The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 253
“Wh-what is this…”
Cha Eui-jae cautiously placed his hand over the wound. Despite how horrific it was, there was no blood. Was it the same type as the spear that had pierced his back? Nam Woo-jin, who had been watching, frowned.
“Well… the situation is urgent, so let’s at least try some emergency treatment.”
He reached out, placing his hand over Lee Sa-young’s wound. A soft white light emanated from Nam Woo-jin’s hand, flowing gently toward Lee Sa-young’s heart. After a short while, Lee Sa-young’s pale face regained a hint of color, though it wasn’t very noticeable against his naturally fair complexion.
“…Phew.”
Nam Woo-jin let out a quiet breath. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead and temples, and he bit his lip, furrowing his brow. Healing with his own life force— it was a treatment that left Nam Woo-jin looking like a withered husk each time. Unknowingly, Cha Eui-jae grabbed Nam Woo-jin’s wrist, causing the pouring light to cease. Nam Woo-jin looked at Cha Eui-jae in surprise.
“W-what… What’s this all of a sudden?”
For a moment, the sight of Nam Woo-jin’s withered, mummified hand overlapped with his current, healthy-looking hand. Cha Eui-jae quickly released his wrist, bowing his head.
“I apologize.”
“…It’s fine.”
Nam Woo-jin rubbed his wrist, which was now creased due to Cha Eui-jae’s strong grip, despite the protective suit and gloves he was wearing. Cha Eui-jae took a deliberate step back. Observing the wound, Nam Woo-jin murmured thoughtfully.
“I’ve seen this kind of wound before… Not long ago.”
“A short while ago?”
“Yes, when a monster with a huge mouth appeared. Some of the people who experienced freezing symptoms back then reported feeling pain without visible wounds.”
“…”
“Do you understand? The pain came before the wounds. Eventually, the areas they reported hurting developed actual wounds. You couldn’t touch or treat them, and the wounds disappeared after a short while.”
“So this is…”
“The same phenomenon, I’d wager. Just bigger wounds… and a lot more of them.”
By now, Lee Sa-young’s torso was densely covered in large and small wounds. Cha Eui-jae bit his lip as Nam Woo-jin examined Lee Sa-young with his pale eyes.
“Assuming it’s the same phenomenon as before, he should recover if we wait. He likely fainted from unbearable pain. Bring the painkillers.”
“Yes, master.”
The boy dashed out of the room. Nam Woo-jin sighed, folding his arms.
“For now, the best we can do is give him a shot of painkillers and wait. Even if I tried healing him, it wouldn’t improve anything. It was the same last time.”
“And do you know why this phenomenon occurs?”
“What else could it be?”
Nam Woo-jin shrugged.
“The effects of the apocalypse, probably. The difference this time is that it’s happening to Lee Sa-young alone, while last time it affected a random group of people.”
“…”
Cha Eui-jae clenched his teeth, watching the wounds appear and vanish repeatedly. They were likely injuries he had suffered in the previous world.
The apocalypse is watching this world. Lee Sa-young may be playing the role of a warden, trying to disrupt it, but this won’t last much longer. The fact that he’s held on this long is a miracle.
The boy returned with a bottle of medicine and a syringe. Nam Woo-jin carefully inserted the needle into Lee Sa-young’s vein. Not long after, the needle turned black and melted away. Nam Woo-jin clicked his tongue, signaling Cha Eui-jae with a glance.
“I’ll bring another tool, so keep watch.”
With that, he left the room with the boy. Silence fell. Cha Eui-jae placed his finger under Lee Sa-young’s nose, taking comfort in the faint breaths he could feel.
Just then, footsteps approached, and Hong Ye-seong appeared, panting. He strode in without so much as a protective suit, his expression focused as he quickly assessed Lee Sa-young’s wounds with his Eyes of Appraisal.
“As I thought, as I thought.”
Hong Ye-seong, the intelligent one. Cha Eui-jae sighed.
“And where were you until now?”
“My sweet home. I needed to sort some things out.”
Hong Ye-seong held a neatly folded black cloth under his arm. Cha Eui-jae looked at his profile and asked.
“Can you actually fix this?”
“If I don’t, we all die. I’ll find a way, somehow!”
