Chapter 327: The Water Wraith
After departing from the Federal Headquarters, Kaito did not immediately
initiate return-transit to the Evernight Empire.
He transmitted a few directives through the Soul Link to Skele-Greed and
Skele-Pride—standard procedures for the annexation of the Eldritch Realm—and
then excitedly sprinted toward the city outskirts in search of a fishing tackle
shop.
"Finally... a sector where I can fish in peace," Kaito murmured, his soulfire
pulsing with a high-intensity expectation.
The carp in the Evernight Empire were statistically too intelligent. Having
resided in the Sovereign's rivers for several cycles, Kaito suspected they had
evolved a comprehensive anti-fishing countermeasures suite.
Bait? Consumed. Hook? Ignored.
Every time Kaito cast his line, the fish would surgically strip the bait and
swim away with an elegant flick of their tails, leaving only a naked hook
bobbing uselessly in the current.
"The fish of the Eldritch Realm cannot possibly be that optimized," Kaito
reasoned. He pushed open the door of a mundane-looking fishing shop.
Inside stood a middle-aged human couple. The husband was organizing reels on a
shelf; the wife was punching numbers into a calculator behind the counter. Their
movements ceased at the sound of the bell, both tilting their heads toward the
door.
When they localized the standing skeleton in the doorway, their biological
systems hit a state of total shock.
"A-ANOMALY!"
The wife let out a shriek, seizing the calculator and hoisting it above her head
like a primitive projectile. The husband was more direct, snatching a heavy
fishing spear from a rack and bracing his muscles for a terminal engagement.
Kaito froze. He had temporarily neglected the variable of his own appearance in
a civilian sector.
"Lower your tension," Kaito commanded, raising his gauntlets to signal a lack of
hostile intent.
He reached into his spatial storage and retrieved a heavy cloth bag, tossing it
onto the counter with a metallic clunk. The drawstring loosened, and a cascade
of gold coins spilled out, forming a shimmering mountain on the wood.
The couple's weapons stalled mid-air. They stared at the glowing gold, then back
at the motionless skeleton. They exchanged a glance. Their eyes transitioned
from "Terror" to "Doubt," and finally to a state of "Absolute Compliance."
"Welcome, Honored Guest! Please, enter the primary showroom!"
The husband discarded his spear instantly, his face twisting into a mask of
manic hospitality. The wife was even faster, scurrying from behind the counter
to seize Kaito's bony hand and lead him into the shop's premium sector.
"You require gear for an aquatic expedition? Our inventory is the highest-tier
in the city!" "Exactly! My husband's craft has been archived for three
generations! We guarantee total satisfaction in your procurement!"
Kaito watched the paradigm shift in their behavior, his soulfire flickering.
Indeed. Gold remains the universal bypass-key.
"I require a complete angling kit," Kaito stated. "Furthermore, provide data on
the nearest high-density fish coordinate."
"High-density?" The husband tapped his chin, entering a state of tactical
contemplation. "Five kilometers to the east. The Unnamed River. The fish
populations there are legendary—fat, vigorous, and numerous."
"However..." His expression flickered with a hint of "Tactical Hesitation."
"Query: What is the 'However'?"
"Word is... the sector is haunted by a Water Wraith. It enjoys inducing
'Startle-Responses' in anglers. It's quite dangerous. Most civilians avoid the
coordinate now."
The wife chimed in, leaning over the counter. "But if you possess the power to
ignore such pests, it is undoubtedly the superior fishing spot. Your yield would
be statistically enormous."
A Water Wraith?
Kaito's soulfire pulsed. A minor pest. Negligible.
"That coordinate is acceptable," Kaito nodded. "Prepare a kit of the highest
specifications."
"Right away!"
The couple threw themselves into the task. A lightweight, high-tensile
carbon-fiber rod. Specialized line capable of supporting a hundred-kilogram
load. Hand-polished, serrated hooks. And the shop's "Secret-Tier" alchemical
lure.
Within ten minutes, a top-tier kit was finalized. Kaito exited the shop under
the fawning, almost predatory stares of the couple.
"If only every Anomaly carried that much gold," the wife whispered, her eyes
turning into dollar-signs as she looked at the counter.
"Aye," the husband agreed. "Next time he manifests, we're bringing out the
legendary 'Titan-Hook' from the back."
Whether the customer was a biological horror or a god didn't matter. The coin
was authentic. That was the only data point required.
The Unnamed River. Five Kilometers East.
Kaito localized a flat, relatively clean stone by the water and began the slow,
rhythmic assembly of his gear.
