Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 116

116. Taking Over the Omnipotent Alliance (3)

The Omnipotent Alliance Conference Room.

With the sudden summoning of a leadership meeting, executives gathered from all over, looking bewildered. Even executives from the provinces were summoned.

Yet, there were many empty seats, with an attendance rate of less than 40%.

“Where’s CEO Choi?”

“I heard it’s his father’s funeral.”

“Chairman Kim said it was his mother’s funeral, and that one’s his father’s?”

“Team Leader Yoo said his dog died and couldn’t come, but he probably just didn’t want to.”

No one had actually suffered a loss. The sudden leadership meeting scared them away. And it was clear who they feared.

Kang Hyun-woo.

Rumor had it that he was summoned by Commander Oh Dae-sung early today.

Commander Oh Dae-sung had been contemplating resignation for days, practically just waiting for the right date.

Some executives with hunter backgrounds felt a sense of regret.

Commander Oh Dae-sung was truly a remarkable person.

No other hunter had worked so hard for hunters and carried out countless rescue operations in dungeons.

His direct hunter team, the ‘White Shield Team,’ even had professional EMT [Emergency Medical Technician] certifications.

But the problem was that Oh Dae-sung was more suited to being a warrior, not the head of an organization.

“Who will be the representative? Seeing Chief Kang Hyun-woo being summoned…”

“Is there anyone other than Chief Kang Hyun-woo? His skill in nurturing his direct hunter team is well-known, and he invests generously. Plus, there are rumors that the government is strongly backing him.”

“With Chief Kang Hyun-woo, we wouldn’t have to bow down to Taesung or Hwanmam.”

Hunter executives secretly hoped for Kang Hyun-woo to take the position.

Executives who hadn’t been swayed by Kang Sung-gyu or involved in the Wolf Dungeon incident were already supporting Hyun-woo.

They were mostly young hunters who wanted a young and powerful leader.

But they didn’t openly discuss it loudly because of someone sitting on one side of the conference room.

“Vice President Kang Sung-gyu is here for the meeting.”

In terms of succession, Oh Dae-sung should be followed by Kang Sung-gyu.

But with rumors circulating that Kang Sung-gyu was also involved in the Wolf Dungeon incident, it was impossible.

“By the way, Vice President Kang Sung-gyu seems to look older these days.”

Kang Sung-gyu was originally in his mid-50s, similar to Oh Dae-sung.

But in the past few days, he seemed to have aged significantly, with a lot of gray hair and more wrinkles.

It seemed like he might collapse from old age soon.

Thump, thump.

The door opened, and Oh Dae-sung entered the conference room.

Seeing Kang Hyun-woo following behind him, the executives muttered to themselves, “As expected.”

It was clear that Kang Hyun-woo had been appointed as the representative.

“Well, thank you all for being here today.”

Oh Dae-sung gave a simple greeting as always and immediately got to the point.

“I, Oh Dae-sung, am resigning from my position as the representative of the Omnipotent Alliance, effective today.”

Sighs of regret echoed from here and there, but no one was surprised. Everyone expected it, but that didn’t make it any less regrettable.

“And the person here…”

Oh Dae-sung looked around the conference room and then looked at Kang Sung-gyu and said.

“I would like to yield my position to Vice President Kang Sung-gyu.”

At that moment, the conference room was filled with silence. Everyone was speechless with shock, while only Hyun-woo maintained his composure.

Oh Dae-sung still had an expression of disbelief, and Kang Sung-gyu looked like he knew this was coming.

As everyone stiffened, Kang Sung-gyu stood up and whispered in a dying voice.

“I may be lacking… but I will do my best.”

That was it. Even after Kang Sung-gyu sat down, the silence continued.

Then, a clapping sound echoed.

It was Kang Hyun-woo.

As Kang Hyun-woo clapped first, the other executives awkwardly followed suit one by one.

Only then did the others understand what was happening.

Kang Sung-gyu may be in the representative position, but Kang Hyun-woo was the real power behind the throne.

The executives speculated that it was probably due to distribution or integration issues and understood.

Kang Sung-gyu had a bitter expression on his face and kept his mouth shut.

***

“Commander Oh Dae-sung.”

After the meeting, Hyun-woo called out to Oh Dae-sung. Oh Dae-sung scratched his head with an awkward expression.

“I’m not a commander anymore. Chief Kang Hyun-woo.”

Oh Dae-sung clicked his tongue as if the word “chief” didn’t sit well with him.

“I was secretly practicing calling you Commander Kang Hyun-woo, but now that it’s like this, the title of ‘chief’ feels unfamiliar. In fact, your abilities are too good to remain at the chief level.”

