Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

The cold rain dripped down Su Zhisu's hair and into the dark red sea without causing the slightest ripple.

He sat at the stern, a rusty harpoon resting across his lap, his fingertips lightly tracing the cold metal. Although he had just repelled the Deep One hatchling, his damp clothes clung to his skin, and the chill still seeped into his bones through his pores.

[New Player Mission: Survive for 24 Hours]

Progress: 24.1%

Looking at the fluctuating numbers on the panel, Su Zhixu took a deep breath. The rain was gradually subsiding, but the true terror of this "Sea of ​​Strange Things" might have only just begun.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the interconnected network interface composed of countless points of light.

"The talent rewarded me with 2 free attribute points, which I added to my physical body. This brought both my physical and mental abilities to the extreme levels of an ordinary person."

Su Zhisu's gaze fell on his own attribute panel.

[Player: Su Zhisu]

【HP: 100%】

[Level: 1 (5%/100%)]

[Occupation: Survivor (Initial)]

[Passive Class: Survival Path: Upon reaching level 10 (maximum), a new class will be generated based on your experience.]

[Professional Skill: Survival: Increases the efficiency of gaining survival skill proficiency, and increases physical and mental attributes by 1]

[Talent: A yearning for true freedom]

Free attribute points: 0

[Physical Strength: 9+1] (Including Strength, Constitution, and Agility; the maximum value for an average person is 10)

[Spirit: 9+1] (The maximum value for an average person is 10. Each point of Spirit grants a 0.1 bonus to negative resistance.)

【理智：98/100】(理智＞80，遭受的奇诡事件强度降低20%；理智＜50，遭受的奇诡事件强度提升20%；理智小于20，遭受的奇诡事件强度提升50%)

The level progress increased by 5%. As his gaze swept across the screen, hidden information from the talent prompts appeared in Su Zhixu's mind:

[Hidden Information: Any survival action you take will increase your experience points]

During the exchange with the Deep Ones, Su Zhisu clearly felt the sluggishness in his body—in such a place, even the slightest difference in strength could be the boundary between life and death.

With both his physical and mental attributes reaching 10 points, Su Zhixu felt his mind clear and his vision sharp. His bones emitted subtle popping sounds, and the muscles that had been tense from the battle relaxed. His injured arm also recovered in a short time. His clothes, soaked by the cold rain, even emitted a faint white mist under the warmth of his body heat.

Looking at her changed attributes, Su Zhisu noticed that her rationality had been reduced by 2 points for some reason. She figured it was a forced deduction after successfully resisting a negative effect. Thinking of this, Su Zhisu couldn't help but laugh.

"Heh, it seems my talent isn't bad."

[Network Notice: Your attributes have reached the maximum for mortals, unlocking the Network Forum and Trading Section. You will receive 100 Network Disaster Coins upon first opening the forum. (Tip: The Dungeon Section will be unlocked after your first job advancement.)]

Su Zhisu stood up and stretched his limbs. He only paid attention to the prompts from the network and then put them out of his mind, worried that the Deep One (juvenile) would attack again. His priority now was to get moving!

His gaze began to scrutinize the dilapidated wooden boat that had saved his life. As he scanned the entire boat, information about it naturally came to mind.

[Name: To be named]

[Level: lv1]

[Sailing speed: 20 knots (auto-navigation) / 40 knots (with resource sacrifice)]

【Durability: 300/500】

Warehouse capacity: 0/500

[Special Structures: Bizarre Fishing Rod, Spirit Offering Altar]

[Upgrade Required Resources: 150 Wood, 50 Iron, 1 Any Special Resource]

[The Bizarre Fishing Rod: A magical fishing rod located at the stern of the boat, suitable for fishing in any situation and environment. Besides fish, it might also catch something else entirely.]

[Soul Offering Altar: This appears to be the core of the ship, currently used to upgrade and repair it, increasing its speed. Any resources you're unsure about, just offer them to it.]

Looking at the gloomy sky where it was still raining, Su Zhixu glanced at the environmental information in the upper left corner of his view.

