To think they would try to abandon me like this.

Richard Green ignored Yun’s rude reply. From what I saw, these people knew each other far too well. They must be sick of one another’s existence by now.

Green did not seem angry at Yun’s irritated retort.

“Now that it’s come to this, don’t overthink it either.”

[Yes, yes.]

No one was surprised by the curt answer.

That seemed to be Yun’s habit whenever Richard Green nagged.

Everyone had woken up. People gathered around the rusted table in the control room.

Somewhat sadly, most of the seniors did not want to sit next to me. It wasn’t so much that they were queasy about creatures being attracted to me as that they seemed betrayed I had kept my mouth shut until now.

Only Ami and Sylvia were exceptions.

Ami knew my situation. Sylvia... didn’t appear to care about my situation at all.

The more I looked at her, the more she seemed to be in the same department as my mentor.

Anyway, I was glad to have people filling the seats on both sides. I sat obediently between Ami and Sylvia and kept my mouth shut.

Seniors were calling my mentor on speakerphone. A Safe Point map hovered in the air.

Trevain shouted, still furious with everyone for hiding this fact from him.

“You crazy bastard. You knew and didn’t tell us a single word?”

My mentor was nonchalant.

[I didn’t.]

He had no intention of making excuses.

Words stopped there.

Trevain, who had closed his mouth briefly expecting a follow-up, became even angrier.

“You psychopath! We should get rid of all the brain-damaged people like you!”

[Isn’t Sylvia there?]

Yun snorted lightly over the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ phone.

[A wide-area snipe?]

“Cut the useless talk.”

“Hey. Isn’t it great? You’re getting favored so much. Say it straight. You two are totally attached to each other, right?”

“Jason Trevain!”

“Ah, seriously!”

Green and Ami shouted angrily at the same time.

Leeho and the blond senior Bobby’s faces stiffened too. But Yun himself did not get angry.

His mocking voice came through the phone.

[They’re scared. They’re jealous they don’t get Yehyeon’s favoritism.]

My mentor had a natural talent for rubbing people the wrong way.

Bang! The table cracked. Trevain jumped up, about to smash the phone. In the end, we had to pause the meeting for a while.

Richard Green ordered everyone to leave the room so he could study the terrain and plan the operation. The seniors hurriedly returned upstairs.

The excited Trevain was taken care of by Leeho. “Ah, senior, this isn’t amateur hour—what are you doing?” his bleating voice rang out.

The control room emptied.

I stayed until the seniors had left first.

Before leaving, I caught Richard Green’s eye and bowed slightly.

“You.”

The senior, who was staring at me with burning eyes, said heavily.

I did not avoid his gaze.

“Yes.”

“You’re prepared, right?”

“Yes.”

In truth, I had resolved myself the moment I accepted Yehyeon’s words to become a Badger.

I had never told anyone, but at that time I hardened my resolve and accepted Yehyeon’s offer.

Now I had no intention of being surprised or despondent. Whether privately or publicly, I would not turn away from problems I had unintentionally created.

Ami was waiting at the stairs. Feeling her presence, I bowed to Richard again.

“If you make the plan, I’ll follow it.”

After answering, I turned and headed for the stairs.

***

Although surrounded by a horde of creatures, the Safe Point was also surrounded by a small concealment field.

So we weren’t in immediate danger. Ami hauled me up to the second floor.

“If you stay on the first floor, the seniors will be watching you.”

The senior gently grabbed my arm and pulled. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Hearing Ami’s casual voice made my throat tighten a little.

I appreciated the natural kindness she had shown since the first day we met.

We climbed the stairs and headed to the room on the second floor with the largest windows. One wall was entirely glass. When I shoved the old door open and stepped in, the view filled my eyes.

A creature estimated to be seventh rank stood in the darkness right in front of me.

The creature looked straight at me.

With eyes that took up almost half of the window.

“Looks like a strange human.”

Ami walked into the room, shuffling, and said casually.

“Hilde, do you know the Eight-span Ghost?”

“No?”

“It’s a huge long ghost. Kind of like that.”

Oddly, her voice had no fear.

But I understood what she meant. Long gray strands, whether fur or hair, covered a long face like a curtain.

Meanwhile, a huge red-rimmed eye was clearly open.

That bloodshot eye looked at me resentfully.

What on earth did I ever do to you?

As I walked diagonally into the room, the creature’s enormous eyeball rolled and followed me. Its body did not move, but the pupil faithfully tracked my direction.

Ami made a little sound.

“Creepy.”

“Indeed. It’s bizarre.”

“Have you ever fought a giant creature like this, Hilde?”

