Tyler, Bee, and I landed on a sandy beach close to where Greg was parked.

  “That’s nice,” Panda remarked. “They could’ve put you back into the water in front of the world boss, but instead they returned you to the surface.”

  All three of us had a plastic box with sushi inside it in our hands. It was specifically a single piece of nigiri for each of us, with what looked like a slice of rotten flounder on top.

  Bee sat down and pulled out another item, which was a light-brown cupcake with pink frosting.

  “What’s that?” I asked, sitting down next to her.

  “The Trickster’s Surprise thing we got for figuring out the dungeon’s trick.”

  In the chaos I had forgotten that we’d received the reward and pulled it out as well.

  [‘Trickster’s Surprise’ x ]

  Consumable

  It is apparently customary to give a cake like this to any Player who finds the trick in a Trick Dungeon.

  If you ask me, the trick was obvious.

  Also, if you’re not going to eat your sushi, can I have it?

  It smells divine.

  Enjoy the flavor of victory.

  Weight: Approximately eight

  “That’s a heavy cupcake,” Panda said suspiciously.

  I bit into it, and, despite Brock’s curse, my mouth was filled with the strong taste of minty toothpaste.

  I immediately gagged and spat it out.

  “That’s foul,” I complained, picking small pieces off my tongue and flicking them away.

  “It didn’t do anything…” Bee muttered in confusion and disappointment, crumbs falling out of her mouth.

  “I kind of like it,” Tyler commented, licking the wrapper it had come in.

  “I guess that’s why it’s called a trickster’s surprise,” Panda stated to no one’s benefit.

  I frowned and inspected the unsettling piece of sushi.

  “If this is another joke item, then I’m going on another corporate genocide,” I vowed.

  [‘Fishmonger’s Tasty Treat’ x ]

  Item

  Surstr?mming Sushi! What could possibly go wrong!?

  Are you really going to eat this?

  It smells so good.

  Actually, you know what, I’m going to that Dungeon right now and trying out those fish-spiders!

  Those wet socks from the Voidspawn Defense Force can’t stop me!

  Weight: Approximately one

  “Uh oh,” Panda muttered.

  A loud buzzing filled the air from the direction of Madeville, rapidly coming closer. Then I saw the dark silhouette of the same giant insect that had appeared after Billee showed up following the fight with the Swan.

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  WARNING!

  A Dragonfly Defender from the Voidspawn Defense Force is coming to investigate signs of Voidspawn activity!

  All Players in the area, please do not approach the Dragonfly Defender while he is working!

  Interference will be punished!

  “She keeps breaking containment,” I muttered, impressed.

  Tyler looked around. “What’s happening?”

  “Don’t worry about it and eat your sushi,” Bee told him.

  He obeyed without question, although he looked up at the enormous dragonfly as it flew over our heads and hovered above the lake.

  I pulled the lid off the plastic container, and the powerful scent of rotten fish flooded my nostrils, singing my nose hairs and making my head spin. I had a sudden flashback to the time when Tina had somehow smuggled Surstr?mming into the asylum. The common room had smelled like shit for weeks, no matter how vigorously the orderlies scrubbed every surface and vented the place.

  I bit into the nigiri and was glad that I couldn’t taste anything except eggplant thanks to Brock’s curse.

  Out over the lake, the enormous dragonfly underwent a transformation and became human-sized. Then it shot down into the water, disappearing from sight.

  The pop-up for consuming the boss item took half a minute to appear, and we’d already started walking back to the Humanbus when it finally showed up for Bee and I. Tyler hadn’t had any delay, and he’d picked his skill immediately, getting something called ‘Wave On’, since his Class was a ‘Wavemaker’. I had no idea what it did.

  [Choose your reward! x ]

  Hah!

  I managed to get a good haul of fish-spiders before Adannus showed up.

  That guy is so slow, but they keep sending him after me.

  Anyway, how did the sushi taste?

  The fish-spiders are alright on their own.

  I think I will try deep-frying the ones I have left.

  Pick one of the options:

  ‘.fish’ | ‘Fishmonger’s Lure’ | ‘Animate Fish’

  [‘.fish’ x ]

  Ability

  There’s no information about this Skill, other than the activation description below.

  System Ore is a pretty interesting substance though.

  I wonder how it tastes.

  Manifest a fishing rod of unbreakable System Ore and toss a line to hook a target.

  If you complete the following Mini GAME that appears, you will catch the target.

  Cooldown: 3 hours

  [‘Fishmonger’s Lure’ x ]

  Ability

  Camouflage yourself as an old man with a fish stall.

  Players can buy fish from you, and if they eat one, they will be paralyzed.

  I have a cousin who plays pranks like this before eating his victims.

  Paralysis is fun and all, but I prefer when my prey is able to move and scream.

  It’s just kind of creepy if all they can do is look at you with their pleading eyes.

  Cooldown: 6 hours

  [‘Animate Fish’ x ]

  Ability

  Now this is what I’m talking about!

  If I had a power like this, I’d use it on all the fish-spiders I just picked up.

  While they taste nice, and deep-frying works, the fact that they’re all dead is really killing my enjoyment.

  I wonder if I can give you a Quest to reanimate some dead fish for me.

  Also, it seems the limitations on what counts as a fish are really vague.

  Reanimate all dead fish within an area 10-metres in diameter, bringing them back to life under your direct control.

  Cooldown: 30 minutes

  Duration: 10 minutes

  “Animate Fish seems good,” Panda said.

  “I’ll pick .fish,” I told him. “It has an indestructible fishing rod.”

  “Hmm, good point,” he conceded.

  “I got something that lets me summon a fish-spider that inflicts neurotoxin, paralyzing anything it bites,” Bee said cheerfully.

  Panda frowned.

  “How did you actually kill the boss that easily?” I finally asked her. Normally I dealt with high level enemies by dealing absurd amounts of damage, but she’d made it look easy.

  “I figured that fall and collision damage are based on health percentages, just like my rot damage,” she replied. “So, the Bounceshroom in a confined room is a really easy way to exploit that.”

  I nodded proudly. “I’ve taught you well.”

  “Wait a second! Your rot affliction deals percentage-based damage!?” Panda asked, incensed.

  “Yep,” she replied cheerfully.

  “That’s so broken!” he argued.

  “And?” I asked.

  “Is that thing yours?” Tyler asked, pointed to the Humanbus as he started crawling towards us, whining like an abandoned dog.

  [CAPTAIN! VICE-CAPTAIN! WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR SHIP!]

  “This is our Safe Zone, Greg,” Bee introduced him.

  “Are you coming with us?” I asked Tyler. With his level 7 following the dungeon clear, he was one of the strongest Players in our region.

  “Only if Tanner comes,” he said.

  Isabella popped her head out of a window in the side of the bus.

  “There you are!” she yelled. “I finally rounded up all the others and then the weird announcement came. I thought you were goners!”

  “We’re fine,” I shouted back. “Is Tanner with you?”

  “He is,” she replied.

  I looked to Tyler. “Then you’re coming with us.”

  “Okidoki,” he responded.

  “Where are we going next?” Isabella asked as we walked up to the side of the bus. “Do you know where my brother is?”

  I looked to Panda. “You said you knew where to go, right?”

  He nodded. “Tell Greg to take us to the nearest bottomless hole.”