SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will-Chapter 23: When Hope Hits Back

The line was breaking.

Not slowly. Not in a way that better orders or tighter formation could fix. It was collapsing all at once, like rotten wood finally giving way.

A warrior lost his grip. His sword slipped from blood-soaked fingers and clattered across the stone. He stared at it for half a second, then dropped to his knees and crawled toward it.

A kobold leapt onto his back with a shrill scream.

"Get it off me!" he cried, voice cracking.

Nearby, a mage lifted his staff, but nothing happened. No spark, no flame or even flicker of light.

Just a hollow ache in his chest, due to his limited mana as he let out a short, broken laugh.

"Of course," he muttered. "This damn dungeon..."

A shield shattered, and barrier collapsed, as curses filled the air.

"Damn it!"

"I’m done.. I’m done!"

"Stronghold bastards...!"

For a terrible moment, the fighting changed. It wasn’t about pushing forward anymore, or about holding the line.

It became about surviving a few seconds longer and dying slower.

And then the air shifted without warning. There was no shout or heroic announcement.

Just a sound.

BOOM!!

It hit like something massive slamming into the ground from above.

Raw force exploded into the center of the monster mass. Not fire. Not lightning. Not ice.

Pressure.

Pure, crushing pressure.

Kobolds were thrown apart like toys. Skeletons shattered mid-step, ribs and skulls bursting outward in fragments.

The battlefield froze not because the dungeon had gone quiet.

But because everyone did.

Before the shock could settle. BOOM!!

Another blast ripped through the flank. A clean path appeared where monsters had stood a second earlier. Stone cracked under the impact. Dust shot upward in a thick cloud.

Then again.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Each strike landed exactly where it needed to as every impact erased a cluster of enemies and left empty space behind.

The awakeners stared, wide-eyed, turning in circles.

"What the hell was that?!"

"An artifact?!"

"No.. that felt like a skill!"

Arthur stepped out of the corridor.

His hand was still raised. His fingers relaxed, as if he had just flicked something away.

Dust curled around him. Faint light reflected in his eyes.

He tilted his head slightly.

"Huh," he said. "Guess that one had some kick."

Another group of monsters rushed him, instinct driving them forward.

But Arthur glanced at them and sighed. Then he extended his palm.

BOOM!!

The blast went off at close range, and the front line of monsters simply vanished.

The awakeners didn’t cheer. They couldn’t as they were still trying to process what they were seeing.

Arthur blinked once, then frowned.

"...Okay," he muttered. "This is stronger than I imagined."

In the rush before stepping in, when the survivors were seconds from breaking, he had pushed the upgrade through.

He shook his hand once, loosening the lingering tension.

"I better not stand too close next time." he said quietly.

A kobold archer tried to take advantage of the pause.

TWANG!

But the arrow never touched him as Arthur stepped sideways. Intent Step carrying him out of the line of fire without flash or noise as he reappeared beside the archer in the same motion.

THUD.

One clean strike crushed its skull.

"MOVE!" Arthur barked, his voice sharp enough to cut through the shock. "You want to live or stare?"

And that was enough to snap everyone out of it.

No one asked who he was or questioned what he could do.

Instead they moved.

Warriors surged forward to reclaim ground. Mages dropped to one knee, swallowing potions and forcing mana back into motion. Support classes shouted directions, voices steadier now.

Hope was crawling back into their chests.

"Left side, push!"

"Archers, cover the rear!"

"Don’t waste the opening!"

Arthur watched it unfold with a familiar feeling settling in his gut.

Strength drew attention.

It always had.

In his old life, it had been the same. Power spoke louder than rank. Louder than promises.

Seeing it happen again didn’t surprise him. It only confirmed something simple.

As the fight shifted, Arthur pulled up his interface while walking.

The text hovered briefly in front of him.

✦══════════════════════════════════════✦

❂ SOVEREIGN INTENT SYSTEM ❂

✦══════════════════════════════════════✦

⟦ Skill Status Updated ⟧

✦ Name: Manifest Intent

✦ Type: Active (Intent Projection)

✦ Rank: D

✦ Status: ACTIVE

⟬ Skill Description ⟭

Condenses mana through sovereign intent and manifests it externally, enforcing termination without physical contact.

At this rank, intent projection alters local mana flow to favor decisive outcomes.

━━━ EFFECTS ━━━

• Intent forms high-density energy constructs capable of suppressing groups

• Effective at short, mid, and extended mid range

• Power and impact scale with intent clarity and emotional commitment

• Residual force disrupts formations and weakens defenses

• Mana efficiency improves during continuous combat

• Increased resistance to backlash

✦══════════════════════════════════════✦

Arthur let out a low whistle.

"No wonder," he said.

This wasn’t a beginner’s trick anymore. This showed control.

He closed the interface and raised his hand again.

"Alright," he murmured. "Let’s clean this up."

This time, he didn’t fire carelessly.

He waited for clusters.

For moments when monsters tried to regroup.

When new spawns appeared too close together.

BOOM!

An archer nest disappeared in an instant.

BOOM!

A charging wave was crushed before it gained speed.

Between his strikes, the awakeners surged forward. With space to breathe and mana returning, their coordination sharpened. What had been desperate survival shifted into steady advancement.

For the first time since the anomaly began, monsters were falling faster than they returned.

And the people had seen the changes.

A wild, disbelieving laugh broke out somewhere in the line.

"We’re pushing them back!"

"Keep going!"

Arthur moved with them. Not leading from the very front. Not hanging back either. Whenever pressure built, he was there.

Intent answered intent.

The battlefield bent around his decisions.

Step forward. Blast. Advance and repeat.

They carved through the chamber together as the air changed.

It grew heavy and wrong.

Mana thickened until it felt like breathing through wet cloth. It pressed against the skin. It crawled into lungs.

A few awakeners gagged.

One dropped to his knees and vomited.

"What is that smell...?" someone whispered.

Another staggered, face pale.

"I feel sick..."