Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 345

Extran Episode 7.

A Special Hell for You (3)

Kazalt could only kneel before Hyun-mu, speechless.

“It’s okay. You were ‘working,’ in your own way. Imagine how surprised people would be if the DJ suddenly disappeared. And it wasn’t an urgent situation anyway.”

Hyun-mu was so dumbfounded he didn’t even feel like arguing.

“But how long have you been doing that? Did you suddenly discover a talent for music or something?”

“That is…”

Kazalt rolled his eyes and launched into a long excuse.

It was an excuse that seemed to follow the flow of consciousness, whether it made sense or not, but in conclusion, it was a journey that started to find the Ratmen’s race name.

“…You DJ’d to find the rhythm and harmony of the incantation, and the hidden languages hidden between the words?”

“That’s right, oh great one. Songs, poems, and incantations are deeply related, and I… I did it to find our race’s lost name…”

“Can’t you just make up something like ‘Skaven’?”

“Plagiarism is not allowed, oh great one.”

“So, if you had DJ’d for another 30 seconds, you might have found the race name?”

“…”

Hyun-mu found it hard to believe this absurd excuse, but he was well aware of Kazalt’s obsession with ‘finding the race name.’

The reason Kazalt began to pledge allegiance to Hyun-mu was to find the race name, so Hyun-mu decided to be understanding, since he had not fulfilled that purpose.

“Okay. I’ll let it slide.”

“I am overwhelmed by your boundless generosity.”

Kazalt prostrated himself on the floor again.

‘It would be good for them to have a hobby for their emotional well-being,’ Hyun-mu thought.

It seemed positive to Hyun-mu that his subordinates, who only knew how to kill, were developing hobbies one by one.

Ha-hyun with art, Kirson with luxury goods collecting, Yerdan with cooking, and Kazalt with music.

“Anyway, the reason I called you here is… Hmm. It might be nothing, but just in case. I recently heard a strange story through Lee Ji-tae…”

Hyun-mu told the four of them the story he had heard from Lee Ji-tae.

If Chrome was monitoring the bright side, the ‘Demon King’ Kazalt and his subordinates scoured the dark corners that human eyes could not reach.

Kazalt monitors the monster-infested no-man’s land, and Ha-hyun gathers information using the underground network.

Yerdan is well-versed in the affairs of the underworld, and Kirson appears anytime, anywhere to obtain information through torture and espionage.

“Did you all hear that? Did you understand?”

Kazalt tilted his head after hearing Hyun-mu’s story. Not only Kazalt, but Kirson, Yerdan, and Ha-hyun also had similar expressions.

“So, you’re talking about signs of a star that conquers appearing?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Hey, Hyun-mu.”

Then Ha-hyun carefully opened his mouth.

“…We already knew that?”

***

The old man continued to chant, his arms outstretched.

As the incantation continued, soldiers in full armor marched out in a line through the softened space, as if emerging from the mud.

Only burning eyes could be seen inside the soldiers’ helmets; everything else was darkness.

The once quiet forest in the backcountry was logged and scorched, making it difficult to find any traces of life.

The tranquil valley was now being used as a passage for the forces of the conquering star.

“Hoo…”

The old man gasped for breath, exhausted from continuing the incantation for so long.

Maintaining the passage was not an easy task.

The ‘other side,’ the conquering star, was actively helping to maintain the passage, but there was only one old man on this side. It was only natural to be exhausted.

“Priest.”

One of the soldiers approached, making a clattering sound.

The soldier was about the same height as the old man, which was small for the forces of the conquering star. But these were the lowest-ranking subordinates.

They were mostly in charge of errands such as scouting, maintaining security, and supplying conquered territories.

“The eighth supply run is over.”

“…Okay.”

The old man wiped away sweat and looked around.

An enormous amount of crystal moss, crystal stones, and rare minerals that were hard to find were laid out in abundance.

The number of soldiers was also considerable, but they were all low-ranking subordinates who had been dispatched to carry luggage.

With the old man’s power alone, it was only possible to create a passage for a few low-ranking subordinates to pass through.

‘…That’s why Ardan’s help and preliminary work are needed.’

The lower-ranking subordinates built altars to maintain the passage and stockpiled necessary supplies.