[Current Area: Sea of ​​Mysteries]

[Time: 11:32 AM]

[Environmental conditions: Cloudy and rainy, low visibility.]

[World's Strangest Value: 15]

[Area Oddity Rating: 18↓]

"It seems safe for now. Let's see what this fishing rod can catch."

Su Zhisu walked to the stern, where a somewhat menacing fishing rod had appeared out of nowhere. The rod was entirely black, made from some kind of enormous, unidentified bone spur, and the fishing line was a translucent tendon that emitted a faint, fishy smell.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the fishing rod.

"Buzz—"

The moment his hand gripped the fishing rod, a strange sensation traveled up his arm and through his entire body, as if the fishing rod were an extension of him. He could even "sense" the unknown creatures swimming in the dark red seawater below.

"That's interesting."

He waited patiently.

A few minutes later, the fishing rod in his hand suddenly sank! A tremendous force came through the fishing line, and if his physical strength hadn't reached 10 points at that moment, he probably would have lost his grip.

"It's taken the bait!"

Su Zhisu's eyes narrowed, his feet firmly planted on the deck, his arm muscles tensed, and he began to struggle with the underwater object.

This wasn't a simple reeling in of the line; it was a gamble. He could feel the creature struggling desperately underwater, and the tension of the fishing line was constantly shifting. He had to reel in or let out the line at the right moment, based on his feel, to prevent it from snapping.

"Get up here!"

Su Zhisu let out a low shout and suddenly exerted his strength.

"Splash—"

The sea was torn open, and a strange fish, pale all over with a bizarre monkey face, was flung onto the deck. It was at least half a meter long, and it was still writhing wildly after landing, its sharp teeth grinding together.

Pale Sunfish

[Information: A common sea fish in the strange and mysterious sea. Don't let its ugly appearance fool you; its flesh is delicious, and it's at the bottom of the food chain.]

[Hidden Information: After its swim bladder is cleaned, it can hold a large amount of seawater and purify the seawater within 24 hours.]

The strange fish rolled over, struggling to bite Su Zhisu. Su Zhisu didn't even flinch. He stepped forward, and his harpoon precisely pierced the fish's vital spot. Foul-smelling blood splattered on the ground. The fish struggled a few times, then fell silent.

"Can this fish be eaten?" He squatted down and poked at the so-called "sunfish" with a harpoon. Although it looked disgusting, since the information on the Internet determined that it was edible, it must be protein.

Moreover, its swim bladder can be used to hold water, and even more remarkably, it can purify the water into drinkable water.

"This is really good stuff!"

Having dealt with the pale sunfish, which was a treasure trove of nutrients, Su Zhisu cast his line again. Although he had just gone through a battle, he wasn't too hungry yet.

This time, he didn't rush to reel in the line. Instead, he closed his eyes and tried to use his mind to sense the movement at the other end of the fishing line. His 10-point mental attribute made his senses sharp. He could "hear" something biting at the hook a few meters below the surface—it was a sunfish. And in deeper water, something even bigger seemed to be swimming around, completely ignoring his hook.

"patience."

Su Zhisu remained unmoved, like a mountain.

Another half hour passed, and the fishing line once again felt an unusual heaviness. This time, it wasn't the struggle of a living creature, but the dragging sensation of an inanimate object.

Su Zhisu started reeling in the line. After a few minutes, with great effort, he finally managed to pull something up.

With a clang, an iron treasure chest the size of a washbasin, covered with coral and seaweed, was dragged onto the ship.

[Item Obtained: Rusty Iron Treasure Chest (White Common) x1] (Note: Item quality is divided into: Gray Flaw, White Common, Green Excellent, Blue Superior, Purple Epic, Orange Legendary, Gold Mythical)

"A treasure chest?"

Su Zhisu's heart stirred slightly. He used a rusty harpoon to break the lock on the box, which had already rusted shut.

The box lid was opened, and a notification came from the integrated network:

[Rewards: 100 Disaster Coins, 50 Wood, 10 Iron, 1 White Polishing Stone, 1 Arrow Tower Blueprint (can be modified)]

White polishing stone (plain white)

[Information: Gray-quality damaged weapon can be polished into a white-quality ordinary weapon. Remaining uses: 1.]

