I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 151: 151:New skill.

Silver awoke before sunrise. For a brief moment, he remained completely still.

The room was quiet, illuminated only by the faint glow filtering through the curtains. Beside him, Ravenna slept peacefully, her breathing slow and even.

Normally, he would have gotten out of bed immediately. Today, something felt different.

He frowned.

It wasn’t pain, nor was it the soreness that usually followed a day of hunting. Instead, it felt as though his entire body had become larger internally. His breathing felt deeper and his heartbeat stronger.

Every movement carried an unfamiliar sense of ease, as though an invisible restraint that had existed yesterday had quietly disappeared overnight.

Silver slowly raised one hand in front of his face. Even that simple movement felt lighter.

"My body..."

Before he could finish the thought... Blue windows materialized one after another before his eyes.

[Rank Promotion Complete.]

[Congratulations.]

[Host has successfully advanced to Rank 2.]

Silver’s eyes widened.

’It actually happened...’

He hadn’t expected the promotion to complete while he slept. Another notification appeared before he could think any further.

[Rank Advancement Rewards Distributed.]

One after another, the rewards began appearing.

[Advanced Swordsmanship Fragment]

Progress Updated.

5/5

The five fragments merged together before him on the screen. Right after, countless memories flooded into Silver’s mind.

It was about proper footwork, efficient transitions between offense and defense, methods for controlling distance, reading an opponent’s center of gravity, timing, momentum, and how each movement flowed naturally into the next.

Unlike Beginner Swordsmanship, which had simply taught him the fundamentals, this knowledge refined those fundamentals into something considerably more practical.

Several seconds later, the sensation faded.

[Advanced Swordsmanship]

{Successfully Learned.}

Silver instinctively flexed his fingers. Without even holding a sword, he could already feel the difference. His understanding had become deeper.

Another notification appeared.

[Advanced Firearm Techniques]

{Successfully Learned.}

A different stream of knowledge entered his mind. It showed him controlled breathing, faster target acquisition, efficient magazine changes, proper shooting stances, moving while firing, and short-range combat transitions between firearm and sword.

The information settled naturally into place. Silver eyes widened slightly.

’I’ve never even practiced half of that...’

While he had admittedly learnt how to use a gun, he had not learnt how to use a gun against beasts or people with powers. This knowledge blended with everything he had already learnt, and it felt as though he’d spent years learning it himself.

The blue windows continued.

[Shop Function Updated.]

{Additional Rank Two items are now available.}

Silver smiled.

"I’ll have to check that later."

Another notification appeared immediately afterward.

[Limited Storage Expanded.]

Storage Capacity Increased.

5 Slots → 10 Slots

Silver’s eyebrows rose.

"...That’s actually useful."

His storage space had always been extremely limited. Doubling it would make carrying valuable cores considerably easier.

The next notification appeared.

[Field Analysis]

Level Increased.

Lv1 → Lv2

{Field Analysis now provides more detailed evaluations of terrain, beast behavior, and environmental hazards.}

Silver nodded in satisfaction. That would make missions considerably safer.

Then, the next window was unlike any he’d seen before. Its border shimmered with faint ripples, as though the space surrounding it wasn’t entirely stable.

[Rank Two Skill Reward Detected.]

Silver leaned forward slightly.

"...A new skill?" He muttered inwardly.

The notification expanded.

[Spatial Distortion Lv1]

{Successfully Acquired.}

The description unfolded beneath it.

[Spatial Distortion Lv1]

{Utilize spatial energy to subtly manipulate the geometry of nearby space.

Current Functions:

• Slightly alter the path of incoming physical attacks.

• Create brief spatial distortions capable of reducing projectile accuracy.

• Form unstable spatial barriers for short durations.

Current Limitations:

• Defensive range limited.

• High mental energy consumption.

• Cannot completely negate powerful attacks.

Further development will unlock additional spatial applications.}

The moment Silver finished reading, another flood of understanding entered his mind. It differed completely from Space Slash.

Space Slash compressed space into an offensive blade, but this bent space itself.

He instinctively raised one hand.

