I dropped to my knees in front of the man who had collapsed.

“Hey!”

I lifted the gray-haired man’s head and shouted urgently.

“Sir, wake up!”

[Oh my!]

A voice cried out from above me.

...From above?

I raised my head. A round machine attached to the ceiling came into view. Hanging there like a disco ball, it was watching me and the fallen man through its camera.

[John has finally collapsed!]

I hadn’t misheard. The voice was definitely coming from that disco-ball-like thing.

Still cradling the unconscious man, I stared up at it.

“Finally?”

[I’ll contact Doctor Han right away! Stranger, could you please carry John to the hospital?]

“Uh...”

Flustered, I trailed off and looked around.

People in white lab coats stretched their necks, staring at me. Some half-risen from their seats, others murmuring, “Should we help?”

What was strange was that no one seemed particularly shocked. Rather than surprise, their faces showed expressions like, “At last, it’s happened.”

Why were they all acting as if they had expected this?

Anyway, the man had to be taken to the hospital first. I was thinking that when a familiar voice fell.

“Ah.”

I had never been so relieved to hear my mentor’s low voice.

“So it finally came to this?”

“Yun!”

I called out happily to the man who had stopped in front of me.

“You’re here! The person at the next desk suddenly collapsed...”

“He didn’t eat.”

Yun said flatly.

What?

“Didn’t eat what?”

“Meals. Pick him up. We’ll head to Samuel together.”

Yun flicked the papers in his hand, pointing at the man lying stiff in my arms like dried wood.

Once again, he wasn’t surprised. My mentor simply watched me lift the man as though I were picking up a dumbbell at the gym.

The researchers who had been peering at us one by one turned their eyes back to their monitors.

The lab quickly regained its rhythm. Only the disco-ball hovered above, spinning and keeping its camera fixed on us.

[I’ve already contacted Doctor Han!]

“Mm. Good.”

“What is that?”

I looked from Yun’s dry response to the disco-ball’s loud exclamation.

“Disco-ball AI?”

“Disco-ball?”

[Disco-ball AI?]

Yun glared at me like I’d just said the stupidest thing on earth. The machine echoed my words in an incredulous tone.

But I only blinked. By now, that expression of his didn’t faze me. Somewhere along the way, I had stopped worrying about looking foolish in front of him.

Most humans must look foolish to him anyway.

Yun spoke.

“His name is Martin.”

“Martin?”

[Pleased to meet you!]

There really was all sorts of nonsense here.

The AI’s tone was bright yet polite. Lifting my chin, I met the camera with a nod.

Still carrying the unconscious man, I followed Yun out of the lab toward the hospital wing. Martin slid after us silently.

Why was it following?

Even after leaving the noisy lab, the disco-ball trailed me.

Yun rolled his eyes at it.

“Martin. Stay inside.”

[Aha. Understood!]

The machine obeyed at once, gliding back into the lab as quietly as it had emerged. As soon as it was out of sight, I hurried to close the distance between me and my mentor.

“Can that thing go outside the lab?”

“If it wants. Inside the research building, it’s free to roam.”

“Built, you mean?”

I didn’t miss his last word.

The hallway bustled with people in lab coats. I had to take care not to bump the unconscious man’s dangling limbs against anyone.

Without looking back, Yun explained.

“I made it.”

“...What.”

“Strictly speaking, the man you’re carrying and I made it together.”

This gray-haired man?

Hearing that, I suddenly thought I knew his name. Hadn’t Yun mentioned once before—there was a man who invented the Core?

Later he had added that the founder of the Core had received an enhanced body.

I looked down at the unconscious man.

“I never heard directly from him, but... may I ask his name?”

“John Mühlen.”

As I thought.

His long limbs dangled limply. Yet the people in the building were not shocked by the bizarre sight; they simply went about their business.

“Even if he hadn’t collapsed, you wouldn’t have heard his name from him.”

“Sorry?”

“He’s so absorbed in research he forgets to eat. You think he’d bother answering anyone?”

Not didn’t eat—forgot to eat?

Was that even possible? I could barely stand skipping one meal before I felt faint with hunger. Questions piled up in my head, but I held my tongue.

The once-lively corridor gradually quieted, taking on the atmosphere of a hospital.

In the calm, I called out to Yun.

“Did you name Martin yourself?”

