Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 228

228. Trial of the Stars (4)

Kawaro, confronted by an enraged Curie, was taken aback but responded with composure.

As he swung his arm, the dozens of gold bracelets on his wrist clattered loudly.

Curie instinctively crouched and jumped back. The sound of the bracelets colliding amplified rapidly, and a massive shockwave of vibration slammed into Curie.

The anglerfish couldn’t withstand the internal vibrations.

The anglerfish’s body convulsed violently, and it exploded in an instant, killing it.

Curie, who had been crouching, rose, igniting even more intense flames.

“Heh, you’re tough to withstand that even with armor,” Kawaro muttered, having already created a significant distance. It was a waste of a precious anglerfish.

Even if it had lived, its insides would have been cooked by that heat.

The giant Kawaro was riding also died from the vibrations, leaving him no choice but to walk.

“You seem to have gotten hotter while I wasn’t looking, Curie.”

“Kawaro! What did you do to Lampel?”

“Lampel?”

Kawaro looked puzzled at the sudden mention of the name.

“Are you talking about that brat? The one who thought his strength came from his muscles?”

Kawaro wondered what Curie was talking about, then remembered that two apostles had died.

One was definitely an apostle of the Starving Star, but the other was unknown.

“Could it be that the brat is dead?”

“You’re still lying so brazenly, you deceiver!”

Curie gripped her spear tightly and aimed it at Kawaro.

The moment she stomped her foot, Curie’s body transformed into a massive, charging spear.

Skill: Charge.

It was a simple skill, but its effect was not.

The fierce flames erupting from Curie’s body, combined with the spear’s rotation, pierced towards Kawaro.

Kawaro couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he engaged in close combat, something he hadn’t done in a long time.

Kawaro had no choice but to sacrifice one of his cherished bracelets.

Skill: Secret Bargain.

Kwaaaaang!

Curie’s charge scorched the cave while smashing it to pieces.

Her charge was creating a new tunnel.

At the apex of that tremendous attack, Kawaro, unable to escape, was dragged into the assault.

Curie finally stopped after plowing through the tunnel for nearly dozens of meters. The familiars caught in her attack were either shattered into fragments or incinerated, leaving no trace.

Curie glared at the tip of her spear. Despite the fierce attack, Kawaro was holding the spear tip with his fingers, looking annoyed.

***

“I thought you were someone I could have a conversation with. Did crawling under the Star of Conquest fry your brain?”

Three of Kawaro’s bracelets, which had been ‘traded’ to absorb the damage he should have taken, were gone from his arm.

Kawaro glared at Curie, surprised by the higher-than-expected number.

“You know all these bracelets are Mythic-grade items, right?”

“So what? Are you regretting it?”

“I’m someone who regrets losing even a Rare-grade item.”

Curie was in no mood for jokes.

“Your greed is as strong as ever, befitting your corrupt official background.”

The easygoing nicknames of Gluttony and Sloth were the Starving Star’s preference. They were also a compliment for the trials he had passed.

Kawaro, who had passed the Starving Star’s trials twice, liked the titles of Gluttony and Sloth, but most who knew him called Kawaro by another name.

Corrupt Official.

It was a nickname that stuck with him before and after becoming an apostle. She pressed the spear tip against Kawaro’s chin, pressing him.

“Lampel encountered Ivanov, repelled his army of the dead, and decided on a strategic retreat! He sent a messenger to tell me he would join me once the Weeping Star’s intervention was confirmed! But suddenly, I felt his death throes!”

“So, I killed Lampel?”

“If not you, then that bastard Itwaro.”

Kawaro released Curie’s spear.

He no longer guarded against Curie’s spear tip. He knew this was Curie’s way of communicating.

Indeed, even when Kawaro released the spear, Curie didn’t stab him.

“I also felt the scream, Curie. But you and I serve different stars. There’s no problem with us killing each other, it’s even natural.”

“……”

“But the fact that you’re questioning me about this means you can’t figure out what happened either. Judging by how quickly you came to me, you must know I’m not involved.”

“Then… do you know something?”

They can’t even have a conversation without starting with threats and intimidation.

That was Kawaro’s impression of the Star of Conquest.

At least Curie was a rational apostle who could communicate with other stars in this way.

Lampel would have just spewed insults and curses before fighting to the death.

“No. I also just heard Itwaro’s scream. You know the apostle’s scream echoed twice, right?”

“……Yes. It seems that one was from the Starving Star’s side.”

Both had lost a fellow apostle. Instead of suspecting Kawaro, Curie began to speculate with him.

This situation was perplexing to her as well.

“Is there a possibility of a mutual kill?”

One could have killed the other and then died from exhaustion.

Itwaro and Lampel were of similar skill. It was entirely possible if they fought 1:1.

Curie continued her speculation.

“Or the one who killed Itwaro could have killed Lampel too.”

“No, impossible.”

Kawaro cut her off.

“Lampel said he faced Ivanov, right? That means he was in the upper levels. But Itwaro headed to the lower levels. I thought he was going to confirm Kang Hyun-woo’s location, but it seems he met with an accident along the way.”

“Then……”

Curie opened her mouth heavily.

“Lampel could have been defeated by Ivanov. But Itwaro must have been defeated by Kang Hyun-woo.”

Kawaro fell silent.

It was an undesirable possibility, but entirely plausible. But until they confirmed it, they couldn’t know anything.

He couldn’t even remember the last time they had lost an apostle. During the Great War, apostles died and new ones were born almost daily, but now it was different.

