Weapons.

"Today I'm going to be teaching you how to properly prepare and cook an infected beast. Be advised that this method also works with humans as well, although the Silence doesn't advise you to resort to cannibalism it is completely necessary to know this piece of information."

Looking at the dead animal on the mat Aiden frowned, "When is it ever necessary to resort to cannibalism?" He pondered.

The Vice Captain noticed the frown on some people's faces and smiled a bit.

"That's so cute, you still haven't experienced life outside the barrier yet, in the future if you ever accept a mission to venture outside the barrier there is a possibility that you might run out of food." She said before adding.

"And even then running out of food depends on whether you could survive an encounter with a random demon every hour while making as little noise as possible."

Saying this she turned towards Mai who had the most evident frown, "When you run out of food you have two options, first is to kill a demon and eat it, this comes at a heavy risk as most demons are highly poisonous, and you want to avoid a battle when you can, the second option you might have is to kill your fellow human to survive."

The Vice Captain paused a look of disgust appeared in her eyes, "there is also a chance that you might run into a terrorist organization."

"If you infiltrate their ranks and observe their lifestyles then you would be stepping into the midst of true cannibals, and if you're unable to even prepare human meat you will die immediately, you might never need this but it's crucial information."

Hearing this Mai didn't look convinced, "then have you eaten human meat?" She asked.

"No I haven't," the Vice Captain said before adding in a hushed tone, "Honestly there a pills you can eat as a substitute for food, nobody really knows why the Silence requires this to be taught."

With that, she explained the process of butchering the infected beast as she went on, "First throw away all internal organs, they taste like shit."

Aiden wasn't really paying attention as he wasn't fond of the subject, he could also survive for a very long time without eating, unlike other Contractors.

After a few hours, the Vice Captain was done and by then her apron was already stained with blood.

"So that's it, you guys should head to the main hall, your Captain is currently waiting for you there," she said.

After the lesson, the candidates were guided to the expansive front of a warehouse, as they entered they saw a small room which didn't seem right, in this room the commanding presence of the Captain awaited them.

Contrary to their prior encounters, he had forsaken his formal uniform, now clad in a snug black singlet that emphasized the sculpted sinews of his arms and a pair of dark ebony combat pants that hugged his muscular frame.

His matching combat boots exuded an air of rugged authority, underlining his expertise in the field.

"Ahh, so you're all here," the Captain's deep voice resonated within the room expanse, his commanding ebony complexion reflecting a subtle sheen beneath the flickering industrial lights.

"All I see are untrained muscle heads who know nothing about using their powers," he stated, his discerning gaze sweeping across the assembled candidates, a subtle edge of challenge lacing his words.

And his provocation seemed to have had some effect, as a small and barely audible scoff was heard from the side, turning his head Aiden noticed that the one who scoffed was Felix.

Luckily the Captain didn't seem to have noticed the scoff and continued what he was saying.

"Behind me is a hall of weapons, you are allowed to take any weapon of your choice, but it's limited to five weapons per person," he said.

Upon hearing this Aiden's eyes lighted up with anticipation, and he didn't seem to be the only one excited, as Ethan who was beside him also had a small grin on his face.

Seeing the excitement on everyone's faces the Captain said seriously, "Be advised, the five weapons you choose will be your companions throughout the time you spend crossing the abysmal enclave."

"Crossing the abysmal enclave?" Lucius echoed, a comical glint in his eyes as he spoke.

The rest of the candidates also seemed confused as well while some like Serena, Evelyn, and Adrian looked like they had just heard the funniest statement in their lives.

Looking at the confused and bemused expressions of the candidates the Captain's smile widened, "You've not figured it out yet have you 299 (Lucius), for your second and final trial you are required to make it across the abysmal enclave, and back into the seventh shelter."

Hearing this Lucius paled, "We're really crossing the abysmal enclave," he muttered.

"That's over a hundred miles of unending demons and infected beasts," Serena suddenly yelled.

Hearing this the rest of the participants paled, "what did you say?" Aiden asked as a shocked look could be seen in the depths of his eyes.

Seeing the look on everyone's faces the Captain smiled.

"QIET!"

He suddenly yelled.

The cavernous room fell silent as the Captain's steely gaze swept over the assembled candidates, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

"Listen carefully," he began, his words laced with a chilling authority.

"Once you stepped into this facility you tread a path from which there is no return. Do you understand?" He asked, but he received no reply.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" He suddenly yelled again.

"Yes sir," the candidate responded.

