Cursed Angler

Chapter 2 Survival and Discovery

White lights flashing. A rainbow smiling and when I came to I was trapped in a tube of thick glass. "Challenger class Angler. Abilities list locked. Challenge 1 discovery and survival.

The tube ejected me. There were 9 other people with numbers that flashed over them disappearing as soon as they appeared. They were numbered 2-10. I must be number 1.

The markings glowed on my arms. The rod was in my hand. I noticed all the others floating midair. They had items as well. A gardening hoe wielded by one lanky man with olive skin and a long dwindling body. An older woman with a wooden mallet. The others I couldn't quite make out.

My body thrust into action as I was falling. I saw a nearby tree and my body just acted. My line swung and while reaching for the reel it turned by itself with a glow. The same glow that ran up my right arm. The wind brushed against my face and I landed as the sound of the line sang.

The older woman was somehow in a small canoe and the man with the hoe landed on a patch of flowers and vines I hadn't seen before. The sun shone bright. I must be delusional from grief right now." I thought.

" Discover the beauty in your potential god hood. If your predecessor approves you shall move to the next round. If not you will be retired. You have ten minutes to commence." The announcer stated.

5 minutes left and I saw a wooden tower seemingly appear out of nowhere. A sunflower tall as the sun itself. "God of Wood Craft grants candidate 2 passage. God of Agriculture grants Candidate 3 passage. Remaining candidates pending."

Tree branch Snapped beneath me as I wandered through the dark green forest. "Yikes that really freaked me out, where am I?" I exclaimed.

"You're beautiful." Said a man from behind. He stood there with a cleaver studded with a pig's head on the end of the handle. The butcher's cleaver had a blue ripple in the flat of the blade. Steam rose from it. He was short and blonde. Red in the face and plump like an apple. "You're beautiful You must be the beauty my god requires. You must be my art. My pride." He exclaimed with a creepy smile.

He charged at me. "What am I going to do? I can't die here. All I have is a fishing rod." I thought.

Then my body just moved. I grappled on to another tree just as before. " Blessing of the steel cable. Able to use the Rod of Sacrifice to travel the forest. The God of Angling smiles with Nostalgia. The God of Butchery frowned. God of Butchery retires candidate 4." The Announcer said.

At first he was just still. The butcher candidate. Then he gradually dissipated into a black smoke. He didn't say a word. His cleaver fell to the ground hitting a root with a thud. I Slowly descended like a spider with my Rod. I noticed it was glowing, the cleaver. I picked it up with my opposing hand and as with my rod it started to burn a mark into me. Then my angling mark launched off my skin and attacked the butcher's mark into submission. "Butchers sigil denied. Candidate has already received a blessing and is favored. Butcher's heirloom is now subservient to the Angling candidate.

"Item stored in subspace storage. Just open the inventory to receive the object." Said the announcer in my head.

That boat the woman had landed in was there. I hopped in and nearly fell but managed to catch myself. A huge fish with scales like dragons and fins three times height. Green as grass they swam beneath me. I felt a really low rumble. The boat shook water on my boots and suddenly I was freezing cold. A giant eye of a mammoth emerald fish. I smiled at its beauty. It seemed like everything would be okay. It seemed like I was fine. I smiled.

"Candidate 1 has passed with one minute remaining. Congratulations Candidate 1 Aria Last Name unknown. Be prepared for the next trial." The Announcer Said.