Black Badger

Chapter 314: Upper-Rank Creature (2)

“What is that.”

Igor, who had somehow slouched into a posture nearly as delinquent as Ro’s, straightened up.

“That thing? We’re fucked.”

“Contracted envoy! If you want to kill yourself, just jump out of the building right now!”

“Oh my.”

Unlike Igor, Yoow couldn’t stay calm. He sprang to his feet and barked at Kairos, while Rose covered her mouth with her palm.

“Supreme Commander.”

At the same time, I felt the blood drain from my face and urgently called out to Yehyeon.

“I don’t know the exact details of the operation, but it would be better to use a different Creature.”

Yehyeon tore his gaze from the screen and looked at me.

A perfectly businesslike face, impossible to read.

He replied slowly.

“It seems highly dangerous?”

“The Remnant Wraith itself is an extremely dangerous Creature. Back in the Empire, if we sensed a Remnant Wraith nearby, we wouldn’t go anywhere near the area. That was true even when its horns weren’t fully grown—and this one is completed.”

“If the horns are circular, it’s complete?”

Yehyeon blinked as he asked.

I nodded, terrified.

Why is something ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ like that even on Earth?

“How exactly are you planning to use it?”

“If you’re abducted, Jack will lure that thing and drag it to the enemy’s main base.”

Yehyeon explained clearly.

“Then its energy cannon will break through the enemy’s barrier, and while they’re leaderless, we’ll strike the enemy camp.”

Ah.

I understood. If it succeeded, it would deal a meaningful blow to the enemy. The Remnant Wraith’s cannon would tear open a barrier that hadn’t even been scratched by various missiles, and then Kyle wouldn’t be able to leave me behind and return to his base.

The enemy would never imagine we’d use such an extreme strategy.

If everything went according to plan, the Black Badgers could deal Kyle’s side a massive hit.

However....

“If you touch that, instead of luring Kyle, there’s a high chance everything in the vicinity will be wiped out.”

What the hell is Kairos thinking?

“It’s far too dangerous. Wouldn’t it be better to choose another approach, or select a different upper-rank monster...?”

“What’s the big deal?”

Ro said.

“Isn’t it just a horned giant?”

I narrowed my eyes and shot Kairos a look.

The contracted envoy was intently watching the drone footage.

The drone couldn’t keep filming the Remnant Wraith for long. Not long after the Wraith’s gaze landed on it, the feed cut out. Then footage from another angle appeared—and cut out. Then another, and another, repeating.

Kairos, who had been watching as if entranced, noticed my stare.

The envoy curved his lips into a smile and delivered a smooth explanation.

“The Remnant Wraith is a Creature that dwells in ruins. It creates a pit at the center of the ruins and sleeps there for long periods. Occasionally, it raises its upper body to stretch. How it’s born, how it reproduces, and how long it lives are all unknown. What is certain is that the moment you drag it out of that pit, you’re wagering your life.”

“Why?”

“First, the moment it emerges, toxic miasma spreads. It can crush life with its palm, but its primary attack is the energy cannon it fires from its mouth. Its destructive power is immense.”

Not just immense—one hit meant instant death.

Even a Swordmaster couldn’t deflect that attack.

Which meant it was stronger than the thunder dragon’s cannon.

I had barely managed to brace myself and counter the thunder dragon’s lightning cannon—but with the Remnant Wraith’s, I wouldn’t even attempt it.

Because I’d die.

Without a trace left behind.

When I explained this, Yehyeon’s eyes fell into thought.

Then he spoke slowly.

“Jack. After luring it out, can you return alive?”

“Yes.”

Yes, my ass....

“You also said you could put it back to sleep.”

“Yes. If it’s lured back to its nest, even if something irritates it, it will return to the pit and sleep again.”

But you could easily die in the process.

And attacks barely worked on it. No matter how many sword strikes I landed, it likely wouldn’t take much damage. There was a reason the Empire designated the area around Remnant Wraiths as off-limits.

Even so, you couldn’t break its core with nuclear weapons either.

And it’s not like we’re going to drop a nuke.

