Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 179

179. The Man in Black (6)

Park Do-ryeong’s head was fine, but his mask was shattered. Through the broken pieces, one side of his face was visible.

His eyes were completely white, as if he had cataracts.

Hyeon-mu pressed down harder on Park Do-ryeong’s neck and whispered,

“As a souvenir for surviving, why don’t you tell me what you were plotting?”

Park Do-ryeong groaned, and Lee Ji-tae couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward.

“Kang Hyeon-mu!”

“Stay back.”

Swish.

In the blink of an eye, Hyeon-mu had drawn his sword and was pointing it at Lee Ji-tae.

“I have no reason to talk to you right now, Lee Ji-tae. My business is only with this guy.”

Instead of speaking, Park Do-ryeong stared silently at Lee Ji-tae.

That gaze, mixed with silence, drew Lee Ji-tae in more strongly than any words could have.

Kang Hyeon-mu was really going to kill Park Do-ryeong. But Lee Ji-tae had no intention of letting that happen.

As Lee Ji-tae quickly closed the distance, Hyeon-mu swung his sword. The sound of blades clashing rang out sharply.

Hyeon-mu’s eyes sharpened.

“…Park Do-ryeong is powerless right now.”

“So it’s the perfect opportunity to interrogate him. Isn’t it?”

“Isn’t there a better way than torturing him like this!”

“Oh? Should I try being gentle then?”

Kang Hyeon-mu pretended to step back, then kicked Park Do-ryeong in the face.

Lee Ji-tae stepped in front of Park Do-ryeong, furious.

“I don’t understand. Why are you stopping me? That guy tried to kill you. We came all the way here to catch him, didn’t we?”

“I’ll do the interrogation! Not you!”

“Hey, you.”

Hyeon-mu spoke to Park Do-ryeong, who was lying behind Lee Ji-tae.

“Tell me. Why did you try to kill us?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Park Do-ryeong mumbled, wiping the blood flowing from behind his broken mask.

“Like I said before, I only came to find Red Butterfly. I have no reason to kill you guys.”

Lee Ji-tae was speechless at Park Do-ryeong’s brazen answer.

The ‘Clone’ skill was a powerful skill with high utility, almost on par with an ultimate [a skill that is very powerful and often has a long cooldown].

Even within Lee Ji-tae’s wide network, Park Do-ryeong was the only one with the Clone skill. He was also the only one capable of handling so many clones.

Hyeon-mu’s smile turned cruel.

“See? He’s denying it? This is what happens when you treat him nicely, you know?”

“…Park Do-ryeong.”

Lee Ji-tae lowered himself and sat in front of Park Do-ryeong, asking,

“I know you tried to kill me. Why? I thought we promised not to cross the line, no matter how strained our relationship became. Wasn’t that the promise we made when we split up?”

“That wasn’t a promise, it was a bomb you unilaterally set. It explodes when one of us falls off.”

“Is that why?”

Lee Ji-tae glared at Park Do-ryeong as he asked,

“Did you think the bomb would be disarmed if I died?”

Park Do-ryeong stared silently at Lee Ji-tae.

It was hard to find any emotion in his white eyes, devoid of color.

Park Do-ryeong’s gaze scanned Lee Ji-tae up and down before slowly falling.

“No. I said I didn’t intend to kill you.”

“Ha.”

Hyeon-mu let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.

Just then, a realization dawned on Lee Ji-tae. If he wasn’t trying to kill him, it was hard to see him targeting Red Butterfly.

But there was one more candidate he could be targeting.

Kang Hyeon-mu.

He was so fixated on the relationship between Park Do-ryeong and himself that he hadn’t considered it.

No, he might have considered it, but Kang Hyeon-mu’s clever words made him think that Park Do-ryeong was targeting him.

But why would Park Do-ryeong target Kang Hyeon-mu?

Lee Ji-tae turned his gaze to Hyeon-mu.

“Kang Hyeon-mu, why were you waiting here with Red Butterfly?”

