The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 246

Did he really just pass out like this?

"Hey, Lee Sa-young."

"......"

"Are you asleep? Hey, are you seriously sleeping?"

Just to make sure, I listened closely. I could hear the sound of his breathing, steady but light. Uijae held Sa-young in his arms, staring blankly into the darkness. Should he consider this a relief? It probably was, considering they hadn't done anything drastic. The lingering heat from earlier was still a problem, though.

At that moment, the heavy weight on him lightened. The clinking chains had also disappeared. Uijae carefully traced his hand over Sa-young's back. Even through his clothes, the well-defined muscles were evident, but there was no trace of any wounds.

"Did the connection break because he lost consciousness?"

He checked his wrists, neck, arms, and ankles. They were drenched in blood, but there were no other visible marks. Only then did Uijae rest his chin on his stretched-out shoulder and let out a sigh. So this is what he meant when he said he wouldn't die. His body wasn't damaged.

"Hah..."

His head was a mess. Lee Sa-young losing his mind and attacking him was one thing, but the fact that they'd have to keep doing this over and over... Whatever the case, he couldn't just leave Lee Sa-young in a place like this. Uijae fumbled around and put on his mask. Then, supporting Sa-young's back and legs, he headed toward the tightly closed door.

But how was he supposed to open it?

When he came in, it had opened automatically. Uijae kicked the door hard with his foot.

"Hey, open the door."

There was a rustling sound beyond the door. Soon after, a thud was heard, and the door slowly began to rise. Light started flooding in from the darkness. When the door was raised to about the height of a normal person’s view...

Uijae was met with the sight of several pale faces.

"......"

"......"

Thud. Baewon-woo, who had been staring at Uijae in shock, collapsed onto his knees, and Mackerel, who was holding a water bottle to his mouth, let the water spill out without drinking it. Finally, Hong Yeseong, with bloodshot eyes, hesitated for a moment before carefully speaking.

"...Friend."

"What?"

"Did you kill him?"

"Kill? What do you mean, kill! He's just passed out. I don't know if he's sleeping or unconscious."

As Uijae took a step forward, Mackerel jumped in place, grabbing Baewon-woo by the back of the neck and retreating two steps. Mackerel held up his hand toward Uijae.

"Ah, wait a second, hyung-nim? Could we maintain a safe distance, please?"

What the hell was wrong with them? He was already exhausted from being drained by Lee Sa-young. Annoyed, Uijae responded.

"Safe distance? What nonsense is that? Do you want to keep spouting nonsense?"

"Ah, perhaps you're not aware of how you look right now? Hyung-nim, you look exactly like a horror movie killer."

"What?"

"If you were holding a chainsaw instead of Lee Sa-young, you'd look just perfect. Hold on... Is there a mirror somewhere?"

Mackerel rummaged through his pockets and inventory in a flurry before pulling out a hand-sized mirror with a cry of triumph and holding it up.

"See? We're not overreacting for no reason."

"......"

In the mirror, a blood-soaked figure stood, from head to toe, holding what looked like a helpless victim. Even the mask was splattered with blood, and there were red streaks all over his hands and neck, making him look utterly terrifying. Uijae glanced down at the floor. Bloody footprints stretched out beneath him, small puddles of blood forming where it dripped. He lowered his gaze further to the unconscious Sa-young in his arms. His pale face was spotless except for a bit of blood around his lips.

‘We went through that chaos together, yet why is he the only one left spotless?’

He felt wronged. But to others, it probably looked like a killer pondering how to finish off the last remaining survivor. Baewon-woo, finally regaining his senses, hastily pulled out a bottle from his pocket.

And, opening the cap—

"I'm really sorry, J...!"

Splash!

He poured the liquid all over Uijae. To say "poured" doesn’t quite do it justice; it was more like he slapped Uijae in the face with the liquid. Silence fell.

"......"

"Wow... Amazing."

Mackerel covered his mouth, taking a step back. Judging by his raised cheeks, he was definitely laughing. Oddly enough, Uijae wasn’t angry, even though his cheek had just been slapped by some strange liquid. Baewon-woo wasn’t the type to do something like this without reason. Uijae brushed his damp hair back, looking at Baewon-woo. As expected, Baewon-woo had tossed the bottle aside and was now carefully examining Uijae.

