Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 238

238. Star of Hell (5)

The moment Ivanov’s skull rolled onto the floor, the severed torsos of the Blood Golem transformed into giant spears, piercing the Doomsday Beast’s body.

The spears, each shaped like a demon, bit into and clung to the Doomsday Beast’s flesh. The beast’s body began to rot and disintegrate, starting from the points of impact.

Hyeon-woo could no longer sustain the Doomsday Beast. He ejected himself from the collapsing form and tumbled onto the ground.

He watched as the demons, barely recognizable as golems, devoured the beast’s remains.

“You’re going down the wrong path, young man.”

Ivanov’s cracked head was suddenly right in front of him.

Ivanov’s skull was a mess. It looked as if someone had scraped his face with a backhoe [a large excavation machine], which wasn’t surprising considering the damage he’d sustained.

But he didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

“You’re selfish, evil, and greedy, but I can tolerate that. I’m not in a position to be picky,” Ivanov said. “But the path you’re walking now is a dead end. It doesn’t have to be the Wailing Star; any star will do. Choose a future and abandon this path of destruction.”

“Bullshit.”

Hyeon-woo didn’t hesitate to kick Ivanov’s head.

Just then, a gunshot rang out. Hyeon-woo cried out and fell, his instep pierced by a bullet.

Ivanov’s headless torso was holding a gun, still aimed at Hyeon-woo.

“It seems you’re human after all, seeing as guns still affect you.”

Ivanov picked up his skull and placed it back on his body.

The cracked skull began to mend itself. Hyeon-woo tried to scramble backward, but black hands sprouted from his wounded instep.

The hands, quickly spreading up to his knees, held Hyeon-woo in place, preventing him from escaping.

Hyeon-woo swung Tam at Ivanov, but the blade was useless.

Ivanov pulled the trigger again. Blood spurted from Hyeon-woo’s body in rapid succession. The shots were painful, but aimed at non-lethal areas.

“Hyeon-woo!”

Ha-hyeon’s desperate voice echoed.

Hyeon-woo felt his consciousness slipping as the already insufficient blood continued to flow.

The situation wasn’t any better for the others. With the Doomsday Beast gone, the black smoke dissipated, and the vassals lost their enhanced abilities.

Kawaro and Curie were also struggling.

‘Calling the other vassals might be an option, but…’ Hyeon-woo thought.

Summoning Yerdan or Kazat was a possibility. But no matter how he considered it, it seemed it would only buy them a little time.

Hyeon-woo needed to find another way.

As Hyeon-woo staggered, on the verge of collapse, Ivanov bent down to meet his eyes.

Ivanov’s gaze, though emanating from an empty skull, felt intense.

“I want to persuade you, young man.”

“You’re asking for the impossible, old man. I don’t listen to anyone who attacks me unless they crawl between my legs.”

“That’s quite a condition. Then perhaps persuading a less demanding opponent is an option. You might not like it.”

Ivanov opened his coat.

Hyeon-woo, expecting to see only bones, was shocked by what he saw inside.

Inside the coat was a strangely large space. And within that space, corpses hung, each seemingly with a story to tell.

Hyeon-woo’s gaze locked onto one corpse in particular.

No, it wasn’t a corpse. It was the only surviving Cursed One, Number 2.

Ivanov grabbed the rope around Number 2’s neck and pulled him forward, presenting him to Hyeon-woo.

“I know this friend was born from Gaul’s curse. If he kills you, he will take your place.”

Hyeon-woo gritted his teeth. Ivanov’s intention was clear.

“If you truly refuse, I’ll have no choice but to persuade this friend.”

“You son of a bitch…”

Ivanov looked down at Hyeon-woo with a somber and grave expression.

“It is the duty of an elder to discipline a child who is going astray. It may be a harsh lesson, but this is the only way to repay even a fraction of the debt we owe to humanity, you and I.”

Ivanov turned to Number 2.

