CHAPTER 152: [THREE HEARTS]

Eli’s brain scrambled to piece the thought together, the words tumbling out before he could even breathe properly.

"Three hearts—one main and two branch hearts near the gills... but the central one—" He pointed shakily toward the creature’s massive, trembling head. "It’s on their head."

"Okay...?" Kairo’s brows furrowed as he set Eli down on the slick stone floor, his crimson aura dimming slightly. "What does that mean for us?"

Eli swallowed, trying to focus through the chaos still echoing in the cavern.

"Their hearts... they’d definitely have blood, right? Even regular octopuses don’t bleed much from their tentacles, but—" he motioned toward the pulsing mass in the distance, "—it’ll definitely have blood flowing from one of its hearts. So..."

"So...?" Zaira asked, confusion flickering across her pale face. Mio and Mel exchanged baffled glances, neither catching on.

’How are they not getting this?’ Eli thought, frustration creeping into his voice.

"So..." He exhaled sharply, then said it straight. "We’ve found a possible weak point—and a possible blood source for Kairo." His tone tried to stay even, but the faint edge of urgency cracked through. "And with how big that thing is, there’s a good chance it has a lot of blood. Enough for Kairo to go all out."

He hesitated, eyes flicking briefly toward the beast still writhing in the distance.

’But would it be enough for an SS-Class boss?’ The thought lingered, bitter and cold, but he pushed it aside. They didn’t have time for doubt.

"Impressive," Kairo said, his voice low, approving. His crimson eyes glinted faintly in the dim light. "All I need to do is pierce one of the three hearts?"

Eli nodded quickly. "I’m almost a hundred percent sure all that blood is cycling through those hearts—keeping it alive, keeping it powered. That’s... that’s all the info I’ve got, honestly."

Kairo gave a sharp nod. "That’s still pretty impressive—and it’s our biggest lead yet."

Mio let out a short, breathless laugh, shaking his head. "Where’d you even learn that? From your fancy rich-boy school?"

Eli blinked, caught off guard. His face flushed slightly even as they ran. "Uh—No. Actually, it’s from that sequel cartoon movie... you know, Finding Rory."

Mel let out a strained laugh mid-sprint. "You’re kidding. The kids’ movie about the clownfish?"

"It’s accurate!" Eli snapped, voice cracking with equal parts panic and indignation. "Technically, Finding Rory is about the regal blue tang who has short-term memory loss—" He froze when he saw Kairo raise an eyebrow at him, expression unreadable.

Which somehow made it ten times worse.

"Point is—if it has three hearts, and we already stabbed its eye—"

Kairo’s eyes narrowed instantly, catching the direction of Eli’s thoughts. "Then the reaction we’re seeing—its pain, its slower regeneration—it’s connected to the hearts. Any of them, or all of them, could be the key."

"Exactly." Eli’s pulse quickened, the pieces clicking together in his head. His instincts were screaming again, that same electric buzz under his skin.

He turned toward the monster.

The pulsing was stronger now—no longer subtle. The top of its head was bulging rhythmically, each beat heavier than the last. It wasn’t random anymore—it was deliberate. Furious. Alive.

The water trembled with each pulse, rippling outward in crimson waves that shimmered under the dim light. The beast wasn’t just angry—it was thrumming, every heartbeat like the echo of a war drum.

"What are we waiting for then? The octopus is still in distress, so we can—" Mel started, his tone filled with that same reckless enthusiasm that somehow never seemed to burn out.

But Eli cut him off before he could finish.

"We have to make a plan first," Eli said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried enough weight to make everyone pause.

"This might end up just like the eye. Kairo was only able to stab one before it started thrashing like hell. And since we’ve already hurt it once..." He exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing. "I don’t think it’ll make that same mistake twice—the octopus, I mean."

The group fell silent.

The cavern air was thick with the stench of seawater and blood, the faint echoes of the monster’s movements rippling through the flooded floor. Each faint vibration in the water reminded them just how close it still was—watching, waiting.

"I agree with Eli." Mio lifted a hand, his expression composed but his tone serious. "We’re not sure if we’ll even be able to tie its tentacles down again. And Zaira’s barely standing."

Zaira gave a quiet grunt in response, leaning against the wall for support, her breathing still uneven.

"This monster might not even be the boss," Mio continued, glancing toward the distant shadows of the cavern. "Or worse—it might not be the last one. We can’t afford to exhaust our skills here."

