WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

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◈ Black Badger ◈

Chapter 32: Luminaries of Science (4)

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The word next was already starting to worry me.

But the man paid no attention to my anxious expression. Once he had finished drawing my blood, he handed me a change of clothes.

Mueln led me farther inside after I changed into something like light exercise clothes.

I had been marveling at how enormous the lab was when I stopped where Mueln did.

There was no explanation. We entered a separate space enclosed by transparent glass. A huge machine stood inside.

At a glance, it looked like some amusement park ride that spun in circles.

I was seated in its ominous chair. It even had a seat belt.

“What is this?”

No answer.

The scientist personally fastened my seat belt, then covered me in electrode patches.

“What’s this for?”

Without answering, Mueln left the glass enclosure.

The machine started without warning.

“Arghhh!”

That man put me in a centrifugal accelerator!

“Arghhhhh! Wait, wait!”

The laboratory scenery flew past behind me. It had started fast, but it only grew faster. Out of my mind, I let a stream of resentful thoughts spill through my head.

Would it have been so hard to give me one warning? Couldn’t you at least give me one warning...?

Mueln did not stop it promptly either.

The moment I was released from the chair, I collapsed onto the floor.

“I... I think I’m going to throw up....”

[Oh dear! The restroom is at the far end on the left!]

Martin spun over my head.

Don’t spin....

I practically crawled on all fours to the restroom Martin indicated. Thankfully, it was normal and clean. There was no one inside either.

Bleurgh.

After emptying my stomach a little, I staggered back.

Mueln was staring down at my test results with gleaming eyes.

“What on earth was that...?”

Mueln looked up when I stopped beside him.

Instead of answering, he put something like a motion-sensing game controller in my hands.

“Go stand over there.”

I was stupid for expecting an answer.

Still, at least I would not be strapped down this time. Looking thoroughly worn out, I followed his instruction.

The lab was truly huge and bizarre. One area was full of plants, while another was set up for all kinds of games.

I went to stand in the game experience area.

I was looking forward to this a little.

[Temp It! Survival is DIY!]

Flashy lettering flew across the corner of the monitor. Holding the controller-like device and wearing sensors around my thighs, I listened closely to the tutorial.

It was a terrible hybrid of a rhythm game and an action game.

I was still suffering from the centrifugal accelerator, but I gave the game my full effort. The story and structure were simple, but it required using my whole body to progress.

What kind of game is this?

As I twisted my whole body and kept my combo going, I took my first hit from a monster that suddenly appeared.

“Argh!”

An electric shock flowed into the spot that had been hit through the controller.

“What is this?!”

“It’s coming.”

“Argh!”

Before Mueln had even finished speaking, pain stabbed into my thigh.

Looking at the screen, I saw an enemy shaped like a triceratops goring my character.

I hurriedly kicked it away, but there was no time to relax. Enemies poured out in droves. There were so many that it was absurd.

“Who designed these levels?!”

And who came up with the perverted idea of making it actually hurt?

Gritting my teeth, I swung my arms and legs. It did not actually require much skill. I only had to wave my arms, lean back, or duck at the right time.

I flailed all four limbs like crazy.

It hurt so damn much.

Still, I held on for quite a while. I endured four more raids. Even the raid levels in this terrible game were inconsistent. I kept going until I saw the boss, all while swearing nonstop.

Then one hit from the boss sent me flying.

“Argh!”

The impact came through both hands and both thighs.

The pain was incomparable to anything before it, and I dropped the controller.

“What on earth is this?!”

“Interesting.”

Instead of properly answering, the crazy scientist only muttered that.

His blue eyes gleamed.

“Very interesting.”

This was all my fault.

I should have listened to my seniors. I had overestimated myself.

I regretted it too late, but there was no taking back spilled water. John Mueln looked me over with those wild, gleaming eyes, then dragged me somewhere else.

What excuse could I use to get out of this?

I felt like I was being led to a slaughterhouse. My stomach was unsettled, and my hands and thighs were tingling. My body felt as heavy as if I had run dozens of laps around a gym.

This would not do. Once today’s experiments were over, I had to tell him I could not do this anymore. I was more tired than after going outside the Core.

With hollow eyes, I walked through the empty lab.

“What time is it now...?”

[It’s 10:30 in the morning!]

Martin replied brightly.

I despaired at the fact that it was not even eleven yet. I also resolved to run away no matter what once noon came. Since I had agreed to this, I felt I should at least endure until lunch.

I was led to a transparent cube.

Inside the cube, which was just large enough for one adult man to sit in, was a desk and chair. A pen and what looked like a test paper lay neatly arranged on the desk.

“You only need to solve it within the time limit.”

Mueln explained in a flat voice.

But I did not trust him anymore. Especially after he went outside the cube and sealed it shut. If all I had to do was solve problems, why lock me in an enclosed space?

I had nothing but a bad feeling, but I did not resist.

I had agreed to do this. I should at least see it through diligently.

There was a mix of questions on language, reasoning, general knowledge, math, and more. It seemed to be an IQ test. I picked up the pen and worked through them one by one. Since I was not told exactly how much time I had, I could not afford to slack off.

I solved the questions in silence.

Until I realized something was wrong with the air.

“...What?”

I raised my head after noticing a strange smell in the sealed space.

“What is that smell?”

No answer came back.

