Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 99

99. Difficulty: Easy (2)

The most recently registered Hunter levels within the Omnipotence Society, as seen in the video, range from approximately 10 to 20.

Even with some growth in the interim, they likely only gained about 2 or 3 levels at most.

Yet, they managed to clear the Taean Dungeon—a challenge that even the Obsidian Team struggled with—with minimal assistance.

It would be somewhat understandable if Kang Hyun-woo had actively helped, but he remained merely an observer throughout.

However, once equipped with this exoskeleton, they effortlessly cleared a 4-star dungeon.

What if these exoskeletons could be mass-produced?

Park Gyu felt a shiver run down his spine.

Currently, the government maintains control over ability users due to the relatively limited extent of their powers.

But if items capable of boosting average abilities like this were mass-produced and widely distributed, the state’s authority could be undermined.

Clans might then carve up the country, leading to a society ruled by warlords.

‘This needs to be controlled early on.’

From Tae-sung’s perspective, this exoskeleton also posed a threat.

The rumor of the Omnipotence Society Hunters clearing the Taean Dungeon had already begun to circulate discreetly.

Until now, 4-star and 5-star dungeons were practically Tae-sung’s exclusive domain, so the rumor spread rapidly.

If the Omnipotence Society began supplying crystal moss or items from 4-star and 5-star dungeons at a lower price, Tae-sung risked losing its monopoly and its position as a dominant force.

‘There’s only one person capable of creating something like this.’

Park Gyu doubted that Kang Hyun-woo had created the enhanced exoskeleton himself. He didn’t strike him as the scholarly type.

However, among Hyun-woo’s recent contacts, only one individual possessed the necessary skills.

“Dowonkyung… you’ve gone too far.”

Park Gyu was already aware of Dowonkyung’s project.

Until now, the possibility seemed remote, and he had tentatively agreed to the idea of enhancing average abilities for the general public, if it were even feasible.

But to develop it to this degree and entrust it to an ordinary hunter without consulting him first…

He had tolerated her arrogance for a long time, but this was unacceptable.

Park Gyu retrieved his phone and called his secretary.

“Arrange a meeting with the head of the Corruption Investigation Office.”

***

Sejong Institute.

In a sealed, sterile room, Dowonkyung, clad in protective gear, was drawing Hyun-woo’s blood.

When she summoned him, she extracted a considerable amount, as if intending to maximize her yield.

This was ostensibly due to her insistence on measuring the changes in hunters’ abilities following the difficulty increase.

Dowonkyung scratched her ear with her shoulder, looking irritated while drawing blood. Her ear itched, but the protective clothing prevented her from reaching it.

“Some jerk is talking about me again.”

“There are too many candidates to even guess, right?”

“Feeling guilty?”

Hyun-woo was about to tease her, but Dowonkyung still held the syringe.

Provoking someone wielding a syringe is generally unwise. Instead, he decided to change the subject.

“Have other ability users shown any noticeable changes?”

“Quite a few. The number of people awakening as ability users has increased considerably—more than 10% compared to the average natural occurrence rate. There are also cases of new skills manifesting for no apparent reason.”

“Why is that? Because the difficulty increased?”

“You know why the ability user awakening rate has increased. Isn’t it probably due to the increased mana concentration in the atmosphere? Maybe after a little time, ability users who are leveling up will appear. Perhaps the existence of 5-star ability users can no longer be hidden.”

Hyun-woo’s eyes lit up.

“You seem confident that there are 5-star ability users.”

“I’m confident, and I’ve already been contacted. Do you know about Chrome? It’s the World Ability User Federation, and the countries have agreed to publicly announce the registered 5-star ability users worldwide soon. Instead, they requested data comparison along with an order to provide information about you.”

“Huh, whether they are really 5-star or not? So, did you comply?”

“What do you take me for? I already did that a long time ago. The data didn’t match. It’s certain that your level is higher than the 5-star ability users affiliated with Chrome. Your level has been unofficially upgraded to 6-star, for now. You monster.”

This wasn’t surprising news. He already knew that his ability user level surpassed the universal standard.

“Why did they suddenly decide to reveal that level?”

“It’s partly because you revealed that you are a 5-star, but more than anything, they felt it wasn’t the time to remain silent. You know that all the floods around the world have ended since the difficulty increased, right? But the aftermath of the difficulty increase seems significant. There are dungeons with increased levels, and above all, 5-star dungeons are said to be a major concern……”

Dowonkyung sighed.

“So, the academic community has to scrap all the old research and rewrite it. Well, it’s not bad to have such overhauls occasionally when everyone’s research is stagnating.”

“Ah, Yoo-min was quite distressed because of that too.”

The moment she heard Yoo-min’s name, Dowonkyung’s hand froze.

“Hmm, is she still in graduate school?”

“Yes.”

“Her advisor there is a very incompetent and bad guy.”

Honestly, it was amusing that Dowonkyung, with her own difficult personality, was saying that. Did she even believe a competent and kind person could exist?

Normally, he would have laughed it off, but he couldn’t because it involved Yoo-min.

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. He lacks scholarly ability but is greedy, so he exploits young graduate students to extract results. Yoo-min is the best student I know. Even Lee Si-won can’t compare to her.”

Lee Si-won, the researcher assisting Dowonkyung, looked shocked.

She was constantly being scolded by Dowonkyung while helping with research, so hearing that she was inferior to someone she had never even met was quite a blow. Dowonkyung quickly added.

“But Si-won is now being taught by the best in Korea, so she won’t be able to catch up. In the academic world, one year is enough time to change the landscape, so no matter how talented Yoo-min is, what could she have learned under such an incompetent professor?”

“Hmm.”

Hyun-woo took note of Dowonkyung’s words. She was subtly conveying a lot of information, and there was definitely an intention behind it.

