Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 299

299. The Worst Person in the World (8)

Adam tossed Victor’s head aside and moved on.

The shadow still loomed, and there were too many areas to clear.

To make the most of her time, she had to keep moving.

She clenched and unclenched her right hand. For a fleeting moment, it seemed to darken before briefly resembling a cat’s paw.

The battle with Victor ended anticlimactically, but Adam hadn’t emerged unscathed.

The problem was, Adam didn’t weaken when injured.

The more she was hurt, the more she suffered, the more she struggled, the more she slipped out of control, edging closer to her ‘true’ monstrous form.

Her power and magic grew stronger, but the humanity to control it vanished.

That was the ‘injury’ Adam sustained.

The armor of humanity that Maria Keller had painstakingly forged throughout her life was being stripped away.

“Hoo…”

Adam exhaled a long sigh, struggling to control her power.

She didn’t care if she was a beast. But at least she had to be a beast that listened to Maria.

Simply rampaging madly would only disappoint Maria.

“For humanity, for humanity, for humanity.”

She was tempted to replace the word ‘humanity’ with Maria’s name, but Adam suppressed the urge.

She started walking again. But she didn’t even take three steps before freezing, staring at the child before her with a frozen expression.

The sobbing child had reappeared.

Adam cautiously approached the child, remaining vigilant.

She felt no power from the child. It was neither a Constellation [a being of immense power, often associated with stars] nor a monster.

‘Could this be possible?’

Maria had said that humans exposed to the shadow tended to exhibit extreme tendencies.

Those with a strong fighting spirit became Constellations of conquest, and those with great greed became Constellations of hunger.

They became easily swayed by the influence of the stars, and if they couldn’t withstand the rampaging mana [magical energy], they turned into monsters, she had said.

Even though she knew she shouldn’t think for herself, Adam couldn’t help but consider one possibility.

Perhaps some people, even in such extreme circumstances, might not be chosen by the stars.

Perhaps there were innocent humans who had survived the bombardment she had unleashed.

Of course, the fact didn’t shock her or move her deeply.

Adam reached out her hand to the child.

It was the same hand she had used to sever Victor’s head. Soon, she grabbed the child’s hand.

“Walk.”

The child whimpered but took Adam’s hand and walked. More like being dragged along.

Adam decided to postpone dealing with the child for now.

Maria couldn’t be wrong.

But if she were wrong, someone else should point it out, not her.

Someone would decide whether this child lived or died.

***

[The United States, the UN, and over 120 other countries have designated Adam Fault as ‘Leviathan’ and decided to eliminate her with all their might.]

Hyeon-woo received a call from the United States.

It was from the Department of Homeland Security or something.

Although it hadn’t been announced on the news yet, they reported that Lieutenant General Victor, who had been in charge of the ‘Leviathan’ mission, had gone incommunicado and was presumed dead.

Lieutenant General Victor had entered the shadow alone to meet Adam Fault just an hour ago, so it could be assumed he had been unilaterally killed.

With the most powerful ability user in the United States defeated, the US no longer had the capacity to resolve the situation.

As such, they had no choice but to seek cooperation from Hyeon-woo and the ability users from various countries who had just arrived.

Even if it meant asking for help from Kang Hyeon-woo, who had attacked US troops.

Of course, it wasn’t through official channels.

“What do you mean by designating her as Leviathan?”

The federal agent replied to Hyeon-woo’s question.

[It means she’s designated as an enemy threatening the nation, the world. The ‘Worst Person in the World’ announcement must have meant this. Literally, an ‘enemy of the world’.]

Hyeon-woo wanted to retort that the priests who had issued that announcement were the reason Adam Fault had unleashed such a massacre in the first place.

But the priests must have exploited these human sentiments. Terrified by the fear before them, they condemned the uncontrollable power as evil.

[Crom has also agreed to actively cooperate as of now. They believe Adam has broken free of Professor Keller’s control. There had been signs that Adam was breaking free of Professor Keller’s control for some time now. Starting from Saint Petersburg……]

‘The time is ripe, I see.’

Hyeon-woo ignored the federal agent’s babbling and thought.

Now that Adam was branded as the ‘Worst Person in the World,’ there was no need to delay any longer, they must have judged.

The important thing was how to kill Adam Fault.

