Chapter 489:Elias.

Chapter 489: 489:Elias.

The breakthrough had taken place several days earlier, after he’d completed his final stabilization exercises and arranged access to a private advancement facility.

The process hadn’t been particularly pleasant, especially when the energy circulating through his body began restructuring itself to accommodate the greater pressure of Rank Three, but the Advanced Beast Synchronization Catalyst had helped stabilize the two beast tattoos integrated into his body.

Ravenna had accompanied him.

She’d remained nearby throughout the advancement, occasionally checking on him whenever the energy fluctuations became particularly intense.

When he finally emerged as a Rank Three Contractor, she’d been the first person to congratulate him, and the first to complain that he was becoming increasingly difficult to catch.

He smiled at the memory.

After the breakthrough, he’d finally consumed the Void Tempering Fruit. The rare treasure had been far more valuable than he’d expected.

Its effects hadn’t simply increased his physical capabilities. Instead, it had strengthened the pathways through which his spatial energy circulated, improved his compatibility with spatial abilities, and accelerated his understanding of the principles underlying his powers.

The improvement was especially noticeable when combining Spatial Sense, Short-Step, and Spatial Distortion.

Previously, each ability had required a brief adjustment in his energy circulation, now those transitions were becoming increasingly natural.

However, the fruit hadn’t magically granted him complete mastery. He still needed practice and considerable amounts of it.

He placed the training sword on the nearby rack and opened his status.

[STATUS]

[Name: Silver Ruddington.]

[Current Rank: Rank 3.]

[Title: Reliable Companion.]

[Soul Capacity: Limit Removed.]

[Soul Stability: Stable.]

[Beast Tattoos: 2.]

[Spatial Affinity: Enhanced.]

[Void Tempering Fruit: Fully Assimilated.]

[Spatial Comprehension Growth: Accelerated.]

He studied the information before smiling.

Rank Three.

He’d finally crossed another important threshold.

And although he was pleased with his progress, he understood that reaching Rank Three didn’t suddenly make him one of the strongest Contractors in the world.

Far from it.

He’d personally witnessed the strength of Rank Four Contractors in Death Row Valley.

He’d encountered beasts whose power exceeded what ordinary Rank Three Contractors could reasonably handle.

And he knew that beyond those threats existed Rank Five, Rank Six, and even more terrifying individuals.

He still had a long way to go. A notification suddenly appeared on his communicator.

[ACADEMY ANNOUNCEMENT]

[All Class Four students are required to report to Room 4A at 0900 hours.]

[Attendance Mandatory.]

He raised an eyebrow.

"Hope it’s nothing bad," he mumbled.

By the time Silver reached Room 4A, most of his classmates had already arrived.

The atmosphere was considerably livelier than usual, with several students discussing the recent news about the research-center disaster while others compared the results of their latest training sessions.

Caleb was sitting near the window, complaining about the difficulty of his physical conditioning exercises.

Rowan sat beside him, quietly examining a damaged training glove.

Mina was discussing something with Helena. And Elias was standing near the back of the classroom, looking at a small display projected from his communicator.

Silver noticed him immediately.

Elias looked unusually cheerful which was weird as a whole. Although Elias wasn’t particularly antisocial, he generally maintained a calm, reserved personality, preferring to observe conversations rather than dominate them. During their previous assessments, he’d demonstrated excellent patience and an impressive ability to remain focused under pressure.

Silver approached him.

"Morning."

Elias looked up confused, then smiled.

"Silver."

He nodded toward the communicator.

"Good news?"

Elias hesitated, then laughed quietly.

"Maybe."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe?" He repeated.

Elias closed the display.

"I had an energy evaluation yesterday."

Silver immediately understood.

"Oh?"

He nodded.

"My saturation is increasing."

Silver smiled.

"How close?" He asked.

"Very."

He looked almost embarrassed by his own excitement.

"I think I’m approaching the Rank Two threshold."

His smile widened.

"That’s excellent."

Elias laughed softly.

"Hopefully."

Silver shook his head.

"No, seriously. You’ve been training hard."

Elias looked toward him, then nodded.

"Thanks."

Silver leaned against the nearby desk.

"Have you started preparing for the breakthrough?"

"Not properly. I wanted to confirm the evaluation results first."

"That’s sensible."

Elias smiled, then glanced toward the classroom. For a moment, he seemed uncertain whether to continue.

He noticed his hesitation.

"What?" He quietly asked.

Elias shook his head.

"Nothing."

Silver waited and eventually, Elias sighed.

"Actually, there’s something that has been disturbing me, I’m not sure if it will affect my advancement."

Silver raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds serious."

"Not particularly." He paused, then smiled faintly. "Actually my family is from Delta One."

Silver’s eyes widened, he had not expected that.

Delta One.

Among the Delta Sanctuaries, Delta One was one of the most developed, possessing considerably greater resources and opportunities than the smaller settlements surrounding the lower-numbered regions.

He looked toward him.

"That’s a long way from here."

Elias nodded.

"Very."

"Why Alpha Three?"

Elias laughed quietly.

"Because I wanted to survive."

Silver’s expression became thoughtful.

Elias continued.

"People hear that someone comes from Delta One and immediately assume they’re rich or important. Sometimes they’re right. But it doesn’t mean everyone there has an easy life."

Silver nodded.

Elias looked down at his hands.

"My family isn’t poor. We have connections, and my parents have enough money to live comfortably. But my older brother..." He paused, then laughed softly. "My older brother is something else."

Silver smiled.

"How so?"

"He’s twenty-five."

"All right."

"And already at Rank Five."

His eyebrows rose.

Rank Five at twenty-five was genuinely impressive.

He nodded.

"And his Soul Capacity is thirteen."

Silver looked at him.

"That’s a strong foundation," he said.

"Exactly," Elias agreed.

He leaned against the desk.

"He’s been talented since he awakened. Everything came naturally to him. He entered Alpha two academy, advanced quickly, joined a powerful Contractor organization, and started making a name for himself before most people his age had even reached Rank Three."

Silver patiently listened.

Elias smiled faintly.

"My parents are proud of him. Everyone is."

"Understandable."

"Yeah." Elias looked toward the window. "Then there’s me."

Silver remained quiet.

Elias continued.

"Soul Capacity nine." He laughed without much amusement. "Rank One."

Silver frowned slightly.

"That’s not terrible."

"I know." He nodded. "I know it’s not. A Soul Capacity of nine is respectable in plenty of places."

He looked toward Silver.

"But not when your older brother has thirteen and reaches Rank Five at twenty-five."

Silver understood his plight.

Elias continued.

"Every family gathering, every conversation, every time someone asks about my training, it’s always the same thing."

He smiled bitterly.

"Your brother accomplished this at your age. Your brother was already doing that. Your brother could defeat opponents two ranks above him. Your brother received another promotion."

Silver listened.

"And when they talk about me..."

Elias shrugged.

"Well, I’m the younger brother."

His expression softened.

Elias looked down.

"I don’t hate him," he said it immediately, almost as though he wanted to make that clear. "He’s actually a good person. He helps me whenever he can. Sends me training materials, occasionally gives me advice, and even offered to introduce me to some people who could help with my development."

Silver nodded.

"But?"

Elias smiled.

"But I wanted something that was mine." He looked toward the classroom. "Not another opportunity someone gave me because of my brother."

Silver remained quiet.

Elias continued.

"So I came here."

"To Alpha Three?"

"Yes."

"Why this academy specifically?"

Elias considered.

"Because it was far enough away that nobody knew me."

His eyes widened.

Elias laughed.

"Well, not completely. Some people still recognize my family name. But it’s different here."