The materials in the treasure chest were automatically stored in the lower deck of the ship the moment Su Zhisu touched them. Weighing the white polishing stone in his hand, Su Zhisu turned his gaze to the rusty harpoon next to him, which was stained with black pus and blood.

Looks like I'll have things to do this afternoon.

The white-quality harpoon is certainly sharper. If that deep-dweller (juvenile) dares to come any closer, I will use my strong body and sharp harpoon to ensure that the deep-dweller (juvenile) never returns!

[Arrow Tower Blueprint (Blue, Excellent) (Modifiable)]

[Information: Arrow Tower Blueprint. The quality of the arrow tower is determined by the materials used. Usage times: 1.]

[Hidden Information: A rare blueprint for a modifiable arrow tower, extremely valuable to mages! Because it means the creation of Fireball Towers, Water Towers, Lightning Towers...]

"Did I just hit the jackpot? Why is my face so pale?"

Looking at the arrow tower blueprints in his hand, Su Zhisu shook his head.

"No matter how valuable it is, it's useless to me. You can't build arrow towers on the sea. Looks like it's time to check out the online forum."

After tidying up the spoils, Su Zhisu returned to the cabin, focused her mind on the web interface, and opened the newly unlocked [Web Forum].

Instantly, a flood of chaotic information poured in.

The screen flashed with all sorts of bizarre and outlandish IDs, their style completely different from his gloomy sea.

[Fireball Maniac]: "Do you understand the pain of a fire mage being thrown into the [Eternal Icefield] (see attached image: icy wasteland)? My staff is almost frozen solid! Anyone want to team up for the 'Frozen Cavern' dungeon? I'm maxing out my DPS, I just need to warm up a bit!"

【Mechanical Heart】: "I just used a dungeon ticket to exchange for a special material, 【Miniature Tool Machine】 (click to view details), which increased my shelter upgrade progress by 10%. Does anyone have iron? Scrap metal is fine too, I'll buy it at a high price. I urgently need the material."

[Tree Druid]: "I found a glowing mushroom in the 'Forest of Calamity.' Eating it grants temporary invisibility but also causes the growth of tree bark. Is this a benign mutation? DM me with your price; barter is the only option."

[Dungeon Trader]: "To the fireball fanatic upstairs, I understand! I envy those of you who inherited your profession and talents and can directly run dungeons. I'm still a basic survivor and can't go into dungeons, leaving me, a dungeon trader, completely useless!"

Su Zhixu quickly scanned the information, her eyes calm.

These "players" from the multiverse complained about the harsh environment, flaunted their loot, and traded supplies. The terms they used, such as "dungeon tickets," "sanctuary," and "mutation," were like pieces of a puzzle, gradually outlining the whole picture of this world.

He noticed a popular science post that was pinned to the top:

[Survival Guide for All Worlds (Beginner Level)]: "This survival guide applies to all worlds with a day-night cycle. Warning: Nighttime worlds are generally more dangerous. Based on extensive research, the author found that hostile mobs gain approximately a 20% strength bonus at night. New players are advised to find shelter as soon as possible or craft items such as exorcism/deterrence."

Su Zhisu's gaze fell on the sentence "Nighttime hostile creature strength +20%", and his brows furrowed slightly.

他下意识地看了一眼自己的理智值。【理智：96/100】处于正常区间，触发了「理智>80」的减伤Buff（理智＞80，遭受的奇诡事件强度降低20%）。

"Nighttime +20%..." Su Zhisu pondered.

This means that the monsters at night will be more troublesome than those during the day. Right now, all we have is this dilapidated wooden boat and a rusty harpoon, facing a normal-strength Deep One (juvenile) that could reappear at any time.

He closed the forum, his pupils flashing. It was noon, and there was still an afternoon until nightfall. He had to use this time to improve his survival skills as much as possible to get through his first night in this strange and unpredictable seafaring world.

Noticing that his "dilapidated wooden boat" didn't seem to have a name yet, and looking at the scattered skeletal arms along the edge of the hull, Su Zhisu pondered for a moment.

"Redemption".