Rise Of The Hoarder

[System Alert]r

<Smithing Successful>r

<You Have Added 2 Additional Demon Cores (Lesser) To An Adequate Object>r

<Total Number Of Demon Cores Fused With Object = 5>r

"I-It worked!" Paul said, gleaming as he watched the sword glow.r

I also smiled in relief, grateful that the venture didn't fail.r

Five cores would have been wasted otherwise.r

Reaching for the blade which glowed on the ground, I grabbed it and lifted the sword.r

"Heavy…"r

It took a significant amount of strength to carry the weapon, I drew it closer to my face to better assess it.r

The thin layered blade was long, with a dark color, it also had a subtle crimson aura enveloping it.r

I focused my eyes on it, and the usual green-colored window appeared.r

[System Information]r

Name: Enhanced Swordr

Rank: F+r

Level: 10 (Max)r

Strength: 500r

Durability: 5,000r

Core Power: 700r

Core Energy: 100%r

[.]r

A smile formed on my face. Sacrificing two more stones and over a hundred more weapons was worth it.r

"It's perfect!" I exclaimed.r

… For now.r

"T-This is amazing. If we can make more weapons like this-" Paul suddenly said with enthusiasm.r

"No. This will be the only one we are making" I interjected.r

He displayed shock at my decision.r

Why would I want to give up on making more powerful items like this? After all the effects displayed far outstripped the others.r

The answer was simple.r

"My style of combat is usually focused on quantity, rather than quality. Having many high-powered swords will do me no good since I try to avoid fighting Demons one on one." I said to him.r

Having more Enhanced Weapons with one or two Cores would be preferable to having a few with five cores. Even though the latter is far stronger, I require a multitude of weapons in my fight.r

"A 2 Core Enhanced Weapon is enough to deal with the Demons we'll be facing… There's no need to waste the limited cores on a single one." I said.r

Paul still had trouble accepting my reasoning, most likely because he wanted to make more weapons like the sword I was holding, but I didn't care.r

"C-can I hold it for a sec?" Paul asked me hesitantly.r

My eyes lit up by his words. He made the weapon, after all. It's understandable that he wants to wield the product of his concentration and hard labor.r

"Fine by me…" I smiled, stretching my hand which held the blade, to him.r

"Ah, thanks a lo-"r

As I let go of the blade that he had already grabbed onto, his sentence was cut short due to the heaviness of the weapon.r

"Gahh!" He groaned as he fell to his knees in an instant, shocked by the insane level of power required to lift the weapon.r

"Ooomph" He struggled in vain, trying to do the impossible.r

Paul's strength stat still wasn't enough to move that thing. He might as well be carrying concrete.r

"Haa, I can't do it" He finally let up, releasing his grip on the sword.r

I smiled knowingly since I already predicted the outcome of his futile attempt.r

"That's fine. Your strength is currently low. You'll need to Level Up for you to get stronger"r

Paul nodded slightly upon hearing my encouragement, collapsing on the bed in exhaustion.r

I can't blame him. We've been at this for quite some time. Besides, he doesn't have nearly as much vitality as I do. There was no way he was not pushing himself past his limits right now.r

"Let's call it a day" I suggested.r

"U-Uh. No. I can still go on…" He tried to protest.r

"Don't push it. Rest is also very important in survival" I smiled.r

To produce the most efficient result, I need the manufacturer to be in peak condition.r

I had 45 Demon Cores left. If I removed the ones I wanted to keep for myself, the number will be reduced to 35.r

Using that, I would be able to make two Core 2 Enhanced Weapons, and twenty-five Core 1 weapons.r

Adding that to the already existing ones, it'll make my arsenal a total of;r

Thirty-Five Core 1 weapons,r

Eight Core 2 weapons,r

One Core 5 weapon.r

A total of forty-nine Enhanced Weapons.r

"Not bad…" I mumbled.r

Paul agreed to take his rest, and in no moment, he was already dozing off, showing how tired he really was.r

As for me, I contemplated various things. Now that I had new tools, it was only natural I test them out, right?r

Things were going to get more difficult with Paul alongside me, but his use far outweighed the disadvantage he rendered.r

"Oh well… Let's see how this goes" I smiled.r

[The Next Day]r

We continued working on the weapons the next morning, and before we knew it, the Demon Cores had been diminshed.r

"How many weapons are left?" I asked.r

Paul paused for a moment, calculating how many we had expended.r

In an instant, my mind processed the information.r

We made five more 2-Core weapons. One of those cost 3 additional weapons, making 4 weapons per use. 4 × 5 = 20.r

We made twenty-five more 1-Core weapons. That made 25 weapons expended.r

A total of 45 weapons were used up.r

We had a turnover of 396 weapons from the previous day. Subtracting those left us with a total of…r

"Three hundred and fifty-one!" Paul finally said.r

I smiled and nodded. Correct.r

My intelligence really comes in handy during times like this. There's a reason it's my highest stat.r

"Can you reshape them in form of daggers?" I asked Paul.r

"W-what-?!" He made a surprised look.r

"It'll make it easier to summon many at once, plus they'll be faster as a result of their small size. Besides, the smaller the weapon, the denser it is, correct? Since these have no Core Energy, they need to be as strong as possible" I explained.r

"All three hundred and fifty of them?" He asked, his face turning pale.r

"All three hundred and fifty-one" I corrected with a gentle, understanding smile.r

He nodded with a scared look.r

I gave him enough rest yesterday, so he hias no reason to complain. We would soon be leaving this place, and if he knew what was best for him, he'll do whatever he can to be useful.r

After all, out there… I'll be the one taking charge!r

[Several Hours Later]r

"Ahhh, I'm finally done!" Paul gave an exhausted sigh, collapsing on the floor.r

Sweat covered his whole body, and I was certain that his muscles ached as he gave tired breaths.r

"You've done well. Thank you" I smiled.r

He gave a satisfied grin, proud of his accomplishment.r

He should be.r

With these, those Demons would pose no problems.r

"Now then, we should start wrapping things up here…" I muttered.r

"What? Why?!" Paul asked.r

"Why? Because we'll be leaving soon." I revealed to the tired man.r

Paul's eyes widened when I said this, displaying horror.r

"B-but, w-w-w-" He stuttered, struggling to protest.r

"Don't worry, I'm right here. Those Demons won't be able to even come close… As long as you're by my side" I said confidently.r

His distressed expression slowly relaxed.r

"O-okay"r

Good.r

"It's going to be fun, partner" I smiled.r

His nervous look slowly faded, returning my expression with his.r

"Rest up. We leave in a few" I instructed.r

"You don't need to tell me twice!" He said, before closing his eyes and drifting off to unconsciousness.r

Even though this man was several years older than me, it appeared that both of us have long abandoned that subject. He'll do anything I tell him to, no questions asked.r

Such is the nature of this current world. Only one thing mattered now… Power!r

To survive, even the devil would eat flies.r