Meanwhile, Alea also came into the other side three hours later, leading a group of ten. All of them seemed to be older than her, yet, they looked at Alea with adoration. It was clear who was the leader of this group.
Still, it didn't change the fact that this group was quite famous.
As soon as they appeared in Ark City, all eyes were on them as the people began whispering.
"Hey, is that…"
"That is Alea Eilric. We have heard that she is currently hunting monsters around here. But considering the people behind her, I am afraid it's an expedition."
"Behind her is Xavier Roto. He was also a participant for the Grand Gaia… the previous one."
"Rumor said he is a Level 330 Knight."
When they heard such information, they shifted their focus from the blonde-haired girl to the purple-haired guy who walked next to her.
They saw Alea handing a document to him while saying, "This is the necessary file. Is the team ready?"
"I have gotten confirmation from twenty of them." He nodded and put the file inside the handbag hanging on his muscular arm. "I believe the rest is waiting for us at the meeting point."
"Good." She nodded and glanced back, finding a white vehicle floating on top of the teleportation circle.
The vehicle had a shape of a cube, fifteen-foot-wide. However, there were four of those appearing in succession as they followed Alea and the rest inside Ark City.
Ignoring the bystanders' comments, Alea continued their way to the meeting point.
However, as soon as she came, her heart was disturbed by the sight of Theo waiting with another girl she never knew.
"!!!" Alea widened her eyes and gulped down. Despite seeing other members that had been waiting for her, including Sihan, Alea kept glancing over Theo and the girl, thinking, 'What the…'
What shocked her the most was the fact that Theo didn't push her away or anything. Instead, he talked kindly to the girl and even smiled.
'That Theo is talking to a girl?' Alea stared at him in disbelief, wondering if this was the same Theo she knew.
Theo, in her mind, was a cold guy that seemed to have no intention of having any relationship, yet, this one was different.
Curious, she put down her work and said, "We still have time, right? I'm going to meet an acquaintance first."
"…" Xavier fell silent and furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Alea, who calmly walked to Theo.
Noticing her presence, Theo and Agata stopped talking and turned to her.
"It's surprising how much you have changed in the past two months." Alea smiled. Her eyes kept moving back and forth, implying about the girl.
"Yes?" Theo ignored her reaction and pointed at the girl next to him. "She is Moana. You should have gotten her information, right?"
"Yep." Alea nodded and extended her hand. "Hello, I am Alea Eilric."
Agata somehow understood why Alea approached them and laughed inwardly. She put a smile on her face and extended her hand to her. "Hello, I'm Moana. Theo often talked about you being a reliable 'Teammate.' It's my pleasure to meet you."
"…" Alea's expression darkened when she heard "Teammate" coming out of Agata's mouth. She couldn't help but remember what Agata said to her in the competition. She had the courage but never acted.
Theo scratched the back of his head as he remembered the rivalry between them in the competition. He sighed and changed the topic, "By the way, I have something to tell you. This may affect our expedition as well."
Agata was confused because Theo didn't tell her anything.
This expression didn't escape Alea's eyes as she somehow felt a bit content and asked, "Yes, what is it?"
"Do you know Mutated Chimera Wolves? I met them on our path to the dragon nest." Theo asked.
"Hmm?" Alea shook her head. There were numerous monsters around this area, so it was impossible for them to know every single monster. That was also the reason why people invented the monster's detector and database. It was so they could gain enough information against the monsters they fought for the first time.
"Let me check the information." Alea opened her Skylink and searched for the monster's name. Her expression turned serious when she read the description. She subconsciously raised her voice and asked, "Are you serious?"
This certainly gathered everyone's attention, especially the vice leader of this expedition, Xavier.
He approached Alea with a frown and asked, "What happens?"
"This is the picture." Theo raised his Skylink and showed them a photo taken a few days ago. It was a picture of a human with a wolf paw. "This is a Mutated Chimera Wolf. There were around a hundred of them… I couldn't confirm it since I fled the area immediately."
To his surprise, Xavier denied him in an instant, "That's impossible."
Theo squinted his eyes and asked, "What do you mean it's impossible?"
"This is why you are still new here," Xavier harrumphed and said.
"Ho?" Theo looked at Xavier with a grim expression. "Then, do you mind explaining it to me?"
Xavier didn't back down and opened his Skylink, showing him a map. It was quite a large map with Ark City in the center. He then pointed at a certain area southwest of the city.
The place was called Sinx Forest and there was a level restriction of 300 to 350 in that area.
"This is the original place of the wolf," Xavier explained while pointing at their destination, which is located on the east of the city. "And this is our destination. They may be a nomadic group, but all they can do is around this area."
He tried to expand the range and marked it. However, the marking only reached the south of the city, not even the southeast, showing his point.
"This is the area. It's impossible for them to appear like what you described. It's simply too far for a journey. Also, there are other factors like terrains and such. That's why it's impossible for them to travel that far to the east." He shook his head with disappointment. "I know that you are trying to impress your former teammate or your girlfriend, but this is not the way to do it."