Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 189

189. One Goal, Different Paths (4)

‘Look at these guys?’

That was Hyun-woo’s first thought upon seeing the assembled ability users.

He hadn’t paid much attention to Park Do-ryeong, who was always masked.

He’d thought similarly upon meeting Xiao Qie, whose attire matched her disheveled appearance.

He’d found it a bit odd when he met Lee Ji-tae, but he could overlook it. However, Adam Fault was openly wearing a peculiar gas mask.

The reason was clear: to hide their faces.

‘This is interesting.’

Hyun-woo already had Ren’s monocle fitted into his left eye.

Since his left eye was already blind, he did it because he was reminded of what Baek-gol had done to his skull.

He was often frustrated that he couldn’t use it properly because he had to take out the monocle every time, but this way, it was less noticeable and easier to identify opponents at all times. Baek-gol hadn’t shoved it in there for nothing.

Of course, if he had just put it in as is, it would have looked quite grotesque.

However, the monocle smoothly covered the surface of his eyeball like a lens, settling in without any sense of incongruity. It was as if it had been made for that purpose from the start.

Thanks to his numbed senses, there was no pain.

‘But you can’t use its effect if you cover your face… This is the first time I’ve learned that.’

He could at least figure out their levels.

Xiao Qie was level 60, befitting her reputation as a 5-star ability user. Park Do-ryeong and Lee Ji-tae remained the same.

However, Hyun-woo paused the moment his gaze stopped on Adam Fault.

“Mr. Kang.”

Then, Adam Fault spoke in a muffled voice from behind the gas mask.

“Please focus on the meeting.”

“My apologies. I just thought your mask looked cool.”

It was a half-hearted excuse, but he genuinely thought it looked cool. However, Adam Fault didn’t seem to take it as a compliment.

As her expression changed as if she was displeased, Amini quickly interjected.

“Excuse me, Mr. Kang Hyun-woo, a legendary item recently went missing from the British Museum, so high-ranking ability users are on edge. It’s a piece of equipment with considerable analytical power, and as you know, ability users are sensitive about their abilities being exposed.”

“I understand.”

Unable to watch any longer, Park Do-ryeong took out another mask from his sleeve and tossed it at Hyun-woo’s chest.

“I can’t stand having the most foolish guy on our side. It doesn’t seem like anyone here has glasses, but wear this for now.”

“I wish I had a cool mask like yours.”

This was a blatant sarcastic remark.

Still, he accepted the mask for now. It felt awkward to be the only one not covering his face, and he also felt like he had been careless.

The ‘item’ Amini mentioned might be Ren’s monocle or a piece of equipment comparable to it.

He had obtained the monocle from a future point in time, so it was natural that there would be duplicates in the present.

“Let’s proceed with the operation plan.”

Amini opened her mouth. At that moment, Park Do-ryeong tilted his head and looked around.

“The one in the hood is probably Xiao Qie from the Chinese side, and the person named Adam Fault must be from Chrome. Is that all? I heard Chrome is quite concerned about this matter.”

“There are a few more on standby, but I didn’t think it was necessary to call them to the meeting. The content is simple anyway.”

“Simple?”

“It means there’s nothing for the Korean military to do.”

The atmosphere between Lee Ji-tae and Park Do-ryeong turned sharp, especially Lee Ji-tae.

Lee Ji-tae had started the Northern Expedition at Chrome’s request, but he also had a sense of duty that it was something Korea had to do.

But now, at this crucial moment, he was being told to step aside.

“It seems like an explanation is needed, Ms. Amini. Or, will Mr. Adam Fault do it?”

“Mr. Adam Fault does not represent Chrome’s position. He is merely participating as a last resort. First, I should explain.”

Amini pointed outside the terrace, towards Pyongyang, instead of a map.

“You probably know that our side arrived in Pyongyang first. While the Chinese military was clearing the surrounding areas, some of the search teams scouted the outskirts of Pyongyang.”

He knew that. The Korean military had barely managed to arrive in time, keeping pace with the Chinese military as they cleared the surroundings and scouted the area.

