WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

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◈ Black Badger ◈

Chapter 23: Outside the Core (1)

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The car reached the station as I breathed in the cool air drifting through the window.

It did not stop until we had left the city, reached the outskirts, and gone beyond even those outskirts.

A desolate station sat in bluish darkness. The old station against a desert-like landscape created a strange atmosphere. I got out of the car and walked blankly toward it.

The smell of dry sand tickled my nose.

The scattered streetlights were on.

And there was a train on the tracks.

“Get in the front car.”

Screeech, screech! Two cars raced up behind Yoon’s car and stopped. Familiar faces spilled out of the abruptly stopped vehicles.

Without turning toward the noise, my senior partner picked up the duffel bag he had tossed into the back seat.

“The first car. Go into any empty compartment. There will be plenty.”

“There are compartments?”

“The front is a regular passenger train.”

Yoon explained when I looked at the train, which resembled a freight train.

I followed my senior partner’s instructions. I crossed the empty station toward the front of the train. As I trudged over the gravel-covered ground, cars that looked like ordinary passenger cars began to appear, just as Yoon had said.

I went all the way forward and stopped at the only open door. Darkness waited beyond it.

Going into that pitch-black train alone was a little scary.

“What are you doing?”

Yoon spoke after appearing beside me again without a sound, like a ghost.

“Aren’t you getting on?”

Yoon was scarier than the dark train.

I hurried inside. Darkness swallowed me, but I did not hesitate as I walked deeper down the corridor. After walking through the black hallway, I grabbed the handle of a compartment door within reach.

It slides open sideways.

When I pushed it open, the lights inside came on.

Wood-paneled walls. A bed and window. Brass-colored hangers on the wall. A small cabinet stocked with tissues, wet wipes, cotton swabs, and more.

What? Why is this so nice?

I entered blankly and set my duffel bag on the bed. Yoon stopped at the threshold of the compartment I had chosen.

He looked straight into my eyes.

“Get some sleep.”

“Pardon?”

“We’ll be traveling for six hours.”

Six hours?

Hessi and Kal Dowe passed behind Yoon.

“Six hours?”

“When you wake up, we’ll be outside the Core.”

Yoon answered flatly.

This person seemed to have a habit of casually dropping bombs. He had been like this when he pushed me in front of that mushroom, too. It would have felt more human if he had at least rushed me or seemed flustered.

Tom and Angela passed by. I could hear Hesh and Kal unpacking in their respective compartments.

Yoon watched me standing there dazed, then spoke.

“What did I tell you was the reason Badgers go outside the Core?”

For a brief moment, an indescribable emotion rose and faded. I had felt something strange like this when Yoon told me about it before.

Once again, I failed to identify what that emotion was.

No point thinking too deeply about it.

“You said it was to reclaim the land that was taken from us.”

“Right. What do you think is most important in that process?”

“Um....”

I had never thought about that at all, so the question caught me off guard.

“Choosing a place that is easy to reclaim and beneficial once reclaimed?”

“That is Ye-hyeon’s concern.”

Yoon continued easily.

“What matters is supplies.”

The train jolted.

What? I jumped in surprise. I heard Hessi and Tom making startled noises from nearby compartments. Yoon did not even blink.

I could feel the train’s engine warming up for departure. The train vibrated, subtly enough not to be unpleasant.

“A report came in that the supplies at the First Supply Depot in the zone we’re heading to have gone missing. When we arrive, we’ll fill the depot with the supplies in the freight cars. We’ll also find out why they disappeared.”

“Ah, do you usually transport supplies by train?”

“The tracks run as far as F Zone. From D Zone onward, we have to use other methods, but you do not need to know that yet.”

The train, which had been starting up, began to move. I turned slightly to look at the view passing beyond the window. Center Core, buried in darkness and visible only as a silhouette. The dry land began rushing past faster and faster.

Yoon looked out the window too, then opened the duffel bag slung over his left shoulder.

“This is your uniform.”

He tossed the plastic-wrapped clothes onto the bed.

“This is the communicator you will not take out of your ear once we arrive. And this is a creature guide.”

