Rise Of The Hoarder

>SHIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGG<

Multiple Demons appeared from the bright light that spawned them. They were the expected kinds of mob one found on the first floor of the Tower, the not-so-strong Skeletons.

Gleaming a bit as their milky-white bodies bathed in the light, about fifty Skeletons appeared within the room, surrounding the Party. They would have resembled the kind one saw at a science lab, or in picture books… except there was a fundamental difference between the two.

Weapons… and the stench of death!

Each Skeleton had at least a weapon in hand. Some possessed swords and shields, some simply had dual blades while some carried heavy weapons that required both of their bony limbs.

Out of the fifty, one in particular stood out. Not only did it have a more dangerous-looking sword and shield, it also possessed some undead armor and its helmet was firmly placed on its skull face. The red gleam in the monster’s eyes was more intense than the other mobs.

Clearly, this was the leader of the undead mob!

“Looks like it’s truly the same as before!” Nate called out, flashing his confident grin.

The other members of his team nodded affirmatively. They had been here before, but since it had been so long, it was hard to imagine that the situation hadn’t changed. Well, now that they experienced it firsthand, the people were relieved by that._.

Being in familiar territory made them feel less on edge.

“Let’s take them down!”

With that, the group lunged at their opponents, still maintaining their battle formation to decimate any who drew closer. For Skeletons like these, they were weaker when facing Priests or those who relied on crushing… like Berserkers or Brawlers, but none of the members had any such members.

Why, then, were they so confident in their abilities? The answer could be seen in the way they expertly handled the enemies.

>KRAAKKKK!!!<

>BOOOOOMMM!!!<

Bones were crushed and despite the Skeletons’ defenses, they were blown to bits by Fire Spells cast by the Mages. No one needed to be told who had the upper hand!

Since the System was fair and didn’t show much bias to a particular Job above others, it made sure other Gifteds could fight on equal, or even better footing with undead like Skeletons.

Although one would need to purchase Skills or weapons from the SHOP to close the gap, it was still better than nothing! Nate’s party currently had enchanted gear on that gave them special effects against the undead.

Additional damage and defense were guaranteed, so the team whittled away their forces and reduced the number of enemies quickly.

Chatters and clanging of bones filled the hall as combat raged on. Nate, as was expected of him, charged at the strongest mob within the area.

Brandishing his blade that had a Crushing Effect attached to it for Skeletons, he yelled and flexed his muscles for a decisive hit. The commander noticed this and seemed to frantically attempt blocking the powerful strike Nate packed.

He was a second too late, though, as the descending blade broke apart the arm that had its shield, leaving only the sword limb present.

“CHITITITITI” The Undead snapped as it grated its teeth most likely in reaction to the ripping out of its limbs.

Skeletons didn’t feel pain from their bones being separated, no, they didn’t feel pain, period.

But, an effect of Nate’s blade made the impossible possible and inflicted <Phantom Pain> on the commander, making it stunned for a few moments.

That was the deciding factor!

>SWOOOOOSSHHH!!!<

Forming an arc with his strikes, the monster lost its second bony limb… and then had its skeleton head loped off. The moment this was achieved, the monster’s body fell like a puppet that lost its strings, clanging to the ground in a pathetic display.

Of course, the other members of the Party were just about done and the last of the Skeletons fell to the ground after being defeated.

>CLANGANGANG<

Heaves of relief and a bit of exertion filled the room after they had taken care of their enemies, seeing only bony remains littering the floor.

Soon, however, the bones vanished with light, and the floor became empty once more. This indicated that they had completed their tasks and would now advance to the next Spawn room.

“How many more before we reach the second floor?”

“Since it’s the same as before, two more.”

“Then we had better get a move on. We won’t gain much rewards from beating down weaklings like these…”

“Alright team, let’s go!”

Ending their short discussion with his charismatic voice, Nate charged his team members on as they left the room and followed a path which had opened when they vanquished the Skeletons.

“YEAH!”

******

The Towers!

After the Tutorial ended, the world was met with new peculiarities. One of those were four ascending towers that reached the skies and even went beyond. They were known as the Towers of; Conquerors, War, Death, and Lack!

Named after the Four Horsemen, the main problem of the First Scenario, these Towers were to prepare Gifteds for the challenge to come.

They could rack up EXP by defeating the monsters inside… Demons… and could also gain Karma Points depending on their achievements.

Thanks to the endless spawning of mobs once a Spawn Room was triggered, no Demon Core dropped as compensation, and even Item Drops were rare. Also, once a particular point of the Tower had been conquered, the rewards given to the latecomers or second-timers would dwindle.

As a result, Gifteds could not dawdle and they climbed the Tower with all their might. There were secret rooms that contained stashes of treasures and the materials found in the Tower fetched hefty sums. Needless to say, this place was like a mine that yielded its full riches once one reached an unexplored area.

Gifteds grinded as hard as they could in Towers, getting stronger and stronger so they wouldn’t lose to the Demons that swarmed the outside world or the imminent threat that loomed over their heads.

Everyone had accepted this life now, that it was real, and they strived to survive!

Why, then, was this particular Tower so deserted?