Chapter Twenty-Nine: Silver Tracking (1)

"If that’s the case, how do I level up the cores? Is there some kind of logic or criteria to be met?" Valen asked his second question once the situation regarding the 5-Branch Silver Core was resolved.

Alex took a while to respond this time. It seemed to be measuring its words — or so Valen thought. A moment later, Alex’s childlike voice sounded in Valen’s ears:

"The cores containing what humans term elemental energy are one of the mysteries of this world, something even the Sages could not fully fathom. It was discovered that whenever monsters die, they release a form of negative energy — the opposite of trophic energy. These cores absorb that negative energy and, in turn, release trophic back into the environment.

During this absorption process, the elemental energy inside the core is replenished, and over time, it becomes denser and more refined. This cycle is what humans measure and classify as levels. In simple terms, to strengthen your core, you must slay monsters. The more you kill, the denser the core’s elemental energy becomes.

There is also an additional benefit. Since the core is attached to the Silver Power Suit, whenever it releases trophic energy, you can absorb it directly to strengthen yourself. So you are not only levelling up your core to increase your attack power — you are also strengthening yourself through combat."

Valen’s breathing quickened. He had never thought that the ancients had reached such a high level of resourcefulness. This world didn’t have magic, but what it didn’t lack was natural resources.

Using such resources, ancient humans from the Astral Veil had created such revolutionary technology. This increased Valen’s anticipation of stepping into such a wondrous land.

However, a thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he didn’t hesitate to voice it:

"Although I didn’t see how the Silver King died, or how the Silver Legion was vanquished, I know for certain that if there’s a force — other than the Day Walkers — capable of doing that, then it means they also possess elemental cores, correct? Does that mean this benefit isn’t exclusive to the Silver Legion?"

Alex’s response came the next instant:

"Indeed. Elemental cores are one of the best natural resources, particularly because they can slowly grow stronger over time. This made them a subject of research, and other legions aside from the Silver Legion were formed. The reason the Silver Legion’s Power Suits are special is because its King, Generals, and Commanders’ Power Suit Cores are the only ones that possessed the rarest elemental energy known to all: Silver."

Valen took in a deep breath, digesting all the information he had gotten in the past few minutes. He hadn’t thought there was so much behind the creation of the Silver Power Suit.

However, a deep sense of anxiety overwhelmed him. Even he didn’t know where it came from.

He could only ask Alex directly:

"How exactly did the Silver Legion fall?"

Alex remained silent, seeming unwilling to answer. After a minute or so, it finally spoke, as though bound by some kind of logic that compelled it to respond to any query from its master.

But its response only made Valen’s anxiety deepen.

"Unauthorised to answer."

Valen gritted his teeth, unwilling to let the matter slide. For his safety, he had to dig further. He hadn’t been bothered about it previously because he hadn’t known just how powerful the Silver Legion Power Suits were.

Would the force that had destroyed them — if it still existed — let him, the new Silver King, survive?

"Alex, since you can’t answer the question directly, at least tell me something. Do they still exist?" Valen exhaled a breath to calm his nerves.

Alex’s answer was short but straight to the point:

"Affirmative."

Valen remained silent. If the force that wiped out the Silver Legion still existed, then their clash in the future might be inevitable. If he wanted the strength to survive the abyss, he would need the Silver King’s Power Suit even more.

He couldn’t give it up. Both for the sake of his goals and future plans, he couldn’t compromise on this. Anyone who came to him bearing ill will would just have to take a beating from him so long as he was stronger.

This only strengthened his resolve to search for the remaining Silver Power Suits. If he could quickly assemble the full Silver Legion, what force could possibly stand against them?

"Alex, how do I activate Silver Tracking?" Valen asked.

Alex paused for a moment before answering in its usual mechanical tone:

"You do not have enough Zeroite Energy to activate that ability."

Valen’s forehead creased as he searched the internet for what Zeroite Energy was and whether it could be purchased. Nowadays, there were just too many forms of energy in existence, and he didn’t bother learning about them all.

Thankfully, Zeroite Energy wasn’t something unknown, as Valen had worried it might be an ancient energy due to the Silver Power Suit’s history.

He searched for the nearest shops that sold Zeroite Energy and, through the system map, quickly arrived at one.

"A tube of Zeroite Energy costs 5,000 credits each." A young man with wide-set eyes and copper skin beamed at Valen’s inquiry.

’So expensive.’

Valen’s eyes widened.

5,000 credits were nothing to him, but such an amount of money was enough for a family of three to live without worries for an entire month.

Still, with hardened resolve, he purchased ten, costing him a whopping 50,000 credits. Without hesitation, he departed the energy shop, about to hail a turbo car and leave the city.

Only outside the city could Silver Tracking display its full effect. There were a lot of counter-frequencies installed throughout the city that would interfere with the resonance signals, and he wasn’t willing to take any chances.

The battle in the distance had come to an end as the Day Walkers led their monster army in retreat.

As Valen stood by the roadside, having already booked a turbo car that would arrive any second, he saw the massive digital billboard switch to display a motorcycle.

A short clip showcased its flying function, laser cannons, and, most importantly, the fact that it was all-terrain and could be driven in any environment.

This reminded Valen of his previous decision to buy a powered motorcycle, something he had actually forgotten to do.

Seeing that the motorcycle was priced at five million credits, and that only a few would be sold daily, he immediately contacted the company through the email displayed in the advertisement and placed an order.

If things went well, it would be delivered tonight. At the latest, it would arrive tomorrow morning.

’Hopefully, it would come before 7 a.m.’ 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Valen thought as he boarded the turbo car to leave the city.