Re-Awakening: Cannon Fodder With Strongest Talent

Two days had passed since the massive territorial upgrades, and the transformation was remarkable. Ethan's status reflected the systematic advancement that constant herb cultivation and consumption had provided:

<Human: Ethan Brandon>

<Rank: High-Gold>

<Talents: Fire (D), Water(D-), Crystal Manipulation (D), Speed (E+), Wind(E+), Protective Shield (F+), Accuracy Enhancement (F+), Regeneration (F+), Dagger Wield (F-), Mental Enhancement (F)>

<Transformations: Apex Mane(Mid-Gold), Crystal Butterfly(Low-Gold), Lazy Monkey(Peak-Silver), Tunneler Behemoth(High-Silver), Crystal Ape (Mid-Silver), Panther (Mid-Silver), Silver Serpent (Mid-Silver), Harpy(Mid-Silver)>

<Level 8>

<Health Points: 3050> <Mana Points: 3250>

<Strength: 360> <Agility: 350> <Intelligence: 345> <Vitality: 355>

<Free Attributes: 20>

<Skills: Basic Footwork (Apprentice- 1%), Swordsmanship (Novice - 70%), Mana control (Novice - 98%)>

'High-Gold rank achieved. All attributes are balanced above 340. Substantial improvement.'

The advancement to High-Gold represented more than numerical increases—it was qualitative transformation that multiplied his combat effectiveness exponentially. His mana points had increased by over 3200 points while his health pool expanded to match his enhanced durability.

'Level 8. Basic Footwork reached Apprentice mastery. Mana control approaching mastery.'

The skill advancement pleased him almost as much as the rank progression. Apprentice-level footwork provided movement capabilities that bordered on the supernatural, while near-perfect mana control eliminated energy waste from magical applications.

His territorial infrastructure had evolved beyond recognition. The Level 4 Summoning Gate stood as a monument to systematic advancement, its enhanced capabilities providing access to Low-Silver rank subjects with guaranteed professional allocations.

'Fifteen subjects per day. Three professionals guaranteed. All at Low-Silver baseline.'

The quality improvement was substantial. Low-Silver subjects possessed combat capabilities that dwarfed their Bronze-rank predecessors, while professional specialists arrived with expertise that accelerated territorial development dramatically.

The gate's latest upgrade had also unlocked access to a new blueprint—Blacksmith Forge construction specifications that promised weapon and armor enhancement capabilities. But without a blacksmith professional among his subjects, the blueprint remained theoretical.

'Need a weaponsmith or metalworker to make it functional. Future priority.'

His herb cultivation system had achieved something approaching an agricultural miracle. Three Tier 3 gardens operating at maximum capacity produced harvests that defied natural limitations. Tier 5 herbs grew in carefully tended plots while Tier 6 specimens approached maturation in the most advanced beds.

'From scarcity to abundance through my devouring.'

The mathematical progression was staggering. Each tier of herb provided exponentially greater advancement benefits than its predecessor. Tier 6 specimens would grant attribute increases that could push him toward Platinum rank within days rather than months.

'The enemy has no idea what they're facing now.'

Confidence filled him as he considered the upcoming confrontation. High-Gold rank placed him on roughly equal footing with most opposition leaders, while his diverse talent portfolio provided tactical options that specialized fighters couldn't match.

'Time to see if systematic advancement beats organizational strength.'

A commotion at the territory's edge interrupted his strategic planning. One of his perimeter guards was running toward the Town Hall with the desperate urgency that meant immediate crisis.

"My Lord!" The guard—one of the newer Low-Silver recruits—skidded to a halt before the building. "Movement spotted in the northern jungle! Multiple contacts approaching our territorial boundary!"

'Finally. The retaliation arrives.'

"Details," Ethan commanded, his voice sharp with tactical focus.

"Large force. Military formation. They're not trying to hide their approach." The guard's professional assessment carried weight despite his obvious concern. "I left my team in observation position and came to report immediately."

'Smart tactics. Maintain surveillance while bringing intelligence.'

"Numbers?"

"At least twenty combatants. Possibly more in reserve. Their energy signatures suggest significant threat levels."

'Twenty minimum. Substantial force deployment.'

"Your team's current position?"

"Concealed observation post approximately one kilometer north. They have clear sightlines on the enemy approach route."

'Perfect for intelligence gathering. Poor for survival if discovered.'

Ethan's enhanced senses detected subtle wrongness in the guard's report—nervous energy that suggested information being withheld or incomplete assessment of the situation.

"What aren't you telling me?"

The guard's expression tightened with professional reluctance to deliver bad news. "The energy signatures, my Lord. Some of them feel... substantial. Beyond what we've encountered before."

'Gold-rank leadership. As expected.'

"Understood. Warn everyone in the spawning point to return to the base immediately, including everyone outside."

"Yes, my Lord!"

As the guard departed at enhanced speed, Ethan considered tactical options. Twenty combatants suggested serious military commitment—more than simple investigation, approaching the scale of territorial conquest.

