Chapter 189:Training.
The alarm sounded long before sunrise. Silver’s eyes opened almost immediately; he reached over to silence it before it disturbed Ravenna.
For a brief moment, he simply lay there. The hotel room was still dim, illuminated only by the faint blue glow filtering through the curtains.
He turned his head. Ravenna was still asleep. Her long white hair was spread across the pillow, and the steady rise and fall of her breathing gave the room an unusual sense of peace.
After everything they had gone through during the past several days, seeing her sleeping peacefully reminded him once again that the future had truly changed. The Ravenna from the novel should have died beneath the abandoned Transit Research Station; instead... she was here; alive, safe, and now, a Rank Two contractor.
Silver smiled faintly before quietly climbing out of bed. He had barely taken two steps toward the bathroom when he heard a sleepy voice behind him.
"...Trying to escape again?"
He looked over his shoulder. One grey eye peeked at him from beneath the blanket.
"I wasn’t escaping."
Ravenna yawned before sitting upright.
"You were going to the gym."
"I was."
"You know..." She rubbed her eyes. "...you’ve stopped asking if I want to come."
Silver laughed softly.
"Because I already know the answer."
She smiled.
"You’re dryly funny sometimes."
Within twenty minutes, both of them had freshened up and changed into lightweight training clothes.
Instead of carrying their usual combat equipment, they only brought practice swords, water bottles, and a small backpack containing a few necessities.
The hotel’s private gym was almost empty at this hour. Only one elderly contractor was stretching quietly in the corner before beginning his own workout.
After greeting him politely, Silver and Ravenna entered one of the reinforced training rooms specifically designed for contractors practicing elemental abilities. This was the first time they found a free one; they were always full when they came down.
As the heavy door closed behind them, the room’s protective barrier activated with a soft hum.
Silver looked around before nodding.
"This should be enough."
Ravenna stretched both arms over her head before rolling her shoulders.
"I still can’t believe I’m Rank Two."
Silver smiled.
"You’ll get used to it."
She shook her head.
"I don’t want to."
"What?"
"The excitement."
Silver chuckled.
"I don’t think that’s something to worry about."
She laughed before drawing her sword.
"So... What are we working on today?"
Silver thought for a moment.
"Control. You already have enough power. What you need now is precision."
Ravenna nodded seriously. She understood immediately. After advancing to Rank Two, her fire output had increased noticeably.
Yesterday she had only used a tiny flame to test herself; today, she would find out exactly how much stronger she had become.
Silver stepped backward.
"Start with your normal Flame Edge."
Ravenna inhaled slowly. The tattoo of the Fire Wolf on her chest glowed faintly beneath her training clothes. Heat gradually spread throughout the room.
Orange flames wrapped around her practice sword before stabilizing. Unlike before, the flames looked denser, brighter, and almost liquid.
Silver immediately noticed the difference.
"The quality improved."
Ravenna nodded.
"It feels..." She searched for the right word. "...heavier."
"Then swing."
She took a simple horizontal slash.
Whoosh!
A crescent of fire shot several meters across the room before striking the reinforced wall. The protective barrier shimmered gently as the flames dispersed.
Both of them blinked.
"...That was farther."
Silver nodded.
"Nearly twice as far."
Ravenna looked at her sword.
"I didn’t even try."
"That’s why we’re training."
She smiled sheepishly.
"Right."
For the next thirty minutes, Silver had her repeat the same movements over and over. She did horizontal slashes, vertical strikes, diagonal cuts, and single thrusts.
Every movement focused on maintaining exactly the same amount of fire. Sometimes the flames became too large, and sometimes they weakened unexpectedly.
Every mistake became another lesson. Gradually, her control improved. After a short water break, Silver changed the exercise.
"Now movement."
Ravenna immediately understood. She activated Fire Step; flames briefly gathered around her feet before she burst forward. Her speed increased dramatically.
She crossed the room in an instant but unfortunately... She overshot. Unable to properly judge her new speed, she stumbled past Silver before barely stopping herself.
"...Oops."
Silver laughed.
"Again."
She glared playfully at him.
"You’re enjoying this."
"A little."
"Hmph."
This time she adjusted her pace, and it gain and again. Each repetition became smoother. Soon she was weaving naturally around the room, using bursts of flame to accelerate before slowing herself without wasting unnecessary energy.
Silver occasionally stepped into her path, forcing her to react instinctively. Their practice gradually evolved into a light spar. Neither intended to win. Silver simply wanted Ravenna to become accustomed to fighting with her stronger body.
Their wooden practice swords collided dozens of times. Whenever Ravenna instinctively released too much fire, Silver calmly redirected the attack before resetting their positions.
After nearly an hour, he finally nodded.
"Good, you’ve adapted much faster than I expected."
Ravenna wiped a little sweat from her forehead.
"I think the Soul Harmonization Crystal really helped. If you find another, don’t show it to anyone."
"It probably did."
She smiled proudly.
"So... My turn."
Silver raised an eyebrow.
"My turn?"
"You’ve been making me work the whole time." She pointed her practice sword toward him. "I want a proper spar."
Silver couldn’t help smiling.
"Just one?"
"Just one."
He nodded.
"Alright."
The atmosphere immediately changed. Both of them instinctively took proper stances. Silver lowered his center of gravity, and Ravenna’s flames slowly gathered around her blade.
Neither moved immediately. The familiar tension filled the room; then Ravenna attacked first. She accelerated with Fire Step, appearing in front of him almost instantly.
Silver calmly sidestepped before blocking her slash.
Clack!
Their wooden swords collided. Ravenna immediately spun, using the momentum to launch another strike. Silver blocked again, then another and another.
The exchange became increasingly faster. Neither held back physically; only the elemental output remained restrained. Silver noticed something immediately; her attacks had become noticeably smoother. The awkward pauses between techniques were gone.
Fire Step linked naturally into Flame Edge. Burning Arc flowed seamlessly after every missed attack; even her footwork had become lighter. She wasn’t merely stronger; she was becoming a better swordswoman.
Silver smiled.
"Much better."
"You noticed?"
"I did."
Ravenna grinned.
"Then don’t go easy on me."
Silver nodded once.
"Alright."
For the first time during the spar, he increased his speed. Ravenna’s eyes widened.
Clack!
Clack!
Clack!
His attacks became faster and more precise, forcing her onto the defensive; instead of panicking, she adapted. Each exchange became cleaner than the last.
Minutes of this passed. Eventually, Silver deliberately created a tiny opening. Ravenna saw it instantly and stepped forward.
Burning Arc.
Her flaming blade swept upward in a brilliant curve. Silver narrowly leaned away before gently tapping her shoulder with his wooden sword.
"...Point."
Ravenna stared at him for a second, then laughed.
"You baited me."
"I did."
She lowered her sword with an exaggerated sigh.
"I fell for it."
"But you also noticed the opening." Silver smiled proudly. "That’s progress."
She couldn’t argue. After another twenty minutes of lighter drills, both finally stopped. The room had become pleasantly warm from Ravenna’s constant use of fire.
She sat on the floor while drinking nearly half her water bottle in one go.
"My control feels... much better now."
Silver nodded.
"It shows."
She leaned back against the wall.
"I think I’m finally getting used to Rank Two."
"You are, and that’s a good thing. You don’t want to mess up during a fight."
She smiled contentedly.
"Good."
Silver checked the time; it was almost ten. He stood before offering her a hand.
"Ready?"
Ravenna accepted it.
"The craftsman should be finished."
Silver helped her to her feet.
"And after that..."
He smiled toward the brightening morning beyond the training room windows.
"...our journey really begins."