“Young man, you are a fake, an imitation. You are an existence that will vanish when the trial is over. But I will give you a chance. A chance to become real.”

Number 2’s eyes widened, darting between Hyeon-woo and Ivanov.

“Pledge yourself as a vassal of the Wailing Star. Then I will grant you the opportunity to kill this one and become real. Existence or annihilation—I don’t think it’s a difficult choice.”

Ivanov spoke while still looking at Hyeon-woo, clearly wanting an immediate answer.

He must think he has me cornered. And he’s right.

Hyeon-woo glared at Number 2 with intense animosity. Number 2 returned the gaze with equal hatred and disgust.

Then, Number 2 spoke.

“Fuck off, you son of a bitch.”

He kicked Ivanov in the groin with all his might. Of course, Ivanov remained unfazed.

He simply looked down at Number 2.

Number 2 grinned crookedly.

“What, is it because you’re an old man who can’t get it up anymore, so you don’t care?”

Giggles escaped from both Hyeon-woo and Number 2.

Ivanov sensed the same intense hatred from Number 2 as he did from Hyeon-woo. He couldn’t understand the source of this animosity.

Had he done something so wrong? He had been polite, even explaining the situation.

But even that was enough to enrage Hyeon-woo and Number 2.

‘No, it’s not just directed at me.’

They were angry at Ivanov’s attitude, at the arrogant gaze of the stars, at the state of this broken world. And it wasn’t just selfish anger.

It was a natural hatred for those who had inherited the price of sin.

Ivanov suddenly felt a wave of disgust and fear creep up his spine.

Hyeon-woo was the only person who could truly judge Ivanov. He was the only one in the world free from the sins of the past.

The guilt that had been buried deep within his heart began to stir, like the corpses of the apocalypse rising from their graves.

“What do you know!” Ivanov shouted for the first time.

“Do you know the horror when the sea first vanished? Do you know the sight of mushroom clouds blooming across the horizon? Do you know that even five-year-old children were forcibly conscripted as vassals because they possessed abilities? Do you know about the families who committed suicide with their babies, believing that if they were going to die anyway, it was better to become undead together?”

Ivanov wasn’t a good person, not even by a long shot.

But in this ruined world, no one was innocent. Everyone was tainted, and the survivors endured by sharing the burden of guilt.

“Choosing the strongest star was the only way to salvage even a fraction of this world! And we had to choose a star that could embrace even the lowest! Who do you think suffered the most when the world turned cruel?”

Ivanov shouted with all his might, offering his first real excuse and defense for his past actions.

“The saying that death is equal is a lie! Death always claims the weakest first. The rich, the strong, and the capable survived, but the Wailing Star was the only one that embraced those who died lonely, painfully, and forgotten!”

The strongest star, the one that could embrace the most people and ultimately prevail.

Ivanov believed the Wailing Star was the answer.

“This world belongs to humanity! Under the Wailing Star, humanity can continue to exist, even in death! Your criticism of my choice is nothing but arrogance born from your ignorance!”

“Yes, I am ignorant. You son of a bitch,” Hyeon-woo spat, glaring at him with contempt.

“But I know you’re a loser.”

Number 2 began to struggle violently.

The spider web that Hyeon-woo had secretly woven around the rope severed it instantly.

The moment Number 2 hit the floor, he smashed the ghostly hands that were holding Hyeon-woo’s ankles.

Hyeon-woo’s injuries were severe, but he charged towards Ivanov without hesitation.

Ivanov watched Hyeon-woo approach and was suddenly reminded of someone.

***

It was winter. The snow fell heavily.

The corpses on the ground were frozen solid, so cold that even teeth couldn’t break them.

It was a time when cannibalism wasn’t uncommon. Everything was blurred and indistinct.

There was no distinction between what was edible and what wasn’t. No difference between humans and beasts. No meaning in separating the living from the dead.

