[Target life signs terminated.]

"Thank goodness, I thought I was going to be sliced into pieces there," he muttered to himself in relief.

Silver sat heavily against a nearby rock. The adrenaline began fading immediately. Unfortunately, that meant the pain returned like a freight train. His entire body felt like it had been used as a practice target.

The bloodied corpse remained several meters away, much smaller now that it wasn’t trying to murder him. Honestly, it looked harmless, cute even, which felt unfair especially with the environment he was in.

Anything capable of slicing through space should not look adorable. If it hadn’t been a murder hobo, it would have made a beautiful pet.

A notification appeared.

[Compatible Beast Detected.]

Species: Voidstep Squirrel

Classification: Space-Type Beast

Tier: Three

Compatibility: High. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Silver blinked in surprise.

"High?"

That sounded suspicious. There wasn’t even this much fanfare when he killed the younger ape.

The screen continued.

[Integration Available.]

Would Host like to begin Soul Integration?

YES / NO

Silver stared.

Then immediately became cautious. After spending enough time around systems in novels and games, he had learned an important lesson.

Always ask questions first. Especially when mysterious powers wanted access to your one and only soul.

"Will integrating it affect me?"

The system responded instantly.

[Affirmative.]

Silver waited.

The screen remained unchanged.

"...That’s it?"

[Integration affects all Contractors.]

"...Thank you for the incredibly detailed explanation that I already know. I’m asking about the space core specifically..." he said internally.

[Clarification Requested.]

Silver rubbed his forehead.

"How exactly does it affect me?"

Several new windows appeared.

[Soul Integration Overview]

A beast integration permanently fuses a beast’s soul imprint with the Contractor’s soul structure.

Effects include:

• Acquisition of Beast Tattoo.

• Acquisition of Beast Affinity.

• Acquisition of Beast-Derived Abilities.

• Gradual Physical Adaptation.

"For space types?"

The screen shifted.

[Space-Type Integration Effects]

Possible outcomes:

• Enhanced Spatial Perception.

• Improved Reaction Speed.

• Increased Soul Consumption.

• Potential Spatial Abilities.

Silver studied the information carefully. That last point caught his attention.

"Increased soul consumption?"

[Space-Type abilities possess high soul expenditure.]

That sounded unfortunate but he had also expected something like that. Especially after he had seen how Shawn was affected mid-fight and the fact that elementals were considered more dangerous.

The system continued mechanically.

[Additional Notice.]

Space-Type beasts rank among the rarest recorded beast classifications.

Recommended integration probability: 98.4%

Silver looked toward the small corpse again with more appreciation.

A space-type.

Even Shawn in their many useless conversations had called space beasts rare. Ridiculously rare.

And apparently, his luck had finally taken a turn with this one since it was highly compatible with him.

Yet he hesitated. Not because he didn’t want the power but because he remembered the conversation earlier.

Synergy.

Contractors only possessed limited tattoo slots, normally that is. A bad first choice could haunt someone for years.

Then again his limit had already been removed. The thought made him pause.

That was still difficult to believe. He had unlimited growth potential, an unbelievable thing in the whole world.

Silver exhaled slowly then a small smile appeared.

’Right’

He had almost forgotten. The rules that trapped everyone else didn’t fully apply anymore. For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt genuinely fortunate.

He knew he had a few people to thank for that, the original Silvers’ parents and Ravenna.

Silver looked at the squirrel one last time then nodded.

"Begin integration."

He moved closer to the corpse.

The notification changed instantly.

[Integration Procedure Initiated.]

The squirrel’s corpse began glowing. Soft white light emerged from within it. He immediately knew what it was. Pure soul essence.

Silver’s eyes narrowed.

The light slowly rose from the body before drifting toward his chest. Toward the area directly above his heart. He watched with a mixture of curiosity and interest.

If beast tattoos represented soul imprints, that location actually made sense. The heart wasn’t simply a physical organ.

Most soul theories considered it the body’s primary spiritual anchor point.

A contractor’s first tattoo often manifested somewhere around the chest, shoulders, or upper torso where soul circulation remained strongest.

The white light touched him and pain followed immediately. It wasn’t really physical pain but something stranger. As though invisible claws were carving symbols beneath his skin.

Like getting a tattoo but spiritually.

This was something he had never imagined he would feel but at the moment, it felt so invasive.

Silver gritted his teeth.

The glow intensified. Lines began spreading across his chest beneath his clothing.

The uncomfortable sensation grew stronger forcing Silver to fall into a slight daze.

His jaw tightened immediately.

The pain changed as the light sank deeper.

Before, it had felt like something carving into his skin but now, it felt like something carving into his soul.

A cold sensation spread from the center of his chest outward. It wasn’t freezing just an emptying feeling as though space itself had somehow entered his body.

The light continued pouring from the squirrel’s corpse until the beast gradually dissolved entirely. Reduced to drifting particles of soul essence.

Each fragment flowed toward Silver’s chest into the growing symbol that had formed above his heart.

His breathing became uneven. The sensation was difficult to describe. Part of him felt heavier while another part felt strangely lighter, like he existed slightly out of alignment with the world around him.

The system appeared again.

[Integration In Progress.]

Space-Type Beast: voidstep Squirrel

Synchronization: 31%

The number continued climbing steadily.

Silver closed his eyes. The pain wasn’t unbearable just the persistent kind and that was far worse. It felt like his body and soul were being rewritten simultaneously.

Suddenly images flashed through his mind. They weren’t memories per se, but the creature’s instincts.

It started with a small creature navigating impossible terrain, jumping through folds in space, and avoiding predators far larger than itself.

Surviving not through strength but through precision, awareness, and movement.

The images appeared and disappeared rapidly. Silver watched them pass without resisting.

While in that state of mind, unknown to him, somewhere in the ravine, a familiar contractor was finally getting close.

Shawn had found his trail.