The joke, however, is untranslatable—a pun that only works in a dead dialect of Old Japanese. The fisherman, desperate, pretends to laugh. For seven years, his nets overflow. But on the eighth year, the eel reveals the truth: “You never understood the joke. Therefore, you have been laughing at nothing .”

For those unfamiliar, Yaezujima is a cult-classic horror-mystery franchise known for its isolated island settings, folkloric curses, and morally grey protagonists. But the latest drop—a special “EN Exclusive” (English Exclusive) chapter titled "The Curious Tales of Yaezujima: Rinko Kageyama’s Testament" —has broken the internet. Not because of its gameplay, but because of its sheer, bewildering lore.

Whether you come for the horror, stay for the lore, or simply want to solve the riddle of the laughing eel, one thing is certain—on Yaezujima, every curious tale is a door. And Rinko Kageyama is holding it open.