[Hacking successful.]
You can hack the Legendary Blade for 15 minutes.
I had recently discovered that once a connection was established, I could hack any website or game at will.
I began modifying my Taker character. The character's level instantly jumped to 200. All stats maxed out at 99999, and the equipped items transformed into the game's ultimate gear.
A seven-colored rainbow aura emanated from the character's body.
GM Taker: Still don't believe me?
Anything: Taker-nim, it seems we need to meet in person.
After scheduling a meeting with Raffles, I returned to reality.
In the Game World of Code: XTK, there was nothing urgent for me to do. I activated auto-progress.
Let's pass the time with auto-progress until our appointment. Plus, there's a little experiment I want to try.
This experiment concerned auto-progress.
My Avatar's actions, attitude, and values are influenced by my own. When the Vampire Detective Avatar is set to auto-progress, it immediately prioritizes finding women, ignoring everything else. It either goes to Yeong Hyejeong or contacts Hera and Choi Seonmi.
And occasionally, it puts on a cheap clown mask and moves to assassinate Vampire Hunters.
In other words, the avatar, which operates autonomously, mimics my daily routines. When unexpected situations arise, it reacts just as I would. The avatar can also use the skills and traits I've acquired in the Game World, and its physical abilities are identical to mine. However, it cannot access my inventory.
The problem is that it's not a perfect replica. Short periods of autonomous operation are fine, but if it runs for too long, it's impossible to predict what might happen.
This raises a crucial question: what would happen if I took no action in the Game World?
Would the avatar behave like my real-world self? Or would it revert to its original programming?
I suspect the latter is more likely.
Knowing this might prove useful later.
I stared intently at my smartphone, observing the actions of Park Yujin, the Avatar of Code: XTK.
7:00 AM. Park Yujin and his roommate woke up, quickly ate ramen for breakfast, and began preparing for work.
8:00 AM. They arrived at the factory. A middle-aged man, referred to as the Manager, gathered the employees for a brief briefing on the day's schedule. Work commenced immediately.
Their job was manufacturing machine parts. To be precise, the machines produced the parts. The human workers managed the machines, loaded materials, and packaged the finished components.
Park Yujin was frequently summoned by the Manager for scoldings and reprimands. From my perspective, Park Yujin hadn't made any mistakes. His work consisted of simple, repetitive tasks, requiring no particular skill.
Park Yujin simply had a bad relationship with the Manager.
12:00 PM. After lunch and a short break, he resumed work.
2:00 PM. A turning point occurred. Using his hacking skills, Park Yujin examined the Manager's smartwatch. He discovered that the Manager was embezzling raw materials and selling them privately for personal gain. Park Yujin immediately forwarded this evidence to the factory owner.
3:00 PM. The owner confronted the Manager. Their conversation escalated into a heated argument, with the Manager refusing to admit his wrongdoing and instead lashing out in anger. The owner, equally infuriated by the Manager's brazen attitude, raised his voice in response.
The atmosphere in the workplace was now at its worst.
In the end, the boss called the police. The Manager, who had been puffing up his chest and shouting angrily, instantly shrank into a cowering figure. In this world, the police often drew their guns without hesitation if a suspect showed even the slightest resistance.
Park Yujin watched the police drag the Manager away, secretly chuckling to himself.
At 6 PM, he clocked out. He grabbed dinner at a nearby shop before heading to an internet cafe to play games. Using hacking techniques, he boosted his character's stats and began dominating the matches.
"...Park Yujin hasn't been significantly influenced by me."
He used hacking, but that was all.
If I were Park Yujin, I would never have even set foot in that factory in the first place.
The Manager? If he were someone I truly despised, I would have hacked the machinery to engineer a fatal accident.
I could even hack into banks and make the money mine. In Code: XTK, the possibilities for hacking were limitless.
I'm certain. If I don't take any specific actions in the Game World, my Avatar will behave according to its original programming. But if I act diligently, my Avatar will be influenced by me and act diligently as well.
It would be so much easier if I could control my Avatar directly.
My appointment with Raffles is at 9 PM. Time to head over and meet him.
Game Start
I opened my eyes in the PC Cafe, frowning.
Hacking cooldown: 2 hours and 45 minutes remaining.
This... son of a bitch!
Park Yujin had used hacking to dominate the game, triggering the cooldown and preventing me from using it immediately.
I'm supposed to meet Raffles and his gang at 9 PM, and now I'm stuck with this cooldown!
The time was 7:10 PM. By the time my cooldown ended, it would be almost 10 PM.
Of course Raffles would want me to demonstrate my hacking skills. Given the situation, I should arrive about an hour late.
I texted Anything to let him know I'd be late and left the PC cafe.
"...Ugh."
I grimaced, pinching my nose.
The city was noisy and reeked of metal. This was the industrial outskirts of Seoul, not a pleasant neighborhood.
I scanned my surroundings. Neon signs flickered, and streetlights illuminated the area, but the massive, identical buildings cast a dark, oppressive atmosphere.
Cleaning robots shaped like meter-tall tin cans roamed the streets. Their AI didn't seem particularly advanced.
"The air fucking stinks!"
I noticed some people wearing gas masks. The air pollution was severe.
I frowned at a group leaning against the convenience store wall.
"Why are those guys shirtless and lounging against the wall? Technology's advanced, but public decency seems to have plummeted."
They looked to be in their early twenties, their upper bodies covered in tattoos. Strange mechanical devices were attached to their right shoulders and arms a common sight in this world, where human modification was commonplace.
"A world where people attach machines to perfectly healthy bodies just because it looks cool."
I couldn't entirely dismiss the appeal. Replacing body parts with machines made life easier.
They noticed me staring and turned to look back.
