Chapter 230:Revelation
"I knew it."
Silver laughed.
"You knew?"
"I knew I was talented." She folded her arms. "But nineteen..."
She shook her head.
"That’s really high."
"I know right, I was shocked the moment I saw it." Silver thought for a moment. " the moment people find out, you would consider it exceptional."
Ravenna’s smile became even wider.
"Exceptional."
"Don’t let it go to your head, you’re still weak."
"Too late."
Silver laughed. She walked around the room with an almost ridiculous amount of satisfaction.
"Nineteen."
"Ravenna."
"Nineteen."
"I heard you the first time."
"I don’t think you understand." She turned toward him. "I have nineteen, I’m like the most talented...haha... freaking nineteen."
Silver smiled.
"I understand."
"No." She pointed at him. "You don’t."
"I don’t?"
"You’re a mortal."
Silver stared at her.
"A mortal?"
Ravenna nodded solemnly.
"Yes." She raised her chin. "You could never understand what it feels like to be this talented."
Silver stared at her for several seconds, then he burst out laughing. Ravenna tried to maintain her serious expression.
"You should be respectful."
"To the incredibly cringe talented Rank Two?"
"Exactly but not the cringe part."
"And who has a Soul Capacity of nineteen?"
"Exactly, bow to her majesty this instant, peasant."
Silver shook his head.
"You’ve become arrogant."
"I’m allowed to."
"Why?"
"Because I’m talented and beautiful. The full package, you got the perfect woman. You should thank the heavens"
Silver laughed again. Ravenna walked over and lightly poked his chest.
"Admit it."
"Admit what?"
"That you’re jealous."
"Of you?"
"Yes."
Silver nodded solemnly.
"Absolutely, I’m fucking jealous"
She smiled triumphantly.
"Good, that’s how it’s supposed to be."
"I’ll try to survive somehow and get over it."
Ravenna laughed. The playful exchange continued for several seconds before she finally settled down. She looked at Silver again.
"But honestly..." her voice became quieter. "Thank you."
Silver’s smile faded slightly.
"For what?"
"For telling me." She looked down at her hands. "I always knew I wasn’t ordinary, but I didn’t know how far I could go."
Silver nodded.
"You have plenty of room to grow."
"I hope so."
"You do."
Ravenna looked at him.
"What about you?"
Silver’s expression changed for the briefest moment.
"What about me?"
"What’s your Soul Capacity?"
Silver remained silent. Ravenna immediately noticed.
"You don’t want to tell me?"
"It’s complicated."
"How complicated?"
Silver smiled awkwardly.
"Very, very complicated."
Ravenna studied him. She could tell he was hiding something, but unlike before, she didn’t immediately become suspicious; instead, she simply nodded.
"Fine."
Silver looked at her.
"You’re not going to ask?"
"I want to, but, you’ll tell me when you’re ready."
Silver felt something inside him loosen.
"Thank you."
Ravenna smiled.
"Besides..." she looked at him suspiciously. "If yours is lower than mine, I might become unbearable. I don’t want to hurt your manly ego."
Silver laughed.
"You already are unbearable."
"Excuse me? Say that again, louder this time."
"Nothing."
She narrowed her eyes. Silver immediately looked away.
"You’re impossible."
He smiled. There was something almost surreal about the moment.
Ravenna had just learned that she possessed a Soul Capacity of nineteen, and instead of becoming frightened by the implications, she was happy, proud, almost excited.
It was a reminder of how different her life could become now. In the original story, she had never gotten the opportunity to discover just how talented she was. She had died before reaching this point.
Silver looked at her. That thought still bothered him, he had saved her from a fate she hadn’t even known existed, and now she was standing in front of him, joking about being more talented than him.
It was exactly the kind of future he wanted, a future where she could actually live.
"You know..."
Ravenna looked at him.
"What?"
"You might get some good opportunities here."
"In Delta Two?"
"Yes."
He walked toward the window.
"This place is famous for its research. There are probably resources here that we won’t find anywhere else like specialized training facilities, contractor research, and rare materials."
Ravenna joined him.
"You think we should look for opportunities?"
"Eventually." Silver shook his head. "But not immediately."
She nodded.
"We just arrived."
They had spent days traveling and fighting beasts, neither of them was injured badly, but both were exhausted.
Silver looked at her.
"We should rest."
Ravenna seemed surprised.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"You aren’t going to look for a mission?"
"No."
"Explore the city?"
"Tomorrow."
"Check the Association?"
"Later."
She smiled.
"So what are we doing today?"
"Nothing."
Ravenna stared at him.
"Nothing?"
"Absolutely nothing."
She smiled.
"I like that."
Silver nodded.
"Good."
They decided to spend the rest of the day at the hotel.
The hotel had an enormous indoor pool on one of its upper floors, surrounded by comfortable chairs, shaded areas, a small restaurant, and only a handful of contractors were there.
Most people were busy, plus Silver and Ravenna had no reason to hurry. They changed into appropriate swimwear and spent the afternoon lounging by the water.
Ravenna sat at the edge of the pool with her feet submerged while Silver floated nearby.
Ravenna looked at him.
"You know what?"
"Hm?"
"I think I needed this."
Silver nodded.
"So did I."
She leaned back.
"Just doing nothing, feels so good as though all the responsibilities and future are set at the back of our minds."
The two remained there for a long time. They occasionally talked, sometimes they were silent, as they watched other contractors come and go.
Some were clearly from wealthy families, others appeared to be researchers and a few were contractors returning from expeditions.
But nobody bothered them. The evening passed peacefully.
At some point, Ravenna looked at Silver.
"You’ve been smiling all day."
"Have I?"
"Yes."
"Maybe I’m happy."
She smiled.
"Me too."
Silver looked at her. The System had once been nothing more than a means of survival, a tool and a way to grow stronger, but now, he was beginning to understand that some of its rewards weren’t simply about power.
The greatest reward it had given him was the opportunity to change someone’s fate. Ravenna was alive, happy, had a future, and now she knew that she was genuinely talented.
Silver couldn’t ask for much more, at least, not today; he simply wanted to rest beside her.
Tomorrow, they could worry about everything else, for now, the outside world could wait.
Silver remained in the hotel pool for nearly another hour before finally climbing out. Ravenna was sitting at the edge with her legs in the water, having gotten out a few minutes earlier.
She looked completely relaxed. Silver grabbed a towel and sat beside her.
"Feeling better?"
"Much better."
She stretched her arms above her head.
"My body was starting to hate me."
Silver chuckled.
"Mine too."
Ravenna looked toward the other side of the pool. There were only a few people remaining. Two contractors were quietly talking near the edge, a woman was reading something on a tablet, and another man was sleeping beneath an umbrella.
It was remarkably quiet for such a large hotel.
Ravenna rested her chin on her knees.
"Do you think we’ll stay here long?"
Silver considered the question.
"I’m not sure."
"Do you want to?"
"Maybe." He looked toward the city. "There’s a lot of things here; to learn and gain before moving forward."
Ravenna smiled.
"You forgot the people."
"I didn’t."
Silver leaned backward.
"That’s actually one of the things I’m most interested in."
"Because of what you remember?"
"Partly."
He didn’t elaborate.