The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 151

Honeybee, her shoulder gripped, spoke in a startled tone.

“I’m telling you exactly what I heard. It was about four hours ago—people started reporting sightings of Lee Sayoung in Incheon. He always did whatever he wanted, so I figured he was off doing something else again….”

Watching Uijae’s reaction, Honeybee raised her eyebrows.

“Wait, was there actually something wrong with him?”

“Is there a photo?”

“Ranker chat doesn’t usually have photos…”

“Mingi!”

“I’ve been listening.”

Mingi popped out of Uijae’s shadow. Honeybee gasped in shock.

“What the hell? Why is *he* here?”

“At the moment, sir is my master. I’ll check the ranker chat and rumors. Sir, you should check your phone. If what Honeybee says is true, there should be some messages waiting for you.”

Half-immersed in the shadow, Mingi extended an arm and handed Uijae a phone. It was the communication phone Mingi had retrieved. When Uijae powered it on, a flood of missed calls appeared. The caller?

Jung Bin.

"…"

Uijae bit his lip. The ground beneath his feet felt like it was spinning. After a brief hesitation, he pressed the call button. The ringtone stretched on, while Uijae’s thoughts tumbled one after another.

‘Did Lee Sayoung really wake up?’

Suddenly?

They had said it could take any amount of time for him to wake. That waiting was the best option. But not only did he wake up without warning, he didn’t contact anyone and immediately went to Incheon?

Not even contacting me?

"…"

Beep. The call connected.

“Jung Bin.”

—Ah, J… Did you just leave the dungeon? Are you unharmed?

Jung Bin’s voice sounded weary. Uijae found himself absentmindedly scuffing the ground with his shoe.

“I just heard. About Lee Sayoung…”

—Ah, so you’ve heard. I’ll get straight to the point.

Jung Bin cleared his throat.

—Lee Sayoung was first spotted in Incheon around 4 hours and 30 minutes ago. Since then, it seems he’s been moving. According to reports from the Wave Guild, the last confirmed sighting was near the West Sea Rift Memorial. Specifically, the area around the monument.

"…"

Uijae’s grip on the phone tightened.

—Ordinarily, I’d have gone myself, but… I’m unable to move at the moment. I apologize. And we can’t send personnel from the Awakener Management Agency either.

If the Awakener Management Agency got involved, all eyes would be on Lee Sayoung. Uijae ran his hand through his hair and mumbled.

“No need to apologize. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll go check it out.”

—Yes, then…

Jung Bin hurriedly ended the call. Uijae held the phone for a moment before running a hand roughly through his hair.

Mokpo to Incheon?

If he had one of Hong Yeseong’s scrolls, he could teleport there in an instant, but he’d already used the only one he had to come to Mokpo. Uijae scanned his surroundings and met Honeybee’s eyes. She had come from Seoul. Thinking quickly, Uijae asked her.

“Honeybee Hunter, how did you get to Mokpo?”

“I came by guild helicopter, but… It still took a while. Seems like you’re in a hurry, huh?”

"…"

“You’re not going to be satisfied with helicopter speed, are you?”

She was right. Without an instant mode of transportation, the wait would be agonizing. This was all because Hong Yeseong was too good at what he did. Uijae gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, something tapped Uijae’s ankle. It was Mingi, who had emerged halfway from the shadows.

“Fortunately, it seems the transportation issue has been resolved, sir.”

“What do you mean?”

“As soon as the sighting was posted in the ranker chat, Romantic Opener went to find the guild leader. He’s nearby now.”

Romantic Opener—his ability was to open doors to other locations. Mingi casually pushed his sunglasses up his nose, the lenses gleaming.

“It’s always best to use talented individuals where they’re needed.”

Uijae gave him a thumbs-up.

---

Jung Bin ended the call with a long sigh. His usually calm face was flushed red, and patches of heat blotched his skin. He removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his slightly singed shirt, exposing the scars on his right arm.

He stood in a charred room. No, it had once been an ordinary room, but now, flames and soot had stolen its original color. The only things untouched by the blackened surroundings were Jung Bin and the man across from him.

Kneeling at the far end of the room, bound tightly in black chains, was a man with disheveled hair and crooked glasses. A low groan escaped from him. Jung Bin swept his tangled hair back.

“Are you feeling any better?”

The man slowly raised his head.

“Matthew.”

A look of confusion crossed Matthew’s sharp features.

“…Where is this?”

“We’re in the Soweon Guild’s basement. Honeybee brought you here. She said the Awakener Management Agency would let word slip. Nam Woojin couldn’t handle it alone, so he called me.”

Jung Bin gave a bitter smile.

“I can’t exactly deny the concern about word getting out…”

“I see…”

“You wouldn’t come to your senses, so we had to bind you. I apologize.”

