Chapter 341: Enhanced Body (1)

Is this bastard insane?

I stared blankly at the man across from me.

Did he do this on purpose?

He disabled the Core device even knowing that he himself would end up under an open sky?

With how many people vacationing on this island...!

“Ah, of course, those who were innocent in the current situation were evacuated in advance yesterday.”

“...What?”

Still dazed, I looked at the Elder smiling brightly.

A man wearing a loose short-sleeved shirt befitting a resort.

He kept smiling as if he didn’t notice Shashinsky standing behind him with his eyes closed, looking like he was dead tired.

“There was no need to make even those who agreed to the Core device inspection suffer this calamity, was there?”

The Elder turned his head and swept his gaze over the hotel in front of us, where not a single person remained.

“I contacted them last night. Told them the Core device was unstable and that they should move to the emergency Core. Those who didn’t answer because they were asleep, I personally went and woke up.”

“...What is this?”

The other man was being far too calm. It left me stunned.

I felt an impulse to smash the smiling face of the handsome middle-aged man in front of me.

“What exactly are you trying to do? Yes, I bear some responsibility for not inspecting the Core device immediately upon arrival, but... if you knew in advance, you could have issued an evacuation order for the entire island!”

“I told you. Only those who opposed bringing inspection personnel onto the island are left. They’re simply receiving the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) consequences of their own actions.”

“Do you enjoy this?”

“Quite a bit.”

Eric’s eyes narrowed, his smile stretching longer.

When I heard his final reply, lower than usual, goosebumps rose along my skin.

It was a visceral rejection—the kind that comes from encountering a genuine madman.

“Self-sufficiency isn’t very tasty, you see.”

Erhart said it casually.

“Saving people who’ve fallen into misfortune I myself created is, surprisingly, not very fun.”

“Then you shouldn’t have destroyed the Core device in the first place.”

“If I hadn’t touched it, an error would have occurred a month from now anyway.”

A sense of dread seeped into Erhart’s smile.

“I merely moved the timing up.”

Surprisingly, Eric Erhart is not someone who falls neatly into the category of a psychopath or sociopath.

Just as not every dictator is born with a defect in the brain. Erhart, too, was someone who knew what conscience was. And because of that, he despised and looked down on those he deemed excessively vulgar—those who filmed and uploaded me without permission, those who arrogantly insisted on refusing Core inspections.

A normal man, capable of clearly distinguishing guilt from innocence.

And yet, he had no hesitation in pushing those who failed to meet his standards into a dead end.

I knew his type all too well.

Among them, Erhart was of a particularly vile variety. He loved theatrical flair far more than necessary.

The Elder, who had reportedly enjoyed himself more than anyone during Jaeyeon’s rampage, smiled leisurely.

“Your physical condition hasn’t been great lately, has it?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I gathered those who opposed the inspection in one place. Told them rescue would come if they waited in that shelter.”

“And that shelter is in the opposite direction of the Portal Zone?”

Erhart burst out laughing.

“Sharp.”

You piece of shit.

And of all times, my sixth sense was malfunctioning—I couldn’t even feel the presence of Creatures.

“As I said, they’re expendable. It’s their own doing. They must have been prepared for this outcome when they opposed the Core device. Isn’t that right?”

“You’re capable of sarcasm too, I see. But Black Badgers do not choose who to save. The emergency Core is currently operating, correct?”

“Of course.”

Eric straightened his posture.

“The moment the Core device blew, the emergency small Core activated. For reference, the Portal Zone is included within the emergency Core. If you bring the people in the shelter to that building, that counts as a successful rescue.”

Damn it.

At least the fact that this was an island, and that not a single Creature had been discovered on the island so far, gave me some relief.

It meant we only had to worry about flying Creatures and amphibious ones crawling out from the sea.

My sixth sense wasn’t working—but looked at another way, that meant the enemies couldn’t sense me either.

The situation wasn’t absolute worst-case yet.

Thinking I needed to report to HQ first, I pulled out my phone.

If we were lucky, we might resolve everything before the Creatures arrived.

This was the middle of the sea, after all, and even flying Creatures would need some time to cross it...

“When I arrive at the emergency Core, please have it opened without incident.”

“Others will open it. I won’t be going in.”

“...What?”

My voice jumped.

“Why not?”

“I need to give you a ride.”

“I have a rental car.”

“I sent that off with the hotel cleaners.”

What?

When?

How—

No.

“...That was considerate of you, but did it have to be my car?”

