Rita had no idea she was being targeted. She was busy hunting for the rest of her lures. It was not all that difficult. She simply skipped over the ones already surrounded by other fish and focused on those no one else hovered around. The Blue-striped Bluru’s ability was invaluable. Each time she teased a lure to the brink of coming loose, she shifted form and slipped through the hook, swallowing the bait in one smooth motion. And by watching other students struggle to reclaim their lures, she realized the mysterious anglers on shore were not as invincible as they seemed. She had seen more than a few fish get hooked, only to thrash and tug against the line for a long while. Yet so far, not a single one had chosen to rip their own mouth open to break free. Were they too afraid of the pain? Not ruthless enough? Impossible. Anyone who entered the Divine Game was no coward. More likely it was simply not allowed. Skills did not work on the lines either. The only way she had seen to break free was to endure the pain, using brute strength to snap the line or drag the rod into the sea. If the angler lost, the rod and hook would vanish automatically as they fell into the water. Against anglers, they really were just fish. Skills were for fighting other fish. Rita had already recovered quite a few, but she was still missing too many. Cat’s Ideal, the Summer Snowman gift, two school rules, and all of Lightchaser’s skills. For a moment she truly understood what it meant to be a Blue-striped Bluru staring at worthless bait. What kind of garbage was this? The Bluru froze, then darted toward a lure ahead—Send Me the Link. This one mattered. This one mattered a lot. Rita glided in, every movement hushed. Even though she was already well below the surface, she dove deeper, approaching from below to avoid the angler’s sight. Captain had been chatting with Cartoonist, but broke off mid-sentence. He jerked upright and yanked his rod. The line snapped taut, the rod bent like a drawn bow. Cartoonist, knowing exactly which bait he had hooked, grinned. "Well, look at that. You’re the first one to snag her. That’s going to drive Deceitful Bloom and Foolishness mad." "And Barista," Captain added. His brow furrowed, and he stopped bantering, focusing entirely on the Bluru below. All their stats matched the average of the players in this game. Rita’s numbers were much higher than the typical fourth or fifth-year student, but with so many sixth and seventh-years around, the averages evened out. On paper, Captain’s stats were not far off hers. Except Rita had Unicorn’s Blessing, giving her a flat +5 percent across all attributes. Stat for stat, Captain was actually on the back foot. Rita felt the strain. She had sensed the angler’s pull coming, but she had not dodged in time. When the hook caught, she had immediately tried to use her Bluru merge-water trait. It worked, but it did not free her from the line. Now her only hope was to drag the rod down. The angler’s strength was no greater than hers, but he could release pressure in intervals, letting her swim before tightening again. She, on the other hand, had no choice but to bite down on the hook and keep pulling. If she was hauled up, she would lose a life and Send Me the Link. That was worse than losing her bag or gold. A bag could be bought, gold could be earned again, but Send Me the Link was priceless. And tied to it were Crime Simulation, Low-Risk Investment, and Lucky Number. Then came other fish trying to interfere. Rita cast Nebula Bubble on herself, then lunged at the nearest fish. She twisted and rolled, tangling them in the line, dragging them into the trap with her. The Bluru’s speed, stacked with her natural agility, gave her the edge. She darted through their bodies, dragging the hook and line with her, threading them all onto it. The smarter ones darted away. Even so, she caught three. One of them, who had only been watching, bubbled in panic, "Don’t, it’s me, Maple Syrup!" Rita laughed. "And I’m GodDraw77." Now four fish flailed on the same line. None of them dared assume that if they were dragged up together it would not count against all of them. Better to resist. On shore, Captain felt himself being dragged forward. His boots screeched against the planks. Cartoonist’s grin froze. "No way." Captain dug in harder. He managed to hold his ground. Then he was dragged another inch, wood groaning beneath his boots. Cartoonist slowly stood, abandoning his own rod. Googlᴇ search novᴇlfire.net Captain was moved. He had not wanted to beg for help, but Cartoonist had understood anyway. This was friendship. Then Cartoonist spun away, waving wildly. "Drummer! Bitter Cup! Quick, Captain’s about to be dragged under by Rita!" Drummer and Barista ran over. Barista had not even put her coffee down. "Let me see!" "Go, Bluru, go!" Drummer cheered. Captain nearly popped a vessel. He lost another inch, boots shrieking. "Help me!" Drummer answered in the language of gods, "Are you sure? If she wins against anglers teaming up, she’ll get a reward." Barista grabbed the rod beside him and pulled. Underwater, Rita had been sure she was about to win. Then the strength pulling against her multiplied, and she and the other fish were driven backward, churning the sea around them. She could not see the shore, but she felt it. Still, she held on. Together, they stabilized, and the tug-of-war began anew. Progress slowed, but it had not ended. The fish tangled with her had no choice now. They might have wanted to slip away, but survival meant fighting together. Skills could not touch anglers or rods, but they could still be used. A Glitter Strawberry Fish among them dashed forward with a charge skill. Barista staggered with Captain a step forward. "...." "Whoa," Drummer breathed. "Whoa," echoed Cartoonist.