Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 240

240. Star of Hell (7)

The stars seemed to flicker intensely the moment Hyun-woo spoke.

In the strange silence, Hyun-woo wondered how the stars would react.

*Will this proposal work?*

It was half an adventure, half a gamble.

But Hyun-woo was certain that this moment would come someday. He’d been planning for it.

Ivanov’s arrangement could accelerate his plan much faster.

His words that it could be a new opportunity, not just crazy talk, were genuine.

When the answer was delayed, Hyun-woo was about to speak again, but the Weeping Star’s Delegate opened her mouth.

“What is it? An expression of confidence? Or mockery?”

Her face looked subtly pleased as she asked.

The other Apostles seemed to be letting the Weeping Star’s Delegate speak for them.

It was fortunate for Hyun-woo. The rest didn’t seem accustomed to conversation.

“It’s neither an expression of confidence nor mockery. I am making a ‘proposal’: I will become a star. And you just need to tolerate and help me become a star.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate was still smiling, but Hyun-woo felt that her smile was chilling.

A flesh-crawling coldness was swirling around.

“Do you know what that means?”

“Of course.”

“Then you also know that we have no reason to keep listening to your crazy talk.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate’s hand began to move slowly. Following her fingertips, the air crackled and began to freeze.

Before the coldness that could cleave his torso vertically struck, Hyun-woo quickly continued.

“I’m not saying I’ll take over this star. Rather, it will be an extension of the promise.”

At the mention of the promise, the Weeping Star’s Delegate stopped.

“What nonsense is this about an extension of the promise?”

“Isn’t there a ‘promise’ hanging over this land? To protect the peace of this land, so the end will stop. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, but the end hasn’t completely stopped. It continues to gnaw at the world slowly. And seeing that nothing much happens even when we make a fuss in this promised land, I suspect that the promise was quite *虚無孟浪* [xū wú mèng làng – empty and careless; irresponsible] from the start.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate said, raising the corner of her mouth.

“Promises are worth respecting, but promises without authority mean nothing. Moreover, we must settle things before the world completely ends. If you are the key to settling that, there’s no reason to hesitate.”

Hyun-woo shook his head.

“No, the promise will be fulfilled.”

“What, you’re going to stop the end from progressing further?”

“No.”

Hyun-woo said calmly.

“If you don’t accept my proposal, I will become the Star of the End. We all die together.”

***

The Delegates were silent. It wasn’t a silence of tension.

It was a silence of disdain or disbelief. The Weeping Star’s Delegate spoke as if regretting having waited.

“I wondered what you were saying, but it was just nonsense.”

“Is there any reason to keep listening?”

The Gluttonous Star’s Delegate asked, smacking his lips. He looked like he wanted to devour Hyun-woo right away.

The Weeping Star’s Delegate decided to show Hyun-woo one last bit of patience, thinking of Ivanov.

“Kang Hyun-woo, nothing will change even if one more Beast of the End is added here. Do you think you’re the only beast? Beyond the borders of the world, there are countless things that would treat someone like you as a small cat. Not even us. You should know that even just the Apostle-level could subdue you.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate looked down at Hyun-woo and continued.

“Even if you become a star in your current state, it doesn’t seem like much will change.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate began to approach, licking her lips. But then, someone unexpected stepped forward.

“─────.”

It was the Conquering Star’s Delegate. He made a sound that seemed meaningless, like something burning.

But its meaning was accurately conveyed to the Apostles and Hyun-woo.

[Let’s hear more.]

It wasn’t just Hyun-woo who was surprised by the Conquering Star’s Delegate’s words. The other Delegates looked at him in surprise as well.

The Conquering Star’s Delegate revealed a burning smile and continued.

[I smell war from him.]

Hyun-woo smiled.

The Weeping Star was the one to talk to, but it was the Conquering Star who instinctively understood the meaning of Hyun-woo’s words.

Hyun-woo opened his mouth.

“Of course, I don’t want to become the Star of the End. But I am weak, and I don’t want to be subordinate to other stars. Then there is only one path I can choose: to end it cleanly here and die together.”

“I told you, that’s impossible…….”

“Can you be sure? There’s a ‘promise’.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate closed her mouth. Hyun-woo gained confidence from her reaction.

The Delegates are as concerned about the promise as the other Apostles.

From the small minions, to letting the Apostles in, and finally sending avatars instead of coming themselves.

They are afraid of what might happen.

The biggest evidence is this.

Difficulty: Hell, yet the battle is still not decided.

The stars were reluctant to fight.

It was none other than because of the Promised Land.

“If I become just one of the Beasts of the End, it would mean nothing. As you said, I am weak.”

However, there was a condition attached.

“But the ‘promise’ demanded the peace of this land. And I seem to be someone who is not unrelated to the peace of this land. According to Ivanov, I could be the hope of humanity.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate twisted her lips.

“It’s just the nonsense of an old man suffering from depression and dementia.”

“Still, you’re worried, aren’t you? Me becoming the Star of the End means the promise is broken, and the suspended end might resume.”

Because even the last hope chose the end. It was humanity itself declaring its demise.

“Okay. Let’s say you’re right.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate said, raising both hands.

“I don’t know how you’re going to become the Star of the End, but do you think we’ll let that happen? Do we look like we don’t have that much ability?”

Hyun-woo smiled.

“Maybe. But what’s the point in that?”

“The end…….”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate closed her mouth. Her expression became complicated and then distorted.

She was an Apostle who still had many human aspects left.

