Rise Of The Hoarder

The humans appeared to have some questions, but as I had told them earlier… there was no need to speak to me.

“Now then, since I have explained the rules of this game to you, I will now be releasing you. Run as fast as you can.”

As soon as I said this, the tensed face of the humans loosened considerably and they found out their bodies now moved properly. For a few moments, they stood there—dazed.

However…

“57 seconds left. 56 seconds left. 55 seconds left…”

My lips began to curl amusedly, parting as words came out.

The moment the scavenger party realized that they were wasting valuable time, they sprang into action and took a mad dash to flee.

‘Now, that’s more like it!’_.

None of them even thought of looking back, dashing away as if their life depended on it, which it did.

“They must have seen the Stats of the Demons they’re up against. Seeing that there’s no chance of winning, running is the best choice…” I muttered, returning to my spot beside Lara.

They most likely had no intention of playing my game. These guys would simply just try escaping as far as possible to preserve their lives. Unfortunately for them, they had no say in the matter.

“Is it really wise to let them go like that? What if they truly escape?”

My lips curled up in a smile the moment Lara let out her worries.

It wasn’t inconceivable to imagine that one of the scavengers had a Gift that could allow him to escape this dire situation. If that was the case, then the game would be meaningless to such a person since he could just make a break for it.

Unfortunately for them, even if they managed to escape, I could simply use <Recall> and bring whoever went out of my grasp back into the fold, starting the game over from scratch.

“They’re not going anywhere. Trust me…” I gave Lara a smirk.

She gave a soft understanding smile and nodded, surrendering her logic to mine—after all, the woman beside me didn’t know the full capabilities of my Gift.

One minute passed, and just as promised, I released my hold on the Demons. The Hobgoblins growled and turned in my direction, recognizing me and Lara to be enemies.

“Do you have no sense to determine who you’re up against?” I asked, giving them all a deathly glare.

Instantly, I commanded fear in them, causing the group to tremble. Even though they couldn’t understand my words, the Demons could certainly still sense the level of threat I posed to them.

“Leave my sight! There are other humans that you should be chasing.”

As I stiffened my glare, the Hobgoblins obediently ran off, most likely chasing after the runaway Gifteds since they must have deciphered that I was too much to handle.

Like the hulks they were, they caused the ground to tremble and break apart in their wake as they moved like blurs, speeding across the vast area in search of prey.

I smiled, watching them begin the hunt, summoning a binocular for Lara since her vision was not as good as mine—to cover the entire devastated area.

“They could have an elusive Gift that allows them to survive for an hour, though.” The woman muttered, collecting the pair from me.

It seemed like she was still worrying for nothing. Surviving for an hour was impossible, especially when against monsters like the Hobgoblin Champions.

The one that stood the most chance was the leader of the scavengers, Kevin Smith, but even his chance dwindled the more the Demons killed his subordinates. In the end, the man would lose as well.

“Even if they manage to survive until time runs out, there’s no way to tell when the time is up.” I smiled at Lara.

Her eyes sparkled in both surprise and admiration. A wide smile filled her face as she appeared to be restraining herself from showing any more emotion.

“I see. Such careful planning and an utterly sadistic motive… this is the Jeremy Lewis I recognized back then. I was wondering if you were changing, but to think you’re still the same.” Lara muttered, placing the binoculars on her face.

Once she said this, I shrugged. I had always been me, sticking to my ideals the moment I got enough power to do so. I wasn’t going to forget any of my ambitions or goals.

As for this, it was merely a way to pass time. I wasn’t about to feel bad for them since they were murderers in their own rights. Plus, they would be giving me (G) Karma Points. What was there to regret?

In the first place, the whole game scenario was merely a sentence to death. All they had to do was survive for an hour?

‘They can’t survive that long and can’t escape since they belong to me.’

The Demons would track and hunt them down. It was impossible to escape!

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

“Huff… Huff…” Kevin Smith gave heavy breaths as he kept moving his legs.

His eyes were bulging with fear and a terrible foreboding as sweat covered his skin. Only one thought rang within him and he followed it with every fiber of his being.

‘RUN!’

He pushed his muscles to their limit and didn’t stop for even a second to catch his breath. There was no way he was going to be playing the sick game that the strangely powerful boy, Jeremy Lewis had offered to him and the rest of his team.

It was most likely a trap, and he—the Fiend— was not a toy to be played that way.

He was going to escape! He was going to survive! He would grow stronger! And then, he would make sure to pay Jeremy back for this humiliation.

The rest of his teammates had better survive for his sake. He would have ensured they lived by protecting them, but he couldn’t handle the extra baggage at the moment. His best chance of living was going alone, hoping only one of the Demons would come for him.

With the stats Kevin had thanks, to his Level, and the Job he chose which focused on offense—he could handle one of those monsters himself. Yes, everything would work out.

“I can’t die yet!