Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 196

196. Hell is Coming (6)

Hyun-woo stood beside Xiao Jie, looking out the window.

The city was shrouded in a chilling mist, the silent movement of the army creating a surreal landscape.

This quiet scene was the world Xiao Jie, and the Crying Star, dreamed of.

Hyun-woo crossed his arms and asked Xiao Jie,

“What are you going to do now?”

“Now that the Korean ability users who could keep us in check are gone, we need to move on to the next step.”

“Annihilation?”

“Yes. Before Chrome’s Adam Fault steps in. He could ruin everything.”

“How are you going to annihilate them all? Unleash the undead army? If things get too serious, Adam Fault will eventually step in.”

Xiao Jie smiled.

“So many questions. Kang Hyun-woo of Korea. You just need to watch. Your goal is the same as mine, isn’t it? To eliminate all the forces that might hinder you. It wasn’t easy to find someone who shared my goals and had such great power.”

Xiao Jie tilted her head and asked Hyun-woo,

“But from saving Lee Ji-tae to all these questions, I’m starting to doubt your judgment.”

“I’m just questioning your abilities. I don’t want my people getting caught up in this.”

“Ha, if you’ve moved your people to the location I told you, that should be enough. They won’t get caught up in anything. I can’t tell you anything else. I can’t spoil the most important climax.”

She said it grandly, but in reality, she didn’t want to lose control.

Xiao Jie intended to make a move before Adam Fault used his final resort. If so, the method would be very quick and instantaneous.

“More importantly, is what I asked for ready?”

“Yes.”

Hyun-woo took out the prepared crystal stone from his inventory. Xiao Jie’s eyes gleamed at the sight of the crystal stone, which had a unique red color unlike other crystal moss and sparkled with a radiant light.

Before handing over the crystal stone, Hyun-woo asked,

“Is this really necessary?”

“Is it really necessary? Seriously, crystal moss is the best medium for magic. Especially this vivid red color… I couldn’t believe it when I heard the intel. But with that, we can make our plan 100% successful. I can even use skills beyond my abilities.”

Xiao Jie looked at Hyun-woo with a rare greedy expression and said,

“Where did you get something like this?”

Hyun-woo smiled instead of answering and handed the crystal stone to Xiao Jie.

Xiao Jie stroked the crystal moss in her hand as if it were precious.

But soon, as if there was no need to waste time, she gestured to one of the nearby Jiangshi [Chinese hopping vampire or zombie]. As the Jiangshi approached, Xiao Jie tapped its cheek and said,

“My army needs an undeniable symbol. I secretly hoped Lee Ji-tae would become that symbol… Well, all I need is the skeleton, not the skin.”

“Skeleton?”

“With this, I will elevate my level by one stage. Kang Hyun-woo of Korea.”

Xiao Jie said with a deep smile,

“As an undeniable symbol of my achievements and authority, I will make my Jiangshi the most powerful beings of death, as permitted by the Crying Star.”

Her eyes seemed to see the quiet stillness that had already covered the Earth.

“And they will lead the silent army, dyeing the world with quiet silence.”

***

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, Kang Hyun-woo.”

Lee Ji-tae dragged his broken leg and leaned against the wall, barely managing to stay upright.

A potion would quickly heal the injury, but Hyun-woo had confiscated all healing items.

However, Lee Ji-tae had managed to administer first aid to prevent further injury.

“If you don’t tell me everything, I’ll have my own ideas.”

Lee Ji-tae could still use his ultimate skill. Even if his leg was broken, he could replace it with the Wings of Radiance.

However, while escaping was possible, fighting was not.

He thought it was better to see how far this situation would go than to trust Kang Hyun-woo’s words.

But after Xiao Jie received the crystal stone from Kang Hyun-woo and went to perform a suspicious ritual, he only felt a sense of foreboding. Hyun-woo was just looking out over Pyongyang from the window frame.

“Kang Hyun-woo!”

“There’s no need to ask, Lee Ji-tae.”

The one who answered was Park Do-ryeong, who was lying on the floor.

His voice sounded strange, perhaps because his neck was injured, but he seemed to have no trouble breathing. However, he was still pale and unable to support his body properly.

