SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100-Chapter 124: Bringing hope to brokens—Slum (1)

The rats had been handled—efficiently. There was no one left to chase, no reason to delay. Seraphine was waiting. And this time, he had something to show her.

It took longer because he had played with them a little.

Along the way back, he followed the exact same route and stored the body of their leader and the one he had killed at the start inside his inventory.

He wasn’t sure if skill stones could be obtained from humans or not. If yes, then he couldn’t miss out on the opportunity, as he knew how rare they were. In the dungeon he had entered for his class awakening, there were only two skill stones found.

When he reached their entourage of horses, he noticed the look of shock on Kaela and all the other knights beside her.

Because how could they not be? Their young master was too strong. He had effortlessly blocked the assassins’ attempt to take him, and the speed at which he had vanished from here was too fast—they could barely see a blur in the spot where he had been standing.

Leon ignored them and climbed onto the back of his horse in the front. Seraphine, sitting behind, clung tightly to his body like before and asked—her voice not a whisper, but a sound meant for others to hear as well.

"What happened to the assassins, my dear Leon? What did you do with them?"

Leon, hearing her words, casually answered—his tone matching hers, as it seemed she wanted to show off.

"Oh, there were a total of five of them. I killed four and let one go after taking its arms—to send a message."

Kaela and the other knights who heard him were truly shocked, because if one of them had been ordered to do this, they would have failed—especially when catching a trained target who was escaping. It was very hard. They could have killed one, or if lucky, two.

But the way Young Master described everything so nonchalantly—and came back with his clothes pristine, with no signs of struggle or battle—it was as if it hadn’t been a fight to begin with. He had merely hunted them down.

In their minds, such a feat could only be achieved by their lady, Commander Seraphine Vael. But Young Master Leon had done it. They couldn’t help but see him in a new light now. Besides the respect they gave him as the commander’s lover, now there was reverence in their eyes.

Their lady had made the right choice. Young Master was a monster who, at such a young age, was as strong as her.

Seraphine caught their reactions from the corner of her eye—and smiled, satisfied. They should be aware of Leon’s greatness—even if he had shown just a fraction of his strength. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

But soon they would know what he was truly capable of, as their attack had sealed the fate of the duke’s house permanently.

"Hehe~ good job, my dear disciple. Now take us where you wanted to show me."

Hearing her words, Leon steadied his horse as the horse started to run toward the hidden slums of Hemsburg.

He had also learned an interesting story—overhearing the civilians who had watched him deal with the beggar.

They had to dismount their horses, as the path ahead was too narrow.

They were currently in the far west part of the city, having traversed through the maze of narrow pathways.

The stone beneath their boots was slick with something foul—half-dried sewage or blood, it was hard to tell. The air was thick, damp, and clung to their skin like a second layer. Somewhere in the shadows, the faint skitters of rats weaving between broken crates echoed.

But they still hadn’t reached their target.

Going even deeper and descending many staircases, they arrived at an area enclosed by high barricading walls. Only a small part had iron fencing—like a jail.

The walls were high enough that a normal person couldn’t climb them, and even if they did, going down would break their arms and legs. The iron bars were sharpened at the top.

Truly nasty work.

Seraphine’s eyes turned to slits as a few dots were now connecting in her mind.

Leon jumped to the top of the wall with ease. Seraphine followed after, and behind them, the other four knights—including Kaela.

The sight before them was haunting—hundreds of people crammed inside the enclosed space, their bodies thin as twigs, skin clinging tightly to bone. Hollow eyes stared blankly into the void, their expressions devoid of hope or thought—more like husks than living beings. A dry wind rustled through the enclosure, and the faint scrrrk of someone dragging their foot over stone echoed in the silence. The stench of rot and stale air clung to the walls, thick enough to taste.

Some of the knights couldn’t help but scrunch up their noses, as the scent of rotten death was strong.

They had witnessed death—but this was terrifying.

Two of the knights’ eyes burned with anger. Their lady had picked them from the slums and changed their lives. Her selection process had been tough, but they were very grateful.

But this was far worse than any slums they had seen.

This sight made their stomachs churn. Even they shuddered at the thought of being trapped in here, as it looked like none of the people had eaten for days.

One knight clenched his jaw, teeth grinding. He had once lived in a place like this—just not this deep, not this damned. His fists trembled beneath his gauntlets, not from fear, but fury. No one deserved to rot like this—not even back then, not now, or ever.

These weren’t just victims—they were discarded lives, left to rot like meat on bone.

Leon jumped down from the wall, and everyone followed after.

Their appearance was a stark contrast to the people inside—four people clad in knightly armor, and two in noble clothing and commanding Aura.

Witnessing their sudden arrival, as if a frenzy had been incited in the crowd.

The moment the first boot hit the dirt, the crowd recoiled like smoke hit by wind. Thump-thump-thump—bare feet slapped the stone in all directions. Some clutched their children, others fell mid-crawl and cried out with hoarse, cracking voices. Their fear was raw, animal.

Their hollow eyes reflected the terror they had been through.

Seraphine knew their Lower Domain had a shortage of food, but this was too much. Their eyes had lost all their spirit to survive.

She didn’t feel pity for anyone easily, but this sight made her feel angry. Whoever ordered this had gone too far. They had taken every hope from these people and left them to die.

"Disciple, what are we going to do with these people?"

"Well, Most lack talent—but that doesn’t mean they’re useless, we can still use them as workers. Their life would be much better there anyway."

They need to build an empire in an empty grassland, or even something bigger than an empire, so the more people they have, the better it is for them.

Seraphine had no objection at all. She nodded at his words.

Leon looked at the hundreds of people who were trying to scrunch up in a single corner.

He enhanced his voice using mana.

His voice echoed unnaturally clear, rolling over the crowd like a wave. A hush fell. Even the crawling stopped. Eyes once glassy flickered upward, drawn not by hope—but by command.

"Listen to me, all of you. I’m not here to harm you like those who came before. I don’t serve the king—no, that foolish king is my enemy too. I’ve come only to feed you... But that could be the beginning of your new lives—if you prove yourselves worthy."