“Evilham. Will this do?”
Jeet brought me some thread. It’s high-quality, with excellent strength and length.
“Ah, thanks. With this, I can make a fishing rod.”
I immediately took the thread from Jeet and crafted it with wood to make a fishing rod.
Now, I could go fishing at the pond. However, this fishing rod isn’t particularly high-ranked.
Each tool has a rank, which can be determined by the crafting level and materials used.
The thread was of decent quality, but my crafting level still isn’t quite there.
I need to craft more items, gain experience, and level up.
That said, this fishing rod is enough to catch fish at the start. With a lower-ranked rod, you’d only catch tiny fish.
While it might not catch anything huge, this rod is good enough to catch a proper-sized fish.
I headed to the fishing pond and began fishing.
The pond’s surface quietly reflected my face. As I dipped the rod into the water, the surface rippled slightly.
I cast the line and decided to wait a bit. The fishing pond was calm, with no other monsters around.
The dungeon had become quite lively as it developed. While I enjoy the bustling atmosphere every day, it’s also nice to have some quiet time alone once in a while.
“Yawn…”
Enough time had passed for a yawn to escape. It was about time I caught at least one fish.
Just as I was wondering if I’d even catch anything, the rod started to tremble.
“Got one!”
I tightened my grip and began reeling in. The fish fought back, but it was no match for the Ogre tribe’s Evilham strength.
I might be seen as small fry from a hero’s perspective, but for ordinary people, I’m a pretty formidable force.
Using my (self-proclaimed) mighty arm, I tried to reel in the fish.
The fish’s shadow became visible just below the surface. Alright, I’ll pull it up in one go.
I lifted the rod, and there it was—a fish! Not a big one, but not small either—just a nice, average-sized fish.
“One down.”
I placed the fish in a bucket and cast my line again, ready for the next catch.
Another peaceful moment passed. At first, I’d been a bit anxious about catching anything.
But now that I knew I could catch one, I felt relaxed as I waited with the line in the water.
I waited again for a fish to bite. There’s no need to rush; just take it easy. Rushing won’t make the fish bite any sooner.
I felt a quiet happiness as time gently passed by.
It’s surprising how enjoyable it can be to just sit back and wait, doing nothing, all perfectly allowed.
At this rate, I might just get hooked on fishing.
Once again, a fish took the bait. I reeled it in, bringing another fish to the surface.
Alright! Two catches. Things are going well.
I continued fishing that day and ended up catching ten fish.
With the fish in hand, I headed to the crafting room.
I planned to cook them in the furnace. But first, I needed to clean them.
I took a stone knife, removed the fish’s guts, and placed it in the furnace to cook.
Soon, the delicious aroma of roasted fish began wafting through the air.
The fragrance filled the furnace. I waited eagerly for the fish to finish cooking.
Drawn by the scent, Littleham showed up.
“Lord Evilham, that smells wonderful.”
“Yeah, I’m roasting fish.”
“Oh, fish!”
Littleham’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Guess I’ll share some with him.
That said, I didn’t catch enough for all the monsters in the dungeon.
“Littleham, would you like to try some fish? On the condition that you keep it a secret from everyone else in the dungeon?”
“Huh? Really?”
“Oh, it’s about time the fish is done. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.”
I took the fish out of the stove. The grilled fish had a nice char and a fragrant aroma wafted through the air, making it look quite delicious.
The fish was oily, and just looking at it made my mouth water.
“Here you go.”
I handed the skewer with the fish to Littleham.
“Thank you, I’ll dig in!”
Littleham took a bite of the fish. Once he had a taste, he couldn’t stop eating.
He was devouring the fish with great enthusiasm.
“Oh! This is delicious! Lord Evilham, it feels like the nutrients my body craved are being fulfilled!”
Since protein was hard to come by in this dungeon, it was no wonder that Littleham’s body was rejoicing, probably due to the much-needed nutrients being replenished.
As the one who caught the fish, I decided to try it as well.
As I took a bite, the oil from the fish burst forth, dancing on my tongue.
Delicious. The fish had a firm texture, and the mouthfeel was quite nice.
I could also taste the unique flavor of the fish, and with each bite, I felt like my brain was sharpening from the DHA.
My mind felt oddly clear. I wondered if I hadn’t been getting enough protein.
“Lord Evilham, please take me fishing next time!”
“Oh, I don’t mind, but we only have one fishing rod.”
The line that Jeet brought could only make one rod.
To make more rods, I needed more line, which was rather difficult to come by.
I guess I’d have to ask Jeet for more line again.
“Should I give this fish to Jeet and ask him to bring back some line?”
I held the remaining fish and headed to where Jeet was taking a break after finishing his work.
“Jeet, do you have a moment?”
“Oh, what is it?”
I called Jeet over and showed him the fish.
“This is the fish I caught and grilled. Please take this with you.”
“Huh? Is it really okay?”
“Yeah, but in return, I’d like you to bring back some line. Littleham has started wanting to fish too.”
“I see. So we need another rod. Got it. I’ll bring more line tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
Once again, we made a trade. Line for fish. I wondered how the rates compared.
Food was valuable right now, and it felt like fish might be worth slightly more.
However, the line was essential for catching the fish and shouldn’t be underestimated.
Considering that, I suppose this was a fair exchange.
I handed Jeet several fish.
I had a few fish left, but I ate them all myself. Sharing with the dungeon monsters would only lead to conflict. I need to catch more next time.
Besides, I tend to eat quite a bit myself. I felt it was justifiable to indulge a little this time.
As I made excuses, I ate the leftover fish. It was tasty, but I couldn’t shake the slight guilt I felt while eating it.
I needed to make sure I ate enough too. After all, I was part of the monsters. Eating was a way to increase my DP.
I decided to craft the leftover fish bones into fertilizer. This could improve the efficiency of my farming. Even now, I couldn’t say we had enough fertilizer.
Wait? Fishing might actually be a good idea. I should spend my spare time fishing from now on.
Well, starting tomorrow, Littleham would be able to join in on the fishing, so simply put, our fishing efficiency would double, right?
The more fish we could catch, the richer our lives would become.
Thinking this way, I was glad I opened up the fishing spot. When I got hungry, I could fish. That way, I wouldn’t feel the urge to pilfer food again.
Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to increase the monster cap and create a fishing team at some point.
As I could do more and more, my options for where to focus my efforts were increasing. From here on out, I would need to rely even more on my instincts.
