Rise Of The Hoarder

>WHOOOOSHH<

I swiftly moved across the woods, transversing great distances with each leap. It was already night and the covers of darkness shrouded my dashing form.

The members of the Subjugation team were all asleep, exhausted both physically and mentally, and certainly not looking forward to what awaited them tomorrow.

Well, they didn’t need to worry too much about that. After all, this very night I would be quite busy in their stead.

Just as expected, I reached the distance which would take everyone about thirty minutes within just five. Of course, I didn’t move at full speed since that would needlessly deplete my stamina.

“Now then… let’s see…” I mumbled, looking at the territory of Hobs from a distance.

My enhanced vision allowed me to see clearly at night, so the view was no problem. Guards were already stationed at the front of the gate, and I could also see several patrol members around. They moved in small clusters of a dozen each and were evenly spread out.

‘Smart move. Even if I engage and take down a group, the others will be notified of my presence!’ I reasoned.

It was a good thing I learned the <Camouflage> Skill, then. Who would have thought something like that would come in handy so soon.

Activating the Skill, I felt myself blend into the surrounding. It was a feeling I could hardly explain, but somehow, every part of my body became less visible, and my movements barely made a sound.

Carefully moving across the wood range, I spotted the scout groups. They didn’t seem to have taken notice of me yet, a good sign that learning the <Camouflage> Skill wasn’t pointless.

‘I could summon my weapons to kill them instantly, or even use Demon Cores as explosives… but, those methods are bounty to attract the others due to the noise and light they will produce!’ I reasoned.

Not only did I need to act fast, but I also needed to move smartly!

Using <Camouflage> didn’t make me entirely invisible, and it was less effective if I moved. The best strategy to use to maximize such a card effectively would be to rush ahead of the groups, lie in wait, and once they got within range, finish everyone off as swiftly as possible.

‘That must be how they sneaked up on us too…’ I reasoned.

By killing the Hobgoblins personally, I could ensure that no sound would leak out and alert the others.

Fortunately for me, the first scout group was already nearby. Staying still, I watched as they drew near.

“Guruikkkkk”

“Garrukuukkk”

The filthy Demons appeared to be conversing, though it mattered not to me. As soon as they came within range, I darted to them in a flash.

>FWOOOSH<

The wind howled slowly as I made my way closer to the group. Before they could sense my presence or suspect that anything was amiss, I summoned my daggers and expertly cut their throats.

Since I had activated <Coordination> earlier before jumping in, my motion became more fluid and organized, and within a moment, I dispatched a total of 12 Hobgoblins without creating any commotion.

‘Amazing… this is incredible…’ My mind rang.

Both skills were extremely useful, more so than I had thought. It was a good thing I had maxed them out.

Since the Skill Duration was still a far cry from being exhausted, I looked around to sight my next prey.

‘Let’s go!’

************************************

Thirty minutes had elapsed since I started picking off the scout groups one after the other. So far, I had dispatched over twenty groups. With the last group dead in my arms, I went over what I had learned so far.

They had a surprising amount of Archer Hobgoblins with them, with only a few brawlers in their ranks.

It was most likely due to the fact that I had killed most of the Brawlers. I was satisfied knowing that they didn’t have enough forces left to compensate for their lack of personnel. No matter how large the Hobgoblin forces were, they were not unlimited.

“Now then… It should be nearly time for the main event.” I smiled, looking at the gates leading to the compound.

The guards stationed there consisted of Archer Hobgoblins, a few Brawlers… and one massive Hobgoblin variant I hadn’t seen before.

From my distance, I couldn’t view its Status Information, which meant I needed to draw nearer.

“Tch, what a hassle.”

Realizing there was no need for me to hold anything back again, I pressed on and moved in the direction of my enemies.

“Gu-Guruikkk??!” I heard a Hobgoblin screech as soon as I got close enough. It was an Archer, and it appeared to be the leader of the Archer variants around.

“GARUIIIKKKKK!!!” The Hobs yelled out into the silent night, all growling at me.

I still had my camouflage on, but with an empty path surrounding me, there was nothing nearby to mask my presence. Plus, since I was in motion, the effects of <Camouflage> had been nerfed.

Still, it didn’t matter. I had gotten rid of the scouts around, so they couldn’t resort to a pincer attack. The only foes left were the ones facing me directly and beyond the gates were even more enemies.

Ultimately, all I needed to do was kill whatever stopped my march. The number of Hobs wasn’t the problem, since they were only a little over a hundred, the same as last time.

‘The issue is that they have a lot of Hobs who used ranged weapons. Unlike before, it’ll be difficult getting closer to them to land a decisive hit.’ I reasoned.

Also considering Daniel’s report, the instant Catherine opened the gate, she was shot down directly through her temple. That showed the accuracy of the Archer Demons.

‘They have the Skills for it, after all…’ I mused.

In any case, I needed to watch out for their arrows, as well as the big guy who stood behind them.

With my distance now close enough, I took a peek at its Status Window.

‘Oh? This is…!’