Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 2

2. The First Night in Hell (1)

[Difficulty: Hell]

Entering the Star of Extinction.

[Limit Break!]

[Your body has awakened Mana.]

[Mana begins to circulate within your body.]

[Impossible Achievement!]

[You have entered Difficulty: Hell at the lowest level ever.]

[You have acquired the title ‘SSS-Grade Luck.’]

[The effect increases due to level-adjusted difficulty compensation.]

[Impossible Achievement!]

[You have reached 1st place in Difficulty: Hell.]

[You have acquired the title ‘Hell’s Strongest.’]

[The effect increases due to level-adjusted difficulty compensation.]

[Impossible Achievement!]

You are the last survivor.

[You have acquired the title ‘The Last One.’]

[The effect increases due to level-adjusted difficulty compensation.]

“What?”

Kang Hyun-woo jumped up from where he was. The messages flashing rapidly in his ears were imprinted clearly in his mind.

The narrator’s gentle voice was pleasant to hear, like a musical instrument, but it was dry and emotionless.

Just like the scene before his eyes.

Hyun-woo was standing in the middle of an intersection. The ruined cityscape immediately caught his eye.

Most of the visible buildings were collapsed and covered in something purple, and the sky was filled with dark red, storm clouds that looked like they were burning.

Even the air felt like it was scraping his throat with every breath. Everything in this world was hostile to all living things.

In this hellish landscape, Hyun-woo couldn’t understand the situation.

“What is this…”

Moreover, he was only wearing the shorts and t-shirt he wore to sleep.

Hyun-woo staggered and collapsed to the ground, then he felt a stinging pain. Purple clumps were sprouting everywhere on the ground. As a gatherer, Hyun-woo could recognize what it was at a glance.

“Crystal moss?”

Hyun-woo mumbled dumbly, still not understanding. Crystal moss only grows in dungeons full of mana. Even a piece the size of a finger is a jackpot [a significant find or stroke of good luck for a gatherer].

But here, it was scattered all over the streets. Hyun-woo felt bewildered, yet he unknowingly plucked off a piece of crystal moss.

It was real crystal moss.

He usually spends all day wading through waste sewers, only to get a handful of residue, but now such a large chunk was in front of his eyes. Hyun-woo suddenly noticed that crystal moss was everywhere.

There were huge clumps that should be called crystal trees or crystal rocks. The leaning skyscraper visible far away at the intersection was covered in crystal moss, shimmering in purple. Even the 5-star dungeons he had seen in documentaries weren’t this extreme.

‘A dream? Did I fall asleep without realizing it because I was tired?’

That’s what Kang Hyun-woo thought, but the scene before his eyes felt too real. Hyun-woo staggered and felt a sharp pain in the sole of his foot. A broken piece of glass was piercing his bare foot.

The pain was too vivid to be a dream. Hyun-woo gasped and unknowingly grabbed the stone dangling from his chest.

The return stone his father had left him.

‘Could it be because of this?’

Hyun-woo was seized with a terrifying thought. It’s said that you can use the return stone to exit a dungeon. But what if the opposite was also possible? What if this return stone brought him to the dungeon?

Hyun-woo gripped the return stone tightly, but there was no response from it. Terrified, Hyun-woo shouted frantically.

“Is anyone here!”

But there wasn’t a soul in sight, not even a rat. Instead, he coughed up phlegm because of the toxic dust the moment he shouted. There was too much dust. It was polluted air he had never smelled before, even in the industrial complex sewers.

Hyun-woo kept trying to find someone, but only the desolate sound of the wind answered. After shouting several times, Hyun-woo coughed incessantly.

“Cough, hack!”

He felt something sharply scratching his throat. When he looked at his hand, it was covered in bright red blood. As Hyun-woo stared at his hand in disbelief, the narrator’s voice was heard again.

[Quest Generated!]

The ‘First Night in Hell’ quest begins.

Survive until dawn.

‘Hell?’

