The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 329
‘Remember.’
He took a deep breath. The white wasteland scenery returned to the conference room. Kkokko closed its beak and stared blankly at him. Cha Eui-jae tried to calm his pounding heart.
‘Just now, that was…’
The first world, the memory of the first time Cha Eui-jae had turned back time. He faced the end alone, desperately wanting to leave even the slightest mark. His right hand trembled. Every muscle in his body tensed. It was as if he himself had gripped the spear with all his might until the very last moment, then thrown it.
It was such a vivid memory, enough for his body to remember. Cha Eui-jae clenched and unclenched his fist.
“The fact that you’re showing me this, then Hong Ye-seong…”
Kkokko lowered its head sullenly. That was his answer. He didn’t ask any more questions and stroked its head. Kkokko rubbed its smooth head against his palm. Cha Eui-jae spoke in a deliberately light voice.
“Lee Sa-young should’ve seen this too, don’t you think?”
“Bawk?”
“That way, that brat won’t even think about leaving. Look. Since there was no Lee Sa-young there, he ran away.”
“Bawk.”
Kkokko nodded in agreement. Cha Eui-jae held the ceramic chicken in his arms and approached the large window of the conference room. It was chaos down below. People were gathered in shelters, the roads were damaged, cars were tangled, people were running, and…
The eye of the end watched on from the sky.
“…”
The vortex seemed to shift slightly, and then an unfathomable gaze fell upon his entire body. It was heavy, intense, and empty. The ‘thing’ was clearly aware of Cha Eui-jae’s presence, observing him. If he had simply died fighting the end, perhaps it wouldn’t have even noticed him. Cha Eui-jae laughed.
“I guess my last desperate attempt was successful, Kkokko.”
“Bawk bawk?”
He didn’t know what had happened to his spear. He’d returned to the past before he could check it. However, that chilling gaze made it all feel real.
Cha Eui-jae had left a mark on the end!
His heart pounded. Not with fear, but with pure excitement.
Even if it was just a scratch, it didn’t matter. The fact that he left a mark was significant. Leaving a wound meant it could leave a deeper one…
That meant he could end it.
Ashen hair reflected on the glass. Bathed in the incandescent light, the hair near the crown of his head looked fleetingly white. There was no time. For Cha Eui-jae, nor for the world.
Will mutation come first, or will destruction come first?
There was no time to hesitate or to calculate.
His phone vibrated. Cha Eui-jae pulled it out and pressed the call button.
“Yes, Director… I also have something to tell you.”
Cha Eui-jae turned away from the glass.
“I’ll go to the Bureau.”
***
The sound of low-heeled footsteps echoed down the long hallway. Passing librarians held their breath and pressed themselves against the walls. Ga-young, a woman in a white dress with her long hair tied back in a ponytail, opened the door to the guild leader’s office with a bright smile.
“Is the Guild Leader of the Seowon Guild here~?”
“Master is currently unavailable.”
Ga-young’s eyes rolled and she looked down. A boy in a white coat stood in the doorway, blocking her path. His glass-beaded-like green eyes stared at her. How unpleasant. Wait no, not ‘beaded-like’.
‘It’s a real glass bead.’
She had always been curious about the marionette who assisted the Seowon Guild Leader. Ga-young’s ‘children’ looked more like patchwork rag dolls. Ga-young reached out and pulled the boy’s cheeks. They stretched ever so smoothly. She tilted her head curiously.
“Oh my? I thought it was clay.”
“…”
“Did you use real human skin for the shell? Or leather? Silk? A custom-made fabric?”
“…”
“Hey, you always respond well when your master speaks to you, but why don’t you answer my questions?”
“I have answered the first question. I have decided there is no reason to answer the following questions as they have nothing to do with my master.”
“Aha, so you’re not answering questions about yourself? Is it to keep a secret?”
“…”
Ga-young let go of her hand, amused.
“Well, fine. That’s not the urgent matter right now. Where is the guild leader?”
“Resting.”
“At a time like this?”
“My master needs to recover.”
“Don’t you know what’s happening outside?”
“The White Hole had disappeared and reappeared.”
“Then what about the accelerated whitening? The explosions of erosion dungeons and monsters crawling out? And the fact that if those monsters attack you, you’ll mutate?”
“I am receiving all of this information.”
“So you’re irresponsible.”
“…”
“Well, anyway, it’s fine. I came because I have something to talk about.”
Ga-young smiled and extended her hand.
“I’d like you to share the vaccine you’ve researched so far.”
