The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 274

*Detroit, USA.*

Drizzle fell steadily, mixing with white ash to soak the ground. People hurried along, umbrellas raised. Strangely, there were many dressed in white, and the air was filled with the sound of coughing.

Amidst it all, a tall figure walked into an alley without an umbrella, his hood pulled low. Through the misty, fogged passage, a faintly glowing pink neon sign came into view: *Paradise.*

He descended the stairs leading underground. The deeper he went, the louder the lively music grew. Gently, he pushed open the door, and a chaotic mix of sharp liquor and cigarette smoke assaulted his senses. At the same time, wary gazes landed sharply on him. He pulled down his hood, revealing light sky-blue hair damp at the tips. A few gasps followed.

"Oh, look who it is."

"Q! It's Q!"

"Long time no see!"

"What’s with that hair color!"

Q—also known as Gyu-gyu—responded shamelessly.

"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too."

The patrons flocked to him, arms wide. Gyu-gyu greeted them with ease, hugging and bumping fists. After the flurry of greetings, everyone returned to their places, and Gyu-gyu settled at the bar counter. The bartender, who had been polishing a glass, raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were finally dead."

In fluent English, Gyu-gyu replied, "Well, almost."

"Home treat you well?"

"It was… okay."

"What'll it be?"

"The usual."

*Paradise.* A haven. This was a bar established by a quirky Hunter, meant exclusively for Hunters. At first, it was nearly empty, save for the owner. But over time, word spread, and Hunters began gathering there. With them came clients who wanted to hire them, and eventually, the place became a hub—a mercenary and freelancer matchmaking service for those unaffiliated with guilds.

The old bar hadn’t changed much in Gyu-gyu’s memory. Dusty speakers played vintage jazz, thick cigarette smoke clouded the air, and the room buzzed with laughter and chatter. Even the bartender, now with a bit more gray hair, stood upright and confident as he shook his mixer. Gyu-gyu’s gray eyes swept over the room. 

There was one notable difference.

He turned his gaze to a wall, now scarred with dents. Once, it had been covered with pinned requests, but now only a few fluttering papers remained.

"Fewer people around. And fewer requests too."

The bartender slid a glass toward him. The liquid shimmered a bright blue—*Blue Lagoon.* Gyu-gyu smirked.

"This isn’t what I usually drink. Are you losing your touch?"

"I matched it to your hair color. Got a problem?"

"I don’t need that kind of thoughtfulness~"

"I’m king here. If you’ve got complaints, get out."

"As if I’d complain~"

Gyu-gyu hid his dissatisfaction and sipped the cocktail. The bartender calmly put away the shaker and replied, "You’re not wrong. There are fewer people, and fewer requests."

"Fewer requests? That’s odd. Got competition?"

"Hey, Q. Did you get dumber while you were gone?"

A Hispanic man staggered over, throwing an arm around Gyu-gyu’s shoulder. He reeked of alcohol. This was Mechanist, a fellow Hunter who had worked with Gyu-gyu multiple times. A good guy, if you ignored the fact that he couldn’t pronounce Gyu-gyu’s name properly and just called him "Q." Gyu-gyu played along smoothly.

"Then why don’t you, Mr. Genius, explain what’s going on?"

"The drug supply’s been cut off! Everyone’s left, wandering the streets now."

"Awakener drugs?"

The kind distributed by *Prometheus.* Gyu-gyu’s gray eyes turned sharp. He remembered seeing junkies hanging around the bar before, offering him drugs, saying it’d help him sleep.

Mechanist nodded. "Yeah. It’s been a while. Ever since those weird monsters showed up, the supply disappeared."

"Oh, you mean the monsters with the big mouths. How bad was it here?"

"Terrible! So many people died."

"And the addicts?"

"They’ve lost it! The withdrawal’s hit them hard. A lot of them started attacking people randomly. Bartender kicked them all out. That’s why it’s so empty here now."

Mechanist gave the bartender a thumbs-up. The bartender, still expressionless, nodded curtly. Gyu-gyu chuckled.

"Thanks for the update."

"Come by more often, Q. You’re the most fun around."

"I’ll try."

Humming, Mechanist wandered back to his seat. The bartender, still polishing a glass, broke the silence.

"Since then, a group has formed."

"A group?"

"They’re advocating to remove Awakeners from society, claiming all these problems are their fault. Some U.S. senators even support them."

"…"

"Some of the addicts I kicked out were beaten to death by that group. Regulars of ours."

"How did civilians manage to kill addicts?"

"They hired Hunters."

"…"

Gyu-gyu downed his drink in one gulp and rested his chin on his hand.

