E-Rank or SSS-Rank: I Awakened a Skill That Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 298: The infiltration begins.

Chapter 298

Han’s lips curved slightly, his blue eyes locking on Lightrunner.

"Can you bring me one of the monsters alive?" he asked, voice calm but sharp enough to cut through the tension.

Lightrunner blinked, not understanding. "Alive? Why?"

Han didn’t repeat himself. He just tilted his head. "Can you?"

Lightrunner shrugged. "Yeah, I can. But what exactly are you planning to do with a monster?"

Han’s reply came low, steady, confident.

"I’m going to use it... to make us a way into the city... unnoticed."

That earned him a raised brow, but Lightrunner didn’t question further. He trusted the young hero enough not to.

"Alright. Give me a second," he said—and in the next heartbeat, he was gone.

Han glanced down at the cracked mask in his hand. A faint smile tugged at his lips.

Thankfully, we have this.

With the right tweaks, their odds would rise sharply. This mission might actually go smoothly for once.

Before the thought could settle, the air split with a gust of displaced wind, Lightrunner was back, dragging something behind him.

The creature was wrong. Distorted. Its entire body was wrapped in dark, leathery skin. Its limbs were covered in coarse black fur that ended in sharpened, spear-like points. But its head... its head was pure white bone, shaped like a skull, and behind that hollow shell pulsed a single red eye, alive and watching.

"Oh... that was fast," Han murmured.

Lightrunner had incapacitated the thing in seconds... no, less than that. Even for an S-ranker, that speed was monstrous. And the creature itself was no pushover. The fact that Lightrunner dropped it that easily said a lot about what kind of terrifying existence he really was.

Han didn’t linger on it. He crouched beside the limp body, activated Analyzer Eye, and a flood of data flashed before his vision

.. species type, energy traits, muscle structure, aura pattern. Not everything was clear, but enough to work with.

After a moment, Han exhaled and stood.

He killed the monster cleanly, then turned back to the mask he’d been studying earlier.

He placed his hand over it. A soft, white glow pulsed between his fingers, wrapping the mask in radiant light. The glow faded slowly, and to the others, it looked unchanged... same shape, same dull sheen.

But Han felt it. The modification was done.

"Now for the rest," he muttered.

He summoned his Creation Skill. The air rippled...and suddenly, identical masks began appearing one after another, forming from raw energy, from nothing.

The heroes around him froze.

Even those who had fought beside him in the cursed war stared in open disbelief. None of them truly understood what Han was capable of, and this... this was something else entirely.

No one spoke. No one dared.

Han slipped one of the masks over his face. The change was instant.... his body stretching, dark fur crawling up his arms, his bones shifting. His posture grew heavier, monstrous. In seconds, the man they knew as Han was gone, replaced by the same terrifying creature Lightrunner had captured earlier.

The heroes could only watch, their breaths caught.

From behind the skull, Han’s voice rumbled, cold and distorted.

"What are you all waiting for?"

He turned his crimson gaze toward the looming city in the distance.

"Let the infiltration begin."

Some minutes later...

Nine monsters moved through the crimson haze, their hulking forms marching toward one of the largest strongholds on the unknown planet. To any onlooker, they looked exactly like the other abominations that roamed this cursed land.... black fur, bone masks, twitching limbs, and eyes that pulsed like dying embers.

But there was something... off about them. Something wrong.

They walked too straight. Too measured. Too human.

Yet the other monsters didn’t seem to notice.... or maybe they were too busy with whatever madness consumed their existence. The stronghold was chaos made flesh.... creatures pacing, snarling, dragging carcasses across the streets, climbing black towers made of twisted metal and bone.

And through it all, Han and his team walked.... calm, focused, blending in like ghosts among demons.

The stronghold itself was massive... easily the size of Serenya City. Maybe larger. And it was crawling with monsters. Hundreds. Maybe thousands. And not the weak kind. Every single one radiated the oppressive aura of an S-rank.

Any sane person would’ve turned back.

But Han and the others weren’t sane anymore.

They’d already made their choice.

Han’s Analyzer Eye flickered beneath his skull mask, scanning the area. What he saw wasn’t encouraging. The city was fortified with dense black structures... metallic barriers that distorted energy and blocked his vision. Getting to the portal boss without alerting the entire fortress was damn near impossible.

In fact, even crossing one of those barriers might instantly trigger an alarm.

Which meant there was only one option left—

A direct assault.

Their plan was simple, brutal, and insane: sneak into the boss’s lair, then unleash everything they had. No holding back. No mercy. Burn the boss down before the stronghold could respond.

If they failed, they’d die. If they succeeded, the portal would collapse.... and this nightmare world with it.

Han’s thoughts were broken by a silent nudge. Aiden.

Han turned, the blue flames behind his skull mask flickering as he met Aiden’s gaze.

Aiden pointed toward a cluster of structures near the far edge of the fortress. "What about there?" he whispered through the telepathic link Han had created. "Look... monsters keep going in and out of that spot. It’s close to the boss’s base. Might be our best shot."

Han considered it. Only for a moment. Then he nodded.

"There’s nothing to consider. That’s our way in. Once we breach that area, we strike hard and fast. We take down the portal boss... and we don’t stop until it’s dead."

Through the telepathic link, his voice reached every hero.

They all felt the weight of his command. The calm certainty in it.

Some of the newer heroes were still shake

. —half in awe, half in fear. The more they saw of Han, the less human he seemed.

Telepathy?

Flame and lightning? Duplication Skill?

How many abilities could one man have?

Jay’s eyes narrowed slightly beneath his mask. Just what kind of monster is the leader of Tryst Guild?

No one dared to ask out loud. Not now.

Han, though, knew the questions were coming... the moment this portal was cleared. Assuming they lived long enough to answer them.

To Be Continued....

AUTHOR’S NOTE

That’s the Chapter, everyone!

If you enjoyed it, don’t forget to vote with your Power Stones, drop a Golden Ticket, and leave a comment or review, it really helps the story grow and keeps me motivated to deliver more Chapters for you all.

Your support means everything, so let me know what you think:

✨ Who’s your favorite character so far?

✨ What do you think will happen next?

✨ Any wild theories? I love reading them!

Stay tuned—the next Chapter is coming soon.

– Ultra