The creative work that caught my eye.
'It's a webtoon I read back in high school. It ended about five years ago, right?'
Code: XTK is a cyberpunk genre work, which is relatively niche. The story is set about ten years ahead of the present, and the stage is Seoul. However, it's a completely different world from the real Seoul, with almost nothing in common.
'It mainly deals with the stories of cyborgs.'
Code: XTK is the codena the protagonist, Yoo Han-soo, used in the past. He used to work for the Korean governnt, but by the ti of the story, he's living as a fixer.
'He takes on almost any job except assassination contracts.'
Yoo Han-soo was so exceptional during his ti as a special agent that he was called a legend. Thanks to that, he's built an extensive network. Occasionally, even the governnt or police co to him for requests.
'But what caught my attention isn't Yoo Han-soo. It's a certain item in this world.'
The Illsiter.
An item that temporarily makes the user invisible.
It's an extrely rare item even within the story. Only recognized special agents affiliated with the governnt can use the Illsiter.
'An item that allows temporary invisibility. It's perfect for activities as Jeokgwang.'
Lately, while assassinating vampire hunters, I've realized that the hardest part of an assassination isn't the act of killing itself, but the approach and retreat before and after. With the Illsiter, approaching and retreating would undoubtedly beco much easier.
'The Illsiter is self-recharging. Once used, it can keep you hidden for up to an hour.'
That level of functionality is practically cheating in the modern world.
'I could even sneak into won's bathhouses or changing rooms. Hehehe.'
I made up my mind.
I was completely hooked on the Illuminator. I wanted it so badly.
I turned on my computer and started searching for Code: XTK. I planned to re-read the webtoon from the first episode and thoroughly examine the analyses posted by netizens.
'The biggest advantage I have is knowing the future of the ga world. And even if I don't delve deeply into the original work myself… I can use the analyses written by netizens. Hehehe.'
I imagined a future where I had the Illsiter in my hands.
Becoming an invisible man and teasing won in public places. How would a woman react if she were suddenly teased by an invisible man?
'I really, really want it! The Illsiter!'
***
[You have selected Code: XTK.]
[An avatar is being created.]
[There are three available avatar settings to choose from.]
[1. Kim Eugene ]
– 32 years old, a math teacher at Victor Middle School in Seoul.
– Lost his left arm to a mugger and now has a cybernetic arm.
– Lives in constant worry about the future, leading to depression.
[2. Chun Eugene]
– 24 years old, a gangster in the Black Hamr gang operating in the Incheon area.
– 60% of his body is cybernetic.
– Aspires to beco the boss of the Black Hamr gang.
[3. Park Eugene]
– 21 years old, works at a machine parts factory in a corner of Seoul.
– An orphan who lives in the factory dormitory to save money.
After checking the three avatar settings, I frowned.
"What the hell? None of these are appealing."
I grumbled discontentedly. If there had been no avatar settings to choose from, it would've been one thing. But with three options, none of them really clicked with .
'Why isn't there a rich or powerful character setting?'
In the Code: XTK world, ordinary people don't even know the Illsiter exists. That's how rare and powerful the item is.
'If I were a powerful or wealthy character, it would've been much easier to obtain the Illsiter!'
Seoul in Code: XTK is rife with corruption. On top of that, mafias, gangs, and yakuza-like organizations are rampant. It's no wonder it's a cyberpunk setting.
'Should I choose Kim Eugene? No, what's with being a teacher? A teacher?'
It's a job that doesn't suit at all. And the fact that he has a chanical arm is a bit off-putting. I value my body too much. A chanical arm on ? I don't even want to imagine it.
'If he were a university professor who could seduce female students, I might've considered it positively… but a middle school teacher? No way.'
Kim Eugene was out.
Second option: Chun Eugene.
'A cyborg with 60% of his body chanized? Ugh, fuck… Just imagining it is disgusting. Out!'
I shuddered at the thought of having machinery inside my body. Even though I understand the world's setting, I don't think I could ever get used to it.
Still, being a gangster was sowhat appealing. Given the dark nature of the original story, operating in the underworld would be convenient in many ways.
'The third option isn't great either.'
Park Eugene had nothing compared to Kim Eugene and Chun Eugene. Kim Eugene, being a math teacher, likely had so savings, and Chun Eugene, as a gangster, probably had various connections.
But Park Eugene?
An orphan at 21 years old. There's no way he has much money saved up. Connections? How impressive could the connections of a re factory worker be?
'But he doesn't have the cyborg setting.'
After so deliberation, I eventually chose Park Eugene.
Money? I have my real-world self. I can bring gold bars or jewels to sell and raise funds.
Connections? They're convenient to have, but not having them doesn't seem like a big issue.
The goal of the Code: XTK ga is solely to obtain the Illuminator.
'All the female characters in this are ugly.'
There wasn't a single female character that could excite .
The cyberpunk world didn't appeal to much either. Back in high school, I only read this webtoon to kill ti.
'Once I get the Illsiter in Code: XTK, I'll just auto-play to the ending.'
I was about to start the ga with Park Eugene when I paused.
"Oh, right. I should use the accumulated points."
=====
[Na: Seong Eugene]
[Level: 20]
[Stats]
[Strength: 14]
[Stamina: 13]
[Agility: 12]
[Intelligence: 5]
[Vitality: 15]
[Available Points: 39]
=====
One point in stamina had naturally increased. It seems the consistent training at the Yeongcheon Sword Hall paid off.
'Should I increase strength or agility? I also want to boost my vitality to use the heightened sensitivity skill to my heart's content. Or should I raise intelligence, the lowest stat, to 10?'
