Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 246

246. Utopia (1)

The region was thick with fog.

The apartments that rose haphazardly above the fog looked dangerously close to collapsing.

Difficulty: Hell. The apartments that had withstood the test of time often became havens for numerous monsters.

Like fish gathering among coral reefs, these apartments had become sanctuaries for monsters.

However, only silence permeated this apartment complex.

The fog that drifted was red.

Whether it was due to blood, the scattering of light, or the poison of some unknown monster, it was impossible to tell.

The fog slithered through the apartments, searching for lost prey.

It was then.

The fog sensed something strange. It felt an unidentified movement piercing fiercely through it.

The fog churned violently.

Normally, the moment movement was detected, it would draw the intruder into its center, prevent escape, and then leisurely devour it.

But what entered was not a monster, but a weapon.

A jet-black spear that seemed to devour light.

The spear tore through the fog in an instant, piercing it.

The fog was relieved that this foreign intruder had disappeared, but the spear immediately thrust back in.

The spear rampaged through the fog, creating chaos. The fog caught in its trajectory became a chaotic mess, like an abstract painting.

Then, at some point, the black spear found what it was looking for and tore out the heart of the ‘fog.’

Thud! A shower of blood scattered as a giant slug, disguised as rubble, burst out.

Hyeon-woo, who had been watching from a distance, confirmed that the red fog was rapidly dissipating.

“It works after all.”

The ‘Fog-skinned Slug’ was one of the monsters that Hyeon-woo had been contemplating how to attack for a long time.

The apartment complex where the ‘Fog-skinned Slug’ was located was close to an intersection and relatively intact, making it ideal for various fortresses.

However, with a level of 70 and the red fog completely disrupting the sense of direction and distance, there was no way to eliminate it.

Unless it was an inanimate object, there was no way to approach it safely.

But the skill Hyeon-woo obtained from the ‘Gawl’s Gift Box’ he received as a reward for this trial held the answer.

Hyeon-woo watched the black spear, having eliminated the ‘Fog-skinned Slug,’ fly back towards him.

He soon wore a bitter expression and mustered all his strength.

Purple and black energies mixed and flowed out, covering his entire body.

Bang!

With a fierce explosion, the black spear and Hyeon-woo collided.

Hyeon-woo was pushed back dozens of meters by the impact. His hands gripped the black spear tightly.

The tip of the spear stopped just before Hyeon-woo’s heart.

Hyeon-woo recovered the mana from the black spear, which was thrashing to pierce his heart.

As if a switch had been turned off, the black spear turned into black ash and scattered in the wind.

Before disappearing, it did not forget to leave a word.

[You son of a bitch.]

“Yeah, get lost.”

Hyeon-woo dusted off his hands and sighed.

The skill from the gift box Gawl gave him was that spear.

***

[Ego Weapon (Mythical)]

[Special Ability: Creates a weapon that reflects the user’s ego and abilities. The form follows the user’s preference. It becomes stronger the more it aligns with the user’s nature and weaker the more it deviates. Mana can be ‘recovered’ to cancel the skill.]

[Trait: ]

[Note: This skill creates a weapon by replicating the user’s own ego, not someone else’s. It is unknown what an ego that has gone from living to non-living thinks. They usually don’t seem very satisfied with their situation. Prolonged use is not recommended as most Ego Weapons cannot withstand their own state and go insane, so it is recommended to ‘recover’ them after use.]

Hyeon-woo’s current level was 71.

It was an incredible growth achieved in just a few weeks.

It was the level he reached thanks to the experience gained through the Curse: Division while facing five Apostles.

He wondered if level 70 would be a hurdle, but it seemed he had not yet reached his level limit as he was still progressing.

The problem was that the ‘Ego Weapon’ Hyeon-woo created also possessed the abilities of level 71.

Along with that awful personality.

‘No, why does it keep trying to kill me at every chance….’

Hyeon-woo grumbled, grinding his teeth.

He didn’t really not know the reason. The Ego Weapon was said to reflect the user’s ego as it was, and if he looked back at the actions of those cursed when he was under the Curse: Division, it was obvious.

It was practically turning the cursed into weapons.

Gawl gave him a weapon of immense power that moved on its own and sought out targets, but at the same time, he also gave him an ego that was desperate to kill the user.

No matter how good the power was, he couldn’t carelessly use a weapon that might stab him at any moment.

Who in the world would want to use a weapon that wants to stab its owner… but Hyeon-woo does.

“Well, it doesn’t feel bad to be able to boss those guys around.”

Hyeon-woo was getting a subtle pleasure from abusing his divided self.

“Butler, why did you put that weapon away already?”

“The fairies like it because it smells like Butler.”

The Renians liked the Ego Weapon as well.

“Are you saying that while watching it try to stab me?”

“Whether it stabs you or not, at least one of us will be in a good mood.”

…It seems that Hyeon-woo is already being treated as equal to the Renians. Or are they coveting the corpse after it stabs him?

The Ego Weapon, like the divided Hyeon-woo, possessed the power of the stars and the power of the end that he had.

He wondered if the power of the end would disappear as he became a star, but it seemed that the two were separate powers from the start.

‘Then I don’t think I can call it the Star of the End.’

But it’s not like anything will change if Hyeon-woo argues. Maybe there’s another reason.

For now, the end has stopped, and the war between the stars is imminent, so he had to prepare for that first.

Currently, in Difficulty: Hell, he had planted all the seeds he could. The rest was a matter of time.

‘Now I should slowly return to Difficulty: Easy.’