'Time to assess the threat personally.'

He activated his Enhanced Speed talent, reality blurring as he crossed the distance between territory and jungle boundary in seconds rather than minutes. The familiar transition from desert to forest felt different now—he was no longer an intruder in hostile domain, but a predator moving through hunting grounds.

'High-Gold capabilities change everything.'

The observation post appeared exactly where the guard had indicated—a concealed position among trees that provided excellent sightlines while maintaining tactical cover. But something was wrong.

'Too quiet. Where are the observers?'

Ethan approached with predatory caution, his enhanced senses sweeping the area for signs of his missing subjects. The observation post showed evidence of recent occupation but no current personnel.

After a quick look.

Three bodies lay scattered among the undergrowth, their Low-Silver equipment stained with drying blood. His subjects had been eliminated with professional efficiency—quick, clean kills that spoke of overwhelming force rather than prolonged combat.

'They found the observation post. Eliminated witnesses.'

Ethan knelt beside the nearest corpse, examining wound patterns with tactical analysis. Single strikes to vital points, delivered with Gold-rank precision that his subjects couldn't have defended against. Their faces showed surprise rather than fear—death had come too quickly for proper reaction.

'Professional assassination work. They're not taking prisoners.'

The implications were stark. His enemies operated with military discipline that eliminated loose ends rather than accepting intelligence leaks. They knew he would discover the bodies—this was message delivery as much as tactical necessity.

'They want me to know they're coming.'

But something felt wrong about the scene. His enhanced senses detected residual energy signatures that suggested recent combat, yet the enemy force was nowhere to be seen. The jungle around the observation post showed signs of disturbance, but no current occupation.

'Where did they go? They don't simply vanish after elimination missions.'

Ethan's tactical instincts screamed warning as he studied the surrounding terrain. The positioning of his subjects' bodies suggested they'd been killed while maintaining observation duties, but their killers had departed without establishing their own surveillance.

'Unless they haven't departed. Unless this is bait.'

His Enhanced Speed activated automatically as killing intent erupted from multiple directions simultaneously. Twenty-three combatants emerged from concealment among ancient trees, their coordinated ambush demonstrating military precision that spoke of extensive planning.

'Trap. They used my subjects' deaths to draw me into position.'

But High-Gold reaction times made their supposedly perfect ambush appear sluggish. Enhanced perception tracked every movement as enemies closed from all directions, their formations designed to overwhelm through concentrated violence.

'Too slow. All of them are too slow.'

Ethan blurred aside as magical attacks filled the space he'd occupied milliseconds before. Fire, ice, and force projectiles carved through ancient trees while his afterimage dissolved into empty air.

"Target mobile!" shouted one of the attackers. "Adjust formations!"

'Professional terminology. Military coordination.'

Three figures led the ambush with auras that radiated Mid-Gold enhancement. Captain Harris commanded the eastern approach while Captain Torrino coordinated the western flank. The third Gold-rank leader—a woman Ethan didn't recognize—managed overall tactical control.

'Three Mid-Gold captains. Twenty Peak-Silver support. Substantial force deployment.'

But their coordination meant nothing against superior individual capability. Ethan's movement speed made their tactical formations irrelevant—he was already outside their engagement envelope before they could adjust targeting.

"Spread out! Don't let him escape the perimeter!" Harris barked orders with professional authority.

'Escape? They think I'm running.'

Fire magic erupted from Ethan's position in controlled bursts that struck precise weak points in their formation. D-rank flames consumed Peak-Silver defenses while his Enhanced Speed made counterattacks hit empty air.

"Impossible," Torrino breathed, watching his soldiers stumble backward from attacks that seemed to come from everywhere simultaneously. "He's just one combatant."

'One High-Gold combatant. There's a difference.'

Water manipulation followed his fire attacks, steam generation creating concealment that favored his superior mobility while hampering their coordinated assault. The jungle clearing became a hellscape of superheated vapor and scattered visibility.

"Maintain formation!" the female captain commanded. "He can't maintain this pace indefinitely!"

'Can't I? Let's find out.'

Wind blades materialized throughout the steam cloud, invisible cutting edges that sliced through Peak-Silver armor like it was parchment. Screams echoed through the artificial fog as enhanced soldiers discovered the gulf between their capabilities and true apex predation.

'Eight down. Fifteen remaining.'

The three captains abandoned their coordinated assault for desperate individual attacks, their Mid-Gold capabilities finally engaging with serious intent. But even their enhanced abilities felt sluggish compared to his High-Gold reaction times.

Harris's sword met crystal-hardened defenses in a collision that shattered ancient stones. "What rank is this monster?"

'Higher than yours. Significantly higher.'

Another Captain attempted flanking maneuvers while the female captain provided magical support, their professional coordination representing the pinnacle of military teamwork. But teamwork meant nothing when facing overwhelming individual superiority.