The first thing that hit Alex was the smell: crisp, clean air, heavy with the subtle scent of pine and damp earth. Then, the sound: the gentle lapping of water against a shore, punctuated by the bright, insistent chirping of unseen birds. He opened his eyes.
He was sprawled on a small, weathered wooden deck, the morning sun warm on his face, filtering in shifting coins of light through the leaves of an ancient oak overhead. Before him, a tranquil lake stretched, its surface like polished jade, reflecting the impossibly blue sky. A small, cozy shed stood a few feet away, exactly as he'd envisioned it.
"Well, I'll be damned," Alex breathed, sitting up. He wore the obnoxious floral shirt, comfortable shorts, and flip-flops he'd demanded. The Fisherman's Satchel was still clutched in his hand, feeling surprisingly light. He walked to the edge of the deck, then looked at the small, unassuming leather pouch. With a focused thought, he gave it a gentle squeeze. A shimmering, almost heat-haze distortion rippled in the air before him, and the cozy shed, exactly as he'd envisioned it, materialized on the shore, its door swinging open on silent hinges. Inside, he saw a small, well-appointed room: a cot with a neatly folded blanket, a rudimentary wooden table, and a shelf with a single, dusty book. A fishing net hung on a peg by the door.
He stepped inside, marveling at the simple, rustic charm. This was it. This was the life he'd been chasing. His eyes fell on the dusty book on the shelf. Curiosity piqued, he pulled it down. The title, etched in a flowing script, read: A Beginner's Guide to the Cultivation Worlds. He flipped it open, and his Divine Eye of Essence immediately flared, translating the ancient text into something he could understand.
The book detailed the fundamental principles of this new reality. It spoke of Qi, the omnipresent spiritual energy that permeated all things, flowing through the earth, sky, and living beings. Cultivators, it explained, absorbed and refined this Qi to strengthen their bodies, extend their lifespans, and wield incredible powers.
The path of cultivation, it outlined, typically began with Qi Refinement, where one purified their body and meridians to better absorb and store Qi. Following this was Foundation Establishment, a critical stage where a cultivator forged a stable foundation for their spiritual energy. Beyond that lay Core Formation, where accumulated Qi condensed into a golden core, a powerhouse of spiritual energy. The book hinted at even higher realms, realms of Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, and beyond, each promising greater power and a deeper understanding of the Dao. It described various elemental affinities, spiritual roots, and the dangers of cultivation, from Qi deviation to powerful beasts. Alex skimmed through it, a strange blend of fascination and exasperation washing over him. This wasn't just retirement; this was a whole new operating world, and he was starting from scratch.
From the satchel, he pulled out the Void Fishing Rod. It felt surprisingly natural in his hand—cool, smooth, and humming with a subtle, almost imperceptible power. The rod wasn't long, perhaps five feet, but its dark, starry surface seemed to drink in the light around it.
"Alright, cosmic being, let's see what kind of 'guaranteed catch' this thing delivers," Alex mused, walking back to the edge of the deck. He flicked the rod. Instead of a line and hook, a shimmering, almost invisible thread shot out, disappearing into the water with barely a ripple.
Seconds later, the rod gave a gentle tug. Alex instinctively reeled, the line tightening with unexpected resistance. He pulled, grunting slightly, and a distinct thud echoed on the wooden deck.
It was a rusty, waterlogged work boot. Mud-caked and smelling faintly of pond scum, it sat there, a smelly, undeniable insult to his dreams of roasted fish.
"A boot?" Alex groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Seriously? This is the 'guaranteed catch' from the 'fabric of existence'?" He stared at the offending footwear, then at the placid lake. His serene retirement fantasy was already taking a hit.
He cast again, a little less enthusiasm in his flick. Another minute of waiting, another gentle tug. He reeled it in, his hopes plummeting with each turn of the unseen reel. This time, it was an empty, dented sardine can.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Alex's voice rose to a yell that startled a nearby dragonfly, sending it darting away. He glared at the dented can, then at the sleek, mocking fishing rod. "This is payback, isn't it? For calling you a dumbass?!"
He cut himself off, taking a deep, calming breath. His analytical mind clicked into gear. There had to be a logic to this. He held up the Void Fishing Rod. The Divine Eye of Essence flared in his left eye, and the world dissolved into a chaotic overlay of data.
The rod, once a sleek, featureless object, now pulsed with a million lines of glowing symbols. Diagrams of interconnected energy flows, qi patterns, and what looked suspiciously like raw, fundamental instructions scrolled across his vision. He focused, pushing past the initial nausea, searching for something, anything, that resembled a core function.