Hearing this the Captain said, "I'll be leaving the room now as it Is mandatory to give you time to discuss amongst yourself, remember if any of you try to escape we will kill you, or not because you'd be escaping into the abysmal enclave without a weapon or any form of training haha."

As the Captain left the Candidate's all had different reactions.

Aiden swallowed hard, his eyes reflecting the grim realization of what lay ahead.

"We have no choice but to proceed," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, but I think we can make it." He said breaking the silence.

Felix Anderson, his disdain for Aiden palpable, scoffed audibly. "This is ridiculous," he spat, before darting in.

"What gives you the notion that you can cross the abysmal enclave, it's no different from venturing into a watered-down version of the world outside the barrier, besides you cheated in the selections, and judging by how weak you are you'd be dead weight for us, I say the strongest amongst us from a team and travel light." He suggested.

Mai Turner, on the other hand, seemed calm, her attitude recently was a vast contrast to the fiery temperament she revealed at the selections.

With a sigh, she offered a gentle word. "We have come this far, besides none of us are wimps," she said softly, her calming presence a much-needed balm.

Looking toward Felix she continued, "At least you are right about one thing, we must face what lies ahead together."

Kevin Lewis, who stood next to Aiden placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll watch out for each other," he assured them, his voice steady despite the tremor in the room as he continued.

"It's like hiking, stay close and stay strong." He said.

Evelyn Thornfield, her pride barely concealed, arched an eyebrow. "I never thought we'd be pawns in some twisted game, but I guess we have to come together to beat this," she remarked, her composure almost regal in its defiance.

Adrian Nightshade, lounging against the wall with a casual air, shot a glance at Aiden.

"We've trained for this, at least some of us have," he said, a hint of uncertainty tainting his easygoing demeanor. "But never imagined it would come to this."

Even Ethan Davis struggled to maintain his usual grin. "We can do this, right?" he asked, his voice tinged with doubt as he looked towards Felix.

Serena Ravenscroft, her calculating gaze fixed on Felix the strongest of the group, weighed her options carefully.

"We need to be strategic," she suggested, her words carrying a subtle undercurrent of cunningness.

"I'm talking to you Felix, everyone needs to stick together to survive," she said before continuing.

"If you don't mind I'd like to talk to you personally and explain some things to you Felix."

She said with an underlying message hidden in her words, but the people around were too nervous to discern anything from it.

Lucius Stormrider, who rarely spoke, forced a nervous laugh. "Guess this is the adventure we signed up for, huh?" he quipped, though the strain in his voice betrayed the levity of his words.

Meanwhile, David Hall didn't make a statement at all, instead, he trembled visibly, his eyes darting around the room in search of an escape that didn't exist.

Thousands of thoughts ran through his mind, at first he was regarded as the most formidable in the group due to his massive figure.

But after he was defeated by Aiden he was regarded as less of a threat.

He thought his chances of joining the Silence were gone at that time and he hated Aiden deeply for that, but when he was picked among the candidates that passed he was overjoyed.

Long gone where does feelings of joy, right now he wished that he had never thought about joining the Silence.

The Captain on the other hand seemed to have been eavesdropping because the moment the candidates stopped talking he came back into the room, "I see you've all had a moment to process, that's good, now onto more important matters," he said pausing a bit as he looked around.

"Who wants weapons?" He quipped cheerfully with a large grin on his face, apparently, he took delight in the apprehensive atmosphere he had created.

The candidates replied weakly lacking the excitement from before, with that the Captain led them into the main warehouse and what they saw amazed them.

The warehouse was large, with rows upon rows of shelves displaying different weapons.

Swords, spears, daggers you name it, they had it all.

The room was bathed in a white fluorescent glow making the weapons gleam with a certain light.

Looking around Aiden couldn't help but feel amazed.

"You all should look around and quickly choose your weapons you have twenty minutes," the Captain said.

Hearing this the candidates quickly took off as they spread out to look for suitable weapons for themselves.

Walking around the large warehouse Aiden looked around, he wasn't asking for much, he just needed a blade and a dagger, since he was weakened he needed to find an alternative instead of his fists.

As he walked around Aiden picked a blade from the shelve, it was quite large and felt too heavy to carry.

Looking at the information attached to it he discovered that this blade was rated threat level 20.

Aiden didn't like the blade but if he didn't find anything better he would choose it.

In minutes the candidates were done choosing and had to display what they chose, the first person to be examined by the Captain was Felix, The Captain was quite interested in what weapon the strongest candidate would choose.

And after he was done he had a strange expression on his face, "Why do you need so many daggers?" He couldn't help but ask.

