Hoarding in Hell Novel

Chapter 68 Overlord (3)

Hyunmoo looked at Lee Ji-tae. Depending on what she heard, she could be arguing.

However, Lee Ji-tae did not avoid her gaze, and she met Hyunmoo’s gaze with a relaxed face. Is it the freedom that comes from the confidence of being a prince from birth?

“I think I might be able to return that question.”

Lee Ji-tae’s eyes widened, and then she turned round again.

“Ah, indeed. I think you misunderstood what I meant. I was wondering if Kang Hyunmoo had a higher rating than 5 stars.”

It sounded like a stabbing remark, but Hyunmoo wasn’t embarrassed. From the moment Lee Ji-tae called her, she fully expected that something like this could happen.

Judging from the level, Lee Ji-tae is at least 5 stars, so there must be a difference in the atmosphere he feels.

“Mr. Kang Hyunmoo… he had a different atmosphere from other 5-star talented people I’ve seen.”

Lee Ji-tae clearly mentioned the ‘other 5 stars’. He affirmed the existence of five-star talents, and at the same time revealed that he had already met them.

“Of course, I’m not saying that Kang Hyunmoo is inferior to them. But Kang Hyunmoo is something different. It doesn’t mean he’s weak. It just feels like something transcendent. Maybe 6 stars or 7 stars? Has he reached that level? I don’t know. You’ve definitely surpassed the level of modern humans.”

“I’m not that strong.”

“Haha, Kang Hyunmoo is strong enough. But I’m not talking about strength. It might sound a little out of the way, but do you know Arthur Clarke’s ‘The End of Childhood’?”

I do not know. But it was like seeing what was left on Yu-min’s bookshelf.

Lee Ji-tae continued, as if Hyunmoo’s answer was not important.

“If you look there, you see a race called Overlords. They have overwhelming science and civilization, and people see them as demons and fear them. But with their help, the whole race reaches a new level. Transcends humans. It’s a childhood analogy to the process of becoming something new. It may be a common story now, but when I first read it, I thought it was awesome.”

“……okay.”

“But in the work, the Overlords still maintain their race until the moment when humanity transcends. They have already finished the ‘childhood’ of many races and made them into Overmind, but they themselves have not finished their childhood. That powerful technology and ability even though I have it.”

“……”

“When I saw it, I thought that the enlightened and the enlightened might be different. Just as there were countless teachers who taught the Buddha before his nirvana.”

Lee Ji-tae spoke up to that point, then paused for a moment. Hyunmoo wanted to know what Lee Ji-tae was trying to say and his intentions.

Does he simply want to tell a fictional story? Or is it a metaphor for something? If I ask you to shut up and talk about the main point, will you be honest with me?

At that time, Lee Ji-tae, who was smiling softly, suddenly leaned towards Hyunmoo. Hyunmoo flinched as Lee Ji-tae’s face came closer.

But Lee Ji-tae grabbed Hyunmoo’s shoulder to keep him from moving.

He whispered into Hyunmoo’s ear.

“As soon as I saw you, I smelled the evil and fearful ones. Mr. Kang Hyunmoo.”

Hyunmoo didn’t answer, just looked at Lee Ji-tae quietly.

“You can clearly see the arrogance of those who can predict the future.”

Hyunmoo frowned at Difficulty: Hell, but barely showed it on his face. No wonder Lee Ji-tae Difficulty: Do you know about Hell?

“It smells like mine. I can predict the future to some extent.”

When Hyunmoo didn’t answer, Lee Ji-tae smiled and tilted his glass of champagne.

“The truncated dungeon flood is just the beginning. It has been predicted by scholars for a long time that the overall difficulty of the dungeon will increase. A drastic change is coming soon. It’s a future that no one predicted.”

Hyunmoo didn’t know if Lee Ji-tae really knew the future or if he was good at predicting.

If he too knew about the future of Difficulty: Hell, he had to be seriously wary.

“But… if it were you, it would make sense. Kang Hyunmoo.”

Lee Ji-tae leaned over and quietly stared at Hyunmoo.

“I think we can work together, as comrades who will turn their backs in times of crisis.”

“…are you talking about me?”

“Of course. I don’t know how deep-rooted evil you hide under that human face…”

Lee Ji-tae gently stroked Hyunmoo’s face.

“If you already have that wickedness, try using it for something better for me.”

Lee Ji-tae’s eyes were shining.

He was speaking sincerely.He seemed convinced that Hyunmoo would hold his hand and say he’d be happy to be with him.

Looking at that face, Hyunmoo felt only one emotion.

“Mr. Lee Ji-tae.”

“Yes, Mr. Kang Hyunmoo.”

“Are you shouting out technical names or magic spells when you use a skill?”

Lee Ji-tae’s eyebrows trembled slightly.

“It’s okay. According to my acquaintance, it is common among talented people to go through ‘that period’ again after awakening.”

Lee Ji-tae was still staring at Hyunmoo with a soft smile.

I don’t know if he’s agitated or not, but Hyunmoo didn’t stop provoking.

