They passed another set of tall windows, and through the windows, the inner district revealed more of itself. Guards stationed at different intervals are fully armoured.

Silver’s gaze lingered, not on the men themselves but the markings crawling on their skin where their armour didn’t cover.

Their necks and wrists.

Faint lines like ink but deeper, almost like they had been tattooed into their skin.

’Also this...’

The memories surfaced naturally this time, since he had both read and the former Silver was familiar with it.

Contractors.

This was what separated the two worlds now. Wealth and status had lost their meaning, now those with power ruled.

After the apocalypse when the beasts first rose, humanity hadn’t survived by numbers or weapons alone. Those had failed on the first try.

As expected, they had adapted or rather some of them did before the influence spread, which wasn’t much.

The first contractors had discovered a mineral stone, called the origin stone that induced awakening.

Those who awakened gained the ability to do something no normal human could.

To claim beasts.

Not in the literal sense of the normal beast taming in the novels he had read but something far different and still the same.

A beast had to be killed first and its body still warm with its presence not yet fully gone. Only then could an awakened reach out, place a hand against it and will it.

In simple terms it was basically taming the soul of the beast before it dissipated, that is if they could.

And if they succeeded, the beast’s body would collapse into something closer to ash and what remained of its essence or soul would be dragged into the contractor’s body.

This left behind a mark, a sort of tattoo, a living imprint of the beast they claimed.

This gives them the ability to use the beast’s powers for themselves. For example, if a contractor contracts a beast that focuses on Agility, they will get a tattoo on their leg that enhances their speed to that of the beast they contracted.

So the stronger the beast, the stronger the mark and the stronger the contractors.

Contractors can only contract beasts of their level, if they go for a beast above their soul power threshold it would fully dominate them and take over.

Most of them always end up killed before they can even step past the sanctuary gates since it turns parasitic.

Silver’s gaze flickered to one of the guards again. A head of a snake poked out from his collar, its mouth open fangs glinting.

"You’ll be a contractor soon," Sanders said lightly, as if picking up on his thoughts. "The pillars of the sanctuary."

Silver didn’t respond immediately, he didn’t need to.

Everyone knew what it meant.

Those who had contracts, those who killed, claimed, those who survived the process, and be able to fight beasts outside the walls were the reason the walls stood.

Without them, the outer district would have been swallowed and yet there will always be filth under the Shining badge.

Silver’s gaze drifted almost unconsciously towards the slums beyond the walls.

Not everyone could awaken since origin stones are found within ruins in the beast-infested lands which means, unless you’re courageous, stupid, or desperate, getting an origin stone from the ruins was basically impossible.

Unless one had enough money to buy it from the elites who have full control of it, you’re basically doomed to live the rest of your life in the slums and remain a normal worker.

But that isn’t all, one might be able to become a contractor but unable to contract a beast.

With this in place, a system that had been built on survival had automatically turned into something political.

Contractors became absolute rulers.

"We are fortunate," Sanders continued, voice smooth," to serve such individuals."

There was something layered beneath both words. Respect maybe.

If he remembers correctly Sanders wasn’t a contractor, since no contractor would ever want to work as a personal servant, only a few do that.

Silver finally, briefly glanced at him.

"Fortunate?" He flatly repeated.

Silver felt his stare for just a moment before it disappeared.

"Of course young master," he said, " after all you’re going to be one of them."

A sarcastic chuckle almost slipped his lips.

’I hope so’

In the book, Silver didn’t get the best result. He was only a low-level contractor which solidified his chances of going nowhere.

A contractor in name without a single contract of the lowest mark to prove himself.

’If it turns out like that, I’ll just have to think of another way... leave maybe... I should probably find my fiancée first, save her before she goes down the path of cannon fodder’

He glanced at the slums briefly again.

’Two worlds in one city huh’

Sanders voice cut in through his thoughts smoothly as if he had been waiting for the exact moment.

"The lower district has been growing more unstable recently young master," he casually said.

Silver didn’t look at him.

"And?"

"The elites fear that influence from outside forces."

’Ah, this is it’

In the novel, this was where rumours of the protagonist began to surface.

A nobody from the slums had gone outside the walls with his party but his party had returned alone, he had come back two days later fully awakened.

The cliche betrayal plot for character development. He had found the stone, the highest grade one at that, while on the verge of death and successfully integrating it awakening his soul power.

Silver’s gaze lingered on the distant chaos for a moment before continuing forward.

’One thing at a time’

"If they can’t control their own rats," Silver said flatly, increasing his pace," perhaps they should stop feeding them scraps." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

He knew it was something cruel and harsh, exactly what the former Silver would say.

Sanders smiled faintly which Silver noticed. He rolled his eyes inwardly.

’Enjoying this aren’t you?’

A few turns later, they came to a stop in front of a massive, wooden door.

Guards bowed to them the moment he came to a stop.

"Shall we proceed young master?"

"Mmh."

Sanders pushed the doors open.