Into the Creations-Chapter 58: [] Code: XTK [5]

"This pig bastard... he used Toxid."

Hyunji spat out the words.

Toxid is a drug in this world. It's a type of drug injected directly into the bloodstream. One of the most potent drugs in this world. It offers both euphoria and high addictiveness, and while the effects are minimal, it also enhances physical strength.

If you're lucky and your body is compatible with Toxid, you might even rejuvenate.

The problem is the side effects of Toxid. Beyond a certain threshold, Toxid triggers Bioforce in the body.

'There's almost a 90% chance of side effects. And the remaining 10%... you become a mutant.'

If successful, you become a mutant. And there's a high chance your body will rejuvenate. On the other hand, if you fail, you end up like Mok Sinsu in front of us—a monstrous body. You become a creature worse than a stray dog.

I glanced at Hyunji's profile. In the original story, Hyunji's older sister died after becoming a monster due to the side effects of Toxid.

"Ughhh..."

Mok Sinsu staggered to his feet. Yoo Geun-tae and I instinctively stepped back. His appearance was too repulsive. His bulging belly revealed his intestines, and foul-smelling fluid dripped from his neck.

"Ugh! Damn, he looks disgusting! Hyunji, move! We need to burn that thing! Cremating it is for the sake of humanity!"

"I'll kill him."

"This girl, she's gone crazy again!"

Hyunji moved before Yoo Geun-tae could stop her. Using her high mobility, she instantly closed the distance to the monster and swung her blade at its bloated body. However, her high-frequency vibration blade didn't even penetrate halfway through Mok Sinsu's flesh.

"I am... the boss...!"

The monster with a grotesque voice swung its arm. Despite its sluggish appearance, its movements were incredibly fast.

Boom!

Hyunji's body was sent flying, crashing through the corridor window and plummeting to the ground below. Yoo Geun-tae looked out the window.

"Hyunji!"

I also looked out the window. Hyunji was writhing on the ground. It seemed she had used her mechanical arms and legs to break her fall.

"...She seems fine, but I don't think she'll be able to move right away."

Yoo Geun-tae said. I turned my gaze back to the monster.

Can we win if we fight?

'No. The opponent is a monster that even high-frequency vibration blades can't pierce. How are we supposed to win?'

We'd need something like missiles or heavy equipment.

"This bastard! He must've taken at least three times the normal dose of Toxid!"

Yoo Geun-tae stretched his hands toward the monster. The holes in his palms opened, and flames spewed out, engulfing the monster's body.

"Haha! My flames are gonna be pretty hot!"

At first, it worked. The monster's movements stopped. But after five seconds, the monster moved as if nothing had happened. It had high resistance to fire.

"Huh? What the hell?"

Yoo Geun-tae, panicked, stopped spewing flames. He looked at me and gave an awkward smile.

"Taker! Let's run!"

"...."

Yoo Geun-tae quickly turned and ran. I understood his intention. He had deliberately attacked the monster to draw its aggro. It was for Hyunji's sake.

I followed Yoo Geun-tae, glancing back as I ran.

"That monster. It's huge but ridiculously fast."

"What is this, some cheap horror movie situation?!"

We were running at full speed, but the distance between us and the monster wasn't increasing—it was closing in. Of course, I still had my acceleration skill. If I used it, I could easily outrun that monster.

The problem was Yoo Geun-tae beside me. I wanted to keep my acceleration skill hidden if possible. And I couldn't just abandon him. That would be betrayal.

'Should I try shooting it?'

I switched the magazine in my gun and pulled the trigger, aiming at the monster.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets hit the monster's legs, freezing them with a sharp clink! The bullets I fired weren't ordinary—they were freeze rounds.

It worked. The monster, its legs frozen, stopped running.

"Oh, what? Freeze rounds?! You had those? You monster! How's that? Can't move with your legs frozen, huh?!"

Before Yoo Geun-tae could finish his sentence, the monster lifted its leg. The reason was simple. The monster's strength was too great to be restrained by mere ice.

