The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 253

"What is this…?"

Uijae carefully placed his hand over the wound. Despite the horrific injury, there was no blood. Was this the same kind of wound as the spear that had pierced Sa-young's back? Nam Woojin, who had been watching, frowned.

“Well... the situation is urgent, so let's try an emergency treatment.”

He extended his hand over Sa-young's wound. A soft, white light emanated from Nam Woojin's hand, flowing gently toward Sa-young's chest. After a few moments, the pallor in Sa-young's face seemed to fade slightly, though his naturally pale complexion made it difficult to tell.

"...Phew."

Nam Woojin let out a small breath. Sweat beaded on his forehead and temples, his lips pressed tightly together and his brows furrowed. He was clearly using his own life force for the treatment. The thought of the emaciated state in which Nam Woojin had previously hung on came to mind. Without realizing it, Uijae grabbed Nam Woojin’s wrist, causing the light to stop. Nam Woojin looked at Uijae with a startled expression.

"What... Why so sudden?"

For a moment, the image of Nam Woojin's dried-up, skeletal hand overlapped with the one he now held. Though thin, the hand in his grip appeared fine. Ah. Uijae quickly let go of his wrist and bowed his head.

“I'm sorry.”

"...It’s fine.”

Nam Woojin rubbed the wrist Uijae had grabbed, noting how deeply the thick protective suit and gloves had creased from the force. Uijae, embarrassed, took a step back. Nam Woojin, still massaging his wrist, glanced carefully at Sa-young's wounds and muttered to himself.

“I’ve seen wounds like this before. Just recently.”

“Recently?”

“It was when that monster with the giant mouth appeared. Some of the people who experienced the freeze phenomenon reported pain without visible injuries.”

“...”

“Do you understand? The pain came before the injury. Later, actual wounds appeared in the areas they complained about. However, those wounds couldn’t be touched or treated and disappeared after a while.”

“Then, this is…”

“The same phenomenon, most likely. Except... the wounds are larger. And there are more.”

By now, Sa-young's upper body was covered with numerous large and small wounds. Uijae bit his lip. Nam Woojin observed Sa-young with his eerie white eyes.

“If we assume it’s the same as before, the wounds will heal on their own over time. He probably passed out from the intense pain. Bring the painkillers.”

“Yes, master.”

A boy hurriedly left the room. Nam Woojin crossed his arms and sighed.

“All we can do now is inject the painkillers and wait. No amount of my healing will improve his condition. It didn’t work before, and it won’t work now.”

“What causes this kind of phenomenon?”

“What else could it be?”

Nam Woojin shrugged.

“It’s likely the influence of the apocalypse. The difference is that last time, it affected a random group of people, and this time, it’s just Lee Sa-young.”

“...”

Uijae gritted his teeth as he watched the wounds appear and disappear on Sa-young's body. These were probably the injuries he had sustained in the previous world.

The apocalypse was watching this world. Sa-young, who had volunteered to serve as its keeper, was doing his best to interfere with it, but it wouldn’t last much longer. It was a miracle they had lasted this long.

The boy soon returned with a vial and a syringe. Nam Woojin carefully inserted the needle into a vein, but it quickly dissolved into a blackened mess. Tsk, Nam Woojin clicked his tongue and gestured at Uijae.

“I'll go get other tools. Stay here and watch him.”

With that, he left the room with the boy in tow. Silence fell. Uijae placed his fingers under Sa-young's nose, feeling the faint breaths escaping. It was a small comfort.

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, and Hong Yeseong appeared. He entered the room quickly, without any protective gear, gasping for breath. His glowing golden eyes rapidly scanned Sa-young’s injuries.

“As expected, as expected.”

It’s the intelligent version of Hong Yeseong. Uijae sighed in relief.

“Where did you go?”

“I had to stop by my sweet home. Had to deal with this situation.”

He was carrying a neatly folded black cloth under his arm. Uijae glanced at him and asked,

“Are you sure you can handle this?”

“I have to, or we’ll all die, so I’ll figure something out.”

