Rise Of The Hoarder

“Damn… I put too much strength into it, didn’t I?”

Clangs of wood scattering about still filled the uneasy air that seemed to rush at me from afar off. It was a sensation I was very familiar with… the bloodlusted gazes of Demons.

“GARRIUUUUUUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIKKKKK!!!”

Their deafening roars filled the air as I instantly saw a multitude of arrows lunging at me. They had to have at least been a hundred.

“<Iron Skin>, <Aura>, <Nimble>, <Coordination>”

My brain went into overdrive and time slowed down instantly. The whirring arrows seemed to hang in midair, moving ever so slowly as they broke through the air. They were faster than I had thought they would be, considering all my Stats had been ridiculously buffed. Focusing my sharp vision on them, I realized why that was the case.

“Ahh… they’re coated with energy… mana, eh?”

I looked at the thousands of monsters before me. None seemed like the type to shoot arrows. That meant… the archers were hiding behind these buff-looking warriors and tankers.

‘But, that doesn’t explain why I can’t see them very clearly…’

I realized that the Archers were most likely using the <Camouflage> Skill, as well as exploiting the presence of the other Hobs to mask their presence. It was quite a smart strategy.

Considering they also knew how to infuse energy into their weapons, I had to assume that these weren’t the usual Archer Hobgoblins I dealt with in the past.

“A new kind, uh? Good…”

The arrows were nearing me already, and while I knew they had no effect on me, I looked at them all and activated ‘it’ just in case.

>WHOOOOSSSH<

In a flash, no, even less, the arrows that had swarmed me in their thousands disappeared into thin air.

I reduced the weight upon my mind, returning my perception of time to normal. The Demons all looked aghast and full of shock the moment they couldn’t see their projectiles in the air or piecing me.

‘Where have our arrows gone?’ Seemed to be the question ringing in all their minds. Unfortunately, they had no idea of my new capabilities. If they did, they would have already realized that such futile attempts were absolutely pointless.

>FWOOOOOOSSHHHH<

The very arrows that had been launched at me were now directed at the monsters, increasing in velocity due to the extra charge of mana I added to the arrows.

Quick Question: What happens when Demon Mana and Gifted Mana mix? That’s right! It resulted in an explosion!

The arrows that had caught great speed due to my mana boost began acting up and sparks flew from the projectiles that neared the Hobgoblins who were still trying to figure out what I had done.

There was no need to explain what happened next, was there?

>BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!<

That’s right! Brilliant fireworks were displayed right in front of me as the Demons that had been pierced by the arrows experienced eruptions due to the uncontrollable imbalance of both mana combinations.

>BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!<

>BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!<

>BOOOOOOOKMMMMM!!!!<

Like clockwork, the explosions made perfect harmony in giving off their sounds of loud reverb, coupled with screams of demons. The fresh smell of crisped Hobgoblins wafted through the air, but was quickly banished as the unfortunate monsters tuned into Dust.

“GARUIIIIIKKKKKK!!!” The survivors bellowed, both in anger toward me and intimidation.

I felt several stares focused on me as well as a feeling of unease that appeared for a second but quickly vanished. Quickly figuring it out, I made a little laugh.

“Oh? You guys were trying to use <Glare>, right?”

It was a shame that I had been buffed to the point that it didn’t matter how many used the Skill on me. I simply resisted their effects. However, a thought flashed in my mind.

‘What if I used it on them?’

I needed to test it out sooner or later, after all.

“<Glare>”

My eyes darted at every single Demon within my field of vision. Moving my eyeballs and face with absolute precision and swiftness, it didn’t take too long to render the Hobgoblins for a wide distance under my debuff.

[System Notice]

~The Skill <Glare> Is Currently In Effect~

<All Demons Have Been Struck By The ‘Debuff’ Status Condition>

[All Hobgoblins Affected Will Experience A 15 Percent Decrease In Total Ability And Stats]

‘Oh? So that’s what happens!’ My mind rang.

It seemed I had underestimated this particular Skill. It was pretty impressive.

I had initially thought it would be impossible for me to make eye contact with every Demon I encountered. However, it was easier than I thought.

The Demons all had their eyes on me due to their natural hatred for Gifteds. Plus, since they were slow, or rather, I was way faster, I could glance at all of them within moments.

A 15 Percent Decrease in Ability was quite impressive.

However, it didn’t stop the Demons. They lunged at me, hoping to overwhelm me with their numbers. While I had taken care of a few thousand with that attack, there were still thousands left. If they played their cards right, they might stand a chance.

‘Pfft, as if!’ I nearly burst out laughing.

From my line of sight, they were so slow that it was laughable. Usually, I would have loved to exert myself a little and killed them while swinging my arms and rapidly moving my feet, but that was unnecessary now.

What I now aimed for was an overwhelming victory.

The Warriors, not learning their lessons from the previous event with the arrows, shot their claws at me all at once. A total of 10 claws per Demon, and an approximate five thousand of them… that was about 50,000 Claws I was looking at. It was quite a great amount.

I could tank that many, maybe. But, why bother? A broad grin formed on my face as I proceeded to use one of the most useful features of the new and improved [Subspace].

“Allow me to show you guys… the cost of all those people that gave up their lives for me to achieve this!”