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

The mountain path wound upward like a lazy serpent, its rust-colored rocks occasionally veined with strange, metallic patterns. Noah’s boots crunched against loose gravel as they ascended, each step releasing small puffs of reddish dust into the air.

[System Alert: Nyx feeding required in 1:58:47. Warning: Extended hunger may result in domain instability.]

’Not now,’ Noah thought, dismissing the notification. Ahead of them, Kelvin had stopped for the third time in as many minutes, his scanner humming as he passed it over yet another cluster of rocks.

”Energy signature detected,” he announced, excitement creeping into his voice despite Micah’s earlier warnings about ’unnecessary stops.’ ”This one’s different from the others.”

Cora leaned against a boulder, making a show of examining her nails. ”Let me guess – still weaker than a Category 1 core?”

”Well... yes,” Kelvin admitted, but his fingers kept moving across his device. ”But the resonance pattern is unique. Look at these harmonic frequencies...”

”We’re not here to collect rocks,” Micah cut in from his position further up the path. The morning light caught his gauntlets, sending red and blue reflections dancing across the stone walls. ”Move out.”

[System Alert: Nyx feeding required in 1:30:32. Warning level: Moderate]

Noah felt Lila’s presence before he saw her, that particular way she had of hovering just at the edge of his peripheral vision. Since the cave incident, she’d developed an uncanny ability to appear whenever he seemed troubled.

”You okay?” she asked softly, her eyes searching his face with that mixture of concern and something else – something that made him distinctly uncomfortable. ”You seem distracted.”

’If you only knew,’ he thought, remembering the real reason he’d followed her into that cave. The guilt sat heavy in his stomach, made worse by her obvious devotion. ”Just thinking about the terrain,” he said aloud. ”Lot of places for things to hide.”

Her hand brushed his arm, lingering a moment too long. ”Well, we make a good team. Proved that already, right?”

Before Noah could respond, Kelvin’s excited voice cut through the awkward moment. ”This is incredible! The energy patterns are almost... organic?”

”Fascinating,” Micah drawled. ”I’m sure the academy will be thrilled to hear about your rock collection. Now, if we could focus on actual objectives...”

”Sir,” Kelvin persisted, unusual determination in his voice. ”These readings might be relevant to—”

”To what, cadet? Our mission is to scout and recover valuable resources. Not waste time with basic geological surveys that any drone could perform.”

Noah watched the interaction with growing unease. Something about Kelvin’s readings nagged at him, but the persistent alerts from his system made it hard to focus. Meanwhile, Lila had positioned herself between him and a particularly steep dropoff, as if she expected him to need protection from gravity itself.

”The mineral composition is unlike anything in our database,” Kelvin continued, either brave or foolish enough to stand his ground. He aimed what looked like a small torch at one of the larger specimens. ”If I could just run a basic thermal scan...”

”Oh, let him play with his rocks,” Cora called out, now perched on a higher boulder with casual grace. ”Not like we’re finding anything else up here worth reporting.”

Micah’s jaw tightened, but before he could respond, Kelvin had already activated his scanning torch. The beam hit the rock’s surface, and for a moment, nothing happened.

Then every combat bracelet in the group lit up simultaneously.

[ALERT: Level 3 Entity Detected]

[Name : Stone Shifter]

The rock under Kelvin’s scan began to move. Not crack or crumble – move. Like muscle beneath skin, its surface rippled and flexed. Around them, other rocks began to stir, their seemingly random patterns now obviously part of something larger, something alive.

’Fifty,’ Noah counted quickly. ’At least fifty contact points.’ The creatures were unfolding themselves from what they’d assumed was natural terrain, revealing limbs and crystalline formations that definitely weren’t mineral in nature.

”Well,” Cora said into the sudden silence, her casual tone belied by how quickly she’d drawn her weapon, ”looks like we found something worth reporting after all.”

The armadillo-like creatures rose from their stone disguises, striations on their backs catching the strange light of Cannadah’s sky.

*Ping!!*

[Category 3 beast count : 55]

”Nobody move,” Micah ordered, his eyes fixed on Kelvin with an ’I-told-you-so’ glare that could have melted steel. ”Slow and steady—”

One of the beasts curled into a perfect sphere, its armored plates interlocking with mechanical precision.

”Oh look,” Cora whispered, ”it’s shy.”

”Or,” Noah started, watching as others began to follow suit, their furry tails disappearing beneath layers of natural armor, ”they’re getting ready for something.”

Micah’s eyes widened with sudden understanding. ”It’s a herd formation. They’re coordinating their—”

The first beast launched itself forward, spinning like a turbocharged tire, aimed directly at Kelvin. The air screamed around its rotating form.

”Move!” Lila’s shout accompanied her power surge. An invisible force wrapped around Kelvin, yanking him sideways just as the beast blazed through his former position. But instead of continuing past, it curved impossibly, adjusting its trajectory toward Lila.

”How is it tracking us?” Kelvin shouted, scrambling to his feet. ”It doesn’t even have visible sensors!”

”Less analysis, more survival!” Cora called out, bringing her Ravager up in one smooth motion. The weapon hummed to life, and she fired a concentrated burst of blue energy that caught the pursuing beast mid-roll. The beam punched through its armor like paper, dropping it instantly.

A savage grin split Cora’s face as she tracked another target. ”Now this is what I call field research!” Her second shot was just as precise, just as lethal. The beast’s armor cracked open like an egg, spilling its lifeless form across the rocks.

”Maintain formation!” Micah bellowed, but it was too late. The remaining beasts had all transformed into their attack mode, creating a whirlwind of spinning death from every direction.

”Formation this!” Cora laughed, her Ravager singing its deadly song. Each shot found its mark, each burst of energy ending another threat. ”Come on, people! These toys aren’t so useless after all!”

Noah brought his own weapon up, tracking a beast that was cork-screwing through the air toward them. The Ravager’s targeting system highlighted weak points in the creature’s armor – gaps between plates, slightly thinner sections near the joints. He squeezed the trigger, feeling the weapon’s recoil as it released a concentrated burst of energy.

The beast’s armor shattered, its momentum carrying it past him in a shower of broken plates and lifeless tissue. ’One down,’ he thought, already tracking his next target. ’Fifty-four to go.’

Around him, his teammates had found their rhythm. Lila was combining her telekinesis with precision shots, lifting beasts mid-roll to expose their vulnerable undersides. Kelvin had finally stopped analyzing and started shooting, his technical knowledge helping him place shots at the most effective angles.

”Three o’clock!” Noah called out, spotting a pair of beasts coordinating their attack runs. He fired at the first while Cora took the second, their shots crossing in mid-air like deadly lightning.

”This is what I’m talking about!” Cora whooped as both targets went down. She was in her element now, each shot accompanied by a wild laugh or taunting comment. ”Who’s shy now, you oversized bowling balls?”