Chapter 128: Enemy or Friend..?

The next day, Gray and Cindy hunted as usual.

Gray tried to search for octopus-type creatures to complete his Undying Heart trait, but no matter how far he swam through, he couldn’t find any. After an hour of searching, he gave up.

’No luck,’ he muttered. ’They must have moved deeper, or they’re avoiding this area.’

Cindy drifted beside him, her silver glow steady. "Maybe they sensed what happened to the others. Creatures like that aren’t stupid."

’Neither am I. I’ll find them eventually.’

Instead, he turned his attention to a different goal, hunting the creatures that carried the Fear Eater trait. The Wraithfin had been the first, but there were others. He remembered the analysis, the way fear-fed creatures grew stronger when their prey panicked. There had to be more of them somewhere in this abyss.

He found one near a collapsed ravine.

It was a small, pale fish with eyes that glowed a faint, sickly yellow. Its fins were tattered, and its body was covered in scars. It drifted alone through the dark water, its presence radiating a subtle, creeping dread.

[PALE DREADFIN — Level 28]

HP: 320 / 320

Threat Level: MODERATE

« Analysis »

A lesser fear-feeding predator related to the Veiled Wraithfin. The Pale Dreadfin lacks the Wraithfin’s illusions but compensates with a passive aura that amplifies anxiety and doubt in nearby creatures. It feeds on the hesitation of its prey.

Weakness: Fragile body. Low defense. Its fear aura is ineffective against targets with strong mental resistance.

Gray fired Riptide Slash from a distance, the crescent blade cutting through the water and striking the Dreadfin across its flank.

[RIPTIDE SLASH — 118 DAMAGE]

[PALE DREADFIN — HP: 202 / 320]

The creature shrieked, its yellow eyes flaring. A wave of cold pressure radiated outward, trying to seep into Gray’s mind.

[FEAR AURA — RESISTED]

Gray barely felt it. After everything he’d faced, this thing’s aura was nothing.

’Is that supposed to scare me?’ he said. ’Pathetic.’

He closed the distance and fired Cavitation Pulse point-blank. The superheated jet tore through the Dreadfin’s fragile body.

[CAVITATION PULSE — 146 DAMAGE]

[PALE DREADFIN — HP: 56 / 320]

One final Overcharge ended it.

[OVERCHARGE — 162 DAMAGE]

[PALE DREADFIN DEFEATED — 380 EXP]

[TRAIT FRAGMENT ACQUIRED: "Fear Eater" (5/5)]

[Trait Complete! Fear Eater will be available as an evolution option at Level 40.]

’Finally,’ Gray said, absorbing the corpse. ’That’s one more trait done.’

As they continued through the dark water, Gray pulled up his status screen. The golden text materialized in his vision, and he noticed something he’d overlooked.

[Level: 39]

[Stat Points: 40]

[Skill Points: 4]

’Ah,’ he muttered. ’I forgot about these.’

He allocated the points without ceremony. Twenty into SPD, ten into ATK, six into DEF, and four into LUK.

[SPD: 248 → 268]

[ATK: 133 → 143]

[DEF: 103 → 109]

[HP MAX: 1040 → 1100]

[LUK: 40 → 44]

The skill points went into his core abilities.

[RIPTIDE SLASH — Lv. 7 → Lv. 9]

[FLOW STATE — Lv. 5 → Lv. 6]

[ABYSSAL LANCE — Lv. 10 (MAX) → Cannot be increased]

[GRIP JAW — Lv. 7 → Lv. 8]

’Good,’ he said, flexing his tentacles. ’That’s better.’

Gray checked his EXP bar. The golden bar was nearly full.

[EXP: 76%]

’Hoo... just a little more and I can evolve,’ he said, his mental voice carrying a quiet edge of anticipation. ’Maybe I should look for a boss. Something that can give me a lot of EXP in one fight.’

Cindy, resting in the curl of his tentacles, immediately stiffened.

