Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 12

12. A Friend to Beginners (1)

When Hyeon-woo first acquired this skill, he couldn’t understand its implications for a while. It felt fundamentally different from any other skill he knew.

After much consideration, he arrived at a fitting analogy.

Helper.

There was a game that once dominated the gaming scene. In it, players chose heroes to defend or attack along three lanes, aiming to destroy the enemy’s main base to win.

But, as always happens, there were times when your mind raced ahead, but your fingers couldn’t keep up.

In those situations, a ‘helper’ program would ‘assist’ players.

Of course, it was eventually banned.

To give a more extreme example, it was like an aimbot [a program that automatically aims for the user in shooting games].

It was a program so overpowered that it had to be banned. Yet, in Difficulty: Hell, they brazenly made it part of the system. Still, it probably wouldn’t be as broken as it was in the game.

Ultimately, it’s meaningless if your stats don’t support it.

That’s why Hyeon-woo was diligently training his physical strength: to ensure he could reliably use and control his power.

Hyeon-woo placed a sandbag in front of him, one he had bought in the real world and brought over.

It was incredibly expensive because it was made specifically for ability users, but money wasn’t much of an issue for Hyeon-woo.

Hyeon-woo quietly stared at the sandbag and activated Battle Helper in his mind.

As his mana began to drain, Hyeon-woo’s eyes flashed.

Hook. The moment Hyeon-woo decided where to strike, his fist slammed into the sandbag before he even consciously registered the movement.

The sandbag swayed violently.

Bang, bang, bang! The sound of repeated blows echoed. If a martial arts expert had witnessed it, they might have chuckled at Hyeon-woo’s clumsy stance.

But Hyeon-woo’s fists weren’t just flailing around.

The fist precisely targeted a single point on the sandbag, relentlessly striking that spot. It even compensated for the swaying and shaking. He felt every muscle fiber being precisely controlled.

Bang, crack, snap! At some point, lost in the rhythm of his movements and mindlessly throwing punches, the area he was relentlessly striking began to tear.

Then, before Hyeon-woo could even react, his body delivered a sharp, final blow.

Crack!

With the sound of something shattering, the very center of the sandbag was ripped apart. Heavy sand poured out from the opening.

Only then did Hyeon-woo barely manage to deactivate Battle Helper. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest. Hyeon-woo gasped for breath, staring at the ruined sandbag.

It’s not uncommon for sandbags made for ability users to be smashed. But he had never heard of one being pierced so cleanly like this.

“Good heavens.”

When Hyeon-woo first activated Battle Helper, it wasn’t this powerful. Back then, it merely helped him hit the targeted spot.

But this difference was more than just the result of physical training.

‘No, maybe it is.’

Hyeon-woo reviewed the Battle Helper description again.

[Battle Helper (Legendary): Records/controls the ability user’s movements to correct accuracy, and predicts the enemy’s movements to aid judgment.]

It stated that it records/controls the ability user’s movements. That meant it had been recording all the movements of his muscles, breathing, stamina distribution, etc., during all his physical training.

In other words, it was the perfect skill for Hyeon-woo, who lacked any real combat experience.

‘The name Legendary isn’t just for show… No.’

Until now, he had harbored a subtle doubt, but now Hyeon-woo could admit it.

‘This isn’t a Legendary skill; it’s a cheat skill, isn’t it?’

The only downside was its high mana consumption.

Even in that short burst, it had used a third of his mana.

Since mana recovers quickly in Hell anyway, it would soon be replenished, but it seemed impossible to use it for extended periods. Besides, mana doesn’t recover in the real world unless you’re in a dungeon.

But considering that it was a skill that would help Hyeon-woo achieve peak offense and defense in any situation, regardless of his level, it was a worthwhile trade-off.

‘What if I used weapons with it, or even combined it with other skills?’

Even without testing it, it was clear that its effectiveness would be immense.

Hyeon-woo staggered to his feet. He had used anaerobic exercise, running, and Battle Helper in quick succession, so he felt like every muscle in his body was being wrung out like a rag.

But the corners of Hyeon-woo’s lips turned upward. The closer he came to death, or the more he died, the stronger he became.

Compared to the tedious stagnation he had been enduring, this was something he could handle.

Hyeon-woo took a stance again, facing the sandbag.

As Battle Helper activated again, it began to manipulate Hyeon-woo’s muscles. While his muscles were tearing and fragmenting, his body simultaneously absorbed mana and initiated the recovery process.

In that way, his muscles and skeleton were forcibly moved to the optimal position by Battle Helper. It began to change as if sculpting a precise sculpture.

Of course, Hyeon-woo didn’t realize it.

He didn’t realize that his body was being transformed into a form optimized for peak efficiency.

***

[Quest Generated!]

[The ‘Friend to Beginners’ quest has begun.]

[Defeat Beginner Scarecrows (0/5).]

Just as he was about to return to the real world after resupplying, Hyeon-woo was suddenly summoned to Hell before he could even grab the return stone. Fortunately, he had finished preparing, or he would have been in a difficult situation.

‘So, you’re forcibly summoned when the quest start time arrives.’

Ultimately, it meant he would have to be periodically held here. Hyeon-woo realized that if he didn’t check the remaining quest time regularly, something significant could happen.

‘Anyway, Beginner Scarecrows, huh.’

He hadn’t encountered anything like that yet. Besides, Beginner Scarecrows? It’s not like this is a game; there’s no way they would have prepared something like that specifically. But he couldn’t dismiss the quest as a joke.

