Black Badger

Was it some kind of amusement park?

The structure standing in the center of the plaza was extravagantly designed. I ran past a rust-red tower that looked like an old lighthouse, its surface eaten away by corrosion.

San whipped his head in the direction I was running.

“Dinosaur! Dinosaur!”

It did look like a raptor.

One of those creatures that moved in groups. I forgot its name. The five-eyed reptiles bristled their claws as they tightened the encirclement.

The clicking sound of grinding teeth grew louder.

Behind the one in front of me, the road was littered with trash and weathered corpses.

“Ugh!”

A dinosaur lunged forward the moment its eyes rolled.

I kicked off the ground and leapt.

Screeech!

“Uwaaaagh!”

San widened his eyes, tightening the arm he had wrapped around my neck.

“You stepped on its head!”

The feeling of that eyeball wasn’t pleasant.

It was so slippery I nearly lost my footing. But I pushed down hard and managed to vault over the screeching Creature.

After landing outside the encirclement, I sprinted down the road between a massive building that looked like an aquarium and what was unmistakably once a souvenir shop.

Something made of tentacles burst out from inside the souvenir shop.

A tangled ball extended long gray tentacles outward.

Crackle—!

It sounded like crushing an insect.

Good thing I had brought the dagger. Supporting San with my left arm, I drew the # Nоvеlight # dagger from my belt and sliced.

I severed the tentacles reaching out like fingers and kept running.

Trembling, San looked behind us and shouted:

“The tentacles and dinosaurs keep following us!”

“The drone’s fine, right?”

“Yes. Still fine, but....”

The wind brushed past my cheek.

The stench of stagnant water stabbed my nose. I rushed toward a large ride structure—probably a water slide.

“There’s something floating in the air!”

A lot of witches, then.

Those things that fired energy blasts. They were swarming, filling the sky.

If their energy blasts knocked the drone down, things would get messy.

I plunged into the rotten water and tried to pinpoint the witches’ position.

By the time we climbed this ride, the drone would be within my range.

Splash, splash.

“Sorry. Smells fishy.”

“It’s okay!”

San clung tightly to me with all four limbs.

The water was deep, reaching my waist. It had been sitting too long, horribly rotten. Leaves, dust, and even corpses floated on the surface.

I churned through the water quickly and began climbing the water slide structure.

One-handed climbing wasn’t easy.

“I’ll hang on. Use both hands!”

The child gripped with all four limbs and buried his face.

“I like climbing for fun, so I can hold on!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Then I’ll trust him.

There were Creatures in the water too. But none looked like they’d come after us right now.

I started climbing the metal frame with both hands.

A whole variety of Creatures spilled out of the buildings like swarms of rats. So many that I couldn’t even count them. There were so many it felt less like individual creatures and more like one giant, writhing mass.

I had to deal with them in order.

First, I needed the high ground.

I climbed fast and reached the highest rail of the ride.

“You’re holding on well.”

A strong kid.

“Good job. Rest for a bit.”

The moment I said it, San loosened his limbs.

I quickly caught his sliding body with my left arm and set him on the rail. Maybe he had kept his eyes shut until now—once he took in the situation, he sucked in a sharp breath.

“Hold onto my arm tightly. Then you won’t fall.”

San clamped onto my arm.

His hands trembled violently, but his eyes were wide and alert. Even in a situation like this, he didn’t mentally shut down. Impressive.

I really wanted to return him home quickly.

Holding San securely, I looked at the flying Creatures closing in on the drone.

“Do not move the drone.”

I had no idea if they could hear me, but I said it anyway.

Then I drew the dagger again.

Kyaaaagh!

Whrrr! Whrrr! Woooong!

A flurry of short, rapid strikes cut into the witches.

The drone remained hovering exactly in place, as I’d told it to. Thanks to that, I could strike down the flying Creatures without worrying about hitting it.

Witches fell one after another, screaming like humans.

At least the sky would be safe for a while.

“Hilde! They’re climbing up!”

But the bottom was still a problem.

San pressed close against me and stomped his feet.

“They’re super packed together! Insanely fast!”

“I’ll have to hold you again.”

I needed to drop them in one go before leaving this spot.

