Rise Of The Hoarder

Ever since the world turned out this way, Demons now had the upper hand.

One could call them the dominant species on Earth—the ones who dominated the top of the food chain. However, just as there were various kinds of beasts, different cadres of Demons existed.

They were classified by Grades.

And the monster Tia was about to fight, alongside her teammates, belonged to one of the most dangerous classifications.

Grade 3!

>WHOOOSSSHHH!!!<

Her team swept through the area like the wind—all influenced by the camouflage Skill she utilized to hide them. Coupled with their other gear, which practically made them imperceptible, they carefully closed in on the devastated structure in front of them.

'Once we begin… there'll be no chance to hold up…' Tia's thoughts trailed as she looked at her teammates once more.

Deciding to trust in their skills, and in the plan, she readied herself.

'Let's go!'

Thus, they stormed the building.

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>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<

Debris scattered all over the area, spreading destruction far and wide.

It only took a matter of seconds, and the building was already in ruins… all because of their lone target.

"GRRRRRRR…"

Their opponent was a Beserk Minotaur, an incredibly powerful Grade 3 Demon. Even those with common sense knew about how dangerous Minotaurs were—whether through myths or merely by how they looked like.

Standing five meters tall, the Minotaur before them had a giant ax. It had black fur for skin, and its horns twisted ominously—same as its crimson eyes. Smoke emanated from its darkened nostrils and the monster's mouth seemed to crave blood.

This intimidating beast stood right in front of Tia and her group, and they had no choice but to face it. After all…

'Right there!' Tia could spot the underground storage door located near where the Minotaur stood.

To get to the supplies located there, they had to defeat this monstrosity.

'The first stage has been completed. We drew its aggro, causing it to lay waste to its surroundings!'

As a result, Tia and her team now had more space to work with. Plus, the debris would be good for hiding.

Unfortunately, this also gave their opponent a benefit.

'Here comes the first volley!'

The enraged Minotaur snorted, using the dull center of its axe to launch the debris around it in the direction of Tia and her teammates.

>BOOOOOOMMMM!!!<

Massive chunks of rocks were sent flying by the roaring monster, and they caused the ground to quake very violently as Tia and her teammates fled for safety.

'As expected, even my camouflage Skill isn't enough.' She clicked her tongue.

They still had their other items, but that only didn't grant them absolute invisibility. The Minotaur's senses were still able to pick up their general location, even if it didn't have precise knowledge of their location.

As a result, the group of ten had to keep moving to survive.

'We've sealed off its long-range blast attack, so it can only rely on a limited set of Skills…' Tia swiftly closed the distance between her and the Minotaur, getting ready to clear a path for the rest of her teammates.

However—

"ROOOOAAAARRRRR!!!"

The Minotaur's roar sent her flying back—a fine balance between offense and defense.

"Guh!" Clenching her chest, Tia recoiled from the impact, feeling her body go numb for a moment.

The Minotaur used this chance to charge at her, crushing every single thing that stood in its path. All the debris around was cleared, and the beast closed their distance in no time at all.

In terms of strength and speed, she was no match for this Demon, so Tia could only rely on something beyond that.

'<Phase Steps>'

Tia timed it so well that the Minotaur passed through her the moment it was about to make short work of her. It was a close call, and her means of escape was one she could not use anytime soon.

Not that she would be needing it any longer.

"Now!"

In a flash, five of her teammates revealed their positions—all surrounding the Minotaur. They combined their Gifts—[Quicksand], [Starlight], [Echo], [Shatter], [Pressure]—successfully immobilizing the Grade 3 Demon.

This was only a temporary solution, though.

'My turn!' Tia thought to herself, bringing out a katana from her Inventory.

It was short—almost the size of a dagger—and it was known as a wakizashi. Tia brandished this weapon, which was already glowing bright purple.

It had a special Skill imbued in it—one she could use once a day.

"[Phantom Death]"

In a flash, she closed her distance from the Minotaur and leaped to its head, stabbing it right in its temple.

"GUUUAAAARRGHHHHH!!!"

The Demon's screech this time was that of pain. It roared as it swayed helplessly, unable to resist the paralyzing effect of the false death spreading through its body.

[Phantom Death] was a Skill that put the targets in a fake state of death. The effects varied, depending on the level of the target—and where they were struck.

'It's Grade 3, so it won't last long. Thanks to everyone's efforts, I was able to get it at the temple. That'll buy more time…'

She wouldn't have scored such a critical hit without their help, and Tia knew this very well.

"We're back! We've taken everything!" The remaining four members of the team—who had been absent so far—suddenly appeared.

Thy undid their cloaking effect, smiling at the rest of the crew.

'They have the goods, huh?' Tia nodded back.

While she and five members of their team were doing their best to hold off the Minotaur—using all the buffs they had just to avoid being hit—the last four had snuck into the storehouse and made away with the goods they wanted to take.

'Their inventory must be chock full!' Tia smiled.

But, this wasn't the time to dawdle. After all—

"ROAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!"

—The monster was already free.

With its devastating roar, all ten members were sent crashing to the ground.

'Shit! It regained all its Skills too!'

They were really in a pickle now. Not only had the Grade 3 Demon returned to full strength, but from the look in its eyes alone, it was incredibly pissed off.

'It seems we'll have to sacrifice a few men here…' Tia thought in regret.

It seemed, despite her thorough preparations, they couldn't defeat a Grade 3 Monster on their own.

So far, Grade 6 was the highest they had ever seen—and that was in the First Wave of the Apocalypse.

Even the Grand Leader—Paul—could not defeat the Demon alone. Everyone had to wear it out, plus it was under a lot of penalties, for the victory to be barely achieved.

Grade 5 Demons could be defeated by Paul, though. Not only had he gotten far stronger since then, but he wasn't simply restricted by the strength that came with Levels. As a powerful inventor, and a Hero blessed by the heavens, he was unstoppable.

A Grade 4 Demon required the joint efforts of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma teams to subdue.

And then, there was this Grade 3—one she thought the best in her team could handle if they prepared properly.

'I… can't even move…' Tia groaned, feeling hopeless as she tried to reach for a Vanishing Stone.

In the end, they were stuck!

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[A/N]

I've decided to release a chapter per week. You're free to try to change my mind.

Thank you all for your love and support.