Silver rested one arm against the reinforced window while observing the landscape outside. Now that he was going through the yellow zone, the difference between the two zones was pretty obvious.

The green zone still contained remnants of preserved civilisation while the yellow zone barely did. Open plains filled with yellow, overgrown grass stretched endlessly, occasionally broken by stone formations or large skeletons half-buried in the grass.

Since the yellow zones were routes, no stable nests of beasts could be found. The migration routes were something that experts still couldn’t fully understand.

Entire populations of beasts crossed through the yellow zones seasonally following spiritual density fluctuations, breeding patterns, territorial wars, and instinctual movements that humanity still couldn’t understand.

With that in mind, the yellow zone became extremely unpredictable. A road might seem empty then, bam! Your car would be flipped out of the road and probably mangled before knowing what attacked you.

The reason might be as simple as driving a few kilometers from its offspring. That was how stupidly unpredictable it was.

That made this place dangerous. It was a place where experienced contractors disappeared occasionally.

The armoured vehicle sped across the plains steadily while distant beast cries echoed somewhere far beyond the horizon.

Silver glanced towards Shawn.

"So, how strong are yellow zone beasts usually?"

"Did you not learn anything in the classes we had as children!?" He hissed back without looking at him.

"I did," Silver responded immediately although the only information he had was from the novel which he couldn’t fully depend on.

He felt the need to confirm everything.

"Then there is no nee..."

"I don’t remember," Silver cut him off.

Shawn briefly glanced at him then sighed heavily.

"They are variable," he quietly said.

Extremely helpful.

Shawn kept his eyes on the terrain ahead while driving.

"Teir two through Teir four are most common. Occasionally higher if migration patterns shift. You can also find Tier one but those are mainly newborns. That’s what most first contractors go for."

Silver nodded slowly.

That already sounded significantly worse than the green sectors. It was understandable why they brought a lot of people with them.

Several minutes passed afterwards before Silver spoke again.

"I’ve been thinking about something?"

"About what?"

"Getting a sword after going back to the sanctuary. Maybe pay an instructor," he quietly said.

Shawn glanced briefly towards him.

"You should."

Silver looked down at the combat knife resting against his waist.

"This should be able to take me through today."

A small exhale left Shawn.

"It won’t."

"What?"

"That only worked in the green zone."

Shawn’s tone remained calm.

"Higher Tier beasts develop denser hide structure and stronger bone reinforcement. Small blades lose effectiveness quickly."

That matched exactly what happened against the ape creature. The combat knife barely penetrated the ape’s hide.

Silver didn’t really have much of a choice in weapons at the moment, where was he supposed to get another when there was nowhere to exchange for a new Combat knife?

He had carried more bullets than he wanted to admit.

Shawn reached behind the seat suddenly before tossing something towards him.

Silver caught it instinctively.

It was a dark steel single-edged sword.

Silver tested the weight carefully. It was heavier than he had expected, not like he had ever seriously wielded a sword. It balanced differently from the knife too.

"When did you get this?" He asked.

"From the checkpoint... It’s a rental."

"Rental?"

"Don’t lose it."

That explained the weird generosity from him. But Silver also didn’t see where they rented those weapons or he would have asked for an extra combat knife.

He rested the blade gently across his knees as he studied it.

He then frowned slightly.

"... I don’t actually know how to use this properly."

"Learn."

Silver stared at him.

Shawn stared back.

"... Inspiring teaching methods."

"It’s a sword, not philosophy."

Silver was left speechless. A few minutes ago he had said he was going to look for an instructor and now it was dumped onto him.

While on earth, the military never taught them how to use swords. It wasn’t like they needed swords. Swords were only needed for decorative purposes during parades.

’How the hell am I supposed to use this? Do I just use it almost like a combat knife?’

Before he could spiral into his thoughts, the system interface appeared suddenly.

[Weapon compatibility detected.]

•Recommended purchase available.

Silver blinked once before opening the prompt. A new category unfolded inside the beginner shop.

[Basic weapons techniques.]

• Beginner Swordsmanship - 17 Affection points.

• Beginner spear handling - 15 Affection points.

• Beginner axe mastery - 14 Affection points.

Silver was a little surprised by the different techniques but his eyes immediately focused on the sword skill.

"So how do I even learn this?" He asked inwardly his gaze shifting briefly to Shawn who glanced back.

[Skill acquisition available through System-Assisted integration.]

That sounded dangerously convenient. A shortcut that most would kill for. Still, leaving himself unable to properly use the weapon sounded dumber.

Current Affection points: 46.

Silver purchased it silently.

[17 Affection points deducted.]

Remaining: 29

A sharp pressure struck his head instantly afterwards. Silver flinched as fragments flooded into his mind.

He was shown basic footwork, grip adjustments, and blade positioning. There were hundreds of repetitive movements layered rapidly into muscle memory.

This was basically a foundation for Swordsmanship. The information settled gradually after several painful seconds.

Shawn noticed his expression change immediately.

"What’s wrong with you now?"

Silver exhaled slowly.

"Personal growth," Silver said calmly.

Shawn narrowed his eyes slightly but didn’t press further. He had gotten used to his shenanigans.

Several hours passed afterward as they continued deeper into the Yellow zone.

Silver had realised that the fights in the Yellow zones were extremely different from those in the green zones.

Greenzone beasts attacked recklessly while yellow zone beasts hunted with intelligence.

The first encounter happened near midday.

The armoured vehicle slowed sharply as movement appeared ahead through the tall grasslands.

A long-bodied reptilian beast emerged slowly from the vegetation, its scaled frame nearly eight meters long with bone-like protrusions running down its spine.

"Thats a Tier three," Shawn calmly said.

But unlike the reckless ape, Silver noticed that the creature moved with predatory patience.

Shawn stopped the vehicle.

"Your fight."

Silver looked towards him again.

"Alone again?"

"You improve faster that way."

That sounded suspiciously convenient for Shawn. Still, Silver exited the vehicle carefully with the sword now resting at his side instead of the Combat knife.

’Isn’t this just an overgrown mutated crocodile?’