Rise Of The Hoarder

Right there and then, an unbelievable sight unfolded.

Even Kevin, with his hand stuck and wrapped in the supposed target’s grip, could understand what he was in for.

“So this is the big bad, uh…?” The voice was deep, smooth, and downright intimidating!

It belonged to none other than the one who had just arrived.

While the ebony-skinned man had to lower his gaze as a result of the individual’s height, it didn’t change the fact that he was completely horrifying.

After all, this newcomer had stopped his full-peered blow so effortlessly, and even caught it.

The man, though having an appearance of a child, was deserving awe and fear. He had a mask covering his face and a terribly dark cloak that flapped ominously. The silence he commanded made Kevin shiver where he stood.

So this was death… or rather, a personification of it.

Even though he couldn’t possibly tell the kind of expression the man was making underneath the mask, Kevin was certain he was sneering at him. And, as if to confirm his suspicion, the masked man let out a little snicker, sending shivers down his spine.

“You… are a little interesting…”

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

[A Few Moments Ago]

“Well, that didn’t take very long,” I whispered in a bit of disappointment, watching the sniper completely lose his mind before me.

Thanks to <Command>, I made sure he divulged all the information he had at a quick pace, allowing me to receive all I could out of him in time.

After a series of interrogations, I was finally done with retrieving information. The victim of my influence was used up, already mentally and physically exhausted from my extreme extraction method.

“H-haa… Haa…” The poor guy let out whimpers as he trembled on the ground.

“So, <Command> puts a heavy strain on the mind when used too much on a single target… especially when ordering them to do tasks without intervals of rest,” I muttered, glad that I noticed this in time.

Based on what I found out, Anabelle was dead… just as I suspected. Her team members, with the exception of Lily, had also been killed.

The moment I found that out, my emotions nearly sent berserk. My heart ached terribly and I found myself failing to catch my breath.

‘No, No… No way! No!!!’ My thoughts rang in desperation.

Finally confirming this was something I couldn’t handle emotionally.

The pain was crippling, and I felt extreme loss by her death. However, this all lasted for a few seconds at best. Almost as soon as I was assailed by guilt, sorrow, and rage, my emotions calmed down.

In an instant, I was back to my usual logical self.

“The [Merciless] Title came into effect, uh? At this point, I don’t know how to comment on this…”

It was only natural that a human would feel great pain at the loss of someone important to them. Despite how I thought her to be foolish and naive, I really cared about Ana, as well as her whole team.

Feeling terrible was absolutely normal and I nearly felt guilty for not drowning in the pits of mourning.

Fortunately, even the guilt I felt about that faded away quickly and all I was left with were healthy emotions that ensured I maintained an optimal state.

‘I’m sorry you died, Ana. I’m also sorry I can not mourn you…”

I didn’t really feel sorry, but those words flowed from my mouth.

Even though I couldn’t save her or the others who had died, even though I couldn’t feel horrible for losing them, there was one thing I could do for them, guaranteed to bring me rest.

It would be a manifestation of the only emotion I had left relating to Ana’s death… Rage.

“I’ll kill the one who murdered you, Ana… I promise.”

It wasn’t blind rage, I felt. No. It was calculating rage. I had a clear mind, and with it, I was determined to completely pulverize the one who did this to my dear big sister.

“Big sister, uh?” A smile formed on my face as I chose to sink into nostalgia a little.

It was dumb, but I couldn’t help but think that way. If the world hadn’t turned out this way… then I would have loved being her little brother. Unfortunately, that wish dwelled only in fantasy… and I was beyond that now!

My ears suddenly picked up something from a distance, I pinpointed the location and it was the exact place where the Gifteds were fighting. From my distance, I could clearly see all that was happening.

“Hmm?”

A smile formed on my face as I spotted the malefactor of the whole tragedy that befell the camp. The muscular, ebony man approached the Camp members, and Charles moved behind him.

“I knew you’d still be alive, cockroach!”

From my distance, I couldn’t see the Ebony man’s Level, but for Charles to have been sticking close to him instead of finding a way to escape to the Camo members’ arms, it meant the ‘Kevin’ guy was stronger than them.

“So, he’s about Level 100, uh? How is that even possible?”

From the information the sniper gave me, I figured out he had to be around that Level since none of his subordinates could see his Status Introduction as a result of the Level difference.

I also knew of his Gift. It was quite scary… if it was me in the past, I would have probably had a difficult time with him.

‘I would still win, though…’

Needless to say, my interest was sparked. Kevin was the first Gifted I knew that had surpassed Level 100 so early in the game.

Of course, I would want to meet him.

>WHOOOOOOOSHHHH<

In a flash, I disappeared from the top of the devastated building, of course taking the sniper into [Subspace] before leaving.

I spotted Kevin’s cornered expression, how he struggled to find a way out of his desperate situation. From my distance, and with a bit of insight, it was easy to determine the move he would make.

It was unfortunate that this was the end of the line for him, though.

‘For messing with my plans and killing my dear friends… I’ll be sure to pay you back!’