Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 63

63. True Colors (1)

A day after subduing Plude.

Reporters and broadcasting officials were in an uproar.

The anchor reported relatively calmly that Hunter Kang Hyun-moo seemed to have subdued Plude, but inside the broadcasting station, attempts to find out who Kang Hyun-moo was were filled with shouts and curses.

The internet was also in chaos. The YouTube chat window, which had been watching the live broadcast, was full of comments about Hyun-moo.

「Wow, that guy is crazy. A rookie? He looks like an experienced rookie no matter how you look at him!」

「You’re lying, you idiots, lol. It’s obvious that some clan is trying to promote him with a fabricated story.」

「Can’t fabricate, so you fabricate Plude too? What’s wrong with you?」

「Did you believe that? Pathetic!」

「That’s CG [computer graphics]. I’m sure. I saw it.」

The Ability Management Department, which oversees everything related to ability users, was particularly noisy.

Phone calls flooded in from the press and clan officials. Director Do Won-kyung, the head of the research center, unplugged the phone lines.

She refused all requests for conversation and only glared at Hyun-moo’s image, which was constantly playing on TV.

Hyun-moo’s words were completely gone from Do Won-kyung’s mind, and she was only analyzing Hyun-moo’s battle scenes one by one.

What skills he has, what his stats are, and what his level is.

The broadcasting station was also analyzing Hyun-moo.

[It’s highly likely to be a higher-level skill like ‘Roar.’ It inflicts status abnormalities only on therianthrope [human-animal hybrid] monsters. Seo Tae-kyung, the branch manager, also used Roar to slow down the ratmen when they crossed the wall, right? This is an enhanced version of that.]

[But Hunter Kang Hyun-moo didn’t show any actions like shouting or intimidating. Looking at the video alone, the ratmen are just twitching on their own and going crazy. I think it’s highly likely to be a new type of mental abnormality skill.]

[No. It looks like it’s not just one skill. Looking at it, it seems like he used at least three or more skills in combination, such as body enhancement, speed increase, and intimidation. It’s an ability that can’t be shown with normal stats.]

[Can you have that many skills?]

[Why else would there be words like Double Caster, Quad Caster, and Multi Caster? Skills are usually acquired innately, but there are also stories that you can rarely get them as rewards in some dungeons, or in a precarious moment between life and death.]

[Whatever skill it is, it’s definitely a great higher-level skill. Maybe it’s one of the ‘ultimate skills’ that only extremely rare users have when they reach level 50, which inflicts intimidation for a certain period of time… He tried to subdue them with that in the beginning and then quickly finish the fight.]

[Aren’t Lee Ji-tae and Oh Dae-sung the only hunters officially confirmed to have ultimate skills in Korea? To think there might be three now, it feels like our national prestige is rising.]

“You’re wrong, you idiots……”

Do Won-kyung muttered while looking at the TV. All sorts of riffraff are coming forward to analyze, but not a single one knows how to see properly.

Do Won-kyung has been observing and analyzing the moment hunters use their skills for her entire life.

When ability users use skills, a reaction appears somewhere in their body. Their hair stands on end, their eyes shine, and so on.

Ultimate skills reveal a much more intense reaction. Do Won-kyung called that appearance ’embodiment.’

But the only reaction Hyun-moo showed was when the ratmen collapsed.

At that moment, Hyun-moo’s appearance exuded such a great presence that she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

But that was it. After that, he didn’t show any reaction.

The problem is that he inflicted stiffness on the ratmen before that. At that time, there was no sign that he used any skills.

In other words, Hyun-moo did nothing and simply intimidated the surrounding monsters with his presence alone.

Do Won-kyung fidgeted with her hands non-stop as she thought. Her eyes sparkled with interest and curiosity.

Do Won-kyung had seen such cases a few times.

In dungeons.

‘Only monsters, only monsters can intimidate other monsters with their presence alone.’

***

The crystals found in Hyun-moo’s blood were similar to monsters in some ways. Of course, Do Won-kyung didn’t have the ridiculous idea that Hyun-moo was a monster or anything.

‘But he can get infinitely close to it.’

‘Besides, the werewolf is strange too.’

