Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 135

135. Enemy of Humanity (3)

‘Why?’

They say waking someone abruptly during accelerated thought could turn them into a vegetable. Was there a need to take that risk to wake him up?

Thump! Impacts like a hammer striking the back of his head came in rapid succession. His eyes snapped open.

He saw the blurry, steamed-up capsule window before him. As his consciousness returned in a haze, Hyun-woo began to gag.

“Ugh, puke!”

Fortunately, there was nothing left in his stomach, so only stomach acid came up.

[The Shattering Star, Gaul, is watching you.]

It was a message he hadn’t heard in a while. He couldn’t see why Gaul would be interested in his current state, though.

[Battle Helper (Legendary) has been upgraded to Battle Helper (Legendary/Unique).]

At the same time, a system message appeared, indicating that the Battle Helper had been upgraded.

‘It’s being upgraded even though I haven’t finished everything?’

Something felt off, but it meant it was successful, anyway. Maybe he didn’t need to face all 9,000 people; perhaps 5,000 was enough. How would he know when there were only two test subjects?

Amidst unbearable dizziness, Hyun-woo forced the capsule open. His legs gave way, and he collapsed.

Hyun-woo saw his face in the glass. It was covered in dried blood, from his eyes to his nose and mouth. His clothes were stained with dried vomit.

‘I wondered where all the vomit went; it was already out here.’

[That’s a reaction from when you died to Lee Ji-tae while receiving the data transfer.]

Eve’s voice came belatedly. Hyun-woo smiled weakly.

“I tried not to die, but it wasn’t easy. By the way, they said waking me up would turn me into a vegetable, so why did you suddenly take me out? How many days have passed?”

[The story about becoming a vegetable was a lie I told you because I thought you might quit halfway. In reality, there might be some minor brain damage, but it won’t be permanent. And about nine days have passed.]

Eve paused for a moment before speaking.

[And judging by the progress, it seems highly likely that you’ll achieve it faster than the predecessor who achieved it in 14 days. Amazing. I knew it…….]

Hyun-woo felt a surge of anger at the fact that he was about to break a record but was interrupted.

“What? Why did you wake me up? No, since the Battle Helper has been upgraded, it’s fine, but why… and who was that guy who appeared at the end?”

There was no response from Eve.

“Eve?”

Hyun-woo called Eve again. But instead of Eve’s mechanical voice, he heard the sound of footsteps running frantically down the hallway.

Hyun-woo realized that a considerable number of scarecrows were running towards him. It didn’t seem like a friendly signal at all.

“Yeridan!”

Instead of pointlessly calling out to Eve again, Hyun-woo summoned Yeridan. As a monster that could survive on mana alone, Yeridan appeared as lively as ever, despite not having eaten anything for ten days.

If he had to fight the scarecrows, he couldn’t face them all at once. He had to block the entrance.

Clunk.

At that moment, Hyun-woo felt a chilling silence.

The sound of the scarecrows’ footsteps was still audible, but a smaller sound—the subtle noise of the facility’s walls constantly circulating air and moving equipment—stopped all at once.

[The entity you last encountered is the ‘Star of the Apocalypse,’ recorded in non-linear time, self-regulated, eight years ago. Only that one piece of data is recorded about the Star of the Apocalypse.]

Eve’s voice suddenly rang out.

[Therefore… I couldn’t be sure.]

“Eve, I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s stop the scarecrows and talk, okay?”

But Eve completely ignored Hyun-woo and whispered in a voice filled with hatred.

[To think that the last human left in this world might actually be the Star of the Apocalypse, who led humanity to ruin.]

***

The car stopped in a small parking lot built beside a road on the mountainside.

As the hooded man got out of the car, something crouching like a poorly drawn shadow in the darkness stood up. Even in the pitch-black attire, only the pure white bandages stood out in the moonlight.

“You’ve arrived quickly, Mr. Park Hwi-so.”

The hooded man looked around. His car was the only one parked in the lot.

“Didn’t you come by car?”

“It broke down. I think it’s nice to run for exercise these days.”

In the middle of the night, in the middle of the mountains?

