Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 324

324. PAUSE

A clear, bright sun shone on everyone, casting no shadows.

The sunlight was warm, a welcome change. However, even in that clear sunlight, Lee Ji-tae felt a chill.

“…Branch Manager!”

Song Yeo-un screamed and rushed towards Hyun-mu. Other hunters followed her.

Lee Ji-tae stepped back, looking at his watch.

He had set a timer to coincide with the peak of the eclipse.

There was still plenty of time left.

It was clear that the Leviathan mission was over.

‘The Worst Man in the World’ was dead.

Screams and sobs erupted around Kang Hyun-mu. Voices urgently called for first aid supplies and healing skills. But Lee Ji-tae knew it was already too late.

Kang Hyun-mu was dead.

Kang Hyun-mu.

‘This can’t be happening.’

Kang Hyun-mu isn’t the worst person in the world.

Regardless of the world’s assessment, Kang Hyun-mu himself brought about this outcome.

And Kang Hyun-mu’s death ends the Leviathan mission?

Lee Ji-tae felt suffocated by this absurd contradiction. Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Lee Ji-tae turned and met Park Do-ryung’s eyes. Park Do-ryung flinched at Lee Ji-tae’s expression.

“What is it? Are you going to kill me?”

“…No. What’s wrong?”

“Where is the Teacher? It seems like it’s over, but I don’t see him. And what was that flash of light earlier…?”

Lee Ji-tae looked around.

The alliance members were all celebrating the fact that Kang Hyun-mu was dead and the Leviathan mission was over.

Some were rejoicing that the Teacher’s wisdom was correct, as they had managed to minimize casualties.

Lee Ji-tae’s expression grew increasingly rigid. He couldn’t stop himself from speaking.

“The Teacher is dead.”

Park Do-ryung’s eyes widened behind his mask.

Lee Ji-tae enjoyed that surprised expression. And for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel ashamed of his murder. He didn’t want to hide it.

“I killed him with my own hands.”

“What?”

Park Do-ryung knew that the Teacher could turn back time.

Even without that ability, the Teacher possessed power that wouldn’t be strange to call the strongest in the world.

But Lee Ji-tae killed him? How could that be?

However, Park Do-ryung didn’t get angry. Instead, he calmly grabbed Lee Ji-tae’s arm and asked in a whisper.

“Explain, Lee Ji-tae.”

“You’re not as angry as I thought you’d be.”

“I originally hated that bastard. I was just following him to reach the best possible future. There are many like that among the alliance members. Are you sure the Teacher is dead?”

Lee Ji-tae hesitated to answer.

He hadn’t confirmed the body.

But it was an attack that turned Cheonru [likely a location or object] into that state. Even Kang Hyun-mu, who was nearby, couldn’t have survived.

However, that didn’t seem to be enough for Park Do-ryung.

“If the alliance members find out that the Teacher is dead, they’ll scatter in all directions. Among them are agents and even Apostle-level individuals. Without the goal of the best outcome for humanity, there will be chaos. We have to keep them together somehow…”

“Ha!”

It was then. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.

Lee Ji-tae felt a chill run down his spine and turned his head.

“Hahaha! Haha!”

The laughter was coming from above. It was a low, weak voice, but it was enough to captivate Lee Ji-tae’s ears.

It couldn’t be. There’s no way he could have survived.

Lee Ji-tae turned his gaze to the hill where the laughter was coming from.

“I am alive.”

He was standing there.

“I am alive. Kang Hyun-mu!”

The Teacher was standing there.

***

Creak.

The Teacher slowly took a step. A strange sound echoed with each step he took.

The alliance members, who were about to run to him with joy, stopped in shock at the Teacher’s bizarre appearance.

“I have reached the best possible future!”

The Teacher shouted once again.

“What the hell is that…”

The Teacher had a huge hole in his chest.

Below his chest, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels were hanging down, sending out thick blood like a broken machine.

The bones all over his body were broken and twisted strangely. Nevertheless, it looked as if broken threads were forcibly grabbing and controlling the Teacher’s body.

Anyone could see that he was in worse shape than Kang Hyun-mu, if not the same.

The first to move was Park Do-ryung.

“Teac…”

Park Do-ryung, who was about to run to him to check his condition, stopped when he saw him head-on.

