Rise Of The Hoarder

‘I’m pretty sure I stood these guys up. Shouldn’t that have given them the hint that I want nothing to do with them again…?’

I glared from behind my mask and saw nothing but human baggage trying to get closer to me.

“Did you really conquer the Tower Of War yourself?”

“You’re really amazing!”

“I can’t believe we had the privilege of witnessing you in action.”

“You are the Hoarder, right?”

Multiple questions were thrown at me as I stared at them. Not only were these guys wasting my time, but I also couldn’t even do anything to harm them since that would seriously worsen the terrible state of my Alignment.

‘And then, there are so many witnesses…’ I looked around and watched as attention was being drawn to me.

It truly was a bother.

“You came to clear the Tower too, right? I have a proposition. Want to hear me out?”

Once I said that, their questions ceased and the curious eyes they gave suddenly gleamed with some other emotion.

Greed!

“Yes! Absolutely!”

‘As expected of them…’ I mused.

It wasn’t easy for those who had gotten a taste of greatness to resist another bite. It was the same with the Gifteds before me.

All I had to do was bait them with more incentives and they would obediently fall under my leash.

‘Now, then… let’s use this strategy instead…’

Some of the Gifteds around had already begun going to the seven doors that were spread out in the hall, but others loitered about.

I could sense multiple gazes on me, but ignoring them was probably for the best.

Activating [Subspace], I brought an Item called ‘Silencer’.

As its name implied, it shut off all sound within a specified perimeter.

Within the perimeter—that included the members of Tia’s party and me—I made my proposition.

“What do you say about splitting up in groups? I plan on exploring all seven doors of this Tower. By splitting up our forces, we can be able to achieve that. What do you think?”

The Party seemed shell-shocked upon hearing what I had to say. Who wouldn’t be?

A group was formed with the intention of teamwork, to begin with. Telling such a team to split while exploring a dangerous area was nothing short of madness.

However…

“… I don’t know about the rest, but… I will trust you and agree to your plan!” Tia spoke first.

I smiled behind my mask.

She really was infatuated with me. I wondered how that was possible when the woman had no idea how I even looked like—not that it was that big a deal.

“Well, considering all that has happened in the past, I too will trust your words,” Darwin commented, stroking his chin.

“What do you guys think?”

The older man looked at the remaining two who hadn’t made up their minds.

“Will you be able to guarantee our safety?” Terry blurted out.

‘Tch!’

“Hey, hey, it’s the Masked Hero we’re talking about here!”

“Don’t you think you’re being a bit rude, Terry? Didn’t he prove himself well enough the last time?”

The young man laughed uncomfortably as he received the bashing of Tia and Darwin. Even after they were done with his tongue lashing, the two profusely apologized on his behalf.

It went to show how much they held me in high regard.

‘That guy, Terry… how did he…’

“I’m sorry for my impudence. It’s just… I won’t feel safe otherwise…” His tone was respectful, but also full of caution.

‘… His intuition is good.’

It was either that or he was too paranoid. Either way, out of everyone present, he made the best call.

‘I was planning on making sure they got involved in some accident—something that has no implication with me, but… if he makes me promise to protect them, then…’

It was a bother, but I had to cater to them to a certain extent with my abilities.

“I’ll guarantee that my subordinates will do their utmost to guarantee your safety…” I addressed them all, focusing my gaze on Terry.

Their facial muscles relaxed and a smile formed on their faces.

These people had all seen what my Enslaved Demons were capable of, after all.

“… Will that be enough?”

Terry seemed to shiver once I asked him and he nodded vehemently. Not only that, but he also thanked me profusely and apologized once again for his forward question.

Sara, the final member of the team, nodded in agreement.

With that being settled, I decided to take all four of them under my wings to confirm a theory of mine.

“We’ll be split into separate teams. I will summon two of my Demons each to escort you all, so you should be safe. Once it gets too dangerous, use a return stone to transport everyone to this Starting Area.”

They nodded, liking the plan so far. As expected, none of them had objections.

“Since there are seven doors and only five of us are here, we’ll have to give up on two doors. Or, if there’s enough time, we’ll check it out later. For those who encounter overpowering opponents in your door, you may retreat and select a new door to investigate.”

Once again, they bobbed their heads in affirmation.

‘My goal is just to separate them from me as soon as possible. They’ll only slow down my advance!’

I already basically knew they each door was nearly identical—and it probably intersected at some point. But, by giving them this task, it was an excuse to leave them in the dust while I advanced.

“It’s a shame we don’t have enough members, and Demon summons don’t count as Challengers of the tower. If only—”

“If you don’t mind, may I join in on this conversation?” A voice interrupted my halfhearted speech to my highly excited group.

The tone and timing of the sound startled me enough to sharply look in the direction of the voice.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation…” The one who spoke drew closer.

He was previously located on my far left, but he had lessened the distance in a short while. Not only that, but he was also not alone.

Beside him was a young girl, not looking more than sixteen, and they were outfitted in similar gear—even donning the same model of the ‘Spacial Backpack’.

Judging by the color of their eyes and hair, as well as their oddly matching outfits, I had to assume they were related.

Still, what surprised me the most was his last statement.

“… You… overheard?”