"Are you okay? It wasn’t anything dangerous, just an antidote. Sa-young’s blood is poisonous... I figured his clothes wouldn’t be enough to fully block it."

Ah, right? So he did that out of concern? Uijae smiled gently, though it probably couldn’t be seen behind the mask.

"It’s fine. I’m alright with this much."

"But."

Hong Yeseong lifted his head. The blood flowing from his eyes had stopped, indicating he had deactivated his sensory ability. His eyes, though bloodshot, were clear as they looked at Uijae.

"Why did you come out so early? You should have been able to hold on for longer."

"He passed out."

"Suddenly? That doesn’t make sense... You didn’t overstimulate his mind, did you?"

"......"

Hong Yeseong tilted his head with a serious expression. Uijae kept his mouth shut. Could taking off the mask, licking his fingers, and kissing him be considered overstimulation? He had his social reputation to consider. Honestly, Sa-young did seem more out of it than usual. He practically attacked him like a wild animal, biting and licking everywhere...

‘Ah.’

Uijae subtly adjusted his grip on the unconscious Sa-young, raising his collar to hide any potential bite marks left behind. Hong Yeseong, still deep in thought, rested his chin in his hand with a hum.

"Hmm... I expected him to last another hour at least. This messes with my calculations."

"Is this even effective?"

"Of course it is. No one has played the Warden role better than Lee Sa-young. Even if he’s only halfway fused, the effect is undeniable."

"But in that other world, wasn’t Lee Sa-young's role to prevent the merger between the destroyed world and ours? That doesn’t really stop the apocalypse, does it?"

"Hah... Ignorance is truly a burden."

‘Hong Yeseong’ shook his head. There was still an odd sense of intelligence in his voice. Mackerel, who had been wiping his wet neck and chin, muttered.

"Was he always like this? He used to be more... scatterbrained and spacey, didn’t he?"

Mackerel had a talent for finding creative ways to call someone an idiot. But whether or not it mattered, Hong Yeseong pointed a finger into the air and began to mutter.

"What analogy would make this easiest to understand... Ah, yes."

As his bloodstained finger moved through the air, a small galaxy began to unfold. His long finger drew a circle, and a black and red, ominous circle appeared.

"Think of this as a giant game. The apocalypse is the player, and the worlds are the stages the player has to clear."

"That’s an incredibly irreverent metaphor."

Ignoring Mackerel’s comment, Hong Yeseong continued to move his finger. The black circle started to move, swallowing one star after another in the galaxy.

"The player, the apocalypse, will clear each stage one by one. That’s the objective of the game and the player’s instinct. But let’s say there’s a stage they almost cleared but couldn’t finish at the last second."

The black circle came to a halt before one star, which was halfway swallowed but managed to regain its form. Its light flickered, but it didn’t go out.

‘Hong Yeseong’ pointed directly at Uijae with his index finger. The first world, where J had turned back time. The world had escaped the brink of destruction thanks to his sacrifice.

"Wouldn’t the player want to try again?"

"......"

"They’d come back out of sheer curiosity, right?"

"That’s essentially it. The apocalypse doesn’t have a personality, but if I were to explain it in human terms, that’s the gist of it!"

As Hong Yeseong waved his two raised fingers, the galaxy and black circle disappeared simultaneously, leaving only the battered star behind. He then wrapped his hand around the remains of the star.

"Lee Sa-young’s job is to keep the destroyed world intact. It’s like laying the ruined world over this one... It makes everything look like the destroyed world on the surface."

"......"

"It’s a kind of illusion. Get it?"

"...So it’s not a fundamental solution."

"Exactly. It’s just buying time. Who knows when they’ll catch on."

A heavy silence settled over them. At that moment, the fingers of Sa-young, who was cradled in Uijae’s arms, twitched. Uijae quickly checked his

 face. Long lashes trembled slightly before purple eyes slowly opened. They stared at Uijae blankly...

"......"

And then, without warning, Sa-young wrapped his arms around Uijae’s neck and pulled him closer. Uijae, too surprised to react, went along with it. Then,

*Smooch.*

He kissed Uijae on the mask.

Uijae stared straight ahead, utterly dazed. He was certain his expression right now matched the dumbfounded faces of the others.