The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low

Chapter 259

He saw it clearly. In the blinding light, two massive wings unfurled, revealing spindly limbs. It was the same monster Uijae had pierced through countless times in the West Rift, the one he had killed over and over again.

*Thump, thump, thump*—his heart pounded furiously. Cold sweat ran down his neck and palms. His feet felt like they were cemented to the ground. The truth he didn't want to accept, he was recognizing faster than anyone else. He thought he knew this monster better than anyone. But now, he wondered if he had ever known anything at all.

Just as Uijae attempted to take a step forward, a strong hand yanked him back. Sa-young shook his head with a stern expression.

Beyond the monster’s wings, black and gold-streaked hair fluttered in the wind. Honeybee stared blankly up at the monster.

"You…."

The pale, expressionless face looked back at her. There was no trace of the familiar, hesitant smile or the recognizable face. The small mouth opened slowly, and then—

A horrendous scream tore through the air.

The vibrations shook the very atmosphere. Honeybee instinctively drew her rapier and aimed it at the creature. But her feet wouldn’t move. This had been her comrade until just moments ago. A chaotic thought passed through her mind.

*Isn’t there a way to turn this back?*

‘Isn’t there a way to fix this?’

The wind from the flapping wings was sharp enough to slice through skin. The emaciated body, the limp limbs, the blank face—it was no longer human. It was just a monster.

'...No, there’s no way.'

Honeybee let out a bitter smile. The only thing she could feel coming from the monster was hostility. She couldn’t hesitate anymore over baseless hopes. With trembling hands, she gripped her rapier firmly and spread her legs into a practiced stance. She had performed this move tens of thousands of times—*en garde*.

The monster spread its arms wide. Razor-sharp claws came hurtling toward her.

*Swish!*

Honeybee, or rather Yuchae-hyeon, never wanted to become a Hunter.

While others dreamed of awakening and becoming Hunters, she scoffed at the idea. She had a different dream.

‘Congratulations on making the national youth team!’

She wanted to become the best in fencing. That was her entire life. In the silence of the arena, she shone brighter than anyone else. She was certain she could rise to the top.

But just before she could claim the number one spot in the youth world rankings, the system chose her, and she awakened. Everyone expressed their pity.

‘Awakeners cannot be athletes.’

It was an issue of fairness. She understood that intellectually—the difference in power between regular athletes and Awakeners was immense. But her heart couldn't accept it. Everything she had lived and worked for had been rendered meaningless. Yuchae-hyeon lost her life in that moment.

Then, a hand reached out to her during her aimless wandering.

‘I’m Mok Tae-oh.’

‘Are you interested in joining a guild?’

‘I know you’ve rejected all the other offers.’

‘So why are you here?’

‘I wanted to meet you.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you seem like someone who hates being an Awakener.’

‘……’

‘I do too. I wanted to talk to you about it.’

Mok Tae-oh was an oddball. Despite being a famous Fire Awakener with a temper, he was quiet and gentle, moving cautiously despite his large, bear-like frame. Yuchae-hyeon found it amusing because she was the same way. They both hated the fact that they were Awakeners. That’s why they got along. She thought, *Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to belong somewhere with someone like him. Starting from scratch could be fun.*

And that’s how she became Honeybee.

Honeybee exhaled slowly, her mind calming. The still waters of her thoughts rippled ever so slightly.

Then—

*Thunk—*

Just before the claws could tear into her head, her rapier plunged deep into the monster’s chest. White blood dripped slowly from the wound. Honeybee quickly withdrew her sword and stabbed again, and again, around the heart. *Thunk, thunk, thunk.* Each strike elicited a terrible scream from the monster as the blade pierced its gaunt body.

Before long, the monster's limbs began to tremble and then slackened, falling limp. Only then did Honeybee pull the rapier out completely. White blood dripped from the tip as she stood over the collapsed monster, now lying atop the wreckage of broken machinery.

"I… saw what I saw, right?"

"......"

"That… was a person…."

