After handling the bodies, the path back to camp felt tense and quiet.

The gate was supposed to stop intruders, but I didn't care—I vaulted over it because I owned the place.

thud!

I landed softly on the ground, familiar faces already surrounding me.

"Are you okay?" Amanda asked, already aware of the situation.

"Yeah, there was some complication, but I handled it."

"What complication?"

"I ran into a group of seekers—one of them was S-Rank. They killed our scouts, so I killed them all in return."

"What!" she gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.

"Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no. I was just surprised you ran into another S-Rank, I'm glad you're okay."

She would probably faint if I told her I faced an S-Rank with a celestial weapon, making it way harder. Best to leave that part out for her own peace of mind.

Adam came running toward me, soon followed by the guards and scouts.

"Sir! What about the others?" the surviving scout asked. He looked better now, having received first aid.

"They're already dead when I got there ," I said bluntly. No need to sugarcoat it.

"Those bastards…" he growled in anger.

"Don't worry," I grab his shoulder firmly. "They were avenged. Every last one of those bastards paid dearly with their lives."

My words hit his heart, and I saw his eyes glowing, revealing that he was now fully influenced by me—not through fear, but through respect.

This was good news, and it sparked another idea.

I turned to Adam and barked orders. "Tell everyone to meet me at the center. They deserved to know the truth."

"Yes, sir." He bowed his head and left.

The crowd gathered fast. People left their chores and moved toward the designated area, forming a loose circle around the wooden platform. The air felt tense. No one spoke. They only waited.

When I reached the steps, the murmurs died. Every pair of eyes followed as I climbed up.

Each one received a direct look from me before my speech began.

"There's something everyone needed to hear."

The silence deepened.

"I sent the scouts out this morning to gather materials from the boss we took down. If we collected it piece by piece, we would have more than enough to share when we finally left this place. We earned those spoils, so it made sense to secure them early."

They nodded. Boss materials were much more valuable than normal monster corpses, and being a 100-man boss only made them worth more.

"Something went wrong. They got attacked by other seekers while in duty. Only one made it back to report what happened."

Most people stiffened, already bracing for what was coming.

"I went out right away to check on them, to save our comrades." My voice tightened. "But I was too late. I'm sorry."

Grief hit hard and spread quickly through the crowd. We had all gone through the same dangers and survived together. That made every loss hurt even more.

Good. This is exactly what I was going for. To use their emotions as fuel for my influence to take root faster in their hearts and minds.

"When I got there…" I clenched my fist for emphasis. "They were burned alive. Those bastards… they tortured them like animals."

A collective gasp tore through the crowd. Some covered their mouths, others stepped back, unable to believe what they had heard.

"No… how could they?!" a girl shouted, voice trembling with anger.

"That's… inhuman!" another cried, fists clenched.

"They… they didn't even leave them a chance!" someone else yelled, eyes wide, voice breaking.

Murmurs turned into shouts. The camp shook with rage, voices overlapping, demanding justice, unable to contain the horror.

"You're all right to be angry," I shouted, letting my voice carry over the crowd. "But they were still human. I tried to reason with them, even though I was furious. I wanted to avoid a bloody fight."

I paused, letting the silence stretch. The quiet helped shape my image of someone who chose restraint first, someone who would avoid taking a life when another path still existed.

"But they didn't listen. They attacked me anyway, thinking they were powerful because they had an S-Rank on their side."

The moment I mentioned the S Rank, their anger turned into fear.

I spoke before panic could spread. "I had no choice but to fight. I did it to protect myself and everyone here. And luckily… I won."

A long wave of relief passed through the crowd,.

Their expressions changed when they looked at me again. Even with so many deaths, they were grateful for what I did in the boss raid.

But this time was different. This time, I kept a danger from reaching them. That simple fact made their gratitude stronger, their trust deeper.

One by one, their eyes began to flash. The system confirmed it: I had fully influenced them, through respect and gratitude.

With that handled, I moved on to the next step. A small office was set up where people had to come to me for any concerns inside the camp.

On the surface, it looked like a simple consultation spot. In truth, it served a different purpose.

Each talk let me guide their thoughts. I pushed them toward full loyalty, shaping their views and planting the lines they needed to repeat once we stepped outside this place.

The story we agreed on was pretty straightforward.

We followed that fan wielding guy, and he led us to the boss chamber. He fought fiercely, guiding us through the battle, but unfortunately, he was struck and died in the process.

In the end, we pushed ourselves to strike the final blow, stopping the boss before it could wipe all of us.

It was clean, believable, and hard to argue with.

This setup allowed my strength to stay hidden longer, safe from the public and from any enemies watching.

"Did you catch everything?" I asked the last person on my list.

"Yes, sir."

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