The rate of ability user awakening was ultimately proportional to the population, so there were bound to be more outstanding ability users in China.

“During that time, the search team discovered something strange.”

Amini pointed to the tall building in the center of Pyongyang.

The Ryugyong Hotel. The tallest building in Pyongyang.

It had not been maintained for a long time, but it still stood tall.

Lee Ji-tae asked.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“The Ryugyong Hotel wasn’t originally in that location.”

An eerie silence filled the air. It was impossible for a building to move on its own, and there hadn’t been a cataclysmic event like an earthquake.

So, why would the location of the building change?

But they were hunters. They had already experienced countless cases of architectural structures being altered.

At that moment, Hyun-woo raised his hand.

“Has Pyongyang become a dungeon or something?”

***

Amini looked at Hyun-woo with surprised eyes.

It was something anyone could imagine in their head, but it was hard to say out loud.

Because there had never been such a case before.

However, Hyun-woo had already seen the entire world become dungeon-like. Pyongyang was nothing strange.

“…You’re perceptive. When a flood occurs, the mana density in the surrounding area becomes extremely high. It is speculated that Pyongyang has been in that state for a long time, causing it to become a dungeon. The monster density is high, so we couldn’t confirm the entrance to the Baekdu Dungeon, but it is an extremely dangerous situation.”

“Hmm, a dungeon transformation.”

Lee Ji-tae muttered in disbelief.

“If the entire Pyongyang has become a dungeon, the existing maps will be useless, and many unexpected monsters will appear. We also have to prepare for the Baekdu Dungeon deep inside. In fact, we have to attack twice, and you said there is a powerful boss monster whose identity is still unknown.”

“Yes. Our side predicts that it is an intelligent boss monster that can understand strategies. Traces of it leaving Pyongyang and moving to other areas have also been discovered. We believe the undead are those traces.”

Monsters using strategies. It was a difficult problem.

Even now, as the difficulty increased, there were places where monsters formed primitive tribal societies, making it difficult to attack.

But Chrome was concerned about monsters setting traps in external dungeons and operating large armies.

“Is this some kind of monster country?”

“It might become one if left unchecked. Declaring autonomy, having its own culture and laws, and threatening neighboring countries… A country of monsters is born. A country with an immortal army that even ordinary bullets can’t penetrate.”

This seemed to be one of the reasons why Chrome was in a hurry.

“The more I hear, the less I understand why the Korean military has to step aside. Wouldn’t it be better to attack all at once and quickly suppress them?”

“China has a team that has been working together for a long time for this expedition. Ms. Xiao Qie is the leader of that team, and thanks to her great performance in the expedition, China’s expectations are very high. However, perhaps because of that, the conditions for Ms. Xiao Qie’s participation in the expedition proposed by China are…”

“Is it that the Korean military should step aside?”

Amini nodded.

China’s intentions were easy to understand. They thought it would be easy in the future because it had been easy so far.

Once they swallowed Pyongyang, the Korean military would just be annoying baggage.

“Tell them to step aside if they want to! We were planning to proceed on our own from the beginning.”

As Lee Ji-tae shouted, Amini carefully said.

“We believe that the Pyongyang Dungeon might be a 6-star dungeon.”

Lee Ji-tae bit his lip tightly.

If it was a 6-star dungeon, it was understandable that China was greedy.

Even the moss crystals from a 5-star dungeon were traded at enormous prices. But what about 6-star, the first pure moss crystals to be mined?

China was not sparing any money to secure moss crystals.

“They’re going to monopolize the byproducts from the dungeon, aren’t they?”

Lee Ji-tae couldn’t understand the mindset of calculating profits while the world was in danger.

“They are Chinese citizens before they are Chrome [referring to the organization], so it can’t be helped. Frankly speaking, China is overconfident in the level of their ability users. Of course, Ms. Xiao Qie is an outstanding ability user, but… Pyongyang is different from any other dungeon.”

Xiao Qie smiled, her eyes rounded behind her hood.

“I don’t know what the Party is thinking, but frankly, I’m not confident. But I have to do it if I’m told to. The Party commands, and the people act. Isn’t that the rule?”

