The teenager looked nervous enough to make Lucien briefly wonder if he had dragged him into an interrogation room instead of a simple conversation.

"What’s your talent about?" Lucien knew, though he still asked.

Ethan swallowed.

"Y-Your name is Lucien Hayes and you have a B-grade talent Telekinesis."

Lucien remained silent for a moment, lost in thought.

Just as he was about to send him back, the kid continued. "And your combat power is..." Ethan paused before quickly adding, "I can also see the combat power of awakened individuals."

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

It’s similar to mine, but a little crude._

After a brief silence, Lucien leaned back as he asked.

"And what’s my combat power?"

The boy blinked.

"Your combat power?"

"Yes."

Ethan focused for a moment, and the next second, his eyes widened.

"D++."

Lucien paused, a faint flicker of surprise crossing his face as even he didn’t expect that answer.

He advanced? When?

The battle with Aiden, or the recovery should have apparently increased it. Those were the only reasons possible for it.

Interesting.

But that thought only lasted a second before he pushed it aside and turned toward Evelyn.

"Do we have empty rooms nearby?"

Evelyn nodded.

"The apartment beside ours is empty, so he can shift there."

Lucien looked back at Ethan.

"Take whichever room you want. Everything necessary like food and clothing will be provided regularly."

The boy stared at him blankly before his eyes dropped to the clothes he was wearing. The situation he had been living in was apparent.

His eyes slowly reddened as he nodded heavily.

"T-Thank you."

The moment the door closed behind him as the kid and Evelyn stepped out of the room, Lucien’s expression became thoughtful.

Insight.

A useful ability that wasn’t powerful by itself, but very useful in certain situations.

"Even though his ability is far inferior to mine, he could still be used for scouting and other purposes as two is always better than one."

And in a world where information could mean the difference between life and death, that alone made Ethan valuable despite his having a system that easily put his talent to shame.

Still, it’s not that useful every time.

The talent had failed to identify his Lightning Primarch SSS-grade talent, which meant there was likely a limit to what Ethan could perceive. Probably only one or two grades higher than his own.

But even then, a scout was a scout.

He tried standing up from the bed when a sharp numbness spread through his legs which made him grimace in discomfort.

"Sigh, I have been in bed for far too long."

When Evelyn arrived back after settling the kid, she found Lucien trying to move around.

"You should rest." She stepped forward, concern evident in her tone as worry flashed across her face.

"I have already rested long enough." He chuckled before replying.

"You nearly died." She frowned, wondering if he had a few screws loose from the fight before eventually giving in and leaving him alone.

She understood well enough that he needed some time.

"Do what you want."

A faint smile had appeared on his face, his lips curling upwards as he watched her go.

She wasn’t as wary of him as before. Meaning she had changed ever so slightly, a change he welcomed with open arms.

...

Several days passed as life returned to peace for everyone in the building.

Well, that was what seemed on the surface.

Because in recent days, many people who had joined Aiden’s team but didn’t fight in the last clash had gone missing from their rooms without a trace.

They disappeared.

Nobody knew where they had gone and nobody seemed interested in finding out the answer either.

Not to mention it didn’t interfere with their lives and hence, the matter quietly faded away.

Residents slowly settled into new routines while fishing became one of the primary ways of obtaining food and awakening. Small groups fished on the lower floors every morning and returned before nightfall carrying mutated fish and whatever resources they managed to find.

This also birthed a few awkaeners during the period who started working under Andrew’s command. By now, everyone understood who they needed to work for and not against.

Lucien’s prowess in channeling his lightning to refine his body improved noticeably during the period.

Evelyn too wasn’t left behind.

Whereas the rest of the awakeners found out that consuming mutated creatures could strengthen them without effort.

Lucien observed the changes without involving himself too much, staying in his flat most of the time.

Meanwhile, Snowy remained the same.

Lucien had inspected the ferret more than once, whether by trying to befriend it or by asking Emily about its awakening, yet every attempt failed.

Neither Snowy seemed interested in him nor did Emily know how she had awakened, all she knew was that her fur had changed one day randomly.

And remembering what had happened to Kael, Lucien had no intention of trying to approach it without a plan.

One afternoon, while Lucien was eating, Evelyn suddenly asked:

"Do you regret giving Andrew the fruit?"

Lucien paused.

"No, why?"

Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Don’t tell me you still think his ability is that great?"

"He was the best choice I had, not to mention awakening a talent is random so it’s good he awakened something useful at the very least."

Her gaze lingered on him briefly before she looked away, muttering "Maybe. Only time can answer that."

Her words reminded him of the details he had heard about the awakening from the others.

Andrew’s awakening had caused a disturbance throughout the entire building as the moment his talent manifested, a scream erupted from his mouth.

It was simply the result of him losing control immediately after awakening.

Even then, the display had been enough to reveal the potential hidden within the talent.

Several people had collapsed clutching their bleeding ears.

Even awakeners had felt the effect, not because the talent was something too abnormal. But the process of awakening itself was, though it was nothing more than a slight irritation to them.

According to Ethan’s appraisal, Andrew had awakened a B-grade talent.

Sound Manipulation.

It allowed him to amplify, suppress, distort, and redirect sound itself, something he had learned to do after repeated use on specific awkaners as practice.

Now no one wanted to get close to him, especially the awakeners who had become his practice target. Save for his group, Evelyn, and Lucien of course.

A smile appeared on Lucien’s face.

The fruit had not been wasted, and he was satisfied with the result.

...

The days continued passing as fishing, training, and attempts to communicate with other buildings occurred.

No one wanted to be stuck here alone for the rest of their lives.

Each morning, Lucien continued to perform his daily draws but disappointment followed after every spin.

All he gained was food, clothes, and other miscellaneous common-tier items.

Five consecutive days passed like that and by the sixth day, even Lucien’s patience was beginning to wear thin.

"At least give me something worth looking at."

The familiar screen appeared before him before he spun it at once.

And the words that materialized before his eyes finally ignited the long vanished excitement that craved for higher-tier rewards within them.

[Congratulations! You have obtained a rare- tier reward—

—

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