SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will-Chapter 96: Misfits in the Fire

The Explorers began guiding them toward safer zones while scanning for hidden threats.

The ground itself told a story of struggle. Broken weapons, shattered armor, and scattered monster remains lay everywhere.

Arthur’s eyes moved constantly.

Every sound mattered.

Every movement could mean danger.

Despite the tension, he felt steady.

He noticed and processed everything that he saw fast. His awareness had grown sharper as he took every detail in. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Ryn soon slowed again and spoke quietly so only his squad could hear.

"First contact likely within minutes. Stay ready."

Arthur adjusted his grip on his dagger.

A faint warmth gathered in his palm as he allowed a trace of fire element to flow through his intent. Just enough to prepare as he braced for battle.

Arthur’s personality showed clearly in moments like this. His calm mindset and quiet confidence.

Only forward movement.

A distant screech echoed through the ruined stronghold.

Everyone froze.

Ryn raised his hand instantly.

"Contact."

The bronze squad tightened formation as shadows shifted between broken structures ahead.

Something was coming.

Arthur’s eyes focused, his breathing steady, his mana rising quietly within him like a waiting flame.

The real battle was about to begin.

Ryn’s voice cut through the tension the moment the first monsters appeared.

The bronze squads reacted instantly.

From the broken buildings ahead, the creatures surged forward. Twisting masses of green vines dragged themselves across the ground, their bodies pulsing as fresh tendrils grew and snapped like whips. Behind them came the spider monsters, their heavy shells scraping against stone, legs stabbing into the earth with frightening speed.

The fight had begun.

"Front line, hold formation!" Ryn commanded. "Fire users, target regeneration points. Others, support and cut access!"

The bronze squad spread out as trained. No hesitation.

Arthur moved with them, calm and steady, his senses fully open.

The first Vine Beast lunged.

Its body expanded suddenly, vines shooting forward like spears. One new explorer froze, eyes wide, but before the attack landed, a blade flashed past him.

A veteran bronze member severed the tendrils cleanly.

"Don’t stare," the man snapped. "Move!"

Ryn appeared beside them the next moment.

"Angle your strike here," he told the rookie, guiding his weapon slightly. "Follow the flow. Cut, don’t hack."

The next swing was cleaner. More controlled.

The vine split.

Arthur noticed the exchange while it happened. Ryn wasn’t just commanding. He was teaching in the middle of battle.

That alone impressed him.

The battlefield quickly turned chaotic.

Vine Beasts lashed wildly, their bodies reforming whenever cut apart. Severed pieces crawled across the ground and reattached themselves. Their cores remained hidden deep inside the tangled mass.

At the same time, the spider monsters advanced with terrifying coordination.

One leapt forward, its shell reflecting sunlight like metal. It crashed into a shield bearer and sent him sliding backward across the ground.

Another fired thick webbing.

The sticky threads wrapped around an explorer’s leg, dragging him toward its snapping mandibles.

A burst of fire shot across the battlefield.

The web burned away instantly.

"Use your fire, try to sustain the burn!" Ryn shouted toward the fire users.

They adjusted quickly.

Flames spread more steadily now, slowing the monsters’ regeneration.

Arthur watched carefully while fighting.

Ryn directed each person according to their strengths. He placed shield users where pressure was highest, sent agile fighters to target weak points, and coordinated fire attacks for maximum effect.

Nothing was wasted.

Even chaos had structure under him.

Arthur stepped forward and released a simple fireball.

It struck a Vine Beast and exploded in a controlled burst, burning away several layers of its body.

Not too strong, but just enough.

He felt the eyes on him.

Other explorers had noticed his sudden fire ability since earlier. Some stared in disbelief whenever he used it.

Ryn’s gaze however was different. It felt like he kept measuring him.

Arthur understood immediately.

The commander must have asked him to watch me.

But he didn’t mind.

He launched another controlled flame, then shifted positions, supporting where needed. When a vine wrapped around a rookie’s arm, Arthur stepped in and coated his dagger with fire intent.

With one clean strike, the burning blade sliced through the thick tendril and forced the creature back.

Several nearby explorers paused in shock.

He had moved like a warrior, not a mage.

Arthur simply spoke.

"Just standing there and staring won’t help," he said calmly, then moved on. But it wasn’t enough to stop the stares and murmurs.

That brief moment of weapon imbuement had stirred whispers among the squad even with the danger that surrounded them.

The fight intensified.

A spider monster crashed into the formation, its legs stabbing like spears. One strike pierced through a man’s shoulder, lifting him off the ground before throwing him aside.

Blood splashed across the stone.

The creature screeched, mandibles snapping as it advanced again.

A pair of bronze members rushed forward together. One smashed its leg joint with a hammer while the other drove a spear into the exposed gap.

The spider collapsed, thrashing violently before finally going still.

The brutality of the battle was undeniable.

Monsters didn’t hesitate.

Neither could they.

Arthur began to understand why bronze squads were often called misfits.

They weren’t the strongest.

They weren’t the most talented.

But they adapted quickly.

One fighter used chains to bind spider legs. Another used shock skills to freeze vines in place. A healer fought while treating wounds at the same time.

Their methods were rough but effective.

They survived through their creativity.

Arthur found himself respecting them.

Nearby, Kael, the young swordsman who had led the new explorers before, struggled against a Vine Beast. His strikes were clumsy at first, cutting endlessly without result.

Ryn appeared beside him.

"Stop chasing," he said calmly. "Find the core instead."

Kael steadied his breathing.

He observed the monster’s rhythm, then struck deeper instead of wider.

His blade pierced the glowing core hidden within the vines.

The creature collapsed.

Kael stared at his hands in disbelief.

Ryn simply nodded and moved on.

Arthur watched the exchange closely understanding even better.

That’s was how growth happens here.

Pressure. Correction. Adaptation.