The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 243

The old Damas sputtered as its speed slowed down drastically. In front of a towering skyscraper, Mackerel parked the car neatly by the sidewalk, whistling as he stared at the building.

"Ah~ This is actually my first time visiting here too."

Mackerel smacked his lips, rubbing his hands together.

"While we're here, I'd love to have a look around. It’d be great if you could take your time."

So, he hadn’t come along just to pay off a favor—he had some ulterior motives too. Uijae shot a sideways glance at Mackerel.

"So, you're just here to indulge your curiosity, huh?"

"Aww, come on. If I go in with you, it'll be like a free pass, right? You’re J, after all!"

Not likely. That guy was stubborn, and once he made up his mind, he wouldn't show even a hair. Uijae leaned his head against the window, arms crossed.

"I'm not on good terms with him right now."

"You can make up. Isn't that why you came?"

That irritating smile was getting on Uijae’s nerves. Instead of answering, Uijae carefully got out of the car. After being cramped up in the small vehicle, his whole body felt stiff. He stretched his arms, yawning. Mackerel shut the Damas's door with a bang and looked up at the tall building.

"Well, anyway… I doubt they'll open the door quietly for us."

"Not a chance."

"And they won't show their real face either, will they?"

"Why would they?"

"Normally, you'd need an employee card or some kind of pass to get through the lobby. Security must be tight since this is a research facility."

Uijae silently stared at Mackerel, as if asking if he had a solution. Mackerel grinned brightly and mimed shooting a gun into the air.

"Well, let’s give it a shot and head in!"

---

“Ah, I hate working.”

The sound of ice clinking in coffee cups echoed in the hallway. A man in a white lab coat, with a face rough enough to pass for a bandit, was trudging along, holding a coffee carrier in both hands. He was the youngest researcher in the Wave Guild’s lab. Staring at numbers on a monitor all day was a form of torture, and so was running errands for his seniors.

"The job might be secure, but…"

Not so much these days. The junior researcher sighed deeply.

The people in the lab had gathered with a sense of duty—to open the closed West Sea Rift and rescue those trapped inside. Officially, it was research on rifts, but they worked tirelessly for that mission. Then, just when their research was about to make progress, the ranking system was updated…

And suddenly, J appeared…

People were shocked, and the lab was turned upside down. J, the most famous Hunter who had entered the West Sea Rift, and a national hero to boot, had escaped the rift on his own.

But if J had returned on his own, what would become of their mission? Was the lab now obsolete? As anxiety over job security spread, they were visited by their benefactor, Hunter Lee Sa-young.

One day, she simply showed up and said,

“Keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

“Huh? Uh… okay.”

“But you’ll need to work on some other things as well.”

“Other things?”

“Start researching the Corrosion Dungeons too. And this, and that.”

The man standing behind her like a grim reaper handed over a thick stack of files. The senior researcher’s jaw dropped as he flipped through them. The junior researcher hurriedly checked the contents as well. Every known Corrosion Dungeon’s location, characteristics, and a host of other information were densely packed into the files. With a smile, Lee Sa-young, wearing her gas mask, said,

“The numbers might be off, so you’ll have to go check them yourselves.”

They swallowed their protests.

Since that day, the lab staff began going on field trips to dungeons. They continued their work, but they had lost their momentum. Particularly, their most passionate leader, Professor Jang, had seemingly burned out. He either sat around listlessly or curled up in a corner, sleeping. The most senior researcher had to shake him awake whenever they needed him.

"Does this place even have a future?"

After that strange monster rained down from the sky, a flood of new dungeon trips was scheduled. Unsurprisingly, the junior researcher received the most assignments. Sniffling, he wiped his nose. His desire to quit was growing stronger by the day.

Just then, he heard commotion from the lobby. Perfect timing—he could catch a break by watching some drama unfold. He’d been envious of the Blind posts from headquarters bragging about witnessing J and Lee Sa-young’s game of cat and mouse. He shuffled toward the source of the noise.

“Do you know who this is?”

“Hey, quiet…”

“This man, at five years old, beheaded a third-grade monster with a sycamore leaf and, at eight, slaughtered eight first-grade monsters with a single pinecone!”

“Shut up! I’m sorry.”