Lifting the trembling child with one hand, I found he didn’t startle as much this time—probably because I warned him.

But once I started swinging my blade, he’d probably panic.

I adjusted him in my arm and shook the rail with one foot.

“W-why are you shaking it? It feels like it’s going to collapse....”

“San. I’m going to shake off the Creatures. It’ll make noise and cause some impact.”

“Gasp—yes!”

“I’ll collapse the rail entirely and jump. Stick close to me and try not to move.”

“Huh? Uh.”

He didn’t seem to understand the words, but he obeyed immediately.

“Yes!”

I carefully prepared to draw.

Ever since I got my old sword back from Yehyeon during the recapture operation, I rarely separated myself from a blade. Good thing I brought it today too.

Holding a child in one arm meant I couldn’t draw cleanly—

—but swinging was no problem.

“Hilde! Your ankle! Ankle!”

San shouted in panic.

“A tentacle is trying to grab your ankle!”

Slash.

I swung the blade.

Taking a step back, I carved out the space I had occupied. I held the sword straight like a metronome weight and swept sideways.

A technique I hadn’t used in a long time—worked better than expected.

The rail split cleanly.

The severed section—from the start of the water slide to the high point—collapsed to the side, dragging the Creatures climbing it like decorations.

Kugugugung....

I didn’t bother watching.

With the sword still in hand, I dashed down the steep rail.

“Uwaaaaaaaa!”

The speed naturally carried me.

San screamed in sheer terror, clinging so tightly he nearly strangled me.

“It’s downhill! Downhill! It’s too high and narrow!!”

“Just don’t move.”

To his credit, the child stuck to me without shifting at all.

“You’ll get dizzy, so try to keep your eyes open if you can.”

Somehow, I felt like this kid could actually do it.

And indeed—San suddenly went quiet. His arms tightened around my neck. He really had opened his eyes.

He’d grow up into something great.

I let out a low laugh.

“No matter what happens, I’ll get you home.”

I vaulted onto the artificial rock wall that covered the rail.

“So do not despair.”

“...Let’s go back together.”

His small whisper mixed into the roaring wind.

Smiling again, I leapt toward the next artificial rock surface.

***

“Uwaaagh!”

“Uwak!”

“Mommy!”

People screamed when they saw Hilde leap an enormous distance and land on the artificial cliff beside them.

Black Badger Headquarters.

Everyone at HQ was either working like the world was ending, or frozen in place, staring blankly at the screens.

Badgers who had just returned from missions—or were off-duty—were no different. Each one stopped mid-stride in the lobby of the personal-locker floor. Every time the huge screen on the wall flicked to a new angle, white hair whipped across the display.

People exhaled in relief when they saw the rookie land safely and start running again.

Leeho rubbed his face dry and lowered his head.

“My heart can’t take this.”

“Hey. Why the hell is he so good?”

Karsten grabbed Leeho’s shoulders and shook him, mouth hanging open.

“He’s only been here for a year, right? Why’s he that good?”

“No idea. He was weirdly good even before the year mark. Looks like he’s gotten even better since.”

“That balance is insane.”

Giacomo Ro forgot he was about to toss an almond into his mouth.

He held his arm frozen for a long time before muttering:

“Kid’s kinda badass.”

“Sunbaenim.”

While Bobby completely forgot about the brunch reservation and stared in horror, Lucia waved down someone walking through the hall.

“Kudo sunbaenim. Did you see this?”

Jonathan Kudo, who had been walking, stopped in his tracks.

But Lucia, who had called him so abruptly, had already turned her eyes back to the screen. Kudo stared blankly at the people gathered in front of it, still not understanding what was happening.

Cheon Lin shot Lucia an unimpressed look.

“Why’d you even call Kudo sunbaenim? He doesn’t remember any of the juniors in my intake.”

“Huh? Uh... well, this is an emergency, so I thought he should know....”

“Would it change anything if he knew?”

Jonathan Kudo walked slowly toward the screen.

He had to pass it anyway to reach the elevator. Cheon Lin and Lucia’s conversation no longer registered in his ears.

But he was curious about what everyone was watching.

So, walking past as he planned, he turned his eyes to the screen.

Badgers still in their mission suits, unable to change, stared with gaping mouths.

