Monsters Are Coming

Then, the tip of the sword slit along the spine, and the fish meat unfolded like silk, splitting into two parts.

The translucent fat in the fish belly glistened with a honey-colored sheen under the sunset, and when touched, it felt exceptionally elastic.

Swish!

The dagger pushed horizontally across the fish body, and a piece of fish meat thin as a cicada's wing peeled up.

Jiang Zhou gently lifted a slice with the tip of his sword and looked into the sunset.

The fish meat was as clear as amber, with a faint spirit light flowing between the muscles, as if the sunset had been crushed and hidden inside, whetting his appetite.

But he wasn't in a hurry to indulge.

The cut fish slices were spread out on the deck, and as the sea breeze blew, the edges of the fish slightly curled, giving off a fresh, sweet aroma.

At this point, he opened the Trading House, found the spirit food category, and filtered: seasonings.

As a newcomer, he didn't ask for much, selecting a basic seasoning priced at 150 sacrificial power, called Fiery Flames Pepper Brew.

"This will do."

Jiang Zhou used his consciousness to purchase, and the next second a small red ceramic jar appeared in his Space Bag.

He took it out and found it was only palm-sized.

As soon as he opened the lid, a spicy yet fruity aroma rushed out, with lava-like sauce slowly flowing inside, and a few gold-red seeds of some plant floating on the surface.

He squatted down, using his fingers to apply the sauce onto the thin fish slices.

The moment it touched the sauce, tiny sparks flew from the fish slice's surface.

Putting the slice into his mouth, Jiang Zhou's eyes widened in astonishment.

His tongue first encountered the crushed seeds within the sauce, resembling wasabi grains.

A refreshing, stimulating sensation exploded on his taste buds, while the red dawn fish's rich oils enveloped the serpent head.

Biting into the fish meat, the seasoning hidden within the muscle layers crackled lightly, like holding a small, harmless bonfire.

The second slice, he purposefully coated with more sauce.

This time, the spicy sensation rolled down his throat, transforming into a warm current spreading throughout his limbs and body.

Challenger Tips constantly echoed in his ears, with Body Refining Experience improving while enjoying the meal.

By the seventh slice, beads of sweat appeared on Jiang Zhou's forehead.

He casually tugged open the collar of his starter outfit, letting the sea breeze in.

When the last sauce-covered slice disappeared between his teeth, Jiang Zhou licked the remaining sauce from his tiger's mouth, savoring it.

Players in the forums had discussions about the "enjoyment level" in Monster World.

Based on feedback from most players, the Research Party divided the enjoyment level into five ranks.

Ranking first, undoubtedly, is hunting.

With each successful hunt, players can feel their bodies evolving.

This includes improving vision, muscle strength, sensory enhancements, etc., which is why the number of Hunting Party players surpasses other play styles.

Ranking second, though in many players' eyes it could ascend to first, is enjoying spirit food.

There's a saying on the forum: "One bite of spirit food, and reality's delicacy turns to dust."

Monster World offers a taste experience unreplicable in reality, akin to a taste bud nuclear explosion.

Sweetness, richness, lingering sweetness… these layers of flavors that need delicate savoring in reality become sensory bricks in Monster World's spirit meals.

Basically, after tasting the food in Monster World, anything offline feels like chewing wax, indescribably bad, even causing a physiological resistance.

Older players now mostly rely on nutrient solutions day-to-day, fully shifting their enjoyment of cuisine to the game.

But enjoying spirit food is also one of the most luxurious areas of consumption within Monster World for players.

High-quality spirit meals are expensive, both for the materials and even more so once made into a spirit meal.

A very famous Spirit Chef Party player in the forum, the chef who opened up the spirit chef gameplay, spent over half a month seeking rare ingredients for a spirit meal "Star River Painting." The sacrificial power needed for purchase was enough to buy a house in reality.

Yet, this spirit meal, once listed in the Trading House, was instantly snapped up by a player.

Being a newcomer, he naturally didn't expect to experience top-tier spirit meals.

Having a spirit fish meal was already quite satisfying; the spirit fish previously caught were mostly listed in the Trading House to exchange for sacrificial power.

After all, only with one's own strength and even the quality of fishing gear improved can one catch higher-quality fish in the future.

Endure hardships early on to enjoy high returns later.

After finishing the meal, the still-unsatisfied Jiang Zhou continued the fishing delivery mode.

Half an hour later.

Twang!

The fishing rod suddenly bent into an arc, the line instantly went taut, producing a friction sound.

Jiang Zhou abruptly gripped the fishing rod, but found he couldn't budge it an inch.

"Hiss, it's a big one, hope I hit the jackpot." He raised an eyebrow, activating the Power Barbarian Axe trait, exerting force with both hands.

Yet, the fishing line remained absolutely still, nor was there a pulling force from the other end.

"Something's off, could it be a huge stone at the seafloor?" Jiang Zhou tried to exert force again, but the result was still motionless.

The fishing line was the highest quality part of his set, sold to him by a veteran player after they upgraded, he couldn't bear to let it go.

"Tsk, looks like I'll have to go see for myself."

He then stopped the vehicle, setting it to standby.

In this mode, the vehicle would standby according to coordinates, not drift away with the waves, self-adapting to cruise.

Having done all this, he jumped into the sea.

The icy seawater instantly enveloped his body, painting the vibrant underwater scenery before his eyes.

Following the taut fishing line, he swam continuously towards the dark depths, diving more than 50 meters, the visibility gradually dimmed.

When he reached the end of the fishing line, the sight before him left him stunned.

The fishing line was wedged in a bizarre coral-formed array, the hook embedded into it as if swallowed by the array.

This was why he couldn't ever pull the line back.

Upon close inspection, he found that the array truly engulfed the hook, rather than the hook being stuck in gaps.

Curious, he initiated decomposition and swept it.

[Power Supply Space]:

Target Description: Created by the long-extinct "Yuan Crystal Clan," it's a semi-independent resource output space, partially isolating and concealing a Domain Node, opening for 23 minutes every two days for the Yuan Crystal Clan to collect internal resources, upon which it automatically closes, guarded by special life forms created by the Yuan Crystal Clan within.

"Domain Node?"

Seeing the decomposition content, Jiang Zhou felt he might have stumbled upon a hidden opportunity.