SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will-Chapter 122: The Dungeon Learns II

Ryn turned his head, eyes narrowing slightly. He trusted Arthur’s instincts by now. Before he could ask further, hurried footsteps echoed from the front.

The scouts returned.

They were breathless.

"Captain!" one shouted, struggling to steady his voice. "Enemy group ahead!"

The squad stopped immediately.

"How many?" the captain asked.

"Seven ogres."

A tense silence followed, but the scout continued.

"Three... second class."

The words struck like a hammer.

Several explorers froze. One cursed under his breath. Even the veterans showed visible shock.

One second class ogre was already a nightmare to handle. Three of them together meant overwhelming pressure, especially with supporting first class ogres.

Fear crept into the group.

But the captain did not allow it to settle.

"Check your gear," he ordered calmly. "Potions ready. Weapons steady. Stay sharp."

His steady voice cut through the tension. The explorers moved immediately, adjusting armor straps, checking blades, steadying their breathing. Familiar routines pushed back the rising panic. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Then the captain spoke again.

"We adapt."

All eyes turned to him.

"We move slowly. Controlled damage. No reckless advance. We pressure them while preserving strength. If they’re adapting, then we adapt faster."

The words restored their focus. Their fear turned into resolve.

Arthur watched him quietly. That calm confidence... that was what held the group together.

Soon they moved forward.

Step by step.

The formation tightened as they approached the enemy.

And then they saw them.

Seven massive figures stood within a wide cavern, their hulking shapes illuminated by faint crimson veins running across the dungeon walls. The three second class ogres stood at the center, their bodies larger, darker, and covered in hardened ridges like living armor. The remaining first class ogres surrounded them protectively.

But their formation was strange.

Too precise.

Too organized.

"They’re ready," Arthur murmured.

Before the captain could give further orders, the ogres moved.

The second class ogres raised their arms simultaneously.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

"Brace!"

But he was a moment too late.

A violent seismic pulse exploded from the ground.

The earth shattered beneath their feet. Shockwaves tore through the formation like an invisible hammer. Several explorers lost balance instantly, their stance broken.

The ground cracked. Dust filled the air.

Two first class ogres charged immediately after, their massive weapons swinging down with brutal force.

The explorers struggled to reform their positions. Shields rose, blades clashed, but the sudden disruption made coordination difficult.

A warrior was thrown backward as a club smashed into his guard. Another barely avoided being crushed as the ground split beneath him.

"Hold formation!" the captain roared.

They tried.

They really tried.

But the pressure was overwhelming.

Arthur forced himself to stay calm. Through the chaos, his perception locked onto the second class ogres. He watched their movements carefully. Their shoulders tensed. Their muscles gathered power.

He remembered.

The pattern before their skill.

"Another one coming!" he shouted.

A few members reacted, bracing themselves.

The rest did not.

Seconds later, another seismic blast erupted.

This time the impact was worse.

The shockwave sent several explorers crashing into the cavern walls. One screamed as his leg twisted unnaturally. Shields slipped from hands. The formation broke apart.

The first class ogres seized the chance.

They descended like executioners.

A blade shattered against thick hide. A massive fist crushed into armor, sending an explorer sliding across the stone floor. Blood sprayed. Bones cracked.

The brutality was terrifying.

The ogres showed no hesitation, no wasted motion. They struck relentlessly, their attacks coordinated with frightening precision. One pinned a warrior down while another brought its weapon down without mercy.

The cavern filled with the sounds of impact, pain, and desperate resistance.

Arthur’s heart pounded.

This was the true danger of a mutated dungeon.

Monsters that learned and hunted back.

He launched a fireball to push an advancing ogre away from a fallen explorer, then moved quickly to reposition. His mind raced, searching for patterns, searching for openings.

Around him, the squad struggled to recover.

Ryn moved through the chaos with surprising calm. His movements were sharp and efficient, striking joints, redirecting attacks, buying space for others. The strange pressure around him returned, that sense of being one step ahead.

The captain fought like a storm at the center, his battle axe tearing through flesh and bone, forcing the ogres back through sheer strength.

But even he was being pressured.

Arthur felt the distortion in the air intensify. The tainted mana thickened, feeding the monsters, strengthening them.

This fight would not end quickly.

And if they made one mistake...

The dungeon would claim them.

Arthur steadied his breathing, flames gathering in his palm.

"Alright," he muttered quietly. "Let’s survive this."

And the battle raged on.

He studied the fight while everyone else struggled just to stay alive.

To most of the explorers, the battlefield had already become chaos. Steel clashed against thick skin, spells burst in uneven rhythm, and the ground shook again and again under the ogres’ steps. But Arthur watched differently. He wasn’t only fighting. He was learning.

He kept his breathing steady as he moved within formation, eyes shifting across the field.

The captain was holding one ogre back alone, his axe sweeping in wide arcs that forced the monster to retreat step by step. A few explorers tried to support him, but they could barely keep pace with the intensity of the exchange. They were only buying seconds for him.

Ryn, on the other hand, moved constantly.

He appeared wherever the line weakened, intercepting blows, dragging injured explorers out of danger, striking the monsters at angles that slowed their momentum. Even in the middle of chaos, he remained calm. His presence alone steadied those around him.

And they needed that because their formation had completely broken.

Explorers were scattered, throwing attacks without coordination. Fireballs, arrows, blades, and shockwaves landed without rhythm. The ogres adapted quickly, guarding their weak points and counterattacking with frightening precision.

The more they fought, the smarter the monsters seemed.

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

The second class ogres... they’re the key.