Chapter 430: Old Story

So that one is also a child of the World Tree.

It was no longer a secret that the Emperor was gathering up the children of the World Tree scattered across the world.

As a result, children of the World Tree from all over began flowing into the Empire. Naturally, I had heard that their treatment within the knight orders had grown rather poor.

People whispered that they had only become knights thanks to the privilege of having yellow eyes.

The process of undoing the curse of the Sacred Tree was itself grueling, so children of the World Tree were usually divided into two groups.

Those with real ability, and those who had been carried along by others through sheer luck.

That one belonged to the former.

I thought so as I watched the white-haired knight completely seize the giant’s attention with just two swings of his sword.

As proven in the semifinals, that knight also possessed respectable skill.

Judging by his skin tone, he didn’t look like a conquered native. He seemed to be from the southern regions of the Empire.

At the far southern edge of the Empire, there were quite a few people with bronze-colored skin like that....

“Handler! Fall back!”

“Shane! Release the contract completely! I’ll try to take control!”

“Don’t do anything stupid—grab that handler and get out!”

“I don’t know who you are, but... cough! You’re the one who shouldn’t be barging into the match...!”

[That’s right! The match has not been halted yet!]

The match master shouted.

[Shane has not completely lost control. As long as the handler retains even minimal control over the familiar, the match will continue!]

Grand Duke Jacques, being the Minister of Finance in name, knew very well how familiar matches—events that generated enormous profits—worked.

Things like this had to be stimulating to make money.

That was why matches continued even when deaths occurred. In fact, some spectators came to the arena secretly hoping someone would die.

So it wasn’t surprising that the match hadn’t ended.

He couldn’t stop it either. The authority to halt a match mid-way effectively belonged only to the Emperor.

And just look at the spectators. Even though the arch over the main gate had collapsed and two nearby spectators had been crushed under the debris, many were still staying in their seats.

Shane even briefly regained control.

Whether he vomited blood or bled didn’t matter. As long as he maintained the contract, there was no problem.

It was the same as with the familiar. As long as control wasn’t lost for more than ten seconds, the match continued.

Shane had not fallen into an uncontrollable state for more than ten seconds.

If anything, that made it worse.

He was repeatedly gaining and losing control.

BOOOOM!

The chaos intensified.

“Cough!”

“Aaah!”

When the giant swung its arm, the wall of the stands crumbled at its elbow.

“Help me!”

“Shane! Let go of the contract! You’ve already won!”

“Bull...shit.”

The handler muttered, spitting blood.

“You trash.... cough, until I grind you underfoot, I swear....”

The long-haired knight standing beside Shane lifted his head.

“Stop the match!”

The match master sneered.

[Unless it is His Majesty the Emperor, the rules of the match are sacred.]

The Minister of Finance watched the knight who had leapt into the center of the arena gape in disbelief.

Young.

His face was young, but his attitude even more so. Golden eyes filled with shock darted between the staggering giant, the spectators pinned beneath rubble, the handler trembling yet refusing to forfeit, and the match master.

He couldn’t be older than twenty-five.

“How old is that one?”

He muttered to himself, and an answer came from behind.

“About twenty-two or twenty-three, I believe.”

So that scoundrel was even estimating his age?

Meaning he had his eye on him.

The Minister of Finance took a sip of wine, watching the two knights urgently evacuating spectators and the knight standing in the middle of the arena.

In truth, there was nothing that greenhorn could do right now.

Forcing a match to stop was subject to severe punishment.

Not only the person involved, but even associated individuals could be penalized....

BOOOOM!

“Aaah!”

“Get out! Leave the arena!”

“Count—no, Sir Knight! The match isn’t over yet!”

“There are people trapped! Please save them!”

“Get up, Shane! Crush those insolent conquered natives’ familiars!”

“Trample them! Trample them!”

People were worked into a frenzy.

The nobles behind protective magic were especially so. Those wretches leapt to their feet, swinging their fists. From the start, they had hated the exposed handler who had arrogantly climbed his way up.

They wanted to see him crushed.

Whether Shane lived or died didn’t matter. They just wanted to smash Kairos’s victory.

