Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 30

30. An Enemy on a Narrow Bridge (4)

The final count of goblin corpses was eight.

Kirson, looking as fragile as glass, began searching for the human. The other goblins followed, their expressions anxious.

The goblins still capable of fighting gathered the elders and children and hid them inside the emergency shelters scattered around the village. They had never fled for reasons other than monster attacks, so the thought of going further hadn’t occurred to them.

“Kirson, shouldn’t we head back now?” one of the scouts asked, his voice a raspy cackle to human ears.

The scout subtly glanced at Kirson’s rigid posture.

Coldly assessing the situation, he knew he was right. Goblins were inherently combatants, even the children, but in this world, they were exceptionally weak. Finding a better hiding place would be the safer option.

But Kirson couldn’t bring himself to do that. Not just for revenge, but for their safety.

“That bastard will come looking for us again.”

“Why? He killed our tribe members first, and we’ve killed him several times too. More of us died this time. If we give up on revenge now, won’t the grudge fade? He’ll just come back to life even if we kill him.”

He didn’t care about appearing to surrender. Having lost the hideout they had painstakingly built over so long, there was nothing they wouldn’t do. They had already endured far more humiliating things to survive.

Instead of answering, Kirson raised his blackened left hand. The goblin scouts’ expressions turned troubled.

“Are they whispering?” [Referring to the voices Kirson hears due to his unique ability.]

“Yes.”

“…Then we have no choice.”

The goblins completely resigned themselves. Their murderous intent toward the human flared. There was a reason they had no choice but to rely on Kirson.

If it weren’t for Kirson, they would all be dead or enslaved in a larger village.

“Where do you think he is?”

“He’s watching me. I can feel his gaze.”

If the human had been focused on hunting goblins, they would have sensed his presence already.

But after the goblins’ chaotic escape ended, he stopped hunting.

Kirson didn’t believe he had run away. He wouldn’t get another chance like this.

“Kirson, here.” One of the scouts stopped and whispered. Bloodstains marked the floor. Fresh blood.

Kirson smelled it and recognized it as goblin blood. One of the scouts cautiously offered his opinion.

“It might have been attacked by another monster.”

Dangerous monsters roamed around at this time. It was the same monster that had attacked the village several times. But Kirson shook his head.

“I smell poison. His blood is mixed in.”

It was a faint trace. Kirson followed the scattered bloodstains. Soon, they found more.

A severed finger lay on the floor. Then a wrist, an elbow, and finally a shoulder, placed like bait. The goblin scouts gritted their teeth.

“It’s an obvious trap.”

Bloodstains alone would have been enough to lure them. This felt like a deliberate provocation, or a warning.

Ultimately, they had to choose: chase or not chase. They had no choice, because Kirson had already decided to pursue the human.

Kirson tracked the bloodstains, his expression grim. The further they went, the fewer words the scouts spoke. The scattered fragments were getting smaller and closer to vital areas.

The scouts shuddered, imagining the suffering of the goblin who had endured this. They could only hope he had died quickly.

The goblins grew increasingly uneasy. They were getting too far from the hideout. They couldn’t know what might happen to the village while Kirson was gone.

The goblins found themselves in a difficult situation.

The corpse fragments split into three paths. At the blood-soaked crossroads, the scouts were bewildered.

“So that’s why he chopped it up so finely. That vicious bastard.”

“We’ll have to split up. Is that what he wanted?”

Kirson looked at the scattered fragments and gestured to the others.

“Go back.”

“What?”

“The reason he didn’t scatter us from the beginning and dragged this out is to separate us from the village, to increase the time it takes for us to return. Maybe he’s already raided the village. I don’t think we’ll be defeated, but unless we know his intentions, the hideout needs every available hand.”

“But…”

“I can handle him alone anyway. His growth rate was fast, but he’s not strong enough to beat me since the day I received the Authority [a unique power or blessing]. I know his breathing, his gait, his habits, everything. I could kill him with my eyes closed.”

The scouts nodded. They had heard that Kirson had killed the human several times. Once the decision was made, they acted quickly.

“Be careful, Kirson. You can kill him anytime, but if you die…”

“I know. Go back.”

The scouts hurried away, worried about the hideout. Kirson chose the trail with the most blood, the one that seemed to have been dragged. He hurried, thinking about how to deal with the human when he found him.

‘I won’t kill him easily this time.’

Kirson gnashed his teeth. Maybe not killing him at all was the answer. If he revives no matter how many times he dies, it would be better to imprison him somewhere.

Kirson didn’t want to bring him to the village, and he didn’t have the manpower to monitor him to prevent suicide, so he just killed him. But now that the village was exposed, there was nothing to hold back.

‘First, I’ll cut off his hands and feet, then…’

Kirson’s thoughts stopped. A goblin, reduced to a sack-like form, was crawling in front of him.

Even with only one arm, he was dragging his stubby body somewhere, leaving a trail of blood.

