SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System-Chapter 61: About Last Night!

Daniel had stared at the dark, unseen roof of the cave for a long moment, his brain trying to process this unexpected development.

He hadn’t dared move. The potential for another "spirited discussion" involving shattered training fields was too high.

He had considered subtly moving her hand, but the risk of waking her and facing morning berserker-rage seemed far greater than a little awkward hand-holding.

He’d just have to add it to the growing list of "Weird things Ayra does."

"This," Daniel thought with a weary internal sigh, his senses still sharp despite the lack of sleep, "is going to be a very, very long watch indeed."

He focused on his SSS-Rank [Soul Assimilation] talent, feeling the quiet hum of its potential, the way it yearned for new essences, new powers.

His Assimilation Charges were slowly regenerating, a comforting thrum beneath his skin.

The thought of the B-Grade [Acquisitive Grasp] skill he’d recently gained brought a small smile to his face. It was a subtle power, but with immense utility.

A tiny, wet nose nudged his cheek. "Mphf?"

Daniel blinked, his train of thought derailed.

Nyx was awake, her luminous blue pup-eyes staring up at him intently. She licked his face again, then let out a series of excited little yips and pawed at his pouch.

"What is it, girl?" Daniel whispered, careful not to disturb his slumbering human pillows.

Nyx couldn’t speak, but their familiar bond allowed for flashes of imagery and strong emotions.

She projected a disordered series of images: a tall, shadowy cliff face somewhere in the dark Yin region, a glint of gold, and a feeling of... intense, delicious power.

Then, an image of another creature, something sleek and fast like a panther, suddenly looking much stronger after eating one of these golden things.

"A golden fruit?" Daniel murmured, piecing together Nyx’s excited mental babble.

"Something that makes creatures stronger? And there are more?"

Nyx yipped affirmatively, tail thumping softly against his leg. She’d clearly been doing some impressive scouting in her dreams, or perhaps her keen pup senses had picked up on a distant, potent aroma.

Just then, Lia stirred on his left, her head lifting slightly. She blinked, her grey eyes still soft with sleep.

"Daniel? Is it morning?" she mumbled, then seemed to realize her head was on his shoulder.

A faint blush touched her cheeks, but she didn’t pull away immediately.

On his right, Ayra let out a loud, unladylike snort and stretched, her arm bumping his.

"Ugh, my neck," she grumbled, then her eyes snapped open as she realized her proximity to Daniel.

She jerked upright, her face instantly flushing a shade that clashed spectacularly with her red hair.

"Vance! What in the blazes do you think you’re doing?!" she hissed, her hand instinctively going to where her axe would normally be.

Daniel held up his hands innocently. "Morning to you too, sunshine. And for the record, you were the one using my shoulder as a deluxe pillow. Both of you, actually."

Lia coughed delicately, now sitting up properly. "My apologies, Daniel. The cave was... rather compact."

Ayra just scowled. "Hmph. Don’t get any funny ideas, weed-clutcher. My shoulder probably just slipped. From all the... tactical sleeping."

She pointedly ignored the fact her hand had been resting on his Crotch for a good portion of the night.

"And this cave stinks. It smells like old socks and existential dread. I need food. And something to hit."

"Breakfast first, then property destruction," Daniel said, carefully extracting himself from between them.

He felt a bit like an overused teddy bear. "Nyx here seems to have found us a lead on some potentially powerful snacks."

He quickly relayed Nyx’s "vision" of the golden fruits.

Ayra’s eyes lit up. "Golden fruits? That make things stronger? Now you’re talking! Let’s go get ’em!"

Lia looked more thoughtful. "If they are as potent as Nyx suggests, they will undoubtedly attract other... interested parties. Both beast and Awakened."

"Exactly," Daniel agreed. "But first, a fire. It’s freezing in this part of the Void."

He looked around the small cave. They had some dry rations, but roasted beast meat from their earlier kills would be better.

Ayra scoffed. "Fire? In this damp pit? Good luck."

Daniel just grinned. He held out his hand, focusing. He could easily call upon his S-Grade Solar Flare Fist Art, but a full-blown solar flare seemed a bit much for a simple campfire.

Instead, he channeled a tiny, controlled spark of its immense energy. A small, bright orange flame, no bigger than his thumb, flickered into existence in his palm, radiating a surprising amount of warmth.

"Boom," he whispered with a smirk.

Ayra and Lia stared. "You... you have fire elemental skills too?"

Ayra asked, her voice a mixture of surprise and something that might have been grudging admiration.

She knew he had some kind of kinetic power from their "spirited discussion" and assumed his SSS-Talent was related to that.

Daniel just winked. "Let’s just say I have a wide range of party tricks. Now, who wants breakfast?"

As he skillfully got a small fire going with some dry twigs Nyx had helpfully gathered, Ayra was still staring at him, her brow furrowed.

"So, Vance," she began, her tone deceptively casual as she poked the fire with a stick.

"About last night..."

Daniel turned, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? What about last night, Ayra? Enjoyed your beauty sleep?

You seemed quite comfortable. Very... clingy, even." He couldn’t resist the jab.

Ayra’s face went from curious to furious red in record time. "Clingy?! I was not clingy! I was... tactically conserving body heat! And you were snoring like a Gravehound with a sinus infection!"

"I don’t snore," Daniel stated calmly, though a laugh was bubbling up. Lia, watching them, hid a smile behind her hand.

"You absolutely do!" Ayra insisted, jabbing her stick towards him. "And if you mention last night’s... sleeping arrangements... to anyone, I will personally ensure your next assimilation involves your own teeth!"

Daniel just chuckled, the sound resonating warmly in the small cave.

This S-Grade berserker was surprisingly easy to rile up. "My lips are sealed, Ayra. What happens in the cramped, tactical-sleeping-arrangement cave, stays in the cave."

The banter, the shared warmth of the fire, and the smell of roasting meat created a fragile sense of camaraderie.

The Taiji Basin was dangerous, but for now, in this small cave, with the promise of powerful golden fruits ahead, things didn’t seem quite so dire.

The memory of Ayra’s hand on his Crotch, however, still made him feel a strange, lingering warmth.