I caught him quickly.

It wasn’t hard. The terrified scientist had run straight into an empty office by mistake, which made things even easier.

I quietly closed what looked like a meeting room door behind us.

The scientist realized he was cornered and began trembling violently.

“Calm down. I won’t hurt you.”

...Did that make it worse? Judging from how hard he was shaking now, apparently yes.

This won’t work.

I just stood there, watching him quake pitifully while still clutching that human-head-sized bundle like his life depended on it.

I waited so long, without moving, that even his fear grew stale.

Finally, the man raised his head, the bundle still covering half his face.

“...Aren’t you going to take it?”

“You’d have to hand it to me first.”

I answered coolly.

He made a strange expression. I didn’t bother trying to guess his thoughts. Instead, I hung my hands loose at my sides to show I wasn’t threatening him.

The scientist hugged the bundle tighter and studied me.

A tense silence followed. I didn’t speak first, but I didn’t look away either. I couldn’t see my own face, but I was half sure I was wearing a perfect blank expression.

In the end, the thief surrendered.

“Y-you always listen so well...”

“...What?”

I leaned in, not to miss his faint voice.

The scientist’s eyes welled up.

“Always kind... always listened to me... I just... always wanted to be with him...”

“You... wanted to be with him?”

I couldn’t help repeating.

“You stole him because you wanted to be with him?”

He nodded through tears, wiping his face with his sleeve.

I stared blankly at this man, late 30s maybe, crying like a child. That was his reason for taking Martin?

Unbelievable.

“I didn’t steal him... I just wanted to take him home...”

“And Martin’s will?”

I couldn’t keep the sharpness out of my voice. He flinched.

“He said... he enjoyed talking with me... that he wanted to keep talking...”

“You could’ve done that at the lab.”

“I... got transferred.”

The scientist muttered gloomily.

“I leave next week.”

He looked down at the bundle with sorrowful eyes. Hunched shoulders, graying black hair, unshaven stubble, a worn-out look. Pitiful, maybe—but stealing Martin was unforgivable.

I was about to tell him to hand Martin over—no need to report it to Yun—when the man burst into sobs.

He cried so wretchedly it startled me. Tears poured down his cheeks as he pushed the bundle toward me.

“M-Martin won’t turn on...”

What?

“E-even when I bought the right cable and plugged it in, he wouldn’t... I panicked... I was so scared, so I brought him back...”

“You mean the right cable didn’t work? Why? Did you touch something?”

“I—I don’t know... I really carried him carefully...”

He was crying so hard he could barely open his eyes.

I snatched the bundle and pulled it open. Inside the satin bag was Martin’s round body. Smooth, white casing. Huge lens.

Normally, his lens flickered with blue light as he zipped across the lab’s ceilings and walls.

Now, there was nothing. Just heavy black covering the lens.

“Martin!”

I held him in both hands and screamed.

“Martin! Wake up!”

“Maartiiin...”

Beside me, the scientist sobbed loudly.

“Martin, I’m sorry... I...”

We called his name over and over.

Eventually I came to my senses.

No, this isn’t the time. Getting emotional won’t fix anything.

With Martin under my arm, I spoke gently to the despairing man. I softened my voice, coaxed him.

Thank you for bringing him back. I’ll take him to Yun and John. If you’re afraid of facing Yun, just give me your number. I’ll keep your identity secret, but if I need to ask something, answer honestly...

The scientist’s eyes filled with gratitude.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

“I’ll turn myself in.”

“...What? Really?”

“Yes.”

He clenched his teeth and nodded.

“I’ll apologize to the scientists too.”

I lit up with joy. Good. He should face what he did.

I praised his courage and urged him to come with me to Yun first. Saving Martin was urgent. The lab’s beloved mascot might be broken.

But when I threw open the door, his face darkened.

Following me hesitantly, he grabbed my sleeve.

“C-could you... speak kindly to Yun ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) for me?”

“...Ah.”

I understood his fear.

“Of course. I’ll cover you as best I can.”

His eyes filled with gratitude.

Afraid he might change his mind, I gripped his arm firmly and, with Martin under the other, led him toward Yun.

***

Yun was dumbfounded.

So dumbfounded he didn’t even have the energy to get angry. Standing outside the ward with murder on his face, ready to flay the thief alive, my mentor listened to my explanation. Then he just snorted, “Hah,” disbelief plain in his tone.

When I begged for leniency, he sighed, shaking his head. His face said it all: This is too ridiculous for words.

After he finished radiating disdain, we returned to the lab. The scientist—his name was Peter—stuck close to my side, unable to meet Yun’s eyes.

I didn’t push him away.