“...”

Uijae watched as Hong Yeseong busily prepared something, and then, as if thinking aloud, he spoke.

“Can’t I take over? For what Sa-young is doing right now. I could do it too, couldn’t I? I was also a core once.”

“Huh.”

Hong Yeseong stopped abruptly, then looked Uijae up and down with a bemused expression. He twirled his finger in a circle near his temple.

“You’ve finally lost it, haven’t you? Friend, you really need to take care of yourself.”

“Isn’t it a reasonable suggestion?”

“My friend... don’t you wonder why no one suggested that to you? Haven’t you considered that your soul might be larger than Sa-young’s?”

“...”

“Besides, you were alone against the apocalypse... Never mind, I can’t tell you yet.”

Hong Yeseong slapped his hand over his mouth, shaking his head.

“I’ve got it all under control. You have your own role to play, so just wait.”

“...”

“Anyway, I’ll handle this. Don’t worry.”

With that, Hong Yeseong unfolded the translucent black cloth and gently draped it over Sa-young’s entire body. He meticulously checked to make sure nothing was exposed, then took a deep breath. From his chest, he drew a long black sword that resembled a basilisk's fang. Blue letters flickered faintly on the hilt.

“But... you won’t see me for a while.”

“What?”

A breeze blew through the windowless operating room. The wind rose from beneath his feet. Hong Yeseong’s long brown hair fluttered, and between the strands, his glowing golden eyes shone brightly.

“I’ve watched this for a long time. Hiding in the cracks of the world, being your eyes.”

“...”

“And I’ve come to a conclusion. You can do it.”

As soon as he mentioned the apocalypse, a rumble shook the ground. Sa-young’s body trembled violently under the cloth as he coughed. The words “you can do it” nagged at Uijae, as if the phrase excluded him. Hong Yeseong slowly approached Sa-young and raised his sword high. In that position, he pointed his calloused finger at Uijae.

“Find the dungeon.”

“Dungeon?”

“You’ll recover the memories. The things your old self left behind.”

“Are you talking about the Memorial Dungeon?”

Hong Yeseong didn’t respond. Instead, he smiled.

And then—

*Thud—*

He drove the sword through his own abdomen.

Uijae’s eyes widened in shock. The sword had pierced Hong Yeseong’s solar plexus perfectly, yet not a single drop of blood flowed. Instead, the swirling speed of his emotional eyes began to slow. His green tracksuit tilted to one side. Uijae quickly caught his shoulder to steady him.

“Hey, are you out of your mind? What the hell are you doing?!”

“Don’t worry... It won’t affect the real Hong Yeseong.”

“Is that really what you should be saying right now? What about you?”

“I... was never supposed to be here in the first place.”

Hong Yeseong exhaled shakily. Slowly, he pulled the sword from his body. With a clatter, the sword fell limply to the floor. After a moment to catch his breath, he pushed Uijae away with surprising strength. Uijae stumbled backward but quickly regained his footing. ‘Hong Yeseong’ spread his arms wide.

“I am here!”

...

“Yes, the wraith of a ruined world is here!”

...

“I am the proof of your failure!”

*Rumble...*

Thunder boomed. The ground trembled. The ceiling, walls, and floor all shook violently. *Thud, thud, thud*, something enormous was approaching. A chill ran down Uijae’s spine.

He knew what was coming.

He knew what ‘Hong Yeseong’ had done.

Uijae stood frozen, unable to blink, staring at him. Finally, the trembling stopped. A black void appeared to Uijae’s right, seemingly out of nowhere. ‘Hong Yeseong’ looked at Uijae one last time and smiled.

“Goodbye, my friend.”

Golden light rose from his body, floating in the air for a moment before being sucked into the black void. A moment later, the void disappeared without a trace. At the same time, the massive shadow that seemed to divide the world in half also vanished.

Hong Yesung’s body swayed before collapsing to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Breathing heavily, Uijae stared at the space where the void had been.

“...Hong Yeseong.”

No answer came.