Chapter 307

It didn’t take long for the trio to find a spot to settle in.

After making sure that the whole bone cave structure was safe and free from any beasts, they finally made their way in and settled deep inside.

Luckily, the structure was wide enough for the three of them to have their own space without sitting tightly close together.

The cave also stretched deep for about six meters, and since Ray had already scanned it, it was safe for them to settle in.

The moment they arrived, the trio crashed onto the ground, panting out of sheer exhaustion from what they had just faced a few moments ago.

"Man.... that was hard," Chloe uttered as memories of the whole sea incident flooded her mind, making her shudder.

But at the end, she squeezed her hands tightly as something still stayed in her mind.

Though she hadn’t seen the Kraken like Ray and Trisha because she was unconscious—that was even the part that saddened her.

The other two were in such a life-and-death situation where they could have needed her help, but she was out cold before even meeting the Kraken.

She felt totally useless.

Well, compared to Trisha, that was.

She knew and understood that Ray was different, but at least Trish was still human and the same gender and age as her.

So why was she still so weak compared to her? It pained her.

The whole ordeal upset her more than she was letting on.

Sensing a shift in the atmosphere, Ray tilted his head backward to look at Chloe hugging her knees tightly while pressing her back to the bone wall.

"Is everything okay with you?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"...."

Trisha looked back to see who Ray was referring to, only to see Chloe with her head hung low.

There was no reply from the girl, which immediately worried the Tribrid as he quickly shifted into a seating position.

«You are becoming too soft lately. What about your motivation to grow stronger? Thought you didn’t care about anybody but the Aberrants?» Bruce growled loudly from the mindspace.

’Mehn, shut your jaws up! I’m asking because this whole land is giving me the creeps. What if being in this strange bone cave can have negative side effects? And she isn’t even responding.’

Ray shifted in his position as his mind hovered over a skill, ready to activate it if the situation arose.

"Chloe....? You there? Speak to me," Ray gently called out after not receiving a response from the girl.

Trisha too was now worried as she stood up from her position and was about to take a step forward to check on her roomie when her foot landed on a bone twig and it snapped loudly, causing Chloe’s head to roughly jerk upward like a bamboo.

Trish took half a step back in fright with frost slowly creeping up her fingers.

Only for Chloe to blink a few times, looking between her friends.

"Huh? What happened?"

Ray gently lowered his hands. "You good?"

Chloe blinked.

"Huh? Uh... yeah. I’m good. What happened?"

"We have been calling out your name for a while now and yet you didn’t reply," Ray replied with a suspicious look in his eyes.

"Oh. Maybe I slept off unknowingly. I’m somehow exhausted," Chloe replied.

"Hmph." Trisha sat back down.

But Ray looked at Chloe for several seconds and even subtly sniffed the air, but so far, there was nothing wrong that he could smell.

Still not satisfied, he watched as the girl lowered her head into her lap again, and then he subtly tapped the bridge between his temples twice.

His vision changed and now, he could see Chloe’s aura.

He waited for a few seconds and then exhaled silently.

Her aura was still a bright yellow which means she is still human.

Deactivating the ability, he laid back down.

’I feared maybe the Kraken had an ability to control a human as a puppet or something. It would have been utterly devastating.’

As he allowed himself to calm back down, his gaze lifted to the bone ceiling overhead as he was now lost in thought.

’I wonder how I will find Van and Kai. Is there a way I can locate them in this va—’

His train of thoughts was cut off as an idea crossed his mind and he almost slapped himself at how foolish he had been.

’Of course. I have that.’

Springing into a sitting position, he quickly opened up his system and began surfing through it for several seconds until he found what he was searching for under his ’Bloodline Skills.’

[Name: Mark]

[Skill description: This skill will allow the user imprint his energy onto their target. Usually, this skill works best after a solid promise which shouldn’t be broken at all.

An aura which only host can see will appear in the air allowing them keep track of their targets. Can be used to track prey or loved ones.]

[Cost; None. Always active all through until prey or targets dies. Or the distance is just too much.]

[Slot: ⅓]

Smiling, he stared at the slot in front of him.

’Yes. Van is still alive.’

He was about to close his eyes and activate the skill so he could locate his friend when a subtle cracking sound reached his ears.

It was silent and singular for a moment not until another joined the previous one.

And then another and then another.

’Huh?’

’System. Time?’

[It’s already sunset and close to nighttime.]

Ray scanned the cave he was in but couldn’t see any strange occurrence and then he sprang to his feet immediately.

Trisha stared at him in worry.

"What happened?"

Ray looked at the only entrance and exit of the cave for a few seconds then frowned.

"I can hear something."

He then began slowly walking towards the entrance with Trisha looking behind her to see that Chloe was still with her head hung low.

Heaving a sigh, she followed after the boy and soon, they were almost at the entrance where she could now hear the cracking sound which had suddenly permeated the air so loudly that even if someone was deaf, they would have surely heard it by now.

The moment they stepped out of the cave, their eyes stretched wide in horror at what they were witnessing.

"Wh-Wha-How are the bones moving?!"