Rise Of The Hoarder

It went without saying that the higher Floors were more difficult than the previous ones.

From Floor 81-90, I was faced with legions of dead entities that had been strengthened with Miasma. It was basically a nightmare—watching so many of those creepy things charging at me.

When considering their quality, they were practically Grade 2s and Grade 3s. The Bosses fell between Grade 3+ and Grade 4.

I would probably lose against a Grade 5 with my current Stats—but I was never the type to fight based on Stats alone. However, since it had been a while since I battled something that made me go all-out, I had no idea what was really my limit.

ɴ[0)ᴠᴇʟ But, was there really a reason to fight like a dog? Using [Subspace] when things got awry would be the most optimal solution… right?

Well, the point was that even though the Grade of monsters was surprisingly not as high as expected, they had the advantage of numbers. Unlike last time where I simply had to win by killing the Boss, there were too many minions that covered the area._.

Plus, the Miasma around dealt continuous damage to anyone within the Floors, making it difficult to fight. I now understood why the System made it mandatory that people travel in Parties from a particular juncture.

A high-level Priest would have no problem with the Miasma since they could purify it. However, those kinds of Gifteds weren’t exactly good in combat. In a battle that required felling so many foes, one would need a strong fighter.

Since the opponents also charged in massive numbers, defense was necessary. So, at least three people were essential to clear these Floors. Still, by the current standards, no one was strong enough to fight this wave alone.

Even if they were strong, taking care of so many War Ghouls, Wraiths, and Death Knights at once was a bother… which was why I had to use a Skill of mine to create multiple Undead soldiers—<Summon Undead Army (Middle)>.

I also had my 12 Elite fight. By those, I meant the powerful souls under my control. They surged forth and poured through the enemies, acting as the vanguard that devastated the area. The rest of my army simply fought the Demons they could, but they still emerged victorious.

According to what I deduced, the ‘Lower’ version of my <Summon Undead Army> gave me about a thousand Grade 1 Undead mobs. The Mobs were stronger than Skeletons, though. They were most times Skeleton Knights and Ghouls. Zombies were mixed in as well.

The ‘Middle’ version summoned about three thousand Undead who were in Grade 2. There were some who rode on horseback—Undead Horses. The army was also more organized and had a Dullahan as the head of its forces.

As for the ‘Upper’ Version… which I acquired recently… it summoned seven thousand troops.

They were a mix of Grade 2 and Grade 3—having Dullahans serve as commanders of different units, while a Dark Paladin served as the lead general. They were a force to be reckoned with… though I felt like I wanted more numbers.

‘Well, I can always make more undead with my Skill…’

Plus, even though this Skill had a time limit, I never even came close to elapsing it before the job was done. I could stuff my Undead Army within [Subspace] and summon them at a later date to fight. It was more like recycling, but if I stockpiled a lot of them, I could end up with hundreds of thousands of Undead as an army.

I wasn’t in a rush to do so, though. After all, the Tower of Death didn’t have armies as its specialty. That belonged to the Tower of War.

‘I’ve decided! I’m going to War next!’

Since I took too long in my preparation, I had to hurry things up. If I used a day to clear each, I would be done by the end of the week. That alone would suffice for my tardiness. Giving any more time would mean someone could be taking treasure that belonged to me.

Also, I clocked Level 521. It was a pain checking my Stats all the time, so I stopped. Considering how many Stats I had stolen, how well my Passive Skills and Titles were boosting my Stats, I was in the hundreds in every one of them… yeah, even Strength!

Anything my Souls killed basically gave me EXP. Even the Undead summoned by my Skill did the same. They were all part of my arsenal, after all. I could just Farm EXP like this forever…

‘I wonder…’ My thoughts trailed, thinking of another prospective venture that would make me stronger.

Even with my strength, I hadn’t forgotten my humiliating defeat back then… when that Angel showed up. I still didn’t know her identity, but still remembering her gave me the chills. I knew I was currently not a match for her, so she remained in my [Subspace] until I was certain I could win.

It wasn’t certain how long that would take, which was why I was somewhat eager to gather more strength.

Before long, the Miasma-covered battlefield had been emptied. Silence reigned—so eerie that one could only find them in horror shows. I watched my soldiers return to me and I congratulated them on their efforts.

The Miasma that wafted around the area seemed useful, so I absorbed it all into my [Subspace]. Once that was done, the whole place looked like a simple swamp.

“Looks like we’re done here.”

I placed my Enslaved Souls into my Spirit Ring and put my Bahumath—the culmination of so many dead bodies, and my highest Grade Undead—within [Subspace]. I also withdrew my troops into my storage, knowing they could be useful someday.

A smile formed on my face as I looked at the many tabs within [Subspace]. They were really infinite. Usually, a lot would get lost within such a vast space, but [Subspace] had a ‘Search’ function. Plus, since I was connected to my Gift, I knew of every item in every Slot.

“It’s funny how I nearly lost everything back then… but now…” My smile grew wider.

I was on my way to having it all.