Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 181

181. With the War Ahead (2)

“You’ll take care of it… yourself?”

Seo Jihoo asked, his expression etched with worry. To Hyunwoo, the phrase ‘take care of it’ never implied legal proceedings or anything of that nature.

But their opponent was Park Doryeong.

The strongest in South Korea before Lee Jitae, and still the head of the Howan Mama Clan.

Yoomin chuckled, observing Seo Jihoo’s concern.

“What are you imagining? Do you think my brother is some kind of brute?”

“Ah, of course not. Kang Hyunwoo is such a kind person.”

*Only to his own people, though.*

Yoomin understood the unspoken words behind Seo Jihoo’s statement. She responded simply, “Don’t worry; it won’t involve any… *problematic* methods.”

“Am I wrong to interpret that as a way to handle things discreetly?”

Yoomin offered no verbal response, only a chilling smile.

Seo Jihoo decided against further inquiry.

What benefit would come from knowing? If Kang Hyunwoo was handling it, it was undoubtedly the right course of action.

However, one question lingered.

“Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I last saw Kang Hyunwoo. Is it perhaps because he’s ‘taking care of things’ personally?”

“He’s away on a brief business trip.”

“Ah, perhaps *that* one?”

Seo Jihoo hadn’t been informed about Difficulty: Hell. Yet, he knew that Hyunwoo returned significantly stronger after each excursion.

And he could only assume that it was likely the source of the highest-grade crystal moss.

“Let’s just say that’s the reason. More importantly, gather some hunters. My brother requested certain preparations before his trip, and I intend to distribute the rewards.”

“Distribute?”

“Before entering Pyongyang, he instructed me to upgrade our forces so extensively that our power becomes virtually immeasurable.”

“When you say upgrade…”

Yoomin brought a finger to her lips, whispering conspiratorially, “Wouldn’t it suffice to equip all the team leaders with unregistered national treasures and legendary equipment, and the rest with high-grade rare equipment?”

***

*Crack.*

Heat radiated outwards with a burst of light from beneath Hyunwoo’s hand. Moments later, a legendary piece of equipment materialized.

Hyunwoo, after a cursory examination of the item’s condition, tossed it aside with a dismissive air.

In the adjacent space, legendary weapons were stacked high, reaching Hyunwoo’s height. The crafting room felt like a sauna, the air thick with heat generated from the creation of legendary equipment.

“How much are you planning to make, Butler?” Lenian inquired from her perch above Hyunwoo’s head.

“Until something useful emerges,” Hyunwoo replied calmly.

Hyunwoo gathered the materials once more and initiated ‘Craft’.

The materials melted within his grasp, merging into a unified mass. Shortly after, another legendary piece of equipment was produced.

It didn’t meet his standards. Sweat trickled down Hyunwoo’s forehead.

This was already the eighth attempt.

His entire body ached, yet he felt compelled to create a few more.

Thanks to his frequent crafting of legendary equipment, the crystal stones he had painstakingly collected were dwindling.

Conversely, a substantial collection of legendary equipment had accumulated. Enough to supply all the Jeonneungryeon [All-Powerful Union] hunter teams and offer contracts that bordered on exploitative.

“Hmm… even among legendary equipment, there’s a considerable disparity in quality.”

Hyunwoo surveyed the amassed equipment with a disappointed expression.

Lee Jitae’s weapon, the Pacheon Sword [Supreme Heaven Sword], and the sword he had just forged were both legendary, yet there was a significant difference in performance and special abilities.

Of course, the wielder’s skill level also played a role, but perhaps specific conditions were necessary to create truly exceptional legendary weapons.

Like Crystallization.

Hyunwoo checked the Crystallization in his inventory.

The primary reason he had acquired Crystallization was to discover rare materials.

He sensed that he could create something remarkable with it, but he hesitated to use it rashly, unsure of its optimal application.

However, there’s also the saying that hoarding turns things into junk. Hyunwoo was unwilling to leave it in his inventory any longer.

“Is it difficult to be satisfied with Tam [Greed]?” Lenian asked.

“Tam… is ambiguous. I’m using it because its performance isn’t bad, but I feel like I’m not properly utilizing its abilities.”

The most significant difference he perceived between himself and Lee Jitae was their equipment.

The Constrictor Yayul [Constricting Serpent] was useful, but he felt that Tam wasn’t maximizing its potential compared to its inherent capabilities.

The reason was simple: it possessed too many abilities.

