Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 232

232. Trial of the Stars (8)

Quirie turned her head.

She sensed presences that were too trivial and insignificant to even bother with.

And Quirie regretted even the effort of turning her head.

Goblins, ratmen, werewolves, a few spiders… Things that couldn’t even become proper Star’s kin, no different from weeds or insects on the roadside, were standing around.

Quirie’s gaze, sweeping across the background, suddenly stopped somewhere.

A woman standing with her hands hanging down, looking quite nervous.

It was Hahyeon.

Quirie stared at Hahyeon before turning away.

She had no intention of wasting any more effort. Quirie soon conjured a hot flame in her hand.

The hand, glowing red, gripped the spiderweb, and the spiderweb that Hahyeon had spread with all her might was torn away in vain.

“You.”

Quirie opened her mouth, her gaze fixed on her.

“You have the appearance of a human woman, but your true form is a spider. A creation of the Whispering Star, it seems. Was the Whispering Star helping Kang Hyun-woo?”

Hahyeon did not answer.

There was no reason to answer, and Quirie didn’t really care.

It was a question that didn’t need to be asked. Hahyeon was the only one who felt the presence of the Whispering Star.

Even Hahyeon was only more noticeable than the other insects, but not enough to be concerned about.

Quirie ignored Hahyeon and the monsters and began to crawl.

But then she felt the spiderweb wrapping around her body again. As Quirie grabbed her javelin, something lurking in the darkness lunged out.

Quirie instinctively tried to slap it away with her hand. At that moment, Hahyeon suddenly pulled her hand away.

The unexpected strong pressure delayed her response by a beat.

At the same time, something that had sprung out slashed at Quirie’s neck.

Mediocre monsters cannot even scratch an Apostle due to the difference in their levels. But this was different.

Clang.

The sharply penetrating scythe cut through her Adam’s apple.

The throat, which should have been gushing with flames and molten metal, froze black.

Quirie was speechless.

There was a black goblin in front of her.

Kirson quickly swung the scythe again, as if that wasn’t enough. A second, deeper gash appeared on her neck.

The scythe Kirson possessed was the ‘Scythe of the Winter Reaper’.

Coincidentally, it was a weapon that was particularly effective against the Apostles of the Conquering Star, who were constantly burning iron and flames.

Quirie felt the flames weaken for a moment.

If she couldn’t breathe, her flames would go out.

Just as Kirson was about to swing the scythe a third time, Quirie headbutted Kirson.

Even the Scythe of the Winter Reaper could not penetrate Quirie’s helmet.

With a thud, Kirson bounced back and rolled across the floor before retreating.

Hahyeon took advantage of the gap in Quirie’s weakened flames to wrap more spiderwebs around her.

All of them were spiderwebs that were stronger than steel and had high cutting power.

The more Quirie struggled, the more spiderwebs became entangled. In the meantime, the monsters also rushed towards her.

The emotion Quirie felt at that moment was not bewilderment or fear, but absurdity.

It felt no different than insects climbing on her while she had briefly fallen over.

Quirie first blocked the hole in her neck with her hand. Red-hot molten metal filled the hole anew. And she tracked down the black goblin that was rushing at her again from among the monsters.

‘That goblin, I think I’ve seen him somewhere before…’

Her empty right hand moved as nimbly as a snake.

Comparing Kirson’s speed to hers, it was natural that he would be caught and slammed to the ground.

But just before her hand reached him, Kirson showed a strange movement.

Quirie’s eyes widened.

It was a familiar movement.

Quirie realized the identity of the black goblin and used her skill without hesitation.

Skill: Giant’s Hand.

Just as Kirson was about to escape, Quirie’s right hand, which had suddenly swollen up, snatched Kirson.

The moment the giant right arm brushed past, the bodies of the monsters that had gathered nearby were cleanly carved into pieces and scattered.

The fragments of bodies that had lost their masters floundered before collapsing.

“Dare the earth-crawling insects defy the starlight!”

Quirie shouted, her neck restored.

Quirie wrapped the spiderwebs around her right arm and pulled them all in at once.

Hahyeon’s body, which had not been able to cut the spiderwebs in time due to the suddenness of the event, was also pulled towards Quirie in an instant.

Quirie grabbed Hahyeon, who had become dull from holding the Upper Moon, as well.

In the blink of an eye.

1/4 of the monsters disappeared without a trace, and two forces, Hahyeon and Kirson, were captured.

It was a miserable result for an opponent who had lost both legs and had no kin [lackeys or subordinates].

Quirie left Hahyeon alone and turned her gaze to Kirson.

“You, haven’t you served the Conquering Star before?”

“…….”

“That’s right. That’s him. I remember Lampel bringing him around, saying he was a talented fellow. I remembered him because he was different from other goblins.”

Kirson grimaced in Quirie’s hand.

