I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 81: 81:We’ll meet at the academy.

It was Dillain. The young man looked equally surprised.

”...Silver?”

His gaze shifted toward Ravenna.

”...Miss Ravenna?”

Then back again.

”You two?”

Silver smiled politely.

”Morning.”

Dillian scratched the back of his head.

”I didn’t expect to see you here.”

”Likewise.”

Dillian looked toward the packed vehicle.

”...Leaving already?”

Silver nodded.

”Are you heading toward the Academy?” He asked then caught himself, ”By the way, congratulations on getting recommended, I saw it on the news yesterday evening.”

”Thank you.”

”Isn’t it too soon?”

”I want more field experience.”

Dillian grinned.

”Same,” he said,” we might end up arriving at the same time.”

He pointed toward several vehicles waiting behind him. Unlike Silver’s two-person trip, his own convoy consisted of three contractor vehicles.

Several familiar faces climbed in and out, checking equipment and loading supplies. Silver recognized one woman from the mall incident while Ravenna also recognized a few faces..

”I was actually about to ask something...”

Silver already suspected what it was.

”We’re planning to hunt through the eastern sectors for a while,” Dillian smiled, ”Why don’t you join us? It’ll be safer that way.”

Silver almost answered immediately, then stopped himself. There was nothing malicious in the invitation, from Dillain’s perspective, it was simply practical.

Larger groups survived more often. They shared supplies, firepower, and information. A perfectly reasonable suggestion.

Unfortunately... Silver remembered the novel. He remembered disasters that somehow always surrounded this man; coincidences, hidden opportunities, and legendary beasts. Every one of them came attached to life-threatening situations.

Silver silently decided he had experienced enough of those already. He couldn’t bring himself to let it go, not yet, when they still hadn’t got past Ravenna’s death flag.

Eventually, he would, but at the moment, he wouldn’t risk it just because Dillian turned out to be a little decent. He didn’t know the man, it might be an act or just how he is but; not now.

He had already set his priorities straight and he wasn’t about to change them on a whim.

He smiled apologetically.

”I appreciate it but we’ll pass.”

Dillian’s eyes widened slightly.

”...Really?”

Silver nodded.

”We’re heading southwest first. Our routes are pretty different.”

It wasn’t entirely true but also not entirely false either. Dillain looked slightly disappointed.

”That’s a shame. I figured it’d be nice traveling together.”

Silver believed that he genuinely meant it. Still...

”No.” The answer remained firm. ”I already planned our route.”

Dillain eventually smiled.

”Fair enough.” He extended his hand through the open window. ”Then good luck.”

Silver shook it.

”You too.”

He stepped back and then looked toward Ravenna.

”Stay safe.”

She nodded politely.

”You too.”

With that, the barriers fully opened. Silver shifted the vehicle into gear.

The Sanctuary walls gradually disappeared behind them. At first, they remained visible in the rearview mirror, then, as the road curved through rolling hills and broken overpasses reclaimed by nature, even those towering walls vanished.

Only wilderness remained.

Silver rested one arm against the open window while his other hand lightly held the steering wheel.

The morning air was cold and fresh. It carried the scent of damp earth and wild grass rather than steel and machinery.

The sun had only just climbed above the horizon, bathing everything in a warm golden light.

For a moment... it almost didn’t feel like the post-apocalyptic world described in the novel. But he knew it was only an illusion.

Nature had reclaimed almost everything. Only the road itself remained maintained by Sanctuary contractors.

Ravenna quietly watched the scenery.

”...It’s weirdly peaceful.”

Silver nodded.

”It is.”

She smiled faintly.

”Almost enough to make you forget there are beasts everywhere.”

”They’re probably watching us already, planning on who would be best for breakfast.”

She laughed softly.

”That wasn’t reassuring.”

”I wasn’t trying to reassure you.”

”I noticed that.”

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable. They had reached that strange stage where simply sharing the same space no longer felt awkward.

Silver occasionally glanced toward the navigation module. The expensive purchase had already justified itself. A blue line traced their planned route, private stopovers and nearby contractor checkpoints appeared as glowing icons.

Known migration paths were highlighted in yellow. High-risk regions pulsed red.

Their current route deliberately avoided the most dangerous areas.

