Chapter 243: Temptation

“You… why are you all staring at me like that?” Rod opened his eyes and saw that indeed everyone was staring at him. Feeling uncomfortable, he asked awkwardly.
“Hehe, Brother Brado, I have something to discuss with you!” With a sly smile, he approached Rod, wrapped his arms around him, brought his face close, and looked at him with a smile, speaking in a highly suggestive tone. Meanwhile, the others fell silent, focusing their attention on Knight Rod, with all previous arguments and discussions disappearing without a trace.
“What… what is it?” Feeling the other person’s smile and gaze, as well as the tense atmosphere, Rod became extremely uneasy. He disliked this feeling—it was like being targeted by a wolf, and nothing good usually followed.
“Hehe… see, you heard about our discussion earlier. To better protect our lives and safety, we’ve decided to form a team to fight together. You agree with that, right?” Skora asked tentatively, holding Rod’s shoulder.
Although highly wary, Rod still nodded in agreement.
“Hehe, that’s right. Now that this is settled, a team needs a leader, don’t you think? Without a leader, it’s no different from not having a team at all, right?” Skora continued to persuade him with his signature smile.
“Mm, what… what do you mean? You guys can decide for yourselves. I really don’t care. As long as you make up your mind, I’ll follow the majority’s will!” A badpremonition crept over him. He shifted slightly to the side, swallowed hard, and said awkwardly.
“Well, a good leader can help us maximize our strength while protecting as many comrades as possible, right? So this can’t be taken lightly. You heard our arguments earlier—we just can’t find the right person for the role. It’s quite a problem! You know, we saw your performance in last night’s battle. We know exactly how capable you are. Didn’t you say you wanted to move here and live with us? Perfect! Your joining could bring us a lot of help. Everyone trusts your abilities.”

“So, after discussing it, we’ve decided that you’ll be in charge of leading our team into battle. What do you say?” Finally, after some persuasion and questioning, Skora revealed his true intentions. He stepped closer to Rod and said those words in a highly suggestive tone.

“This… Hehe, Brother Skora, you’re not joking, are you? This doesn’t seem right. Who am I? I don’t have the ability for that. Look, every other brother here is stronger than me in every way. Please choose someone else!”

Hearing Skora’s words, Rod showed a pained expression as he spoke to them. Yet inwardly, he felt much more at ease—at least he now knew some of their true intentions and didn’t have to keep his heart in suspense.

“Brother Brado, we really respect you. We won’t accept anyone else. We’ve seen your strength with our own eyes. No one is more suitable than you. Go ahead—don’t hesitate!” Rod’s words immediately made everyone anxious. Before Skora could speak, a tall man standing beside him rushed to speak up.

“Yeah, that’s right, Brother Brado. Aside from you, no one else can convince us. Stop being modest. Everyone saw how capable you are yesterday. If not for you, we might already be in hell right now, with no time to chat or sleep. Everything that happened yesterday was thanks to your leadership. That fire is still burning. If it worked for so many people, leading just a few of us shouldn’t be a problem either. Please agree!” Another warrior pushed forward and pleaded with Rod.

Soon, everyone started urging him, hoping he would accept the position and the decision they had made.

Under their persistent persuasion, Rod stood there with a bitter smile on his face, looking helpless. To be honest, he never expected such a thing to happen during his visit to this camp—it was purely by chance.

But on the other hand, this situation brought him no harm at all; it might even be helpful. After weighing the pros and cons, Rod had already made up his mind.

“Alright, brother, you can’t be this unkind. Give us an answer. Everyone is waiting for you!” Seeing Rod lost in thought, Skora lost patience and pressed him further.

“Well, since everyone values me so much, it makes no sense to keep delaying. Though I’m not very talented, I’ll take on this position for now. I hope we can get along well from now on, and that we can maximize our strength as a team. I hope that by the time the beast invasion ends, we’ll all still be here, none missing! Of course, I also hope everyone will be understanding in the days to come. If there’s anything I do wrong, please point it out; if I handle anything poorly, feel free to speak up. With our mutual cooperation and effort, I believe our team can only get better!”
With a slight smile, he stepped forward. Under the intense gazes of everyone watching, Rod finally spoke up.
“Hahaha… Brother, I knew I hadn’t misjudged you. That’s the right attitude! Hahaha…” Upon hearing Rod’s response, Skola was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter.
Then the rest of them too—once their last traces of worry disappeared, their faces lit up with innocent excitement as they began to cheer. Knightrod’s performance last night had earned the trust and respect of everyone. They had reason to believe that under his leadership, they would only get better, and that’s exactly why they chose him.
“Alright, quiet down for a moment. Since we’re talking about this, I need to tell you something: the days ahead will be difficult. After the fire subsides, the attacks from the magical beasts will only intensify, exponentially so—completely beyond what we saw last night. You need to be mentally prepared! We’re a team, so we must work together. Remember the word ‘team’—only by doing so can we maximize our strength and keep everyone safer.” He raised his hand to signal silence, took a deep breath, and spoke solemnly to the group.
The fire couldn’t last forever. The news about the possible arrival of demons and vampires weighed heavily on Rod’s mind. He was certain that this abnormality in the beast invasion was inevitably linked to them. He didn’t know what other major events might occur, so it was better to prepare in advance just to be safe.

“The beast horde this time is fierce and abnormal—even dragons have appeared, damn it! Three giant dragons at that. If it weren’t for this fire, Iron Bar Town would probably be in ruins by now. This is just the beginning; things will get really tough ahead. As my brother said, we don’t know what else might happen. Based on my experience, there’s definitely more to come. Everyone, be careful!” Skora added. Having experienced two previous beast horde attacks and participating in the defense this time for the third time, he indeed had the right to speak, and his words drew the attention and consideration of most people.

“New reinforcements arrived at noon—about three thousand people in total, including three divine-level powerhouses: the God of Ice, the God of Sword, and the God of Martial Arts. I heard that many more reinforcements will arrive in Iron Bar Town over the next few days to help with the defense. Hopefully, we can hold out!” said the person who had sighed with concern after talking to the saint-level powerhouse Ke Ruo De.

As a saint-level powerhouse, he knew and felt much more than others, and he had access to many more pieces of information. Since only he knew certain things, he couldn’t help but worry.

“Damn it! The God of Ice, the God of Sword, and the God of Martial Arts—three divine-level powerhouses? It’s really them? The empire is going all out this time!” Clearly, many people were still tired from last night’s battle and were resting, unaware of the arrival of the new reinforcements. Hearing Ke Ruo De’s words caused their expressions to change drastically.

Chatter soon ensued. Obviously, the appearance of three divine-level powerhouses had a significant impact on everyone. Divine-level beings—supreme existences—surely caused shock, as Rod had imagined.

“Alright, those who need to meet up, go ahead. Those who want to rest can keep resting, but those who don’t should get up and work. Stop standing around here. Curly Hair, take Brother Brado and set up beds next to yours. Yeah, give him Laurie’s old bed! Everyone else who isn’t resting should get themselves ready. Those who don’t want to die so soon can just watch quietly. Sometimes Rod really thinks this guy seems more like a commander and is better suited for that role. His experience can be of great help to everyone. Rod knew that perhaps he could bring a lot of help in the time to come.”