The goal was to deploy as much force as quickly as possible before the enemies in this world noticed.

Spies had to be planted, and bases had to be prepared sufficiently.

Most important of all was the ‘forge.’

The old man’s gaze turned to one side.

The abandoned hunter’s cabin had now been transformed into a furnace spewing out intense heat. It was the most basic form of a forge.

“How much is completed?”

“We can start working as early as today.”

Once the ‘forge’ was prepared, the level of the lower-ranking subordinates would increase all at once.

Furthermore, even if the passage was not fully opened, they could be transformed into higher-ranking subordinates if there was a forge.

A forge was essential to create higher-ranking subordinates, so when the conquering star waged war, they would build as many forges as possible in that territory.

“The progress is faster than I thought.”

“In a world of this level, it’s important to create higher-ranking subordinates as soon as possible. The level of this world is still insignificant. Even if we can only create centurion-class subordinates, conquering the country will be a simple task.”

The soldier continued to speak silently.

“Once we start to dominate the country, we can expand the forge with the resources and slaves we obtain from there. If things go according to plan, the conquest will be over within half a year. At the very least, we should be able to create a body for the conquering star to manifest before then.”

The conquering star appears directly.

Not through an agent, but in a body he created himself.

If that happens, the game is over.

The star has the power to transform the surrounding world just by its existence.

Strictly speaking, this method is impossible if the game is in progress.

The star can only manifest its will on this earth through its agents and apostles.

But the game was distorted, and the priest, who was supposed to be the judge, had opened the back door.

The conquering star is already a conqueror who has unified the stars. Destroying this land soaked in peace was a piece of cake.

Once that happens, other priests who are hiding somewhere in this world may show themselves.

Beyond simple revenge, he would become the founder of a new Thorn Crown Council.

Then the soldier spoke.

“And there will be no more supplies.”

“What?”

“The resources here alone are enough to run the conquest for half a year. From tomorrow, we will focus on bringing in soldiers rather than supplies.”

“I thought it would be much better to evolve the soldiers with the forge, considering efficiency?”

“That’s what I thought. But the defense capabilities here are too weak compared to the stockpiled resources. It’s important to secure the base safely right away. We’ll be bringing in elite soldiers from tomorrow. We have to do it, even if it’s a stretch.”

The old man nodded, grumbling.

Simply bringing in supplies and passing through a powerful being were completely different matters.

He had no choice but to agree, as the old man would be exhausted even if he only brought in ten elite soldiers a day.

And if it was a judgment made by the conquering star, Ardan, and not someone else, he had to follow his judgment. Ardan was the one who was skilled in tactics, not him.

“And the spies you planted in other countries…”

That’s when it happened.

With a crunch, the soldier’s head caved in.

But it didn’t stop there. The sound of metal tearing echoed continuously, and the soldier’s entire body began to compress into a long, flat shape.

The old man stared blankly at the soldier, who was instantly reduced to the size of chopsticks. And he immediately screamed in horror.

“Adam Fault! It’s Adam Fault! The Beast’s Arm has appeared!”

***

Ardan looked down at the soldiers who had completed their formation.

In front of the narrow, long dimensional rift that the priest had created, elite troops of division level were lined up.

Beyond simply trained soldiers, siege machinery and steel monsters were waiting.

They were powerful beings that surpassed the priest’s abilities.

‘He’ll probably be torn to shreds, but,’ Ardan thought.

Anyway, the priest will no longer be needed once the altar is completed tomorrow.

The hole won’t close immediately just because the priest dies. The altar will ensure stability instead.

Ardan didn’t like the priests from the start.

It was good to increase the territory to be conquered, but he couldn’t like the fact that they added various restrictions in the name of fairness.

‘And above all, for the most efficient war, the maximum force must be deployed in the shortest period of time.’

This was a natural thing, even if there were no personal feelings involved.

The priest’s plan takes too long. It would be troublesome if the enemy noticed and attacked in the meantime.

The reason why he deliberately poured a lot of supplies instead of troops was also because of that.

Originally, it was right to send troops first and then deploy supplies.

But this time, he was thinking of pouring out supplies first, which were not burdensome, and then pouring out a strong force all at once to pass through the rift.

Even if the priest was torn to shreds in the process, it was desirable to pour as many troops as possible at once to prevent the enemies from even preparing to respond.