"Damn it!"

"Whoa! That thing's almost on par with a troll."

I exclaimed in admiration. Trolls are D-grade monsters with immense physical strength and exceptional physical abilities.

"A troll? What's that?"

"A monster. You see them in novels or games."

"This old man doesn't know about that stuff, so I don't get it! More importantly, Taker, you seem pretty relaxed, huh?"

"I'm just running. This isn't even tiring."

"Why are you so physically strong even though you're not a cyborg? Are you also a physical mutant or something?"

I glanced sideways at Yoo Geun-tae. His breathing was already ragged.

"You're a cyborg, but you're already tired?"

"I'm just an ordinary human except for my arms! Huff! The gas tank on my back alone weighs over 10 kg. You know? This thing's ridiculously heavy!"

"Then just drop it."

"No way. This is a custom-made item. It's expensive!"

We chatted while running in this tense situation. I could easily outrun the monster and escape anytime, but Yoo Geun-tae couldn't. It was a bit crazy.

"Aaaah! What the hell is that monster?!"

"Damn it! Shoot it!"

On the way, members of the Woodgod Family saw the monster and screamed in horror. They immediately pulled their triggers. They were so panicked that they even threw grenades at the monster.

We were lucky. The monster's aggro shifted to them. We could run relatively comfortably.

"Friendly fire? Even the mafia's gone to hell."

I muttered.

"Hey, hey. Isn't it weirder if they recognize that thing as their boss?"

"But they've been together for a long time, right? Shouldn't they recognize him?"

"If your wife of 20 years turned into that, would you recognize her?"

"...Uh! I wouldn't."

We successfully escaped the building.

"What about Hyunji?"

I asked. The reason we didn't jump out the window and run was because of Hyunji.

"She wasn't knocked out, so she'll come back on her own."

"But she's not well then. Isn't it dangerous if she runs into the Woodgod guys?"

"It's fine. She's outside the building. Woola will support her."

"Ah!"

I had forgotten.

There weren't three of us—there were four. Woola, the sniper, was covering us from the rear.

"So, is the request over?"

"Yeah. Once Bioforce kicks in, they're no longer human—just monsters. It's as good as dead. But Taker, this isn't your first time seeing Bioforce, is it? How are you so calm?"

"There are all sorts of rumors on the internet."

"True. Bioforce is common knowledge for those in the know. Let's go get some chicken and beer and call it a day."

"Chicken and beer? Sounds good. You're treating, right?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Thud!

The ground shook slightly as something heavy fell behind us.

Yoo Geun-tae and I looked at each other. A bitter smile formed on his lips. My face probably looked the same.

"Did it get mad because you shot it with freeze rounds?"

"No, it's definitely pissed because you set it on fire."

We pointlessly blamed each other as we turned around.

As expected, the monster was there. It was looking at us. Its body was covered in blood. In its right hand, it held a human head. Its legs were shattered, likely from jumping from a high place.

"I... I am... the master... of Woodgod...."

It was mumbling something. Don't misunderstand. That's just meaningless babbling. The monster's brain can't function properly due to Bioforce.

"Should we run?"

Yoo Geun-tae asked me. I understood what he was worried about. If we ran, the monster would obviously follow, and civilians would get caught in the crossfire.

"We should. We don't have the firepower to kill that thing."

"Ah~ I knew you'd think that way."

Yoo Geun-tae scratched his head.

The monster was walking toward us. Its legs were shattered, but it was walking calmly. It was absurd. Its physical abilities were similar to a troll, and its regenerative abilities seemed just as strong.

"Damn it. Let's run..."

Before Yoo Geun-tae could finish his sentence, a bullet flew from behind us and struck the monster's chest. The bullet penetrated deep into its chest and then exploded.

Boom!

A massive explosion occurred. The monster's body was blown to pieces, and chunks of flesh fell to the ground.

"...What was that? An explosive round?"

"Ah! That's Woola's special explosive round. One of those costs about 200 million won. We're in debt now. We'll have to give Woola a bigger cut this time."

