''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.

    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."