Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 197

197. Hell is Coming (7)

I had seen a Death Knight of the Black Tortoise in Difficulty: Hell before.

It was when I was undergoing trials through Tam.

Back then, Hyun-woo fought countless enemies, and they were of all kinds.

Of course, the Death Knight was strong among them. Exceptionally so.

When the biting cold froze an enemy, it would cleave them in two with its massive greatsword. Hyun-woo couldn’t guarantee victory in a head-on fight.

So… roughly on par with a Blood Iron Soldier.

‘How many Blood Iron Soldiers have I killed?’

My memory is hazy, but it must be at least in the double digits. If I include Death Knights and similar enemies, it might barely reach triple digits.

Of course, that strength was when Hyun-woo hadn’t mastered his ultimate skill and Tam hadn’t been upgraded.

Moreover, this enemy is from Difficulty: Easy.

Hyun-woo pulled Tam out of the Death Knight, which was still impaled. With a cracking sound, fragments of the Death Knight shattered.

Hyun-woo looked back at Xiaojie with a feeling of dismay.

“This isn’t the end, is it? Please tell me it isn’t.”

Xiaojie was trembling, her face pale. Soon, she shouted vehemently.

“Y-you idiot! I was trying to stop you! Do you really think a being far beyond the level of humanity, blessed by the Wailing Star, would be defeated so easily!”

Then, Hyun-woo felt a chilling cold again. The milky white mist that had been flowing out like blood from the cracks was seeping back into the Death Knight.

Even though its head was split in two, the blue light shining within was still burning. The Death Knight unleashed a furious roar at Hyun-woo.

[Death Knight (LV 75)]

“Indeed, it would be a shame if it died in one hit.”

Level 75 is practically the strongest you can get right now.

That is, in this difficulty.

As the difficulty increases, monsters gain higher stats and intelligence.

Hunters are already struggling just from moving from Difficulty: Tutorial to Difficulty: Easy.

Needless to say, Difficulty: Hell is a whole different story.

But Hyun-woo had been rolling around in Difficulty: Hell since the beginning.

[Due to the effect of the title ‘Hell’s Strongest,’ stats are increased relative to level.]

Furthermore, Hyun-woo has an increased stat effect against higher-level enemies.

Additionally, there is an additional damage effect against lower-difficulty monsters.

Therefore… the result is the same anyway.

“You’ve disappointed me, Xiaojie. I’m timid and weak, so I’m careful about how far my skills will work.”

Hyun-woo struck the hand of the Death Knight, which was trying to lift its massive greatsword.

The greatsword, which had been rising, fell with a crack.

Hyun-woo didn’t even feel the need to swing Tam. Instead, he swung his left hand, which was tainted by the Restrainer Yayul [a powerful artifact], and slapped its cheek.

The Death Knight’s neck twisted with a creaking sound.

Xiaojie and the Death Knight both seemed to be out of their minds.

‘Something has definitely changed.’

Having reached level 50 and mastered his ultimate skill, something fundamentally changed in Hyun-woo.

It felt like he had moved one step closer to the stars.

He hadn’t fought a strong monster since mastering his ultimate skill.

Even if he did fight, most of them weren’t worth it. The same was true when fighting Park Do-ryung.

He didn’t feel the need to reveal his hidden weapon.

[Beast of the Apocalypse (Mythical)]

[Special Ability: When activated, summons and controls the beast promised at the end of the world. All stats are amplified within the realm dominated by black mist, and massive additional attack power is granted against stars and their kin. When not activated, black mist can be worn in the form of aura, and additional attack power is granted against stars and their kin.]

It was Hyun-woo’s ultimate skill.

It was a skill divided into passive and active. The concept was clearly readable just from the description in the information window.

“Become a star-eating monster, huh.”

Hyun-woo grinned and reached out towards the Death Knight’s head.

Against an enemy of this level, there was no need to activate his ultimate skill.

The grasp of the Restrainer Yayul devoured the Death Knight’s head like a snake.

With a thud, the Death Knight’s head completely burst.

***

The fiercely spewing mist scattered in all directions.