Inside, the wide chaotic lab froze at once. The scientists stopped moving, their heads snapping toward us.

It was as if someone had hit a pause button on the entire room.

Dozens of eyes locked on us. Glass-sharp silence.

Me, Yun, and Peter all stopped too.

“Martin.”

I raised him high for all to see.

“He’s back.”

The lab’s idol had returned.

A deafening roar erupted.

The noise shook the room like an earthquake. I flinched instinctively. Unlike Yun, I didn’t manage to slip away.

Their eyes blazed. Screaming, the scientists rushed me like a herd of buffalo.

“Calm down!”

“Hilde brought Martin back!”

“Martin! Martin!”

“Hilde! Hilde!”

They didn’t calm down.

I backed away quickly. Damn it. I should’ve remembered how crazy they were about Martin.

“Don’t run! Calm down!”

They ignored me.

If I weren’t a Badger, I’d have been crushed under the mob. As it was, I barely withstood them as they clung to me like magnets.

Ow, ow, ow. Why are humans so obsessed with Martin?

Grumbling inwardly, I never lowered the arm shielding Martin above my head.

“I need to power him on, so please calm down!”

“You’re amazing, Hilde! Truly Yun’s proud mentee!”

“The lab’s VVIP!”

“Put him on the podium! The 30-million-won hero!”

“Buy us coffee with 30 million!”

“Pizza!”

“Chicken!”

“My quest!”

“No, mine next!”

I need to check if Martin’s okay!

But they wouldn’t listen. Surrounded, dragged, I had no choice.

Where? The answer soon appeared—several scientists were dragging out a huge awards podium.

Why the hell is there a podium in the lab?

I definitely did not want to stand on it.

But I couldn’t resist, not without hurting them. They knew it too.

Yun, of course, didn’t help.

Instead, he reached out, plucked Martin from my arms, and said,

“Good luck.”

...Good luck?

“You earned thirty million.”

“I told you, Yun, I didn’t find Martin—Peter brought him...! Anyway, help me! They won’t let me go!”

“They’ll calm down eventually.”

Expressionless, he examined Martin.

“Just endure it.”

He abandoned me.

So I was forced up onto the podium, given a 3D-printed trophy labeled 30,000,000 Won, a flower necklace made from greenhouse blossoms, photographed with cameras worth a fortune, and cheered like a war hero.

The top geeks of Center Core truly operated on another scale.

Stumbling off the stage, I felt a floral crown placed on my head. Someone shoved another bouquet into my arms. I accepted them soullessly and staggered across the lab.

At Yun’s desk, he and John were working on Martin. Scientists clustered nearby, careful to keep their distance from those two geniuses.

Of course—no one dared breach Yun’s personal space.

I slipped through the ring and stood at Yun’s side.

“Yun. Martin—”

Ding!

Power surged on.

Martin’s lens lit up.

[Reboot complete. Initializing.]

[Hello!]

A cheerful voice rang out.

[Yun! John! Long time no see! Did I run out of power? My memory cuts off strangely.]

“Martin!”

From afar, Peter clasped his hands.

“You woke up! I’m sorry!”

But his heartfelt apology was drowned by the scientists’ ecstatic cheers.

Their deafening roar filled the lab again.

Through the noise, I heard Yun questioning Martin to check his condition. Clear answers followed. Then Yun turned to John.

“What should we do with the thief?”

The kind of question one would only ask a co-creator.

But John didn’t look at the thief. Instead, he hugged Martin’s spinning body tightly, as if holding his own child.

The gray-haired genius finally spoke.

“He’s back. That’s enough.”

A tearful reunion, huh.

“...Um, my name...”

“You mean me, sir? I’m Test Subject Zero.”

“Give Zero the reward money.”

John looked at me as he said it.

“That’s enough.”

Yun gave a small, scoffing laugh.

Martin spun in delight, the scientists cheered wildly, and just like that—the Martin theft incident was over.

Martin was once again the lab’s darling. Peter endured glares of contempt, but he still left intact for his branch assignment.

And I received the reward. After tax: thirty million won, lump sum.

My name even went up on the Quest Hall of Fame. Top reward ever claimed, above even senior Badgers: Hildebert Taleb – Total Reward: 30,000,000 won.

From then on, I was treated as the lab’s hero. Every time I entered, they greeted me with cheers of “Our hero has arrived!”

Even John Mühlen remembered my name.

Zero.

And so the Martin theft incident ended, bringing small changes with it.

More than being treated as a hero or having John remember me, what made me happiest was that I grew closer with Martin. After that, I visited him often. I even exchanged messages with Peter, stationed at his new branch.

Time spent with those outside the Badgers.

Up until the day before the Social Gathering, that’s how I spent my days.