The SSS-Rank Jellyfish's Growth System

The rest had been brief. Gray went back to hunting, moving through the nearby area.

The terrain shifted gradually, the pale stone ridges giving way to a vast plain of jagged rock and black sand. Volcanic spires rose from the seafloor like broken teeth, their surfaces crawling with pale, filament-like growths that pulsed with a sickly green light.

Then he found a strange sea creature.

At first, they were just shapes moving between the spires. Long-limbed and angular, skittering across the rock with too many legs. They moved in bursts, stopping and starting with the nervous energy of prey animals that knew they were being watched.

Gray drifted closer, keeping low. His electroreception painted them in faint blue outlines.

The creatures were spider-like, but only in the loosest sense. Their bodies were flattened, segmented, covered in overlapping plates of chitin that glistened like wet stone. Each one had six legs, ending in hooked claws that clicked against the volcanic rock as they moved. Their heads were small and eyeless, dominated by a pair of long, twitching antennae that swept the water in constant, panicked arcs.

[RATTLE-LEG — Level 28]

HP: 240 / 240

Threat Level: LOW (Individually) / MODERATE (In Swarm)

« Analysis »

A small, social arthropod found in the volcanic plains of the lower Abyssal Veil. Rattle-Legs are scavengers and opportunistic hunters, feeding on carrion and small organisms. Their primary defense is numbers. When threatened, they release a rattling signal by vibrating their hooked legs that summons nearby swarm-mates to overwhelm predators.

Behavior: Highly skittish. Rattle-Legs will flee from anything larger than themselves unless cornered or defending a food source. Their rattling signal can travel great distances through the water.

Weakness: Fragile chitin. Easily dispatched individually. AOE attacks are highly effective against clustered groups.

Gray watched them for a long moment.

’Cindy, look at these creatures. They look like spiders with too few legs.’

Cindy’s voice came, curious. "Yeah, they look like they don’t come from the ocean."

A Rattle-Leg near the edge of the group suddenly froze. Its antennae twitched, then it let out a rapid, high-pitched rattling sound that vibrated through the water. The other Rattle-Legs stopped moving instantly.

Then, as one, they scattered.

’Did they flee because of my presence?’

Gray felt it a second later. A vibration, coming from above. Long and sinuous, moving with that same terrible, liquid grace he remembered.

He looked up.

The Synthwing Serpents were descending.

They came down in a loose spiral, their wing-like fins rippling as they descended. There were six of them, their bodies sleek and pale, their bladed tails trailing behind like crescent moons.

The lead serpent tilted its head, its pale silver eyes scanning the fleeing Rattle-Legs below with cold disinterest.

Then it struck.

The first serpent tore through the swarm with a single slashing pass, its tail-blade firing a crescent of displaced water that carved through three Rattle-Legs at once. The rest are joining the hunt, making the Rattle-Legs scatter in fear.

The Rattle-Legs didn’t stand a chance. Their panic only made them easier targets.

Gray pressed himself flat behind a volcanic spire, his Hollow Cloak deepening until he was nothing more than a shadow among shadows.

Cindy’s voice came, barely a whisper.

"...What are those?"

’Synthwing Serpents,’ Gray replied, his mental voice equally low. ’I fought one before. It nearly killed me.’

"Those things... they’re beautiful and horrible at the same time."

Gray watched the serpents herd the Rattle-Legs into a tight cluster, cutting off escape routes with surgical precision. The Rattle-Legs rattled and rattled, their distress calls echoing through the water, but no help came. The only things answering were the serpents themselves.

Then Cindy said, "Heee... from a distance, they look like strange lines moving through the water."

Gray glanced at her through the locket. ’That’s... actually a good description.’

The serpents’ bodies were so thin and elongated that at a distance, they did look like dark lines, curving and bending as they moved. Only up close did they resolve into the deadly, elegant predators they were.

’They’re hunting in a group,’ Gray said. ’I didn’t know they did that.’

"Maybe because the prey is too scattered?"

’Could be,’ Gray said quietly. ’Rattle-Legs aren’t to be underestimated either, especially in large numbers.’

"With that many monsters, you won’t have a chance to win. Especially since they seem fast too." Cindy said.

’Yeah... they’re fast. But I have an idea.’

"It’s probably stupid idea, isn’t it?"

’Not that stupid. With this idea, I might be able to level up twice as fast.’

Cindy let out a soft sigh. "Okay. I’ll listen. What’s your idea?"

Gray’s mental voice carried a grin.

’How about we lure them to the purple orbs’ territory?’

Gray could tell Cindy was stunned into silence by the idea.

Cindy’s voice came slowly, carefully, like she was making sure she’d heard him correctly. "You want to lead a pack of Synthwing Serpents into the Violet Stillness... where dozens of Loricati are waiting to ambush anything that moves?"

’Exactly. That’s a genius plan, right?’

"That’s the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard!"

’Is it?’ Gray’s tone was calm and playful. ’Think about it. The serpents are fast and aggressive. The Loricati are hidden, patient, and everywhere. If we drag the serpents through the valley, the Loricati will attack them.’

"And then what? We’ll be caught in the middle of two monster packs fighting each other!"

’Not if we’re not in the middle.’ Gray shifted behind the volcanic spire, watching the serpents feeding on their prey. ’We’ll use the terrain. The Violet Stillness has plenty of narrow ravines and crevices. We slip through, they follow, and the Loricati do the rest. We just need to stay ahead of both.’

Cindy made a frustrated sound. "You’re treating this like a game! What if the serpents don’t follow us? What if the Loricati ignore them and target us instead?"

’Then we run. Like we always do.’ Gray’s gaze remained fixed on the serpents. ’But if it works, we could wipe out two threats at once. And the EXP would be enormous.’

"And if we die?"

’Then I won’t hear you complain anymore, so either way, I win.’

"Gray!"

’Relax. I’m not planning to die today.’ He pushed away from the spire. ’But if you have a better idea, I’m listening.’

Cindy couldn’t think of anything better than Gray’s idea, and that seemed to bother her more than the plan itself. "...I hate that I can’t think of one," she finally murmured.

’Then we do it my way.’

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