Silver considered how much to explain without sounding suspicious. He knew he couldn’t exactly say the exact truth but how to frame it into something believable was another matter.

"I managed to hold onto a ledge before hitting the ground, " he touched his side consciously," my ribs are killing me."

Shawn assessed up and down.

"You’re one lucky guy, I thought you’d have millions of broken bones by now."

He awkwardly laughed.

"I angled my body to avoid the worst impact and..."

"Wait a minute, is that..." he cut him off.

The older Contractor stood again slowly, his injuries were clearly bothering him now.

Silver was about to say something when Shawn’s gaze suddenly settled on his chest. More specifically, the tattoo visible through the torn fabric.

Silver immediately became alert internally, he had forgotten he had opened his shirt to look at the tattoo.

Then Shawn asked the question.

"What did you integrate?"

There it was, the question he dreaded. Silver had already considered the answer.

Space-type was impossible, for now. Not until he understood more and he was strong enough to keep it.

A rookie contractor possessing a space-type tattoo would attract far too much attention especially with someone trying to kill him at the moment. Plus he wasn’t ready to be pulled into any politics.

Silver shrugged.

"I’m not completely sure."

That part was true. The system had handled much of the integration. Normally, contractors learned the details gradually afterward, until their bodies adapted to the power. A buffer adaptation period of sorts.

Shawn nodded slightly since it was a reasonable answer.

"You saw it?"

"Small beast," Silver thought for a second, "Fast but Strong enough to cut through rock."

Technically also true.

Shawn’s expression became thoughtful.

"A strength-type?"

Silver hesitated just long enough to appear uncertain.

"Maybe."

The older Contractor crouched slightly to examine the tattoo. The mark rested above Silver’s heart. Dark silver lines spread outward from a central beast-shaped symbol.

The system had done something clever. The more obvious spatial characteristics remained hidden.

The tattoo looked unusual but not suspiciously so. Certainly not enough to immediately scream space-type.

Shawn studied it for several moments then nodded.

"Probably strength."

Silver relaxed internally but not fully. Now he had to keep the lie going.

"That’s good?"

"Very."

He already knew the answer, strength types were straightforward and adapted well.

"You won’t require complicated soul control," he lightly said, "For a first tattoo, they’re reliable."

Silver almost smiled. If only Shawn knew.

The older Contractor finally straightened.

"Most people spend years hoping for a useful first integration."

His gaze drifted toward the tattoo again.

"You managed one during your first hunt. I can bet less than half in the group will integrate. "

Silver looked down briefly, the mark felt warm, then smiled slightly before pulling his shirt over it.

Shawn sighed loudly, the sound echoing in the quiet ravine.

"Come on, there is a small path up ahead," Shawn said.

He turned away and started walking toward the narrow path leading upward then stopped. Without looking back he spoke again.

"You’re lucky, you know."

Silver immediately remembered the impossible opportunities accumulating around him.

"...Yeah."

The climb out of the ravine took far longer than Silver expected. Partly because the path was steep and mostly because every part of his body hurt.

The adrenaline from the squirrel fight had faded completely, leaving only the consequences behind. His ribs ached, his shoulder burned while his legs felt like someone had replaced the muscles with rusted steel cables.

Even breathing too deeply reminded him that the world was not interested in being fair.

Ahead of him, Shawn climbed steadily up the narrow trail. The older Contractor looked just as miserable. Yet he still moved with the confidence of someone who had spent years surviving outside the walls.

Silver couldn’t help noticing the difference between them. Until recently, Silver had been relying on memories from his past life and the advantages given by the system.

Shawn survived because of experience.

The moon had gotten dimmer by the time they reached the top. Silver pulled himself over the edge and collapsed onto the ground.

For several moments he simply lay there staring at the stars. The sky outside the Sanctuary looked different. Darker, vast, and almost beautiful. Until something tried to eat you, then the beauty tended to disappear.

Shawn dropped his backpack beside him.

"You still alive?"

"Barely."

"Good. Hang in there."

Silver looked over.

"The climb was harder than it looked. "

"What did you expect. To walk right up."

Silver couldn’t even say anything in response. The Shawn pulled out a small communication module from his pocket.

Unlike the standard contractor modules issued to rookies, this one looked much more expensive. The screen was cracked and the antenna bent but it still worked.

Shawn activated it. Static echoed briefly then a voice answered.

"You’re alive."

The voice sounded disappointed.

Shawn rolled his eyes.

"Good to hear you too, Malcom."

A laugh came through the communicator.

"Where are you?"

"Near the north eastern migration route."

There was a pause then the voice said.

"...What were you doing over there? You could have used the shorter route why waste your time?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Looking for an idiot."

Silver wisely pretended not to hear that. The voice on the other side laughed again.

"Found him then?"

"Unfortunately."

"Good. Stay put."

The line disconnected.

Silver glanced toward Shawn.

"Friend?"

"Teammate."

The way Shawn said it suggested there wasn’t much of a difference.

The two rested until dawn. Neither spoke much since they were too exhausted.

The wasteland remained surprisingly quiet throughout the night. No major beast attacks or migrating packs. Only distant roars echo across the lands.

Morning arrived cold. Silver woke to the sound of engines. His eyes opened instantly from years of military conditioning.

A large modified transport vehicle emerged across the plains.

Several clearly experienced Contractors sat atop the vehicle, all of them fully armed. The vehicle eventually stopped nearby.

A giant man climbed down first. Nearly two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a scar across one cheek. The type of person who looked like he solved most problems by punching them.