My Special Ability is Growing Muscles

They barely started their scouting mission and they already met a construct.

That told Kairo all he needed to know about this ruined fortress. 'Clearing it is going to be harder than expected'.

Captain Helios's orders were clear. Their mission was not just to scout a safe route through the fortress for the supply caravan, but to also clear the fortress of monsters that could pose a threat to the caravan.

They already defeated the first construct, but it was only the first of many.

The echo of the shattered Orcish construct still rang in the fortress halls when Valek Drakar stepped forward, his cloak billowing, and his crimson eyes burning like coals as he stared at the members of his platoon.

With the instructor assigned to Platoon 3 not here, they didn't exactly have a leader to guide them through the reconnaissance mission.

Valek saw an opportunity in that, an opportunity to assert his dominance.

"You'll follow me from now on," he declared coldly, his voice slicing through the dusty air. "I don't care about your doubts. Just don't get in my way, or die where you stand".

Some nodded quickly as they were intimidated by his aura, but others glanced uncertainly between him and Kairo.

Kairo's reaction? He almost rolled his eyes. 'Really?'

After a few of their classmates died back in the wild zone, the nature of the mission changed for every student. Kairo thought after that Valek would have grown some sense, but it seemed like he overestimated the noble.

Instead of reacting, he just leaned against a cracked pillar, chewing a strip of dried meat from the little cloth sack he had tied to his belt.

After the wild zone, he knew that he could no longer keep his meat ration. If he wanted to be at his best for every battle, he had to maintain a healthy eating schedule. Well, he didn't know if eating this much was actually healthy.

His muscles twitched faintly as he swallowed.

He didn't argue, neither did he challenge. He only thought. 'Fine, lead. Let's see if you can keep them alive'.

'I do hope you can'.

Kairo didn't react much outwardly to their deaths, but the death of his classmates back at the wild zone left a deep impression on him.

At that moment, the momentary silence was broken as a low groan rippled through the stone. Then, with an earsplitting grind, the walls shifted as broken tiles split open.

Dozens of ancient constructs stirred, their eyes burning with sickly mana as their limbs snapped into place.

From fissures in the walls, skeletal Orc warriors dragged themselves out, their bones etched with faintly glowing glyphs.

The death of the first summoned the others.

In an instant, the ruined keep came alive in a chorus of iron and bone as the students clashed against the constructs.

"Formation!" Valek barked, summoning his Obsidian Serpent.

Bzzz!

The phantom snake coiled around his body with a hiss, its black scales glittering with venom. His Blood Tyrant pulsed in his veins, crimson chains lashing out to impale an advancing Orc skeleton.

At first, the platoon surged with him. His power was undeniable, his arrogance momentarily inspiring. Constructs shattered beneath his serpent's crush, and undead warriors ripped apart in sprays of glowing blood.

But soon the cracks showed.

Valek's orders were reckless, charging forward without thought for the flanks, breaking formation to dominate kills. He was too eager to show his strength that he was the strongest in the platoon.

And soon, the platoon scattered in the chaos as students were forced into isolated skirmishes.

"Hold the left!" Mira shouted, dragging a wind shield into place as a skeletal axe swung at her head. "He's leaving us wide open!"

Kairo gritted his teeth as he chewed another strip of meat. 'Bastard!' His instincts screamed that the tide was turning.

Sure enough, three E Rank constructs lumbered from the shadows, their movements heavy but lethal. Their iron fists tore through stone, cleaving gaps in Valek's thin lines. The students screamed, barely holding back the storm.

That was when Kairo stepped in.

Finally letting the meat fall from his hand, he moved.

THUD…

Kairo's tight muscles flexed, swelling as mana flooded his veins. He pushed off the pillar with a roar.

The nearest construct swung a mace down on a panicking student, but before it could connect, Kairo blurred forward and then...

BOOM!

His fist cracked straight through its core, shattering the orb inside. The construct crumbled like sand.

Gasps rippled across the platoon as a system chime echoed in his head.

DING!

~----~

[Congratulations! Your combat experience has increased!]

[Your Warrior level has ranked up.]

[Warrior Lv.1 → Lv.2]

[Rank Advancement Approaching: E-]

[New Ability Art Unlocked: Flex Surge]

>An art that when mastered, grants short bursts of enhanced movement.

[Unmastered: Requirements not met]

~----~

'Huh?'

Kairo's body pulsed.

Flex Surge… the ability art related to his special ability didn't even try to gain permission before roaring to life as he felt it in his bones. According to the system, he was yet to master it, but it didn't matter at this moment.

It ignited through him out of instinct, short bursts of raw explosive movement propelling him forward like a thunderclap.

Thud… thud… thud…

Like a phantom mirage, he weaved between constructs, fists smashing, each strike landing with brutal precision.

"Move with him!" Mira shouted, instinctively rallying behind his momentum.

The platoon steadied. And soon, his bursts became the anchor for the third Platoon, his survivalist instinct the glue that kept them together. Every surge opened an opening, and every crash of muscle created space.

Far across the ruin, Adrain Cross was a different sight altogether as his platoon pushed deeper into the ruined fortress in another direction.

With his Chrono-Shift, he slowed enemy movements into crawling blurs, while his Celestial Dominion summoned blazing arcs of radiant light.

Constructs froze mid-swing, shattered by spears of divine brilliance. His platoon watched in awe, their fear swallowed by the confidence of fighting beside a living miracle.

Meanwhile, Selene Duskbane danced like a phantom.

Her Moonveil Sorcery cloaked her in pale light, each step bending shadows. Phantom Mirage created three illusory copies of herself, darting across the battlefield, slashing through Orc undead.

Her platoon was steadied not by her commands, but by the hypnotic terror she sowed in their enemies.

The Monster Trio were all proving why they bore that name, though Valek also showed his weakness that he could not lead.

Kairo burst through another construct, his chest heaving, his body drenched in sweat. Flex Surge flickered again, making him stagger for a breath, but he forced himself upright.

"Push!" He roared.

His voice carried authority, even as Valek's glare bored into his back.

The platoon instinctively followed him, not Valek. Their defense tightened, their strikes sharper with survival beginning to replace chaos.

By the time the last construct collapsed into dust, silence fell across the ruin. Dozens of shattered cores and broken bones littered the floor.

Kairo exhaled heavily, flexing his trembling hands. His body screamed in pain, but the rush of victory overrode it.

Behind him, Valek's jaw clenched so hard his teeth bled. His serpent flickered and vanished. The noble prince had slain many, even more than Kairo, but it was Kairo the platoon had rallied around.

Mira glanced at Valek's stormy face, then at Kairo's calm stance.

Her face twitched. 'That's the difference. Valek wants to be followed, Kairo, that bastard… he makes you follow'.

'I bet he led a gang of rebellious kids when he was younger'.