Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 48

48. Bottom of the Cauldron (2)

Experiencing a voice you’ve never heard before was eerie.

No, it wasn’t a voice in the traditional sense. Usually, you don’t vocalize your thoughts; they exist as internal concepts, perhaps visualized as text or images.

The woman’s voice was just Hyun-woo’s imagination; it was simply Hyun-woo’s own thoughts manifesting.

‘Am I finally losing it?’

Hyun-woo always considered it a possibility. Dying hundreds of times in this hellscape, it would be strange *not* to go mad. His sense of life and death was already warped, so his mind couldn’t possibly remain normal.

He had seen news reports about people committing terrible acts and claiming someone ordered them or that they had no choice but to obey.

But why now, of all times?

‘Just in case, don’t go crazy on me. Please. It happens sometimes.’

Hyun-woo was terrified. He couldn’t be sure if it was truly a figment of his imagination or if someone was actually communicating with him.

‘It’s probably not a ghost, so let’s head right for now.’

Hyun-woo’s body turned to the right almost involuntarily. Unlike the wide road with ample space, the alley was dark, narrow, and riddled with obstacles. But Hyun-woo couldn’t stop himself.

He didn’t know *why* he turned right, not consciously.

However, Hyun-woo soon realized it was a better choice than remaining on the main road.

The mosquitoes relentlessly pursued Hyun-woo, but the alley, where buildings leaned precariously against each other, threatening to collapse, was like a makeshift tunnel. Of course, there were gaps for mosquitoes to enter as Hyun-woo passed, but their numbers were significantly reduced.

‘……No, maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.’

The alley was a dead end. Hyun-woo looked up at the collapsed building debris blocking his path. There were handholds, but the climb was incredibly high.

He would likely be bitten to death by mosquitoes while clinging to the wall. A mosquito landed on Hyun-woo’s left arm, but its proboscis couldn’t penetrate Oshet’s Grip [a protective enchantment or gauntlet] on his left arm. Hyun-woo crushed it against the wall.

‘It *was* a good choice, I tell you.’

Thoughts arose again, regardless of his will. Hyun-woo didn’t know what to do about the voice that emerged so clearly, even when he didn’t want to think about it.

Mosquitoes charged head-on. Hyun-woo gritted his teeth and swatted at the insects as they attacked.

He had no intention of simply dying, even if it seemed futile…

‘Okay. Good job.’

Hyun-woo’s desperate resolve ended before he could even kill ten mosquitoes. No more mosquitoes attacked. Confused, Hyun-woo noticed the mosquitoes hovering in the air in a particularly narrow section.

Mosquitoes never stopped flying around; they never hovered in place. Sensing something strange, Hyun-woo realized what it was as he got closer.

It was an incredibly thin spiderweb.

The mosquitoes, which had penetrated even the barricade reinforced with crystal moss [a type of magical defense], were caught in the spiderweb and struggling.

‘But this was definitely the way I came in?’

Looking to the side, he saw fist-sized spiders busily constructing new webs. They must have started building them as soon as Hyun-woo entered.

And he quickly understood why mosquitoes weren’t coming in through the large hole above.

The leg he initially mistook for the silhouette of a collapsed building twitched and moved.

A spider the size of a two-story building was slowly shifting its body above his head.

[Widow Queen Spider (LV 87)]

An overwhelming presence unlike anything he had ever encountered loomed above Hyun-woo.

‘It’ll be safe until Yog-Gulem [a powerful entity] gets annoyed.’

Hyun-woo could finally be certain. Something whispering in his head had led him here. Whoever it was, they were friendly to Hyun-woo.

‘Who are you?’

‘Who do you think I am? In this world where even the stars are forced into silence, and nothing can be done at will unless you’re a subordinate, who else could whisper to you?’

Hyun-woo instinctively thought it was one of the stars, celestial beings of immense power. And considering the ability it displayed, he could only think of one star.

The Whispering Star, Monstress.

***

[The Whispering Star, Monstress, is watching you.]

‘You have enough brains not to say my name out loud.’

Monstress whispered with a low chuckle.

‘Right now, I’m throwing ashes on Yog-Gulem’s feast. He probably thinks it’s a coincidence. Yog-Gulem would be upset if he knew, but I can’t ruin such a cute little thing to suit his perverted tastes…….’

Monstress’s voice sounded both like a young girl and an old woman’s muttering. Trying to recall it specifically was like trying to grasp an elusive echo.

‘Pretend you’re trying to figure out how to solve this situation.’

Hyun-woo moved almost unconsciously, as if pondering while walking. The thought Monstress instilled, or rather, the whisper, was a voice that stimulated his instincts.

Someone who hadn’t experienced such an extraordinary situation would find it hard to endure. He could understand why they might go crazy or claim to be manipulated. But Hyun-woo still maintained control.

So far.

‘Can you read my thoughts?’

‘Not all of them, just the ones that talk to me.’

That was a relief.

But it was hard to distinguish between thinking alone and thinking as if talking to someone. If you’re told not to think about elephants, you’ll inevitably think about elephants.

‘What do you want from me?’

‘To end this trial you stupidly accepted as quickly as possible. Yog-Gulem’s subordinates go increasingly mad and rampage the more they consume your corpse, and their numbers will grow. Your ability to keep resurrecting is the worst possible match for this quest.’

Hyun-woo found it hard to believe that Monstress had purely altruistic intentions. But Monstress had been friendly to Hyun-woo from the start.

