As I stepped onto the 190th floor, I tensed.
Nothing.
There were no Special Agents. Or rather, they were invisible. Their mission was to guard the Main System Room. Highly trained Special Agents wouldn't abandon their posts without authorization.
Damn it. Being invisible is more troublesome than I thought.
I recalled what I knew about Illusioners.
Illusioners could only conceal their appearance. They couldn't hide their mass, sound, or body heat, making them vulnerable to thermal cameras. Moreover, rapid movements caused spatial distortions that betrayed their presence.
I did pack thermal imaging glasses in my inventory, just in case.
But I didn't use it. I was confident in my abilities.
Not long ago, when I asked Jin Seyoung how she would deal with an invisible enemy in the real world, she replied that even if she couldn't see it, she could still fight it if she could sense it.
And she deliberately wore a blindfold when we sparred.
The result was my defeat. Despite the blindfold being securely in place, Jin Seyoung had completely seen through me.
Should I take out the thermal imaging glasses now? ...No. I can do this.
I widened my eyes and focused my mind. I didn't close them unnecessarily.
If he fires his gun, it will make noise. To ensure a clean kill, he'll approach slowly and swing his knife.
I visualized the enemy in my mind. With the emergency stairs behind me, he would have to approach silently from the front.
"Mass doesn't just vanish. Since it's unlikely to be a full-body cyborg, it must be breathing."
I focused, concentrating with all my might.
And then, I felt something. It was to my right, within my field of vision, and it was steadily approaching me.
A presence.
As it drew closer, the shape of its presence became increasingly distinct.
He's holding a knife in his right hand, grip reversed.
I could feel it getting closer.
Only then did I belatedly realize: this was the Ki Sense Jin Seyoung had mentioned.
I thought Ki Sense used mana like a bat's echolocation... but it's more like this?
It's difficult to explain in words. You simply have to feel it.
The range I can sense... about 1 meter? That's a bit disappointing.
I moved before he did.
Acceleration activated. Duration: 10 minutes.
Yeongcheon Style Combat Technique: Dawn.
The moment I activated Acceleration, I unleashed my fastest combat technique.
My blade became a flash of light, cleaving through his body.
He reacted, but my blade was faster than his movements. From his right shoulder to his flank, I cleanly split him open, severing even the heart within his chest. Even if his body were mechanical, it couldn't withstand the Plasma Blade's intensity.
His body collapsed with a thud. His lower half remained visible, but his upper half was obscured by the Illusioner, which continued to function even in death.
...What a formidable opponent. Even as he died, he uttered no dying words, not even a scream.
Only authorized Special Agents could use the Illusioner. The agent before me was undoubtedly an elite.
If he'd faced me head-on, things might have turned out differently.
I crouched down and groped for the invisible agent's torso, detaching the Illusioner from his left arm. The agent's corpse was revealed, his eyes wide open and mouth tightly shut in death.
Got it! The Illusioner!
The Illusioner resembled an ordinary black cord. Words glowed on its surface:
>Concealed. Remaining concealment time: 47 minutes 52 seconds.
When I pulled on both ends, the Illusioner stretched like a rubber band.
I heard it can extend up to 70 centimeters at maximum.
As soon as I released one hand, the Illusioner began to shrink slowly. I wrapped it around my left arm, just as the Special Agent had done. My body instantly turned invisible. When I picked up the knife I had briefly set down, it too became transparent.
I can't even see my own body.
This was expected. Considering the Illusioner's effects, it was a manageable drawback. The real challenge was calculating its activation time precisely.
Alright. Just get two more Illusioners and head back to reality!
I was about to rush toward the emergency stairs when I paused, glancing at the Main System Room. If I went inside and killed all the technicians, wouldn't that prolong the chaos?
I swung my knife at the Main System Room door.
Clang!
The blade bounced off the door, leaving only a scratch. As expected of the Main System Room at Seoul City Hall, it was protected by a door made of a material impervious even to a Plasma Blade.
...I can't cut through it.
The walls were likely made of the same material. I shook off my lingering doubts and sprinted toward the emergency stairs.
Wobble, wobble. The space visibly rippled with my violent movements.
This isn't good.
Slowing my pace slightly reduced the wobbling.
