Chapter 431:A future question.

Chapter 431: 431:A future question.

By the time Silver and Ravenna finally left the academy cafeteria, the sun had already begun descending behind the western skyline, turning the glass sides of several distant buildings orange while long shadows stretched across the academy grounds.

Their first official day had somehow managed to feel longer than the entrance evaluations despite the fact that nobody had tried to eliminate them, shoot them with simulated hostiles or force them through increasingly unbearable soul pressure.

Silver decided that Peter was probably responsible for that.

He walked beside Ravenna along one of the paved paths leading toward the residential section, carrying his academy tablet beneath one arm while Ravenna had her sword case strapped across her back.

Students moved around them in groups, most discussing tomorrow’s schedule or comparing their baseline results, and somewhere across the grounds a group of older students were still training despite classes having officially ended for the day.

Ravenna looked toward them.

Silver followed her gaze.

"Don’t even think about it."

She turned her face a mask of confusion.

"Think about what?"

"Training tonight."

"I wasn’t."

"You were looking at them," he said while gesturing to the group.

"I can look at people without wanting to join them," she countered.

He raised an eyebrow.

She stared at him for a few seconds before signing out loud.

"Fine," she grumply said," I thought about it."

Silver laughed.

"You’ve had two days of evaluations, almost no proper rest before yesterday, and today Peter made you run around a training hall for hours."

"He made everyone run around."

"That doesn’t make it less tiring."

Ravenna looked toward him.

"You’re the one who was nearly crushed beneath a mountain."

"And that’s exactly why I’ve developed a deep appreciation for resting."

"That happened quickly."

"Trauma changes people."

Ravenna tried not to laugh but failed. Silver smiled and reached for her hand. She took it naturally.

Their fingers intertwined as they continued toward the residential district.

It still felt good.

Not exciting merely because it was new anymore, but warm in a quieter way. They had spent most of yesterday and today touching whenever they had the opportunity, as though both needed the physical reminder that the other was actually there after everything that had happened in Death Row Valley.

He didn’t think that would last forever, tomorrow they had lessons, training, assignments and their own schedules.

Ravenna had already started talking about additional sword practice. Silver had several weaknesses Peter had exposed within hours. They couldn’t spend every minute attached to one another.

For tonight, though, neither seemed particularly interested in letting go.

He looked toward her. She seemed relaxed now that Shirley was nowhere nearby.

He waited several moments, then asked, "Have you thought about another beast?"

Ravenna looked at him.

"Another integration?" She asked.

"Yeah."

Her expression became more thoughtful.

Silver continued walking.

"You’ve been developing your current abilities for a while. I wasn’t sure whether you wanted to continue concentrating entirely on those or start looking for something else."

She didn’t answer immediately.

That alone told Silver she’d already considered it. They crossed a quieter section of the academy grounds.

Eventually she nodded.

"I’ve thought about it."

"What do you want?"

"Strength."

Silver looked toward her.

Ravenna noticed and raised an eyebrow in question.

"What?" She asked

"I expected something more complicated."

"Why?"

"Because you’re you."

Ravenna narrowed her eyes.

"What does that mean?"

Silver smiled.

"I don’t know yet."

"Then don’t say things you can’t explain."

"That’s restrictive, as a couple we are supposed to be open with each other."

Ravenna squeezed his hand.

Silver laughed.

"Fine. Strength it is."

Ravenna nodded.

"Physical strength specifically."

"Not another elemental ability?"

"No."

Her answer came quickly.

He became more interested.

She glanced toward one of the distant training fields as she explained.

"My fire is already enough for now. Flame Edge gives me close-range enhancement. Burning Arc gives me range. Fire Step gives me mobility. Blazing Guard gives me defense. Heat Perception helps when I can’t rely on normal sight."

Silver nodded.

She had clearly thought this through.

"If I integrate another elemental beast just because the ability looks powerful, I might get something I barely use."

"True."

"And Peter was right about something today."

Silver smiled.

"Only one thing?" He teased.

Ravenna ignored him.

"I’m good physically, but I’m not exceptional."

He thought about her baseline results.

She had been above average in almost everything, but raw strength hadn’t been among her standout categories.

She continued.

"I use a sword as my main weapon. I don’t want to depend on fire every time I need more force."

Silver nodded slowly.

That made sense.

Ravenna’s fighting style was aggressive; she closed distance, controlled space and forced opponents backward.

Greater physical strength would complement almost everything she already did without changing the identity of her fighting style.

"Strength would improve your sword," he affirmed.

"Exactly."

"Probably your ability to handle recoil too."

"That would help."

"Close combat."

"Yes."

"Carrying me out of another collapsed mountain."

She stopped walking. He stopped too as he turned to look at her.

She stared at him without a single expression.

"That isn’t funny."

"It was a little funny."

"No."

Silver looked at her expression.

"Sorry."

Ravenna continued staring, then she sighed.

"Don’t make jokes about disappearing under mountains yet."

Silver’s smile softened.

"Okay."

She started walking again and he followed, their hands remaining together.

After several seconds Ravenna spoke.

"I don’t want an ability that just gives me one powerful attack."

Silver nodded.

"I’d rather have something that strengthens my body generally. Even if the increase isn’t enormous."

"A passive physical enhancement."

"Preferably."

"Strength-oriented beast."

"Yes."

Silver thought, then remembered he had something.

"Actually..."

Ravenna looked at him.

"I might already have one."

She stopped again.

"What?"

He smiled.

"I have a Tier Two core."

Ravenna stared at him, confusion in her gaze.

"But..."

"This one is different."

"Which one?"

Silver thought back to the many beasts they had hunted and the cores he had taken before the beast fully dissipated, including a Tier Two core with characteristics potentially suitable for physical enhancement.

"I kept one that has a strength-oriented characteristic."

Ravenna’s eyes sharpened.

"From where?"

"I’ll show you."

"Silver."

"I’m not hiding it. I just don’t have it in my pocket."

Ravenna looked toward his uniform.

"You put everything in that storage."

"Yeah."

She frowned slightly.

"You still have access to storage even though the system is upgrading?"

"The storage itself hasn’t disappeared. The system interface is the part that went silent."

That distinction had been useful.

Silver hadn’t been completely cut off from everything he possessed just because the Happiness System had entered synchronization.

Ravenna thought about it.

"Tier Two."

"Yes."

"Wouldn’t it have deteriorated by now?"

Silver smiled.

"Normally."

Ravenna understood immediately.

"Your storage."

He nodded.

"Whatever happens inside it preserves things extremely well. More importantly, it keeps the characteristics I need from the core stable."

Ravenna’s interest increased considerably.

That was one of the biggest problems with beast integration. A suitable beast wasn’t enough.

A Contractor needed the right opportunity, the right condition and often the right timing. Certain characteristics degraded after death, especially when someone wanted more than simply absorbing energy from the core.

His storage changed that.

"So I wouldn’t need to hunt something and immediately integrate it."

"No."

She became quiet.

He continued when he noticed she won’t be asking anything.

"We can examine it properly first. There’s no reason to rush."

"Can you tell what the beast’s characteristic is?"

"Somewhat. I want to check again before I tell you it’s definitely suitable."

Ravenna nodded.

That was exactly the answer she wanted. She didn’t want Silver handing her a core merely because it had the word strength somewhere in its description.

"What Tier Two beast?"

"I’ll pull it out somewhere private later."

Ravenna gave him a suspicious look.

"Why somewhere private?"