“I told you. I was waiting for Park Do-ryeong.”

“…To protect me?”

From the calm tone of Lee Ji-tae’s question, Hyeon-mu realized that Lee Ji-tae had figured out almost everything.

He had no intention of dragging things out with petty arguments like Park Do-ryeong.

“No.”

Hyeon-mu said with a twisted smile.

“At first, I was just going to test the waters lightly. To find out his real intentions. But he attacked me first. With the clear intention to kill. You saw it too. He planted a bomb inside the clone.”

“That’s…”

“Yeah. If Park Do-ryeong didn’t intend to kill you, he intended to kill me. But does that change anything? Do you feel sorry for him now that you know he wasn’t targeting you? Red Butterfly could have been caught up in it too?”

Park Do-ryeong replied to Hyeon-mu’s words with an indifferent attitude.

“Like I said before, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lee Ji-tae quickly stepped in front of Hyeon-mu as he moved towards Park Do-ryeong again.

He had a confused expression, but he couldn’t let Hyeon-mu privately execute Park Do-ryeong.

“…Even if Park Do-ryeong really intended to kill me, Red Butterfly, and you, that’s no reason to commit murder. Kang Hyeon-mu, if you have any suspicions, arrest Park Do-ryeong and hand him over to the state. Judgment is up to the court.”

“The court?”

Hyeon-mu made a dumbfounded expression as if he had heard something absurd, and then he burst out laughing without realizing it.

Lee Ji-tae tried to stay calm, but the laughter wasn’t just coming from Hyeon-mu.

Park Do-ryeong was laughing too.

Kang Hyeon-mu muttered as if he couldn’t stand it.

“Ah, Lee Ji-tae. You really…”

Lee Ji-tae also knew that it would be difficult to prove Park Do-ryeong’s charges.

He also knew that it would be difficult to hand over a clan leader-level figure during the Northern Expedition [a large-scale military operation or campaign].

But this was an ‘uncompromising’ area.

“What’s so funny? I understand if you, Park Do-ryeong, despise the system. Kang Hyeon-mu, are you one of those people too? I thought you were on the side that believed that ability users should be controlled by institutions and systems, like me.”

“It’s similar, but the way of thinking is completely different. But… Lee Ji-tae, you’re still living in the old days. You say you’re preparing for the future, but how can your way of thinking be so closed off?”

It was Park Do-ryeong who answered Kang Hyeon-mu’s ridicule.

“Ignore him, Lee Ji-tae. That’s what makes you you. That’s why I chose you.”

Lee Ji-tae turned around nervously at Park Do-ryeong’s words.

“What do you mean you chose me?”

“You’re the only hope.”

Park Do-ryeong raised his gleaming eyes and glared at Kang Hyeon-mu. Hyeon-mu enjoyed that gaze as he cracked his knuckles.

“Just close your eyes for a moment, Lee Ji-tae. Or go look at Red Butterfly for a moment. You wanted to join hands with me, didn’t you? Now is your chance. Try to score some points.”

Lee Ji-tae bit his lip.

He had wanted to be on a team with Kang Hyeon-mu. That was true. But not like this.

Lee Ji-tae was going to polish Kang Hyeon-mu, a rough stone, into a much brighter existence.

An existence that would shine brilliantly with him.

But this kind of private execution was an unacceptable act.

He could turn a blind eye to accidents that happened during battle, but executing a helpless opponent was not okay.

Hyeon-mu had to know that.

That there was a line that should not be crossed.

“Kang Hyeon-mu.”

Who in the world could tame this monster? Who could lead him on the right path?

Even if everyone was charmed by Kang Hyeon-mu’s boldness, he alone shouldn’t be.

“You are still human.”

In the end, Lee Ji-tae decided to stop Kang Hyeon-mu before his ‘worst’ baseline dropped even further.

“I don’t want to be hostile to you, but so that you can remain human in the future, I will stop you here.”