“A creature guide?”

“You know Pokémon?”

Surprisingly, a memory surfaced.

That game I played earlier was actually useful. A game screen sprang vividly from the muddled fragments of my memory.

My eyes widened, and I nodded.

“Yes. I remember.”

“It’s similar to that. Think of it like a Pokédex. I do not carry one because I do not need it, but it should be somewhat useful to you.”

The device Yoon tossed onto the bed even resembled the Pokédex I remembered.

It was not red, though. The notebook-like device was sleek black, with an elegant embossed B on its right corner.

When I opened it sideways, a blue screen and small keypad appeared. A camera lens was attached to the left corner.

“By the way, that’s one of the earliest versions. If you want a new one, come to the Research wing later.”

“There are different versions?”

“I do not know much about it, but they said they would make different Pokédex versions, then made a whole bunch of unnecessary versions.”

“...I’m sure the people who made them were happy.”

Yoon gave a casual shrug as he looked at my uneasy expression.

Then he turned as if to leave. I set down the guide I was holding and gave him a small bow.

It seemed the others had already closed their compartment doors and begun preparing for bed. A cool silence lingered in the train corridor.

“Sleep. You’ll be working as soon as you open your eyes.”

“Yes. Ah, Yoon.”

When I urgently called his name, Yoon turned his head and raised an eyebrow.

I fell silent for a moment, then gathered my courage.

“Will I really be okay going outside the Core?”

I attract creatures, after all.

My senior partner looked me over with unreadable eyes.

Only after a long while did he answer slowly.

“We’ll see when we get there.”

*　　　*　　　*

Outside the Core.

A region where creatures, rather than humans, held the upper hand. Lost territory humanity wanted to reclaim. F Zone, where recruits began their first mission. Land with no civilians at all.

When I opened my eyes, the train had stopped. After washing up, changing into my uniform, and stepping into the corridor, I ran into Tom and his senior partner. Angela nodded when she saw me greet her.

She pointed her thumb toward the inside of the train.

“Let’s eat breakfast first.”

I followed her and found the dining car.

Hessi and his senior partner were already eating breakfast there. Yoon was nowhere to be seen. Not particularly surprised, I sat at the same table as the others and ate.

Heated croissants, bagels, cheese, sausages, salad packs, milk, or coffee. Once we had eaten, we cleaned up the dining car and prepared to leave.

Combat uniform on. Communicator attached to my ear. Creature guide packed....

Did I bring everything?

As I stared blankly down at myself, someone approached.

“Kid.”

It was Kal Dowe.

“Where is your weapon?”

Weapon?

A weapon? Like a gun or a sword? I had not been given one. Unable to hide my confusion, I looked at the senior standing before me.

His blue eyes were far darker than Tom’s. Black hair, a firm jawline, and a black face covering pulled down beneath his chin.

I blankly looked at the quiet but solid-looking man.

“Um....”

“Your weapon is a sword.”

A familiar voice sounded behind me.

I jumped without a sound. This was seriously driving me crazy. I wished he would at least make some footsteps when approaching.

I turned my head.

Yoon was already standing behind me.

He abruptly held out a sheathed sword.

“Take it. Wear it at your waist.”

“Ah, yes.”

“A sword?”

Kal raised his hoarse voice slightly, showing his surprise.

“A sword instead of a gun?”

“He will probably handle a sword better than a gun.”

“I heard his recovery ability is low.”

“Right. So I’ll give him a gun too.”

This time, Yoon abruptly held out a gun.

Then he stared at me as I carefully accepted it.

“If anything happens, draw your sword first. Got it?”

“Yes.”

I obediently accepted the weapons.

Was it time to go out now?

Then Yoon’s words reminded me of something I had forgotten.

“Let me see your wound before we go.”

Right. I had injured my arm.

I obediently held out my injured arm. I rolled up the black combat uniform and showed the neatly wrapped bandage. Ami had changed it neatly on the day the cabin was destroyed. She had applied pain-relieving medicine that day, and it had not hurt since.

Hessi’s senior partner, standing beside me, stared at my arm.

“Huh?”

