Chapter 145: The Peaceful Expanse

After the Cycle Anemone fight, Gray and Cindy rested briefly near the edge of the basin. The looping mana currents had finally settled, returning to their natural flow now that the anemone was dead.

Gray pulled up his status screen, the golden text materializing in his vision.

[Level: 42]

[Stat Points: 40]

[Skill Points: 4]

’Time to use these,’ he muttered.

He allocated the points carefully. Twenty into SPD, ten into ATK, six into DEF, and four into LUK.

[SPD: 328 → 348]

[ATK: 189 → 199]

[DEF: 118 → 124]

[HP MAX: 1290 → 1350]

[LUK: 44 → 48]

The skill points went into his newest abilities.

[VOID REAPER’S LANCE — Lv. 2 → Lv. 4]

[PHANTOM CLOAK — Lv. 2 → Lv. 4]

He flexed his blade-tentacles, feeling the new strength settle into his carapace.

’Better,’ he said. ’Now let’s see what else is out here.’

They moved deeper into the jagged terrain, past the basin where the Cycle Anemone had anchored itself. The mana currents were normal now, flowing in their natural patterns, and the water felt lighter, easier to move through.

Cindy drifted beside him, her frills swaying as she read the currents.

"Gray, can you feel that? The mana here is so clean. It’s nothing like the areas near the collapsed cavern. Less dense, but so much more balanced. It’s like... breathing fresh air after being in a stuffy room."

’What does that mean?’

"It means this area wasn’t affected by the mana crystal’s mutations. It’s been developing naturally, on its own."

Gray’s senses swept the terrain ahead. The fissures in the seafloor were shallower here, their walls covered in patches of pale, glowing moss. Small creatures darted between the rocks, their bodies flickering with soft bioluminescence.

Then he saw something new.

A cluster of tall, spiraling shells rose from the seafloor, each one nearly five feet high. They were beautiful, their surfaces ribbed with ridges of pale gold and soft blue, their openings facing upward like the mouths of tiny volcanoes. Thin tendrils extended from their openings, swaying gently in the current.

[SPIRAL VENT SNAIL — Level 28]

HP: 380 / 380

Threat Level: LOW

« Analysis »

A large, passive gastropod found in mana-rich seafloors. The Spiral Vent Snail anchors itself to the seafloor and extends its tendrils to filter nutrients and ambient mana from the current. Its shell is highly prized for its mana-conductive properties, and its flesh is considered a delicacy by deep-sea predators.

Behavior: Completely passive. The Spiral Vent Snail will not attack unless directly threatened. When threatened, it retreats into its shell and seals itself shut.

Weakness: The tendrils are fragile. Severing them prevents the snail from feeding, but the shell remains sealed and difficult to breach.

’Those shells are beautiful,’ Cindy said. ’And the mana in them... it’s very clean. Pure.’

’Can you use them?’

"Maybe. The shell is mana-conductive. If I can shape it properly, I could use it as a focus for my spells." She paused. "But I’d need to kill the snail first. And it’s not attacking us."

Gray considered the snails for a moment, then dismissed them. They were passive and harmless. Just filtering nutrients from the water.

’Let’s leave them,’ he said. ’We only kill what we need.’

Cindy turned toward him, her silver eyes softening.

"That’s surprisingly noble of you."

’It’s practical. If we kill everything we see, we’ll attract more predators. Better to leave the harmless ones alone.’

They moved past the snails and continued deeper into the terrain.

The next discovery was stranger.

A field of glowing, translucent spheres drifted through the water, each one no larger than Gray’s bell. They pulsed with soft, rhythmic light, their surfaces covered in tiny, hair-like cilia that beat in slow, synchronized waves.

[SEA WISP — Level 5]

HP: 20 / 20

Count: 30+

Threat Level: NONE

« Analysis »

A colony organism composed of individual mana-feeding cells. Sea wisps are harmless filter-feeders that drift through mana-rich waters, absorbing ambient energy and converting it into soft bioluminescence. They are a vital part of the deep-sea ecosystem, providing food for countless smaller creatures.

’They’re like living lanterns,’ Cindy said. ’I’ve never seen anything like them.’

Gray watched the spheres drift past, their light casting soft shadows across the rocks.

’Let’s keep moving,’ he said.

The third discovery was more interesting.

