The abrupt jump upward had shown no warning signs before this observation.
When he came fully to his senses, Kraft realized his hand was already pressed against the small Prism in his sleeve, instinctively preparing to adjust the depth of his observation.
The movement felt as natural as leaning closer when his vision blurred, trying to see clearly by reducing the distance. Just before he could dive, he realized something was wrong with his behavior and severed his Spiritual Senses.
When had this started?
When had he grown so used to reaching for the Deep Layer? It had been barely half a month, yet he had already progressed to instinctively wanting to dive and use his Spiritual Senses to "look closer," as comfortably as stepping through a doorway.
Kraft pulled the Prism from his sleeve and set it down on the Grid Point Chart, putting distance between himself and it. This wasn't the time to dive recklessly.
There was a good chance the sudden change in the Spiritual Entity's depth was caused by something moving below. His experience in the Salt Tide District that day was still fresh in his mind. It couldn't enter the Present World directly, but its control over depth far exceeded that of Kraft, an acquired user.
Approaching the Deep Layer now would mean laying himself clearly within its sight. It would be like challenging something capable of dragging people down into the Deep Layer on the very ground where it was strongest. If he lost control and plunged downward, he might not even get the chance to light a fire.
"Don't rush. Don't rush."
He lit another candle, returning to the interval of one candle between observations. Even if the rate doubled again and again, it wouldn't pull Kup down that quickly. Kraft needed time