Instead of focusing on developing and mastering the abilities he already possessed, he sought alternatives with different abilities.

Hyunwoo had achieved his objectives through improvisation and cunning for survival, rather than direct combat prowess.

That wasn’t necessarily a flaw. Even now, Hyunwoo was confident that he could defeat Lee Jitae if forced to.

But what if he had to confront Lee Jitae head-on? Hyunwoo estimated that he would likely lose nine times out of ten.

Simply killing and engaging in direct combat.

The two were vastly different.

‘What about Park Doryeong?’

Park Doryeong’s clones were weak. Granted, he had created them in collaboration with Hahyeon… But he remained uncertain about Park Doryeong’s true capabilities.

A direct confrontation would be a different matter entirely.

Fighting with the clones, the unidentified daggers, and the ultimate skill. Like Lee Jitae, it was difficult to predict the outcome with certainty.

‘I should have eliminated him when I had the opportunity.’

Hyunwoo felt a twinge of regret, but he resolved not to dwell on excuses regarding Lee Jitae.

It was his decision to accept the situation and move forward.

Nevertheless, the fact that he would eventually have to deal with Park Doryeong remained unchanged. And such an opportunity would inevitably present itself soon.

When that time came, Hyunwoo intended to resolve the issue with his own strength, without interference from anyone.

Hyunwoo gazed at Tam, which he had placed beside him.

‘Perhaps I’ve been trained this way because I’m more accustomed to backstabbing than facing opponents head-on.’

The ideal weapon for Hyunwoo might resemble the daggers wielded by Park Doryeong.

A weapon that could be concealed, produced endlessly, and used for sniping.

Unfortunately, selecting a weapon that perfectly suited his hand was challenging. Difficulty: Hell was an environment where he had to utilize whatever resources were available.

In that sense, Tam was merely a weapon he used because it could accommodate various abilities, but it wasn’t precisely a weapon that felt natural in his grasp.

‘Greed itself.’

Tam was the reward he received for overcoming the trial of Yogulem, the Starving Star.

The reason Hyunwoo couldn’t abandon Tam was that he couldn’t carry all the legendary equipment, so he wanted to consolidate everything into one weapon, but as a result, it seemed to have become a hybrid, excelling at neither.

Lenian fluttered around above Hyunwoo’s head, inquiring, “So you’re searching for the ultimate weapon to feed Tam? Butler, that seems like a foolish endeavor. Why not simply feed all those weapons to Tam?”

“Didn’t I explain this before? Tam changes shape every time you feed it a weapon. If it transforms into a bizarre form, it will only become more unwieldy. It doesn’t fit my hand now, but if it morphs into a grotesque shape…”

Hyunwoo paused momentarily.

Was he being overly cautious? Because of the rarity of the Unique grade?

Perhaps Lenian was right. Hyunwoo donned his glasses and examined Tam’s status window.

[Note: A weapon said to have been forged directly by Aldimaha, a member of Yogulem, the Starving Star. Because it eats weapons and changes shape, no one knows Tam’s original appearance. If you trace the powerful people who suddenly appeared in history and wielded tyranny, traces presumed to be Tam are often found.]

The weapon Tam was created with the concept of devouring other weapons indiscriminately.

It is a weapon born in chaos, devouring heroes, great men, weapons, and armaments regardless of the era.

There is no set form, and no one knows Tam’s perfect form.

Chaos and greed. That itself may be Tam’s identity.

“…Maybe you’re right.”

“Oh, then is it finally time to play with the fairy?”

Hyunwoo positioned Tam in front of the pile of legendary equipment.

He had crafted a multitude of them, reasoning that if he couldn’t use them, he could distribute them to the Jeonneungryeon hunters or other subordinates.

But he had already given away everything he could spare, and most of what remained was difficult to manage. Regardless of the outcome, Hyunwoo decided to feed them all to Tam.

“Well, what’s the worst that could happen?”

***

“Butler, is it the worst?”

“It’s the worst.”

Hyunwoo lay sprawled on the floor, dazed.

Lenian poked Hyunwoo’s forehead with a straw.

Beside Hyunwoo stood a complexly twisted geometric metal sculpture, approximately 4 meters in length.

It was Tam, after consuming dozens of legendary weapons.

Only the handle remained, a mere vestige of Tam’s former self, and it was undeniably unusable.

Its shape was so contorted that wielding it would inevitably result in self-inflicted injuries.

“Well, at least it has a lot of special abilities, right?”

