Rise Of The Hoarder

“All done!” I grinned.

It was a tough call, but I chose to pour all I had into <Extremity>. Thanks to that investment, I was able to raise it to Level 5.

The other two Skills remained at Level 1, and for good reason.

“Sometimes, offense is the greatest defense!”

Even if I managed to raise the Barrier and Illusion Skills a little, they would do little to no good against the crushing might of the Hobgoblin Boss and the other minions it was bound to have.

Thinking along this line, I decided to invest all I could into raw firepower.

“Okay… huu… this is the closing act!”

The time was 5:32 PM. I could tell since I kept a bunch of clocks in [Subspace]—plus, a smartphone._.

The battery never died since I kept it in the unchanging spade of [Subspace]. I wry grin appeared on my face the moment I thought of all the uses [Subspace] had.

However, those thoughts vanished as soon as they appeared. Now was not the same to bask in nostalgia or satisfaction. Something needed to be done, and fast… and I was on my way to do it.

After moving purposefully and transversing the distance existing between my previous location and what I could only describe as the final gate, I now stood before the only border between safety and danger.

The walls that barricaded me within the third compound now looked taller, and the gate was especially menacing. Was I to call this the fourth gate? No, that would be an understatement.

I could feel the rush of magical energy pumped into the wooden construct that blocked my path. It was studier than any barrier I had passed through to reach this far. I could tell that my normal base strength wouldn’t be enough to get me in.

“Oh, well…”

It would probably be best to charge in prepared rather than just deciding to play things by ear. Looking at my list of Skills from the corner of my eye, I pursed my lips and formed words.

“<Spike Skin>. <Extremity>. <Nimble>. <Camouflage>. <Coordination>. <Iron Skin>. <Glare>. <Muscularity>. <Magician>. <Sneak>. <Mana Control>.”

This much would be enough for starters. With my MP being temporarily doubled through the effects of the <Magician> Skill, I felt so different. My other Stats also shot through the roof with the effects of the other Skills, and my usual self was lost. As though I was on a high of adrenaline, I felt my body grow hot.

It burned with red energy, mixing well with my blue mana, which gave off purple hue as the final product.

Sparks of bustling electricity burst out as a result of the harmonizing synergy between my Skills and the mana coursing through my body.

My body grew thick, spikes grew on them, and I felt my muscles expand. My vision grew better, I had a better perception of everything, I became nearly invisible, my body was as light as a feather—several other effects coursed through me.

In addition to my Skills, I made sure to equip both the Hobgoblin Chief’s Staff and the Hobgoblin Chief’s Attire.

It gave me a form of vagabond look, but since I wore the sash-like robe like a cape, I didn’t look too weird.

The joined effects of these two drops caused another sharp spike in my abilities, giving me the absolute confidence I needed to win this fight.

There was no need to break down the gate, even though I felt like doing it. Instead of using the front entrance, I chose the method that most suited a ‘theif’ such as myself… I climbed over the fence.

Well, climbing wasn’t the most accurate description of what I did.

“Hup!” In a single leap, my body ascended past the tall barrier as I made my way to secure a perfect footing.

The wall was thick enough to stand on, just like the rest of them, so I took the liberty of doing so.

I lightly landed on the fence—a little close to the magic-imbued gate.

“Well, well, well…” Thanks to my <Camouflage> and <Sneak> Skill, none of the Demons could sense my appearance, giving me enough leeway to observe the enemy camp.

Contrasting the other compounds so far, the sight before me was a whole new world.

Giant structures made of wood were erected all around the compound. The area was vast, but not as large as the one I was just coming from.

The wooden structures were used to hang meat, most likely so they dried up. I suspected the meat to be from Hobgoblins since it had a pale green color, a staple hue for their race. As I expected, they were cannibals.

It did raise the question as to how the Demons didn’t vanish after being killed but their kind and turned into meat. Well, for that question, the answer had to do with a complicated causality.

Humans killing Demons gave Demon Cores as Drops.

Demons killing Demons didn’t work that way. Since Demons only killed their kin for food or territory, which would somehow still involve cannibalism, the flesh never vanished after death. They also did not drop Demon Cores.

So, it was impossible for a Gifted to benefit from two Demons killing each other.

Other than the waste of EXP, no benefit would come out of their fight, except maybe if the human fancied some Demon meat.

‘That would kill anybody, though… Demon meat is poisonous to Gifteds…’

Now returning to what was in my line of sight, I several buildings in the compound, most likely settlements. They were arranged in rows, five in number, and a larger one stood at the furthest end, looking entirely different. It was majestic, well, by Hobgoblin standards.

It would have been strange for me to consider Hobgoblins building houses in the past, but after taking a glimpse at the slight intelligence and orderliness they showed, I couldn’t put it past them.

A question sparked in my head as to whom the houses were made for—all six in total.

That question was sharply answered the moment I looked ahead of me and saw the adversaries.

“Oh? So that’s how it is…” My lips curled up in excitement, but slightly out of anxiety too.

I certainly wasn’t expecting this turn of events