Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 305

305. The Time of the Dog and Wolf (4)

Hyun-woo felt a faint murderous intent emanating from Teacher.

It was openly displayed, yet neither violent nor filled with rage.

He merely sensed a calm determination to stab the opponent in front of him to death.

Upon clearly confirming the opponent’s hostility, Hyun-woo felt himself becoming calmer.

“So, I’m no longer helpful for that ‘best future’ thing, is that it?”

“That’s right.”

Teacher smiled and replied again.

“But you were truly amazing. Difficulty: Hell. You were the only one who didn’t go insane and clung to life after going there. And that’s not all. Every time you used the Return Stone, the best future fluctuated wildly.”

Teacher murmured in a voice as if in a trance.

“It was the best future I thought I could prepare. Difficulty: Hell. No one could withstand it, and the Return Stone was meaningless to me. But you were different, Kang Hyun-woo. You pushed the limit of ‘best’ upwards. To a level I couldn’t even expect.”

“Oh, really? Then you should hurry up and say thank you.”

“Yes. Thank you. Kang Hyun-woo. No, I express my gratitude.”

At Hyun-woo’s request, Teacher surprisingly smiled and replied simply.

“The problem is that you shouldn’t be in that best future.”

Teacher began to approach Hyun-woo step by step.

The very small murderous intent he held in his heart gradually revealed its form, tickling Hyun-woo’s heart and brow.

As if contemplating which one to stab to death.

Then, suddenly, the murderous intent grew as if to pierce his eyes.

Hyun-woo reflexively raised his arm, which was tainted by Yahl [a powerful, corrupting artifact], to block it. With a cracking sound, a large scratch appeared on his arm.

Without panicking, Hyun-woo immediately turned and struck Teacher. However, he only futilely thrashed through the air.

“You can’t beat me, Kang Hyun-woo.”

Teacher stood far away, as if he had never moved from the beginning.

“You’ve only rolled around in Difficulty: Hell for a mere year. No, if you only add up the time you actually spent in Hell, it would be much less. But I have been watching the world slowly maturing into Hell for a tedious amount of time.”

Again, a stabbing murderous intent, murderous intent, murderous intent rushed in.

He barely managed to block the first two. But he couldn’t block the third.

The third attack pierced Hyun-woo’s eye. At that moment, with a clanging sound, blood spurted from Hyun-woo’s eye.

“……!”

“It was fun while it lasted, right? Time must have flown by quickly. But a year spent in a collapsing, hopeless world is similar to an eternity.”

Hyun-woo retreated as if bouncing back, clutching his eye. Shards of glass poured from his trembling fingers.

The monocle of Admiral Ren, which he had used well for a long time, was shattered and embedded in his eye.

But Hyun-woo couldn’t even tell what Teacher had used to stab him.

“Do you think my fear of the future of my world is less than yours? Do you think my sensitivity to evil is lacking? Do you think I have killed, harmed, and fought less than you?”

Even in the midst of all this, Teacher was leisurely attacking Hyun-woo.

Even if Hyun-woo used Battle Helper with all his might, he had no way to withstand it.

Teacher could kill Hyun-woo at any time, yet he drove him into a corner as if to mock him.

“I haven’t used a single skill. No matter how I think about it, I’m stronger than you.”

What he said was right. Hyun-woo couldn’t withstand his attacks.

If he harbored genuine murderous intent, being killed would be instantaneous.

However, within Teacher’s words, there was anger, disgust, and inferiority seething.

“……But why is it you, not me, who has brought out the best future?”

Crack.

At that moment, Teacher’s hand broke Hyun-woo’s ribs and pierced into his heart.

Hyun-woo had no way to stop that hand. With a very simple motion, Teacher was able to pull out Hyun-woo’s heart.

If it hadn’t been blocked by something unexpected.

Hyun-woo’s heart was blocked by something hard.

In the very brief moment that Teacher paused, Hyun-woo succeeded in grabbing Teacher’s arm. Hyun-woo did not let go of that arm and clenched it with all his might.

A cracking sound echoed.

However, the moment Hyun-woo tried to twist and break Teacher’s arm, there was nothing in his hand.

Teacher looked slightly embarrassed.

“The Restrictor Yahl…… It has already tainted you that much.”

Hyun-woo’s heart was already about half tainted by the Restrictor Yahl.

It was the aftermath of Gaul, the Shattering Star, taking it off and putting it back on, causing it to penetrate even deeper.

Hyun-woo had always been displeased with that sense of foreignness, so this was the first time he felt grateful for it.

“It’s thanks to training my heart to be strong on a regular basis.”

“Seeing you spout nonsense even in this situation, your mouth is certainly strong.”

