Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

The sun was shining brightly, and the dark red sea was like a piece of brocade spread out, with a few glimmers of azure light showing through the shimmering waves.

The Redemption glided smoothly, its sails billowing in the gentle southerly wind.

The deck was dry and clean, and the eerie skeletal arms hung lazily on both sides of the ship's walls, with their bony fingers occasionally tapping the wooden planks, making a soft "tap-tap" sound.

[Current Area]: Strange Sea - Tranquil Waters

[Time]: Day 8, 11:30 AM

[Environmental Conditions]: Sunny, light breeze, excellent visibility.

[World's Strangest Value]: 18 (Fluctuation Range: ±3)

[Area Oddity Value]: 16

At the bow of the boat, Su Zhisu stared at the golden-brown sunfish in the pan, his brows furrowed slightly.

"It's this again..." he muttered. "Even if it's delicious, it's time for a change."

Since I came into this world, my staple food has been either fried sunfish with meat or boiled sunfish.

Although the sunfish has delicious flesh, its monkey-face-like head always reduces his appetite by half.

Today is a rare day with a low level of strangeness and calm seas, making it a perfect time to try new ingredients.

Su Zhisu walked to the [Strange Fishing Rod] at the stern of the boat and took down the bait hanging next to it—a piece of processed sunfish belly.

"Hopefully, I can catch something delicious."

Cast the line into the sea, and the fishing line silently disappears into the water. The float sways gently, rising and falling with the waves.

While waiting, he recalled the strange phenomenon from yesterday.

After the Deep Sea Titan left, the area’s weirdness level briefly dropped below 10, and fine white particles floated in the air.

He immediately ordered the ghostly bone arm to collect it with all its might, and finally 50 units of [Mysterious Dust] were stored in the warehouse.

Just as I was thinking this, the buoy gently swayed, and ripples suddenly appeared on the water's surface.

A palm-sized jellyfish slowly floated to the surface, its translucent body reflecting a rainbow halo, its tentacles swaying like ribbons.

【Phantom Jellyfish】

[Information]: Harmless, edible

It circled the buoy three times, emitting a faint hum, like singing.

Suddenly, the Phantom Jellyfish spewed out a string of bubbles, each bubble reflecting the image of the Redemption. Then, with a soft "pop," it turned into a drizzle and disappeared.

"Let's go, little one," he said softly.

The jellyfish seemed to understand, gracefully sinking into the dark red sea.

Half an hour later, the buoy suddenly sank!

Su Zhisu flicked her wrist and retracted the thread.

The fishing rod bent at full bow, and a dull dragging sensation came from underwater—not from a fish, but from a box!

"Splash—"

A wooden box, entirely green with grain resembling tree rings, emerged from the water, its surface covered with a thin layer of seaweed, exuding a fresh scent of pine resin and sea salt.

The corners of the box are inlaid with clasps carved from seashells, which shimmer slightly in the light.

[Network Notification]: You have obtained a [Fine Wooden Treasure Chest (Green Excellent)]!

The lid popped open, and a soft green light flashed:

[Timber x 100]

【Edible sea bass x2】(Fresh, pollution-free)

[Cooking Manual: Seafood Edition] (Includes tips on removing fishy smells and things to avoid)

【Calming Sea Salt x1】(Sprinkled on food, it slowly restores sanity over 1 hour)

Use the 【Cooking Manual - Seafood Edition】with ease.

[Network Notification]: You have acquired the professional skill: Seafood Cooking lv.3.

"Finally, I can change things up a bit." Su Zhisu's lips curled up slightly.

He handed the sea bass over to the ghostly skeletons to handle, then opened the web interface to update the previously posted thread.

Online forum post: [Record Post] Strange and Bizarre Illustrations

Posted by: [夙lv.4]

[Content]: This is a record of what I saw and heard in the Sea of ​​Strange Things.

(Attached images: Psychedelic Sea Spirit, Crew Member's Ghosts, Great Being - Deep Sea Titan, Phantom Jellyfish)

(Note from the website: Some images have been partially censored to remove any potentially offensive content.)