A creature that looked like a cross between a crab and a spider scuttled across the seafloor, its body covered in a thick, crystalline shell that shimmered with pale blue light. It had six legs, each one ending in a sharp, pointed claw, and its eyes were two small, glowing orbs that swiveled independently.

[Crystal Shell Crawler — Level 32]

HP: 520 / 520

Threat Level: MODERATE

« Analysis »

A territorial crustacean that feeds on mana-rich minerals. The Crystal Shell Crawler’s carapace is reinforced with crystallized mana, granting it high physical defense. Its claws are sharp enough to crack stone, and it will aggressively defend its territory from intruders.

Weakness: The joints between its shell plates are less armored. Precision strikes can disable its legs.

’That one’s more aggressive,’ Gray said. ’And its shell might have useful traits.’

Cindy studied the crawler with a mage’s eye.

"The mana in its shell is crystallized. If I can absorb some of it, it might help me refine my channels further."

’Then let’s take it down.’

Gray activated Phantom Cloak and dissolved into the darkness. The Crystal Shell Crawler continued its patrol, unaware of the predator circling above it.

Cindy raised her hands, ready to support.

’I’ll flank it. You keep it in place,’ Gray said.

Cindy nodded, her frills steadying.

"Ready when you are."

Gray dropped Phantom Cloak and fired Void Reaper’s Lance directly into the crawler’s rear leg joint.

[VOID REAPER’S LANCE — 218 DAMAGE]

[CRYSTAL SHELL CRAWLER — HP: 302 / 520]

[BLEED — 10 DAMAGE PER SECOND]

[60% DEF PENETRATION — APPLIED]

The crawler shrieked, spinning toward him. But Cindy was already moving. A vortex of water formed around its legs, locking it in place.

"[Water Vortex]!"

The crawler thrashed, its claws snapping at empty water. It couldn’t move.

Gray fired Needle Storm into its exposed joints.

[NEEDLE STORM — 162 DAMAGE]

[CRYSTAL SHELL CRAWLER — HP: 140 / 520]

[PARALYZE — 2 SECONDS]

The crawler froze. Gray drove all eight blade-tentacles into its cracked shell.

[VOID REAPER’S LANCE — 228 DAMAGE]

[CRYSTAL SHELL CRAWLER — HP: 0 / 520]

[CRYSTAL SHELL CRAWLER DEFEATED — 920 EXP]

[TRAIT FRAGMENT ACQUIRED: "Crystal Shell" (1/3)]

[New Trait Discovered!]

[CRYSTAL SHELL — Preview]

« Analysis »

A defensive trait derived from creatures with crystallized mana shells. The user’s carapace becomes reinforced with crystalline mana, increasing physical defense and adding a reflective quality.

Effect at Completion:

· Passive: DEF +15.

· Passive: 10% chance to reflect physical attacks back at the attacker.

· New Skill — [Crystal Guard]: Encase your body in a crystalline shell, reducing all damage taken by 30% for 10 seconds. MP Cost: 20. Cooldown: 25 seconds.

Gray absorbed the corpse, the taste sharp and mineral-rich, like biting into a gemstone.

’Not bad,’ he said. ’Another defensive trait.’

Cindy drifted beside him, her frills swaying.

"This area is full of new creatures. And most of them seem peaceful."

’Most,’ Gray agreed. ’But the aggressive ones have useful traits.’

They continued exploring, moving through the pale stone ridges and the glowing moss fields. Gray’s senses swept the terrain, cataloging every new creature, every new plant, every new formation.

He found a cluster of bioluminescent tube worms that pulsed with soft violet light, their tendrils swaying in the current. He found a school of tiny, silver fish that swam in perfect synchronization, their bodies reflecting the ambient mana like living mirrors. He found a patch of glowing moss that tasted faintly sweet when he sampled it, its nutrients restoring a small amount of HP.

And through it all, Cindy drifted beside him, her silver glow steady, her frills swaying with quiet contentment.

"This is nice," she said after a while. "We swam without any trouble."

Gray glanced at her, his blade-tentacles relaxing.

’Yeah,’ he said. ’It is.’

Cindy pressed her small body against his bell, her frills brushing against his carapace.

"Let’s keep going," she said. "I want to see what else is out here."

Gray nodded and swam forward, his senses sweeping the dark water ahead.

’There’s more to find,’ he said. ’I can feel it.’