Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 263

263. Infinitely Light (6)

“What was that just now? Was that Master Park?”

Song Yeo-un approached, her expression one of disgust.

Master Park was Hwan Mama’s representative. Given that Song Yeo-un had even tortured the remnants of Hwan Mama’s organization, she couldn’t help but be surprised by Master Park’s sudden appearance.

“Didn’t we say Master Park was dead?”

“You shouldn’t be surprised when someone you thought was dead comes back.”

“No, people usually *are* surprised.”

“There will be many more surprising things to come.”

Hyunmu wondered what kind of reaction they would have if they knew that Seo Ji-hoo and Park Hwi-so were also familiars [beings bound to a master, often with supernatural abilities] and had already been resurrected once.

Park Hwi-so had even died twice at the hands of Hyunmu himself.

‘Come to think of it, it might be good to bring Song Yeo-un in as a familiar, too.’

Song Yeo-un was an unofficial 4-star hunter, and her level was rapidly increasing, as if she had gained momentum in her growth after breaking through her limits.

If he were to bring her in as a familiar, it wouldn’t be surprising if she mastered her ultimate skill within half a year.

“Song Yeo-un.”

“Yes?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Hyunmu was about to suggest she become a familiar but stopped himself.

It wasn’t that she lacked qualifications. Her abilities and loyalty were reliable.

What made Hyunmu shut his mouth was Ha-hyun. Ha-hyun was already serving Hyunmu as a familiar.

He knew that the two were completely separate individuals and had lived completely different lives, but for some reason, he felt reluctant to bring them both in as familiars.

‘It’s not urgent.’

There would be a better opportunity to propose.

Hyunmu put his thoughts aside for now and focused on the matter at hand.

The Starving Stars and the Alliance. It was clear that these two were in a conflicting relationship.

Even if other stars were involved, seeing the Starving Star expose its apostle, it was clear that everyone was secretly predicting what was to come.

‘Then I can’t help but ride this trend, too.’

Hyunmu called Song Yeo-un again.

“Contact Seo Ji-hoo. He was ordered to suppress the Flood [a monster outbreak] that broke out in Gangwon-do, but he refused, right?”

“Yes.”

Seo Ji-hoo’s refusal of the order caused civilian casualties, and the government placed the blame on the leaders of Jeonungnyun [a hunter organization].

Casualties due to dereliction of duty.

It was an incident that triggered the suppression of Jeonungnyun.

“Let’s take a look at that area. And also why he refused.”

The Alliance would eventually come to him, and the Starving Star would be left to Lee Seo-yeon.

Hyunmu turned his gaze to the sky where the plane had disappeared and muttered.

“I owe you two lives. Lee Seo-yeon, you’ll have to pay the price for two lives.”

***

A luxurious hotel in Hong Kong.

Lee Seo-yeon carefully stepped into the suite room of the finest hotel.

The suite room was filled with a decadent and extravagant atmosphere.

Men and women with languid expressions were leisurely lying down, sharing drugs and cigarettes.

Lee Seo-yeon walked, careful not to inhale the smoke, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

Smirks were intertwined in the gazes directed at her.

Lee Seo-yeon’s face was full of tension.

This was her second time visiting this place.

The first time, she became a familiar of the Starving Star and awakened as an ability user, receiving a mission. However, the mission ended with only partial success.

She managed to attract many ability users and assets, but ultimately failed to undermine Korea’s protection capabilities.

She wasn’t the only one walking with tension. There were many people who had returned from missions around the world, either having completed them or having failed.

Ahead of Lee Seo-yeon, a Japanese woman with long hair was walking with a frozen expression.

‘Tsuruya Miharu.’

The youngest daughter of Japan’s Tsuruya Group.

She was far behind in the succession rankings, but that didn’t mean she had little ambition to give up.

However, judging from her complexion, it seemed she had failed in her assigned mission.

‘Japan is… difficult. After all.’

That side has a solid foundation.

Internally, there were rumors that another star was already backing the prime minister’s cabinet.

On the other hand, thanks to Kang Hyunmu stirring things up in Korea, there were many gaps to squeeze into.

Lee Seo-yeon’s partial success was, in a way, thanks to Hyunmu.

As Tsuruya Miharu was walking through the lobby, someone suddenly stuck their leg out in front of her.

A person with a clown-like appearance, whose gender was difficult to discern, was grinning and sticking out their leg.

It was too obvious to be a leg put out to trip her.

However, the intention of the leg blocking the way was clear.

Tsuruya hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes tightly and, pretending not to notice, tripped over the leg.