“I don’t mind.”

The reason Hyun-woo refused the position of representative of the Omnipotent Alliance was simple.

‘I can’t just embrace this cancerous organization as it is.’

For the time being, he planned to put Kang Sung-gyu forward until the accumulated evils were completely cleared and the time was right.

In fact, most of the accumulated evils were caused by Kang Sung-gyu, so it was right for him to take responsibility and clean them up.

Kang Sung-gyu would clean up all the dirty work, embrace the incompetent dead weight, and collapse.

In the process, he would naturally be criticized and get splattered with mud. Hyun-woo had no intention of taking the blame.

It was enough for him to manipulate from behind.

‘That way, I can move more freely.’

Oh Dae-sung sighed with regret and then opened his mouth.

“Ah, but why did you call me?”

“Come to think of it, we’ve never sparred before, have we? It would be a shame to retire like this.”

“Ah, even if I retire, I plan to continue rescue activities with the White Shield Team. But… you’re right, we’ve never sparred.”

Oh Dae-sung stroked his bald head and tilted his head.

“Well, my specialty is defense and suppressing enemies at the front lines. I’ve heard that Chief Kang Hyun-woo has various talents in attack and… well, various things. So, I don’t think it would be very meaningful to spar.”

Hunters are a profession for fighting monsters, not for fighting other hunters or people.

The moment you turn to people, it becomes a completely different profession. Oh Dae-sung was thorough about that principle.

“Ah, I don’t necessarily want to fight to test our skills.”

Hyun-woo smiled and continued.

“I would appreciate it if you could just show me [your skills] as a junior being taught a lesson.”

***

The place Hyun-woo and Oh Dae-sung arrived at was the Cheonggye Mountain Dungeon.

It was close to evening, so there were no hunters visiting.

The soldiers in charge were surprised by the sudden appearance of top-ranked hunters, but they quietly let them pass when they said they were just taking a walk.

Oh Dae-sung stepped into the Cheonggye Dungeon and made a strange expression.

“Huh, it’s been almost… 30 years since I’ve been in the Cheonggye Dungeon.”

“You said you were an early Awakened, right?”

“That’s right. Back then, there were no clans or anything. I was worried that the country might split apart. It’s already come to this.”

Oh Dae-sung looked around as if he had new feelings.

Hyun-woo slowly began to prepare. He emitted his aura to prevent goblins from approaching, chasing away all the ones nearby.

The moment Hyun-woo emitted his aura, flocks of birds flew up, and the forest shook violently.

Oh Dae-sung looked around in surprise and realized that Hyun-woo had done something.

“Then, Mr. Oh Dae-sung.”

Hyun-woo quietly equipped Oshet’s Six-Fingered Grip. With a clanging sound, chains poured down around Hyun-woo.

It was the Covenant of Restraint, implemented for defense.

He didn’t think he needed to take out Tum since he didn’t plan to attack first. It was just for defense.

“I would appreciate it if you could show me your skills.”

Hyun-woo’s intention was simple.

He regretted not seeing the skills of Endo, a 4-star limit level achiever, properly in the Wolf Dungeon.

Since the ultimate skill had such a strong power, he expected that a 4-star limit level achiever would also be different.

But Oh Dae-sung had a worried expression.

“Are you sure? Of course, I’m not doubting Mr. Kang Hyun-woo’s skills, but…”

“I fought humans in the Wolf Dungeon this time and felt it. From now on, I have to thoroughly train for battles with humans.”

Oh Dae-sung closed his mouth. If he mentioned what happened in the Wolf Dungeon, he would have nothing to say.

Someone who was almost assassinated in the dungeon instead of him was preparing to face humans in the dungeon, so what could he say?

Oh Dae-sung reluctantly took out equipment from the bag he had brought.

“Starting with skills and techniques… I would appreciate it if you could show me your ultimate skill if possible.”

Oh Dae-sung’s expression turned strange at the request to use his ultimate skill.

“Uh, me, to Mr. Kang Hyun-woo?”

“Yes. Ah, is it a rude request?”

“Uh, but ultimate skills aren’t used on people. Even if it’s Mr. Kang Hyun-woo…”

Hyun-woo paused to think. He was curious if he could withstand it, but it would be meaningless if he died.

The ultimate skill that Endo used was definitely enough to inflict fatal wounds. However, if he prepared thoroughly, he thought he could somehow withstand it at least once.

‘There will be individual differences.’

Hyun-woo thought that Oh Dae-sung wouldn’t be worried for no reason. He even said that it wasn’t used on people.