The rod was efficient. The line was nearly invisible in the sunlight, yet
possessed the tensile strength to hoist a small bull. The hooks were sharp
enough to draw blood from the air.
"Adequate," Kaito murmured, smoothing the wood of the rod.
He applied the "Secret-Tier" lure and cast the line with a practiced, fluid
motion. The hook entered the surface with a precise plop, sending a single ring
of ripples outward.
Then, he waited.
Kaito sat on the stone, his soulfire pulsing with a calm, meditative rhythm.
Fishing was not about the prize; it was about the state of "Respite." Zero
logic. Zero directives. Just the current.
Suddenly, a voice resonated in his consciousness—Skele-Greed.
[My Sovereign. Preliminary annexation of the Eldritch Realm is finalized.]
[Census data: All non-compliant Anomalies have been liquidated. Those who
petitioned for vassalage are being transitioned to the 'Evernight Re-education
Hub' for Tier 1 integration.]
[Furthermore, the 'Human Federation' logistics are stabilized. We are currently
restructuring their administrative core to align with Imperial standards.]
Kaito's focus remained on the float. He offered a casual, mental reply. [Mmh.
Adequate progress.]
[Directive: Personnel Deployment?]
[Proceeding,] Greed replied, his voice carrying a note of fatigue. [According to
your decree, I have requisitioned ten million Tier 6 units from the 'Idle Pool'.
They are currently manifesting in every major metropolitan hub to serve as
Imperial Administrators and Overseers.]
Ten million Tier 6 units.
In this world, it was an army of ten million gods. In the Evernight, it was a
"Skeleton-Skeleton" squad of bored recruits.
[Excellent. Ensure the management is 'Human-Centric.' Avoid excessive structural
rigidity. These humans are our subjects now; treat them with the same
indifference we show our own pests.]
[As commanded, my Lord.]
Greed terminated the link. Kaito returned his full processing power to the
water.
The float was unmoving.
"Peculiar... zero kinetic activity," Kaito muttered.
According to the merchant's data, this sector should be overflowing with life.
Is the lure miscalibrated? Or is the 'Feng Shui' of this stone sub-optimal?
As Kaito began a root-cause analysis, the float twitched.
One tap. Two. Then, it plummeted beneath the surface with violent momentum.
"STRIKE!"
Kaito's soulfire flared. He gripped the rod and performed a heavy, upward pull.
The rod bent into a terrifying arc. The line shrieked as a gargantuan resistance
fought back from the depths.
"Aha! A high-tier specimen! The strength is remarkable!"
Kaito grew excited, beginning a steady, methodical reeling process. But midway,
his sensors picked up a logic error.
This drag-coefficient... it doesn't match the signature of a fish.
SPLASH!
With a thunderous explosion of water, a humanoid frame was yanked from the
river. Kaito's line had caught a dripping, grey-skinned entity. Its skin was the
color of ashen lead, and its eyes were solid black voids. Clamped firmly between
its teeth was the alchemical hook.
The Water Wraith.
Kaito and the Wraith stared at each other.
The silence lasted for three long seconds.
"Mmph... mm-mmph..." The Wraith tried to speak, but the hook anchored in its jaw
made its vocalizations a slurry of incoherent gurgles.
Kaito's soulfire pulsed with a sharp, red-hot fury.
He had waited cycles for a bite. He had spent gold. He had centered his logic.
And he had caught a pest.
"You... did that intentionally, did you not?"
Kaito's voice carried the resonance of a brewing storm.
The Water Wraith shook its head frantically, its eyes filled with a desperate,
pathetic vulnerability. It wasn't intentional! I saw a skeleton fishing! I was
curious! I leaned in for a sensory scan and the hook snagged my jaw!
"MM-MM-MPH!"
The Wraith thrashed, trying to explain its logic-error, but the hook held firm.
Kaito took a long, deep breath—then remembered he lacked lungs. The realization
made him even angrier.
SMACK!
Kaito dropped the rod, seized the Wraith by the throat, and initiated a session
of "Physical Re-education."
"THAT WAS MY SECRET LURE!" "YOU ARE DISRUPTING THE SOVEREIGN'S RESPITE!" "I JUST
WANTED A QUIET EXPEDITION, AND YOU PROVIDE NARRATIVE INTERFERENCE!"
Kaito shouted as he delivered a series of rapid Swat-strikes. He controlled his
output, ensuring he didn't accidentally liquidate the creature, but he made sure
it felt every calorie of his annoyance. The Wraith rolled across the mud,
emitting high-pitched, tragic whimpers.