I nodded while staring at the bloodshot eye that filled half the window, and Ami stepped to my side.

She watched the creature with me and gave advice.

“Bore under the body, hit the legs, then attack when it loses balance. That’s the easiest.”

“Oh, I think I understand. Thank you for the advice.”

“Yeah. If you time it right and go inside the body, it’s hard for them to attack you.”

Just like Yehyeon had slashed through the gap a tenth-rank creature made.

It was textbook swordsmanship. The image that would not leave my head reappeared.

Perfect footwork and smooth techniques. Skilled leg movement. Yun’s claim that he had learned swordsmanship properly.

Who had taught him?

I put my hand on the hilt of the sword I was wearing. Yun had given me a bigger sword when I desperately shouted in the underground parking lot after killing the pig.

As expected, a thick, long sword fit my hand better than a thin, short one.

Sometimes this sword left an odd, unsatisfied feeling...

But I had no major complaints. Only a small regret. The sword still performed well enough.

Having heard Yun’s irritated claims, when the operation started I’d probably be using the sword instead of a gun, right?

I hoped so, at least.

“But how does it really know where you are?”

Ami muttered as she stared at the eye outside that would not part from me.

“That’s really strange, right?”

“Indeed. That’s what I’m most curious about.”

“Anyway, let’s kill them all.”

The senior with a youthful voice suggested briskly.

“The headquarters scientists have tried to tame them for decades, but creatures never become domesticated.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Especially the more human-like they are.”

He continued almost to himself.

“They have far more malice than the others... I’d say.”

Purple, I thought.

Suddenly a voice popped into my head.

A person with long black hair spoke to me: remember. The things the world gave us. Things only we can feel. Can you feel it? The life force that seems about to explode. The sense of being connected. The vivid feeling of life flowing through the body.

He let out his characteristic refreshing laugh.

They know nothing. That blue-haired researcher, the slitted-eyed human, the old men.

He had always mocked the two-tone-haired researcher in that faint memory. I sank into the hazy recollection.

Who would know? Who could dare guess our solidarity?

In my memories, we were always obsessively in a white room. When the two of us were left in that pristine room, he would freely reveal the thoughts he hid.

His habitual words echoed in my head.

They are blind. They know nothing.

They know nothing...

So what?

In the end I could not remember beyond that.

***

Cut the bridge.

Noon. The sun high in the sky. Secured visibility.

It was time to start the operation. A bridge lay a few kilometers away. Thick and sturdy, still holding its form.

Below the bridge was a cliff. If you fell, you would not return alive except maybe in flying-type creatures.

I would drive the car and lure the creatures there.

The seniors planned to frantically pursue the creatures trailing me. They would hunt in order from the rear.

Most creatures would be fixated on me and would not think to look back. No matter how many there were, it should not be too difficult.

As long as Ami and I handled ourselves well.

Ami had the best mobility, so she would be with me. Her role was to fly over from beyond the broken bridge and scoop me up.

We planned to cut the bridge to remove any creatures we could not finish off. Ami and I would throw bombs as soon as we crossed the bridge. Boom! The bridge would explode and the creatures would plunge.

A simple yet effective plan.

There were no immediate visible problems.

I had memorized the map.

“Ready.”

I reported after checking gear status inside Yun’s sports car.

“We will depart as soon as the signal drops.”

[Ami.]

“I’m ready, too.”

Ami, wearing jet-black gloves, opened and closed her small hands.

“Give the order.”

The radio went dead.

A brief silence occurred. I cleared my mind and looked at the car window, then turned my head to the gaze I felt beside me.

Ami grinned.

“Do your best!”

I widened my eyes.

“Yes. I’ll step on it as much as possible.”

“You’re not nervous.”

Ami let out a clear laugh.

“Isn’t it your first time facing such a large creature? Hilde, you’re really amazing.”

Is that so?

I blinked a couple of times. I did not actually feel nervous. I simply thought this was not unusual.

My comrades Hesh and Tom probably wouldn’t be overly nervous either.

Hesh might even enjoy it.

Vroom!

While I wondered about my comrades’ condition, a sound announced the start of the operation.

It wasn’t transmitted over the radio. But the sound was so loud you could not miss it.

The sound of breath mobilizing.

I watched the main gate while keeping my foot on the brake. The gate was wide open inside. A translucent membrane stood in front of it.

It trembled and opened with a sound.

An odd, gigantic sound. Wuuuu. Wuuuu.

Like a balloon.

The membrane opened.

I floored the accelerator.

Screeeeetch!

As I drove through the creatures gathered in front of the Safe Point, the operation began.