...What if I used Gi Eunbo?
To my surprise, most of the wobbling vanished. Even as I moved at nearly full speed, the spatial distortions were minimal.
Illusioner. This Yeongcheon Style has incredible synergy with you.
Grin, grin.
I couldn't stop laughing. Forcing myself to suppress my emotions, I descended the stairs. Midway down, I encountered a Special Forces unit, but they didn't see me. I passed them by. There was no need to waste energy killing them.
151st Floor. Just before the party hall, I put on my thermal goggles. It seemed best to take the easy route after all.
150th Floor.
Instead of entering the party hall directly, I peeked through the crack in the door to observe the scene inside.
The party hall was in chaos. Tables and food lay scattered on the floor. The guests had gathered in one corner, using their smartwatches to illuminate the room.
Three Special Agents. This won't do.
Three Special Agents were guarding Mayor Won Cheonsu of Seoul.
They've almost certainly got thermal vision implants. The moment I try to sneak up on them, they'll open fire.
I turned around. The party venue was less chaotic than I'd expected. And since Son Jeonghu wasn't here, it seemed he'd already achieved his objective.
I'll have to give up on the three Illusioners.
The circumstances weren't right. I couldn't take them on alone.
There's a jewelry store on the 36th floor. Should I stop by?
The thought tempted me for a moment, but I decided against it. My goal was the Illusioners. I needed to secure one more as a backup.
As I descended the stairs to the 60th floor, I spotted Yu Hansu lying unconscious on the floor.
Looks like he fought Son Jeonghu, just like in the original webtoon.
After this, Yu Hansu and Son Jeonghu clashed several more times. None of it concerned me.
My objective was the first floor.
Special Agent Park Sinhwan was there.
I had learned this while hacking the Main System. The Special Forces were a cover; Park Sinhwan's true identity was Special Agent.
When I reached the first floor, I frowned. All the Special Forces soldiers were dead.
Just in case, I scanned the surroundings and spotted two figures standing calmly near the main entrance: Hyeonji and Yu Geuntae. At their feet lay Park Sinhwan's corpse.
Grimacing, I quietly deactivated the Illusioner and stowed it in my inventory along with the Thermal Camera. Then, feigning composure, I approached them.
"What are you doing there? You seem to have secured an escape route. Why aren't you running?"
As I spoke casually, Yu Geuntae turned to face me and grinned. He held up the Illusioner in his hand, displaying it proudly.
"Taker! Look! This is the Illusioner! I thought he was just a regular Special Forces soldier, but it turns out he's a Special Agent! We hit the jackpot today!"
"Uncle, the Illusioner is mine!"
"No, Hyeonjiya! We captured it together, right? Let's just sell it on the black market! It'll fetch billions! You know the Illusioner has limitations too!"
"...Hmm. You're right. These days, even dogs and cows have thermal vision implants. Getting cash might not be a bad idea."
They were making a racket.
Looking down, I saw Park Sinhwan's corpse had been dismembered.
"Is that a real Illusioner? Let's take a look!"
I strode toward them.
"Alright, alright, just look. It's a precious item, so... huh?"
I swung my blade, instantly severing Hyeonji's neck. Her head fell to the ground as her body collapsed.
"T-Taker?! You madman!"
Yu Geuntae, quickly assessing the situation, backed away from me, raising his hands in surrender. But I moved faster, slicing off his mechanical arms before plunging my blade into his heart.
"Gah! B-betrayal?!"
"My original goal was the Illusioner. Farewell, old man."
I slashed downward, spilling blood and entrails. I stored the second Illusioner in my inventory.
Everything went exactly as I'd planned.
"Yes! Mission accomplished! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
I felt absolutely fantastic. Spreading my arms wide, I burst out of the entrance.
"Kha ha ha ha ha!"
I laughed maniacally, like a madman.
Now that I was invisible, I could indulge in all sorts of mischief. It was a bit risky to use in the real world, teeming with monstrous hunters... but in games like Vampire Detective and others, the possibilities were endless.
"First, the women's bathhouse! I'll finally uncover its secrets with my own eyes..."
Bang!
A bullet fired from behind pierced my heart.
My body collapsed downward. The searing pain in my chest left me speechless.
