Black Badger

“Yes.”

The handler replied politely, without surprise.

He was not worried about Hesh Lyle waking up. It was obvious he had ensured he would remain in a deep sleep for the time being.

“I apologize for acting presumptuously.”

“Haha. You truly have a talent for sensing this side of things.”

“Even if I had two mouths, I would have nothing to say.”

“It was refreshing, so that’s enough. The fact that you managed to make me feel that degree of stimulation is impressive in itself.”

Fortunately, the other party did not seem displeased.

However, Kairos did not state his business first. He knew quite well how to deal with a being who possessed power. No matter how generous and benevolent this existence might be, he read the boundary of goodwill clearly and did not overstep it.

“Speak.”

The Ice Dragon granted permission.

“But as you know, I cannot provide assistance that would alter the flow to either side.”

“Would you be willing to postpone uploading a selfie with Hildebert?”

Kairos went straight to the point.

The Ice Dragon blinked his clear eyes.

But the surprise that flickered within them did not last long. After lingering in the world for this long, it seemed unlikely that much could truly astonish him.

“I understand your intention.”

His youthful eyes curved softly.

“You want to leave something undone.”

Kairos gave a bitter smile.

“I apologize. At present, this is the only thing I can do.”

“Did you think that just because we didn’t take a single photograph together, I would come find you and tear out your leaf veins again? It was truly a light request.”

“When the concept of ‘light’ differs between us, it can mean very different things. I intend to deliver somewhat exaggerated words to Hildebert.”

“To warn him to be careful of promises made with a dragon?”

The Ice Dragon let out a small laugh.

Kairos closed his eyes and inclined his head respectfully.

“If you would permit it.”

“Well, something like this is nothing.”

A breath of relief slipped from Kairos’s lips.

It was not large enough to be called a sigh. He knew that in front of higher beings, it was best not to release any kind of sigh—including one of relief.

Still, a little of the breath he had been holding inevitably escaped. There was no one on Earth who understood the Ice Dragon’s power as well as he did.

Even when he performed the emotional transference, he had not been entirely certain. If the benevolent Ice Dragon had suddenly changed his attitude, decided he had crossed a line, and merely beat his wings once, Kairos would have turned to dust instantly.

But had Hildebert left him any other choice?

“How devoted of you.”

The Ice Dragon smiled strangely.

“I thought you might ask to be taken to a specific Creature, or make some cunning request capable of subtly overturning the board.”

“I am well aware that you would see through such tricks.”

Kairos lifted his eyelids, revealing his orange eyes.

“And that you would not grant them.”

He still felt no sign of his kin. Now Kairos detected only Creatures with his sixth sense.

This was a first.

When Hildebert had not been present, he sensed his kin outside the Core. When it had been war and Kyle’s side erased their presence, he sensed Hildebert instead.

But now Kairos felt as though he had become the sole Titan left in the world—borrowing a human expression.

Quite lonely.

He watched the Ice Dragon, who had laughed and said it was easy to converse with someone quick-witted, now gradually fading.

Even after the heavy Creature vanished, he remained standing still, engraving in his eyes the place where the Ice Dragon had been.

Once, he had said that he pitied humans who could never truly know another’s sincerity.

He still thought the same.

Humans possessed a self entirely independent from the world. As they grew, they lost the sense of being connected to it. A human child eventually encountered the moment of clearly recognizing their own ego, and then tried to suppress separation anxiety by playing with dolls or toys.

Lonely beings.

It was not as though those named Titans lacked individuality.

Still, Kairos believed they did not feel as fractured from the whole, as isolated, as humans did.

Except in moments like this.

He could not imagine the boundless sense of loss Hildebert must have felt when his leaf veins were damaged.

“I never thought I would feel this kind of loneliness in my lifetime. Don’t you think it’s worth living long enough to experience such things, Milk?”

Ppiu.

The Snow Thief hopped onto his shoulder and rubbed its face against his neck.

“You miss Hilde, don’t you?”

Byak.

Kairos stroked the Snow Thief for a long time.

***

[30 seconds until portal activation.]

Four Badgers stood within the Portal Zone.

All were dressed like Black Badgers heading outside the Core. After passing through the portal to Core 5, they would immediately move toward the objective point.

The objective was the train station that led outside the Core.

