Black Badger

The mentor returned before long.

Along with a strange glass box.

What was inside that glass box?

"Tier 3 fungal creature."

Shit!

Yoon dragged over the wheeled glass box. It came up to about his ribcage, wide enough to easily fit six car tires.

Something lurked inside that cubic glass container.

It was a mushroom.

It looked like a massive inkcap mushroom. A blackening, melting inkcap. But tentacles writhed at the end of the mushroom. They sprawled out in all directions, covering the bottom of the glass box. Just looking at the constantly squirming tentacles made my brow furrow involuntarily.

"What's tier 3?"

It was my first spoken question.

Yoon explained dryly.

"The higher the number, the more dangerous it is. Tier 1 is something a civilian with a weapon could survive. Tier 2 can be taken down with special training even without an augmented body. From tier 3 on, you generally need an augmented body to handle it. This one's a common tier 3 creature you'll run into a lot outside the core."

"How many tiers are there?"

"10. The kind that requires the full team of experienced badgers."

"Does something like that even exist?"

"It did. Hasn't been sighted since the First War, though. For reference, the closer it is to human form, the higher the danger level usually. That angel-like creature you faced before would be classified as tier 6 or 7. Something one or more experienced badgers can handle."

Why was the tier so high? I had really brushed death that time.

The image of the creature plunging its blade down against the blue sky made my insides chill. The one Ska had blocked so easily looked far more human than this inkcap mushroom creature. It was holding a weapon, after all.

I blankly recalled the moment my life hung in the balance.

"I didn't realize it was that dangerous since you blocked it so easily."

"Who took that one down?"

His returned question made me blink.

"Ska aide and Ro senior. The spider-like one stuck to the window was probably Ami and Ricardo."

"All war heroes. They're among the top ten skilled badgers, so a tier 6 creature is easy for them."

Top ten, huh.

Considering the organization's purpose, there probably weren't few badgers. The size of the building and grounds here made it clear it was a massive outfit.

Which meant they were the elite of the elite.

How did I end up with such amazing people....

"The other two rookies you saw falling out of the portal had no war experience."

He must have meant the pair Ricardo sent home midway.

The guy had blue eyes but wore a mask up to his nose, so I couldn't see his face. The girl was short with a two-tone bob of yellow and pink.

"At least Kal Dow has some years under his belt. The two-tone kid's still a fresh newbie. Probably hasn't even been a year since she shed the youngest label."

So she was my direct senior.

That explained why those two had kept their mouths shut that day. With three much more senior cohort members around, they couldn't just speak up.

As I vaguely recalled a few weeks back, the chainsaw suddenly roared to life.

"Argh, shit, you scared me!"

"Explanation's over. Time to start."

Yoon said ominously.

Damn.

I forced a smile while holding the rattling chainsaw.

Nothing but bad vibes. This inkcap creature didn't seem like it would stay put like a regular mushroom. And I sure as hell didn't think I was good with a chainsaw. Even without memories, I knew it felt unfamiliar.

But I couldn't voice any protest.

Yoon placed his hand on the glass box.

"You can figure out what to do just by looking."

"I get what to do, but not how."

"Just swing the chainsaw."

My esteemed senior gave some very helpful advice.

"You definitely won't die."

He didn't say I wouldn't get hurt.

At this point, I couldn't help but laugh. I chuckled haha and asked,

"Probably pointless to ask, but what's its attack pattern?"

"Experience it yourself."

That's why I asked—to know before experiencing it!

My inner thoughts didn't make it out loud again, and without any warning to prepare, Yoon pressed somewhere on the glass box.

The moment I stepped back, the box opened on all sides. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Tentacles squirmed and spread everywhere.

Do or die.

With the mindset of making mushroom stir-fry for dinner, I raised the chainsaw.

A grotesque scene unfolded before my eyes. As soon as the glass sides opened, the creature's tentacles shot out. They slowly expanded their reach, writhing. Each one wasn't that thick. Just tangled up like tree roots.

It wasn't attacking right away.

Yoon stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching the inkcap. Closer to the creature than me, he didn't twitch.