I'm going to die. The thought ignited a surge of fury.
Who? Who shot me?
I desperately twisted my head backward.
The shooter was Ulla. She had sniped me from a 30th-floor window with a rifle. The sleek-faced sniper retreated from the window with a cold expression.
Fuck! This is infuriating! Complete Recovery!
My pierced heart and chest instantly regenerated. The agonizing pain that had been searing through my chest vanished as if it had never existed.
Ulla's mistake was aiming for my heart instead of my head. Had she destroyed my brain, I wouldn't have been able to activate Complete Recovery and would have died instantly.
You fucking bitch. You knew I was a normal human, not a cyborg, so you aimed for my heart. You wanted me to die regretting my betrayal.
Ulla was a cruel bitch even in the original work. Despite being capable of headshots, she deliberately aimed for the heart when her opponent was a normal human. She'd mutter pretentious nonsense about granting a "stay of execution" or some such bullshit, but to me, she was just a delusional, edgy psycho.
I'll kill you, you fucking bitch! You dared to target the back of my head?!
I was a hypocritical, selfish bastard. It was fine for me to stab someone in the back, but absolutely unacceptable when someone did it to me.
With my knife in hand, I charged back into Seoul City Hall, my rage burning white-hot.
Wait a minute! Now that I think about it, that fucking Son Jeonghu must have ordered Ulla to monitor me!
It was obvious when he told me to bring Ulla to dinner.
The reason Ulla sniped and killed me wasn't because I had betrayed her.
Ulla was on the 30th floor, meaning she couldn't have witnessed my betrayal on the 1st floor.
Ulla killed me because she wanted to.
Crunch.
Clenching my teeth until my gums bled, I changed direction mid-ascent and descended into the underground levels.
Floor 22.
There, I accessed a secret underground passage hidden in the restroom, leading to Floor 23 a level not even marked on the blueprints.
Originally, this place appeared in the final act of the Original Work.
The final boss in the Original Work wasn't Son Jeonghu, but Mayor Won Cheonsu of Seoul. He harbored ambitions of bringing all of Korea under his complete control.
A massive door blocked my relentless advance. It was made of the same material as the doors in the Main System.
This door is designed to be opened manually as a security measure against hacking.
Knowing the original work, I knew how to open it.
I pressed the button on the lower right of the iron door. A metallic clang echoed. Then, I pressed the hidden button about 3 meters to the left.
After pressing four such hidden buttons in sequence, I pushed the door with all my might.
The door creaked open.
I sprinted through the passage and reached my destination.
"Holy shit, it's huge!"
Before me stood a white sphere over 10 meters in diameter, radiating a crimson glow.
"The Eclaus Nuclear Fusion Reactor. The starting point of Project: Heart of Korea."
Mayor Won Cheonsu harbored the ambition to dominate Korea's energy sector with the Eclaus Nuclear Fusion Reactor. In this world, energy was paramount, and the reactor was an absurdly powerful device capable of supplying more than enough energy for the entire nation.
As of now, "Project: Heart of Korea" remained a secret known only to Mayor Won Cheonsu.
It's from the Original Work! Because it's still incomplete, it's extremely vulnerable to shocks!
What would happen if it were subjected to a shock?
The answer was also revealed in the Original Work.
The Eclaus Nuclear Fusion Reactor would explode. Not just any explosion, but one with such immense destructive power that it could reduce half of South Korea, including Seoul, to dust.
I strode toward the nuclear fusion reactor, raising my sword high.
"Let's all die together, you fucking bastards!"
I was beyond reason.
To kill Son Jeonghu and Ulla simultaneously, this was the most effective method. No, in my crazed state, it was the only method that occurred to me.
"Game over!"
I roared, swinging my sword. With this, I would safely return to reality...
...Huh?
A blinding light, radiating immense heat, engulfed me.
You have died.
Ending the game.
You have reached the ending for Code: XTK.
You cannot select the world of Code: XTK.
The ending has been saved and can be viewed again at any time.
You have earned 12 bonus points for reaching the ending.
You have met special conditions.
You have achieved the ending achievement, 'Anger Management Issues'.
You have acquired the Emotion Controller.
You have earned 66 points.
Commencing experience point calculation.
Level up!
Level up!
Level up...