Black Badger

Chapter 51

Now that most of the creatures had been taken out...

How did I get back?

I stood motionless for a moment and gazed at the distant ravine and the cliff beyond it.

The creatures whose names I knew had probably plummeted smoothly. But the one that was tier 7 or maybe tier 8—I had no idea—had likely still rampaged.

Going back wouldn't have helped much anyway.

Was Ami okay? I pondered, gripping my sword.

With all the seniors joining in, it should have been fine. The noon sun beat down from above. I stood still and strained to catch the sounds coming from beyond the ravine.

The sounds I'd been trying to pick up soon grew closer.

"Whoa!"

The footsteps halted, and Ami and Tvain appeared. The two seniors stood on the opposite cliff.

Ami, slung over Tvain's back like a sack, brightened when she saw me.

"Hilde, you did it!"

"Ami!"

Her name slipped out reflexively.

Fortunately, she looked fine on the outside.

I let out a sigh of relief. Then I examined Ami's condition more closely.

Her face was paler than before; she didn't look great. If she had been truly fine, she wouldn't have dangled from Tvain like that.

But at least her limbs were intact, and she was conscious.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

Ami craned her neck and shouted.

"I'm glad you look okay too."

"Thanks to you... You two came first, right?"

"This kid's such a pain in the ass."

Tvain furrowed his brow and glanced sideways at Ami hanging on his back.

"She was worried about whether you'd fallen down there."

"Jason, you're not worried?"

The senior with the round eyes on the other side of the ravine shot back.

"It's not easy to drop a perfectly good leg."

Tvain rolled his eyes.

But he didn't argue. Instead, he leaned forward slightly, as if trying to see the leg I'd dropped. A few strands of his bright blond hair fell down.

"What the—"

An explosion sounded from a distance, followed by the seniors' shouts and the creature's electric crackle.

I craned my neck to take in the scene unfolding behind Tvain. A creature leaped toward us—a ghostly thing wrapped in blue electricity.

The seniors followed on motorcycles and encircled it.

They'd be there in a minute.

Tvain, unconcerned, kept peering over the cliff.

"What'd you drop it with?"

"Yeah. No blast marks or anything."

"Ah. I sliced it off with my sword and let it fall."

I answered straightforwardly.

Their gazes poured over me. The man and woman who'd been looking down simultaneously lifted their heads and stared at me. Tvain's bright blue eyes and Ami's black ones pierced right through me.

Their reactions were polar opposites.

"What bullshit is that?"

"Wow!"

Tvain snorted as if I'd spouted nonsense, while Ami cheered from behind his back.

"Hilde, you really know how to use a sword!"

Crackle—BOOM!

Blue electricity streaked across the ground.

A deafening explosion hammered my eardrums. The bolt struck exactly where Tvain had been standing. But before I could shout a warning, he twisted his body nimbly and dodged the attack.

The blond senior scowled and twisted his lips into a smirk.

"That persistent bastard."

Tvain spat the words as he eyed the creature closing in rapidly.

"Looks half-formed and all..."

Huge eye.

An eye brimming with resentment and hatred. Gray tendrils covered its elongated face. It closed the distance in an instant, its gaze locked on me. Gunfire erupted from Aki and Iho behind it, and black blood sprayed like ink from the impact points.

But it didn't stop.

It didn't even turn around. Even as Green and Walker swung their pistols like they were firing cannons, it didn't so much as roll an eye. Its eerie, bloodshot shadowed eye flew straight at me and embedded itself.

The obsession was almost pitiful. It really hated me, huh.

What had I done so wrong to you?

I didn't remember a thing.

If only you could speak. Like that tier 10 creature Ye-hyeon had stabbed to death. Then I could have filled in the blanks in my memory, and you could have aired your grievances.

But reality wasn't that simple.

Now it was right up close. Without the ravine, it would have barreled straight into me.

Green, riding behind on his motorcycle, yelled.

"Push it!"

Iho and Aki, Walker—they all chased the creature alongside Green.

"Make it fall into the ravine!"

Crackle, crackle.

KABOOM! Another electric explosion followed. The attack shot out from its gray body in all directions and scattered beautifully.

It had the power to send a motorcycle flying if it hit. Getting up afterward would have been tough.

Fortunately, the seniors tilted their bikes and evaded. The creature's speed had slowed compared to before.

Ah. Its left arm was gone.

The ravine was right in front of it now.

"Here."

Tvain, who'd been watching from the side, suddenly leaped out.

He'd already set Ami down on the ground. He bared his neat teeth in a wicked grin.

"Time to get lost!"

A kick, paired with well-timed gunfire.

That's when I finally saw the textbook way to handle a massive creature.

According to my mentor, Jason Tvain was a "low-class idiot full of pointless inferiority toward Ye-hyeon," but he was alive because "his skills were decent enough."

In short, he was good.

The creature's stance crumbled. It all happened in a split second. If its left arm had still been attached, it probably wouldn't have toppled like that.

It pitched forward, headfirst.

It's over...

...Huh?

