Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner

Noah's breath came in ragged gasps, the cool, damp air of the cave doing little to soothe the burning in his lungs. The faint tremor beneath his feet told him all he needed to know—the alpha behemoth was on its way. Dust and debris from the earlier collapse still floated in the air, settling slowly like a deadly reminder of how things had gone so horribly wrong.

Lila slumped against the cold stone wall, her face pale and slick with sweat. Blood seeped from the gash in her thigh, staining her torn combat suit and pooling on the rocky ground. Her left arm hung limp, her fingers twitching uselessly.

"Great. Just perfect," Noah muttered, pacing in a tight circle. His hand ran through his disheveled hair, tugging at the roots as his mind raced.

'Why the hell did I ever agree to bring her along?' he thought bitterly. 'Oh, Lila's so strong, Noah. Lila's a damn powerhouse, Noah. Yeah, and now Lila's a glorified sack of meat bleeding all over the floor.'

He crouched briefly, examining her injuries. The deep gash on her thigh was bad—bad enough that she wouldn't be running anytime soon. Her arm? Useless. She winced as he prodded her leg, her blue eyes glaring at him with a mix of pain and irritation.

"Stop poking me," she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Stop bleeding all over the place," he snapped back.

Her glare intensified, but she didn't respond.

Noah stood and paced again, his boots crunching against loose gravel. The faint, rhythmic thuds of the alpha behemoth's steps grew louder, closer, each one vibrating through the stone and rattling his nerves.

'Okay, focus, Noah. Think. Pros and cons. Start with the cons because, let's face it, there are no pros right now.'

He glanced back at Lila, her breathing shallow and labored.

'First con: the human weapon is out of commission. Thanks for that, Lila. You're a real asset to the team. I mean, who doesn't love carrying dead weight?'

The cave rumbled slightly, a low, ominous growl echoing from deeper within.

'Second con: the alpha behemoth. Because, clearly, the universe decided that one massive death monster wasn't enough for today. Nope, we needed a sequel.'

His eyes scanned the cave, taking in the jagged walls and the uneven floor. The earlier collapse had opened up a wide pathway—too wide for his liking.

'Third con: I did this. I brought the damn ceiling down and rolled out the red carpet for Mr. Alpha to come and join the party. Bravo, Noah. Really outdid yourself this time.'

He stopped pacing, his hands on his hips as he glared at the cavern entrance. His mind raced through possible escape routes, but none of them seemed viable.

'We're too far in to make it out before that thing catches up. And even if we could run, Lila's dead weight. No way she's keeping up with me in this state. Not that she ever could, honestly.'

He shot her a sidelong glance, his lips twitching in irritation.

'Why did I even agree to team up with her? Oh, right, because teamwork makes the dream work, or some other bullshit they drilled into us. Kelvin and Cora are probably out there racking up points while I babysit the walking corpse over here.'

Lila shifted slightly, wincing as she tried to adjust her position.

"Stop moving," Noah said, his voice sharp.

"I'm trying to—"

"Yeah, yeah. Trying to make things worse. Just sit there and... not die, okay?"

Her glare returned, but he ignored it.

Noah leaned against the wall, closing his eyes for a brief moment to collect himself. The sound of the alpha's footsteps was growing louder, the vibrations more pronounced.

'Over all situation assessment time. Let's review the facts. One: I've got a useless teammate. Two: our weapons are about as effective as throwing pebbles at a tank. Three: my only ability is perfect echo, which is about as helpful as a motivational poster in a sinking ship.'

Perfect echo—his so-called "ability." A gift, the instructors had called it, though Noah had always thought "cruel joke" was more accurate. It allowed him to perfectly mimic any sound he'd heard before, but what good was that against a creature that didn't give a damn about noise?

'What am I supposed to do? Sing it to death? Play it a goddamn lullaby?'

The frustration bubbled up, and he let out a sharp laugh, the sound bouncing eerily off the cave walls.

---

He turned back to Lila, his expression hardening.

"Listen," he said, crouching down beside her. "You're not going to like what I'm about to say."

Her eyes narrowed. "What now?"

"We're trapped. The alpha's on its way, and I can't carry your sorry ass out of here. So, unless you've got a magic healing potion hidden somewhere, we're out of options."

Her jaw tightened, but she didn't argue.

"So, here's the plan," he continued, his tone brisk. "We fight. And by 'we,' I mostly mean me, because you're about as useful as a wet napkin right now."

Her lips curled into a faint, defiant smirk despite her pain. "You're a real ray of sunshine, you know that?"

"Yeah, well, sunshine's overrated. Now shut up and let me think."

---

Noah's eyes darted around the cave, searching for anything that could be used to their advantage. The jagged walls, the loose rocks, the narrow sections of the cave—all potential tools in the right hands.

