The deeper they moved into the green sector, the quieter Shawn became. Conversation had faded naturally at the moment, attention mattered now.

The ruined suburban district surrounding them looked like the corpse of an old world neighbourhood swallowed slowly by nature.

Broken vehicles rested half-buried beneath thick vines while shattered homes leaned dangerously against one another beneath overgrown trees.

Some buildings still carried ordinary traces of life. Half-erased children murals, store signs, barely standing rusted bicycles, and somehow the wasteland felt worse.

Silver stepped carefully over cracked pavement while keeping one hand near the gun at his waist. The spiritual density around the area felt heavier than around the checkpoint.

It wasn’t overwhelming but just enough to remain tense through the walk.

Shawn suddenly raised his hand. Silver stopped immediately. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

There was only silence. The wind moved softly through dead branches overhead.

Then, scratching. Movement inside one of the collapsed houses ahead. Shawn’s expression sharpened instantly.

"Three," he said quietly.

Silver narrowed his eyes toward the dark opening in the ruined building. Then, the wall exploded outward.

The scavenger beasts lunged violently into the streets with distorted shierks, their grey skin stretched unnaturally against their feline bodies.

Silver’s body reacted instinctively. His handgun cleared the holster almost automatically.

[Phantom Draw LV1 Activated.]

Bang.

The first reinforced round tore directly through one scavenger’s shoulder mid-lunge, spinning the creature violently sideways across the pavement.

But the other two kept coming. One darted towards Shawn while the other darted towards Silver.

Shawn moved first, and his sword flashed once. Silver barely saw the strike.

A sharp silver arc cut through the air before the scavenger’s head separated from its body. It was clean, effortless, and there were no wasted movements.

The corpses collapsed heavily against the ruined pavements. Silver was left in shock, he had heard but seeing with his own eyes left him in shock.

Rank 7.

The difference between them showed immediately.

"Focus!" Shawn barked sharply.

The remaining scavenger reached him. It was too fast to fire comfortably. Its jaws opened wide, the rancid smell hitting him. Silver stepped sideways instinctively instead of backward.

Why?

He wasn’t sure. His body simply moved correctly. The scavenger crashed past him. Silver combat knife appeared in his left hand almost naturally.

Then, slash.

The blade curved across the creature’s side in one smooth movement. The scavenger screeched loudly before twisting midair with terrifying flexibility.

Silver fired again immediately.

Bang. Bang.

Two reinforced rounds punched through its skull at near point-blank range. The body collapsed twisting on his feet.

[Phantom Draw LV1 proficiency increased.]

Silence returned briefly.

Silver stared downward slightly. His breathing was calm, too calm for someone who was doing it for the first time.

Shawn looked mildly surprised.

"Not bad."

Silver frowned. Something felt strange, familiar even. The handgun in his hand, the familiar weight of the combat knife, and the movement all felt natural.

He had expected to teach his new body with time but it seems to be somehow remembering his last life’s movements and reenacting them perfectly. His brain and body were surprisingly moving together.

Then another sound echoed nearby.

More scratching. More movement.

Shawn clicked his tongue softly.

"Of course there’s a pack."

Four more scavengers emerged from the surrounding ruins almost immediately. Then two more joined the others one after the other.

Silver’s eyes sharpened.

’Six total’

Shawn stepped slightly backwards instead of forward. Silver glanced at him in confusion.

"You’re fighting this," he calmly said.

Silver blinked once.

"All of them?"

"You wanted experience. "

One scavenger lunged instantly. Silver fired on reflex.

[Phantom draw LV1 Activated.]

Bang.

The shot struck directly through its eye socket. Perfect accuracy. The scavenger collapsed immediately. Silver froze for one second unable to comprehend how clean the shot had been.

The second scavenger attacked from the side. Silver pivoted instinctively, knife first and gun second.

The combat blade slashed upward across the creature’s jaw while the handgun fired simultaneously into its chest at near contact range. Blood exploded across the ruined pavement. The scavenger crashed sideways into a broken vehicle.

Shawn’s eyes narrowed slightly but Silver barely noticed. Because something inside him had awakened. It was more like returning.

His body moved before his thoughts fully formed. Footworks, angles, distant management, and target proximity. The knowledge surfaced naturally beneath the panic. His training on earth, the military drills, gunfire, and combat exercises. His body was naturally remembering and moving according to how he had always moved.

A surprising but pleasant development since he had expected to learn everything from scratch.

Memories of his instructors screaming at recruits to stop hesitating came crashing into his mind.

His grip tightened unconsciously.

The third scavenger lunged. Silver sidestepped, slashing his knife down.

The blade buried directly through the creature’s neck while his gun rotated smoothly toward another target already moving behind it.

Bang.

A perfect headshot. The fourth beast collapsed mid charge.

[Phantom draw LV1 - LV2.]

Skill effect improved:

• Faster draw speed.

• Increased first shot precision.

• Reduced recoil stability.

Shawn stared openly at Silver now.

"... What the hell?"

Silver didn’t respond. Not like he could answer at the moment. Because for the first time since his reincarnation, his old instincts and new body aligned perfectly.

And it felt terrifyingly good.

Another scavenger leapt from above.

Silver rolled sideways across cracked pavement instinctively while firing upwards.

Bang.

The round missed narrowly. He had been too rushed. The scavenger landed directly beside him with snapping jaws.

Silver reacted instantly.

The knife reversed in his grip before slamming upward beneath the scavenger’s skull. Warm blood sprayed across his sleeve.

The scavenger convulsed violently. Silver pulled his blade free.

[Phantom Draw LV2 Proficiency increased.]

He then froze suddenly because Shawn’s expression changed completely. It wasn’t the expected surprise anymore but alertness and danger.

"Silver."

The tone alone made him look up immediately. The wastelands seemed to have gone silent. Even the remaining scavenger beast moved away slowly while whining fearfully toward the ruined street ahead.

Then... something enormous moved in the shadows between the collapsed buildings.