The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 285

Jeong Bin swiftly snatched the government ID and tucked it away. Minggijeok hopped backward, avoiding the encroaching vines, and spoke.

"What’s triggering them?"

"There are plenty of possibilities. Light, sound, movement, human vitality."

The air around them turned hazy. White ash piled up along the path of the advancing vines. Kyugyu gripped the Yeti’s arm tightly and twisted it with a sickening crack. Ignoring the creature’s grotesque screams, he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Whatever it is, it’s bad news. The more we provoke it, the wider the erosion spreads, right?"

"…Kyugyu."
Jeong Bin’s voice cut low beneath the screams. Kyugyu smirked.

"What? You still think this thing looks human? It doesn’t even have a consciousness anymore."

"It was a government official once. Please handle it with care."

"Wow, so sentimental… Should I carry it back with us then? Let the whole of Jongno see?"

"…"

Jeong Bin turned to look at Minggijeok, who had already stepped back to observe their argument from a distance. Adjusting his sunglasses, Minggijeok sighed.

"I figured it’d come to this, but why is it always me? That thing makes me nauseous when I trap it."

"My apologies. I’ll have to ask for your help again."

Jeong Bin bowed slightly. Minggijeok let out a deep sigh, crouched, and pressed his palm against the floor. Shhhh. A pitch-black shadow rose from the ground, enveloping the Yeti. Kyugyu gave a low whistle.

"That ability of yours is so handy~ Mind if I borrow it sometime?"

"Keep your hands to yourself," Minggijeok retorted coolly as he melded seamlessly into Jeong Bin’s shadow. Kyugyu shoved his hands into his pockets, grumbling.

"So stingy."

Jeong Bin grabbed the hood of Kyugyu’s jacket and yanked it sharply. The vines had crept overhead, spreading dangerously close.

"Instead of thinking about stealing powers, let’s focus on escaping."

"Huh? That’s it? Just running away? You’re leaving this mess like this?"

"The Hunter who made contact with that thing mutated. Eliminating potential risks is the best course of action."

"Shouldn’t we set up a barrier or something?"

"We’re already summoning backup. A barrier might not work, but restricting access is doable."

The two sprinted through the underground passage. Reaching the staircase to the surface, Jeong Bin glanced back. The vines weren’t following. It seemed they responded to proximity and movement. Speaking into his earpiece amidst the static, he gave a sharp order.

"Other eroded dungeons might be in similar states. Please issue inspection notices immediately."

—"That’s not the main problem right now, Team Leader!"

"…What?"

—"A human mutation was caught on livestream. The video’s already trending…"

"…"

Jeong Bin froze in place, white ash clinging to his shoes. Kyugyu was already whistling as he pulled out his phone and opened a streaming platform.

"Ah, found it, found it."

He shoved the phone screen into Jeong Bin’s face.

[Shocking! A Human Transforms into a Monster? A Must-See Video!]

The video featured a livestream where someone had set up audio equipment on a street to find talented singers. A young man stood at the center of the frame, singing a sweet ballad. A small crowd swayed to the rhythm, responding enthusiastically to the performance. The moment the song ended and the crowd erupted into cheers, a scream cut through the celebration. The camera spun quickly toward the source.

Someone was crouched on the ground. White liquid gushed out suddenly, their body convulsing violently before twisting in an unnatural way. White feathers began sprouting from the tears in their clothing. The joyous atmosphere dissolved into terrified screams.

The figure stood upright. A massive bird spread its wings, sending fleeing people tumbling from the gust of wind. The creature scanned its surroundings before locking eyes with the camera. Thud. Thud. Thud. It stomped closer, its snowy beak opening wide. The screen shook wildly until—

Splat.
The video ended with a wet crunch, the screen fading to black. Jeong Bin’s reflection appeared in the phone’s blank display, his expression cold and grim. He rubbed his forehead, exhaling sharply. Kyugyu chuckled, retracting the phone.

"Two million subscribers? That’s a lot."

"…"

"Livestreams can’t be stopped, huh? In the age of instant information, good luck controlling this."

Jeong Bin dragged both hands down his face roughly, muttering under his breath.

"…We need to return immediately."

***

The video was taken down shortly afterward. It didn’t make it to the news, either. But there was no way to block every re-upload on the countless portal sites. Mackerel, tasked with deleting all instances of the video, eventually gave up.

"Guarantee freedom of the press, they said~."

With that final declaration, Mackerel went silent. Inevitably, the video was re-uploaded to YouTube, and its impact was massive.

Humans turning into monsters?!

Debate erupted, with people arguing over whether the transformed individual was an Awakened or a civilian. When it was revealed that the person was a civilian, the uproar grew louder.

"Wasn’t it only Awakened who mutated like that?"

