“Daniel… I’ll need you to tell me more about these Demons you saw,” Charles said, frowning a little.r
He didn’t want to consider the worst, but since their ace was speaking with such dread, then it had to be very serious.r
Daniel, leader of the first group, sighed and began his story.r
“Our group and that of Dave are different, as you know. We parted ways from the Camp, but before we split up, he told me where he intended to explore. So, after we were done on our end, and couldn’t find any more resources, I decided to check on Dave’s group instead of going further ahead.” r
Charles paid rapt attention, his eyes unflinching.r
“It must have been due to my intuition, but a terrible feeling started eating at me, and so I convinced everyone that we should meet up with Dave’s group. However, when we got there… what we met was a one-sided slaughter!” r
“W-wha-?!” The Camp leader’s eyes bulged.r
“Yeah. Dave’s group has the highest number of members. A total of 15 people, yet… over half of them were dead when we caught up to them. The reason was due to the opponents that they were fighting.” Daniel continuedr.
“What kind of Demons were they?” Charles asked.r
A moment of silence ensued in the room, and all focus was on Daniel who told the tale. Even the vice-leader was looking very stunned by what had been said so far.r
“They were Hobgoblins… a whole horde!”r
The Camp leader and his vice widened their eyes in shock. Such a thing was unheard of! “For an orange zone to possess such an incredible number of Hobs… Impossible!” Charles let out, banging his hands on his desk in reflex.r
“It’s the truth, and you know it.” r
As soon as Daniel said this, he calmed himself a little. It was true that so far, Daniel had been completely honest with him.r
“I see… now I understand why the second group was reduced to that state,” Charles muttered.r
“How did you guys manage to even win?” r
Daniel smiled a little upon hearing this.r
“It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. I had to use up all my five skills, alongside my Gift, while coordinating with everyone else to-“r
“Don’t forget that I also had to use my Force Field Gift to protect Dave and his wounded group members.” The girl beside Daniel blurted out impatiently.r
She had been waiting for her chance to contribute to the conversation, and now seemed like the perfect time.r
“Y-yeah. Melissa protected the injured group from facing more of the Hobs, allowing them to recuperate. If she hadn’t been there… we might have lost all of them.” Daniel added.r
“Oh, wow. I see. Thank you, Melissa. It was a good choice to have you join the expedition team.” Charles said, faking a smile.r
Within his heart, he disliked her personality. The way she emphasized her importance and looked down on the efforts of others.r
He was certain that everyone on Daniel’s team played a major role in the extermination of the fifty Hobgoblins, yet only she emphasized her efforts.r
‘And worst of all is how she is always clinging to Daniel. I am aware that they have a history together, but by sticking to him, she makes her position seem more important than it actually is.’ Charles thought to himself.r
Still, he couldn’t do anything about her attitude, since Daniel himself didn’t seem to mind. He even indulges her personality, allowing her to seem untouchable in the Camp.r
“It was very difficult to fight them, especially due to their numbers. The battle dragged on for a while, and after everything, we were all very exhausted. I surmised that we couldn’t continue our search for resources, so we decided to return to the camp.” Daniel continued his story.r
“As a result, we couldn’t get much of anything. Most of what we have are Demon Cores. This mission… was a bust.”r
Charles saw the fallen face of his ace, and couldn’t stand it. Raising morale was one of the duties of a leader.r
“Resources can always be gotten. What matters is that you all survived and came back alive.”r
Daniel looked a little surprised to hear this. Usually, Charles would bark at them and give sanctions if they failed to fulfill quotas, but he didn’t seem too worried about that now.r
“Your team performed an impressive feat, Daniel. To have defeated 50 Hobgoblins. It takes a group some effort to kill just one. Yet, you guys managed fifty, truly deserving of the best team in our Camp.” Charles grinned, showering them with praise.r
As much as it irked him to do so, he needed them. Even though he was the leader, it was plain to everyone that Daniel was their powerhouse. He had to remain in his good graces.r
“Thank you, Charles. That makes me feel a lot better.” Daniel smiled.r
‘Fortunately, it appears that Daniel has a simple personality and means well. The problem is his girlfriend, Melissa.’ r
“This is a serious matter, though. One we cannot overlook.” Charles said to Daniel’s group.r
“I thank you all for your effort. You must have been through a lot and sustained a lot of damage. It’s a good thing you were able to heal from your Level-ups and are safe.” r
“Hmmph! Yeah, I was the only one who couldn’t level up! I was stuck protecting everyone. Can you imagine? I sacrificed getting stronger to save everyone.” Melissa pouted, complaining about the unfairness of the situation.r
Of course, it was only a farce to garner more attention. It wasn’t even certain that Melissa would be capable of anything in an actual Demon battle. She always found a way to avoid fighting any of the monsters, staying at the safest spot under the guise of defending everyone with her Gift.r
‘Saving everyone? What an overstatement.’ Charles sighed.r
Still, he had to act based on the situation.r
“That was indeed a sacrifice. I’ll make sure to repay you as soon as possible. How would you like to learn a skill from a high-ranking Demon?” Charles smiled.r
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