Chapter 104: One Month
What followed was one month of meditation. The ’normies’ weren’t aware of what was happening on the above floors.
Kain and the others still went hunting to find the marrow of low-level mutant fish. The ’normies’ became the ones who took care of the usual cooking and cleaning. They weren’t excluded per se, but they could feel there was something amiss.
To test their skills, Kain had them find and kill various aquatic creatures. Not just fish. But octopus, squid, crustaceans. At times, they went out for days on end, just to find a good fight or catch.
They were sad about having to throw these creatures back, but they weren’t edible.
As Kain said, he needed to temper them. Being indoors all the time doesn’t do them any good. In the past month of fighting, it became easier for them to defend themselves.
He also included the children in some of those hunts. Nothing more than fish. No matter how strong they might be, they are still children. He spent his time teaching them how to use elemental power.
One of the days, they were throwing away yet another creature when Ashton, who would usually ask for the corpses, asked his father,
"Dad, why don’t we save any of them?"
Kain responded, "We can’t eat low-level mutants."
"What if they grow up? If there’s low-level, then if they grow up, we can eat them."
Kain paused for a moment. He never really thought about keeping any of them. He had almost forgotten about the space. Besides using it for storage, he never even thought about keeping the mutants and letting them grow.
Just like humans can move from being simply awakened, they can become Deviants. They are edible at that time. He couldn’t help running his tongue along his teeth and thinking about it.
Finally, he answered, "You’re right. Dad wasn’t thinking clearly."
So, the next time they went out, Kain would put at least one of each into the space.
At first, he thought they all went into storage, but when he tried to find one, he found he could not see it.
"System, where did the mutant creatures go?"
[Your child, Ashton, has designated mutant creatures as a nurturing target. All aquatic creatures have been placed in their designated nurturing centers.]
"Nurturing center? What’s that?"
[The Nurturing Center is a variety of habitats designated for various mutated creatures.]
"So...the nurturing center for the mutants I’ve created so far is...where?"
[The ocean. The host will be able to see it after the bond with the children has been recorded at 100%.]
The bond? Kain had almost forgotten about it. Was it not at 100% yet?
[Name: Kain Nightfall]
[System Role: Primary Nurturer]
[Current Power Level: 250]
[Host Status: Awakened Level 5]
__________________
[Name: Amelia Hartwell]
[System Role: Secondary Nurturer]
[Current Power Level: 200]
[Host Status: Awakened Level 4]
_________________________
[Child 1: Dominic Nightfall]
[Mutant Tier: Awakened-Level 4]
[Primary Affinity: Spiritual]
[Spiritual: 75]
[Elemental: 60]
[Physique: 65]
[Bond Status: 98%]
[Stress Level: Calm]
__________________________
[Child 1: Ashton Nightfall]
[Mutant Tier: Awakened-Level 4]
[Primary Affinity: Elemental]
[Spiritual: 65]
[Elemental: 70]
[Physique: 65]
[Bond Status: 99%]
[Stress Level: Calm]
__________________________________
[Child 1: Avery Nightfall]
[Mutant Tier: Awakened-Level 4]
[Primary Affinity: Physique]
[Spiritual: 66]
[Elemental: 66]
[Physique: 68]
[Bond Status: 99%]
[Stress Level: Calm]
___________________________
He looked at the numbers. Not 100%, 98%, and 99%. He wasn’t sure how he felt seeing this. All the time they spent together, though it wasn’t long, he had expected the bond to be complete.
Seeing this, it was clear to him there was something else they had concerns about. But there was nothing he could do; he could only wait and see.
"So, I only get to see the ocean when it gets to 100%. Are there other things I can’t see? There’s already a lake and a place to grow things. It’s a mini-ranch at this point except that the place is empty."
[Yes.]
Kain waited and got no other answer. It was another one of those times when the system refused to say anything.
He didn’t dwell on it but continued to teach.
As he taught them to fight, the one who took to using the elements most was actually Ashton.
But Kain hadn’t expected anything less. He still remembered each child took to their own path with great ease. Ashton to the elements, Avery to physique, and Dominic to spiritual power.
For the rest of the Nightfall crew, he didn’t tell them about paths. They needed to temper themselves. Their path should naturally reveal itself. He refused to do anything that might influence their decision.
He was aware that this flood situation might be the best for elementals, but there was still a long way ahead. The waters wouldn’t always be here.
He did, however, give some advice on their meditation. He increased the Source Energy concentration in the Sanctuary, allowing them to saturate their bodies. He kept the Source Energy to a minimum on Floor Two.
One by one, they reached Level 4 Awakened.
Jon, the person who started the latest, had a really good aptitude. He took to the one-month meditation like a fish to water. Although he was the last to get to level 4, he was no less skilled than the others.
One of the reasons might have been because of his constant use of elemental powers. He and Kain would check the rooftop plants. At some point, Kain had told them they would be leaving the Sanctuary in one month.
Jon was worried about whether the plants could grow in one month. The answer was, of course, no. They couldn’t be harvested in one month. The tomatoes, yes, but the others, no.
The two plants Kain had given Jon were actually potatoes and cabbage. He didn’t realize until they had already begun to grow. It surprised him that the deep purple seeds were actually the potatoes.
No matter how much Kain told Jon not to worry about it, Jon seemed to be stuck, unable to let go.
It wasn’t until Kain showed Jon a way to have them ripen faster that Jon finally calmed down. Using elemental power to help the plants grow.
Kain had never tried farming this way. He didn’t know much about it. He knew the basics, and that’s all he could give advice on.
Seeing Jon’s constant improvement, Kain thought about Jon’s usual day and decided that the only difference between him and the others was the plants.
He had taught him to input the various elements to make them grow faster. Water to hydrate, fire for warmth, earth to improve root development, wood to stimulate plant growth. The only one that couldn’t be used was light.
Kain decided to give it a try himself. He concentrated on fine control so he wouldn’t kill the plants. As he felt the Source Energy leaving his body, he understood why Jon could catch up to the others.
The amount of Source Energy he uses every day is equivalent to what he uses going hunting. The energy in his body is constantly depleted. Then, he goes to a place saturated with Source Energy to meditate. It helps his affinity, fine control, and allows his body to absorb more each time.
He didn’t allow the others to try. This was Jon’s way, and he wouldn’t take that from him.
So, just like that, a month passed, and the barge was on its way to pick them up.