No matter how much he kicked and bit, he couldn’t do any damage to Quirie.

Suddenly, Quirie’s head tilted with a puzzled expression.

“Lampel trusted you enough to entrust you with the slave soldiers, but you abandoned your rank and ran away with the slaves, didn’t you? And then you left most of those slaves to die in the wasteland. I thought you had been eaten or something, but I never thought I’d run into you here.”

Quirie’s smile bloomed roughly.

“It doesn’t matter. Your real master has come. Serve what you should serve.”

As an Apostle, Quirie exercised her authority to demand obedience from a masterless monster.

It was an authority that no race affected by the stars could refuse.

But as time passed, she didn’t feel Kirson coming under her influence.

Kirson gave a strained smile.

“I’m sorry, but I’m already a sold-out product.”

Kirson was already affiliated with someone else.

“You’ve become another guy’s kin? Kang Hyun-woo? You’ve been clinging to all sorts of stars and finally ended up here? You dragged your own kind, your brethren, out into the wasteland to die, and this is the final destination you’ve arrived at?”

Quirie tightened her grip.

“Is that Kang Hyun-woo more trustworthy than the Conquering Star? Enough to give up the ten thousand slave soldiers you could have commanded and having a great star behind you?”

A sneer appeared on Quirie’s face.

“Then serve me by dying.”

Quirie clenched both hands at the same time.

***

‘I can win.’

Even as he watched Kawaro recover in an instant, Hyun-woo remained calm and made his judgment.

Kawaro seemed to have fully recovered his strength, but it was just for show.

The venomous blood, maximized in its effect, still filled the surroundings, and the number of accessories had decreased considerably.

He looked rather plain compared to when they first met.

He also had no kin.

In comparison, Kang Hyun-woo still had more than 20 Cursed Ones.

If the stage was here, the 3rd Reservoir, it was still worth fighting.

…That’s what he thought 5 minutes ago.

In those 5 minutes, the number of Cursed Ones had been reduced to 10.

“Kuh, ah, damn it!”

“Keep your head straight!”

The Cursed Ones circled around Kawaro, trying to restrain his body with spiderwebs. It was an attempt to at least stop him from moving his fingers.

Kawaro’s ‘Blood Extraction’ was a powerful skill, but first, it had to be within ‘sight’, and secondly, it had to be pinched between his fingers within that sight.

If those two conditions were met, a powerful pressure with no range or speed restrictions would crush the opponent.

Someone with a high enough level might be able to withstand it, but the level difference between Kawaro and the Cursed Ones was over 40.

It wouldn’t be strange to crush them like ants.

One of the Cursed Ones quickly teleported towards Kawaro’s body using the main spiderweb.

But the moment he arrived, he made eye contact with Kawaro.

There was no need to use a skill. Kawaro’s fingers were already lightly flicking his head.

Blood splattered out.

The Cursed Ones screamed.

“Hey, seriously! Do something!”

Hyun-woo wasn’t just standing still either.

Thanks to the ‘Hell’s Strongest’ title, a level correction effect occurred, so the actual difference was only about 30 levels. Even that alone was an overwhelming gap.

A pure stat difference.

That alone was enough for Kawaro to overwhelm them.

In the face of pure stats, strategy, plans, schemes, and traps are useless.

Conversely, if the stat difference could somehow be bridged, it would be worth a try.

‘It’s not an insurmountable wall.’

Kawaro himself was not suited for combat.

He just had good skills, strategies, and items, but he didn’t seem to enjoy fighting very much.

Kawaro glanced at Hyun-woo’s location. It wasn’t difficult to find him since Hyun-woo was holding the Tam.

The moment Kawaro’s fingertips moved, Hyun-woo quickly pulled another Cursed One and hid behind him.

The Cursed One’s body exploded right in front of him.

He didn’t feel sorry or like he had done something terrible.

Because the moment he was covered in blood, he felt a sharp presence right behind him.

Hyun-woo barely managed to roll away. He saw several Cursed Ones, but he couldn’t tell which one was targeting him.

Everyone was a suspect, a potential criminal.

Glares mixed with animosity, jealousy, disgust, impatience, and thirst were directed at him.

Hyun-woo chuckled.

‘It’s like cursing at a mirror, but I didn’t know my face was so disgusting.’

Hyun-woo had to be wary of his own back while dealing with Kawaro. That was why he couldn’t recklessly attack Kawaro.

“If you don’t want to die, use your ultimate skill, you bastard!”

Hyun-woo twisted his lips and ignored him.

Use his ultimate skill?

It was questionable whether he could defeat Kawaro with his ultimate skill, but if he became exhausted afterwards, he would immediately become food for the others.

It was better to die to Kawaro. Then at least he could be resurrected.

He would have to use it eventually, but not now.

The Cursed Ones, reduced to single digits, could no longer rush in easily.