With a loud crash, she fell, and the room was filled with laughter.

Tsuruya crawled forward with a humiliated face.

Next, Lee Seo-yeon took a step forward. But the leg was still not removed from her path.

The familiar was looking at her with expectant eyes.

This was a kind of confirmation.

A process of confirming whether she was confident in the results of this mission.

Lee Seo-yeon did not hesitate and stepped hard on the clown’s leg.

With a shriek, the clown writhed and ran away as if rolling.

Even louder laughter and curious gazes poured towards Lee Seo-yeon.

Tsuruya, who had been crawling forward, looked at her with gloomy eyes.

“Stop.”

The laughter stopped abruptly the moment a voice flowed out from the office inside the suite room. In the quiet silence, Lee Seo-yeon and Tsuruya waited for their names to be called.

“Lee Seo-yeon, come in.”

Although Tsuruya came first, it was Lee Seo-yeon who was called in.

Tsuruya had no choice but to continue kneeling until Lee Seo-yeon came out.

Lee Seo-yeon glanced at Tsuruya as she entered the office. Thirst and longing rippled in her eyes.

The inside of the office had a completely different atmosphere from the suite room.

The neatly arranged office tools and documents were completely different from the decadent atmosphere outside.

And at the end of the room, sitting with her back to the window, was an African-American woman dressed in a suit.

“It’s been a while, Lee Seo-yeon.”

“Yes, Helen. It’s been three months.”

She, who was called only Helen without a surname, was the senior apostle who controlled the familiars of the Starving Star.

Although the Starving Star had not yet appointed an agent [a high-ranking representative], many believed that she, who effectively controlled and governed the apostles, would become the agent.

Helen poured coffee and handed it to Lee Seo-yeon as she sat down in the chair across from the desk.

“How is your father doing?”

“…Thanks to you.”

It seemed like she was asking about her well-being in a normal way, but in fact, it was Helen who helped her poison her father.

In addition, she had received numerous help.

She thought there would be some intention, but when she realized the truth, she was already entangled beyond the point of no return.

Kailo coming to her three months ago was just an opportunity.

“Then let’s skip the trivial greetings. Judging from the commotion just now, you seem quite confident.”

“Yes.”

Lee Seo-yeon bowed her head lightly.

There was no need to report everything in detail. The report of what she had done had already been submitted.

Helen smiled slightly.

“Diverting assets worth 20 trillion 800 billion, blueprints for the Matan [a type of weapon or technology] production factory and 16,000 Matan bullets, trade networks, information on the equipment possessed by hunters belonging to Jeonungnyun, 782 mid-level hunters, and over 8,000 national secrets. Is this all you’ve accomplished in three months?”

“Yes.”

“But didn’t you miss one of the most important missions? About Kang Hyunmu.”

Kang Hyunmu.

Helen had considerable interest in him.

So far, Kang Hyunmu was only known in the world as a peculiar hunter from a remote country.

Even then, he was sometimes confused with Lee Ji-tae.

Helen was not much different. But what made her interested in Kang Hyunmu was Lee Ji-tae.

Lee Ji-tae was included in the list of people she should pay attention to.

So, she tried to win over Lee Ji-tae through Lee Seo-yeon, and at least not become hostile.

However, Lee Ji-tae suddenly died, and a man named Kang Hyunmu came back alive and well.

From then on, Helen became interested in Kang Hyunmu and began to investigate him.

The results were a series of surprises.

From his first appearance, he showed an unbalanced overpower, an unreasonable growth rate, powerful legendary equipment of unknown origin, and a bizarre moral sense that did not fit the norm.

The world’s evaluation was only known as an eccentric hunter, but the shadowy side hidden behind it was awe-inspiring.

Lee Seo-yeon carefully began her report.

“It was impossible to find out about Kang Hyunmu. He disappeared without telling us his destination or return date, and the people around him seemed to accept his disappearance familiarly. However….”

“However?”

“I heard that he often uses the metaphor of hell.”

“Hell? That’s too common a metaphor. What’s more useful information?”

“There were no more clues about Kang Hyunmu. However….”

“Lee Seo-yeon, Lee Seo-yeon, Lee Seo-yeon….”

Helen interrupted her and made an openly disappointed expression.

She tapped the desk with her long fingernails and said.

“Kailo and Richard went to pick you up and died. But there’s also a report that Kang Hyunmu happened to be at that airport. We couldn’t even find where the bodies went.”

Lee Seo-yeon tried to calm down.

She had imagined this situation more than dozens of times. From taking the plane and departing to the moment of arrival.

“But, what does it mean that you alone came back alive from here?”

