SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will-Chapter 76: The Captain Who Never Faltered

Meanwhile, near the outer routes of the dungeon, groups of explorers steadily gathered together.

Rescued newcomers, Bronze Squad members, and reinforcements formed a growing procession moving toward the exit.

The atmosphere was tense but hopeful.

People supported the injured. Formations were carefully maintained. Commands passed quietly through the ranks.

Captain Ryn walked at the front, his gaze constantly scanning the crowd.

Counting.

Recounting.

Checking faces.

Something was missing.

Arthur.

He had not seen the boy among any of the rescued groups.

Ryn’s brows tightened slightly.

"That kid..."

Arthur’s reckless nature was difficult to forget. The way he moved alone, the way he chased danger without hesitation, the strange confidence he carried.

Ryn could easily imagine him wandering deeper instead of retreating.

Or worse.

His mind briefly considered the possibility that Arthur had already died somewhere in the chaos.

The thought lingered.

Then he pushed it away.

"No," he muttered under his breath. "He’s not that easy to kill."

Still, unease remained.

But the mission came first.

Ryn raised his voice calmly, addressing both the new explorers and the experienced members.

"Maintain formation. Don’t rush. Control your breathing and conserve energy."

He moved through the group, correcting stances, guiding movements, offering brief advice.

"Don’t swing blindly. Let the enemy come to you."

"Use your skills with intention."

"Watch your surroundings."

To the new explorers, this was more than survival.

It was a lesson.

They listened carefully, adjusting their actions under his guidance. Their earlier panic slowly gave way to controlled focus.

The group moved steadily rather than chaotically.

Step by step, they approached the exit.

Then the dungeon responded.

It began subtly.

A tremor beneath their feet.

A faint vibration in the air.

The mana around them thickened suddenly, growing heavy like deep water pressing against their bodies.

Several explorers stopped walking.

"Did you feel that?"

A low rumble echoed through the tunnels.

Then came the sound.

Countless footsteps.

From every direction.

Ryn’s eyes sharpened instantly.

"Stop."

The entire formation froze.

A scouting skill was not needed to understand what was happening. Even the least sensitive among them could feel the overwhelming presence approaching.

Mana surged violently.

The air twisted with hostile intent.

From the darkness of multiple tunnels, glowing eyes began to appear.

One pair.

Then tens.

Goblins.

An endless wave poured from every passage, their numbers far beyond anything they had encountered before. Larger variants appeared among them, their bodies thicker, their mana signatures heavier.

The dungeon was not releasing them.

It was closing in.

A trap.

The new explorers paled. Some stepped back unconsciously. Others tightened their grip on their weapons, fear returning to their eyes.

"How many are there...?"

"This isn’t normal..."

Even experienced Bronze Squad members grew tense.

Ryn observed the surroundings calmly, though his expression hardened.

The pathways ahead were blocked.

The routes behind them were sealed.

The dungeon had surrounded them completely.

It was hunting.

The pressure in the air intensified, suffocating and heavy. The mana itself seemed corrupted, restless, hungry.

Like the dungeon did not want its prey to escape.

Ryn slowly drew his weapon.

His voice remained steady, but carried firm authority.

"Defensive formation."

Instantly the Bronze Squad moved into position, creating layered protection around the new explorers.

Fear spread.

But so did resolve.

No one ran.

No one broke formation.

They understood the situation clearly.

This would not be an easy retreat.

As the massive horde began advancing, the ground trembling beneath their steps, Ryn’s gaze remained sharp.

The sudden surge of goblins threw the formation into brief chaos.

New explorers stiffened, their breathing rough, their grips tightening around their weapons. The shrill cries of the goblins echoed through the dungeon tunnel, sharp and unsettling, and for a moment the group’s rhythm broke.

But Ryn didn’t panic.

He stepped forward, his voice steady and clear.

"Hold your ground. They’re only a threat in numbers, not in strength. Stay in formation and breathe."

The simple words carried weight. Not forceful, yet firm enough to settle the trembling tension in the air.

Several of the new explorers steadied themselves almost instantly. Something about his tone made it difficult to doubt him.

Then his instructions followed.

"Shield line forward. Two steps, not three. Don’t overextend."

"You, fire user, lower your output. You’ll burn your mana too quickly."

"Left side, watch the flank. They’re circling."

His commands came quickly, one after another, yet none sounded rushed. Each instruction fit the situation perfectly, and his eyes moved constantly, reading the battlefield with frightening precision.

The new explorers stared in shock even as they obeyed.

"He’s... calm," one of them muttered under his breath.

Another nodded, barely blocking a lunging goblin. "Too calm."

But the experienced bronze squad members only chuckled lightly.

"First time seeing Captain Ryn?" one of them said while swinging his blade smoothly.

"You’ll get used to it."

"He’s always like that."

To them, this was normal.

The amazement of the newcomers, however, was only beginning.

Because Ryn did not remain behind the lines issuing commands.

The moment the formation stabilized, he moved.

He stepped forward and entered the swarm himself.

His class was known publicly as a Combatant, a common close-range class that focused on physical reinforcement and weapon mastery. Nothing special. Nothing rare.

Yet what followed was anything but ordinary.

A faint ripple spread from his body, subtle and almost invisible, like heat distorting the air. His movements sharpened instantly. Every step became precise, every strike impossibly efficient.

A goblin lunged at him.

Ryn shifted slightly, and the creature’s attack missed by the smallest margin. His blade followed in a simple arc, yet the force behind it was overwhelming. The goblin split apart before it could even react.

Another came from behind.

Without turning, Ryn moved his foot backward, as if he had already known the exact position of the attack. His elbow struck the goblin’s throat, crushing it, and his sword pierced another in the same motion.

The explorers watched in disbelief.

It wasn’t just strength.

It was control.

It was timing.

It was as if he could see everything before it happened.