The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 231
Hasty footsteps echoed through the hall. Most of the hunters from the Pado Guild had headed out to handle the situation, while the remaining personnel were either low-grade hunters or non-awakened civilians, taking care of desk work. Except for Bae Won-woo, who was aimlessly wandering the corridors with a tablet displaying a map. Then, his phone vibrated. As he peeled off the band-aid stuck to his face with his thumb and index finger, he placed the phone to his ear.
“Hello, this is Bae Won-woo from the Pado Guild… Ah, Hunter Yang? Am I busy? No, I’m recovering too… Oh, it’s nothing serious, just a minor car accident.”
Yang Hye-jin’s voice grew a bit louder.
—…A car accident? Are you sure you’re okay?
“Oh, the car got a bit wrecked, but I’m fine. So, what’s this about?”
—I just need you to confirm something for me. I can’t leave my post right now…
“Sure, if it’s something I can handle. What is it?”
—I’m sending you some location info… Could you check it out in more detail?
“Location tracking? That’s not really my specialty…”
Complicated numbers already danced in front of his eyes. This was more suited for Mackerel or A Small Miracle Seo Min-gi. Bae Won-woo was good at blocking attacks head-on, but he was weak when it came to these detailed tasks. Still, what could he do? Both of them were busy, so he’d have to borrow a bear paw if necessary. He clicked his tongue.
“I’ll try my best.”
—I’ve just sent the message. It’s about the part-timer, and it shows they’re near you.
“The part-timer?”
Bae Won-woo’s voice rose sharply. Yang Hye-jin’s voice carried a hint of embarrassment.
—Yes… They went into that den because I asked, but they haven’t come out for a while. When I checked their location, they were at some weird mountain.
This was an issue of catastrophic proportions. Bae Won-woo glanced around before quickly sitting down at an empty desk. He entered the coordinates Yang Hye-jin had sent him into the satellite map. But…
“…Huh?”
Squinting, Bae Won-woo stared at the monitor. Then, he turned on the tablet tucked under his arm and placed it next to the monitor. A small dot on the tablet was slowly crawling toward the red destination point on the monitor. Unconsciously, a word slipped out of his mouth.
“That’s strange.”
—What is? Is something wrong? Is our part-timer in trouble…?
“No, it’s just…”
No matter how much he looked at it, it seemed to be the same place. He moved his head back and forth rapidly, frowning deeply.
“Hmmm?”
He needed to get his thoughts straight. Bae Won-woo drummed his fingers on the desk. Lee Sa-young had gone to find J. It was too risky to send him alone, but both decision-makers couldn’t be absent, so he had sent Kang Ji-soo as backup. On the tablet were their current locations. And at their destination, the part-timer from the hangover soup restaurant was there…
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head. Bae Won-woo shot up from his seat. No way.
“I…”
His voice, barely a whisper, quivered like a goat’s bleat.
“Kidnap-p-p-ping?”
—What? Kidnapping? What are you talking about?
“S-sorry! I’ll call you back!”
Bae Won-woo hastily hung up and immediately started dialing someone else.
***
“Stop.”
At the sound of the low voice, the bright red motorcycle screeched to a halt. The heavy rumbling of the engine gradually subsided. The rider in the red helmet turned to look back.
“What’s up, Guild Leader?”
The rider in the black helmet, balancing effortlessly without holding the handlebars, replied.
“Go any further, and you’ll get spotted right away…”
“But the road is wide open?”
“Because they need to move the supplies.”
“What if we just keep going?”
“Better to avoid unnecessary conflict…”
The black helmeted rider gestured with their chin toward the ridge.
“Let’s go that way.”
“Are you suggesting we go hiking? Ugh.”
“It’s better. Easier to avoid attention…”
The rider with black gloves took off their helmet, revealing tousled black hair and a pale face. He lightly stepped off the motorcycle and looked up at the mountain. His dark purple eyes absorbed the sight of the bare, skeletal ridge. Slowly, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The red-helmeted rider, who had been grumbling, also removed their helmet. Kang Ji-soo pulled out her phone from her hoodie pocket and put it to her ear.
“Yes, Vice-Guild Leader. What? Yeah. Huh? Right… Okay.”
Kang Ji-soo’s face twisted in a strange expression. She sidled up to Lee Sa-young with a sideways glance.
“Um, Guild Leader.”