“What I need is a weapon, not a Swiss Army knife… No, I don’t want to face a situation so dire that I have to rely on special abilities while impaled with blades in my chest and thighs in the first place.”

It had transformed into a weapon whose identity was now unrecognizable.

It possessed too many special abilities to count, and its status as a weapon was questionable.

Hyunwoo rolled over, lying face down on the floor. He appeared to be bowing to Lenian.

“You can do whatever you want with my brain, Lenian… It doesn’t seem to be of any use anyway…”

Hyunwoo muttered self-deprecatingly, but he quickly rose just before Lenian actually inserted a straw into his head. Lenian’s straw ended up embedded in the floor.

“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll have to persevere until it works out.”

“More? You don’t have any more crystal stones or legendary equipment, do you?”

“There’s one left.”

Hyunwoo retrieved Crystallization. His expression was vacant. Lenian looked concerned.

“Giving up is not good, Butler.”

“There’s more.”

Hyunwoo extracted spiderwebs from the Constrictor Yayul.

Darkness-attribute spiderwebs. These were also considered rare materials. A handful of spiderweb threads and Crystallization. And the final item he produced was the broken mask of the Widow Queen Spider.

The fragments of stars that had been engraved on the mask had been taken away by Hyunwoo, and no patterns remained.

Ironically, they were all obtained at once when he passed the Monstriel’s trials.

“Wouldn’t this create something?!”

“It resembles an evil pagan ritual more than crafting…”

Lenian questioned Hyunwoo’s mental state. Hyunwoo still seemed on the verge of giving up.

Hyunwoo himself couldn’t expect Tam to be properly restored by adding anything more here. If he were wise, he would cut his losses and stop.

“Let’s do it because it looks fun!”

But Lenian’s enthusiasm was paramount.

And Hyunwoo’s belief that ‘Lenian might be able to salvage the situation’ ultimately led to an irreversible outcome.

Hyunwoo placed his hand on the materials and initiated Craft.

“Craft.”

***

[You have died.]

[Total survival time: 4 days, 7 hours, 21 minutes, 1 second.]

***

“…Huh? What? What is it?”

Hyunwoo, opening his eyes in the middle of an intersection, stared blankly into the air, utterly bewildered.

He had received the message that he had died. But he had no idea what had transpired.

The moment he cast Craft, his vision had gone black as if he had been knocked unconscious, and he had reappeared at the intersection.

Hyunwoo swiftly checked his inventory.

Crystallization and the Widow Queen Spider’s mask were both gone. It was certain that he had died as soon as he cast Craft.

‘I almost died when I crafted a legendary item for the first time.’

He had prepared for such a contingency this time as well. He had stocked up on health potions, mana potions, and resurrection perks.

He had died without even having the opportunity to use them.

Hyunwoo’s face paled at the thought that he might have squandered all the rare materials.

Hyunwoo raced back to the shelter.

The first thing he encountered upon entering the shelter was a colossal, bizarre black mass of threads.

Something akin to a ball of yarn that a cat had inadvertently unraveled was engulfing half of the central area of the shelter.

The good news was that it didn’t appear to be spreading any further.

“Boss! What the heck is this?”

“Oh great one!”

Kirson and Kazat rushed towards him with bewildered expressions as soon as he entered.

“I want to ask too. What the heck is this?”

“It emerged from the room where the boss was playing with toys! Two ratmen and one goblin got entangled in there and were sucked inside and never came out!”

Hyunwoo immediately realized that the black mass of threads was responsible for his death.

It only appeared dense due to the scattering of black energy, but it was evident that each strand was a weightless spiderweb fluttering in the air.

It was likely too late for the goblin and ratmen who had been dragged inside. But he couldn’t decipher what was happening.

‘Surely the Widow Queen Spider isn’t resurrecting.’

“Boss, please do something about this. We can’t live near something this dangerous.”

Hyunwoo, about to admit his helplessness, suddenly noticed traces of the goblin being dragged across the floor. The marks were quite desperate, making them easily identifiable.

The goblin’s drag marks extended much further out than the current writhing mass of black spiderwebs.

‘It looks like it’s gotten smaller than before.’

Hyunwoo peered inside the spiderweb, into the room.

His vision was obscured, but he could see the black spiderweb enveloping Tam in darkness.

And Tam was fiercely devouring the black spiderweb.

He couldn’t determine if it was improving the situation, but he didn’t believe it could worsen it any further.

Then he suddenly realized that another individual who should have been present was missing.

“Where’s Lenian?”