Chapter 464:Almost there.

Chapter 464: 464:Almost there.

The third week brought another change. Antony became obsessed with the academy gates. Not because he wanted to escape, at least, that was what he claimed.

It began one evening when Silver, Jude and Dillian returned from the training facilities to find him standing near the large windows overlooking the academy’s southern entrance.

He had his arms crossed and his expression was deeply offended.

Silver stopped beside him.

"What happened?"

Antony pointed toward the gates.

"Look."

Silver looked.

Several upperclassmen were leaving the academy grounds. Some wore casual clothes while others carried shopping bags.

A group of third-years were laughing as they passed through the security checkpoint, apparently heading into Alpha Three’s city district for the evening.

Silver watched them, then looked toward Antony.

"And?" He asked.

Antony turned toward him.

"And?"

Silver nodded.

"Yes."

Antony eyes widened as he stared at him.

"They’re leaving."

"I noticed."

"At night."

"Yes."

"To go into the city."

Silver smiled.

"That does appear to be where the road leads."

Antony looked toward Jude.

"Do you see what I have to deal with?"

Jude continued walking.

"Frequently."

Antony pointed after him.

"Traitor."

Dillian laughed quietly.

Antony turned back toward the gates.

"Why can’t we leave?"

Silver shrugged.

"First-year restrictions."

"Exactly!" Antony threw his hands into the air. "We’re adults. We’re Contractors. Some of us have fought Tier Three beasts that were about to become Tier Four and even one Tier four, briefly though. We survived an assessment designed to make us miserable. We wake up before sunrise, train until our muscles hurt, attend classes, complete assignments, and somehow the academy still thinks we’ll die if we go outside and buy something decent to eat."

Silver considered.

"Maybe they think you’ll get lost."

Antony stared at him, mouth pursed.

"I hate you."

Silver laughed.

Antony pointed toward another group of upperclassmen.

"Look at them! They’re going out for dinner. Real dinner. Not academy food. They’re probably going to restaurants, shopping centers, entertainment districts, maybe even somewhere with music."

Jude stopped walking.

"The cafeteria has music."

Antony slowly turned.

"Jude."

"Hm?"

"Please don’t speak."

Dillian laughed out loud.

Silver leaned against the window.

"Upperclassmen probably earned the privilege."

Antony sighed dramatically.

"That’s the problem. Everything here is something we have to earn."

He watched another group pass through the gates.

Then muttered, "I feel like a prisoner."

Silver looked at him.

Antony continued.

"A very well-fed prisoner with access to extremely expensive training equipment, but a prisoner nonetheless."

Jude nodded.

"Terrible conditions."

Antony pointed at him again.

"You’re enjoying this."

"A little."

Silver smiled.

Antony looked toward the city beyond the academy walls.

"Seriously, though. Couldn’t they let us out once? Just one evening? A few hours? Supervised, if they’re so worried. I want to walk into an actual shop without having to ask whether it’s approved by the academy."

Silver considered it.

That wasn’t unreasonable.

The academy’s first-year restrictions were strict. Students could move freely within the enormous campus, but leaving for the city required special permission, usually granted only for medical reasons, family emergencies or official assignments.

Upperclassmen had more freedom but first-years didn’t.

Silver understood the reasoning.

The academy wanted them focused. It also wanted to control the risks associated with newly admitted Contractors who were still learning to manage their abilities.

But Antony had a point... A little freedom wouldn’t hurt.

"Maybe they’ll loosen the restrictions after the next assessment," Silver suggested.

Antony turned.

"You think?"

"Maybe."

Antony immediately brightened.

"Then we need to pass."

Dillian looked at him.

"We already passed the first assessment," he said.

"Then we need to pass harder," he added, unperturbed

Jude sighed.

"That doesn’t mean anything."

"It means everything."

Silver laughed.

Antony looked toward the gates one last time, then sighed dramatically.

"One day."

Silver smiled.

"One day?"

"One day, I’ll walk through those gates wearing ordinary clothes, eat something that wasn’t prepared by academy staff, and return without anyone asking where I’ve been."

Jude looked at him.

"A beautiful dream."

Antony nodded solemnly.

"Thank you."

Dillian shook his head.

Silver laughed.

Then the four continued toward the dormitory.

Silver’s final major improvement came during a late-night training session near the end of the third week.

He had reserved a private room specifically for spatial control. There were no weapons, targets or combat simulations; just himself and a series of obstacles.

He activated Spatial Sense.

[Spatial Sense Lv3 Activated.]

The room unfolded around him. Distances became clearer and the positions of the obstacles settled into his awareness.

Silver raised one hand and a small barrier formed.

[Spatial Distortion Lv2 Activated.]

He angled and adjusted it, then moved it slightly to the side while maintaining it. The barrier trembled after a few minutes.

Silver frowned.

He tried again.

This time he created two smaller barriers rather than one large surface. The energy consumption increased but not as much as he’d expected.

He concentrated on them. One barrier angled left while the other angled right.

A simulated projectile fired from the wall. It struck the first barrier, and was redirected by him. It hit the second and changed direction again before striking the designated target.

Silver smiled.

"Finally."

[Spatial Distortion Lv2 proficiency increased.]

He continued.

He Short-Stepped between obstacles. Used Spatial Sense to track moving targets. Practiced Space Slash by cutting through reinforced materials. And used the Barriers to redirect projectiles.

He repeated the exercises until sweat covered his forehead and his breathing became heavier.

Then something changed; the familiar heaviness returned, stronger this time.

Silver stopped.

He felt the energy circulating through his body. It was dense and compressed, almost saturated.

He closed his eyes.

For several seconds, he simply listened to the sensation, then activated soul Insight.

[Insight Lv2 Activated.]

The system responded immediately.

[Host Physical Development Analysis Initiated.]

[Current Rank: Rank 2.]

[Physical Foundation: Excellent.]

[Energy Circulation: Stable.]

[Soul Synchronization: High.]

[Beast Tattoo Integration: Stable.]

[Rank Development: Approaching Upper Limit.]

Silver slowly opened his eyes.

There it was, he’d suspected it, now he had confirmation. His body was approaching the upper limit of Rank Two.

The system continued.

[Rank 2 Development Saturation Detected.]

[Further growth increasingly dependent on energy refinement, physical adaptation and synchronization stability.]

[Rank 3 Breakthrough Conditions Beginning to Form.]

Silver stared at the words his excitement slowly climbing.

He smiled.

"Rank Three," he said it quietly.

The words felt important. He remembered when Rank Two had seemed distant and remembered the dangers he’d faced before reaching it.

And now?

He was standing inside one of the best military academies in Alpha Three, approaching another breakthrough.

Silver exhaled.

The system displayed another prompt.

[Development Recommendation Available.]

[Host is advised to stabilize current Rank 2 foundation before attempting advancement.]

[Premature breakthrough may result in energy instability and reduced synchronization efficiency.]

[Recommended Focus: Physical Foundation, Spatial Energy Control, Beast Tattoo Synchronization.]

Silver nodded.

That made sense.

He wasn’t going to force the breakthrough simply because it was close. He’d seen what happened when Contractors pushed themselves beyond their limits without proper preparation.

He had no intention of becoming one of them.