Officially Joining

"I am fine taking only 700 ml of Tier 0 short-faced bear essence for this exploration. I feel like I haven't done anything noteworthy, especially after those four Tier 1 beasts," said Jay with a long sigh. 

"True. I will also take only 700 ml of essence. Ehm, Tier 0 Amphicyon." Kanaria agreed with Jay. She was useful on the first day, but she didn't do much on the second day. 

"What? I have told you that we will divide it into four." Clovis gritted his teeth as if he didn't want to take it despite the fact that getting this share would definitely benefit him. He didn't want to take advantage of his comrades after all. 

"You should have just accepted this arrangement!" Jay became annoyed because Clovis wanted to force him to take a portion that he didn't work for. 

"What did you say? I am a man of integrity!" Clovis slammed the table while glaring at Jay.

Jay grabbed his collar and asked, "So, I am not a man of integrity in your eyes?"

"That's not what I'm trying to say."

"Then, do you think that my life is not worth that much? You were clearly the ones saving us! So, just accept it."

"No! We have to follow the agreement!" 

"What did you say?!"

Both of them glared at each other, annoyed that both of them didn't take their portion. Even Kanaria was completely speechless at this sight. Clovis and Jay were pretty friendly most of the time, but they really argued over petty things. 

Kanaria sighed and opened her mouth to stop both of them. "Come on, both of you. Clovis, if you don't like the arrangement, you can just take your portion and sell the rest for our group's fund. Isn't that fine?"

"Well…" Clovis couldn't deny it even though he was annoyed that they didn't accept it. 

"Shouldn't he absorb it?" Jay was still adamant about it. It wasn't about fairness. Jay simply knew that Clovis had a low evolution rate. If he didn't have enough essence, he would be left too far behind. There was no way he could accept the man he acknowledged getting rid of by the harsh evolution rate.

"What did you say?" Clovis obviously didn't like Jay's opinion.

"You should just absorb it. I don't want to win because you lose, I want to win because I defeat you fair and square."

Kanaria facepalmed. "If you don't like the arrangement, you can buy the essence with your money, Clovis. That should be fine, right?"

"…" Clovis clicked his tongue. "Fine. I shall accept it." 

"That's good." Kanaria nodded, satisfied. 

"Alright. Let's split up first and meet up tomorrow to think about our next destination." Jay had a plan for his training, so he was quite eager to end the conversation and try his new training method. 

"I don't mind." Clovis glanced at Kanaria, who shrugged her shoulders. 

"Bye!" Jay hurriedly stood up and waved his hand, not wasting any second to get back to his accommodation.

Even Clovis was quite speechless about his action.

Kanaria asked, "So, how is your shoulder?"

"The doctor said it's not a bad injury. He has prescribed me medicine, and I should be able to feel my shoulder tonight," Clovis assured that it wasn't a big deal. 

"Then, can you tell me where you're staying?" 

"Huh? Why?" Clovis tilted his head, not knowing why she suddenly wanted to know his place. 

"Have you forgotten about the question you asked in the forest? I have been thinking about this and want to give you a reply tonight."

Clovis thought for a moment and ended up giving her the motel's name and his room number.

After receiving that number, Kanaria bid her farewell to him. Now that he was alone, the first thing to do was to sell the things he got from the exploration. 

The reason he couldn't agree with Jay earlier was because 700 ml of essence wasn't that much. In fact, both he and Kanaria only took less than ten percent of what they got.

He felt it was unfair since they were in the same group. 

Ultimately, he reserved one liter of essence for himself to absorb and sell the rest. As expected of Tier 1 beasts, four of them alone actually gave him more than eight thousand dollars. With the addition of the first day's loot and the Tier 0 short-faced bear, Clovis earned a total of seventeen thousand dollars. 

He felt so rich that he almost forgot that he only had a couple of dollars a few days ago.

"I'm rich. I wonder what I should buy," Clovis muttered while remembering the membership price. 

"Level 3 membership will cost me one thousand dollars, but I should still have sixteen thousand… Should I go directly to the next level? What is the price? I also don't know if we're going to do another exploration soon. I might not be able to earn anything for one or two days, so I should put this in my calculation. 