She gave him a rare skill as a gift without any compensation, and she was still saving him now. But Hyun-woo couldn’t help but feel that the debt he had to repay was growing just as much.

‘Why are you saving me?’

‘I plan to make you my subordinate.’

Monstress spoke honestly. It was the answer Hyun-woo expected.

‘Aren’t the others the same?’

‘Only five beings in this world are really interested in you and watching you: Yog-Gulem, Ardan, Gaul, Verd, and me. But Yog-Gulem and Ardan just think of you as a fun toy. Verd is cautious. Gaul… no one knows what that cunning bastard is thinking.’

‘……Why are you so interested in me? I’m barely better than a goblin.’

‘Because there hasn’t been a new player in a while. The situation is stagnant, so everyone is trying to find a solution somehow.’

Player? Hyun-woo pondered what that meant and wondered if it referred to ability users. Since Hyun-woo was the only ability user, that is, human, at this point, it didn’t seem wrong.

‘Are you better than the others?’

‘If you knew how the others were planning to seduce you, you’d think I was better. The stars are a world biased by simple desires and wills. The strategies they pursue also follow their individualities.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘If you’re full of unfulfilled desires and endless greed, you’ll be drawn to Yog-Gulem. Ardan will use your hatred and destructive instincts as bait to lure you in. If you want to fill the world with silence, you’ll follow Verd. If you endure all that, you’ll probably fall into Gaul’s grasp. He always laughs last.’

‘What about you?’

‘Love me.’

Monstress laughed in a low voice.

‘Praise me, worship me, obey me. It’s not humiliating. Lovers are equal. I will also give you the same praise, as my great warrior, and everyone will acknowledge and love you.’

Certainly, compared to the four mentioned earlier, Monstress’s seduction was appealing.

You could gain power just by loving and being loved. And wanting to be recognized and loved by everyone was exactly what Hyun-woo craved.

The more he listened to Monstress’s voice, the more he felt like he was sinking into a sweet swamp.

Her embrace sounded comforting. If he could train his abilities while being protected by her, wouldn’t he be able to grow much more easily than struggling on his own until now?

It was too lonely and difficult to face this hell alone.

‘I…….’

[The Shattered Star, Gaul, is watching you.]

With a sharp clang, Hyun-woo snapped his head around. A migraine, like being hammered in the head, struck him.

But only for a brief moment. As soon as the headache disappeared, his consciousness, which had been hazy as if drunk, returned clearly. Hyun-woo realized what he had to say.

‘I have a girlfriend.’

He had said it out loud, but there was no response from Monstress. He didn’t know how she had taken the rejection.

Was it ruined?

Was she going to remove the spiderweb and make him die a hundred times to bring him to his senses? Hyun-woo thought of Yoo-min’s face.

‘A hero is too good to have only one lover.’

‘Is that my thought, or did you say that?’

‘I, Monstress, said that. I didn’t think you’d be an easy man anyway. And it’s not a normal relationship like you think. I wish I could invite you to my harem. I thought you might come to your senses after rolling around in Yog-Gulem’s mouth a few times, but I should at least provide a way to overcome the trial.’

‘A way to overcome it?’

‘The easiest way is to become a subordinate of me or someone else.’

Monstress whispered with a smile.

‘But since you rejected the easiest way… you have no choice but to take the path of effort.’

At that moment, a shadow fell over Hyun-woo’s head. The giant Widow Queen Spider had approached silently.

Facing hundreds of black eyes, Hyun-woo tried to step back in horror, but he stumbled and fell on the sticky spiderweb that had wrapped around his ankle before he knew it.

The hand that touched the floor didn’t come away either. Dozens of spiders climbed onto Hyun-woo’s body.

‘I’ll complete your clumsy toy.’

‘No, wait…….’

Before Hyun-woo could finish speaking, the Widow Queen Spider instantly wrapped him in a thick spiderweb. Hyun-woo was trapped in the spiderweb in the blink of an eye, screaming silently. His vision went dark.

***

‘Keereuk, are you sure?’

‘I’m sure. Just hurry up and cut it open.’

Crack! Suddenly, light poured into his eyes. Hyun-woo, who had been asleep, turned away in displeasure, but the being outside didn’t allow it. It grabbed Hyun-woo by the collar and forcibly pulled him out. With a series of pops, the spiderweb fell off Hyun-woo’s body.

‘Boss, are you awake? Keereuk.’

When Hyun-woo made a blank expression, Kirson sighed. He looked at Renian as if asking for permission, and Renian nodded. Kirson pulled his fist back. His fist instantly slammed into his solar plexus [the area below the sternum].

‘Cough, heok!’

Only then did Hyun-woo gasp for air and cough. The surroundings were unfamiliar. It was an empty space without even crystal moss, with only Hyun-woo, Renian, and Kirson.

Kirson looked around anxiously as Hyun-woo coughed.

‘Keereuk, we should move first.’

‘Wait. Butler, are you awake? Should I draw some blood to bring you back to your senses?’

Renian tried to stick a straw into Hyun-woo’s forehead. Hyun-woo quickly grabbed the straw and pushed it away.

‘You’re awake! That’s a relief, Butler.’

‘……Yeah.’

Hyun-woo didn’t know what had happened. The Widow Queen Spider seemed to have wrapped him in a spiderweb and moved him to this place. But why?

Then Hyun-woo discovered a strange silhouette standing in the middle of the clearing.

It was an Orc.