"Maybe I overdid it yesterday. Can I actually survive today?" Auric gulped.
"Isn't your store pretty popular?" The man smiled. If the store were popular, the skill of the master should be guaranteed.
There was one thing that bothered him, though. "Why do they sound like they're going to devour you?"
The people were arguing outside, trying to get the treatment from Auric. It was as if they were the only ones qualified.
Looking at Auric's expression, the man realized that the situation was not as he expected.
"Now that I think about it, do you not have anyone to help you?" The man asked while looking around. "No other employees?"
"I previously got some help from others, but now I'm managing this store alone." Auric sighed. "Well, I just have to do it."
The man pondered. "How about I help you?"
Auric didn't expect that the man was suggesting it first. "Eh?"
"What's wrong? I think you really need some help today. At the very least, you should ensure that those people behave." The man smiled.
"Are you sure? But to have such a job, your strength must be…"
"No worries, no worries. There is no need to pay me." The man chuckled, treating it as no big deal. "I was the one who was rude first."
Since the method itself had yet to be confirmed, it showed how desperate the man was when he tried to help Auric without even being asked.
"How is it?"
"Well, if you are going to help me, then I'll be grateful."
"Great." The man smiled. "I'll have to call my daughter and my wife first."
The man also wanted to see how skilled Auric was as an evolution master. So, working here for a day would give him a good idea of whether Auric could help his daughter or not.
"In that case, I will be in your care, Mr…"
"Ah. This is my business card." The man handed over his business card.
X-Guard
Mr. Grekcoprophoropoe
'Holy—!' Auric felt like cursing the moment he saw his name, as he didn't know how to pronounce it. "Mr. Grepophopho…"
"My name must be hard to pronounce." He chuckled. "You can just call me Mr. Popo."
This was the first time Auric felt overwhelmed because of someone's name. He wondered how many people could actually call him by his name.
"I'm in your care, Mr. Grecopo—!" Auric bit his tongue again.
Mr. Popo just laughed. "All right. Let me make a call for a bit."
"I understand." Auric nodded.
He didn't notice Lindwurm clutching his head. "Mr. Gopoopoo. Mr. Grophoho. Mr. Gomopoo. Aaahhhhh!"
Auric didn't stop Lindwurm, as he wanted to see Lindwurm succeed. Still, he couldn't help but overhear the conversation between Mr. Popo and his daughter.
"I'm serious. Has Papa ever lied to you? Just come back first. I will pay for all the expenses. Please?"
Mr. Popo couldn't contain his joy in his voice, which ended up putting a smile on Auric's face.
For Auric, it might simply be another opportunity to copy a person's element. But for the girl and her father, it was a life-changing opportunity.
'It looks like I should show off a little bit today. I have to gain his trust in my skills.'
His wife seemed unable to believe it, but he was begging them to just come.
It looked like his wife would be coming with their daughter the next day, and Mr. Popo would work here alone and persuade her later at home.
Once everything was settled, Mr. Popo fixed his shirt and picked up his broom. "All right. I'm ready. Shall we open the store?"
"Yes." Auric raised one finger. "Looking at the queue, I think I need a ticket next time."
"That's a good idea. They will enter in an organized manner. But for now, I'm going to help you with this problem." Mr. Popo puffed his chest confidently.
He then opened the door and walked outside.
With a gentle tap on the ground, he produced a small shock wave, startling everyone, including Lindwurm. Auric didn't even see him using his energy.
"This power… That man is not an ordinary person." Lindwurm gasped. "He might be as strong as any professor in Grand Magica College or even stronger."
'Is that so?' Auric had thought his avatar would be in adult form, but it looked like he was one level higher.
Mr. Popo raised his hand and said in a stern voice. "You are going to enter the store one by one. Anyone who doesn't follow the rules will be kicked out. There won't be any exceptions. Believe me, I do have the power to kick you out."
He gave a simple threat after showing his power, which made it very effective.
"I don't care about who has the right or not. The rule is: first come, first served."
With Mr. Popo's interference, the customers began coming in an organized manner, allowing Auric to take care of them quickly and smoothly.
Mr. Popo was observing Auric quietly. However, Auric's skill was impeccable. In fact, his ability had surpassed that of a normal bronze-grade evolution master.
As the husband of a well-known evolution master, he had some knowledge about the skills they possessed.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with Auric's skills. The customers were also satisfied with his service.
He was convinced that Auric had enough ability to help his daughter. Of course, his wife should come as well. It would be better if she could confirm everything, including the treatment method.
Mr. Popo was so happy with Auric's skills that he even brought a lot of food for lunch.
At the end of the day, Auric made another record for the highest number of customers in one day.
Even Mr. Popo wondered if being an evolution master was this lucrative. And this was just for people who wanted to evolve their avatars into the juvenile form. If they wanted to evolve the juvenile-form avatar into its adult form, it would require even more money.
Nevertheless, he had gotten what he came for. "It's a very entertaining experience."
