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

Noah found himself in what looked like nature’s abandoned art gallery. Crystalline formations jutted from every surface, their faces reflecting his Ravager’s light in prismatic arrays. The tunnels branched in every direction – some smooth and precise like laser-cut channels, others rough and ancient-looking.

’Well, this is just perfect.’ He studied the nearest tunnel exit, noting the tooth marks scoring its walls. ’Fresh cuts. But which one did that oversized mole take?’

His combat bracelet remained stubbornly silent about the Bore Mole’s location. The beast had vanished into its labyrinth, leaving Noah alone with his increasingly questionable decision-making.

’Five hundred XP,’ he thought bitterly. ’Real smart, Noah. Chase the Category 3 beast into its home turf. Micah’s never going to let me live this down.’

He started down one of the larger tunnels, marking his path with small energy burns from his Ravager. The crystals seemed to pulse with their own inner light, casting strange shadows that played tricks with his depth perception. Some clusters looked almost deliberately placed, like waypoints or markers.

[Alert: Energy Signature Detected]

[Previous Quest: STRANGE STIRRINGS - Active]

[Distance to Source: 247 meters]

[Note: Signature strength increased by 43% from last reading]

Noah froze, his irritation momentarily forgotten. The system’s alert pulsed at the edge of his vision, a compass arrow materializing to point him deeper into the crystal maze.

’The energy reading from before?’ He glanced at his system interface. ’Down here of all places?’

[Distance to Source: 242 meters]

[Warning: Signature showing unusual fluctuations]

[Note: Energy frequency shares similarities with void-based phenomena]

’At least something’s going right,’ he thought, following the compass marker. The tunnel sloped downward, crystals growing larger and more numerous. Their arrangement became more regular, almost architectural in nature.

[Distance to Source: 198 meters]

[Alert: Void energy concentrations increasing]

[System Analysis: Energy signature compatible with draconic entities]

That caught his attention. His dragon, sealed away in his void domain, was the only one of its kind he’d encountered. The idea of finding something similar, something that might explain its origins...

[Distance to Source: 155 meters]

[Alert: Multiple energy signatures converging]

[Caution: Unknown entities detected in vicinity]

’Because of course there are,’ Noah thought, checking his Ravager’s charge level. ’Nothing’s ever simple, is it?’

The crystal formations had changed again. They weren’t just growing from the walls anymore – they formed distinct patterns, spiraling sequences that reminded him of DNA helixes. The air felt charged, like the moment before a lightning strike.

[Distance to Source: 89 meters]

[Warning: Signature intensity exceeding previous parameters]

[System Alert: Void energy saturation approaching critical levels]

The void energy readings were unlike anything his system had registered before. Whatever waited ahead might hold answers about his dragon, about the very nature of his abilities. But one thought kept nagging at him:

’If I found this place by accident... what else might be down here looking for it?’

The tunnels weren’t random. Noah had been tracking the patterns subconsciously for the last ten minutes, and now it hit him – they all curved inward, like spokes on a wheel. Whatever their original purpose, they’d been repurposed, reformed into something deliberate.

’These aren’t just tunnels,’ he realized. ’They’re defensive channels.’

The crystals changed as he moved deeper. Their formation was different here – they curved upward, creating a dome-like chamber ahead. The ground beneath his feet had been worn smooth, but not by the Bore Mole’s grinding teeth. These were impact marks, regular and repeated, like something massive had landed here countless times.

Then he saw it.

The nest dominated the chamber’s center, easily twenty feet across. It wasn’t built from twigs or vegetation – it was crystal, the same material that lined the caves, but altered. Melted and reformed, the crystal strands were woven together with impossible precision. The structure caught the ambient light, creating an ethereal glow that illuminated the chamber.

’No way,’ Noah thought, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. ’This isn’t possible.’

Scattered around the nest were fragments of shed scales, each one larger than his hand. They shimmered with an iridescent quality that no Earth creature possessed. The pattern was hauntingly familiar – it reminded him of NYX’s scales, but different somehow, more elongated.

[Alert: Unknown Species Detected]

[Analyzing Scale Fragment...]

[Analysis Complete]

[Species Identified: Wyvern]

[Classification: Ancient Dragon Subspecies]

[Threat Level: Unclassifiable]

[Note: Wyverns are considered distant cousins to True Dragons, sharing similar genetic markers but evolved for specialized aerial combat. Distinguished by their two-legged structure and weaponized tail appendages.]