“That’s ridiculous. I can’t accept…”

“Mr. Lee Ji-tae, I apologize for this situation even though Chrome proposed the Northern Expedition first. But that’s why I’m saying this even more—to increase the chances of success and to prevent injuries. The Chinese side is currently in a superior state of preparation.”

In fact, Chrome had used Korea as a counterweight to influence China.

“And it’s not a matter of accepting it; it’s already an agreement with the Korean government.”

As Lee Ji-tae was about to explode with an absurd expression, Kang Hyun-woo poked him in the side.

Kang Hyun-woo also gestured to Park Do-ryeong.

“Let’s step back for a moment and discuss among ourselves.”

***

Hyun-woo stepped back and opened his mouth to Lee Ji-tae and Park Do-ryeong.

“Let’s let them go in.”

“What are you talking about?”

Lee Ji-tae asked, his eyes sharp.

“If there’s an agreement between countries, there’s no place for us to interfere. But since the Chinese military’s attack will fail anyway, we can negotiate from a more advantageous position soon.”

Lee Ji-tae looked at Hyun-woo with disbelief.

“No, well… Leaving aside the sacrifices that will occur if they fail, and setting aside the confidence that we will succeed in a plan that the thoroughly prepared Chinese ability users have failed, the problem is that Shiba Amini is someone who has staked her life on this plan more than anyone else.”

“I know.”

“But she accepted that only Chinese ability users would enter. She says it’s dangerous, but she actually thinks it’s more likely to succeed than if we enter.”

“No, it will fail. Amini also thinks so.”

Hyun-woo glanced at the woman leaning against the railing, Adam Fault.

“What kind of person is Adam Fault?”

Lee Ji-tae frowned and began to say what he knew.

“She’s like Professor Maria Keller’s secretary. She follows Professor Keller’s schedule and acts as the professor’s hands and feet since she is physically uncomfortable. I know she is also quite knowledgeable.”

“Anything more detailed?”

“…There are also stories that she is overly obsessed with Professor Keller, but that seems to be a personal matter. I don’t think you’re asking about that, and if you’re asking about her position in Chrome… she’s like a troubleshooter.”

“A troubleshooter?”

“There was an incident in South Sudan where the government led a hunt for ability users. It started with nonsense about them being children of the devil. An employee of an international organization was dispatched to investigate the incident and was killed… I heard it was one of Professor Keller’s students.”

“Hmm, so?”

“At the time, Chrome was not a well-known group, so it was difficult to exert direct influence. So, Adam Fault visited the South Sudanese government to protest instead.”

“Ah, did she wipe out the government? Did she commit a massacre?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Huh?”

“The South Sudanese government decided to stop hunting ability users, apologized and compensated the bereaved families of the killed ability users, and sent a formal apology to Chrome. The person in charge was also punished.”

“Then what, does she have great diplomatic skills?”

“That’s not it. She’s definitely not a sociable person.”

Lee Ji-tae said with a grim expression.

“But there’s a story that she explained something in a calm and collected manner—the Chepesh Case.”

“The Chepesh Case? Are you talking about Vlad Chepesh [also known as Vlad the Impaler, a 15th-century Wallachian prince]?”

Park Do-ryeong asked, puzzled. He was the former Duke of Wallachia and the prototype of Dracula.

He was a hero who defended the country from foreign powers but was also known for his cruel act of impaling enemies to death.

But Hyun-woo had heard that name from a completely different place.

It was also mentioned in Baek-gol’s documents.

[…If the Cheonru attack had not turned into a national competition, the Chepesh Case would not have occurred.]

He didn’t know what Cheonru was, but it was one of the things Baek-gol deeply regretted.

Enough to be pained just by the fact that such a thing had happened.

“Adam Fault explained that to the South Sudanese government, persuaded them, and their attitude changed 180 degrees. I think she made a very polite threat, but people have always been interested in what the Chepesh Case is. Professor Keller only explained it as an ‘irreversible final measure.’”

That’s it.

Shiba Amini was thinking that it didn’t matter if the Chinese attack failed because Adam Fault was next to her.

At that moment, Hyun-woo had an interesting idea.