Lee Sa-young slightly nodded his head in silence. It was a signal for her to speak. Kang Ji-soo, still holding the phone away from her ear as it blared loudly, spoke up.
“The Vice-Guild Leader is saying something about the part-timer.”
Only then did Lee Sa-young’s violet eyes peek out from beneath his thin eyelids.
“…What?”
“Apparently, the part-timer is at the same place we’re headed? They got some kind of location data, and it turns out we’re coincidentally heading right to that spot. Right?”
“…How did they get that location?”
“Seems like a Hunter from the Rift Management Bureau gave the part-timer a watch. The watch had a tracking function, and since they hadn’t shown up, they checked the location.”
“…”
“Anyway, he’s panicking, saying the part-timer might have been kidnapped. What should we do?”
Lee Sa-young pressed his fingers against his brow, as if tired.
“…Tell him we’ll rescue him while we’re at it.”
“You heard that, Vice-Guild Leader? Hanging up now!”
Kang Ji-soo quickly pressed the end-call button and sighed heavily. She ignored the phone as it rang again and looked up at the towering mountain. As someone who handled plants, a mountain filled with vegetation was practically her home turf, but…
“…”
She glanced at Lee Sa-young standing next to her. A menacing aura was emanating from him, making her feel uneasy. Instinctively, she fiddled with the gas mask artifact in her pocket. She could also hear the faint whispers of the mountain’s life forms, disturbed and restless. They had sensed it too.
A predator with malicious intent had arrived.
‘I’m sorry, nameless mountain…’
Without hesitation, Lee Sa-young jumped over the guardrail and set foot on the dirt. As soon as his foot touched the ground, the area around it withered and blackened. Kang Ji-soo winced, then reluctantly followed behind. A bitter smell filled the air. She covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve.
How far had they climbed? And how many small lives had perished? The bitter scent of dying life was replaced by the smell of oil and faint disinfectant. Larger presences also began to make themselves known. Lee Sa-young paused and glanced at Kang Ji-soo.
“Kang Ji-soo.”
“Yes, Guild Leader.”
“You brought a gas mask, right?”
“Of course.”
“Put it on.”
“Uh… how much are you planning to do, Guild Leader?”
“…”
His pale lips curled into a slight smile. Damn it, she thought. I should probably find a tree to climb. Kang Ji-soo resigned herself to her fate. From the moment she came here with just him, she knew she would have to deal with this level of danger. She quickly strapped on her gas mask and secured it tightly before swiftly distancing herself from Lee Sa-young.
“…Whew.”
Left alone, Lee Sa-young began to move lightly, as if he were taking a leisurely walk. He bit the tip of his glove and pulled it off. Then, with his bare hand, he brushed aside a branch blocking his view. Sizzle… The branch melted away, turning black. With his vision cleared, an open clearing came into view, along with a cargo truck and soldiers holding guns.
The air suddenly turned cold. But only for a moment.
Click! Click! Click! The sound of guns being cocked echoed as barrels were all aimed at him.
“Who are you?!”
Lee Sa-young calmly took in the sight. He didn’t recall seeing soldiers like these before. But…
“They’re irritating…”
The scent coming from them prodded at his mind. One of them shouted out.
“That… isn’t that Lee Sa-young?”
“Why is Lee Sa-young here? How did he know?”
The murmuring grew louder. The soldiers were hesitating, and that hesitation did not escape Lee Sa-young’s notice. Waiting for an opening was his specialty.
The black shadow disappeared.
“…?!”
And reappeared behind one of the soldiers, grabbing his gun. Sizzle… Along with a sharp smell, the grip of the gun began to melt, turning black. So did the hand holding it. The soldier let out a scream. Or tried to.
A black hand gripped his throat. A lethargic voice whispered.
“Not allowed.”
“…”
“If you make a fuss…”
Darkness soon descended. A pitch-black wave swept over everything silently. The guns, the soldiers, the screams, the laughter— it all disappeared.
“…”
Before long, the black wave receded beneath Lee Sa-young’s black boots. The soldiers who had aimed their guns were gone without a trace. Only Lee Sa-young remained, standing where he was. He folded his arms behind his back.
“Now then…”
Even though he had taken care of it quietly, the surveillance cameras must have caught everything. Multiple footsteps were rapidly approaching. Lee Sa-young glanced up at the blinking red light of the surveillance camera and grinned.
“How many more do I have to kill before your boss shows up?”