The werewolf was clearly trying to escape. But at some point, he suddenly showed an abnormal reaction and rushed towards Hyun-moo.

Do Won-kyung watched the werewolf’s frenzy and transformation as importantly as Hyun-moo. She also saw Hyun-moo’s fingertips move slightly.

‘Did he use a skill?’

If so, what skill is it? It was incomprehensible if it was a skill that made the werewolf go crazy. Because it’s a skill that makes the enemy much stronger.

But on the other hand, it didn’t seem like it would be a big problem for Kang Hyun-moo. Because he tore the werewolf apart with his bare hands right after.

‘……Then to fight?’

No malice was seen from Hyun-moo. But it was inevitable that he looked suspicious.

More than that, Do Won-kyung felt her curiosity about Hyun-moo growing.

I want to meet him right away.

I want to know in detail where his limits are and where he trained and grew up. Hyun-moo had already promised her exclusive research.

She felt like she wanted to dissect him if she could, but she had no intention of cutting open the goose that lays golden eggs.

“Director Do Won-kyung.”

“Ah, what is it again?”

Then Lee Si-won called Do Won-kyung again. Lee Si-won was standing there with a tearful expression.

Do Won-kyung distorted her face. She clearly said not to take calls, but what is that expression?

“Is he important? Tell them we’re looking into it now!”

“Well, that’s……”

Lee Si-won hesitated before opening his mouth.

“He says he’s from the VIP side.”

“Who is VIP?”

Do Won-kyung’s reaction was indifferent. Lee Si-won’s expression became even more bitter.

“Well, he said you’d understand if he said VIP.”

“I don’t know, you bastard. Tell him to cut it off if he doesn’t have the guts to say his name properly and call.”

Lee Si-won wanted to argue that she had unplugged all the phone lines before that.

But Do Won-kyung, who was nearby, was more scary than the VIP he didn’t even know, so he stepped back for now.

Then a mumbling voice was heard from his phone receiver. It seemed like Do Won-kyung’s voice was heard even on the phone.

“Oh, he says he’s from the Bravo Hotel.”

“Is the Bravo Hotel another love hotel to be holed up in?”

“……He says it’s the Blue House [Korean equivalent of the White House].”

“What, the president?”

“That’s not it……”

Do Won-kyung reached out with an unpleasant expression. Lee Si-won carefully handed over the phone.

[Director Do Won-kyung.]

The moment she heard the voice, Do Won-kyung felt an urge to hang up the phone right away.

But Do Won-kyung tried to suppress her temper and said forcefully.

“Chief Secretary Park Gyu. It’s been a while.”

[I tell you every time, please pay attention to the pronunciation.]

“What does it matter if it’s Park Gyu, F*ck You, or Bbaguri? I just need to remember that you’re the Chief Secretary. Why? I’m busy now, did the president suddenly become interested in the Ability Management Department?”

[To put it bluntly, it’s about the rookie who appeared this time.]

Kang Hyun-moo. I knew it.

There’s no way he would suddenly contact me about anything else. Right now, the president only thinks of ability users as resources and doesn’t have much interest in them.

Even if the resources generated by ability users and dungeons form a pillar of society, the old man is still just an old man. Traditional manufacturing and real estate were the main concerns of the current ruling party.

“Why does the president want Kang Hyun-moo? Is he going to meet him and give him a commendation?”

[I was thinking of inviting him to the Blue House and taking a picture, but a commendation… That would be nice too. There’s not much time left until the local elections, and he stopped a huge disaster, so honestly, I feel like dancing.]

Do Won-kyung pursed her lips. If Kang Hyun-moo hadn’t stopped Plude in time, there would have been a huge number of victims, and there would have been immediate calls for a judgment of the regime. Not to mention the dismantling of the JeonNeungRyeon [All-Abilities Association].

“Is that all? Meeting and taking pictures? Tell me honestly. If that’s the case, it’s not something you should be doing. Some poor breadwinner below you would have been begging.”

Park Gyu laughed lowly.

[Okay. Tae-sung is showing interest in that Kang Hyun-moo. Since you’re not answering calls, they contacted me.]

I knew it. Tae-sung Group is one of Korea’s leading conglomerates.

