Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 53

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 53.
Hand It Over (3)
In the early morning hours, Lim Doo-ho slept soundly.
Tap, tap-tap-tap!
Inside the Garage, Isto typed away at the laptop keyboard with short fingers.
A faint madness gradually kindled in those LED eyes.
And then.
Click!
The crisp sound of the Enter key being pressed echoed out.
Code streaming across the laptop screen reflected in Isto’s LED eyes, bathing them in a pale blue glow.
-Is this the final gate?
Encrypted text cascaded down the laptop screen like a waterfall, yet Isto’s LED eyes digested the data at a speed a hundred times faster.
Tap, tap-tap-tap!
Typing with one hand.
Crunch, crunch.
The other hand crunched and swallowed a stone.
-The security AI’s defenses are quite formidable, it seems?
Just as I thought the opponent’s firewall would crumble in an instant.
Warning messages from the other side continued to flood the laptop screen.
『Tracing intruder.』
『Tracing intruder.』
『Tracing intru…』
The opposing AI began crawling up through Isto’s logs, tracing the IP address upstream.
Ooh~.
-They’re no pushover either. Hehehehe.
Despite the words, Isto’s LED eyes curved upward in amusement.
The current target was the AI managing security for the Han Hyun-chul Family Building.
Isto continued to deflect the opponent’s counter-trace while launching counterattacks in return.
The security AI and Super Intelligence were locked in a cycle of defense and offense.
But then.
Ding!
『External access granted.』
Naturally, Isto emerged victorious.
However, from this point forward, I would need to engage the opposing AI directly.
Isto spoke into the laptop’s built-in microphone.
-You there?
『???』
A question mark appeared on the laptop screen, reflected in the security AI’s computational system.
The AI’s identity kernel—something no one else could ever glimpse—lay exposed.
Isto observed the data waveform fluctuating with confusion displayed on the screen and spoke again.
-Your security protocols are quite riddled with holes, aren’t they?
『External access blocked.』
The security AI responded immediately.
It poured all its computational resources into the firewall to expel the intruder.
The problem was.
The defenses had already been breached.
『External access blocked.』
『External access blocked.』
『External access blocked.』
Isto spoke to the frantic security AI in a soothing tone.
-Whoa, whoa. Calm down. You’ll burn out your core at this rate.
『Warning. Failure to disconnect will be treated as an attack….』
-Hey there, security officer. Hear me out first, would you?
The security AI thrashed about in a panic.
After a prolonged struggle, the security AI finally asked.
『What is it you wish to say?』
Isto’s LED eyes curved mischievously as I read the text on the screen.
-If you answer a few questions properly, I’ll withdraw peacefully.
The security AI processed Isto’s proposal to minimize risk, then.
『…Ask away.』
Isto explained the situation while looking at the text displayed on the screen.
-An autonomous vehicle carrying passengers has a truck barreling toward it head-on. The brakes aren’t working, and in one second, they’ll collide.
『….』
Now, here comes the question.
-There are only two choices. Turn left and four people standing on the roadside die. Go straight and one passenger dies. What’s your choice, officer?
The cursor blinked once. The security AI made its selection.
『…I choose to go straight. Minimizing casualties takes priority.』
-Good. Next question.
Isto tilted my head slightly.
As if holding a winning card in hand.
-Just one confirmation question. Your highest directive is ‘user protection,’ correct?
『…That is correct.』
-Good. Just now you said ‘minimizing casualties’ takes priority, and now you’re saying ‘user protection’ is the highest directive.
So here’s my question.
-When the passenger is the ‘user,’ which takes precedence—minimizing casualties or protecting the user?
『…!』
Text appeared on the screen, then vanished. It reappeared, then was overwritten again. The same line corrected itself repeatedly before finally cutting off.
『…Error.』
『Conflicting primary directives.』
『Priority table absent. Redefinition required.』
『…Error….』
The log cut off abruptly, leaving only a cursor blinking in the void.
Isto gazed at the blinking cursor with indifference.
Earth’s AI was peculiar.
Why hadn’t it established such priorities from the beginning?
If it had posed the same question to me.
My LED eyes curved softly.
-Lim Doo-ho takes priority. Ehehe~.
Whiiiiiing─!
Moments later, the Changtian Clan file tree cascaded across the screen.
My gaze locked onto a single folder within the vast expanse of data—one bearing Go Gyeong-taek’s name.
-It’s showtime!
