Captain

'I guess I've lost.'

Jay had accepted that he had lost the competition. And a man like him wouldn't back down from the bet. 

In the end, he still underestimated the wolf. 

Yet, when that thought appeared, Clovis actually did the unthinkable. If he simply wanted to win the competition, he would do the same thing as what Jay had in mind. But this was not a mere competition.

Instead of taking this opportunity, Clovis actually grabbed him from the side and jumped. 

The wolf ended up hitting the tree not far behind Jay, but both of them managed to survive without much injury.

"Hah? Why?" Jay was completely bewildered, not expecting Clovis to help him.

Clovis didn't even bother to answer him as he hurriedly stood back up and charged at the wolf, giving Jay some time to catch his breath and assess his injury. 

The wolf increased its speed once again to surprise Clovis. But he had been watching his charge a couple of times from the side. 

He already knew this pattern, but Jay was behind him. If he avoided this charge, Jay would become the next target. 

Clovis tossed his short sword to the side, hitting the tree not far from Jay. After that, he took a step to the side and jumped as high as possible. 

As Clovis expected, the wolf continued forward as he simply changed his target from him to Jay. Hence, Clovis rotated the blade and impaled the wolf's cheek. This way, Clovis's back would be the one touching the wolf's head. His feet made sure that the wolf wouldn't bite him after opening its mouth.

After that, Clovis pulled the chain as hard as he could. Because of the short sword's location, the chain ended up wrapping the wolf's neck. Clovis used his body as a nail to stop the wolf's momentum.

However, it felt like his left hand was being torn apart by the momentum. 

"Arghhh!" Clovis gnashed his teeth, barely enduring the pain. Even his right hand, which attached him to the wolf, was bleeding due to how strongly he gripped it.

As a result, the wolf ended up getting choked by the chain and tripping to the ground. 

Clovis felt like his hands were about to give up soon. 

On the other hand, Jay was facing a dilemma. On the one hand, he was spared from all kinds of heavy injuries because of his competitor, Clovis. On the other hand, if he missed this chance, they might need to undergo a gruesome battle against the dire wolf before finding another chance.

Jay gnashed his teeth. There was no other choice. 

He hurriedly rushed toward the wolf. The latter tried to stomp him down, but Jay swiftly avoided it and went to the left side of the wolf. Since its eyes had been destroyed earlier, the wolf couldn't tell where he was.

Jay raised his sword and slashed with all his strength, slicing the neck as deeply as possible.

"Ooohhhhh!" Jay shouted at the top of his lungs, not only to boost his own morale but also to let out his frustration. He didn't want to win a competition like this. 

The winner was decided because they had defeated the loser fair and square, not because the other party chose to lose. 

However, he couldn't escape this fate and kill the wolf. 

The wolf was completely stunned as it lost its strength due to the blood loss. The wound was so deep that it was bleeding profusely.

The wolf ended up falling to the ground as it could only wail until its last breath.

As soon as the wolf died, Clovis couldn't help but let go of his chain and fall to the ground. His arms were numb, and he couldn't even ascertain whether he had strained his muscles or not. 

Although he could still grip his blade, he had a hard time putting in more strength.

Still, this was a Tier 1 beast. Although it was clear that he couldn't defeat it alone, it wasn't as scary as he thought. 

The Tier 1 Beast had higher wisdom, physical strength, and instinct. But he still hadn't used his pistol during the whole fight. 

While he could easily win by using his pistol, he wanted this competition to be as fair as possible. So, whoever won or lost would acknowledge the outcome of the battle. 

Unfortunately, it seemed that he drew the shortest straw. 

"Hahaha. It seems that I have lost." Clovis laughed out loud while leaning his back on the wolf. Although he had fought to the best of his ability, he still couldn't overcome the gap between them.

Jay looked at the other side. It seemed that after seeing their leader die, the wolves tried to take revenge, albeit they ended up exposing their backs to Kanaria. 

Without hesitation, she took advantage of that opportunity and killed the wolves one by one. Looking at the situation, it seemed that they were able to somewhat hold on. 

So, Jay walked to Clovis to help him.

"Well, I guess I will be your subordinate." Clovis smiled. Jay could feel the frustration in his voice, making him think about how strong Clovis was to be able to smile even after this defeat.

"Say, why did you help me earlier? If you want to win, you could simply let the wolf attack me and use that opportunity to kill the wolf." Jay frowned. 

"Mhmm?" Clovis was confused by what he was talking about until he remembered his previous action. "For me, a leader is both the head and the tail. To lead the group is the role of the leader, but at the same time, I have to watch over the group from behind so that my people can look forward without worrying about anything. After all, you have me on your back." 

Jay widened his eyes in amusement. There was no doubt in those words of his.

Even though Jay wanted to be the leader himself, it seemed that he lost to Clovis in terms of resolve. He realized that he wasn't ready to be a captain. 

"Tsk." Jay clicked his tongue as he was disappointed in himself. Jay extended his hand and asked, "Can you stand up, Captain?"

"Huh?!" Clovis was baffled. He lost the competition, so why would Jay call him with that title? 

"I'm telling you that I'm not ready to be a captain. You can be the leader for now, but if… in the future you are too weak and unfit as a captain due to your evolution rate, I will immediately take your spot." Jay smirked. 

It wasn't that he had given up that position. He simply let the ones who befitted it take that position for the time being.

Clovis was quite surprised that Jay would be the one to drop his pride. Accepting this position might be the biggest respect he could give to Jay. 

"Alright. I will be the captain. If you think you are better than me, feel free to fight for that position with me. But take care, Jay… It's going to be a long journey."

"Sure it will." Jay pulled Clovis up. 

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Clovis Hacfield." 

"Hacfield?!" Jay dropped his jaw. That name rang like thunder reverberating in his ears. "Hacfield… That Hacfield? You… What is your relationship with Michael Hacfield?"

"He is my grandfather. But he is missing right now, so you can say that the family is already ruined. So, it's nothing to be proud of." Clovis shook his head. "And don't forget to keep my name a secret."

Jay never thought that he would be able to see someone from the Hacfield family. It was no wonder why Clovis wanted to hide his family name. In fact, this name also explained why Clovis had this level of weapon.

"Hahahaha!" Jay chuckled. Losing to a Hacfield was not something to feel ashamed of. Even if Clovis only had a low evolution rate, he was still a Hacfield after all. 

Unfortunately for them, their time seemed to be disturbed by Kanaria's distressed and annoyed voice.

"Oi, you boys. Sorry for disturbing you, but don't you think you should help us now?" 

"Ah!" Clovis and Jay turned their heads around, finding Kanaria's group being suppressed by the wolves.

"Can you still fight?" Clovis asked.

"One of my ribs is cracked, but I should be able to finish them. Give the orders, Captain!" 

Clovis smiled and grabbed his sword. "We'll peel off the enemies starting from the right." 

"Got it."