Chapter 22: Unlocking the Leveling System

"Heh, I think you already have the answer, Uncle?"

The old fisherman nodded, deeply stunned. These two young men must truly possess real talent! Other fishermen nearby, hearing the word "tuna," could not help but gather around. It had been many years since they had last heard that name mentioned.

"My goodness, it's tuna! That stuff is priceless these days!"

"I heard..."

The crowd of fishermen focused entirely on the tuna, failing to notice that the two buckets Du Yu and his companion were carrying weighed nearly a hundred pounds in total. It was fortunate they didn't, or Du Yu would have had a hard time explaining it.

As the sun began to dip behind the mountains, the two prepared to head home. Just then, Du Yu’s phone rang; it was Ma Yue.

"Hello, Xiao Yue, is something the matter?" Du Yu asked cheerfully, his spirits high.

"Yes, Brother Yu, there is something! It’s fantastic news! Our total revenue for the day reached 800 yuan! After costs, the net profit is 600 yuan! According to our split, you get 360 yuan!"

On the other end of the line, Ma Yue made no effort to hide her excitement—nor could she. In an era where the average monthly wage was less than 800 yuan, Du Yu had earned 360 yuan in a single day!

"...Of course, I get 240 yuan. Hehe, this is all thanks to you, Brother Yu! The customers all praised the quality of the fish; the large yellow croakers and leopard coral groupers are already sold out! Our two vans were busy all afternoon!"

Ma Yue chattered away, reporting the figures like a happy little girl. Du Yu was equally invigorated. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before his family’s debts were paid off. Once that happened, neither he nor Li Chunhong would have to be bothered by others using their debts as leverage ever again.

After hanging up, Du Yu and Wang Xiaowei worked together to haul the two buckets of fish onto the van. It was a good thing they had driven over; otherwise, it would have taken forever to carry everything home.

Once home and parted from Wang Xiaowei, Du Yu took out a small bucket specifically for the tuna, added an oxygenator, and placed it inside. This was a treasure; it had to be pampered!

After dinner, Du Yu couldn't wait to return to his room and open the Luck Shop.

[New]
"Fishing Boat (1 unit): 3,000 Luck Points
Description: Max load: 1,000kg
Displacement: 10 tons
Includes oversized built-in buckets
Includes acceleration turbine
Upgradeable (requires Luck Points)
Note: The ocean—I shall conquer it!"

"Wearable Water Surface Suspension Device: 1,500 Luck Points
Description: Allows you to walk on the sea surface as if on land
Further functions to be explored by the user
Note: I'm feeling lazy... no note... explore it yourself..."

...

"You've reached the bottom~"

Du Yu couldn't resist scrolling down again.

"You've reached the bottom~"

It felt strangely similar to certain things from his previous life. He had to admit, the items in the Luck Shop were truly ahead of their time. The boat alone—in an era where the average fishing boat displacement was five tons, ten tons? That’s cheating! An acceleration turbine? Cheating! A wearable suspension device? That’s definitely cheating!

This Luck Shop was clearly selling hacks. But the reality was that Du Yu could only watch. He checked his Luck Points: [1,050]. Well, he couldn't afford anything. For now, he had to be content with raising his small fish.

Without hesitation, Du Yu bought a fishing rod. Although today’s haul had been bountiful, he hadn't caught any leopard coral groupers or similar fish. But that was normal; those were deep-sea fish that preferred oxygen-poor environments. The comfortable zone Du Yu had created was actually uncomfortable for them. It was like giving a lot of money to someone used to a life of frugality—they would feel out of place.

He didn't dwell on it. He remembered that this time, the system had also unlocked a leveling system. What could that be?

He opened the system.
[Host: Du Yu]
[Luck Points: 50]
{Leveling System now unlocked!}

[Leveling System (Level 1):
Stamina: Level 2
Fishing Proficiency: Level 3
Focus: Level 3
Note: 1. The Level 1 system includes Stamina, Fishing Proficiency, and Focus.
2. Every time a rare fish is caught, you gain one level point.
3. How to upgrade the leveling system: Explore on your own.
Reference: The stamina, fishing proficiency, and focus of a normal adult are all Level 1.]

Du Yu was reading with great interest until he saw the words "Explore on your own," at which point he rolled his eyes at the system. "Explore on your own," indeed.

Still, it was a pleasant surprise. He hadn't expected that beyond auxiliary items, his own abilities could also be enhanced through the system. If that were the case, wouldn't he be taking off soon?

[Current Level Points: 3. You may choose where to allocate them.]

Du Yu chose not to allocate them yet. He hadn't fully grasped the leveling system and decided to wait. If upgrading to Level 2 unlocked better skill points, wouldn't it be better to save them? He recalled a popular mobile game from his past life—you always save your points for the ultimate move.

Du Yu felt even more motivated now, imagining himself free-diving to catch fish without protective gear. The thought set his blood racing.

The emergence of the leveling system meant Du Yu didn't sleep well that night. He calculated his future plans. He had earned nearly 1,000 Luck Points today; in five more trips, he could exchange for five probability boosters, pushing the probability of the MAX-version bucket to 1%! It wasn't a huge number, but it was far more likely than 0.000001%!

Additionally, with the fishing rod, his chances of catching rare fish would increase significantly, allowing him to stockpile level points. For Du Yu, fishing increased Luck Points, which bought more "hacks," which caught more fish, which stockpiled level points to enhance his abilities, which caught even more fish.

Du Yu realized this was a perfect virtuous cycle. The Luck Shop and the Leveling System formed two closed loops.

The next day, Du Yu sported two panda-like dark circles under his eyes. A closed loop for his eyes, one might say.