"I think it's important that we develop the ability to make equipment and supplies for adventurers," Claire nervously spoke out loud to a room full of adults. Even if they were either family or like family, it still made her hesitant to voice out her thoughts to the group.

As she peeked at Darlina, Claire noticed the robot nod its head. It was like Darlina was trying to urge Claire to voice her thoughts.

Straightening her back and squaring her shoulders, more energy was put into her voice. "This world has changed from what it used to be." Even though this was something obvious, Claire still wanted to test the room and see how they'd react to her taking a more assertive role. Seeing that they were taking her seriously, she felt more assured that what she was doing was correct. "Currently, the mysterious energy is likely one of the most important resources we have available to us. From what I understand, the energy will allow us to go up against the modified humans and other threats on this new world." Her eyes looked at each one of them. Next to her, she could feel Hannah placing a hand on her back. It felt like Hannah was saying she had Claire's back.

Though everyone was taking what Claire was saying seriously, each of the people in the room had a varying degree of surprise by how Claire was putting herself out there. Instead of being a middle schooler, the girl had turned into a woman and someone who demanded respect.

Abby nodded her head, approvingly at how Claire was stepping up.

"But from what I understand, the places inside of this Underground City where there are purer levels of energy exist behind paywalls. For us to be able to access them, we need to be in a position of financial strength and having more Guild Points. From what Darlina explained to Hannah and me, the main areas where Guild Points can be earned are jobs inside of the simulation, the Auction House, and Store." Claire raised one hand, numbering off each option with a finger. "Though none of you have taken on a job, I think you can see it as a one-time project where you get paid after you complete the task. The amount you earn is dependent on the difficulty and danger of the request made to the Guild."

"That makes sense," Tommy nodded his head at Claire's words. "It's like taking up a contract to build a house or freelancing. The monetary benefits would definitely be tied to the difficulty of the task."

Abby snorted, "It sounds like the mercenary groups I've had to deal with while I was overseas. They'd get hired to guard precious oil pipelines or atomic powerplants. If the owner of the contract were to be assassinated, then the mercenaries would heartlessly retreat." Her mouth was formed into a scowl as though just thinking about the people turned her stomach.

Listening to Abby, Tommy nodded in agreement at her words.

Not wanting to be sidetracked on a tangent, Claire continued, "The areas I think are important to focus on are the Auction House and Store. These areas will take the equipment we make from raw materials taken from the simulation and exchange them with adventurers for Guild Points."

"Sounds like once we develop the supply chain, we'd be able to churn out equipment to be sold to the Auction House or Store without needing to overly expose ourselves to danger." Brooke nodded, reaching the same conclusion before Claire could articulate it.

"Yep." Candice nodded. Turning to look at Darlina, "The Guild will even provide us with the areas to create the equipment, right? I remember that being mentioned during the orientation video."

Her father's eyes widened when he remembered that information.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"That's correct. The Guild will provide a free of charge manufacturing room, meant to give the user some practical experience." Raising a finger, Darlina reminded them, "In order to continue using the room for free, you must produce an item during the required time limit."

Shrugging, Candice looked at her twin, "They give us training on how to do it, so I can't imagine it being harder than going through medical school."

Brooke smirked at the comment made by her twin. "I'm going to laugh if you struggle after making such a bold claim." Then she nodded, "Considering everything we've gone through with medical school, even if we struggle at the beginning, it shouldn't take too long."

Though Brooke and Candice sounded arrogant with their words, Claire didn't doubt that they'd be able to figure out how to succeed with the task of creating equipment for adventurers. She wasn't kidding with Raven, that night when she mentioned how smart the twins were as though they shared the same mind.

"Are we all going to pick up making equipment?" Abby asked everyone. "How about the issue of gathering material used to make the stuff?" She looked at each one of them. "Should some of us go into the simulation to secure monsters for our families to use?"

Bill shook his head. "Initially, that'd make sense, considering the number of adventurers able to hunt monsters successfully, but at some point, we'll need to outsource the process. Considering the value generated from manufacturing the various potential products and the skill needed to be developed, we should spend as much time as possible."

"If this was the old world, then I'd agree with your assessment," Tommy interjected. "From a purely business perspective, that would be logical, but from a survival standpoint, I think it's a flawed strategy."

Tilting his head and crossing his arms, Bill asked, "How so?"

"Calm down, boys. We're in this together." Hannah's dad voiced out, already sensing the growing tension between the brothers.

Reminded of their situation, both Tommy and Bill blushed before taking a moment to collect themselves. It was apparent that they recognized how immature they were acting in front of everyone.

Tommy, after regaining his emotions, said, "Bill, I'm not questioning your business instincts since you're the only one amongst us that has the necessary background."

Uncrossing his arms, Bill raised a hand to acknowledge that he didn't take offense at Tommy's words. "It's my fault for getting defensive." He smiled light-heartedly at Tommy, "I do want to hear your thoughts. I'm sure you're able to spot things being the super soldier that you are."

Snorting at Bill's comment, Tommy lightly punched his younger brother on the shoulder.

With the two brothers acting calmer, the room lightened, and the feeling of tension faded.

Sensing it was okay to move on, Tommy said, "Before all this, a business would only need to focus on the specialized task they had, whether a product or service. Though there may be other minor factors, for the most part, managers would just concentrate on sales and increase their profits."

Bill's eyebrows raised in surprise at Tommy's words.

"See. I was listening, a little bit, whenever you talked about accounting and business," Tommy grinned at Bill's reaction. But as Tommy was about to continue, his expression turned serious, "The problem is that we're currently in a world where a person's ability to survive is of more importance. While chasing after profits are nice... You can't do anything with it if you're dead."

Hearing Tommy's words, Claire could only nod in agreement. Bill had forgotten where they were and their objective. Making equipment was only a means to an end. The goal was to be able to walk out into the world without worry that they'd be eaten or killed.

"That's right," Abby spoke in agreement with Tommy's words. "When it comes to fighting and surviving in a hostile environment, it's not something that can just be done overnight. Developing the necessary survival instincts can only be done with years of experience, slowly accumulated with each encounter you survive." Sighing, "Bill, I'm not saying this to out you, but out of all of us, you took the longest to leave the training simulation." Her eyes looked to Darlina, "Though I'm not entirely sure how the simulation was able to distort the time."

"Sorry, it's not something that can be revealed. Just think of it as a service." Darlina politely smiled at Abby.

Curling her lip from frustration, Abby shook off the dissatisfaction. "Regardless, your results just highlight why it's important for all of us to train. If something were to happen and we stepped outside, it's not unreasonable to think that our survival is dependent on the weakest link." Though she tried to soften her words, it was clear that she meant everything she said.