Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner - Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Domain upgrade Chapter 61: Domain upgrade The general call came hours later: a headcount.

They had to confirm no one-alive or dead-was left behind.

Noah stood, his legs stiff from sitting too long.

He blended into the mass of students shambling toward the roll call, each face hollow and distant.

The smug first-years of 1A, their elite egos stripped raw, didn’t utter a word.

Even the bumbling loudmouths from 1C were silent.

Everyone looked the same-drained, defeated, like they’d been dragged through hell and spat back out.

When the roll call ended, they boarded the Greta 69.

No one complained about the cramped conditions or the bloodstains on the seats.

No one even looked at each other.

The three-hour trip back to Earth felt longer than the battle itself.

Noah leaned his head against the cold window, watching the academy lights grow closer.

‘Bright lights.

Perfect.

Just what we need.

Like a giant spotlight on how many of us didn’t make it.’ The hatch opened onto chaos.

Crowds of staff and students flooded the landing site, desperate for news.

Upperclassmen with siblings pushed forward, their faces pale as they scanned for familiar faces.

Behind them, healers rushed to unload the injured.

Another transport arrived, carrying the remains of those who hadn’t survived.

Noah stepped out and wove through the crowd, keeping his head down.

The noise and the press of bodies grated on him.

‘I need a bath.

And silence.

Definitely silence.’ He almost made it to the edge of the chaos when a hand grabbed his arm.

He turned, his expression blank.

It was Mrs.

Harper.

Tears streaked down her cheeks as she yanked him into a crushing embrace.

‘Great.

Public display number two for the day.’ Mrs.

Harper had been his nanny once, back when his parents decided the Ark was more appealing than raising their own kid.

She was the closest thing to family he’d had, and she wasn’t letting go now.

She pulled back just enough to pepper his forehead with kisses.

‘Because nothing screams “battle-hardened soldier” like getting treated like a toddler.

Fantastic.’ But he let her.

Because it was Mrs.

Harper.

The other person he loved besides himself.

She grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the side.

He didn’t resist.

Anything to get out of the crowd.

“Eclipse!” The voice stopped him cold.

He turned, his eyes narrowing.

Micah.

Noah’s jaw tightened.

Micah-ranked fifth in the academy and the same guy who’d frozen like a deer in headlights when the Harbingers attacked.

‘Of course.

Of all people, it has to be him.’ Micah jogged up, looking sheepish.

“Hey, uh…

Noah.” Noah said nothing, his face unreadable.

Micah shifted awkwardly.

“I just…

wanted to say thanks.

For what you did.

You saved a lot of us.” Noah’s eyes stayed locked on him, unblinking.

Micah swallowed.

“And…

I’m sorry.

For…

freezing up.” ‘You froze, people died, and now you’re apologizing to make yourself feel better.

Got it.’ Noah didn’t respond.

Micah fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable.

“Right.

Uh…

good talk.” He turned and hurried off.

Noah exhaled slowly, glancing at Mrs.

Harper.

She gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.

“Come on,” she said softly.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” He nodded once, letting her lead him through the thinning crowd.

‘A bath.

And silence,’ he thought.

‘Preferably in that order.’ As Mrs.

Harper led him through the thinning crowd, her hand still gripping his arm, she glanced at him curiously.

“What nonsense was that kid from third year spouting about you saving lives?” she asked, her tone both sharp and concerned.

Noah kept his face impassive, shrugging lightly.

“I spotted the Harbinger first.

That’s all.” Her eyes narrowed, clearly unconvinced, but before she could press further, he cut in, “I’m starving.

What’s for dinner?” Mrs.

Harper’s suspicion wavered, but only slightly.

She sighed and muttered, “You’re always hungry,” before shaking her head.

‘Crisis averted,’ Noah thought as they continued walking.

He kept his gaze fixed ahead, careful not to betray any emotion.

Because if Mrs.

Harper ever found out he’d been fighting alongside Lucas, holding his own against multiple Harbingers-including a two-crown-he’d be in for a lecture longer than the trip back to Earth.

‘And I’m not in the mood for a recap of my life choices,’ he mused.

All he wanted now was quiet.

A hot bath, food, and maybe the kind of silence that didn’t come with the weight of a battlefield still clinging to his mind.

But Mrs.

Harper’s grip tightened slightly, a reminder that she wasn’t done worrying about him.

‘Just a little longer,’ he told himself.

‘Then maybe, just maybe, I’ll finally get the peace I’m asking for.’ The staff quarters were far quieter than the chaos he’d left behind at the hostel.

Mrs.

Harper had insisted he stay the night at her place.

Between the traumatized students flooding the dorms and his own exhaustion, he didn’t argue.

Now, sprawled on a worn but comfortable bed in a small room she’d set up for him, Noah let himself sink into the kind of stillness he’d been craving all day.

He was dressed in a faded hoodie and ash-gray joggers-clothes he’d left here ages ago, somehow still neatly folded in the closet.

He stared at the ceiling, hands behind his head, his mind wandering back to the insanity of the day.

‘Light-years from Earth,’ he thought.

‘On a foreign planet barely colonized, fighting for my life against Harbingers.

