Hugo stood there for what felt like an eternity, staring at the impossible sky and the floating islands that defied every law of nature he'd ever known. His heart was still racing, not from fear exactly, but from the overwhelming strangeness of it all.
This wasn't death. Death was supposed to be final, quiet, a slow fade into nothing. This was something else entirely.
He looked down at his hands again, flexing his fingers. The joints moved smoothly, without the familiar ache that had plagued him for the last decade.
His back felt strong, his legs steady. Whatever had happened to him, whatever this system was, it had given him a body that felt twenty years younger. Maybe more.
The beach stretched out in both directions, curving gently around what appeared to be a small island. Hugo turned slowly, taking it all in.
White sand, smooth and unmarked except for his own footprints. Palm trees swayed in a breeze that smelled like salt and jasmine. Behind him, a cluster of rocks formed a natural barrier, and beyond that, a shallow lagoon sparkled in the strange twilight.
The ocean itself was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. It wasn't the murky gray-green of the waters near Tidebreak, nor the deep blue of the open sea he'd fished his whole life.
This water was clear as glass, with a faint luminescence that seemed to come from within. He could see straight down to the sandy bottom, where schools of fish darted between coral formations that glowed in shades of pink and purple.
Hugo walked toward the water's edge, his bare feet sinking slightly into the wet sand. The waves lapped gently at the shore, nothing like the violent storm that had claimed his life.
He knelt down and cupped some water in his hands, bringing it to his lips. It tasted clean, slightly sweet, with a hint of something he couldn't quite place. Magic, maybe, if such a thing existed here.
A soft chime echoed in his mind, making him straighten up suddenly. The glowing text appeared before him again, hovering in the air like it was written on invisible glass.
[Tutorial Phase Initiated.]
[Location: Isle of Brine, Southern Shallows of the Aqualis Realm.]
[As an SSS-Ranked Fisherman, you have been granted a starter kit. Please check your inventory.]
Inventory? Hugo frowned, unsure of what that meant. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, another window appeared, this one showing a grid of empty squares. All except two.
In the first square was an image of a fishing rod, sleek and dark, with a faint blue glow along its length. In the second square was a small pouch tied with string.
Hugo reached out tentatively, touching the image of the rod. The moment his finger made contact, the window vanished, and suddenly he was holding the rod in his hands.
It materialized out of thin air, solid and real, its weight comfortable and familiar. The handle was wrapped in worn leather, and the line shimmered like spun moonlight.
[Rod of the Forgotten Tide acquired.]
[Rank: Beginner | Durability: Infinite | Special Effect: Increases chance of rare catches by 5%.]
Hugo turned the rod over in his hands, examining it. It felt right, like an extension of his own arm.
He'd held countless fishing rods in his life, cheap ones and expensive ones, but nothing had ever felt quite like this. There was a hum to it, a faint vibration that seemed to resonate with his heartbeat.
He touched the second item in his inventory, and a small leather pouch appeared in his other hand. When he opened it, three glowing objects fell into his palm.
They looked like shrimp, but they were translucent, with tiny stars twinkling inside their bodies. They pulsed gently with light, warm against his skin.
[Beginner's Bait: Starshrimp x3 acquired.]
[Effect: Attracts common to uncommon sea creatures. Single use per bait.]
Hugo closed his hand around the starshrimp, feeling their warmth seep into his skin. This was really happening. Whatever this world was, whatever he'd become, it was real.
He wasn't dreaming. He wasn't dead. He was here, standing on an island he'd never seen before, holding a fishing rod that glowed like captured moonlight. Another chime sounded in his mind, and new text appeared.
[Tutorial Quest: Catch Something from the Depths.]
[Objective: Use the Rod of the Forgotten Tide to catch your first creature from the waters of the Aqualis Realm.]
[Reward: Basic Fishing Knowledge, 50 EXP, and unlocking of the System Shop.]
Hugo looked at the rod, then at the ocean stretching out before him. He'd spent his entire life fishing. It was the one thing he knew how to do better than anything else. And now, in this strange new world, it seemed that was exactly what he was meant to do.
He walked to the edge of the water, where the waves were gentle and the sand sloped down into the shallows. Taking one of the starshrimp from the pouch, he baited the hook with practiced ease. The little creature wriggled once before going still, its internal stars glowing brighter.
Hugo took a breath, feeling the familiar rhythm settle into his bones. The pull back, the weight shift, the release.
The line sang through the air, and the hook splashed into the water about thirty feet from shore. The starshrimp sank slowly, its glow visible even beneath the surface.
He waited, rod held steady, eyes on the line. The ocean was calm here, peaceful in a way the sea near Tidebreak had never been. No harsh winds, no biting cold. Just the gentle lap of water and the distant cry of birds he couldn't see.
Minutes passed. Hugo's mind began to wander, falling into the meditative state that came with fishing. He thought about his old life, about the village he'd never see again.
He thought about the kid he'd saved, and wondered if he'd made it back to shore. Then the line jerked.
Hugo's attention snapped back immediately. The rod bent slightly, and he felt the familiar tug of something on the other end. But it wasn't the frantic pull of a hooked fish. It was gentler, almost hesitant, like whatever was down there wasn't sure if it wanted to be caught.
He began reeling in slowly, keeping the tension steady. The line glowed brighter as it rose through the water, and Hugo could see something coming up from the depths. Not a fish. The shape was wrong, too round, and too smooth.
As it broke the surface, Hugo's breath caught. It was a sphere, about the size of his fist, made of what looked like frosted glass.
Inside, something swirled like captured smoke. The sphere bobbed on the surface of the water, and then a voice reached him.
"Please. Help me."
Hugo froze, rod still in hand, staring at the glowing sphere as it floated at the end of his line. The voice came again, barely more than a whisper.
"I've been waiting so long. Please. Pull me free."
[Anomaly Detected.]
[Warning: This is not a standard catch.]
The system's message flashed red, but Hugo barely noticed. His fisherman's instincts were screaming at him that something was wrong, but that voice, small and afraid, cut through everything else.
Someone needed help. And Hugo Barley had never been able to turn away from that.