The Death Knight knelt powerlessly and collapsed the moment it lost its head.

Soon, its body shattered into pieces and scattered in all directions.

It took Hyun-woo less than 10 seconds to deal with the Death Knight.

Hyun-woo approached Xiaojie.

Xiaojie couldn’t close her mouth and was looking at the traces of where the Death Knight had been.

Hyun-woo pulled her hand open and placed something on it.

It was the shattered and remaining, small, condensed head of the Death Knight.

“Take it as a souvenir.”

“No, what, what is this?”

Hyun-woo felt like he had heard similar words somewhere.

Noh Ha-eul said that when he was mocking Kirson in the Cheonggye Dungeon, and similar reactions came out when he was slaughtering the Hamster King and werewolves in the Guillotine Dungeon. There were countless others.

People usually show such reactions when faced with incomprehensible sights.

“I won’t ask for the return of the magic stone value.”

He was curious about what grand thing Xiaojie would summon, so it was enough as an admission fee.

Xiaojie soon came to her senses and screamed.

“Ah, you’re awake?”

“You, you dare! My permanent retirement plan!”

He was a little proud because he thought he had ruined her plan to destroy the world, but he felt a little guilty when she said it was a retirement plan.

Fortunately, Hyun-woo still had more questions left.

About how strong those chosen by the stars are.

“You’re still not fully awake.”

The moment Xiaojie heard Hyun-woo’s words, she realized who she had been venting her anger on.

The ‘thing’ in front of her had crushed the Death Knight, which she had summoned with such difficulty, with one hand.

And now he was standing within arm’s reach of her.

Xiaojie quickly stepped back with goosebumps all over her body.

“If you have any complaints, send me a bill. I’ll pay for it in my own way.”

Xiaojie shook her head without realizing it. But she couldn’t understand the situation.

She had been watching Hyun-woo since before he started the Northern Expedition. The fact that he was the first hunter to reveal himself as a 5-star meant that he was a talent that even Chrome couldn’t capture.

To make matters worse, he showed a remarkable rate of growth.

She also watched him fight Lee Ji-tae and Park Do-ryung after entering Pyongyang.

She was secretly hoping that the three of them would die together, so that all three of them could be added to her collection.

If Hyun-woo fell, it also meant that he was not worth being a colleague.

‘He was definitely similar to or slightly stronger than Park Do-ryung, wasn’t he?’

Of course, considering Kang Hyun-woo’s growth rate, it was amazing. But she didn’t think he was strong enough to kill the Death Knight in one blow.

Even Lee Ji-tae couldn’t kill her Jiangshi [a type of Chinese hopping vampire] in one blow.

She was confident that her Jiangshi would overwhelm even Lee Ji-tae or Park Do-ryung.

There was only one answer.

“You were… you were hiding your skills, Kang Hyun-woo!”

It wasn’t exactly wrong, but Hyun-woo felt a little disappointed.

“I feel like my efforts aren’t being recognized. Well, I’ve been hearing that since I was level 7.”

“What trick did you play? What star’s blessing did you receive…”

“Stars, huh.”

Hyun-woo sighed and replied.

“You’re not improving because you rely on things like that.”

Xiaojie opened her mouth again.

Was he kidding? Hyun-woo’s strength was clearly abnormal.

There was one person in Xiaojie’s mind who had such abnormal power.

Adam Fault.

‘Could he be in the same category as Adam Fault?’

If Adam Fault used his ultimate skill, he could kill the Death Knight in one blow. Thinking that way, it seemed a little understandable.

Hyun-woo used his ultimate skill as soon as he started to ambush her and killed the Death Knight.

To eliminate her strongest weapon!

Of course, if that were the case, it would be best not to give her a chance to summon it in the first place, but Xiaojie was not calm enough to think that far.

If that were true, there would be only one reason why Hyun-woo pretended to cooperate with her.

“To destroy my kingdom… to destroy my kingdom!”

Xiaojie screamed and expressed her will to the Jiangshi.

If that guy used his ultimate skill, he must be short on mana and strength. Now was the chance.

“You were the real final resort, Kang Hyun-woo! I knew it! The Chepesh case is too risky!”

