Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 82

82. Aftermath (2)

Level 30.

Hyeon-woo felt a surge of pride in reaching level 30.

While the monsters in the Severed Head Dungeon weren’t particularly helpful for leveling, the high-level Fallen Empire Ratmen allowed Hyeon-woo to reach level 30 in just two days.

He felt an almost irresistible urge to brag to someone.

“Ah, Mr. Kang Hyeon-woo. What are you doing out here?”

Someone addressed Hyeon-woo, who was standing on the terrace. It was the youngest hunter from the Obsidian Team. He didn’t recall the hunter’s name, but knew they were younger.

Inside, a memorial service was underway for the hunter who had died in the Severed Head Dungeon.

Lee Ji-tae hadn’t returned from the Chuncheon Dungeon yet, but they couldn’t postpone the service indefinitely, not knowing when he would return.

The memorial service was being led by Tae Min-soo, the head of Tae-sung’s office team. Hyeon-woo, who had been wearing a proud expression, unconsciously checked the hunter’s level and his face fell.

[Human (LV 32)]

“…….”

“Uh, did, did I say something wrong?”

When Hyeon-woo didn’t respond, the youngest hunter slowly backed away and disappeared as if fleeing.

Hyeon-woo sighed at his own pathetic behavior.

‘Right. It’s not like that kid did anything wrong.’

In terms of experience, that person probably had over 10 years. They likely became a hunter as soon as they were old enough.

But Hyeon-woo’s level was achieved in just over two months. There’s no comparison.

Considering the levels he will gain in the future, it didn’t seem like it would take more than three months to catch up with Lee Ji-tae. If luck is on his side, that is.

After the expedition, several hunters hesitated before approaching him.

The fact that they spoke at all showed courage. The Obsidian Team kept glancing at Hyeon-woo and seemed to be sharing stories about the dungeon with other hunters from the Tae-sung Clan.

‘I seem to have made quite an impression.’

In fact, Hyeon-woo could now be considered virtually unbeatable, at least against monsters at the current time.

But the problem was dealing with humans. Even that hunter from just now, if it came down to a fight, Hyeon-woo wouldn’t be able to guarantee an overwhelming victory.

Therefore, Hyeon-woo was focusing on intimidating his opponents before a confrontation could even occur. The rumors that would spread would add to the narrative, painting Hyeon-woo as a figure of fear and madness.

In front of the memorial hall, grieving families were visible. Although they had earned the honor of being the first in the country to completely suppress the Flood [a sudden surge of monsters from a dungeon], they couldn’t be entirely happy because there were still many unfortunate victims. Moreover, Floods were rapidly increasing worldwide.

‘Floods in 24 dungeons in just a few days…….’

Fortunately, there were no high-grade dungeons, so they were being managed, but the message was clear: the difficulty will increase soon.

‘I don’t know when it will be, but…’

At that moment, the banquet hall became noisy. The memorial service seemed to be ending.

The bereaved families got up and headed somewhere, and the hunters remained in their seats with heavy expressions.

“Now, we will begin the auction of the deceased’s belongings.”

It might sound strange to auction off belongings at a memorial service, but it was common in the world of hunters, where even a single item was considered precious.

The bereaved families also preferred to sell to the deceased’s colleagues first, rather than struggling to find a buyer.

Hyeon-woo also took a seat.

‘Let’s see if there’s anything I can use as a crafting blueprint. I’ll buy it.’

He had enough money.

Hyeon-woo’s assets had grown considerably during the Severed Head Dungeon Flood, and even more after completing the expedition.

It was like watching money spawn and multiply on its own. But the Flood doesn’t end here. Korea will be quiet for a while, but it will continue to erupt worldwide in the future.

The more chaotic the world becomes, the more opportunities come to him. The status and value of hunters will rise even further.

Hyeon-woo was at the very forefront of that trend.

‘I might have really started something big.’

The auction began, but there were no items that caught his attention. Most of the items provided by Tae-sung were being recovered, and the rest were personal items.

Then, an item auction caught Hyeon-woo’s eye.

The problem wasn’t the item itself, but the person participating in the auction.

“3200.”

“3200, we have. Anyone want to bid higher?”