They snickered and flipped me the middle finger. I smirked, pulled the pistol I'd brought from reality out of my jacket pocket, and aimed it at them. Startled, they scrambled into the alley beside the convenience store and vanished.
"Bunch of wannabes," I muttered, tucking the pistol back into my pocket.
In Code: XTK's Korea, gun ownership was legal no, legal was an understatement. Some guys even strapped heavy machine guns to their arms.
I strolled down the street. The city air was a toxic mess, but the neon-lit buildings made for a dazzling spectacle.
Never thought I'd actually end up in a webtoon world.
As I wandered, I stopped in front of a shop:
Blade Gun Mart.
Gun Mart. A rather cheerful name for a shop. And, true to its name, it sold guns. Without much hesitation, I stepped inside.
The shop was roughly the size of a meat restaurant, with steel walls and over five cyborgs patrolling the interior.
A middle-aged man sitting behind the counter glanced up at me. Half of his right face was covered in mechanical components, and a red mechanical eye glowed steadily as he stared at me.
"A young pup, eh? Here for a self-defense pistol? If you want, I can recommend a handgun that's easy for beginners to use."
"Do you buy guns here too?"
"Selling a gun? Well, if it's a decent piece, I might consider it. Show me what you've got."
I placed the pistol on the counter in front of him.
An HK USP.
A versatile automatic pistol from HK Company.
I'm not particularly picky about pistol models. I just grabbed this one from the pile because it was easy to carry.
"Wow... Plastic? This is a real antique. I can't believe someone would actually bring something like this in. It's a first in my fifteen years running this shop."
"It's a good gun, though."
"Good? Bullshit. This thing's just for display. Display only. It's got no advantages except being rare."
Having nothing more to say about pistols, I shrugged. I don't know much about them anyway.
He picked up the pistol with his mechanical right arm and began examining it closely.
"Ugh. A completely unmodified antique. Fifty thousand... no, I should factor in its rarity as an antique. The condition is practically new... One million nine hundred thousand. That's about right."
"...Uh, one million nine hundred thousand? That's more than I expected."
"This is a genuine antique, untouched by modifications. Gun collectors are always eager to snatch up rare pieces like this. They'd drool over it and pay a fortune. HK is a defunct company now, you know. In about ten years, its value will likely increase at least sevenfold. Are you sure you want to sell it now?"
"I live for today, not the future."
"Don't come crying to me later when you regret it."
I sold him the pistol, completing the transaction with my smartwatch.
During the process, I learned his name was Kim Blade. I initially assumed it was a nickname, but it turned out to be his real given name.
"For self-defense, I recommend this pistol. It's Mail Company's latest automatic pistol virtually indestructible, even if submerged in water, and with minimal recoil. Perfect for a novice like you."
I frowned at the pistol he presented. "This is too small."
"Small is good. It's just for self-defense, right?"
"I want a combat-grade weapon, not something for self-defense."
Blay scanned my body up and down, then chuckled.
"You're just a normal, aren't you? Your physique seems decent, but without cybernetic enhancements, handling combat-grade weapons is tough. If you're serious about fighting, why not get your body modified first?"
Normal.
That meant an ordinary person without any cybernetic implants.
"I'm strong."
"Well, you're probably stronger than my mutt."
"I'm a customer."
"...Oops! I forgot about that. My bad for meddling. So, what kind of combat-grade weapon are you looking for, kid?"
Blay's demeanor shifted. This was more like it. I was a customer, and he was a merchant who needed to sell me something.
"Something versatile, with a bit of extra firepower."
"Then I recommend the Black Kite F."
"Black Kite F? What kind of pistol is that?"
"Like this."
He pulled out a pistol and showed it to me. It was a black pistol, similar in appearance to the UPS I had, though with some subtle differences in the details.
"The exterior resembles that antique you brought in. I figured you'd like something like this. But the internals are completely different. You'll need to charge the battery for about 30 minutes a month. The magazine accepts most 9mm rounds, including those used in your antique. And the firepower is at least twice as strong as your old gun."
I picked up the pistol. The grip felt remarkably comfortable. What I liked most was the electronic screen at the rear, where the hammer would normally be. The screen displayed the remaining ammunition.
"This is nice. How much?"
"Seven million won. It's a bit pricey because I personally modified it. But the stability and durability are top-notch. It can use all types of special ammunition, and even after firing 1,000 rounds continuously, there's no overheating. It's the most versatile pistol you could ask for."
"Sounds good. I'll take it."
It was an impulsive decision, but I didn't regret it. Having a pistol like this for my collection seemed like a good idea. Plus, I might need it someday.
"You make quick decisions for someone who looks so frail. You've got guts. I'll throw in ten explosive rounds as a bonus."
"Is the name Black Kite F? Does it have any special meaning?"
"Kite was my friend. He was Black. This pistol was originally his order, but he died in a gang fight before it was finished. The 'F' stands for Friday, the day he died."
The origin of the name seemed a bit murky.
Well, it didn't matter to me.
"What kinds of special ammunition do you have?"
"We've got explosive rounds, freezing rounds, armor-piercing rounds, barbed rounds, electric rounds, and more. The explosive rounds are the most expensive 30,000 won per round."
"What about regular bullets?"
"400 won per round. Buy 100, get 10 free."
"Do you sell daggers here too?"
"We carry a few knives, but this is primarily a gun shop."
After I finished paying and was about to leave, Blay said, "I don't care where you pull the trigger or on whom. But since you're my customer, I'll give you some advice: don't attach any meaning to the human body. Replace your flesh with machines. It's far more efficient."
It was just nagging. I let his words go in one ear and out the other.
"Yeah, yeah. Good luck with sales."