“I….”

At that moment, Helen snatched Lee Seo-yeon’s hand.

The moment Lee Seo-yeon flinched, Helen pulled Lee Seo-yeon and made her lie face down on the desk.

Lee Seo-yeon struggled, but Helen pulled hard on the nape of Lee Seo-yeon’s neck.

A series of sentences engraved with fragments of stars were engraved there.

“Besides, you have fragments too. Is this Kailo’s fragment? It seems so because the size is the same.”

“May I answer while sitting down?”

Lee Seo-yeon said to Helen without any sign of intimidation.

Helen curled up the corners of her mouth and released her.

Lee Seo-yeon straightened her posture and continued.

“It is true that Kailo and Richard were killed by Kang Hyunmu. I tried to move quickly at the airport, but the two moved recklessly, saying they would catch Kang Hyunmu. But it was too much for them to deal with Kang Hyunmu at their level.”

“Was Kang Hyunmu that strong?”

“Yes. He was overwhelmingly strong to the point where they couldn’t compete.”

“Interesting.”

Helen muttered, her eyes sparkling.

Her eyes were filled with a desire for possession rather than fear or terror.

Where there is power, there is authority.

Where there is authority, there is wealth, and where there is wealth, there is power.

People who understand this cycle see even danger as an investment.

“But how were you able to come back alive alone?”

“I made a deal with Kang Hyunmu.”

“A deal?”

The corners of her mouth turned up.

“Tell me in detail.”

“…Kang Hyunmu told me to rise to the highest position under the Starving Star. And then, he said he would devour me.”

“Haha.”

Helen burst into a joyful laugh.

“A deal with a guy who killed his comrades, with success as collateral? I don’t know what Kang Hyunmu saw in you and invested in….”

Helen narrowed her eyes and stared at Lee Seo-yeon.

Lee Seo-yeon was momentarily breathless at the gaze that seemed to penetrate her, but she forcibly suppressed her chest and looked back at Helen.

After a while, Helen’s eyes widened.

“…I’m a little looking forward to Kang Hyunmu’s insight. Above all, I like your greed. Because big deals are born in big risks.”

Lee Seo-yeon was relieved.

Her strategy worked. If Kang Hyunmu was trying to use her, she could use Kang Hyunmu too.

If she tells them that Kang Hyunmu expects something from her, Helen will naturally think that she has that much value.

And under the starlight of the Starving Star, greed is a virtue.

Helen clasped her hands together and said.

“But that information is a little insufficient to be complacent about your success, isn’t it? Is there anything more?”

It meant, ‘Isn’t it not enough to show off by stepping on the clown’s leg in the lobby just now?’

Lee Seo-yeon thought that now was the time to take out her trump card.

This information was Kang Hyunmu, or information that could be more important than Kang Hyunmu.

“Helen, do you know about the existence of ‘Teacher’ in the organization called the Alliance?”

***

Lee Seo-yeon closed the door and came out.

Tsuruya was looking up at her with a tired expression.

Lee Seo-yeon and Helen’s interview was quite long. This meant that the value of the information she provided was considered important.

After Tsuruya was called into the room, Lee Seo-yeon thought about the rewards she had received.

The power Lee Seo-yeon received as a reward was enormous. She spread out her hand and checked the power surging in her hand.

The powerful force was raging inside her to the point where she couldn’t remember when she was an ordinary person.

Lee Seo-yeon was even promised a ‘trial’.

Soon, a big change will come to the whole world.

The promise was that if she passed the trial and made a contribution at that time, she would be given the position of an apostle.

‘If I, who is still just a familiar, have this much power, then what about the apostles?’

Lee Seo-yeon felt like she had opened her eyes to a new world.

She used to think that hunters who were obsessed with leveling up or equipment were ridiculous and childish.

But her own strength awakened a new sense in her and instilled confidence.

And at the same time, it instilled a thirst and hunger for new things.

Apostles are not enough.

She wanted to be an agent, no, she wanted to hold the stars.

‘But….’

Nevertheless, she thought of someone gloomily.

Kang Hyunmu.

A person who can make even burning thirst and hunger shrink.

‘These things are no match for Kang Hyunmu.’

Lee Seo-yeon judged that even Helen would be doubtful whether she could face Kang Hyunmu while looking at Helen.

To climb higher, you have to have more.

You have to grab more.

Compared to Kang Hyunmu, everything in front of her now seemed infinitely light.

‘In the end….’

Lee Seo-yeon clicked her tongue and thought.

‘I’ll have to stick with Kang Hyunmu at the right time as planned.’