“Does Crom have the forces to oppose Adam?”

[Not exactly forces, but they said they have a means of control. However, they didn’t disclose it to us.]

Crom had been trying to control Adam Fault for a long time. There was no way they hadn’t put a leash on her.

Hyeon-woo turned his head and looked at the Crom agents who had just arrived at the airport and were unloading their luggage.

As powerful ability users gathered from around the world, each one possessed considerable strength. There were even ability users roughly equivalent to Lee Ji-tae before he joined the alliance.

But compared to Adam’s power, they felt like pebbles.

“Did they implant a self-destruct device or something?”

[That’s plausible. It would be fortunate if that killed her.]

The federal agent seemed distrustful of Crom.

Indeed, each faction gathered here probably felt similarly.

The power Adam had shown was astonishing. Everyone thought they had to join forces to stop Adam, but deep down, they hoped everyone else would be annihilated except for themselves.

The federal agent was displeased that ability users from other countries had set foot on their territory, but they promised to fully cooperate for now.

The size of the shadow already covered nearly half of the West. It had been almost 24 hours since the Leviathan mission began.

“Professor Keller doesn’t seem to be coming in person?”

Hyeon-woo approached a Crom ability user, pretending to greet him warmly, and asked.

He was a young, naive-looking ability user. He seemed puzzled, not knowing who Hyeon-woo was, then nodded.

“Professor Keller went to the UN headquarters in Geneva because she had something to do.”

“Something to do? Something more important than Adam Fault?”

“Someone came as a guest…….”

“Hey!”

At that moment, a Crom agent approached and stopped the agent who was talking to Hyeon-woo.

He whispered something to the young agent, and the young agent’s face soon turned pale.

Hyeon-woo noticed them whispering his name. They already knew about Hyeon-woo.

That he was very dangerous.

The agents left without saying another word.

Hyeon-woo touched his lips, wondering why Maria Keller hadn’t come here.

‘Maria would be the most suitable means to control Adam.’

He didn’t think she hadn’t come because she valued her life. To her, life was a secondary issue.

There must be another reason, but he couldn’t guess what it was.

“The helicopters are leaving soon!”

Several transports were prepared to depart directly to the shadow-covered area.

Ability users gathered from various countries, and US troops.

Helicopters carrying ability users from the South China Union, the US military, Russia, and the Jeonryeon [Korean Ability User Alliance] of Korea began to take off one by one.

Each with different intentions, towards a single goal.

***

The entire western US, covered in shadow, was generally dark, but it was only shaded. The sun was still shining, and it was just a 72-hour eclipse, so it was natural. Securing visibility was not difficult at all.

“This is… a strange feeling,” Seo Ji-hoo, who was in the same helicopter, said with a slightly flushed face. There was a slight sweat on his forehead.

“I feel somewhat excited… my heart is beating fast. About 110 beats per minute. I feel a bit uplifted, and my mana is rising.”

“It’s because you’ve entered the shadow. Calm down.”

Hyeon-woo also felt the effects of entering the shadow’s domain.

But it was nothing compared to the exhilaration he felt when entering Difficulty: Hell.

That place was so full of mana that crystal moss, the embodiment of mana, piled up into towers.

“The influence of becoming a Constellation is also a factor. Song Yeo-un, especially, hasn’t been a Constellation for long.”

“Yes…”

Song Yeo-un groaned and muttered.

Song Yeo-un seemed to be experiencing the effects much more intensely, perhaps because she had entered the shadow as soon as she became a Constellation.

Other Jeonryeon hunters were the same. They had all become Hyeon-woo’s Constellations.

Once inside the shadow, they would inevitably exhibit extreme tendencies.

Rather than risk being taken by another star, Hyeon-woo chose to ask for their consent and bring them in as Constellations.

Since they had entered the shadow realm before they had even adapted, their power would be amplified.

“But why did Yoo-min follow us all the way to America and not enter here?”

“Yoo-min has something else to do with Park Hwi-so.”

She didn’t want to become a Constellation, but she was entrusted with something more important than fighting directly.

Depending on the perspective, what she had to do was even more important than stopping Adam Fault.

Hyeon-woo saw a massive mountain range forming a ridge to the west.

