The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 294

The monsters kept appearing from somewhere. They killed them and ate them. By principle, they needed to eliminate the source. That was the only way to avoid the constant threat of monsters—or so the formal reasoning went. But no one moved.

What if they eliminated the source and monsters stopped appearing?

‘We’d starve to death.’

Or they’d have to start eating humans.

Everyone must have been thinking the same. Even J thought so.

The skin of the survivors was growing paler and paler. Some had already turned completely white-haired. J could sense it instinctively—something was wrong, terribly wrong. They had to stop eating.

But how could he tell those who ate to survive to stop?
"Maybe you should stop eating. Doesn’t your body feel strange?”
He cautiously suggested it, but the chilling stares that turned toward him froze his blood.
“What’s strange about it?”
The looks were terrifying. Cold sweat trickled down his back. J quickly shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
Only then did their murderous gazes recede.

He began reducing his own portions, offering them to others. People were delighted to have a little more food. Some even praised him.
“As expected of a hero.”
J laughed bitterly. Imagine being called a hero just for giving up food. Heroism seemed absurdly cheap here—or maybe it was priceless in a place like this.

The hunger grew more severe. His stomach felt as if it were glued to his spine. He told himself to endure.

“……”

Enduring was hard.

He was hungry.

So, so hungry.

Whenever it became unbearable, J went to the dead sea. He scooped away the floating ash and filled his stomach with the vile-tasting water. He gagged but forced it down. It was the only way to survive.

People had stopped searching their surroundings entirely. They just lay in the camp, waiting for monsters to come. J stared blankly at the white sky, his thoughts wandering. What’s the difference between this and being livestock? Aren’t we just beasts trapped in a cage? His quiet self-loathing and questions sank into the dead sea. He didn’t have the strength to think anymore.

The sound of monsters came. One by one, the people who had been lying motionless stood up to prepare for the hunt. J didn’t move. He simply listened.

‘Twenty?’

The number of monsters visiting the base camp had been gradually increasing. It almost felt like a monster wave. J dismissed the thought. There was no need to create unnecessary panic.

‘I can handle it…’

Perhaps because they had been fighting monsters so often, the group quickly dispatched the twenty that arrived. J sighed. Time to head back to the dead sea again. By now, even the water’s vile taste was somewhat tolerable. An impressive development. Humans really were creatures of adaptation.

Thunk.
The sound of a weapon piercing flesh reached his ears. Time to go. The smell of roasted meat was becoming harder to ignore. Just as J grabbed his spear and rose, he heard an unsettling sound.

Crrrrack. Crunch.

It was the sound of something solid twisting and grinding. J turned toward the source of the noise. The muscular Hunter’s back and arms were contorted grotesquely.

“…??? Hunter?”

No response. The others were too busy dismantling the monsters. Thunk, thunk. Translucent liquid splattered as the monsters were carved apart. Meanwhile, the Hunter’s body continued to swell unnaturally.

J gripped his spear tightly. Something was wrong. But should he attack? The Hunter was still human—or was he?

Since the moment he had killed those who had turned on their comrades, J found it harder to swing his spear.

Hesitation.

But he swung it anyway. That was his role. To protect the safety of others.

To take responsibility.

He exhaled heavily. Blood dripped from the tip of the spear that had pierced the bloated body. Red blood.

Monster blood was translucent white.

So, was the one he struck human? Or a monster?

J turned his head. The others, who had been dismantling the monsters, were now staring at him. Their eyes were strange. Forcing himself to speak, J rasped out,

“…Don’t eat it.”

“……”

“If you eat it… you might end up like ??? Hunter. Don’t eat it.”

The others didn’t respond. The hands that had stopped momentarily resumed their work. Thunk, thunk, thunk.

J closed his eyes and turned his head away, refusing to watch. Instead, he moved to deal with the life he had taken. He dragged the limp body, leaving a trail of red blood across the white ash.

He wanted to live. They wanted to live, too. They had just chosen different methods. J decided to respect their choices.

…Or maybe he had given up. Cowardly. J mocked himself.

He had no idea how much time had passed. It had been too long since anyone bothered counting days. The frequency of monster appearances had increased. The number of monsters arriving at once had grown, too. There were so many now that even after everyone ate their fill, monster corpses remained.

It wasn’t a good sign. There had to be a reason for the sudden increase. J approached the people repairing their blunt weapons.

“I’m going to look around.”

“For what?”

“The increase in monster numbers. I want to see if something’s changed nearby.”

