Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 177

177. The Man in Black (4)

Though it was a long distance, the burning siege tank illuminated the valley. The figure of Do-ryeong Park in black clothes was clearly visible. He was wearing uniquely black, flowing garments.

Hyeon-woo initially thought it was a coat, but soon realized it was a *hanbok* [traditional Korean clothing].

“Is that… a *durumagi* [a type of overcoat worn over a hanbok]?”

Park Do-ryeong was wearing a *durumagi* that seemed straight out of a historical drama. He was either an ardent patriot with a deep love for traditional culture or a complete eccentric. Lee Ji-tae frowned, glaring at Park Do-ryeong.

The siege tank spewed fire once more. Park Do-ryeong agilely dodged the bombardment and simultaneously flung something from his hand.

The moment it flashed, the skeletal soldiers who were firing arrows at Park Do-ryeong from the fortress were shattered and collapsed.

‘Hell Dart?’

No. Hyeon-woo shook his head.

He considered the Hell Dart, the most similar weapon he knew, but seeing the flashing light, it was clear Park Do-ryeong was throwing something metallic.

A dagger would be understandable, even if he was throwing them in rapid succession without even drawing them.

At that moment, Park Do-ryeong also spotted Hyeon-woo and Lee Ji-tae. Park Do-ryeong’s expression was hidden, but it was clear he wasn’t particularly worried or pleased.

Without hesitation, Park Do-ryeong began to approach them, leaping across the valley terrain.

“He’s drawing them this way.”

Hyeon-woo muttered. Lee Ji-tae clicked his tongue and lowered his Pacheon Sword.

Park Do-ryeong landed lightly in front of Hyeon-woo and Lee Ji-tae. It wasn’t just the *durumagi* that was unique about Park Do-ryeong. He wore a stark white mask on his face, a striking contrast to the black *durumagi*.

“How about helping instead of just watching?”

An old man’s voice emerged from beneath the mask. Lee Ji-tae was speechless at the brazen remark.

Hyeon-woo wasn’t known for being gentle or considerate enough to argue.

Instead, he concealed a Hell Dart, thickly coated with poison, in his hand.

Just then, a blade flashed in Park Do-ryeong’s hand. It was a large, glass-like shard of a dagger made of solid metal.

It was a strange-looking dagger, but Park Do-ryeong wielded it skillfully and threw it.

As the hem of his *dopo* [another type of traditional Korean overcoat] fluttered, an explosion erupted in the air. It accurately intercepted the bombardment hurtling toward them, bathing the surroundings in heat and light.

“I know you have a lot to say, but this doesn’t seem like a good time to talk,” Park Do-ryeong said, looking at Hyeon-woo. As he spoke, the siege tank rapidly approached from the opposite side of the valley.

Lee Ji-tae had no choice but to agree. If they ignored the approaching siege tank and fought each other, they would only destroy themselves.

“Let’s put aside our grudges for now and focus on the enemy in front of us. There must be a clear explanation, Park Do-ryeong.”

“Didn’t you create the grudges in the first place?”

Park Do-ryeong retorted mockingly. But when Lee Ji-tae’s expression turned fierce, he stepped back without another word.

Lee Ji-tae also glanced back at Hyeon-woo. Hyeon-woo considered the situation for a moment and nodded.

The top-tier Hunters in the country were gathered in this place, but their relationships were a tangled mess of deceit, hatred, and animosity.

Nevertheless, they had no choice but to join forces right now.

Lee Ji-tae nodded.

“Alright. Then Ms. Jeok Nabi, please take charge of the rear. Watch out for other monsters entering the valley. Absolutely do not overdo it.”

“Yes!”

It was practically a command to retreat. There was no place for Jeok Nabi to intervene.

Knowing her limitations, Jeok Nabi obediently accepted Lee Ji-tae’s order.

“And Kang Hyeon-woo…”

Hyeon-woo had already leaped toward the siege tank before Lee Ji-tae could even finish his sentence.

Lee Ji-tae sighed and looked at Park Do-ryeong. He couldn’t see his expression because of the mask, but he could feel the unpleasant gaze directed at him.

“You do whatever you want. He’s someone you don’t have to worry about.”

“Are you close to Kang Hyeon-woo?”

Park Do-ryeong asked out of the blue. Lee Ji-tae glared at him with an unpleasant expression, but before Lee Ji-tae could answer, Park Do-ryeong continued.

