Survival Game conquers: I became a ruler of a small water planet!
Ming Sūlín was set up for success. She closed in, breathing slow, calm… poised to strike.
But she paused.
The adolescent sardine twitched—then turned sharply, its fins angling back toward her hidden position.
Her hand hovered, ready to move.
When—
It swam right over her.
No warning. No reaction. Just gliding inches above, exposing its pale underbelly—soft, clear, perfect vitals lit by the soft blue shimmer of the coral glow.
Ming's eyes flicked up—
Then froze.
A massive shadow spread over the reef. Something big.
Even near the glowing coral, her visibility didn't drop.
But the sight?
It shocked her.
A much larger sardine had appeared above them both.
Silent panic slammed through her system.
Please don't tell me—
Ahhh holy shit, is that the mother?! she thought silently, the words echoing in her skull like alarm bells.
Her pupils dilated as she ducked further beneath the jagged reef shelf, tucking herself deeper into the shadows.
The mother was easily five times the size of the juvenile.
FIVE. TIMES.
No shot she was ready for that. Absolutely not.
"Yeahhh, nope," she thought again, backing away with slow, controlled movements, palms half-raised in retreat. "Not up for that task, Coach."
She angled her body to slink sideways through the reef tunnel, slow and steady.
Let's take our winnings… and sneak away before the effects of her gear wear off.
As she moved through the tunnel, she tried to sneak through the small back entrance.
She moved.
Quiet. Quick. Unseen.
Or at least, that's what she thought.
She felt the mother fish before she saw it—gaining speed behind her, charging straight at her body.
Her eyes widened.
She quickly turned around, kicking hard with her flipper shoes, forcing her legs to pump as fast as they could. Don't look back. Don't look back.
But of course—she looked back.
The mother sardine opened her jaws, and a massive suction force pulled her straight toward the waiting maw.
Fuck no. This is not about to happen!
She yanked out her harpoon spear and broken fishing pole, slid off the first and second pole-necks together, stuffed the harpoon tip into the third pole hole, spun mid-water, and swam toward the open mouth—aiming right for the top of its throat as she was swallowed.
Inside the mother sardine's mouth, Ming Sūlín hung—literally—dangling from the roof of its mouth, gripping the harpoon/fishing pole combo she'd improvised.
Damn, this thing was in there good.
She stood upside down, her feet braced against the throat, and yanked with all her strength. The weapon came loose, and she dropped down onto its tongue, where she started her onslaught, stabbing and impaling over and over again—digging her way out of the thing.
Until finally, a notification flashed across her module:
[Congratulations! You have killed x1 Level 2 Adult Sardine.]
[You received: 95 EXP | 5 Kill Points | New Skill: Digging Harpole]
[Loot: x10 Fish Skin, x40 Ironscales, a Swallowed Fertilized Living City Egg (Alive), x3 Communicator Snail, x1 Young Half-Merman Escaped Slave (Alive), x36 Wood, x32 Stones, x98 Silver and x345 Copper Coin]
[All items have been placed in inventory.]
Whoa… this fish really ate everything.
Wait… is that really a fertilized Living City Egg? Which god is watching over me?!
Forget it. She'd look through everything when she got back.
When the fish disappeared the egg was sent into the inventory but the passed-out young merman appeared in front of her.
The mermaid was quite young, looking probably about 10 maybe younger, and had scars covering his arms, his neck and back, and his legs which looked like they had scales once—now clean red raw, leaking with faint blood floating out of it. She collected him into her arms gently, making sure not to hurt him.
And the mother fish also swallowed a young merman?! A slave?! Are there more of them?
She would have to ask him later.
Swimming in the direction of her raft, following her m
