"You’re not seriously going to—" Cindy started.
’I am.’
He aimed carefully at the crack, his serrated bell tilting just so. The water around him calmed, and for a long second he simply floated, reading the faint electrical pulses still leaking from the Skulk’s body through the rock.
Then he fired.
The Riptide Slash shot forward in a tight crescent, slicing into the crack with pinpoint precision. The narrow blade of compressed water disappeared into the dark crevice with a sharp hiss. There was a dull, wet impact.
[VEILED CAVE SKULK DEFEATED — 240 EXP]
Gray let out a slow, satisfied pulse.
’Godly aim.’
Cindy’s voice came flat. "You got lucky. It was stuck in a crack."
’Skill. It’s called skill.’ Gray said smugly.
He waited for the fragment notification but nothing came.
’...Stingy,’ he muttered.
"Stingy?" Cindy repeated, confused. "What does that mean?"
’That fish, It’s stingy with fragments. Not even one for that kill.’ He let out a small, annoyed sigh. ’What a waste.’
Cindy made a soft, amused sound. "You killed it in one hit and you’re complaining?"
’One hit with perfect aim but no reward? I’ve earned the right to complain.’
He turned away from the crack, already scanning the water for the next hunt. His tentacles brushed against the rock as he moved, tasting the traces of the Skulk’s blood still lingering in the current.
’Let’s go. There might be something else hiding around here.’
"Or we could go back to the grotto and rest." Cindy suggested.
’Later. I want to map the area first.’
He pulsed forward, leaving the ravine behind, his Hollow Cloak folding around him once more. The pale ridges stretched ahead, dotted with glowing moss and the occasional scatter of silver fish.
Then he remembered.
’Ah! I still haven’t allocated my points.’
Cindy’s voice stirred, curious. "Points? Oh, you mean your growth after the fight."
’Yeah.’ He pulled up his status, the golden text materializing in the corner of his vision. ’I got 20 stat points and 2 skill points from leveling. I should use them before I forget again.’
"You forgot?" Cindy sounded mildly amused. "Doesn’t that mean you’re not taking this seriously?"
’It means I’ve been busy.’
He scanned the numbers.
[Level: 33]
[Stat Points: 20]
[Skill Points: 2]
’Okay. Ten into SPD, five into ATK, three into DEF, two into LUK.’
[SPD: 203 → 213]
[ATK: 108 → 113]
[DEF: 86 → 89]
[HP MAX: 900 → 930]
[LUK: 27 → 29]
’Speed is still my best survival tool,’ he thought. ’ATK keeps my physical skills relevant, DEF keeps me from dying to one hit and LUK... well, you’ve been good to me so far.’
The skill points went into Riptide Slash and Flow State.
[RIPTIDE SLASH — Lv. 5 → Lv. 6]
[FLOW STATE — Lv. 3 → Lv. 4]
He flexed his tentacles, feeling the subtle shift in his body as the points took hold.
’Better,’ he said. ’Now I don’t have to worry about it later.’
Cindy hummed. "So you’re finally getting serious."
’I’ve always been serious.’ Gray paused. ’I just have terrible memory sometimes.’
Gray and Cindy continued through the pale stone ridges, the glow of the Verdant Hollow fading behind them. The water grew cooler, and the terrain shifted again, smooth rock gave way to a wide, shallow basin dotted with broken shells and scattered coral fragments.
Then Gray saw a massive shell, half-buried in the sediment at the center of the basin. It was easily five feet across, its surface ridged with layers of dark blue and deep violet, polished smooth by years of abyssal currents. The shell was closed, sealed tight as a fortress, but faint pulses of pale light escaped through the narrow gap between its halves.
The system flickered to life.
[AZURE TITAN CLAM — Level 30]
HP: 600 / 600
Threat Level: MODERATE
« Analysis »
A giant filter-feeding mollusk found in mineral-rich basins of the lower abyss. The Azure Titan Clam’s shell is exceptionally dense, capable of withstanding immense pressure and physical blows. It feeds by filtering nutrients from the water through a specialized siphon, which it retracts at the first sign of danger.
The pearl within an Azure Titan Clam is formed from accumulated mana and minerals over decades. Consuming it grants a permanent all stat increase. The clam’s flesh is also highly nutritious and prized by abyssal predators.
Behavior: Passive until attacked. The clam will remain sealed unless provoked, relying on its shell for protection. If its shell is breached, it can expel a powerful burst of pressurized water as a last defense.
Weakness: The hinge connecting the two shell halves is less reinforced than the rest of the shell. Precision strikes can force it open.
’Cindy... do you see that?’ Gray said.
"I see it." Her voice was cautious. "But look at its size. That thing could crush you if you’re not careful."
’A pearl that gives a permanent stat increase,’ Gray murmured, already circling the shell. ’That’s not something I can just ignore.’
He studied the clam’s structure, noting the way the shell halves pressed together, the faint glow leaking from within, and the thick, muscular hinge that held it shut.
’If I can force it open, the pearl’s mine. I need to hit the hinge.’