The hooded man seemed momentarily speechless at the metallic voice. But he didn’t ask for details.

The hooded man went to the back of his car and opened the trunk. Inside, a goblin was bound.

“It’ll be difficult to take this guy with you, then.”

Park Hwi-so approached and looked down at the goblin with cold eyes.

The goblin felt a chill. Until now, the goblin’s view of Park Hwi-so wasn’t much different from Kirson’s.

Humans are weak and lazy, except for the boss. But Park Hwi-so’s eyes now… felt even more terrifying than Kirson.

“I plan to take care of it myself. More importantly.”

Park Hwi-so turned to the hooded man.

“Why did you go to the trouble of contacting me personally? If it was just to stop a goblin, sending one of your competent people would have been enough. I don’t understand why you came yourself, even carrying a staff you’re not very good at using.”

“I’m learning various things as a hobby.”

Lee Ji-tae glanced down at the goblin.

“More importantly, explain something to me. Is this goblin Kang Hyun-woo’s doing? And you, who I thought was dead, are alive. What’s going on? And Ryu Soo-ah, and the assassination attempt. Is Kang Hyun-woo planning to interfere in the election?”

Lee Ji-tae looked at Park Hwi-so with sharp eyes.

“Is that what you thought was better about Kang Hyun-woo than me?”

“It’s complicated to explain.”

“That’s what you say when you have nothing to say.”

“Or when you think there’s no need to explain.”

Lee Ji-tae felt that Park Hwi-so’s personality had changed a bit.

Park Hwi-so could be cold and aloof, but he wasn’t rude. Park Hwi-so seemed to realize this, as he slightly lowered his head.

“I’ve become a bit sensitive due to recent events. I apologize. But I can no longer maintain a cooperative relationship with you, so I hope you understand that I can’t explain everything in detail.”

“Explain it briefly, at least. I can’t just let this situation pass.”

Park Hwi-so wondered what to do. He could just deny everything and run away.

But… Park Hwi-so believed that Lee Ji-tae contacting him and bringing the goblin meant there was a possibility of him becoming an ally. It was impossible to attach Kang Hyun-woo to Lee Ji-tae.

But what if it were the other way around?

Attaching Lee Ji-tae to Kang Hyun-woo.

Park Hwi-so calmly began to explain.

From the fact that he had changed his car, to the car exploding, to Kang Hyun-woo saving him, to tracing the mastermind behind the incident and finding Ryu Soo-ah, and that Kang Hyun-woo was preparing a plan for revenge.

He didn’t say a single thing that would be detrimental to Kang Hyun-woo.

Lee Ji-tae frowned in disbelief before speaking.

“So, the act of stabbing you was a measure to save you.”

Park Hwi-so didn’t mention that he had died and come back to life. It was unnecessary.

When Park Hwi-so nodded, Lee Ji-tae’s gaze turned back to the monster in the trunk.

“So, is this like Kang Hyun-woo’s skill? Summoning monsters?”

“Something like that. And I believe Ryu Soo-ah has a similar skill.”

Lee Ji-tae looked thoughtful.

“Since entering Difficulty: Easy [the game-like world they now inhabit], there have been reports of a rare skill called Taming from abroad. This seems a bit different, but for two people to suddenly appear in our country at the same time, and with such proficiency… it’s hard to accept.”

“Ask Ryu Soo-ah for details. We have many questions as well.”

“No. I can believe it.”

Lee Ji-tae replied simply. He couldn’t accept it, but he could believe it.

Park Hwi-so knew that this wasn’t trust but conviction.

Sometimes, Lee Ji-tae showed an inexplicable confidence. And what he was confident about always came to pass.

And that ability was one of the reasons why the alliance had expectations for Lee Ji-tae.

“So, Assemblywoman Ryu Soo-ah did such a thing. But I have my own position, so I’d like you to hand over the goblins.”

Park Hwi-so nodded. Either way, the goblins had played their part, and it was becoming dangerous for both goblins and humans.

This goblin alone had almost caused a major disruption with its pointless actions.

It was time to move on to the next stage.

Then, Lee Ji-tae spoke.

