Rise Of The Hoarder

"You mean higher ranked than Hobgoblins? We killed fifty of them, so there are more than enough cores to go around. Unless it's something better, I don't see the use of wasting my last remaining skill slot on one." Melissa replied arrogantly.r

'This little bitch…' Charles gritted his teeth.r

"It's from an Ogre… and you should know how high-end such a Demon is. It's the strongest Grade 1 Demon around."r

The first group members all expressed shock at this. Even Daniel was stunned by the revelation.r

"A-an Ogre?! Where did you get the Core from?!" Melissa screeched in excitement.r

Such a strong monster was bound to have an invincible skill she could use.r

"Anabelle's team brought it back with them," Charles revealed.r

Now, this was another shock to them. Everyone had stunned expressions, and murmurs began to spread among the rest of the members.r

Melissa's face turned into a frown as soon as she heard it was from Ana's squad. Daniel was shocked, He wasn't even confident that he could defeat an Ogre.r

"How did they manage that? There's no way their small group could do something like that?" Melissa stated, her glare getting deeper.r

"Well, that's a story for another time. Now then, Melissa. It seems you've shown an interest in the Core. If you still want it, then I can give you the chance to learn a skill from it." Charles smiled, finally happy he somewhat had the upper hand.r

Melissa had a flustered expression. She didn't think she would have to demean herself to ask, but she also couldn't resist this chance.r

"O-of course I still want the skills in the-" r

"But… you'll have to ask Ana's group for permission first. After all, it was their catch." Charles interrupted her.r

Melissa gritted her teeth in annoyance. That was the last thing she ever wanted to do. To swallow her pride to ask such a goody-two-shoes like Ana, she hated the very thought of it.r

"Ana is sure to agree to it since she is so nice and wants what is best for the Camp. If you explain your sacrifice to her, I'm sure she'll concede." Charles continued.r

"So, what will it be… Melissa?"r

Unable to take the humiliation anymore, Melissa scoffed at Charles, giving him a glare that told him he would regret what he had just done.r

"I'm leaving!" She said, heading for the door.r

"But, we're not done with the reports. We've not even-" Daniel tried protesting, however, Melissa simply ignored him.r

"Leave her. You guys can carry on with the report. She'll most likely go after Annabelle now. Let them sort things amongst themselves." Charles spoke, stopping Daniel from chasing Melissa.r

Not even looking back, she shut the door behind her as she exited Charles' office.r

'She has no regard for the hierarchy, she's entitled, she does not even amount to much when it comes to resourcefulness or fighting prowess. If it weren't for her defensive Gift, she'd be a total liability. However… everything negative about her is offset since she just happens to be dating our ace.' Charles sighed.r

"Why didn't you just discuss it with Ana yourself, or proposed a different reward to her? You know the kind of relationship those two have." Daniel said, turning back to Charles while frowning a little.r

"They should learn to solve their differences. Isn't that the point of us being a family here?" r

With this statement, Daniel was forced to keep quiet, or rather, he couldn't deny Charles' logic.r

"Huu, fine. Let's just get this over with. We're all exhausted, so we'd like to get things sorted out quickly."r

Charles nodded, beckoning them to show him what they had got.r

One after the other, the team members emptied their bags, revealing the spoils of their expedition. Charles had to admit, after seeing what Ana's group brought, what he was seeing was a little too disappointing.r

Many used batteries from cars by the roadside, gasoline, cables, and more scraps. The only food items they brought back were a pack of soda, and it was a good thing it hadn't reached its expiry date… yet.r

Charles was tempted to at least sanction them, but given the situation, the people needed the carrot more than the stick. r

"It's less than expected, but considering what you've all gone through, it's acceptable. Thank you for your hard work and effort." He smiled at the team.r

'If Ana's group didn't bring so much, the Camp might have been in trouble…'r

"Thanks for understanding." Daniel smiled.r

"What of the resources of Dave's group? Your groups went separate ways, right? So… where are theirs? Did they get lost during the Hobgoblin's assault?" Charles asked.r

The team members gave awkward looks, not knowing how to explain things. They all looked in Daniel's direction, expecting him to speak up for them.r

As the team leader, he was their representative, wasn't he?r

"W-well, the thing is… what we've shown you is everything… like… everything!" Daniel said awkwardly.r

Charles was stunned for a second as he stared at Daniel. He was certainly telling the truth. The Camp leader's eyes went back to the resources on the floor, saw how scarce and little what they had brought amounted to, then looked back at the group.r

The urge to rebuke them grew higher, coursing through his whole body, but he still managed to controlled himself.r

'Calm down, Charles… Calm down!'r

"You mean… Dave's group and yours brought only these…?"r

Daniel laughed awkwardly, nodding in response.r

"I did tell you our yield was little. It's a relief you said it was fine." r

Charles was losing it, but he had to get a grip. Even though things were scarce, he hadn't foreseen that the yield would be so little. If this was how things currently were, what was the future going to be like?r

In any case, the Camp Leader knew he couldn't blame the group very much. It wasn't their fault that the resources around were dwindling. It was only a matter of time.r

'At this rate, we might soon have to…'r