Chapter 504:Sadness.

Chapter 504: 504:Sadness.

Silver had always believed that death was something he understood.

He had been a soldier in his previous life. He had seen people die, watched men who had been laughing only minutes earlier disappear beneath gunfire, and experienced the terrible helplessness of realizing that no amount of training could guarantee survival. He had even died himself, sacrificing his life to save a child who would otherwise have been killed.

When he opened his eyes in this world, inside the body of a villain destined to meet a miserable end, he thought that experience had prepared him for whatever horrors the apocalypse could throw at him.

He was wrong.

Because knowing that people could die and watching someone you knew choose to die were two completely different things.

Elias had been alive less than twenty minutes ago.

He had been standing on that communications tower, laughing through the communicator despite the exhaustion in his voice, doing everything he could to protect the civilians trapped below. Only that morning, he had been excitedly talking about his approaching breakthrough to Rank Two.

Silver could still remember the ridiculous happiness on his face when he announced that his energy saturation had reached ninety-eight percent, and the way he’d smiled when Silver told him to become stronger for himself rather than his older brother.

Now the communications tower was nothing more than a twisted mountain of metal and concrete, and Elias was somewhere beneath it.

His fingers tightened around the grip of his handgun as he walked toward the southern barricade, his boots dragging through a mixture of blood, dust, and broken glass. Every breath sent a sharp pain through his chest, and the spatial pathways running through his body felt as though someone had poured molten metal into them.

His Rank Three physique was keeping him upright, but even that had its limits. Several ribs were fractured, his internal organs had suffered damage, and the backlash from repeatedly forcing his spatial abilities beyond their normal capacity was becoming increasingly difficult to suppress.

Ravenna walked beside him.

She hadn’t said much since they left the collapsed tower.

Occasionally, her eyes moved toward his face, and he knew she was worried. He could feel it through their Twin Soul Resonance, a faint emotional pressure that seemed to tighten whenever he stumbled or his breathing became uneven. The bond also allowed him to sense her own condition, and what he discovered was hardly reassuring.

Ravenna had been fighting continuously for hours, using her flames to protect civilians and repel beasts far stronger than herself. Her soul energy reserves were dangerously low, her left shoulder had been injured, and several small burns marked the skin beneath her torn uniform.

Yet she continued walking.

Neither of them wanted to stop,not while Hollow Creek was still burning.

"Silver," she quietly called.

He looked toward her.

"What?"

"You’re slowing down."

He glanced at his feet, then attempted a smile.

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"Must be getting old," he jokingly said.

She suddenly stopped walking. He managed another two steps before noticing.

He turned to find her staring at him, worry in her eyes with a small mixture of building anger.

"Ravenna?" He called, confused.

"Stop doing that."

His smile faded.

"Doing what?"

"Pretending everything is fine."

He remained quiet.

She approached him, her expression strained.

"You’re injured. Your energy circulation is unstable, and you’ve been coughing blood since that monster hit you. I can feel how much pain you’re in, Silver."

He looked away.

She caught his hand.

"Look at me."

He did.

For several seconds, neither spoke, then Ravenna said quietly, "I know what happened to Elias hurts. It hurts me too. But getting yourself killed won’t bring him back."

His jaw tightened.

"I know."

"Do you?"

He didn’t answer.

Ravenna’s expression softened.

"Because right now, you’re acting like you have to save everyone to make up for the one person you couldn’t."

The words struck harder than he expected. He looked toward the southern district, where gunfire continued echoing between the buildings, then he closed his eyes.

"I was right there," he whispered in a broken voice.

She squeezed his hand.

"I know."

"If I had been stronger..."

"Silver."

"If my spatial energy hadn’t failed..."

"Silver."

"If I’d figured out that new skill earlier, maybe I could’ve..."

"Enough."

He stopped.

Ravenna stepped closer.

"Elias made a decision."

Silver stared at her as she continued, her voice trembling slightly.

