Rise Of The Hoarder

Tasha was my hostage. As long as I had her, Charles would never revolt against me.r

Besides, it wasn't like I was lying to him about Tasha's safety. There was no safer space for her to be in than [Subspace]. Time was completely stagnant there, so no matter how long Tasha remained within my Gift's storage space, she wouldn't be in any danger.r

'If anything, I'm being generous here…' r

"Charles, you should understand by now that the only reason you're still breathing is that I see some value in keeping you alive. Since your source of motivation is that woman, I won't bring any harm to her… I can promise you that." I spoke honestly.r

"So, speak. You must answer my questions honestly. All of them!"r

Charles gulped as he thought about my statement. If he refused me, he would die, same with his wife. In such a situation, there was really only one choice left for him.r

Absolute Obedience!r

-----------------------------------------r

"Oh? So that's how it is…" I remarked, amused by the conversation I was having with Charles so far.r

It has been over an hour since we had been conversing and I couldn't help but be intrigued by what I was hearing.r

Charles possessed a Gift called [Mind's Eye]. It allowed him to see the Status Window of others, and know if they were lying to him at a glance. While this was entirely useless against Demons, it was one overpowered ability one could have when dealing with humans.r

A walking lie detector.r

As for his life partner, Tasha, she had an interesting Gift as well. This Gift known as [Sheer Might] gave her the ability to match her physical prowess to that of her opponent, making her even stronger than whoever her target was for as long as it lasted.r

It was no wonder she was able to damage me, as expected of such power. Fortunately, I was quicker in movement compared to her, allowing me to evade her strikes and also summon my weapons to finish things off.r

'It would have been bad if I didn't have [Subspace]'r

Charles had already seen my Gift, but he had assumed that it had to be for storage use, and had no direct relevance in combat. A noob's mistake.r

"Here is the list you asked for," Charles said, giving me a large book.r

I smiled, giving a nod as I opened it. As he had said, it contained the Status Information of everyone in the Camp, down to the smallest details.r

Since he could see all their Information, Charles made sure to write everything down, as well as highlight his findings.r

He had already told me some of them during our conversation, but seeing them in writing made me smile.r

"So, even though two people are on the same level, their Stats and growth experienced are not necessarily proportional…" I mumbled.r

For example, my Strength's growth rate was way slower than my other Stats, like intelligence. Even as a Level 1, my Intelligence was absurdly higher than my other Stats, followed by Agility.r

Upon inspecting the Stats of others, I realized that all of them had their specialties, most likely due to their area of core competence before the Apocalypse.r

'A bodybuilder is most likely bound to have more strength and dexterity, and those growth rates will be much faster than the other Stats, while a bookworm's intelligence will be way higher. A sprinter or gymnast should have more agility, and so on… Interesting!'r

Looking at everyone's basic stats, including Charles', I found out a crucial factor… even as a Level 1, my base stats were considerably on the high end!r

Of course, my Strength stat was pretty lousy, but my intelligence was ridiculously higher than others, even Charles'. Also, the growth rate was something else entirely.r

But why?!r

"Is it due to the (G) Factor thing again?" I mumbled.r

There was so much I didn't know, but I felt much closer to the truth now. Having [Mind's Eye] as a Gift was truly useful. I desperately wished it was a Skill instead. No matter how long it took, I would make sure to get it no matter what.r

"Now that I think about it… the <Scholar> Job should have a Skill that is similar to [Mind's Eye]."r

Well, even if that was the case, I had passed the point of no return. While it had its merits, being a scholar was of hardly any use in combat, especially since I liked working alone, to begin with.r

'I'll just make use of this as much as I can!' I reasoned.r

"So, is there anything else you want to know?" Charles asked me, feeling a little uncomfortable and impatient.r

"Why? What's the rush?" I replied.r

"N-nothing. It's just that… Ana will be expecting you by now. Plus, I have a meeting with all the Expedition Team leaders and Camp executives soon…" r

My interest was piqued. Suddenly recollecting he had told Ana something similar concerning a meeting they would be having, I became interested in the subject. Since I had access to the source, it would be beneficial to know what was up.r

"Tell me everything… what will your meeting be about?"r

As soon as Charles saw the curious gleam in my eyes, he gulped, nodding instantly.r

"Well, first is the remaining supplies we need to get from your former base. The Camp is in desperate need of resources, so we can't afford to ignore those." Charles started.r

Well, I expected that much.r

"We also need to discuss things like restructuring the workforce, quota management, new expedition ground, equipment making, and management… then finally…"r

At this point, Charles had a grave tone. A bead of sweat formed on his face and his eyes kept glancing away.r

"Finally, what?" I repeated, hoping he would spill the beans, whatever it was.r

Charles sighed, looking me in the eye as he spoke.r

"The recent horde of Demons that took the lives of some of our Expedition group members."r

My eyes bulged instantly. What was this I was hearing? A horde of Demons?r

The look on Charles' face showed he was telling the truth. Plus, if it had claimed the lives of their expedition team members, who could be said to be ace of this team, that meant the Demon groups were at least dozens.r

"How interesting…" A wide grin began to form on my face as I considered the possibilities.r

After all, wherever the Horde of Demons were, there was bound to be a cause… A Gate!r