Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 175

175. The Man in Black (2)

In an instant, the forest was surrounded by figures cloaked in black.

There were quite a few of them. However, Hyun-woo had anticipated their arrival. He also knew that whoever had summoned these figures was not nearby.

The reason Hyun-woo revealed himself in front of Lee Ji-tae was to ascertain whether he was connected to these figures.

Jeok Nabi tensed, adopting a fighting stance, while Lee Ji-tae frowned slightly.

“There’s no need to be so nervous,” Hyun-woo said, patting Jeok Nabi’s shoulder.

“We just need to identify the real threat.”

“Yes.”

Lee Ji-tae’s expression hardened as he observed Hyun-woo’s lecturing tone and Jeok Nabi’s obedient response.

However, he couldn’t dwell on it for long. The black figures immediately charged.

Jeok Nabi was the first to meet them, striking one of the figures.

But the figure crumbled powerlessly. Jeok Nabi was taken aback, witnessing its collapse like a fragile doll.

“What is this…?”

The next wave charged with the same result. They were absurdly weak, seemingly not even at the level of ordinary people.

Although they were numerous, two of the nation’s top hunters were present.

Even if thousands of chicks charged a human, they couldn’t possibly win.

“Kang Hyun-woo, you’ll have to explain what’s going on after this is over,” Lee Ji-tae said, having watched Jeok Nabi easily dispatch the figures. He then drew the sword he carried on his back.

It was a legendary-grade weapon he had recently acquired. Hyun-woo exclaimed, feigning surprise.

“No, that’s… the Heaven-Breaking Sword of the Nine Heavens Dragon King!”

“Did you really have to shout out the name like that?” Lee Ji-tae replied, genuinely embarrassed.

As Lee Ji-tae grumbled and dragged the sword across the ground, sparks of lightning began to crackle with a light friction.

The moment he swung the Heaven-Breaking Sword, which glowed white with lightning, the electricity spread in all directions, incinerating the black figures.

With a single swing, about 30% of the figures vanished instantly.

Even though the figures were weak, it was an impressive display of power.

‘Even against mediocre hunters, it would have been a similar result,’ Hyun-woo thought.

Just then, Jeok Nabi, who had retreated to avoid the lightning, said in confusion, “What is this? What are they trying to accomplish with these weaklings…?”

Hyun-woo had never seen the black figures in person, but he knew from CCTV footage and Yoo-min that someone had raided the haunted mansion [a location previously mentioned in the story].

And he also realized that the person had no intention of harming Yoo-min or other hunters.

Because these figures could become incredibly dangerous depending on how they were used.

“I’m telling you, we just need to identify the real threat.”

Just then, Lee Ji-tae suddenly pulled Jeok Nabi back by the shoulder.

As Jeok Nabi’s view shifted, Hyun-woo’s gaze was fixed on a figure in the middle of the crowd, pulling something from their back.

Ta-ta-ta-tang!

The burst of gunfire narrowly missed Hyun-woo’s side.

It was a sudden attack, but Hyun-woo had already smashed the face of the figure holding the gun.

Hyun-woo snatched the weapon as it fell. It was a standard rifle, commonly found in abandoned North Korean military bases.

‘Someone is smuggling them out during the Northern Expedition [a reference to expeditions into North Korea]. Why wouldn’t they be?’

It wasn’t a magic bullet. A real bullet is enough to kill a *nyeokja* [ability user].

Hyun-woo began to fire indiscriminately at the black figures.

Although it wasn’t a magic bullet, the weak figures couldn’t withstand the impact and collapsed helplessly.

There were a few more figures with guns hiding in the forest. They also started shooting at Hyun-woo.

Although their shooting skills weren’t great, the area around the shelter quickly turned into a war zone.

Lee Ji-tae grabbed Jeok Nabi, forced her to the ground, and quickly charged into the forest.

Bang, ta-tang! A few bullets whizzed past Lee Ji-tae, but he ignored them, seemingly knowing their trajectory.

With each leap, he smashed the black figures. Hyun-woo felt that the situation would be resolved soon without his intervention.

‘No, he’s still hiding.’

Hyun-woo focused his senses, trying to locate the real threat.

Black figures were still appearing sporadically in the forest, but it was just a distraction.

These figures are so weak they can’t even reach level 1.

There’s definitely someone hiding a trick.

But so far, there was no noticeably strong presence in sight. In the meantime, Lee Ji-tae eliminated the last gunman on the other side.

‘Is this really all there is to it?’

At that moment, a black figure was seen slowly approaching Hyun-woo.

Judging by its broken shoulder, it seemed Jeok Nabi had tried to take it down but missed.

The moment Hyun-woo slapped the figure with the back of his hand, a fierce warning sounded in his head.

The black figure crumbled powerlessly.

However, as it fell apart, Hyun-woo discovered something embedded in its body.

“Damn it.”

It was a detonator, steel balls, and a lump of explosives.

Without hesitation, Hyun-woo grabbed the explosives with his left hand.

Heat and light erupted.

***

The smoke from the explosion subsided a little later.

Jeok Nabi stared at Hyun-woo with wide, surprised eyes. Lee Ji-tae stood protectively in front of Kang Hyun-woo.

Blinding rays of light flickered behind Lee Ji-tae’s back.

‘Is that the ultimate skill, ‘Wings of Radiance’?’

The moment the explosion occurred, Lee Ji-tae had activated the Wings of Radiance and pushed Hyun-woo out of the blast radius.

The ground touched by the Wings of Radiance was charred black, and deep gouges remained. The aftershock alone was enough to devastate the area.

But Lee Ji-tae, who had created such a scene, was in confusion.

