I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 213: 213:Attacked.

Lunch ended not long afterward.

The contractors cleaned their cooking utensils, extinguished the small campfires, and packed everything back into their vehicles with practiced efficiency.

Within twenty minutes, the temporary resting place showed almost no sign that nearly a hundred people had stopped there.

Captain Harry walked through the convoy one final time.

”Check your fuel.”

”Check your ammunition.”

”And make sure nothing shifted during the river crossing.”

Several mechanics gave him a thumbs-up. Everything that could be tightened had been tightened, and what could be repaired in the field had already been repaired.

The convoy was ready to move again.

Silver climbed into the driver’s seat while Ravenna settled beside him, placing her sniper rifle between her knees where she could reach it quickly.

The familiar rumble of the engine filled the cabin. One after another, the vehicles pulled back onto the dirt road.

The afternoon sun hung high overhead; heat waves shimmered across the plains, making distant rocks appear distorted.

For nearly an hour, the drive remained peaceful. Occasionally, small Tier One beasts fled at the sound of approaching engines.

Several large birds circled high above, riding warm air currents. Silver kept a steady speed, careful not to drift too far from the convoy.

The terrain gradually changed once again; the tall grass returned. This time, however, enormous stone outcrops broke the landscape every few hundred meters.

Some were no larger than cottages while others stood like ancient towers rising from the earth. The road twisted naturally between them. Visibility became worse with every kilometer.

Silver instinctively frowned.

”I don’t like this.”

Ravenna looked through the passenger window.

”Too many hiding places.”

”Exactly.”

The radio crackled. Captain Harry’s calm voice echoed through every vehicle.

”Maintain formation with unnecessary gaps. Watch both the rocks and the grass.”

”Understood.”

Voices answered one after another.

Silver gently pressed the accelerator as the convoy tightened. Almost instinctively, everyone sensed the same thing.

Something felt wrong. The breeze that had carried the scent of dry grass suddenly disappeared, birdsong vanished, and insects became strangely quiet.

Silver’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel; without saying a word, he activated his skill.

[Spatial Sense Lv2 Activated]

The familiar sensation spread outward. His awareness expanded into the surrounding space. Unlike before, there was no sharp pain behind his eyes; instead, everything felt stable.

Silver blinked.

”...So this is what it feels like.”

Ravenna glanced toward him.

”What?”

He smiled faintly.

”Nothing.”

The difference was astonishing. Before obtaining Mind Fortress, maintaining Spatial Sense for extended periods had steadily built mental strain.

Now, his thoughts remained perfectly clear, and the world around him unfolded naturally. He quietly thanked the System. That single passive skill had removed one of his greatest weaknesses.

Suddenly, movement came from the left side. Silver’s eyes snapped toward the grass.

”Incoming!”

Almost simultaneously, a massive striped shape exploded from the vegetation. It resembled a hyena, at least three times larger than normal.

Its shoulders were heavily muscled while jagged bone spikes protruded from its back. Its jaws looked powerful enough to snap through steel.

”Tier Three!”

The beast slammed directly into the side of the convoy’s lead escort vehicle, metal crumpling. The driver fought to maintain control; before anyone could react, four more burst from different directions, then six.

The entire pack attacked together.

”They’re coordinated!” someone shouted over the radio.

Captain Harry reacted instantly.

”Do not stop! Keep moving!”

”Marksmen engage!”

Gunfire erupted across the convoy. Several hyenas fell immediately while others rolled through the grass before attacking again from another angle.

They rarely charged head-on; instead, they struck moving vehicles before retreating behind rocks.

Silver finally understood.

”They’re hit-and-run hunters.”

Ravenna had already opened her window, her assault rifle ringing in controlled bursts. One beast collapsed, another stumbled before disappearing behind a boulder. A third leapt directly toward their windshield.

Silver calmly drew his pistol.

[Phantom Draw Lv3 Activated]

Bang!

The bullet entered through one eye. The beast’s body flipped backward before crashing harmlessly into the grass.

The convoy continued moving, then the rocks themselves came alive. Long bodies uncoiled from cracks between the stones.

Rock Pythons.