"Thank you for the help, Mr. Grepropo." Auric smiled.
Mr. Popo just laughed when Auric was trying to pronounce his name. He thought Auric's unyielding tenacity was a good trait as an evolution master. This meant that if he encountered an impossible situation, he wouldn't give up easily.
Once Auric closed the store, they parted.
Mr. Popo rushed back to his home. His wife was already waiting for him. She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Shouldn't you tell me about this first?"
"Ah?" Mr. Popo was so happy that he forgot his wife was angry because he had disturbed Auric first without informing her.
Auric was supposed to come to her department, so if this action ended up displeasing him, her career would be in danger.
"Sorry, sorry." Mr. Popo scratched the back of his head before hugging his wife. "I think I have seen hope for our daughter."
"So, is he really that good?" His wife asked.
"More than good." Mr. Popo smiled. "First, he treated his customers before they even attempted an evolution. This allowed them to evolve smoothly."
"What? Seriously? That kind of trick is usually done by gold-grade masters or above."
"I know, right? That alone is shocking enough, but I have seen a few techniques that you've told me about."
"Which ones?"
"The most noticeable one was the one you told me regarding the requirement to be a diamond-grade master."
"The requirement?"
"Yeah. The technique that allows you to combine your own energy with a herb to decrease the other party's element. Dual… Dual something… Dual Cultivation Method?"
"It's Dual Fusion Method!" She corrected him while slamming the table. "What? He actually can use that method?"
"Yes. There was a customer with 116% elements. To avoid using too much energy, he used that method."
"116%? What the hell did that person do?" She gasped.
"Anyway, I think I've found hope in him. He might be able to help our daughter."
His wife fell silent. If Auric's ability was already that advanced, there were practically no professors who were qualified to teach him.
While his wife was thinking, Mr. Popo raised one finger. "So, I want you to come tomorrow to ascertain it yourself. According to him, he is planning to use a technique that is a bit different and plans to ask our daughter some sensitive questions. I don't know what's going on, but…"
"I see. We are desperate, but we don't want to see our daughter get taken advantage of." She nodded in agreement. "I don't have any problems with coming tomorrow."
"Great. I've asked him and he will open the store one hour later for us. How is Milinda?"
"Thanks to you urging her so much, she has booked a plane home tonight. She should arrive at 6 am."
"In that case, let's pick her up and drive directly to the store." Mr. Popo nodded with a smile.
"Well… fine…" She sighed, unable to resist his enthusiasm.
It reminded her of everything that had happened between them.
…
"You can do it? Please. Help my daughter!" Mr. Popo was kneeling in front of an old man who claimed to have the ability to help her.
Not long after, Mr. Popo would grab his collar and roar, "What are you doing to my daughter? You are a quack. I'm going to kill you!"
"Don't worry, sweetie. Papa is going to find someone who can help you."
Mr. Popo tirelessly searched all over the country, but it was impossible. His daughter had even given up, considering passing the college quietly and dropping out once the time had arrived.
But Mr. Popo never gave up. He changed his job. By becoming a bodyguard for high-ranking people, he could meet many influential people. He kept asking whether they could help his daughter.
She felt like crying, but she didn't have the heart to break it to her husband, who had yet to give up. That was why she also continued to become a professor in the evolution department, researching any way to help her daughter.
"This time…" Mr. Popo clenched his hands into fists. "…for sure."
…
Meanwhile, a girl slowly pulled a blanket over herself, trying to get comfortable on her seat.
Her father's words kept ringing in her ears.
"Please trust Papa. I will definitely help you evolve. This time for sure."
She didn't know how many times her father had said those words to her, but he ended up getting frustrated at the evolution masters for not being able to help her.
Even though her father was a powerful fighter and her mother was a gold-grade evolution master, they were living in a small apartment.
Her parents had used most of their money for her sake, but she still failed to evolve.
'I wonder how I am going to be disappointed again this time. I don't want to see Father break again after realizing this is another scam.' Milinda looked at the dark sky. 'I just wish that Papa would finally give up on me…'
Milinda bit her lip. She couldn't say those words to him as she kept remembering a certain memory.
Mr. Popo was hugging her tightly as the strong father was in tears. "I'm sorry, this is Papa's fault. I'm definitely going to help you no matter what it takes."
"…" Milinda felt like crying. She wanted to say that they had suffered enough for her, and it was time to give up.
But their endless support had stopped her from saying all those things.
"This is the last time. Maybe after this, I can finally gain the courage to tell my parents that enough is enough." Milinda closed her eyes as if she wanted to wash away the negative thoughts.
…
The next day.
Mr. Popo gasped, asking, "Are you sure? You're not joking with me, right?"
Mr. Popo grabbed Auric's shoulder and shook him.
Auric smiled and waved his hand down, asking him to calm down. "Yes. I have enough confidence to handle it. In fact, with your daughter's aptitude, I think she can evolve tomorrow."