Rise Of The Hoarder

“Tell me more about this, Charles,” I demanded, excitedly gazing into the flustered man’s eyes.r

He did as I instructed, not sparing the details of the whole narration given to him by the Camp’s Ace.r

“So, it was Daniel’s team that defeated them, eh? Hobgoblins…” I mumbled amusedly.r

During my earlier conversation with Charles, he had told me about Daniel and his expedition team. Apparently, he was their ace, and the one with the highest level thanks to his Gift.r

‘At least now I know who that bitch, Melissa, is leeching off of.’r

The most surprising aspect of the discovery was Daniel’s sudden change. While I hadn’t met him yet, I got all I could about him from Charles. I also saw his Status Information from the book he had given me, which confirmed it.r

“Daniel… is now a good guy…?!”r

My shock was very great since I never expected things to turn out this way. Usually, the protagonists meet their bullies after so long, and the bullies remain pieces of trash. The Mc teaches them a lesson and has his revenge.r

However, in this case, Daniel has taken on a new Alignment, with the marker (Penitent) given to it.r

‘The ‘Penitent’ marker is given when those with a terrible Alignment turn into a Good one.’r

The opposite is the ‘Depraved’ marker, which signals the opposite. If a person’s Alignment moves from good to the evil side, that is when they have it.r

“To think Daniel would turn good… why does he always get in my way…” I gritted my teeth, surprising Charles.r

Wouldn’t a person usually be happy to hear that someone they knew to be bad had become good? Well, not me!r

After all, I had always looked forward to the day the evil bastards who tortured me paid for their actions. Yet… yet… the fool had turned good?!r

‘Unforgivable… I refuse to accept that!’r

Suddenly, the solution hit me. As soon as I thought of it, my rage calmed down. The more the thought dwelled, the more acceptable it seemed, until I made up my mind to carry it out.r

It was simple.r

“If he could become penitent and shift to good… all I have to do is make him return to his evil ways!”r

That was genius, wasn’t it? After all, people never truly change!r

“Yes, the Hobgoblins are monsters who aren’t known to form pairs, yet about thirty were seen banding together to fight us. That’s a true horde!” Charles said to my statement concerning the strange experience the Expedition team had faced which led to their partial extermination.r

Well, to be honest, Hobgoblins weren’t really impressive monsters to me. However, considering that Ana’s team had to work together to defeat one, they had to be a big deal in this current era. r

‘Plus, compared to the Basic Kobolds, Hobgoblins have higher stats… is it possible-?’ My thoughts rang.r

Instantly, I knew I had struck gold!r

“Yess… Yess…!!!” My body throbbed in excitement as I relished the thought.r

If the basic Hobgoblins were already superior to the average Hell Kobold Spawns, it could only mean that there were even more powerful variants of the Hobs, which could be translated into one crucial thing for me.r

EXP!!!r

“It’s time to begin farming!” I grinned.r

Charles watched me silently, not daring to speak. I realized my thoughts were leaking out, so I quickly cautioned myself and regained composure.r

“This is a good opportunity, Charles… don’t you think so?” I asked, giving the Camp leader a raised brow.r

He didn’t seem to understand what I was saying.r

“I’m saying I can solve your problems for you. After all, you know how strong I am.” r

My words got through to him, as he widened his eyes and deliberated on what I had just said. However… he didn’t bite.r

“What’s in it for you?” He suddenly asked, glaring at me a little.r

“What do you mean?”r

He sighed, calming himself. No matter how scared he was of me, he wasn’t about to risk everything he had built, or even lose his life in the process. I could tell he was being careful.r

“This whole thing has been suspicious from the start. From Ana’s testimony, the whole story about the masked man and your past… I assume they were all fabricated? Your identity is most likely the same as that masked man.” Charles began.r

I nodded with a smile. This man was quite sharp.r

“Also, since you were generous enough to give us some of the supplies from your base, I assume you have way more to spare? After all, you must have plundered everything in those other buildings.” r

“Once again, you’re correct. What’s your point?” I asked.r

“My point is, there’s nothing of value for you here! Even if you take over this Camp, save us from the horde, or whatever you have planned… there’s absolutely no point. I don’t see any merit or gain for you if you stick around here.” Charles said, looking at me with confused eyes.r

I could understand his logic. I had only spent a night here, but it was enough for me to understand the current state of things. Their total amount of resources didn’t even equal a quarter of mine, and most of them were junk! The most essential supplies were despairingly little. Healthy food and water, those were the most basic necessities, yet they were in dire need of more.r

During our conversation, I had made Charles show me the log of supplies, as well as everything they had in their storage facilities.r

He was a little hesitant to comply at first, but with a little ‘convincing’, even the stubborn Camp Leader could be reasoned with.r

Their supplies could only last for two more weeks at this point.r

“Don’t you worry about my plans, I’m more concerned about you,” I replied, dodging his question.r

“M-me?!” He stuttered, wondering what crazy thing I was about to utter.r

“Yeah. You seem like a smart, resourceful and logical man. Plus, you have that useful Gift of yours… why then? Why would you choose to remain bound to this Camp when you know the situation?” r

That’s right… This Camp was a sinking ship! r