The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 315
“Then you should’ve said so earlier. Why all the hesitation?”
“I mean, I do have a conscience. You’re all torn up like that, how could I ask you to fight~”
“Cut the crap and move!”
Honeybee started to pull her supporting hand away, but paused. She asked anxiously.
“J, are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
That was a lie. It hurt. The monster’s thoughts kept pouring into him, driving him mad. It hurt. Cha Eui-jae shook his head in irritation and shouted.
“…Shut up!”
Gasp. Cha Eui-jae snapped his head up. It hurt. The other two were staring at him in shock. It hurt. Dammit. Cha Eui-jae bit down on his lip and lowered his head.
“…I’m sorry.”
Gyu-Gyu rubbed his chin.
“Okay, so you’re not okay at all, huh?”
“See? He’s your responsibility now.”
“Can I lock him up in a barrier~?”
“Do whatever! It’s breaking any second now. One, two…”
Crash—!!
The transparent wall shattered into pieces. As Gyu-Gyu pulled Cha Eui-jae back,
Clang!
The clash of metal against metal rang in their ears. Honeybee blocked a sharp blade with her slender rapier. Their blades scraped against each other in a power struggle, sparking as they clashed. Her thin sword danced as it deflected the onslaught of attacks. Honeybee shouted.
“Get the two of them out of here, now!”
“Waspy, you think you can handle it alone?”
Dodging attacks with constant motion, Honeybee still managed to glance back. The look on her face was pure ridicule.
“Ha… What do you think I am?”
Gyu-Gyu smirked back.
“Good point.”
“And also…”
The monster let out a loud roar, and the fluorescent lights flickered again. In the stuttering light, Honeybee’s silhouette wavered in the darkness. Pop! The light flashed back on, and the tip of her rapier gleamed. Grrrk, the sound of teeth grinding followed.
“I’ve got a score to settle with that bastard!”
Clang, clang, clang! The sound of metal echoed. Gyu-Gyu, supporting Cha Eui-jae, ran toward Jung Bin. With a snap of his fingers, the transparent wall vanished. Jung Bin asked in surprise.
“J-nim, how did you get up here? Weren’t you in the interrogation room?”
Holding his pounding head, Cha Eui-jae answered with effort.
“I heard a mutant appeared, so I came up. We need to get out of here! That thing is after you, Jung Bin.”
“But…!”
Jung Bin looked hesitant. His wavering eyes turned to the monster facing off with Honeybee. Gyu-Gyu shrugged.
“I get it, he’s your teammate. But now that he’s turned into that, we’ve gotta kill him~ Got any better ideas? He’s not your teammate anymore, is he?”
“…”
“Leave him be, and who knows how many more will die, Civil Servant-ssi.”
Gyu-Gyu grabbed Jung Bin’s arm. At that moment— Squelch! —a sharp object pierced flesh. Cha Eui-jae turned his head. The monster’s scream grew louder.
IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!
Honeybee’s arm curved elegantly as she pulled her rapier from the monster’s body. It was a clean, precise motion. White blood sprayed along the path of her blade, splattering onto the wall. She didn’t stop. She readied herself again to finish the job.
Then—
Thud! A strong hand shoved Cha Eui-jae and Gyu-Gyu aside. Jung Bin had pushed them away and was running forward.
“Wait, Honeybee-nim!”
In that fleeting instant, everything seemed to stop. Jung Bin running forward, Gyu-Gyu reaching out mid-stumble, his hand grasping at empty air. Jung Bin cried out desperately.
“Please… don’t take its life…!”
Just as she was about to plunge her rapier into the creature’s neck, Honeybee froze. Her blade hesitated.
In that instant, the monster’s white eyes blinked.
Team Leader.
The Team Leader is here.
Team Leader, I’m right here.
I have something to tell you!
Please come here!
The monster thrust its bladed arms forward and charged, mouth wide open with rows of sharp teeth. A sense of dread spurred Cha Eui-jae into motion. He kicked off the floor, cracking the marble tiles beneath his feet. Rushing past Gyu-Gyu, he grabbed the nape of Jung Bin’s neck. Jung Bin turned back in alarm, but Cha Eui-jae didn’t answer. He—
I want to eat!
I want to eat the Team Leader!
With a firm pull, he yanked Jung Bin’s collar back hard.