Only after several minutes of refusing to accept reality did I come to my senses. He was definitely pumping some strange gas into this space.

John Mueln stood outside the cube, calmly looking down at a pad. That lunatic.

I threw down my pen and sprang to my feet.

“Let me out!”

I pounded on the transparent glass wall.

“Let me out! You crazy bastard!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Crack!

Putting all my strength into it, I struck the glass until cracks spread across the wall. Trying not to breathe in the strange-smelling gas, I smashed the glass wall.

Crash!

The glass shattered into pieces.

At the same time, my body crumpled forward. The moment I took in a lungful of oxygen, my legs gave out. No matter how hard I tried, I could not put any strength into my limbs.

What did that crazy mad scientist do to me...?

My vision was growing blurry too. I tried to stand, but ultimately failed. Yet rather than helping me up, John Mueln looked down at my reaction with interest.

I’m done for. That man is just insane.

Struggling on the glass shards, I reached toward the AI attached to the ceiling.

“Help... help me....”

[Oh!]

The round AI on the ceiling began spinning like a motor.

[I should save a person, but can Hildebert Taleb be defined as human? Where can the justification for this experiment be found? Is rescuing Hildebert Taleb necessary? Is Hildebert Taleb not a risk factor? If he is human, should he be rescued? If he is not human, should he not be rescued? What is a human? What distinguishes humans from non-humans?]

...Why was it suddenly acting like that?

I could barely lift my head as I blankly watched the spinning AI.

Smoke started to rise from Martin as it spun faster and faster. I stupidly watched the AI speed up until it was like a jet engine propeller.

It was spinning so quickly now that it looked motionless. If not for the tremendous noise, I would not even have known it was spinning....

Psssssh!

With a huge cloud of smoke, Martin shut down.

“...Crazy.”

This could not be happening.

I stared at the powered-down AI in disbelief.

What was I supposed to do if you went down too?

My vision grew even hazier. The dizziness worsened. I did not know anymore. Lowering my raised chin, I lay facedown on the floor. I would just let myself pass out. Everything would be over when I woke up, right? He liked me this much, so he would not kill me.

Giving up on everything, I closed my eyes.

Then, when I opened them, I saw a syringe.

“Argh!”

I reflexively screamed and sat upright.

“What is that?!”

“Medicine.”

Was that what I asked?

Faced with a threat to my life, I grasped the situation very quickly. I was still in the lab. I was lying on something like an operating table inside it. I could not believe this was still not over.

Not even a day had passed. It was not even evening. The midday sunlight warmly lit the spacious room.

I should hit that man in the Adam’s apple and run.

The moment I thought that, someone grabbed the hand holding Mueln’s syringe.

“Enough.”

The familiar deep voice nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Yoon gripped John Mueln’s arm, looking utterly dumbfounded. Mueln blinked slowly, then slowly turned toward Yoon. My senior partner did not let go of his arm.

My senior partner appearing in that deserted lab felt like the return of the Messiah.

After receiving John Mueln’s vacant gaze, Yoon spoke.

“People break when you use them like that.”

“I was gentle.”

“People... break when you use them like that.”

Yoon spoke slowly and carefully.

With tears in my eyes, I looked up at my senior partner. Yoon looked normal. More than normal, he looked like the savior of my life.

I was foolish, respected Senior. Not a single thing you said was wrong....

Mueln looked at Yoon as if considering it, then lowered his hand.

The scientist muttered in a deep voice that rivaled Yoon’s.

“Then we’ll do the rest next time.”

“Next time?”

After doing all this, did he think there would be a next time?

“This is the last time.”

I put emphasis on my words.

Mueln’s eyes widened. He was genuinely surprised.

The fact that there was not a trace of falsehood in the emotion in his eyes drove me even crazier. That man was really surprised by my answer. He truly had not expected it.

A luminary of science and a madman without equal looked down at me and muttered.

“There are still many experiments I want to try with you.”

“Please save me.”

Desperately begging, I grabbed my senior partner’s arm. Then I looked up at the cold man staring down at me without expression.

Hugging one of my senior partner’s arms to my chest, I declared:

“From now on, I’ll really do better. It was all because I was lacking. Please forgive this worthless junior.”

“Fine.”

Yoon answered dryly.

“Now that’s the attitude.”

With my senior partner’s grace, I was able to escape the laboratory.

* * *

Having escaped that nightmarish lab, I innocently believed it was all over.

Mistakenly believing that, I let my guard down for a week. I happily trained under Yoon. Even as I was run ragged and beaten up for a week, I was happy that my senior partner was relatively normal.

Until John Mueln came to the old dormitory building the following Saturday.

I was sitting with Ami, Tom, and Hessi, playing a game.

Ami spotted him first.

“Argh!”

Crash!

At the same time Ami’s character fell off a cliff, the joystick in her hand dropped to the floor. Her chair slid backward and tipped over.

Everything froze.

All eyes turned to one place. A tall man stood motionless in the doorway.

Looking at him like this, he was quite handsome. Neat features, gray hair and blue eyes in beautiful harmony....

Ami, who had frozen stiff, screamed again.

“Argh! I can see Mr. Mueln right in front of me! It’s a ghost! A ghost! There’s no way that man would ever leave the science wing! Am I finally going to see a ghost too?!”

Ami’s voice rang clearly through Room 304.

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