The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 294
The monsters kept appearing from somewhere. Kill, eat. By principle, they should have wiped out the source. That way, they wouldn’t be threatened by the monsters— at least, that was the formal justification. Even knowing this, they did not act. If they eliminated the source and no more monsters appeared?
‘We’ll starve to death.’
Or they would have to eat humans.
Everyone must have thought the same. Even J did.
People’s skin was growing paler. Some had already turned completely white-haired. Instinctively, J knew— this was ominous. Something was going terribly wrong. They needed to stop eating.
But how could he tell those who were eating to survive to stop? Maybe we should stop eating. Doesn’t your body feel strange? J cautiously brought it up, but only to be met with chilling stares. A detached voice asked,
What’s strange?
A horrifying gaze. Cold sweat ran down his back. J shook his head, saying it was nothing. Only then did the murderous glares fade.
He reduced his portions. Gave away his share. The others were pleased with the extra food. Some even praised him, saying he was truly heroic.
J smiled. To be called a hero just for giving up a meal… The title of “hero” had become so cheap. Or perhaps, in this place, it was worth more than anything.
The periods of starvation grew longer. His stomach felt like it was sticking to his spine. He had to endure.
“…”
But it was getting unbearable.
He was so hungry.
Too hungry.
Whenever he couldn’t take it anymore, J would go to the sea. He would brush aside the ashes floating on the dead waters and drink. The taste was awful, revolting. But he forced himself to gulp it down, gagging yet still swallowing. He had to— just to survive.
People had stopped searching the area. They simply lay around the camp, waiting for the monsters to come. J stared blankly at the pale sky, lost in thought. How was this any different from livestock being raised for slaughter? How were they any different from caged beasts? His silent despair and unanswered questions sank into the dead sea. He no longer had the strength to think.
The sound of monsters echoed. Those who had been lying as if dead began rising, preparing for the hunt. J didn’t get up— he only listened.
‘Twenty?’
The number of monsters visiting the base camp was gradually increasing. It almost felt like a monster wave. But J pushed the thought away. There was no need to stir up unnecessary fear.
‘I can handle it…’
Perhaps because they had been doing nothing but hunting, the group swiftly took down all twenty monsters. It was time to head back to the sea again. Even the horrific taste of the dead sea’s water was becoming tolerable. A remarkable improvement. Humans truly were creatures of adaptation.
Thunk. The sound of a weapon piercing flesh. Time to leave. The scent of roasted meat made resisting hunger harder. Just as J stood up with his spear, an eerie sound reached his ears…
Crunch… Crack.
The sound of something hard twisting and grinding. J looked up in the direction of the sound. The muscular hunter’s back and arms were contorted in an unnatural way.
“…Hunter ◼◼◼?”
No answer.
The others were too busy butchering the monsters. Thunk. Thunk. Translucent fluid splattered. While the monsters’ bodies were being carved apart, the hunter’s own body was swelling. J tightened his grip on his spear. Something was wrong. But should he attack? He was still human, wasn’t he? Or… was he not?
Since the moment J had slain those who had killed their comrades, he could no longer wield his spear without hesitation.
Hesitation.
But J swung his spear anyway. Because that was his role. To protect the people.
To bear responsibility.
His breath was ragged. Red blood dripped from the tip of the spear that had pierced the swollen body. Monster blood was translucent white. Then… had he just struck down a human? Or a monster?
J turned his head. The others, frozen mid-butchery, were now staring at him. Their eyes looked strange. J forced out words.
“…Don’t eat it.”
“…”
“If you eat it… you might end up like Hunter ◼◼◼. Don’t eat it.”
No one answered. Slowly, the halted hands resumed their work. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
J closed his eyes. He turned away from them. And moved to clean up the life he had just taken. The limp body dragged along the ground, leaving a long streak of red across the white ashes.
He wanted to live. They did, too. They had simply chosen different ways to do so. J decided to respect their choice.
…Or maybe, he had just given up. Cowardly. J scoffed at himself.
He had no idea how much time had passed. It had been a long time since he’d bothered counting the days. Recently, the monsters had been appearing more frequently. Their numbers were growing, too. Even after the people had eaten their fill, there were still monster corpses left over. That wasn’t a good sign. There had to be a reason for the sudden surge in numbers. J approached a group of people sharpening their dull weapons.
“I’m going to look around for a bit.”
“For what?”
“The increase in monsters is strange. I want to see if anything’s changed nearby.”
“…”
The people exchanged glances before giving him a brief nod, as if telling him to do whatever he wanted. J felt a strange sense of distance. Weren’t they comrades? When had they grown so far apart? The memory of eating together, laughing, and chatting felt impossibly distant. Even as he packed his things and left the camp, no one spared him so much as a formal farewell.