His eyes flicked toward Eli, and his expression softened slightly. "Eli’s covered in blood because his danger detection has been overused too. He’s probably on the edge already."

Eli blinked, caught off guard by the concern in Mio’s tone. He gave a small, reassuring smile and shook his head. "I’ll be fine. Just focus on the plan."

Mio nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

"So what do we do then?" Mel asked, shifting his weight impatiently, his hands already twitching as if itching for another fight. "Feels like we’re being stagnant again. We figured out a possible weakness, but if we sit here too long, it might recover."

Eli pressed a finger to his lips, thinking. The rhythmic sound of dripping water filled the silence as he stared at the faint glow of the monster’s shadow beneath the waves.

"Mhm..." He hummed under his breath, mind racing. "We only need to find a way for Kairo to pierce one of its hearts—without forcing everyone to burn through their mana reserves."

He looked toward Kairo, whose black eyes gleamed faintly red in the dim light. "If we can do that without using too much of your abilities, it might work. I can’t control mine for long, but..."

He glanced down at his trembling hands, then back up.

"...we might be able to lessen the backlash if you pierce its heart fast enough—before it overwhelms me with danger signals."

"What do you suggest?" Zaira asked weakly from where she sat slumped against the damp cavern wall. Her breathing was still uneven, her once-crisp white cloak torn and clinging wetly to her skin. She looked exhausted, but her eyes—sharp and golden—still flickered with that unyielding fire.

Eli hesitated for a moment, running a hand through his damp hair. His fingers trembled slightly as he exhaled. "Well... it might be a bit risky, but..." He looked around at each of them, his mind racing as he tried to fit the pieces together. "I think we should try distracting it—just us."

Mio raised an eyebrow. "Distracting it?"

"It has eight tentacles," Eli continued quickly, his tone growing more confident as he pieced his thoughts together aloud. "There’s four of us who can move well enough to pull its attention. I’m going on a whim here, but I’m guessing it’ll try to use at least two tentacles for every distraction. That would leave the rest open for Kairo to—"

"I am against that."

The interruption was sharp. Commanding.

Kairo’s voice echoed off the cavern walls, low and final, slicing clean through Eli’s explanation.

The group fell silent instantly. Even the sound of the waves against the rocky edges seemed to quiet.

Eli blinked at him. "...What?"

Kairo, who had been standing apart from them in the shadows, finally stepped forward. His boots made a low splash against the shallow water as his crimson aura flickered faintly around him.

"I said, I’m against it." His tone left no room for argument.

"I think it might be worth hearing out, Captain," Mio said, his voice careful but insistent. "We can handle a few tentacles between us once we’ve caught our breath. It doesn’t sound that reckless—"

"I have no doubt you three can get out of it unscathed." Kairo’s voice softened, but only slightly. Then his gaze shifted—to Eli.

Eli froze. The look in Kairo’s eyes wasn’t angry. It was worse. It was protective.

"But the plan," Kairo said, his voice dropping, "shouldn’t involve you doing anything dangerous, Eli."

"...Why not?" Eli asked, his brows furrowing.

"First of all," Kairo replied, taking a slow step closer, "you can barely run. You’re bleeding. You’re bruised from head to toe. And this—" He lifted the sword made of crimson light, the edges humming faintly like a living thing. "—came from your veins."

"What?!" Mio, Mel, and Zaira shouted in unison, all three snapping their heads toward Eli.

Eli didn’t answer. Neither did Kairo.

They were locked on each other—two opposing forces in the middle of a battlefield that wasn’t made of monsters or magic, but pride.

"I feel fine," Eli said, voice rising slightly. "I—"

He stopped.He almost said it.

’The system’s healing me. That’s why I’m fine.’

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell them about it—not even Kairo. Not yet.

Instead, he forced a shaky breath and said, "I’m not in pain. I can move. It’s fine."

Kairo’s expression darkened. "Fine? That’s not what this is about." He stepped even closer now, the crimson light from the sword painting half his face in red. "I don’t think you’re weak, Eli. But I know your body has limits. Pushing past those limits will kill you. This plan—"

"But how will I know if I can do it unless I try?!" Eli snapped, taking a step forward himself. His voice echoed harshly across the cavern, raw and emotional. "You’re judging me based on how I look, on what you think I can’t do!"