274 – HGL 274

274

America, Detroit.

It was drizzling. White ashes mixed with the rainwater, soaking the ground. People hurried along with umbrellas. Strangely, there were many people dressed in white. Coughing sounds accompanied them.

Among them, a tall figure with only a hood pulled up, without an umbrella, entered an alley. Through the hazy, foggy alley, a faintly pink sign was visible. Paradise.

He descended the stairs leading to the basement. The lower he went, the louder the cheerful music became. He gently pushed the door open. The pungent smell of alcohol and cigarettes mingled into a messy odor that tickled his nose. At the same time, wary gazes pierced him sharply. He took off his hood. Strands of light sky-blue hair, damp at the ends, were revealed. Small gasps erupted.

“Oh, who is this.”

“Q! It’s Q!”

“Long time no see!”

“What’s with the hair color!”

Gyu-Gyu brazenly replied.

“Ah, yeah. Nice to see you too.”

People rushed over, arms wide open. Gyu-Gyu hugged them and bumped fists as if he was used to it. After a round of greetings, people murmured and returned to their places. Gyu-Gyu straddled a seat at the counter. The bartender, who was wiping a glass, raised an eyebrow.

“I thought you were finally dead.”

Gyu-Gyu replied in fluent English.

“Well~ I almost died.”

“Did you like your hometown?”

“So-so.”

“What can I get you?”

“The usual.”

Paradise. A paradise. This was a bar for Hunters created by an eccentric Hunter. At first, only flies frequented the place except for the Master, but gradually word spread and Hunters gathered. As Hunters gathered, clients who wanted to commission them also gathered. Eventually, this place became a kind of brokerage. A brokerage for mercenaries and freelance Hunters not affiliated with a Guild.

The old bar was not much different from Gyu-Gyu’s memory. Old jazz music playing from dusty speakers, thick cigarette smoke, boisterous laughter and conversation, and the bartender, whose white hair had increased a bit but still shook the shaker with a straight posture. Gray eyes swept around. If there was anything different….

Gyu-Gyu turned his head and scanned the wall with deep indentations. Originally, requests should have been densely posted, but except for one or two fluttering pieces of paper, it was clean.

“There are a lot fewer people. And fewer requests.”

Then the bartender slid a glass over. A bright blue liquid swayed. Blue Lagoon. Gyu-Gyu raised the corner of his mouth.

“This isn’t what I usually drink~? Did you perhaps have a problem with your memory?”

“I matched it to your hair color. Any complaints?”

“I don’t need that kind of consideration~”

“I’m the king here. If you have any complaints, get out.”

“As if I would have any complaints~”

Gyu-Gyu completely hid his dissatisfied expression and sipped the cocktail. The bartender put away the shaker and retorted.

“It’s true that there are fewer people. And fewer requests.”

“It’s a bit strange that there are fewer requests. Did a competitor appear?”

“Hey, Q. You haven’t been around for a while, have you become an idiot?”

A staggering Hispanic man put his arm around Gyu-Gyu’s shoulder. The smell of alcohol was strong. Mechanist, a Hunter who had worked with Gyu-Gyu several times. A good guy. Except that he couldn’t pronounce Gyu-Gyu and called him Q. Gyu-Gyu skillfully responded.

“Then you, who are so smart, explain it to me. What’s going on?”

“The drug supply has been cut off! Thanks to that, everyone is leaving here and wandering the streets.”

“Are you talking about drugs for Awakened?”

The drugs that Prometheus distributed. Gray eyes turned sharp. Come to think of it, there were quite a few guys staggering around the store doing drugs before. There were also guys who offered drugs to Gyu-Gyu. Saying that if he just took this, he could sleep comfortably.

Mechanist nodded.

“That’s right. It’s been a while. It all disappeared right after those… strange Monsters appeared.”

“Ah, you mean those Monsters with big mouths. How was it here?”

“Don’t even mention it! I don’t know how many people died.”

“What about the Addicts?”

“They’ve all gone crazy! The withdrawal symptoms must be severe. There are many who try to attack without thinking…. The bartender kicked them all out. That’s why there are so few people.”

Mechanist gave the bartender a thumbs up. The bartender just nodded with a blank face. Gyu-Gyu grinned.

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“Come often, Q. There’s no one as fun as you.”

“I’ll try.”

Mechanist hummed and returned to his seat. The bartender, who was wiping a glass, opened his mouth.

“After that day, a group was formed.”

“A group?”

“A group that claims that since everything happened because of the Awakened, they should be eliminated from society. There are some U.S. senators who agree with their thinking.”

“……”

“Some of the Addicts I kicked out were beaten to death by them. They were regulars at our store.”

“How can civilians kill Addicts?”

“They commissioned the Hunters at the store.”

“……”

Gyu-Gyu emptied his glass in one gulp. Then he rested his chin on his hand and asked.

“How’s the store doing, will it be okay~? Those guys won’t leave it alone.”

“Not yet. I don’t know how long it will be safe, though.”

“I’d be sad if it disappeared.”

“Me too.”

“Any other rumors?”

