A creation that caught my eye.
'This is the webtoon I read back in high school. I think it finished about five years ago?'
XTK was a cyberpunk story, a niche genre.
The setting was Seoul, about ten years ahead of our reality, but it was a world so different from the real Seoul that almost nothing was the same.
'It mainly focused on cyborg stories.'
Code: XTK was the codename Yu Hansu used in his past. He used to work for the South Korean government, but by the time the story begins, he's living as a fixer.
'He takes on almost any job except murder contracts.'
During his time as a special agent, Yu Hansu was so exceptional that he was considered a legend. Thanks to this, he's built an extensive network of connections. Occasionally, even the government or police come to him with requests.
"But Yu Hansu isn't my focus. It's an item from this world's lore."
The Illusioner.
This device grants temporary invisibility when activated.
Even within the story, it's a rare and valuable artifact. Only elite special agents recognized by the government are authorized to use it.
"An item that grants temporary invisibility. Perfect for operating as secret agent."
I've realized this while assassinating Vampire Hunters lately.
The most challenging part of assassination isn't the kill itself, but the approach and retreat the moments before and after the strike. With the Illusioner, both would become significantly easier.
"The Illusioner is self-recharging and allows for one hour of continuous concealment per use."
In the modern era, that's practically cheating.
"I could even sneak into women's bathhouses and locker rooms. Heh heh heh."
My mind was made up.
I was completely obsessed with the Illusioner. I had to have it.
I turned on my computer and started searching for "Code: XTK."
I planned to rewatch the webtoon from the first episode and thoroughly examine all the online analyses of Code: XTK by netizens.
"My greatest advantage is knowing the future of the Game World. And even if I don't need to delve deeply into the original work myself... I can just use the netizens' analyses. Heh heh heh."
I imagined the future where I possessed the Illusioner.
Becoming invisible and harassing women in public places. How would a woman react to suddenly being harassed by an invisible man?
"I, I fucking want it! The Illusioner!"
[Code: XTK selected.]
[Avatar creation initiated.]
Three avatar settings are available:
1. Kim Yujin
- 32 years old, a math teacher at Victor Middle School in Seoul.
- Lost his left arm in a robbery and became a cyborg after receiving a mechanical prosthetic.
- Lives a gloomy life, plagued by anxieties about the future.
2. Cheon Yujin
- 24 years old, a gangster affiliated with the Black Hammer gang operating in the Incheon area.
- 60% of his body is cybernetic.
- Aspires to become the boss of the Black Hammer gang.
3. Park Yujin
- 21 years old, an employee at a mechanical parts factory in a remote corner of Seoul.
- An orphan who lives in the factory dormitory while working to save money.
***
After reviewing the three avatar settings, I frowned.
"What's this? None of these are appealing."
I grumbled under my breath. It wasn't like there were no avatar options at all. There were three, but none of them suited me.
Why aren't there any options for the wealthy or powerful?
In the world of Code: XTK, ordinary people don't even know the Illusioner exists. That's how extraordinary it is.
If I were rich or powerful, I could acquire the Illusioner much more easily!
Seoul in Code: XTK was plagued by corruption. Mafia, gangs, and yakuza were rampant.
It wasn't cyberpunk for nothing.
Should I choose Kim Yujin? No, what's a teacher? A teacher.
That profession didn't suit me at all. And the fact that his left arm was a mechanical prosthetic was a turn-off. I cherished my natural body.
Sung Yujin with a mechanical arm? I didn't even want to imagine it.
If I were a university professor who could get with college girls, I might have considered it positively... but middle school? No way.
Kim Yujin was out.
Second: Cheon Yujin.
A cyborg with 60% of his body replaced by machines? Ugh, fuck... Just imagining it makes me sick. Out!
The thought of having machines inside my body made me shudder involuntarily. I knew this kind of world existed, but I could never get used to it.
Still, the gangster aspect was quite appealing. Given the dark nature of the original story, operating in the underworld would offer various advantages.
The third one isn't much better.
Park Yujin had far less to offer compared to Kim Yujin and Cheon Yujin. Kim Yujin, as a math teacher, likely had savings, while Cheon Yujin, as a gangster, would have built up a network of connections.
But what about Park Yujin?
An orphan, only 21 years old. He couldn't possibly have much saved up.
Connections? How impressive could the connections of a mere factory worker be?
But he doesn't even have the cyborg setting.
After agonizing over it, I finally chose Park Yujin.
Money? I have my real-world self. I could bring gold bars or jewels and sell them to secure funds.
Connections? They'd be convenient, sure, but not having them wouldn't be a major problem.
The ultimate goal of Code: XTK's "Purpose of the Game" was always the Illusioner.
All the female characters in this game are ugly.
Not a single female character aroused me.
The cyberpunk world itself didn't appeal to me either. Back in high school, I'd only read this webtoon to kill time.
Once I get the Illusioner in Code: XTK, I'll just let it run automatically to the ending.
I selected Park Yujin and was about to start the game when I paused.
Oh right, I need to use my accumulated points.
[Sung Yujin]
[Level: 20]
[Strength: 14 Stamina: 13 Agility: 12 Intelligence: 5 Vitality: 15]
[Available Points: 39]
One point in Stamina had naturally increased. It was worth the effort of training consistently at the Youngcheon Sword Hall.
Should I increase Strength or Agility? I also want to boost Vitality so I can use the heightened sensitivity skill freely. Or should I raise Intelligence, my lowest stat, to 10?
After some deliberation, I decided to upgrade my Hacking skill.
***
[Hacking Lv.7]
[You can hack electronic devices. The more complex the device, the shorter the hacking duration. The target device must be within 70 meters. You can hack multiple devices simultaneously, but the hacking duration will be significantly reduced.]
