Rise Of The Hoarder

“Alright! Are you all prepared?”

With a voice loud enough to cover the immediate area, I asked the group in front of me a simple question.

They all gave energetic ‘Yeses’ and nods, raising their hands in support.

The group was none other than the Subjugation Squad. Beside me was—someone I didn’t know how to describe, so I went with ‘person of interest’—Lara.

I was donning my usual ‘Masked Hero’ costume and stared at the crowd of 35. Their eyes were lit with hope while gazing at me, though I could sense the inevitable amount of fear that was also lurking in their countenance.

Of the seventy-five who had sojourned to subjugate the Horde, only thirty-five were left. It was only natural that they would be anxious about facing the very Demons who robbed them of so many comrades. However, after hearing Melissa’s account of the previous night—how I single-handedly defeated what seemed to be an uncountable amount of Demons all on my own, the unease mellowed out.

It was the right choice to make her, alongside there other equally talkative girls, my witnesses._.

“The plan is simple. We break in from the front entrance! The enemies will be sure to launch projectiles at us, but you do not need to worry about them. I’ll draw all the projectiles fired so you all just need to advance.”

As I explained, they all bobbed their heads positively. Even if they were against the idea, it was only a matter of using <Rule>.

“Once we have all advanced to a considerable extent, the Demons will give up on projectiles and will begin their assault. That is when we all stop moving. I’ll create a massive commotion that will cause them to focus the brunt of their forces on me. Just ensure you take care of the few that come your way.” My words were warm and encouraging.

What I was indirectly trying to say was that I would basically be ‘carrying’ the team.

By making sure there were just enough monsters trickling toward them, the group could Level Up considerably.

I would take the chunk of EXP from most of the Hobs anyway.

“We’ll use this strategy until we get to the heart of the enemy’s base which will most likely be the most difficult of all. Since Hobgoblins are not too intelligent, we can assume that the way to approach will be onward. Once we’ve reached the final area, I’ll transport you all to a safe space and defeat the Boss on my own.”

My last statement caused a little bit of uncertainty among everyone. So far, the plan practically centered around me, giving everyone else the supporting role. If I was to choose to fight the Boss as well, and alone for that matter, it had to raise concerns.

“W-will you be okay on your own?!” Daniel asked me.

As expected, his kind nature surfaced even in moments like this. The others also had concerns but kept their mouths shut. In the scenario where they spoke and were taken seriously, it meant everyone would fight the strongest Demon around.

No one wanted that!

“I’ll be fine… I have a Trump Card! Besides, I don’t want to see anyone I save die… especially after Jeremy…”

That seemed to do the trick. Everyone looked down, feeling the weight of guilt on their conscience. Even Melissa showed remorse. Despite all that she was, she had never killed anyone or caused their deaths before.

Sure, she was a cruel bully, but in the current world that was nothing worth mentioning. My death, or rather Jeremy’s, affected her too. Of course, she was mostly shaken by the gory sight of spraying blood and mangled flesh than she was about the actual person who died. Plus, after her traumatic experience in her pink bubble during that night, I could tell that Melissa had seriously mellowed out.

However, as expected… she was trying so hard to cling to me and curry favors. Fortunately, with Lara by my side, and the fire straits everyone was in, she didn’t have many opportunities to use her cards—much to my relief.

“We leave now!”

With my orders, everyone responded by moving their bodies accordingly as they marched. They followed my lead, something that felt quite weird any time I considered it well. With Daniel by my left and Lara by my right, others behind me, and the enemy territory straight ahead, I moved resolutely.

********************************

Thanks to everyone slowing me down, it took over thirty minutes to transverse the forest from the plains and reach the territory of the Hobgoblins.

‘I could have just taken them into [Subspace] and then summon them once I got here…’ I sighed a little, taking into account the time that was wasted.

However, using that method would be no good since I had already established that I had a limit to that power. It was only supposed to be used once we were close to the Boss Area and I wanted a face-off against the Boss alone.

‘Huu… it can’t be helped. Let’s just think of this as exercise.’

Now calming myself and tempering more patience, I made my way toward the large gate that seemed weird.

The last time I arrived, I punched my way through the gate, but here was another one erected before me. It looked like a makeshift gate, though, of less quality compared to the original.

I sensed a certain degree of mana emanating from the brown surface of the gate, realizing it had been coated with some fine magic energy— most likely from the Casters.

‘So they’re this desperate to keep me out, uh?’

Even though this gate was not as sturdy as the last one, it was sure to be tougher due to the enchantment placed on it. However, that didn’t matter to me in the slightest.

Winding my arms a little, I took a firm stance and planted my legs on the ground. A smile formed on my face as I gave my arm a thrust.

Of course, it wasn’t a full-powered launch since I wasn’t even using any Skill at the moment—just raw, physical power.

>BOOOOOMMM!!!<