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

Kelvin's hands were still sticky with beast blood as he carved the glowing core from a dead rodent-type creature. The setting sun painted the forest in orange and pink, making the beast's metallic fur shimmer. Around them lay three more of the creatures, their bodies already starting to decay with the absence of no core in their bodies as kelvin and Cora had carved them out by then already.

"Level ones," Cora muttered, pocketing another core. "Barely worth the effort."

Their monitoring bracelets gave off a soft blue glow against the dimming light, showing the vital signs of their teammates Noah and Lila, who'd split off to hunt in another sector.

Then came the sound that changed everything - a single, sharp beep.

The beep pierced the evening air, and Kelvin's world stopped.

'No, no, no. This has to be wrong.' His thoughts raced as he stared at Noah's greyed-out name. 'The bracelet must be malfunctioning. Noah's too good to die to some level 1 beasts. He scored top marks in combat strategy, for crying out loud!'

"This isn't right," he said aloud, his voice cracking. The core he'd been extracting fell from his trembling hands, rolling into the grass. "Cora, these things malfunction sometimes, right? They have to. Noah wouldn't—he couldn't—"

His eyes darted between his bracelet and the dissolving rodent-type beasts around them. Level 1 creatures, barely worth the effort of hunting. Noah may not be the best fighter but he'd surely have had a plan to take down threats while laughing them off with that stupid grin of his.

'Something's wrong. Really wrong.' The thought hit him like ice water. 'What if they encountered something else? What if Lila's in danger too?'

A familiar green glow that Cora had seen all too often during their hunt began to spread from his eyes, but this time it was different – desperate, almost frantic. The light raced down his cheeks like luminescent tears, gathering at his fingertips until they blazed with power.

"I need to find them," he growgled, pressing his glowing fingers against the bracelet. Sparks jumped between metal and skin, more violent than his usual technopathic connections. "I need to see for myself. This can't be real."

"Kelvin—" Cora started.

"We're supposed to be safe here!" His voice echoed through the trees, scattering birds from their sunset perches. "The academy's scouts cleared this area. Level 1 and 2 beasts only. Our suits can handle those. Our weapons can handle those. This doesn't make any sense!"

His glowing fingers danced across the bracelet's surface, leaving trails of light in their wake. Each modification sent pain shooting up his arms, but he pushed harder. The green light pulsed brighter, burning his skin, but he barely noticed.

'Noah, you better be alive,' he thought, even as blood began trickling from his nose. 'You better have dropped your bracelet somewhere, you idiot. You better be complaining about losing your expensive gear when we find you.'

The tracker finally activated, showing Lila's location. Without waiting for Cora, Kelvin broke into a run, following the signal. His legs were shaky from the technopathic drain, but adrenaline pushed him forward.

The forest grew denser as they ran, the setting sun casting strange shadows through the canopy. After what felt like hours but must have been minutes, they reached the mouth of a cave.

Kelvin's bracelet chirped, indicating Lila's signal was coming from inside. They went into the cave with apprehension, moving fast and quick, following the signal. They'd only made it to three intersecting pathways with tunnels leading to other places before they stopped dead in their tracks.

What made them both freeze was the massive shape near the exist of one of these tunnels.

"Is that..." Kelvin's voice trailed off as his bracelet activated its scanning function. The green glow from his hands intensified the display's readout.

[Level 3 beast detected - Stonewall Behemoth]

The beast lay dead, partially crushed under fallen rocks, its massive form already beginning to dissolve into particles of light. But even in death, its presence was overwhelming. Curved fangs longer than Kelvin's arm. Claws that could shred their protective latex suits like paper.

"Impossible," Cora muttered, her usual composure cracking as she surveyed the cave entrance. The walls were scarred with claw marks and impact craters. Signs of an intense battle. "The scouts cleared this area. Level 1 and 2 only."

'This is what you faced?' Kelvin thought, staring at the dissolving monster. 'Noah, what happened here?'

Cora moved deeper into the cave, her eyes scanning the destruction. Her mind was racing behind that controlled expression. 'The academy must know by now,' she thought. 'But Class 1B deaths aren't priority. Not like Class 1A. Still...'

She glanced at Kelvin, who was still staring at the Level 3 beast with horror and realization dawning on his face. She barely knew Noah – they'd only formed their group of four that morning. But seeing the evidence of what he'd faced, what he and Lila had confronted alone...