“Be careful of him. He’s not the kind of guy you think he is.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Well, what would a precious young master know? You’re just doing what your sister tells you to do, right?”

The moment his sister was mentioned, Lee Ji-tae was about to explode in anger. But Park Do-ryeong left Lee Ji-tae behind and leaped up again.

Watching Park Do-ryeong step onto the cliff and leap, Lee Ji-tae suppressed his anger. He would definitely question him after this raid was over.

There were many things to resolve between him and Park Do-ryeong.

***

The siege tank was attacked with Hyeon-woo taking the right side of the valley, Park Do-ryeong taking the left, and Lee Ji-tae taking the center.

Hyeon-woo didn’t immediately attack the siege tank, but first spread spiderwebs throughout the valley. It was to create a platform for him to move on, and at the same time, to create chains that could hinder the siege tank’s movement.

‘Park Do-ryeong…’

Across the valley, Park Do-ryeong’s black silhouette, visible as tiny as a sesame seed, was moving quickly beyond the siege tank.

Hyeon-woo hadn’t even taken out his glasses yet, but he could grasp Park Do-ryeong’s level.

[Human (LV 60)]

It became clear that Park Do-ryeong was a 5-star, not a 4-star as the world believed. And he also knew that he was one of the hidden 5-star ability users of the Alliance. If he was level 60, he was even higher level than Lee Ji-tae.

‘Even though he’s so strong, why did the Alliance choose Lee Ji-tae as the Great Warrior instead of Park Do-ryeong?’

Well, if they had picked only strong and powerful people as allies, neither Ryu Sua nor Jeok Nabi could have been allies. There must be something else they consider.

‘It doesn’t matter anymore, though.’

Park Do-ryeong tried to kill him. That was no different than Park Do-ryeong signing his own death warrant. That’s how Hyeon-woo saw it.

Torture him until he gets information, and kill him if he doesn’t. That was all.

Every time something flashed in Park Do-ryeong’s hand, the skeletal soldiers on the siege tank crumbled and fell to the floor. Even the wraith knights twitched and fell with countless daggers stuck in them.

‘Where are all those daggers coming from?’

It must be an item or a skill. The destructive power, range, and speed are all better than Magic Bullet.

Since they appeared in his hand without even drawing a dagger, it was possible to fire them in rapid succession at an incredible speed.

‘It’s specialized for one-on-one combat.’

It wouldn’t be able to inflict much damage against a siege tank, but it was helpful enough just to eliminate the constantly gathering undead monsters.

The more undead gathered on the siege tank because of Flood, the more difficult the situation would become.

In the center, Lee Ji-tae was diligently attacking the siege tank’s warhorses and wheels.

If he activated his ultimate skill, he could inflict effective damage on the siege tank, but there was still time left before he could unleash it.

‘Then before that…’

Before Lee Ji-tae could intervene, Hyeon-woo had to do what he had to do.

Hyeon-woo didn’t comply with Lee Ji-tae’s words. He only pretended to listen in order to kill Park Do-ryeong without Lee Ji-tae’s interference.

The siege tank problem could be solved somehow. What was important to Hyeon-woo right now was stabbing Park Do-ryeong in the back.

While Park Do-ryeong and Lee Ji-tae were busy attacking the siege tank, Hyeon-woo stepped on the spiderwebs and bounced, detouring to the back of the siege tank.

Gradually, an angle to attack Park Do-ryeong began to appear. At that time, Park Do-ryeong suddenly turned to the front of the siege tank. Naturally, the siege tank came between Hyeon-woo and Park Do-ryeong.

The moment he thought, ‘Look at this,’ something flashed in Park Do-ryeong’s arms.

The moment he felt a chill, Hyeon-woo barely bounced his body using the recoil of the spiderweb. A dagger brushed past his hair with a sharp tearing sound.

Blood spurted from the cheek that the dagger had grazed. If he hadn’t activated Battle Helper, his head might have been pierced.

“This son of a bitch.”

Hyeon-woo forgot that he was the one who was trying to stab him in the back first and muttered curses. Park Do-ryeong lightly nodded towards Hyeon-woo as if he had made a mistake.

Does that mean it’s okay if he didn’t get hit? He must be telling him not to think nonsense. But it was more than enough to be full of murderous intent rather than a warning. Hyeon-woo smiled fiercely.