Felix had chosen five daggers which was odd, to say the least.

The next person was Mai, she had chosen just one weapon which was a blade, seeing this the Captain nodded, and moved on to Kevin, who had chosen a spear and a small arm shield, with his massive figure this made him seem heroic.

Evelyn had chosen a longsword and a dagger, Adrian had chosen knuckle brasses while Ethan chose a longbow and a dagger.

Aiden on the other hand chose a blade, a dagger, a metal bat, and a pair of black gauntlets.

He found the bat at the bottom right corner of the warehouse hidden under the shadow of a large shield.

It was heavy plus Landon had recommended it saying it would last longer, the gauntlets were recommended by Landon.

Feeling his eyes twitch the Captain asked, "Is that a bat? Where did you get a bat from? Does a bat even count as a weapon?"

Aiden could only smile as the Captain moved on to the next person.

The next person was Serena, she had chosen a longbow as well, but she also took a set of throwing knives.

Lucius took a crossbow, and David took gauntlets as well.

"No matter what you choose, you will most likely die in the abysmal enclave, unless you make it to treat level 14 you're going to be past tense soon, do you understand candidate 300?"

The Captain asked David who slowly nodded his head.

"Now that you've all chosen your weapons there are some things you need to know." The Captain yelled, his steely gaze focusing on the candidates.

"Those weapons which you so easily took are all made from the carcasses of threat level twenty demons and above, meaning they are all threat level twenty weapons, I don't know about that bat though," the Captain muttered as he glanced towards Aiden before adding.

"These weapons cost up to fifteen million Credas to make because they can harm demons which normal weapons do not have, they might look like normal weapons but they are not, these weapons will be your companions throughout your second trial." The Captain said as he took a pause.

"For those who have chosen to wield a single weapon, your determination and focus are commendable." The Captain said as he continued talking.

"However, this choice comes with both advantages and disadvantages. On the bright side, you can travel swiftly due to your light load, yet the absence of a backup plan could pose a challenge if your weapon becomes damaged. To tackle this, prioritize evading conflicts with demons whenever possible. If you opt for teamwork, aim for a precise strike, as frequent weapon use leads to dullness," The Captain emphasized, taking a brief pause before continuing.

"For those of you carrying multiple weapons, good luck carrying all that extra weight. Avoid unnecessary confrontations and ensure you don't lose your precious arsenal. Remember, a damaged weapon can cost you your life so switch your damaged weapons with new ones when possible, Although I don't think 297 has anything to worry about with that bat of his," the Captain added with a hint of amusement.

With that the Captain delved into advice on demon encounters and strategies for handling intelligent adversaries, at some point in the lesson Landon remarked, "You know half of what this guy's saying is just fancy words for run don't you?"

As the day progressed, Aiden noticed Landon's unusual silence, attributing it to potential exhaustion from his lack of sleep.

While Aiden had his soul energy to heal him Landon didn't have that ability, Upon inquiry, Landon attributed his quiet demeanor to feeling a bit drowsy.

The Captain wrapped up the day's briefing, outlining the rigorous training schedule for the upcoming days.

"You'll have lessons from 9 am to 12 pm, followed by standard workouts until 2 pm. You'll then have the freedom to engage in personal training or familiarize yourself with your weapons until 6 pm. Is that clear?" he asked, and the candidates responded in unison.

"Yes, sir," they said as they made their way to their rooms, stowing their weapons in the designated black suitcases provided by the Captain.

As the candidates returned to their rooms Aiden who was lost in deep thought felt the weight of the upcoming trial on his shoulders.

He didn't want to die and he was ready to engage in another evening of mad workout.

*****

As the sun faded into the night, casting the dormitory in a chilly embrace, Serena Ravenscroft, also known as Candidate 298, ventured quietly from her room.

Unease seemed to trail her as she made her way through the corridor.

Halting before a random door, she rapped twice, "knock, knock."

No answer.

She tried again, "knock, knock," and a groggy voice eventually grumbled from within, "What do you want?"

"I want to talk," she whispered but met only silence.

Minutes passed, leaving a lingering awkwardness in the air, until the voice grunted with annoyance, "So start talking, I don't have all day."

Surprised, Serena mused, "Can't this fool take a hint?"

Gathering her resolve, she responded with a noticeable and seductive change in her tone, "Mr. Felix, the conversation I have in mind isn't suited for this setting."

"Click," she heard a click and the door opened, revealing a man staring down at her with his calm blue eyes.

It was Felix, "now why would a girl like you want to have this kind of conversation, he asked with a lustful smirk."