Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 60

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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 60.
Willful Impulse (2)
Monday afternoon.
Whiiiiing—.
A cold breeze swept through an open-air cafe in Yeouido District 2.
A frown creased Go Gyeong-taek’s brow.
‘Meeting outdoors in this weather—her personality is certainly unconventional.’
Yeouido, surrounded by the Han River, had a noticeably lower perceived temperature.
A woman approached through his line of sight.
Dressed in thin clothing, silver hair cascading over her shoulders, the peculiarity was the cat hologram mask covering her face.
Go Gyeong-taek clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Yeouido overflows with unhinged people, but this one is refreshingly original.’
He grumbled while checking his watch.
“How much longer am I supposed to wait?”
-You’re complaining as if three minutes late is three hours, I see.
“…?!!”
Go Gyeong-taek’s narrow eyes widened slightly.
Because the cat woman had just sat down across from him!
‘This cosplayer is the industry’s number one assassin?’
This was far too conspicuous!
And yet it made sense.
He was the executive director of Changtian Clan, the nation’s largest clan.
The woman cut a small piece of cake on the table with her fork and ate it.
Go Gyeong-taek wore an affable smile.
‘She’s acting like that without even introducing herself?’
She pushed aside the coffee already placed on the table and spoke.
-This isn’t espresso.
A woman’s voice, electronically distorted.
Go Gyeong-taek promptly ordered an espresso without complaint.
Whisk. Whisk whisk….
As the woman twirled the fork with her fingers, Go Gyeong-taek sat across from her and introduced himself.
“I’m Go Gyeong-taek, executive director of Changtian Clan.”
-Everyone calls me Blood Soo.
After that perfunctory response, Blood Soo asked a question.
-Does the mask bother you? Isn’t your fake smile and my mask equally matched?
“…!”
My.
-My, look at those eyes.
“Is this how you treat your clients?”
She swallowed her espresso and answered.
-Just walking into a shop doesn’t make you a customer. You need to buy something to be one.
“….”
Go Gyeong-taek leaned forward with a growl at her barbed remark.
Buy something?
“I wanted to. But that ‘Ghost’ you were after has already made contact with me.”
Despite the provocative words, Blood Soo remained unmoved. Instead, she tilted her mask and countered.
-That’s still ongoing, though?
Ha.
Go Gyeong-taek let out a hollow laugh before stopping short.
‘…Still in progress?’
In other words.
His grandfather still didn’t fully trust him.
Betrayal stung, but he shook his head.
This wasn’t the first time he’d experienced this.
Blood Soo drove the nail home.
-I have a contract with Chairman Han Hyun-chul. Why are you acting like the client?
“…!”
The smile vanished from Go Gyeong-taek’s lips.
Because it was true.
Finally, he raised both hands in surrender and backed off.
“Forget the mind games… Let’s just take on a job.”
When she snapped her fingers.
Go Gyeong-taek pulled out a main chip from his pocket and placed it on the table.
“The target is a hacker.”
-A hacker?
“There should be traces of him in this chip. Track it down and….”
Ahahaha~.
Before Go Gyeong-taek could finish, she burst into laughter.
“…?”
-You’re really underestimating me. You should’ve gone to a detective agency for that.
Go Gyeong-taek chuckled.
“Well, that would’ve been the case under normal circumstances….”
Blood Soo raised her fork to cut him off. Through her smart glasses, her partner Jacob was shouting urgently.
-Wait, Susan!
Jacob stared at the main chip in alarm.
-Take that job!
Blood Soo’s lips moved silently.
Are you insane?
“Why would I do something so beneath me?”
-Susan, that’s a custom-made main chip! If you cracked that, you’re a monster!
Jacob was beside himself with excitement.
-Bring them here! We absolutely have to recruit them!
Sigh….
My partner’s chronic affliction—talent acquisition fever—had flared up again.
There’s no cure for this.
The only solution is to let him burn himself out.
Blood Soo exhaled softly and turned away.
Hmm~.
-Now that I think about it, I’m getting a little interested.
“…?”
-Fine. I’ll take them.
An abrupt change of stance.
Go Gyeong-taek was taken aback, but he didn’t miss the opportunity.
“There’s one more thing. Please recover the deleted files inside the chip.”
Blood Soo waved his hand dismissively.
