CHAPTER 378: PEAK SILVER RANK!!

Their breathing stayed slow, their closeness steady, and for a few minutes, Ethan let himself sink into the rare feeling of something he didn’t often get to hold onto—peace.

It was the kind of peace that didn’t come from silence alone but from knowing he wasn’t alone in the silence, that the two pressed against him had chosen to be there, and that choice was enough to take the weight off his chest in ways words never could.

Still, even as his body began to loosen, his mind wouldn’t stop moving. It never did, not really. Somewhere in the back of his head, behind the comfort of their warmth, the shadow of the system stirred, like a door waiting to be opened.

It hadn’t spoken in a while, hadn’t forced him into decisions or handed him sudden power like it sometimes did, but he could feel it, restless and patient all at once.

It was only a matter of time, and he knew the next time it spoke, it wouldn’t be something small.

That thought sat heavy in his chest, but he didn’t let it show. Not here. Not with the twins leaning against him like this, holding onto the rare quiet the night had given them.

He tilted his head enough to glance down at them. Their hair brushed softly against his arms, the strands catching the faint glow spilling in from the hallway.

Their faces had softened with the calm of the moment—Everly’s lips still curved faintly like she was holding onto the ghost of their laughter, Evelyn’s lashes resting against her skin as her eyes slid half-closed.

The tug in his chest grew stronger at the sight. They weren’t just training partners anymore.

They weren’t just the teammates who had stood beside him through drills and exhaustion and endless sparring sessions.

They were his people now, pieces of his world that he couldn’t imagine letting go of.

The weight of that realization pushed him into action before he even thought about it. He lowered his head and pressed a kiss against Everly’s temple, his lips lingering there for a second longer than casual.

Then he turned to the other side, brushing another against Evelyn’s hair. Neither of them said a word about it, but the way they leaned into him more fully afterward, like they had been waiting for that simple gesture all along, told him everything.

The night stretched on in that way—quiet, steady, filled with unspoken truths that threaded through the air between them.

They didn’t need to say them. They were already understood. Wrapped in that closeness, Ethan let himself rest.

But rest didn’t last. It never did for long. His eyes opened again, not because of noise or movement, but because a sudden rush of energy surged through his veins, sharp enough to make his heart kick hard against his ribs.

The system had chosen this moment to remind him it was still there. He sat up a little straighter without thinking, careful not to disturb the twins too much, though even that small shift made both of them stir. Evelyn blinked at him first, her voice groggy but edged with concern.

"What is it?" she asked.

Ethan forced a grin, brushing a strand of her hair back behind her ear like it was nothing. "Nothing," he said lightly. "Just stretched too quick, that’s all."

He knew she didn’t buy it—he could see it in the faint crease of her brows—but she didn’t push.

Instead, she let her head fall back against him, settling once more like she’d chosen not to fight him on it.

On his other side, Everly hummed softly, already halfway back into sleep, her hand still linked with his as if even in dreams she had no intention of letting go.

Ethan closed his eyes for just a second, but the system’s voice came through as clear as if it had been waiting for the quiet.

[Host has reached the peak of silver rank.]

The words made him sigh a breath of relief, not because of shock—he had known for weeks that he was pressing against that boundary—but because of the superpower he gained after he reached this rank.

Although Peak silver rank is just another rank but to others this kind of strength takes atleast a few years.

But he was able to do it in such a short period of time, and he made sure to have a solid foundation before any breakthroughs.

He could feel it in the way his muscles hummed with restrained strength, in the way his bones felt denser and harder, and in the way his blood seemed to run hotter beneath his skin.

"Peak silver," he whispered before he even realized the words had slipped out. A grin tugged at his lips, unbidden, sharp with the kind of satisfaction he hadn’t allowed himself to show often.

Both twins caught it instantly. Evelyn lifted her head just enough to smirk at him, her voice carrying a teasing lilt. "Show-off," she muttered, though the smile she wore undercut the mock scolding.

Everly tilted her chin, her eyes half-lidded but focused on him anyway. "You earned it," she said, plain and steady, like it was the simplest truth in the world.

"Don’t try to play humble when you’ve been outpacing both of us every time we spar."

Ethan groaned softly, dragging out the sound like he was putting on a show. "Only because you two hold back," he complained, though his hand still tightened warmly around Everly’s.

He bent to press a kiss against her temple again, the affection slipping free before he thought better of it.

Evelyn snorted, rolling her eyes. "If we were holding back, you wouldn’t have been walking after yesterday."

That pulled a low laugh out of him, one that rumbled through his chest. "Fair enough," he admitted.

He shifted to gather them both closer, their legs tangling naturally with his until they fit against him like pieces of a puzzle.

For a long moment, none of them spoke. They didn’t need to. The glow of their progress was enough, thick in the air around them, warm as the heat of their bodies pressed together.

But the system didn’t fade as it showed another message, which made his eyes light up in delight.

[New superpower unlocked. Source: Elowen.]