He was fine like that? Did it not attack first?

I observed Yoon and the mushroom beside him closely.

Then I took a step forward to approach.

One step.

Thwack!

A dull pain crossed my face.

My face hurt, then my back and tailbone. My vision shook. Ringing filled my ears and a loud impact echoed.

I grimaced and pushed myself up.

Did that tentacle just whip me?

Ceiling tiles fell above my head.

I peeled my back off the wall with a small grunt.

I almost dropped the chainsaw. I stabbed the now-still chainsaw into the floor, struggling to open my eyes.

Using it like a cane, I stood.

Yoon was still standing in place.

Totally fine.

"Why only m—"

Thwack!

It hit me again. Mercifully, the mushroom whipped the other cheek this time. It must have slammed my shoulder blade into the wall hard. My right shoulder throbbed sharply.

My whole body hummed with pain.

Why was I the only one getting hit?

As the shock and pain ebbed, I forced my squeezed-shut eyes open.

Tentacles wriggled in the air. They split wide, forming round fists.

If I stood, I'd get hit again? Approaching got me smacked.

Then I had to cut it before it hit. That's why he gave me the chainsaw—to slice it.

I scraped together what stamina I had to stand quickly. After some deep breaths, my strength started returning. I resolved to swing the chainsaw the moment I rose.

I slowly thumbed the power on.

Vrrr!

The saw whirred loudly.

I shot up and swung at the same time.

Crunch!

"Got it!"

"Hey."

Huh? As I turned to respond, a fierce gust hit my face.

I whipped my head, but not fast enough.

Smack!

I didn't fall back.

I staggered but caught my balance. Something tore—blood filled my mouth. Struggling to refocus, I swung the chainsaw. Crunch. A satisfying slice, and the tentacle collapsed. The severed one smacked my instep.

I barely opened my eyes to assess.

The moment I looked at the creature, my vision filled with an enormous tentacle.

Thud!

Full hit this time.

I tumbled. I dropped the chainsaw. My skull rang with impact, a small groan escaping.

That was rough.

Lying on the floor, I rubbed my smacked forehead. Tier 3, huh. Not 5 or 6. Miles from the top tier 10, and I couldn't even get close.

Its attack pattern wasn't complicated. The pillar itself was rooted in place, unmoving.

There had to be a way.

I lay there thinking until the pain faded and my mind cleared. Then a strange memory fragment popped up.

I was holding a controller. Watching a big screen. Grotesque graphics. Cute, bouncy ones. Flashy effects and repeating patterns....

Repeating patterns.

I slowly raised my upper body.

"Why am I the only one getting hit?"

Yoon just rolled his eyes at my gloomy question.

"Because it attacks anything moving above a certain height."

"Ah. That explains why you weren't moving at all."

Yoon just raised one eyebrow, otherwise eerily still.

The more I watched... what an odd guy. Hard to find someone with so little movement or expression.

Looking at the man still frozen in the pose from before I got hit, I said,

"Crawling up and sawing it—that okay?"

"Nothing stopping you. Though you couldn't in real combat."

"Is there a standard method for real fights? How do you usually take it down?"

"Walk up and punch it."

Simple. And completely unhelpful.

I eyed the writhing creature with weary eyes.

At this point, I'd kill it out of spite.

Frowning, I pondered a breakthrough. Crawling to kill it was possible, but useless in combat for sure.

If I was killing it, I might as well do it properly.

A few more hits and I'd see the pattern. It hit me—I was the type to finish games once started. Rhythm games, RPGs, whatever—I played till the end without quitting.

I swallowed the blood pooled in my mouth.

"Yoon."

"Yeah."

"Even if it takes time, that's fine?"

"Do what you want."

No emotion in his voice.

"If you can't take it anymore, stop anytime. Or keep going till dawn if you want."

"Ah. You wouldn't make me do this till dawn, right?"

"I'd prefer not."

"I'll wrap it up before standing still like that gets tiring for you."

Even if it meant a few more hits.

I reached out and gripped the dropped chainsaw.