"The teachers at the rendezvous point," she said quietly, "they'll have gotten the death notification. But they won't mobilize. Not for—"

"Not for Class 1B students," Kelvin finished, his voice bitter. "Not when their precious 1A students might need attention." His glowing hands clenched into fists. "But how did this thing get here? The scouts..."

"Either they missed it," Cora said, examining a particularly deep claw mark in the cave wall, "or something brought it here after their sweep." She paused, considering the implications. "Neither option is good."

Kelvin's bracelet beeped again – a reminder that Lila's vitals were still declining.

"She's in here somewhere," he said, pushing aside his questions about the Level 3 beast. They could figure out how it got here later. Right now, they had to find their teammates.

'Hold on, Lila,' Kelvin thought as they ventured deeper. 'And Noah... please prove me right. Please be alive.'

----

Deep in the cave system, Lila pressed her back against the cold stone wall, trying to steady her ragged breathing. Blood soaked through her torn latex suit, dripping onto the rocky ground beneath her. Her wounds throbbed with each heartbeat - deep gashes across her legs, a mangled right arm that hung useless at her side.

Then her bracelet beeped.

Through blurred vision, she saw Noah's name turn grey. The vital signs flatlined.

"No..." The word came out as a broken whisper. Her good hand clutched at the bracelet, smearing blood across its display. Just minutes ago, Noah had looked back at her with that determined expression, saying he'd draw the beast away. "You didn't have to..."

She tried to push herself up, but her legs gave out immediately. The pain shot through her like electricity, drawing a sharp gasp. But she couldn't stay here. Not after what he'd done.

'I barely knew him,' she thought, lowering herself to the ground. 'Just met this morning when teams were assigned. But he...'

Gritting her teeth, Lila began to crawl. Her left arm pulled her forward while her useless legs dragged behind, leaving a dark trail on the stone floor. Each movement sent waves of agony through her body, but she kept going.

The tunnel Noah had led the Stonewall Behemoth down was littered with evidence of the battle. Massive stone spikes jutted from the walls and floor - the beast's projectile attack. Each one was the size of a javelin, their edges wickedly sharp. Some were stained with what looked horribly like blood.

'Is this what got you, Noah?' She paused, staring at the blood-marked spikes. Her vision blurred with tears. 'You didn't even know me, but you drew its attention. Told me to hide while you...'

A distant rumble echoed through the cave. Lila froze, her heart pounding. Was the alpha returning? The thought should have terrified her, but as another wave of pain washed over her, she found herself oddly calm.

'Maybe it would be easier,' she thought, letting her head rest against the cool stone floor. The blood loss was making her dizzy. 'At least then the pain would stop.'

But Noah's last words echoed in her mind: "Try not to bleed out!"

Those weren't the words of someone who expected to die. He'd had a plan, surely. Noah always had a plan - she'd noticed that much about him during their brief time as teammates. Even as he ran, drawing the behemoth's attention, he'd moved with purpose.

Another wave of pain wracked her body. The ceiling spun above her, rock formations blurring into abstract patterns. Her bracelet felt heavy on her wrist, Noah's greyed-out name a constant reminder of her failure to do anything but watch him run to his death.

She pulled herself forward another few inches, past more stone spikes, following the trail of destruction. The least she could do was find him. Understand what happened. Even if it meant...

A sound echoed from somewhere in the tunnel system - footsteps? The behemoth's return? At this point, she wasn't sure which would be worse.

She dragged herself another foot forward, leaving a wider smear of blood on the stone.

'I'm sorry, Noah,' she thought as her vision began to darken at the edges. 'I'm sorry I couldn't help. Sorry I just watched. Sorry I...'

The footsteps grew louder, echoing off the cave walls. But Lila barely registered them now as consciousness began to slip away from her like water through cupped hands.

***

Noah's eyes flickered open to a sight that seemed impossible. Gone was the endless darkness of the void. Instead, he stood in a vast expanse of rolling meadows stretching as far as he could see. The grass swayed in a nonexistent breeze, each blade shimmering with an otherworldly iridescence.

[Welcome to your Domain, Child of the Void]

"My... domain?" Noah turned slowly, taking in the surreal landscape.

[This space belongs to you. Here, your imagination is your only limit. However, the Domain requires development to reach its full potential.]

Noah raised his hands, watching as wisps of darkness curled around his fingers. The sensation was foreign yet somehow familiar, like remembering a dream.

[Re-Awakening complete. Initializing profile...]

