Gray’s gaze lingered on the first panel.
’Tidal Reaper... it’s interesting. The options fit me best. I’ll take that one.’
He reached out with his mind and selected the path.
[EVOLUTION SELECTED: TIDAL REAPER]
[Are you certain? This choice is permanent and will determine your growth path until the next evolution threshold.]
’Yes.’
Then Gray felt the change begin.
His body hummed with building pressure, every cell trembling on the edge of transformation. Before the pain could take him, he reached out to Cindy.
’Cindy... you’re about to see something interesting.’
"Gray? What do you—"
But her voice was already fading.
Gray’s consciousness sank into the dark.
His bell elongated, stretching into a sleek, almost eel-like form. The crystalline barbs along his tentacles shifted, realigning into serrated rows that gleamed like dark water catching light. Along his bell margin, jagged ridges of black crystal formed a natural cutting edge — a blade grown from his own flesh.
[EVOLUTION IN PROGRESS]
[RAPID BURROWING — INTEGRATED]
[New Skill Acquired: Subterranean Ambush]
[OBSIDIAN CARAPACE — REFINED]
[DEF +10. Physical damage taken reduced by 10%.]
[ELEMENTAL RESISTANCE — INTEGRATED]
[+20% damage reduction from Fire, Electrical, and Acid damage.]
[Serrated Edge — Added to bell margin.]
[New Skill Acquired: Riptide Slash]
[New Skill Acquired: Flow State]
His tentacles elongated, each of the eight extending further than before, becoming thinner and more whip-like, trailing behind him like ribbons of dark water. The crystalline barbs along their length grew sharper, serrated, built to tear through flesh and armor alike.
His bell compressed, becoming more hydrodynamic, the surface smooth and dark. The cracks from his previous battle sealed themselves, the damage of the Synthwing Serpent erased as his body rebuilt itself stronger.
Then the pain receded, replaced by a deep, cold clarity.
Gray opened his senses.
The world felt different. The water around him seemed less like a barrier and more like a medium he could move through, use, and command. His tentacles flexed, and he felt the current shift in response, as if his body had learned to speak the language of the ocean itself.
He rose from the hollow floor, his new form cutting through the water with effortless grace. The crystalline edge along his bell caught the faint light of the shelter and scattered it like a blade catching moonlight.
Cindy’s voice returned, quiet and stunned.
"...Gray? What... what happened to you? You look... different."
He turned slowly, letting her see him through the locket’s senses.
’This is evolution,’ he said. ’I told you it’d be interesting.’
Cindy said softly, "You’re beautiful. In a terrifying sort of way."
’Thanks. I think.’
"But this is interesting... I never expected a monster to change so completely when it evolves," Cindy said with curiosity.
Gray flexed his new tentacles, testing the whip-like extension of each limb. The serrated barbs caught the faint light, and his bell cut through the water with barely a ripple.
’So? What do you think?’ he asked, already experimenting with the new shape of his body. ’Are you interested in becoming a sea monster?’
"I... I’ll think about it," she said slowly.
Gray glided forward, testing his speed now, the water sliding past his smooth, dark bell.
’If you think too long, the opportunity will pass you by,’ he said.
"I know," Cindy replied, her voice quiet. "But just give me time. Besides..." She paused. "Can a monster even evolve into a human?"
Gray’s tentacles curled inward, one tip touching the lower edge of his bell in a gesture that mirrored a human touching their chin in thought.
’Hmm... maybe,’ he said. ’If you can choose your evolution path. Who knows?’
Cindy let out a soft, skeptical sigh.
"That’s a vague answer... now I’m not so sure anymore."
Gray let the thought drift away.
’Fine. If you’re not sure, I won’t force you,’ he said, already pulsing toward the shelter’s narrow exit. ’Let’s go find something to test this new body on.’
He slipped out of the hollow and into the open dark. The water felt different against his new form like the ocean itself was helping him move.
"You seem very eager to test your strength," Cindy observed.
Gray swam in a slow, spiraling loop, letting his elongated tentacles trail behind him. The serrated edge along his bell cut through the current without resistance.
’Of course I am,’ he said. ’I want to see how strong I’ve become.’
It didn’t take long.
Three silver shapes flickered at the edge of his perception — Razorwing Rays, their boomerang bodies glinting as they weaved through the dark. The moment they sensed him, they fanned out, moving to flank.
Gray’s tentacles twitched with anticipation.
’Heh... looks like the prey is walking right up to me.’