Snow obscured the line between the ground and the sky.

‘…Ivan.’

There was no right or wrong. It was a world where you were slaughtered the moment you tried to discern them. Everyone had to prioritize their own interests and survival.

Those who loved their families died first. Fathers sacrificed themselves to protect their children, and parents killed their babies to spare them the horrors of the world.

‘…Ivan Cherenkov.’

But in reality, none of it mattered. Selfish or altruistic, living or dying was simply a matter of luck.

It was a question of who would go first and who would follow. Everyone tried to live fiercely and died coldly.

‘…Ivan Cherenkov, I’m fine.’

It was winter. The snow was heavy.

Ivanov was dying.

He couldn’t even remember who he had been fighting. A starving apostle of another star had tried to feed in the city under Ivanov’s protection, and Ivanov had intervened.

It was a common occurrence.

But Ivanov owed his life to one man.

Ivanov wanted to recruit him as a vassal as a reward. Countless people had sought him out for that purpose.

They came because they wanted to escape the cold, because they were starving, for revenge, to become stronger, to escape their thoughts, or simply to die.

‘…I’m fine.’

But the man refused. He wasn’t a vassal of any other star either.

If he refused the favor, Ivanov could have ignored him, or even killed him and forced him into servitude.

Sooner or later, the man would belong to the Wailing Star anyway.

‘…I’m fine.’

The man offered no explanation.

Ivanov felt a strange frustration and left.

He promised to return in the spring, and every time the season changed, he would ask again.

He would give him a chance to survive in this land without pain or fear.

Ivanov visited the man’s cabin some time later.

The man was dead. Not murdered, frozen, or starved, but by his own hand.

A faded family photo was clutched in his arms.

He had refused to choose a side.

Ivanov understood the man’s choice at that moment.

Some people simply want the world to end, because its continuation is inherently painful.

They want to end it all, whether it’s themselves or the world.

But Ivanov couldn’t agree.

He pitied the man’s foolishness, believing that better times would eventually come.

It was just winter. The snow was still heavy.

For Ivanov, winter showed no signs of ending.

***

Just as Tam’s blade and Number 2’s fist were about to strike Ivanov, his hands moved with incredible speed.

The intense cold emanating from him froze their movements.

Hyeon-woo cried out, staggering from the pain of his wound freezing.

Ivanov grabbed Number 2 by the neck again and kicked Hyeon-woo’s leg, knocking him to the ground.

In a matter of moments, both were subdued.

“Why, Kang Hyeon-woo,” Ivanov said, pronouncing Hyeon-woo’s name as if for the first time.

“Why do you want the world to end?”

A look of disbelief and pity crossed Hyeon-woo’s face.

“What? Who wants the world to end, you idiot! Don’t you know the saying that even rolling in dog poop is better than the afterlife?”

“…What?”

“I’m going to live well, you son of a bitch. I’ll never dream of an ending like ‘I’m going to die unhappily, but I hope you all live happily ever after’! If I die, everyone dies with me, got it?”

“…”

Ivanov looked down at Hyeon-woo in silence, then slowly turned his gaze to Number 2.

Hanging in the air, struggling, Number 2 smiled and retorted.

“Ha, am I any different? Too bad. You stupid bastard, yes. I’m going to save humanity. Because there have to be people to show off to and have fun with. I’m going to save you even if you don’t want me to.”

“There’s no way that’s possible…”

“But salvation isn’t a favor you can bestow! We have no intention of receiving salvation as charity!”

Ivanov was momentarily speechless.

He felt like he had been struck in the head.

He had believed that the man he met in winter had given up on salvation and chosen termination.

But that may have been his arrogance.

The man had chosen his own salvation. It was simply a different path from Ivanov’s.

“There is no star that saves, and no star that destroys,” Number 2 muttered.

“No one can force us to choose,” Hyeon-woo added.

“Destruction and salvation will all be done by human hands. Got it?”