Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 234

234. Hell’s Star (1)

Hyun-woo didn’t understand the situation for a moment.

Running away?

An Apostle?

And one with a much higher level, still possessing overwhelming power?

Before Hyun-woo could finish his assessment, he was already chasing after Kawaro.

The moment to reap the most rewards in war is when the enemy retreats.

Kawaro’s defenseless back looked appetizing.

Kawaro was horrified when he turned around.

‘He’s chasing me?’

A mere vagrant who hasn’t chosen any star?

And one with a much lower level, now with only two remaining combatants?

Kawaro was in a situation where it was difficult to make proper judgments.

The pressure of potentially failing the Trial of the Starving Star, the unexpected growth and threat of Kang Hyun-woo, and the appearance of another Apostle.

He was already running much faster than Kang Hyun-woo, but his anxiety fueled his impulsiveness.

Skill: Activating Secret Deal. Kawaro disappeared from Hyun-woo’s sight.

Watching Kawaro disappear in an instant, Hyun-woo was speechless.

“Did I… win?”

He fought with the intention of winning, but he didn’t expect such an ambiguous ending.

If Kawaro had set out to kill Hyun-woo from the start, it would have been an unwinnable fight. No matter how quickly he leveled up, it was impossible to close that gap in a short period.

Hyun-woo also found it difficult to be optimistic about the outcome.

He was prepared to fight to the death, but he never imagined that Kawaro would turn tail and run.

In fact, it wasn’t a positive outcome for Hyun-woo.

‘Was the captured one Number 2?’

The leader of the second group who promised to help Hyun-woo.

Kawaro had ultimately failed in the 33% probability.

However, Hyun-woo also failed to kill the Apostle.

The number of Apostles killed so far is three.

If Hahyeon is doing well, it would be four, but with Kawaro running away like this, only the Apostle of the Wailing Star remains.

‘I didn’t want to go as far as the Apostle of the Wailing Star.’

Hyun-woo had exhausted all the traps and cards he had prepared, leaving nothing left.

It was best to settle the score before the Apostle of the Wailing Star arrived, and it would have been the best outcome.

‘But since Kawaro ran away…….’

Anyway, it was over now. Now he had to prepare for the next fight…….

At that moment, Hyun-woo quickly drew Tam.

The moment he swung Tam behind him, the blades collided, and a sharp sound echoed.

One.

‘Ah, right. This bastard was here.’

Excluding the one captured by Kawaro, there was only one Cursed left.

Hyun-woo recognized who it was right away when he saw the black dagger the guy was holding.

Number 8.

The leader of the last group who chose to fight together among the Cursed.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say he was the only one with any potential.

Anyway, he was gripping the dagger with a strangely elated smile.

“I didn’t expect there to be two of us left, even after settling things with Kawaro.”

Hyun-woo was about to ask if it wasn’t three, but he soon realized what he meant.

Number 8 wasn’t counting himself from the start.

He treated everyone else besides himself as if they were destined to die.

“Isn’t this a bad time for us to be fighting each other?”

“When have we ever been picky about when we strike?”

Hyun-woo grinned.

They had been constantly looking for opportunities to kill each other from the beginning.

Without saying much, Hyun-woo quickly widened the distance to where the dagger couldn’t reach.

The dozens of fragments of Tam pierced towards Number 8 like a sniper. Black smoke emanated from the blade as it pierced Number 8.

However, Number 8 hadn’t been idle without any preparations either.

Like magic, a large shield appeared in Number 8’s hand.

A huge, square shield the size of a person, with flames blazing.

The blades of Tam scattered in all directions as they collided with the shield.

“Huh, what is this?”

There was bewilderment in Hyun-woo’s voice.

Number 8 planted the square shield on the ground as if it was too heavy to hold, and hid behind it. The shield slammed into the ground with a heavy thud.

Hyun-woo immediately recognized the level of the item Number 8 had pulled out. It wasn’t as good as Tam, but it was still quite powerful equipment. At least something that Apostles would carry around.

And then Hyun-woo finally realized who was behind the anomalies that had occurred while preparing for the battle with the Apostles.

The sudden massacres of the Cursed and the sudden death of another Apostle when Itwaro was killed.

It was clear that Number 8 had been the one who committed these acts.

“It was you.”

Instead of being afraid, Hyun-woo wore a smile of delight.

It didn’t matter how or in what way he killed the Apostles.

Fear is most frightening when it doesn’t reveal itself.

As soon as he was sure that it was an enemy he could cut down, not an unidentified enemy, Hyun-woo’s heart was filled with joy.

If he killed this guy, his growth would be enormous.

It was then.

“Hyun-woo!”

Hahyeon was running from the Second Reservoir.

The moment Hyun-woo flinched, Number 8 rushed in like a ghost.

***

Bang, crack! What struck Hyun-woo wasn’t a dagger but a huge greatsword.

It was heavy, but Number 8 was already familiar with using this weapon and had learned how to use it with Battle Helper, so he handled it skillfully. It was probably the weapon of one of the Apostles.

Hyun-woo tried to block it with Tam, but Tam, which split into dozens of pieces each time it attacked, wasn’t a suitable weapon for defense.

However, it was also impossible to block such a crude weapon with the Restrainer Yayul.

Judging that the answer was a speed battle, Hyun-woo quickly moved using the Shadow Spider Web.

However, Number 8 also had control over the spider web.

The moment Number 8 cut the spider web and Hyun-woo’s movements were disrupted, the huge greatsword flew towards his waist.

Hyun-woo barely managed to avoid the attack. Blood poured out from the shallowly cut skin.