“There weren’t enough vehicles. It’s peak season, so the number of staff staying here is unusually high. So I sent the cheapest car—yours. Easier to compensate if it gets damaged, isn’t it?”

“...I suppose....”

A classic case of giving poison and medicine at the same time.

Since he’d evacuated the staff, it felt awkward to complain about my car.

Let’s deal with the urgent matter first and think about it later.

As I thought that and raised the phone to my ear, I heard Shashinsky let out a sigh so deep it felt like the ground might collapse.

“From now on, please don’t ever suggest we ‘just take a vacation.’”

Ignoring Erhart’s cheerful laughter, I began my report.

***

Crack!

The fountain pen in Yehyeon’s hand snapped cleanly in two.

Neither Ska nor Gilbert nor the secretaries reacted.

The Commander-in-Chief stared down at the table with an expressionless face.

He brushed the broken pen pieces off the desk.

“Activate every Portal in Core 15.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Send aerial support.”

As he issued orders, the Commander-in-Chief pressed his sharply jointed fingers firmly against his temples.

“Once everyone inside the emergency Core has been evacuated, deploy the Badgers on emergency standby.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And the media?”

“It’s blocked.”

The secretary answered while looking down at her pad.

“It appears an embargo has been placed.”

Yehyeon let out a deep sigh.

He buried his face in one hand, then lifted his head again before a full minute had passed.

“There’s nothing we can do immediately. Until the evacuation is complete, prioritize all reports related to this incident.”

“Understood.”

“Any Creatures near the Core?”

“None detected at present. There were originally no Creatures on land, and aquatic or aerial types do not appear to have approached yet.”

“Who’s the Badger currently stationed in Core 15?”

For a moment, no one answered.

Reading the hesitation of his subordinates, Yehyeon frowned and raised his head.

A posting to Core 15 was effectively considered a ‘long vacation.’

The person assigned would have changed after the confrontation with Kyle...

“Jason Trevain.”

Ska finally answered.

Yehyeon covered his eyes with his palm.

He couldn’t tell whether it was fortunate to have someone so highly skilled there, or troublesome to have someone so uncooperative toward Hilde.

At least he could be certain that Trevain wouldn’t run in the face of a Creature.

And he wasn’t some nobody who’d hold Hildebert back, either—so it wasn’t the worst possible assignment.

We’ll just have to trust that he’ll handle it.

“And the doctor?”

He asked the last thing he wanted to confirm.

His voice was heavy with fatigue.

“Where did he evacuate to?”

***

Samuel nearly had a heart attack when he learned he had to ride in Erhart’s car.

It seemed Erhart’s presence terrified him more than the fact that the Core protecting us was gone.

The man finished preparing in a panic and rushed out, pointing accusingly at the Elder who was smiling and waving broadly.

“Perverted-cult leader!”

“Hahaha! It’s been a while, Doctor!”

“I’m sorry. I’ll drive.”

Shashinsky bowed politely beside Erhart.

“I will escort you as safely as possible.”

Words with little credibility, coming from those who had disabled the Core device themselves.

But we didn’t have any other options.

And I liked the fact that Shashinsky was coming with us. The red-haired aide was also an enhanced body owner. If an emergency broke out, he’d be a decent asset.

Erhart would mind Yehyeon just enough not to kill Samuel. So even if something happened, at least Samuel would be safe.

With that judgment made, I got into the Elder’s sleek car and called my senior.

Someone I never thought I’d have to contact during this assignment.

It was Trevain.

[Fuck!]

As soon as I explained the situation, Trevain exploded.

[Was this your doing?!]

“No, sir. Anyone not inside the emergency Core has all been moved to the shelter—”

[Then why the fuck are you here?!]

Trevain bellowed.

[Only one Badger is supposed to be assigned here!]

“Doctor Samuel is with me. We were ordered to come on assignment—”

[Just send me the shelter location!]

Still didn’t listen to a word anyone said.

[Creature bastard!]

The call cut off unilaterally.

It wasn’t surprising.

If anything, I even felt relieved that the Badger assigned here was Trevain. For all his attitude, he was competent, and he didn’t freeze in front of Creatures.

In terms of fighting strength, there was nothing lacking.

For now, no Creatures were visible to the naked eye.

I looked up at the sky.

A vivid blue expanse.

Not a single cloud.

Even though the car was speeding along at 160 kilometers per hour, the sky didn’t change at all.

I’m getting carsick.

I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth.

