Monster, formed from a swarm of shrimp, had devoured her eel.
It soon noticed Su Ning not far away and began preparing to attack.
But before the creature could act, a bolt of electricity came crashing down from the sky. Like the eel before it, the shrimp monster was electrocuted on the spot by Hong Hong’s lightning.
Since the creature was made up of tens of thousands of ferocious shrimp, the shock scattered the swarm instantly.
Then—Shrimp started raining from the sky.
You You opened its mouth wide, helping Su Ning by chomping down the attackers.
You You: I’ll take care of it! Leave it to me!
One giant shrimp after another disappeared into its mouth.
Worried that the aroma of the cooked shrimp might attract more predators, Su Ning quickly swept all the fallen shrimp into her storage space.
Of course, Hong Hong’s lightning didn’t kill all the tidal shrimp—just scattered the swarm. Many of them managed to flee.
Su Ning saw them trying to escape.
“These are shrimp, for crying out loud! Get back here!”
She ordered quickly, “Hong Hong, zap the sea again! Use Lightning Storm!”
Hong Hong: !!!
Under a barrage of wild lightning strikes, not only did the remaining shrimp float belly-up—but many unknown species of fish were electrocuted and surfaced as well.
