Whale Island. Where dreams begin.
The sunlight was warm and gentle, bathing the harbor in gold. White seagulls spiraled high in the air, their cries drifting down to the deep blue sea where a brilliant rainbow arched across the horizon.
"Ryker, my boy, sorry to trouble you with these again!"
Uncle Cohen, clad in his signature waterproof dungarees, dropped a heavy sack of fish onto the cutting board. He wiped sweat from his brow, grinning to reveal a mouthful of white teeth.
"Just leave them there, Uncle Cohen. I'll have them processed in no time," replied the shop's owner with a welcoming smile.
Ryker stood at one meter seventy-five, his frame defined by lean, explosive muscle that rippled like a panther's beneath his shirt. With short black hair and healthy, sun-kissed skin, his chiseled features possessed a sharpness that turned heads. It was impossible to connect this handsome, vibrant young man with the emaciated, shivering child who had arrived fifteen years ago—a boy who survived on community charity and hand-me-down clothes, whom everyone whispered wouldn't survive his first winter.
Ryker hadn't just grown up; he had thrived. He was now a striking figure on the island, the secret crush of more than a few local girls.
But none of them knew Ryker's burden. Or his secret.
He was a transmigrator.
He had arrived in this world in body and soul fifteen years ago, starting as a near-frozen infant and struggling claw and nail to survive. Today, he ran the most famous fish shop on Whale Island, possessing knife skills that were nothing short of art.
There was a reason for his vocation. Ryker had been killing fish for a full decade. He started working at this shop at the age of five, laboring until the old owner passed away and left the business to him.
He chose this bloody trade because he didn't come to this world alone. He brought with him the [Infinite Trait Plunder System]. Perhaps it was a karmic reward for reading legitimate copies of novels in his past life.
As the name implied, Ryker could plunder random "Traits" from any target he killed, provided the corpse was still warm.
As for killing people... Ryker had never tried it, nor did he have any immediate plans to do so.
So, he killed fish. For ten years.
Splash!
The catch Uncle Cohen brought was dumped into the tank, the fish thrashing with vitality. But in Ryker's eyes, they were simply data points waiting to be harvested.
Species: Bluefin Tuna
Traits: Manic (White), Great Strength (White), Agility (Green), Aquatic Respiration (Green)
Species: Clownfish
Traits: Lethargy (White), Toxin (White), Aquatic Respiration (White)
Species: Grouper
Traits: Gluttony (White), Camouflage (White), Great Strength (White), Aquatic Respiration (Green)
Killing fish was the safest, fastest way to grind Traits on Whale Island. This was the life Ryker had committed to for a decade.
With practiced ease, he scooped a fish from the tank with a net and slammed it onto the board.
Thud.
One strike to stun. Then, the knife rose and fell in a blur.
[You have killed a Bluefin Tuna. Plunder successful. Acquired: Great Strength (White)]
[You have killed a Grouper. Plunder successful. Acquired: Camouflage (White)]
[You have killed a Clownfish. Plunder successful. Acquired: Lethargy (White), Toxin (White)]
The system notifications cascaded.
[Detected existing Trait: Titanic Strength (Purple). Automatically fusing... Titanic Strength (Purple) (92%)]
[Detected existing Trait: Aquatic Respiration (Gold). Automatically fusing... Aquatic Respiration (Gold) (22%)]
[Detected existing Trait: Fatal Poison (Purple). Automatically fusing... Fatal Poison (Purple) (11%)]
The mechanical chimes sounded like a symphony in Ryker's ears. This was the joy of the grind. After ten years, Ryker had lost count of how many fish had met their end at his blade. His inhumanly robust physique was entirely the result of these accumulated Traits.
However, the returns were diminishing. The common fish of Whale Island now offered negligible progress for his high-level stats. His butchery skills, however, had reached perfection, making him a beloved fixture of the community.
[Detected Negative Traits: "Lethargy", "Manic". Reject absorption?]
"Reject."
Fish often carried negative traits. If the System didn't filter them, Ryker would have spent the last decade stacking enough debuffs to cripple himself.
"Ryker! Ryker, get out here! Big news!!"
Suddenly, Uncle Cohen came sprinting back, his face flushed with excitement.
"Uncle Cohen? Your order is ready. Did you want to take it now?"
"Forget the fish!" Cohen waved his arms frantically. "It's Gon! That kid actually did it! He caught the Master of the Swamp! The whole island is going crazy! The last person to catch that beast was Ging, ten years ago! Come on, we have to go see!"
Cohen grabbed Ryker's arm, pulling him toward the door before looking back.
"And bring your knives! We're going to need you to butcher that monster! Everyone is waiting for you!"
Ryker let himself be dragged toward the town square, his grip tightening on his knife roll.