The tension that had been stretched taut was gone, and only meaningless skirmishes were taking place in the ruins and designated territories.

It was an era of slow death.

But suddenly, strange changes were occurring.

“I thought it was just a normal quest.”

Kawaro muttered with a bitter expression.

Curie, who had been watching him, suddenly spoke.

“The Promise.”

“Huh?”

“You were there when the promise was made, weren’t you? Do you remember?”

Kawaro immediately understood what Curie was talking about. But it was also a bothersome topic.

Unlike Curie, Kawaro was the type to try to forget and ignore the promise.

Because the promise was a symbol of their humiliation and incompetence.

The Promise.

A treaty that the stars that had now disappeared or given up had made with the stars that remained.

When Kawaro didn’t answer, Curie began to speak as if to remind him.

“If you protect the peace of this place, we will no longer intervene. The apocalypse will no longer proceed. But if you set foot here in the end……”

“Ah, shut up. I remember.”

Kawaro pushed Curie’s spear away, irritated. Curie wore a fierce expression but showed no signs of fighting.

“That was decades ago. Most of the agents who came to the Promised Land back then are dead or gone. Now this place is just a ruin that no one remembers or cares about.”

“But you’re still worried about it, aren’t you?”

Of course. Kawaro didn’t know, but Kawaro had already stepped into the range and ran away as if fleeing after hearing a shout.

At the time, he thought it was a warning for trying to kill the achiever of the trial, but it didn’t seem unrelated to the promise.

“……It seems we need to hurry.”

Kawaro stared calmly at Curie.

With two apostles killed for unknown reasons, they couldn’t act rashly.

Curie and Kawaro were both apostles capable of rational thought.

Curie slung her spear over her shoulder and said.

“It would only benefit the Weeping Star if we fought each other, right?”

“Right. We don’t need a handshake, do we?”

“Just don’t show me your back. I might get greedy.”

Curie whistled towards the back. The Ironbloods, who had been waiting in the darkness with their flames extinguished, walked out one by one.

The 50 Ironbloods were now only 30.

Kawaro still had many familiars, but their numbers were also rapidly decreasing.

“Let’s catch Kang Hyun-woo first and then think about what to do.”

***

Hyun-woo didn’t know how to respond to the sudden death of the apostle.

The death of an apostle wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

If one died, it could fuel their conflict, but if two died suddenly, they would become wary.

Especially if the one who died was only the apostle of the Starving Star, the other could come down without any obstruction.

One of the worst-case scenarios.

The alliance or solo run of the stars begins.

The Weeping Star seemed to be leisurely pressing down, so there was no guarantee that a fight would break out.

It was then.

Kirson, who had been guarding the middle level, came down to the reservoir at some point and was approaching.

“Boss, they’ve allied.”

“……Ah, really.”

It was something that could be confirmed as long as the familiars didn’t fight each other. It seemed that Kirson and the monsters had been ordered to retreat since there was no use in them buying time in this state.

They couldn’t stop the enemies anyway.

“Good job. Then hide in the place I told you about.”

The Cursed Ones would also judge that it was better to fight with Hyun-woo rather than push themselves if they felt the situation was bad. Hyun-woo thought that was better too.

“Yes, Boss. But……”

Kirson hesitated to speak for some reason.

Now the apostles would rush straight towards Hyun-woo without any checks or obstructions. But Hyun-woo was telling Kirson to retreat with the monsters instead.

“Ah, don’t get unnecessarily sentimental. I’m going to win anyway, and it’ll be a hassle to deal with if you guys get wiped out for no reason. What am I going to do in a base without any workers?”

“Wouldn’t it be better for at least me to stay?”

Hyun-woo was surprised by Kirson’s words.

He thought his relationship with Kirson was purely business.

Kirson for the survival of his tribe and his own growth, Hyun-woo for his leadership and knowledge.

But he didn’t expect him to volunteer for a battle where his life might be in danger.

“Do as you please. If you’re going to stay, stick with Hahyun. He’s… about to be born, so he might not be able to fight properly when the time comes.”

Hahyun seemed to have judged that it was better to focus on hatching Sanghyun as soon as possible rather than dragging his heavy body around awkwardly, so he was putting all his effort into hatching.

If the timing was right, he might hatch before the apostle appeared.

He didn’t know how helpful the newly born Sanghyun would be, but he believed that it wouldn’t be a useless item since it was a ‘gift’ that Monstrill had bothered to flaunt.

Kirson nodded. He stopped and turned to look at Hyun-woo as he was about to approach Hahyun.

“Boss, don’t die.”

“I won’t. You bastard. Don’t you remember how many times you’ve killed me?”

“There is no such thing as an immortal being in this world, Boss.”

Kirson answered with surprising calmness. Hyun-woo looked at him with a puzzled expression at his unexpected appearance.

“If you really think you won’t die, you’re an idiot, Boss.”

“How do you know that?”

Kirson chuckled at Hyun-woo’s words and answered.

“Don’t you remember how many times I’ve killed you? You said this one is especially dangerous, with those Cursed Ones or whatever.”

“That’s… none of your business. I’ve put in safety measures too.”

Of course, it’s not perfect.

But what safe path is there when fighting an apostle?

You had to use all the means you could.

“Anyway, don’t die. I’ll keep a good eye on your back.”

***

And 8 hours later.

The allied forces of Curie and Kawaro arrived at the underground reservoir.