Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger - Chapter 366

Chapter 366: EX 366. Peak Talent
Racheal didn’t push her luck. She walked past the empty chairs and chose a seat beside Elizabeth. Sitting beside Nikko with the air still hot from primal energy would’ve been foolish.

Even with the confidence of a newly completed elf, she wasn’t delusional.

Elizabeth was calmer, and for now that was the safest distance.

With everyone finally settled, Leon leaned forward slightly.

The room, moments ago tense with territorial sparks, quieted at once. Every talent, every ally, every fighter in the room focused on him.

“Now,” Leon said, voice steady, “we can talk about why we’re here.”

A breath passed. The atmosphere thickened it was expectant and grounded.

“The topic is advancing our talents.”

****

All eyes settled on Leon the moment he mentioned advancing their talents.

Eden and Adrian traded a look, both realizing they had nearly forgotten such a thing even existed. Elizabeth and Nikko remembered just as quickly, and their gazes slid toward Racheal with the same sharp question.

Racheal raised her hands slightly, irritated but trying not to show it.

“What? It’s not like I forgot the deal. Things have been hectic. Who had the time to go searching for it?”

Leon watched her quietly as she spoke.

The truth was simple: before entering Pandora, Racheal made a deal with him and the squad. She and her guardian Jessica would accompany them through the trial, and in return she’d provide the map to the place capable of improving their talents.

But since arriving here, every one of them had been pushed to the brink with battles, breakthroughs, and responsibilities.

No one had the time to chase a treasure like that.

And now was the worst possible moment.

The campaign to the Hallow was already set.

The rulers of all domains were gathered. Armies were mobilized. Supply chains were loaded. Logistics were locked in place.

They couldn’t exactly stroll up to the rulers and say,

‘Give us a moment, we want to get stronger first.’ Even if Leon made the request and the rulers allowed it, it would be irresponsible.

Too many resources had been poured into today. Postponing could easily turn into an indefinite delay.

Still, Racheal pulled out the map.

Unfolding the old parchment on the table,

“should we really be going after a way to improve our talents with the campaign already underway?”

Her words didn’t stop her hands.

The map spread across the table like a quiet temptation.

The squad leaned in.

Even Malachi, lounging against the wall, opened an eye.

He didn’t understand most of their talent talk, but he understood enough to know it meant power. His ears perked.

‘Thks talent talk again.’ he thought.

He stayed silent, watching, until Adrian’s voice broke the room.

“Wait… isn’t this the capital?”

The table fell silent. Shock spread through everyone, Eden, Nikko, Elizabeth, Racheal. Even Malachi blinked.

Only Leon didn’t react.

He had already suspected it.

****

Elizabeth noticed first. She studied his face for a moment before speaking.

“You knew,” she said quietly.

Multiple eyes swung toward him as if waiting for an explanation.

Leon leaned back slightly, calm as ever.

“An oracle’s vision shouldn’t be taken at face value.”

Racheal froze. The others stiffened as if someone had drawn a blade.

Leon continued,

“Just because a vision said you would evolve your talents with a treasure inside a trial, you assumed the means of advancement had to be an item or a location.”

Frowns spread across the table. Adrian blinked. Eden’s head tilted. Even Elizabeth looked puzzled. Leon’s words sounded like riddles.

He let the confusion hang for a moment before finishing,

“It never occurred to you that the means could be a person.”

Realization struck the squad all at once. Every face shifted, from confusion to shock, from shock to understanding.

Because now they finally understood what he meant.

He was talking about himself.

****

Time seemed to steady in the quiet meeting room as Leon drew in a slow breath. What he was about to explain wasn’t something he had ever intended to bring up lightly.

His squad watched him from across the long table, each one carrying a weight of power most Trial Takers would never touch. And yet, compared to what he was about to say, even their current strength felt small.

A talent wasn’t something anyone could earn.

It wasn’t a reward or a skill to be learned. It was a gift — rare, sacred, and meant only for those the Trial World judged worthy.

In the long war against the demons, talents were what kept Trial Takers alive.

A Trial Taker with a talent could rise in strength faster than any professional in pandora.

That was why every every region and army coveted the ones who had awakened them.

Leon lifted his eyes to the squad and began speaking with a calm clarity.

“Talen­t ranks are fixed by the Trial World,” he said.

The room stayed silent, the faint thrum of power from each squad member echoing like a heartbeat under the table.

He continued.

“Most Trial Takers, if they’re lucky, awaken an Ordinary Talent. Even that is enough to grant them noble status and raise them far beyond the common class.”

“Above that,” Leon said, “there’s the Extraordinary Talent.”

Adrian and Eden straightened slightly. They didn’t look smug — they were simply acknowledging what they already knew. Extraordinary talents marked someone as a rising elite, someone with a future that could create legends.

“Then comes Supreme Talent.”

Leon’s gaze flicked toward Nikko. She met it with her usual unwavering calm.

Being a member of the Yakomoto lineage, the rulers of the Federation, she was born carrying a gift no ordinary bloodline could endure.

“Next,” Leon said gently, “is the Saint Rank Talent.”

Elizabeth’s fingers curled slightly at the edge of the table. Racheal, sitting beside her, held her chin high with that same quiet pride she had shown since completing her elven evolution. Their talents weren’t simply powerful, they flirted with divinity itself.

They stood only one breath beneath the greatest beings the Trial World had ever birthed.

But Leon’s tone shifted then, softer and deeper. As if the weight of his next words rested on the entire hall.

“But above the Saint Rank… there’s something else.”

A faint shiver went down Eden’s arms. Adrian leaned forward unconsciously. Even Nikko’s ears tilted, instinct sharpening. Racheal felt her heart beat once, hard, as if her soul recognized what was coming before her mind did.

Leon exhaled.

“A talent’s final rank,” he said,

“A Lord Talent.”

****

A/N: Early chapters today because I will be busy later to post…. Thank you for reading