Subterranean Explorer Union.
This was the place Clovis visited yesterday to awaken his natural talent. This organization was built under the arrangement of the World Union after the attack from the subterranean creatures.
It managed everything from the awakening to the record of the explorers. It was also the one who built the elevator that would lead them to the subterranean world.
Clovis had changed into a shirt and covered it with a jacket. On his back was a long case containing all his weapons.
The receptionist was a man in his early thirties. His reputation had been spread from mouth to mouth.
"I want to register as an explorer," said Clovis with a calm tone.
The man didn't think much about it since it was his official job. He simply asked Clovis to hand over his ID card, which had information about his evolution rate. But that made him furrow his eyebrows.
The minimum evolution rate that was permitted legally was 30%, so the fact that Clovis wanted to register with his 15% meant that he wanted to use another method.
When his gaze returned to Clovis, he saw Clovis' hand putting a 100-dollar bill on the table, sneakily pushing it toward the guy.
The guy understood what Clovis wanted and sneakily slid down the money before processing the explorer's identification on the chip of his ID card.
This was the requirement if Clovis wanted to use the elevator.
Though, he had done another experiment with this one hundred dollar bill.
…
A few hours ago.
After ransacking his own house and finding things that he could sell. Clovis instantly went to the market to sell the furniture.
He hurried back to his house after getting the money. He sat on his bed while saying, "Mall!"
As soon as the screen appeared, he pressed 'enter' to go back to the other world mall.
"Mall!" Clovis called it again, showing his status.
[Name: Clovis Hacfield.]
[Membership: None]
[Money: 112 Otherworldly Coins.]
[Item Limit: 1/Visit]
[Visit: 0(1)/Day]
"As expected, the amount of money I possess has increased. Since I have a limited entry every day, I don't want to do a weird test like using a card for now. And thanks to the one hundred dollars that I got from selling a table and a pair of chairs, I can finally pay for my membership." Clovis had thought a lot about this mall after the first visit.
There were a few things he understood from the data he got. First of all, the money he used here wouldn't affect his real money. However, that money would be registered.
He didn't know how this 'Another World Mall' registered it, but he used two dollars to buy the noodles yesterday with a five-dollar bill. However, the three-dollar change didn't seem to be registered in this mall.
In other words, the money that had been registered here couldn't be used again in any form. So, he had to legitimately earn money through a different source.
At the same time, he didn't bring another five-dollar bill among the previous money he had. This way, he understood that everything that had been registered here would be permanently recorded. He was unsure whether the money was registered once it reached his hand or not. After all, he might have to use the money he earned first before entering this mall in the future.
With this concept, Clovis had decided not to buy the membership for a moment.
Unfortunately, he couldn't sell more furniture since it had been attached to the floor, wall, and ceiling and required time and effort to find a buyer for those items.
If he spent this money right away, he realized that he wouldn't have enough money to buy the items. Hence, it was better to earn a bit more money first before purchasing the membership.
Clovis grabbed another onion with that in mind and returned to reality.
…
After that experiment, Clovis headed straight to the union to process his explorer identification.
"It's done. You can use it now." The man handed back the ID card.
"Give him access to the Gold Class Map." Suddenly, a heavy voice echoed in their ears. Both the receptionist and Clovis trembled as they both turned their heads, finding a muscular man standing next to them.
'When did he…' Clovis sucked a cold breath. When their gazes met, Clovis felt an immeasurable pressure that made it feel like he was standing in front of a lion and just waiting for the lion to devour him.
"Sir… Tavish…" The receptionist was shaking in fear.
"Give him access to the Gold Class Map for two months. I believe that is enough for that one hundred dollars you received from him." The man called Tavish glared at the receptionist, not receiving 'no' for an answer.
"Y-yes!" The receptionist brought back the ID card to be upgraded.
On the other hand, Clovis was stunned by the mention of 'Gold Class Map.' What kind of thing was the Gold Class Map? It was a special map that was made by a private organization.
There were three classes for the subterranean map: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The Bronze Map was made by the community and government's good will to show the general map of the area as well as the possible beasts residing in it.
The Silver Map was created by the government for military purposes. It was classified, so not many people had this type of map. Meanwhile, the Gold Class Map was made and updated by a private organization.
This organization bought information from explorers at a high price and updated their map. This meant their map contained new information about the beasts, the change in the terrain, or even a sudden investigation.
Of course, the subscription to this map was extremely expensive. A hundred dollars for a Gold Class Map? Even a hundred times of that was still not enough for a one-month subscription.
That was why he felt this kindness should have a hidden intention.