A huge mouth snapped shut right in front of Jung Bin’s nose. As if that wasn’t enough, it opened and closed again several times, like it was tasting the air. Cha Eui-jae kicked the monster’s jaw as hard as he could. Crunch! A bone broke with a loud crack. The monster clutched its mouth and let out a terrible scream.
It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!
Gritting his teeth, Cha Eui-jae pulled Jung Bin closer.
“Gyu-Gyu-ssi!”
“Got it! Wow… you almost had your head bitten off. Would’ve been such a shame to have that handsome head eaten.”
Gyu-Gyu grabbed Jung Bin and dragged him back. Cha Eui-jae tried to ignore his pounding headache and got into position. The monster’s white eyes, rolling in all directions, locked onto him. Tears were falling from them. White fluid dripped to the floor.
Why? Why? Why? Why?
Why are you interfering?
Even you…
The monster stared at Cha Eui-jae and tilted its head, as if observing a curious animal. There was no trace of the violence that had just tried to bite off someone’s head, only calm. From behind, Gyu-Gyu murmured.
“…Its attitude suddenly changed.”
A wave of unease surged through Cha Eui-jae. I don’t want it to notice. Notice what? The state of my body. Cha Eui-jae clenched his fist. It was damp with cold sweat. Just as he raised it—
Splurt.
Hot white blood rained down from above.
Cha Eui-jae looked up. A sharp rapier had pierced the monster’s neck. As the blade was pulled out, the towering monster collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. Air wheezed from its gaping mouth. Honeybee flicked the rapier, shaking off the white blood. Her face remained cool and composed.
“An opening.”
“…”
“Sorry, Team Leader Jung. I couldn’t fulfill your request.”
Jung Bin, held by Gyu-Gyu, was catching his breath. His face had gone pale, and only the cheek that was hit was tinged with red. Honeybee lightly leapt over the twitching monster’s body and walked over. She took out a towel from her inventory and held it out.
“Oh dear, look at you, covered in blood. Here, use this.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“How’s your body? You looked okay when you were moving earlier.”
“Yes, I’m feeling a bit better now.”
“That’s a relief. You did well back there.”
Honeybee gave Cha Eui-jae a thumbs-up and walked past him. She placed her hands on her hips and stared at Jung Bin.
“You realize you almost got eaten, right? Not very team leader-like of you. Whatever your reasons, next time try to make a cooler-headed decision?”
“…I’m sorry. This was entirely my mistake.”
Jung Bin bowed deeply. Honeybee crossed her arms and replied curtly.
“Fine. I think I understand what you were thinking.”
“Well, no one died, so it’s not a big deal~”
Gyu-Gyu patted Jung Bin on the shoulder, but flinched and pulled his hand back when Honeybee smacked it away. Of course. She’d just had to kill a mutated teammate herself. Cha Eui-jae sighed, wiping the white blood from his hair with the towel. Jung Bin rubbed his face with his palms, then raised his head. He didn’t look completely calm, but some stability had returned to his expression.
“…Time to start cleaning up. Thank you all.”
“Was the person who mutated… showing any signs beforehand?”
“No, not at all. There was no whitening of the skin or hair, and no partial transformation of the body either. It all happened so suddenly…”
Honeybee walked toward the monster. She leaned in and whispered quietly into Cha Eui-jae’s ear.
“This thing, it’s the exact same one I saw.”
“…?”
“The one that killed Team Leader Jung in the last world.”
“…So we’ve prevented his death?”
“Hmph. I hope so.”
Cha Eui-jae crouched beside the monster. It was still breathing heavily, ragged and wheezing. Its breaths grew more labored, death closing in. Cha Eui-jae brushed back the hair on its head. Its blurry white eyes slowly rolled to look at him.
Why?
Why did you interfere?
Cha Eui-jae didn’t answer. He took his hand off the monster and stood up. The monster twitched one last time.
Team leader…
“…”
And gray eyes had witnessed everything.
Gyu-Gyu let out a soft hum through his nose and smiled faintly as he patted Jung Bin’s shoulder.
“Say, didn’t you mention that people undergoing mutation have parts of their bodies turn white?”
“…Yes, that’s right. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, it’s nothing big.”
Gyu-Gyu’s gray eyes narrowed.
“Just… doesn’t J’s hair look even whiter than before?”
