Chapter 104:Training II
Chapter 104: 104:Training II
Silver turned toward the western street as several bulky silhouettes emerged from between the abandoned buildings.
He managed to count five before more followed behind them until an entire herd slowly entered the intersection. There were nearly twenty Ironback Boars altogether.
Most were Tier One, their stone-gray armor worn smooth by years of surviving in the wild. Mixed among them especially noticeably larger individuals. Their shoulder plates were darker, thicker, and their tusks curved farther forward than the others.
Tier Two.
Silver’s eyes swept over the herd once before he smiled.
"...This is better."
Ravenna glanced at him.
"Better?"
He nodded.
"We needed something that wouldn’t die in one exchange, the first ones were just appetiser."
She laughed softly.
"I suppose that counts as training."
Neither of them looked particularly worried. A week ago, an encounter like this would have been reason enough to retreat. Now, it simply looked like an opportunity.
Silver slowly rolled his shoulders before loosening his grip on his sword.
"Same plan... Stay together."
Ravenna twirled her blade once.
"And no showing off."
He looked genuinely offended.
"I never show off."
She smiled.
"Yeah, yeah I was joking, you don’t have to go on the defensive."
Silver chuckled without responding. He then turned to the oncoming herd before him.
The lead Tier Two boar lowered its head, its front hoof scraping across the pavement. Behind it, the rest of the herd instinctively spread into a shallow semicircle.
They weren’t intelligent enough to plan tactics, this was simply herd instinct. They always start by surrounding, then pressuring and finally overwhelming the opponent.
Silver inhaled once. The familiar sensation spread through his mind.
[Spatial Sense Lv2 Active]
{Radius Expanded.
Movement Prediction: Active.
Soul Energy Consumption Reduced.}
The world around him especially sharpened. Every movement within his perception became easier to follow. Loose gravel shifting beneath a hoof, the slight change in weight before a charge and the tiny pause before muscles contracted.
He could almost... read the battlefield. Silver smiled.
"There."
The first boar charged, immediately followed by three more. Ravenna didn’t wait, fire danced across the edge of her sword as she stepped forward.
The first swing was meant to redirect, her blade struck the lead boar’s tusk. The angle forced its head slightly sideways. That tiny adjustment completely changed the creature’s path.
It rushed harmlessly past Silver. Silver’s sword flashed, a clean horizontal slash. The exposed neck separated almost effortlessly. The beast collapsed before realizing it had already died.
The second boar reached him immediately afterward.
Silver disappeared.
[Short-Step Lv1 Activated]
Space rippled. He reappeared several meters to the creature’s left as though he had simply ceased existing for an instant.
The boar crashed through empty air, confused. Silver calmly drove his sword downward through the gap between its shoulder plates. One precise thrust leading to one clean kill with no wasted movement.
Ravenna smiled despite herself.
"...You’re getting better."
"So are you."
The herd adjusted. Instead of charging individually, several Tier Ones rushed forward together while the larger Tier Twos remained behind. Testing and watching for weakness.
Silver appreciated that.
"They’re not stupid."
"No." Ravenna nodded. "They’ve survived for a reason."
Three beasts attacked simultaneously. Neither Silver nor Ravenna moved. For half a heartbeat, they simply waited, then, they moved together without speaking.
Ravenna stepped slightly forward and left, while Silver drifted half a step right. Their positions changed almost instinctively.
The first boar reached Ravenna. Her blade ignited, an upward slash split through the creature’s jaw before flames erupted inside the wound. The beast collapsed instantly.
Silver intercepted the second. Instead of cutting it, he punched. Primal Strength exploded through his arm. The reinforced fist connected with the boar’s armored forehead and a loud crack echoed through the street.
The entire beast left the ground. It flew backward nearly six meters before crashing through the window of an abandoned convenience store.
Ravenna blinked.
"...That’s still ridiculous."
Silver rubbed his knuckles.
"I’ve been practicing."
The third beast never reached either of them.
[Phantom Draw Lv3 Activated]
Silver’s pistol appeared almost faster than the eye could follow.
BANG!
The bullet entered through the creature’s eye and the boar collapsed mid-charge. The weapon disappeared back into its holster almost immediately.
Ravenna couldn’t help smiling.
"...That skill is so unfair."
He chuckled, almost proudly.
"I know."
The remaining beasts hesitated. Their instincts warned them that these two humans were dangerous. One of the larger Tier Two boars finally roared. This time, the entire herd charged together.
Silver’s grin widened.
"Now we’re talking."
The battlefield erupted into movement. Dust exploded beneath pounding hooves as broken pavement shattered under the combined weight of charging beasts.
Silver and Ravenna stood back-to-back for exactly one second, then, they deliberately separated.
Silver intercepted the left half of the herd while Ravenna the right. Linked Awareness quietly activated without both of them consciously noticing it.
Yet every movement seemed, smoother. Silver instinctively knew when Ravenna would advance. Ravenna somehow avoided stepping into his firing line without ever looking. Their rhythm slowly became almost effortless.
Silver met the first Tier Two head-on. The creature was significantly larger than the others, nearly chest-high. Its armored forehead looked capable of smashing through concrete.