[Name: Noah Eclipse]

[Level: 1]

[Class: Void Walker]

[Talents:]

- Void Summoning [SSS RANK]

- Perfect Echo [Sealed]

[Skills:]

- Void Blink (Level 1) - Short-range teleportation through void spaces

- Null Strike (Level 1) - Channel void energy into devastating attacks

[Attributes:]

- Strength: 10

- Agility: 12

- Vitality: 8

- Intelligence: 15

- Wisdom: 11

Noah's jaw dropped as he read through his profile. His hands trembled slightly as he stared at the SSS rank designation.

"This... this has to be a mistake," he whispered. "SSS rank? That's impossible. That's alpha class territory. The generals on the ark ships, the legends who could tear apart reality itself—those are SSS rank abilities!"

He thought back to his old ability, Perfect Echo. It had been barely level 1, allowing him to perfectly mimic sounds he'd heard. Useful for communications and stealth, maybe, but nothing more. Nothing like this.

'From being mocked for having a "useless" ability to... this?' His mind raced with the implications. 'The void really changed everything.'

[Congratulations. You have retrieved a beast egg during your convergence.]

[Would you like to hatch it?]

Noah blinked in surprise. "A beast egg? From where?" He thought back to the behemoth, wondering if somehow...

[Yes/No?]

"Yes," Noah said firmly, curiosity overtaking his confusion. "Show me what's inside."

[Initiating hatching process...]

[Time until completion: 00:01:00]

[59...]

[58...]

Noah watched with bated breath as a dark sphere materialized before him, floating gently in the air. The surface rippled like liquid darkness, occasional sparks of void energy crackling across its surface.

'Whatever you are,' he thought, watching the countdown continue, 'I hope you're ready for what's coming. Because with this power... everything changes.'

The egg pulsed ominously as the timer ticked down, each second bringing Noah closer to meeting his first companion in this new existence.

The egg pulsed one final time before cracks spread across its surface like spider webs. Dark energy seeped from the fissures, and with a soft pop, the shell dissolved into particles of void matter.

There, floating in the air before Noah, was a creature unlike anything he'd ever seen.

The hatchling was barely the size of a puppy, its serpentine body covered in scales that seemed to absorb light itself. The base color was a deep crimson that appeared almost black, but when it moved, the scales shifted with an inner fire that made them gleam like burning coals. Four stubby but powerful-looking limbs ended in obsidian claws, and its long, serpentine neck supported a wedge-shaped head with distinctive ridges above its eyes.

But what caught Noah's attention most were its eyes – large, reptilian orbs that seemed too big for its head, glowing with an inner intelligence. The vertical pupils fixed on him with an unblinking stare.

The creature opened its mouth, revealing tiny sharp teeth, and let out a sound that made Noah start – not a roar or a growl, but a high-pitched "mrrrp?" that sounded almost questioning.

[Congratulations. You have hatched a Red Death Dragon (Hatchling)]

"A dragon?" Noah whispered, reaching out carefully. The hatchling butted its head against his hand, making that strange trilling sound again.

[This is your first beast companion. Unlike natural summons, this creature can be tamed and will grow alongside you]

[Note: This beast does not conform to the standard Level 1-5 classification system. It exists outside conventional parameters]

Noah stroked the smooth scales, marveling at how they were both cool and warm to the touch. "How do I take care of it?"

[The hatchling requires nourishment. Beast cores provide the pure energy needed for growth]

"Beast cores?" Noah thought for a moment, then remembered. "Wait, I have the Stonewall Behemoth's core..."

[Correct. Would you like to feed the core to your hatchling?]

"Yes."

The level 3 core materialized in his hand, glowing with stored energy. The hatchling's eyes fixed on it immediately, that strange trilling sound becoming more intense.

When Noah held out the core, the little dragon snatched it with surprising speed. Its tiny jaws crushed through the core's outer shell, and it began to absorb the pure energy within. The process lasted only seconds, and then the hatchling made a sound almost like a hiccup before simply vanishing from sight.

"What—where did it go?" Noah spun around, searching.

[The hatchling has been stored in your void space. It will continue to grow and evolve as it absorbs more energy]

[Child of the Void, it is time. The void will embrace you, and you shall be made whole. Your true purpose awaits in the world beyond]

Noah stared at his hands, still feeling the phantom sensation of those warm scales. "My true purpose..."

The domain around him began to fade, reality bleeding back in at the edges of his vision. As the void embraced him once more, Noah couldn't help but smile. From a nobody with a useless ability to this – whatever this was, wherever it would lead him, he was ready.

The meadow dissolved completely, and Noah Eclipse, Child of the Void, prepared to face his destiny.