Rise Of The Hoarder

The traitors also recognized the intruder as they knew him quite well. It was the newest member of the Camp, the harmless boy that Ana had personally vouched for.r

"Oh, you all look surprised. Well, I don't blame you…" The boy smiled, placing both hands in his pockets.r

His expression was different from what everyone remembered. His bulging eyes were filled with excitement, and a sadistic smile, the boy descended from where he stood and landed from a tall height effortlessly.r

This was a feat not just anyone could achieve. His sudden appearance, his expression, and the sudden feat he just accomplished made everyone who witnessed it wonder if it was truly him that stood before them.r

Larry's lips were forced to open as he let out sounds of puzzlement.r

"Jeremy… Lewis?!"r

-------------------------------------r

'Pfft, these losers!' I mused, looking at the bunch of dumbfounded idiots before me.r

They all displayed shock by my feat, though their reactions were only normal since I had jumped from quite a height.r

"It's a good thing you lot hadn't progressed further. It would have been a pain to go so far away from the Camp." I smiled.r

The people seemed to have mixed feelings, but they still tried making sense of my sudden presence.r

"Why are you here? Weren't you with Ana?"r

"Did you betray the Camp too?"r

"That's right, I didn't see you in the riot."r

Various speculations were raised among them, and before long some even began whispering to each other.r

"Maybe he was scared of the chaos. I heard his level is quite low, and he's a weakling."r

"Weak? Did you see the height he just fell from? And he seems fine."r

"Meh, it must have something to do with his Gift."r

Hearing their hushed tone ticked me off, fortunately, I didn't have to endure it for very long.r

"Jeremy, did you come to join us?" Larry finally asked, silencing the confused remarks of everyone else.r

Upon hearing his statement, the bunch of 'Yes-Men' behind him all stared at me. Many had unwelcome gazes, most felt threatened by my presence among them.r

If I was brought along, as a frail boy, I would be even more of a liability. The selfish retards wanted to maintain their present situation and didn't want to afford risking their chance at a better life if I tagged along.r

'Welp, it's not like I even considered it.' I grinned.r

"Why would I think of doing that? You losers are fated to die anyway." I replied with a slight shrug.r

Apparently, my response didn't sit well with them, because the next thing that came out of their mouths were threatening noises filled with annoyance and disbelief.r

Larry quickly quieted them down and glared at me slightly. He seemed annoyed that I was stirring the crowd.r

"Why are you here then? Does Ana know you're here? It's dangerous outside the Camp, you know?" r

His gaze narrowed, as though trying to see my true intentions.r

"Ana doesn't need to know about this. The reason I came to you all is quite simple…" r

An evil gleam unintentionally leaked out of my eyes and my face morphed into a maniacal expression.r

"… You're all nuisances!"r

A brief moment of unease swept across the crowd. They all looked uncomfortable while gazing upon my malevolent face, wondering who was really talking to them.r

"What the fvck? You little shit! Who do you think you're talking to?!" One of the deserters finally spoke up.r

From his looks, he could easily pass for a thug. Having gritted teeth and an intimidating face, he walked past the rest of his companions and moved towards me.r

'What's he supposed to be? A delinquent?' I thought.r

Since I wasn't that great a distance from them, he reached my location in no time and raised his hand towards me.r

I humored him and watched as he placed his hand on my shoulder while drawing closer to my face. He bent a little since I was short, but his intimidating expression didn't change.r

"Oi, you little shit. I've just about had it with your foolish talks!"r

His mouth reeked of a terrible odor, making me wonder when last he took care of his teeth. His body didn't smell all too great either. Was it because of my heightened sense or were things just that bad?r

My eyes darted to my shoulder which he casually pressed his hand on. r

"Take it off," I replied calmly.r

He wasn't someone I needed to waste my emotions on. Unfortunately, the idiot didn't know his place and drew his face closer to mine in a daring manner.r

"Looks like you're still running your mouth. Ana isn't here to protect you anymore, so I'll have to teach you a thing or two about respe-"r

'Okay, that's about it… my patience has run out.'r

>FWISH!<r

A blade within [Subspace] instantly appeared at my call and pierced the hand he used to grip my shoulder, sending blood spurting out. In slow motion, I saw the man's eyes bulge in shock, and his tightly sewn frown transformed into a widely open scream.r

"Guarhhhhhh!!!"r

His pained voice uncontrollably echoed across where we stayed as his mouth moved in agony. He reflexively removed his hand from my shoulder, taking steps back as he viewed his bloodied hand and the weapon that was lodged halfway into his palm.r

"A-arghhh!!… It hurts… Arhhh!…" He screamed some more, trying to stifle his shouts.r

I smiled, enjoying the little sight of entertainment that he was displaying.r

The spectators were astonished by what just happened, a lot of them took steps back while eyeing me suspiciously. r

They watched in horror as one of them writhed in pain, unable to pull the dagger out as it would only increase his pain. It was such a pitiful sight that I decided to help him out a little.r

"<Recall>"r

The dagger vanished instantly, returning to where it came from. This caused the rushing blood of the delinquent to gush out even more. r

"M-make it stop! Ahhh! Please… It hurts!!!" He pleaded with teary eyes.r

'So his tough-guy act was false? He's just a wimp…' I mused.r

Still, it appeared that I had achieved my objective. Everyone around now took me seriously. Looks of fear, suspicion, horror, anger and threat were on their faces.r

"It appears I've gotten your full attention. Now then, let us begin."r