"Wait, a single bullet with that much power is insane!"

"It is. But with Eclas, that's nothing these days."

"...I see."

I understood at the mention of Eclas.

Eklus is a special energy, similar to "mana" in reality. It's an unknown substance that wasn't fully explained even in the original story.

'The Illusiter I'm aiming for also uses Eklus as its energy source.'

To be precise, the only similarity to mana is that it's an unknown energy. Unlike mana, which humans can use, Eklus cannot be directly used by humans.

'By the way, sniping is terrifying. It's making the back of my neck itch.'

I absentmindedly rubbed the back of my neck with one hand. Until the bullet hit the monster, I hadn't been able to pinpoint Woola's location at all.

"Let's go get some chicken and beer~!"

Yoo Geun-tae tapped my shoulder and walked ahead.

"Old man, I'm eating three chickens. Fried, spicy, and soy sauce."

"Three chickens? You ate a lot of pizza earlier too... Are you a big eater or something?"

"I pursue both quantity and quality. What about Hyunji?"

"She and Woola won't come. Woola doesn't usually join after-parties, and Hyunji's pride is probably hurt."

"What? So it's just the two of us? Tsk!"

"Hey, saying that makes me feel bad!"

"You're a good guy, old man. You know, like those ten-pro places."

"Ten-pro? Who goes to those places these days? Most people go to clubs."

"Most of the women there are probably androids, right?"

"Androids? Ah, you mean plastic surgery. That's unavoidable. It's harder to find women who haven't had plastic surgery these days."

"There aren't many normals in clubs either."

"You're the weird one for being a normal. Don't your coworkers call you an outsider?"

I clicked my tongue.

This damn world treats you like an outcast if you don't have mechanical parts.

***

I've been carrying out Raffles' requests almost every day.

It was to build trust by showcasing my abilities.

I've done all sorts of illegal activities—contract killings, theft, stalking, information extraction, you name it.

'I realized how hacking is almost omnipotent in this world.'

There was nothing hacking couldn't do. I could empty someone's bank account and erase all traces. However, doing so would create multiple victims, and the police would inevitably investigate aggressively.

And if the opponent was a cyborg, there was no way they could beat me. The moment hacking activated, the fight was over.

'If I saw a beautiful woman, I'd hit on her right away. But damn it. Why are they all cyborgs or androids?'

I once slept with a cyborg beauty.

She was a woman I met at a restaurant. I jokingly said I'd give her 3 million won if she slept with me once... and she took the bait. My face is decent, and 3 million won for a one-night stand is a steal.

In an instant, it became a transaction. We headed straight to a motel.

'I could've refused...! But I was tempted by her looks! Plus, except for her arms, her body was like a normal woman's! And her breasts were amazing!'

Her face resembled a famous actress, and her breasts were natural F-cups. There were slight signs of plastic surgery on her face, but... it was tolerable.

'The problem is, damn it. I found out her vagina was artificial.'

Her vagina was artificial. I heard her uterus was also artificial. Apparently, it's safer for protecting babies? These days, mechanical vaginas are becoming a trend among women in this world.

'Sure, the tightness was amazing... but then, what's the difference between that and an onahole?'

I came once and then fled the motel.

'After that, I turned my attention to objects instead of women.'

Code: XTK has many futuristic items. After finishing Raffles' tasks, my daily routine was shopping with the money I earned from their requests.

The factory? I quit immediately. Now, I'm living comfortably in a luxury hotel.

'That robot vacuum I bought last time was amazing. Its AI is so advanced that it keeps the place spotless without me lifting a finger.'

Today, I'm walking through the city again. If I find a store I like, I go in and buy things to bring back to reality. That's the joy of living in the Code: XTK world.

Buzz!

My smartwatch vibrated slightly. A message had arrived.

'From Son Jeong-hu.'

[Son Jeong-hu: There's something important. Everyone, gather at the café tonight at 9 PM.]

I smiled at the message.

***

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