Not beasts, not some rogue mech squad, but actual Harbingers.’ The surrealness of it all hit him like a wave.

Hours ago, he’d been dodging death on Cannadah, and now, he was lying here, full from Mrs.

Harper’s spaghetti and meatballs.

‘What a frigging timeline,’ he mused, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

But beneath the humor was the weight of the day.

He’d survived, sure, but not without help.

Lucas came to mind first.

‘Damn, the number 1 is a beast,’ Noah thought.

‘If he’s that strong now, what’s he going to look like by graduation?

A walking nuke?’ Then there was Kelvin.

Noah couldn’t help but smile faintly.

‘My guy called reinforcements, broke through signal jammers, and got help to a bunch of kids stuck in hell.

Someone better make him a statue.

A big one.

Maybe two.’ And finally, Nyx.

‘My ace in the hole,’ he thought, his smirk growing wider.

The image of his dragon tearing through the two-horned Harbinger flashed in his mind.

The timing of Nyx’s evolution had been perfect, a literal lifesaver.

And to think, Nyx wasn’t even at full power yet.

‘When you hit your peak, buddy,’ Noah thought, ‘there won’t be a thing in this universe that can stand in your way.’ The thought was comforting, but it also brought a strange sense of unease.

Because while Nyx’s strength was a blessing, it also made Noah painfully aware of the bigger picture.

The Harbingers weren’t a one-off threat.

They were here, and they weren’t going away.

‘This war’s just getting started,’ he realized.

The smirk faded, replaced by a stoic expression as he stared into the darkened room.

‘Guess that means no rest for the wicked.’ Noah let out a soft groan as he sat up on the bed, the urge to check on his companions creeping up on him.

He swung his legs over the side and stretched briefly before muttering, “Domain.” Instantly, shadows spilled out from beneath him, engulfing his entire frame in a ripple of dark void.

A second later, the shadows dissolved, leaving him standing in a lush, green field.

The serene landscape stretched far and wide, a stark contrast to the chaos of the day.

A warm breeze rustled the grass, and the distant hum of flowing water added a sense of tranquility.

Noah took a deep breath, enjoying the calm for all of two seconds before- WHAM!

A small but powerful body slammed into his chest, nearly knocking him over.

“Storm!” Noah barked, stumbling back before catching himself.

The azure wyvern chirped excitedly, flapping his tiny wings and nudging at Noah like an overgrown puppy.

His blue scales shimmered under the sunlight, and his long tail whipped back and forth, cutting through the grass.

“Alright, alright!” Noah said with a rare laugh, crouching down to ruffle Storm’s head.

“You missed me, huh?” Storm responded with a delighted trill, nipping gently at Noah’s hand.

The two played for a bit, Noah occasionally tossing a rock or stick for the wyvern to chase.

It was almost easy to forget everything that had happened earlier.

Almost.

After a few minutes, Noah stood and dusted off his hoodie.

“Alright, where’s Nyx?” he asked, looking around.

Storm tilted his head, chirped again, and then took off running, his small wings fluttering uselessly as he bolted across the field.

Noah sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he followed.

“Guess that means ‘follow me.'” Storm led him to a quiet part of the domain, stopping just outside a peculiar stone structure.

Two large stones stood vertically with a third laid horizontally across the top, forming a simple archway.

Inside, Nyx lay curled up, wings tucked protectively around his massive body.

Even in rest, the dragon radiated power.

His crimson scales glimmered faintly, and tiny sparks of ember drifted off his tail and wings like fireflies.

Noah stopped at the entrance, marveling at the sight.

Just days ago, Nyx had been barely bigger than Storm.

Now, he was a beast.

“Big guy needed some rest,” Noah muttered, leaning against one of the stones.

“Not every day you take down a two-horned Harbinger and come back with its core.” Speaking of which… Noah reached into his void storage, summoning the cores he and Nyx had retrieved.

One one-horn core for him and two more from Nyx-one one-horned and one two-horned.

The cores glowed faintly in his hand, pulsating with latent energy.

He tossed them lightly, watching the way they shimmered in the air before catching them and returning them to the void.

“Guess I owe you one,” he muttered, glancing back at the sleeping dragon.

Storm chirped beside him, tilting his head as if to say, What about me?

Noah smirked, patting the wyvern on the head.

“Relax, you’ll get your turn.” For now, though, it was time to let Nyx rest.

He turned and walked back into the field, Storm trotting faithfully beside him.

There were still things to think about, but for now, his companions were safe, and that was all that mattered.

Noah leaned against one of the stones, eyes narrowing as he remembered the reward he hadn’t paid much attention to yet.

The whole evolution and chaos of the mission had completely slipped his mind, but now, alone with his thoughts and in the peace of the domain, he realized it was time to handle it.

His internal system chirped to life, a familiar hum in his mind.

[Special reward: Domain upgrade available] ‘Ah, right.

The damn upgrade,’ Noah thought, almost smirking at how he’d almost forgotten about it.

This was something he had earned after both he and Nyx evolved, a reward that was too good to pass up.

CREATORS’ THOUGHTS RetardedCulture The mass release continues today!

Thank you Savage beast for the castle!!