The small capsule materialised directly into his hand next to the one Shawn had given him. Silver swallowed both of them immediately.

Warmth spread gradually through his chest and ribs afterwards, easing the sharper pain slowly rather than instantly. He felt as though his muscles and bones were slowly being patched together.

’This is better than I thought’

On the other side, Shawn spoke into the communicator the moment it was answered.

"... Encountered dispatched, a young Teir three Bone plate ape within green sector C - 19, Seems to have left its migratory group in the yellow zone."

A pause followed.

"Yes, Eliminated."

He nodded.

"No casualties."

His expression flattened slightly afterwards.

"I’m aware that shouldn’t happen."

Silver quietly listened while testing his breathing again. The system medicine had worked faster than expected but it wasn’t a complete recovery. His body slightly ached but it was the dull kind of ache that you can ignore.

His attention was fixed on what Shawn had said the first time. His gaze shifted to the massive corpse in front of him.

’This thing is a child, how?’

He had thought he was fighting an adult but it seems not. He was fighting a baby and it had almost flattened him. He could already imagine what its mother will be like.

’I hope I never meet it’

Apes were social creatures and this young one probably just got lost.

Shawn finally ended the call before turning back to him.

"The base is dispatching investigation teams."

"For the Tier three?"

"Yes and no, it’s for why a Tier three crossed into the restricted green area."

"Are we that close to the yellow sector?"

Shawn looked in the distance, then faced him.

"Yes, while this is a newbie zone, it is still at the border. The green zones are mainly cleared areas with only scavengers and weaker beasts roaming. It starts from the Sanctuary gates up to this newbie zone."

Silver slightly frowned.

"Then why put a newbie’s hunting zone around this area instead of near the Sanctuary isn’t that better?"

Shawn slightly chuckled.

"Thats a naive way of thinking. Green zones have the smallest number of beasts to choose from while yellow sectors have them in abundance since the migrations happen year-round. Why do you think most of them have teams?"

"For protection and hunting?"

"Yes, but they are mainly for tracking especially with their experience they’ll know which beast is where and go for it."

Silver nodded. He had been thinking too narrowly.

’Maybe Cruella went to the red zone herself’

He wasn’t sure but he didn’t force himself to think too much of it.

Shawn glanced towards the deeper urban district ahead.

"We’ll continue moving."

Silver raised an eyebrow.

"You still trust me not to die?"

"No," Shawn glanced at him once," I just think your survival instincts are less terrible now."

This kind of honestly was really refreshing when he knew what awaited him after the integration was lies upon lies and probably someone trying to kill him.

The two resumed walking through the ruined streets afterwards. Silence returned naturally for a while.

Wind moved softly through the broken skyscraper frames overhead while distant beast cries echoed faintly across the ruins.

The deeper they travelled, the more the environment changed. Nature and urban decay blended perfectly together unnaturally.

Entire roads had disappeared beneath overgrown grass while trains lay half-submerged in pools of rotten stagnant water.

A ghost of civilisation.

Silver had been trying to picture it while reading the book but seeing it in person felt unreal. Every sound echoed, a leaf shaking would send him into high alert mode.

It was creepy as fuck.

Silver had to admit that the way flora and fauna had perfectly blended was somewhat beautiful but no one knew when a plant would suddenly rise from the ground and attack.

Plants had also unfortunately gained sentience and were just as ferocious.

Eventually, Shawn spoke again without looking at him.

"So, what kind of Contract are you aiming for?"

Silver glanced towards him briefly.

"My first beast?"

"Yes."

Silver thought for a moment. Honestly, he didn’t know yet. Originally he had mainly been planning for his survival and now that Shawn had asked him, it came to him that he had not really given it much of a thought.

He had only been moving with the motion since yesterday. Death then reincarnation, then soul testing then finding out he was poisoned then trying to talk with Ravenna and failing miserably then here they were.

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Something balanced probably."

Shawn nodded once.

"Good answer... But you haven’t really given it much of a thought have you?" He said his eyes narrowing.

Silver chuckled awkwardly.

"You’re right."

Shawn was quiet for a moment then sighed.

"Don’t hurry it up, this will decide the course of your future. We have at most three days to think about it."

Silver nodded. He glanced at Shawn once again wondering what his contracted beast was. If he had read correctly, then the man’s death had really been a waste.

"If you don’t mind me asking..."

Shawn nodded once.

"Just get it over with."

"What about you? You’re beast that is?"

Shawn’s gaze remained forward.

"Since it’s common knowledge, I don’t mind answering. My primary beast is already specialized heavily."

"Mind type."

"Correct."

Silver looked at him curiously. The book really hadn’t lied. It had been mentioned in passing by one of the base commanders after his untimely death.

"You still haven’t explained what it actually does?"

For the first time since meeting him, Shawn looked faintly thoughtful instead of irritated or downright moody.

"My integrations grant telekinetic manipulation."

Although Silvers already suspected that, he still couldn’t wrap his head around how overpowered this man would have become if Cruella hadn’t dragged him down.

He was the perfect asset in this apocalyptic world where stronger people are needed. It seems that the world runs on the principle that no one can be better than the protagonist since the protagonist also got the power at some point in his conquest journey.

Silver was utterly and truly impressed. Mind beasts were notoriously difficult to integrate successfully because synchronization places immense pressure directly into the soul and nervous system.

It directly affects the brain of the wielder. If not properly controlled the consequences might become catastrophic.

This was a high-risk, high-reward type of integration.