Several days earlier, a train leaving Core 5 had been captured in satellite imagery.

The weather had been poor that day, and although the photo was not clear, something presumed to be the tail of a train had been caught. After seeing that image, Yehyeon reportedly tore through Core 5’s data as though combing it with a fine-toothed rake: the electricity consumption of the only Black Badger-operated station in Core 5, the Core’s opening and closing logs, Core 5’s market prices, gold rates.

The conclusion had come quickly.

Something was moving in and out through Core 5.

However, key evidence had been systematically concealed. There were no anomalies in the train’s recorded electricity consumption. It was logged as though trains were used only when Badgers in Core 5 deployed outside the Core.

But the amount paid to Core 5’s electric corporation was excessively high.

Considering Core 5’s electricity rates, the situation became even more suspicious. The train manager in Core 5 explained that the trains were outdated and energy inefficient. However, the Center Core train manager replied that if efficiency had dropped to that extent, the train would stall mid-route.

In other words, the trains were departing more often than reported to headquarters.

[15 seconds.]

“It’s really been a while since I’ve been in the field.”

Ju smiled, eyes narrowing.

With his mask pulled up over his nose, the upward curve of his lips was not visible.

“My body’s probably rusted, so go easy on me. Ideally, there won’t be any engagement at all.”

“Yes... well, even if you say that, I’m sure you’ll perform well...”

“If we encounter the Titan side, retreat will take priority over engagement.”

Yehyeon spoke, his mask covering his nose and combat visor in place.

He was the squad leader.

“And if we face Kyle, our objective will be for at least one person to survive and return.”

The Badgers signaled their understanding.

Then they fell silent. Fully prepared to leap into the portal, they watched the activation time decrease.

The battlefield would not unfold immediately upon arrival.

But there was no guarantee that another kind of problem would not arise. They judged it highly likely they would encounter Titans in Core 5.

Part of the area previously classified as S-Zone had suddenly cleared.

When satellite images finally captured the now-clear region distinctly, the Badgers found nothing.

Which meant the Titans were moving.

[10]

The countdown began.

[9]

[8]

“It must be uncomfortable moving with us, of all people.”

Ju smiled as he stepped toward the portal.

“You probably would have preferred going with juniors.”

[7]

“No.”

[6]

“Don’t think about it too much.”

Ju finished preparing to enter.

“You’re both sensitive and too careful around each other. There’s no need to go that far.”

[5]

“Ju. Focus.”

Yehyeon scolded.

Then he sighed.

“Don’t make the junior more uncomfortable by saying things like that.”

[3]

Ricardo let out a small sigh as well.

Jonathan blinked.

[2]

[1]

[Portal Activation]

Brilliant light spread outward.

A powerful force swallowed those standing near the portal.

Ju wore a fresh smile, then lightly leapt into the portal.

***

X-Zone was a beautiful place.

There was an elegant stillness here, difficult to find in Center Core. The long, straight roads were meticulously maintained and devoid of human presence. The trees lining both sides were planted in identical shapes and identical intervals, evoking a sense of stability.

At the end of that road stood a massive gate.

The moment the nearly three-meter iron-bar gate was thrown open, an expansive garden unfolded.

The garden occupied nearly half of X-Zone’s land. Even in the dead of winter, when trees shed their leaves, this meticulously maintained space evoked not desolation, but beauty.

No.

That was before the current chaos.

I swung my sword, clearing away the ruins blocking my advance, and took in the sight before me.

Water pooled on the road from burst pipes.

Humans and combat robots. Creatures that had been kept somewhere. I had swept them away once with a sword strike, yet more poured out in swarms.

And beyond that chaos stood a massive mansion.

A place that suited Colton Wiseman very well.

‘Good day.’

I recalled our first meeting.

A handsome young man in his twenties, blond hair slicked back neatly, possessed a truly cold impression.

‘It’s an honor to meet you.’

I remember thinking it looked as though ice crystals might form in his eyes.

‘Colton Wiseman. I hope we will meet often going forward.’

Polite. Not arrogant like the senator who had introduced him. A being who never voiced his desires first, always waiting for me to open the conversation.

The moment I met Colton Wiseman, I knew he would succeed.

I just hadn’t expected him to succeed to this extent.

