Clyde frowned at the woman. No, more precisely at the young girl in front of him.
From her appearance, she is wearing a uniform under a jacket and sweatpants, Clyde was sure that she is not much older than him.
"Who are you?" Clyde asked in a sharp tone. He was ready to put up an attack stance.
"I didn't mean to ask you to fight," the girl raised her hand in the air. Her face looks scared.
Because Clyde didn't want to miss any possibility, he immediately used [Skill: Inspection] on her.
[Name: Lola Robertsen. ]
[Private Attributes: White Oracle. ]
[ Exclusive Skill: Precognition (Lv.1) ]
[ Player Stats: Strength (1/5), Stamina (1/7), Agility (1/7), Magic Power (3/10) ]
Clyde frowned as soon as he saw the girl's Character Information.
Apart from proving that she is indeed no older than him, Clyde also saw a Private Attribute and skills which were quite interesting.
Besides, seeing her Stats, Clyde was sure that she wasn't a threat. Even when she wants to do something to attack him.
So Clyde relaxed his guard a bit. Just a bit.
Because even though the girl looks weak, that doesn't mean she just came alone.
"What do you want?" Clyde asked.
"I... want to join your group," replied the girl named Lola.
Clyde stared at her for a few moments.
His sharp eyes made Lola nervous. She gulped a few times to suppress her nervousness.
"First of all, tell me what your power is," Clyde said.
Lola had expected that. She knew that the reason for getting Clyde to accept her was to show her that she had something useful.
"I have the ability to see the future," Lola replied.
But Clyde didn't look surprised by her answer.
Clyde's reaction was so different from when her friends heard the answers about what her power is back then.
Lola already knew Clyde's reaction would be . So the shock had already passed.
'Turns out that's what Precognition really means,' Clyde thought. 'Then she probably already knows what answer I will give.'
"Then you should know what my answer will be," Clyde said.
But to his surprise, Lola shook her head.
"I can only see thirty seconds into the future. I only see the future until you asked that question" Lola explained.
That's too short a time. But in a fight, thirty seconds was the time that could predict the entire course of the battle.
There's nothing wrong with accepting a girl named Lola to join her group.
"You can join in my group," Clyde said.
Suddenly Sonya's voice came from behind. She comes along with Asqa.
They both carried one large black plastic bag each which most likely contained food.
Even with Asqa's tiny body, she can lift the plastic bag easily because her Stats are maxed out.
"Who is she?" Sonya asked with a suspicious look.
While Asqa just stares in silence. Even though she was also suspicious, she didn't say anything.
"My name is Lola. I and my group will join you guys." Lola said with a smile.
Clyde shot her a glare. "Your group?"
Lola nodded with a sorry expression.
"Sorry. I seem to have forgotten to mention it. I'm actually already in a group of five people."
"Where are they now?" Clyde asked sharply.
Lola then directed them outside. There, her group members were already waiting outside the restaurant.
Clyde noticed someone wearing a brown coat and hood.
"You were watching me on top of the building, weren't you?" Clyde asked while pointing at Albert.
Albert looked shocked. "You noticed?"
"Of course, I noticed," Clyde said. "Have you guys planned this from the start?"
All members of the group glanced at each other. In the end, the one who stepped forward to face Clyde was Leon.
"We previously only intended to keep an eye on you guys. Then, we decided to join forces because we thought the more members in a group would be better for this situation."
What the big man said did make sense. But Clyde didn't think that was the best thing to do.
Too many people in a group will only lead to greater opportunities for disagreements.
And that will eventually lead to conflict and betrayal.
Clyde was already aware of all these things not just from novels or movies. But also from real life which is providing more clear references.
"I thought it was just Her," Clyde said.
Albert, Wiley, and Rosie exchanged worried looks. They felt as if those words were an early indication of Clyde's rejection.
"We won't be a burden to you," Wiley replied. "We can hold out this far, right? That means we're not weaklings."
"It's true," Clyde said. "But that doesn't mean we can join forces. If you guys feel strong enough, that means it's okay for you not to join us, right?"
Albert and Rosie gave Wiley a sharp look because his words didn't help. Instead, he just made the situation worse.
"Let's go," Clyde said to Asqa and Sonya.
In this case, Asqa and Sonya feel that it is better for them to remain silent.
Clyde walked away from the restaurant. Asqa and Sonya just followed him.
"Hey, I think it's a good idea," Sonya said to Clyde in a whisper.
"Too many people will create a risk. I don't plan to increase our group size," Clyde answered curtly.
Sonya didn't say anything else after that.
Even though she thought it was a great idea, Clyde didn't think so. And now it's his decision that matters for their group.
Leon sighed and turned to his friends.
"Well, apparently it ended in failure."
"Sorry, guys," Wiley said with an apologetic face.
"Don't be. Even if you don't say anything he still won't accept us," Rosie said then let out a long sigh.
"It seems that now we do have to live in our own strength," Albert said.