Kirson rushed to check on the goblin’s condition.

At that moment, a piercing sound echoed from behind. Kirson bounced back, deflecting three Hell Darts [magical projectiles] with his prosthetic hand.

He clearly felt the human’s presence.

It was him.

The human had been watching him all along, hiding his presence, waiting for him to be alone.

***

Kirson rushed toward the source of the presence. The human quickly turned. Kirson’s dagger missed and stuck in the wall.

“Did you think you could win if you were alone?”

Even if he had somehow managed a surprise attack, the moment the dart missed, he had lost his chance.

“You should have faced me with all your strength!”

Kirson charged at Hyun-woo with a shout. Bang! Hyun-woo’s arm, covered in Kanggi [a type of magical energy or armor], barely blocked Kirson’s attack.

Hyun-woo’s arm was covered in a strange white sleeve, but its durability was poor. It started to tear after only two hits, revealing blood underneath. The human’s face contorted.

The fight didn’t last long. Kirson knew Hyun-woo’s movements inside and out.

Seeing Hyun-woo’s habitual openings, Kirson instantly broke Hyun-woo’s right arm. There was no time to scream.

As the gap widened further due to the pain, Kirson grabbed his left arm and crushed it without hesitation. Hyun-woo, both hands subdued, knelt on the floor.

Kirson growled and drew his dagger.

“You better give up on the idea of dying easily.”

Kirson held the dagger to Hyun-woo’s chin, but stopped when he saw Hyun-woo’s expression. Hyun-woo was sneering.

“I’ll… give you a chance.”

Kirson’s face twitched.

“What chance?”

“A chance to die by my hand now.”

A moment of silence passed. Kirson didn’t know how to interpret this absurd statement. Give him a chance to die? He was the one unilaterally killing him. Hyun-woo hadn’t had a single opportunity.

“Are you trying to prolong your life with nonsense? The reason I’m not killing you right now is because I want you to taste more of the pain and fear of death.”

“The reason you’re alive right now is because I saw your family.”

Kirson’s face hardened. His dagger dug into Hyun-woo’s chin, drawing blood. Hyun-woo said with a smile.

“What do you mean? Are you saying you went easy on them?”

“If I had targeted your family and attacked, do you think they would have survived? But I left it to chance. It seems like they were poisoned, but not enough to kill them, right? They probably just had a fever and a cough.”

Even that was enough of a threat to Kirson. If the village was weakened, greater threats could emerge.

“As you know, I can revive as many times as I want, and I’ll keep fighting you. I have a reason to kill you. If I do that, I might be able to kill you someday. But in the process, will your family be safe?”

“If I don’t kill you and let you live…”

“It won’t be easy. I’m a little weaker than I look.”

Hyun-woo shrugged.

“But I don’t want to waste time, and I don’t want to kill your family. Even for a goblin, killing a child is creepy. Dealing with all those goblins is also difficult. So I prepared this place. I wanted to show you that I could threaten your family, but it’s also difficult to completely subdue them.”

Kirson looked at Hyun-woo with wavering eyes. Hyun-woo stared intently into his.

“My only goal is to kill you.”

Calmly.

“So if you die here by my hand now, your family will be safe. How about it?”

Kirson fell silent.

It’s an absurd statement. Not worth considering.

But it was plausible. The reason Kirson was struggling to live in this terrible world was to protect his family. Hyun-woo was saying that he could destroy everything around him just to take his life.

“Is it just my life that’s needed?”

Kirson, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke. Hyun-woo smiled.

“Of course.”

“Okay. Then there’s no choice.”

Kirson gripped the dagger in reverse.

But Hyun-woo, with his injured arms, couldn’t hold the dagger. As Hyun-woo looked at him in disbelief, Kirson shook the dagger in front of Hyun-woo’s eyes and said.

“What are you doing? I’m giving you a chance to kill me like this.”

“No, what…”

“Oh, your arm is crippled, so even if I give you a chance, you can’t. If you can’t kill me even when I give you a chance, you’ll have to try harder to kill me in the future.”

Only then did Hyun-woo see Kirson’s grin. Kirson slapped Hyun-woo’s cheek with the hilt of the dagger.

With a bang, a piece of Hyun-woo’s tooth flew away. Kirson glared at Hyun-woo and shouted.

“Don’t talk like a dog, you human bastard! I know what kind of bastard you are. Do you think I’d fall for that bullshit?”

Kirson was also assessing Hyun-woo. He concluded that Hyun-woo was a despicable bastard who should never be trusted.

Hyun-woo spat out blood-mixed saliva and glared at Kirson.

“Okay. I gave you enough chances. I even held back.”

“If you held back, what would…”

Kirson’s words stopped. He clearly saw Hyun-woo’s right arm, which had been broken, twitching.

Kirson tried to take a defensive stance, but Hyun-woo’s hand, covered in Kanggi, hit his solar plexus much faster than expected.