Silver welcomed it.
[Primal Strength Lv1]
Primal Strength surged; instead of dodging, he caught both tusks. The impact still forced him backward two steps as the ground beneath his boots cracked.
’Not bad at all’
His muscles tightened and with a sharp exhale, he twisted. The enormous boar completely lost balance before being thrown sideways into the two Tier Ones rushing behind it, all three tumbled together.
Silver immediately followed. His sword became a blur. One slash was enough to finish all off them. He picked the three cores at an exceedingly fast speed and stored them in his pocket.
Nearby, Ravenna danced through the herd. There was no better word for it, she fought beautifully. Every step flowed naturally into the next.
Fire curled around her sword without wasting unnecessary energy. She didn’t overwhelm opponents through raw power like Silver but defeated them through precision.
One boar lunged which she sidestepped. Her blade traced a short diagonal arc and the front leg separated cleanly. Before the beast could fall, she had already turned. She slashed taking it’s neck with her.
She barely seemed to stop moving. Silver watched for only a second before smiling.
’She’s amazing’
One particularly aggressive Tier Two attempted to flank her. Silver noticed immediately.
[Spatial Sense Lv2 Active]
He vanished.
[Short-Step Lv1 Active]
He appeared directly between Ravenna and the charging beast. His sword pierced upward beneath the creature’s chin. The momentum carried the entire body over his shoulder, crashing heavily behind him.
Ravenna didn’t even glance back.
"...Thanks."
"Anytime."
She finished another beast before adding,
"Left."
Silver trusted her immediately, without looking, he swung. A hidden Tier One attempting to ram him from behind split cleanly in half.
Within minutes, the street became quiet again. The remaining Ironback Boars slowly backed away. Animals weren’t suicidal. They had already lost nearly half the herd.
The survivors finally turned and disappeared into the surrounding forest.
Silver didn’t chase them.
"There isn’t any point."
Ravenna nodded.
"They’ve learned and they’ll avoid humans for a while, probably repopulate during that time."
Silence settled over the village once more, only their breathing disturbed the morning air. Ravenna sheathed her sword.
"That felt uhh..." She searched for the word. "...Easy."
Silver nodded.
"It should, we’re stronger, but more importantly..."
He pointed toward the ground where their footprints crisscrossed.
"...We never got in each other’s way through the whole fight."
Ravenna followed his gaze. She hadn’t noticed during the fight but now, it became obvious. Their paths had woven around each other naturally. Not once had they blocked the other’s attack or hesitated.
Linked Awareness had simply made their cooperation, feel natural.
A familiar notification appeared.
[Linked Awareness Lv1]
{Joint Combat Experience Recorded
Synchronization Progress: 11%
Growth Requirement: Continue fighting alongside registered partner.}
Ravenna couldn’t see the notification but Silver smiled anyway.
"It seems we’re improving."
She tilted her head.
"Yes, I didn’t even notice how much we’ve improved until you pointed it out," she thoughtfully said then added," is it because we’ve been fighting everything that is too strong for us."
He nodded.
"Yeah, this feels more like a walk in the park, but as I said, we need to start with less pressure so that we can get used to our fighting styles before going to a high pressure location."
"Then we should keep doing it."
Silver finally turned toward the fallen beasts. There were far more than they needed. He crouched beside one of the younger Tier One boars before drawing a hunting knife from his belt.
Ravenna watched curiously.
"...What are you doing?"
"Dinner."
She blinked.
"Oh, Dinner. I forgot about that."
He nodded matter-of-factly.
"Fresh meat, it would be a waste to leave everything here. The herd will probably come back for the bodies anyway"
She smiled.
"...You really did learn cooking."
"I intend to prove it."
Using the knowledge from Advanced Field Cooking, Silver quickly identified the best cuts; shoulder, backstrap, and tenderloin. The system’s guidance made every movement efficient.
He carefully removed several kilograms of clean meat before wrapping each portion in preservation cloth.
[Advanced Field Cooking Lv1]
{Field Processing Successful.
Food Quality Preserved.
Spoilage Rate Reduced.}
Silver placed the wrapped meat into one of his storage slots.
"That should last us several days."
Ravenna folded her arms.
"I suddenly have very high expectations."
Silver laughed.
"I hope there is no pressure."
"Oh, there’s pressure now. If it’s terrible..." She smiled mischievously. "...I’m making you eat all of it."
"I’ve created a monster."
"You encouraged it."
They both laughed. After collecting the remaining Tier One and Tier Two cores, they returned to the vehicle. Silver spread the map across the hood.
"We’ve only covered a small distance today."
Ravenna nodded.
"And we’ve already learned quite a bit."
He traced the road leading toward Delta Sanctuary Four.
"There are still several abandoned settlements before we reach the mountains."
She looked at him knowingly.
"So... We’re stopping at every one of them."
Silver grinned.
"For training."
"For training."
She smiled back.
As excited as they were, neither of them noticed that far above the village, a small reconnaissance drone hidden among the clouds quietly altered its course.
Its camera remained focused on the two young contractors below, then, without making a sound, it disappeared toward the north.