Before he could even ask what this meant, Hyun-woo coughed again. At the same time, he vomited a lump of blood.

Seeing the blood soaking and dripping down his palm, his vision spun. Hyun-woo desperately searched for someone to ask for help.

“Someone, here! Cough, gasp!”

A sharp pain, as if scraping his throat with phlegm, was felt as he shouted. Cold sweat broke out.

He pictured himself collapsing and dying after vomiting blood like this. Death felt like it was within reach.

“Gasp, cough.”

He couldn’t breathe properly.

From his lungs to his throat, it felt like it was filled with finely broken pieces of glass.

[Abnormal Status: Poisoned, Paralyzed.]

[Health is continuously decreasing.]

“What, cough, huh, what is this? Ugh. Hic.”

[You are being attacked by enemies.]

Enemies? But Hyun-woo couldn’t see any enemies, not even a strand of hair of any living creature. It felt like invisible beings were stabbing Hyun-woo from the inside and out with tens of thousands of needles.

Hyun-woo collapsed to the ground, unable to say anything, just gasping. The fever and pain raging throughout his body made him feel like he would lose consciousness at any moment.

For the first time in his life, Hyun-woo faced the concrete fear of death.

He’s going to die.

Fear stiffened his entire body. But Hyun-woo barely endured with bloodshot eyes.

‘Am I going to die in this place I don’t even know?’

There were still many things he hadn’t done, and many things he wanted to do. He had no intention of dying pathetically on the street like this. Hyun-woo glared and tried not to lose consciousness. But only the pain became clearer.

The pain, as if his breath would stop at any moment, continued. He even wondered if it would be better to die, but the pain made Hyun-woo grit his teeth.

[Health is almost completely depleted. Death is approaching.]

He didn’t even have the strength to tell it to shut up. Even his glaring eyes were stinging with pain, and bloody tears flowed down.

He couldn’t see ahead. To die like this, without even knowing why, after just breathing in the world, he had never even imagined such an end.

‘Should I just hold my breath?’

Ridiculously, he even had such thoughts. His mind was so strange that it was hard to judge which was more harmful. His mind was fading away.

[Health has dropped below 10%. Regeneration begins with the ‘The Last One’ title perk.]

At that moment, along with the notification sound, it suddenly became easier to breathe. The ruined cityscape that had been dark before came back into view. He felt a strong taste of blood in his mouth.

[Resistance to poison slightly increases.]

[Resistance to paralysis slightly increases.]

“Kkeueuk… !”

Along with the message that his health had recovered, the pain was vividly conveyed as his barely fading consciousness returned. If he had forgotten the pain because he was dying until now, this time he was able to feel the pain of dying vividly. His throat was hoarse from screaming so much. Blood foam bubbled up and formed on his lips.

‘This damn, 망할 [manghal – Korean slang for “screwed up” or “ruined”], rotten!’

He even thought it would be better to die. No, maybe he was already dead.

‘Did I live doing so many bad things that I really fell into hell?’

Hyun-woo suddenly recalled the words ‘Difficulty: Hell’ that the narrator had said. The surrounding scenery and environment were all fitting for a hellish landscape, except for the absence of demons.

No, if there were demons, it was this world itself.

Rumble, a sound that shook the ground was heard from somewhere far away. Hyun-woo blankly raised his head and looked up.

Beyond the dark red clouds that filled the Seoul sky, something black was moving, tearing through the clouds. It was a huge being that seemed to bring lightning just by moving.

An environment where it was clear that just existing would cause suffering.

A world hostile to all living things.

Hyun-woo had fallen into such a place.

‘Did I do that many bad things?’

Hyun-woo suddenly became terrified. Maybe he would be in pain until he died, then recover again, and then be in pain again until he died, and that would be repeated. At the same time, he felt wronged.

He hadn’t lived that kindly, but he didn’t remember doing anything noticeably bad either. All the bad things Hyun-woo had done until now flashed through his mind. From stealing a pack of gum at a convenience store to jaywalking and stepping on ants when he was young.