"With what?" Cindy asked. "Your water blades won’t do much against that shell."
’Maybe not,’ Gray admitted. ’But I have other tools. I just need to get the right angle.’
He drifted closer, staying above the shell and just outside the reach of the siphon.
’Let’s see how tough this thing really is.’
Gray began to circle, his eyes tracing the faint seam where the two halves of the shell met. The hinge was located at the back, partially buried in the sand. His best angle would come from below.
’Cindy, get ready to shield in case it attacks.’
"Of course," she said, the locket already beginning to warm against his bell.
Gray dove toward the seafloor, his body flattening as he slipped beneath the clam’s massive shell. The sand was cold and soft, and he burrowed slightly, positioning himself directly under the hinge. From here, the weak point was exposed.
He raised his serrated bell and slashed upward.
The edge bit into the hinge with a sharp, grinding sound. The clam shuddered, and a burst of pale light flared through the gap in its shell.
[AZURE TITAN CLAM — HP: 570 / 600]
It was working.
’Again.’
He slashed the hinge a second time. The shell shifted, and a low, resonant groan vibrated through the water. A thin stream of bubbles rose from the gap.
[AZURE TITAN CLAM — HP: 540 / 600]
Then the clamp reacted.
The shell burst open.
The two halves flew apart, and a violent jet of pressurized water exploded outward. The blast caught Gray square in the bell, hurling him back through the water like a stone from a sling. The force was overwhelming, and the current spun him, scattering his senses.
Cindy’s voice rang in his head, sharp and urgent. "Gray!"
He caught himself against a coral ridge, his bell ringing with the impact. The clam’s shell slowly began to close again, but the opening had revealed a glimpse of what lay inside.
The pearl.
’It’s stronger than I thought.’ Gray steadied himself. ’But the pearl’s still in there.’
He pushed off the coral and swam back toward the clam, his tentacles trailing behind him like dark ribbons. The shell was already sealing shut, the glow fading as the two halves pressed together once more.
’Not this time.’
He charged forward, Flow State flaring as the water bent around his form. The gap was narrowing, but not fast enough. He slipped through just as the shell was about to close.
And then he was inside.
The interior of the clam was warm, the water thick with filtered nutrients and faint light. The walls of flesh pulsed around him, soft and rippling. And there, at the center, nestled in a fold of pale tissue, was the pearl.
It was the size of his bell, smooth and luminous, its surface shifting with all the colors of the abyss. A deep, steady light radiated from its core.
Gray reached for it—
The clam’s body convulsed. The fleshy walls tightened, pressing in from all sides, trying to crush the intruder. The soft tissue turned hard as muscle, and the water inside the shell became thick, almost solid with pressure.
’Cindy! I’m inside! The clam is trying to crush me!’
"What?! How did you even—" She cut herself off. "Never mind! Just grab the pearl and get out!"
Gray lashed out with his tentacles, wrapping them around the pearl. It was heavier than it looked, and it resisted, as if rooted to the flesh. He pulled, feeling the clam’s body tighten around him in response.
The pressure increased.
[-20 HP]
[-22 HP]
[-24 HP]
[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 864 / 930]
The flesh was closing in from all sides, warm and wet and terrifyingly strong. Gray gritted through the pain and kept pulling.
The pearl began to loosen.
’Almost... there...’
He gave one final, violent tug. The pearl tore free with a wet, sucking sound, and the clam convulsed. The walls of flesh shuddered and went slack, as if the loss of the pearl had taken something vital from the creature.
Gray fired Riptide Slash upward, cutting through the clam’s body from the inside. The crescent blade tore a ragged hole through the pale flesh and into the shell beyond.
[AZURE TITAN CLAM — HP: 300 / 600]
Water rushed in through the wound. Gray shot through it, pearl clutched against his bell, and burst out into open water just as the shell slammed shut behind him.
He floated there, breathing hard, the pearl still glowing against his side.
Then the system chimed.
[ITEM ACQUIRED: AZURE PEARL]
« Analysis »
A rare pearl formed over decades by the Azure Titan Clam. Consuming it grants a permanent +5 to all stats.
’Whooa....’ Gray stared at the notification, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. ’This is sweet!’
Cindy’s voice came, breathless. "You actually did it, you’re insane..."
’And you doubted me.’
He held the pearl up, watching the light shift across its surface. It was beautiful, in a way few things in the abyss were.
’Now,’ he said, ’let’s see if it tastes as good as it looks.’
He pressed the pearl to his feeding surface and began to absorb it. The light flared, then dimmed, then flowed into him like warm liquid starlight. His entire body tingled as the power settled into his core.
[PERMANENT STAT INCREASE APPLIED]
[+5 to all stats]
His vision blurred for a moment, then sharpened. The water around him felt clearer, his senses reaching further than before. The pearl was gone, but its power hummed through every fiber of his being.
He pulled up his status.
[Level: 33]
[HP: 980 / 980]
[MP: 700 / 700]
[ATK: 118]
[DEF: 94]
[SPD: 218]
[INT: 78]
[LUK: 34]
’Much better,’ he murmured.
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