Was it because I killed people?
Because I refused to eat the monsters?
He didn’t know. So many questions, yet not a single answer. Dragging his heavy feet, J wandered through the pale ruins, searching for any sign of monsters. That was when he found it. A massive nest made of stone.
“…”
The nest was abandoned, filled with white ash and human bones. J sifted through the remains. Between the shattered and cracked bones, he found scattered items— gear used by hunters. The advance team’s, perhaps? He ran his fingers over the bones before setting them back down. He should collect the remains, but—
‘There’s too much for me to carry alone…’
In the end, he gathered what little was intact—some items, a few bone fragments. He would return to camp and find someone to help move the rest. If anyone was still there.
Just as he neared the base camp, a thick stench of blood stung his nose. A moment later, the sound of something hard colliding— shattering. His nape went cold. J dropped what he was carrying and ran.
By the time he arrived—
“J— J is here!”
“J came back…!”
“Save me, please! Please, save us!”
The monsters had already trampled through the camp.
A massive serpent slithered over the broken bodies, crushing survivors beneath its weight. Countless monsters tore through those who remained. Blood splattered. The base camp— his home for so long— was now nothing but corpses and carnage. J lunged, but just before he could reach it, the colossal serpent, the Basilisk, spread its wings and vanished into the sky. The remaining monsters surged toward him.
J tightened his grip on his spear. His body began to move, purely mechanical. The most efficient way.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill and keep killing.
But—
“…”
Even after everything lay dead, it wasn’t over.
Only a perfect, suffocating silence remained.
J suddenly wondered— Would it only end if I died, too? But he didn’t want to die. He wanted to live. He had killed to survive, endured everything to survive.
So, J gathered the bodies of his fallen comrades. Then, he crouched beside them. He had to take responsibility. He had to return. His sense of duty— his promise— would keep him alive. So J forced himself to find a reason to survive. Even if he had to make one up.
Time passed. At some point, hunger no longer registered. What was harder to endure was the silence. The ruins, devoid of voices, breath, even the faintest whisper of wind, felt unbearably lonely. Cha Eui-jae began murmuring to himself, anything to fill the emptiness.
It hurts. I’m exhausted. I’m so tired. I want to go home. When he ran out of things to say, he whispered the names of those who had come with him, one by one. Over and over again.
His vision was nothing but red. The stench of blood refused to fade. His body felt numb all over. His throat was parched, raw with pain, yet he didn’t stop murmuring. Because he knew— without even this small noise, he wouldn’t be able to endure it. There was no one left to make noise for him. The pain of his body had dulled, but there was no escape from the sight that clawed at his heart.
Then— Footsteps. Squish. Squish. Squish. Someone was approaching, stepping through the thick puddles of blood. It must be a hallucination. There’s no one left alive here but me.
It hurts. I’m exhausted. I’m so tired. I want to go home.
I want to go back.
“So this is where you were. What a terrible place.”
A soft rustle.
Something dark draped over his upper body. The red that had consumed his vision disappeared. The overwhelming stench of blood was replaced by a faint, sweet fragrance. Cha Eui-jae’s murmuring slowed. What…? His mind refused to work. Something warm and steady touched his head.
A low voice whispered—
“If you go back… live quietly.”
How long had it been since he heard another person’s voice? He couldn’t remember. Cha Eui-jae strained to listen. He wanted to hear more. Silence was terrifying. But then—
Something lifted the dark fabric covering his sight. No. I don’t want to see. I don’t want to see the blood anymore. Cha Eui-jae lowered his head. A quiet chuckle followed.
“…That’s what he said.”
“…”
“But there’s no way you could live like that, is there?”
A white system window flickered into view against the darkness.
[Warning! This action will overwrite previously recorded memories. The consequences are unknown.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
The low voice responded—
“Proceed.”
[Acknowledged. Overwriting memory…]
“Good. It’s done… Look at me.”
Strangely, Cha Eui-jae wanted to obey. Slowly, he lifted his head. What covered him was a black coat. What had lifted it was a gloved hand. Between the gaps of the leather glove, he caught a glimpse of a gas mask. Cha Eui-jae blinked blankly. Beyond the mask’s lenses, a pair of violet eyes curved into a smile.
“That’s a bit cold, don’t you think? Just covering you with a coat.”
A thumb brushed against his dry cheek. A gentle voice asked—
“Have you been waiting long?”
Cha Eui-jae parted his lips. No sound came out. A large hand cupped his face.
“I came to get you.”