"He knew what he was doing. He knew the tower was collapsing, and he still stayed because those people needed him."

He lowered his head.

She swallowed.

"You can’t take that decision away from him just because it hurts."

For a long moment, Silver said nothing, then he slowly exhaled.

"You’re right."

Ravenna looked at him.

He gave a small, exhausted laugh.

"I hate that you’re right."

She smiled sadly.

"That happens a lot."

Silver shook his head, then his expression changed. Because as he looked at Ravenna’s injured shoulder, another thought finally forced its way through the grief clouding his mind.

He had a system.

A system that could purchase extraordinary resources, strengthen his body, improve his abilities, and provide items that ordinary Contractors might never obtain in their lifetimes.

And he had spent the past several hours fighting as though he were an ordinary Rank Three Contractor with nothing more than his equipment and natural abilities.

Silver stared at Ravenna, then silently cursed himself.

What the hell am I doing?

He had been so focused on surviving the immediate danger that he’d forgotten the greatest advantage he possessed.

He didn’t need to rely entirely on conventional medical supplies. He didn’t need to wait until they returned to Alpha Three.

He could buy something... Right now.

"Ravenna."

She frowned.

"What?"

"Give me a minute."

He closed his eyes.

[Happiness System Activated.]

[Current Available Affection Points: 26,214 AP.]

[System Shop Opened.]

[Category Selected: Emergency Recovery and Medical Resources.]

A familiar interface appeared before him and he immediately began searching. He ignored the cheaper recovery potions and ordinary medical supplies, moving directly toward the advanced items designed for serious Contractor injuries.

Several products appeared.

[Advanced Regeneration Serum - 2,500 AP.]

[Restores moderate physical injuries and accelerates natural tissue recovery. Limited effectiveness against severe internal damage.]

[High-Grade Soul Energy Recovery Potion - 3,000 AP.]

[Restores a substantial portion of depleted soul energy and stabilizes minor circulation disturbances.]

[Superior Vital Restoration Elixir - 5,500 AP.]

[Rapidly repairs severe physical injuries, including fractured bones, damaged organs, torn muscles, and extensive internal bleeding. Provides temporary metabolic stabilization during recovery.]

[Supreme Soul Meridian Restoration Elixir - 7,000 AP.]

[Repairs damaged soul energy pathways, stabilizes circulation, and reduces the risk of permanent injury caused by energy backlash. Does not immediately restore all expended soul energy.]

His eyes narrowed.

Everything was very expensive but he didn’t hesitate. He selected two Superior Vital Restoration Elixirs, then two Supreme Soul Meridian Restoration Elixirs.

[Purchase Confirmation.]

[Superior Vital Restoration Elixir ×2 - 11,000 AP.]

[Supreme Soul Meridian Restoration Elixir ×2 - 14,000 AP.]

[Total Cost: 25,000 AP.]

[Remaining Balance: 1,214 AP.]

[Confirm Purchase?]

He stared at the total for barely a second before smiling bitterly.

Twenty-five thousand points was an enormous amount of resources, enough to purchase several powerful skills or advancement materials.

Under ordinary circumstances, he would’ve spent hours considering whether the investment was worthwhile, but this wasn’t an ordinary circumstance.

He looked toward Ravenna, then confirmed the purchase.

[Purchase Successful.]

[Items Transferred to System Storage.]

[Warning: Superior Vital Restoration Elixir may cause intense discomfort during accelerated tissue reconstruction.]

[Warning: Supreme Soul Meridian Restoration Elixir requires temporary reduction of active soul energy circulation for optimal effectiveness.]

Silver opened his eyes.

Ravenna was still watching him when she noticed the familiar expression on his face.

Her eyebrows rose.

"Silver?"

He smiled faintly.

"Remember that little advantage I have?"

Her eyes widened as she caught on.

"Your system?" She quietly asked.

He nodded.

"Exactly."