‘One month. Conquer that world within that time…’

Ardan suddenly felt a strange sense of discomfort.

It was the death throes of a low-ranking subordinate.

It was only a trivial sensation to him, but the problem was that the feeling was coming from beyond that rift.

‘Could it be?’

***

“Lenian, to the right!”

Adam Fault felt annoyed by the voice coming from behind him. But as the voice ordered, she grabbed and crushed a soldier hiding in the right bush.

The armored soldier, who was about to throw a spear, was crushed into the size of a can and fell to the floor.

Adam turned around and said.

“Don’t call me by that name.”

Hyun-mu, with his hands in his pockets, approached with a smirk.

“But Yoo-min won’t let me raise a dog.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I was going to name the dog Lenian and cherish it if I could raise one.”

Adam couldn’t understand why he would give a dog’s name to a person just because he couldn’t raise a dog. Did he raise a dog named Lenian when he was young?

But since he had never seen Kang Hyun-mu corrected no matter how angry he got, he decided to ignore it as usual.

“What is it? You hated the necklace I bought you last time, saying it was a dog collar, but you came out wearing it. Did you actually like it?”

Adam wore a gold choker decorated in a Middle Eastern style around his neck.

Instead of answering, she crushed another soldier in sight in an instant.

Adam, who had rounded the long, stretched-out armored soldier, looked at Hyun-mu and replied.

“Should I put a choker on you too?”

“…No, thanks.”

Similar battles were taking place all over the forest.

Chrome and the hunters belonging to the Omnipotence Alliance were quickly moving along the ridge, forming an encirclement and unilaterally pushing back Ardan’s soldiers.

“It’s too easy than I thought. Is it a trap?”

“It’s not easy, it’s made ‘easy’.”

Ardan is a conqueror. Of course, he was also a skilled tactician.

He had been monitoring enemy intrusions by deploying scouts and watchers from kilometers away and building a defense line.

However, the problem with him was that he underestimated the enemy too much.

Because the enemy to him was not just ‘humans’.

Kazalt, Ha-hyun, Kirson, and Yerdan were already watching and monitoring the escaped priest.

So, they were able to quickly identify the location of the guards early on and eliminate them as soon as the attack began.

Adam Fault’s gaze turned to one side.

A goblin carrying an armored helmet came into her sight. She barely stopped herself from attacking the enemy unconsciously.

The goblin ran to a soldier without being disturbed and popped another lid.

“…It’s hard to distinguish and attack monsters.”

“You’ll have to get used to it. The attack has become easier thanks to Kazalt.”

The hunters could not understand the fact that they had to attack with the subordinates of the ‘Demon King’ Kazalt.

They couldn’t understand why monsters were cooperating with humans, even fighting against the same monsters.

But they could easily accept it with the excuse of ‘territory fight’.

Because it was a common occurrence in human history.

‘But it’s not that simple.’

Adam Fault looked at Kang Hyun-mu.

It was already an open secret among the powerful that Kang Hyun-mu had a strange relationship with the ‘Demon King’ Kazalt.

The rumor was that they were practically in a ruler-ruled relationship, but Kang Hyun-mu neither denied nor affirmed it.

And this secret, which was not a secret, further solidified Kang Hyun-mu’s invisible power.

‘I don’t know how to accept this, but…’

Maria and Kang Hyun-mu were strong people in opposite ways.

Maria was strong in mind but weak in body.

Kang Hyun-mu had no one to break with strength, but he felt mentally and morally unstable.

Nevertheless, the two had something in common.

In particular, they were exactly the same in that they were not afraid of Adam Fault and believed that they could dominate her.

And Adam was weak to that type.

‘…There’s no choice.’

Adam feels the beast in her head bubbling unless she relies on someone.

She needed someone to pull her leash to some extent.

Kugugugung [rumbling sound].

Amidst the ‘Demon King’ Kazalt’s forces, the Omnipotence Alliance, and Chrome’s ability users all deploying their forces and annihilating Ardan’s forces.

A sudden roar echoed from the hunter’s cabin, the final destination. At the same time, three or four soldiers began to burn brightly all at once.

Hyun-mu muttered as he watched the scene.

“Finally, he’s coming.”