“Is he hurt or something?”
The media room began to stir. People watched Hilde, floating on the surface of the sea, his face twisted in pain. Hilde wiped his face with a wet hand. Even after sweeping it, the pain lingering in his expression did not fade. Agony shimmered in his furrowed eyes.
People whispered in surprise.
“Did he get injured?”
“Did he jump wrong? That must hurt like hell.”
“He looked fine when he dove in though....”
Murmurs wouldn’t stop. Eyebrows bent. While people exchanged confused remarks, Ami set down her soda.
Shu and Leeho, sitting beside her, opened their eyes wide. Ricardo frowned and muttered in a cold voice.
“That bastard’s hiding something again....”
Only the people sitting in the same row heard his low growl.
Leeho was the one who responded.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“No idea.”
Ami exhaled deeply, watching Hilde start swimming.
“He hasn’t looked right since earlier.”
The swimming test began.
The sea-swimming test was also time-based. The examinees had to cover a long distance within the set limit. They had to swim to several checkpoints, and when they reached the opposite cape that jutted out ahead, the test ended.
If they ran out of strength and had to be rescued, it was failure.
Even if they reached the destination but exceeded the time limit — failure.
Hesh Lyle was leading, heading for the target.
Tom followed closely behind, not far apart.
All gazes fell on the recruit lagging in the rear.
“He looked fine when you saw him yesterday, right?”
Ricardo asked Shu.
Shu nodded without taking her eyes off the screen.
“He even said it himself.”
She looked like she’d forgotten the open can of Zero Cola in her hand.
“He said he was feeling good, and as long as he shot well, passing wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Then something must’ve happened last night, right?”
“But there weren’t any Creature alarms last night....”
When Leeho asked back, Ricardo pulled out his phone and checked the duty roster.
Leeho and Ami craned their necks to peek at the screen he held up.
A shadow fell across the phone display.
“Yeah, you’re right. Center Core was completely quiet last night.”
“And even if something had happened, they wouldn’t have called in rookies the day before the test.... Which means he couldn’t have been hurt on a mission~.”
“Maybe he ate something bad for dinner?”
Ami arched her brows and turned her gaze back to the screen.
“Or maybe he threw up everything he ate the night before....”
No clear answer came.
While they threw out guesses, Hilde kept swimming. He moved slowly, but without stopping. His speed was far slower than Tom’s or Hesh’s, yet unlike them, he cut through the water with almost no wasted effort.
“He’s a damn good swimmer though.”
Leeho, arms crossed, said it.
The others in the same row agreed in silence. Even so, their faces stayed tense.
Every time Hilde surfaced, pain was written on his face.
Time was running out.
The Badgers started glancing between the clock and the screen.
The silence weighing over the media room from tension was suddenly broken.
Bang!
The door burst open.
A silver-haired man entered with noisy force. Heads turned from clocks and screens alike. Shu, Ami, Leeho, and Ricardo all turned.
The commotion drew even Angela and Carl’s attention away from the monitor.
Only Yun didn’t look up.
But Asil strode straight toward him, stopping only once he reached the row where the marksmen sat.
“Yun.”
A voice heavy with anger.
Yun lazily rolled his eyes toward him.
The mood flipped in an instant. Everyone tensed, eyes fixed on the two men. Few Badgers in the room didn’t know that Asil had once grabbed Yun by the collar.
Ami stood up.
But Asil ignored everyone else and glared only at Yun.
“I have something to say.”
“What.”
Yun answered, returning his eyes to their place.
A dangerous silence followed. Asil clenched his fists and glared before glancing toward the screen.
The junior trailing far behind his peers.
Asil’s brows drew together as he spoke quietly.
“I’ll speak to you outside the media room.”
“Don’t you think you’re a little late for that?”
“What?”
Though Yun asked, his indifferent tone made it clear he already knew why Asil had come.
The former cop bit his lip hard.
Yun kept his gaze fixed on the screen.
“Sit down and watch.”
“The hospital—”
“Sit, or get out.”
His voice was so cold that people held their breath.
But the confrontation everyone feared didn’t happen. Asil pressed his lips tight, hesitated, then dropped heavily into the nearest empty seat. He hunched forward, eyes glinting as he glared at the screen.
The creases between his brows didn’t ease.
Those nearby leaned toward him, wanting to speak, but neither Yun nor Asil paid attention.
Ami, one of those who’d craned her head, gave up and slumped back in her chair.
“As soon as it’s over, I’m going to ask him myself.”
“Please do, senior. If we go, he’ll just slam the door on us.”
“We’ll have to hurry though.”
While Leeho was asking Ami, Shu nervously checked her phone.
The test was still ongoing. The sea was dotted with rescue boats just in case. Among the swimmers, Hesh was nearly at the cape. The instructors on duty raised beach towels, ready to signal his arrival.
Tom wasn’t far behind — he would reach it soon.
Hilde alone was cutting it close.
Everyone watched in silence as the white-haired recruit sliced slowly through the water.
Hesh and Tom finished their test.
“Good job.”