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

As I searched for a posture that might ease the nausea, I hoped the Creatures wouldn’t cross over the water or the sky.

So that the perverted Elder who’d disabled the Core device a month early for his own amusement would be utterly disappointed....

“What’s that sound?”

Samuel craned his head.

“Combat? Did aerial support arrive already?”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

I reflexively lifted my chin. My sixth sense was gone, but in exchange my other senses had been honed to a razor edge.

My sharpened hearing picked up the approaching presence.

The sound of massive wings cleaving the air struck my ears.

And then it entered my field of vision.

An ice dragon.

Even though its flight carried no malice, its pressure swept over my body. Fear and shuddering awe ran up my spine.

It was flying calmly. The glacier-colored dragon crossed over the island without a single flap of its wings.

But I saw it tilt its body slightly and look down at me.

Ancient reptilian eyes swept straight over me.

Just enduring that gaze made the back of my head go cold.

Ah.

“That won’t do.”

That was clearly an existence old enough to speak human language.

Unlike fire dragons or thunder dragons, which lived comparatively shorter lives among dragonkind, ice dragons lived for an unimaginably long time.

It was said that ice dragons who lived a thousand years could speak.

In all of history, no one had ever defeated a dragon capable of speech. And since ice dragons did not attack unless provoked, there was neither a need nor a way to defeat them.

Kairos was right.

The best option was not to approach it.

I watched as the ice dragon, after looking at me, turned its head and moved away.

Only after that massive presence left my sight did I lower my gaze from the sky.

Then I looked back at Erhart, who was stroking his chin with interest, Shashinsky gone pale, and the doctor standing there with his mouth hanging open.

“We got lucky. For a while, flying Creatures won’t even come near this area.”

Nothing would dare approach a place with a top-tier predator like that.

“Unless the dragon attacks suddenly, the sky should be safe now.”

“It was looking at you.”

The Elder in the passenger seat turned his head to look at me.

“An acquaintance of yours?”

“No chance.”

Probably just curious about someone whose sixth sense was damaged.

In reality, I hadn’t felt even a trace of that heavy ice dragon’s presence.

That fact stabbed sharply at my insides.

“You don’t look well.”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

“You came to find a doctor, didn’t you?”

Ignoring my curt reply, the Elder smiled.

I wasn’t surprised that they knew my purpose.

Separate from surprise, I wasn’t in the mood to answer, but Erhart didn’t mind and continued.

“That doctor is also in the shelter.”

Samuel and I straightened at the same time.

“He’s afraid of enhanced body owners, you see. He’s been consistently opposing inspections because he believes someone with an enhanced body might disguise themselves as a Core inspector and enter.”

...What?

As I widened my eyes at the unexpected information, Erhart’s eyes curved into crescents.

“If you’d gone to find the doctor under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have received you.”

“How is it any different now? The situation’s gone from bad to worse—it’s not like it’s improved.”

Samuel grumbled.

“Just tell us who this rumored doctor is.”

“Ah, I don’t know his face either.”

“Spit on it before you lie.”

“I’m telling the truth.”

Erhart blinked.

“I told you. I really don’t know. He’s extremely afraid of enhanced body owners, so he holed himself up here, and to avoid surveillance he doesn’t even use the internet.”

Why?

Did he hold a grudge against a specific enhanced body owner?

Something like Jaeyeon’s grudge? But if that were the case, it’d be hard for him to have survived until now....

Maybe he’d earned the hatred of a first-generation Black Badger?

Lost in thought, I sighed and soon pulled myself back out of it.

This wasn’t the time to think about that. For now there didn’t seem to be an immediate threat, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

My condition was poor, dulling my senses. If a fever set in on top of that, my perception and reaction speed would drop even further.

And if what Erhart said was true, the civilians in the shelter wouldn’t be cooperative either.

If there were casualties, the Black Badgers would take the blame.

Thinking I needed to keep my head straight so Yehyeon wouldn’t have more trouble to deal with, I kept my eyes on the blue horizon for a long while.

***

As expected, things didn’t go smoothly.

“Only now have the Badgers come to find us!”

The moment we opened the shelter door and stepped inside, a man shoved a phone camera toward us.

“It’s been an entire hour since the Core was disabled!”

Crash!

Jason Trevain hurled a stone, shattering the camera lens.

Without sparing even a glance at the gaping couple, Trevain shouted,

“Two-by-two formation!”

His voice was thick with irritation.

“Move it! What are you waiting for?!”