"That pig... he used Toxid," Hyeonji spat out the words like venom.
Toxid was a drug in this world, administered directly into the bloodstream. It was one of the most potent narcotics available, boasting both intense euphoria and extreme addictiveness, with a slight physical enhancement as a bonus.
If someone was lucky enough to have a body compatible with Toxid, it could even reverse aging.
The problem lay in Toxid's side effects. Beyond a certain threshold, the drug triggered Bioforce within the body.
Nearly 90% of users experience these side effects. The remaining 10%... they mutate.
Success transforms you into a mutant, often rejuvenating your body. Failure, however, turns you into a monstrous creature like the Wood God Beast before us a life form less than a stray dog.
I glanced sideways at Hyeonji's profile. Her backstory included her sister's death from Toxid side effects, which triggered a Bioforce mutation that turned her into a monster.
"Ugh..."
The Wood God Beast staggered to its feet. Yu Geuntae and I instinctively recoiled. Its appearance was utterly repulsive: bulging belly revealing exposed organs, and viscous fluid dripping from its neck.
"Ugh! Fucking disgusting! Hyeonji, get back! We need to burn that thing! Incinerating it is for the good of humanity!"
"I'll kill it."
"There it goes again! She's having another episode!"
Hyeonji moved before Yu Geuntae could stop her. Using her superior mobility, she swiftly closed the distance to the monster and swung her ultravibration blade at its massive body. However, the blade penetrated less than half of the Wood God Beast's thick hide.
"I... am the Boss!" the monster growled in a repulsive voice, swinging its arm. Despite its seemingly sluggish movements, the strike was lightning-fast.
Bang! Hyeonji's body was hurled backward, crashing through the door, shattering the corridor window, and plummeting to the ground below. Yu Geuntae rushed to the window.
"Hyeonji!"
I peered out the window as well. Hyeonji lay sprawled on the ground, her body twitching. Even in this state, she seemed to have managed a rough landing using her mechanical arms and legs.
"...She seems to be alive, but it'll be hard for her to move right away."
Yu Geuntae spoke, and I turned my gaze back to the monster.
"Can we win if we fight?"
No. It's a monster that even the ultravibration blade can't penetrate. How could we possibly win?
It looked like we'd need heavy weaponry like missiles.
"You bastard! You must have injected at least three times the normal dose of Toxid!" Yu Geuntae roared, extending both hands toward the monster. The holes in his palms opened, and flames erupted, engulfing the creature's body.
"Ha ha! My flames are going to be a bit... hotter than usual!"
At first, it seemed to work. The monster's movements froze. But after five seconds, it resumed moving as if nothing had happened. The creature possessed an extraordinary resistance to fire.
"Uh... what?"
Flustered, Yu Geuntae stopped emitting flames. He glanced at me, forced an awkward smile, and said,
"Taker! Let's get out of here!"
"..."
Yu Geuntae sprinted away. I immediately understood his plan: he had deliberately attacked the monster to draw its attention, all for Hyeonji's sake.
As I ran after him, I glanced back.
"That monster... it's huge, but it's incredibly fast!"
"This is like some cheap horror movie!"
We were running at full speed, but the distance between us and the monster wasn't widening it was actually shrinking. Of course, I still had my acceleration skill. Using it would easily let me outrun a creature like that.
The problem was Yu Geuntae beside me. I wanted to keep my acceleration hidden if possible, and I couldn't just abandon him. That would be a betrayal.
Should I try firing a shot?
I swapped the magazine and pulled the trigger, aiming at the monster.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets struck the monster's legs, freezing instantly with a sharp clang! These weren't ordinary bullets; they were Freezing Bullets.
The effect was immediate. With its legs frozen solid, the monster could no longer run and came to a halt.
"Oh, what's this? Freezing Bullets?! You had a trick up your sleeve! How do you like that, you monster?! Your legs are frozen solid, aren't they? Can't move now, can you?!" Yu Geuntae taunted.
Before he could finish, the monster lifted its leg. The reason was simple: its strength far exceeded anything ice could restrain.
"Damn it!"