A Live icon pulsed on the corner of the screen, the chat scrolling wildly.

The moment Kudo recognized the figure in the broadcast—

“Hilde?”

Every Badger turned their heads.

“Hildebert? What’s he doing out there?”

“Oh. Sunbaenim, you actually remembered Hildebert’s name.”

Badgers stared at their horrified senior in equal horror.

Only Lucia Kwon smiled brightly, as always completely missing the point.

“Kudo sunbaenim, I guess you’re close to Hildebert.”

Everyone ignored her.

Silence swept the lobby. Jonathan Kudo stood rooted in place, eyes wide, unmoving. Like a statue staring only at the screen.

Badgers were stunned not only that he knew Hilde’s name, but that he was worried about him.

Then a sharp noise drew their attention back to the screen.

The rookie flew upward, slicing a giant carp-like Creature erupting from the water in half, landing on the roof of the building beside the water slide zone.

But under that roof—Creatures swarmed.

“Why are there so many?!”

Bobby shrieked.

“It’s weird, right?! That’s way too many!”

“Fuck! You can’t even see the ground.”

“Looks like he’s trying to reach the rail-coaster.”

Leeho’s voice trembled as he glanced at the rail running above the park.

“If he just gets there he’ll have a bit of breathing room. Why’s backup so late?”

“He doesn’t have grenades?”

“Who brings grenades to a protection detail? He fell into that area during protection duty!”

“Drone’s still not there?”

Tension filled the murmuring.

Badgers paled as Creatures closed in on Hilde and the child. It was obvious they’d be fully surrounded soon. The building they stood on wasn’t that tall.

Raptor-types couldn’t climb, but the eyeless rat-Creatures with those bizarre teeth, and the tangled-tentacle types, would climb up the walls and devour them.

And while people hesitated—

“Huh?”

A bewildered voice rose from the lobby.

“Why’d he leave the kid alone?”

Hilde set the student down on the roof.

Placing the boy in the center, he walked alone toward the edge. The white-haired man bowed his head and looked down.

For the first time, the student and Hilde were apart. Ever since they rolled out of the Core, they had stuck together inseparably.

The chat window in the corner of the screen sped up wildly.

Leeho clenched his teeth.

“That chat! Fucking hell, seriously!”

“They don’t know a damn thing but never shut up!”

Karsten was furious too.

But their anger was drowned out by Bobby’s scream.

He clamped a hand over his mouth and shrieked:

“He jumped down!”

Leeho and Karsten whipped their heads around.

“Down the building!”

The drone jerked desperately, scrambling to catch him with the camera—

It captured Hilde landing at the building’s entrance. He crushed a rat-Creature underfoot as he hit the ground, slightly bent forward in the middle of a complete encirclement.

Sword in his right hand.

The drone was overhead, so his face wasn’t visible.

“He’s going to fight them.”

“He’s not going to make it.”

Cheon Lin’s voice was hollow.

“There’s no way he can handle that. There’s too many....”

Kudo leaned so far forward he almost toppled, eyes glued to the screen.

He forgot everything—seeing only his junior. With one hand he dug his nails into the backrest of the lobby sofa. He didn’t even notice he was shredding the leather.

Fingernails piercing leather, then stuffing.

Nails he always meticulously maintained so he could grip a sword properly.

The only human swordsman in Black Badger read Hilde’s stance.

“He’s going to cut.”

A heavy strike.

“A big one.”

KWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWAANG!

A white wave of air exploded outward.

The shockwave blasted the hovering drone backward. Radiant concentric rings of atmosphere burst from Hilde’s body.

Every direction except the door behind him was torn by a razor-sharp slash.

An attack that swallowed even sound.

Where the wave passed, only ruptured corpses remained.

Like a tsunami swallowing everything, the white blade-storm wiped out everything in front of him.

The shockwave gradually faded.

Silence arrived.

A stillness blooming in the wake.

Even the chat stopped. The Badgers froze.

For a moment—

[Hilde!]

The child’s voice snapped everyone out of the trance.

[Hilde! Are you okay?!]

“UWAAAAHH!!”

A roar burst from the building.

“UWAAAAAAAH!!”

The explosion of joy shook the entire structure as people screamed in relief.