Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 149

The Devil Calls (5)

Johan’s face contorted.

“Are you threatening me now?”

“Threatening? Not at all, Father Johan.”

Hyeon-woo said with a comforting smile.

“It’s merely a recitation of simple facts. Team Leader Yoo Seong-yeon used the return scroll because he judged that Father Johan was not in a condition to continue the battle. And if I continue the battle to the end with these team members, it’s obvious there will be casualties.”

Johan imagined facing three Phone Golems, just like Team Yoo Seong-yeon had encountered earlier.

The result was clear: negative. Even if Hyeon-woo managed to stop one, the other team members wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“And Father Johan, you weren’t planning on leaving anyway, were you?”

Hyeon-woo put the return scroll back into his pocket. He was right.

However, Johan couldn’t understand why Hyeon-woo was pushing the team so hard.

“Why are you going so far?”

“Huh? Why? Then why did you stay behind, Father? Weren’t you trying to clear the dungeon to the end?”

“I…….”

Johan was at a loss for words. He couldn’t say he was trying to commit suicide.

Of course, he hadn’t thought about going all the way to the end either.

Now that the withdrawal symptoms were gone, there was no reason to take extreme measures.

Johan’s answer became evasive. Hyeon-woo didn’t let him dwell on it.

“I told you before, didn’t I, Father Johan? I wish you would join me.”

Hyeon-woo pointed to the approaching Jeonneungryeon [Almighty Union] hunters and said.

“Wouldn’t these hunters need you more than anything else right now?”

“I think they need a return scroll more than me.”

Hyeon-woo burst into laughter.

“If even one of my team members asks to return, I will use it without hesitation. But if they keep saying they want to go on, what should I do? It seems you’ll have no choice but to join us, Father Johan.”

Johan was speechless. *Were* they all crazy? Judging by their condition, they seemed to have narrowly escaped death several times.

They were still in the early stages, but if it was this bad, they wouldn’t be able to hold out, no matter how many potions they had.

Suddenly, Anna’s words to him came to mind. Even though it was years ago, her words still rang in his ears.

‘The reason we want to go with you is…….’

According to Anna, he shouldn’t be with Kang Hyeon-woo. But at the same time, it was also a reason why he couldn’t refuse Hyeon-woo’s words.

Johan bit his lip tightly and muttered, almost sighing.

“Only until we reach the return stone.”

Hyeon-woo clenched his fist tightly.

“Of course.”

Everything was as expected.

‘Johan is someone who can never act carelessly when he has something to be responsible for.’

The reason he didn’t belong to any organization, didn’t form a team, and remained on the fringes was because of that.

Even when he happened to join an expedition, he only insisted on a support role and didn’t actively participate in order to avoid creating unnecessary relationships.

He couldn’t let go of the guilt over the comrades who died in Al Mazar.

It was believed that his attempt to die in the dungeon was also an attempt to be with the souls of those who died without even being able to make a confession.

Lee Ji-tae believed that Johan would one day break free from his guilt and become a person who takes responsibility on his own.

Of course, that might happen someday. But Hyeon-woo chose a faster and simpler method.

To forcibly put shackles on Johan.

If he has something to be responsible for, Johan can’t run away or die.

Johan raised his pale eyes and looked at Hyeon-woo.

He said until they reached the return stone, but it was enough if Johan took responsibility for them even for a short time.

If things didn’t go well, he was planning to deliberately get lost to confuse them. He was confident that he could tie them down so they couldn’t escape.

“Oh, isn’t that Father Johan?”

Just in time, the hunters from Kang Hyeon-woo’s team arrived. They were wondering who the person Hyeon-woo was talking to was, and were surprised to realize it was Johan.

There was no reason for Johan, who should be with his team, to be here. Only Seo Ji-hoo rolled his eyes and looked at Hyeon-woo.

‘According to my calculations, I didn’t think we could make it to the return stone no matter what…… Did he even consider this?’

When Hyeon-woo presented his goal, he thought it was a joke. Or just the usual bluff he used to pull.

That’s because the consumption of potions and equipment was so high that they couldn’t keep up, not to mention the exhaustion.

But with Johan joining, the probability of success increased dramatically. Moreover, the hunters on the team, who were making rapid progress through limit breaking, were full of morale.

Seo Ji-hoo felt a slight chill.

‘He’s not kidding; he’s really thinking of clearing a 5-star dungeon with just us?’

Hyeon-woo clapped his hands to change the atmosphere. Then he started taking things out of his inventory: guns and equipment he had never seen before.

“Well, now that Father Johan has joined our team, we should give him the necessary equipment.”

They were hellish products, forged for Johan.

***

The structure, a sturdy wall-like formation called ‘Rook,’ was erected in the middle of a long, straight corridor. The surroundings were scorched, and nothing could be seen.

It seemed that even the same golems had been attacked, as fragments of white golems were scattered around.

“The Rook fires a straight-line flash at approaching enemies. If you get hit by that, um…… it hurts quite a bit. The range is endless, and it keeps firing until the enemy dies.”

Hyeon-woo said, looking at the Rook from a distance. Seo Ji-hoo looked at the absurd attack method of the enemy in disbelief.

“Then how do we attack it?”

“Several people charge at once, and while some are sacrificed, one has to break it.”

Lee Ji-tae would never do that.

So Lee Ji-tae said that he chose to bypass the Rook every time, unless it was absolutely necessary, because unnecessary victims could occur.