“…”
Cha Eui-jae watched as Hong Ye-seong busily prepared something, then suddenly spoke up.
“Can’t I do it instead?”
“What?”
“What Sa-young is doing now. Couldn’t I do it? After all, I was a pillar too, wasn’t I?”
“Huh.”
Hong Ye-seong stopped in his tracks, staring at Cha Eui-jae with an incredulous look before twirling his finger next to his temple.
“You’ve finally lost it, haven’t you? Friend, you… really need to start taking better care of yourself.”
“Isn’t it a reasonable suggestion?”
“My friend… ever thought about why nobody suggested it to you? Don’t you think your soul might be even bigger than Lee Sa-young’s?”
“…”
“Besides, you’re facing the apocalypse alone— no, forget it. I can’t tell you about that yet.”
Hong Ye-seong slapped his hand over his mouth and shook his head.
“I have my reasons. And you have something only you can do, so wait.”
“…”
“Anyway, I’ll handle this, so don’t worry.”
Hong Ye-seong unfolded the semi-transparent black cloth and gently draped it over Lee Sa-young’s body. He meticulously checked to ensure every part was covered, then steadied his breathing. He drew a long black sword from his chest. It looked very similar to the Basilisk’s Fang. A faint blue inscription glimmered on the hilt.
“In exchange… you won’t see me for a while.”
“What?”
A gust of wind blew through the operating room, which had no windows. It rose from the floor beneath Hong Ye-seong’s feet, ruffling his long brown hair that brushed his shoulders. His scanning eyes shone brilliantly between the strands.
“I have been watching it all for a very long time. Hiding in the gaps of this world, as your eyes.”
“…”
“And I’ve come to a conclusion. You can do it.”
The moment he uttered the word “End”, the ground shook with a deep rumble. Lee Sa-young’s body, hidden under the cloth, trembled violently. The word “you” stuck in Cha Eui-jae’s mind. It was a word that seemed to exclude himself. Hong Ye-seong approached Lee Sa-young, lifting his sword high. Then, with a calloused forefinger, he pointed directly at Cha Eui-jae.
“Go find the dungeon.”
“The dungeon?”
“You’ll be able to recover the scattered memories. The things your former self left behind.”
“Are you talking about the Memorial Dungeon?”
Hong Ye-seong only smiled without answering. Then—
Fwump—
He drove the sword through his own abdomen.
Cha Eui-jae’s eyes widened. Even though it had pierced him perfectly through the pit of his stomach, not a single drop of blood flowed. Instead, the speed of Hong Ye-seong’s Eyes of Appraisal gradually slowed. He teetered, his green tracksuit swaying. Cha Eui-jae hurriedly grabbed Hong Ye-seong’s shoulder to steady him.
“Hey, are you insane? What are you doing?!”
“Don’t worry… The real Hong Ye-seong won’t be affected.”
“Is that really what you should be saying right now? You—!”
“I… wasn’t supposed to remain here in the first place.”
Hong Ye-seong took a shuddering breath. He slowly pulled out the sword. Clang, the sword dropped powerlessly to the floor. After catching his breath, he suddenly pushed Cha Eui-jae back with surprising strength. Cha Eui-jae stumbled, quickly regaining his stance. ‘Hong Ye-seong’ spread his arms wide.
“I am here!”
…
“Yes, the ghost of a ruined world is here!”
…
“The proof of your failure!”
Rumble… Thunder roared loudly, and the floor vibrated. The walls and ceiling shook as if possessed. Boom, boom, boom, something immense was approaching. A chilling shiver ran down Cha Eui-jae’s spine.
He knew what was coming.
He knew what ‘Hong Ye-seong’ had done.
Cha Eui-jae stared at him, unable to blink. Eventually, the tremors ceased. A pitch-black void had appeared beside him at some point. Hong Ye-seong turned to look at Cha Eui-jae one last time. His friend smiled.
“Take care, friend.”
A golden glow emerged from his body, floating in the air for a moment before being drawn into the black circle as if pulled by an invisible force. Instantly, the black circle disappeared without a trace, along with the enormous shadow that had seemed as if it might split the entire space in two.
Hong Ye-seong’s body staggered heavily, then collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Cha Eui-jae, catching his breath, stared at the empty space where the circle had vanished.
“…Hong Ye-seong.”
There was no response.