It is rare for a politician, including the incumbent president and cabinet, as well as the ruling and opposition parties, to not be influenced by them, whether intentionally or not.

And the Tae-sung Clan under it is a clan led by Lee Ji-tae, the third son of the Tae-sung Group, and has the most high-level ability users.

It was natural for them to be interested in this ridiculous rookie.

Do Won-kyung decided to be a little brazen.

“As I said, we don’t know much about Kang Hyun-moo either. The grade judging machine is broken right now.”

Do Won-kyung pretended to punch Lee Si-won in the palm of her hand. It meant to go and smash the grade judging machine right now.

But Lee Si-won understood it as meaning to kill him.

Watching Lee Si-won run away as if fleeing, Do Won-kyung really thought she should kill Lee Si-won.

[Don’t joke, Dr. Do Won-kyung. Let’s act like professionals. You’re deliberately delaying the grade announcement, aren’t you? That’s right, you’re trying to secure Kang Hyun-moo because of that project that the Ability Management Department is conducting, right?]

Do Won-kyung was glad that she was talking to Park Gyu on the phone. If he had been in front of her, she would have definitely chewed him up.

The project that Park Gyu mentioned was top secret, with only a few people in the Ability Management Department knowing about it.

In principle, it should be reported to the higher-ups, but if it was reported to the superiors who were being manipulated by Tae-sung, it was obvious that it would be a mess.

Do Won-kyung hesitated for a moment whether to deny it, but gave up. After all, the other party already knows as much as they need to know. And the fact that he knows means that there is a spy inside the Ability Management Department.

“Yes. That’s right. So I can’t tell you.”

Park Gyu seemed rather embarrassed by Do Won-kyung’s brazenness. After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth again.

No matter how much he is the Chief Secretary, Do Won-kyung is Korea’s top mana scholar. There was a high risk in threatening her.

[Anyway, it’s information that needs to be made public. We just want to know that information first. Aren’t you already being criticized for delaying the grade judgment announcement? We just want to know one day earlier than that. Not the whole thing, just one person’s.]

In fact, that alone is a huge benefit. It’s like telling one person the stock price tomorrow in advance.

[It’s not much of a substitute, but Tae-sung said they would donate 10 billion won [approximately $7.5 million USD] to the retired hunter fund operated by the Ability Management Department for three years. It was a budget that was already allocated, but they doubled the existing planned 5 billion won.]

Do Won-kyung was reminded that the Howon Mama Clan had offered 100 million won [approximately $75,000 USD] in exchange for information about Kang Hyun-moo. In just a few weeks, Kang Hyun-moo’s value had jumped 100 times.

It was a huge increase, but Do Won-kyung never thought it was a bubble.

[Even if it’s cheap, do you think we’ll be late to contact him than you? We’ve already figured out all of Kang Hyun-moo’s whereabouts. We just want to confirm the judgment results. Even if the director refuses in the end, we can find out in our own way today.]

Now he’s even threatening me. That meant that they were also pressed for time. In fact, all the influential people in Korea would have been looking for Kang Hyun-moo.

Do Won-kyung realized that she couldn’t hold out. In the end, the government and Tae-sung would be ahead of her.

If that’s going to happen…….

“Okay. I’ll tell you.”

[You made a good decision.]

Park Gyu sighed in relief.

“I’ll send you the data right now. Don’t be too surprised.”

[I already saw him in action yesterday. Ability users……. Sometimes, when I think about those guys walking around next to me, I get chills. They should all have ankle bracelets on.]

Do Won-kyung thought she did well to press the record button. Someday, the day will come when I’ll make that bastard eat sh*t. But that’s not now.

Do Won-kyung hung up the phone and sent Park Gyu the grade judgment results for Kang Hyun-moo. I don’t know if they’ll recognize the value of this data, but at least Tae-sung will.

As soon as Park Gyu received the data, he immediately handed it over to the Tae-sung Group, imagining the amount that Tae-sung would deposit into his overseas account soon.

But five minutes later, Park Gyu’s face was horribly distorted.

Do Won-kyung didn’t just send the data to Park Gyu.

She scattered the grade judgment results to all broadcasting stations and the internet in Korea.