Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger - Chapter 314

Chapter 314: EX 314. Contact
In the heart of the Tyrant’s Forest, just beyond the city of Shantel, the air was thick with the scent of moss and damp soil. Shadows shifted between the trees as James crouched low behind a cluster of roots, his eyes fixed on a lone horned rabbit grazing in the underbrush.

The creature was small, yet its aura shimmered faintly, a Rank 4 beast. Dangerous, fast, and cunning. It wasn’t the kind of prey one took lightly.

Behind James, a dozen men and women waited in silence, weapons drawn, every breath measured. They were survivors of Shantel, citizens who had once cowered under fear, now transformed into fighters under the teachings Leon had left behind.

Leon… The name alone carried weight, a kind of quiet reverence that bound them all.

James’s grip on his staff tightened as he waited for the perfect opening. Months ago, he would never have imagined himself leading a squad this large, let alone facing down a Rank 4 beast. But thanks to the arts Leon had left for them before disappearing, their strength had soared. Professionals had begun to appear among ordinary townsfolk like a sudden spring bloom. Even James himself, once stuck at Rank 2 for years, had finally broken through.

A twig snapped softly beside him.

James didn’t turn immediately. “What is it?” he whispered, still watching the rabbit’s movement.

A muscular man crawled up beside him, his massive frame somehow managing to stay quiet against the forest floor. It was Carl, the fighter of the squad, and one of James’s oldest comrades.

Carl’s tone was low, urgent. “It’s concerning Lord Leon, Captain.”

James’s focus shattered. He spun toward Carl at once, the rabbit forgotten. “What about him? Tell me everything.”

****

For as long as anyone in Shantel could remember, their city had been cut off from the rest of Pandora. The isolation had begun under the rule of their previous Lord, Pius, a man whose very presence had twisted the city into something suffocating and strange. And when the tether within Shantel had taken root, any trace of outside contact had vanished completely.

But that changed the day Leon destroyed it.

The barrier that had once strangled the city was gone, and the communication with the rest of pandora had begun to flow again. For the first time in since the tether appeared, news was reaching Shantel again.

That was how Carl, gruff, had caught the news. Through one of those open channels came details that left his hands trembling. He didn’t hesitate to find his captain.

Now, crouched in the shadows of the Tyrant’s Forest, Carl’s chest rose and fell quickly as he leaned beside James, who was still fixated on the horned rabbit grazing just ahead.

James’s patience was already fraying. “Well? What is it?” he hissed, keeping his voice low so as not to startle the prey.

Carl hesitated for a breath, sensing his captain’s edge, then finally spoke. “It’s about Lord Leon.”

James froze. His eyes flicked off the rabbit for the first time in minutes.

Carl swallowed, then said softly, “He’s alive.”

The world seemed to pause. The soft rustle of leaves faded into the background as a wave of relief swept through James. His shoulders, tense from cycles of uncertainty, loosened all at once. “He’s alive,” he echoed under his breath, almost afraid the words would vanish if he said them too loudly.

But Carl wasn’t done. “And… it seems he’s a very important person to the rulers of Pandora.”

James blinked, processing. “The rulers themselves?” he murmured, disbelief flickering across his face. The rulers of Pandora, those ancient, near-mythic figures, recognizing Leon?

He let out a low chuckle and smirked faintly. “Well, what else would I expect from the lord?”

The rest of the squad listened in stunned silence. For them, Leon was already a legend, but hearing that the highest powers in Pandora acknowledged him felt unreal. As for the talk of corruption and Leon being the only one capable of destroying it, those parts Carl repeated from the news were harder to grasp. The people of Shantel had lived in its shadow for generations, yet none of them truly understood what corruption was. Even now, they were only beginning to piece together its meaning.

Before James could ask more, a faint rustle came from the thicket to their right.

A young woman crawled toward them, her face streaked with dirt, eyes sharp and wide. It was Crystal, their scout. Her expression alone made James tense.

“What is it?” he whispered.

“One of my perimeter alarms triggered,” she said quickly, voice hushed but urgent. “Something fast is coming our way.”

James’s heart skipped. He scanned the trees, fingers tightening on his staff. “Direction?”

“Northwest, maybe a hundred meters—”

Before she could finish, the ground trembled faintly.

The rabbit they’d been stalking twitched, ears perking up. It never got the chance to run.

With a wet crunch, its head was impaled by a black rod that came from the sky, no, not a rod. A leg, long and slick and jointed like armor. The rest of the creature followed, crawling from the darkness above, a spider, massive enough to blot out the treetops, its many eyes gleaming crimson in the gloom.

James’s stomach dropped.

“Oh my stars…” he breathed, voice trembling for only a heartbeat before he snapped into motion.

“RETREAT!” he roared.

The forest erupted with movement, boots pounding against the dirt, leaves scattering, shouts echoing as the monstrous spider screamed, a sound that tore through the woods like splitting metal.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t just another forest beast.

It was something else.

****

James and his squad had boarded their flying vessel as it dashed through the undergrowth, branches whipping against their faces as they fled deeper into the Tyrant’s Forest. The air shook with the distant screech of the spider behind them, but something felt… off.

James glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see the creature chasing them, but it wasn’t. The massive spider loomed over the corpse of the horned rabbit, its fanged mandibles clicking, its crimson eyes not even glancing in their direction.

It wasn’t hunting them.

It was… hurting.

James slowed down the vessel just long enough to take in the sight. The spider’s dark carapace was scorched, glowing faintly with embers where the chitin had melted away. Steam rose from its body, and the ground beneath it hissed where burning blood dripped down.

“What in the world…” he muttered under his breath. ‘What could injure something like that?’ The thing radiated rank five power at least. Whatever had wounded it wasn’t something they wanted to meet.

He raised his hand, signaling for the squad to stop. Everyone crouched low within the vessel, breathing hard but quiet, their eyes flicking to the wounded monster.

Then, a voice echoed through the forest, sharp and clear, cutting through the smoky air.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding”

James’s eyes went wide.

“Who—” he began, then froze.

Above the treeline, a figure was descending fast, not flying, but falling.

The squad looked up just in time to see him. A boy, no, a young man, plummeting from the sky. His hair burned a deep crimson, matching the fire that seemed to flicker faintly in his red eyes. The wind whipped around him as he twisted midair, one hand stretching toward the spider below.

In an instant, flame gathered around his arm, thick, wild, and alive.

Crystal’s eyes widened as the heat brushed against them even from a distance. “Captain… It’s bigger than yours.” she breathed, stunned.

James didn’t even answer. He couldn’t take his eyes off the boy. The air vibrated with energy, and then,

The fireball completed its form, a molten sphere twice the spider’s size, and hurtled downward with a thunderous roar.

The moment it struck, the forest lit up.

BOOOOOOM!

****

A/N: I feel like the bad guy saying this after all the effort you guys have put into raising the Golden Ticket ranking from below 100 to 61st place, but the deal was top 50 for a mass release, and I believe we can do it. So let’s make it happen!

P.s Eragon is not going to be a cockroach villain.