The SSS-Rank Jellyfish's Growth System

After they finished eating, Cindy examined her new body, turning her small hands over and flexing her delicate webbed fingers. Her frills twitched as she studied herself.

"I never thought I’d become a little creature like this," she said, half to herself.

Gray watched her, his serrated bell tilting with amusement as she inspected her tiny hands. It was almost cute, the way she kept turning them over like she couldn’t quite believe they belonged to her.

’I chose that body because it has good mana affinity,’ he said. ’Something like what you’d like. And I was panicking, you know. I didn’t have time to look for anything else. But I think it suits you.’

Cindy nodded slowly, her silver eyes growing thoughtful.

"You’re right, actually. I can feel the mana flowing through this body. And it seems to have strong regeneration. I can feel the vitality in it, it’s incredibly strong."

She paused, her frills lowering slightly. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter.

"And about the reason I was burning earlier... I think there’s something strange about that locket, Gray."

Gray’s tentacles stilled.

’Not because of the orb? Wasn’t the locket just meant to hold your soul?’

"I thought so too," Cindy said. "But when my soul was burning, I felt my Gift being taken along with my mana. It was like... someone was deliberately using me as fuel. As if the locket was never meant to protect me at all, but to trap me for someone else to use."

A cold thread settled through Gray’s mind.

’Could it be... your friend? The one who gave you the locket?’

"I don’t know," she said. "Luna isn’t that kind of person. She wouldn’t... she couldn’t do something like that."

But even as she said it, her voice wavered.

’But isn’t that strange?’ Gray said. ’She gave you the locket. She told you it was a precaution. And the moment your soul was in danger, something tried to consume it. That’s not a coincidence.’

Cindy didn’t answer because she was also starting to doubt Luna.

Her small body trembled, and her silver eyes dimmed. She wanted to argue. She wanted to defend Luna. But the more she thought about it, the more the pieces didn’t fit.

"...I don’t want to believe it," she whispered. "But I can’t ignore what I felt."

Gray drifted closer, his tentacles hovering near her.

’Then we’ll find out,’ he said. ’When we get out of here, we’ll find her and we’ll find the truth.’

Cindy looked up at him. Her frills settled, and for the first time since the transfer, something steady returned to her voice.

"...Alright. But if it’s true..." She paused."If Luna really did this to me... I’ll be the one to handle it."

Gray drifted back slightly, giving her space.

’Yeah. Do what you want. I hope we’re wrong about her.’

Cindy’s frills lowered, her silver eyes soft.

"I hope so too."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The green glow of the Spirit Moss Ferns pulsed gently around them, and the quiet of the grotto settled over the alcove like a blanket.

Then Gray reached out with two tentacles and gently scooped Cindy up, lifting her small body off the moss. She let out a startled squeak, her frills flaring wide.

’H-hey! What are you doing?!’

’Enough of that gloomy talk,’ Gray said, already turning toward the grotto entrance. ’Let’s go explore. You want to hunt with that new body of yours, don’t you?’

Cindy squirmed in his grip, her tiny hands pushing uselessly against his tentacles.

"I can walk on my own, you know! I’m not helpless!"

’You’re slower than a rock right now. And you don’t even know how to move those legs yet.’

"That’s—! ...That’s true, but—"

’Then stop complaining and let me carry you. You can practice walking later.’

Cindy huffed, her frills flattening in defeat. But she didn’t struggle anymore. Instead, she settled into the curl of his tentacles, her small body fitting neatly against his bell.

"...okay, but don’t squeeze too hard."

Gray let out a quiet pulse of amusement.

’Yeah, yeah. Just tell me if you see anything interesting.’

Cindy’s silver eyes brightened, and for the first time since the transfer, her voice carried a spark of excitement.

"Actually... I can feel the mana currents now. They’re everywhere. In the rocks, the moss, the water. I can see them."

’You can see mana?’

"Not with my eyes. It’s more like... a second layer over everything. Like the world has a heartbeat, and I can finally feel it."

Gray drifted out of the grotto, his serrated bell cutting through the cold water. Cindy’s small body glowed faintly against his tentacles, her frills swaying with the current.

’Then you’ll be my eyes,’ he said. ’And I’ll be your claws.’

"That’s... actually a fair trade." Cindy said softly.

Gray swam forward, his serrated bell cutting a steady path through the water. Cindy’s small body rested in the curl of his tentacles, her frills swaying gently with the current.

’But what about your Gift?’ he asked. ’Does that mean it’s gone?’

Cindy was quiet for a moment, as if checking something deep inside herself.

"I can still feel it," she said at last. "I still have it. But when the locket tried to pull it away, it was like... being torn."

’Being torn?’

"It’s hard to explain." She flexed her tiny hands, watching the webbed fingers move. "Before, my mana flowed smoothly like a river. Now it feels like there are rocks in the current. Places where it catches and stutters. I can still use it, but not as cleanly as before."

Gray’s tentacles tightened slightly around her.

’So you’re weaker.’

"For now," Cindy admitted. "But this body..." She paused, pressing a small hand against her own chest. "It’s regenerating. I can feel it working, slowly smoothing out the damage. The Glacial Axolotl’s regeneration isn’t just for flesh. It’s repairing my Gift too."

’How long?’

"I don’t know. Days. Maybe weeks." Her voice softened. "It’s strange. I spent my whole life refining my Gift, and now I have to wait for it to grow back. Like a broken bone."

Gray swam past a cluster of dark coral, his senses sweeping the terrain ahead.

’Then we have time,’ he said. ’We’re not going anywhere.’

Cindy looked up at him, her silver eyes searching his bell.

"Are you disappointed?"

Gray tilted his bell, his tentacles pausing mid-pulse.

’Hmm? Why would I be disappointed?’

"Because I’m weaker now," she said quietly. "Because I can’t protect you the way I used to. Because..."

She trailed off, her frills lowering.

Gray resumed swimming, the cold current sliding over his crystalline armor.

’No need to worry,’ he said. ’We’re here to help each other, aren’t we? That’s how this works.’

Cindy didn’t answer, so he continued.

’Besides, you’re not useless. You can still see mana currents. You can still warn me when something’s coming. You can still think, plan, and cast spells once your Gift heals. That’s more than most creatures in this ocean can do.’

Cindy was quiet for a moment. Then her small arms wrapped around his tentacle, holding on tightly.

"...You’re right."