Chapter 451:Differences.

Chapter 451: 451:Differences.

The first thing Silver noticed about Urban Training Sector Seven was how deliberately imperfect everything looked.

The buildings weren’t simply damaged for decoration. Cracks ran through supporting pillars, abandoned vehicles blocked portions of the roads, and several storefronts had been partially reinforced with wooden boards and sheets of rusted metal.

Broken glass covered the pavement in certain places, while weeds grew through gaps in the concrete. Somewhere in the distance, an emergency siren sounded intermittently, occasionally interrupted by what appeared to be gunfire from another part of the enormous training sector.

It was an impressive reconstruction of a settlement that had suffered a beast outbreak.

And he didn’t like how familiar it felt.

He stood near the edge of the blocked intersection, handgun resting comfortably in his right hand while Helena studied the map displayed on her wrist.

Mina had crouched beside the pavement, her fingertips resting against the ground as she concentrated on the vibrations travelling through the concrete, while Caleb stood behind her with his hammer resting against one shoulder.

"The western road is blocked too," Silver said after expanding his spatial perception through the surrounding structures. "There’s an overturned transport truck approximately a hundred meters from here, and the buildings on either side have partially collapsed. We could probably climb over the wreckage, but carrying injured personnel through that route would be difficult."

Helena nodded and adjusted the map. "What about the eastern street?"

"Open for now. There are several vehicles and a narrow passage between two buildings, but nothing large enough to completely block our movement. I can detect three moving signatures beyond the first intersection, although I can’t identify what they are yet."

Mina lifted her fingers from the pavement. "They’re beasts. I can feel their footsteps, and they’re moving in a pattern that doesn’t match humans. There are also some heavier vibrations farther away, but the distance is making them difficult to distinguish."

Helena considered their options for a moment before pointing toward the eastern street. "We’ll take that route. Elias, watch the rooftops and upper windows. Mina, continue checking the ground whenever we stop. Caleb and Rowan, stay near the middle so neither of you gets isolated if something comes through a building. Silver, I want you slightly ahead of us, but remain close enough that we can support you without having to chase you down."

Silver nodded. "Understood. I’ll keep my movements short and report anything unusual before engaging."

Caleb looked toward him with a grin. "You know, I thought you’d be a little more difficult to command considering you’re ranked first."

He glanced back. "Why would I make Helena’s job harder when she’s the one who’ll get blamed if we do something stupid?"

Helena looked at him. "I can still blame you individually."

"Then I’ll try not to give you a reason."

The squad moved.

Silver took the forward position while keeping approximately fifteen meters between himself and Helena. He deliberately avoided using Short-Step, relying instead on ordinary movement as he approached the first intersection.

His enhanced Agility made navigating the scattered debris easy, while Spatial Sense continuously provided information about the structures around him.

[Spatial Sense Lv3 Activated.]

The three signatures he’d detected earlier became clearer the closer he got. They were inside a ruined convenience store.

One moved behind the counter, another paced near a broken refrigerator, and the third remained almost motionless beneath a collapsed shelving unit.

Silver stopped beside an abandoned car and raised his fist.

The squad halted.

"Three beasts inside the store on the right. Two moving, one stationary. Their sizes suggest Tier Two, but I’ll confirm when we have a visual."

Helena moved closer and looked through the shattered storefront.

A beast emerged from behind the counter.

It resembled a large hyena with dark gray fur and irregular bone growths along its shoulders. Its forelegs were longer than its hind legs, giving it an uncomfortable, sloping posture, and its mouth opened wide enough to reveal two rows of uneven teeth.

Silver activated Insight.

[Insight Lv2 Activated.]

[Beast: Bonejaw Hyena]

[Tier: 2]

[Primary Traits: Enhanced Bite Force, Pack Coordination]

[Weaknesses: Neck, Lower Abdomen, Exposed Joint Connections]

Silver lowered his wrist slightly.

"Bonejaw Hyenas. Tier Two. Nothing particularly dangerous individually, but they coordinate."

Caleb smiled. "Finally, something we can hit."

Helena shook her head. "We don’t need to fight them if we can move around the store."

Unfortunately for her, the beast had already noticed them. Its ears lifted the moment it turned towards them, then it released a sharp bark. The other two immediately moved towards it.

Silver sighed. "Apparently they disagree."

The first hyena launched itself through the shattered window, scattering glass across the pavement as it charged toward Helena. Elias raised his bow, but Silver’s handgun was already moving.

His draw was so smooth that Caleb barely registered the movement.

[Phantom Draw Lv4 Activated.]

A gunshot cracked through the street as the bullet entered beneath the hyena’s jaw and tore through its neck. It collapsed before reaching the squad.

The second beast leapt through the same opening, only to meet Caleb’s hammer as he stepped forward. The heavy weapon struck its shoulder with a sickening crunch, sending the creature rolling across the pavement before Caleb finished it with another blow.

The third attempted to circle around them but Rowan moved to intercept. He touched his axe and a faint reinforcement effect spread along the metal.

The hyena lunged, and Rowan drove the reinforced blade into its exposed neck cleanly separating it’s head from its body.

The entire encounter lasted less than ten seconds.

Silver lowered his handgun. Helena looked at the bodies, then at the ammunition counter on her wrist.

"One bullet."

Silver nodded. "One."

Caleb lifted his hammer. "And no injuries."

"Good. We keep moving."

Nobody celebrated.

Tier Two beasts were not particularly threatening to students who had already passed Alpha Three Academy’s entrance examination. Even a moderately competent first-year could defeat one under favorable conditions, and most of Class Four had spent enough time training to handle them without much difficulty.

The academy wasn’t testing whether they could kill Tier Two beasts. It was testing what happened when killing them became inconvenient.

Silver understood that, and the longer they remained in the street, the more likely the noise would attract something worse.

Their first serious problem appeared twenty-three minutes after deployment.

They had entered a residential district consisting of several apartment buildings surrounding a small courtyard when Mina suddenly stopped walking.

"Something’s underneath us."

Helena immediately raised her shield.

Silver expanded Spatial Sense downward. At first he detected only the hollow structure of an underground parking facility.... then several movements, moving fast towards them.

Silver’s expression sharpened.

"Below the courtyard. Five beasts, possibly six. They’re moving toward the ramp on the northern side."

Caleb looked toward the ramp. "Tier Two?"

"Not all of them."

A heavy impact sounded beneath the pavement. Dust fell from a nearby wall.

Mina’s expression changed. "One of them is much heavier."

Silver focused on the largest signature, then the first beast emerged immediately after.

It was enormous, standing nearly two meters at the shoulder, with a body resembling a heavily muscled boar covered in thick overlapping plates. Two curved tusks protruded from its lower jaw, and its forelegs struck the concrete hard enough to leave shallow cracks.