SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will-Chapter 116: A Step Into Silver

But Lyra was done yet, as she continued speaking.

"Oh, and before I forget."

Her tone softened slightly.

"I have arranged for Ryn to accompany you."

Arthur blinked once, though his expression remained calm.

"You may possess strength comparable to his," she said, "but guidance is still necessary."

There was no insult in her words. Only certainty.

Arthur accepted it without resistance. "I’ll rely on him."

Lyra seemed satisfied.

She turned away slightly, signaling that the evaluation had ended.

Arthur bowed respectfully and began to leave the training hall. The watchers parted for him, whispering quietly as he passed. Some looked at him with admiration, others with doubt, and a few with unease.

His footsteps were steady.

Yet before he could reach the exit..

"Arthur."

He stopped.

Her voice was sharp now.

He turned back to face her.

The commander’s expression had changed completely. All traces of casual conversation had vanished. What remained was strict authority.

"The matter of the ritual guardian," she said slowly, "is classified."

The hall grew silent again.

"It is information withheld from the public and even from many explorers."

Her eyes locked onto his.

"You will not speak of it carelessly."

Arthur understood at once. The corruption, the ritual, the abyss worshipper, the growing threats beneath the surface. These were matters far beyond ordinary missions.

"I understand," he replied.

She studied him for a moment, making sure the meaning had reached him.

Then she continued, her tone quieter but heavier.

"You have become involved with the abyss worshippers."

The words carried an unsettling weight.

"If you wish to learn more," she said, "you may ask Ryn. He has considerable knowledge of them."

Arthur nodded slowly.

The memory of the battle surfaced in his mind. The corrupted energy. The unnatural resilience of his enemy. The disturbing feeling that something vast and hidden was moving beneath everything.

Abyss worshippers were not just enemies.

They were part of something larger.

"I will ask him," Arthur said.

Lyra gave a final nod.

"That is all."

This time she did not stop him.

Arthur turned and walked out of the training hall. The doors closed behind him with a heavy sound, sealing the murmurs and tension inside.

The corridor outside was quiet.

Cool air replaced the heat of the battlefield, and the silence allowed his thoughts to settle.

He replayed everything that had happened.

Her acknowledgment.

Her light affinity.

The offer of advancement.

The warning about the abyss.

Each piece of information carried weight, and together they formed a path he could not ignore.

He looked down at his hands briefly. The faint memory of fire still lingered in his veins, steady and obedient. Power responded to his will, yet every step forward seemed to reveal greater dangers waiting ahead.

Arthur exhaled slowly.

"this is only the beginning," he murmured.

There was no fear in his voice. Only determination.

He continued toward his dorm, his posture relaxed yet firm. Tomorrow he would meet the silver squad. Tomorrow he would step further into the world of true explorers.

Arthur returned to his dorm with quiet steps. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The training hall still lingered in his mind. The heat of the flames. The weight of Commander Lyra’s gaze. The strange respect he had felt toward her. It was not fear, not exactly. It was the feeling of standing before someone who had walked a long road, someone who knew strength in ways he was only beginning to understand.

He let out a slow breath and pushed the thoughts aside.

There was nothing left to do tonight.

Just the same routine.

He removed his armor first, setting each piece down carefully. The faint smell of ash clung to the metal, and he ran his fingers across the surface, checking for damage. A small dent near the shoulder. Nothing serious.

"Still holding up," he muttered.

His voice sounded calm, but inside, his mind was restless.

Tomorrow.

Silver squad.

The words carried weight.

Arthur washed himself slowly, letting the cold water clear the dirt and tension from his body. The chill grounded him. It pulled him away from the pressure of expectations and the memory of the commander’s words.

You’ve shown strength above bronze level.

He rubbed his face and let out a quiet sigh.

"I just need to keep moving."

After cleaning himself, he sharpened his dagger out of habit. The soft scraping sound filled the small room. Each motion steady, practiced. He liked the routine. It calmed him. It gave his thoughts a place to settle.

When he was done, he lay on the bed.

The ceiling stared back at him.

The anxiety of tomorrow tried to creep in, but he pushed it away. He had survived worse. A mission was just another step. Just another fight.

His eyes closed.

Sleep took him within minutes. And Morning came quickly.

Arthur woke before the sun fully rose, his body moving on instinct. For a moment he lay still, staring ahead, remembering where he was and what day it was.

Then it hit him.

Silver squad mission.

His chest tightened slightly, but excitement followed right behind it. Not fear. Not doubt.

Anticipation.

A chance to prove himself again. A chance to move forward. A chance to break the limits placed on him during awakening.

He got up immediately.

Arthur dressed as quickly as he could, checking every strap and buckle twice. His armor had to be perfect. No mistakes. No loose ends.

He inspected his dagger carefully, running his thumb along the edge.

Sharp.

Good.

He nodded to himself and finally left the dorm.

The missions hall was already lively when he arrived. Explorers moved about with purpose, voices overlapping, equipment clinking softly. The air carried tension, excitement, and the faint scent of steel and mana.

Arthur’s eyes searched the hall.

He looked for the person he usually found first.

Ryn.

He spotted him soon enough, but something was different.

Ryn did not stand the way he usually did.

Normally, the bronze captain carried himself with a firm presence, a natural authority that made others give him space. But now, standing beside the silver squad members, that presence seemed smaller. Not gone, just... overshadowed.