"Think this place will be okay? They won’t leave you alone."

"For now. Who knows how long."

"It’ll be a shame if it’s gone."

"Agreed."

"Any other rumors?"

Just then, he sensed movement near the stairs. Not just one, but several people. The bartender’s glass-polishing slowed. Gyu-gyu slipped a hand into his pocket and turned to face the entrance, the dice in his pocket rolling with a soft rattle. The bartender set the now gleaming glass down.

"Rumor is, humans are turning into monsters."

"…"

"More monsters are showing up on the streets, even far from dungeons or rifts."

"Mm-hmm."

The bar fell silent. Everyone’s attention shifted to the entrance. An eerie tension hung in the air. Then, a phone vibrated, breaking the stillness. Sharp eyes darted toward the source. Gyu-gyu raised a placating hand and pulled out his phone, smiling.

**[Poor Public Official]**

"Excuse me, I need to take this."

"Now? Seriously?"

"Sorry, sorry~ It’s an important call."

As the patrons’ attention returned to the entrance, muffled voices and coughing echoed from beyond the door.

"There are Hunters in there, right?"

"Yeah, this is their gathering spot."

"How many do you think?"

"They won’t touch us…"

Gyu-gyu leisurely answered the call, speaking before the other party could.

"Hi there~ Just so you know, I’m in the U.S. right now. Think your civil servant salary can cover international charges? Want me to call you back?"

?"Mr. Gyu-gyu, right now…"

"Wait a sec."

Gyu-gyu glanced at the door. *Cough, cough. Hrk—*

"What’s wrong? Oh, my god."

"No, Jane’s cursed! Run!"

A strange, viscous white liquid seeped under the tightly shut door. *Crack, crunch,* the sound of bones breaking and rearranging filled the air. And then—

"AAAHHH!"

A piercing scream tore through the bar. Gyu-gyu leapt up, grabbing his chair.

"Bartender, I’m about to break something~"

"All damages will be billed."

*Thud, thud, CRASH!*

The door shattered, and Gyu-gyu hurled the chair through the air. Through the flying debris, he saw a blood-soaked white figure. Raising his free hand, now clawed like a beast’s, he drove it into the creature.

*Splat!*

White liquid sprayed everywhere. Gyu-gyu licked his lips where some had splattered. No taste. The monster swayed before collapsing. Beyond it, people in white clothes sprawled on the stairs, staring at him in fear. Gyu-gyu shook his bloodied hand and raised his phone again, switching to Korean.

"Hey~ Have you ever seen a human turn into a monster?"

?"…"

"Because I just did. Feels like we’ve got a lot to talk about, huh?"

?"That’s what this call is about. J, Lee Sa-young, and Honeybee have gone missing in the dungeon."

Mid-lift of a white-clad man by his collar, Gyu-gyu froze.

"Missing?" 

---

**139 Hours Until Uijae’s Death.**

"Hiding out?"

Sa-young sounded incredulous. Honeybee, her expression sullen, nodded. They stood in the middle of a dense forest, alongside Romantic Opener sprawled on a mat and Uijae, curled up under Sa-young’s coat.

Right after escaping the hospital, Sa-young had contacted Honeybee, demanding she open a door. She had, but what lay beyond it was a forested mountain, not the destination they expected. Honeybee grumbled as she fiddled with her nails.

"I don’t know where Hong Yesung is. He’s completely shut himself off and announced he won’t meet anyone. I’ve tried every channel, but no luck. We’ve been camping in Jirisan, snacking on dried squid."

"Then why didn’t you say so?"

"You ignored my messages!"

Sa-young raised a finger, signaling for quiet. Honeybee glanced at Uijae, who was sound asleep under

 Sa-young’s coat. His soft breaths were audible. When was the last time she’d seen him sleep so peacefully? Maybe never. He was always busy, and even when they lay down in the same place, he’d toss and turn.

Honeybee whispered, "Matthew said J’s health is really bad. Is he sick?"

"Yeah."

"Is it okay to bring him here?"

"Better to find a solution and escape quickly."

"True, but still…"

Honeybee bit her lip.

"This whole situation’s strange. Dungeons are supposed to have conditions for escape. You kill the dungeon boss or complete a mission. But there’s no goal here. No boss. What is this place?"

A chill wind blew through the forest. Sa-young glanced at Uijae’s rising and falling chest before replying.

"That’s what we’re here to find out."

"What, by meeting Hong Yesung?"

"Yeah."

"You think he knows something?"

Sa-young’s gaze shifted upward. Through the greenery, a small white figure flitted past.

"He probably knows more than we do."