Shawn continued calmly

"The advantage at my current Rank is versatility. Precision movement. Environmental control. Enhanced weapon handling."

"So, you can fly a sword?" Silver couldn’t stop himself from asking.

Shawn chuckled. " Yes. But it’s straining. "

Silver immediately remembered the earlier fight. The way Shawn redirected force without overpowering it. The sword movements were too smooth.

He really did have it.

"The downside," Shawn continued," is soul corruption."

Silver nodded slowly.

"The straining."

He nodded.

"My telekinesis drains soul energy rapidly during prolonged combat," Shawn glanced towards him briefly," which means my second integration needs something compatible."

"You don’t have another. "

He shook his head." There is no need to hurry, your body must get used to your first beast before another. "

"They won’t synchronise peacefully if hurried."

"Exactly. You don’t want them fighting in your soul space. It will crack and disintegrate."

"So, synergy is really important?"

"Yes."

The words mattered enormously among beast masters. Synergy determines long-term growth, not just raw power.

"How do you know which is the best, there has to be a logical explanation besides the instinctual connection?"

Shawn continued explaining naturally as they walked.

"Strength types increase physical force, durability, and close-range combat ability. Reliable. Stable. Easy integration."

"But straightforward."

"Yes."

Silver slightly nodded.

That explains why military divisions heavily favored strength-based contractors. They had a predictable growth pattern and low chances of instability.

"What about speed types?"

"For idiots to run away with, which is much needed in this accursed world. It has the best survival rates among beginners," Shawn stepped over collapsed debris without looking down," Enhanced reflexes. Agility. Nervous system acceleration. Some develop movement skills."

Silver immediately understood why speed types were the most popular. Mobility saved lives.

"Elemental types?" He asked next.

Shawn’s expression shifted slightly.

"Powerful."

He answered immediately this time.

"But unstable."

Silver listened carefully.

"Elemental beasts contain stronger soul signatures than most physical types," Shawn explained," which means greater destructive power after successful integration."

"But?"

"Synchronization failure rates are high."

That made sense. Power wasn’t free. More powerful meant greater risk.

"Unlike the others where you can at least wing it. Elemental contractors also require precise compatibility," Shawn continued," a poor match can permanently damage the soul or result in instant death."

Silvers thoughs drifted again as more words came into mind. Fire. Collapsed tunnel leading to an underground ruin. A burning creature staring through the darkness.

Cruella’s first elemental beast. His memory still refused to connect.

Shawn continued explaining while Silver listened carefully.

"In conclusion. Mind types require intelligence and precision. Strength types dominate direct combat. Speed types survive the longest. Elemental types possess high offensive potential."

Shawn looked towards him.

"As a Contractor, you should choose what is more beneficial for you. I’ve seen idiots go to the red zone to search for an elemental beast just because someone else got it. They never return. Choose wisely."

"Why did I waste my breath on this when we’re all taught this at ten?"

Silver chuckled. The former Silver never listened so his memory was blank with only fragments from the novel which was written from the protagonist’s perspective.

Silver quietly absorbed the advice while they continued deeper through the ruined city.

The afternoon passed slowly after that. It wasn’t peaceful but their pace was steady with a few attacks here and there.

Silver and Shawn continued moving deeper through the outer green sectors while the ruined city gradually thinned around them.

Streets became wider and buildings became less frequent. Nature reclaimed more territory with every kilometer they crossed.

The fights came intermittently. They were never enough to truly rest but also enough for them to stop. Fortunately or unfortunately, they had only met Tier 1 and Tier 2 beasts throughout.

The green sector seemed to have gone back to normal with its attack.

A scavenger pack near a collapsed highway had welcomed their chaotic journey then more followed.

A long-limbed crawler beast had shot out from under an abandoned bus.

Once, an armoured insectoid creature burst from the underground and nearly tore through Silver’s leg before Shawn pinned it mid-charge using telekinetic force long enough for Silver to finish.

Each battle taught him something different. How to control distance, the perfect timing, how to maintain his breathing, how to reload with a beast twice your size chasing after you, how different beasts attack, and how fear changes under repetition.

At first, Silver reacted too quickly, his body reverting to how he had reacted in the fight with the Ape. His emotions were also out of whack, every movement triggered immediate aggression from him.

Shawn noticed it quickly.

"You commit too hard, you have to loosen up."

The comment had come after Silver emptied half a magazine into a wounded scavenger that had already lost mobility.

Silver lowered the gun slightly.

"... It’s still moving."

"It was dying."

’That sounds easy coming from someone more experienced’

Still, Silver eventually understood. Real contractors conserved resources constantly: ammo, soul energy, and stamina. Control mattered more than excitement.

As hours passed by, Shawn corrected him continuously without softening the criticism.

"Watch the shoulder before the strike."

"Stop staring at the claws."

"Your footing is terrible. These are beasts not humans."

"Don’t retreat in straight lines."

"You’re relying too much on instinct again."

It was terribly annoying but useful nonetheless. It felt as though he had gone back to his military days where he had his instructors shouting insults mixed with advice at them for any little mistake.

Silver improved visibly by evening. Even Shawn seemed mildly surprised by how quickly his body adapted.

The sun eventually began lowering behind the horizon, staining the wasteland sky in dark orange and muted crimson.

By then, the green sectors had almost disappeared behind them.

The environment changed gradually again.

The dense ruins became sparse until only broken highways and empty stretches of open land remained ahead. There were no more residential districts and towering buildings.

Only long dead roads cut through endless plains of overgrown grass and scattered debris fields.

Silver slowed slightly while observing the open terrain.

"... This doesn’t look like the green sector anymore."

"It isn’t."