Selling Essence

"Huu… It seems that I have done enough for today." Clovis panted a few times, looking back. He had killed more than thirty tigers despite the fact that he had just awakened not long ago.

"I have gathered about 300 ml of essence. The beasts will definitely take over this area soon and devour the remains, so I have to retreat soon before this area is filled with them." 

While it was true that he could still continue, he wasn't someone who would just disregard his safety.

Roar!

Roar!

He had been hearing a loud noise in the forest as well, so Clovis immediately ran back to the base. 

He had two destinations in mind. The first place would be none other than a cheap hotel to get some rest. The second place was Essence Bank. It was the best place if he wanted to sell or buy essence. While he would get less than selling essence in the black market, he didn't need to worry about thieves or scammers.

He asked the town's guard for a place to stay for the night before making his way to the Essence Bank. 

"So, this is the building.' Clovis muttered while raising his head. It was a ten-story building near the elevator. A lot of people were coming and leaving. 

However, there was something that piqued his interest. One group, in particular, seemed to be in an argument. 

"We were not trying to take advantage of you."

"That's right. We weren't scared earlier. We just planned a safe retreat before ambushing the beasts." 

All of them seemed to be apologizing to a man the same age as Clovis. The man himself looked pissed as though he had made his point clear and wanted to leave, while the rest of the group tried to buy more time until he forgave them.

Then again, the subterranean world was brutal. If they weren't careful, one might lose their life in one way or another. The worst-case scenario would be a betrayal of the group, and this seemed to be the case for that group. 

If not for the fact that he was strong, he might have died outside the base. So, it wasn't wrong for him to get angry. This was also the reason why Clovis had to be careful when choosing his future teammates. He wanted a strong group that grew together with him, not only to make the trip safer, but also to protect the people he loved when he wasn't around.

'I should just mind my own business.' Clovis shook his head and started walking toward the building.

At the same time, the young man seemed to notice Clovis's gaze earlier and couldn't help but glance at him. Just like what happened to him earlier, Clovis seemed to be someone who preferred going solo.

And more importantly, they seemed to be of the same age. The fact that Clovis went to the Essence Bank meant he wanted to sell or buy essence. If it were the former, Clovis should possess a considerable amount of skill.

While he wanted to follow him to confirm his theory, he had to ditch these people first.

"Welcome to the Essence Bank. Is there anything I can help you with?" A receptionist asked.

"I want to sell Tier 0 Saber-toothed Tiger's essence. What is the price here?" Clovis asked. 

"For Saber-toothed Tiger, the price is 1 union dollar for one ml of essence. But if you have a mixed essence, we can only pay you 60 cents for the fee of separating them." 

'A very cheap price after risking my life. Then again, it's only a Tier 0 beast. I can kill a lot of them and profit from everything by going solo. I guess I should be satisfied with this price.' Clovis muttered inwardly.

The only question on his mind was: how much essence should he sell? On the one hand, he had to think about the membership and the item from the 'Another World Mall.' On the other hand, he had to consider using the essence for himself. While his evolution rate was low, it wasn't like he could depend on the Another World Mall for everything. 

"I want to sell 200 ml. They are pure." Clovis took out four tubes of essence and handed them to the receptionist.

"Please allow me to check it first." The receptionist politely bowed before bringing the tubes into the machines. Because each beast only produced a little bit of essence, even a single drop was precious. That was why they had their specialized equipment to ensure that not a single drop remained. Even the tubes Clovis had were from his grandfather, which he claimed to be made of special material that didn't absorb essence.

The machine actually showed 209 ml since Clovis wasn't precise when utilizing the device.

The machine separated the 9 ml of essence in front of Clovis and stored the 200 ml in another container. 

"We have definitely received 200 ml of Tier 0 Saber-toothed Tiger. May I have your ID card to transfer the money?"

"Can you give me cash?" Clovis asked, thinking this was the best choice since he didn't know whether the money in his account would be registered or not. 

"Definitely." He nodded and took out 200 union dollars along with the receipt. "This is 200 dollars for 200 ml of Tier 0 Saber-toothed Tiger."

"Thank you."

Now that he has finished his business, he should get a room and purchase the mall's membership tomorrow before hunting again. 

