B-rank access changed everything.
The contract board had new sections. Restricted zones. Dangerous operations. High-value targets.
Pay rates doubled. Three to six gold per contract. Sometimes more for specialized work.
But more importantly: access to deeper rift zones. Stronger concentrations. Better cultivation resources.
Zone eighteen was now available. Northern border. Highest recorded rift activity in the kingdom. Permanent specialist team. All B-rank. Continuous operations.
Jak requested assignment there. Was approved immediately.
"You'll work three-week rotations," the assignment coordinator said. "Three weeks in zone eighteen. One week rest. Repeat. Standard B-rank specialist schedule."
"Understood."
"Pay is fifteen gold per rotation. Plus prevention bonuses. Housing provided in zone. Meals included."
Fifteen gold base. That was more than Jak had made in six months at C-rank.
But the real value was cultivation time. Three weeks in the highest concentration zone. Maximum exposure. Maximum growth.
"One warning," the coordinator said. "Zone eighteen is dangerous. Multiple B-rank adventurers have died there. Corrupted beasts. Unstable mega-rifts. Reality breaches. If you can't handle it, request reassignment immediately."
"I can handle it."
"We'll see."
♢♢♢♢
Elena was waiting when Jak arrived at zone eighteen.
"Your new mentor," she said. Not warmly. "I'll be supervising your operations here. Evaluating your performance. Reporting to Guild Master Corvin monthly."
"Understood."
"Let me be clear about expectations." Elena crossed her arms. "B-rank is different from C-rank. Threats are more dangerous. Mistakes are fatal. And I won't tolerate showboating or reckless behavior."
"I don't showboat."
"You void stepped four times during your evaluation. That's an advanced technique. Most B-rank adventurers can't do it." Elena's eyes narrowed. "How long have you been practicing?"
"A few weeks."
"A few weeks." Elena's tone was skeptical. "I've been studying void manipulation for twelve years. I can't void step. But you learned in a few weeks."
"Shadow fox bond provides natural affinity—"
"Stop. Just stop." Elena held up her hand. "I'm tired of that explanation. It doesn't explain everything. It doesn't explain your growth rate. It doesn't explain your capabilities."
Jak said nothing.
"I'm going to figure out what you're doing," Elena continued. "Whether you're using forbidden techniques. Illegal enhancements. Hidden artifacts. Something. And when I do, there will be consequences."
"I'm not doing anything forbidden."
"Then you won't mind me watching closely." Elena gestured to the zone. "Your assignment is quadrant south. High activity. Difficult terrain. I'll be monitoring from central command. Any anomalies in your performance will be documented."
She walked away. Leaving Jak alone at the zone entrance.
Through the bond, Shade's tension. Elena was a problem. A significant one.
But also an obstacle Jak had anticipated. B-rank came with scrutiny. Oversight. Questions.
He'd just have to work around it. Be careful. Hide the obvious cultivation. Present everything as natural talent.
For three weeks. Then reassess.
Jak entered zone eighteen. Immediately felt the difference.
The void energy concentration was overwhelming. Ten times stronger than zone fifteen. Maybe twenty times.
The air shimmered with purple-blue light. Visible even without void sense activated. Reality here was damaged. Thin. Barely holding together.
Rifts opened constantly. Dozens per hour. Spawns emerged in waves. The specialist team worked continuously just to contain them.
This wasn't prevention work. This was triage. Seal what you can. Kill what you can't.
Jak moved to his assigned quadrant. Set up position.
Opened his void sense fully.
The energy patterns here were chaotic. Violent. Formations happening simultaneously everywhere. Too many to track individually.
But Jak could see the larger pattern. The flow. Where energy was concentrating most heavily. Where the biggest rifts would form.
He prioritized. Sealed the largest formations first. Let smaller rifts open. Killed the spawns that emerged.
Shade handled combat. Jak handled sealing. Coordinated. Efficient.
By end of first shift, Jak had sealed twenty-eight major rifts. Killed forty-three spawns. High performance. But not record-breaking. Not unusual for zone eighteen.
Elena reviewed his numbers. "Adequate. Not exceptional. Continue."
She was watching for anomalies. Looking for proof of forbidden techniques.
Jak would give her adequate performance. Nothing more. Nothing less.
No void stepping except emergencies. No advanced techniques. Just standard work.
For now.
At night, after shifts ended, Jak cultivated privately. Away from observation. In his assigned quarters.
The ambient energy here was so concentrated he didn't even need active rifts. Just meditation. Opening himself to the saturation. Letting it flow through the bond.
Shade absorbed constantly. The fox was evolving. Getting larger. More solid. Eyes brighter. Fur darker.
Mirrored changes in Jak. His void sense sharpened further. His physical capabilities improved. His connection to void dimension deepened.
He was approaching something. A threshold. Not B-rank. He was already B-rank officially.
This was something else. The next stage of cultivation. Beyond what the guild measured.
The ancient journal called it "threshold resonance. When beast and tamer synchronize so completely they begin operating as single entity. When the bond becomes absolute."
Jak could feel it building. Pressure. Tension. Like something inside wanted to break free.
The journal said not to resist. To embrace it. Let it happen naturally.
But not yet. Not while Elena was watching. Not while he was under scrutiny.
Jak needed privacy for threshold crossing. Time. Safety.
Three weeks in zone eighteen. Then one week rest. During rest week, he'd find isolated location. Complete the crossing.
Then he'd truly be B-rank. Not just officially. But fundamentally. In ways the guild couldn't measure.
For now, adequate performance. Professional work. No attention.
Through the bond, Shade's agreement. Patience. Control. Timing.
Everything according to plan. Despite Elena's surveillance. Despite complications.