Chapter 129: 129:Buying.
The moment the hotel room door closed behind them, an unfamiliar silence settled over the room. Neither of them spoke immediately.
For the first time in what felt like forever, there were no alarms echoing outside, no distant beast roars, no contractors shouting orders, and no need to sleep with one hand resting on a weapon.
Silver slowly exhaled as he set his backpack beside one of the beds.
"I almost forgot what a proper room feels like."
Ravenna quietly walked toward the large window overlooking Delta Four’s contractor district.
The afternoon sun painted the rooftops in shades of gold while streams of people continued moving through the streets below. Merchants packed away their displays, hunters returned from the Green Zones carrying fresh materials, and delivery trucks rumbled toward the industrial district.
She smiled faintly.
"It’s... nice."
Silver nodded.
"It is."
For several moments, they simply appreciated the quiet. Ravenna suddenly reached into her backpack.
"Oh, I should call Mallory."
Silver looked over.
"Good idea. She’ll probably worry if she hears about Detroin before hearing from us."
She took out the compact communicator Silver had bought before they left. Fortunately, Delta Four’s communication network covered most of the nearby highways.
After a few moments, the screen lit up, and a familiar face appeared. The moment Mallory saw them, her shoulders visibly relaxed.
"There you are! I’ve been wondering when you’d call!"
Ravenna laughed.
"You make it sound like we’ve disappeared for a month."
"It felt like it."
Mallory narrowed her eyes playfully.
"And don’t tell me you forgot. I know exactly how the two of you are, you both start hunting and suddenly time stops existing."
Silver rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Maybe a little."
"A little?" Mallory snorted. "You two would probably forget what day it is if someone didn’t remind you."
Ravenna couldn’t help smiling.
"How’s the convoy?"
Mallory leaned back in her seat.
"We’re fine. There was a bit of a delay."
Silver immediately became more attentive.
"What happened?"
"Small beast tide."
She shrugged casually.
"Nothing too dangerous. A few dozen beasts wandered into one of the roads leading toward Alpha Sanctuary. The Association cleared most of them before we arrived, but we still had to wait. So we’re running a day behind schedule."
Silver nodded slowly.
"As long as everyone’s alright."
"We’re alright." Mallory smiled reassuringly. "The civilian convoy is huge. We’ve got Association escorts and several contractor teams. They aren’t taking any chances since there is some rich guy family in it."
Ravenna visibly relaxed.
"That’s good."
Mallory looked at both of them through the screen.
"What about you? I heard something happened near Detroin."
Silver and Ravenna exchanged a brief glance.
Silver answered, "...We got caught in it."
Mallory’s smile disappeared.
"...Seriously?"
Ravenna nodded.
"It was bad, but we’re okay."
Mallory stared at them for several long seconds before letting out a relieved sigh.
"You two really know how to scare people. I was already imagining the worst."
Silver smiled apologetically.
"Sorry."
"You’d better be."
She folded her arms dramatically.
"I can’t have you two dying before I even reach Alpha. I still expect to hear all the stories later."
Ravenna laughed softly.
"You will."
Mallory’s expression brightened again.
"Good. And don’t do anything stupid before then."
Silver raised an eyebrow.
"That’s aimed at me, isn’t it?"
"It absolutely is."
Ravenna actually giggled.
Silver placed a hand over his chest.
"I’m deeply offended."
"You’ll recover."
The three of them laughed together. It was surprisingly refreshing. After everything that had happened in Detroin, hearing someone joke so naturally made the world feel normal again.
Mallory eventually glanced toward something off-screen.
"I’ve got to go. They’re calling everyone for lunch."
She looked back at them one last time.
"Take care of yourselves and seriously... be careful."
Silver nodded.
"You too."
The communicator switched off, and the room became quiet once more. Silver stretched before sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"Well, time to get stronger."
Ravenna immediately understood what he meant.
"The cores?"
"The cores."
She retrieved the case containing the Tier Two attribute cores they had purchased earlier and the ones they got from hunting. They carefully arranged them across the small table.
Five Strength Cores, three Agility Cores, four Endurance Cores, several Perception and Constitution-type cores; enough to support weeks of gradual improvement.
Ravenna looked at the collection.
"...Still feels strange buying them."
Silver smiled.
"You’ll get used to it."
She wasn’t entirely convinced. Before beginning, however, another thought crossed Silver’s mind.
He quietly focused inward.
"System."
A familiar blue screen appeared before him. Silver thought for a moment.
’Can the Shop sell beast cores?’
The response came almost immediately.
[Affection Shop Query Detected.]
Common Attribute Beast Cores: Not Available.
Elemental Beast Cores: Available.
Reason:
{Elemental Beast Cores possess significantly higher rarity than standard attribute cores.
Normal market availability is extremely limited.
Host may purchase elemental cores using Affection Points.}
Silver’s eyes widened slightly.
’Really?’
Another screen appeared.
[Available Purchases]
• Tier Two Fire Beast Core
300 AP
• Tier Two Water Beast Core
300 AP
• Tier Two Wind Beast Core
300 AP
• Tier Two Earth Beast Core
300 AP
• Tier Two Lightning Beast Core
350 AP
• Tier Two Space Beast Core
450 AP
Silver’s eyes widened.
"They’re... expensive," he inwardly complained.
The System answered without emotion.
[Elemental Beast Cores possess significantly higher long-term value.]
{Recommendation: Purchase only when necessary.}
Silver quickly performed the calculation.
He still possessed 1,873 Affection Points.
It wasn’t enough to spend carelessly, but enough for what he wanted. Without hesitation, he selected two Fire Beast Cores, then two Space Beast Cores.
[Purchase Successful.]
Fire Beast Core ×2
Space Beast Core ×2
Affection Points Remaining: 373
Four beautifully glowing cores materialized inside his storage. Silver couldn’t help smiling.
"That’s convenient."
Ravenna noticed the expression.
"What?"
Silver reached into his backpack before discreetly removing the four newly purchased cores. He placed them gently on the table.
Even without touching them, the difference was obvious. The reddish- orange Fire Cores radiated a gentle warmth. The silver-white Space Cores distorted the air around them ever so slightly.
Ravenna’s eyes widened.
"...Where did those come from?"
Silver smiled.
"I told you before. I have another supplier."
She stared at the cores for several seconds.
"I don’t think I’ll ever stop wondering who this supplier actually is."
Silver laughed.
"That’s probably for the best."
Ravenna picked up one of the Fire Cores carefully. Its warmth spread through her fingers almost instantly.
"...These are incredible."
Silver picked up one of the Space Cores. The familiar spatial fluctuations made him smile. He could already feel the faint resonance between the core and his own abilities.
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