1 Prologue
"NO!"
"How can this be?"
The screams of unwillingness echoed inside the grand hall, pulling in the attention of the people within.
The hall was spacious, hosting more than a hundred people. However, there was one person who was unaffected by the screams.
His focus remained on the receptionist before him. Placing an ID card on the table, he said, "Clovis. I am ready for the awakening."
The receptionist scanned the ID card before taking out a small plastic bag from the box next to her. It was a fresh bag that was still sealed.
Clovis could clearly see an injection needle with a small vial of yellowish-green liquid. The receptionist showed the entire kit to make sure it was still sealed before taking out the vial and placing the needle on top of it.
Clovis extended his right arm as the receptionist injected the liquid into his palm.
As soon as all the liquid had been injected, a white-colored screen appeared in his vision.
Name: Clovis Hacfield
Tier: 0
Evolution Rate: 15%
Brain: 0%
Heart: 0%
Blood: 0%
Muscle: 0%
Bones: 0%
When Clovis saw the number on the evolution rate, he couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows. His expression darkened like he was disappointed in himself.
Yet, his reaction wasn't as big as the reaction of the people next to him as though he had accepted his fate.
"Please place your hands here." The receptionist asked while pointing at the blue screen on her left.
The device scanned Clovis' biological data. Even the screen he saw in his vision appeared on the receptionist's computer.
As soon as the receptionist saw the number on his evolution rate, she simply said, "I believe that you are not suitable to be a Subterranean Explorer (SE) with your evolution rate."
Clovis could hear the sneer coming from his back.
"What? Another one who is not qualified?"
"Just leave right away. We want to test ourselves too."
When Clovis was about to turn around, he heard a commotion from the counter next to him.
"What?! An evolution rate of 76%? C-congratulations, sir. You'v—" The receptionist couldn't even complete her sentences before another person came to him. He wore a formal suit and immediately handed him a name card. "I am from the Aether—Mmf!?"
He was stopped by another person, who seemed to be trying to recruit him.
Clovis couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.
Fifty years ago, the world had undergone a huge change. An ethereal voice rang in everyone's ears that day, telling them that the world they knew was nothing but a simulation.
Not long after, the Hollow Earth Theory was proven as numerous holes leading to the subterranean world appeared.
Countless beasts appeared from the holes, but more importantly, those beasts were not random beasts. In one place, there was an ancient extinct animal like Andrewsarchus or even beasts older than dinosaurs. In another place, there was a being like a mystical dragon.
All the animals that were supposed to be extinct or only existed in the legend actually appeared from holes, rampaging on the countries all around the world.
Each country had its own method to deal with the beasts. Some only had guns, only to get routed in the end. Some superpower countries resorted to nukes and repelled the beast but made the city unsuitable for living.
More importantly, it seemed that these beasts could also evolve through nuclear waste and radiation, resulting in even more ferocious beasts. Some of the surviving countries ended up banning the nuclear weapon while others continued to fight back.
The scientists didn't simply sit back and do nothing. They analyzed the beasts and started experimenting with both humans and beasts.
Once the world united to fight the common enemy, they created this amazing system. It turned out they could actually process the meat and extract its essence to strengthen humans.
After a lot of experiments, the scientists implant nanotechnology in the human's body to measure their affinity with the beasts.
Those five units were meant to evolve human's abilities. However, to avoid wasting their resources, they only sought people with a high evolution rate.
The evolution rate itself indicated how much essence could assimilate with their bodies. If Clovis took one ml of essence, he might only be able to absorb 15% of it. That was why the higher one's evolution rate, the more precious they became, causing a huge gap in society's status.
This was the reason why the man next to her was immediately approached by a lot of people.
A 35–40% evolution rate was considered normal for an SE. They had the most population in the current system. 40–60% were known as above average. They could easily become an elite or even an amazing figure in their group.
60–80% were hailed as geniuses. They could become very powerful, so a lot of people wanted them. 80–95% were in the realm of peerless talent. They either had to die to avoid future problems or become strong enough to reach the pinnacle. Above them was the only one meant for the chosen ones.
Meanwhile, his 15% evolution rate was meant for trash. He needed to do more than five times more than the young man next to him just for the sake of catching up to him.
That was why the receptionist suggested taking another job aside from being a Subterranean Explorer.
However, the fire in Clovis's heart hadn't died even after seeing his evolution rate.
He simply left the building with his result. Little did he know, there were two middle-aged men observing him the whole time instead of the young man, who had a 76% evolution rate.
The first man had a muscular body that his suit couldn't cover completely. The other man looked smaller, but his gaze was as intense as that of the man next to him.
"So, he is that old madman's grandson?" The muscular man asked.
"Or so I heard… But 15% is quite low."
