SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will

Chapter 257: A Quiet End to the Day

Ryn continued anyway.

"If I read the attack correctly before it happens... I get a burst of movement for one step."

He paused briefly.

"And if I attack right after moving, it disrupts the opponent’s rhythm."

That was it.

Short. Dry. Half explained.

Nox blinked.

"That’s your explanation?"

Selene sighed.

"You skipped like half the details."

Torren laughed loudly.

"You really don’t know how to explain things."

Ryn shrugged without shame.

"It works. That’s what matters."

Arthur finally laughed this time.

"...Fair enough."

But despite how rough the explanation sounded, Lyra understood immediately.

Actually, her eyes sharpened even more after hearing it.

Because now she understood just how dangerous the skill really was.

A skill that rewarded prediction.

A skill that turned timing into pressure.

And most importantly...

A skill that fit Ryn perfectly.

"You got lucky."

She said it calmly.

Ryn smirked.

"But it worked."

Lyra nodded once.

"It did."

Then she crossed her arms and looked toward the rest of them.

"That’s the point."

Everyone quieted down immediately.

"You all saw it yourselves."

Her voice echoed through the training hall.

"Growth."

"Ryn pushed himself and got results."

Her gaze swept across them one after another.

"So don’t get comfortable."

Nox and Althea straightened quickly.

Torren rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Selene looked thoughtful.

Arthur just listened quietly while scratching Mel’s neck absentmindedly.

Lyra continued,

"The next few days will only get harder."

No one doubted that.

"Rest properly."

"Be punctual."

"And come prepared."

Then she added firmly,

"Because the current situation outside these walls won’t wait for you to catch up."

That seriousness from earlier returned again.

The reminder about the unstable dungeons.

The pressure in her voice. As it settled heavily on them.

But strangely...

It motivated them too.

Ryn had become proof of it.

He had trained. Adapted.

And came out stronger in a single day.

That alone lit something in the others.

Arthur could already see it in their eyes.

Torren looked more fired up than tired now.

Selene and Althea looked eager to improve again tomorrow.

Even Nox, exhausted as she was, clenched her fists with determination.

That was exactly what Lyra wanted.

A push.

Someone to set the pace.

And today...

Ryn had done it.

"Dismissed."

The moment Lyra said it, everyone finally relaxed.

The tension broke almost immediately.

Torren stretched loudly.

"My whole body hurts."

Selene smirked.

"You were getting hit by boulders for hours."

"And surviving them," he corrected proudly.

Nox laughed softly.

Arthur shook his head while Mel rested calmly in his arms.

Soon they all started walking out together.

And naturally...

The conversation returned to the same two topics.

Ryn.

And Mel.

"Your wolf is ridiculous," Selene muttered.

Torren nodded immediately.

"It adapted way too fast."

Nox looked at Mel with sparkling eyes.

"She’s cute though."

Arthur grinned proudly.

"Obviously."

Ryn glanced at him.

"You sound like an actual parent."

"I am."

Arthur answered so quickly that everyone laughed.

Even Ryn shook his head.

Then Torren looked back at Ryn again.

"That skill though..."

Selene agreed.

"That movement was annoying just to watch."

Ryn smirked slightly.

"Good."

Lyra’s words still lingered in their minds while they talked.

The urgency.

The pressure.

The need to grow stronger quickly.

And honestly...

After watching Ryn fight the commander head on, none of them wanted to stay behind anymore.

They slowly split apart afterward, heading toward their own dorms.

Arthur took his own path with Mel in his arms.

As he rubbed behind her ears gently.

"You worked hard today."

Her tail wagged instantly.

Arthur chuckled.

"And because of that..."

He pointed ahead dramatically.

"We’re getting steak."

Mel didn’t know what steak was.

But the way Arthur said it made it sound important.

So she immediately got excited too.

Arthur laughed seeing her reaction.

"You don’t even know what it is."

Still, he headed toward one of the food stalls nearby.

The smell hit them before they even arrived.

Mel’s nose twitched rapidly.

Arthur noticed instantly too.

"...Yeah. You smell it already."

The stall owner looked up as they approached.

Then his eyes landed on Mel.

And stayed there.

Awkwardly.

Arthur already understood the look.

A monster.

Inside the stronghold.

Being carried around casually.

And worse...

Being treated like a pet.

The man looked hesitant at first but eventually sighed.

"What do you want?"

Arthur pointed.

"Three steak rations."

The man blinked.

"Three?"

Arthur nodded seriously.

"One for me."

Then he looked down at Mel proudly.

"And two for the hardworking soldier."

The stall owner stared for another second before silently preparing the food.

Arthur could practically feel the awkward looks around them too.

Some curious.

Some uncomfortable.

Others outright irritated.

Mel didn’t care in the slightest.

The moment Arthur handed her the first ration...

She devoured it.

Arthur burst out laughing.

"Slow down!"

Her tail wagged wildly while she kept eating.

Then the second ration disappeared almost as fast.

Arthur sat there eating his own much slower.

Honestly, he was tired too.

And the food helped.

But the quiet moment helped even more.

Watching Mel happily eat after all that training somehow made the whole day feel worth it.

"...You earned it."

Mel looked up at him immediately.

Then...

Those eyes.

Arthur narrowed his own.

"No."

Mel tilted her head.

"No extra."

The puppy eyes intensified.

Arthur held out for exactly five seconds.

Then sighed deeply.

"...You’re cheating."

A few minutes later he was buying another ration.

Torren would have called him weak.

Arthur preferred the word compassionate.

As he watched Mel happily munch on the third ration while they walked back toward the dorm.

People still stared.

Some whispered.

Others moved aside nervously.

Arthur ignored all of it.

And honestly...

Mel either didn’t notice or simply didn’t care.

She kept eating happily while walking beside him.

By the time they reached the dorms, Arthur was exhausted.

The moment they entered the room, he started removing his armor piece by piece.

Finally.

"Bath time."

Mel immediately backed away.

Arthur stared at her.

"...Don’t do this."

She looked genuinely betrayed.

"No escaping."