Teacher tried to move again. Hyun-woo felt that Teacher’s movements had changed very slightly.

Clearly, Teacher had also taken a hit from the previous attack.

He didn’t know if poison blood would work, but unfortunately, there was no blood on his hands.

Again, murderous intent.

Thud. Teacher’s attack, which was trying to pierce Hyun-woo’s kidneys, was blocked again this time.

Teacher looked surprised, as if it was unexpected. But now, there were only a few fatal areas left for him to target.

Hyun-woo was just bracing himself for defense, prepared to give up his arms and legs.

Furthermore, Hyun-woo was already getting used to Teacher’s attacks.

Teacher tried to retreat again. Hyun-woo predicted that reaction.

Returning near Adam, then repeating the rush.

It was a fixed movement, as if he had set Adam’s surroundings as a ‘checkpoint’.

The moment Teacher tried to reappear around Adam, Hyun-woo used Ego Weapon.

“Kuh!”

However, as soon as it appeared, Ego Weapon stabbed Hyun-woo’s thigh.

The reappeared Teacher stopped in disbelief and watched the scene.

Suddenly self-harming.

Just as he was wondering if he was crazy, Hyun-woo threw Ego Weapon towards Teacher as if collapsing.

Teacher laughed at Hyun-woo’s struggle and tried to knock away Ego Weapon.

But the moment he tried to raise his hand, Ego Weapon suddenly went berserk with insane speed.

Clang.

Teacher’s hand stopped in mid-air, and Ego Weapon thrown by Hyun-woo collided with the very center of the mask.

***

Bang!

However, Ego Weapon failed to pierce the mask by a hair’s breadth.

At the last moment, Teacher barely managed to twist his head to deflect it. But Ego Weapon, as if that wasn’t the end, exploded and scattered fragments in all directions the moment it bounced off.

Fragments were embedded all over Teacher’s body. His clothes were stained with blood.

The shockwave overturned the puddles of water that had been pooling everywhere, creating a spray of water.

“This is dog-like…….”

It wasn’t just Ego Weapon that was broken. The mask that Teacher was wearing was crumbling and falling off piece by piece.

As the aura and appearance that had been hidden by the mask’s function disappeared, Teacher also gradually began to reveal his original appearance.

“Did the Shattering Star give this? Keller, you damn bitch. What the hell did you give this crazy bastard?”

A worn and rough voice.

A rusty voice, as if dozens of blades had been stabbed into his vocal cords.

His hair was faded white from the roots.

It was an old man.

However, before his face was revealed, Teacher hurriedly grabbed and covered the crumbling mask with his hand.

The moment Hyun-woo saw that, he felt the murderous intent and disgust churning again, just like when he first encountered him.

But perhaps because his stomach was empty and he was exhausted, he was able to observe the situation more calmly.

‘What happened?’

Even before throwing Ego Weapon, Hyun-woo was almost completely exhausted.

It would have been fortunate if he didn’t stab himself, let alone control Ego Weapon. He even ended up stabbing his thigh.

Originally, if he had thrown it so weakly, he wouldn’t have been able to hit even an ordinary target.

But at the last moment, Ego Weapon suddenly rushed towards Teacher like crazy.

It was the first time even Hyun-woo himself had seen Ego Weapon showing such fierce aggression.

“……It seems you’ve been meeting all sorts of *japnom* [bastards/scoundrels] in Hell, Kang Hyun-woo.”

Teacher muttered while clutching his mask. Hyun-woo just chuckled.

“Wouldn’t those who survived in that state of the world be *japnom*s?”

Hyun-woo staggered but stood up.

He felt like he was about to collapse at any moment. But not now.

Hyun-woo forced strength into his trembling legs and stood firm.

Teacher glared at Kang Hyun-woo. His gaze busily went back and forth between Hyun-woo and Adam.

Hyun-woo chuckled at the sight of him hesitating. Hyun-woo clenched his fist and shook it up and down, asking.

“One more time?”

“Crazy bastard.”

But Teacher didn’t seem to want to fight anymore.

“I knew it. You coward.”

Humanity only believed in him and pushed him, but how could that mindset of being afraid of being overtaken by a latecomer disappear?

It was extremely cautious self-preservation.

“I’m a coward? I’m curious, Kang Hyun-woo.”

Teacher asked Hyun-woo.

“I am working for the best of humanity. If I get hurt here, it’s not just me who takes a hit. Humanity will wander in the darkness, not knowing what lies ahead. In a state where they don’t know if there will be a cliff at the end, or a monster.”

“If there’s a cliff, you can jump over it, and if there’s a monster, you can get rid of it.”

“Do you think the scenarios of humanity’s destruction that Professor Keller created are just scenarios? They were all things that could have happened. I have been constantly cutting out dangerous branches to avoid that future. This time, that branch is just you.”