“Hmm, then let’s start slowly with skills. Please attack me as if we’re sparring.”

Oh Dae-sung looked at him with a worried expression, but soon realized that he was being rude.

Who was his opponent? A 5-star Awakened who was higher in rank than him, the hero of the Guillotine Dungeon, Kang Hyun-woo.

Rather, he would be the one learning.

“Then, I will learn from you.”

Oh Dae-sung’s equipment was a huge white rectangular shield.

It was big enough to cover Oh Dae-sung’s large frame, and Oh Dae-sung lifted it easily with one hand. But other than that, he didn’t have any other notable equipment.

‘Is it true that when he gets money, he spends it all on the welfare and equipment of his team members instead of investing in his own equipment?’

He’s a good person as if drawn in a picture. The big drawback is that he’s an overly friendly uncle type.

Oh Dae-sung stared at Hyun-woo for a moment and then rushed forward.

[Human (LV 50)]

[The effect of the ‘Strongest in Hell’ title increases stats compared to level.]

First, a blow that strikes with the shield. It was Oh Dae-sung’s most basic attack method.

If hit by Oh Dae-sung’s heavy shield with his strength, most monsters would be cut in half or knocked away.

Hyun-woo swung the chains to twist the trajectory of the shield and stepped back at the same time.

But Oh Dae-sung quickly pulled the shield back and slammed it down in its original trajectory.

With a bang! The ground caved in. Hyun-woo was stunned even though he had dodged it.

‘He restored the twisted trajectory with brute force?’

His stats themselves were definitely more overwhelming than Hyun-woo’s, but his strength seemed incomparable.

‘He may be on par with Yerdan in terms of stats, although he lacks speed.’

“Next!”

Oh Dae-sung swung his shield again to attack Hyun-woo. But it was a similar method to the first attack.

It might be suitable for monsters that rush in recklessly, but it seemed difficult for opponents who showed erratic movements like humans.

Especially for a type like Hyun-woo, who uses all sorts of underhanded tactics to survive.

‘When is he going to show me his skills?’

The moment Hyun-woo thought that, Oh Dae-sung slammed the shield down as before. Hyun-woo dodged with a slight gap.

Then Oh Dae-sung showed a strange movement. He used the shield he had slammed down as a fulcrum to float his body and then drop-kicked Hyun-woo with his heavy body.

Hyun-woo, who was used to monotonous movements, was momentarily flustered.

“Keuk!”

Oh Dae-sung’s two feet struck Hyun-woo. Hyun-woo barely blocked it by wrapping the chains around Oshet’s Six-Fingered Grip. But it was an impact that made his body float.

The moment Hyun-woo’s body floated, he saw Oh Dae-sung smiling.

In an instant, Oh Dae-sung’s aura intensified as if it would explode. It was the first skill.

‘If it’s one of Oh Dae-sung’s revealed skills…’

The most commonly used skill, Body Enhancement.

Oh Dae-sung, who was already incredibly strong, gained even faster speed by using the Body Enhancement skill.

Oh Dae-sung quickly ran to Hyun-woo and lifted the edge of the shield from below.

Hyun-woo blocked it, but he had no choice but to float his body once again.

‘If I get hit, I have no choice but to float.’

He shouldn’t give him time to prepare for the next attack.

Hyun-woo’s judgment was not late. He quickly spread the chains to restrain himself from Oh Dae-sung so that his body would no longer float.

Oh Dae-sung seemed flustered when his body was caught in the chains, but soon swung Hyun-woo’s body instead. He was able to avoid being thrown away because he quickly cut the chains.

The moment Hyun-woo’s feet touched the ground, Oh Dae-sung took a deep breath and let out a shout.

‘Roar.’

It was a similar skill to the one Chief Seo Tae-kyung used in the Guillotine Dungeon. But the characteristics contained in it were different.

Ironically, Oh Dae-sung’s roar had the characteristic of ‘low-level stun.’ And Hyun-woo was higher in rank than Oh Dae-sung, but lower in level.

‘Ah, damn it. Why didn’t I think of this?’

Hyun-woo felt his consciousness fading. He tried to endure it somehow, but the strength in his legs was already gone, and he was about to fall. He was barely holding on with his mental strength.

He already felt Oh Dae-sung hesitating as if he felt something strange. He shouldn’t show strange behavior for too long.

But he couldn’t last long. Hyun-woo’s consciousness completely cut off.

Just before he collapsed, Hyun-woo’s mouth suddenly opened.

“Oh, Butler? What’s wrong? Are you sick somewhere?”