Originally, he had to return as soon as the quest was over, but he had been delayed too long because he suddenly became a star.

But he had achieved considerable results.

Level increase, acquisition of new mythical skills, and countless items obtained from defeating the Apostles. Just the fact that his level was 71 made him wonder if there was anyone who could face him. Even Lee Ji-tae was in his late 50s.

‘Even if there’s someone higher, they’d be in their 60s. Or maybe there’s a hidden powerhouse in their 70s?’

One of the reasons Hyeon-woo spread the power of the stars was this.

He didn’t want to unnecessarily attract the attention of the stars in Difficulty: Easy by revealing the power of the stars.

Anyway, he can take the strongest position in Difficulty: Easy even without the power of the stars.

‘I can move a little more leisurely.’

After all, he is a few steps ahead of the stars in Difficulty: Easy.

If he secretly widens the gap so they can’t catch up, taking over the game will be no problem.

“Hmm, then now….”

Hyeon-woo took out a return stone to go back.

“Huh?”

Hyeon-woo’s eyes widened.

The color of the return stone had changed strangely. The usual color had disappeared, and it was faintly shining with all sorts of colors.

The light was much weaker, but the colors gave a faint feeling.

“What is this….”

The moment he grabbed the return stone, Hyeon-woo’s vision turned white.

***

It was a white color that hurt the eyes.

It felt like all the lights of the world were gathered and shining.

But Hyeon-woo’s own body was strangely visible.

Whispering voices were heard from all directions. They sounded like human voices, but they were too small to be heard clearly.

Then someone appeared.

Hyeon-woo braced himself, but what appeared was a gray, blurry woman.

The middle-aged, translucent woman was walking quickly towards Hyeon-woo.

Hyeon-woo tensed up and tried to stop her. But she passed through Hyeon-woo as if she didn’t see him.

[No one can accept it with the excuse that it can’t be helped.]

Before Hyeon-woo could ask what she meant, the woman quickly faded and disappeared.

The middle-aged woman was just the beginning. Soon, other people began to appear. All of them were gray and blurry.

[We must take responsibility for what we have done.]

A man covered his face and passed by, sobbing.

[It’s not to save good people. It’s to save the weak!]

A man squeezing his own chest roared with a face full of anger.

[If we can find our future even by doing this….]

A woman holding a baby tightly in her arms muttered blankly as she passed by.

[At least, it’s the only choice humans can make as humans!]

A young man clapped with a bright expression.

[We have been chosen for this noble task.]

[We must stop the end.]

[If this is the only way to turn it back….]

[Don’t forget our purpose. Put aside your personal feelings!]

Hyeon-woo quickly realized the identities of the countless voices.

‘People related to the Promise.’

There were foreigners, and even people who had lost their human form at times.

Hyeon-woo realized how many people had been involved in the Promise. And all of them were now dead or gone.

‘Why suddenly this?’

It was clear that the will contained in the return stone was showing this. He wondered if becoming a star had triggered something.

But it was difficult to find a clear intention in the disorganized and chaotic voices.

‘Is it telling me to have sympathy?’

It was at that moment.

[Humanity must survive.]

Hyeon-woo turned his head at the familiar voice he heard.

A gray man with an eye patch was muttering to the air.

It was clearly a gaze looking at someone standing in front of him.

Hyeon-woo knew the man’s face.

[Promise me.]

[Humanity will survive in a place other than hell.]

It was Lee Ji-tae, although he looked a little older.

He was glaring at the other person with burning eyes.

Hyeon-woo couldn’t understand that gaze. The gaze contained hatred and disgust, but at the same time, it also contained trust and faith.

Hyeon-woo couldn’t understand how such complex emotions could be contained in one person’s eyes.

And how he could feel it.

Lee Ji-tae’s illusion held out something to the person in front of him.

Hyeon-woo, who was standing right in front, unknowingly reached out his hand. Of course, Lee Ji-tae’s hand passed through naturally.

Lee Ji-tae opened his mouth again.

[It’s a promise.]

***

His vision darkened.

Bbang! Hyeon-woo suddenly came to his senses at the sound of a car horn from somewhere.

The sight of the Seoul cityscape surrounded by colorful neon signs came into view.

Hyeon-woo had returned to the world of Difficulty: Easy. He was standing on the rooftop of an unknown high-rise building.

The images that had passed by still lingered, making his head dizzy.

‘What was that?’

Hyeon-woo picked up the return stone again and looked at it.

The return stone was no longer shining with colorful colors. Instead, the pattern had changed slightly.

It was a completely unfamiliar pattern, but as always, Hyeon-woo could read the meaning of the phrase.

[Remaining Resurrection Count: 1]

It was a clear meaning that there was no more unlimited resurrection.

He wondered if ‘rest’ meant the unlimited resurrection itself.

It was ironic considering that death is usually expressed as rest. And now that the promise had been made, the rest had been broken.

‘Only one resurrection left.’

Hyeon-woo smiled bitterly.

It felt like he had finally passed the tutorial.

But Hyeon-woo had no intention of acting spoiled. The fight from now on wouldn’t be as one-sided as before.

Hyeon-woo took out his phone to go home.

It was then. The moment he took out his phone from the inventory and turned it on, it started vibrating fiercely.

The messages that had been piling up until now flooded in all at once. Hyeon-woo, who was skimming through the text messages, soon had a serious expression.

The messages, which started with simply asking for his location, became more serious as they got closer to the present.

The last text message was from Song Yeo-un.

[The Ghost Mansion has been taken. I’m taking Yoo-min and leaving Seoul for now.]