The moment that blood fell to the ground, Hyun-woo’s expression changed.

‘Huh?’

Without time to pay attention, the greatsword flew towards his head again.

“What on earth is going on…….”

Hahyeon thought that Hyun-woo had been captured when she saw Kawaro running away.

However, when she heard the noise coming from the Third Reservoir and ran over, Hyun-woo was suddenly fighting each other.

‘I have to help Hyun-woo.’

Hahyeon quickly made a decision. She supported Hyun-woo, who had been with her throughout history and had supported her.

Hahyeon couldn’t accept the concept of a divided clone replacing the real one.

If she, who had awakened the power of an Apostle-level while suppressing Curie, helped one of them, the victory or defeat would be decided.

Hahyeon’s gaze turned to the one holding the greatsword. As her hands turned white once again, she began to dominate the surrounding air.

At that moment, Hahyeon’s eyes met the one holding the greatsword.

And her ability was interrupted.

“Huh?”

Hahyeon muttered in a bewildered voice.

Her ability, which could even dominate Apostles, wasn’t moving at all. She wondered if the other party had done something, but that wasn’t the case.

Hahyeon could feel it clearly.

The connection with Sanghyun that had been continuing until just now was suddenly cut off.

“Sister, why?”

However, no answer or meaning returned.

Hahyeon’s gaze turned back to the two of them. The one holding the greatsword looked much more exhausted than the one holding Tam, but she felt a strange desperation and madness.

On the other hand, the one holding Tam was confused.

‘Sanghyun unnie…… does she want Hyun-woo to die?’

Sanghyun wants Hyun-woo to die.

The moment Hahyeon realized that fact, the spider web began to move separately from her will.

It was the moment when Hyun-woo and Number 8 were about to engage in aerial combat using the spider web.

Suddenly, the spider web that Hyun-woo was standing on disappeared, and he lost his balance for a moment.

The blade of the greatsword held by Number 8 flashed.

And at that moment, the same memory flashed through the minds of Hyun-woo and Number 8.

***

Around the time when the Apostles began to invade, and Hyun-woo began to create the Cursed.

Hyun-woo’s biggest threat was, of course, the Apostles.

Those who tried to subjugate Hyun-woo and use him under their command.

Even if there was no threat of death, Hyun-woo, who had no intention of belonging to any of them, was naturally someone he had to fight.

And the second threat was the Cursed.

The Cursed only have memories up to the point of being given the Trial, but they can regain their memories simply by recalling them.

Otherwise, they are almost identical to Hyun-woo in every way.

And the moment they kill Hyun-woo, they will replace the real one.

Hyun-woo speculated that the reason Gaul, the Shattering Star, inflicted this curse was to make him a tomb for the Apostles.

Even if Hyun-woo was suppressed, he could challenge them repeatedly.

However, Hyun-woo had no intention of doing so.

Even if they had the same ego and memories as him and continued the continuity, he had no intention of agreeing to it.

So Hyun-woo began to mass-produce the Cursed in a planned manner.

Hyun-woo explained his plan in great detail to the first group of Cursed.

From the activation phrase to how to attract the Apostles.

And the Cursed who heard the plan chose to kill Hyun-woo and start instead of cooperating with Hyun-woo.

The first group ended in a bloodbath.

Hyun-woo died there.

To be exact, he pretended to be dead.

In the midst of the chaotic battle of killing each other, Hyun-woo abandoned Tam. And he hid himself by wearing a mask.

Someone grabbed the abandoned Tam.

Someone cut the one holding Tam, and someone else stabbed him, and the owner kept changing.

Eventually, one of the Cursed survived to the end and grabbed Tam.

The Cursed who survived had almost no difference from Hyun-woo thanks to the detailed explanation he had received from Hyun-woo.

The Cursed looked confused.

Everyone in that place was dead, so he couldn’t know if he had really become the real one. But it was easy to believe that desire was reality.

The last remaining Cursed began to mass-produce other Cursed according to the plan that the real Hyun-woo was going to do.

Fortunately, that first Cursed was very capable.

He thoroughly created traps and favorable environments according to the plan, overwhelming the Cursed without getting hurt or dying even once.

He probably thought that was the lesson of the first group.

The lesson learned through the foolishly dead ‘real one’.

And through that process, he became firmly convinced that he was the real one.

That’s how the 16th and 8th groups who chose cooperation appeared.

Hyun-woo carefully took off his mask and revealed himself among the bloodied Cursed.

The Cursed who had survived gave Hyun-woo the nickname Number 8.

And Hyun-woo was able to roam the dungeon without being targeted by anyone or worrying about being stabbed in the back by anyone by mixing with the Cursed.

Would all of this have been possible if there hadn’t been such a diligent fake?

The ‘real’ Hyun-woo decided to give him the nickname ‘Number 1’ with respect.

Well, he’s never called him that, and he never will.

***

The moment the memory came to mind, Hyun-woo, or rather Number 1, opened his mouth, stammering.

“No.”

The blade of the greatsword slowly approached.

The moment Number 1’s eyes met the ‘real’ Hyun-woo, who he had believed to be Number 8 until now, Number 1 and Hyun-woo felt as if their egos had merged into one.

Number 1 tried to reach out to Hyun-woo. He tried to grab him and hug him until he crumbled.

No. No. No. No.

I can’t let you go.

I can’t send you away like this!

You are my hope, my dream, all the ideal I’ve been hoping for!

Mine!

My own star!

With a terrible tearing sound, Number 1’s body turned into a shower of blood and scattered in all directions.