At this point, there was no solution.

If the Emperor were here, the disturbance would have been suppressed immediately, but he was away dealing with a contamination incident.

No matter what, they could only wait until the match ended.

And that knight would have no choice but to watch commoners be swept up by Shane’s imperfect control.

“Kyaaak!”

“It’s coming! Move! Move!”

“Let me out!”

“Get behind my sword!”

BOOOOM!

“Get behind me! So I can protect you!”

The exposed handler wasn’t much better off either.

Interfering with a contract was strictly forbidden in a match....

Thud!

The giant staggered and took a single step forward.

“Ugh.”

The knight stumbled on the trembling ground.

And then—

Crack!

The scabbard smashed into Shane’s temple.

“Puh—!”

Grand Duke Jacques spat out his wine.

Shane went limp. The Minister of Finance stared at the arena in stunned disbelief, his jaw dropping.

The white-haired knight scratched his neck awkwardly.

“Uh.”

The knight said,

“That was a mistake. Are you all right?”

There was no answer.

Shane had lost consciousness.

Already spewing blood from his nose and mouth, the handler collapsed and couldn’t move, and control of the giant swiftly transferred to the exposed handler.

The ancient giant stabilized immediately.

“I’m sorry.”

As the giant carefully lowered itself nearby, the greenhorn even put on a show of looking startled.

“It was really an accident....”

The knight knelt and checked on Shane.

“I didn’t see him in time....”

“Khahahahahaha!”

The Minister of Finance burst out laughing.

“Khahahahaha! Khahahahak!”

Is he insane?

“A mistake? A mistake?!”

What nonsense!

As he laughed like a madman, the sound of someone trying to stifle laughter came from behind.

Kysis had doubled over, his body shaking.

“Kh—....”

The Swordmaster covered his mouth with the back of his hand, but a sound still escaped.

Grand Duke Jacques kept laughing.

“What’s that brat’s name?!”

He shouted between wheezes.

“Where’s he from?!”

“I don’t know his name, but I’ve heard he was picked up and raised by priests.”

The aide seated beside him answered.

“He apparently grew up almost his entire life in a temple, so he’s rather ignorant of society....”

“A temple?”

The High Priest nearby gasped and turned his head.

“Which temple are you talking about? Is that confirmed?”

“I don’t know which temple specifically, High Priest. But it’s certain he was raised among priests. I heard the temple was burned down after an external attack.”

“Blasphemy!”

The baron raged, jumping to his feet.

“High Priest! Someone like that should be stripped of rank entirely! Beheaded! You saw him pretending it was a mistake just to stop the match!”

“Well....”

The High Priest, who had been staring wide-eyed at the knight’s background, answered awkwardly.

“It could really have been a mistake.”

There was no chance of that.

They weren’t fools. Still, while the High Priest could be arrogant and vulgar at times, he wasn’t evil by nature, and now that a situation that could have caused more deaths had been resolved, he didn’t want to make an issue of it.

There were few who could dare talk back to the High Priest.

More precisely, those with the authority to do so were too busy laughing.

The Minister of Finance caught his breath.

“Ah, my stomach hurts.... I might die laughing.”

“Stop laughing already. Have some dignity. At least tell the audience to leave.”

“Sir Renyr is doing well.”

Grand Duke Jacques replied to the High Priest’s scolding as he wiped tears from his eyes.

“Sir Kyle is rescuing the pinned victims properly too. No need to add anything more.”

Even the giant had stabilized.

Because the exposed handler had fully taken control of it. Of course, he had to release his other three familiars to deal with the giant, but he had contracted it properly.

A monster sitting obediently in the center of the arena, not moving.

As Kairos walked toward the giant, the knight who had struck Shane gently laid him down.

Even that was funny.

Grand Duke Jacques scrubbed his face dry, trying not to burst out laughing again.

After reining himself in, he raised his voice.

“Greenhorn!”

The white-haired knight looked up.

“What’s your name?”

Standing tall in his seat, the Minister of Finance thought even those ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) round, wide-open golden eyes were hilarious.

After causing all this, why did he have that look of ‘Why are you asking my name?’

The answer that followed was anything but ordinary.

