Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 33

33. One Step at a Time (2)

Meeting Park Hwi-so wasn’t difficult.

Not even a day after returning from Hell, while Hyun-woo was walking down the street, a familiar foreign car pulled over to the side of the road.

As the darkly tinted window rolled down, Park Hwi-so’s face appeared. He grinned and said,

“I’ll give you a ride.”

Hyun-woo scoffed at his words, as he hadn’t even asked where he was going.

He was on his way to the convenience store to buy caramels anyway. He had been planning to look for Park Hwi-so afterward, so this saved him some time. Hyun-woo got into the car, and the driver started the engine.

Despite the massive size of the car, the engine noise was barely audible.

Hyun-woo thought, ‘Foreign cars are good for something,’ as he leaned back against the soft leather seat.

The ride was so comfortable that he felt like he could fall asleep any minute. In Hell, it was more like lying down and waiting than actually sleeping. But even though it had only been a day since he returned from Hell, he already missed that time.

Even though he had already reached his limit level, he kept feeling this lingering regret.

“I like this car,” Park Hwi-so suddenly said. Hyun-woo thought it was understandable.

With its timeless, sophisticated style, deep engine sound, and smooth ride, it was clear that it was well-maintained, with hardly any signs of wear and tear.

“I especially like driving it myself. I rarely sit in the back seat and let someone else drive. Only when I have something important to discuss.”

“I see.”

“So…”

Park Hwi-so slowly opened his mouth.

“It seems like we’re a little past our promised time. What’s the result?”

“I’ve already reached level 20.”

Park Hwi-so didn’t ask if it was true. He simply narrowed his eyes and looked at Hyun-woo.

“When I spoke to you two weeks ago, you said you were level 7. And in that time, you’ve raised it by 13 levels?”

“I went over the time a bit. I had my reasons.”

Hyun-woo said nonchalantly. As expected, Park Hwi-so didn’t seem to care about a few days. That’s how absurd Hyun-woo’s words were.

If it were possible to reach level 20 in just a few days, all the ability users in the world would easily reach their limit levels. In reality, level distinctions would disappear, and only grade distinctions would remain.

“Hard to believe.”

Hyun-woo chuckled at Park Hwi-so’s words.

“If you weren’t going to believe me, why did you bother chasing after me to ask? I thought you’d be waiting for me to come to you, thinking, ‘What crazy nonsense, I should just forget about it.'”

“The more absurd something sounds, the more curious I become.”

Park Hwi-so leaned forward with a cautious expression. His eyes were so deeply sunken that it was impossible to gauge their depth.

“Lee Ji-tae reached level 20 six months after becoming an ability user. Despite being a latecomer among 4-star ability users, he quickly became one of the top-ranked hunters. There are probably fewer than five people, regardless of grade, who have grown that fast.”

Park Hwi-so shook his head.

“But you’re saying you went from level 7 to 20 in just two weeks.”

“I wouldn’t have made the promise if I didn’t think it was possible.”

“…I suppose. Or you were hiding your abilities.”

Hyun-woo didn’t bother denying it or trying to persuade him. He agreed that it sounded absurd, even to himself.

If nothing he said would get through, he would probably be surprised every time he came back from Hell, saying, ‘You were still hiding your skills.’ Hyun-woo had to decide on a course of action here.

“Do you think I’ve shown you all my skills now?”

If it’s no use honestly confessing his abilities, he might as well bluff.

He couldn’t defeat Park Hwi-so with his skills anyway. Considering that his level was 40, he was at least a top-tier 3-star ability user. He was a tougher opponent than the goblin.

The difference was that Park Hwi-so was curious about him.

“…Considering the skills you showed me at the apartment that day, it seems like a bluff.”

Hyun-woo was taken aback by Park Hwi-so’s words. But Park Hwi-so let out a long sigh and continued.

“Rather than believing that you made it to level 20 in two weeks, it’s more reasonable to think you were hiding your skills. Let me add this. It’s hard to believe, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe it. I’m just harboring reasonable doubts. Anyway, you’ve fulfilled the promise, so about your offer…”

Hyun-woo’s offer to come under him.

“I’ll admit that my assessment of you was wrong. But my opinion hasn’t changed. The reason we decided to follow Lee Ji-tae is not only because our goals align, but also because he was the strongest. Of course, he’s not perfect either. He just meets the minimum requirements. But you lack the most important part of all.”

“That I’m weak?”

Park Hwi-so nodded.