Matthew, also known as Mok Taeo, blinked tiredly and tilted his head back. The crooked glasses slipped off and fell to the floor.

“…Thank you. I’m starting to feel clearer.”

“No need to thank me. I’ll make sure you repay me in full.”

A disgruntled voice interrupted as a figure kicked the door open. It was Nam Woojin, wearing a white coat, his pale eyes full of irritation.

“If the bureaucrat hadn’t shown up in time, you’d have burned this whole building down. And the precious books, too. It’s going to take forever to get rid of that stench.”

"…"

Mok Taeo nodded silently. Jung Bin asked.

“What happened? Did you suddenly lose control of your powers?”

Up until now, Matthew had been obsessive about controlling his abilities. Even roasting marshmallows and squid had been part of his control training. Nam Woojin folded his arms beside Jung Bin.

“I came here to ask the same thing. Matthew, where’d you get the drugs?”

Jung Bin’s eyes widened.

“Drugs? You don’t mean…”

“Yeah. The same drugs we’ve been investigating. He’s addicted to them. There’s no way you took them voluntarily.”

Mok Taeo, blinking sluggishly, asked,

“Where’s Honeybee? Is she okay?”

“She dropped you off here and said she had something to find. She wasn’t hurt. She was covered head to toe in flame-resistant gear.”

Nam Woojin, answering, squinted and pointed a finger.

“Now answer my question. Someone like you doesn’t just lose control like this unless you took a lot of the stuff. Didn’t you notice anything strange?”

A young boy behind Nam Woojin pushed a cart forward. The cart was filled with syringes and various drugs. Jung Bin asked worriedly,

“Can you cure him?”

“I don’t know. I’ll only know once I try. Hey, Matthew! Stay with me and answer my questions.”

“That’s…”

Mok Taeo exhaled a long, heated breath. His eyes, which had been fluttering shut, suddenly rolled back into his head.

Jung Bin shouted,

“Damn it, get back!”

Boom!

---

Crash!

A black shoe slammed violently into a deep maroon door. On the other side of the door, two seas connected. Well, one side was actually full of flashing neon signs from fish markets along the street. Romantic Opener, who had been holding the doorknob, flailed weakly.

“C-Could you be a bit gentler with the door? Ugh.”

But Uijae wasn’t in the mood to care about Romantic Opener’s complaints. He grabbed his flailing shoulders and demanded,

“Hey. Where is Lee Sayoung?”

“Th-That way, at the West Sea Rift, uh… the memorial.”

Hearing the answer he wanted, Uijae dropped Romantic Opener and sprinted off. Mingi collected the fallen Romantic Opener. He glanced back through the doorway toward Mokpo.

“Will you be using Honeybee Hunter as well?”

“…No, I’ll return by helicopter.”

Honeybee flipped her blonde hair back and turned around.

“Just make sure to pass the message to Lee Sayoung.”

---

Each step Uijae took echoed on the pavement, the seafood restaurants lining the beach disappearing one by one. The distracting neon signs and the love songs that filled his ears gradually faded. The surroundings grew quieter, leaving only the pounding of his heart in his ears.

Uijae gritted his teeth, his gray hair whipping messily in the wind.

Thump.

I can’t be late again.

Thump.

Please!

Thump!

Finally, Uijae slowed his pace to catch his breath. He had reached the promontory, where the giant stone memorial stood. It was the West Sea Rift Memorial, bearing the names of those lost. This was his first time seeing it in person.

The name at the top was…

J.

"…"

Inside the safety rail surrounding the memorial, a dark figure sat hunched over. A black coat spraw

led haphazardly on the ground. Uijae carefully called out.

“…Lee Sayoung?”

…The dark figure slowly lifted his head.

Disheveled black hair, glowing violet eyes peeking through, a deathly pale face, lips bloodied from being chewed raw—It was Lee Sayoung. Uijae couldn’t hold back his emotions and burst out in frustration.

“If you woke up, you should’ve contacted me or at least one of the other guild members…!”

But he didn’t finish his scolding. He had to stop in his tracks.

Lee Sayoung was staring blankly at Uijae with that still pale face. And yet, his expression…

…looked like he had just seen a ghost.

“Sayoung?”

Uijae called his name again, cautiously. As if it was a signal, Lee Sayoung slowly stood up and staggered toward him. Uijae jumped over the rail and hurriedly grabbed his shoulder to steady him. Their eyes met.

A blackened fingertip touched Uijae’s cheek. Sayoung’s hand wandered further, brushing his temple, his hair, and his forehead. His fingers trembled uncontrollably. Uijae gently clasped that hand in his.

“What’s wrong with you?”

At that moment,

Drip.

A tear slid down Lee Sayoung’s pale cheek.