‘I’ll live doing good deeds from now on!’

Hyun-woo thrashed and crawled on the floor. But in the end, all the strength drained from his body and he slumped again. This time, all the strength had completely drained from his body.

He’s going to die.

He felt death within reach. And in his fading consciousness, memories flashed by like a panorama.

***

‘You trashy bitch! Where did you get pregnant with a bastard from!’

‘Hyun-woo, I’m sorry. Mom is sorry…’

From things he didn’t even remember, things he didn’t want to recall.

‘The little bastard only has bad habits! Die! Die, you bastard!’

‘You didn’t steal it? It’s the fault of the guy who did something to be suspected!’

‘Where are you glaring at me? Do you want to die?’

The trigger that started to twist.

‘Kid, breathe with your belly, not your chest.’

‘That’s right. Kid, you’re still the best learner.’

‘You seem to have potential, kid.’

The recognition and praise he had received a few times in his life.

‘0 stars… I had expectations, but it can’t be helped.’

‘Looks like this is the end for you.’

Even the disappointment that instantly dropped expectations to the floor.

In an instant, Hyun-woo opened his eyes wide.

***

Someone said that.

The things that flash by like a panorama in the moment before death are not to reminisce about life, but to desperately search for ways to survive in the memories of the body facing death.

‘Breathe with your belly, not your chest.’

Hyun-woo tried desperately to breathe, even while gasping. It was difficult to breathe properly because of the blood foam, but he slowly exhaled.

The rough dust covered his mouth, but there was nothing else Hyun-woo could do. As he desperately focused on breathing, the pain seemed to subside a little.

‘I’m not just going to breathe and die like this, am I?’

Hyun-woo breathed slowly and deeply. He vividly felt the air scratching his throat as it went back and forth.

Was it because of the panorama?

Somehow, time seemed to be flowing slowly. Each breath felt so long that it was dizzying. He could even feel the foreign substances stirring through his lungs, esophagus, and blood vessels.

[Poison is starting to accumulate in your body.]

What the hell is this narrator’s voice? Is it the voice of a demon?

Isn’t it bad that poison is accumulating? Or is he doing it right? Hyun-woo couldn’t tell.

But his breathing became longer and slower. It wasn’t just Hyun-woo who felt that way. In fact, Hyun-woo was dying. Although breathing had become easier, Hyun-woo felt that his life was running out.

‘What the hell killed me?’

Hyun-woo suddenly thought of the return stone hanging around his neck. In an instant, he became convinced that this was the cause. He heard news about his father for the first time since he was born, and on that very day, he fell into this hell. There was no other answer.

‘Father, was that bastard a demon who sent an invitation to hell?’

But what does it matter? It would all be useless if he died. In his peaceful breathing, Hyun-woo decided to accept death.

Finally, Hyun-woo’s heart stopped completely. Hyun-woo quietly closed his eyes.

Until the notification sound rang out, telling him who had killed him.

The moment he heard that message, Hyun-woo opened his eyes wide.

[You have been killed by Fine Dust (LV 1).]

‘Fine Dust?’

Hyun-woo’s eyes were bloodshot. Blood spread.

Fine dust? I died from fine dust, of all things? Hyun-woo opened his mouth as if he was about to scream. But instead of a scream, blood gushed out.

Hyun-woo closed his eyes, filled with resentment, and faced death as it was.

Amidst the desolate blowing dust, the narrator’s voice echoed emptily.

[Quest Failed.]

The ‘First Night in Hell’ quest has failed.

[Impossible Achievement!]

You have survived the longest in Difficulty: Hell in human history.

[You have acquired the title ‘I Am Legend.’]

[Experience gain increases as survival time increases.]

[The effect increases due to level-adjusted difficulty compensation.]

You are dead.

[Total Survival Time: 00 days 00 hours 04 minutes 32 seconds.]