“Hildebert Taleb, Your Grace.”

“Taleb?”

From diagonally behind came Meierbold’s puzzled voice.

“Is that a noble?”

“There is no family with the surname Taleb in the capital.”

A marquis muttered in confusion.

“I’ve never even heard of such a name.”

“Impersonating nobility!”

At this point, the baron’s rage was getting tiresome.

“This is a grave crime!”

“What is Taleb?”

Instead of answering the nobles, Grand Duke Jacques raised his voice and asked.

Directly at the young knight standing there, staring blankly up at the VIP seats.

The one who had introduced himself as Hildebert answered.

“It’s the surname I inherited from my parents. It’s the name the priests who raised me told me.”

“Which temple did you grow up in?”

This time it was the High Priest who asked.

“Was it a temple officially recognized by the Imperial Court?”

“It was a temple in the Courtois region.”

The knight answered.

“It’s gone now. Burned down.”

The High Priest looked at the subordinate priests seated nearby.

But they couldn’t answer. They didn’t have every temple in the Empire memorized, after all.

The highest-ranking priest replied that documents would need to be checked at the temple.

The High Priest let out a low grunt.

“Are you certain you were raised in a temple? Which priests give an orphan a surname? I find this suspicious.”

“Well, that could happen too.”

The High Priest replied vaguely to a noble’s question.

After pondering with his thick arms crossed, he issued an order.

“You claim to be a proper temple-raised individual.”

“Yes, High Priest.”

“Then recite the fifth verse of the Sonnet of the Wooden Tablets.”

It was something hard to understand unless one was a priest.

But if he truly had grown up in a temple his entire life, he would understand and remember the lyrics.

Even if his singing was terrible....

A hymn rang out.

The tangled audience, the displeased nobles, the knights controlling the situation, even the exposed handler standing before the pacified giant—all turned to look at the singing knight.

“Oh!”

The High Priest’s eyes widened.

“Excellent!”

Indeed. Quite good.

Grand Duke Jacques was inwardly impressed. He hadn’t expected anything, yet the knight’s singing was surprisingly pleasant.

The more he saw of him, the more absurd he became.

Even after finishing the song, the way he still wore a puzzled expression—like he was wondering why he was doing this at all—was funny.

Kysis muttered,

“He sings well.”

“Have you no interest in becoming our knight rather than an Imperial one?”

The High Priest brightened.

“It’s more than possible! If I just speak to the Imperial Court—”

Tsk. He was probably planning to use that young man’s decent looks and singing to draw more visitors to the temples.

In truth, with his sword skill and status as a child of the World Tree, even the Minister of Finance understood why the High Priest coveted him.

But he wanted to see that greenhorn within the Imperial Court.

At the sight of him not immediately dropping to his knees in gratitude at the High Priest’s offer, but instead hesitating with an awkward expression, he became all the more tempting.

Where on earth had such a ridiculous country bumpkin rolled in from?

So there really was a reason the purple-eyed scoundrel had even memorized his age!

“I am deeply honored by your excessive offer, High Priest. However, I have no intention of becoming a holy knight....”

“Uahahahaha!”

Grand Duke Jacques couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing again.

“So you’ve got principles of your own, too!”

He laughed for quite a while.

All the while, the High Priest—disappointed at the refusal yet pleased at having discovered a raw gem—cheerfully said that the doors of the temple were always open, and that he should come if he ever changed his mind.

The High Priest’s offers by letter would continue even afterward.

All the way until Hildebert Taleb steadily built his reputation in the western division and smoothly became a Sword Expert.

And even until the moment he crossed that boundary and claimed the title of Swordmaster.

The three knights who guarded the arena that day would all later receive divine blessings.

Even after obtaining eternal life, the three continued to walk the path of the sword. Sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, they never stopped growing. And at some point, they became symbolic knights of the Empire.

Meanwhile, the handler Kairos, who won this match by disqualification, would go on to become a handler impossible to ignore.

A powerful championship contender.

Acknowledged by all as a master of contracts, one day he suddenly appeared having succeeded in the once-thought-impossible contract of a Fire Dragon.

After that, he reigned as the greatest handler of the Empire.

