The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 328
The smiling face vanished, and the perspective shifted. A sparsely rafted ceiling replaced the spot where Cha Eui-jae’s face had disappeared. A familiar voice grumbled.
“It’s not like I’m some kind of all-purpose tool that can do anything you ask of me. How am I supposed to build a dungeon that stores memories? You saved my life, but now you’re demanding my bundle.”
It was Hong Ye-seong’s voice.
“Well, of course I can make it!”
Clink, rattle, something violent shook the surroundings. The perspective shook and flipped along with it. Surrounding him were magic stones of various sizes and colors. Hong Ye-seong hummed and muttered.
“Maybe I should make a recording device…”
‘Could it be… this is from a magic stone perspective?’
As if answering Cha Eui-jae’s question, a hand bearing small burn marks grabbed the subject of his vision and turned it around.
“Ah, found it!”
Hong Ye-seong’s magnified face zoomed in and out. His golden eyes looked blurry and busy. He tilted his head.
“Oh? Look at this guy. A magic stone still has a sense of self. You, are you watching me? Haha!”
Hong Ye-seong laughed cheerfully.
“Almost let this guy rot away. Let’s see… A magic stone from a monster that steals memories.”
He placed the magic stone flat in his palm. A bright light filled his vision, like the vision of a patient on an operating table.
“So… does this mean there’s a place to store stolen memories? And a function to restore them?”
Hong Ye-seong’s face suddenly appeared in the bright light. His golden eyes sparkled.
“I knew it… Yes, that’s right! This body is a genius. If I twist it just right, I could use it as a storage device.”
From that moment on, the perspective changed drastically. It was dark, then it was bright red, as if it was lit on fire. Hong Ye-seong’s voice interrupted each time the screen changed.
“If it were melted down and made into a tool, and then broken, and the fragments were lost… that part of the memory would be irretrievable. So, it would be better to use the entire magic stone as a core and use it as a recording medium…”
“For a body that houses the core, wouldn’t it be good for it to have some self-awareness? It should have at least the instinct to protect the core… hmm, survival instincts too. Should I also include an attack function?”
“A large body consumes a lot of energy, so let’s make it small. It need to be cost-effective. If possible, it would be nice to be able to fly… ah, I want to eat chicken.”
“Even if the body changes, as long as the core remains the same, the self and memories will be maintained…”
Hong Ye-seong’s voice came through, and the screen went pitch black. After a while, a light voice spoke.
“…I think I succeeded this time. Now… Do you want to open your eyes?”
The black screen slowly cleared. Blink, blink. With each blink, Hong Ye-seong’s face, beaming, appeared and disappeared repeatedly.
“It’s done! Success! This body’s victory!”
After fussing around, he took out a small mirror and showed it to him. A pure white porcelain chicken was reflected in it. Its black bean-like eyes blinked. Behind the mirror, Hong Ye-seong grinned.
“Kkokko! Your name is Kkokko.”
Kkokko tilted its head. Hong Ye-seong pointed at himself.
“I’m Hong Ye-seong. I’m your master.”
“Bawk?”
“You punk, did you just answer me? That’s amazing. Let’s see. Your vocal cords are working fine.”
Two hands carefully lifted Kkokko. Kkokko looked at Hong Ye-seong and where he stood. Hong Ye-seong, with his messy brown hair tied back in a ponytail, looked extremely thin. The studio was a mess. Outside the studio window, white ash swept across like a blizzard.
“Thank goodness… I made it in time.”
He held Kkokko tightly in his arms.
“Kkokko.”
“Bawk.”
“I’m going to run away. While my friend buys time.”
“Bawk?”
“But you’ll go with my friend, okay? Even if he pretends not to, he’s a very lonely person. Stay by his side.”
“Bawk.”
“This is your first order. Watch everything… and remember everything.”
Hong Ye-seong carefully placed Kkokko on the desk, then bent down to meet Kkokko’s eye level.
“And when the time comes… return it to its owner.”
Hong Ye-seong stared straight at the screen. He must have been looking into Kkokko’s eyes, but clearly…
It seemed as if his eyes met Cha Eui-jae’s across the screen.