‘She wants me to persuade Yoo-min to quit that lab.’

Or perhaps she desired a more forceful approach.

Even if it required a bloody or near-bloody resolution, Dowonkyung would applaud without hesitation.

Dowonkyung seemed to be aiming to bring Yoo-min to her lab once she was free. It seemed like there was already a history between them.

‘If our interests align, there’s no reason not to be used……’

But now wasn’t the time. Yoo-min didn’t seem to hold Dowonkyung in high regard either.

“Well, that’s Yoo-min’s business. If she needs my help, she’ll ask, but I don’t want to meddle unnecessarily. She’s smart. More than that, tell me about the 5-star ability users.”

Dowonkyung seemed slightly disappointed but grumbled and resumed her earlier narrative.

“Anyway, it seems that Chrome has requested a transnational response from each government. The first step is to disclose information transparently. The formation of the Chrome organization seems related to this. I have a feeling that the higher-ups were aware of this trend all along.”

Hyun-woo seemed to recall hearing that organization’s name.

‘Lee Ji-tae mentioned being absent from the founding ceremony of the Chrome organization during the Guillotine Dungeon flood.’

“Hmm, but if my information is released, everyone will know that I’m not a 5-star.”

“Yes. That’s the problem. They’ll definitely demand your research data and samples. Damn bastards. How dare they try to touch my experimental specimen……”

Even an unprecedented ability user with an unknown level was merely a guinea pig to Dowonkyung.

Hyun-woo smiled wryly and pondered for a moment. He didn’t mind revealing his power, but the timing was crucial.

If he faced unnecessary scrutiny while other overseas ability users remained unknown, the power play he was initiating might be jeopardized.

“What about sending someone else’s blood?”

“Lee Ji-tae is the only registered 5-star in our country, and he’s already registered with Chrome. He was also included in the list of 5-star ability users released this time.”

Hyun-woo wasn’t particularly surprised that Lee Ji-tae had revealed his 5-star status. He had been deliberately concealing information, but there was no need to keep it secret on a large scale.

“So, you need the blood of an unregistered 5-star ability user?”

“That’s right. The blood of an unregistered 5-star ability user. Do you know any such ability users living in seclusion?”

There was no way such an ability user existed. But Hyun-woo smiled.

“If there isn’t one, we can just create one.”

***

“A method to raise the level…… is what you’re asking.”

Gymnasium.

Park Hwi-so met Hyun-woo again after a long time. It was the first summons since his relationship with Lee Ji-tae became ambiguous.

Since he was called to a gymnasium, he anticipated sparring and a reassessment of his skills, but when Hyun-woo raised the issue, he knew what was coming.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can tell you.”

“It’s not because it’s a trade secret, is it?”

“No. It’s just that it’s a secret shared by only a select few within our alliance, so I’m not even privy to it. I procure and supply crystal moss, while someone else handles the level enhancement. And there’s another who authorizes it. Our alliance operates on a point-to-point basis, making it difficult to identify the individuals involved.”

Hyun-woo hesitated to probe further into the alliance’s structure. Even with a point-to-point organization, tracing back from Park Hwi-so might eventually lead to the top.

But ultimately, that would mean making enemies of them.

Hyun-woo was too preoccupied with managing the Omnipotence Society and leveling up to engage in conflicts right now.

‘If I do, I have to wipe them out completely.’

Hyun-woo asked playfully.

“Doesn’t the other side care that you are loyal to me?”

“We don’t pledge allegiance to individuals. We pledge allegiance to humanity.”

Hyun-woo looked down at the floor, a troubled expression on his face.

Pledging allegiance to humanity.

That meant he switched sides not out of subservience, but because he deemed it more beneficial.

Hyun-woo found that preferable, as he was confident he could become even more valuable.

“And I believe that, in a broader sense, I’ve drawn you into the alliance in this way. Many members of the alliance are working without even realizing they’re part of it. Eventually, you’ll be in charge of one axis.”

“That’s quite a positive organization. No, should I say delusional? Anyway, then Park Hwi-so, you don’t know anything about how to raise the level?”

“I have a rough idea. It involves absorbing crystal moss directly into the body……”

Hyun-woo was horrified. It was a method he had used himself to prevent mana depletion, but it wasn’t something to attempt unless you had extra lives.

“With such a crude method?”

“So, I believe special treatment is necessary during the process. The amount of crystal moss I purchased from you…… I know it’s a little over 1 ton. I don’t know if you used it all, but I know that only three people have raised their levels with that much.”

Two people. Dowonkyung mentioned eight registered 5-star ability users worldwide, including Hyun-woo. But with this separate leveling method, perhaps he should add three more.

And if that alliance operated so secretly, there might have been level-ups that Park Hwi-so was unaware of.

“No, even so, you have to consume 300kg of crystal moss per person, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Even with special treatment, it still sounds like a crude method?”

“Maybe there’s a way to extract only the essence. But even so, it’s definitely a dangerous and painful task. But people who have reached the limit level cling to such methods.”

Hyun-woo fell into thought. He hadn’t realized that raising the ability user level was such a primitive process. There had to be a more efficient method, but he couldn’t figure out how.

‘I need to find clues in hell.’

Hyun-woo sighed.

“Even so, raising the level is that desperate.”

“Wait a minute. Kang Hyun-woo.”

“Then let’s raise the price of crystal moss by three times.”

“……Are you even thinking of completely ruining the alliance?”

“If you don’t like it, tell them to share how to raise the level. Before I find out the method.”

Anyway, he’d find a way if he went to Difficulty: Hell. There were all kinds of crazy things there.

One of them would be related to the means of raising the level. Anyway, he had to go to hell.

Because a new quest started tonight.