I also quickly recognized that he was a psychopath incapable of empathy. But at the time, there were many such people around me, so it did not particularly stand out.

Likewise, when Kyle—after being introduced to Colton—had remarked, ‘Just another sapling psychopath from a prestigious political family. Nothing interesting about him,’ I did not strongly disagree.

The reason I began to truly pay attention to him was...

‘Have you held a sword?’

At that time, when those occupying high seats had momentarily stepped away, leaving the two of us alone—

‘Hm?’

‘The calluses on your hands.’

I remember Colton speaking quietly, holding a teacup.

‘Both of you have them.’

“So did anyone actually fall for it?”

A familiar voice pulled me from my recollection.

The subordinate who had cut down the gate turned back toward me with a grin.

Even after so much time, he had not changed at all. I sighed.

“Since there were, stop grinning. Can’t you focus?”

“Ah, Commander. I really am focusing. For someone who hasn’t been in the field in a while, wasn’t I doing pretty well?”

“Your attack lines are a mess.”

I could not hold back the scolding.

The thoughts I had barely suppressed spilled out.

“The angle when you thrust forward is unnecessarily wide. I’ve told you countless times. If the angle opens that much, the power inevitably drops.”

“I wondered why you were letting it slide for once.”

“No, cut me some slack. Honestly, it’s embarrassing enough just standing in front of you, Commander. Still, I’m glad I haven’t forgotten how to launch a sword strike.”

“Everyone except Igor, stop using sword strikes.”

The moment I gave the order, my subordinates’ jaws dropped.

Protests erupted instantly. They whined that at our age, we weren’t aiming to become Swordmasters anyway—what was the problem with throwing out sloppy sword strikes?

It wasn’t an entirely unreasonable argument.

Come to think of it, I was suddenly not entirely confident they could avoid injury without using sword strikes.

So I sighed and accepted their complaints.

Then I lifted my head and looked at the park spread before me.

“Static.”

Yoow appeared behind us, speaking gloomily.

“It’s increasing the closer we get. They’ve definitely installed something in the garden.”

“Maybe they planted laser traps?”

Rose adjusted the visor she had been resting on her head and put it on properly.

“They installed a laser field in front of my husband’s safe. It had excellent detection—killed several intruders.”

“But this is a garden?”

The subordinates objected.

“Aren’t laser traps something you install inside narrow buildings?”

“Oh my.”

Rose giggled.

“There’s a wall surrounding the garden, isn’t there? If something encloses it, that’s enough.”

Instead of replying, I picked up the nearest corpse.

Then I hurled it into the garden beyond the ruined gate.

Biiing!

The corpse traced a parabola through the air. A laser from the right sliced off its leg. A laser from the left severed its shoulder.

It fell to the ground in three pieces.

My subordinates swallowed hard.

Igor spoke.

“That cutting power is impressive.”

“We would’ve turned into minced meat if we’d gone in without thinking.”

[It doesn’t seem to be only laser traps.]

Lee Seunghyun’s voice came through the communicator in my ear.

I raised an eyebrow. I had been considering tearing down the walls surrounding the vast garden.

“Then?”

[We haven’t identified it precisely either. But there’s something on the garden floor as well.]

“Landmines?”

[We suspect it may be a device forming some kind of field.]

It would be convenient if there were a Creature nearby suitable for subjugation.

Unfortunately, the Creatures that were difficult for us to subjugate and thus used for confrontation had all been cut down, and there was not a single Creature around fit for subjugation.

Hm.

After a brief consideration, I walked toward the gate.

The knights standing nearby arched their brows at my approach.

“What are you planning to do?”

“Stay back.”

Though unable to hide their unease, they obeyed readily.

Yoow cursed behind me.

“Don’t just go in recklessly!”

“I’m not going in.”

Just extending an arm.

Even if my arm were severed, I could reabsorb it and recover quickly.

Thinking it would have been easier if we had a healer, I stopped at the place where the gate had stood.

Then I extended my left arm past the threshold.

Prepared to yank it back instantly if a laser fired—

Zzzzzzt!

“Ugh!”

What came was not a laser.

But like facing a Thunder Dragon, something taut in the air surged violently up my arm.

At ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the same time, my body began absorbing it on its own.

As if Yun had pressed a machine against the back of my neck that accelerated absorption.