A man raised his finger, indicating he was adding another million won [Korean currency]. People buzzed as they looked at the person participating in the auction.

The participant was Johann Hessner.

Johann raised the price, but other hunters continued to bid.

It didn’t seem like a particularly valuable item, so it likely had some personal significance to the deceased hunter.

The item, which started at 2,000, was already approaching 5,000.

“4800, we have. Anyone want to bid higher…….”

“100 million.”

The eyes of everyone in the auction house turned to the person who called out the price.

It was Kang Hyeon-woo.

The hunter participating in the auction looked dismayed.

‘Of all people.’

It was an item he wanted to keep for personal reasons related to the deceased hunter. The actual value was around 3,000. But not only did Johann suddenly intervene, but Kang Hyeon-woo also raised the price.

It wasn’t a huge financial burden, but he didn’t want to get involved with Kang Hyeon-woo because he was intimidated.

“100 million, we have. Anyone want to bid higher?”

The host’s gaze turned to Johann. It was clear the hunter had given up, so Johann was the only one who could bid higher.

Johann was staring at Hyeon-woo with a stiff expression. Hyeon-woo gave a slight nod. Johann raised his finger once more.

“110 million, we have. Anyone want to bid higher?”

“200 million.”

It was Hyeon-woo again. The murmuring grew louder. Everyone knew the item wasn’t worth that much.

Johann paused, and as if realizing that Hyeon-woo would buy it regardless of the price, he didn’t raise the bid any further.

“Then, the ‘Bracelet of Patience’ has been sold for 200 million.”

Hyeon-woo’s gaze turned to Johann. Hyeon-woo hadn’t even known he was buying a bracelet.

The important thing was that Johann was interested in that bracelet.

***

After the auction, Hyeon-woo took possession of the bracelet.

Just in case it had any hidden abilities, he checked it with his monocle, but it was just an ordinary rare-grade equipment that corrected hand tremors and allowed the wearer to hold heavy things for longer.

‘Why would he try to buy something like this?’

It probably wasn’t an item with sentimental value. Johann was a 4-star hunter with a reached level limit. He wouldn’t be someone with money problems.

He needed it, but it wasn’t something he desperately wanted. But that was enough for Hyeon-woo.

When he walked out of the bathroom, Hyeon-woo smiled slightly at the person waiting for him.

A dark-looking German man with a pale face and sunken eyes. It was Johann Hessner.

Johann approached and extended his hand.

“Mr. Kang Hyeon-woo. Nice to meet you.”

Hyeon-woo was finally able to have a conversation with Johann, despite being on the same expedition team. Hyeon-woo shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you too.”

“I was in your debt in the dungeon. Thank you for your help.”

“We’re on the same expedition team, so of course I had to help you.”

Hyeon-woo answered automatically, then noticed the surroundings had become quiet. He saw a translator trying to approach from a distance, but freezing in place. Only then did Hyeon-woo realize he had been speaking to Johann fluently in German.

In particular, the expedition members who had been frustrated by their inability to communicate with Johann were the most surprised.

‘Does the language comprehension skill apply even when I speak?’

“Come to think of it, I don’t see Priest Johann’s bodyguards. I assume they decided to hold the funeral in their hometown, right?”

The most casualties came from Johann’s bodyguards. Perhaps because they spared no effort to protect Johann, there were many victims. But this time, neither Johann nor his bodyguards were seen at the memorial service. Johann’s expression became subtly guarded.

“Those people… are a bit special, so you don’t have to worry too much about them.”

Hyeon-woo was intrigued by Johann’s reaction. It was strange that Johann, a priest, didn’t seem concerned about the deaths of those who protected him.

Even if he was a hunter, he couldn’t help but care about someone who died for him. Suddenly, Hyeon-woo thought of something he wouldn’t care much about even if they died, a life of such low value.

‘Is it a familiar or something?’

He had already confirmed that Johann didn’t have a familiar skill. But familiars can be attached to anyone, even if they are not the owner.

Hyeon-woo had repeatedly entrusted Kirson with solo missions. The bodyguards always wore face masks that covered their faces, so it was uncertain whether they were even human.

‘Suspicious.’