"If civilians can transform too…"

The realization that anyone could potentially turn into a monster struck terror into the hearts of the public. In this atmosphere of fear, Prometheus’ relief organization began to stand out. They gathered frightened people and gave rousing speeches.

"We can fight this! Fear only makes us more vulnerable. We’re here to help you…."

Prometheus’ influence grew by the day. People in white robes praying desperately for salvation became a common sight, their gatherings resembling a burgeoning cult.

The government, after letting the chaos spiral for a while, finally broke its silence—by offloading the entire issue onto the Seowon Guild.

? "Citizens, rest assured. The Seowon Guild is actively developing a vaccine…."

Click. The screen went black as a bony hand pressed down on the remote’s power button. Silence filled the room. Nam Woo-jin took a sip of his now-cold coffee.

"Sure, let’s go string someone up while we’re at it."

"…I’m sorry."

Jeong Bin bowed deeply, his expression heavy with guilt. Nam Woo-jin waved his hand irritably.

"Enough! Your apology changes nothing."

"…"

"But a vaccine or a cure isn’t going to magically appear. We don’t even know how long it’ll take."

"I understand."

"It could take years."

"…Isn’t Prometheus working on this as well?"

Nam Woo-jin replied bluntly. "They’ve hit a wall, same as us."

"…"

"And they don’t understand the system’s rules. Those artificial Awakened they created? They’re just bizarre lumps of chaos, cobbled together without any grasp of the system’s fundamentals. What good could they possibly do?"

"Speaking of which… I have some information from Ms. Yoon Gaeul."

Jeong Bin retrieved a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it over. Nam Woo-jin raised an eyebrow and unfolded it. The torn edge suggested it had been ripped from a notebook. Nam Woo-jin read the neat handwriting slowly.

"…A notebook?"

"Yes. She said she saw you in a dream, writing something down—something about a disease and its cure."

"In other words," Nam Woo-jin asked through gritted teeth, suppressing his irritation, "you think the past me might have left something behind? In some notebook I don’t even know the whereabouts of? And I’m supposed to find it and whip up a vaccine before people come after me with pitchforks?"

"Your phrasing is dramatic, but… yes, that’s the gist."

"Ha…"

Nam Woo-jin pressed his fingers to his temples, visibly annoyed. Raising his voice, he barked, "Did you hear that? Go search the library. Look for anything that resembles a notebook."

"Yes, Master."

The young assistant scurried off without a word of complaint. Nam Woo-jin closed his eyes and muttered, "If it’s not in my library, it doesn’t exist."

"I understand."

Jeong Bin took a sip of his lukewarm coffee, smiling wryly. Before long, the sound of hurried footsteps returned. Both men turned toward the door as the assistant reappeared, holding a tattered notebook.

"Here it is."

"…It actually exists?" Jeong Bin muttered, astonished. Nam Woo-jin took the worn notebook, turning it over in his hands. He recognized it as one of the strange tomes auctioned off as dungeon rewards. He had purchased it for a hefty sum, but…

Flipping through its pages, Nam Woo-jin scoffed and tossed the notebook onto the table.

"Can’t read it."

"Excuse me?"

"It’s all written in some weird script. Either corrupted by dungeon magic or it was like this to begin with. The drawings are the only thing that’s somewhat decipherable."

"…"

Jeong Bin carefully picked up the notebook and examined it. As Nam Woo-jin had said, the writing was incomprehensible, resembling hieroglyphics. Just as Nam Woo-jin was about to grumble further, the assistant spoke in a clear, confident voice.

"A few days ago, Hunter J visited and read this book."

"…What?"

Both men snapped their heads up. The assistant blinked with wide, glassy eyes.

"He couldn’t read it either, but he believed there must have been a reason he was drawn to it among all the books in the library."

"…"

"Why are you only mentioning this now?" Nam Woo-jin growled.

The assistant smiled serenely. "To assist you, Master."

Nam Woo-jin swallowed his retort and let out a long sigh. Jeong Bin offered a soothing smile and interjected.

"I’ll find someone at the agency who can decode this. Please leave it to me."

"…Fine."

Nam Woo-jin downed the rest of his cold coffee in one gulp and stood. Dragging his feet in his well-worn Crocs, he gestured to the assistant.

"Let’s go. We don’t have time to waste."

The assistant followed, bowing to Jeong Bin before leaving. Jeong Bin waved in response, his gaze lingering on the mysterious notebook.

***

48 hours until Cha Uijae's death.

With only two days remaining before his end, Cha Uijae found himself…

"…Sa-young."

"Mm?"

"You're heavy."

"Stop whining…."

…clung to by Lee Sa-young, who was hanging onto him like a sloth. For a full half day.