Chapter 150: Fourth Circle Peak

They moved on after the Gasbloat Crawler, leaving the corpse behind. Something about the creature’s body felt wrong, the flesh too strange, the gas sacs still faintly pulsing even in death. Neither of them wanted to risk eating it.

The journey through the dark water stretched on, past twisted spires and jagged outcroppings that all looked the same. Gray’s senses swept the terrain constantly, searching for anything familiar, anything that might lead them back to the Verdant Hollow. But the abyss offered no landmarks, no guiding lights, only the endless dark and the slow pulse of distant mana.

Then they found it.

A cave, tucked behind a curtain of glowing moss and sharp blue coral that jutted from the rock like frozen spears. The entrance was narrow, just wide enough for Gray to squeeze through, but the chamber inside was surprisingly spacious. The walls were lined with the same blue coral, its surface shimmering faintly with trapped mana, and the floor was covered in a soft carpet of pale green moss that glowed gently in the dark.

The system flickered, and the location materialized in Gray’s vision. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

[LOCATION DISCOVERED: AZURE CORAL GROTTO]

[This location is suitable for rest. Would you like to designate it as a temporary shelter?]

Gray moved through the entrance, scanning the chamber with his senses. It seemed safe. There were no predators nearby, and the temperature was perfect. His body began to relax.

’Yes,’ he said. ’This works. Let’s rest here.’

[SHELTER DESIGNATED: AZURE CORAL GROTTO]

[Regeneration bonus: +25% HP and MP while resting in this location.]

Cindy drifted in behind him, her small body moving slowly, her glow faint and unsteady. She settled onto a patch of moss near the far wall and let out a long, shaky breath.

"Finally," she whispered. "I thought we’d never stop."

Gray settled beside her, his tentacles relaxing against the moss. The tension of the chase, the fight, the escape, all of it bled out of him in slow, steady pulses. For the first time in hours, he let himself breathe.

’Hahh...’ he exhaled, the sound vibrating through his bell. ’That was close.’

Cindy nodded weakly, her frills drooping.

"Yeah."

They rested in silence for a while, the gentle glow of the moss washing over them. Gray’s HP was slowly climbing, the ambient mana in the grotto helping his carapace mend. Cindy’s glow steadied, her mana channels slowly refilling.

Then Gray reached toward her with one tentacle, the tip carefully cradling the droplet of Noblesse Nectar he’d been carrying since the basin.

’This is for you, Cindy.’

Cindy’s frills lifted, her silver eyes widening.

"Eh? Are you sure? This is... this is incredibly valuable. You could use it yourself."

’It’s fine. You’re the one who needs it most. And I don’t want to hear you complain about me eating that mushroom anymore.’

Cindy stared at him for a long moment. Then, slowly, she reached out with her tiny hands and took the nectar with careful, trembling fingers. The droplet clung to her palms, glowing softly, casting rainbow reflections across her small face.

"Thank you, Gray," she said quietly. Her silver eyes were soft, her frills relaxed, her axolotl face tilted up toward him with an expression that was almost unbearably cute.

Then, without thinking, he reached out with one tentacle and gently touched her face.

Cindy was startled by the sudden touch.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Let go of me!"

’I’m just touching you for a second,’ Gray said. ’It’s fine.’

"No, it’s not! Let go! This is ticklish!"

’I don’t want to.’

He kept poking her, his tentacle gently brushing against her cheeks, her frills, the top of her small head. Cindy squirmed, her tiny hands pushing uselessly against his tentacle.

"I said let go! Gray! Stop it!"

’No.’

Cindy’s frills flared with indignation, and she did the only thing she could.

She bit him.

Her tiny teeth clamped down on his blade-tentacle with all the force her small body could muster. It didn’t hurt, not really, but Gray felt the pressure and instinctively pulled back.

’Ah!’

He released her, and Cindy drifted backward, her frills still quivering with outrage.

"Serves you right," she huffed. "Next time, I’ll bite harder."

Gray flexed his tentacle, the faint indent of her teeth already fading.

’You’re violent for such a small creature.’

"...I’ll drink this now," she said quietly.

Gray nodded.

’Take your time.’

Cindy raised the nectar to her lips. The droplet clung to her small mouth for a moment, glowing brighter, and then she swallowed.

A pulse of silver light erupted from her body, so bright it painted the entire grotto in white. Her frills splayed wide, her glow surging, her mana channels flaring as the Noblesse Nectar flooded into her core.

Gray watched, his senses tracking the surge of mana. It was immense, far greater than anything she’d absorbed before. The nectar was pure, concentrated, and it poured into her channels like a river bursting through a dam.

Cindy’s body trembled. Her glow flickered, steadied, then blazed brighter than ever.

[MANA POOL EXPANSION — PERMANENT]

[CINDY — MANA CAPACITY INCREASED BY 40%]

[FOURTH CIRCLE PEAK — REACHED]

[FIFTH CIRCLE — APPROACHING]

She gasped, her small hands pressing against her chest. The silver light slowly faded, her glow settling into a steady, powerful pulse.

"...That was..." she breathed. "That was incredible."

’How do you feel?’

"Stronger," Cindy said. "My mana pool has expanded. I’m at the peak of Fourth Circle now. Fifth Circle is... close. I can feel it."

’Good,’ Gray said. ’Then we’re making progress.’

Cindy looked up at him, her silver eyes bright.

"Thank you, Gray."

Gray turned away, his blade-tentacles swaying.

’Don’t mention it,’ he said. ’Just... rest now. We’ll figure out the way back tomorrow.’

Cindy nodded, settling onto the moss beside him. Her glow was warm and steady, her small body relaxed. Within minutes, her breathing had slowed, her frills drooping as sleep took her.

Gray stayed awake a little longer, his senses sweeping the grotto, listening to the quiet pulse of the coral, feeling the steady rhythm of Cindy’s glow against his bell.

He let out a soft pulse, his carapace relaxing against the moss.

’Hopefully tomorrow won’t be as crazy as today.’