“There are other Creatures, aren’t there? Even the one that infiltrated the Science Wing before was powerful enough.”

As I murmured in a pleading tone, Yehyeon replied while keeping his eyes on Kairos.

“I received a rough report on that as well.”

“Jack.”

“Yes.”

Kairos pretended not to notice my sharp stare and manipulated the tablet.

I forced myself to calm down and looked at the screen.

The Remnant Wraith footage vanished, replaced by a satellite map.

The view zoomed out rapidly, revealing Earth’s entire landmass. Arrows appeared across the continents.

Six circular arrows faintly pulsed in and out on the screen.

“These are the Creatures I’ve identified as extremely high-risk.”

Kairos looked at the screen, unable to hide a faint rapture.

That adrenaline junkie bastard. I’m dragging him out the moment this meeting ends and giving him a piece of my mind.

Oblivious—or indifferent—to my grinding teeth, the envoy continued.

“As you can see, arrow one is the Remnant Wraith.”

The screen shifted toward the arrow labeled 2.

“Arrow two is an ice dragon entrenched at the summit of Everest.”

My eyes widened.

I wasn’t the only one shocked.

“There’s something on Everest?”

Jason Trevain said.

As if echoing him, Aki muttered,

“Ice dragon?”

“An ice-aspect dragon. And the one coiled atop Everest has lived quite a long time.”

Kairos spoke like a documentary narrator.

“At least eight hundred years. Dragons that old can usually communicate. In other words, they’re as intelligent as humans, which means luring it out would be impossible. Ice dragons are unusually intelligent and gentle among dragonkind, but.... In some ways, this one is even more dangerous than the Remnant Wraith. We didn’t even film it, for fear of provoking it.”

“Eek!”

Ami suddenly made a strange sound.

“I think I’ve seen that while flying before!”

Kairos smiled warmly at Ami.

“As long as you don’t get too close, it should be fine. Ice dragons are generally dignified.”

Ami muttered very softly, “But I kind of want to get close,” and promptly got smacked with a pen by Yun. Ow. As Ami caught the flying pen, Kairos returned his gaze to the screen.

The view shifted from arrow two to arrow three.

“In what used to be Sierra Leone, there’s a Creature known as a Raindigo.”

“Ugh.”

This time, the screen split in half, showing footage of the Creature like it had with the Remnant Wraith.

Several Badgers recoiled in horror at the image.

I absentmindedly rubbed my chin, unease settling in.

It was there, in a dense forest. A region so lush it felt suffocating. A calamity you might encounter if unlucky. Its head resembled a deer’s, but it stood on two legs, with kelp-like tentacles sprouting long from its limbs.

That one was no joke either.

Even with my current skill, I’d have to be prepared to lose an arm.

One of the seniors muttered,

“That area’s too far from any Core. Sending drones there must’ve been difficult. How did they even find and film that?”

“There’s a diamond mine there. Probably sent a few drones since there’s demand to reclaim it.”

A Badger beside him replied.

“Anyway, at least it’s a place we’d never run into. That area’s completely an S-zone now, right?”

That was true. It was too remote, and too chaotic for even luring out the Raindigo to be easy.

Kairos moved the map to the fourth arrow.

Strangely, it was placed very close to a Core.

When zoomed in, text appeared beside it.

[Arbitrarily designated]

“This Creature moves frequently, so we marked the coordinates where it was last sighted. It’s likely somewhere else by now.”

The Raindigo footage disappeared, replaced by another video.

Seeing the Creature on screen, I straightened my back.

Wouldn’t this be a better lure?

“Is that even a Creature?”

Someone muttered.

“Yes. A Creature also known as the Living Sword.”

It was certainly dangerous.

Its speed was extreme, its swordsmanship overwhelming. With no physical limits on its wielder, it could display sword techniques impossible for humans. If I faced it now, the fight would drag on endlessly.

Still, as Igor straightened with a hungry look in his eyes, this seemed far better than the Remnant Wraith—

“Do you think that’s manageable?”

The contracted envoy suddenly looked straight at me and asked.

I was startled, but answered honestly.