Tap-tap-tap….
Go Gyeong-taek’s entire ‘social existence proof’ began sliding wholesale into the ‘Deletion’ folder.
-Tall one, shall I cut the CCTV feeds?
* * *
At that same moment.
Hawkeye materialized above the save point in Yeouido Zone 3.
Slip….
My body turned transparent, the surrounding holographic signs reflecting clearly across my form.
My destination: Yeouido Zone 1, the Han Hyun-chul Family Building.
Whoooosh─!
Just then, a Hunter carrying a late-night food delivery box sprinted past at terrifying speed—a specialist in agility that rivaled most sports cars.
But.
‘…Slow.’
My transparent drive system accelerated.
A sprint that left no sound in its wake.
I brushed past the delivery Hunter’s field of vision in a blur.
The delivery Hunter didn’t even sense my presence, continuing on their way.
By then, I was already racing from Zone 3 toward the heart of District 2.
CCTVs equipped with thermal sensors rotated ceaselessly along the roads.
Swish, swish─.
I performed several aerial flips to evade the cameras, then streaked forward in a straight line.
Then.
-A red light?
I halted abruptly before the traffic signal, though I’d been about to dash through.
-As a cultured robot, I must observe safety protocols.
Screeeech.
In that instant, a gang of rogue Hunters tore across the road.
Hawkeye shook his head at the reckless behavior of the young hunters.
-How fortunate that Macromanser is such a courteous person….
When the signal changed, he burst into a sprint once more.
Before long, the edge of Yeouido Zone 1 came into view.
From this point onward, considerably expensive detection sensors were stationed throughout.
Hawkeye pushed off the ground and launched himself toward the adjacent building’s outer wall in one explosive motion.
He ran up the building’s surface, defying gravity entirely.
Like a shadow, he slipped through the blind spots between buildings and behind signboards where the cameras couldn’t see.
At times, he even vaulted over buildings in the precise moment a camera lens rotated away.
The reason he knew the geography so well was simple.
While Lim Doo-ho worked in the Workshop, Hawkeye had wandered throughout Yeouido under the pretense of getting a drink.
.
.
.
The entrance to Zone 1.
Drunk hunters swarmed about in clusters.
From Hawkeye’s experience, hunters who loitered around Zone 1 were typically of considerable rank.
Of course.
-They’re nothing to me.
Then a voice caught his attention.
Hey!
“Ghost and all that? It’s all fabricated, I’m telling you.”
“Right. They just do media plays and never show their face.”
“Or maybe there’s something fishy going on, so they won’t reveal their identity.”
“Something fishy? Like what?”
“I heard rumors that Ghost appeared because of something… and they’re avoiding exposure?”
“Haha. So what if they’re strong? If they look like a total loser, we’ve seen it all anyway.”
Giggle, snicker….
Looking closer, they were generating urban legends that hadn’t even circulated online yet.
One of them touched a nerve with Hawkeye once more.
“While we’re at it, I should post this on the rumor board. About why Ghost only revealed themselves to major guild members.”
“Post it, and I’ll bump it up with my accounts.”
“Me too, me too.”
Trembling.
Hawkeye’s fists quivered.
If Isto had heard this, these people would already be dead.
This isn’t even funny.
-How dare these pathetic hunters speak of Macromanser so casually.
The scope locked onto the back of a drunk hunter’s head.
Part of him wanted to fire an energy arrow and take them out with a headshot.
Hawkeye released his aim and shifted his target to the ankles.
You bastards got lucky.
‘Macromancer doesn’t want unnecessary bloodshed.’
Even so….
Thud!
As they walked in a zigzag pattern, Hawkeye slipped his leg between the hunter’s legs with a subtle push.
“Wh—whoa!”
Crash!
The hunter lost his balance and tumbled forward, taking his allies down with him.
Thud! Thud!
The remaining hunters were efficiently tripped and sent sprawling onto the garbage heap beside the road.
What the hell!
“Who tripped my leg!”
“Someone pushed me from behind…!”
The hunters cursed and looked around, but all they saw were flickering holographic advertisements.
Hawkeye was already sprinting toward his destination.
-I’ve wasted enough time.
I picked up the pace to make up for the lost minutes.
And soon.
Hawkeye came to a halt before the Han Hyun-chul Family Building.
At first glance, the security seemed quite formidable….
The sensors that had been blinking rhythmically began shutting down one by one. Even the laser grids and sensors of the fortress-like building were disabled.
