E-Rank or SSS-Rank: I Awakened a Skill That Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 300: Who the hell are you......

So much for keeping a low profile, Han thought as he stared at the High Knull.

Why the hell was he even chosen? It wasn't like he volunteered to fight, or that he stood out in any damn way.

What Han didn't know was that he did stand out ....

just not in a way he'd ever considered.

The High Knull was practically burning with fury. The rest of the Knulls were roaring with excitement, eyes wide with a mix of awe and fear. But this one? This one was different.

It just stood there .... motionless.... his blue eyes locked on on as if he were nothing special.

That look alone made the High Knull's rage boil.

This brat has no idea who it's staring at.

As one of the Ruler Warriors, its strength and status were beyond comparison.

Yet that lowborn thing dared to look down on it?

I'll crush it. Slowly. Brutally.

Han exhaled, long and heavy. He didn't want this fight. Not one bit. But refusing would draw the wrong kind of attention .... and they were nowhere near ready for that.

So, he stepped onto the stage. Eyes locked on the High Knull.

The arena hushed.

"The match begins!"

Neither moved.

The Knull waited, confident Han would rush in like the rest.

But Han didn't. He just stood there, still as stone, eyes cold.

Seconds dragged. The Knull's fury spiked.

This lowly thing… dares to make me go first?

With a roar that shook the ground, it launched forward.

In an instant, its massive fist came crashing down....

... and hit nothing but air.

The impact shattered the earth, a deafening quake ripping through the arena. Dust exploded outward. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The Knull froze. Confused.

Han was gone.

It turned and saw him standing at the far edge of the arena, untouched.

The crowd fell silent.

How…?

It hadn't even seen him move.

Han's eyes narrowed. He could end this fight with one strike , maybe two ..... if he went all out, but that would only raise suspicion.

So he chose the harder path.

He'd fight… but not dominate. He'd make it look like a struggle.

The Knull's green eyes blazed hotter, almost molten. It charged again, fists swinging like meteors.

Han dodged each one.... barely, or at least that's how he made it look. Every movement was precise, every counter disguised as desperation.

The crowd, once roaring, began to quiet. Slowly.

Then completely.

A heavy silence fell.

Jay , who was watching from the side — shook his skull, a wry grin tugging at his face.

"Han can really be an idiot sometimes," he muttered under his breath.

Trying not to draw attention by holding back? That was exactly what was drawing it.

The Knulls weren't fools. Creatures of that caliber knew. They could feel the control behind his movements....

the precision, the restraint.

"He's not fooling anyone," Jay whispered.

"Well… the best we can hope for now is that things don't get any worse," Jay muttered, watching Han dance around the High Knull like a cat teasing its prey.

The Knull's green eyes flared hotter, brighter.... its rage reaching a terrifying peak. It finally stopped relying on claws and fists, reaching behind to draw its massive bone axe. The weapon pulsed with crimson energy as it let out a guttural roar.

Han sighed, his patience wearing thin.

Alright, just gotta make this look believable enough for them to form their own conclusions, he thought.

He crouched slightly, eyes locking on the monster's chest then charged forward.

The Knull swung its axe in a brutal arc meant to split him clean in half. But before the strike landed, Han twisted.... awkwardly, almost like he'd slipped and drove his knee straight into the Knull's leg.

Bone cracked. The creature dropped to one knee.

Before the audience could even register it, Han's elbow snapped forward, slamming into the Knull's neck. To the onlookers, it seemed weak, sloppy. But the Knull's vision flickered... blanked for a split second and that was all it took.

Han's foot lashed upward, striking the creature's wrist. The jolt sent the axe flying.... and then gravity did the rest.

The weapon came down in a cruel arc… cleaving through the Knull's own neck.

Thud.

The head hit the ground. Black blood splattered across the arena floor, thick and steaming.

Han stood there, chest heaving, blue eyes scanning the stunned crowd of monsters.

That should do it.

He limped back toward his group, sweat dripping down his jaw.

The others didn't move. They didn't need to

.... communication flickered silently between them.

"Well?" Han asked telepathically.