"Whoa. At this level, it's practically troll-class, isn't it?" I exclaimed in admiration. Trolls were D-Class monsters renowned for their immense physical strength and exceptional agility.
"Troll? What's that?"
"You know, a monster. They show up in novels and games all the time."
"This old man doesn't know anything about that stuff, so I don't get it! More importantly, Taker, you seem pretty relaxed?"
"I'm just running. This isn't even a workout."
"How are you so physically fit without being a cyborg? Are you some kind of mutant?"
I glanced sideways at Yu Geuntae. His breathing was already ragged.
"Are you already tired, even though you're a cyborg?"
"I'm! Only my arms are cybernetic! The rest of me is just a normal human body! Huff! The gas tank on my back weighs over 10 kilograms! Do you know how damn heavy that is?!"
"Then why don't you just ditch it?"
"No way! This is a special product, that's why it's so expensive!"
We ran through the urgent situation, chatting as we fled. I could easily outrun the monster and escape at any time, but Yu Geuntae was different. He seemed a bit crazy.
"Ugh! What the hell is that monster?!"
"Fuck! Shoot it down!"
Along the way, members of the Woodgod Family spotted the monster and screamed in terror. They immediately opened fire, so panicked they even started throwing grenades wildly at it.
We got lucky. The monster's attention shifted to them, allowing us to run more easily.
"Fragging? The mafia's really gone too far," I muttered.
"Hey, hey. Wouldn't it be weirder if they recognized it as their Boss?"
"Still, you've been together for so long. Shouldn't you recognize her?"
"Imagine your wife of twenty years suddenly changing like that! Would you recognize her?"
"...No. I wouldn't."
We successfully escaped the building.
"What about Hyeonji?" I asked. We hadn't jumped out the window because of her.
"She wasn't unconscious. She'll find her way back."
"But you said she's not normal anymore. Isn't it dangerous if she runs into the Woodgod bastards?"
"It's okay. We're outside now. Ulla will provide support."
"Ah."
I'd completely forgotten.
There were four of us, not three. Ulla, our sniper, was covering us from the rear.
"So, is this the end of the mission?"
"Yeah. Once the Bioforce awakens, they're no longer human just monsters. As good as dead. But Taker, isn't this your first time seeing the Bioforce? How come you're so calm?"
"There are all sorts of rumors circulating on the internet."
"True enough. The Bioforce is common knowledge by now. Alright, let's grab some fried chicken and beer before we part ways."
"Fried chicken and beer? Sounds good. You're paying, right, Uncle?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Thump!
A heavy object crashed to the ground behind us, causing a slight tremor.
Yu Geuntae and I exchanged glances. A bitter smile formed on his lips, and I imagined my own expression mirrored his.
"Looks like your Freezing Bullet pissed it off?"
"Nah, it's definitely because you set it on fire, Uncle."
We turned around, blaming each other pointlessly.
As expected, there was a monster. It was staring at us, its entire body drenched in blood. In its right hand, it clutched a human skull. Both of the monster's legs were shattered, the result of leaping from a great height.
"I... I am... the master... of the Woodgod..."
It mumbled incoherently. We mustn't misunderstand this was just meaningless babble. The Bioforce had rendered the monster's brain incapable of normal function.
"Should we run?" Yu Geuntae asked me. I understood his concern. If we fled, the monster would inevitably follow, endangering innocent civilians.
"We have no choice. Our firepower isn't enough to kill it."
"Ah~. You think so too, huh?" Yu Geuntae scratched his head.
The monster was walking toward us, its legs clearly shattered, yet it moved with unnerving ease. What an absurd creature. Its physical abilities were similar to a troll's, but was its regenerative capacity also comparable?
"Damn it. Run "
Before Yu Geuntae could finish his sentence, a bullet flew from behind us and struck the monster's chest. The projectile burrowed deep into its flesh before detonating.
KABOOM!
A massive explosion erupted. The monster's body shattered into pieces, its shredded remains raining down onto the ground.
"...What was that? An explosive round?"
"Ah, that's Ulla's special explosive bullet. Each one costs around 200 million won. We owe her big time. We'll have to give Ulla a generous share this time."