“Congratulations. The new recruits are doing well this year.”
Two recruits passed.
People quietly offered congratulations to Carl and Angela.
The pair simply nodded in reply. If all rookies had passed, even those two would’ve smiled. But the mood was different now.
One recruit’s result still hung in the balance.
And that recruit was none other than Choi Yun’s subordinate.
With Yun’s trainee struggling, the room grew still. Eyes left the beach where the successful rookies sat wrapped in towels.
“Uh-oh, he shouldn’t stop now.”
Not much time left.
At his current pace, the distance was barely enough. And just short of the finish, Hilde suddenly stopped.
Startled exclamations broke out all at once.
“Why’d he stop?”
“Out of strength?”
“He’s so close.”
“If he just gives one last push, he could barely make it....”
“Hang in there, rookie! You’re almost there!”
Voices poured out in desperation.
But Hilde, who couldn’t hear them, floated still, gasping for air.
[Ha.]
Then he let out a small sound.
A voice soaked in exhaustion. The man raised his wet hand and wiped his face again.
After washing it, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back.
Until someone murmured, “Shouldn’t we call a rescue team?”
And someone else added, “Isn’t that basically a fail now?” — just then, he opened his eyes.
Hildebert stared straight at the drone with golden eyes.
Then smiled faintly.
“His eyes are beautiful.”
“He’s so handsome.”
“Ah!”
A splash echoed across the media room.
“He’s going again!”
Hilde dove underwater.
The media room, which had fallen silent in despair, burst into noise again. People cheered as the rookie shot forward beneath the surface like a seal. “He’s doing it!” “Come on, just a little more!” # Nоvеlight # Voices shouted encouragements. Some counted down the remaining time every ten seconds; others called out the distance left.
The louder his speed grew, the louder their voices rose.
Hilde never surfaced again.
He swam fully submerged, only a silhouette cutting through the dark blue depths. No splashing, no flailing limbs breaking the surface.
He sliced through the sea at a speed that defied comparison to before.
The cape rushed closer.
Hildebert finally reached it — with ten seconds to spare.
“Whaaaa!”
The media room exploded with noise.
People jumped to their feet.
“He did it!”
“He passed!”
“Hey, what was that? How’d he suddenly go that fast at the end?”
“He was holding back on purpose, that bastard! My heart nearly stopped!”
“Wow!”
Ami jumped up and down in joy.
“He passed! He really passed!”
“God, my heart....”
“Thank goodness.”
Leeho wiped his face, looking even more drained.
Shu set down the crushed bag of chips in her hands.
“I thought he was gonna fail....”
They rejoiced noisily.
Standing bodies blocked the screen. The victory high made it hard to see the footage, and only a few still watched.
A space drowned in the thrill of triumph.
The rookie crawled out of the seawater.
The senior Badgers realized something was wrong only when Hilde, trying to stand, buckled at the knees and collapsed forward.
[Hilde!]
Tom and Hesh’s voices hit the media room like a shockwave.
[Hilde! Hey!]
Eyes widened everywhere.
People froze mid-celebration.
Even those heading for the door stopped in their tracks.
Ricardo shot up from his seat. Asil kicked his chair aside and stood.
Ami’s eyes went round as marbles; Shu spilled her Zero Cola, and Leeho slowly rose to his feet, eyes wide.
Everyone stared, horrified, at the rookie lying motionless on the beach.
[Did his strength give out?]
Hesh dropped to his knees beside Hilde and asked urgently.
[Or are you hurt? You’re hurt, right?]
[Call an ambulance!]
Tom shouted, reaching his arm under Hilde’s limp body.
The instructors rushed into motion. As soon as Tom saw them moving, the red-haired rookie wrapped his arms around his partner’s shoulders to help him up.
Tom looked down at his gasping comrade, near tears.
[What’s wrong with you?]
[...Tom.]
Hilde murmured weakly.
[Sorry, but could you let go of my arm... it hurts....]
[Your arm? It hurts? Where does it hurt?]
[Did he hurt that area?]
Hesh hurried over and knelt beside them.
When he grabbed the hem of Hilde’s shirt to pull it up, Hilde let out a strained sound.
[Wait, slowly... slower....]
[Why? Where does it hurt? Don’t tell me you hit a rock during the dive?]
[No... uh,]
When Hesh carefully lifted the shirt, Hilde’s brows twisted sharply.
His hands groped at the air, then clutched his partner’s sleeve, trembling all over.
Cold sweat poured down his face.
[Sorry. Just hold on a second. We need to see the wound to treat it.]
[Just take me to the hospital....]
Hilde couldn’t finish his words; he buried his face into the sand.
Hesh pulled the shirt up.
The people in the media room couldn’t see Hilde’s upper body — Hesh and Tom’s backs blocked the view. Instead, they saw the rookies who’d lifted the shirt freeze mid-motion, stunned into silence.
Eyes fixed in one spot.
Pupils trembling in shock.
Hesh’s bewildered voice resonated through the speakers.
[What... is this?]
Yun rose from his seat, cut the feed, and walked out of the media room.