“You said you’re a 1-star. If that’s the case, even if it’s true that you reached level 20 in two weeks, there’s no possibility of further growth.”

He knew it. He had thrown out provocative words, but he didn’t think Park Hwi-so would easily come under someone with a lower level than himself, especially a young man whose background was unknown.

Hyun-woo wasn’t particularly disappointed and said,

“There are cases where the grade rises, aren’t there?”

“…You’re really pursuing the exception of exceptions to the extreme. Don’t tell me you even faked your grade? Well, we’ll find out when the grade assessment results come out soon.”

“So you’re breaking your promise after all.”

“I only said I’d think about it again. But it’s true that you surprised me and made me expect something. For now, I’ll stop trying to bring you over to our side. Instead, I’ll raise the price of the crystal moss by 15%. It’s definitely worth that much.”

“Double it.”

Park Hwi-so’s eyebrows twitched. He looked at Hyun-woo as if to ask if he had heard correctly.

“Anything more than double is fine, but anything less won’t do.”

“Are you out of your mind? The crystal moss we’re paying Yoo Min is already priced to match the highest grade crystal moss harvested from a 5-star dungeon. And I’m offering to add 15% on top of that?”

“You know that this is a new item that you can’t get anywhere else. Only I can get it, so I set the price. Who knows? It’s a monopoly. The top rankers are desperate to get their hands on this, so I can just sell it through other channels.”

Only I monopolize the specialties of Hell. Hyun-woo said with a grin.

“Grandpa, Grandpa. Do you think I’m taking unfair advantage? I at least thought you’d consider coming under me. But judging by what you’re saying, it seems like you haven’t even considered it. Honestly, I’m a little hurt.”

“With only a 1-star ability, what…”

“I’m reaching for the sky and plucking the stars. I don’t know if you still don’t understand, or if you’re trying to lowball me, but I’m disappointed that you only see me that way. At least make an effort to comfort my hurt feelings with money.”

A strange groan was heard. It wasn’t from Park Hwi-so, but from the driver.

He was sweating and repeatedly looking at the rearview mirror with trembling eyes. Come to think of it, Park Hwi-so’s expression was terrifying.

‘Ah, is he emitting some kind of murderous aura?’

Hyun-woo felt a slight prickling sensation, but it wasn’t enough to bother him much. Compared to the murderous intent he encountered in Hell, which felt like being stabbed all over, Park Hwi-so’s was rather cute.

Of course, it wasn’t that he had become desensitized to the stimuli in Hell.

Park Hwi-so was emitting a terrifying aura, but it was only intended to intimidate Hyun-woo. He didn’t feel any actual intent to kill.

Hyun-woo chuckled and raised his finger. Then, as if popping a balloon of murderous intent, he took out an item from his inventory.

Hyun-woo knew that taking items out of the inventory looked like magic to people who didn’t know what it was. Even Park Hwi-so, who was used to all sorts of tricks, would find it amazing. Park Hwi-so was startled when the item suddenly appeared in front of him.

What Hyun-woo took out was a strangely twisted ring.

“Let’s put this down as a deposit, Grandpa. It seems like you still don’t have enough faith in me, so if you think I’m going to be a better guy than Lee Ji-tae, switch over to my side. Until then, I’ll leave this item with you.”

Park Hwi-so accepted the ring that Hyun-woo offered. The moment he received the ring, Park Hwi-so’s eyes widened.

As an ability user, he could tell the grade of the item.

“A, a legendary grade?!”

What Hyun-woo had given him was a legendary grade ring he had obtained as a reward for catching Kirson and opening the box.

[Urkhast’s Trust (Legendary): Temporarily doubles the wearer’s senses.]

When activated, the ring gave the feeling that time was slowing down to less than half. However, it only enhanced the senses, not agility.

Therefore, for Hyun-woo, it was just an item that allowed him to watch himself die in slow motion. But it would be useful for the quick-witted Park Hwi-so.

It felt strange to see an elderly man going on about a legendary grade. But he understood his surprise.

All legendary grade items were managed as national treasures, and users were strictly selected because they were so rare.

It wouldn’t be strange to value one legendary grade artifact more than all the crystal moss Hyun-woo had given Park Hwi-so so far. Legendary grade artifacts were literally national treasures as soon as they appeared. You couldn’t put a price on them.

“H, how did you get this?”

“Since you still don’t have enough faith in me, I thought I should put down a deposit to increase your trust. What do you say, Grandpa? Are you feeling a little more inclined to raise the price of the crystal moss as I suggested?”