At least... that had been the plan.

Almost a kilometer passed but neither of them noticed. The contractor vehicle handled uneven terrain effortlessly. The reinforced suspension barely reacted to broken pavement.

Silver occasionally adjusted the route while Ravenna quietly studied the holographic map.

”...We’ll reach the old service station in another twenty minutes.”

Silver nodded.

”We’ll stop there.”

”Breakfast?”

”And fuel check.”

She approved.

Even though the vehicle still had plenty of fuel, contractor habits emphasized routine inspections. Neglect became death remarkably quickly outside Sanctuary walls.

.

.

.

Behind them...

Far beyond ordinary sight...

Another vehicle silently emerged from beneath an abandoned highway overpass. Its headlights remained off and its engine had been specially modified to reduce noise.

Inside sat two men, neither of whom wore contractor uniforms. Dark combat clothing concealed reinforced armor beneath.

One lazily cracked his neck while the other quietly cleaned a narrow combat blade.

The driver finally spoke.

”Visual confirmed.”

The passenger looked ahead.

”...Them?”

”Same vehicle.”

He zoomed in using military optics. A white-haired woman and a young man driving, exactly as described.

The passenger sheathed his blade.

”...This is disappointing.”

The driver chuckled.

”You expected more?”

”I expected someone worthy of sending us.” He leaned back. ”Instead... It’s two Rank One children.”

The driver shrugged.

”Orders are orders.”

Neither man seemed nervous; why would they be? Their target consisted of one newly awakened contractor and one contractor without even a month of proper integration experience.

Meanwhile... They themselves had reached Rank Three years ago. The gap wasn’t small, it was overwhelming. One specialized in pure physical enhancement while the other... assassination meaning speed and silent kills.

The kind of contractor that ended fights before victims understood they had begun.

The assassin looked through the scope again.

”...The girl is pretty.”

The strength contractor laughed.

”Planning to keep her?”

”No...Dead people don’t complain.”

Both men laughed then accelerated.

.

.

.

Silver’s fingers lightly tapped the steering wheel, a habit. One he didn’t even realize he had.

Something... felt very wrong. He couldn’t explain it with words. There was no sound or a visible enemy. Nothing showed on the navigation module.

Yet... the back of his neck tingled. His instincts, sharpened through another lifetime, quietly screamed on thing.

Danger.

His eyes shifted toward the side mirror. Nothing. Just an empty road, ruins, grass, and trees.

”...Silver?” Ravenna noticed his fidgeting. ”What?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead... His gaze slowly swept across every mirror, blind spot, and shadow but nothing.

Still... that feeling refused to disappear. He gently eased off the accelerator and the vehicle slowed slightly.

”...What’s wrong?”

Silver’s voice became unusually calm.

”Something feels off.”

Ravenna immediately straightened. She trusted his instincts enough not to dismiss them. Her hand quietly moved toward the sword resting beside her seat.

She didn’t panic or ask any questions, just started preparation; exactly the response Silver had hoped for.

The vehicle continued rolling forward. Silence filled the cabin and even the birds seemed quieter now. Silver glanced into the rearview mirror one final time.

Then... A tiny flash reflected off something far behind them, metallic, just for an instant. It was gone immediately afterward.

His pupils contracted.

”...Contact.”

Ravenna’s hand instantly gripped her sword.

”Where?”

Silver’s expression hardened.

”Behind us.”

Almost the same instant, a black contractor vehicle exploded out from behind the curve at terrifying speed.

Its engine roared, closing the distance unbelievably fast. It was far too fast for an ordinary expedition vehicle.

Silver’s instincts immediately confirmed what his eyes already knew. They were not contractors but hunters.

They were being hunted.

The distance visibly shrank;

Three hundred meters.

Two hundred.

One hundred and fifty.

Then, the side window of the pursuing vehicle lowered. A man leaned halfway outside, smiling, his hand already reaching for the massive rifle resting beside him.

Silver’s eyes widened.

”...Ravenna.”

She didn’t look away from the mirror.

”...I see him.”

Silver pressed the accelerator to the floor, just as the man raised the rifle toward their vehicle.

[This will be the end of Volume one(New world, new life), thank you for sticking by, my gentle readers.]