The others exchanged glances. Then, as if to say they didn’t care, they nodded. J felt a strange sense of distance. They were supposed to be comrades. When had they grown so far apart? The lively meals filled with laughter felt like a distant memory.

Even as he packed his things and left the camp, no one said a word. Not even a perfunctory farewell.

Is it because I killed people?

Because I didn’t eat monsters with them?

J wandered the endless white ruins, dragging his heavy feet as he tracked the presence of monsters. His search eventually led him to a massive nest made of stone.

“……”

The abandoned nest was filled with white ash and human bones. J sifted through the fragments. Among the broken, cracked bones were scattered items—equipment that Hunters would typically use. Perhaps they belonged to the advance team. J gently touched the bones before placing them back down. He should retrieve the remains, but...

‘There’s too much to carry alone….’

In the end, he took only the more intact items and a few bones, planning to return to the base camp and find someone to help him transport the rest—if anyone was still there.

The moment he approached the base camp, a strong stench of blood hit his nose. Shortly after, he heard the sound of something hard striking and breaking apart. A cold shiver ran down his neck. Dropping the remains he carried, J bolted toward the camp.

By the time he arrived—

“J, it’s J!”
“J is here…!”
“Save us! Please, save us! I’m begging you!”

The base camp was already in ruins.

A massive serpent crushed people as it slithered through. Monsters swarmed the survivors, slaughtering them. Red blood splattered everywhere, painting the camp that had stood for so long in carnage and death. The enormous serpent—a basilisk—spread its wings and flew off just as J lunged toward it. But the remaining monsters swarmed in.

J tightened his grip on his spear. His body began moving mechanically, as if on autopilot, assuming the most efficient form.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

And he killed again. And again.

But even after he had killed everything—

“……”

—there was no end.

Only a perfect, deafening silence.

J thought, Do I have to die for this to end? But he didn’t want to die. He wanted to live. He had killed to survive. He had endured for this long because he wanted to live.

So J gathered the bodies of his fallen comrades and crouched beside them. I have to take responsibility. I have to return. Responsibility and the promises he had made were what kept him alive. J forced himself to create a reason to go on, even if it was nothing but a lie.

Time passed. At some point, he stopped feeling hunger. What was harder to endure was the silence. The ruins were utterly lifeless—no voices, no breathing, not even the sound of the wind. The desolation was suffocating. J began muttering to himself.

It hurts. I’m tired. I’m exhausted. I want to go home.

When he ran out of things to say, he started reciting the names of those who had come here with him. Over and over again.

His vision was stained red. The metallic stench of blood clung to him, refusing to fade. His entire body was numb. His throat was so parched it felt like it might tear, but he didn’t stop muttering. He knew that without even the smallest sound, he wouldn’t be able to endure. There was no one left to make noise for him. The physical pain had dulled, but the scene before him continued to tear at his heart.

Then, he heard it. Footsteps. Squish, squish. Someone was walking through the viscous puddles of blood, coming closer.

It must be a trick of the mind. There was no one alive here but him.

It hurts. I’m tired. I’m exhausted. I want to go home.

I want to go back.

“Here you are. What a rough place to be in.”

Flutter.

Something black was draped over him. The red hue that had filled his vision vanished. The smell of blood was replaced by a faintly sweet scent. J’s muttering trailed off. What is this? His mind felt sluggish, refusing to process. Warmth pressed against his head.

A low voice whispered, “When you go back… live quietly.”

How long had it been since he’d heard another person’s voice? He didn’t know. J strained to catch every word, desperate to hear more. The silence was terrifying.

Then, whatever had been covering his vision was pulled away. No. I don’t want to see. I don’t want to look. I don’t want to see blood anymore. J lowered his head. A soft laugh reached his ears.

“...So you say.”

“……”

“But we both know you’re not the type to live quietly. Isn’t that right?”

Above the blackness that had been draped over him, a white system window appeared.

[Warning! Overwriting previously recorded memories. The outcome of this action is unpredictable.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]

The low voice replied. “Proceed.”

[Confirmed. Overwriting memories….]

“Good. Now, lift your head.”

For some reason, J wanted to obey. Slowly, he raised his head. What had been draped over him was a black coat, and what had pulled it away was a gloved hand. Through the gap, he saw a gas mask. J blinked blankly. Behind the lenses of the mask, violet eyes curved into a narrow smile.

“Isn’t it a bit cold-hearted to just cover you with a coat?”

A thumb brushed against his dry cheek. The voice softened.

“Have you been waiting long?”

J’s lips moved, but no sound came out. A large hand cupped his face.

“I’ve come to get you.”