Tasha continued reading the names on the list, and not long after, she was done.
“It looks like everyone is still here. That’s a relief.” Daniel remarked, giving a genuine smile.
This didn’t last very long, though, as his face darkened soon after. I could see it in his eyes. Hesitation and anxiety. So many factors the Camp didn’t even consider were surfacing, and he had to compensate.
“While investigating the sounds coming from deep within the woods, our team found some things,” Daniel said, giving a nod to the two scouts behind him.
They both stepped forward and brought with them a couple of spikes. The crowd was uneasy, but also curious. All they saw were spikes that had a brown appearance, with the near tip colored purple.
“These are poisonous spikes. We found the stuck on trees or on the ground in the woods. There were many of these scattered around, but we only took a few back for investigation.” Daniel revealed.
Murmurs began arising from the uneasy crowd.
“What does this mean?”
“What is he trying to say?”
“Goblins don’t have spikes, do they?”
“Is it another Demon? Shit!”
I smiled to myself, already recognizing the products which came from my body. Using Venomous Spikes, I could generate spikes that weren’t going to disappear until after 25 hours..
The peculiar objects they were intending on investigating were purposely left behind by me.
“We saw the evaporating blood of over a hundred Demons. Taking into account that the fight must have started much earlier, and the distance between where we found the spikes and the bloodshed were apart, it’s safe to assume that there were more demons than that.” Daniel continued, once again hushing the crowd.
This wasn’t helping, since the atmosphere was getting tenser.
“There were no Demon Cores as well, making us slightly alter our earlier suspicion.”
“After discovering the spikes, we also saw claw marks around, as well as several prints and holes bored into the trees, allowing us to suspect that one of two major things could be going down.”
The crowd braced themselves for the results of Daniel’s investigation.
“First, the existence of a more powerful Demon that hunts down Hobgoblins. The larger number must have been the Hobs, fighting against whatever Demon or demons the other side had. That would explain the poisoned spikes and claw marks.”
The members shuddered upon hearing this. The mere possibility of the existence of a beast that could kill off over a hundred Hobgoblins was enough to nearly break the spirit of those who heard of it.
“The second would be the existence of another group of Gifteds like us who killed the Hobs. That would explain the absence of the Demon Cores. It could be that in the first case, the powerful Demon somehow feasts on Demon Cores, but the second scenario is much more realistic.”
I nodded, amazed by Daniel’s analytical prowess. Though Tasha would have aided in some of his deductions, I could clearly see the experience of being an Expedition team leader in him.
‘Too bad he’s still very gullible, though.’ I mused.
“I want us to know that it’s not good news for either case. Our lives may very well be in danger, regardless of what the case may be. If it’s a powerful Demon, we should be looking at a beast that far outclasses Hobgoblins. However, even if the perpetrators are Gifteds, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are on our side. They could double-cross us or use our team as bait to lure Demons. Humans can be very cruel, especially since we’re not allies with them. Let’s not forget that!”
The Camp members nodded since there was nothing else they could do. Their spirits were completely down, and it appeared they had lost nearly all hope of victory.
Still, it wasn’t like they could go back. If they did, only death awaited them anyway.
“We’ll continue the mission as planned, and deal with any new developments as they come.
Seeing they everyone was tired, both physically, mentally, and emotionally, Daniel decided to call it a night.
“Let’s all get some rest. Tomorrow’s a big day.”
With dragging legs, everyone returned to their tents and fell to sleep. Many of them were most likely not going to fall asleep immediately since Daniel’s words would still be ringing in their brains.
‘I can’t sleep yet as well…’ My thoughts trailed, though for a different reason.
Avoiding the gaze of Tasha, I returned to my tent, meeting my roomies lying on the cushioned ground, but not sleeping. I ignored them, went to my allotted space, and whispered.
“Status Window.”
The golden tab popped up, displaying its contents.
[STATUS INFORMATION]
– Name: Jeremy Lewis
– Level: 107 – Exp: 30.61
– Race: Human – Job: Thief
– Age: 16 Years
– Sex: Male
– Height: 5’3. – Weight: 115 pounds
– Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
– Karma Points: 600
– (G) Karma Points: 100
[Stats]
HP: 5,450
MP: 1,112
Strength: 1,120
Agility:5,650
Vitality:5,450
Intelligence: 16,550
– (G) Factor: 70
– Gift: [Subspace]
– Items Equipped: None
– Allies: None
[Additional Information]
A human with the last Gift. Possesses the interest of God.
[End Of Information]
I smiled, analyzing my increased levels and stats.
‘It looks like my Karma Points increased as well. Good…’ I smiled.
As expected, the (G) Aspects of my Stats experienced no change, but I was already figuring it out, so it was no problem.
My mind trailed to what would happen tomorrow. I was going to be left on the sidelines while everyone else fought. It would be frustrating, to see the EXPs around go to waste, but I would have to endure.
The rewards far outweighed any loss gained from losing a few Level-Ups.
Also, since they were never going to fully extinguish the Demon Horde, or even come close to significantly whittling down their numbers, most of the Hobgoblins would still end up being my prey.
It was something to look forward to. Especially considering the experiments I wanted to perform.
‘Should I try it out… tomorrow?’ A wide grin formed on my face.
Regardless, I was excited. Things were going to be fun from here on out.
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on f(r)e𝒆webn(o)vel.com