Their scales matched the surrounding stone so perfectly that they had been almost invisible. Each measured nearly eight meters long.

Their jaws opened impossibly wide. One wrapped around the rear of a cargo truck and another attempted to drag a smaller vehicle sideways off the road.

”They’re ambushing from both sides!” Silver shouted.

Ravenna pointed ahead.

”More!”

Three additional hyenas sprinted along the ridge before leaping down together.

Silver holstered his pistol.

”...I’ve got them.”

Before Ravenna could ask, Silver opened the door.

[Short-Step Lv2 Activated. ]

His body vanished; a moment later, he appeared atop a nearby boulder. His sword flashed, and the first hyena split apart before it landed.

[Space Slash Lv2 Activated. ]

The invisible blade continued forward. The second beast lost both forelegs; it rolled helplessly across the dirt. The third reached him and lunged.

Silver calmly stepped sideways, his sword rising in a smooth arc. Blood sprayed across the stone. The beast collapsed.

He immediately activated Short-Step again. The world blurred, and he reappeared beside another Rock Python. Its massive body tightened around a convoy vehicle.

Silver drove his sword downward. The blade pierced directly through the snake’s skull. The enormous body immediately loosened.

Contractors trapped inside shouted their thanks before driving away.

Silver smiled.

”No problem.”

More beasts arrived, but now, the contractors had fully organized themselves. Shield users protected damaged vehicles, marksmen focused on fast-moving hyenas, and elementalists forced the pythons away from the road.

The convoy advanced steadily despite the attacks. Silver found himself fighting almost continuously, his movements becoming increasingly fluid. Every swing flowed naturally into the next.

His body remembered, then his mind simply followed.

The System responded.

[Advanced Swordsmanship Lv1]

{Proficiency Increased.}

Another hyena charged. Silver sidestepped effortlessly, his blade sweeping horizontally. The beast’s head separated cleanly from its body.

[Advanced Swordsmanship Lv1]

{Proficiency Increased.}

A Rock Python struck from beneath a pile of broken stones. Silver didn’t even look directly at it since Spatial Sense had already warned him.

He leaned slightly. Its jaws snapped harmlessly past his shoulder. His sword thrust forward into its body. The snake collapsed instantly.

Again.

The familiar notification appeared.

[Advanced swordsmanship Lv1]

{Proficiency Increased.}

Then, a brighter chime echoed inside his mind.

[Skill Level Increased!]

Advanced Swordsmanship Lv1 → Lv2

• Your understanding of intermediate sword principles has deepened.

• Sword strikes are more efficient.

• Footwork has improved.

• Attack transitions have become smoother.

• Overall combat efficiency increased.

Silver instinctively felt the difference. The sword no longer felt merely familiar; it felt natural, as though each movement required slightly less thought than before.

Another hyena lunged.

Silver’s body reacted almost automatically. With one clean strike, the beast fell before completing its attack.

”...So this is Level Two.”

He smiled faintly.

Captain Harry’s voice suddenly echoed through the radio.

”They’re retreating!”

Indeed, the surviving beasts had begun withdrawing. The hyenas disappeared back into the tall grass. The remaining Rock Pythons slithered into narrow cracks between the stones where vehicles couldn’t follow.

Within moments, silence returned. The convoy gradually slowed. Contractors checked one another for injuries; fortunately, no one had died.

Several vehicles carried fresh claw marks, one truck had lost a side mirror, and another sported deep bite marks along its rear bumper.

Silver’s own vehicle bore several new scratches where a hyena had briefly reached the doors. Ravenna climbed back into the passenger seat after checking their surroundings.

She looked at Silver.

”Next time, tell me when you’re going to fucking jump out; I almost lost control of the car,” she chastised.

Silver nodded.

”I’ll try, but I can’t keep that promise in an emergency. ”

The convoy reformed once more; engines started. As the vehicles rolled deeper into the Yellow Zone, Silver rested one hand lightly on the steering wheel.

His headache never came, not once. For the first time since obtaining Spatial powers, he could maintain yhen throughout an entire battle without paying a painful price.

Combined with his improved swordsmanship, he could already feel himself becoming noticeably stronger.