Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 198

198. Hell Comes (8)

Krrrrrr—.

The building shook violently with each echoing boom. Pieces of plywood from the ceiling fell, raising dust everywhere.

As the Ryu Kyung Hotel trembled as if about to collapse any second, Park Do-ryeong cursed.

“What the hell are those bastards doing?”

Park Do-ryeong and Lee Ji-tae were both bound by the restraints of the Covenant [a magical contract or agreement].

Since they weren’t familiars [magically bound creatures], they weren’t being controlled, but the restraints were as durable as legendary-grade equipment, so the exhausted pair couldn’t break free.

Moreover, there were eyes watching them.

“Hey, corpse head. Tell me what your master is doing.”

All that remained in the room was one of Xiao Jie’s team’s Jiangshi [a type of Chinese hopping vampire or zombie]. The Jiangshi was sitting cross-legged, unmoving.

Apart from Hyun-woo’s restraints, Xiao Jie had to leave behind watchful eyes to feel secure.

Besides that, a dozen or so undead were lined up.

“Lee Ji-tae, what are you planning to do? Are you just going to wait until it’s all over?”

“……I am waiting for the moment.”

Lee Ji-tae repeated the answer he had already given several times. Park Do-ryeong didn’t seem to tire of the response.

“When is that moment? When this hotel collapses?”

“Can’t you tell from the booming? This is the sound of fighting. Just now, an ominous energy was transmitted from the rooftop and then suddenly disappeared. Kang Hyun-woo is doing something.”

“Then why didn’t you cooperate earlier and put us in this state?”

“Probably because you’re only thinking about stabbing Kang Hyun-woo in the back.”

“I might, but what about you? You’re not very trusted, I see.”

“…….”

It wasn’t that he wasn’t upset, but it wasn’t anything new.

“Looks like he’s confident he can do it alone. Or maybe he thinks I’ll be a burden.”

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a hobby of living with my life held hostage by someone else.”

“Kang Hyun-woo is planning to kill you, so try to escape. I won’t stop you.”

Lee Ji-tae, who could still use his ultimate skill, might have a chance, but Park Do-ryeong, exhausted and weakened by injuries, couldn’t escape.

Park Do-ryeong seemed to know that too, as he only chuckled softly. In the current situation, his life depended entirely on Kang Hyun-woo’s will.

Suddenly, Park Do-ryeong spoke.

“Do you remember when you were twenty?”

“……How can I remember things from that young?”

He remembered.

It was the age when he first joined the Lunatic Tiger Clan.

It was almost the only rebellious period in Lee Ji-tae’s life, a late-blooming adolescence.

At that time, Lee Ji-tae risked his life running dungeons with senior hunters, drank heavily at the ‘Mad Tiger’ bar, and showed all sorts of disgraceful behavior.

“Was it when you were twenty? When you were still fresh, it seems like something similar to this happened.”

“I don’t particularly recall anything.”

“No, be quiet. There was something. Who was it? I think goblins captured you and dragged you into a cave.”

“……It was rogues who dragged me. It’s true that it was a dungeon where goblins appeared, though.”

Dungeons were still vulnerable to crime, but it was especially worse back then.

That was because there wasn’t a solid dungeon management system like there is now.

The Lunatic Tiger Clan tried, but it was not enough when there were more rogues than hunters belonging to regular clans.

“Right. Now that I hear it, that’s right. What would goblins do with a kidnapped young master from a rich family? Would they just adore him because he looks pretty?”

“Is that what you want to say? That my face was cute when I was twenty?”

“Do you remember when I went to save you back then?”

“You’re talking as if you did it alone. I remember more than ten seniors came with you.”

“Because I remember you being tied up tightly by the rogues, saying, ‘Leader Park Do-ryeong will come to save me!’ It was something I couldn’t imagine coming from the mouth of a twenty-year-old.”

“Didn’t you just say you didn’t remember if it was goblins or rogues? Why do you only remember things like that?”

“Because it’s fun to see you react so fiercely every time I tease you with this.”

Even when Lee Ji-tae became a mid-level executive in the Lunatic Tiger and reached level 50, Park Do-ryeong teased him with that story.

There wasn’t a hunter who joined the clan who hadn’t heard of it.