“That’s quite an impressive assessment.”

Xiaojie seemed to have judged that Hyun-woo was a real enemy planted by Chrome.

It was an unfortunate conclusion. Hyun-woo thought he had quite a bit in common with Xiaojie.

But as the Jiangshi began to rush towards him, he couldn’t think that way anymore.

“Khazrat, Yerdan. You two seem like worthy opponents.”

Hyun-woo summoned Khazrat and Yerdan from the dark darkness.

“…I was just about to have dinner.”

Yerdan, who also acted as a fist while traveling with Park Hwi-so, was wearing a luxurious suit.

It was all covered in blood, but what was he trying to eat?

“Great one, just give the order.”

Khazrat, who had become even more devoted since Hyun-woo read the nameless book, bowed his head while shaking a skull-headed staff.

The skulls were repeatedly uttering idiotic words such as ‘Let’s kill!’, ‘Let’s eat!’.

Xiaojie was flustered when something suddenly appeared and stopped the Jiangshi.

If it was simply a skill to summon monsters, she wouldn’t care, but what Hyun-woo summoned was different.

One was definitely a monster, and the other was a small child. She couldn’t understand the meaning.

“You have a unique skill. Kang Hyun-woo.”

Xiaojie thought that there was no way that those things could be stronger than her Jiangshi, even though she was skeptical.

They are all level 50 hunters armed with legendary equipment. Ordinary monsters are no match for them. There was no way Hyun-woo could have so many strong skills.

“I’ll make you my new Death Knight!”

“That’s the most desperate proposal ever.”

Hyun-woo replied with a sigh.

Even without orders, Khazrat and Yerdan knew what they had to do.

The first target of Xiaojie’s Jiangshi was Yerdan, who looked small and weak.

However, the moment Yerdan leisurely unbuttoned his sleeve, a fist thicker than the Jiangshi’s waist covered his body.

The first Jiangshi’s waist was broken, and he was thrown away.

Because he was undead, he wasn’t completely dead, but it seemed difficult to regain his balance and stand up again.

Yerdan burst into a ferocious roar and swelled his body. Hearing the beast’s unique threatening cry, the Jiangshi felt a tingling sensation and stopped without realizing it.

Xiaojie was flustered, but she believed that she had only been caught off guard and pushed the Jiangshi forward.

Hyun-woo was more of a problem than those guys.

Then, a rattling sound echoed behind her. Khazrat was holding his staff and looking at her.

“I smell lowly black magic from you. Humble human.”

Xiaojie couldn’t understand Khazrat’s words, which were spoken in the language of the Ratmen. But she could clearly read his intentions.

Khazrat shook his bone staff wildly and chanted words like a spell.

“Shall we see some of your low-level antics?”

***

While Xiaojie, Khazrat, and Yerdan were fighting, the rooftop was a scene of chaos.

Loud noises and commotions that shook the Ryu Gyeong Hotel were echoing.

The liches had disappeared, and the Death Knight who controlled them had disappeared, so the undead in Pyongyang were moving around in confusion.

Before these things, which were tied together, went outside, there was an important thing that Hyun-woo had to do.

Hyun-woo took out the radio. It was an item he had taken from Lee Ji-tae.

The fog was quite thin. It must be the aftermath of the Death Knight’s disappearance.

Only the naturally remaining fog was left. It couldn’t interfere with the radio waves.

Hyun-woo turned on the radio and said.

“This is Kang Hyun-woo, Hunter Kang Hyun-woo.”

It was not clear whether the other party was listening. But Hyun-woo believed in Taesung’s technology.

“Director Lee Ji-tae and Director Park Do-ryung have died. The Xiaojie rescue operation has failed. I repeat. The rescue operation has failed. Please begin the final plan.”

Soon, a reply came from the radio. It was the voice of the Taesung communications team with a flustered tone. The other party asked the meaning several times, but Hyun-woo did not answer.

Hyun-woo threw the radio out of the rooftop. The radio soon hit the head of a skeleton soldier and shattered with a light sound.

“Now, let’s prepare for the next stage. Friends.”