343 Pioneers

For the new generation of fishermen, they have simple codes since they can't speak underwater.

One finger means attack until there is nothing to kill. Two means defend until you die. Three means to be passive-aggressive to stall for time. 

And four fingers which currently held up by Rofi is the order to retreat. His wrinkly hand trembled as he gave the order while eyeing the giant outline from the distance. 

The Giant Milkfish swam to a safe distance before turning back and slowly creeping towards them. However, it was twice as fast as before since it was already angry. 

Though Rofi seemed to be getting reckless, the other captain trusted him. He was the only one who was able to react in time, so pouring trust in him was the only thing they could do.

Andok already passed out and it was their duty to bring him back to the town alive.

Rofi glared at the white outline as he reloaded the harpoon. On the other side, the Giant Milkfish stared at him, then suddenly dashed towards him after realizing that it was the one that injured its eye,

Rofi watched the sonar movements of the Giant Milkfish and even appreciated its beauty. It was such a charming sight to behold if the lines weren't a giant monster trying to kill him.

He aimed, fired, then dodged to the side.

Everything was done in a second due to how quick the Giant Milkfish swam. It turns out that it was just regularly swimming earlier and now that it was enraged, it was finally giving its all. 

The Giant Milkfish swam away and turn to target him properly. In return, Rofi prepared a Tier 2 iron Dagger to retaliate. He chanced upon the item from the auction. It only had a quarter of its durability which caused its price to plummet down. Even then, daggers were already priced cheaply since there were swords and spears available in the market. Having a longer reach meant an increased safety net for individuals.

This simple iron dagger was his most expensive item. It was his last resort especially reserved for times like this.

The Giant Milkfish slowly swam forward until it reached a certain distance. With a single flap of its tail, it suddenly flew forward and appeared next to him.

Already used to its antics, Rofi was able to dodge its bite attack by performing a somersault underwater. He used the water walking skill to step on water and stabbed the dagger on the Giant Milkfish's body. 

The dagger sunk deep and created a long wound as the creature moved away. The already dark water turned red but it wasn't a hindrance to him since he could still see the giant outline in the distance.

Seeing the Giant Milkfish appear next to him, he couldn't help belittling it. "You're using the same attack? Then have another one of mine!"

Rofi performed another somersault and landed at the Giant Milkfish's body. That was supposed to be what happened, but his feet landed on nothing but water.

The Giant Milkfish didn't stop to attack him and actually just swam past him!

Several seconds later, the giant creature charged once more. It learned the proper reaction to every attack Rofi had, turning the battle of endurance that he would never win. He was doomed to lose!

His energy slowly depleted as the time passed by until he finally reached the danger zone, the last ten percent of his energy.

As newcomers to the territory, they weren't treated badly. Just like how everyone heard of Black Haven, the place for the strong, everyone adhered to it. They chose to be here, no one forced them to be here.

When he got employed as a fisherman and promoted to captain, he now has several skills more than others. They were casual skills that have no real damage and couldn't turn events.

Still, he didn't give up as he coated his iron dagger with energy. Since there was no chance that he could escape, he might as well risk his life to take it down with him.

Flap, swoosh.

The Giant Milkfish appeared next to him again. Instead of dodging like he usually does, he gathered more force on his arm and aimed at the giant creature's gills.

After the consecutive exchange, he was able to determine that its gills were one of its weaknesses. If he could stab through the gills and damage the body from the inside, it would become his victory. A simple nudge to the brain would end the battle and he might even survive!

The Giant Milkfish was momentarily confused when he didn't dodge but continued to chomp on him. He heard numerous bones crack inside him, and felt power leaving his body. However, he continued to stab the creature's flesh until the dagger finally pierced deep enough to cause some damage.

Even when the biting grip grew stronger, making him spat blood, Rofi didn't stop and endlessly stabbed through the gill. 

Only after trying countless times did he realize that he couldn't win. His arm was too short and doesn't have enough power to push the dagger deeper into the Giant Milkfish's head.

Knowing that he was guaranteed to die, he sliced downward with all of his remaining strength, causing a huge gush to appear on the Giant Milkfish's gills. 

This injury caused the creature to bellow in pain, releasing him and at the same time causing an underwater shockwave. To those who weren't sea-creatures, they could only hear an anguished scream, but all the fish nearby heard differently.

All the school of fishes watching in the distance rushed forward to help. They cannot swim around the Giant Milkfish since they could be eaten as food. However, they were now allowed to come closer without the risk of getting eaten. The Giant Milkfish promised that it would share the body equally with those who help kill this man.

Instinctively, the small fishes became excited with the prospect of eating such body filled life. The earlier empty space suddenly was teeming with fishes!

On his moment of solitude, Rofi heard a reprimanding voice from the water.

"Aigoo, are you really a captain? Why did you not lure the boss monster out of the dungeon? Wait, can we lure boss monsters out of wild dungeons? Probably, since the barriers were already out." said the voice from the water.

Rofi looked around but found no one. He used Sonar and still found no one.

"Am I hallucinating? Am I becoming stupid?"

Just when he was sure he had turned crazy, the voice came back and spoke again.

"Still, you did a great job surviving this long. In the future, you could become someone prominent. Hahaha!"

Boom!!!

Something crashed in front of him, but Rofi couldn't see anything as air bubbles blocked his vision. When the bubbles cleared, an old man was staring at him with an apologetic smile on his face.

"Sorry for being late. As compensation, I'll give you half the earnings from all the small fishes."

Those were the last words Rofi heard and he passed out.