SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System
Chapter 104: Tit For Tat!

Chapter 104: Tit For Tat!

They were swimming past a particularly dense grove of tall, ribbon-like seaweed that waved gently in the underwater currents.

As they swam past the weeds, something long and slimy brushed against Ayra’s leg.

"GAAAAAH!"

A stream of panicked bubbles erupted from Ayra’s mouth as she let out a muffled shriek of pure terror.

All her S-Grade berserker bravado vanished in an instant, replaced by the primal fear of being touched by something unknown in the deep, dark water.

She flinched away violently, her limbs thrashing, and in her blind panic, she latched onto the nearest solid object for safety.

That object was Daniel.

She wrapped her powerful arms around his torso like a frightened octopus, her Rock Pugilist strength nearly cracking his already-healed ribs for a second time.

Daniel, caught completely by surprise by the sudden, panicked assault, had no time to react.

His hands, which had been raised defensively to ward off the perceived threat, found themselves in a place they absolutely, positively, should not have been.

As he tried to stabilize them both in the swirling water, his gauntleted hands slipped under her form-fitting under-suit, pressing firmly against the soft, full curves of her bountiful chest.

For a frozen moment in time, they just floated there in the eerie underwater silence, locked in the most awkward and compromising embrace imaginable.

The silence was broken only by a few stray bubbles escaping Ayra’s lips as her brain processed the sequence of events: seaweed, panic, grab, hands, chest— my breast!.

Her embarrassment instantly boiled over into pure, unadulterated fury.

She shoved him away, her face, illuminated by the glowing corals, a furious shade of crimson.

Her eyes, which had been wide with surprise, were now narrowed slits of fiery indignation.

She opened her mouth, and another stream of angry bubbles escaped.

This was not a scream of fear; it was a silent declaration of war.

Before Daniel could even attempt a bubbly apology, she retaliated.

With a speed that was shocking even underwater, she lunged, her hand aimed not for his face or his chest, but directly for his crotch, intending to repay his accidental transgression with a very deliberate, very painful one of her own.

Daniel’s senses, honed by countless life-or-death battles, screamed a warning. He didn’t even have to think.

As her hand shot forward, he moved, catching her wrist in his own gauntleted grip.

Her strength was immense, but his, augmented by his Level 12 status and countless assimilations, was simply on another level.

It was like a normal person trying to wrestle a hydraulic press. Her furious lunge was stopped cold, her hand just inches from its target.

Ayra struggled, her eyes blazing, but she couldn’t break his grip. She was completely overpowered, a fact that only seemed to fuel her rage and embarrassment.

A wicked, teasing grin spread across Daniel’s face.

She had tried to go for the family jewels.

An apology was no longer sufficient. A lesson was required. He pulled her closer, his other hand returning to the spot it had "accidentally" landed on before, his thumb brushing against the soft curve of her breast over the thin fabric.

He held her there, easily overpowering her helpless, furious struggles.

Her face went from crimson to a shade of purple that probably wasn’t healthy.

After a few more seconds of her futilely trying to break free, he finally let her go, a satisfied, joking smile on his face.

He then turned and gestured with his head towards the cave entrance he had spotted nearby, as if nothing had happened.

The moment he released her, Ayra’s fury was unleashed. With a silent, bubbly roar, she launched herself forward, not to grab, but to kick.

"BOOM!"

The water itself seemed to explode around them!

The kick, imbued with the furious, unrestrained power of a Rock Pugilist, slammed into Daniel’s chest.

Even though he was braced for it, the force was incredible.

It hurled him backward through the water, spinning end over end like a pebble skimming across a pond.

He executed two clumsy underwater somersaults before his powerful physique allowed him to reorient himself, floating a dozen meters away.

He looked back at Ayra, who was now floating with her arms crossed, glaring at him, her chest heaving with exertion and anger.

Daniel just grinned, then slowly raised both his hands in a clear, universal sign of surrender, a few amused bubbles escaping his lips.

Ayra stared at him for a long, tense moment.

A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of her mouth before she suppressed it, replacing it with a resentful scowl.

With a final, furious flick of her feet, she turned and swam towards the cave, her movements powerful and agitated.

Daniel chuckled silently and followed. The score, he figured, was about even now.

The cave was a wide natural grotto, and at its center, on a flat, smooth rock like an altar, lay the prize.

It was a sleek black metal box, about the size of a large footlocker, etched with swirling ancient patterns that seemed to shift in the dim glow.

It radiated a faint warmth that pushed back the cold of the deep water.

Daniel swam closer, his earlier amusement replaced by a focused intensity.

He tried to scan it with his Nexus Interface. The result was immediate and exciting.

[ANALYSIS FAILED. UNKNOWN MATERIAL. UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE.]

"Just like the Ape," Daniel thought, his heart starting to pound with anticipation. This was it. The real treasure.

Ayra, her anger momentarily forgotten, swam up beside him, her eyes wide with awe. "Vance... what is that thing?"

"The jackpot," Daniel communicated with a single, excited look.

Their air was running dangerously low.

They couldn’t stay down here admiring it. With a shared, urgent nod, they both swam to the chest.

It was immensely heavy, but together, using their combined super-human strength, they managed to lift it.

They kicked hard for the surface, their precious, mysterious prize held between them, their lungs burning, their minds already racing with the possibilities of what lay inside.