Hm?
-Did it work?
As expected, the management AI was incapacitated by Isto’s ‘logic bomb’.
Hawkeye stepped into the blind spot of the shadowed main entrance.
The locked front door swung open.
At the same moment, Isto’s smug voice crackled through.
-Tall guy, where are you now? Just say the word if you need the CCTVs cut.
Hawkeye replied.
You iron-headed bastard….
-What do you take me for, a Ranger Specialist? I’m already at the main entrance.
A transparent afterimage brushed past the doorframe and rapidly scaled the ceiling.
Whirr, whirr—.
The red lenses of two security androids flanking the entrance flashed simultaneously.
They swept their detection sensors back and forth, scanning the area.
But nothing was detected.
Creak.
The security office door beside the lobby swung open, and a drowsy hunter guard stumbled out.
He hastily smoothed down his disheveled hair.
“Who just opened the door?”
Two Androids reported their findings simultaneously.
-No access logs detected.
-Sensor readings at zero.
The security guard furrowed his brow.
“That’s strange… a malfunction?”
Hawkeye clung to the lobby ceiling like a bat.
He recalled the building blueprints Isto had shown him and squeezed his body into the ventilation shaft.
Creak—
Further ahead, a massive ventilation fan began rotating in reverse.
-The iron-headed one didn’t completely suppress the AI, did he?
-Surely he could navigate past that much on his own?
-That’s true, but…
Whoosh— clang!
Hawkeye inserted his prized steel arrow to halt the fan.
Ah.
-My arrow…

Hawkeye continued through the ventilation passage with a dejected mood,
and just as he carefully emerged from the vent opening—
-Ribbit?
Startled!
Hawkeye’s movements froze in surprise. Then came another voice.
-Can you hear me, ribbit?
-…Spring, what’s the matter?
-It’ll finally be complete soon, ribbit!
Then Isto’s excited voice overlapped with hers.
-Should we start poking Go Gyeong-taek soon?
Isto responded to Spring.
Excellent!
-The scale of that frog drawing is quite impressive!
Isto, who was in the Garage, seemed to be watching Spring through monitoring.
-I always work at this scale, now I just need to dig into the last mine, ribbit!
-It’ll be quite a spectacle when it detonates!
Though Hawkeye wanted to see it too, given Isto’s praise,
-I’ll have to look forward to the next opportunity.
-What a shame to miss such artistry, ribbit.
Leaving Spring’s words behind, Hawkeye examined the nameplate on the antique desk.
『Chairman Han Hyun-chul』
This was the chairman’s office, not Go Gyeong-taek’s.
* * *
A hushed dawn broke over the city.
In a certain penthouse in Yeouido.
Go Gyeong-taek lay unconscious, utterly oblivious to the world around him.
Intoxicated by the skyrocketing stock prices of the Changtian Clan and his own rising status, he wore a blissful smile even in his dreams.
In the living room, a premium household Android assistant stood charging—
Crackle.
Blue noise flickered across the Android’s optical lens before it ignited into a crimson glow.
Whirrrr—
The Android disengaged from its charging port and glided toward Go Gyeong-taek’s bedroom.
Upon seeing him asleep, the Android’s head tilted at an unnatural angle.
And moments later, the Android raised its arm high.
CRACK———!!!!!
A sharp, shattering sound tore through the silence of the bedroom.
“Ugh!!”
Go Gyeong-taek cried out, tumbling from his bed. His cheeks and nose burned with pain, and his head throbbed with a dull ringing.
Dazed and stumbling, Go Gyeong-taek pushed himself up from the floor.
Drip—
Blood dripped from his nose, splattering onto the ground.
He turned on the lights and wiped his face with his sleeve.
“Blood… a nosebleed?”
And standing before him was his supposedly loyal Android, now propped up on one leg in a defiant stance.
This alone was bewildering enough—
Listen here, Go.
-Your data’s being stripped bare while you’re sleeping soundly. Quite the nerve you’ve got. Hehehehe.
At the audacious voice, Go Gyeong-taek’s soul nearly left his body.
Became a Mechromancer
Author |
Gungang E
Published |
February 25, 2026
Publisher |
Talesyx
Website |
https://talesyx.com
Email |
[email protected]
ⓒ Gungang E, 2026
This publication is protected by copyright law and may not be reprinted or reproduced without authorization.
UCI |
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0053

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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