Black Badger - Chapter 338



Only Noblemtl

338. Money Money Money (2)

It would have been nice if others could come too.

The problem was that the rich were incredibly picky about entering this core.

The basic price for an annual membership is 800 million won.

You have to pay 800 million to be eligible to enter the core or something… .

‘You and Samuel are exceptions, since you are visiting with the authority of the Black Badger.’

Yehyun said that and gave us a business trip date.

‘Be sure to find the doctor you heard about and come back for a checkup. While you’re at it, check the status of the badgers and core devices there.’

According to what my boss explained, there was currently only one Badger in Core 15.

He said he was playing around with the tank. Core 15 was the only core that hadn’t reported a single creature occurrence in nearly ten years.

The core that countless badgers dream of dispatching.

It would be nice if Yoon could go too.

But unfortunately, Yoon was caught by his ankle.

The shooter has hardly been able to leave work these days.

‘I should have killed Seunghyun Lee before this happened.’

The shooter, who was practically lying down on the lab chair with the book over his face, muttered as he put the book away.

‘You’re going to Core 15?’

‘Yes. I’m looking forward to it since it’s considered a romantic vacation spot.’

I stopped by the research building to learn how to use the core device inspection equipment and showed off while reporting.

The shooter sat upright in his chair and snorted.

He clicked the mouse next to me, holding the core device inspection equipment.

‘Don’t expect much. You’ll be treated with extreme disdain from the moment you set foot in here.’

‘yes?’

Even though I’m going as a Black Badger?

When I made a face that said I didn’t understand, Yoon smiled.

‘They say it’s 800 million, but it’s famous for selecting visitors based on various factors.’

‘Is it so special?’

‘They are the most vulgar of the vulgar. I’ve never been there, but Choi Hyun-young went there once for a vacation and was treated with the utmost contempt.’

President Choi Hyun-young?

Wasn’t she the president of one of the largest conglomerates in Centercore?

Yoon added calmly as I opened my mouth.

‘You’re saying that you’ll only accept people from prestigious families with a solid backbone.’

‘A-TAC is a conglomerate that knows everything.’

‘Because it was a company that was somewhat well-known only in Korea before the First World War broke out.’

Yoon spoke indifferently as if he was talking about someone else, then rolled his pitch-black eyes and looked up at me.

‘You understand what I mean. You’ve probably seen a lot of those types.’

I understand.

To put it bluntly, it meant looking at everything: family, money, and fame.

It also meant that there would be a lot of people who would judge people by their clothes, speech, name, and even race in extreme cases. If you act a little like a commoner, they would look you up and down.

People who want to be noble more than anyone else on Earth, where there is no caste system.

The moment I heard Yoon’s explanation, all my anticipation for the business trip disappeared.

Even now that I have set foot on Core 15, I am not happy.

Samuel is unaware of this fact, but… .

“The portal zone is unusual.”

The doctor muttered.

We had just arrived at Portal 15. Core 15 had a human portal – one that cost a ridiculous amount of money to use – so there was no need to take a plane.

The portal zone was gorgeous.

The pure white statue of the goddess catches the eye.

The waterfall installed behind the statue of the goddess made a refreshing sound, and the green grass rippled beautifully behind the falling water.

The ceiling was high. It was circular but tapered towards the top, and there were baby angels carved on the ceiling. The angels all looked up at the sky in a circle.

A gentle classic in harmony with the sound of water.

A subtle bergamot scent that tickles the nose.

The Portal Zone staff smiled faintly.

“You guys are badgers.”

I sensed a subtle sense of contempt.

I might not have felt it if there hadn’t been a team that arrived just before.

“Just go straight this way.”

The team in front was guided by staff.

However, the staff member who greeted us seemed to have no intention of approaching us. After giving us some guidance, he even left as if he couldn’t see us.

Meanwhile, those who had arrived earlier glanced at us and smiled strangely.

Their hearing is sharper than that of humans, and they pick up mutterings such as, “They sent Badger again,” “What’s Badger doing in an area where there aren’t any creatures,” “They must want to come here too,” and “If it weren’t for Badger, they would never have come here in their entire lives.”

Why are they always so typical?

It’s so childish, I can’t even get angry…

Fortunately, Samuel didn’t seem to hear their blatant laughter.

Or maybe he didn’t want to hear it. Either way, the doctor said, “I can go that way?” and strode out of the portal zone.

I also passed by the people giggling and headed towards the core procedure area.

After completing the procedures, go to the location where the rental car is prepared.

The doctor continued to check my condition while I walked over the smooth marble floor.

“How are you feeling?”

“It’s very neat.”

“If the condition is abnormal, tell me quickly.”

He looked as if he didn’t trust my answer at all.

“My ultimate goal is to cure you. So please cooperate, okay?”

The rental car we had booked the day before was waiting for us, fully fueled.

“Wow. It was worth bringing in this model.”

The rental car company employee smiled brightly as soon as he saw us.

“I prepared this just in case you have a unique taste. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see this model come out while I’m working.”

I raised the corners of my mouth as I understood what the rental car company employee meant.

What we applied for was a very ordinary car, a family car that we would drive often in a household with one or two children.

That means it’s not an expensive car.

Unlike the cars that people who pay 800 million won to come here will choose… .

“I heard that the Badgers were coming, so I did a status check. This time, I want to praise myself for my foresight.”

I was so angry that I couldn’t even say anything without any ill intentions.

We let out a small sigh and drove off.

The place where Samuel and I were staying was near the shopping center in the center of the island.

There were several rooms in the accommodation that were left empty by Black Badger’s authority.