"And the price of the next shelf should be even higher. I might need 100 otherworldly coins for one item. And the fact that I can get two more items per day means I need two thousand coins. 

"With a rough calculation, it seems that I won't have much problem if the next membership costs less than five thousand. At least, I should be able to survive."

Clovis nodded his head, satisfied with the calculation. Little did he know that the 'Another World Mall' actually had a big surprise for him—one that he would have a hard time enduring. 

But before he was able to enter the mall, he had to face one more problem.

*Knock!*

*Knock!*

"Clovis. It's me, Kanaria."

Clovis hurriedly opened the door and found Kanaria with a solemn expression. It appeared that she had thought carefully about the invitation and her future.

"Please come in." 

Clovis offered his bed as her seat while he grabbed a wooden chair from the corner. "So, have you made your decision?"

"Before that, I'd like you to answer three of my questions."

"Sure. If that can make you decide." Clovis nodded without hesitation. 

"First of all, from the way you say it, it seems that joining your group will make me stay for a long period of time. Instead of knowing about the rules or anything, I think the most important thing is to know the group's goal. You said back then that you wanted a group of elites to do the impossible… Could you elaborate on it?" 

"There is nothing to elaborate on. What do you think the explorers haven't done?"

Kanaria tilted her head in confusion. "I don't know. Unknown region? Retaking our lands?"

"It's to know the secret about the voice fifty years ago! What kind of simulation are we currently in? I want to know the truth! The truth of this world!" Clovis answered without a single doubt in his eyes. 

The reply overwhelmed Kanaria. It wasn't just a few years, this commitment might last for her entire life. However, there was one problem. "Are you sure you want to find it with your evolution rate? Do you think it's possible?"

"Nay. You shouldn't think that way. Instead, it's because I only have this evolution rate that I want to know the truth. If someone with a high evolution rate is able to find the truth, then it's possible because he is the hero of humanity. But because I only have this evolution rate, I will be able to surpass that and become the greatest explorer in the world."

His reply sent chills down her spine. Somehow, his words resonated with her heart. Excitement and worries were mixed in her heart. 

"T-then, my second question…" Kanaria took a deep breath to calm her heart down. She had to be rational about her future. "Suppose I were to join your group, would I be replaceable?" 

"Even I am replaceable. If you have the ability, you can challenge me to get the leader position. However, I'm not planning to give you the seat without a fight. And I still believe that I can protect my seat for the rest of my life. To answer your question, as long as you are not tired of exploring the unknown, I won't replace you with anyone."

Kanaria nodded. She had heard that Jay was fighting for the captain's position with him, so she kind of expected this answer. 

"Last question." Kanaria's expression turned grim. "If I join your group, there's a chance that my family might attack you to retrieve me. What will you do?"

"That depends on your will. If you don't want to stay in this group anymore, then I won't do anything. However, if you still want to stay with us, let alone your family, I will fight the entire world."

"That sounds like a man trying to woo me, you know. Talk big without the ability to back it up." Kanaria chuckled. It wasn't that she looked down on Clovis, but he simply didn't have the ability to back up his claim.

"Right? But I'm serious about it. If I am afraid of your family or even the world, then I don't have the chance to become the greatest explorer in the world. No, in fact, I can't even surpass my own grandfather."

"Your grandfather?" 

"Aye. You want to know my name, right? Then, I'll formally introduce myself. My name is Clovis Hacfield." Clovis made a gentle smile, showing both his sincere feelings and his determination.

Kanaria dropped her jaw, not expecting to hear that name. It was no wonder that Clovis talked big. It turned out he was related to Michael Hacfield, whose name resounded across the world.

It also made his words feel a bit more realistic. No one sane would challenge the world with only a 15% evolution rate. 

Clovis extended his hand. Her expression gave him an indication that he had managed to convince her to join his group. Hence, as the leader, he had to extend his welcome. "Once again, would you like to join my Libation Fiesta, Kanaria?"

"I…" Kanaria grabbed his hand. Clovis smiled because, after this, Kanaria would accept his invitation and officially join his group. But what he didn't expect were the words that her mouth uttered next.

"I want to be your wife instead."

"…"

"…"

"Huh?!"