Teacher let out a long sigh.

“My prudence is just caution for humanity.”

“You’re good at packaging things.”

“Sounds plausible, right?”

Teacher was seen raising the corners of his mouth between the cracked mask.

“In other words, if you die, humanity’s future will be bleak. You’re such a cowardly bastard…… taking humanity hostage.”

“No, you’re the last person who should say that.”

Teacher replied in disbelief.

“The future I saw is clear. Kang Hyun-woo, if you are alive, a terrible future will come. I am struggling to prevent that future. I have countless plans and worries. But what plans do you have? No, have you ever made a plan?”

“Plan?”

“If you saw the future of Difficulty: Hell, you would have had a plan to prepare for it. But honestly, based on what I’ve observed of you so far, it seems like you’ve been acting impulsively without any of that. I can’t figure it out at all.”

“I don’t.”

“What?”

“I don’t have one. A plan.”

Teacher looked at Hyun-woo as if gauging whether his words were sincere or not. But Hyun-woo’s expression was calm. Teacher said in a dumbfounded tone.

“Are you just going to repeat Hell?”

“You said you can see the future. Let’s say I made a plan, would I have made it more meticulously than someone who says they can see the future?”

Hyun-woo said shamelessly.

“My immediate plan is just to make Adam Paulte my dog. That loyalty, don’t you envy it?”

Hyun-woo recalled the information he had heard while interrogating Noh Ha-eul a long time ago.

It was about why the people he brought into the alliance were so random.

Noh Ha-eul’s answer was very vague and like groping an elephant’s leg, but Hyun-woo was able to infer from various information.

It is because Teacher brings those who have experienced the ‘darkest period’ into the alliance in the form of saving them.

In other words, only those who have hit rock bottom enough can join the alliance.

Just like Lee Ji-tae, who was almost killed by Hyun-woo, Park Do-ryeong, whose beliefs were broken, and Park Hwi-so, who lost his loved one.

This time, he was targeting Adam Paulte, who was abandoned by Professor Keller.

And here, Teacher had no choice but to clash with Hyun-woo.

“I don’t abandon my dogs.”

Hyun-woo stood upright and glared at Teacher. He showed no sign of yielding Adam Paulte in the slightest.

Teacher looked displeased.

He knew that Hyun-woo really had no intention of backing down even if he died. Of course, he also had the intention of killing Hyun-woo and taking Adam.

But he didn’t want to endure the annoying and cumbersome things that would be involved in that process.

Teacher suddenly slumped down, clutching his mask.

Suddenly, as he revealed his blatantly defenseless appearance, Hyun-woo felt the urge to rush in. But Teacher quickly regained his composure.

“You’re lucky, Kang Hyun-woo.”

Teacher said, looking at Hyun-woo.

“Even if I kill you now, it won’t produce a very good result. I don’t know how many times you’ve died now. But half of them were because you rushed in first, so you dug your own grave.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“It means your life has been extended. About a day or two?”

Teacher said that and looked up at the sky. The clouds were covering the sun, making it hard to see, but he seemed to be gauging how big the shadow had become.

“One thing is certain. You will die before the Leviathan mission is over.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“It’s a familiar reaction. Everyone says that when they hear a prophecy that they will die. Everyone lacks imagination.”

Teacher said only that and picked up the chains on the floor. It was the pile of chains that had been restraining Adam.

Teacher, who had been rummaging through the chains, said to Hyun-woo.

“You especially have a tendency not to fear the future because you haven’t tasted proper failure. That’s why you can move so unplanned.”

“I haven’t had enough failure? Me?”

“What, do you want to talk about the old days when you were rummaging through the gutters and living in poverty?”

Teacher said, mocking Hyun-woo.

“That doesn’t even count as a failure. You were a man with all your limbs intact and in good physical condition. You’ve never experienced the destruction of the world, have you?”

“You’re such a *kkondae* [old fogey], your *kkondae* logic is so fresh. You’re a growing sprout, very.”

“Such unrestrained and unplanned behavior will eventually bring about a harsh future. Let’s see if you are prepared to accept such a future even if you choose it.”

Teacher chuckled, as if he was enjoying just imagining that moment.

“Maybe you’ll realize what the ‘best future’ is yourself. If you realize that you are an obstacle to going to such a best future, or if you know how much the worst moments you or the people around you will face…….”

Teacher shrugged his shoulders as if he was happy just imagining that moment.

“Maybe you’ll commit suicide like your dad?”

Teacher gave Hyun-woo a wink and disappeared in an instant.

As if he had never existed from the beginning, without a trace or sound.

The sound of rain echoed fiercely again.