novelraw Chapter 204: A Fish, A Huge Fish, A Tiger Shark
Chapter 204: A Fish, A Huge Fish, A Tiger Shark
Leon wasn’t sure if the fish in the sea could be fooled, but since he had nothing else to do, he might as well keep fishing. Even if nothing bit, it could still count as a bit of exercise.
Maybe it was because his mindset had shifted—no longer fixated on catching something—that Leon gripped his rod with one hand while casually chatting with Willy, paying no attention to the sea.
At that very moment, a dark shadow was racing through the depths, chasing after the fast-moving sardine lure. Just as it closed in, it opened its massive jaws and swallowed the lure whole.
That was when Leon felt a tremendous pull on his fishing rod. His mind hadn’t caught up yet, but his muscles instinctively tightened. By the time his brain caught up, he was already in full fishing mode.
Willy also noticed Leon’s ocean rod bending into a C-shape. He slowed the boat immediately and called out, “Leon, you’ve got a bite!”
“I know. Working on it,” Leon replied, locking the rod in his grip as he wrestled with the monster in the sea.
Willy stepped closer after slowing the boat to a crawl, keeping his eyes on the rod as he gave instructions. “Ease the tension. Let out some line. Wear it out a bit—yanking like this will snap the rod.”
“Got it.” Leon wasn’t new to fishing. He understood and loosened the drag, deliberately alternating between letting out and reeling in the line.
“This one’s a big one. The strength is insane—harder than that giant catfish last time.”
“It’s the sea. Saltwater fish are on a whole other level from freshwater. Hold on a while longer. If you can’t, I’ll take over.”Willy wasn’t even thinking about moving the boat anymore. He leaned half his body out over the side, trying to catch sight of whatever was thrashing below.
The commotion woke Gus, whose face was still pale. He got up, moved to Willy’s side, and asked, “What’d you hook?”
“No idea. Without the rod in my hands, I can’t tell from the way it’s fighting,” Willy said, shaking his head. “But one thing’s for sure—it’s huge.”
Gus leaned over like Willy, trying to spot Leon’s catch on the surface.
Leon, meanwhile, was clenching his teeth, fully focused on the fight. He didn’t have the breath to chat anymore—just holding onto the rod demanded everything he had.
This was nothing like the last time he caught a giant catfish. Thanks to the Starfruit’s boost, his physical strength had jumped at least a tier. He had never tested his exact limits, but he knew they weren’t low. Even so, this fish was making him sweat.
Luckily, very few animals had stamina greater than a human’s. After a ten-minute deadlock, Leon finally felt the power on the other end drop. He quickly started reeling in while calling to Willy.
“Willy, see if there’s a landing net or something—get ready to scoop.”
But Willy, still staring at the water, just shook his head with a strange look. “No need. A net’s useless.”
“Huh?”
Leon looked over in confusion, reeling in as he glanced at the water—then understood.
His catch had broken the surface, revealing its shape: a massive dorsal fin, smooth grey skin with mottled stripes, the blunt head of a missile, and a mouth full of teeth. Its length was nearly half that of the fishing boat.
“A tiger shark?” Leon recognized it instantly. He’d seen one at an aquarium before, but never imagined meeting one on a fishing line.
“It’s a tiger shark,” Willy confirmed, stunned. He’d guessed plenty of possible species, but never this—especially not a full-grown one.
Normally, when an angler hooked a tiger shark, the rod would be gone in seconds. The sheer power and size made resistance impossible unless you either cut the line or got dragged into the sea.
Willy had been at sea for years, and he had never seen anyone use a regular rod to fight a tiger shark for ten minutes and win—let alone haul it out of the water.
Gus didn’t know exactly what this meant for fishing records, but seeing the size, the species, and Willy’s expression told him enough: Leon had just done something insane.
“How do you even cook shark? I’ve never tried it.”
That was Gus’s first thought. He’d been curious to see what Leon caught so they could have it for dinner, but with a shark… that was outside his culinary experience. Even back when he worked in the city, shark wasn’t exactly on the menu.
Leon finally hauled the tiger shark fully out of the water. Sensing it was no longer in the sea, the shark thrashed again.
This time, Leon didn’t give it a chance. He tucked the rod under his arm, pulled out the Galaxy Watermelon Knife, extended the blade, and smacked the shark’s head with the blunt side.
With a dull thud, the shark went still. Leon quickly sheathed the knife, reeled in the remaining line, and used the water’s buoyancy to bring it alongside the boat—before storing it straight into his System Backpack.
Thank the Small Magnet Ring for the extra space; without it, he wouldn’t have been able to store something this big. Without the water’s help, the rod wouldn’t have handled the weight.
“It… vanished?” Willy stared at the now-empty hook, too stunned to process what had just happened.
Gus, however, understood. He turned to Leon. “That was one of your special abilities, right?”
“Yeah. Want me to take it out so you can see?” Leon asked, nodding as he reeled in the line.
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