Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 211

211. Good Cop, Bad Cop (1)

“Park Hwi-so? What brings you here?”

“He said he has something to tell you regarding the alliance.”

“Ah, indeed. It’s about time the results started coming in.”

With the revelation that Park Do-ryeong was a member of the alliance, it became clear that his previous statement about not interfering was false.

Or perhaps the alliance’s control was absurdly weak.

*There’s no way Park Hwi-so didn’t sense something here. Or maybe he’s decided to disclose information about Teacher right now.*

“Let’s meet right away. Did he say anything?”

“Yes. He said he has something to say about a man named Robert Lee…….”

“Robert Lee? Who’s that again?”

“Yes. Don’t you remember? He’s one of the alliance members who came up when we interrogated Assemblywoman Ryu Su-a…….”

“Ryu Su-a? Ah, the one who ran for Seoul Mayor… that snake lady.”

“You really don’t allocate memory to things you’re not interested in.”

“They’re already gone. Come to think of it, I think I heard an explanation that he’s a Korean-American working in the US. Anything else you heard?”

Seo Ji-hoo’s expression became subtle.

“There wasn’t much else, but…….”

“But?”

“Apparently, that person seems to have met with you, Commander.”

***

The place chosen to meet Park Hwi-so was the training camp gymnasium owned by the Almighty League.

The training camp, once a collapsing factory-like place, was now a state-of-the-art, top-notch training facility.

Among them, Park Hwi-so was waiting in the most secretive place, a 5-star classified training facility.

“Old man, long time no see.”

Hyeon-mu greeted Park Hwi-so, who was standing in the middle of the gymnasium, with open arms.

Park Hwi-so politely declined the hug and bowed.

Hyeon-mu awkwardly lowered his hands.

“Why do we keep meeting in places like gymnasiums? I prefer a nice cafe or a walking path.”

“That’s for intimate couples. If we go to a cafe, we’ll just muddy the waters. And I was curious about your condition, old man, since I haven’t seen you.”

Park Hwi-so smiled bitterly.

Even though it was early summer, Park Hwi-so was fully dressed in a long coat, fedora, and gloves.

*Even if it’s a thin material, it can’t be not hot. Considering what’s covering that skin.*

Hyeon-mu glanced at him and asked.

“Aren’t you hot?”

“People who don’t have to walk don’t get hot even in summer. And I’ve taken some measures to withstand it.”

“Take it off once.”

“……Weren’t you here to hear about Robert Lee?”

“It’s not like he’s going to run away, and it’s not like I’m not going to listen. Right now, I’m just curious about your condition. Yoo-min probably took good care of you, but Kazat doesn’t seem to be able to take care of you well these days either.”

From the beginning, bringing him to a classified training facility was the intention.

The 5-star classified training facility was built to measure the power and abilities of Hyeon-mu and Hyeon-mu’s familiars, especially those who are monsters.

Of course, even so, only Ha-hyeon and Yer-dan had ever used this place.

“Do I have to take it off? Even just rolling up my sleeves…….”

“Ah, I’m telling you nicely to take it off.”

Park Hwi-so seemed to sense that Hyeon-mu’s will was firm, sighed, and soon began to undress.

When he unbuttoned his shirt, a fur hide closer to that of an animal than a human was revealed.

The fur hide that had been transplanted in place of skin previously covered his entire upper body except for his neck.

But that wasn’t the problem. Hyeon-mu’s face hardened.

Hyeon-mu realized why Park Hwi-so didn’t want to show his body.

“What’s that? Ice packs?”

“……Didn’t I say I took some measures?”

Park Hwi-so had white ice packs attached to various parts of his skin. The Korean summer was excessively harsh for him, who wore animal fur and a coat.

“Still, it’s a relief that you have the flexibility to live with ice packs.”

“If only there wasn’t a boss who abuses his position to force people to undress.”

“You saying that makes me feel like a huge piece of trash.”

“I’m glad you’re aware.”

But Hyeon-mu had no intention of stopping here. Hyeon-mu even ordered Park Hwi-so to take off his gloves.

Fortunately, there were no ice packs in the gloves.

The mutation was most severe in the hands of the upper body. The left hand was not much different from a human’s, but the right hand had the claws of a werewolf.

“Is it this bad even when you’re not in combat?”

“Yes. Of course, the left hand also mutates if the combat state continues. Personally, I think it’s related to heart rate or body temperature increase.”

“Ah, so you’re paying attention to body temperature control even to the point of attaching ice packs…….”

“The biggest reason is that it’s hot…… but I can’t say it’s not related.”

“Then how much do you think this state affects your combat power?”

Park Hwi-so made a troubled expression. He rolled his eyes as if looking for someone to gauge, and finally opened his mouth.

“Very positive. It feels like I’ve gained combat power instead of losing social skills. Compared to the familiars, I think it’s similar to Yer-dan and slightly less than Ha-hyeon.”

“Hmm, indeed…… Come to think of it, isn’t it about time for you to get an ultimate skill, old man?”

“Yes. I recently acquired an ultimate skill.”

Park Hwi-so, who was originally a 3-star ability user, rose to 5-star thanks to becoming Hyeon-mu’s familiar. But since he hadn’t been working as a hunter for a long time, leveling up was extremely slow.

“Ah, really? I thought it would take longer.”

“There was some trouble with Russian rogues in Hokkaido.”

Ironically, it was the same ability users who raised his level.

Even if you hunt the same ability user, the level rises.

Even hunting the same ability user is faster than catching monsters, so rogues appear to target this.

If you think about it, it’s natural.

It’s a system that ultimately makes each other hunt each other.

When the distinction between monsters and humans becomes meaningless, ability users will only see each other as a means of leveling up.

“That’s good.”