Within minutes of the message being posted, the comments section became lively, with few people paying attention to other content and most discussing the Deep Sea Titan.

【Mushroom Gatherer lv.2】: "After seeing the pictures, my mushroom field withered completely... but it was worth it! The great deep-sea titan seems to be speaking to me!" (Avatar is now grayed out)

[Fireball Maniac Lv.5]: "Brother, this picture is pretty good, but I've seen a much bigger Titan before!"

【Lucky Kitten lv.3】: "Wow! Master Su is so amazing! Please help me!"

[Deep Sea Singer lv.4]: "You are blaspheming! The great Deep Sea Titan cannot be looked at directly!!!!"

[Data Analyst Level 3]: "The authenticity is questionable."

The bone-armed man brought the pan-fried sea bass to the table. The silvery-white fish meat smelled delicious. Su Zhisu had only taken two bites—

"Hiss... Caw!"

A piercing shriek came from the side of the ship.

The sea churned, and a monster resembling a rotting seal burst from the water.

His skin was ulcerated, his eye sockets burned with filthy green flames, and his back was covered with twisted bone spurs like thorns.

[Aberrant Marine Mammal]

[Category]: Contaminated individuals

【Body】：12

[Spirit]: -5

[Rationality]: -100/-100

[Information]: The contaminated beings, being of the first order, mostly lack consciousness.

Su Zhisu's eyes were calm, and the [Scimitar Towards the Storm] was still leaning against the table. He hadn't even put down his chopsticks.

One eerie bone arm raised a harpoon gleaming with cold light, while the other eerie bone arms provided cover for it.

The mutated sea monster burst out of the water, its rotting claws lunging straight at Su Zhisu, who was eating.

The eerie, bony arm spun and thrust forward, the harpoon gleaming coldly and piercing precisely into his eye socket.

The mutated sea monster struggled in its death throes, spraying out corrosive mucus that instantly burned through the forearm joints of its bony arm.

"Snap!"

Without hesitation, the severed arm tore off a bone from its companion and reattached it, then swept across with a gleaming harpoon, pinning it to the deck.

Black blood soaked through the wooden planks, and blue smoke rose from them.

"Clean up."

Su Zhisu wiped the bloodstains off the chopsticks and used the [Gathering] skill on the corpse.

[Network Notification]: Perfect Harvesting, Harvesting Skill Proficiency increased. You have obtained [Aberrant Sea Beast (Complete Specimen)] x1, Bone Material x10, and Contaminated Meat scraps x10.

The eerie skeletal creatures dragged the corpses away and threw them into the deep sea, repeatedly washing the deck with [Purified Seawater].

Open the private chat interface on the general website and find the avatar of 【Aloof Mage lv.5】.

Su Zhisu skillfully sent him the picture of the [mutated marine mammal (complete specimen)].

Private chat interface on the cross-network:

[Su Lv.4]: "Are you busy, Mage? Have you made any progress on the research of the [Purified Strange Seawater] I sold you last time?"

[Aloof Mage lv5]: "Not yet, what is it?"

【夙lv.4】: "【Aberrant Marine Monster (Complete Specimen)】.jpg, do you want this?"

[Cold and Aloof Mage lv.5]: "...Yes, I want it. This item would be helpful for my research. How do we trade?"

【夙lv.4】: "I need basic resources, such as timber and aggregates."

[Cold and Aloof Mage lv.5]: "The specimen is complete. How about I give you 150 pieces of wood and 50 pieces of bone?"

[Su lv.4]: "Deal!"

【综网提示】：交易达成，玩家【夙lv.4】获得：木料×150，骨料×50。玩家【高冷法师lv.5】获得【畸变海兽（完整标本）】×1。

Looking at the basic materials that automatically appeared in the cabin, Su Zhisu nodded.

In this way, the aggregate needed for the Redemption's upgrade has been gathered.

He commanded the ghostly skeletal arms to sacrifice 100 units of bone to the spirit altar, and then continued fishing at the stern.