"Thanks for the food, " Andrew gave a short bow before returning to the apartment room in front of Lucien’s own one.

They had relocated back to the twenty-second floor after his advice. With the help of the new couple, they managed to form a group of considerable size that one would think twice before approaching, making their journey way easier.

As Lucien nodded, he was about to return to his room when he spotted the ferret peeking from the slightly opened door.

’It’s different.’ His focus sharpened as he discovered the ferret’s new and lustrous silver-white hairs, a striking resemblance to his own hair.

And the system responded at the exact instant.

---

[First Mutant Detected.]

[Target: Spatial Ferret (Ancient Lineage Detected)]

[Talent:- SSS-grade talent(Spatial Evolution) ]

[Combat Power: D-]

---

Lucien’s eyes narrowed as he glanced back at the creature.

A lineage awakening?

It was the first time he had encountered such a term. Did this mean monsters could mutate as well? And what was with the lineage thing?

He didn’t know.

And unfortunately, as always, the system provided no further information.

The silver-white ferret blinked back at him through the narrow gap in the doorway, unaware of the implications its powers carried.

Before he could inspect it further, Andrew stepped inside and shut the door.

The ferret vanished from view.

Lucien remained standing at his door for a moment, contemplating the system message.

He had also noticed the talent, which only made him wonder about the power of a lineage.

"Is it far more powerful than my talent despite being only the same grade?" Faint golden electricity appeared beneath his eyes as he couldn’t even begin to comprehend how powerful a space manipulation talent was.

And despite that, it was still the same grade as his own.

Probably because SSS-rank is the peak tier of talent.

As he entered the house, he found Evelyn standing before him.

"Thanks" she replied with a small smile on her face.

She had been able to meet Emily, her student, but unlike what she had expected, the kid herself didn’t seem that cheerful.

Though she could understand the reason behind it.

Lucien’s agreement to provide them with food for the next six months, coupled with Emily’s pitiful face, made Andrew eventually agree on keeping snowy with them for now.

Lucien didn’t reply but instead, shifted the conversation.

"How’s your progress?"

At his words, her eyes lit up in excitement.

Without speaking, she extended her hand toward the table and focused inward.

At once, a cold chill emanated from her body as she manipulated the movement of spiritual energy and refined it into frost.

A thin layer of ice spread across the table’s surface before rapidly encasing it from all directions, creating a delicate crystalline layer no thicker than paper.

Lucien was impressed by her precise control over her powers and nodded approvingly.

That level of control was something even he himself hadn’t managed to achieve despite having a talent two grades above hers.

Probably because my element is more oppressive in nature so it focuses on raw output more initially.

He believed that with enough time and practice, his powers could easily surpass hers, as he hadn’t been training his lightning talent that much.

His current focus was on getting much more used to telekinesis as it had more versatile uses.

Without waiting for her to ask, he shifted his attention back to the frozen table which had now become useless.

A slight twitch of his fingers, that’s all it took.

Crack.

The thin ice covering the table shattered into dozens of tiny fragments.

Evelyn covered her mouth as she stood dumbfounded, because the process wasn’t over.

The shards didn’t fall.

Instead, they hovered briefly in the air under the influence of his ability, making her suddenly feel that her own progress wasn’t all that impressive.

However, before she could react, both of their phone vibrated briefly.

Then again.

And again.

Lucien frowned before pulling it from his pocket and checking for the cause.

The screen lit up with dozens of unread messages.

What’s so important that they are chatting this restlessly, and that too right after Aiden had killed a man before their eyes?

Raising an eyebrow, Lucien opened the group chat.

His gaze immediately landed on the familiar name, Aiden.

The chat was flooded with discussions regarding the Kings after he had asked for their opinions directly in the group chat while also revealing some information.

Ever since their existence had become known due to Julian, there was little point in concealing their information.

Lucien scrolled upward until he found Aiden’s first message.

---

[Aiden]: The nearest King, the one responsible for sending that vampire-like man has made contact.

---

That single message was more than enough to silence the whole chat for a few minutes before Aiden eventually continued with another message.

---

[Aiden]: He’s a Wind Manipulation user.

---

Lucien’s eyes paused on those words.

The nearest King possessed control over wind, but how had Aiden obtained that information when barely five hours had passed after Julian’s death?

Further down, Aiden had also relayed the King’s message which he stated he had found from someone he knew.

The King apparently required more people under him.

The reasoning was the same as Aiden’s, to get more followers to expand his territory and influence.

---

[Aiden]: Those unwilling to submit will eventually die anyway, either at my hands or the king’s, so why not fight with me against him?

---

The message carried an intention that was far too obvious.

He’s recruiting people.

So was this whole thing just a fake news he made to get more people to willingly join him before he himself attacked a king?

Or was the information Aiden revealed real? The again, it wasn’t a long time since Julian’s death, making the whole situation feel like a bait.

The reactions in the chat varied, yet none dared to directly oppose or reject his idea.

They appeared uncertain.

And Mark, Mary, and the new couple, the ones living right beside his flat were among them too.

The proposal sounded absurd, yet in a world where death lurked around every corner, survival often forced people into uncomfortable choices.

"Why are we not joining him?"

A man with glasses frowned at the others’ reactions.

"Despite the uncertainty surrounding our future, I refuse to die doing something stupid like opposing Aiden, a man who could kill without batting an eyelid."

Mark stood up from his spot and answered coldly, "You can go if you want to, we won’t."

Kael gritted his teeth but seeing his wife’s hesitant and worried look, he stopped persuading them any further.

Snowy too noticed the tension in the air, but it simply snuggled into Emily’s arms and rested peacefully.

Andrew, however, seemed far more suspicious.

Is he following someone’s orders?