“Much more than the Remnant Wraith.”

“That’s exactly why it won’t work.”

Kairos replied.

What?

As I raised my brows in disbelief, the envoy smiled wider, showing neat teeth.

“If you feel that way, then Kyle will feel the same. He’ll never come face you while leaving that thing behind. And there’s a very high chance it wouldn’t break through the enemy’s barrier anyway.”

“Then eliminate it as an option.”

Before I could argue, Yehyeon spoke.

“If we can’t be certain it will draw out the enemy leader, we shouldn’t even touch it.”

He was right. I had nothing to say.

Letting out a resigned breath, I placed my hopes on the remaining two arrows. Surely there had to be something usable—if not the Remnant Wraith, then something better than a sword-shaped upper-rank monster.

Kairos moved the screen to the fifth arrow.

The sword footage vanished.

Grassland filled the screen.

A drone flew over it.

It flew so low that the tall grass brushed the bottom of the frame.

Then the feed abruptly cut.

I blinked.

“What?”

Ro’s blunt voice rang out.

“There’s nothing there.”

“Yes.”

Kairos said calmly.

“There’s definitely something there, but no other Creatures go near it. Even humanoid Creatures seem reluctant to approach, and not only animals—there isn’t even the sound of insects.”

“Is it even a monster?”

Igor turned to the envoy.

Kairos slowly shook his head.

“No.”

Ah.

“That didn’t come over from where we were.”

“Could it just be nothing?”

Walker, arms crossed as he watched the screen, spoke up.

“Radiation leaking out, maybe. Or some massive industrial magnet interfering with filming. Or a huge fungus growing underneath.”

Right.

I recalled the pitch-black fungus I’d encountered after drifting into Zone A.

According to Ska, it couldn’t be removed by any means.

Kairos replied politely.

“That seems unlikely. No matter how much we zoom the satellite imagery, this area alone refuses to be captured.”

He maximized the zoom on the left-side map to prove his point.

“Regardless, since we can’t identify its substance, we can’t lure this one either.”

Kairos decisively moved the screen to the final arrow.

“The last one also did not break off from our side’s world, and is likewise impossible to lure.”

An arrow marked on an unnamed island in the Arctic Ocean.

This time, the footage clearly captured the Creature.

“Ugh!”

People recoiled as they saw the island’s ground split open and an eye open.

The eye was as large as the entire island.

If this hadn’t been presented here, one might’ve assumed it was fabricated footage.

Another unknown Creature—yet not the type of monster I was hoping for.

“We don’t know what it is, but given that even high-tier Creatures avoid it, we should stay far away. Naturally, this one can’t be lured either.”

Kairos explained in a voice utterly devoid of surprise.

“So in the end, only the Remnant Wraith remains. It was a plan chosen by elimination.”

“How do you plan to handle it?”

I couldn’t hold back and pressed him.

I knew full well this wasn’t my place.

But I couldn’t stand it.

“A completed Remnant Wraith is something even Kysis has never faced. He avoided even encountering them. And once awakened, it must be put back to sleep no matter what. If you fail to lure it back into the pit, it’s a catastrophe.”

Kairos gave a bitter smile.

The certainty didn’t fade from his softly curving orange eyes, only deepening my unease.

In truth, I’d been secretly hoping he wouldn’t have a convincing answer—hoping he’d never have to stand before a Remnant Wraith at all.

Just imagining the worst-case scenario was unbearable.

I’ve already lost enough.

So please—present some flimsy plan no one can accept.

Please....

Chime.

Somewhere, a bell rang.

Chime, chime.

The sound of a subway.

The conference room fell silent, as if doused with cold water.

Chen spoke in a hushed voice.

“That thing you only hear. Isn’t that the sound?”

“A Creature?”

Richard Green reacted.

He lifted his head, ready to draw the pistol at his waist.

“But why isn’t it detected? Commander, check the Creature alarm system—”

“There’s no need to worry.”

Kairos cut him off, gazing up at the utterly ordinary ceiling.

With eyes entirely different from before.

With a voice brimming with strange affection.

“That sound is from my familiar.”