The scream bounced off the walls. It hit every corner of Floor One. A circle formed around the person who had released the blood-curdling scream. They fell to their knees, curling up in the fetal position.

For a moment, Kain felt his heart skip a beat, and a slow smirk curved at the corner of his mouth. A flash of joy flickered in his eye so quickly even he didn’t notice.

He only felt in that moment that his emotions were abnormal. The sudden sense of anticipation that rose inside him was not unfamiliar. He had felt it before. Seeing others in pain gave him a sense of euphoria.

It was a feeling he constantly sought to crush. But it would rise regardless of circumstance. Feeling it now, he quickly squashed it.

He watched intently as the man rolled around.

"What’s happening?" he heard Amelia ask close to his ear.

He hadn’t even noticed when she approached.

"I think...he is suffering backlash from the oath?"

An idea sparked in his head.

The faces of the people watching the man grew from confusion to horror. The connection Kain made, there are bound to be smart people who can guess the same.

He didn’t care who the person was. The fact that they could show the suffering one would endure from the oath was what was important.

Well, this was a turn of events. Those who had wicked thoughts reigned them in. If the oath was real, they didn’t want to end up like this person. But what did he do while he was here that could harm anyone?

The reason didn’t matter; what mattered was that the oath was real. It would be a deterrent. So flawed or not, Kain was happy.

He pressed the intercom, "As everyone can see, making oaths here are binding. I advise everyone not to make careless oaths. Someone will be waiting on Floor Two to collect your information. Remember, you have three days of rest."

Cutting off the sound from the intercom and TV, he saw not only Amelia but also the three children were watching the spectacle.

"That’s what happens to people who break their promises," Kain said. "Remember to always keep yours."

They nodded numbly. The trio hadn’t expected to see such a thing. The screaming had filled the room, and they ran out to see the person on the screen curled up on the ground.

Three days passed, and in that time, three things have happened. First, Kain advanced to being a level 4 Awakened. He can now actively use Source Energy. Since yesterday, he had been making it snow for the children. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Another thing that happened is that the personnel assignments have been completed, and everyone now has their stations. Among them, Kain found that Jon had agricultural knowledge.

He was placed in charge of producing healthy fruits and vegetables on the roof, if any could grow in the sweltering heat.

The third was that Kain finally visited the Tier Two nurturing station. Outside the house was quaint, with vibrant grass and rolling hills. A sloshing lake also appeared.

One thing he noticed about the Tier Two space was that it had Source energy.

The fast for the day has been broken. Twenty-seven people, the number of people living on Floor One, children included. Kain decided to use nine people.

He didn’t care whether they were men or women, only that they appeared strong and were willing to work.

These nine people were invited to Floor Two. Of these nine people, Jaylin was one of them.

She hadn’t expected to be chosen. She knew better than anyone why she, Matthew, and Claire were sent to Floor One and why they weren’t invited back.

She thought of her sister, who was on Floor Three. She thought about how she had defended Kain on that day. She lowered her head, thinking about everything.

Verdana wasn’t wrong about any of it. They expected to be treated well without actually treating him well and were ready to move to the next best thing, if it arrived.

They had forgotten that the one with the real power was Kain.

She thought about those indifferent violet eyes and resolved to get back into his good graces.

Today would be that day.

Kain stood before the nine people. He stood, hands in his pockets, his face a mask of indifference. He felt the scrutiny. He didn’t mind.

He had received their information three days ago and had been watching them.

Of the nine, he thought three were promising. One was a young man, not more than 20, whose name was Vincent. Another was a middle-aged man who kept himself in shape. His name was Charles. The last was a woman, her darted around like a deer. Her name was Paige.

"Have any of you been outside since the tsunami?" he asked, voice flat.

Their lack of response told him no. Their clothes were a bit worse for wear. He hadn’t offered any clothing to anyone on Floor One. They could only use whatever they had previously.

He glanced at Jaylin, but she hadn’t said anything. She wasn’t as crumbled as the others, but he could see Floor One had taken a toll on her.

’Good,’ he thought. ’She should learn.’

"So, none of you has experience, let’s start with the basics. I’ll give each of you a weapon. You just need to use it to kill whatever’s trying to kill you. Whether it’s fish or people."

A lazy smile spread, "I won’t help unless you are about to die. Let’s go."

A woman he hadn’t paid much attention to spoke up, "Excuse me," she cleared her throat. "Are we looking for something specific?"

Kain turned to her, "Whatever tries to kill you, just kill it, as I’ve said. When you go outside, you will understand."

It’s precisely because they have no experience that he didn’t say much. Saying too much leads to questions.

Standing at the floor-to-ceiling window, a large raft was waiting. It was tied to the side of the building. A ladder step was placed close by so they could get down.

He handed them their weapons as they went down. No matter what question they asked, he wouldn’t answer. Experience was the best teacher.

As he stepped outside, he placed a thin layer of Source Energy around himself. He had no intention of suffering in the blistering heat with them.

He sat down, elbow on his thigh and hand under his chin. He closed his eyes briefly before saying, "Travel eastward for about an hour."

While Kain was on his first hunt, Amelia was dealing with the people on Floor One.