Otherwise, it would have been too expensive and difficult to find accommodation.

Yes, surprisingly, on top of having to pay 800 million won to get in, you also had to pay to stay at the hotel on the island.

Of course, most visitors had no complaints as they had their own villas on the island… .

“Doctor, I have something to tell you.”

A road with a hole in it.

The sea beside the coastal road shone with a beautiful blue color. An ordinary car that pleased the staff ran smoothly on the road. Samuel was driving. The doctor strongly refused to let me sit in the driver’s seat.

Thanks to that, I broke the silence while sitting stretched out in the passenger seat.

Samuel responded nonchalantly.

“Oh, what’s wrong? Are you feeling worse?”

“no.”

“then?”

The doctor asked without taking his eyes off the road.

“What is it?”

Started telling a story.

I simplified it a lot more than I did for the TF team members, but I still got the gist of it.

I actually came from another world. I had a difference of opinion with my kindred. I stood on the human side with my kindred and participated in the First War, but I lost my mind on the battlefield of the First War.

The rest is a familiar story.

After explaining it like that, I waited for an answer.

Of course I knew that you had heard it, but I wanted to explain it again with my own mouth.

I felt like I would miss my chance if I didn’t say anything now….

The doctor tapped my shoulder gently.

“I had vaguely heard about it, but it was even more shocking when I heard it in detail. You had a hard time.”

Then the hand returns to the steering wheel.

I stared at him.

“Is it over?”

“ok?”

“It’s okay to be angry or annoyed.”

Samuel snorted.

“Why am I annoyed with you?”

“Because you’ve been through war.”

“You said you weren’t going to do it.”

“Um. Yes. In short, yes.”

The doctor waved his hand as if to say, “Then we’re done talking.”

“That’s not important right now.”

Isn’t it?

Strictly speaking, it’s a finished story.

But I think you want to say that there is something else that is more important.

The doctor said, surprisingly enough.

“Do you know who the legendary doctor that Ye-Hyeon was talking about is?”

“No. I heard he was a retired, skilled doctor.”

“That’s right. We’re going to find a doctor who has been active since before the First War broke out.”

That was a really long time ago.

If he hadn’t been aging-stopped, he would be quite old now. Of course, the probability of him having been aging-stopped was much higher. If he was someone who was worthy of being called a legendary doctor by Ye-Hyeon, then that’s it.

Legendary Doctor. Even when I hear it again, it’s a very insincere and intuitive title.

It’s not like it’s a creature from a light game… .

“You’re called Luca, right?”

Samuel abruptly changed the subject.

Is that a person’s name?

“Are you the Black Badger?”

“No. Ah… It’s an abbreviation for Last Universal Common Ancestor. It’s estimated that the ancestor from which all life forms are derived appeared around 4 billion years ago. From there, the first prokaryotes, and then the eukaryotes, originated.”

Why are we suddenly talking about biology?

“They say there were kids who named themselves after that word. Have you ever heard any rumors about that?”

“Uh… So you’re saying there was this guy called Luca, named after that biology term?”

“That’s what I heard.”

The doctor made a sound that confirmed that I had understood what he said correctly.

“Rumor has it that the first humans to receive enhanced bodies were called that.”

What is this?

I let out a hollow laugh and turned my head toward the sea.

Suddenly, you threw a bomb.

I took in the blue sea and thought for a moment.

First of all… . This is the first time I’ve heard this term.

However, this did not prove that the rumor was false, since humans did not reveal everything to us.

This was especially true because I knew almost nothing about ‘enhanced bodies’. Eve studied not enhanced bodies, but aging arrest. Enhanced bodies and aging arrest are not the same concept. The bear-like strength that Badgers boasted was a different story from eternal life.

We were completely unaware that humans were studying such things until the very end.

I wonder where Samuel heard this rumor, but Samuel Han also knows Lee Seung-hyun, Ye-hyeon’s biological father, and Jae-yeon, Colton’s right-hand man.

I wasn’t surprised that he knew more than I thought.

The story suggests that the rumor may be true.

“He was the doctor who examined those boys.”

So this is how the story continues.

“I heard you’re quite old now. Rumor has it that you retired the moment the war broke out and secluded yourself on this island. I don’t know how accurate that rumor is, but since you were the first to witness the special nature of the enhanced body, I thought you might know something, so I brought you here. Let’s go and see, since there’s no harm in losing.”

“yes.”

If the rumors are true, then maybe it’s a familiarity?

If you had examined the first augmented body subjects, you would have known a lot about us. At that time, very few people knew about our existence.

If we meet, will we recognize each other?

I thought about it for a moment, but there was no way to know the answer.

That’s a strange rumor.

“Where did you hear this story? I can’t tell how much you know about it.”

“Well, I know a bit about this and that. I’ve been serving in the military since the First War.”

Samuel answered nonchalantly.

I don’t think I would be surprised if he met the elders now…

“I heard this story around the end of the First War.”

The doctor spoke for the first time in a slightly lowered voice.

“It’s a rumor I heard from soldiers who are no longer here.”

aha.

If you want to confirm the truth of the rumor, you have no choice but to go see a doctor in person.

Because I have a lot of time.

I thought it was a good idea and kept reminiscing about the past until I arrived at the hotel.

***

“How much is this?”

A few hours later.

I was in a situation where I could forget about my reinforced body and Luca and everything.

A stone statue shattered into pieces.

I accidentally woke up after staggering from the sudden dizziness.

Holding the broken piece of stone statue in my hand, I asked in a trembling voice.

“1 billion?”