Hyeon-mu glanced around.

A facility created to ensure the highest level of secrecy and protection.

When else would you use this money-guzzling facility if not now?

“Let’s have a sparring match for the first time in a while, old man.”

***

“Hmm.”

Hyeon-mu lay on the floor and looked at the ceiling. There wasn’t a single spot on his body that wasn’t sore and painful.

When he struggled to get up, blood was flowing out to the point where his whole body was sticky. He was worried that his internal organs might be flowing out.

Fortunately, it wasn’t dangerous because the toxicity was limited.

Hyeon-mu sprinkled potion all over his body and looked at the scars on his left arm, the scars engraved on the Restrainer Ya-yul [a powerful artifact] among the wounds.

There were many large and small scars engraved all over.

Even though it was healing faster than the wounds on the skin where the potion was poured, there was still no weapon in Hyeon-mu’s memory that had wounded the Restrainer Ya-yul.

*And to think I’d end up like this from the old man’s claws.*

Of course, it wasn’t a proper fight, but a sparring match to measure Park Hwi-so’s combat power, so it would have been a little different if it were a real battle.

This wound was caused by Park Hwi-so’s ultimate skill.

That’s why Hyeon-mu couldn’t use his ultimate skill either. Hyeon-mu’s ultimate skill increases not only Hyeon-mu’s abilities but also the abilities of his familiars, so it’s meaningless for accurate ability measurement.

“Old man, are you okay?”

When Hyeon-mu was able to move, he approached Park Hwi-so, who was lying on the floor like himself.

Park Hwi-so was also covered in wounds like Hyeon-mu. There were many serious wounds to the point where bones were exposed.

Hyeon-mu poured potion on that body.

Park Hwi-so opened his eyes at the sensation of the cold potion touching him.

“Ugh.”

“Why did you stop in the middle?”

The wounds engraved on Park Hwi-so’s body were not the wounds Hyeon-mu had inflicted.

Most of them were wounds that Park Hwi-so had inflicted on himself at the last moment of the sparring match.

Park Hwi-so tried to smile bitterly, but it was difficult to move the corners of his mouth because the muscles in his chin were severed.

When his face recovered slightly, he barely opened his mouth.

“I did it because I thought I would harm you.”

“I’ll take care of it myself if it’s dangerous.”

In fact, it was close to that point. He almost used his ultimate skill.

But right before that, Park Hwi-so suddenly started harming himself, and the sparring match was stopped as Hyeon-mu fell out.

“I thought so, but this ultimate skill is a difficult ability to stop in the middle. I had to stop before it got worse. But it seems to be more powerful than I thought.”

“Didn’t you know it was this much?”

“There was no opponent who endured as much as you. Most of them die before that.”

To put it simply, Park Hwi-so’s ultimate skill seemed to be the type that maximizes aggression while eroding reason.

Of course, there seemed to be more options attached to it, but it was difficult to confirm that far.

It was difficult to confirm with sparring because it was an ability specialized in killing.

Park Hwi-so carefully put on his tattered clothes as if it didn’t matter, and then opened his mouth.

“If you’re satisfied enough, can I tell you today’s business now?”

“Ah, Robert Lee. I almost forgot. Please tell me. Is he someone I’ve met?”

“Yes. To be exact, Kang Hyeon-mu needs to confirm it, but after checking Robert Lee’s recent activities for the past year, he visited Korea. I think you met him then.”

Hyeon-mu wondered what a Korean-American foreigner would have to meet him for, and received the data from Park Hwi-so. And he was embarrassed to see the picture of a man in a neat suit attached to the first page of the document.

His memory was hazy, but it was definitely a face he had seen before.

“This is a picture taken by a speed camera of a vehicle rented under Robert Lee’s name on the highway near the Hwaseong Mana Industrialization Complex [a specialized industrial park] in early autumn last year. CCTV also captured the scene of him getting out of the car and meeting Kang Hyeon-mu. Do you remember?”

The Mana Industrialization Complex was, and still is, thoroughly monitored for entry personnel.

Of course, it was full of holes as humans do, but CCTV was installed in every corner of the alley.

“……You know everything without me having to remember. Yes. I remember.”

Hyeon-mu couldn’t know how far the alliance was intertwined with him.

The person in the photo was none other than the lawyer who came directly to deliver his father’s belongings.

The lawyer who gave Hyeon-mu the return stone that fell to difficulty: Hell, saying it was his father’s inheritance.

*I understand your concerns, but first, I pray for the repose of the deceased.*

Hyeon-mu recalled his voice.

In that moment, he took out his old wallet from a fleeting memory. And he found a business card in the old stack of business cards inside.

[Robert Lee─Inheritance Lawyer]

Even the phone number was written on it.

Hyeon-mu handed the business card to Park Hwi-so with an absurd expression and said.

“No, are you serious? A secret group called the Alliance is handing out business cards with their real name and phone number written on them?!”

“……I didn’t know you even received a business card. Still, Assemblywoman Ryu Su-a is a public figure who appears on TV, so what can’t she do?”

“No, but……!”

Hyeon-mu felt something very unfair and complicated pass by.

It felt like he had gone around a very complicated path and finally returned to the beginning.

Does this make sense?

“Why did he give me the business card?”

“He probably gave it to you to contact him. Since he’s an inheritance lawyer, do you have anything in mind?”

“Absolutely…….”

Hyeon-mu, who was about to say that he had nothing, closed his mouth after recalling the so-called ‘father’s inheritance’ that Robert Lee had given him.

It was a foregone conclusion that the person who received the return stone would fall to difficulty: Hell.

Then what should have been Hyeon-mu’s reaction when he returned to reality?

Maybe he was waiting for a call from Hyeon-mu.

“Where is that bastard now?”