Surprisingly, the guy, who had a problem earlier, had just entered the Essence Bank. Their gazes met. 

Clovis didn't think much since he was just a random person, but the other party was quite curious about Clovis. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell what Clovis did since he had just entered. 

In the end, their meeting was cut short since Clovis simply walked away. 

The motel the guard recommended was actually a bit far from the elevator. The price was slightly higher compared to other motels, but it was quite safe. The town guard might recommend this because he saw Clovis going solo and pitied him.

"Welcome." A young girl instantly greeted him the moment the door was opened. 

Clovis glanced at the interior. He thought it would be a shady place, but the interior was surprisingly quite good. He could see some explorers eating and drinking at the bar.

"Staying or dining?"

"Staying." Clovis had decided to stay in this place after seeing the interior. "How much does the room cost?"

"It costs 40 dollars per night."

If this was on the surface, a motel like this would only cost half of it. Then again, he had to consider safety and location. In the end, he nodded his head and took out the money earlier, saying, "One night please."

He wanted to stay for a bit longer, but he wanted to register the money first before spending it. 

"Certainly." The girl led him to the receptionist, processed the necessity, and gave him a key. "Your room is on the third floor."

"Thanks." Clovis made a polite smile and immediately headed to his room. Unfortunately, he couldn't check his mall right away, and it wasn't like he could just stay without doing anything.

After getting some food, Clovis began training. The room was extremely small, so he had no way of moving his body.

However, his grandfather once taught him a training method. 

He stood in the small, open space with both swords in hand. Then, he closed his eyes.

…

Seven years ago.

"What are you doing, Clovis? It's already late, so you should sleep." 

"But Grandpa…" Clovis looked down, hesitant to say what was on his mind. "…moving like this is pretty nice. Besides, I want to get stronger too! Even if I can't awaken yet, I want to have as much fighting skill as possible."

His grandfather made a wry smile. While he didn't really mind, Clovis was still a kid, so sleeping actually provided better development for his body, especially since it was about midnight soon. 

"In any case, you should sleep instead of moving your body around. Your muscles are crying in pain right now. If you want to train, then I can give you a method that allows you to train." 

"Really? But Grandpa might be lying to me and just want me to sleep." 

"How can you suspect me? There's no way Grandpa will lie to my precious grandson. It's simple, so you should learn it easily, but promise me you're going to bed after knowing it." 

"Alright." 

"Close your eyes."

Once Clovis closed his eyes, his grandfather began instructing him.

"Now imagine me standing in front of you, and you're going to defeat me. What do you think you will do?"

"Grandpa is always calm and definitely won't come after me, so I have to approach you first and swing my blade." 

"In that case, once you swing your blade, what will I do?"

"Grandpa…" Clovis paused for a moment. In his imagination, his grandfather actually raised his sword and struck him from above.

"You are going to hit my head, so…" Clovis pictured himself raising his sword to block his attack. But then, his imagination went wild as his grandfather actually became a bit faster. His sword moved like a snake and avoided contact before hitting him on the waist. "…ugh!"

Instead of continuing, Clovis actually covered his waist with his hand. 

"It seems that you can imagine it perfectly. This is the training method. I want you to continue imagining our battle. What I can do is only limited to your imagination, but I will also provide you with some basic moves tomorrow so that you can have more vivid images. Instead of fighting me, you can also think of me as a beast. What they will do, how they're going to respond to your movement, and how you're going to kill them."

"Oh?!" Clovis nodded profusely, thinking he had just learned something. His grandfather had always been his idol after all, so Clovis believed everything that his grandfather told him.

"You can also use this to train your basics. Instead of imagining one amazing swing, you should do a hundred normal swings. Get used to that feeling. This is the basics of image training."

"Amazing!" Clovis's eyes brightened. 

"Hehe. Now, you have to fulfill your promise. Let's go to bed." 

"Un!" Clovis nodded furiously. 

…

"Huu…" Clovis let out a long breath, feeling a bit tired. Making a vivid image took a toll on his mind, but this training allowed him to create a lot of possibilities on how to defeat the tiger if he hunted them again tomorrow. 

Once it was midnight, he hurriedly called, "Mall!"

The screen panel appeared once again as he could finally purchase the membership. 

He didn't know that he would get a good surprise from the 'Another World Mall.'