Until matches themselves were halted, no one appeared who could defeat Kairos. With the Fire Dragon at his side, he firmly held the throne of victory. The blazing crown of triumph that always coiled beside him burned fiercely—and in the end, flared and faded only above his head.

But all of that is a story for later.

Back then, they had no inkling of the vast stretch of time about to unfold before them.

The knights and the handler, still innocent, thus caught the attention of the nobles.

It was the beginning of the heroic legends that would later spread throughout the Empire.

Nostalgic.

Beloved.

A good old story.

Special Edition. <Black Badger> Q&A & TMI Collection

Q. Why did Rose’s 1-meter rule come into existence?

A. Whenever Rose gets overwhelmed, she runs straight at Hildebert and tries to hug him regardless of location. Hildebert, who found this troublesome in many ways, created the rule.

Q. Hilde, Rei, Kyle, and Cecil’s original eye colors.

A. We leave this to the readers’ imagination. We debated revealing it, but decided it would be better not to.

For reference, Hilde and Kyle genuinely do not remember their original eye colors. They simply aren’t interested.

Q. Why do the Titans watch Hilde so carefully?

A. Hildebert doesn’t show it well because he’s informal by nature, but the position of Imperial Knight Commander was extremely high-ranking. The title of Swordmaster also carries tremendous weight—so if anything, it’s more accurate to say the people around him are being less cautious than they should be.

As for Lin, the reason will likely be explored further in Part 3.

When Hildebert first became Knight Commander, he was frequently advised that now that he had a title, he shouldn’t behave so carelessly.

Q. Age order among the Titans.

A.

Kysis > Cecil > Kyle ≧ Hildebert ≧ Kairos > Deltei > Yoow > Igor >> Rose

Q. How are patrol zones divided, and how are unpatrollable areas handled?

A. Population is the most important factor.

Higher population density means smaller patrol zones; lower density means wider zones.

Areas that cannot be covered are monitored by drones and satellites, and Black Badgers are deployed only when anomalies are detected.

Q. Black Badger annual salary?

A. It reflects inflation, but with hazard pay included, you can think of it as comparable to other high-level professions.

Q. How did Choi Yun learn the Imperial language?

A. By listening over others’ shoulders.

Q. What car brand did Hilde receive from Colton?

A. Rolls-Royce.

Q. Why did Choi Yun kill a Mongmong?

A. He dissected it.

Q. Why does Ricardo like snakes?

A. No special reason—he just finds them rather cute.

Q. Titans’ alcohol tolerance ranking.

A.

Kyle = Hilde = Igor (all about the same) > Kairos > Rei = Rose > Yoow > Deltei

Q. Current Lexic Noodles rating?

A. 2.7.

Q. Character birthdays.

A.

Hildebert Taleb – administrative 8.20

Choi Ami – 5.30

Choi Yun – 1.4

Lee Yehyeon – 12.26

Ricardo Sordi – 10.19

Jonathan Kudo – 11.11

Ska Owen – 7.13

Giacomo Ro – 6.3

John Mühlen – 12.1

Shu Diamond – 9.1

Carl Dow – 2.23

Kang Ju – 5.10

Leeho Chang – 9.18

Jason Trevain – 3.25

Chen Koenig – 5.16

Samuel Han – 5.29

William Walker – administrative 4.3

Bobby Winter – 7.2

Hesh Lyle – 7.30

Tom Husson – 12.5

Jaeyeon – ?

Lee Seunghyun – 9.13

Sasha – 3.1

Shashinsky – 12.30

Sylvia Kip – 9.19

Aki – 3.29

Sophia Kalak – 11.27

Richard Green – 3.10

Rei – administrative 6.6

Kyle – administrative 1.1

Kairos – administrative 7.15

Deltei – administrative 3.9

Yoow – administrative 7.23

Igor – administrative 2.27

*The Empire uses a different calendar system from Earth (15 moons).

Q. Character heights.

A.

