"Melody. Do you want to join our group?"

"…" Melody didn't answer immediately, but her expression showed everything. Her eyes rolled, and she bit her lips as if she smelled something disgusting.

"You look annoyed." Clovis gave a wry smile. Even though he had expected this answer, he was still surprised that Melody's expression could be that descriptive.

"I don't mind going into danger because it's my job, but I don't want to be a part of a group that will be constantly on the run. It's just too troublesome." Melody shook her head.

Because Clovis had been carried by her, he perfectly understood the reason. Her body was completely drenched by her own sweat. Even he or Jay, who were facing the most brutal fight, didn't sweat that much.

It seemed that she was sweating far too much. Even her lips were dry. If this continued, she would be the first to fall from dehydration.

It was no wonder why she wanted to be a camping operator and remained inside the car the whole time. If not for the special situation, she wouldn't even bother.

However, most operators would simply leave them alone and have nothing to do with them when the beast wave occurred. Only someone like Melody would be insane enough to actually help them despite knowing that this beast wave was artificially created just to kill them.

This was the reason why Clovis actually tried to recruit her.

"What if I give up half of my portion of money and add it to your portion?" Clovis asked.

"…" Melody's eyebrows twitched, but she soon shook her head. "No. It's too much for me. While I can see that you guys are strong, much stronger than the usual Tier 1 humans, you will attract too much trouble, which I don't want to be a part of."

"Alright then." Clovis let out a long sigh. "I thought that it would be fun to do some explorations together. See Kanaria? She became more active because of you."

"What?" Kanaria raised her voice but soon stopped because she felt a bit apologetic for accusing her. "Well, I have to apologize first. I was too harsh earlier."

Melody shook her head. "It's not about that. I mean, just looking at you guys makes me realize that I have been too lazy. And eventually, I will be left behind because of that laziness. It's better if I don't join you to avoid hindering your progress."

Clovis nodded in agreement. "All right. I don't mean to put you in a difficult situation."

"What are you planning to do next then?" Melody asked.

Clovis thought for a moment. "Is there a way to recover those beasts? At least, gathering their essence?"

"Aren't you being reckless?" Kanaria was the first one to stop Clovis, especially because Clovis was injured and Jay was exhausted.

However, Melody nodded her head. "There is, but she has to lead the beasts away. The loud gunshot should be enough, and I will also prepare the escape route."

"Huh?" Kanaria blinked her eyes a few times. The two guys wouldn't be able to do it, so if Kanaria was luring them, Melody would be the one to do the job.

"What?" Melody rolled her eyes. "I told you earlier that I would be supporting you guys as a mobile operator."

It seemed that Clovis had noticed that and immediately took advantage of her statement.

"In that case, this is my plan." Clovis took a deep breath. "We are going to retrieve as much essence as possible. While luring them, I want you to check the beasts to see if there are Tier 2 beasts among them, specifically our target."

"Got it." Melody and Kanaria nodded their heads.

"If our initial target is among them, then we will carefully separate them or wait until they disperse. If not, we will head to our next target immediately. In the meantime, I will try to restore my stamina and recover from my injury as much as possible."

Kanaria and Melody nodded and immediately stood up. Kanaria said, "We'll leave you for now. Can you guys take care of yourself?"

"Even though we are weak right now, we can still fight." Clovis waved his hand, assuring her that everything was going to be alright.

As soon as they left, Jay couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure about it?"

"About what?" Clovis tilted his head in confusion.

"Inviting Melody to the group."

Clovis thought for a moment before asking, "Do you have the same opinion as Kanaria about her laziness?"

"Well…" Jay didn't say it, but as someone who worked as hard as he did, he felt a bit uncomfortable when seeing Melody's character.

"Do you believe what Melody said earlier? About her being a burden."

"Yeah. If she doesn't intend to improve, then we shouldn't really force her. Besides, it will be good for both parties to just walk their own paths." Jay nodded without hesitation.

"Yet, Melody actually stepped out of her comfort zone and turned into a mobile operator. And from the looks of it, she was extremely adept at it. Although it was true that the AI helped her, couldn't you think that she worked hard to make her life more comfortable?

"In my eyes, Melody is not lazy. She works hard to pursue a comfortable life, which enables her to laze around. If push comes to shove, she will do everything in her power to do it… in fact, she might work harder than any of us here." Clovis smiled confidently.

Jay looked at Clovis for a moment. After those words, he realized that while he could work harder than Clovis, he still couldn't be compared to his eyes for people.

'I guess this is his unique trait. He doesn't have a high evolution rate, but he has sharp eyes for people. If Melody is that good, then I don't really mind.' Jay sighed before saying, "You shouldn't force her though."

"I know. I will try a little bit, but if she still refuses, then I will give up." Clovis nodded.