-We’ll need to recover it to trace them anyway. Understood….
Jacob’s colorful language cut her off mid-sentence.
-Holy shit!!
Jacob, who had discovered something, clutched his head.
Go Gyeong-taek observed Blood Soo intently.
Ever since the chip was extracted, there had been a subtle gap in her speech pattern. As if someone had inserted themselves in between.
That mask….
‘Is it camouflage to hide both identity and communication?’
He straightened in his seat and probed the other party in English.
“You there, listening to this conversation.”
Flinch!
Blood Soo reacted just as expected.
Go Gyeong-taek continued with unwavering confidence toward the unknown presence.
“It seems you learned about our security breach from somewhere like the dark web, but let me tell you directly.”
He tapped the main chip lightly.
“The one who cracked this is….”
Jacob answered from behind his smart glasses, finishing Go Gyeong-taek’s sentence.
-Ghost.
Blood Soo snatched the chip and stuffed it into a pocket dimension.
Only then did Go Gyeong-taek lean back in his chair, grinding his teeth.
Damn ghost hacker.
Coming back again since Monday morning, openly taking the Hunter Management Bureau’s side….
‘I don’t care about anyone else, but you—I’ll grind you to dust!’
* * *
At that same moment.
Whiiiing….
The wind swept across the rooftop railing and passed on.
Ugh.
‘It’s gotten cold.’
As I adjusted my collar and looked ahead, Park Gyu-tae was already there waiting.
-Could it be that Park Deputy called you here because you got jealous and wanted to give you a hard time?!
At Isto’s provocative remark, Bom-i, who was clinging to my back, spoke up.
-Iron Fist is like a rumor-generating machine. Ribbit.
-Rumor?! I’m full of energy!
-R, ribbit??
Watching Bom-i’s confusion, I scratched my cheek.
‘A Super Intelligence that can’t even distinguish between rumor and vigor….’
Finally, Hawkeye stepped in.
-Stop just looking at memes and study a bit, you thick-headed fool!
-Huh? Huh?!
Then Park Deputy turned his head.
“You came?”
“Yes, of course.”
I approached and stood beside the railing.
Park Deputy hesitated before speaking.
I asked.
“Is something the matter?”
Only then did Park Deputy open his mouth.
“Deputy Lim. Do you know about SSP?”
Of course I did.
“Social Signal Processing, right?”
“As expected, Deputy Lim is sharp.”
With that opening, Park Deputy suddenly brought up an old story.
A long time ago….
“A man devoted his entire life to completing a certain processor. It started simply enough. He thought—if we could read the human heart, wouldn’t misunderstandings and conflicts in the world decrease?”
I simply listened.
Park Deputy’s voice was calm, but there was something sorrowful about it.
“But that man… he only knew how to develop. He paid no attention whatsoever to the investment contract details. By the time he came to his senses, it had already been taken from him.”
Park Deputy wore a self-deprecating smile.
Isn’t that funny?
“He claimed he could read people’s minds, yet he didn’t even see through his investor’s true intentions.”
I didn’t know why he was telling me this, but the SSP I knew was now effectively monopolizing the global Android market.
‘It’s the core processor of Sanin Heavy Industries….’
Park Deputy averted his gaze as if trying to avoid my eyes.
Actually….
“That person is our grandfather.”
Lim Doo-ho was startled but remained silent.
Park Deputy’s prosthetic arm, gripping the railing, trembled visibly.
Whiiiiing—.
A biting wind swept across the two of them.
That sound of the wind.
Transported Park Deputy back to that day’s memory.
.
.
.
Crash!
In front of Sain Industries Headquarters, Park Gyu-tae’s father lay crumpled on the ground.
Young Park Gyu-tae stood at a distance, trembling uncontrollably.
His father’s rage mixed with sobs terrified him.
Let go of it!
「SSP is what my father devoted his entire life to!」
And before him came a man, spinning a gleaming chrome prosthetic arm in circles.
The man spat harsh words at Park Gyu-tae’s father, who was being pinned to the ground by a security Android.
「We’re the ones who should feel wronged, so why are you playing the victim?」
「What, what did you say?」
「Your father. He got to conduct all his research with our father’s money. So what grievance made him jump off the company rooftop?!」
The bitter smile the man wore as he sneered.