Noah’s mind raced. ’First I find NYX’s core in some random cave back on Earth, and now I stumble across a related species on a completely different planet? In another underground cave system?’

The coincidence felt too precise, too orchestrated. Something was connecting these discoveries, these moments, but the pattern remained just out of reach.

’What the hell is happening?’ he wondered, staring at the massive crystalline nest. ’Is someone pulling strings? Or is NYX somehow connected to all this?’

The implications made his head spin. One dragon core discovery could be luck. But finding traces of a related species, hidden away.

[System Note: Genetic markers show 73% similarity to registered void dragon signature]

’Great,’ Noah thought. ’More questions and zero answers.’

A rumble shook the chamber. The Bore Mole emerged from one of the tunnels, but its behavior had changed. Gone was the aggressive hunter. Its movements now were purposeful, protective. It positioned itself between Noah and the nest, its grinding teeth spinning at a low, warning rhythm.

’It’s not hunting,’ Noah realized, the pieces clicking into place. ’It’s guarding. The tunnels, the crystals, the defensive network – it’s all for the nest. For the...’

’Something’s wrong with this picture,’ Noah thought, studying the Bore Mole’s movements. Too precise. Too calculated. Like a puppet following invisible strings.

[Warning: Threat Level Reassessment]

[Target displaying abnormal behavioral patterns]

[Caution: Unknown influence detected]

’No alpha mole would care about a foreign egg.’ His eyes narrowed. ’Someone or something else is pulling the strings here.’

The Bore Mole’s teeth spun faster, the whine rising to a fever pitch. Noah’s Ravager shots sparked uselessly off its armor again, not even leaving a scratch.

”Fine.” His voice was ice-cold. ”Let’s do this properly.”

[Void Storage: Activated]

[Equipment Accessed: Eclipse Blade]

[Status: Ready for Deployment]

The sword materialized in his grip, its dark metal drinking in what little light reached the chamber. The Bore Mole sensed the change, its defensive posture shifting to something more aggressive.

’You want to play guardian?’ Noah’s fingers tightened on the hilt. ’Let’s see how well you guard against this.’

[Void Edge activated]

[Warning: Skill cooldown 45 seconds]

[Energy consumption: Moderate]

Purple energy crawled along the blade’s edge, hungry and alive. The Bore Mole charged, its massive form surprisingly fast in the confined space.

Void blink.

Noah appeared above the beast, time seeming to slow as calculations raced through his mind. ’Plates overlap from front to back. Strike from above, target the gaps. Three seconds before it can turn.’

The Eclipse Blade sang as it descended, void energy meeting armored plate. This time, the beast screamed.

’Direct hit confirmed’

’Target armor penetrated. Damage done is Significant,’ Noah thought, reassessing his stance.

But the Bore Mole wasn’t done. It twisted with impossible speed, nearly catching Noah with its grinding maw. Only another void blink saved him from being shredded.

’Fifteen seconds until next blink.’ He rolled under a sweeping claw. ’Thirty-eight seconds until Void Edge refreshes.’

The chamber filled with the sound of combat – metal on armor, feet on crystal, the constant whine of rotating teeth. Noah moved like a shadow, each step calculated, each strike precise. The Bore Mole’s blood left glowing trails on the chamber floor.

But it wasn’t enough. The beast’s wounds seemed to matter less and less, its movements becoming more frenzied, more desperate. Whatever controlled it was pushing it beyond normal limits.

”You want to die that badly?” Noah snarled, dodging another charge. ”Fine by me!”

The pieces aligned in Noah’s mind. Void blink to close distance. Eclipse Blade to breach defense. And then...

’Time to test this out.’

Nobody was around. Nobody to see what he had been doing or about to even do.

Dark energy began swirling around his fist, building to impossible levels.

[Skill Activated: Null Strike]

[Warning: Untested combination detected]

[Caution: Energy levels critical]

The Bore Mole charged once again, its maw spinning at maximum velocity. Noah’s void-wrapped fist shot forward, Eclipse Blade forgotten. Now Null strike...

The impact created a sound that had no right existing underground – a thunderclap of void energy meeting unstoppable force.

A catastrophic boom echoed through the crystal cave, and then...