Chapter 53: The Fishman Assassin

Xiao Yang began studying the bestiary on magical beasts, paying particular attention to the sections about the gem beetles, which he read over several times.

According to the descriptions in the bestiary, gem beetles can be classified as a special kind of energy creature. They only appear and remain in places where energy is extremely abundant. This meant there was little risk of these gem beetles wandering off; they would likely just crawl around within this gemstone vein.

Breeding them was equally simple. They required nothing more than an environment rich in energy.

The elemental pool Xiao Yang had purchased from the master mage was perfectly capable of creating such an environment.

In other words, everything was falling into place. Now, Xiao Yang’s task was to hasten his conquest of the second level of the skeleton dungeon and safely bring these gem beetles out.

Since he hadn’t brought the clay golems into the mine for large-scale mining, the dazzling gemstones wouldn’t be disturbed, so these gem beetles probably wouldn’t need to relocate. After all, they belonged to him, so there was no need for short-sightedness. Once he cleared the second dungeon level and relocated all the gem beetles, the gemstone vein wouldn’t just disappear.

Continuing his exploration at the bottom of the fissure, Xiao Yang discovered a path leading upward. He was able to climb along the giant exposed eye socket on the cliff face.

Though this was more a pathless route, it should allow him to leave the bottom of the fissure safely.

However, some obstacles stood in his way—a crude fishman encampment, the lair of the cave fishmen, blocking the upward passage.

Inside the fishman village, Xiao Yang saw a large group of cave fishmen. Among them was an unusual multi-armed individual: an especially tall fishman with an extra hand on his back, clutching a bone staff—likely a shaman. At that moment, the fishmen appeared to be conducting some ritual.

Under the shaman’s lead, the crowd of fishmen gathered, shouting and wildly waving their arms.

Xiao Yang cast a probing spell toward the fishman shaman.

[Cave Fishman Shaman
Rank: Common
Health: 200
Attack: 15
Defense: 21
Agility: 17
Traits: Cave Fishman Commander, Tide Summoner, Multi-armed Sorcery
Description: A pitiable soul unknowingly influenced by an evil deity.]

Times had changed. Xiao Yang was no longer the unlucky fool who had recently fallen from the sky. Besides, as long as Xiao Yang was in good condition, this cave fishman shaman posed little threat, especially now after Xiao Yang’s significant recent power boost.

Without hesitation, Xiao Yang drew his staff of righteous judgment. “I don’t care about your rituals—take this strike of justice!”

He charged at the outermost cave fishmen who were waving their arms in the village and delivered a heavy blow with righteous judgment.

The commotion disturbed the fishman shaman conducting the ritual. He turned his head and immediately spotted Xiao Yang, this brazen intruder crashing in head-on.

Furious, he shouted loudly. The nearby fishmen responded to his call with howls, rushing toward Xiao Yang. Unfortunately for them, it was futile.

Xiao Yang was a true powerhouse—a tanky warrior with impressive stats.

One by one, the cave fishmen quickly fell. The rapid swings of his staff taught these wild, clawing fishmen a profound lesson: respect justice! Honor justice! After all, Xiao Yang’s righteous staff could strike six times per second.

The fishman shaman grew angrier, waving his third arm holding the bone staff more fiercely. A shimmering blue light enveloped all the cave fishmen, seemingly a buff spell.

The buff had some effect. It increased the durability of the clawing cave fishmen so that instead of dying in two hits, they now required just enough damage from two hits to be finished off.

With his strength raised to twenty-five points, Xiao Yang’s normal damage jumped to eighteen points—ten points came from the Blackstone Prison Guard’s code conversion, and eight points was the base damage of righteous consolation.

A simple strike, without any skill or buff support, dealt eighteen points of damage. Moreover, Xiao Yang’s heavy strike skill, when fully charged, could be used as a standard attack.

One blow delivered thirty-six points of damage. Even with the cave fishmen’s slime skin ability to reduce damage, one strike severely wounded them, and the next one finished them off.

Under such overwhelming pressure, the cave fishmen had no time to flinch or feel fear; they fell instantly without a moment’s hesitation.

Despite the buff spell, the overwhelming assault couldn’t be stopped.

Watching this hateful intruder slaughter his people so effortlessly, the cave fishman shaman became more frantic, swirling his staff faster and casting a rapid barrage of water bullets.

Sadly, the effect was negligible; the attacks on Xiao Yang felt like mere tickles, nowhere near the dazzling rainbow spray of the gem beetles. Amid piles of fishman corpses, Xiao Yang steadily advanced toward the shaman.

Amid his furious and fearful roars, the shaman charged wildly with his two powerful arms.

His struggles were useless. Xiao Yang had truly become the standard battle god of the novice village.

One strike landed on the shaman’s head, triggering flinch and interrupting his attack. The Blackstone Prison Guard’s badge took effect, reducing the shaman’s defense and boosting Xiao Yang’s attack. Two strikes left the shaman severely wounded, and the blow snapped him back to clarity, his eyes clearing.

Realizing something was wrong, the shaman tried to flee, but it was too late.

At that moment, the third strike fell. The shaman collapsed into the nearby water, motionless—simply dead.

So effortlessly, Xiao Yang wiped out an entire squad of cave fishmen alone. He was no longer the unlucky fool of days past.

“Just like that!” Xiao Yang boasted once again. At that moment, a divine game notification popped up.

[Congratulations, player, you have earned the achievement: Fishman Slayer.]

[Fishman Slayer: +2 damage to fishman-type enemies. All fishman creatures have +10 hatred toward you. (I know what you’re about to say, but let me make it clear here: Naga and mermaids do not consider themselves fishmen, so this does not apply to them!)]

This achievement notification abruptly interrupted Xiao Yang’s triumphant boasting, especially with the game’s witty clarification.

“Wait, Naga and mermaids aren’t fishmen?” Xiao Yang was momentarily confused by the revelation.

Suddenly puzzled, he muttered, “That can’t be right... but what does whether Naga and mermaids count as fishmen have to do with me becoming a fishman slayer?”

His question revealed his youthful ignorance. Of course it mattered! Forget mermaids for now—the Naga were famously slender and serpentine!