“You’re an interesting bastard. I’m sure your screams will be interesting too.”

At that time, the siege tank belatedly discovered Hyeon-woo riding the spiderweb and began to bombard him.

As arrows and cannonballs flew, Hyeon-woo lightly dodged and leaped towards the gunports on the upper half of the siege tank. The skeletal soldiers thrust out their spears, but Hyeon-woo grabbed them and pulled them out of the gunports. The bodies that couldn’t escape were crushed inside, and only the spine was pulled out.

‘If this goes on, it’s only a matter of time before it’s captured.’

He had to neutralize Park Do-ryeong before that. Hyeon-woo decided to make the siege tank more dangerous.

Hyeon-woo raised his Tum and forcefully stabbed it into the gunport. A fierce flame began to heat up the siege tank.

Explosions burst out one after another from all over the siege tank along with the heat. As the siege tank went berserk and spewed flames in all directions, Lee Ji-tae and Park Do-ryeong’s movements began to falter.

Hyeon-woo watched Park Do-ryeong. As expected, he was worried about Lee Ji-tae. If Lee Ji-tae was in danger, he would definitely reveal his weakness.

At that time, Hyeon-woo felt a sudden sense of discomfort.

A sharp murderous intent tore at his heart. Hyeon-woo immediately recognized the danger, but he made a mistake. He misidentified the direction of the danger. It was because of a coincidence piled on top of a coincidence.

He was sure that the enemy was definitely Park Do-ryeong, or inside the tank.

The direction of the attack was a direction he had never predicted, the opposite direction where neither Lee Ji-tae nor Park Do-ryeong was.

By the time he belatedly realized that fact, it was already the moment when his right lung was pierced with a miserable tearing sound.

What pierced his lung was none other than a shard of glass-shaped dagger.

It was Park Do-ryeong’s weapon.

“Damn it.”

Hyeon-woo smiled helplessly and slumped down.

It was a surprisingly elaborate trap. He barely managed to avoid being hit in the heart, but it was a fatal wound. Nevertheless, a smile appeared on Hyeon-woo’s lips.

“I finally found it. Ha-hyeon, 2 o’clock north. Go and kill him.”

Hyeon-woo sent his will to Ha-hyeon and then took a long, deep breath. His hands were slippery with sweat.

Soon, he lost his balance and fell to the floor.

[Your health has dropped below 10%. Regeneration begins with the ‘Last Man Standing’ title perk.]

***

As the siege tank suddenly began to run wild, Lee Ji-tae, unable to withstand the heat, distanced himself. Fierce flames were heating up the valley. While Lee Ji-tae was cooling off, he realized that Hyeon-woo was nowhere to be seen.

At that time, Park Do-ryeong also stepped back in sync with Lee Ji-tae. Lee Ji-tae tried to ignore Park Do-ryeong, but after searching around the siege tank and not seeing any signs of Kang Hyeon-woo, he couldn’t help but ask.

“Have you seen Kang Hyeon-woo?”

“I haven’t.”

Park Do-ryeong answered indifferently. An ominous premonition struck. Lee Ji-tae felt a nauseating feeling around the time the siege tank was running wild.

But he was so focused on the battle in front of him that he didn’t realize it was a premonition about Hyeon-woo.

Lee Ji-tae bit his lip. If he wanted to find Kang Hyeon-woo quickly, he shouldn’t waste time unnecessarily. Even if it was Park Do-ryeong, he had no choice but to join hands.

“Come to think of it, why aren’t you using your clone skill?”

“I’m trying to prevent these skeletal bastards from joining from the other side. I was fighting alone until you guys came.”

“Why did you come here in the first place? You’re not the type to enjoy a head-on fight like this.”

“I only came because of Jeok Nabi. She’s my distant cousin. But why? Is it more important to interrogate me than to deal with those guys right now?”

Lee Ji-tae couldn’t tell if Park Do-ryeong’s words were sincere or a lie. But as he said, now was not the time to interrogate Park Do-ryeong. He could interrogate him as much as he wanted after he smashed the siege tank.

Lee Ji-tae felt that the timing was just right.

“I’m going to end it right now.”

Lee Ji-tae glared at Park Do-ryeong with heavy eyes.

“I think I’ll need your help.”