His gaze drilled down, past layers of complex void-weaving algorithms and existential probability calculations. There, buried deep within a nested set of parameters, he found it. A line of glowing text, almost an afterthought:
SOURCE_LOCATION = MUNDANE_SCRAPYARD
Alex felt a surge of professional indignation. This wasn't just bad luck; this was a personal insult to his craft. "Mundane scrapyard?!" he snarled. "No wonder I'm catching garbage!" He traced the symbols further, his mind racing. It was clunky, inefficient, almost… deliberately unoptimized. His eye caught an adjacent, commented-out section:
// AVAILABLE_LOCATIONS = { CELESTIAL_GRAND_LAKE, DEEP_OCEANIC_TRENCHES, COSMIC_RIFTS, PRIMEVAL_FORESTS, CELESTIAL_WATERS, ... }
A low growl rumbled in Alex's throat. That cosmic being hadn't just messed up the explosion; he'd given him a deliberately flawed, buggy fishing rod! The anger, however, quickly morphed into a familiar surge of determination. This wasn't some unfixable cosmic anomaly; this was just a poorly designed system. And Alex knew poorly designed systems.
His eye burned as he concentrated, manipulating the ethereal lines of text. He focused on the commented section, then on the active one, envisioning the change. He imagined the internal pathways shifting, the energy flows rerouting. This wasn't about picking from a list; this was about injecting a new command. He had seen enough poorly secured interfaces in his life to know there was always a back door if he knew how to look.
With a final, mental push, he felt a click, a subtle shift in the rod's hum. The glowing lines of code in his vision rearranged themselves, consolidating, becoming cleaner. The crucial line now read, bold and defiant in his mind's eye:
SOURCE_LOCATION = LAKE_EDEN
He pulled back, the pain in his eye subsiding, the world returning to normal. The rod still looked the same, but it felt different, almost… eager. He gave a slow, predatory grin.
"Alright, you cosmic dumbass," he murmured, eyeing the lake. "Let's see who's fishing for scrap now. Time to catch the big boys."
He cast again, the invisible line shooting out into the void, piercing through dimensions until it reached the tranquil waters of Lake Eden. This time, the tug was immediate, powerful, and alive. He braced himself, pulling with a strength that surprised him. A flash of iridescent scales broke the surface, and with a final heave, a magnificent fish flopped onto the deck.
It was nearly three feet long, its scales shimmering with all the colors of a sunset, its whiskers long and elegant. It thrashed, its eyes intelligent and ancient, unlike any fish he had ever seen. Alex's eyes widened with awe. He immediately activated his Divine Eye of Essence, and a flood of information washed over him, identifying the creature:
[Dragon Koi]
Description: This creature is an extremely rare and highly sought-after aquatic spirit beast, known for its vibrant scales and long, flowing whiskers. It possesses a trace of true dragon bloodline, granting it immense vitality and a delicate, highly prized flavor. Consuming its flesh can significantly enhance a cultivator's Qi and refine their meridians. It is often found in areas rich with spiritual energy.
Notes: Considered a supreme delicacy among high-level cultivators. Requires specialized cooking methods to preserve its spiritual properties and avoid wasting its potent essence.
"Holy… a Dragon Koi!" Alex breathed, the name confirming his stunned realization. This wasn't just dinner; this was a culinary masterpiece, a legend on a plate. His mouth watered at the thought of perfectly prepared Dragon Koi sashimi.
He rushed into the shed, grabbing a small, sharp kitchen knife from the rudimentary table. He tried to slice into the Dragon Koi's iridescent scales, but the blade merely skittered across the surface, leaving not even a scratch. "Are you kidding me?! I can't even cut this thing up?"
Frustration bubbling, he considered roasting it. He gathered some dry twigs and leaves, rubbing them together, then tried to coax a flame with a lighter he found in the shed. But the wood was damp, the air too humid. He tried again and again, his frustration mounting as only wisps of smoke appeared. The Dragon Koi, still flopping valiantly, seemed to mock his efforts.
"Damn it!" he cursed, kicking a pebble into the lake. "This thing's scales are too hard to cut up and eat raw, and I can't even get a decent flame going to roast it!" His gaze swept from the majestic fish to his useless hands, then back to the glowing data overlay of his Divine Eye. He needed power. Real power. Power to cook this beast to perfection.
His mind immediately went to the cosmic being's vault, that immense room filled with unimaginable treasures. If he could change the rod's source to a mundane lake, could he change it to the vault? A new, even more audacious idea sparked in his mind. He didn't just need fish; he needed the means to truly prepare them. And the vault was full of means.