“Ah, well, among hunters, there is a strong belief in jinx and superstition, so I don’t think the technical name is too much. All my acquaintances said it was unfounded, but still, there is a thing called human feelings. There is a saying that it will increase.”

Do you want to hit one? Hyunmoo wished it was. Then, naturally, you will be able to stay away from Lee Ji-tae.

Unfortunately, however, Lee Ji-tae quickly regained his composure.

“I haven’t been like that since I was 20.”

Unfortunately, it seems to have ended with just bad memories.

It’s surprising enough that he was like that until he was 19.

Lee Ji-tae seemed to have decided that Hyunmoo’s words were completely rejected or that he did not understand them.

Or maybe Hyunmoo felt like he didn’t have much to do and lost interest.

He went downstairs and said that he had to clean up the banquet hall and left.

Hyunmoo was left unwittingly on the terrace, but as soon as Lee Ji-tae left, an old man who seemed to be a caretaker approached him and guided the exit.

As Hyunmoo went down, he remembered the story Lee Ji-tae had told him.

End of childhood? Leaders and Awakeners?

What the hell was he trying to say? Did he simply want to do sci-fi small talk?

It may be. However, Hyunmoo kept reminding him of Lee Ji-tae’s words.

The future where Hyunmoo set his feet.

Difficulty: The scenery of hell kept coming to mind.

Hyunmoo let out a long sigh. And he reverse-summoned the people he had scattered in the penthouse.

If Lee Ji-tae had subdued him and released him a little later, he would have started attacking by a swarm of poisonous mosquitoes.

If he freed the hungry and used his grip, he could hold Lee Ji-tae even for a very short time.

However, it was questionable whether Hyunmoo would have been able to subdue Lee Ji-tae by doing so.

Lee Ji-tae showed a distant wall to the extent that his contrast seemed useless.

In the end, I thought it was too much to reject Lee Ji-tae’s offer so bluntly, but I thought that it was Lee Ji-tae’s fault.

‘If you are so overwhelmingly sure of your own success, of course, you will want to sabotage it unconditionally.’

Hyunmoo, as usual, was just making his own twisted and rubbish judgments. Lee Ji-tae, who made a colorless, transparent and naive proposal to him, was bad.

‘By the way, you are the strongest in Korea.’

Nevertheless, Lee Ji-tae was a place where he could realize that Hyunmoo was a wall that he could not easily deal with. Not only in Korea, but maybe even in the world.

‘But… … .’

Hyunmoo thought while rubbing the arm that had been caught by Lee Ji-tae.

‘If this level is one of the best in the world, I think you will be able to catch up quickly?’

***

【Difficulty: Hell

Enter the star of the end.][Giant Spore Rat (LV 21)]

“Gee!”

“Hey, it sounds disgusting.”

Hyunmoo muttered angrily and swung his tam at once. Despite Hyunmoo’s attack, the giant spore rat slammed into the sword as it was.

Tam received the speed of the spore mouse and cut it deep into the spore mouse’s body. At the same time as the fresh blood spurted out, spores spread out from the mushrooms that were covering the back of the spore mouse.

Hyunmoo hurriedly covered his mouth with his arm and backed away.

If the spores spread by the spore rats are turned over as they are, they will be parasitized and wander under his sewers for the rest of his life. Spores stuck to the walls everywhere, but Hyunmoo was able to avoid it from a close distance.

After his spore dust settled, Hyunmoo pulled out his black hand dagger.

The black hand dagger was not absorbed by the tam. The black-handed dagger had characteristics that made it more useful when it was a dagger.

[Black Hand Dagger (Legendary)][Physical attack: medium low, Magic attack: low, Penetration: low][Special Ability: It can be completely hidden from view, and then suddenly appear. At the moment of appearance, the owner’s speed slightly increases.][Note: This is a dagger for the Eyeless and Earless of the Black Cult, that is, fanatic assassins. Many people lost their lives in this one short sword that appeared like magic. But that’s it. The people who killed the fanatics the most were people from the same denomination they were arguing with. As far as I know, I’ve never killed a particularly great person.]

Considering how many times Hyunmoo was killed by this dagger, he was even heartbroken.

Other than the option to increase speed, it may seem like taking out an item from your inventory.

However, the inventory requires actions to open, search, and take it out, but it pops out naturally as if holding it in your hand the moment you make up your mind.

like magic.

It can be written immediately.

He offered to return it to Kirsson, but Kirsson seemed to prefer the Winter Harvester’s Scythe.

‘With these characteristics, a dagger is better than a long sword, Tam.’

Hyunmoo started cutting the mushroom off the giant spore rat’s back with a black-handed dagger.

When the last mushroom was cut, the inventory, which could hold up to 150 kg, was full.

Considering that inventory capacity is proportional to physical strength, it was the only intuitive ability among stats.

Hyunmoo headed to the goblin village.

It was one of the subway stations that Kirson saw as a village to move to in case of emergency.

***

As soon as Hyunmoo arrived, the goblins rushed out. Hyunmoo poured objects he had gathered from all directions in front of them.

The goblins looked tired of the endless pouring of materials.

“What are you doing? You probably won’t have enough time to make it all by tomorrow.”