The appearance that had only looked like he was in his 60s now resembled an old man who could only be seen in the most hopeless places in a nursing home. Moreover, only half of his head above his nose remained.

In other words, less than half of what could be called the actual brain remained.

It was a nauseating sight. It was impossible to understand how he could even speak or move.

Then Park Do-ryung discovered something inside the Teacher’s chest.

It was in the shape of a heart, but it had a metallic feel to it.

Park Do-ryung instinctively realized that it was some kind of ‘item’ that had made the Teacher into a state worse than death.

“I am alive…”

Suddenly, the Teacher lost his footing and stumbled. Park Do-ryung could have caught him, but he took a step back due to an instinctive sense of disgust.

The Teacher fell face-first into the mud.

It was then.

Song Yeo-un started running, spewing out terrible curses that were hard to put into words.

Park Do-ryung quickly stood in front of the ‘Teacher-like thing’ rolling around in the mud to protect him.

“Wait!”

“Wait my ass, you bastard!”

Song Yeo-un’s attack directly hit Park Do-ryung.

No matter how quickly Song Yeo-un had grown, Park Do-ryung was the first hunter in Korea to reach level 4. His experience and skill were vastly different.

However, the moment Song Yeo-un’s whip wrapped around his right arm, Park Do-ryung’s bone broke with a snap.

“This…!”

Park Do-ryung wondered what kind of monster Kang Hyun-mu had raised. Before he could even prepare, Song Yeo-un had rushed right in front of him.

However, her attack didn’t reach Park Do-ryung.

Thud.

Song Yeo-un was pushed aside by a sudden impact. Song Yeo-un glared at the person who had pushed her away with bloodshot eyes.

Lee Ji-tae was blocking her path.

“Stop it, Song Yeo-un. Look at this person now.”

“What? He’s in a state worse than death? Don’t worry! I’m not planning to kill him right away! I’ll show you that there’s no bottom to the concept of ‘worse than death’!”

The murderous intent and madness that Song Yeo-un was emitting felt like it was piercing his skin.

Other Jeonneungryeon [likely a hunter group] hunters also seemed ready to rush in at any moment. The alliance members stood behind them.

However, Lee Ji-tae was calm.

“I want to kill this person as much as you do.”

Lee Ji-tae raised his sword and swung it without hesitation.

In the midst of the alliance members’ shocked gazes, both arms, which still had some semblance of shape, were cut off.

Lee Ji-tae kicked the arms and rolled them in front of Song Yeo-un.

“But this person can’t die like this. The world needs to know. Who was ‘The Worst Man in the World’. And what kind of person Kang Hyun-mu was.”

“If that person turns back time…”

“We need to keep him alive even more because he might.”

Lee Ji-tae said, clenching his teeth.

“I don’t think it’s likely, but if this person turns back time to before the fight with Kang Hyun-mu, Kang Hyun-mu can come back to life. He can’t win against Kang Hyun-mu in this state, so the possibility of Kang Hyun-mu coming back to life is even higher.”

But if that happens, everyone, including Lee Ji-tae, will forget that they were indebted to Kang Hyun-mu.

However, Lee Ji-tae wanted Kang Hyun-mu to come back to life even if that happened. Song Yeo-un felt the same way.

Song Yeo-un bit her lip and gripped her whip at the thought that it was the only possibility for Kang Hyun-mu to come back to life. But she didn’t put it away quietly.

“Cut off his legs too.”

Lee Ji-tae was about to cut off the Teacher’s legs without much thought. After all, whether it was his arms or legs, they only had their shape and couldn’t be expected to function properly.

Then Song Yeo-un added.

“And what’s between his legs.”

Lee Ji-tae paused for a moment at that.

He pondered for a very brief moment about what human dignity and human rights were, and in the meantime, Park Do-ryung quickly picked up the Teacher’s body and backed away.

The moment Song Yeo-un’s face was about to be filled with anger again, Park Do-ryung warned Lee Ji-tae.

“It’s good to do it moderately. Lee Ji-tae.”

His gaze turned to the alliance members. The alliance members still didn’t understand the situation.

Lee Ji-tae understood Park Do-ryung’s intentions.

The Teacher was already as good as dead.

But in order to prevent the alliance from splitting up and making the world a mess, ‘this’ Teacher had to be alive.

Therefore, it was not good to excessively damage his authority.