Lee Ji-tae was beyond embarrassed, but Park Do-ryeong still seemed to find it amusing.

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard that.”

“Well…… there was no reason to meet.”

Of course, after Lee Ji-tae broke away from the Lunatic Tiger, he no longer had to hear that joke.

He respected and followed Park Do-ryeong, but there were lines that could be crossed and lines that couldn’t.

Park Do-ryeong tried to cross that line, so it was an unavoidable choice to stop him.

“That was then, and this is now. It would be troubling if you still see me as a child.”

Lee Ji-tae said sharply, but Park Do-ryeong chuckled softly as if he found something funny about those words.

Park Do-ryeong, who was laughing, coughed violently as if the wound on his neck had split open. Blood-stained saliva flowed out.

Lee Ji-tae looked at him with concern. Park Do-ryeong’s condition was not good.

He needed proper treatment and rest, not just potions.

At that moment, the hotel shook greatly once again with a loud boom.

Part of the ceiling and walls collapsed, and things hanging on the walls fell down. It felt like an earthquake.

“Damn it, you upstairs! You’re going to collapse the building!”

“Park Do-ryeong, be quiet.”

As Lee Ji-tae warned him, Park Do-ryeong was about to retort. However, he noticed something strange.

The undead, who had been standing orderly in the room until just now, suddenly drooped and began to take slow steps.

Park Do-ryeong immediately recognized their condition.

“This is bullshit. It looks like Kang Hyun-woo is taking care of Xiao Jie, just like you said.”

The undead were being released from control.

The only instinct that monsters released from control show is one thing.

Unconditional hostility towards humans.

The skeletons’ gazes turned to the fallen Lee Ji-tae and Park Do-ryeong. Then, they began to approach, wielding their weapons.

It was clear they weren’t coming to give a hug.

“Damn.”

Lee Ji-tae clicked his tongue and pushed himself towards the wall.

He wanted to save the timing of using his ultimate skill as much as possible, but in this state, he couldn’t escape from the Covenant’s restraints that Hyun-woo had placed.

A skeleton was about to swing its sword at Lee Ji-tae.

“Here goes!”

With a bang, Park Do-ryeong suddenly crashed into the skeleton, knocking it down. He had even cut through the chains at some point.

Lee Ji-tae looked at Park Do-ryeong with a surprised expression. Park Do-ryeong summoned fragments in his hand with a tired expression.

“This is part of my authority. Just like you have the Eye of Foresight, I received a weapon that doesn’t leave my body. This kind of chain is nothing.”

Only then did Lee Ji-tae understand what Park Do-ryeong’s unique weapon was.

But he didn’t understand what Park Do-ryeong was doing. He threw a fragment at the head of another skeleton soldier rushing at him, smashing it.

The skeleton soldier was weak enough to deal with even with his tired body, but there weren’t only skeleton soldiers in this room.

As Park Do-ryeong began to move, the Jiangshi also began to move slowly.

Lee Ji-tae, unable to watch any longer, shouted.

“What are you doing!”

“I can’t let a cripple die.”

Park Do-ryeong, who said that, was also limping. His bones were probably fractured at the very least.

“If you can move and have the strength to do so, run away! Do I look like I’m in danger right now?”

He could escape at any time by using the Wings of Light. But Park Do-ryeong shook his head.

“Ultimate skill? No way.”

“What…….”

Instead of explaining, Park Do-ryeong threw a fragment out the window. The fragment, which quickly shot out, gradually slowed down and disappeared as if burning on something.

“Realistically, do you think that bitch Xiao Jie would have just left you alone when you can use the Wings of Light? That Jiangshi was left behind to hold you back. I don’t know what the ultimate skill is, but it’s probably some kind of barrier.”

That was probably why the Jiangshi was moving so slowly.

Park Do-ryeong threw a fragment to Lee Ji-tae. It was a signal to cut the chains.

Park Do-ryeong stood with his back to Lee Ji-tae and muttered.

“I’m going to save you and take you out of here. That’s why I came here in the first place.”

Lee Ji-tae stared blankly at Park Do-ryeong’s back.

Suddenly, memories from over a decade ago flashed through his mind. Memories of following Park Do-ryeong, who was his teacher and senior when he was active in the Lunatic Tiger Clan, and learning from him.