The air a short distance in front of his fingertips shimmered almost imperceptibly. For less than a second, the surrounding light warped ever so slightly before immediately returning to normal.

Silver quickly withdrew his hand.

"This is interesting."

He could already feel the mental energy required. Even that tiny demonstration had consumed noticeably more concentration than he’d expected.

"It really is a defensive ability..."

A small smile formed on his face. Until now, nearly everything in his arsenal had focused on offense or mobility. This finally gave him something capable of protecting both himself... And Ravenna.

The notifications still weren’t finished.

[Current Rank Increase Detected.]

{Host Attributes Recalculated.}

One by one, his statistics updated.

Strength: 30 → 36

Agility: 19 → 24

Endurance: 17 → 23

Soul Synchronization: 32 → 39

Perception: 27 → 32

Mental Resistance: 13 → 19

Silver quietly stared at the numbers. Every attribute had increased, enough that he could already feel the difference throughout his body.

’So this is Rank Two...’

His muscles felt more responsive, his breathing steadier, and even his thoughts seemed clearer despite having only just woken up.

Another notification appeared.

[Host Status Updated.]

Silver immediately opened it.

[HOST STATUS]

Name: Silver Ruddington

Current Rank: Rank 2

Title: Reliable Companion

Soul Capacity: Limit Removed

Soul Stability: Stable

[BEAST TATTOOS]

Current Tattoos: 2

Maximum Capacity: Unlimited

Potential Growth: Unrestricted

[ATTRIBUTES]

Strength: 36

Agility: 24

Endurance: 23

Soul Synchronization: 39

Perception: 32

Mental Resistance: 19

[SKILLS]

• Phantom Draw Lv3

• Spatial Sense Lv2

• Short-Step Lv2

• Space Slash Lv2

• Spatial Distortion Lv1

• Advanced Swordsmanship

• Advanced Firearm Techniques

• Poller Trick (Utility)

• Primal Strength Lv2

• Iron Bones Lv2

• Fire Resistance Passive Lv1

• Advanced Field Cooking Lv1

• Field Analysis Lv2

[SYSTEM FUNCTIONS]

Unlocked:

• Affection Detection

• Beginner Shop Access

• Intermediate Shop Access

• Quest Function

• Target Synchronization

• Limited Storage (10 Slots)

[CURRENT RESOURCES]

Affection Points: 523

Silver read through the screen twice. He couldn’t stop smiling. Every hour he’d spent training, sparring, repeatedly using Space Slash despite the headaches, lessons from Shawn, and hunting with Ravenna. It had all accumulated into this moment.

He had reached Rank Two.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Silver turned toward the other bed.

"Ravenna."

She didn’t respond. He laughed quietly before gently shaking her shoulder.

"Ravenna."

She stirred, rubbing one eye sleepily.

"...Silver...?"

"You need to wake up."

She blinked several times before noticing the enormous smile on his face. Her own expression gradually shifted into one of curiosity.

"...What happened?"

Silver could barely keep the excitement out of his voice.

"I ranked up."

For a heartbeat, she simply stared at him, then her sleepy expression disappeared completely.

"You... what?"

"I reached Rank Two."

A bright smile spread across her face. Without thinking, she threw her arms around him. Silver barely had time to react before she hugged him tightly.

"You actually did it!"

Her excitement was completely genuine. Silver laughed as he returned the embrace.

"I did."

"I knew it; you were so close."

"I just didn’t think it’d happen overnight."

Neither of them noticed how widely they were smiling. After several moments, Ravenna finally pulled back. Her silver eyes sparkled with happiness.

"Congratulations."

Silver looked at her quietly, then, unexpectedly, he said, "...Thank you."

She tilted her head.

"...For what?"

He smiled warmly.

"For pushing me. You were the one who told me to stop treating you like glass, and you were right. If we hadn’t sparred, hadn’t kept encouraging me to improve... I don’t think I’d have grown this quickly."

’And the systems help; you also played a significant part in it’

Ravenna looked at him for a long moment before smiling softly.

"I only told you the truth, and I’m glad you listened."

Silver nodded.

"So am I."