"No, wait a minute. That kind of power from a single bullet is just absurd!"
"Absurd? With the Ecless everyone's been raving about lately, that's nothing."
"...Indeed."
The word "Ecless" clicked in my mind.
Ecless is a special energy, like Mana in reality. It's an unknown substance that was never fully explained even in the completed original work.
The Illusioner I'm after also uses Ecless as its energy source.
Strictly speaking, the only similarity between Mana and Ecless is that they're both unknown energies. Unlike Mana, which humans can wield, Ecless cannot be directly used by humans.
Still... that sniper is terrifying. Now my neck feels all tingly.
I idly rubbed the back of my head with one hand. Until the bullet struck the monster, I hadn't been able to pinpoint Ulla's location at all.
"Let's go get some chicken and beer!" Yu Geuntae nudged my shoulder and strode ahead.
"Uncle, I'm gonna eat three whole chickens: fried, spicy, and soy sauce."
"Three whole chickens? You devoured that pizza last time too... I didn't realize you were such a big eater."
"I'm all about quantity and quality, you know? What about Hyeonji?"
"She and Ulla won't be coming. Ulla never really goes to after-parties, and Hyeonji's probably feeling a bit embarrassed."
"What? Just the two of us guys? Tsk."
"Hey, you little brat! That's hurtful!"
"Uncle, do you know any good places? Like Ten Percent clubs?"
"Ten Percent? Who even goes there these days? Most people go to clubs."
"Most of the women there are probably artificial humans."
"Artificial humans? Oh, you mean plastic surgery. That's unavoidable. It's harder to find a woman who hasn't had work done these days."
"There aren't many 'normals' at clubs either."
"You're the weird one for being normal. Don't they tease you for being an outsider at work?"
I clicked my tongue.
This damned world treated anyone without cybernetic enhancements as an outsider.
For weeks, I'd been taking on Raffles' assignments almost daily.
I wanted to prove my abilities and build trust.
I'd done everything illegal imaginable: contract killings, theft, surveillance, information extraction, and more.
I've realized that hacking is practically omnipotent in this world.
There was nothing hacking couldn't do. I could drain someone's bank account and erase all traces of my actions. The only reason I didn't was because such widespread damage would inevitably trigger an aggressive police investigation.
And against a cyborg, victory was guaranteed. The moment my hack activated, the battle was over.
I'd hit on any pretty woman I saw. But goddamn it, why are they all cyborgs or artificial humans?
I'd once slept with a cyborg beauty.
We met at a restaurant. As a joke, I offered her 3 million won if she slept with me. To my surprise, she took me up on it. I'm decent-looking, and 3 million won for a one-night stand was an absurdly good deal.
Just like that, a prostitution deal was struck. We went straight to a motel.
"I could have refused! But I fell for that face! And apart from her arms, she had a normal woman's body! Her breasts were amazing too!"
Her face resembled a famous celebrity, and her breasts were natural F-cups. There were slight signs of cosmetic surgery, but it was nothing I couldn't overlook.
"The problem, though, was that her vagina turned out to be artificial."
Her vagina was artificial. I heard her uterus was artificial too, supposedly to protect babies more safely. Apparently, mechanical vaginas are becoming trendy among women in this world.
"To be fair, her vaginal grip was incredible... but what's the difference between that and an Onahole?"
I came once and fled the motel like I was escaping.
"After that, I turned my attention to objects instead of women."
Code: XTK was full of futuristic gadgets.
After finishing Raffles' job, my daily routine consisted of shopping with the money I'd earned from his commissions.
The factory job? I quit immediately. Now I live comfortably in a top-tier hotel.
That robot vacuum I bought last time was amazing. Its Artificial Intelligence is so advanced that it cleans the house perfectly on its own, leaving it spotless.
Today, I'm strolling through the city again. Whenever I spot a shop that catches my eye, I go in, buy something, and bring it back to the real world. That's my greatest pleasure in Code: XTK.
Vrr.
My smartwatch vibrated softly. A message had arrived.
It's from Son Jeonghu.
Son Jeonghu: Urgent matter. Everyone meet at the cafe tonight at 9 PM.
I chuckled quietly.