After so thought, 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 device must be within 70 ters. You can hack multiple devices, but the duration is 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 acceleration has proven to be incredibly useful lately.'
The remaining 4 points.
After so deliberation, I invested them in strength. I initially considered intelligence, but it didn't seem necessary in this situation.
=====
[Na: Seong Eugene]
[Level: 20]
[Stats]
[Strength: 16]
[Stamina: 13]
[Agility: 12]
[Intelligence: 5]
[Vitality: 15]
=====
'After vitality, strength is the most important for a man! You need strength to pound hard.'
After distributing the points, I glanced at the random draw. It's a bit disappointing, but there's nothing I can do. I promised myself to use any leftover points for the random draw and started the ga.
'I should do the random draw at least once a week. It's quite fun.'
There's a chance to hit the jackpot in the random draw. If you're lucky, you can get an incredible skill like hacking.
'I hope I get a space manipulation skill. Moving my dick directly into a woman's pussy… Hehehe.'
[Starting the ga.]
•••
When I opened my eyes, I was in a ssy room. The fluorescent light on the ceiling was off, and the light from the billboard outside the window flickered intermittently. At least there was no noise.
'Ugh! It's smaller than my old studio before I moved.'
I sat up on the bed. There was another bed next to mine, where a skinny man in his 40s was fast asleep.
I looked around. Clothes and bags were scattered in one corner, and there was a small fridge and a TV. No laptop or anything like that. And there was a sll of oil.
'Ugh! Is this the factory dormitory? Where's my smartphone?'
Fortunately, my smartphone was in my pants pocket.
I was a bit worried because Code: XTK doesn't use smartphones. In this world, most people use smartwatches. Smartphones are considered antiques.
'But there's a smartwatch on my left wrist too? Does Park Eugene use both a smartphone and a smartwatch?'
That doesn't make sense.
Park Eugene is an orphan and poor. He doesn't have the luxury to afford both. If he only used one, it would be understandable. Why would he use an antique smartphone if he has a smartwatch?
'The smartphone is the sa model as the one I have in real life... Hmm. Maybe the smartphone is sothing I automatically start with when I begin the ga. Like a default item.'
After so thought, that seed the most plausible explanation.
I checked my surroundings, lay back down on the bed, and fiddled with the smartwatch, clicking my tongue in annoyance. It was my first ti using a smartwatch, so it felt awkward. I almost freaked out when the smartwatch projected a screen onto the wall like a beam projector.
'I'll just use the smartphone.'
I fiddled with the smartphone with my fingers. This was much more familiar to .
First, I went online. Although the portal site was a bit different from the real world, I could still use the internet without any issues.
[War breaks out between mafias and gangs over Incheon's supremacy!]
[Boss of the Kim Chul-soo family attacked.]
[Super Energy Eklus. Prices have risen by 1.1 tis. Eclairs are expected to beco even more expensive.]
'It's definitely the starting point of the original story.'
The ga always starts at the sa point as the original story.
'Then the opportunity to get the Illsiter will co soon. I need to prepare.'
While browsing the internet, I stumbled upon a ga site. The ga's na was Legendary Blade, a na that sounded cheap and generic.
It was a shoddy web ga site. The illustrations were crude, and the in-ga graphics were just as bad. It's hard to understand why they're still running such a ga.
'In reality, this ga is a eting place for the criminal organization, Raffles.'
I registered on the ga site. Signing up was easy. The ga could be played on both smartphones and smartwatches.
I created a ga character. Na: Taker. Gender: Male. Class: Warrior.
'The character looks like a frog. Seriously.'
After creating the character, I searched for public channel 472 and entered.
I ignored the tutorial quest prompt and moved my character around the starting village. Under a large yellow tree, a character wearing a feather hat was running a mat shop. The character's na was AnnieThing.
'Found it.'
I clicked on the character and opened the shop window.
They were selling various ga items. I had no idea if the prices were expensive or reasonable, and I didn't care.
I scrolled to the very bottom and selected 'Negotiate.'
A new window popped up. A one-on-one private chat window.
[AnnieThing: I'm not interested in negotiating item prices. If you're not buying, just leave.]
[Taker: Raffles. Right?]
[AnnieThing: Are you a guest?]
[Taker: I want to join Raffles. Are there any special conditions for joining?]
[AnnieThing: This is the first ti I've encountered sothing like this. It's a bit surprising.]
[AnnieThing: Do we look that easy to join?]
[Taker: Is it impossible? What are the conditions for joining?]
[AnnieThing: Do you really want to beco a mber of Raffles?]
[Taker: I'm not here to ss around. If we need to et in person, I'll co to you.]
[AnnieThing: I'm very curious about your reason for wanting to join Raffles.]
[AnnieThing: But more than that, Raffles isn't open to just anyone. We don't need incompetent people.]
[AnnieThing: Tell , what can you do?]
[Taker: I'm a mutant.]
[AnnieThing: Oh?]
Mutants are humans with superpowers. The number of mutants is extrely low. Maybe one in ten thousand.
And the superpowers of mutants aren't particularly impressive. Most cyborgs are stronger than the average mutant.
[AnnieThing: A mutant, huh? That's interesting. But that's all.]
[AnnieThing: It seems your abilities aren't enough to join Raffles.]
[Taker: Hacking.]
[AnnieThing: Huh?]
[Taker: My superpower is hacking.]
[AnnieThing: Wait. Such a superpower can't exist.]
[AnnieThing: You must think Raffles is a bunch of fools.]
[Hacking successful.]
[You can hack Legendary Blade for 15 minutes.]
***
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