Rise Of The Hoarder

“Guarghhh!!!” Ana yelled and pushed herself forward.

Despite all her injuries, she charged!

“Noooo!!!” Her voice— hoarse and desperate— called forth.

Unbeknownst to the desperate woman, there was good news and bad news. The good news was that the all-powerful opponent had decided not to kill Lily.

Unfortunately… the bad news meant that his target was someone else. The only one who was alive and not his ally on the ground floor other than Lily was none but Ana.

His choice… was HER!

The man’s face turned sharply, faster than the eye could process, and looked at Ana who was already moving in his direction.

“You’re it!”_.

With this final statement going into Ana’s head, she suddenly felt a sharp sting on her cheek caused by an impact with something, or rather… someone.

The impact caused her head to move, turning without end. Her neck twisted as her head made its way in the opposite direction. Ana could feel it…

>SNAP< Her neck was twisted!

With that final motion of her bending neck signaling what could only be described as the end of her life, Ana’s body hung awkwardly— the same as her fallen comrades.

Her body spasmed, jerking a little due to the tiny vestiges of life within her as she struggled to live. The Ogre’s self-recovery Skill was trying to prevent the death of its wielder but even this was asking for too much.

Her severed hands hadn’t fully recovered and now she was basically moments away from eternal slumber.

Perhaps it was due to her high Level or the Skill to heal that Ana felt herself fading bit by bit—instead of just dying immediately.

‘A-ahh… A-ahh…’

Her mind was broken as she fell to the ground. It felt slow, like an eternity.

‘I-I’m dying…?’ Ana’s thoughts trailed.

She felt the numb pain coursing through her body, but it was too numb to be unbearable. It was almost as though Ana didn’t feel a thing, after all, she was already on her way to death.

‘This is… it?’

In the end, she couldn’t protect Lily from the villain, nor could she protect the Camp as she had sworn to. The regret that gnawed on her mind the most, however, was concerning a little boy she had just met not too long ago.

Ana had a little brother. No, to be precise, he was her cousin. She loved him so much and showered him with all her love and attention when the world was still sane.

Unfortunately, due to her weakness, the boy was not able to survive when the monsters came forth. They got separated in the horde and she lost him. Her parents and the boy’s parents never returned from work—most likely killed by monsters on their way back.

Ana was all alone, surviving in her empty life. That is, until she met Lily and swore to keep her safe.

She joined the Camp and encountered allies who became her closest comrades. She had hope for the future and finally felt like she had a chance at life.

When she encountered Jeremy, it felt so surreal, almost like she was seeing her dead cousin. His appearance of powerlessness and the kind smile he brandished on his face was enough to make Ana’s heart flutter. She was deeply moved in when he narrated his story to her, realizing that he too had lost everyone he cared about—with no one left to rely on—unlike her who still had her team.

It was at that moment she swore to herself to protect him with all she had.

She did her best to fulfill this conviction, and to a certain extent, she had. But now, with her neck snapped and her body slowly descending to the ground, there was no way to continue as she had promised.

‘Jeremy… I’m sorry…’

In a way, though, happiness came over Ana—even though it was only a little. No, perhaps it was more of relief. It may have been self-satisfaction or merely a delusion, but it didn’t stop the emotion from coursing through her body.

‘Thank God… you’re not here, Jeremy… you must… stay safe…’

In a way, she had to be grateful for sending Jeremy off. Taking solace in the fact that Daniel was doing a good job of keeping him from any danger, Ana felt relieved.

A lingering regret concerning Lily began rearing its ugly head but before it could register, Ana had already given up the ghost. Everything went blank… literally!

Now back to reality, the young woman’s body fell in an uncontrollable thud. There was no blood, but her unflinching expression was enough to tell the remaining witnesses that she had died.

However, what was plastered on her face shocked anyone who saw it. This wasn’t an expression one gave when on the verge of death—a sharp contrast from the expressions of the others (Peter and Daniel) who met the same fate. The Ebony man grinned widely as his eyes met Ana’s lifeless ones and her face registered in his brain.

“So you died a happy woman, eh? How cute!”

Though he sneered, it didn’t change the fact that Ana’s last face was that if a relieved smile.

A moment of silence permeated the air. The evil minions did nothing since their Boss was silent. Lily was paralyzed and couldn’t let out a single sound. Her bulging eyes and trembling body told all there was to know about her current condition.

Charles felt horrible, but he remained standing— unable to do a single thing. He wondered if his actions were too hasty and if he shouldn’t have sent the bulk of his Camp members to fight off the Horde.

No, he wasn’t foolish enough to take solace in what-ifs at this point. Besides, Charles was well aware that even the full force of the Camp couldn’t win against the devastating creature that was Kevin—the name of the Boss of the killers before him.

There was no hope.

No chance.

Only despair.

In such a situation, what was one meant to do? Charles didn’t know. His kind was absolutely blank.

The only thing he could do was stand quietly and allow his thoughts to continue trailing an endless path of despondency.