Rise Of The Hoarder

I understood Charles's stance.r

Larry was a wild card, but he was a card nonetheless, and one that didn't seem too smart at that. r

"Besides, he helps out in the Camp and his ability is quite useful. There's no merit in being too impatient and prematurely ejecting him from the Camp." Charles added.r

"I see. The reason you also placed him in Ana's group is because of her contradicting Alignment, and her stiff desire for justice. If he acts out of line or behaves suspiciously, she'll take action instantly." I stated.r

Charles nodded. r

"Well, I guess that's acceptable. My curiosity has been satiated for now. I should probably leave now before those guys get worried. I'll be dropping by later though." I replied, opening the door to take my leave.r

"W-wait…" Charles beckoned.r

I paused, turning to look at him.r

"What is it?"r

My question made him look hesitant, but he clenched his fist and summoned the courage to ask me anyway.r

"M-my wife… please can you let her go now?" He asked.r

I remained silent for a while, watching his desperate eyes. Should I give in to his request? It was the right thing to do, after all, he had cooperated perfectly well.r

However, it wasn't the smart thing to do.r

"Ohh, about that. I'll be holding onto her for a while longer.r

"What? No way, b-but I-" Charles protested.r

I sighed, moving back to where Charles was, an action that caused the man to shrink back in fear.r

"Let's just say that I still have some use for you, and I don't trust you to be entirely compliant if I don't have a bargaining chip. Understand?" I said, drawing my face closer to his.r

"As long as you cooperate, I won't harm you, her, or your child. Plus, since you're so useful, I also won't harm them since you would lose your motivation if that happened. Don't worry…" I said, pulling my face away from his, but still facing him directly.r

A wide grin formed on my face as I squinted my eyes to give him my signature innocent look that Ana's team seemed to love so much.r

"… You can trust me, okay?" r

Charles appeared stunned by my performance, not saying anything in agreement or in protest. It wasn't like I was going to stand for any opposition anyway.r

"Well done, good luck with your strategy meeting, and whatever else you do. I'm sure you can come up with an excuse for your wife's absence. We'll talk later, okay?" I waved, leaving the office.r

"Byeee…"r

With that, the door slammed, ending my conversation with the Camp Leader. It didn't exactly go according to plan, and I had to improvise a lot. However… in the end I still emerged victorious.r

'Now then, it's time to deliberate on what I've learned so far… The Horde of Demons… they're all mine!'r

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

The group welcomed me back warmly, relieved that Charles didn't cross any line in his discourse with me. It was heartwarming to see them naively treat me tenderly.r

When I returned, I found out that they had all had their bath and had even changed into different attires.r

"You should get a bath too, Jeremy." Peter smiled, beckoning me to follow him.r

Since I had brought some spare clothes with me, I took them and followed.r

The bathroom was a large room, having many stalls in which people would enter to take care of their business. Fortunately, it wasn't as disgusting as the toilet. I, as well as the others there, were only given a bucket to wash our whole bodies.r

Thankfully, the water was hot. Apparently, there was a Gifted with the ability to heat stuff, so instead of taking her to the front lines, they would rather have her prepare meals and warm water.r

Typical of idiots.r

Of course, while in the stall, I generated more water for myself using [Subspace]. Looking at the large body of water I had stored from the tank of my apartment, other apartments and even other buildings, I had more than enough to use for a proper bath. r

'When the time comes, I know how to get more too…'r

I made the water descend from above, like a shower, and enjoyed my warm shower. Once I was done, I summoned a towel, cleaned my body, and wore my outfit. r

"Huu, that was refreshing…" I whispered, exiting the bathroom to meet up with everyone else in our room.r

I had heard that bathing only happened once a week for normal people, and Expedition team members were an exception since they were responsible for bringing in more resources. However, even for them, it was twice in a week, three times if they brought a huge haul. r

"We use steaming blankets to clean out bodies whenever we don't bathe…" Ana had told me.r

Now that sounded dreary. Well, I wasn't the most hygienic person, but that was because I spent my time alone.r

Among a huge crowd, it would be madness if I didn't sanitize my body after so many interactions.r

'I just have to endure it. At least there are a few fun things in the works…'r

In two weeks, not only would I have gotten a massive load of Exp, but I would also have access to the true reason I came here in the first place.r

Once I arrived at the room, my newly made 'friends' were no longer there. I looked around and noticed a sheet of paper left in a conspicuous location, my mattress. Rushing to the location, I read the contents and smiled.r

It read;r

~We have been called on by the Camp Leader for a meeting. It's for all Expedition team members, and it's very important. Take care of yourself and wait for us… it might take a while.~r

[.]r

It would appear that Charles was finally going to address the looming calamity that threatened the Camp as a whole. What a shame that I wasn't qualified to be present.r

'I trust that he's smart enough to not mention anything about me to them…'r