Hildebert Taleb – 185

Choi Ami – 158

Choi Yun – 184

Lee Yehyeon – 180

Ricardo Sordi – 186

Jonathan Kudo – 185

Ska Owen – 186

Giacomo Ro – 168

John Mühlen – 196

Shu Diamond – 156

Carl Dow – 178

Kang Ju – 183

Leeho Chang – 176

Jason Trevain – 185

Chen Koenig – 183

Samuel Han – 173

William Walker – 190

Bobby Winter – 171

Hesh Lyle – 181

Tom Husson – 180

Male Jaeyeon – 187 (but often changes)

Female Jaeyeon – 180 (but often changes)

Lee Seunghyun – 187

Sasha – 173

Shashinsky – 186

Sylvia Kip – 168

Aki – 175

Sophia Kalak – 165

Richard Green – 189

Rei – 174

Kyle – 188

Kairos – 187

Deltei – 160

Yoow – 180

Igor – 191

Cecil – 169

Kysis – 188

Q. Future side stories.

A. Topics that are awkward to cover in the main story will be written as side stories after completion.

Hildebert’s origins and swordmaster, among others, will also be revealed in post-completion side stories.

***

TMI. Hildebert Taleb Edition

TMI #1. Hildebert enjoys various games. He has played LOL as well, doesn’t stick to specific positions, and rotates through many characters.

TMI #2. Hildebert only occasionally wore accessories at imperial events. He finds them uncomfortable and avoids them otherwise.

TMI #3. Hildebert knows more about Earth than one might expect.

Ro, on the other hand, knows far less than you might think—he still doesn’t know North Korea exists. Ami gave up explaining long ago.

TMI #4. When he has time, Hildebert sometimes zones out watching a robot vacuum cleaner. He still finds it fascinating.

TMI #5. Hildebert is good at stone skipping.

TMI #6. Hildebert prefers soft peaches.

TMI #7. Hildebert strongly prefers relaxed, unhurried travel, but he also adapts well to those who like tightly packed itineraries.

TMI #8. Hildebert’s MBTI converges toward the middle. S/N usually comes out S; the rest change depending on mood.

TMI #9. Hildebert’s alcohol preferences:

Vodka > premium rum = premium whiskey > wine (prefers port) = brandy > fruit wine > soju > beer > makgeolli

He rarely drinks unless invited, and dislikes drinks that make him feel bloated.

TMI. Lee Yehyeon & Choi Yun & Choi Ami Edition

TMI #1. The house Yehyeon, Yun, and Ami live in has a kimchi refrigerator. Same for Lee Seunghyun’s house.

TMI #2. Yehyeon’s former hobby was reading.

TMI #3. Yehyeon rarely hits subordinates. However, Giacomo Ro and Yun frequently get smacked on the back of the head.

TMI #4. Yun knows Lee Seunghyun is better at fighting than him, and considers John Mühlen smarter.

TMI #5. Yun is very good at making beef radish soup.

TMI #6. Yun doesn’t blink much. Leonard is the same.

TMI #7. Yun sometimes thinks, when looking at Personnel Director Ju,

‘If that man has a conscience, then maybe I do too.’

TMI #8. Yun has monolids. Ami has inner double eyelids.

TMI #9. Yun’s MBTI is INTJ (same as John Mühlen).

Ami’s is ENFP.

Having lived with a 100% T older brother, she isn’t hurt at all by T-style responses.

TMI #10. After being scolded by Ricardo for her cooking, Ami is afraid to enter Rick’s kitchen. She makes flimsy excuses to avoid going to his place.

Ricardo knows this perfectly well and just watches her with a smile. Silently.

Ami always feels relieved that her excuses somehow work.

TMI #11. Ami is extremely fun to go to an amusement park with.

But if you ask her honest opinion after riding the scariest ride, she’ll say:

“Mm! Mildly fun!”

TMI #12. Choi Hyunseok, the second son of the Choi family, disliked Yun and Ami from the start and still does.

Yun knew from the beginning; Ami accepted it after some time.

TMI #13. Ami was quite upset about being unable to use a greatsword.

She once tried to learn from Hildebert, but was shocked when he politely told her it would be difficult due to her height.

TMI #14. Ami enjoys VS games with absurd options.