That face seared itself into young Park Gyu-tae’s chest like a branding iron.
.
.
.
Soon after, Park Deputy shook off the old memory and scratched his head.
Actually, the thing is….
“I have nothing to offer Lim Deputy, so I wanted to at least tell you this story.”
“….”
Ah….
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not thinking about revenge or anything like that. I don’t even have the capability for it.”
With those words, Park Deputy fled down from the rooftop.
The sound of the door closing rang dully, mixed with the wind.
Lim Doo-ho stared at the rooftop door for a moment.
Suddenly, Park Gyu-tae’s words from the Skills Competition came to mind.
「I, I was scared and didn’t like people like Choi Tae-jin.」
Back then, I thought that was just how it was….
Isto.
“SSP Theory… can you find all of it?”
-Of course.
Hawkeye interjected cautiously.
Mechromancer.
-Believing only one side’s argument without hearing the other….
“I just want to know.”
-I see. My apologies.
Doo-ho moved toward the rooftop door, adding as if to himself.
For some reason.
“I feel like knowing about it will help me hold fewer grudges.”
* * *
Two days later.
Industrial Science Complex Headquarters Building conference room.
At one end of the long table prepared for mentorship matching sat three judges who had overseen the Global Competition.
At the head of the table, center position.
Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap~.
Choi Tae-jin, CEO of Sanin Heavy Industries, drummed a rhythm on the table with his gleaming chrome implant fingers.
“Professor Han, I hear your research funding has been cut in half lately. Are you managing to eat?”
Professor Han Ji-hyuk from Korea University, sitting beside him, avoided his gaze with his arms crossed.
But Choi Tae-jin didn’t stop.
“If things get really tough, just say so. I can cover your research budget with just one day’s pocket money.”
Blatant bragging and needling about money.
Finally, Professor Han Ji-hyuk’s expression hardened.
“Please spare me the excessive attention. And the depth of scholarship cannot be measured by money.”
Han Ji-hyuk tried to appear composed, but inside he was seething.
Moreover, if he wasn’t selected this time….
He wasn’t even sure if he could serve as a judge next year.
‘No, this time should be fine.’
Lim Doo-ho, whose field overlapped, would surely filter him out claiming superiority, but at least the Korea University team consisted of his juniors!
At the opposite end.
Dr. Yu So-young, an authority on full-brain technology, found their power struggle so pathetic she could only stare out the window.
‘How childish, eating away at their age….’
Soon after, the conference room door opened.
Lim Doo-ho and the Korea University team representative entered, greeted the judges, and took their seats.
Amid palpable tension.
An Industrial Science Complex official opened his mouth while organizing documents.
“Today’s meeting is to select mentors for both of you ahead of the Global Competition.”
In other words, there were only two selections to be made.
The one not chosen would leave in disgrace.
Choi Tae-jin gazed at Doo-ho with a relaxed smile.
Whether it’s financial power.
Or global connections.
‘Choosing me would be the right answer.’
With that in mind, Choi Tae-jin flashed a smirk toward Han Ji-hyuk.
‘Good luck, you bookworm.’
At that sight, indignation surged in Han Ji-hyuk’s chest.
Just once!
‘I want to crush that bastard and climb over him!’
Then, an Industrial Science Complex official activated a hologram.
“Now we shall commence the 28th Global Competition mentoring system.”
Everyone straightened in their seats.
Doo-ho focused more intently than ever.
The Global Competition was an opportunity to showcase my work widely. Naturally, I had to approach it with the resolve to win.
However….
‘My mentor shouldn’t be someone targeting my work, but rather someone who can truly help me.’
Looking ahead, the Industrial Science Complex staff member conducting the proceedings was still explaining the mentoring system in detail.
Soon after, the moderator turned to Lim Doo-ho and spoke.

“Grand Prize winner Lim Doo-ho, please come to the podium and select your mentor.”
At the same moment, Choi Tae-jin’s chin lifted. As if he had already won.
Hmm….
“One moment, please.”
“Yes, Lim Doo-ho.”
Standing up from his seat, Doo-ho scratched his head while looking at Choi Tae-jin.
My turn….
“Would it be possible to swap with the Korea University team?”
In that instant, the conference room fell silent as a tomb.
Became a Macromanser
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 reproduced or copied without authorization.
UCI｜
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0060

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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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