‘Should I look for them?’

Hyeon-woo had noticed that his level-up speed had recently slowed down considerably.

Currently level 7.

The ‘I am Legend’ perk, which increases experience gain, was working as intended. Nevertheless, the reason why leveling up had slowed down was simple: there were no opponents around here that matched Hyeon-woo’s level.

And his level rose particularly noticeably when facing unfamiliar enemies that Hyeon-woo had never encountered before.

‘It’s about time to explore the surroundings.’

Hyeon-woo made up his mind.

“First, I need to find out where the scarecrows are…”

As soon as Hyeon-woo muttered the words, a beam of light appeared in his peripheral vision, like a navigator activating.

It was guiding him, urging him to follow. Hyeon-woo was dumbfounded by the unexpected assistance but decided to follow it for now.

Considering the name Beginner Scarecrow, they didn’t seem very threatening. Even if he didn’t complete the quest immediately, it wouldn’t hurt to know their location.

The place he arrived at was an alleyway slightly off the main intersection. It was a dark alley that he usually avoided because it felt unsettling. The beam of light led to an abandoned building with a sign lying on the ground.

And toward the basement.

The dark basement stairs felt ominous, but he cautiously moved forward. A damp, fishy smell wafted up.

“Gasp!”

The moment Hyeon-woo turned the corner, his heart seemed to stop.

In the middle of the room, bizarre silhouettes stood motionless. But the silhouettes didn’t move even when they sensed someone.

Hyeon-woo carefully surveyed the surroundings.

It was quite a large space.

The light from outside filtered in through a hole in the ceiling, so it wasn’t completely dark. Looking at the scattered objects, he guessed it might have been a gymnasium or a martial arts academy.

Hyeon-woo also took a closer look at the bizarre human figures.

“This is… a Beginner Scarecrow?”

They were mannequins with peeling paint and exposed frames. They looked like they had taken commercially available mannequins as they were, with subtle smiles and broken parts, giving off a creepy impression. Frankly, they could easily star in a horror movie.

There were five such scarecrows in the gym. Hyeon-woo cautiously adopted a fighting stance.

As soon as he took a stance, the scarecrow’s status window popped up.

[Beginner Scarecrow (LV ??)]

“This must be it… Why isn’t the level showing?”

Besides, he’s supposed to fight mannequins? Hyeon-woo couldn’t grasp the quest’s true purpose.

‘Don’t tell me they’re going to suddenly rush at me like ghosts after I hit them once.’

Cold sweat trickled down Hyeon-woo’s spine. Frankly, regardless of how strong the scarecrows were, if mannequins with that kind of appearance rushed at him, he would be terrified.

“Well, just in case.”

Hyeon-woo gathered the abandoned furniture around him and created a barricade. This would buy him time even if the scarecrows attacked.

Hyeon-woo carefully threw a Hell Dart at the nearest scarecrow.

Whoosh! With a tearing sound, the Hell Dart collided with the scarecrow’s neck. The scarecrow rattled upon impact but didn’t fall over.

That was it.

The scarecrows didn’t move at all and didn’t react in any way.

‘Are they really scarecrows?’

Hyeon-woo hoped that this quest might be easy.

Whoever creates these quests, there’s no guarantee that they’ll balance them properly.

Hyeon-woo relaxed and threw a punch at the nearest scarecrow.

Bang. The scarecrow’s neck wobbled.

Hyeon-woo jumped back two steps in an instant. It was a reflexive action.

‘What?’

The moment his fist touched the scarecrow, Hyeon-woo felt a familiar sensation.

Sandbag.

Ability user sandbags are specially treated to prevent them from being easily torn by the power of ability users. The expensive price of ability user sandbags is entirely due to this special treatment. Hyeon-woo felt that resistance from the scarecrow.

But incomparably stronger.

The scarecrows’ necks began to turn with a creaking sound.

Their eyes glowed red.

With a subtle mechanical whir like winding a spring, the scarecrows took a step toward Hyeon-woo.

A bizarre voice flowed from within the scarecrow’s unmoving mannequin head.

“Combat opponent recognition complete. Sparring level 1 starting.”

The five scarecrows rushed toward Hyeon-woo all at once. Swoosh! Hyeon-woo rolled his body in horror at the speed of the fist that passed by his ear. He couldn’t even see it properly.

‘Crazy!’

Not as strong as goblins, but the scarecrows were formidable. Besides, there were so many of them.

[Beginner Scarecrow (LV 7)]

Before he knew it, the scarecrows’ levels had been adjusted to 7, the same level as Hyeon-woo.

‘So, it matches the level of the opponent?’

Hyeon-woo considered how a level 7 ability user is regarded in reality.

Among ability users, they are somewhat lacking, but in the civilian sector, especially in military or security-related jobs, they could be guaranteed the treatment of a new recruit with five years of experience.

‘And these guys are just Beginner Scarecrows.’

Hyeon-woo gritted his teeth. He felt that he couldn’t avoid the fight. With a thud, Hyeon-woo’s body fell backward.

As soon as Hyeon-woo rolled on the floor, the scarecrows quickly approached and kicked at him. The kick, which would have easily broken four or five ribs if he had been hit, narrowly missed.

Hyeon-woo continued to roll, looking for a gap to escape.

“You innovative bastards!”

While dismantling the barricade he had set up in advance, Hyeon-woo barely found a gap to stand up. At the same time, he gritted his teeth and activated ‘Skill: Battle Helper’.

“You’re all dead, you bastards!”