Great, we're doomed now!

The man gripped the pistol without changing his expression, observing the underwater "ripples" through the lens of a detector, his brow slightly furrowed.

Four dots... It's a merfolk hunting party. After all, they are humanoid creatures, and they hunt cooperatively like a wolf pack.

He probably doesn't realize yet that the "sturdy" boat beneath his feet is actually inflatable, but if anyone were to try it, its weakness would be immediately exposed... A swift and decisive battle is needed!

puff!

The tip of the spear pierced the water's surface, and as a ripple passed beneath the surface, Ye Shou's eyes narrowed:

Maximum power!

Wow!!!

goo goo goo...

Instantly, huge splashes and bubbles began to churn and spray!

-

"Then let's choose [Monster Hunter], [Human Slayer], and [Treasure Hunter]."

Negative traits... I hope I can handle them.

Ye Shou hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose [Poison Resistance Reduction].

The defining characteristic of a Monster Hunter is their knowledge of monsters and how to find their weaknesses and even deliver a fatal blow when hunting them!

In the original work, Leos is an ordinary-looking but "genius" who can deal critical hits and true damage to monsters with every move.

The effect of [Humanoid Killer] is similar, except that the target has changed from monsters to "humanoid creatures".

Ye Shou had hesitated before, because these two skills seemed to be skill-based and did not provide any actual numerical boosts. However, after experiencing this battle, he felt that they were still very necessary. Better safe than sorry, and with these two by his side, the possibility of encountering accidents in the maze would be greatly reduced.

As for [Treasure Hunter], it is something he is determined to obtain, even more so than the other two, simply because it is a conceptual skill!

Increase the probability of encountering "treasure" during adventures and explorations;

Increase the probability of triggering inspiration during the decryption process;

A clear and strong 'purpose' will slightly amplify the above two effects;

—This thing seems to have a synergy with the Golden Rule!

Putting that aside, whether in the main world or dungeons, there's a lot to be done as a Treasure Hunter!

The most satisfying aspect is that it's a passive buff; once you select it, you don't need to worry about it anymore—simple and convenient!

For this reason, Ye Shou even went so far as to draw a negative keyword!

[Resistant to poison]...

Regarding poison resistance, the "digestion" function in this world is quite powerful. As long as you can identify the toxicity of the food, you'll generally be fine if you're careful. At worst, you can just avoid eating the monsters here until you meet the main characters.

Of course, this is not entirely foolproof, and there is still the possibility of unexpected events, such as the gradual accumulation of chronic toxins followed by a sudden outbreak.

Just like in biology, the higher up the food chain, the more pollutants tend to accumulate.

Then Ye Shou has no choice but to gamble on the transition effects!

Doesn't it take time for food poisoning to fully develop?

Why are insects not afraid of cancer? By the time cancer cells develop, their lifespan is already long over! Similarly, as long as I "refresh" myself fast enough, the rate at which toxins accumulate cannot keep up with me!

With Ye Shouyou holding on [the scene], even if there are any problems, he should be able to hold out for a month!

drop!

Putting on his headset and playing Mads Mikkelsen's music, Ye Shou, who had just finished the battle, quickly calmed down and got into the zone.

He pulled over the two fish-men floating in the water as well—the others had already been scared away.

Looking at the three corpses before him, he calmly took out his surgical suit and began to dismantle them with the skill and precision of a monster hunter.

Although it wasn't quite the right move, his actions looked even more fluid than those of a tuna dismantling show master who had practiced for decades.

Practice! Practice a lot!

He didn't plan to buy those two skill-related entries; the only one he would spend money on was the "Treasure Hunter" skill, and he needed to thoroughly understand and internalize it over the next month.

Getting something for free? That would be amazing!

Chapter 58 The Traveling Gourmet and the Monster Chef

Splash~~~

A large amount of fresh flesh and blood was dumped into the lake, and an ominous red stain immediately spread across the rippling blue water, like a tainted oil painting.

Ye Shou carefully cleaned the scalpel and medical saw, but he only used them to dissect monsters, so there was no need to disinfect them.

In the water, a series of slender, long-bodied monsters with wide fins, only the size of a palm, like miniature flying fish, surrounded him. However, they did not attack him. Instead, they surrounded the fishman's corpse parts and devoured the bits of flesh bit by bit.

Ye Shou did not feel uncomfortable watching this scene. Although the fishman's name contains the word "human", he is not actually a demi-human. It would be a stretch to even call him a humanoid monster.

At first glance, apart from having a fish head, its upper body seems to resemble that of a strong man, but in reality, only its arms are human-shaped, while the rest of its body is that of a standard large fish. It is likely that any vertebrate, once it stands upright and grows human hands, will easily give the impression of being a "subhuman".