The Teacher, who cannot bring the best, is no longer meaningful.

But Lee Ji-tae didn’t forget to warn Park Do-ryung.

“…If you’re going to do something unnecessary, I’ll cut you down too.”

At those words, Park Do-ryung smiled behind his mask. He brushed past Lee Ji-tae and whispered.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he stays in this state, neither dead nor alive, forever. I want something else.”

Park Do-ryung left those words and quickly disappeared.

At his signal, the alliance members, with expressions that they couldn’t understand at all, glanced at Lee Ji-tae and followed Park Do-ryung.

Song Yeo-un’s anger hadn’t subsided, but she had to be satisfied with only the Teacher’s two arms, seeing Lee Ji-tae resolutely blocking her way.

Lee Ji-tae looked at Park Do-ryung and thought.

‘It’s still better to keep the alliance under Park Do-ryung’s control.’

What he’s aiming for is the alliance’s assets.

The assets that the Teacher had gathered through his ability to turn back time were enormous. And the human and material networks spread all over the world were also at an incredible level.

Park Do-ryung was thinking of taking over that by claiming to be the Teacher’s successor. He is extreme, but basically not an evil person.

Lee Ji-tae judged that it was better for those assets to fall into Park Do-ryung’s hands than to fall into the hands of a suspicious person or be scattered here and there.

Lee Ji-tae turned his head. His gaze fell on Adam Fault.

“Adam. What are you going to do?”

“I have to go find Professor Keller.”

She answered without a moment’s hesitation. It was the answer he expected, but Lee Ji-tae felt a sense of emptiness.

Seeing Lee Ji-tae like that, Adam asked.

“You seem disappointed?”

“…No, the time I spent with Kang Hyun-mu had a big impact on me. I thought you might have changed too. Kang Hyun-mu seemed to want to keep you by his side a lot.”

Kang Hyun-mu’s obsession with Adam was disappointing to Lee Ji-tae, but he also knew that it was only temporary.

Kang Hyun-mu was the type to not even look back once he got what he wanted.

In that sense, he had some expectation that Adam might be feeling the same sense of loss as him.

Adam scoffed as if reading Lee Ji-tae’s thoughts.

“Professor Maria Keller tamed me and put a leash on me. That will be forever. I don’t care if the professor abandons me or not.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

However, Adam continued, adding a condition.

“But… I don’t know. This experience was definitely special.”

Her eyes, which didn’t seem to feel any emotion, were looking into the distance.

“Anyway, Kang Hyun-mu gave me the idea that I might be able to choose my owner.”

Lee Ji-tae looked at Adam with surprised eyes. But Adam Fault was just looking at the sky with lonely eyes.

She had finally realized what choice was, but now there was no other answer in the world that she could choose.

“Anyway, Lee Ji-tae, if you need help clearing Kang Hyun-mu’s name, I’ll help. I was also branded as ‘The Worst Man in the World’, so my testimony will be needed. If you need Chrome’s power…”

“No!”

While Adam was talking, a scream suddenly erupted. Adam and Lee Ji-tae turned their heads at the same time.

It was Song Yeo-un’s voice, who had returned to Kang Hyun-mu’s body after everyone’s attention had been focused on the Teacher.

Song Yeo-un shouted repeatedly.

“Branch Manager is gone!”

All that remained in the place where Kang Hyun-mu had been was a broken return stone.

***

“…Excellent.”

Samuel, who had been watching the ‘Leviathan Mission’ all along, opened his mouth. Although he didn’t say it, the other priests felt the same way. They were all looking at each other with shock and surprise.

The only person who didn’t take her eyes off the video was Maria Keller.

“It’s the best outcome. They took care of the Star Who Turned Its Back and the Star of the End, and even those who were about to manifest as the Beast of the End at the same time. How could this happen?”

“I thought it would end with just getting rid of Kang Hyun-mu.”

“The Teacher is still alive. Shouldn’t we dispose of him?”

“Excessive intervention incurs complaints from the stars. There are already big complaints about the Leviathan Mission itself. Especially the Star of Conquest. It’s understandable since they lost their agent. But the result is the best. Nothing could be better.”

The priests breathed sighs of relief and cheered, applauding. Samuel patted Maria Keller on the shoulder with a satisfied expression.

“I express my gratitude. Maria Keller, it went as you said. You’re a really great schemer.”