Rise Of The Hoarder

Chapter 43 Stalking

“… As for the second reason. I have not lost hope that we can find resources. Hidden in one of these buildings must be food, clothing, and other useful materials we can obtain. So, while we take shelter in one of them, I will personally explore and look for anything we can take back to the Camp!”r

Everyone stared at Ana in awe. Truly, there was no one else qualified to be their leader among them.r

After all, she was absolutely right!r

The group members could not argue with Ana’s logic.r

She was making a lot of sense. Not only was she considering the team, but also the Camp in the long run.r

“I-I see… sorry for misunderstanding…” The glass wearer apologized.r

“It’s fine, Peter.” She shrugged.r

“I understand that we’re all on edge after the incident, and even in a worse mood as a result of the absence of any supplies. But, please place your trust in me one more time.” Ana said.r

All the members of the group nodded in acceptance, preparing to take shelter in one of the few buildings around.r_.

While there was the fear of monsters still lurking about, since they were very close to a dangerous spot, the group had no other rational choice.r

“Lily, use your Gift to check for any Demonic presence in the closest building.”r

Lily was a novice at combat, and she only had one Skill that was slightly useful for combat. The only reason for her being chosen for the Expedition team was due to the usefulness of her Gift in searching for resources and detecting Demons.r

Her Gift, [Great Sight], allowed her to view anything from a far distance and also observe the aura around them. Therefore, she could detect Demons within a particular place by seeing the malevolent aura around it.r

Of course, this took a toll on her since she hadn’t been using her Gift often, and her level was low. So she only activates it when Ana tells her to, and can’t maintain it for too long.r

Following Ana’s orders, Lily’s eyes glowed as she concentrated her vision on the tall structure. It had the appearance of an educational institute, and upon further observation, she realized it was devoid of any form of life.r

No aura was seen as well.r

“N-no. There’s no one there…” Lily mumbled.r

Ana smiled, patting her shoulder with pride as she stepped forward.r

“Thank you, Lily. It looks like it’s decided then. We’ll be spending the night in that building.”r

Once again, they all nodded, taking a readied stance as they stared at their destination.r

“Let’s go!”r

“Hehehe, just as I expected. It seems this group is not as stupid as they appear to be, at least their leader has some sense!”r

As I mumbled to myself, satisfaction welled within me since everything was falling into place.r

‘Well, even if they had chosen to leave without spending the night here, it would make no difference to me…’r

I intended to ensure contact with them, one way or the other. Since they chose the more convenient option, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.r

“Thankfully I’m not on the building closest to them…” I whispered in relief.r

The temptation of being as close to them as possible was present, but after rethinking the option very well, I decided against it.r

Being cautious by nature, I didn’t want to allow any situation to reveal me to the group before I wanted. Though none of them had a level high enough to detect me from a long distance, I couldn’t say the same about their Gifts.r

If one of them had a detection Gift and spotted me, it would ruin everything.r

‘And one of them actually does! Whew! Boy, am I glad I chose to be a little further away!’r

I watched them enter the building and used my binoculars to trace their movements through the windows. Of course, I couldn’t see them the whole way, but I could still somewhat feel their presence using my sensory perception.r

They climbed the stairs of the educational center and seemed to be exploring the area.r

‘Welp, no matter how hard they check, they won’t see anything.’r

After all, I had already cleared off the area, leaving no valuables to be found. I couldn’t be faulted, since I found the place first.r

After some time passed, and I had frankly grown bored of watching the group from the window they left open to allow fresh air to ventilate the large room they decided to make their base.r

The room resembled a playground, most likely for the younger kids who weren’t able to read or write yet. A dusty television screen was affixed to the wall, but rendered useless due to the current absence of electricity.r

Since they had climbed to the third floor, and I was located at the penthouse of the building next to them, it wasn’t a difficult thing to eavesdrop on their conversation.r

“This should do it…”The leader’s voice sounded with satisfaction.r

“A-ana! Are you seriously saying we should share a room with the men?” The only other female other than Ana protested.r

She looked young and petite, having an innocent glow in her eyes as she couldn’t imagine sharing her sleeping space with a bunch of guys.r

‘Ah, just my type…’ I drooled dreamily.r

Her small nature reminded me of the fantasies I occasionally had before the world became hell.r

She wasn’t spectacularly beautiful or outstandingly endowed, but… Her innocence gave her just the right amount of charm required to be a potential waifu.r

“Of course, that’s not gonna happen… sigh, we just had to go through the Apocalypse!” I grumbled.r

While I was somewhat grateful for the terrible state of the world, it was still somewhat unfair that I was so focused on survival that I hardly had any time to consider other things, like my carnal needs.r

‘Every man has a breaking point, you know… there’s only so much I can endure…’ I cried internally.r

Wailing within, I knew I would have to endure for even longer, considering the events to come.r

I shook my head furiously and rid myself of my distracting thoughts. Thanks to that, I was able to resume listening to the group.r