Chapter 121: Crowd Effect

'Wow, that was intense,' Reign chuckled to himself.

Crouching at a safe distance from the explosion, he enjoyed the moment, feeling like a mastermind who had effortlessly outmaneuvered everyone else.

Those who thought they could ambush him were bunch of idiots.

Reign wasn't naive enough to believe he had slipped past the checkpoint unnoticed.

But who was behind the wheel of the truck?

The was answer was very simple.

Midway through the canyon, he made the decision to tap into his Five remaining slot, summoning five mobs he could use in such situations.

With a quick switcheroo while driving, he executed his plan, letting one puppet take the wheel.

This led everyone to believe that he was on the truck.

'Having puppets sure is convenient,' he thought to himself as he gazed at the smoke on the horizon.

Everyone must be celebrating already, thinking they'd won, unaware that what they'd destroyed was just a puppet.

They had squandered millions of credits' worth of ammunition just to destroy it, which made the whole scene funnier for Reign.

ZZZTTTT!

A chirping sound echoed behind Reign, drawing his attention.

He turned to find Arc sprinting toward him.

He had tasked Arc with eliminating all the soldiers at the checkpoint, and it had succeeded, quickly completing the mission.

When Arc reached him, it transformed into a shadowy liquid form, seamlessly melding back into him as if they were always meant to be one.

'So it can't maintain its body for long when it's far away,' Reign mused, making a mental note of this intriguing revelation for future reference.

Arc was very invaluable to him, so he wanted to have a better understanding of its capabilities for optimal use.

'System, upgrade Bone Eater,' Reign commanded.

[Bone Eater (VI) > (XV)]

He decided to level up Bone Eater, knowing he would have to kill a huge number of people, requiring him to absorb them at a faster rate than his current capacity allowed.

'Now, I'm ready,' a creepy grin spread across Reign's face as he mentally prepared himself for the carnage he was about to unleash.

***

Through this experience, he understood the dangers of fighting in close quarters and the importance of avoiding friendly fire.

Rudy nodded, understanding the logic behind the commander's actions.

The army was preparing for the worst-case scenario in case the hunters failed, and he did not feel insulted by that.

In fact, Rudy himself was worried.

Despite being the strongest among them, he chose to position himself at the rear, sensing that something was amiss.

A bomber type demon should have been eradicated by the sheer force of that attack.

Why did this demon appear so energetic ?

'They stopped attacking?' Reign thought to himself, noticing that the army was backing away, while dozens of hunters were now standing ready to confront him head-on.

'Are they really for real?' he chuckled to himself, amused by the hunters' eagerness to offer themselves up like food at a Thanksgiving party.

If he were in their shoes, and witnessed a demon surviving a bombardment so strong that it end up changing the landscape like that, the last thing on his mind would be to engage and fight the demon head-on.

They didn't even need to be particularly smart; all it required was common sense.

Little did Reign know that this scenario was the culmination of multiple variables aligning perfectly for him.

First, these hunters were under the assumption that Reign was just a Peak High Demon, a bomber type weak to attacks.

Even though they witnessed him surviving the bombing, they attributed it to mere luck, clinging to their initial perceptions.

Secondly, their inflated numbers bolstered their confidence excessively, akin to the crowd effect.

When individuals find themselves in a group, they often experience a surge in confidence and courage.

This happens because being part of a larger collective creates a sense of safety in numbers.

Each individual feels bolstered by the presence of others, leading them to believe that they have support and backup.

As a result, they may be more willing to take risks and engage in actions they might otherwise avoid if they were alone.

Lastly, the hunters' bravery was also influenced by their early indoctrination into the Hunter Association.

This doctrine, akin to propaganda, had been ingrained in them from a young age, shaping their beliefs and attitudes on how to approach challenges.

Similar to military training techniques, this indoctrination aimed to ensure discipline and commitment among the hunters, preventing them from backing down in the face of danger too easily.

Of course, not all hunters were completely brainwashed by this.

Even with just a few holding onto such a mindset, witnessing their courage as they put on a brave front inspired others, instilling a sense of courage throughout the group.