Honeybee swallowed her words and knelt beside the monster. She gently reached out and touched its pale arm with care, as though handling something precious. Then, she lowered her head.

Uijae watched her silently, a thought suddenly entering his mind.

Were all the monsters he killed in the West Rift once human?

Had he survived by killing the people of a ruined world?

Just then, a large hand covered the mask on Uijae’s face. A low whisper followed.

"Don’t think about it."

"......"

"I told you, you think too much…."

Uijae opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. There were times when one needed to run from things. But this wasn’t one of them.

"No… I’m fine."

He had to know. All the things he had been ignorant of. Uijae carefully removed Sa-young’s hand from his mask and approached Honeybee. She looked up at him, her eyes slightly red, but there were no tears.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and spoke.

"The body isn’t disappearing."

"…Yeah. Normally, it would turn to ash. The ones I’ve dealt with didn’t even bleed."

White blood pooled around the body of the monster whose heart had been pierced. Honeybee stood up, brushing off her knees.

"The monsters I’ve seen did the same. I think they were ones that had been mutated for a long time."

"......"

"But this one… it died right after mutating."

The monsters in the West Rift had turned to ash the moment they were pierced by Uijae’s spear. Had they been humans from a world that had already perished? Had Uijae survived by killing the people of a collapsed world?

Isolation. In a jar filled with venomous insects, they attack and devour one another. In the end, the one that survives is—

Cha Uijae.

Honeybee sheathed her rapier and hoisted the limp monster onto her shoulders. She flashed a dry smile on her gaunt face.

"Well, at least we caught a monster, right? Mission accomplished."

"......"

"Let’s go. I really need to rest…."

Honeybee started walking ahead, her steps heavy with exhaustion. Uijae watched her retreating figure for a moment, then blurted out,

"It’s okay to cry."

"......"

Her shaky steps paused. Honeybee didn’t turn around, but her voice came out, clipped and brusque.

"Who said I was crying?"

"......"

Carrying the weight of what she had done, Honeybee kept walking forward. Uijae followed at a deliberate distance. Sa-young fell into step beside him. Even so, they could still hear the faint sound of sniffling.

---

*Crunch, crunch*—their steps over the ash finally halted. Honeybee frowned as she looked around.

"We should’ve reached it by now…."

"The castle?"

"Yeah. Why can’t I see it…? This doesn’t make any sense."

Uijae scanned the area. The Corrupted Dungeon Honeybee mentioned was supposed to be connected to the castle. If she was right, they should have seen it by now, but all they could see was the same barren wasteland that stretched out endlessly. Not even a structure in sight. Sa-young crossed his arms.

"Are you sure you didn’t lose the way?"

"Do you think I’m directionally challenged? I’ve been keeping track of the direction the whole time."

"Then why can’t we see it?"

"That’s what I’m saying—it’s weird!"

Uijae activated *Tracker’s Eye* and scanned the area quietly. No signs of life, no structures, just the same ash-covered wasteland.

"......"

Had they gotten lost? Or…

Uijae asked quietly,

"Is it possible for the Corruption Dungeon to expand in real-time? I mean, the corruption itself."

"......"

Honeybee and Sa-young exchanged glances before Honeybee spoke first.

"There’ve been no reports of that on our side. What about yours?"

"…No reports, but it’s something worth considering. After all, the fact that these two dungeons are connected is already bizarre."

"Right…. Wait, does that mean the dungeon expands as we walk? Is that why the castle isn’t showing up?"

Honeybee’s sharp voice echoed through the wasteland. They all stared at each other. Honeybee let out a frustrated shout.

"So we’re trapped inside the dungeon, aren’t we?"

"Hmm… maybe if we run faster than the expansion, we could escape…."

"Are you kidding me right now?!"

Honeybee tried to kick Sa-young in the calf, but he quickly dodged, retreating a few steps. Undeterred, she lunged at him again. Watching the two chase each other, Uijae rubbed his forehead.

With this group…

I’m going to have to stay sharp.

Little did any of them know that they were all thinking the same thing.