The body-shaking pain was gone now. Standing would bring it back, but fearing pain got you nowhere.

I exhaled deeply and prepared to rise.

My mentor stood statue-still in place.

I'd finish before that guy said he needed the bathroom. With that grand goal in mind, I stood with the chainsaw.

*

Over 30 hits.

On the 32nd, I nailed the pattern. 33rd, I sliced all incoming tentacles. Then the 34th try. On the 34th, I was closing in on the mushroom after cutting the tentacles.

The mentor was close after hours. The mushroom creature loomed. The inkcap grew larger. Now just mold without the wriggling bits.

A few steps, and I saw the black cap.

I raised the chainsaw, slimed with tentacle bits.

With all my strength, I slammed the whirring blade down.

Splat!

The cap split in two, ink spraying over me.

It stung!

"What is this!"

"Told you it was poisonous."

After hours, Yoon finally moved.

Ink got on him too, apparently. He brushed it off his dry face.

"If you didn't want ink all over, you should've finished with a punch. Anyway, it's definitely dead. Good work."

"It still stings."

The giant mushroom sagged, halved.

I killed it on the 34th try, but no satisfaction.

I stood there, feeling the ink-sprayed spots burn. As I stilled, my breathing settled and senses sharpened.

The creature lay split like a knife-cut mushroom, oozing ink. Severed tentacles scattered in the training hall. The powered-down chainsaw. Scratched walls. Fallen ceiling tiles.

A hard-to-describe slimy smell hung in the air.

I blankly took in the battle's aftermath and dropped the chainsaw with a clunk.

"Does the augmented body detox poison too?"

Turning to ask, Yoon—who'd been scanning around—met my eyes.

The guy had stood motionless for nearly three hours, but showed no fatigue. His black, inscrutable eyes stared straight at me.

What a ghost of a man.

"Some poisons it detoxes, some not. Definitely tougher than a regular person, though."

"This mushroom's poison—is it the detoxable kind?"

"Nope."

What?

"If you got doused in real combat, you'd need the antidote. But this one's neutralized, so no issue. You don't know how poison works?"

If I didn't even know my own face, how would I know poison mechanics?

My expression must have answered, as Yoon snorted softly.

"Basically, for poison to kill a human, it has to absorb into the body and reach the heart. Usually via veins to the heart. Arteries require cutting off half a limb to reach, which is tough. Once it hits the heart, the pump sends it through the lungs and out the arteries. So you act before that."

"What if no antidote?"

"Like I said, punch it and no ink sprays. If doused without antidote, wash it off with soapy water to neutralize."

And if no soap?

I held back; he'd probably get annoyed. Too tired to chatter anyway. Realizing the ink was safe released the tension, flooding me with fatigue.

I wanted to sit. Did way too intense a workout out of nowhere. Arms hurt, hit spots hurt, legs ached.

If not for the ink soaking the floor, I'd have collapsed right there.

I closed my eyes and sighed heavily.

"...Anyway, I killed it. Took forever like an idiot."

"You know."

I opened my eyes at Yoon's words.

"What?"

"You must've worked out before."

I blinked.

"Me? You think so?"

"Yeah."

Curious why he thought that.

Also curious about his take after watching this nonsense motionless. Saying I seemed athletic meant I wasn't totally clumsy, right? Maybe I did better than expected?

But Yoon turned without elaborating.

"Anyway, got the gist. Let's go. Need to wash up."

"What about this mess?"

"Robots'll clean it. Don't worry."

Yoon scanned the training hall.

"Shower's out the right door...."

"Kyaaah! Oppa!"

I jumped.

Whipping around, I saw Ami with wide eyes. She stood in the training hall doorway. Behind her, two guys: Ricardo and a stranger.

Ricardo leaned against the wall, arms crossed, grinning like he'd expected this.

The unfamiliar guy scanned the hall in disbelief.

Ami charged over, frozen shock turning to action.

"What did you do to Hilde!"

Ami rushed Yoon and started pummeling him with fists.

"It's been one day since official assignment, and you pull this on a newbie?!"

Guess that guy's the real psycho.