When there were many, there was the hope that someone else might die in their place, but that was no longer the case.

On the other hand, Kawaro didn’t suffer a single proper injury.

This stalemate was much better for Kawaro. It was easier to use Blood Extraction from a distance.

Kawaro flicked his fingers once again and easily killed a Cursed One who had been tired and stepped back.

Overwhelming.

It was clear to anyone that Kawaro was winning.

However, it was Kawaro, not Hyun-woo, who felt impatient here.

***

‘Damn it, that rat-like bastard.’

The condition of having to capture Hyun-woo alive without killing him was more difficult than he thought.

Fortunately, Hyun-woo and the Cursed Ones had noticeable differences, so there was no chance of making a mistake, but he couldn’t disarm Hyun-woo either.

It was Kawaro who was pressed for time.

Kawaro glanced towards the 2nd Reservoir.

Quirie should have crawled in by now, but she still hadn’t arrived.

Moreover, the forces of the Wailing Star were also due to arrive. Even if they were slow, there was no reason for them to be delayed since there was no resistance at all.

And the last thing that made Kawaro anxious was none other than Hyun-woo himself.

‘This guy… something’s wrong.’

When no one rushed in, Kang Hyun-woo stepped forward himself.

As he swung the Tam, the blades shattered into dozens of pieces and struck Kawaro.

Kawaro easily parried and tried to crush Hyun-woo’s ankle.

But at that moment, Hyun-woo moved his body along the spiderweb and pressed Kawaro again.

It was a sophisticated attack combined with surprising speed.

Kawaro allowed a scratch on his palm.

Kawaro quickly healed the wound. It was difficult to allow even small wounds because of the poison everywhere.

‘Again.’

Kawaro stared intently at Hyun-woo. At first, he had to focus solely on moving along the shadow spiderweb. Because he was moving at a speed that surpassed his reflexes.

But now, he was even able to attack continuously while moving.

Leaving aside getting used to it, the question was whether his physical abilities could keep up.

The conclusion was one.

‘He’s grown again.’

Kawaro was sweating cold on his back.

Compared to when the fight first started, Hyun-woo was growing so fast that it was as if he was a completely different person.

Moreover, it wasn’t just Hyun-woo. The Cursed Ones were also growing together.

They were poorly equipped compared to Hyun-woo and didn’t try to overdo it, so they couldn’t accumulate noticeable achievements, but it was clear that each attack they blocked was becoming heavier and heavier.

‘Or am I getting weaker?’

The number of Cursed Ones, including Hyun-woo, was now seven.

Kawaro was impatient because there was no way to understand Kang Hyun-woo’s strange growth rate.

‘Am I wasting my efforts and handing him over to the wrong people?’

As Kawaro guessed, Hyun-woo was getting stronger and stronger.

The amount of experience points that came in when the Cursed Ones were all killed at once was considerable.

The number of Cursed Ones that Hyun-woo had created was close to a hundred. And only seven of them were still alive.

The level increase was significant, but there was also something unexpected.

‘The Cursed Ones are growing together.’

It was clear that they were sharing the experience points with the other Cursed Ones little by little.

Some of them were deliberately hiding their strength, but it was certain. It was an unexpected side effect that arose because it could only be confirmed by a Cursed One.

In other words, from now on, the rate of growth will increase dramatically each time the number of Cursed Ones decreases.

“Why, are you worried that Quirie will come?”

Kawaro suddenly opened his mouth when Hyun-woo remained silent and didn’t move.

“What?”

“It seems your kin are holding Quirie back. It’s amazing that they’re even holding her back, but it was a foolish move. You should have let her come here and let us fight among ourselves.”

Kang Hyun-woo probably believed that he could defeat the Apostles one by one if he faced them.

He had reason to be confident.

The trap Hyun-woo had set was elaborate, and the poison was strong.

But Kawaro had returned alive from even more terrible hells than this.

“Surrender, Kang Hyun-woo. Quirie will torture you terribly. She never lets those who kill her comrades go unpunished. But I’m different.”

Kawaro reached out his hand to Hyun-woo.

“I’ll raise you as my right-hand man. I’ll let you pick whatever you want from my harem and treasure vault. The Starving Star always rewards the great greed of its followers.”

Kawaro tried to persuade him again.

This wasn’t the first time.

Still, he hoped that he would be swayed since he had shown such an overwhelming difference in ability.

But there was no change in Hyun-woo’s expression.

Rather, he just sneered.

“My greed will be hard to handle.”

Hyun-woo wasn’t worried about Quirie. Because he had already received a message from Monstress [a monster serving the Whispering Star].

‘The gift I gave you has already hatched. No, it was already ready to be resurrected from the moment I gave it to you.’

The gift from the Whispering Star, Monstress, had already awakened.

It was just postponing its birth.

Then there was only one thing Hyun-woo had to do: create a situation where it could no longer be postponed.

***