At Hyunmoo’s remarks, the goblins began to run in a hurry. Then, after patrolling, I saw Kirsson returning. Kirsson was also carrying a heavy load on his back.

“You’ve worked hard, boss.”

“Um, I’m grateful that everyone followed me better than I thought… but I’m still a little concerned.”

“What is it? We already massacred our villagers, but when you try to treat them like slaves, do you feel a sense of remorse? To the boss, remorse seems like a kind of cold. Kireuk.”

“No, I’m afraid you’ll spit on the potion because you follow it so well.”

It was a potion that Hyunmoo instructed the goblins to make. Since Hyunmoo’s stamina is so low, even with a normal grade potion, the wound healed quickly.

Instead, Hyunmoo brought the goblins the most desperately needed supplies in Hell. Fresh food and consumables such as glass bottles and metal parts.

As a monster, you don’t need a lot of food, but if you don’t eat it, you will become weak. The abundance of calories meant that even the goblins would soon become healthy.

“…No. We’ve already agreed to follow you. It’s quite common to lose or be ruled over by your own people. Rather, it’s good enough that the boss doesn’t eat or kill us. Kiruk.”

“Yes, yes.”

When the goblins systematically dig up crystal moss and collect them, Hyunmoo sells them in the real world, and uses the money to bring the necessary supplies for hell. It was a virtuous cycle with good efficiency.

There are already tons of crystal moss piled up in the warehouse, and Hyunmoo was able to get the necessary supplies even if he sold only 60 kg of crystal moss every week.

Employee welfare leads to organizational efficiency. Because of this, the goblin village was able to enjoy a much more prosperous life than before.

The quality of the armament has also improved significantly, and the stability of the village has also increased. Naturally, the shelter became safer and modern equipment could be brought in.

But Hyunmoo couldn’t afford it.

The truncation dungeon attack was three days later in real time. The time was tight, but since it was an emergency, the preparations had to be carried out quickly. Hyunmoo decided to bring as many consumables as potions from Hell.’I don’t think there will be as much crisis as I thought.’

I don’t know how things will turn out. If you look at the white bone record, it was recorded that the suppression of the truncated dungeon flood was quite difficult.

It was also due to the political and social problems at the time, but if it was difficult even with Lee Ji-tae involved, there could be situations that we would not have thought of. But the biggest problem was time.

Hyunmoo looked up at the sky.

About 87 hours remained until the next quest.

‘It’s vague.’

The dungeon attack is 3 days later.

If you did not finish the capture in one day, there was a high probability that the quest in Hell would start in the middle of the capture.

Since Hyunmoo’s attack date is not at his will, he’ll be suddenly dragged to hell along the way.

If a quest that might end at any time started in the middle of an attack, it could be seen that Hyunmoo broke away.

‘I’ll have to make an excuse on the way somehow.’

Hyunmoo sighed and walked over to the scene where the goblins were making potions.

The process of the goblins making potions was not well understood by Hyunmoo. But Hyunmoo made potions the way he understood it.

He placed the ingredients on his hand and used the ‘Manufacturing’ skill, and his bottle was filled with a stamina recovery potion.

“It’s a shameful way.”

“If you twist, you learn too.”

Although Kirson grumbled, only Hyunmoo could use the ‘manufacturing’ skill.

If you just change the ingredients like this, you can get all kinds of different types of potions. If you are lucky, it becomes an advanced recovery potion, and if you grind crystal moss, it becomes a mana recovery potion. It was a precious item in the reality where there were few means of mana recovery.

Mana recovery potions could only be made by Hyunmoo, so Hyunmoo focused on that.

While making potions, Hyunmoo suddenly looked at the mushrooms he had dug. If you do it wrong, you can get parasitic, but the mushroom was closing itself tightly like a clam.

“Kirson, if you eat this as it is, will you become a parasite?”

“That’s right. Kiruk.”

“Would it be possible to add this trait to poison blood?”

Kirson stared at Hyunmoo.

Kirsson knew the absurd fact that Hyunmoo had drunk the blood of a hungry man and acquired the power of that blood.

He saw Hyunmoo’s smile and laughed along as if he thought it was a joke, then stopped laughing as the silence grew longer.

“Are you serious, boss?”

“Is there any reason not to? If I lose my mind…”

Hyunmoo pretended to slit his neck. Kirsson had no reason to hesitate to behead Hyunmoo, but I wondered if he was sane.

“Boss, I trust and rely on the boss, but don’t overdo it. To be honest, the boss is getting more and more weird these days.

Hyunmoo was taken aback by Kirsson’s serious words. It wasn’t that Kirsson was wrong. Getting used to dying like this was proof that it was breaking down.

“Um… that’s right.”

“You need to be more aware of the preciousness of your life, boss. Those who take their own lives lightly also take the lives of others lightly. Do you understand?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Hyunmoo nodded his head sternly.

***

[General Achievement Achievement!][You are freed from parasites and become masters of your parasites.][You have acquired the title of ‘Independent Human’.][Effect increases with level-to-difficulty correction.][The ‘parasitic’ attribute is added to Poison Blood.][The poison of the poison becomes more powerful.]

“It’s not very pleasant to be parasitic.”