“However, what Assemblywoman Ryu Soo-ah did is also unacceptable. If you don’t mind, I’d like to help a little. Then you won’t have to shed blood or resort to unnecessary violence.”

Park Hwi-so was slightly surprised.

He thought it would be enough if Lee Ji-tae showed goodwill towards them, but he didn’t expect him to be so actively helpful.

If Tae-sung, the only hunter faction that Ryu Soo-ah could mobilize, turned away from Ryu Soo-ah, there would be endless possibilities.

However, Park Hwi-so hesitated and shook his head.

“I don’t think Kang Hyun-woo would like to be indebted.”

And Kang Hyun-woo would think there was no such thing as ‘unnecessary blood.’

Rather, he would drag out Ryu Soo-ah’s hidden associates. And he would demand blood or a price equivalent to blood.

He didn’t bother explaining these points to Lee Ji-tae.

Then, Lee Ji-tae smiled.

“I wasn’t necessarily asking for permission. Just tell Kang Hyun-woo.”

He meant that he would do what he had to do, whether he allowed it or not. Park Hwi-so was dumbfounded, but Lee Ji-tae pulled the goblin out of the trunk and placed it on the ground.

“Oh, and please get rid of that friend too. My back has been tingling since earlier.”

Lee Ji-tae said, glancing at somewhere in the mountains behind him.

Park Hwi-so’s face contorted. He couldn’t feel any presence, but as soon as Lee Ji-tae pointed it out, he felt a faint energy.

Park Hwi-so slammed the ground with his staff.

“Kirson!”

There was a rustling sound in the mountains for a moment. Then, all traces disappeared completely.

The intention was obvious. He must have seen him going out in the middle of the night and followed him.

He probably even thought about killing Lee Ji-tae to silence him, but Lee Ji-tae was not someone Kirson could handle.

Lee Ji-tae seemed satisfied and got into the car. As he started the engine, Park Hwi-so approached Lee Ji-tae and spoke again.

“Why are you showing so much goodwill to Kang Hyun-woo?”

Lee Ji-tae smiled at Park Hwi-so’s question.

“Mr. Park Hwi-so, you said that the alliance has determined that I will become the hope of humanity, right?”

***

‘Star of the Apocalypse?’

Hyun-woo couldn’t understand what Eve was saying.

Star of the Apocalypse was the message he heard every time he entered Hell.

Difficulty: Hell.

Entering the Star of the Apocalypse.

[With my authority, I couldn’t make a decision that might completely wipe out humanity. I’ve never even met him. But… if it’s the Star of the Apocalypse, the enemy of humanity, the story changes.]

“Eve, you seem to be seriously misunderstanding something, but I’m not a star or anything like that…”

[Kang Hyun-woo. That’s your name, isn’t it?]

Hyun-woo’s body stiffened. Hyun-woo had never told Eve that he was Kang Hyun-woo. It wasn’t that he was trying to hide it, but it just happened that way.

Even when he asked if she knew the name Kang Hyun-woo, he didn’t say that he was Kang Hyun-woo. Eve even asked who that was when she heard the name.

[That monster you met. That person is Kang Hyun-woo, the Star of the Apocalypse.]

Was she testing him from the beginning? Hyun-woo realized that everything from sparring with the scarecrows to the procedure for upgrading the Battle Helper was a double or triple verification process.

Eve didn’t want to kill the last remaining human with her misguided judgment.

[It’s no use pretending. Kang Hyun-woo. No matter how weak you pretend to be, you can’t fool me. You are the sole purpose for which I was created…….]

Eve whispered in a hateful voice.

[Because you are the enemy of humanity!]

***

The hope of humanity.

Park Hwi-so nodded. Lee Ji-tae was the most likely person to be that.

“Kang Hyun-woo is the person who will make me shine the brightest in the darkest times. The stars have already whispered to me. Kang Hyun-woo will be my strongest supporter and patron, and together we will form the strongest bond.”

Lee Ji-tae spoke with a confident attitude.

“In the end, he’s the person who will be on my team. So, before he goes too far astray, I need to make sure he can be with me. He too will become the hope of humanity.”