As the Weeping Star’s Delegate said, they have the ability to stop Hyun-woo from becoming the Star of the End. But that was just stopping for the sake of stopping.

But Hyun-woo had a better answer.

“Are you going to live like this forever? Are you going to keep poking at each other and postpone the ending? Trembling at the end that you can no longer stop one day, and then comforting yourselves that you tried your best?”

“Ha, this cute fellow.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate chuckled and glared at Hyun-woo. Hyun-woo also glared back at her, smiling.

“I’m going to give you an ending! I am the hope and future of humanity, and the only successor! I will become the successor of the promise. I will become a star for humanity.”

Hyun-woo said, scanning the Apostles one by one.

“If you help me.”

A star for humanity.

Hyun-woo had been thinking about this concept since he thought about the ‘ending’ of this whole game.

How were stars born?

He knew that the final winner who gathered all the fragments would become a star.

Then how were the other stars born? They wouldn’t have existed from the beginning.

They too are beings born through the game.

Those who, without the help of anyone else, bore their own karma, conquered, and finally grasped the star.

In other words, one can become a star even before being perfect.

Those who, instead of reflecting someone else’s light, burned themselves like a candle and finally proved themselves to the universe.

And Hyun-woo was saying that he would become just that.

“Do you know what that means?”

The Gluttonous Star’s Delegate suddenly opened his mouth.

“You becoming the sole successor of humanity, and you yourself becoming the promise, means you will no longer be protected by the promise.”

“You’re hard to understand. You should do something about that jaw.”

The Gluttonous Star’s Delegate, as if annoyed, grabbed Kawawo’s barely hanging jaw and tore it off.

Kawawo let out a painful groan, but no one cared.

The Gluttonous Star’s Delegate opened his mouth again.

“Becoming a star doesn’t make you stronger either. At your level, you’d be a little better than an Apostle.”

Even though Kawawo’s jaw was gone, his speech didn’t change.

The Weeping Star’s Delegate also chimed in.

“Besides, you became a star on your own without the protection of the promise, so we can’t bring you into our faction either. In other words, you’re just delicious prey for us.”

The Conquering Star’s Delegate also conveyed a message, making a strangely burning sound.

[The Promised Land was our buffer zone. We hesitated to fight while looking at the promise, and we were uncomfortable with the land in the middle. But if you, as the successor of humanity, renounce the authority over the promise, the war will start again. The Great War.]

The Conquering Star’s Delegate seemed to be enjoying just uttering the word.

[War. Greenhorn. Do you have the confidence to survive in that gap?]

If Hyun-woo has no reason to cause the end, and the promise disappears, then naturally war will break out again.

The Delegates were also hoping to escape this slow end and have their own ending. And each of them thought they would be the winner.

Hyun-woo’s existence was just a trigger.

“We’ll see when we open it up.”

[Good.]

The Conquering Star’s Delegate smiled and answered.

[I approve of promoting this greenhorn to a star.]

“It’s better than another guy eating him. I’ll approve too.”

The Gluttonous Star’s Delegate also cast his vote in favor.

“It’s not to my liking, but… the end is approaching… I can’t afford to be leisurely in a battlefield where time is not on my side. I’ll approve too.”

The Weeping Star’s Delegate also approved, looking displeased.

It was by no means a bad proposal for them.

The promise is broken, and the end does not come. And the war starts again.

Kang Hyun-woo said he would become a star, but considering that he is a weak opponent who can be torn apart as much as they want, it was better than watching his arrogant appearance now.

Above all, there was no worry that he would be taken over by other stars. That was the biggest merit.

“I object.”

Then someone spoke.

Hyun-woo looked around, wondering who had spoken.

But the voice came from right behind him, not from the front. Ha-hyun was pressing down hard on Hyun-woo’s shoulder and saying.

“I object to Kang Hyun-woo being promoted to a star.”

A faint glow was flowing from her eyes.

It wasn’t Ha-hyun speaking. It was the voice of the Whispering Star, Monstrill.

Hyun-woo felt a slight question at the sight. The Delegates represent the will of the stars, but did Monstrill also have a Delegate?

Before Hyun-woo could resolve his question, a mocking atmosphere flowed among the Apostles.

“Whispering Star…….”

[It doesn’t seem like we need to pay much attention.]

“Even if there is, it’s 3:1. It’s already decided.”

Ha-hyun bit her lip and glared at Hyun-woo. No, it should be said that Monstrill was looking.

“Kang Hyun-woo, you need to know what you’ve chosen. If you bear that karma as the successor of the promise now, there is no next time. You are the last chance for humanity.”

Monstrill said as if feeling impatient.

“Rather, let me be your faction. Then the promise is maintained. Then even if you fail, there’s a next…….”

Hyun-woo felt like he knew why Monstrill was doing this. She had been using all her power to bring Hyun-woo to her side. Even at the end, she gave Sang-hyun the power of an Apostle to help Hyun-woo.

But now, Hyun-woo suddenly declaring that he would become a star was something she hadn’t expected.

It was true that he had taken advantage of her kindness, and it was also true that he felt a bit sorry.

‘But it can’t be helped.’

The Whispering Star had difficulty drawing the conclusion that Hyun-woo wanted.

“I don’t need it.”

“You don’t need it?”

Hyun-woo said without erasing the smile from his lips.

“I don’t need a next chance. There’s nothing after me. Humanity goes with me. They either live with me or perish, one of the two.”

Hyun-woo chose to kick away the ladder.