Ex. Richard Green and territorial expansion for 2 nights 3 days VS. Brother Yun and laboratory for 2 nights 3 days

Ex. Living one day as Brother Yehyeon VS. living one day as Trevain

TMI #15. Ami often has a blank expression, heavily influenced by Yun, who was practically her primary caregiver.

Unlike Yun, Ami’s eyes are round, giving a very different impression.

Examples:

○△○ Ami surprised

●―● Ami blank

●▽● Ami normal

●▭● Ami dumbfounded

●∼● Ami thinking

◠▽◠ Ami excited!

TMI #16. Ami likes putting socks on chairs because they resemble cat paws.

TMI #17. Until elementary school, Ami had a bob with bangs. She no longer wears bangs because it makes her look younger.

TMI. Ricardo Sordi & Ska Owen & Jonathan Kudo Edition

TMI #1. Ricardo and Jonathan Kudo listen well to Ska.

TMI #2. When Ska, Ricardo, and Kudo gather at home, 99.99% of the time it’s at Ska’s place.

TMI #3. Because they’re from different countries, Ska, Ricardo, and Kudo don’t understand each other’s tastes well. The stereotype explosions are left to imagination.

TMI #4. Ricardo feels uncomfortable around Yehyeon but treats him with utmost respect in all settings. Yehyeon knows this.

TMI #5. At Bobby’s request, Ricardo gave her expensive heels as a birthday gift after a mission.

TMI #6. Ricardo uses many Italian-style hand gestures while talking. (Same for Ro.)

TMI #7. Ricardo believes Hawaiian pizza is not pizza. (Same for Ro.)

TMI #8. Ska’s hobby is surfing. He’s a veteran surfer and always goes surfing during summer vacation.

TMI. Giacomo Ro Edition

TMI #1. Giacomo Ro’s surname is Giacomo, and his given name is Ro.

As with Ricardo Sordi, in Italian names the given name comes first and the surname comes after. However, Ro introduces himself as Giacomo Ro.

It’s not that he doesn’t know his own name.

TMI #2. Ro is one of the few Badgers who have witnessed Ami at peak, explosive fury.

The reason is that when Ami was grumbling about the dating rumors involving herself and Ro, Ro grinned and said, “Isn’t it an honor to have dating rumors with me?”

That day, Ami left for home without even eating the tteokbokki that was supposed to come out. (Ro: Huh—hey! You’re not eating this?)

She kept scowling even at home, to the point where Yehyeon asked what had happened.

TMI. John Mühlen edition.

TMI #1. John Mühlen likes growing plants.

TMI #2. John Mühlen occasionally makes jokes. He has a unique sense of humor.

TMI #3. John Mühlen is German, but Mühlen is not a surname that exists in Germany.

This was known even before serialization began. It just wasn’t known back when the name was first decided.

Originally, Müller is a surname that exists in Germany, but Mühlen was preferred more, so it was left as is. We ask for your understanding.

It doesn’t seem like the work will ever go to Germany anyway.

TMI. Other Badgers edition.

TMI #1. Carl Dow is one of the Badgers who gets the least nagging from Richard.

And he is good at drawing.

TMI #2. Shu cannot metabolize alcohol, so he cannot drink at all.

TMI #3. The person with the strongest stomach when it comes to food is Ju.

TMI #4. Jason Trevain has tried Yeop-tteok before. At someone’s recommendation....

TMI #5. Bobby’s taste puts the emphasis more on “laid-back” than on “bad personality.”

TMI #6. Bobby is far, far more afraid of Yun than of Ricardo.

That’s because she thinks Yun’s overall aura doesn’t feel like that of a sane human being.

On the other hand, Ami is more afraid of Ricardo than of Yun.

The reason is, as described above, because she once got scolded while cooking at Ricardo’s house.

TMI #7. Asil was a police officer who was fairly well respected by his juniors.

TMI #8. Tom keeps a diary.

Hilde was surprised when he first found out about this. Now he thinks it’s very Tom-like.

TMI #9. Hesh consistently regrets Hildebert’s height and athletic ability.

Why he doesn’t consider playing basketball....

TMI #10. Luke Lyle, Hesh’s younger brother, feels more at ease with Hildebert—whom he’s at least seen before—than with Tom.