By the way, fish-men are like this, but "mermaids" are two completely different creatures. The former are fish, and the latter are mammals (their features are really quite distinctive).

The mermaid's upper body is completely that of a beautiful human woman, and it respects the logic of reality very much—purely naked, without using things like seashells or starfish to cover it up.

Speaking of which, being chosen to be the bra of the mermaid princess must be the great dream of many starfish, right?

Considering that their inner surfaces actually have organs that move around to feed... hey Disney is really going for the extreme!

Perhaps because of the distracting thoughts in his mind, when he passed by the top of a building and saw groups of mermaids, Ye Shou's gaze lingered a few more times on their fair skin, which was covered with fine water droplets.

This is purely academic research; [Monster Hunter] has no ill intentions whatsoever!

Did the mermaids realize that the man in the strange little boat was the same person who had been singing along with them from afar? In any case, they didn't try to seduce Ye Shou again, nor did they show any aggression. They simply watched him slowly leave indifferently.

They are actually a kind of demi-human, possessing considerable intelligence—creatures with well-developed language systems are generally intelligent and do not have a penchant for cannibalism, but they have a particular fondness for luring humans into the water to drown, as if they were born with a wicked nature, so they are still classified as monsters.

Ye Shou remained vigilant, gradually moving away until he was certain the creature wasn't pursuing him, only then did he feel completely at ease. This creature's song possessed a kind of mental magic, making it far more dangerous than the merfolk in Ye Shou's assessment.

Fortunately, they hadn't encountered any large predators yet, and the journey had been relatively smooth. After paddling for about seven or eight hundred meters, Ye Shou rounded a corner of a building and witnessed a strange sight:

There is a "city wall" that is about three meters above the water. There is a gap at intervals on it, and about three or four figures are sitting here. Each person has a long line in front of them that goes vertically into the water.

...What the heck? Fishermen spawn in the maze too?

Wait a minute!

That person is... although he differs from the one in the animation, he's much more rugged in real life... to put it bluntly, much more slovenly, but he should be a good person.

A beard that hasn't been cut for over a hundred years might not be uncommon among dwarves, but wearing a flawed helmet is definitely one of a kind.

Dwarves are very particular about their equipment and will not compromise on it without a good reason!

Lucky me, I ran into a "plot character" before even leaving the building, who in a sense is the most useful person to Ye Shou.

Great! The preserved fish-man flesh can finally come in handy!

Suppressing his slightly excited feelings, Ye Shou slowly approached the "shore" that connected to the city wall but was only slightly above the water level.

It seems that this was originally supposed to be a passageway connecting two tall buildings or palaces, a place similar to a skywalk.

However, after the castle itself was submerged, it became a unique dock and rest area on this floor. Judging from the scattered rafts tied here, not all adventurer teams have a mage who can "walk on water".

Ye Shou frowned slightly, completely unaware of whether his current location was the 'entrance to this floor' or the 'entrance to the next floor'—but he wasn't anxious.

After landing, he patiently deflated the rubber boat, folded it into a collapsible size, and then opened his backpack as if to "put it in".

This action immediately attracted the attention of the fishermen on the city wall:

Inflatable boats are quite common, and airbags made of animal leather are not uncommon, but a boat this beautiful and well-maintained is truly unprecedented.

And how did you fit such a large piece into your bag? Was it magic?

After Ye Shou came ashore and walked towards them, two people exchanged a glance and nodded knowingly.

First, observe the approach, then decide what action to take.

"Ugh?"

At this moment, one person felt the fishing line suddenly sink, the bite force was not like a test, and the fish was definitely not small.

Instinctively, he immediately raised the pole, stood up, and stepped onto the city wall, unable to suppress a grin.

"A huge shipment! It's definitely a huge shipment!"

At this moment, he even lost the will to deal with Ye Shou, and the fishermen nearby were also drawn over.

What could it be?

"Such a big commotion, it can't be a barracuda."

"sea snake?"

wow——

Finally, the "big fish" surfaced, but the fishing rod almost broke. Everyone looked disappointed after seeing the fish.

"what?"

"It's a corpse!"

"That's good. Sending it to the body claim office will get us some reward money."

"Tsk!"

Despite seeing the corpses of their own kind, they were nonchalant, as if they were used to it.

After retrieving the body, the person who won the lottery simply placed it behind them and continued fishing without a care in the world.

"Hey, that person is walking this way."

"Um……"

The two anglers were talking quietly.

"That set of equipment... although it looks messy, it's all brand new."

"Is this rich kid out looking for thrills?"

"But look at that arrogant look in his eyes... Although it's well hidden, he has the air of an aristocrat."

—It seems that the arrogance of the nobility is very obvious to these seasoned veterans, and it is useless to try to hide it.

"Yes...but the same goes for nobles in this labyrinth."