The boy’s expression remained unchanged.
“I decline.”
“Oh, why?”
“First, the vaccine research isn’t finished. We can’t share an incomplete vaccine as we don’t know what side effects it might cause. Second, we’ve confirmed that the Seowon Guild’s development speed is faster than Prometheus’s. Using an incomplete vaccine as a reference—”
“Ah~ enough with the platitudes. It’s boring.”
Ga-young cut him off indifferently and waved her finger behind her. Humans, covered in spikes, stumbled forward. She took a step back and folded her arms.
“I’m sorry~ but this isn’t a request. It’s an order to save more people.”
“Orders don’t apply in a cooperative relationship.”
“Really? Then let’s call it extortion. I’m used to playing as a villain.”
Ga-young twirled her index finger, and the thorny humans, who had been hunched over, raised their heads. With a snap, Keeeek! the thorny humans screamed and charged at the boy.
Ga-young let out a small sigh.
“Really, even while we’re wrestling like this, the number of mutants is increasing… Are you saying it’s okay because the Awakened have a low mutation rate? Doesn’t the saying go sharing is caring?”
“That’s sophistry.”
“Okay~ Please bear with the kids even if they get a bit aggressive~ Well, even if you break, you can be fixed, so it’s okay, right?”
“…”
“Guys, don’t break it too much. I need to open it too~”
Crunch, thud, the sound of flesh being struck and crushed could be heard. Ah, maybe they filled it with something like flesh instead of cotton? Ga-young hummed and started walking, hands behind her back.
“Hmm~ Which way was the lab…?”
Tap, tap, her shoes echoed lightly across the long hallway. The deeper she went, the quieter it became. It was actually nice. After all, she’d been living with nothing but the annoying sound of fake hymns and pianos.
‘Really, humans should live in quiet places…’
She descended the stairs and entered another hallway. This must have been the one where the mutant’s legs had been taken. Had everyone left because of an emergency? The hallway was oddly quiet.
‘Well, it’s fine.’
Now there was no need to keep quiet.
Tap, tap.
Scree…
A strange sound mixed in with her footsteps. Ga-young glanced back. There was nothing.
“…”
The sound of a door? No, it sounded more like something sharp being scraped against a wall…
‘…Am I overreacting?’
Ga-young frowned and started walking again. If she paid attention to these sounds and missed her chance, it would be problematic. The number of mutants was only increasing.
Tap, tap…
…Even after the Day of the Rift, finding a proper funeral home was as difficult as reaching for stars, even after several years. The death toll was high, and the number of funeral homes that could function properly was limited. So, most people gathered together in one dungeon, where they held joint funerals for all those who died in the Rift.
Ga-young stared blankly at her younger brother’s photo wedged between the numerous memorial portraits. It was large, yet shabby. This wasn’t the kind of child who should have died like this. He could have lived. If only it hadn’t been too late. If only he had received timely treatment.
If only that Awakened hadn’t stolen his turn back then!
If only his treatment hadn’t been delayed!
Ga-young gritted her teeth. She clawed at the matted floor with her fingernails. Fire blazed in her eyes.
The shabby funeral, the grief of losing her only family, gradually turned into a senseless rage, into hatred. She hated everything. The people and the media who glorified Hunters, who acted as if Hunters were the answer, those same Hunters who just shrugged their shoulders! She hated them all!
And then, someone approached her.
As Ga-young stood before the river where her brother’s ashes had drifted away, a man in a white coat approached and stood beside her. Ga-young didn’t look back at him.
“Did you lose your family?”
“…”
“Me too.”
“…”
Stories of losing loved ones were common.
But…
“Do you hate Hunters?”
That question was rare.
Ga-young raised her head. A man with a gentle smile looked back at her.
…There was a time when she had harbored such hope.
Tap, tap.
With just human power, they can prevent the end and save humanity.
Screech…
Ga-young stopped walking again. She hadn’t misheard. Something was definitely following her. Her failed creations? No, they don’t make that kind of noise…
She turned her head and looked behind her. As expected, nothing…
No.
A long trail of blood was left behind her.
Crack.
Something fell from the ceiling. Ga-young slowly raised her head.
“…”
“…I chopped them all up.”
The boy, who had been clinging to the ceiling on all fours, fell to the floor with a thud and stood on his own two feet. He was covered in blood, his white gown and whole body were covered in it, and he held an axe as long as his arm. His face, drenched in crimson blood, was expressionless.
“It’ll be fine, right? You can just fix it.”