He turned to look at me. With an expression that asked why I would even ask, he answered flatly:

“Yeah.”

Satisfied with that answer, I fell silent until we reached Doctor Han’s office.

***

Samuel was eating a sandwich at his desk.

When we walked in, he lifted his head, his rugged face and sharp blue eyes exactly as I remembered from when I first arrived in this world.

He frowned deeply when he saw us stride in.

“So he collapsed after all?”

The doctor set down his sandwich and sprang to his feet.

“I knew it. I told you to make sure he was eating properly.”

“I haven’t been in the lab much lately because of this rookie.”

Yun shot back as Samuel strode toward him.

But Samuel Han ignored him. Examining the unconscious man’s pale face, he sighed.

“Lindsey! Pris!”

Nurses rushed in.

“John Mühlen’s here. No need to tell you the diagnosis. Take him, hook up an IV. And this kid holding him—run a health check.”

“Yes, doctor. He hasn’t left the lab for weeks, no wonder it came to this.”

Everything moved quickly.

The nurses smoothly transferred John Mühlen from my arms. Freed, I was ushered away for a round of tests.

Nothing had changed from the first day.

Afterward, I returned to Samuel Han’s office.

On the bed lay John Mühlen, hooked up to fluids. Samuel sat at his desk chatting with my mentor.

...Chatting? With Choi Yun?

“Oh, good work.”

The doctor, chuckling at something Yun said, leaned to peer at me.

“Sit down. Have you been eating? Every time you show up here you’re on an empty stomach.”

“Ah, yes. I usually do. I just happened to skip lunch today.”

“Then take the last sandwich. At least eat that.”

Samuel gestured to a round chair.

What a good man... I obeyed readily. Chewing the sandwich he handed me, I waited as he checked my test results.

Yun sat with his legs crossed, also waiting for the doctor to speak.

At last Samuel broke the silence.

“You’re not unhealthy right now.”

“Thank you. I thought I was fine too.”

“But your recovery rate can’t be raised. Normally, at this level of recovery, the enhanced body should be breaking down. Yet you’re in perfect balance. If we force an increase, your body could fail.”

What?!

My jaw dropped. So I had to stay a half-baked Black Badger forever?

That couldn’t be. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) I didn’t want to be a burden on my peers and seniors every mission.

Yun spoke next.

“So he just has to live like this?”

“That’s safest. He’s healthy. No reason to tamper with it.”

“But his recovery is weaker than other Badgers. Better than ordinary humans, yes—but he still can’t stop bleeding quickly.”

“Even so, it’s risky to intervene. Boosting recovery isn’t harmless. And his recovery isn’t civilian level either. No normal human heals this fast. Can’t he just stay like this?”

“Doctor, I’d like either to raise my recovery or dispose of the enhancement altogether.”

I cautiously voiced my opinion.

Samuel whipped his head toward me, his wide eyes saying it all.

He stared, then spoke slowly.

“What did you say?”

“At this rate I’ll just be a burden. If I can’t pull my weight, maybe it’s better to scrap the enhancements...”

“Do you have any idea how much strain that would put on your body?”

He frowned.

I didn’t avert my gaze. I nodded.

“I’ve heard.”

“And you still say that so easily? Don’t be reckless.”

“It may sound reckless, but I’m sincere. You know where I came from. I already caused trouble by appearing out of nowhere—continuing like this would just...”

“What trouble? What have you done?”

Held back my peers.

I opened my mouth, but he didn’t give me a chance.

He waved his hand dismissively.

“Instead of spouting nonsense, go train more. Unless being a Black Badger feels unbearable, I won’t dispose of a perfectly sound enhancement.”

“Then... could we at least attempt to raise my recovery to normal Badger level?”

“Easier said than done! If it goes wrong, it’s irreversible. Just train harder! Enough that a slightly slower recovery won’t matter! That’s the best option. Learn emergency treatment perfectly from Yun.”

“But isn’t there still a problem?”

“It’s strange there isn’t! Usually at this recovery speed, the body would already be collapsing...”

“Ever since that day, the Core has been strange.”

A new voice cut in.

It came from the corner of the infirmary. All of us turned toward the sound.

Lying there like in a coffin, hands clasped, eyes open and fixed on the ceiling—

The man spoke. His blue eyes gleamed.

“Where’s the one who fell out of the Portal?”

It was the first time John Mühlen had ever spoken.