It was the Rocky Mountains. Beyond the mountain range, a terrifyingly huge gray cloud rose to several times the size of the mountains.

“That must be the trace of Adam Fault’s passage,” Song Yeo-un murmured blankly at the sight.

The mushroom cloud that had risen chaotically had now scattered in the form of a dust storm, completely covering the western coast of the US.

There was no radiation damage, but it was hard to expect anyone to be alive in that dust.

“Can we kill all the Constellations and monsters like that? No matter how diligent we are, there must be some survivors. Besides, the shadow will follow Adam Fault with her at the center, so Adam will never be able to reach the edge of the shadow.”

“The more actively we try to destroy the Constellations, the more difficult it will become. The more areas will be damaged, too.”

The important thing now was to inform Adam of the situation and make her understand it.

Hyeon-woo glanced at the other helicopters. Among the numerous helicopters, the only ability user forces that were relatively intact were those sent by Crom and the European Union.

‘How do I keep Crom in check…’

Hyeon-woo narrowed his eyes and examined the Crom helicopter.

That’s when it happened. The helicopter entered a dust cloud zone that seemed to have flowed in from the west.

The helicopter pilot calmly transmitted a message and confirmed their location.

But soon, static began to mix in from the cockpit, where messages were being exchanged via radio.

The static, which had been erasing voices one by one, soon completely seized the airwaves.

The channel, filled with noise, felt like an eerie silence.

“It’s starting.”

There was no time to ask what he meant.

Suddenly, a bright flash and explosion erupted from somewhere in the dust cloud.

It was the sound of a helicopter exploding.

There was no way anything could collide in the air, so it seemed the helicopters had collided with each other.

And soon, with a crashing sound, the helicopter Hyeon-woo was in also stopped. Something was crushing and gripping the helicopter.

The helicopter propeller was spinning wildly, but the helicopter couldn’t move at all.

As the pilot shouted in panic, Hyeon-woo stared at one side of the dust cloud.

“Everyone, prepare to jump.”

Soon, a helicopter with its propellers already stopped, burst through the dust cloud and charged towards the helicopter Hyeon-woo was in.

It was already exploding and on fire, but it crashed straight into them like a ghost ship.

Just before the collision, Hyeon-woo kicked the helicopter door, smashed it, and jumped out.

Following him, the Jeonryeon hunters jumped out as well.

As soon as they landed, the two helicopters collided and shattered. Despite being shattered, the helicopters didn’t fall but crumpled into one place like gum wrappers.

Soon, the sound of parachutes opening could be heard here and there in the dust cloud.

They had been considering an airborne assault from the start. The dust was heavy, and it could be difficult to find a landing spot.

But Hyeon-woo hadn’t brought a parachute.

The moment he felt the ground getting closer with the sound of the wind, Hyeon-woo used Ultimate Skill: Beast of the Apocalypse.

Instantly, the hazy dust turned black as if ink had been spilled into it.

Hyeon-woo began to take the form of a beast in the inky fog. Hyeon-woo’s arms, shoulders, and back were covered with the black hide of a beast.

‘It’s not easy.’

Hyeon-woo had only thought of wings, but his hands and arms were covered as they pleased.

The shackles that Ga-ul, the Shattering Star, had forcibly placed on him while stripping him of his skills and equipment had also disappeared.

Hyeon-woo could now use the Beast of the Apocalypse with almost no restrictions. Thanks to this, the transformation was much more flexible.

‘I need to practice more to control it…’

Hyeon-woo glided with the beast’s wings and landed on the ground.

The reason he had bothered to use the ultimate skill, Beast of the Apocalypse, to land was not to land safely.

The helicopter collision was clearly caused by Adam Fault. With Adam Fault nearby, he thought he might go straight into battle.

Hyeon-woo’s gaze soon turned to a slightly taller building. He saw someone’s silhouette there.

It was Adam Fault.

“Kang Hyeon-woo. It was you again. I thought the American bastards were up to something again.”

But the voice he heard was unexpectedly calm.

Adam Fault, who he thought would rush to kill him as soon as they met, was calmly looking at him.

He felt no murderous intent or fighting spirit from her. She quietly reached out her hand to Hyeon-woo and said.

“Perfect timing. I was hoping you could take this child and check if it’s human or not.”