WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Natty
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Black Badger ◈
Chapter 62: Martin's Disappearance (2)
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I shook my head as I looked at the genius scientist, who seemed to have no intention of sleeping at all.
Then I texted my senior partner. While I was at it, I asked about today’s schedule.
It was almost nine. He usually started putting me through my paces at eight, so why had he not said anything today?
While I waited for a reply, the scientists approached me as I stood there awkwardly.
They tugged at my clothes as I greeted them.
“Hilde.”
The scientists looked at me seriously.
“There’s a bounty on Martin’s head.”
“Isn’t that a strange way to put it?”
I understood what they meant, but it sounded odd.
The scientists were serious, though. They grabbed my arm and pulled me farther into the lab.
“It has the highest reward of any quest currently posted.”
“A quest?”
What was a quest?
No, I obviously knew what a quest was. But why was it coming up here?
I looked at the scientists in confusion. Shock passed over the faces of the scientists surrounding me.
Their mouths fell open, and they all spoke at once.
“Yoon never told you?”
“You never heard the explanation about quests?”
“So he didn’t explain it.”
This was the first I had heard of it.
When I nodded blankly, the scientists eagerly pulled me along by the arm.
I obediently followed where they led.
Whenever I spent time with these people after being around Yoon and my seniors, the difference in strength was obvious. They seemed to be pulling with all their might, but it felt very light to me.
I needed to be careful with my strength.
They took me to a round plaza filled with floating holograms.
Holographic windows hovered in the air. Following the scientists’ instructions, I stepped onto one of the glowing circles on the floor. Holographic windows immediately filled the space around me.
[Quest: 50 Blue Bioluminescent Ink Mushrooms]
[Reward: 500,000 won]
[Quest: 35 Mad Buffalo Horns, A-grade condition]
[Reward: 750,000 won]
[Quest: 5 Plague God Hosts, captured alive]
[Reward: 1,000,000 won]
[Quest: Freshly Dropped Oscilisk Feces]
[Reward: 3,500,000 won]
What was this?
It was very similar to the quests found in games. The rewards, however, were extremely realistic.
I pushed the windows aside one by one and read through all of them.
Most rewards were in the hundred-thousand-won range, though there were a few around one million. They seemed to be missions individuals could take on. Some holographic windows listed the person handling the request and their progress.
I read the ones with familiar names more closely.
[Choi Ami: 20 Red Inkfire Butterfly Wings: 40% complete]
[Kal Dowe: 10 Blue Ground Whale Fins: 80% complete]
[Giacomo Ro: 5 Haena-Horn Rabbit Tails: 20% complete]
[Lee Ho Chang: 100 Ticks Attached to Bomb Rats’ Backs: 95% complete]
“These are individual missions, right?”
“That’s right. You can choose whatever you want.”
They flipped through the holographic windows and gave me a simple explanation. Only Badgers could go outside the Core, but scientists needed samples for their research. That was why this system had been created.
It was basically like mini quests in a game. The rewards came from research funds allocated to the scientists.
They said Badgers like Ami, Kal, and Bobby handled quests reliably. There were also many Badgers who never accepted quests, or who brought back terrible results.
I laughed when I heard that Giacomo Ro had never once brought back an intact sample.
That sounded like him.
“Kal is truly the scientists’ VVIP. The condition of the samples he brings back is incredible.”
“Ami is good at catching flying creatures. No Badger brings in flying creature samples as well as Ami does, so scientists studying flying creatures only look to Ami.”
“As for Ro’s... I don’t think he meant to do the quest. He happened to bring it back, and the scientist researching it went wild and asked for it.”
“He probably even forgot that it had been posted as a quest.”
“As you may have guessed, Yoon doesn’t take quests. He’s busy enough with his own research.”
“You should start taking them too, Hilde.”
The people in white coats seriously tried to persuade me.
“I’ll pay you in cash, all at once.”
“That’s a given. I can also give you an advance whenever you want.”
“My samples are plants, so there’s no risk of getting attacked.”
Everyone was very enthusiastic.
When I said I would choose a quest once Yoon gave me permission, the scientists cheered.
I looked awkwardly at the people cheering around me.
Were they really this happy about it?
“Please find Martin too.”
One of the scientists who had wailed over Martin’s absence during the emergency call pointed at a holographic window.
“You see the reward, right?”
There was no way I could miss it.
It was an enormous amount, impossible to overlook. I nodded and turned toward the holographic window glowing bright red.
The contents of the window, which had an overwhelming presence, were as follows.
[Quest: Martin’s Main Body]
[Reward: 30,000,000 won]
The people in the lab were serious about Martin.
I stared at it blankly and shook my head without realizing it.
At the same time, the phone in my pocket vibrated. I took it out and read Yoon’s reply.
[Yoon: I can’t stop them, so just let them be.]