[Cooldown: 3 hours]
***
[Acceleration Lv.5]
[Accelerates your body for 10 minutes.]
[Cooldown: 1 hour]
[Available Points: 4]
***
Code: XTK is a cyberpunk world. There's no skill more efficient than hacking. And after using Acceleration a lot lately, I've realized how incredibly useful it is.
With the remaining 4 points, I hesitated before investing them in Strength. I had originally planned to boost Intelligence, but it didn't seem as crucial in the current situation.
[Sung Yujin]
[Level: 20]
[Strength: 16 Vitality: 13 Agility: 12 Intelligence: 5 Stamina: 15]
For a man, strength comes second only to stamina! You need strength to pound her from behind.
After allocating my points, I glanced at the Random Draw. A twinge of regret lingered, but there was nothing I could do.
Promising myself to use any leftover points on the Random Draw later, I started the game.
I need to do the Random Draw at least once a week. It's actually pretty fun.
The Random Draw had a chance of hitting the Jackpot, which could grant incredibly powerful skills like hacking if you were lucky.
I wish I could get a spatial manipulation skill. Just move my dick to fuck women without moving my body... Hehehe.
[Starting the game.]
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a dingy room. The fluorescent light on the ceiling was off, and neon signs flashed intermittently through the window. At least it was quiet.
Ugh. This is even smaller than my old studio apartment before I moved.
I sat up in bed. Beside me was another bed where a gaunt, middle-aged man, likely in his forties, was sound asleep.
I glanced around the room. Clothes and bags lay scattered in one corner, and there was a small refrigerator and a TV. I didn't see any laptops or other electronic devices. The air smelled of oil.
Ugh. Is this a factory dormitory? Where's my smartphone?
Thankfully, my smartphone was in my pants pocket.
I'd been worried since smartphones weren't used in Code: XTK. In this world, most people used smartwatches, and smartphones were considered antiques.
Wait, there's a smartwatch on my left wrist too? Does Park Yujin use both a smartphone and a smartwatch?
That didn't make sense.
Park Yujin was an orphan and poor. He had no spare money. If he used only one of the devices, it would make sense. But why would he use an antique smartphone when he already had a smartwatch?
The smartphone is the exact same model as the one I have in the real world...
Hmm. Could it be that the smartphone is automatically given to me when I start the game? Like a basic item in a game?
No matter how much I thought about it, that seemed the most likely explanation.
I checked my surroundings, lay back down on the bed, and fiddled with the smartwatch before clicking my tongue. It was my first time using one, and it felt incredibly awkward.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the smartwatch projected a beam of light onto the wall, displaying a screen like a beam projector.
Just gonna stick with the smartphone.
I fiddled with my smartphone. This felt much more natural.
First, I accessed the internet. Though the portal sites here were slightly different from those in the real world, I could still browse without any issues.
- Mafia and Gang War Erupts Over Control of Incheon!
- Boss of the Kim Cheol-soo Family Attacked!
- Super Energy Eclus Prices Surge 1.1x Higher Than Before. Further Price Increases Expected.
Just as the original story begins.
Yuhee's starting point always aligned perfectly with the beginning of the original narrative.
That means my chance to acquire the Illusioner will come soon. I need to prepare.
As I browsed the internet, I stumbled upon a gaming website. The game's title was Legendary Blade a name that sounded cheap, yet somehow transcended mere tackiness.
It was a crude web game site. The illustrations were crude, and even the actual in-game graphics were crude. I couldn't understand why they were still running such a game.
In reality, this game is a meeting place for the criminal organization Raffles.
I signed up for the game site. Registration itself was easy. The game was a web-based title that could be played on smartphones or smartwatches.
I hastily created a character.
[Name: Taker.]
[Gender: Male.]
[Class: Warrior.]
Even the character looks like a frog. Seriously.
After creating my character, I searched for and entered public channel 472.
Ignoring the tutorial quest notification, I maneuvered my character around the starting village. Beneath a large yellow tree, a character wearing a feathered hat had set up a mat shop. Its name was Anything.
"Found you."
I clicked on the character to open the shop window.
Various game items were for sale. Since I knew nothing about this game, I couldn't tell if the prices were high or reasonable. Nor did I care.
I scrolled to the very bottom and selected "Negotiate."
A new window popped up a one-on-one private chat.
Anything: I'm not negotiating item prices. If you're not buying, just leave.
Taker: Raffles, right?
A: Are you a customer?
Taker: I want to join Raffles. Are there separate membership requirements?
A: I'm a bit flustered. This is the first time anyone's asked to join like this.
A: Does Raffles look that easy to join?
Taker: Is it impossible? What are the membership requirements?
A: Do you really want to become a member of Raffles?
Taker: I'm not here to play games. If I need to meet you in person, I'll come.
A: I'm extremely curious about why you want to join Raffles.
A: But more importantly, Raffles doesn't accept just anyone. We have no use for the incompetent.
A: Tell me, what can you do?
Taker: I'm a mutant.
A: Ho-ho.
Mutants are humans with superpowers. They are exceedingly rare, with perhaps only one in ten thousand people being one.
Moreover, a mutant's superpower is rarely impressive. An ordinary cyborg is often stronger than most mutants.
A: A mutant, you say? Interesting. But that's all you have?
A: It seems your abilities fall short of what's required to become a member of Raffles.
Taker: Hacking.
A: Huh?
Taker: My superpower is hacking.
A: Wait a minute. There's no way such a superpower could exist.
A: You must think Raffles is a bunch of fools.
[Hacking successful.]
[You can hack the Legendary Blade for 15 minutes.]