“His intention is simple. Just to annihilate anyone who might be a hindrance to him.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because that’s what I was going to do.”

Park Do-ryeong stared at Lee Ji-tae and said,

“This expedition was a great opportunity. In a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for anyone to die, I could eliminate my rivals without being suspected. Even if we couldn’t eliminate the boss, it wouldn’t matter. We have Adam Fault as a final resort.”

Lee Ji-tae made an angry expression.

“Why are you so selfish? Don’t you know what’s important right now?”

“Your victory is important!”

Park Do-ryeong shouted back.

“I was going to create a kingdom and offer it to you! If you waved the flag at the forefront, urging everyone to go out together, I would be the one to cut off the heads of the pigs who scattered the ranks from behind! There’s always a need for such a role!”

“Did I ever ask you to do that!”

“If you don’t!”

Park Do-ryeong glared at Kang Hyun-woo with burning eyes.

“That guy, or some crazy person like Xiao Jie, will take over this world!”

The room fell silent.

Lee Ji-tae widened his eyes and looked at Kang Hyun-woo.

Kang Hyun-woo didn’t turn around. His silence confirmed Park Do-ryeong’s words.

Park Do-ryeong continued to speak in a voice that sounded like he was scratching his throat.

“The stars will make us fight until only one of them, one ideology, remains to rule our world. Whether it’s the Starving Star, the Shattering Star, the Whispering Star, the Conquering Star, or the Crying Star! Until only one star remains, we have no choice but to fight!”

Only the stars and their vassals, and those who are ruled by them, will survive.

“What, that’s… ridiculous. The leading star is…”

“That’s why you’re special, Lee Ji-tae.”

Park Do-ryeong muttered.

“There’s no one with such great power who shares your thoughts. That’s why we, the Alliance, chose you. To make you the ultimate victor. For a world filled with your ideals.”

Park Do-ryeong was finally admitting to the existence of the Alliance.

Lee Ji-tae, who had no idea about this, looked at him with surprised eyes.

He knew that the Alliance was secretly spread out in many places. But he never imagined that even his former teacher and the leader of the number one clan would be a member.

“You have to kill Kang Hyun-woo anyway. Otherwise…”

“Hell will come.”

Hyun-woo had turned his head and was looking at them.

Hyun-woo was reminded of the time long ago when he had undergone the trial of Yogulem, the Starving Star.

At the end of that trial, Hyun-woo had met a man named Kawaro. He, too, had once been human, and like Xiao Jie, had tried to rise above the world.

‘But he became a monster.’

No, ‘monster’ is just a convenient standard. Basically, all monsters are vassals of someone.

And as the difficulty increases, you can’t survive unless you become someone’s vassal. Those who didn’t choose anything all died in the end.

Only those who chose, like the Upper and Lower Moons, like the Hungry Ones, survived.

Kawaro had replied to Hyun-woo, who was accusing him of being a traitor,

‘A traitor? Anyone would think that bad humans sided with the monsters and attacked the remaining humans.’

That was true.

There were no traitors.

There was no monster invasion.

Humans had simply brought hell upon themselves.

For the sake of their own values and survival.

“There’s nothing worse than evil that comes from good intentions, Lee Ji-tae. A future where no one wins and nothing is decided is just hell. Park Do-ryeong seems to already know that.”

Hyun-woo said calmly.

“That’s why the Alliance has been preparing the winner of the game for quite some time. But that’s not just for survival, it’s for the purpose of ‘rebuilding the world on this occasion’.”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“No, it feels quite noble in its own way. Park Do-ryeong, you must already belong to another star’s vassal. That means you’re willing to give up your life for the ideals of others.”

Park Do-ryeong didn’t answer.

“But some people might not want their lives to be sacrificed.”

“Are you any different? You’ll have to sacrifice the lives of others to survive, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

Hyun-woo smiled and looked down at Park Do-ryeong.

“Let’s all do our best in our respective positions.”

***

Ryu-kyung Hotel Rooftop.

Eerie white mist swirled around like ghosts.