[Yoon: You were originally on leave until tomorrow. You stayed outside the Core for two days. But work out for an hour and a half. Then go here and get a suit fitted.]
[M Tailor Shop: GPS location]
[Yoon: I don’t think I can leave because of Ye-hyeon, so work out on your own for the next two days.]
Hallelujah.
It was unfortunate that the Commander-in-Chief had not improved, but I was very happy to have unexpected free time.
Unable to stop my grin, I sent a reply.
[Yes. I’ll do that. By the way, how big is Martin?]
[Yoon: About the size of a human head.]
It was nice and clear.
I raised my head and carefully examined the sizes of the scientists’ heads beside me.
By the time they reasonably asked, “Why are you studying our heads so intently?” I told them to keep an eye on John and left the lab.
* * *
I spent two happy days.
I followed my senior partner’s words diligently. I exercised as much as needed and had a suit tailored at an absurdly expensive shop.
The suit cost far more than I could ever afford on my salary, but the tailor shop said, “It has already been paid for,” in a meaningful tone and did not take my money. I did not know whether Yoon or Ye-hyeon had paid for it.
I needed to ask my senior partner properly later.
Once I had finished everything I needed to do, I ran around headquarters looking for Martin, then returned to my quarters and played games. I cleared them in order, starting with the ones that had the shortest playtimes.
I was happy to have so many games to finish. It would be nice if I could stay shut in and play games forever.
Like back then....
Like back then?
A buried memory tried to surface, then sank back down.
I pressed my lips together in frustration and focused on the game.
I spent my time that way until eight in the evening, when my leave was nearly over. I only stepped outside when the streetlights were about to come on.
“He probably hasn’t gone home yet.”
Holding a paper bag, I headed toward the hospital wing. I wanted to greet Samuel. There could not be another Badger who was hospitalized every time they returned from a mission like I was.
I hope he likes the pound cake I bought at the department store yesterday.
When I arrived at the hospital wing, I was told that Samuel was in Ye-hyeon’s private room.
He still had not been discharged?
That explained why my senior partner had not contacted me. Once I understood, I headed toward the ward where Ye-hyeon was staying.
I followed my memory to the corridor where Ye-hyeon’s room was.
Then, in the hallway of luxurious private rooms, I found a scientist holding a bundle about the size of a human head.
“Oh.”
I found the man standing anxiously in front of Ye-hyeon’s private room.
Looking at the bundle in his hands, I spoke.
“A human head.”
“Eek.”
The man holding the bundle recoiled in horror.
“No, it isn’t!”
“What isn’t?”
I had not even said anything.
I tried to look as harmless as possible, but the scientist’s face turned gray in an instant. Keeping my eyes on the bundle, which looked suspicious even with my eyes closed, I carefully studied him.
He looked like he would run if I got any closer.
Maybe I should try to reason with him carefully.
“Are you here to visit someone?”
I gently asked the scientist, who was clutching the bundle tightly.
“I am too. Would you like to go in together?”
No answer.
The scientist trembled and darted his eyes around. I patiently waited for another reaction. If he ran, I would chase him. If he answered, I would reason with him.
After a long time, the scientist answered.
“Ah. No....”
“No?”
Then what was he doing here?
“Then what brings you here?”
The man started sweating coldly.
His expression looked so pitiful, as though he might faint at any moment.
In this state, he probably could not even run properly. I would be impressed if he managed to turn and run without his legs giving out.
I tried speaking to the trembling man again.
“If you have something to give someone, would you like me to deliver it for you?”
“Pardon?”
“What you’re holding.”
I raised the hand that was not holding the pound cake and pointed to the bundle.
“That. Would you like me to deliver it for you?”
Silence.
The scientist stood still and looked at me. I carefully watched the changes in his expression.
Oh. If I just waited calmly like this, I could get Martin back.
The man’s expression changed from moment to moment. From fear, to hesitation, to resignation.
Then from resignation,
to resolve....
The moment the scientist bit down hard on his lip and steeled himself, the hospital room door flew open.
Yoon’s neat face appeared in the doorway.
“Hey.”
My senior partner’s low, cold voice echoed through the hallway.
“Why are you talking to yourself in the hallway instead of coming in?”
“Eeeeeek!”
The scientist’s piercing scream rang through the hallway.
“Save me!”
After screaming directly into Yoon’s ear, the scientist began running down the white hallway.
Maybe adrenaline had kicked in, because the man quickly grew distant without even stumbling.
My senior partner stared at his retreating back as though the whole thing was absurd. I threw the bag of pound cake into the hallway and darted past my senior partner, who stood in the doorway.
“I’ll catch him!”
“Yeah.”
Yoon replied calmly.
“If you let him get away, it’s one hundred laps around the track.”
Why was this landing on me?
Of course, I had no time to answer. I gritted my teeth and chased the thief who had stolen Martin for dear life.
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