But Johann didn’t seem willing to elaborate.

He didn’t want to press the issue and arouse unnecessary suspicion. These things had to be investigated more discreetly.

“Are you returning to your home country now, Priest Johann?”

“I am not affiliated with any country.”

Johann answered calmly.

“I only go where I am needed. I have a personal relationship with Lee Ji-tae. I came at Lee Ji-tae’s invitation, so I will decide what to do when he returns.”

Hyeon-woo smiled.

Johann wasn’t leaving. Hyeon-woo had no intention of letting him.

Hyeon-woo had learned as much as he could about Johann through Park Hwi-soo.

Contrary to his image as a taciturn priest, he was a terrible danger addict.

Johann was a former chaplain.

Despite awakening as an ability user, he wandered around battlefields and participated in the suppression of dungeon Floods in Syria. There, he lost most of his company.

After that, he became a hunter who only went to dungeons where Floods occurred, as if addicted. He was subtly chasing death.

‘But according to the White Bone Records [a source of information about hunters], he’s not just an adrenaline junkie.’

At this time, Johann was an excellent healer, but he was not well known because he only went around dungeons. But as the difficulty increased, his performance became even more crucial. He even earned a nickname.

‘Johann Hessner, the Ark of Humanity.’

Thanks to Johann’s abilities alone, hundreds of thousands of civilians survived even in nightmare-difficulty situations.

But those who didn’t receive his blessing were exposed to death.

To attack the dungeon, the help of a powerful healer was needed. However, no one had the skills of Johann.

Because of this, opinions were divided among the hunters regarding Johann’s whereabouts.

Whether to clear the dungeon and reduce the threat of monsters, or to continue to sacrifice lives by engaging with a distant group of monsters.

‘I don’t know which one is right, but the pressure Johann must have felt would have been enormous.’

That’s why he committed suicide.

It’s not strange to forget religious beliefs.

No, it’s questionable whether he would have continued to have religion by that point.

The gloomy man in front of him wandered around to die, but eventually survived until he took his own life.

“Oh, come to think of it, you were trying to buy this bracelet.”

Hyeon-woo finished his thoughts and held out the Bracelet of Patience to Johann.

“Is there something personal about this bracelet?”

“No. I was just trying to buy it because it has a function I need.”

The corners of Hyeon-woo’s lips curled up.

“Then I’ll give it to you as a gift.”

To pay 10 times the original price and then offer it as a gift so casually. It was practically admitting he participated in the auction just to talk to him, and Johann seemed to already know. Johann stared at Hyeon-woo.

“I cannot receive a gift without a reason. I was just trying to figure out why you wanted to talk to me.”

“Think about that after you receive it.”

Hyeon-woo forced the bracelet into Johann’s hand.

Johann frowned slightly, but froze when he saw the bracelet he had received. Hyeon-woo smiled softly.

“It will be a little better than what you were originally trying to buy.”

[Inductor of Ordo Villa (Legendary)]

[Special ability: Accuracy correction is added when using long-range weapons. The possessor can permanently grant the ‘Tracking’ curse to up to 3 targets who have been attacked to find out their location. The tracking curse is removed upon the death of the target.]

[Annotation: An accessory that proves the witch hunters of Ordo Villa [a fictional organization]. Witch hunters have a battle doctrine that they should not engage within the witch’s line of sight. Therefore, sniping and traps are almost essential culture for them. This bracelet is passed down from teacher to disciple, and if the teacher is killed by a witch, other witch hunters will take over the education until the disciple kills the witch.]

Johann doesn’t have Admiral Ren’s monocle, so he won’t be able to see the annotations.

In fact, it’s an explanation that would be better for your mental health if you didn’t see it. Anyway, it could be seen as an upgrade to the bracelet Johann was trying to buy.

‘Not bad for something I made in the bathroom.’

Thanks to this, Hyeon-woo’s knees were shaking from mana depletion.

He drank a temporary mana potion made by melting moss, but even that recovery speed was slow. Hyeon-woo tried to look as calm as possible and opened his mouth.

“You have hand tremors, don’t you? Priest Johann?”

Johann’s expression hardened at Hyeon-woo’s whisper.