Chapter 452 211: Fishing

Sean rented a fishing rod like everyone else, but he didn't take any bait.

He didn't start fishing right away, either.

Instead, he wandered around, taking a lap on the deck before picking a good spot to sit down and "work some magic" on his hook.

Sea fish were generally quite large, and it was even possible to catch a Sea Beast, so the hooks on the rods here were also bigger than usual, like small scythes. Sean used his Magic Power to manifest an engraving pen and began to sketch something on the hook.

Elise was completely bewildered watching him.

"What are you...?"

'Using Old Tongue runes just to fish?'

"You wouldn't understand," Sean explained as he carved. "This is the only way to catch a Sea Beast."

Sea Beasts aren't attracted to bait. The only thing that can lure them onto a hook is Magic Power.

And the best way to conduct Magic Power into the deep sea was with Old Tongue runes.

Sean first added a "Rapid Fall" rune to the hook, allowing it to sink to the seabed like a stone. Then, he inscribed a magical lure to attract Sea Beasts. Finally, in the most simple and brutish manner, he bent the hook straight with his bare hands, turning the curved hook into a straight one.

Elise: "?"

"Fishing with a straight hook? Are you serious?"

"What do you think?"

Sean said, "Did you think these Sea Beasts are as dumb as regular fish?"

"They've seen more hooks than you've eaten fish. They're extremely wary; they won't bite a curved hook."

Elise: "..."

She had always thought fishing was simple. You just cast your line and waited for a fish to bite.

But after hearing Sean's explanation, she suddenly felt like she knew nothing about fishing at all. 'There's so much to it,' she thought. 'This guy must have been a professional angler in his past life.'

"Tch, what a load of nonsense."

A burly man in a sun hat nearby saw Sean's fancy tricks and sneered in disdain.

'Fishing with a straight hook? Does he think he's the legendary angler Tiger Jang?'

He couldn't stand people who knew nothing but pretended to be experts. There were so many ways to pick up girls, but this guy just had to choose fishing. In his eyes, this was an insult to the elegant gentleman's sport of angling.

Elise heard the man's comment and frowned. She was about to turn around and retort on Sean's behalf, but he stopped her.

"Ignore him," Sean said, casting his line into the sea. "We'll just have to prove him wrong with results."

He said it deliberately loudly, and the burly man heard him. A defiant expression immediately appeared on his face as he said, "Is that so? I look forward to it."

"Just don't make me wait too long."

"Don't tell me I'll have caught ten before you even get a single..."

SPLASH!

Before the burly man could finish his sentence, Sean suddenly reeled in his line. There was no foreplay of tugging and releasing, no delicate dance of give and take—just a single, hard pull. With this seemingly amateurish and brutish motion, a sea fish over half a meter long was yanked out of the water. It traced a clean arc through the air before smacking the burly man straight in the face.

SMACK!

The man was knocked head over heels, sprawling on the ground. He clutched his face and stared at Sean. "???"

The fish wasn't light, and the impact really hurt. His head was ringing.

But the burly man was too shocked to feel the pain. His mind was filled with questions.

'How many words did I even say? How many seconds has it been since Sean cast his hook?'

'He's already got a bite... isn't that a little too fast??'

'And Sean was using a straight hook!'

He was just about to get up and ask Sean what was going on, whether he had made a deal with the fish and hired a shill, but before he could even speak—

SPLASH!

Another fish was pulled from the water by Sean.

SMACK!

The burly man, who had just gotten to his feet, was knocked flat again.

This time, he didn't even see when Sean had cast his line.

Two fish in ten seconds. No one would believe it if you told them.

Including Elise, all the anglers sitting in a row on either side of them were staring, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Sean, however, still seemed dissatisfied. He frowned, thinking, 'The fish in this area are so clueless.'

'My hook hasn't even sunk to the bottom yet, and these fish are already biting it. Aren't they just wasting my time?'

He wasn't after sea fish; he was after a Sea Beast.

So, Sean cast his line again.

SPLASH!

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH...!

For a solid minute, Sean cast and reeled with furious speed, pulling up a total of ten sea fish.

The burly man was now buried under a pile of them.

The anglers: "???"

'By the Master, is this for real?'

'Ten fish in one minute...'

'Is this even fishing anymore?'

'This is a goddamn supply run!'

Logic told them this wasn't Science.

Even if you jumped into the sea with a net, you might not be able to catch ten fish in a minute, let alone by angling.

But the facts were laid out right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to believe.

The anglers exchanged glances.

Then, with a CLATTER...

...they all threw down their fishing rods and crowded around.

"Boss, teach me! I don't want to get skunked anymore!"

"No, teach me first! Can't you see I'm just as handsome as this gentleman? It's destiny!"

"Get lost, you narcissist." A woman shoved the man aside, leaned right in front of Sean to reveal a canyon of sincerity, and put on a pitiful act. With wide, pleading eyes, she cooed, "Teach me how to fish, handsome, and I'll be your prize catch."

Just then, the burly man on the ground tore a fish off his head, shot to his feet, and rushed over.

"Everyone, get out of the way!"

"I was here first!"

He slid right up to Sean's side on his knees, looked up at him with a face full of respect, and said, "Hello, Teacher! My name is Howard, from the Grev Family. May I ask for Teacher's name?"

Elise couldn't help but laugh.

'Wasn't he just acting all high and mighty, mocking her dear author for not knowing how to fish?'

'And now he's calling him 'Teacher'?'

"Tch." She mimicked the burly man's earlier posture, deliberately crossing her arms and sneering. "So arrogant before, so humble now. It's ridiculous."