Park Hwi-so looked at Hyun-woo in disbelief, then quickly nodded. It was strange to see Park Hwi-so, who seemed like the master of composure, so shaken.

Well, since he was entrusting him with a legendary item so casually, it was natural to think that there was something more to him.

A man who demanded obedience, casually entrusted a legendary item, and possessed mysterious skills. Whether he believed it or not, he would try to open up a channel.

‘I feel like a mastermind in a novel.’

Or a swan that frantically flails in Hell but pretends to be calm in reality.

Hyun-woo thought it would be better to establish this image. Rather than giving explanations that no one would believe, it was easier to deal with opponents who made assumptions about his skills and were intimidated.

“Amazing. A legendary grade item… But judging by the shape, it seems like there’s another matching ring?”

“I don’t know about that. I only had one.”

“That’s a shame. If you had a set of legendary grade items, their value would be beyond words. But even this one seems to be incredibly valuable… Very well. I’ll send the payment through Yoo Min as usual. And since the payment amount has increased, it will be difficult for Yoo Min to handle it. So if you contact me separately, I’ll arrange for it to be sent separately so that you don’t get caught by the National Tax Service [South Korea’s equivalent of the IRS].”

It was an unexpected consideration. Yoo Min seemed stressed about that issue.

“How kind of you.”

Despite Hyun-woo’s words of gratitude, Park Hwi-so was still preoccupied with examining the ring. Judging by his dazed expression, a legend was a legend after all.

But Hyun-woo didn’t regret it at all. There was a reason why he had given Park Hwi-so a legendary grade item.

‘As Park Hwi-so said, the rings were a pair.’

Hyun-woo glanced at the ring placed in a corner of his inventory.

[Eckelheart’s Submission (Legendary): The ring itself has no abilities, but it can track the location of the wearer of Urkhast’s Trust and temporarily decrease their stats by 50%.]

He didn’t know who Urkhast and Eckelheart were, but they must have had a truly perverse master-servant relationship.

He was entrusting it to him, but he felt a little sorry for Park Hwi-so, who was happy to have a legendary grade item. But he thought he needed to put this much of a leash on him to be able to trust each other.

Park Hwi-so realized that he had been too engrossed and cleared his throat to straighten himself up.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t ask where you were going. Were you on your way home?”

“I’m stopping by the convenience store.”

Until now, they had just been going around in circles.

“I see. Then I’ll take you there. Ah, and if you need anything else…”

Hyun-woo suddenly had an idea.

***

[Hey? Yoo Min, come down for a second.]

“Ugh, seriously, Oppa. I’m busy right now.”

[It’ll only take 30 seconds.]

Yoo Min grumbled at Hyun-woo’s plea, but headed to the first floor of the school.

He said 30 seconds, but Hyun-woo, who didn’t know the scale of Gwanak University [a large university in Seoul], didn’t know how far she had to walk.

But she was also looking forward to it, wondering why he had come to school.

After a while, she arrived at the parking lot, but Hyun-woo was nowhere to be seen. Just as she was about to call again, a familiar foreign car smoothly pulled up in front of her. It was Park Hwi-so’s car.

The moment Yoo Min’s face hardened, the window smoothly rolled down.

“Yoo Min.”

Hyun-woo’s face appeared in the driver’s seat. Yoo Min stared at Hyun-woo with a dumbfounded expression. Why was he in Park Hwi-so’s car? But another question came to mind first.

“Oppa, you said you didn’t have a license?”

“I learned.”

“From who?”

“From Mr. Park Hwi-so. When I asked him to lend me the car, he was very kind and taught me.”

Of course, he hated it at first and even offered to buy him another car, but when he realized that it was inevitable, he meticulously gave him driving lessons so that the car wouldn’t get damaged.

Yoo Min nodded with a blank face, saying, “I see,” but then realized that it didn’t make any sense.

“No, that doesn’t mean you got a license?!”

No matter how kindly Park Hwi-so taught him, it wasn’t a driving school or a test center.

“That’s right.”

“How can you drive without a license so brazenly…!”

Hyun-woo briefly pondered which was worse, tax evasion and smuggling, money laundering, or driving without a license.

But he didn’t want to face the judiciary that would fairly judge that, so he skipped over it for now.

“Yoo Min, just driving here, I think I almost killed someone a few times. The car is sturdy, so I don’t think I’ll die, but I think I could easily kill someone else. So you drive home.”

“No, what are you even saying…”

“Let’s go on a date on the way.”

“Okay.”