Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger - Chapter 278

Chapter 278: EX 278. Strange Ore
Commander Markus sat behind his desk, head bowed, whispering a silent prayer to the stars. He didn’t pray often, not since becoming a commander and Rank 8 warrior, but right now, he needed a miracle. The situation had spun out of control. Lancelot’s reckless judgment had nearly cost the empire its most valuable asset. Even if Leon had survived unscathed, the lieutenant had still raised his blade against the one person with a real chance of cleansing the empire’s rot. If the Emperor discovered what truly happened, not even divine intervention would save Lancelot.

Before Markus could gather the courage to speak, Leon finally broke the silence.

“There’s no issue, Your grace” Leon said casually, tone light but steady. “The lieutenant was just… a little rough with me, that’s all.”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed. “Rough?” he repeated, his voice calm, but sharp enough to slice through the air.

Leon gave an easy shrug. “Yeah. But as you can see, I’m perfectly fine. He didn’t even leave a scratch.”

The Emperor’s gaze swept over him, his presence brushing against Leon’s aura. No bruises, no cuts, not even a faint trace of hostile energy remained. But the Emperor didn’t stop there. His next question carried more weight than the words themselves.

“Are you okay with the lieutenant?”

Markus froze. He knew what that meant. If Leon said yes, the matter would end quietly. But if he said no… Lancelot’s head might not stay attached long enough for anyone to blink.

Leon met the Emperor’s eyes without hesitation. “I don’t have any bad blood with him,” he said. “I’m fine with him tagging along.”

Leon’s choice of words was deliberate. Figuratively, it meant peace. Literally, it hinted at the fact that the boy no longer had blood flowing through his veins, not in the human sense.

The Emperor studied him for a few seconds longer before nodding. “Alright then. If there’s no problem, there’s no problem.”

Markus blinked, half-stunned. ‘That was it?’ He’d expected outrage or punishment, but the Emperor moved on as if the topic had never existed. He glanced at Leon again, disbelief creeping across his face.

Leon caught his stare and thought drily, ‘Oh my God, has my charm gotten to him too?’

But behind the humor, Markus’s thoughts shifted. He looked at Leon and sighed inwardly. ‘That brat needs to apologize to the boy properly I will make sure of it.’

Once the tension had settled, the room’s focus shifted back to business. The Emperor, Markus, and Leon began outlining the next stage, how to track the growing number of corrupted tethers Leon would have to face, and how the empire would aid him in locating his scattered allies. The atmosphere turned heavy again, but this time it wasn’t from conflict. It was from purpose.

The storm had passed, for now but Markus couldn’t shake the feeling that the eye of something far larger had just opened.

****

When the meeting finally ended, the air in the commander’s office felt lighter, yet weighed with unspoken tension. Plans had been made, orders given, and for the first time since his arrival, Leon felt like the empire was beginning to move again.

The Emperor rose from his seat, his presence commanding even in silence. “It’s time for me to return,” he said. “The imperial palace can’t remain unattended for long.”

Markus bowed immediately, his voice respectful. “Of course, Your Grace.”

The Emperor’s gaze shifted toward Leon. “Leon,” he said quietly, “I’m sorry I can’t escort you on this expedition.”

Leon looked up, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “It’s fine,” he said simply. “You’re an emperor, after all. And we just met today, I don’t expect you to drop everything and follow me.”

For a heartbeat, the room went still. The bluntness in Leon’s tone wasn’t disrespectful, just honest, unpolished and disarmingly direct. The Emperor blinked, then suddenly broke into a laugh. A genuine, deep laugh that filled the room.

“Hahahahaha! That’s true,” he said, shaking his head with amusement.

Leon only stared, unsure whether to laugh or stay quiet. The Emperor wiped a trace of mirth from his eyes and then added, his tone softening, “Still, that doesn’t mean I’ll leave without giving you something to help you on your mission.”

Leon raised a brow. “Oh? And what exactly are you planning to give me?”

Most would’ve politely refused, saying something humble, maybe insist that a gift wasn’t necessary after all the Emperor had already done. But Leon wasn’t built for that kind of false modesty.

He thought dryly, ‘Screw being humble.’

in the next moment a sudden brilliance filled the room. Light so intense that everyone squinted, even Leon, who instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes. The air shimmered, and within that brilliance, something began to take form, something impossibly dark.

When the glow receded, a black orb hovered before the Emperor. Its surface wasn’t just dark; it was absence. A void that swallowed the surrounding light, bending it, devouring it, until the air itself looked warped around it.

The paradox made no sense. How could something so pitch-black have been born from that radiant glow?

Racheal’s voice broke the stunned silence. “What… what is that?” she whispered.

Adrian, standing beside her, mirrored her confusion, his gaze locked on the orb.

Markus, however, stared at it with disbelief, his weathered face draining of color. “It can’t be…” he muttered under his breath, eyes wide with recognition.

Leon’s curiosity burned sharper than ever. He felt something stir deep within him, an echo, a faint vibration in his chest that pulsed in rhythm with the orb.

‘Why… does it feel so familiar?’

His hand twitched unconsciously, drawn toward the darkness that seemed to breathe.

****

The Emperor noticed the flicker of confusion in Leon’s eyes, the way his gaze lingered on the black orb as if trying to understand its impossible nature. A faint smile tugged at the Emperor’s lips before he decided to speak.

“This,” he said, his voice steady yet reverent, “is Nigg’erite. One of the most powerful materials in all of Pandora.”

Leon blinked, his mind pausing on the name. The way the Emperor said it carried weight, like he was speaking of something ancient, dangerous, and sacred all at once.

“Nigg’erite…” Leon repeated under his breath. The name felt heavy on his tongue, as if the air thickened just from saying it.

The Emperor continued, his tone taking on a deeper gravity. “It is formed in places where dragon blood has been spilled in large quantities.”

Leon’s eyes widened, disbelief flashing through them. “Dragon blood?” he echoed quietly.

The Emperor gave a single nod. “Yes. You must have already guessed what that means.”

Leon’s thoughts raced ahead of the explanation, connecting pieces that shouldn’t have fit together and yet they did.

The Emperor confirmed it a heartbeat later. “You’re right. This ore can only be found in the Dragon Mountains.”

Leon froze.

He couldn’t help but feel a shiver crawl down his spine. To think that this small, pitch-black orb—this impossible fragment of darkness, was born from the blood of dragons themselves.

Leon looked back at the Emperor, and for the first time since their meeting, he was truly speechless.