I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 155: 155:Review.

Silver let out a long breath as the shimmering distortion dissolved for the final time.

The familiar pressure weighing on his mind slowly eased, leaving behind a lingering headache that reminded him just how demanding the skill truly was.

He lowered his sword and sat down on the reinforced floor.

”...I don’t think I can use it again today.”

Ravenna sheathed her practice sword before sitting opposite him.

”You’ve already used it far more than I expected.”

Silver accepted the bottle of water she handed him and took several long drinks before leaning back against the wall.

”My mental energy feels almost empty. I’ve never reached this point just from training.”

Ravenna nodded.

”That’s understandable. If you compare it to your other skills, this one carries the mother load. It’s like a final move that would probably save you and leave your opponents surprised...”

”It is.”

Silver looked down at his open hand, then closed his fingers.

”But Spatial Distortion is different from what I had expected. It feels like trying to hold a heavy object above my head. The longer I keep it active... The heavier it becomes.”

Ravenna considered his explanation.

”So it’s continuous.”

”Exactly.”

”It doesn’t end until I release it.”

He looked toward the center of the training room where the invisible barrier had repeatedly formed.

”And every second I maintain it... It keeps draining me.”

Ravenna rested one elbow on her knee.

”That makes sense. If it cost the same as Space Slash... You could simply keep it active throughout every fight, especially with your increase in rank.”

Silver laughed quietly.

”That would be ridiculous.”

”It really would.”

The room fell silent for a few moments. Both of them replayed the earlier tests in their minds. Finally, Ravenna spoke again.

”The way it redirected my attacks... I couldn’t predict it.”

Silver looked at her.

”I noticed. The first few times, you reacted like you normally would.”

She nodded.

”My eyes told me I was hitting, but my sword... It kept arriving somewhere else.”

She smiled thoughtfully.

”It was unsettling.”

Silver leaned forward slightly.

”I don’t think the skill actually moves your sword.”

”No.”

”It changes the space your sword travels through.”

Ravenna nodded slowly.

”So even if I know it’s there... I’ll still have to adjust, and adjusting means slowing down.”

”Exactly.”

Silver smiled.

”That’s the opening.”

He finally understood why the System had awarded him the skill after reaching Rank Two. It wasn’t designed to defeat opponents by itself but to create opportunities.

The more he thought about it, the more clearly his future fighting style began to take shape. Each of his skills complemented the others.

Short-Step allowed him to reposition instantly. Space Slash threatened opponents from unexpected angles. Spatial Distortion disrupted their attacks long enough for him to counter. None of them were overwhelming individually at the moment, but together, they formed something much more dangerous.

Ravenna seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.

”You’ve started fighting differently.”

Silver blinked.

”I have?”

She nodded.

”When we first met... You relied mostly on your sword and gun. Your abilities were just supporting.”

She looked toward the practice weapon resting beside him.

”Now... It feels like your sword supports your abilities instead.”

Silver thought about that for a long moment. She was right. Without realizing it, his entire approach to combat had begun changing.

Instead of forcing his way through an opponent’s defenses with strength... He could manipulate distance, position, timing, and space itself.

He smiled.

”I guess that’s what happens when most of my useful skills are spatial.”

Ravenna laughed softly.

”And it suits you.”

”It does?”

She nodded.

”I don’t think you’ve noticed, but you don’t fight recklessly. The more options your abilities give you... The stronger you’ll become.”

Silver scratched the back of his head.

”When you put it that way... It sounds almost planned.”

She smiled.

”Maybe it was.”

He doubted the System had chosen the rewards randomly. Every new ability seemed to build naturally upon the previous ones. It wasn’t simply making him stronger; it was shaping a fighting style.

Silver looked down thoughtfully.

”The biggest problem is still my mental energy.”

Ravenna’s expression became serious again.

”You reached your limit much faster than your body did.”

He nodded.

”My muscles feel fine. I could probably spar for another hour, but my head...” He rubbed his temples. ”It feels like I’ve spent an entire day studying.”

Ravenna couldn’t help smiling.

”I’ve never heard someone compare combat to studying.”

”It’s the closest feeling I can think of.”

She laughed quietly.

”Fair enough.”

Silver looked toward the center of the room again.

”I’ll have to be careful. If I use Spatial Distortion carelessly... I’ll end up exhausted before the fight is over.”

”And if you combine it with Space Slash...”

He sighed.

”I’ll probably collapse.”

Ravenna raised an eyebrow.

”...Let’s avoid that.”

”I’d like to.”

She folded her arms.

”So... What’s the plan?”

Silver didn’t answer immediately; instead, he mentally reviewed everything they’d learned.

”Spatial Distortion isn’t something I should activate at the start of every fight.”

Ravenna nodded.

”It should be saved for dangerous moments.”

”Exactly.”

He continued thinking aloud.

”If someone fires at me... I can distort the trajectory. If an opponent launches a decisive attack... I can force them to miss.”

”And while they’re recovering... You use Short-Step,” Ravenna chimed in.

Silver smiled.

”And finish with Space Slash.”

Ravenna returned the smile.

”It sounds like you’ve already built your combo.”

”Now I just need enough mental energy to survive using it.”

The two of them laughed. A few moments later, another familiar blue notification appeared before Silver.

[Field Analysis Lv2]

{Combat observations recorded.

Future spatial calculations slightly improved.}

Silver blinked.

”...That’s new,” he said out loud.

Ravenna leaned forward.

”What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

”It’s nothing really; it’s just that this passive skill I have called Field Analysis, it has recorded today’s training.”

She smiled.

”Oh, you have a lot of skills, Silver. How do you even get them? Did you intergration come with so much? Now you even have an analysis skill that learns.”

”It seems so.”

Silver couldn’t help appreciating how naturally the System encouraged repeated practice. The better he learned his own abilities... The more efficiently he would be able to use them.

After another ten minutes of rest, Silver stood and stretched. His headache had lessened considerably.

”Feeling better?” Ravenna asked.

”A little.”

”Not enough to keep training.”

He smiled sheepishly.

”I think today’s lesson was learning where my limit is.”

”And that’s an important lesson.”

Silver nodded in agreement.

He picked up his sword before looking around the now quiet training room.

”This place has been good to us.”

Ravenna followed his gaze.

”It has. We’ve learned something new every time we’ve come here.”

Silver smiled.

”I don’t think this will be our last visit.”

”I doubt it.”

Together, they returned the practice weapons to their racks. The transparent safety barrier quietly deactivated as they made their way toward the exit.

Just before reaching the door, Silver paused. He looked back one final time at the empty space where Spatial Distortion had shimmered only minutes earlier.

His abilities had grown, and his rank had advanced, but today’s training had reminded him of something equally important. Strength wasn’t measured only by what he could do; it was also measured by understanding when to do it.

With that thought in mind, he pushed open the door, and the two of them stepped back into the bustling halls of the Contractors Association, already discussing what challenge should come next.