It was Hessi, who had come over, who made the sound.

“What happened to your arm?”

“A kitchen knife got embedded in it two days ago.”

“But it should have healed.”

He spoke that far before seeming to understand, his eyes widening.

“I heard your recovery ability was low. Is this what that means?”

“Can we really send him into the field?”

Kal looked at Yoon as he asked. Angela and Tom came over. Their eyes widened too as they looked down at the wound on my arm.

I gave an awkward smile under everyone’s gaze.

Yoon took hold of my arm and walked over to a table.

“It has healed quite a bit.”

My senior partner took out a box of medical supplies from beneath the table and made his assessment.

“His recovery ability is much better than that of ordinary people. But it is nowhere close to a Badger’s.”

“Is there no way to improve it?”

Angela frowned as she looked at the wound.

It seemed she was not pleased with sending me into the field in this condition either. Her face said she had not expected it to be this bad. It made me realize again just how angry Ricardo must have been then.

Yoon narrowed his eyes and examined the wound.

“We’ll have to talk to Samuel more to know. This is the first case like this.”

“But is that possible?”

Tom asked in a surprised voice.

Then, realizing his words could be interpreted differently, he added a small, “Ah,” before explaining what he meant in detail.

“I understood that we can withstand enhanced bodies because of our exceptional recovery ability and young cells.”

“That is why he is a research subject.”

Yoon answered indifferently and began wrapping a new bandage around my arm.

He applied medicine, placed gauze over the wound, and wrapped the bandage with clean, efficient movements. Ami had treated me just as skillfully.

He finished in an instant and let go of my arm.

“But this is the time to focus on the job.”

Yoon turned his gaze to Kal.

“The higher-ups who know all the facts did not say anything special.”

“I still think it is too risky for someone with low recovery ability to use a close-range weapon....”

“I made that decision after seeing him use a sword.”

My senior partner tilted his chin toward the door attached to the dining car.

The door that led outside the Core.

“Let’s go for now.”

There was no room to argue with his voice.

“If there is a problem, I will take full responsibility.”

No one objected to my senior partner’s words.

They silently followed him toward the door. I checked that the sheath was securely fastened at my waist and followed behind him.

Creak. My senior partner opened the door and disappeared from sight as he stepped outside the Core. Wind slipped in through the open doorway.

I followed Tom outside.

Outside the Core.

A vast expanse of land stretched before us. An open view. The scent of cool air. Wind brushing through my hair.

Grass grew through cracks in the asphalt. The remnants of a once-thriving city greeted us as they were. Plants covering half-destroyed buildings. Abandoned cars. Train signals that no longer worked. Roads without a trace of people.

The gray of a ruined city mingled with the green of thriving plants.

Tom and Hessi let out small exclamations.

I also stood entranced, taking in the sight before me.

“Let me tell you the basic rules.”

Angela’s voice brought us back to reality.

She used polite speech even with the three of us, who were far her juniors. Without even looking, Tom’s senior partner loaded the rifle slung diagonally across her body and gave a warning.

“First, do not enter the subway. Second, do not enter tunnels.”

“Are there subway stations and tunnels nearby?”

“If you walk a little farther from here, you will find a subway entrance. But no matter how urgent it is, do not go inside.”

Was there something in there?

I quietly listened to her. All I could hear was the wind passing through the grass. The surroundings were strangely quiet.

“It is because we do not know what may be inside, and there is a high risk of collapse. No matter how high our recovery ability is, we cannot overcome nature’s force. If we are buried underground, our chances of surviving drop sharply.”

“We are only moving supplies for now, so nothing should happen.”

Hessi’s senior partner added in a hoarse voice.

“There are barely any creatures in F Zone. But wherever you are, do not approach subways or tunnels.”

“Are subway stations sealed off?”

“No. There are Badgers who can enter the subway.”

The blue-eyed man pulled his face covering over his nose as he explained.

“Only Badgers with exceptional concealment skills or abilities that let them survive in enclosed spaces go down there. But not everyone who goes down comes back alive. Even Badgers who have survived outside the Core for a long time die there easily, so do not even think about it for at least ten years.”

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