“What happened?”

The moment the explosion occurred, Lee Ji-tae had activated the Wings of Radiance to push Hyun-woo out of the explosion radius.

But Hyun-woo was already grabbing the bomb with ‘Guilty Yul’ [Hyun-woo’s unique skill or weapon], and the explosion occurred in Hyun-woo’s hand.

The improvised explosive didn’t scratch Guilty Yul, but it couldn’t be completely blocked.

Thanks to that, Hyun-woo’s body was covered in wounds, but none were fatal.

Explosives small enough to be hidden inside a person’s body aren’t capable of causing massive explosions to begin with.

‘Maybe there are more suicide bombers.’

If the initial explosion created an opening, the remaining attackers would likely rush in to finish them off.

It was a calculated and malicious act, likely planned by someone who knew Hyun-woo’s capabilities well. But that wasn’t the most pressing issue.

“Where did all the black figures suddenly disappear to?” Red Butterfly asked, looking around with a bewildered expression.

Every single one of the black figures had vanished without a trace.

Hyun-woo pieced together the events in his mind.

The moment the bomber approached, Hyun-woo tried to contain the explosion using ‘Guilty Yul’ [Hyun-woo’s unique skill or weapon for absorbing energy].

But simultaneously, Lee Ji-tae pushed Hyun-woo out of the way. The instant Lee Ji-tae positioned himself between the bomb and Hyun-woo, all the black figures disappeared.

The only conclusion Hyun-woo could reach was:

‘They were worried about collateral damage?’

As a result, Lee Ji-tae had wasted his ultimate skill unnecessarily, but Hyun-woo had gained a significant advantage.

He had confirmed the enemy’s identity and witnessed Lee Ji-tae’s ultimate skill firsthand.

Moreover, he felt he was beginning to understand Lee Ji-tae’s ‘premonition’.

Hyun-woo had discovered the explosive inside the black figure’s torso immediately after cutting it open.

It happened too quickly for Lee Ji-tae, who was on the other side of the room, to react and intervene.

‘Can he actually see the future?’

But that future seemed vague and sensory, not a concrete vision.

“Always meddling unnecessarily.”

Lee Ji-tae stared at Hyun-woo, dumbfounded.

“I was trying to save you…”

“That’s why it was unnecessary.”

Lee Ji-tae frowned, but he couldn’t argue. He wasn’t looking for gratitude. Instead of bickering with Hyun-woo, he decided to address the more important issue.

“Explain this. What is all this? Were you expecting these guys?”

“Not specifically these dark figures, but yes, I was expecting *someone*. And you, too. I just didn’t know what form these dark figures would take.”

“Are you going to keep talking like that?”

“If you don’t like it, feel free to speak informally.”

Lee Ji-tae’s frown deepened.

Had Hyun-woo always been this way, or was he simply dissatisfied? But Hyun-woo’s feelings were straightforward.

He no longer felt the need to respect Lee Ji-tae’s authority. Lee Ji-tae hesitated, then decided to maintain his polite speech.

Lee Ji-tae generally spoke politely to most people. It would be strange to suddenly switch to informal speech only with Hyun-woo.

“These black figures…”

Lee Ji-tae finally spoke.

“Are Park Do-ryung’s clones.”

A smile touched Hyun-woo’s lips.

He suspected Lee Ji-tae knew, but he hadn’t expected an answer so readily.

If it were a skill that could potentially harm others, Park Do-ryung would hide it carefully.

Even if he confided in someone, it would only be a trusted member of his own clan, and even then, only a high-ranking one.

But Lee Ji-tae had once been a top executive in Lunatic Tiger, just like Park Do-ryung.

It was natural for him to be aware of it.

“Why do you think Park Do-ryung’s clone came here?”

At Hyun-woo’s question, Lee Ji-tae gave him a look that seemed to say, ‘Why are *you* asking the questions?’

However, Lee Ji-tae couldn’t help but respond. People tend to share information when they possess knowledge others lack.

Lee Ji-tae sighed and looked at Hyun-woo.

“I heard that Park Do-ryung’s clone visited the haunted mansion. I don’t know Park Do-ryung’s exact motive, but I thought it was something I could handle. I assumed it was just reconnaissance, but this…”

“Is a full-blown attack.”

Lee Ji-tae nodded.

If Park Do-ryung’s only goal was assassination, he could have simply stormed the haunted mansion with bomb-laden clones from the beginning.

Instead, he only checked to see if Hyun-woo was inside.

Lee Ji-tae paused, then slowly continued, “Park Do-ryung was trying to kill *me*.”

Lee Ji-tae’s conclusion was based on his own reasoning.

“This place is where Tae-sung and Howan Mama’s territories overlap. I was surprised to hear you were here, but it’s an unusual situation. The fact that I visited Red Butterfly is already known. Park Do-ryung must have heard about it and saw an opportunity.”

Lee Ji-tae then spoke to Hyun-woo in a rougher tone.

“Is that the plan? To lure me in using Red Butterfly as bait, and then lure Park Do-ryung in using me as bait?”

“Why would you think I’d do that?”

Lee Ji-tae fell silent.

His eyes flickered with confusion before he seemed to reach a conclusion, his expression one of shock.

“…To protect me?”

What a cute, self-absorbed guy.

Hyun-woo struggled to suppress his laughter.

Hyun-woo had suspected Park Do-ryung from the start.

Because Park Do-ryung acted as if he knew the future and was preparing for it.

Hyun-woo had come to this dungeon because of Park Do-ryung.

If Park Do-ryung knew the future and was preparing for it, Hyun-woo figured he would be interested in his movements.