The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 232

“We want to cooperate with the Awakener Management Bureau.”

“...”

“To stop the apocalypse.”

Uijae narrowed his eyes, carefully studying Ivan’s face. Behind his glasses, Ivan’s eyes sparkled with sincerity. He seemed completely honest. But a small scoff came from beside him. Minggijeok, wearing a humorless expression, responded instead.

“What utter nonsense.”

“...”

“You’ve imprisoned hunters here. Not just civilians but hunters, and you’ve used them as test subjects, and now you’re asking for cooperation? How far do you plan to go with this shamelessness? If Hunter Jeongbin were here, he would’ve turned this place upside down.”

“Ah? Ahaha... I see there’s a misunderstanding.”

“And the drugs. Do you think we don’t know about the drugs you’ve been distributing among the hunters?”

“Ah... There’s much to explain. First...”

Ivan glanced briefly at Song Joheon, who was still collapsed on the floor, before offering a faint smile.

“Most of the hunters here... they volunteered.”

“Again with this nonsense. Should I just take care of him now?”

“I-I’m telling the truth. Every single person here volunteered for the experiment because they wanted to raise their rank... Yes, at least the people in this facility did.”

“...”

“The same goes for the civilians. They all... they came here of their own accord. They wanted power...”

A shadow briefly crossed Ivan’s eyes.

“Because they’d lost too much.”

“...”

Song Joheon’s body trembled slightly. The truth was evident. Song Joheon had made a deal with these people, supplying hunters in exchange for his rise from an A-rank to an S-rank. He marketed himself as the embodiment of human triumph. As Song Joheon had said, it was a realm Uijae couldn’t understand. So Uijae didn’t pretend to. Ivan clasped his hands together as if in prayer.

“And as for the drugs... you’re calling our new medicine a drug?”

“...”

Ivan rummaged in his coat pocket and pulled out something. It was a small vial, half-filled with a white powder. He held it up to the ceiling light, and for a moment, it seemed to glow faintly blue.

“Anything in excess can become poison. It’s the same with this. Do you know what this substance does?”

“No.”

“It’s a suppressant. Made from monster materials... it dulls the heightened senses of hunters, allowing even those who suffer from insomnia to sleep peacefully.”

“...”

“But if someone takes too much... unfortunately, side effects appear.”

Side effects. Uijae remembered the people whose bodies were covered in spikes and the dazed, spiked bear he had encountered. His fists clenched.

“J, haven’t you... had sleepless nights?”

Always.

“If you could pass those nights without any suffering? Sleep as peacefully as you did before your awakening, without any nightmares or worries?”

It was a tempting offer, a dreamlike proposition. Those chosen by the system to awaken could never return to their old lives. They had to live in a state of extreme sensitivity, relearning even the smallest details of everyday life. But, if they could go back, even for a short while, and sleep without thinking about the dead...

‘Ah...’

Uijae covered his masked mouth.

‘This is infuriating...’

What a sweet temptation. A peaceful sleep. Something Uijae had once desperately longed for. Ivan lowered his eyes, as if saddened, his fingers twitching slightly.

“I understand if you don’t trust us. But isn’t it foolish to let go of a hand you could grab just because of some minor emotions? After all, we know nothing about each other.”

“...”

“We can cooperate. We must cooperate, in the face of this overwhelming disaster.”

Minggijeok whispered in Uijae’s ear, though his voice was loud enough to be heard by anyone.

“Does it sound convincing to you? They brought the apocalypse upon us, and now they’re asking for help because they can’t handle it themselves, customer.”

“...”

Minggijeok’s voice turned cold.

“If they really wanted cooperation, they wouldn’t have treated Hunter Song Joheon like that. He’s a valuable asset on our side.”

“Is he? But isn’t he a traitor?”

“That’s for us to deal with, not you. You have no right to pass judgment.”

“I can’t argue with that. But... I assure you, I can be of great help.”

“What kind of help?”

“Well... for example...”

Ivan raised a finger, pointing toward the ceiling.

“I could tell you what the next disaster will be.”

