The Dragon King’s Sea
I had no idea where Daldal had gotten it from, but he proudly returned to the boat holding a brightly glowing fishing line.
Several fish I had never seen before were hanging from the sky-blue line.
Peep!
[Translation: Ahem!]
What are these?
I had graduated from a fisheries high school and even majored in Aquaculture at university, but I had never seen fish like these before.
“These really are fish, right?”
I muttered while staring at the strangely shaped fish Daldal had caught.
Peet-peep-peet-peep!
[Translation: These are rare fish that can only be caught in the Dragon King’s Sea!]
“The Dragon King’s Sea...? What’s that?”
Daldal proudly pointed at the fish one by one as he spoke.
Each of them looked similar to familiar fish like rockfish or flounder, yet all of them had something strangely different about them.
One had a horn growing from its head, while another had many colors like a rainbow.
...To be completely honest, they did not exactly look appetizing.
“Wait a second.”
As I stared suspiciously at the fish Daldal had brought back, something suddenly crossed my mind.
It had already been several years since Gates first appeared in our world.
I had seen short-form videos of Awakened exploring inside Gates and collecting rare items or strangely shaped creatures.
Mushrooms with legs, unicorn-shaped fruit, giant mugunghwa flowers that shot flames from their petals, things like that.
I thought creatures like those were called Fantasy Creatures.
And apparently, some of those Fantasy Creatures had special effects, making them extremely valuable among Awakened.
I had even heard that companies actively tried to acquire them.
The Pungsun Pill, known as the greatest hair-loss treatment in human history, was made using shiitake mushrooms from an A-Rank Gate, if I remembered correctly.
“Could these fish be like that too?”
I quickly placed the fish Daldal had caught into the icebox I had already filled with seawater, then switched on the aerator.
After that, I opened my Status Window.
“I once saw a famous Awakened appraising items and creatures. There should be something somewhere in the Status Window... Oh, there it is.”
[Awakened Exclusive Menu: Appraisal]
My heart began pounding as I moved my finger toward the Appraisal button.
A screen appeared that looked similar to scanning a QR code with a smartphone camera.
I adjusted the screen with my fingers and aimed it at one of the fish Daldal had caught, one that was shining especially brightly with rainbow colors.
“Oh!”
[Appraisable Fantasy Creature detected. Immediate Appraisal available.]
“Immediate Appraisal. I shouldn’t expect too much, but it would be nice if it had some kind of useful effect.”
Feeling the same excitement as someone waiting for Saturday night’s lottery results, I pressed the Appraisal button.
Flash!
[Fantasy Creature Appraisal complete.]
Light flashed brightly enough to briefly illuminate the surroundings.
The Status Window paused for a moment, then immediately displayed the results.
Name: Dragon Palace Rockfish
Species: Fantasy Fish
Rank: D (Special Individuals: C, B)
Difficulty of Acquisition: Easy to Moderate
Description: A fish that evolved after receiving the power of the Dragon Palace.
Like ordinary rockfish, it lives hidden between rocks. Its flesh has excellent firmness and outstanding savory flavor.
Normal individuals have no special effects, but rainbow-colored individuals possess a special effect.
Special Note: Can be farmed, conditional. Select for details.
Sale Condition: Can only be sold through the Awakened Exclusive Shop using exclusive currency.
Special Effect: Agility while moving underwater +1. Permanent.
“Oh, it really does have some kind of effect. Agility while moving underwater... Does that mean you can swim better? It sounds useful, but also kind of minor.”
I muttered while staring blankly at the Dragon Palace Rockfish calmly swimming inside the icebox.
I had no idea how valuable an effect like this would be in the world of Awakened.
Still, it was just a rockfish.
How much could one fish possibly sell for?
Maybe I should just take it home and eat it as sashimi.
But wait.
“It can be farmed?”
Ever since Gates appeared, most Fantasy Creatures that appeared alongside them were known to be unable to adapt to normal environments on Earth.
Because of that, even though people had managed to commercialize crops and animals discovered by Awakened, continuously producing them through farming or domestication was apparently extremely difficult.
But this...
This rainbow-colored rockfish could be farmed.
There were conditions, though.
Half excited and half worried about what those conditions might be, I opened the detailed information.
Farming Conditions: Can only be farmed in an environment directly blessed by the ‘Dragon Palace,’ or by a person who has formed a close bond with a ‘Spirit Beast.’
Farming qualification cannot be transferred.
Second-generation individuals produced through farming also cannot be farmed normally by others.
“Uh...”
The conditions sounded strict, but at the same time, they really were not.
I had no idea about the blessing of the Dragon Palace, but as for someone who had formed a close bond with a Spirit Beast...
Wasn’t that me?
“So I can farm these strange rockfish, at least. That sounds good.”
What if I could properly raise these mysterious fish?
Reviving the fish farm might not be just a dream anymore.
Peep, peep!
[Translation: If Lord Suho wants, I can catch more fish like these!]
At some point, Daldal had climbed onto my shoulder.
Peep, peep!
[Translation: I shall show you the true power of a Spirit Beast once again!]
“Daldal, the water is cold, so you don’t need to push yourself too hard... He’s already gone.”
Before I could stop him, Daldal once again leaped into the seawater with tremendous force, surrounded by bright light.
And from that moment on,
Peep!
[Translation: Caught one!]
Peep, peep!
[Translation: This one is huge.]
Peet-peet-peep!!
[Translation: Tremble before my magnificent fishing skills!]
With terrifying speed, Daldal began pulling huge numbers of rainbow-colored rockfish from the sea.
He caught so many that my father’s little boat started rocking under the weight.
Pant, pant, pant...
After covering the boat with rainbow-colored rockfish, Daldal sprawled out flat on his back and panted heavily.
Then he stared at me with his round black eyes as if waiting for praise.
“You worked hard. You worked really hard. Daldal is the best! The greatest fisherman in history! The otter who catches fish better than anyone else in this sea is our Daldal!”
I praised Daldal endlessly, rubbed his face, and stroked his fur.
Only after satisfying his desperate need for recognition did he finally,