"Who are you?" Clovis asked carefully.
"You idiot. Don't you know him? He is the president of the Lion Mercenary Group, Gregory MacTavish."
He didn't know about this person. And there was no need for such a high-level person to be kind to an unknown guy with a 15% evolution rate. So, Clovis was rather suspicious.
"Once it's done…" Gregory pointed at the hall behind the receptionist that led to the elevator. It seemed he wanted to say something.
Clovis didn't understand, but the receptionist processed it as quickly as possible. When he observed this Gregory guy, he noticed that not a single person was actually looking at him.
Despite his reckless action, it appeared that he hid his presence so that he could come out here without any attention.
He still couldn't think of a reason why such a person would want to talk to him.
"This is your card." The receptionist gave the card as well as the money Clovis gave earlier, afraid that Gregory would use that to take him down.
However, Clovis only grabbed the card as he said, "As he said, that money is used to buy the service."
That action looked foolish since he barely had the money for himself, but Clovis only wanted to maintain the little integrity he had left.
As soon as he was done, Clovis had the option to turn around and run away. But after considering the opposite party's identity, he believed it wasn't a good option.
Gregory made a small smile as though he knew how Clovis behaved. He said, "As expected of that person's grandson."
"Do you know my grandfather?" Clovis furrowed his eyebrows.
"He saved me twenty years ago. To think that your grandfather would go missing and your city would be attacked with no news about your parents. I'm sure you're suspicious of me, so I will just say it right away. Consider that gold map as repayment for saving my life. I couldn't repay your grandfather, but I could give it to you. Unfortunately, I couldn't give you anything else due to the restriction of our identities."
"…" Clovis fell silent. He preferred money after knowing the ability of the mall. But the fact that he mentioned his own identity was related to his parents and grandfather's special identities. The transaction could easily be tracked. However, there was another option, which was cold, hard cash. Clovis said, "Thank you for the warning."
"I guess you are truly a Hacfield." Gregory grinned. "Remember these three things. First, don't show the Gold Map to everyone, even if you're trying to earn money. People will definitely steal it from you. Second, don't trust your neighbors and the Eagle Group. Last but not least, don't sell your house."
Clovis realized that his neighborhood must have several people watching him. They might not do anything to see if he was a threat or not. But he didn't understand the third warning since he thought he should hide himself and sell the house to fund the Another World Mall. It appeared that the house had something special that he wasn't aware of.
Gregory stepped back and said, "That's all I can do to repay your grandfather. I don't think I will be able to protect you from here on, but I believe that you are also a Hacfield."
Clovis politely nodded. "Thank you."
Gregory smiled before turning around. He walked away while waving his hand as if he hadn't done anything.
Clovis's expression turned grim. The gift was indeed helpful, but he didn't know whether it would be safe for him or not.
Of course, he thought about the potential of others stealing it from him, but more importantly, he was suspicious of Gregory personally.
He warned him about his neighborhood, but he didn't mention their names.
'Either way, none of them seem to be making their moves yet and are probably observing me. Should I show that I have no talent? But…' Clovis let out a long sigh. 'This is why I have some different opinions from Grandfather. Gregory was simply repaying my grandfather's kindness, but if Grandfather had a close group of allies, it would be better to protect the family. I will become an explorer, but I also want a comrade who can grow alongside me.'
Clovis took a deep breath before heading to the elevator. He knew that no matter how he suspected them, he couldn't find out the truth or oppose them. So, it was better to focus on getting stronger first.
The elevator itself was a large platform that had been built to cross the tunnel. It could only be used several times a day because of the large consumption of power and the time they needed to reach the bottom.
After the call from the staff, Clovis hurriedly entered the elevator and couldn't help but look around when the elevator began to move.
The cave wasn't straight down since it would be impossible for the beasts underground to climb. That was why the government built the path accordingly.
The tunnel itself was about fifteen meters in diameter. A four-story building would definitely be able to enter this tunnel.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could see other than a dark tunnel with minimal light.
It took them almost thirty minutes to reach the other side, which mesmerized even Clovis.
He had heard about the subterranean world from his grandfather. The ceiling reached as high as three hundred meters. It was so high that the cloud was able to form.
Instead of sunlight, there were supposed to be multiple giant crystals that shone brightly and lit up a large area. According to the scientist, the crystal absorbed the sunlight above the ground as there were multiple crystals that actually emerged on the surface.
These crystals were the ones responsible for the day and night of this world.
'So, this is the subterranean world.' Clovis couldn't help but smile, thinking this would be the time for his adventure.