"Don’t be reckless," she said, her voice sharp with warning. "If you hunt something stronger than you, you’re the one who ends up dead. We’ve been through this before."

’Yeah, you’re right,’ Gray admitted. ’Better to play it safe and hunt what’s already here.’

Cindy relaxed slightly, her frills settling.

"Gray, once you evolve... will we go straight to the surface?"

Gray didn’t answer right away. His tentacles swept the water ahead, reading the currents, checking for threats before he responded.

’I could,’ he said. ’But it’s still dangerous. The leviathans are still up there and that giant octopus, the one that dragged me down here, we still don’t know where it is.’

He paused, his serrated bell tilting toward her.

’Maybe if I reach Level 50, I’ll feel confident enough to go up. But there’s another problem.’

"What problem?"

’How am I supposed to breathe on land?’ Gray asked. ’Is there a jellyfish that can breathe air?’

Cindy was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Well... no. Not that I know of. Jellyfish are aquatic creatures. They can’t survive out of water."

’Exactly,’ Gray said. ’So even if I reach the surface, I’d just be flopping around on the beach until I dried out and died.’

Cindy’s frills lowered as she thought.

"...You’d need to find an evolution that lets you breathe air," she said slowly. "Something that gives you lungs, or gills that can process oxygen from the atmosphere. I don’t know if that’s possible for a jellyfish, but..."

’But if I can absorb the right traits,’ Gray finished, ’maybe I can make it possible.’

He drifted past a cluster of dark rocks, his senses sweeping the area.

’Before that, we need to focus on getting stronger,’ he said. ’The surface has its own threats. Human mages. Beasts that live on land. Nobles with armies. If I go up there weak, I’ll just be trading one death trap for another.’

Cindy nodded slowly.

"That’s true," she admitted. "The surface isn’t safe either, there are still threats that could kill us."

’Why did you ask about the surface?’ Gray said. ’Do you miss it that much?’

"Not really," she said. "I was just testing you."

’Testing me?’

"Mm. I wanted to see what you’d say. Whether you’d rush up there without thinking, or whether you’d actually consider the risks."

’So it was a test. Did I pass?’

Cindy’s silver eyes softened.

"You did. You’re more careful than you used to be."

’That’s because I’ve almost died enough times to learn,’ Gray said. ’What about you? Can your body breathe on land?’

Cindy hesitated, her frills lowering slightly.

"...Probably not," she admitted. "This axolotl body is aquatic. I’d dry out just like you would."

’Then we’re both stuck down here.’

"Not necessarily," Cindy said slowly. "I have a spell that could transform me into a human form. But it’s Sixth Circle necromancy. It’s impossible for me to cast right now."

Gray’s tentacles stilled for a beat.

’Sixth Circle,’ he repeated. ’You remember a Sixth Circle spell?’

Cindy’s frills lifted with a flicker of pride.

"Of course I do. When I was Fifth Circle, I read Sixth Circle books to expand my knowledge. I couldn’t cast most of them, but I memorized the theory. The transformation spell was one of them."

’That’s... impressive,’ Gray admitted. ’Even if you can’t use it yet.’

"It’s useless for now," Cindy said, though there was a quiet satisfaction in her voice. "But one day, when I’m strong enough, I’ll be able to cast it. And then I won’t need to worry about drying out."

’If that’s the case... could you use that spell on me? If I can’t find a trait that lets me breathe air.’

Cindy was quiet, considering the question carefully.

"It’s a self-transformation spell," she said at last. "It only works on the caster. I don’t know if I could cast it on someone else. But..." She paused. "If I learn to use it properly, I’ll try—"

Then Gray stopped.

Cindy noticed immediately.

"Gray? What’s wrong?"

He didn’t answer right away. His electroreception painted a shape in the darkness ahead.

’I feel something,’ he said quietly. ’Up ahead.’

Cindy’s frills tightened. "Is it dangerous?"

’I don’t know yet.’

"Can we make friends with it?"

’...I don’t think so.’