Hyeon-woo turned around. The hunters were all hiding behind Seo Ji-hoo.

Hyeon-woo chuckled and tapped Johan’s shoulder, who was lying on the floor.

“Let’s start.”

Bang! A gunshot rang out instead of an answer. The bullet that flew in an instant hit the Rook with a thud. At that moment, a pure white light burst out from the cracks engraved on the Rook.

Johan didn’t stop and pulled the trigger in succession. The bullets hit the same spot in the precisely formed impact group, and the cracks gradually deepened. Before long, the Rook exploded with an explosive light.

“Another way to attack is to snipe it from a distance where it can’t detect you.”

The hunters stared blankly at Johan and the submachine gun he was holding.

“Can you snipe with such a short gun?”

Hyeon-woo answered instead of Johan, who didn’t understand.

“If the shooter is good, what *can’t* he do?”

It was a kind of humility, but Hyeon-woo looked at the submachine gun Johan was holding with a proud expression.

At the point when he showed Secretary Park Gyu his pistol shooting, Hyeon-woo had already developed the submachine gun.

The reason he didn’t show it to him was because of Hyeon-woo’s rule that the items released on the market and the items he owned had to be at least two levels apart.

The White Magic Bullet and the submachine gun. In fact, it was more than two levels apart.

“Amazing skill, Father.”

“……The gun is accurate.”

“How modest.”

Johan said nothing. Hyeon-woo and the hunters moved to examine the state of the Rook.

No major damage was seen except for the point where the impact group was formed.

If they matched the cracks, it seemed like they could be reassembled.

“If long-range attacks are effective, why didn’t Lee Ji-tae attack like that?”

“Because he doesn’t have a long-range weapon that can do that much effective damage.”

There were bows, crossbows, and even slings, but such weapons could not inflict significant damage on the Rook.

This is because the golems in this dungeon were ‘attribute monsters.’

Of course, it was hard to notice that the attribute was physical.

They didn’t pay much attention to it because it was an attribute that could be defeated even with good stats, but conversely, if they paid more attention to the attribute, they could attack it much more easily.

Moreover, the magic attack power and light attribute contained in the White Magic Bullet that Johan used made it even easier.

‘Let’s see…… It took 12 White Magic Bullets to take down one Rook.’

It seems like about 200 million [Korean currency, roughly $150,000 USD] was spent on one battle. It’s really an inefficient battle.

Of course, the number 200 million is based on the selling price, and the actual price is much lower.

Johan seemed a little concerned about that.

“But is there enough ammo? We can’t keep doing this…….”

“Don’t worry.”

Hyeon-woo grabbed Johan’s hand and started taking White Magic Bullets out of his inventory and dropping them on it.

In an instant, White Magic Bullets filled Johan’s hand and started flowing to the floor.

Johan, who knew that the price of White Magic Bullets was much higher than ordinary magic bullets, had a slightly stunned expression.

“There’s plenty. Our team all has one each.”

The hunters didn’t say anything, but they all had pistols and pistols filled with White Magic Bullets.

Was that all? Hyeon-woo also replaced the team members’ equipment with items with high magic attack power for this expedition, saying that everyone needs spare equipment.

However, no one could inflict as much effective damage as Johan.

“Then let’s continue, Father Johan.”

Hyeon-woo said cheerfully.

“We’ll be pushing straight through the path that Lee Ji-tae had to bypass, so we might arrive earlier than planned. Until then, let’s build some deep friendship.”

Johan didn’t say anything. His fingers, touching the bullets, moved busily.

Moving with Kang Hyeon-woo’s team was easier than he thought. Not physically, but emotionally.

‘What’s changed?’

What’s the difference between Team Yoo Seong-yeon and this team? There’s a slight difference in skill, but that’s it.

But there was a big difference.

It was the presence or absence of Kang Hyeon-woo.

‘I can’t escape.’

No matter what he said, Hyeon-woo would drag him along, and he would have no choice but to do as he was told.

It felt like he was protecting the hunters from Kang Hyeon-woo, not from the dungeon.

‘Anna.’

***

“The reason I go with you is…… because you’re the strongest.”

Johan looked at Anna in disbelief. He was just a support, healing and protecting them. He couldn’t do anything on his own.

But she didn’t seem to think so.

“It’s not about levels, Johan. You don’t know anything, but you’re a strange person. You’re the only person in the world who awakens skills to prevent others from dying even when your own life is in danger.”

“Other healers…….”

“I don’t care about other people, Johan. You’re the only person I know like that. Don’t say anything about my narrow human relationships. My human relationships are only with these unit members.”

Anna pinched Johan’s cheek and said.

“You’re a direct ticket to heaven if we die, an heir who will complete our unfulfilled goals, and a revenger who will repay us if we die unfairly. Why wouldn’t we take out this top-notch insurance?”

Anna smiled brightly.

“Did I say too much honestly?”

Johan didn’t say anything. Anna’s words were wrong. He wasn’t that strong.

But now, Johan had small protectors to protect and a tyrant who arbitrarily wielded him.

Rather, this gave Johan a strange sense of stability.

It would be a different meaning from Anna, but he felt like he knew why Anna wanted to be with him.

***

4 days later.

Lee Ji-tae’s Lapis Lazuli team arrived at the Taebaek Dungeon return stone.

“Oh, you’re here.”