'The alpha's massive. It'll have a hard time maneuvering in here if I can funnel it into a tight spot. But how do I get it there? And once it's there, how do I kill it? Rocks won't cut it. Neither will our weapons.'

His gaze lingered on a particularly sharp stalactite hanging precariously from the ceiling.

'Maybe... just maybe.'

A plan began to form, rough and desperate, but it was better than nothing.

---

He stood abruptly, his voice firm. "Lila, stay here. Don't move. Don't die. Got it?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "What are you—"

"Saving your life," he cut in, already moving toward the narrower part of the cave. "Try not to bleed out before I get back."

The alpha's growl echoed closer, the sound sending shivers down his spine.

'This is insane,' he thought, his heart pounding. 'But hey, when has that ever stopped me?'

----

Noah's boots pounded against the uneven ground as the alpha behemoth barreled forward, its claws digging into the cave floor like drills. The sheer force of its movements sent tremors through the stone, cracks spiderwebbing across the walls and ceiling.

'This thing's going to bring the whole damn cave down on our heads!'

The beast's growl reverberated through the cavern, a guttural roar that seemed to come from the depths of hell itself. Its claws weren't just tearing—they were burrowing, carving pathways through the cave like it was nothing more than soft clay.

Noah's eyes darted toward Lila, slumped against the far wall, her blood pooling beneath her. She was barely holding on, and as much as he wanted to leave her behind and save his own skin, the points system wouldn't reward him for a dead teammate.

'A living liability is still better than a dead one,' he thought bitterly.

The alpha's claws tore through another section of the cave floor, debris flying as it burrowed deeper. Noah gritted his teeth, his mind racing.

'Screw it.'

He sprinted forward, scaling a jagged rock to gain some elevation. With a burst of adrenaline, he leaped off the ledge, twin blades in hand, and brought them down with every ounce of momentum he could muster. The steel crashed against the behemoth's jagged back, sparks flying as the blades slid off its impenetrable hide.

As expected, the attack did nothing.

'Figures. These glorified butter knives couldn't cut through a steak, let alone a walking fortress.'

But that wasn't the plan. He landed on the ground with a roll, immediately scrambling to his feet as the behemoth roared, twisting its massive head toward him.

'The plan, if you can even call it that, is to stop this oversized wrecking ball from collapsing the entire cave before I can find a way out. And, oh yeah, keep my bleeding teammate alive so I don't lose any points. No big deal.'

The behemoth's focus shifted entirely to Noah, its glowing eyes locking onto him as it let out another earth-shaking roar. He didn't wait for an invitation.

"Come on, you ugly bastard," Noah muttered, taking off at a dead sprint.

The beast lumbered after him, its claws smashing into the ground with terrifying force. The cave shook with every step, loose rocks tumbling from the ceiling.

Noah's mind raced as he ran, dodging fallen debris. He'd noticed something earlier, faint striations on the cave walls that hinted at its geological history.

'Okay, think. Those striations mean volcanic activity—probably ancient, but still. This rock isn't just sedimentary. There's a good chance there's a molten core somewhere deeper in the cave. If I can lure this thing there... maybe, just maybe, I can end this.'

It was a gamble, but gambles were all he had left.

As he darted around a corner, an object shot past him, whistling through the air like a javelin.

"Holy shit!" he shouted, narrowly dodging to the side as it embedded itself in the cave wall.

'Spikes. Of course it shoots spikes. Why wouldn't it have spikes? Because claws the size of goddamn trees weren't enough!'

Another spike shot out, grazing the wall beside him and sending shards of rock flying. A third one came dangerously close, missing him by mere inches.

Noah didn't dare look back.

'Keep running. Don't think. Don't stop. Just run.'

More spikes rained down, some crashing into the ground ahead of him, others ricocheting off the walls. The air was thick with dust and debris, each breath burning in his lungs.

'If I survive this—and that's a big if—I better be getting that top-class spot. Hell, they should name a whole wing after me for this!'

The behemoth roared again, its frustration evident as Noah zigzagged through the cavern, using the uneven terrain to his advantage.

He could feel the heat increasing as he pushed further into the cave. The walls glowed faintly, the air growing thicker with each step.

'There it is,' he thought, a grim smile tugging at his lips. 'The molten core. If I can just—'

A spike shot past his head, close enough that he could feel the air displacement. He ducked instinctively, rolling to the side as another spike slammed into the ground where he'd just been.

'No time to think. Just move!'

The glowing chamber loomed ahead, its molten pool bubbling ominously. The heat was nearly unbearable, sweat dripping from Noah's brow as he sprinted toward it.

'All or nothing,' he thought, his jaw tightening. 'Come and get me, you oversized pincushion.'