SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will-Chapter 57: Quiet Steps Into the Mouth

"Don’t make me regret this," the merchant said as he finally handed over the storage device.

Arthur took it carefully and clipped it to his gear. "I won’t."

They exchanged brief nods, mutual acknowledgment between two people who understood exactly what kind of deal had just been made.

Arthur stepped out of the shop and let out a slow breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

That had been close.

Risky, too.

But necessary.

The badge was a gamble, no doubt about it. Losing it would complicate things badly. Still, Arthur felt no regret. Space meant opportunity, and opportunity was everything. With twenty percent of reclaimed loot going to him and more storage than the others, he had room to maneuver.

Room to outpace them.

As he headed back toward the missions hall, his mind was already working, fitting pieces together and refining the plan. Others would play it safe, grabbing what they could carry and leaving early. Arthur wouldn’t.

He smiled to himself.

This was the kind of edge he lived for.

Soon enough, Arthur reached the missions hall, where the rest of his squadmates were already gathering.

The place was loud in that familiar way, voices overlapping, boots scraping the floor, excitement and nerves mixing freely. New explorers clustered together, clutching their weapons a little too tightly, while the more experienced ones leaned against pillars or crates, calm and relaxed like this was just another routine outing.

Captain Ryn stood at the front, slightly elevated, his presence alone enough to keep the noise from getting out of hand. He wasn’t shouting, and he didn’t need to. When he spoke, people listened.

Someone raised a hand. "Captain, where exactly is the dungeon located?"

Ryn nodded. "East ridge, about half a day’s walk from the city perimeter. E rank dungeon, already cleared once by a silver squad. You are not diving deep. Only reclaiming leftovers, materials, and any missed drops."

Another voice followed quickly. "Do we move as a full team or split up?"

Ryn didn’t answer immediately. He scanned the group, his eyes sharp but calm. "You move as a group when entering and exiting. Inside, you’re allowed to spread out in pairs or trios. No solo runs unless you’re confident you can handle yourself and retreat if needed."

A murmur went through the crowd.

"And decision making?" someone asked. "Who calls it if something goes wrong?"

Ryn folded his arms. "Mission leader handles immediate combat calls. If conditions change, you regroup. No heroics. No chasing kills. If you feel something’s off, you speak up. If you hear silence where there should be voices, Assume the worst and pull everyone out."

That sobered a few faces.

"And safety?" another asked, quieter this time.

Ryn’s expression softened just a bit. "You don’t underestimate the dungeon just because it’s E rank. You watch your surroundings. You don’t tunnel vision. You don’t assume cleared means safe. Dungeons grow, respawn, and adapt. Treat every step like it matters, because it does."

That seemed to settle things.

With that, the mission officially commenced, and the group began moving out of the hall in an orderly fashion.

As Arthur walked past Ryn, he felt the man’s gaze linger.

Ryn’s eyes flicked briefly to the small storage device clipped to Arthur’s gear, and the look he gave him said everything without words. A question. A curiosity. How did you manage that?

Before Ryn could speak or draw attention, Arthur leaned in slightly as he passed and whispered, "I have my ways."

Ryn chuckled under his breath as Arthur moved ahead. "You really are something," he muttered, watching his back. "No wonder the commander told me to keep an eye on you."

Arthur didn’t hear that part, and even if he did, he probably wouldn’t have reacted.

He walked with the group quietly, blending in, not pushing forward and not lagging behind either. The talk about his performance in the last dungeon had already shifted. Some called it luck. Others called it timing. A fluke. Arthur didn’t bother correcting them.

He wasn’t in a rush.

Right now, proving himself wasn’t as important as understanding himself.

Around him, a few explorers began subtly competing, measuring each other with glances and words. One boasted about his talent rank. Another mentioned past dungeon runs. Rankings did that. They created ladders people felt compelled to climb, even when no one asked them to.

Arthur tuned it out.

His mind was already elsewhere, mapping routes, estimating distances, watching for openings. He wasn’t here to stand in formation and scrape leftovers from the same spot as everyone else.

Eventually, the debate over leadership reached its end.

They settled on an E rank swordsman.

His name was Kael.

Kael stepped forward without hesitation, tall and lean, his sword resting easily at his side. He didn’t radiate brute force, but there was something smooth about him, like a blade that had been drawn and sheathed a thousand times without ever chipping.

When he moved, it was precise. When he tested his stance, it was balanced. He drew his sword halfway, just enough for the metal to whisper, then slid it back in.

Elegant and Explorer-like.

"Stick to the plan," Kael said calmly. "We clear surface areas, collect, and move on. No unnecessary fights. Anyone sees movement, call it out."

No one objected.

Arthur watched the whole thing, then yawned softly.

It wasn’t disrespect. Just boredom.

Soon, the dungeon came into view.

The stone gate stood open, dark and silent, mana faintly pulsing along its edges. One by one, the explorers slowed, taking deep breaths. Arthur did the same, murmuring to himself as he adjusted his grip.

"Simple mission," he said quietly. "Let’s see how that turns out."

Soon, they where all in.

Inside, the air was cool and damp, the smell of earth and old blood lingering faintly. This was the first site of battle, where the previous squad had fought. Goblin corpses, broken weapons, dried stains, cracked stone. Signs of violence that had already passed.