The three Razorwing Rays broke formation. One came from above, fins folded tight, a silver blade dropping out of the dark. The second skimmed the seafloor, sand trailing behind it like smoke. The third curved wide, circling into Gray’s blind spot, its body flickering as its reflective skin bent the water around it.
’[FLOW STATE — ACTIVATED]’
His body hummed as the skill took hold. The water around him seemed to slow, his movements sharpening as the current itself bent around his form. His tentacles moved with a new precision, and every pulse of his bell felt lighter and faster.
The first Ray came in from above, its wing-like fin slicing toward his bell. Gray twisted aside, and the attack missed by a full body length.
’They’re slower than before.’
The second Ray lunged from below, trying to catch him mid-dodge. Gray pulsed sideways and fired Riptide Slash.
A crescent blade of compressed water tore through the dark, faster than any attack he’d used before. It struck the second Ray across its flank, splitting its reflective skin in a burst of silver fragments.
[RIPTIDE SLASH — 82 DAMAGE]
[RAZORWING RAY — HP: 368 / 450]
[REFLECTIVE SKIN — DAMAGED]
’That’s new.’
The third Ray came from behind, trying to blindside him. But before it could close the distance, Gray activated Subterranean Ambush. His body dove toward the seafloor and burrowed in, vanishing into the sand.
The Ray pulled up, confused, its body flickering as it searched for its vanished prey.
Then the sand erupted.
Gray shot out from below, his serrated bell margin tearing into the Ray’s underside as he emerged. The impact sent the creature spinning through the water, its reflective skin shattering completely.
[SUBTERRANEAN AMBUSH — 74 DAMAGE]
[RAZORWING RAY — HP: 376 / 450]
[STUN — 2 SECONDS]
The moment he surfaced, his tentacles whipped through the water, crystalline barbs tearing into the stunned Ray’s flesh with brutal precision. Each strike landed with a soft, wet thud.
[NEUROTOXIC DRIFT — 22 DAMAGE]
[NEUROTOXIC DRIFT — 20 DAMAGE]
[RAZORWING RAY — HP: 334 / 450]
Then Abyssal Lance shot him forward, his body compressing into a spear of dark crystal. He struck the Ray at full speed, the barbs punching through its already-cracked carapace and out the other side.
[ABYSSAL LANCE — 108 DAMAGE]
[RAZORWING RAY — HP: 226 / 450]
The Ray’s body seized, wings fluttering uselessly as pale fluid leaked from its wounds. It tried to twist away, but Gray was already there. He pressed his bell against the creature’s side and released a Cavitation Pulse at point-blank range. The water flashed white for an instant as the blast ripped through its body, leaving a gaping, scorched hole behind.
[RAZORWING RAY DEFEATED — 480 EXP]
He spun, tentacles snapping out as the remaining two Rays came at him together. They moved fast, but Flow State made him faster.
’They’re too slow,’ Gray said, almost surprised. ’I can read them perfectly.’
He activated EMP Shroud, vanishing from the Rays’ senses. The two creatures hesitated, their reflective skin flickering as they tried to reacquire him.
Gray reappeared behind the first Ray, his tentacles already wrapping around its body. Grip Jaw locked on, the muscular limbs squeezing with bone-crushing force. He felt the creature’s body give way under the pressure.
[GRIP JAW — 30 DAMAGE]
[GRIP JAW — 28 DAMAGE]
[RAZORWING RAY — HP: 110 / 450]
The other Ray charged, but Gray dragged the first Ray with him as he spun. The two creatures collided, their bodies tangled together in a mess of wings and thrashing limbs. Gray released his grip and fired Riptide Slash.
The crescent blade caught both Rays at once, slicing through their flesh. One went limp. The other screamed and tried to flee, its wing beating frantically.
[RIPTIDE SLASH — 82 DAMAGE]
[RIPTIDE SLASH — 80 DAMAGE]
[RAZORWING RAY DEFEATED — 480 EXP]
[RAZORWING RAY — HP: 30 / 450]
’Where do you think you’re going?’
He swam after the fleeing Ray, his new body cutting through the water with terrifying speed. The creature’s wing was damaged, slowing it down. Gray caught it in seconds.
He wrapped his tentacles around its body and squeezed.
[GRIP JAW — 28 DAMAGE]
[RAZORWING RAY DEFEATED — 480 EXP]
The third Ray drifted motionless in the water, its silver body already beginning to sink. Gray hovered over the three corpses, his breath slow and even.
’That was... easy.’
[TRAIT FRAGMENT ACQUIRED: "Reflective Skin" (3/5)]
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