4 Vol 1. pt. 4 Patch 2.0: Socializing, Raiding, or Fishing? (2/2)
”How does that even work? I mean, I still know how to do math and everything I normally could in real life. Wouldn't somebody who's like a tailor or blacksmith in real life, as uncommon as that is now, have an advantage in-game over people who don't do that in real life? I mean, I was only able to make this spear because I already knew how to from watching videos outside of the game.”
”Some knowledge transfers over, some doesn't. Would you like me to read you one of the peer-reviewed studies conducted by scientific institutes regarding this phenomenon while you play, Onii-chan?”
That sounds too boring for whatever he'll learn from it. ”I'm good. Thanks, though. One final question: is there anything stopping people from making stuff like cars and guns?”
”For the sake of gameplay, the overseer won't allow everything to work that players try making, but if they can do it in a way that is appropriate for a fantasy setting and that she finds acceptable, then maybe somebody will invent something like those!”
”Alright, thanks.”
”No problem, Mr. Twenty Questions!”
Being called that stings a little bit. He knows that he has a bad habit of asking people so many questions that it gets annoying, but he also knows that Saya wouldn't purposely try hurting him. It was just a tease.
Time to fish! It may not be a proper fishing spear, but he wants something that can effectively double as a weapon. A fishing spear wouldn't be as good as a stone-tipped spear if he gets attacked by something. He readies his spear and gives a few practice thrusts to prepare himself for the real thing. Once he's confident, he walks in circles around the pond and… nothing. He sees some fish farther from the edges, but his spear isn't long enough to reach them. He's also afraid that stepping into the water might scare them off.
This is when he learns that just because he's watched a bunch of online videos, it doesn't mean that he's going to have any of the skill.
An opportunity approaches! Slowly, a particularly fat fish glides through the water towards the edge. It's as if he's being taunted! ”Alright, fish, you wish to challenge me? Then I, Fenrir, shall be your foe today! Just come a liiiitttle bit closer… there!” Fenrir thrusts the spear into the water!
Naturally, he completely misses his target. One would think that, from just how badly he missed, the fish must have been using illusionary magic on him to make him believe it was in another position.
But he won't give up!
Moving to another spot, he keeps on searching until he finds another fish to thrust his spear at! He misses again, and again, and then again. Thirty minutes have passed, he's attempted to catch seven fish by this point, and every single one has been a miss.
Something feels different now. The next fish that he tries to get, his movements are faster and more precise. It even feels like he's able to better track the fish and predict where its movements will take it. It feels similar to after he crafted this spear. Is this what it feels like to learn skills? The changes are minor, but they are noticeable.
Alright, another fish – no, not just any fish, but it's the first one he tried catching! He can tell by the interrupted, blue stripe running along its left side. That, and from how fat it is.
He readies his spear. His eyes are locked onto it like a hunting hound tracking a rabbit. He moves his entire body as he aims his spear rather than just his arm, and he tries predicting where exactly the fish is going to go to aim there rather than its current position. Instead of spouting off more cheesy dialogue, he takes a deep breath and thrusts the spear forward at the end of his exhale!
Success! The spear thrusts right into the fat body of the fish, tearing through its scales and impaling it on the end of the spear!
Fenrir's tail is excitedly wagging behind him alongside his twitching ears as he lifts the fish out from the water. It's still flailing around on his spear, but he doubts that it has much life left in it. Wait, what was it that those fishers did to put fish out of their misery in the videos he's watched? That's right! He brings the fish down to his free hand, grabs it by the tail to slip it off of the spear, and then smacks it against the nearest rock. It stops flailing.
”You're so silly, Onii-chan. To worry about so much about a virtual fish suffering – are you sure you don't mean to be playing a kiddy game? By the way, that was some top-tier dialogue back there,” Saya teases him.
”Real fish or fake fish, I don't want to let anything suffer. Also, you can't tease me about what I say when you're pretending to be a little sister constantly calling me 'onii-chan.' You're way worse than me,” Fenrir teases right back at her.
He walks past the girl and back over to the pond to look for another fish. Now that he's caught one fish, he wants to catch even more! He's totally hooked. Well, more like totally speared.
Wait.
He turns around to look back. A petite girl with long, silvery hair and light blue eyes stares at him with an interested expression. The sides of her hair hang down far enough in front of her to cover her modest breasts, but barely. At least she's standing behind a bush so that he can't see what's beneath her waist. He's assuming that she's just as naked there as she is upstairs.
Somehow, it's only now when he fully understands that she's not wearing any clothes despite looking her over a few times.
The poor Fenrir, who really didn't want to ever make such an unmanly noise again after he first realized he was naked, has now made it again less than two hours later.