His pale, parched lips trembled.
Remember.
The voice rippled like a wave. Goosebumps ran through his body. His fingers tightened. The memories etched into his body, his soul, his awakening. Cha Eui-jae gasped, taking a deep breath. His vision trembled…
***
He spat the blood between his teeth, staining across the white floor. He roughly rubbed the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. A long, red bloodstain left its mark on his scarred hand.
Cha Eui-jae knelt and raised his head.
Blood spilled with every breath.
The end was near.
He had been through countless battles, so he was certain. His body could no longer fight. He had been pushed to the limit. Having lost his left arm, his body tilted slightly to the right, spilling blood onto the white pristine floor. His vision blurred.
He felt his left side. Even with the potion, recovery was slow. The side where part of his arm had been blown away was slowly healing.
‘Thank goodness my internal organs weren’t destroyed.’
It was a close call. If his reaction had been even slightly delayed, he wouldn’t have been able to stand. He would have died before he could turn back time. More than anything, that fact terrified him. He nearly died like a dog, unable to use his watch.
Was it arrogance? A mere human standing against the end?
Just then, something leaned against Cha Eui-jae’s thigh. It was a ceramic chicken with cracks all over it. If he remembered correctly, its name was Kkokko. Hong Ye-seong had hugged it tightly before leaving.
‘If you’re going to give me something, at least give me something useful. Why are you giving me a chicken like this, you bastard?’
He’d be lying if he said he didn’t think that.
But strangely enough, the little ceramic chicken gave him comfort.
The feeling that he was not alone. A psychological barrier that there was still something to protect.
‘Even something that was born halfway is a life…’
Cha Eui-jae laughed hollowly. Cough, cough. His laughter was mixed with coughs. He swallowed blood. He pressed the porcelain chicken’s head tightly with his palm.
“Kkokko. Watch closely.”
Gritted his teeth, he stood up, using the broken spear as support. ‘It’ observed everything with fascination. He caught his breath and aimed the broken spear handle with his right hand.
Towards two giant eyes.
White ash swirled around the vortex. He felt its gaze. ‘It’ was staring at Cha Eui-jae. Instead of averting his gaze, Cha Eui-jae faced it directly. He had come too far to be afraid of the end and death. He braced his trembling hands.
“…Have you ever failed?”
No answer came. ‘It’, the apocalypse, simply observed. Everyone died, and one lone human stood on the brink of destruction.
“I have countless times… probably as many worlds as you’ve destroyed.”
With a thud, he took a step forward. Footprints were etched into the wasteland of ash and blood.
“Even if we fail this time, it won’t make much difference. We’ll all be destroyed.”
With every step, the footprints grew longer. The blood-mixed footprints weren’t covered even by the white ash that swept over them.
“So…”
Black hair fluttered. The corners of his mouth, stained crimson with blood, curled.
The hero smiled. His bright blue eyes gleamed.
“I’ll run.”
[Trait: Enhanced Strength (S+) activated.]
[Unique trait: Hand of a Master (S+) activated.]
[Unique trait: The One Who Pierces All (S+) activated.]
Strength returned to his exhausted body. He knew. This was a last-ditch effort. Ultimately, this too would be considered a failure. Fleeing without protecting the world.
However, humans learn from failure.
Cha Eui-jae had learned from countless failures.
He was confident he could do better next time.
He swung his arm, gripping the spear’s handle, back with all his might. From head to toe, he was now a bow, aiming at his target.
“I’m going to run away shamelessly, you son of a bitch!”
Swoosh—!!
The spear flew off and lodged itself in the center of the left vortex. For a moment, the rotation stopped. And then,
Gruuuu…!!
The surroundings started to shake. White ash flew violently like sword blades. Scattered debris began to rise into the air.
Cha Eui-jae didn’t stop. He raised his right arm.
“Remember…”
A pure white light burst from his wrist. Just before the light enveloped him, his eyes flashed blue.
“This is your first failure!”
And then,
The light engulfed everything.