"Even then, he is that man's grandson. Even though that madman is missing right now, he is still his grandson. His eyes are not dead yet, so I believe that he will return once again and become an SE, official or not."
"Are you going?"
"Yeah. His grandfather is missing, and his parents have died at another base. In this place, he is just an unknown young man. Right now, I'm just repaying the favor I owe his grandfather."
"But I think letting him be is the best. Without anyone knowing him, the enemies of his grandfather and parents won't come to attack him for no reason."
"You should know that powerful families can retain their power because two geniuses marry each other and produce another genius. This is the same."
"So, you think that he is a genius despite having a 15% evolution rate?"
"All I know is that Hacfield is a family of monsters. I refuse to believe that he is not one, unless he is adopted. Hmph."
"But be careful. Once you pull strings, the enemies of his parents and grandparents will come."
"If he can't overcome them, he is not worthy of the Hacfield name."
…
Whether it was the proof of what these two men were talking about, the first thing Clovis did after he returned home was pick up the two blades on the table.
Even though his parents and grandfather were no longer on his side, they were still quite powerful people. Their wealth was enormous. Even though he had to flee to this unknown city, his parents still had a house here.
It was perfect for a small family and it was even equipped with a training area.
However, with him being young, he couldn't find work anywhere. In the end, he used all the money that they left him. The water and electricity had been cut off as well.
He once thought about moving to a smaller house and selling this one, but this house was perfect for him to train as an SE. So, he barely managed to keep himself by selling some furniture.
There were three weapons on the tables. The first one was a long 1.2-meter sword. Its color was black as though it were made of different materials. The humans managed to make weapons from the beast's scales or even materials underneath the ground in the subterranean world.
The second one was a short sword, slightly longer than a dagger, but the blade length was less than his lower arm. On the tip of the handle was attached a chain that formed a bracelet. If thrown, it could reach as far as ten meters.
The last one was a pistol. That was right. Even though humanity didn't really use nuclear weapons to avoid strengthening their enemies further, they still used the most convenient weapon, guns.
While the beast's hide was hard to penetrate with a normal bullet, they used the same materials as his blade as a bullet. That was why guns were mostly for the rich, who could afford special materials for their bullets.
Clovis grabbed the two swords and came out to the backyard. The rain started pouring as if it were reflecting the sadness and disappointment in his heart.
However, Clovis didn't care. He just wanted to swing his blades until he was too tired to even think about his evolution rate.
His swings were sharp and precise, showing the amount of effort he had put in. While his technique was above average, it didn't mean much if his evolution rate was low. After all, those people could put in a lot more time to practice their technique while Clovis was still hunting the beasts.
'Untalented people like me can still progress to the very top. We just have to work much harder than those geniuses who have a high evolution rate.' Clovis thought as his blade slashed a water droplet. He looked determined to get stronger even if he had to become a monster by massacring thousands if not millions of beasts.
The memory from the past couldn't help but resurface. Back then, he was sitting with his grandfather, looking at the bright sky.
"Clovis. Most people become SEs for survival, wealth, or fame. However, they are forgetting something. The reason we're called 'Explorer' is because we're trying to find the unknown. Why would those beasts appear out of nowhere? Were the world leaders aware of this fact before anyone else? Is this world truly just a simulation? What are we? I become an explorer to find the truth about everything."
"Really? So cool!" Clovis's eyes glistened as his expression was filled with admiration. "I want to be one too and help Grandfather!"
Unfortunately, this seemingly happy memory didn't last long. It even affected his current mental state as the reality had just struck him deeply.
Even if he was prepared to kill countless beasts to get stronger, he still couldn't get over the fact that he didn't have the talent to do it.
"Why?!" Clovis gritted his teeth. "Why? Why? Why?!"
The more he asked the same question, the faster his swords became. But eventually, he tripped to the ground and became too tired to stand back up. He wanted to cry but was fully aware that it wouldn't help him.
"If only…" Clovis closed his eyes for a moment, imagining the scene where he saw his status at the same time. Instead of 15%, he would get at least an 80% evolution rate. But in the end, it was just his wishful thinking.
However, everything changed the moment he opened his eyes. Even if it was raining earlier, it shouldn't be this dark.
"Huh?!" Clovis couldn't help but rise from the ground. "What happens? Where am I?"
On his left, he could see a shadow of a small room filled with items he didn't know. The darkness allowed him to only see the contour of the items, not what they truly were.
He turned to the front and saw an expanding space, filled with a lot of rooms like the one he saw on the left.
Clovis's right eye was disturbed by the brightness that hit the corner of his pupil. When he turned around, he could see a spacious area filled with shelves. Seeing the entrance and the cashier area reminded him of a grocery store. "Where the heck am I?"