Hyun-woo stood on one side of the rooftop, watching the ritual. A chill penetrated his body with every gust of wind.

In the center of the rooftop, 12 liches [powerful undead spellcasters] surrounded Xiao Jie and the chosen Jiangshi, as if worshiping the sky.

“Do you perform this ritual every time?”

“It’s a special ritual, so I just need insurance. Don’t talk to me, and get out if you’re going to interfere.”

Xiao Jie reacted sensitively, perhaps because she was about to perform an important ritual.

Instead of provoking Xiao Jie, Hyun-woo watched her.

Xiao Jie concentrated on the ritual for a while, then gripped the crystal stone and moved her hand very slowly. It was as slow as the minute hand of a clock.

And very carefully, she inserted the crystal stone into the Jiangshi’s heart.

Then, in an instant, Xiao Jie’s whole body trembled, and a pure white mist spewed out from her body.

The mist that flowed out from her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth permeated through the Jiangshi’s face.

“You who stand alone and sob in the field of silence, please allow this body to be used as a candle to burn the flames of your power.”

“Did you make up that spell?”

“I told you not to interfere, Kang Hyun-woo!”

As Xiao Jie shouted fiercely, a violent wind shook Hyun-woo’s body as if to knock him down.

He thought there was no need to react so much to something he could just ignore. But Xiao Jie seemed quite upset.

As the mist escaped, Xiao Jie’s hair began to turn white. Before long, Xiao Jie seemed to have a hard time enduring it and gestured to one side.

Then, one of the liches soon spewed out a fierce white mist. Unlike Xiao Jie, its whole body seemed to melt into smoke. Soon, the lich scattered, leaving only bone dust.

The Jiangshi swallowed even that mist. Nevertheless, it continued to absorb the mist. Xiao Jie consumed the second, third, and even the liches.

As the number of liches decreased, he could feel her tension.

Hyun-woo thought that the scene was similar to his own when he was crafting high-grade items with the ‘Production’ skill.

‘She’s preparing spare lives in this way.’

He didn’t know where or how she learned such a method, but it seemed quite useful.

Soon, there was only one lich left. Xiao Jie bit her lip tightly and clung to the Jiangshi as if relying on it.

The moment the last lich disappeared as if melting away, Xiao Jie was thrown away with a short popping sound. In an instant, the surrounding wind raged wildly.

“Oh, oh, oh!”

Xiao Jie forgot the pain of being thrown away and jumped to her feet.

“Finally, the most powerful being allowed to descend into the world of the living is in my hands!”

“Looking at you like this, you seem like a fanatic. You seemed quite calm before.”

Xiao Jie was too excited to ignore Hyun-woo’s words.

Where the Jiangshi had been standing, there was a thick mist like water. The coldness felt there seemed to freeze even the air.

Soon, something walked out of the mist with a clattering sound.

It was a being with pure white bones and mist draped like a cloak. A gloomy blue light burned inside its body.

Hyun-woo tilted his head.

“Is that what you were trying to make?”

Xiao Jie turned her head sharply with a ferocious expression.

“That? What do you mean, that? It’s the most powerful being allowed by the stars. Even if it’s you, if you speak carelessly…”

“No, um… can you really kill Adam Fault with that?”

“Of course. If this can’t do it, then no one in the world…”

Hyun-woo didn’t feel the need to say much.

He slowly walked forward. A chilling mist wrapped around him, and frost formed on his skin from the freezing cold.

The undead that Xiao Jie had created was two heads taller than Hyun-woo. Thanks to that, it was looking down at Hyun-woo with arrogant eyes.

“It doesn’t look very good.”

Hyun-woo took out Tumult and turned on Battle Helper.

The moment he was clad in aura, a jet-black smoke, not the burning aura from before, spewed out as if he had summoned the Beast of the End.

Before Xiao Jie, who realized his intention, could stop him, Hyun-woo swung Tumult down at the undead’s face in one swift motion.

The undead’s arm, which was trying to block Tumult, was cut off without a sound.

A loud cracking sound, like an egg breaking, echoed.

“This is just… a Death Knight.”

Hyun-woo muttered quietly.