Finally, Kaito ceased the assault. He ripped the hook from the creature's mouth
and stood over it, looming like a mountain.
"Data retrieval," Kaito hissed. "Identify the location of the fish in this
channel."
The Wraith clutched its bruised grey face, spectral tears leaking from its
voids. "I... I do not possess that data..."
"You reside in this river eternally! How can the coordinate of the fish be an
'Unknown' to you?!"
"I truly do not know!" the Wraith wailed. "I am an honest, local Anomaly! I do
not consume biomass! I only induce 'Panic' in travelers and feed on the residual
emotional Od!"
"Today I localized an Undead fishing! It was an anomaly in itself! I was
curious! And then..." It looked even more dejected. "Then I encountered you...
and experienced terminal trauma..."
Kaito stared at the Wraith for five seconds. Its bio-rhythm suggested truth.
"Then why is the river empty?" Kaito queried.
"It isn't empty," the Wraith whispered, its voice shrinking.
"The fish are numerous and fat. They are all localized further down the bank."
"Then why can I not attract them?"
"Because..." The Wraith hesitated. "Because my presence in this sector induces a
'Fear-Debuff' in them. They have all fled the immediate radius to avoid me."
Kaito's soulfire stopped pulsing.
The logic was complete. The river wasn't a failure. The lure wasn't an error.
The "Air Force" status of his expedition was a direct result of this grey pest
sitting under his float.
I endured the Chess-destruction. I endured the transit-burn. But this... this is
a violation of the sacred code.
Kaito seized the Wraith by the head, hoisting it into the air.
"WHAT?!" "You mean to tell me... my failure... was YOUR FAULT?!"
"I... I..." The Wraith began to shiver violently. "I apologize! A thousand logic
errors! I am sorry!"
"You recognize the error now?" Kaito sneered, his tone chilling. "Too late."
SMACK! SLAP! CRACK!
Another cycle of "Correction." The Wraith was left a bruised, flattened mess in
the mud, too terrified to even twitch.
"Now. Initiate 'Herding-Protocol'," Kaito commanded, pointing a bony hand toward
the current. He looked like an Academy instructor who had caught a student
playing with a phone—the pressure was absolute.
"If I do not record a catch within the next cycle, your extracted frame will
never see the Necrotic Realm again."
"YES! AT ONCE! COMMAND ACCEPTED!"
The Water Wraith scrambled into the water, diving beneath the surface with zero
delay. It began a high-velocity circuit of the river, frantically herding the
terrified fish back toward Kaito's hook.
Kaito sat back down on his stone. He re-applied the lure, reset the line, and
cast.
This time, he would achieve success.
The float bobbed gently in the current. Kaito watched it with a calm, predatory
stillness.
One minute. Two. Five.
The float remained a static variable.
Kaito's soulfire began to pulse with a frantic rhythm. "Problem?"
He looked into the water. The Wraith was working himself to death, driving a
massive school of carp toward the hook. The fish were swarming the bait,
circling it, sniffing it...
And then... they elegantly swam away.
Kaito's soulfire went into total riot.
"ARE THESE FISH STEALING TRANSIT FROM MY OWN RIVER?! WHY DO THEY NOT CONSUME THE
SUSTENANCE?!"
He lunged to his feet, staring into the depths. The fish ignored his roar,
continuing their lazy parade through the reeds.
As Kaito shivered with rage, the Water Wraith poked its head above the surface,
offering a cautious, tentative suggestion.
"Umm... Great Elder...?"
"Speak."
"Perhaps... I can provide assistance?"
"You? You are a pest. What assistance can you offer?"
"I could... manually capture a specimen... and anchor its jaw to your hook? Then
you can perform the retrieval-sequence..."
The Wraith's voice shrank to a whisper. "That way... you achieve a 'Success'
result..."
Kaito froze.
He stared at the Wraith for several seconds. Then, he gave a slow, solemn nod.
"Proceed. Initiate manual anchoring."
The Wraith let out a breath of relief and dove. Moments later, the float
plummeted with a violent jerk.
"STRIKE!" Kaito shouted, seizing the rod.
The wood bent into a perfect arc. The familiar resistance returned.
"ON THE HOOK!"
Kaito reeled with manic energy. Inch by inch...
SPLASH!
The Water Wraith was yanked from the river once more, the hook dangling from its
mouth. It stared at Kaito with a hollow, dazed expression.
The two stared at each other.
The air went silent again.
Kaito looked at the Wraith on his hook. The Wraith looked at the skeleton with
the rod.
Words had long since failed them.
☆☆☆
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