Chapter 696: Chapter 696 - Taming the Fifth Year - Optional Paths - 5

"What about not respecting the walls?" another member asked. "Why don’t we just break a direct path instead of following these turns that slow us down?"

"The trees are extremely elastic," Ren responded, still without breaking stride. "There are ways to break through, but on our route we’re already advancing at a very decent pace. Trying to force a path would take more time and energy than simply following the established routes we can mark."

"How do you know all this?" the girl asked, the question everyone was thinking but few dared ask directly, afraid of seeming ignorant or challenging authority.

Ren finally stopped, turning and looking at her briefly with an expression that suggested he’d expected this question eventually.

"Someone showed me things like this about all beasts for a while," he said simply, words carrying the weight of treasured memories and gratitude. "And I paid attention."

He didn’t elaborate further, and nobody pressed for details they sensed wouldn’t come.

Zhao smiled from behind, clearly satisfied with how Ren handled the group with authority and yet good accessibility.

The Strahlfang watcher, on the other hand, seemed increasingly frustrated with each passing hour. Every explanation Ren gave was logical, verifiable, based on reproducible observations of the environment. There was no trick to document... No undue help to report.

Just a student who knew more than others because he’d done some obscure work of learning, who’d seemed to invest time and attention where others had been content with surface knowledge.

And that wasn’t against the rules.

No matter how much the nobles wanted it to be, knowledge itself couldn’t be legislated away.

Klein walked in silence, processing everything with a mind that kept reorganizing its understanding.

Each explanation added another layer to his growing comprehension of just how wrong he’d been.

Ren wasn’t just a lucky guy with advantages falling from the sky... nor from Selphir’s or Julius’ hands.

He was simply better prepared than any other student here through dedicated observation and study.

And Klein had wasted years hating him instead of learning from him, years that could have been spent building friendship and gaining knowledge instead of nurturing resentment born from dumb misunderstandings.

The weight of that realization settled deeper with each step.

And with it, the growing certainty that maybe he needed to talk, needed to finally break the silence that had become a comfortable prison.

That maybe he needed to trust in ways that had felt dangerous from the maintained distance.

That perhaps, just perhaps, Ren could help with Luna’s situation in ways Klein had never considered, solutions that went beyond the limited options noble families and he himself had presented as inevitable.

But first...

First he had to ensure something in this gathering exam.

And also would have to find the courage to admit all his mistakes openly, all his failures in judgment and finally change his full loyalty.

All the ways he’d chosen wrong when better paths had been available.

And hope that Ren was generous enough to listen before acting, forgiving enough to give him a better chance at redemption he probably didn’t deserve.

The weight of unspoken confessions grew heavier with each marked turn they passed.

♢♢♢♢

The transition to Silver was perceptible not only in the mana.

The tunnels expanded, their walls thicker and more elaborately woven with artistry that transcended mere function. The patterns were no longer simply functional strands for defensive structure and hunting, showing increased complexity that suggested superior intelligence in their creators.

And those creators...

The spiders were no longer minor obstacles to be casually dismissed with a breath of wind.

The first one they encountered was the size of a small house, its Silver-rank body gleaming with the characteristic luster of the rank, each segment of its carapace catching what little light existed in complex reflections. It moved across the walls with a grace that seemed impossible for its weight, eight legs distributing the mass perfectly while rotating at will to face them, defying physics in ways that magical beasts simply could.

A Giant Weaver.

Constructor variant, Ren identified immediately by the way its rear legs manipulated silk, controlling the tunnel walls even while moving, reshaping its territory as naturally as humans breathed.

"Careful," Ren ordered in a low voice that carried authority without the need of a high volume.

The team obeyed instantly, freezing in their positions with discipline that came from learning the perks of trusting their leader’s judgment.

The spider evaluated them with its multiple eyes that reflected the scarce light in disturbing angles, compound vision processing information in ways humans couldn’t. Its abdomen pulsed slightly, preparing to weave in mass quantities, to defend or attack, the decision still pending as it calculated the true threat levels.

Ren raised one hand slowly, pure and intense light condensing in his palm like a miniature sun. Not an attack, just... presence. A declaration of capability without hostile intention, showing what he could do without threatening to do it... Not yet.

The spider retreated slightly, its front legs rising and reducing the tunnel size incrementally in defensive posture that protected its vital areas.

"Light now has a bigger advantage over them," Ren explained without looking away from the creature, attention locked on reading its body language. "At Silver they begin having shadow properties. If not for the trees and their leaf barrier extremely resistant to light, the fireflies would have driven them completely out of the niche through that advantage and the air element one too."

"So they can only be scared away with the slightly rare light element?" the girl asked, concerned about resource requirements for continued travel.

"I just used it to give you a better look," Ren dimmed the light slightly, demonstration complete. "But wind is easier and cheaper to use for most people. And fire would be a species weakness but it’s still a bad idea in here..."

The spider still hadn’t decided its course of action, its chelicerae moving nervously with clicking sounds that echoed in the enclosed space.

"Constructors have better control of their environment," Ren continued, his voice calm and educational even while facing a creature that could scare most with its form alone. "They can reinforce walls, create defensive structures or even close off paths... Fighting in their own tunnel is wasting energy if you don’t plan to eliminate them instantly."

He made a subtle gesture with his other hand, and a current of wind flowed through the tunnel. Not violent or aggressive, just... present. Moving air around in a way that let the spider feel the quality of control, demonstrating mastery that transcended simple Silver rank power.

The creature considered this for a small moment that stretched with tension.

Then it moved aside, retreating through a side tunnel, closing it and leaving them the main path, territory yielded to superior force without need for bloodshed.

"That simple," Zhao murmured from behind, impressed despite having seen similar but more instantaneous tactics before with the smaller spiders that required less nuanced communication.

The Strahlfang watcher observed with inscrutable expression, mind working to find some violation in what was simply exceptional beast handling.

"At this level it’s no longer necessary to send them flying... now they understand the situation better," Ren explained the difference in approach as they passed the spot where the spider had been.