At that moment, someone was felt on the stairs. Not just one person, but several. The speed at which the bartender wiped the glass gradually slowed down. Gyu-Gyu put his hand in his pocket and turned to face the entrance. Clatter, the dice in his pocket spun around. The bartender put down the polished glass.

“There’s a rumor that humans are turning into Monsters.”

“……”

“Monsters are roaming the streets more often. Even in places that aren’t near Dungeons or Rifts.”

“Hmm.”

Not only the bartender and Gyu-Gyu, but the people were staring at the store entrance again. A strange tension filled the air. At the same time, zzzzz, the phone vibrated. Sharp gazes were fixed on the source of the sound. Gyu-Gyu smiled, showed his palm, and took out his phone.

[Pitiful Civil Servant]

“I’ll take this call.”

“Huh. At a time like this?”

“Sorry, sorry~ It’s a call that will be a big problem if I don’t answer it.”

People turned their attention back to the entrance. A murmur was heard from beyond the entrance.

‘There are Hunters in here,’

‘That’s right. It’s a place where Hunters gather.’

‘How many are there?’

‘They won’t be able to touch us….’

It was the voices of several people. Coughing sounds were mixed in with the whispering conversations.

Gyu-Gyu leisurely pressed the call button and put the phone to his ear. And before the other person could speak, he quickly said.

“Hello~ I’ll tell you in advance, I’m in America right now? Can a civil servant’s salary cover international phone charges? Should I call you back?”

―Gyu-Gyu, right now….

“Ah, wait a moment.”

Gray eyes glanced at the door. Cough, cough…. Wee-eck.

‘Wait, what’s wrong? Oh, my god.’

‘No, Jane is cursed. Run away!’

Drip, drip, something flowed down from under the tightly closed door. It was a strangely shiny white liquid. Crack, crack, the sound of bones and flesh breaking and reassembling was heard. And then, “Kaaaaa!”

A piercing scream rang out. Gyu-Gyu quickly got up and picked up the chair he had been sitting on.

“Master, I’m going to damage some property~”

“I’ll charge you for everything.”

Thump, thump, thump….

Kwaang!

The moment the door shattered, Gyu-Gyu threw the chair and rushed in. Through the flying debris, a blood-stained white body was visible. He raised the hand that wasn’t holding the phone with all his might. His hand had turned as sharp as a beast’s.

Thwack!

The hand pierced through the body in an instant. Pure white liquid splattered. Gyu-Gyu stuck out his tongue and licked the liquid on his face. It tasted like nothing. The Monster tilted and then collapsed. Thanks to that, the people beyond the stairs were visible. People in white clothes were sprawled on the stairs. Eyes full of fear stared at Gyu-Gyu.

He shook off the white blood on his hands and readjusted his grip on the phone. And asked in Korean.

“Hey~ Have you ever seen a human turn into a Monster?”

―…….

“I saw it in real time. I think I have a lot to talk about?”

―This is a call related to that. J, Lee Sa-young, and Honeybee have gone missing in a Dungeon.

Gyu-Gyu, who was grabbing the collars of the people in white clothes, stopped.

“Missiing?”

139 hours until Cha Eui-jae’s death.

“Missing?”

Sa-young asked in disbelief. Honeybee nodded with a sulky face. They were facing each other in the middle of a wooded mountain, along with Romantic Opener, who was lying sprawled on a mat, and Cha Eui-jae, who was huddled next to him wearing a Gas mask.

Immediately after escaping from the hospital, Lee Sa-young contacted Honeybee. To open the door. Opening the door was fine. However, the problem was that the scenery beyond the door was in the middle of some mountain. Honeybee fussed while manicuring her nails.

“I don’t know where Hong Ye-seong is. He declared that he would be reclusive and not meet anyone. What can I do if he doesn’t answer no matter how I contact him through all sorts of routes? We were also camping in Jirisan, eating roasted corn.”

“Then you should have said something.”

“You ignored all my calls!”

Sa-young raised his index finger and signaled to be quiet. Honeybee, who had raised her voice, glanced at Eui-jae. He was fast asleep, covered in Lee Sa-young’s coat. The sound of his colorful breathing was heard. How long has it been since I saw him sleeping so soundly? Maybe it’s the first time. He was always busy running around, and even if he happened to lie down in the same place, he couldn’t sleep well.

Honeybee whispered.

“I heard from Matthew…. J here isn’t feeling well. Is he sick right now?”

“Yes.”

“Is it okay to bring him to a place like this?”

“It’s better to find a way to escape quickly.”

“That’s true, but….”

Honeybee bit her lip.

“It’s strange from the start…. If it’s a Dungeon, there must be escape conditions. Whether it’s killing the Dungeon’s Master or something. But there’s no purpose at all. There’s no Dungeon Master either. What is it?”

A chilly wind blew. Sa-young looked down at Eui-jae’s rising and falling upper body and replied.

“That’s what we came to find out.”

“What, did you come to meet Hong Ye-seong?”

“Yeah.”

“Does he even know anything?”

Sa-young raised his eyes. Something small and white flashed through the green foliage.

“He’ll know more than us.”