Farming Games are All About Grinding
Chapter 193 - 186: Hooking the Golden Kitchen Shark!

Chapter 193: Chapter 186: Hooking the Golden Kitchen Shark!

Playing the game is one thing, but eating my floating bobber? What’s up with that?

Can’t you handle the heat?

After losing one-sixth of the bobber to the Gold Chef Shark, Han Qiwu already knew he couldn’t reel it in.

The bobber is smaller than the fish—how could he possibly catch it?

Still, for testing purposes, he gritted his teeth and maneuvered the bobber cautiously toward the Gold Chef Shark.

"Crack, crack."

The Gold Chef Shark, spotting the approaching bobber, showed no restraint whatsoever, chomping off another sixth.

Crunchy and crisp!

"Big guy, aren’t you afraid of breaking your teeth?" Han Qiwu got serious, forcefully guiding the bobber closer to the Gold Chef Shark’s icon.

Just as the bobber was about to touch the Gold Chef Shark, Han Qiwu clicked the lightning button in the fishing game.

[Basic Lightning Spell]!

A bolt of familiar lightning shot out, striking the Gold Chef Shark icon and stunning it instantly.

"Lightning spells are so damn handy." Han Qiwu muttered while calculating time in his head, edging the bobber closer.

"One second."

[Regrettably, the Gold Chef Shark escaped.]

Before Han Qiwu could even gauge the effect of the Basic Lightning Spell, the fishing game ended in failure.

Exiting the fishing game, Han Qiwu made the most of his remaining time by attaching regular bait to the hook, aiming to catch a Sword Shot Fish to check if the bobber had been affected.

After catching one Sword Shot Fish, Han Qiwu relaxed. The bobber appeared exactly as long as before, indicating that the Gold Chef Shark’s appetite for bobbers only applied to that specific game session.

"This won’t cut it; I need to come up with a strategy." Han Qiwu continued fishing for Sword Shot Fish to build up sunlight and charge the Basic Lightning Spell, brainstorming the best way to reel in the Gold Chef Shark.

After fishing for over twenty minutes, inspiration struck.

If the current bobber doesn’t work, why not buy a new one and try that?

The trade point on the beach outside the secret realm sells them. He never bothered with such purchases before—he’d always just buy fish and leave in a hurry.

Might as well check it out.

Han Qiwu packed up his fishing rod and rushed to the trading point near the beach.

Trade Point Inventory:

[Iron Extendable Fishing Rod] Price: 5000 Gold

[Milky White Fish Soup] Price: 1000 Gold

[Standard Bait] Price: 50 Gold

[Special Bait] Price: 100 Gold

[Fishing Rod Bobber Attachment Slot] Price: 1000 Gold

[Microgravity Bobber] Price: 1000 Gold

[Durable Bobber] Price: 3000 Gold

[Scorching Bobber] Price: 5000 Gold

[Click on items to view detailed attributes]

More items being restocked.

Looks like the trade point only refreshes inventory after frequent transactions.

So damn realistic.

Compared to his first glance at this list, there were now a full four extra items.

Better take a look at the bobber-related stuff first.

[Fishing Rod Bobber Attachment Slot]

[Effect: Adds an extra bobber slot to your fishing rod]

[Note: Most fishing rods can only support one bobber slot]

[Microgravity Bobber]

[Effect: Reduces bobber inertia by 50% during fishing games]

[Durability: 100 uses]

[Note: Allows for more precise control of bobber movements]

[Durable Bobber]

[Effect: Improves bobber toughness by 150% in fishing games]

[Durability: 150 uses (reduces an additional 0.1 use after each attack)]

[Note: A must-have bobber for dealing with Shark Clan fish]

[Scorching Bobber]

[Effect: Adds a scorching effect to the bobber in fishing games]

[Special Effect - Scorching: Reduces freeze effect by 50%, shortens freeze duration by 1 second]

[Durability: 300 uses]

[Note: Essential bobber for ice river fish]

These bobbers are actually pretty interesting.

Han Qiwu analyzed the options enthusiastically.

The Microgravity Bobber has a simple, practical effect—reducing inertia means he can control the bobber’s position more easily while fishing, saving effort.

But its durability is only 100 uses, and at 1000 Gold, that’s roughly 10 Gold per use.

A little steep.

The Durable Bobber does exactly what its name suggests—boosts bobber toughness. It’s straightforward and effective, fitting Han Qiwu’s current situation perfectly.

