"Come with me," he said.

He closed the security gate and paid no mind to the others. He scooped up the children, gave his elbow to Amelia, who took it, and left with the eight people.

As for those left behind, they included not only ordinary people but also awakeners. Those awakeners will never understand what they threw away.

The group came to Floor Four.

Currently, only Jake and Veronica are living here. It was probably the tidiest place in the building.

Everyone gathered around in the living room. The seats were set in such a way that they appeared to be sitting in a circle.

Kain placed the children on a sofa and sat in a single seat.

"You’ve all chosen to fight. Why?" He was suspicious. He could partially understand Marcus. He said he wanted to join Nightfall. It’s expected he will fight for it.

Jaylin was the first to speak, "I’ve realized my mistakes. I wanted too much at once without giving anything. You don’t actually need us, but you’re willing to include us. So I’m willing."

The others nodded, echoing Jaylin’s explanation.

Marcus didn’t speak, only listened.

"I’ll accept the reason for now," he said. "Now, let’s get into it. Besides Jon, have you all been practicing?"

They responded affirmatively. Jon was the only one sitting there unaware of what was happening.

Kain chuckled, "I’ll have someone explain it to you later, Jon. For now, we need to talk."

Jon nodded.

"Most of us here are awakened. Since you’ve been practicing, I hope at least Jaylin and Verdana have gotten to Level 3." Both replied yes.

"Us too," said Avery.

"Okay, so most of us are level 3," his eyes flashed. "Then you should be seeing Source Energy. You should have noticed the faint hue you see around people who are awakened.

You should also have taken note of the change in your body. The elements around you are more active and are more willing to interact. Right now, you can’t use them conveniently.

What you need to do is saturate your body with them. Allow them to seep into your bones, muscles, and skin. Listen to it and understand it. Feel it, not only with your body but also with your mind.

That will give you the chance to use elemental energy before level 4."

They listened, soaking up every word. It didn’t matter how Kain knew what he knew. What mattered was getting stronger.

This was especially so for Marcus. After knowing that those on Kain’s side could use the energy, he had been practicing. He was already level 2, on the cusp of level 3. He wanted to get stronger, but he knows haste makes waste.

"There’s something I wish to give everyone." He stepped out of the room, pretending to go to the Fifth Floor. He returned shortly with a large duffle.

"If we need to fight, everyone needs weapons. These are for you all."

He placed the duffle on the center table and pulled it open.

Marcus saw it clearly first and reached for it. The sword was sheathed. He pulled it out.

"Bone?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, bone. The bones of an upper-level mutant creature."

"Upper-level mutant creature? What’s that?" Vincent asked while reaching for a sword.

"Just like humans can become Awakeners, so can animals. Their classifications are different. There are Mutants, Deviants, and Strains. Mutants are lower-class citizens. They are the fish we have been hunting."

Exclamations rang out.

"Are those only lower level?" someone asked.

"Then won’t we die if we meet an upper level?" another questioned.

"Dad’s powerful," Ashton said. "He can beat them."

"It’s not so serious. After passing the Awakened stage, it’s easier to deal. But animals have always been stronger than humans, so it’s not a stretch that they would be so strong now."

He motioned for them to continue taking the weapons.

"This is why you left some time ago?" Jon asked, turning over the sword in his hand.

"It is."

"This means you’re certain they will come," Jon murmured more to himself than anyone.

But everyone was an Awakened, so they heard him. They turned to Kain, who said nothing, only smiled.

"Before we head out, someone tell Jon about meditation. The rest of you should also meditate. We’ll stay here for a while. We have less than five hours."

Kain stepped out. Amelia and the children followed.

As soon as the door closed, Avery called out to her father.

"Dad, did you forget about us?"

Kain’s posture went slightly rigid. "I didn’t forget about you. Yours is upstairs. Let’s go."

This time he didn’t freeze up. He knew that bastar in the back of his mind was waiting for him to slip.

The door closed behind them, and three small swords materialized in Kain’s hands. Avery was the first to take it. She was so excited that she started waving it around.

Amelia had to go calm her down.

Ashton took his and grinned.

Dominic was the last to take his. He stared at Kain for a long moment. "Dad, are you okay?"

"I’m fine. Why? What is it?"

’I’m not about to tell my son, I might be schizophrenic or have DID.’

Dominic didn’t say anything, only discreetly looked at the number above Kain’s head. He pressed his lips together.

"Alright, don’t do that. You look like an old man. I’m really okay."

Dominic finally nodded and went off to play with his siblings.

He materialized his and Amelia’s weapons. He also took out the reward the system had given him early on, the primary spirit shield.

They only need to inject a small amount of Source Energy to activate it. Ashton already knew how to do it, which was evident from the guinea pig, so he only needed to teach the two children and Amelia.

The spirit shield looked inconspicuous. The ones he received had various forms. Two were rings, and the others were brooches.

He pinned three on the children, and he and Amelia wore the rings.