Chapter 124: Mine to Kill

"Wait, Gray. Hold on."

Cindy’s voice cut through his focus. She drifted closer, her frills rigid, her silver eyes fixed on the massive shape coiling in the dark ahead.

"Are you really going to challenge that thing? Right now?"

Gray didn’t take his senses off the Sablemaw Abyssal. Its serpentine body twisted slowly through the water, that circular, jawless maw opening and closing with its terrible, patient rhythm.

’Of course,’ he said. ’An opportunity like this won’t come twice. I’m lucky I even found it again.’

"Lucky?" Cindy’s voice rose. "Gray, that thing dragged you into the abyss when you were weak. But look at it. It’s bigger than before. It’s not the same creature you remember."

’Neither am I.’

Cindy stared at him for a long moment, her frills slowly lowering. It seemed Gray’s decision was already made, and he wasn’t going to listen to anything she had to say.

"...Alright," she said at last. "I’ll help you. I don’t want you to die a stupid death."

’You don’t need to, Cindy.’

She blinked, caught off guard.

’It’s not because you’re weak,’ Gray continued. ’It’s because I want to fight it myself. Is that okay?’

Cindy understood what he was really asking. He didn’t just want revenge. He wanted to see how strong he had become. He wanted to face the creature that had dragged him into this nightmare and put that fear to rest, once and for all.

"...Alright," she said quietly. "I understand. But if you get into trouble, I’m stepping in immediately. Got it?"

’Thank you, Cindy.’

"Thank me when you’re finished," she said.

Gray turned his senses back toward the dark water ahead.

The Sablemaw Abyssal was still drifting, unaware. Gray focused on it, letting the system settle over his vision like a cold lens.

[SABLEMAW ABYSSAL — Level 45]

HP: 3000 / 3000

Threat Level: EXTREME

« Analysis »

An apex predator of the deep abyssal zone, massively evolved since its last recorded encounter with the target. Its body is highly resistant to physical attacks and its regenerative capabilities are exceptional. Its jawless maw can swallow prey whole, and its chambered body structure distributes damage across multiple vital nodes.

WARNING: Do not engage in prolonged close-quarters combat.

« Detected Weakness »

Scarred tissue along the left flank shows failed regeneration. This area remains permanently damaged and vulnerable. Strikes to this region bypass 50% of its defensive scaling and prevent instantaneous healing.

’Level 45,’ he thought. ’It’s even stronger than I expected.’

But then his attention caught on the last line. His vision locked onto the creature’s side, and there it was. A patch of pale, scarred flesh, visible beneath the armor plates. A wound that had never healed, like the one he had given the Nightmare Lamprey.

’That’s where I hit you,’ Gray thought. ’And you never recovered.’

He gathered his mana, feeling the vast ocean inside him stir. He couldn’t channel it like a mage, but he could use it. His skills were mana-driven, and with his expanded pool, they hit harder than ever.

He activated Abyssal Lance.

His body compressed into a spear of dark crystal then he launched.

The water screamed past him as he shot through the dark, aimed directly at the scar. The Sablemaw sensed him at the last moment, its massive body twisting, its maw opening wide but it was too slow.

The crystalline barbs punched into the scarred tissue.

[CRITICAL HIT!]

[ABYSSAL LANCE — 186 DAMAGE]

[SABLEMAW ABYSSAL — HP: 2814 / 3000]

[SCARRED TISSUE — 50% DEFENSE REDUCTION APPLIED]

The Sablemaw convulsed. Its massive body coiled violently, its maw snapping shut on empty water.

’That’s right,’ Gray thought, already pulling back. ’Remember me?’

The Sablemaw twisted toward him, its eyeless head tracking his electrical signature. Its body was fast and its maw was already opening for another strike.

Gray pulsed backward, Flow State carrying him out of reach. He fired Riptide Slash at the scar as he retreated. The crescent blade sliced across the damaged tissue, drawing another groan from the creature.

[RIPTIDE SLASH — 118 DAMAGE]

[SABLEMAW ABYSSAL — HP: 2696 / 3000]

The Sablemaw lunged, its massive body coiling through the water like a serpent. Gray dodged, but its tail caught him across the bell, sending him tumbling.

[-242 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 798 / 1040]

’Tch! It’s faster than before!’

He recovered mid-tumble and fired Cavitation Pulse at the scar. The superheated jet struck true, scorching the dead tissue.

[CAVITATION PULSE — 142 DAMAGE]

[SABLEMAW ABYSSAL — HP: 2554 / 3000]

The Sablemaw roared, its body thrashing. But instead of retreating, it did something Gray didn’t expect.

Its chambered body began to pulse.

The armor plates along its spine shifted, and from the gaps between them, dozens of smaller tendrils emerged. They were thin and pale, each one tipped with a tiny, circular maw ringed with needle teeth. They lashed through the water, reaching for him from every direction.

’What the—’

Gray fired Riptide Slash at the nearest tendrils, severing three of them. But more kept coming, a writhing net of hungry mouths.

[RIPTIDE SLASH — 94 DAMAGE]

[SABLEMAW ABYSSAL — HP: 2460 / 3000]

He pulsed upward, trying to escape the net, but the tendrils were faster than they looked. One latched onto his trailing tentacle, its teeth biting deep.

[-128 HP]

[LACERATION — 4 damage over 5 seconds]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 666 / 1040]

Gray tore it free and fired Overcharge, the electricity arcing through the water and into the tendrils. They convulsed, releasing their grip, and he slipped free.

[OVERCHARGE — 158 DAMAGE]

[SABLEMAW ABYSSAL — HP: 2302 / 3000]

’It has more tricks than before,’ Gray thought, breathing hard. ’But the scar is still there. I just need to keep hitting it.’

He circled wide, using Flow State to stay ahead of the tendrils. They were slower than him, their reach limited. As long as he kept moving, they couldn’t pin him down.

He fired another Riptide Slash at the scar.

[RIPTIDE SLASH — 116 DAMAGE]

[SABLEMAW ABYSSAL — HP: 2186 / 3000]

The Sablemaw groaned, its tendrils retracting slightly. It was learning pulling back its defenses, protecting the weak point.

’Not this time.’

Gray activated Subterranean Ambush, vanishing into the seafloor. The Sablemaw’s tendrils swept through the space where he’d been, finding nothing. Its massive body coiled, confused, its electrical senses tracking the seafloor.

Gray erupted beneath it, his serrated bell tearing into the scarred tissue from below.

[SUBTERRANEAN AMBUSH — 98 DAMAGE]

[SABLEMAW ABYSSAL — HP: 2088 / 3000]

[STUN — 2 SECONDS]

The Sablemaw seized, its massive body locking rigid. Gray didn’t waste the chance. He fired Cavitation Pulse point-blank into the scar, then Overcharge, then Abyssal Lance again.

[CAVITATION PULSE — 146 DAMAGE]

[OVERCHARGE — 162 DAMAGE]

[ABYSSAL LANCE — 188 DAMAGE]

[SABLEMAW ABYSSAL — HP: 1592 / 3000]

The stun broke. The Sablemaw thrashed, its tendrils lashing wildly. One caught Gray across the bell, another wrapped around his tentacle. He tore free, but not before taking damage.

[-138 HP]

[-124 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 404 / 1040]

’Damn! This hurts so much!!’