"Your acting was… surprisingly good," Aiden's voice replied. "Almost believable."

Han smirked faintly. But then Aiden's tone dropped, cold and sharp.

"Actually… I take that back. Looks like they weren't fooled after all."

Han's smile froze.

He turned.

Every Knull in the arena was staring at them.... hundreds of glowing eyes, filled with hunger and rage.

Those that had once cheered were now stepping back, clearing the space between them and the humans.

"Don't tell me our cover's blown…" Little One's voice trembled in the link.

No one answered. Just a collective sigh.

The host of the event.... a massive Knull with burning yellow eyes.... stepped forward, voice dripping venom.

"You aren't one of us," it growled. "Your fighting… your movements… they are not Knull."

It bared its fangs, stepping closer, power rippling through the arena.

"Tell me. Who the hell are you?"

The threat was clear. The silence sharper than any blade.

And then....

Shk!

A flash of steel.

The yellow-eyed Knull froze mid-step. Then its head slid off its neck and hit the floor with a dull thud.

A figure stood over the corpse, mask half-broken, violet eyes glowing like fire.

Ronan.

"Hey! Ronan!" Aiden shouted, his voice half anger, half disbelief. "Why the hell did you do that?! You just ruined our cover!"

Ronan shrugged. "Cover's already gone," he said, voice cold. "Only one thing left to do."

He raised his blade. "Fight."

BOOOOOM!

A deafening explosion ripped through the stronghold, shaking the ground beneath them. Dust and smoke exploded outward as ten figures burst into view....

human, deadly, and very much not Knull.

Han and the rest tore off their disguises, essence flaring violently.

The monsters roared. The humans roared back.

Power clashed. Flesh and steel, magic and blood.

Within minutes, the arena became a slaughter pit. More than twenty Knulls....

all S-rank....

lay dead, torn apart by the unleashed power of the intruders.

A feat unheard of.

The group knew better than to be happy.... or even relieved. There was no turning back now.

They had to kill every last Knull and reach the portal boss. But with the sheer power those things carried, that was easier said than done..... and everyone knew it.

After what felt like hours of fighting, the group stumbled into a massive clearing just a short distance from the arena. It stretched wide and open, the perfect kill zone.

But that wasn't even the bad news.

Hundreds.... maybe even hundreds upon hundreds.... of Knull were already surrounding them from every direction.

"This looks bad… really bad," Little One whispered. His voice cracked with dread.

Bad? This was worse than his worst nightmare. What he was seeing went beyond fear.... this was pure despair. Facing down hundreds of monsters, each as powerful as an S-ranker? No sane man would want to be here.

Then came a sound that didn't belong in this hell.... laughter.

A loud, unhinged chuckle ripped through the tension. It was Jay.

Little One glanced at him and almost pitied the bastard. This guy isn't just insane, he thought. He's a free-range lunatic.

Jay's grin twisted wide.... feral, manic, dangerous. Madness gleamed in his eyes like a wild beast tasting blood.

"This'll be fun," he said.

Then he stepped forward… and roared.

"Fifteenth Jungle Art.... Lion Roar!"

A deafening blast ripped through the world. The ground trembled, the air split, and the sheer sound of it could have shattered bones.

Jay's body shook with overflowing energy.... so much it burned through his veins like fire. But along with the power came the strain. His muscles screamed, his bones cracked under the weight of it. This was the third time he'd used Lion Roar today. The third.

Han's eyes locked onto him, confusion and disbelief mixing on his face.

The second time today? Impossible. The Jungle Art wasn't supposed to be used more than once a day. If Han knew this was Jay's third time, his jaw would've hit the floor.

"You know you just caused us more trouble, right?" Aiden said gruffly, glaring at Jay.

Jay blinked, clearly not getting the point.

"That roar of yours basically just sent a war signal," Aiden snapped. "Every Knull in this stronghold now knows exactly where we are!"

Jay turned his head, scanning the horizon.... and sure enough, the numbers were swelling. The growls were getting louder. The air itself felt heavier.

He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

"Oh. Uh… my bad."

To be continued...