“...”

“You’ve seen the monsters with giant mouths, haven’t you? They’re the first to appear at the beginning of the apocalypse. They feel eternal hunger, devouring endlessly without ever being satisfied. They’ll keep consuming everything. So... what do you think comes next? And after that?”

Uijae exchanged glances with Minggijeok. Behind his sunglasses, Minggijeok’s expression was unimpressed. Uijae felt the same. After all, they had Yoon Gaeul, who had seen fragments of the apocalypse firsthand. Her information was far more reliable than piecing together fragmented memories.

And Uijae knew another source of information. Lee Sayeong, who had seen the end of the world.

‘He never tells me everything, but...’

There must be something useful he could get out of him. Uijae rubbed his chin under his mask, pretending to think as he pressed for more information.

“What’s your goal?”

“Goal? Our goal...”

Ivan smiled brightly.

“To stop the apocalypse with human power.”

“...”

“We’ve already failed twice, haven’t we? That happened because we left everything in the hands of the awakened. But what if... we add human power to the mix?”

There was a strange fervor in Ivan’s eyes as he spread his arms wide.

At that moment, Uijae suddenly lifted his head. He could smell something sweet in the air. Was it the smell of chemicals? No... it was too familiar. Where had he smelled this before...?

‘Ah.’

There was only one source of such a sickly sweet scent. Lee Sayeong. Uijae’s eyes widened as he quickly scanned the area. Minggijeok and Ivan both looked at him, puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

“...”

Could it be? No, surely not. But he couldn’t shake the chill running down his spine. Just as Uijae was about to say something, the room was bathed in a red glow. The emergency lights began to blink, and a siren blared. A panicked voice came over the intercom.

—Code Red, Code Red.

Ivan looked at Uijae and Minggijeok, his face filled with confusion.

“Did you bring more people with you?”

“No? It’s just us.”

“Then what in the world...?”

—Sector E-1 is wiped out! Sector E-1 is gone!

Ivan quickly pulled out a communication device and fiddled with it. A crackling sound came through as the transmission connected. Ivan spoke hurriedly.

“Wh-what’s going on? Why has Sector E-1 been wiped out?”

—Th-the thing is...

The voice on the other end was panicked.

—Lee Sayeong has appeared! He’s melted everything! His poison is too strong for us to even approach him, and bullets don’t work!

“...”

Damn it.

Uijae glanced at Minggijeok. Minggijeok calmly pushed up his sunglasses.

“See? He really does have no patience at times.”

---

Closed eyelids slowly opened. Uijae blinked twice. He thought he heard some distant noise, but it vanished with the soft sound of a window closing. A gentle female voice spoke.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“...”

“How do you feel? Better?”

Gaeul slowly nodded. Her mind, which had felt foggy as if surrounded by mist, was now clear. The pounding migraine and the anxiety that had accompanied her sleep were both gone. Of course...

‘I didn’t dream...’

How long had it been since she’d felt this refreshed? She stared blankly at the ceiling, absentmindedly running her fingers over the soft white blanket that covered her. It felt nice. The woman’s voice came again.

“See? It works, right? It’s a suppressant, and they say it works wonders for awakened people. I’m not awakened myself, so I can’t really say, but apparently, it lets you sleep soundly.”

“Yes... It really does.”

Gaeul responded absently, her body feeling as light as a cloud. It felt so good. She hadn’t realized dreamless sleep could be this sweet. Footsteps in soft slippers approached the bedside. Gaeul looked up. A woman with round glasses and her hair pinned up with a large clip smiled warmly as she extended her hand. Her hand had patches of hardened skin, and there were small scars, possibly from burns.

“I’m Ga-young.”

“Oh...”

Gaeul hurriedly reached out and shook her hand.

“I-I’m Yoon Gaeul.”

“Gaeul? Ah~ Our names are similar, aren’t they?”

“Yes...”

Ga-young’s soft hand brushed Gaeul’s cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear. Startled, Gaeul looked up. Ga-young smiled kindly.

“Let’s take good care of each other from now on, okay?”