TMI #11. Nana Dol, Hildebert’s junior, secretly finds Hilde the most intimidating (because he’s famous and handsome) and wants to become closest with Tom.

TMI. Black Badger edition.

TMI #1. Since the usual “three major lifts” don’t mean much to Badgers, they have their own standards.

There is a separate gym for the command staff, but this is actually a consideration made more for ordinary Badgers than for the leadership.

TMI #2. Badgers are issued standard outfits, but as you might expect, once they go outside the Core, they dress very freely.

Because there’s no one to point it out.

TMI #3. The Black Badger leadership has, at least once, been caught up in a terrorist attack by an anti-Badger group.

TMI #4. The first generation usually thinks of each other as “those tiresome idiots....” Of course, there are exceptions.

Sometimes Richard Green calls for a first-generation gathering. He’s the type to even tell Yehyeon and Yun to take time off and come.

Naturally, full attendance is realistically impossible.

TMI #5. Badgers eat more than the average person.

TMI #6. Badgers do occasionally hold sports days.

Though Yehyeon hates them.

TMI #7. Badgers generally dislike snow more than rain.

TMI #8. There are also urban legends passed down among Badgers.

A representative example is the strange story related to the old Black Badger residential building.

The room at the far left end of the fourth-floor corridor always runs rusty water and is heavily mold-infested, so it’s an unused room.

It’s said that if the door is open, you must never look inside and must close it immediately.

However, someone (ㅊㅇㅁ) looks inside every time and ends up disappointed at the sight of the empty room....

The Commander-in-Chief has once seen a curled-up, crying presence in the corner of that room.

When he approached and tried to place a hand on its shoulder, it vanished, so he couldn’t confirm who it was.

TMI. Empire edition.

TMI #1. Igor has, for a very long time, had no greed for money.

TMI #2. The earrings Kyle wears were inherited from a tribesperson.

TMI #3. Cooking skill ranking.

Rin > Rose > Kairos > Kyle ≧ Hilde ≧ Igor > Yoow > Deltei > Rei

TMI. Work <Black Badger> edition.

TMI #1. The common language is almost identical to English.

The reason society runs on an English base is not only because it’s the most widely used language, but also because the language used on the internet—PC domains, coding, and so on—is English.

TMI #2. Badgers who leave field work due to injury generally fall into one of three categories:

1. They take leave while focusing on recovery inside the Core, or,

2. They focus on recovery while managing Creatures that Black Badger is trying to raise, or,

3. They completely discard their enhanced bodies and choose retirement.

TMI. Miscellaneous character comparison edition.

1. People who wink skillfully and often:

-Ska, Ricardo, Erich Erhart, Bobby Winter, Jason Trevain (only at women), Chen Koenig, Carl Dow, Male Jaeyeon & Female Jaeyeon.

2. Badgers’ cigarette preferences.

-Ricardo & Ska: Marlboro Red

-Samuel Han: Menthol

-Yun: Mainly Dunhill, but he smokes various light-content cigarettes.

The reason Yun doesn’t smoke heavy cigarettes is partly for cleanliness, but also because he dislikes becoming addicted to anything.

To Yun, cigarettes are something he can quit at any time.

3. Badgers’ driving habits (horns).

-Hilde, Yehyeon, Ami, Ska, Carl: (when absolutely necessary) Beep!

-Seunghyun, Kudo: (irritated) Beep!

-Ricardo, Sophia, Walker: Beeeep!

-Bobby: Beeeeep!

-Ro: Beep! Be-babang! Beeeeeep! Beepbeepbeepbeep! Beepbababa! (swearing) Beep!

-Trevain, Chen: (swearing) Beeeeeeeeeep! Be-bang!!

-Yun: (expressionless) Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

However, if Badgers are convicted and sentenced for retaliatory driving, most have their enhanced bodies dismantled and are dismissed.

