Limitless Fortune: I Collect SSS-Rank Skills as Payment-Chapter 177: Why is it so Hard to Catch a Fish?

"Hmm? Oh, is it already one hour? How fast...."

Only after the frog shouted did the guy finally react as if he was only waking up now.

But his acting was so fake that even Lucien rolled his eyes speechlessly, let alone the frog, who already seemed annoyed.

"Oii…do you really want to pissed me off?"

The frog puffed out a cloud of smoke, cursing the man once again as he issued an ultimatum. From the way he glared, it was clear he wouldn't hesitate to kill if given the chance.

Unfortunately for him, the so-called midget didn't give him a moment. He fumbled with his clothes and pulled out a worn-down Bronze coin from his pocket, tossing it in the frog's direction.

"This is my toll. Now leave me be. I'm almost catching something, and you just had to come disturb me."

He said with an annoyed tone, surprising Lucien completely.

'Is this guy so daring? Or… is he as powerful as this guardian?'

Lucien thought, confused by the situation. Surprisingly, although the old man had shooed the frog in such a harsh tone, the frog didn't do anything to him at all.

Rather, he just grabbed the worn-down coin, storing it with a huff of anger.

"Tch… you midget are jumping around too much these days. Don't let me catch you, otherwise…"

He said, eyes sharp, before turning and speeding away with his boat.

By the time Lucien came to his senses, the frog and the boat had already vanished into the fog, leaving the pond calm and serene once more.

Only Lucien, the short old man, and the shadowy figure in the far corner remained, leaving the bank of the pond eerily bare.

Seeing the situation around, for a moment, Lucien stood in his place, not knowing what to do.

'Sigh…let's do the fishing just like them. Although I don't know if it is even possible.'

Lucien sat down on the log, picked up his fishing rod, and cast the line into the still waters of the pond.

Only, this time too, there was no bait at the end of the line.

Lucien did consider using normal bait, at least.

After all, even though he couldn't access his Dimensional Treasury here, his mana ring still held a piece of meatloaf.

He could always use that to catch a fish, couldn't he?

But he held back. Both the middle-aged man who just died and the short old man nearby didn't use any bait on their rods.

They simply threw their empty rods into the pond and waited silently, as if it were the most normal thing to do.

'Must be some kind of rule. Maybe this is where luck comes into play?'

Lucien thought. From the frog, he already knew that what this lake tested was a person's luck and nothing else.

If that was the case, it made sense not to use any bait.

'But… is it really possible to fish like this? What if I catch nothing?'

Lucien began to doubt, wondering what the class ascension quest actually required.

Would he pass it if he caught any fish from the pond, or did he need to capture a specific one?

And how do they work? How could this pond give precious treasures or anything imaginable just by fishing?

Moreover, if all the fish in this pond were anything like the one that devoured the middle-aged man just moments ago, could he even catch it?

With all his power gone, he was sure that it would be he who would die in confrontation. There wasn't even a need for that frog to intervene.

So many questions yet no one to answer him. Lucien could only put aside his thoughts, calm down, and concentrate on the fishing rod plus the lake.

He was ready to see if luck was on his side and if he could actually catch a fish this way.

"..."

"..."

As the pond settled into calm after the frog's departure, three figures sat on the bank, focused on catching fish with no bait.

Though it looked futile, they remained serious, not flinching once throughout the process, even without a single sign that they might actually catch anything.

'Sigh… only fifteen minutes left. Damn, is there even a fish in this pond? Why can't I see a single one?'

The dull minutes passed quickly, and Lucien soon realized that only fifteen minutes remained of the one-hour interval. After that, another inspection would begin with the frog's reappearance.

Yet during this entire time, Lucien didn't even manage to see a fish, let alone catch one.

If he didn't see that huge carnivorous fish from before, he doubted if there was any at all.

'Should I just leave next time or…?'

From how things were going right now, Lucien felt that he was going to catch nothing. He was no fisherman, and he had no talent or patience in this area.

Even if he used another Origin coin to extend his stay at this place for another hour, he might gain nothing.

That would be just a waste of his points.

'But… then, what about my class ascension?'

For a moment, Lucien wondered if the real requirement was simply to leave this place alive.

After all, he didn't believe the World of Origin was unaware that he didn't carry any Origin coins.

From one perspective, it did seem like he had survived this test with flying colors. After all, gaining anything from here seemed nearly impossible.

'But…what if?'

The real problem was that he wasn't sure. After all, if by some chance he was wrong, he had no idea what the consequences might be.

What if this failure meant he could never raise the rank of his class? That would truly be the end for him.

"Splash!"

Just as Lucien was full of doubt about his next decision, he suddenly heard a loud splash from the lake in front.

Only, the splash didn't come from his side. It came from near him, right below the fishing line of the short old man.

"Hahaha… finally, finally I caught something!"

Hearing the loud splash and the rush of water, the old man laughed uproariously and jumped to his feet, excitement written all over him.

Surprisingly, even after standing, he looked just as short as before. No wonder the frog had given him the nickname "midget."

Lucien, however, wasn't paying attention to that.

His eyes were fixed on the fishing line, stretching and jerking wildly across the lake, as if something had been caught… and was desperately trying to escape, but couldn't.

'So, it is indeed possible to catch something in this lake.'

Lucien thought with wide eyes, feeling a little excited. If that old man could catch something, then that meant he could, too.

At least now he was sure that this pond wasn't a scam.

"Swoosh!"

As Lucien watched the tug of war between the short old man and the fish in the pond, finally, with a swift pull, the old man lifted the fish out of the water, placing it directly on the bank right beside him.

"Haha…it is a black one, nice!"

Then he laughed loudly once again as if extremely excited to see the fish he had just caught. He didn't even care how funny he looked laughing and jumping like this.

'Is that it?'

However, contrary to the short old man's excitement, Lucien was instead dumbfounded.

After all, the fish the old man caught was actually the size of his finger.

"..."

Could you imagine the sight of a short old man jumping in excitement as he caught a tiny pitch-black fish?

'Am I…missing something?'

Lucien raised his eyebrows at the old man as he saw him immediately grab the fish and stuff it into a special bottle, then slip it into his mana ring with a smooth motion.

From his expression, he seemed worried that Lucien might snatch his opportunity.

"What? Are you confused why I am so excited for such a small fish?"

The old man seemed to know what Lucien was thinking and rolled his eyes speechlessly.

"Boy, you have no idea how lucky you are to catch a fish of this size. If that guy from before had managed to catch this one, do you think he would have lived?"

The old man spoke as he slowly gathered his things from the ground, his movements showing he was ready to leave the place.

"Besides, the fish from Mirage Pond aren't exactly the kind of fish you think they are."

He said this, looking at Lucien with sharp eyes, something hidden beneath their surface.

"Hmm? What do you mean by that?"

Sure enough, after hearing his words, Lucien immediately got curious and asked, only to see the old man suddenly turn silent.

Heck, the old man even ignored him completely all of a sudden as if he didn't exist near him at all.

The change in his state was so sudden that Lucien felt irritated.

'Damn old man. Who stops in the middle of the talk?'

Now he realized why that frog might hate this guy so much.