Rise Of The Hoarder

I shrugged and sat on the grassy plains— all alone.

Tomorrow would be quite busy for me, Lara, and everyone else in the Subjugation Squad. It was about time I brought them out of [Subspace] and resumed the mission they were entrusted with.

With the identity of Jeremy already lost, it would be more efficient if I used my new alias to the maximum. There was no profit in delaying any longer.

‘We’ll kill the Demons and be done with it by tomorrow! After that, we’ll return to the Camp.” I decided.

I was already sick of the Hobgoblins, and they were not really increasing my Levels much. Since it had come to this, after killing off the boss and earning myself more (G) Karma Points, I would prepare for the endgame with Charles and the Camp.

“Ah, Ana and her team should have already arrived at the Camp by now…”

I shuddered at the very thought of Ana’s conversation with Charles. It was my plan and all, but I knew Charles would seriously come to despise me after she chewed him out.

Well, it ultimately didn’t matter. I didn’t care how any of them viewed me.

In the end… all that mattered was victory.

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

The next day was exhilarating. After I made sure Lara had gotten a couple hours of sleep, I transferred her to [Subspace] and rested well myself.

As soon as the sun reared its head, I arose from my slumber and found myself carelessly wrapped in my duvet. Perhaps it was due to the extremely toughness I had due to my Level, but I felt no discomfort even after sleeping outdoors.

‘Oh well…’

I had long surpassed common sense, had I not?

The next thing I did was to bring out Lara from [Subspace], wake her up, and explain a few things to her. Since she was a smart girl, she caught on quickly.

“So that’s the story we’re going with. Any objections?”

Lara shook her head and smiled in complete support. Hidden in her eyes was an unknown glint that I couldn’t really decipher. However, I decided to ignore it and go with the flow.

If she tried sabotaging my plans, I would simply return her to [Subspace] before she could complete her actions.

There was no merit in betraying me, the opposite was true as well. As long as she remained on my good side… Lara would survive!

“<Summon>”

The 35 Camp members— members of the Subjugation Squad within [Subspace] instantly appeared.

All having different postures of fright and confusion, they paused for a moment after being summoned.

The fresh air around them, the warmth of the sun, as well as the strange new sight of daylight instead of nighttime, shook them out of their daze. Confusion permeated the crowd as they looked at me.

“W-what is going on?”

“D-did it not work?”

“I-it’s daytime…?”

Multiple mumbles of confusion collided with one another as I stood transfixed and watched with Lara.

Of course, I had already donned my special mask— my dark outfit retrofitted with my cloak painted me to be the very hero they all recognized quite well.

“That’s enough!” My voice shook all of them at their core, causing the confused mob to fall silent instantly.

They were all either kneeling on the grassy plains or sitting, depending on their previous posture before I transported them. Now having eyes on me, they expressed surprise by my presence.

“MASKED HERO!!!” Their voices thundered in unison.

I couldn’t help but let out a small smile underneath my mask.

Since I had been using <Camouflage> all along, they hadn’t noticed my presence until I deactivated it and called out to them. It made it seem as though I appeared out of thin air, giving me a more mystified visage.

Of course, the people’s eyes couldn’t help but slowly move to the person by my side. She was clad in black and had her long hair tied with a band. A stern expression was written all over her face— she also had a dark cloak like me.

“I-isn’t that…?!”

“That’s Lara, isn’t it?”

“What’s she doing here?!”

“I don’t believe it, she’s actually with…”

Once again their murmurs resumed. However, just as planned, Lara said nothing. She remained transfixed and looked blank. Even when they began hurling insults at her for abandoning the Camp.

This was when I had to step in.

“I said… that’s enough!” The serious tone in my voice, coupled with the huge presence I carried, caused everyone to zip it instantly.

Their bodies shook in awe, fear, respect… gratitude. I was the one who had saved them from certain death and now that they looked around they found no trace of the stampede that had been chasing them.

“W-we’re sorry for our sudden rowdiness, Masked Hero. We’re still… a little confused and-” Daniel spoke out, representing everyone.

He slowly stood to his feet and approached me. I didn’t want him to get too close since he would be able to see how small I was in comparison to him.

Previously, the darkness had masked a lot of details about me— plus, they were scared out of their minds.

However, with much clearer minds, they would be able to sense a resemblance between me and the ‘Jeremy’ they knew. It made me desperately wish I had an illusion Skill or something.

“It’s fine,” I raised my hand, stopping him where he stood.

He complied easily and halted his approach. Though they hadn’t figured it out now, it was only a matter of time before they deciphered my height.

I couldn’t fake it, unlike my voice!

“I had to resort to a special Skill that transported you to another dimension for a set amount of time… a whole day has elapsed since you all were transported,” I explained.

That meant this was the actual third day of the Subjugation. I was certain they would flip, but before that, I had to strike while the iron was still hot!

“Because of the quick use of my abilities and pushing myself to the limits, I am temporarily stuck in this immature body… I hope you all understand.”

A smile formed on my face. This was the only way I could explain my frame… blame a non-existent Skill!