It was the same back that had instantly broken the limbs of the rogues who had kidnapped him, and stood calmly even with more rogues in front of him.

“Let’s get out of here alive, Lee Ji-tae.”

***

The moment Yerdan roared, the skin of the Jiangshi in front of him peeled off. It was literally a roar that tore the flesh.

However, even after revealing its hideous skin, the Jiangshi rushed fiercely towards Yerdan. The moment it used its ultimate skill, its entire body was engulfed in flames.

Yerdan, like a furry beast, was horrified and jumped up. Even the stones that touched the flames were charred black.

But Yerdan had his own countermeasures. What distinguished Yerdan from beasts was that he knew how to use tools.

Yerdan quickly grabbed the head of the fallen Jiangshi and slammed it down on the burning Jiangshi.

The Jiangshi, which tried to block several times, was soon crushed with a splattering sound. Yerdan, who had turned the Jiangshi into something like a bonfire, took a rough breath and set out to find the next enemy.

There were no more Jiangshi. There wasn’t even a corpse left intact. They were either crushed or thrown off the roof.

Yerdan let out a victorious roar with his wounded body.

And immediately fell backward and began to snore.

No matter how strong Yerdan was, it was difficult to win against four 4-star hunters without a single scratch. Yerdan lay down and fell asleep.

Xiao Jie was speechless as she looked at Yerdan snoring.

Her team, which she had cherished so much in China, had been annihilated by just one monster.

What on earth was that monster that overwhelmed four 4-star hunters?

“There’s no time to be distracted.”

Clatter, Xiao Jie turned her body at the sound of skulls colliding, ringing in her ears. In an instant, her fist began to pummel Kazat.

Kazat, who was hastily pushed back, wore an unpleasant expression. Hyun-woo, who was watching the scene from behind, sighed.

“Kazat, no matter how much you try to create an atmosphere as if you’re overwhelming him, you’re not really winning.”

“Great one, but that vile thing is pretending to be a magician while using strange martial arts. It’s unfair. I can’t even have a magic duel with that vile thing, and for some reason, my curses aren’t working!”

“Xiao Jie has never said she’s a magician. She just has skills related to the undead. If it’s too difficult, hand over the position to Yerdan.”

Yerdan was already exhausted, but he seemed better than Kazat based on his condition. However, Kazat bit his lip as if his pride was hurt, then opened his mouth.

“I didn’t want to use this, but you’re digging your own grave.”

“Just settle it, whatever it is.”

Kazat shook the staff with the skulls dangling from it. He shouted something incoherently every time the skulls shook.

“The shadow of death, coming with the ringing of the bell!”

“We call the owner of that bell!”

“The one who shines yellow eyes under the moon and devours!”

Soon, the skulls opened their mouths all at once and spewed out a dark shadow.

It was a mist like ink. It was a sweet and dreamy shadow with a strange color. At the same time, a strange tinkling sound was heard.

Xiao Jie sensed an ominous sign and quickly tried to use her skill.

A pure white ice spear appeared in her hand. The moment she tried to throw it, the shadow suddenly surged up and struck Xiao Jie.

Xiao Jie was instantly knocked to the corner of the roof like a leaf.

“Keuk!”

It was an enormous force. Xiao Jie widened her eyes and tried to figure out what had happened. And for a moment, she tried to confirm if what she had seen was real.

Clang, the tinkling sound rang out once more.

Xiao Jie froze again as she saw the shadow slowly gathering and walking out.

Hyun-woo could tell from Kazat’s back that he had taken a considerable amount of courage.

[Nightmare on Usurper (Legendary)]

[Special Ability: Can engrave up to three spells and cast them instantly without chanting. Can summon the monster the possessor fears most once a day. The level of the summoned being is proportional to the possessor’s level.]

The ability of the staff that Hyun-woo gave to Kazat was to summon the monster that the possessor feared most.

Kazat’s black leather was soaked with cold sweat just from looking at the back of what he had summoned.

Kazat opened his mouth with difficulty and shouted.

“The one who sits in the most fundamental fear of our race—the Moon Cat! Taste the death with yellow eyes, you immature one!”

“Meow─.”

Xiao Jie realized that she hadn’t seen it wrong.

The owner of the pink paw that had struck her with tremendous force was a black Siamese cat the size of a house.