SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System-Chapter 97: Motivational Speaker

The path forward was clear, but one final, tantalizing challenge remained.

Daniel, Lia, and Ayra emerged from their mountain cave sanctuary, transformed and refreshed.

The confidence radiated from them like a palpable aura, a stark contrast to the weary recruits they had been days ago.

Ayra, now a Rock Pugilist, her muscles subtly hardened like granite beneath her uniform, stretched with a satisfied groan."

Her S-Grade [Primal Fury Berserker] talent, now channeling into her new class, felt truly unstoppable.

Lia, the Holy Priest, walked with an ethereal grace, her A-Grade Staff of the World Ash glowing with a pure, unwavering emerald light.

Her presence radiated calm, but also a new, profound power. She looked ready to mend bones with a touch or rebuke demons with a glance.

"The energies of the Yang region are invigorating," she murmured, a gentle smile on her lips. "I feel... truly attuned to the flow of vitality here. Our abilities will serve us well."

Daniel, the Night Ranger, felt a surge of exhilaration. His body thrummed with S-Grade speed, his A-Grade Kinetic Void Gauntlets and S-Grade Blade of The Night felt like extensions of his very will.

He had just estimated his own combat strength, and the numbers were staggering.

Doubled from his class transition alone, and then amplified by several times more from the sheer, raw power of the Blade of The Night.

He was a force of nature, a one-man army.

"So, what’s next, Captain?" Ayra asked, already flexing her new stony knuckles.

"Do we go find some more of Kane’s cowardly friends to test our new powers on? Or do we just head for the exit and get some real food?"

Daniel’s gaze drifted towards the direction of Yang Lake, a thoughtful, predatory gleam in his eyes.

"Neither," he said calmly. "It’s time to go hunting. For something a little bigger than a few stray thugs."

Ayra and Lia exchanged a confused glance. "Bigger?" Lia prompted. "What could be bigger than the S-Grade beasts we already fought?"

Daniel looked at them, his expression serious. "The Abyssal Maw Leviathan."

Silence. Ayra, who had been about to boast about punching a mountain, stopped mid-flex. Lia’s serene smile faltered.

"Vance, are you completely insane?" Ayra finally exploded, her voice resonating

in the cave.

"Did your Class Transition accidentally assimilate part of your brain?

That thing is a walking apocalypse! It ate twenty recruits without even stopping for a burp! We saw it!"

"He’s right, Daniel," Lia added, her voice laced with genuine concern.

"The archives marked it as a Transcendent-level threat. Even with our new classes, facing it directly... the odds are not in our favor."

Daniel met their worried gazes, his own calm and unwavering.

"I am seventy percent confident we can win," he stated simply. "Its raw power is immense, probably greater than even the Golden-Armored Blue Ape in its current state. But it’s also a beast, driven by instinct. It has weaknesses. And I have... a few new tricks up my sleeve."

He subtly tapped the hilt of his S-Grade Blade of The Night.

He then softened his tone, his voice taking on a persuasive quality.

"Life is a gamble," he said, affirming a sentiment he had come to truly believe.

"It’s a game of chance, based on having the ability to make the right choices at the right time.

But you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. This Leviathan... it’s the ultimate prize on this level of the Verge.

The EXP, the attributes, the S-grade essence... assimilating it would be a monumental leap in power for me, and by extension, for our team.

It’s a risk, but it’s a calculated one. And it’s a risk worth taking."

Ayra stared at him, her initial shock slowly being replaced by a grudging admiration for his sheer, insane audacity.

She trusted his judgment, even when it sounded utterly suicidal. "Fine," she grunted.

"Fine! We’ll go hunt your giant, scaly death-fish. But if I get eaten, I am going to haunt you so hard. I’ll whisper insults about your fashion sense for all eternity."

Lia, seeing Daniel’s unshakeable resolve, also nodded, her expression firming. "If you are confident, Daniel, then I will support you. I will keep you both alive."

"Good," Daniel said, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "Ayra, Lia, your job will be to handle any interference.

The other Awakened who saw us head this way might get curious. Keep them busy. Keep them away from the lake. This fight... is one I need to handle alone."

They set off, returning to the now-quiet, devastated shore of Yang Lake. As they approached, just as Daniel had predicted, a group of over twenty Awakened, likely the survivors of the group he’d led to the Leviathan earlier, emerged from the treeline, their expressions a mixture of fear and greedy determination.

"It’s them!" one shouted, pointing. "The ones who summoned the monster! They must be after its treasure! Get them!"

Daniel just shook his head. "Ayra, Lia," he said calmly. "Keep them entertained. I have a date with a sea monster."

Ayra’s grin was terrifying. "With pleasure."

Her eyes lit up. "A warm-up? Excellent! I’m ready to test my new Rock Pugilist defenses on something with more bones than a boulder!"

She took a step forward, planting her feet, her new strength palpable, her body radiating a defiant challenge.

Her new Rock Pugilist power flared to life. "Rock Guardian!" she roared.

A thick, jagged wall of solid stone erupted from the ground in front of her, blocking the path of the charging Awakened.

Lia, meanwhile stood behind her. She started channeling her A-Grade Staff of the World Ash.

A soft, emerald light enveloped Ayra, reinforcing her defenses. "[Knight Reinforcement]!" Lia incanted, a shimmering aura of vitality strengthening Ayra’s every muscle.

The twenty-plus Awakened, shocked by the sudden stone wall, unleashed a barrage of attacks.

The wall shuddered, cracks appearing, but it held.

Ayra just laughed, ready to show them what a real Rock Pugilist could do.

And behind them, Daniel turned to face the calm, dark waters of Yang Lake, a terrifyingly confident smile on his face