4. Office dating among Badgers.

-Those who catch office romances the fastest: Ju, Ricardo, Ami, Walker, Carl

-The one who keeps making wrong predictions: Lucia Kwon

-Those who have no interest: John, Yun, Sylvia

-The one who forgets the moment he turns around: Ro

5. Favorite fashion items by character.

-Ricardo: dress shoes

-Ska: watches

-Bobby: bags

-Shu: windbreakers / sukajan

-Hesh: sneakers

-Tom: knitwear

6. Messenger emoji usage habits.

-Frequent users: Ami, Kang Ju, Shu, Deltei

-Moderate users: Hilde, Tom, Yehyeon

-Occasional users: Igor, Ro, Hesh, Sophia

-Never use them: Kudo, Seunghyun, John, Yoow, Trevain, Richard Green, Walker

-Use them only with specific people: Yun, Ricardo, Ska

The reason they use them only with specific people is because they only use emojis they received from that specific person when chatting with them.

Ricardo and Ska usually use them if they receive them as gifts.

7. Characters with tattoos, even small ones:

Jason Trevain, Ricardo Sordi, Ska Owen, Aki, Chen Koenig, Carl Dow, Sophia Kalak, Bobby Winter.

8. Dancing skills of the characters.

Hildebert Taleb – good~average

(Good at dances required in games, average at ballroom dances, bad at idol dances)

Choi Ami – very good~good

(Has Perfect scores on some Just Dance songs, often copies idol dances for fun, can also dance ballroom after learning it)

Choi Yun – good

(Ballroom dances are learned; when Ami was in rehabilitation, she begged him to dance with her, so he danced a boy-group idol song his younger sibling picked, and ended up learning two or three songs)

Lee Yehyeon – bad (never learned)

Ricardo Sordi – good~average

(Ballroom dances passed down from his singer mother)

Jonathan Kudo – catastrophic

Ska Owen – good~average

Giacomo Ro – average (freestyle mess)

John Mühlen – catastrophic

Shu Diamond – average

Carl Dow – average

Kang Ju – good (someone who played hard in many ways when he was younger)

Leeho Chang – average

Jason Trevain – bad

Chen Koenig – very good~good

Samuel Han – average~bad

William Walker – good~average

Bobby Winter – good~average (ballroom, club dancing)

Hesh Lyle – bad

Tom Husson – bad

Male Jaeyeon – very good

Female Jaeyeon – very good

Lee Seunghyun – average (ballroom dances learned)

Sasha – bad

Shashinsky – average (ballroom)

Sylvia Kip – does not dance

Aki – bad

Sophia Kalak – catastrophic

Richard Green – bad

Rei – good (noble ballroom dances)

Kyle – good~average (ballroom dances learned)

Kairos – good (learned ballroom dances)

Deltei – bad (generally clumsy)

Kysis – very good (ballroom dances)

9. Sense of fashion.

Very good:

-Ricardo Sordi, Ska Owen, Jonathan Kudo, Jaeyeon, Kysis, Shu Diamond, Kang Ju, Chen Koenig

Good:

-Jason Trevain, Choi Ami, Choi Yun, Tom Husson, Shashinsky, Sylvia Kip, Bobby Winter, Aki, Rei, Kyle

Average:

-Carl Dow, William Walker, Hesh Lyle, Lee Seunghyun, Sophia Kalak

Bad:

-Hildebert Taleb, Lee Yehyeon, Giacomo Ro, John Mühlen, Leeho Chang, Samuel Han, Richard Green, Kairos, Igor

10. Spicy food tolerance:

Characters who can handle spiciness up to Buldak level:

-Choi Ami, Choi Yun, Shu Diamond, Kang Ju, Leeho Chang, Chen Koenig, William Walker, Lee Seunghyun, Aki, Kysis, Kyle, Kairos

Characters who can handle spiciness up to Shin Ramyun level:

-Lee Yehyeon, Ricardo Sordi, Ska Owen, Carl Dow, Sophia Kalak, Giacomo Ro, Igor, Yoow

Characters who can handle spiciness up to Jin Ramyun Mild:

-Hildebert Taleb, Shashinsky

Cannot handle spicy food at all:

-Jonathan Kudo, John Mühlen, Jason Trevain, Samuel Han, Bobby Winter, Hesh Lyle, Tom Husson, Sylvia Kip, Richard Green, Rei, Deltei