Judging by the remarks, it seems Shark Clan fish love munching on bobbers.

Their teeth must be top-notch.

At 3000 Gold and 150 uses, that’s about 20 Gold per use. If a Shark takes a bite, each chomp costs 2 Gold.

The upfront cost for catching sharks is pretty high.

Here’s hoping the resale price compensates.

One shark better pay for a bull!

As for the Scorching Bobber, Han Qiwu guessed it was more suitable for the ice rivers in the mines.

But since he hadn’t seen any ice rivers yet, there was no rush to buy it.

Gold—it’d be better spent on a cow for fresh milk!

After finishing his analysis, he spent 4000 Gold on the [Fishing Rod Bobber Attachment Slot] and the [Durable Bobber].

Taking out Red Sun, Han Qiwu attached the [Fishing Rod Bobber Attachment Slot] above the hook according to the instructions.

[Red Sun now has 1 added bobber slot]

[Bobber attachment slots at maximum capacity]

Well then.

Han Qiwu had hoped Red Sun could hold multiple bobbers.

Imagine stacking all those bobber effects—fishing would feel like heaven!

Guess he’ll just have to see if the next fishing rod offers more slots.

After fitting the bobber slot, he pulled out the [Durable Bobber] and attached it.

The Durable Bobber looked like a long slab of rock—heavy, solid, long, and tough.

All preparations complete.

Back to the secret realm.

Gold Chef Shark, here comes Grandpa!

Returning to the secret realm, Han Qiwu glanced at his remaining stay time—less than forty minutes.

Time to hustle—let’s go!

Switching to Gold Chef Shark bait, Han Qiwu made a powerful cast toward the distance.

Casting farther would help avoid the splashes caused by the Gold Chef Shark’s massive body.

This thing is absolutely enormous.

Seconds after the hook entered the water, the same Gold Chef Shark showed up and grabbed it with one bite.

"This isn’t a cafeteria! You’re a Gold Chef Shark—I’m no gold-medal chef!" Han Qiwu took a deep breath and slammed a [Basic Lightning Spell] right into its face.

So satisfying!

During his Sword Shot Fish spree earlier, he’d saved up three casts of Basic Lightning Spell.

Try eating my bobber again—zap!

Die already!

In the fishing game, the Gold Chef Shark—struck by the lightning—had the word [Stunned] pop up over its head, remaining stationary.

Han Qiwu seized the moment and maneuvered the bobber closer.

One second.

Two seconds!

In the next moment, the Gold Chef Shark regained its bearings and snapped its jaws toward the bobber, lightning-fast.

It seemed the nearby post-stun slow-down effect didn’t work on this beast.

Must be a size issue.

"Crack, crack."

Mid-bite, the Gold Chef Shark hesitated for half a second.

"Did you chip a tooth?" Han Qiwu chuckled, watching the steadily rising fishing progress bar.

Half a second later, the Gold Chef Shark recovered and lunged forward aggressively.

"Money well spent, huh? Bet you can’t chew through it anymore!" Han Qiwu nodded in satisfaction, pursuing with the bobber.

After several seconds, he realized that even without biting the bobber, the Gold Chef Shark still moved faster than any fish he’d encountered—chasing it was draining.

[Basic Lightning Spell]!

If I can’t catch you, I’ll fry you!

[Sunlight]!

[Basic Lightning Spell]!

Three consecutive skills blasted the Gold Chef Shark icon, freezing it in place for nearly five to six seconds.

The shark probably never expected a fisherman to wield magic, right?

"If I ever fish for electric eels, will the Basic Lightning Spell be useless?" Han Qiwu wondered. "Will the freshly-caught eel have lightning-boosted powers?"

Kind of exciting to think about.

Five minutes later, sweating profusely, Han Qiwu excitedly raised his fishing rod high.

[Congratulations! You’ve successfully reeled in [Ancient Gold Chef Shark] from a one-star ☆ secret realm]

[Ancient Gold Chef Shark]

[Price: 1500 Gold]

[Stamina +500]

[Health -200]

[Note: Only gold-medal chefs can prepare Gold Chef Shark]

Jackpot!

One fish for 1500 Gold—hell yeah!

Can’t eat it? No problem—I can buy loads of meat with 1500 Gold!

After checking its stats, Han Qiwu hurriedly swapped to standard bait to fish for more Sword Shot Fish to recharge [Basic Lightning Spell].

You just can’t catch a Gold Chef Shark without zapping it a few times.