***

Lee Ji-tae stood up, clutching the Destroying Heaven Sword tightly.

Hyeon-mu’s expression wavered for a moment. It was impossible to tell whether what appeared on his face was disappointment or contempt.

Lee Ji-tae thought that Kang Hyeon-mu would rush at him right away.

It was like Kang Hyeon-mu to say, ‘Is that so? Then die,’ and rush in.

But strangely, Kang Hyeon-mu didn’t move.

He stared silently at Lee Ji-tae before opening his mouth.

“Star.”

“Yes?”

“You said you heard the whispers of the stars, Lee Ji-tae? The leading star and the most shining star? Which star did you choose?”

Lee Ji-tae hesitated. When he first came into contact with the stars, the first ones to find him were the Crums.

The Crum had told him never to tell anyone which star he had contacted.

The logic was that revealing the star he belonged to would reveal his weaknesses and give an unacceptable shock to humanity.

But there were only Kang Hyeon-mu and Park Do-ryeong here. Both of them were likely to have heard the whispers of the stars.

“It’s the leading star. I have been chosen as the proxy of the leading star, Yereul.”

Shock flashed across Hyeon-mu’s face for a moment.

Lee Ji-tae couldn’t understand why Hyeon-mu was surprised. He thought that Kang Hyeon-mu was also likely to have come into contact with the stars. Otherwise, his strength couldn’t be explained.

Lee Ji-tae asked again the question he had asked when he first met Kang Hyeon-mu alone.

“Didn’t you hear the whispers of the stars too, Kang Hyeon-mu?”

“I…”

Hyeon-mu was silent. He seemed surprised and embarrassed.

Lee Ji-tae saw Hyeon-mu like that for the first time. Hyeon-mu hesitated for a long time before finally opening his mouth.

“I haven’t chosen anyone yet.”

Lee Ji-tae was surprised, but he thought it was possible.

With Kang Hyeon-mu’s strength, there would naturally be many stars coveting him, but Hyeon-mu didn’t need to be courted by a star.

Lee Ji-tae said cautiously.

“It would be good to choose carefully.”

Instead of answering, Hyeon-mu let out a long sigh.

“I’ll leave it to you for now, Lee Ji-tae.”

“…Thank you.”

Hyeon-mu rested his arms on his waist and frowned for a long time before turning around and walking away.

Did he give up? Lee Ji-tae was relieved.

He didn’t think he would lose even if he fought Kang Hyeon-mu, but he didn’t want to create a situation where he had to fight.

Lee Ji-tae looked down at Park Do-ryeong. Park Do-ryeong smiled weakly and reached out his hand.

Lee Ji-tae pretended to grab his hand, then slapped him hard in the face. Park Do-ryeong lost consciousness.

Lee Ji-tae picked up Park Do-ryeong and followed Hyeon-mu.

***

Hyeon-mu was walking ahead, thinking about Lee Ji-tae’s words.

‘You are still human.’

It was such an obvious thing to say, but it was a different story for Hyeon-mu, who had seen difficulty: Hell.

That place was full of guys who had human forms but had become monsters.

Even Ha-hyeon was a corrupted being, Song Yeo-un, who was close to him.

Hyeon-mu cut, tore, killed, and ate those monsters.

At the same time, he had deliberately ignored the question of whether he was still human.

He couldn’t have lived otherwise. What was the point of worrying about it?

Then he heard about an existence that he couldn’t avoid.

The Star of the End.

If he was corrupted, he might become such an existence, one that turned the world into hell.

Lee Ji-tae’s warning was touching on Hyeon-mu’s concerns.

Especially since Hyeon-mu learned that Lee Ji-tae was likely to be ‘White Bones,’ who had struggled to protect the world until the end, he couldn’t ignore his words right away.

Hyeon-mu’s gaze turned to the empty air.

“But.”

Hyeon-mu whispered so quietly that no one could hear him.

“In that world, it doesn’t seem like either you or I succeeded, Lee Ji-tae.”