Silver-white hair swayed. The young man with navy blue hair who had been boasting was silenced by another young man who covered his mouth. The first thing that stood out was his tall, lean build. The second was the black mask that completely covered his face. His eyes briefly met the junior researcher’s before they moved away. A modulated voice rang in the researcher’s ears.

“I’m here to meet Guild Leader Lee Sa-young. Is she around?”

“Uh, the guild leader isn’t here right now…”

“Come on, don’t lie. We know she’s here.”

“J-J-J.”

The junior researcher’s grip loosened, and the coffee spilled to the floor. Any thought of being scolded by his seniors evaporated. A chill crept over his slippered feet, and the scent of coffee filled the air, but that didn’t matter anymore.

“J!!”

He took a bold step forward—

Slip—

The world tilted.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The blue-haired young man with a shocked face, the startled employee, and J—all blurred together. The ceiling came into view. His parents’ faces, who had attended his graduation from kindergarten to college, flashed before him, as did the face of his dog, Poppy, waiting at home. Was this what it felt like to see your life flash before your eyes? Mom, your youngest is coming home. He closed his eyes.

At that moment—

“…Hey.”

Could a modulated voice be soothing? The junior researcher would say yes with confidence. The world shook violently. Ack, he coughed as he slowly opened his eyes. A black mask was right in front of him.

“Are you okay?”

“…Ack!”

The junior researcher flailed about, trying to stand up, but it was futile. A strong hand was holding his shoulder and waist. At some point, J had dashed over like the wind and caught him. The junior researcher, with both hands pressed to his cheeks, screamed.

“Aaaah! I’m sorry! Thank you! J, J!”

“Yes, it’s me… Are you really okay? I caught you right away.”

“You didn’t hit your head or anything. Maybe he’s just always been weird.”

“I-I-I’m a fan! A fan, and so are my team members, and so is Professor…”

“Professor?”

The navy-haired young man’s eyes gleamed. With a mischievous grin, he whispered something into J’s ear. J turned his attention back to the junior researcher, who, like a shy middle-schooler, had his hands clasped together. After taking a deep breath, J leaned in a bit closer.

“So, do you work here?”

“Ah, yes! Yes, I do!”

“Hm… I see. Do you work in the research lab?”

“How did you know? Can you see it?”

“I can tell just by looking. You’ve got an intelligent face.”

“R-Really?”

Since adolescence, all he’d ever been told was that he looked like a bandit. Now, his bandit-like face flushed a deep red. A faint sound of stifled laughter reached his ears before J, speaking softly, said,

“I’m here to meet Guild Leader Lee Sa-young.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Has she been around here?”

“I-I haven’t heard, but I can find out!”

“How?”

“You could ask the seniors… or, there’s a training facility in the basement! You can check the access records there. Even the guild leader has to leave a record!”

“Oh… Can you check for me? I need to meet her today.”

“Well, I…”

Should he really do this? The last of his common sense asked. But then—

“Please. I’d really appreciate it.”

That soft, modulated voice blew away the last of his reason. The junior researcher nodded furiously.

“O-Of course! Anything for J!”

He scrambled to his feet and immediately pulled out his phone. He thought he heard a quiet sigh.

---

The bandit-faced researcher confirmed that Lee Sa-young, Bae Won-woo, and an unknown person were present in the access records. He even led them to the elevator going down to the basement and lent them his access card. Clinging to J’s leg the entire time, he begged,

“Please visit our lab sometime! There are so many people here who want to meet you!”

It took almost as much effort to pry him off as it would to remove a Kraken’s suction cups. Mackerel, still snickering, wiped away tears.

“Ah… I almost died laughing. Honestly

, I’m surprised. You’re pretty good at the honey trap thing. That was so smooth, I didn’t even see it coming.”

Uijae gritted his teeth as he replied.

“Shut up.”

“Well, it worked, didn’t it? Raise enough noise, and someone’s bound to come out. Among them, there’s always going to be a die-hard fan of yours.”

Mackerel rambled on excitedly. Uijae leaned back against the corner of the elevator, letting out a sigh. The elevator descended for quite a while. The complex noise around them gradually faded, replaced by…

Creak…

A sinister sound filled the silence. Thud, thud—a faint vibration could be felt. The smile vanished from Mackerele’s face. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Uijae clamped a hand over his mouth, focusing on the sound.

Thud, thud, thud.

The sound of flesh and bone being pierced. And amidst it…

A faint groan.

The veins in Uijae’s hand bulged.