The creature I'd thought was tumbling curled into a ball. Even as it fell, that shadowed eye hadn't stopped glaring at me—but now it vanished from sight. It was coiling up to minimize wind resistance.

Then it kicked off the cliff edge like a springboard.

The creature leaped into the air.

"What?"

"This is insane."

"Hilde!"

Ami, who'd been slumped down, shot to her feet.

"Dodge!"

Slash.

I swung diagonally.

I unleashed a sword slash before the thing leaping through the air could land.

Cutting down an opponent mid-jump turned out to be surprisingly easy. Dodging in midair isn't simple.

Ah. But since the target's so big, the slash had to be too.

A wide, arcing swing of the blade. The creature's body reeled back, and black blood sprayed in a crescent shape.

Kieeeek!

An inhuman scream echoed.

This time, it truly plummeted. Its gray form shrank rapidly. I confirmed it falling into the ravine below, then indifferently lowered the sword tip to the ground.

I waited for the blade's heat to cool before sheathing it properly.

The scorching sun beat down, tempered by the cool wind.

A brief silence descended. The area, filled with the sounds of flesh splattering, electric blasts, and gunfire, fell quiet in an instant. Only the wind whispering through the dry city tickled my ears.

The first to break it was Aki.

"Did you see that?"

She pointed at me and turned to Iho.

"Iho. Did you see? Did you see?"

"I saw. Or rather..."

Hah. From across the ravine, Iho let out a dazed breath.

I looked at the seniors opposite me, a bit bewildered.

Gathered at the ravine's edge, they stared at me with wide eyes. It was a familiar setup. But this time, it felt different. Their eyes held no hostility or sense of betrayal. It was surprise.

Surprise at something unexpected.

No way. Had you all really doubted my sword skills that much...?

"Like Yoon said, give him a sword and he's useful."

Green's gruff voice carried on the wind.

"Good work. I'll ask about your deal later."

"Ah. Thank you."

"Head back to the safe point for now."

The man crossed his arms and fired a sharp gaze.

"Come over here."

"...How do I cross?"

"I'll fly over and get you."

"No. Ami's boots are nearly wrecked. Who knows when they'll give out."

"Can't use a wire?"

Aki grabbed Ami's arm as she tried to wobble forward.

Richard Green asked from across the ravine, beside Ami who was pouting. It looked like I'd disappoint them again. Maybe I needed to learn wire use.

I nodded from the other side.

"Yes."

"Iho. Bring him over."

"Got it."

Iho stepped forward.

I watched him yank the wire dangling from the motorcycle's side. A sharp spear tip was attached to the end. Iho gripped the middle and spun the tip in the air.

He flung it over.

I stomped down on the tip that landed precisely at my feet.

"Should I bury it in the ground?"

"Yeah. Bury it and step on it."

I did as instructed.

Iho crossed over quickly. He jumped down the ravine gripping the wire like Tarzan, then stuck to this side's cliff wall in no time.

I craned my neck to watch the senior busily climbing up the wire. Primitive method. Well, sometimes the old ways are best.

Once he reached the top and stood beside me, Iho pulled the anchor out of the ground.

Then he patted my shoulder.

"Good work."

"No, you've had it rough."

"Let's cross now. It's a bit crude, but we're strong, so this method works fine."

The sense of betrayal he'd felt toward me seemed to have thawed a bit; the senior spoke casually like before.

He handed me the wire with the spear anchor.

"Here, I'll show you how. Watch closely. This one's yours..."

Traitor.

A voice echoed.

It was probably in my head. Or from below the ravine.

It seemed only I heard it. Whether it was meant just for me or coincidence.

What was clear was that all my senses sharpened at that voice. And instinctively, I felt it drawing terrifyingly close.

It was climbing up the cliff.

It would snatch me and Iho and drag us down together.

It wouldn't let go. It'd smash Iho against the cliff to kill him. For me, it wouldn't grant an easy death—it'd crush me in its jaws.

The intuition flashed through my mind in an instant.

A long black hand rose above the ravine.

The seniors' sharp cries. Gunfire.

If I hesitated, it'd be too late.

I shoved Iho, who was facing away from the ravine, to the side, and charged toward the massive hand surging forward.

Then, leaping into the air, I thrust my sword down.

Thud.

From above to below. A heavy strike.

Slender fingers wrapped around my body in agony.

Feeling the honed blade pierce its target precisely, I plummeted along with the creature climbing the cliff.

*

I came to because of the frantic voice.

[...Hey. Hilde!]

A familiar voice.

[Hilde! Where the hell are you?!]

It was Ska Owen.

Why was Ska Owen's voice ringing in my ear?

I blinked dazedly and thought it over. Heavy body. Foggy mind. Limbs unresponsive. My hazy awareness couldn't grasp the situation well.

I lay there blankly and placed my barely movable right hand on my forehead.

I didn't respond to Ska's continued calls.

Maybe I could just sleep like this for a bit? Hearing Ska's voice, it felt like I was inside the core.

If it was the hospital room, I should have slept more and answered when I woke up...

My drifting mind snapped awake at Ska's next shout.

His words cut sharply into reality.

[Hilde! Why are you in A Zone?!]

Shit.