Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 79

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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 79.
Each Their Own Purpose
Whirring.
The cross-section schematic of Chiko Island reflected in Hawkeye’s scope lens.
-Where did you pull this from? You already hacked it?
-What are you talking about, sword? When we came by boat earlier, people were looking at it, so I copied it.
Hmm.
-Looks like you got lucky and met some of Chiko Island’s core engineers.
-They were idiots asking Super Intelligence if it had a mother.
-Hmm???
Unable to comprehend Isto’s nonsensical remark, Hawkeye turned attention back to the blueprint without pressing further.
Immediately, I began mapping out a route based on the schematic.
-First, I’ll scale the wall and cross over the ceiling service space….
Hawkeye added while tracing the blueprint with a finger.
-Since I can’t breach the ventilation fan, I can ride the heat pump circulation pipe and emerge through the bathroom ceiling.
As I traced the route, red marks scattered across the blueprint caught my eye.
They were positioned at irritatingly suspicious locations.
-Do you know what these red dots are?
-Don’t care.
Isto’s indifferent response.
Hawkeye also averted my gaze.
What mattered right now was only the locker containing the Seongmaek Blooming Pill.
That’s when it happened.
Whoosh!
A woman wearing a panda mask rushed past the rest area.
A man followed closely behind her in pursuit.
Watching this bizarre chase, Isto tilted his head.
-Catch me if you can, boss?
-What are you talking about?
-Those two are very youthful.
At this absurd comment, Hawkeye let out a bitter laugh.
You fool!
-Stop spouting nonsense.
Tsk.
Isto turned his head sharply.
In that moment, the slowly rotating 2070 year-end decoration hologram reflected in his LED eyes.
Isto gazed upward and spoke.
Ooh.
-That’s quite nice.
Hawkeye narrows the scope of the rifle.
-What nonsense are you spouting now?
-Wouldn’t Seongmaek Blooming Pill make the perfect New Year’s gift for Lim Doo-ho?
A moment of silence.
Hawkeye adjusted the focus of the scope and answered.
-You’ve assigned meaning well. It’ll certainly help with Mecromancer’s soul bot leveling. And it’ll contribute to changing my name too.
-It’ll definitely be a huge help for world conquest. Hehehehe~.
Isto’s LED eyes curve like a crescent moon. Hawkeye glances around at the androids nearby, then—
-…we’ll take one step closer to robot liberation too.
Whoosh.
As Isto extends an arm, Hawkeye stretches out theirs to meet it in a collision.
Like allied forces, the moment when the purposes of both machines align as one!
After some waiting, the crowds passing through the rest area thin out.
The two begin scaling the walls, seeking out blind spots in the CCTV coverage.
.
.
.
Inside the dimly lit air conditioning ductwork.
Hawkeye projects the blueprint copied from Isto at the rest area onto a smart watch display.
Expanding the holographic schematic spread in midair, the location of Go Gyeong-taek’s locker—their destination—comes into view.
Just beyond that ventilation shaft from here, and we’ll reach it.
-Can’t we just tear open the ventilation shaft and go through?
-Of course we can’t.
Hawkeye answers Isto’s question firmly.
Iron-headed fool!
-Look at the blueprint. If you tear open that ventilation shaft and drop down, you’ll end up in the security office. What are you even saying?
-Can’t we just sneak down quietly?
Crack!
Hawkeye, irritated, reaches for a steel arrow, but the cramped crawling position makes it impossible.
-So how far back do we have to go?
Hawkeye’s finger points to the center of the Chiko Island blueprint. It’s the main heat pump circulation duct, called the island’s spine.
-We have to use this. It’s a blind spot, and thanks to the hot air noise, nobody will hear your nonsense either.
Hehehe~.
-I can just speak louder!
Isto gives a cheerful thumbs up.
-Not a shred of common sense, you iron-headed fool.
-Am I stupid? Why would there be eye gunk in an LED?
Hawkeye doesn’t bother responding, simply crawling into the inspection port and pushing their body through. Isto follows immediately after.
The ductwork leading toward the heart of Chiko Island.
Soon hot air and dust swirl violently around them.
Hawkeye began crawling along the floor on his belly.
Crunch, crunch.
Wiping the scope clean from the dust blowing ahead was just a bonus!
Splash, splash.
Meanwhile, the smaller Isto walked comfortably.
Even with his hands clasped behind his back!
After some time had passed.
Tap, tap, tap….
Hawkeye, who had been leading the way while prone, glanced back irritably.
-Toot-toot~ toot~.
Isto continued humming, still moving at an easy pace.
Just as Hawkeye, whose patience was wearing thin, was about to say something.
Screech, screech.
The sound of metal scraping echoed from the pipes.
Hawkeye signaled with his hand, bringing Isto to a halt.
Whirr.
He adjusted the scope rapidly.
His vision shifted to night vision mode.
Monstrous creatures with multiple thin legs were crawling across the pipe walls, drawing closer.
Screech. Screech-screech….
The sound grew steadily nearer.
Just as Isto was about to attack.
Hawkeye signaled again.
-Stay still.
What emerged were spider-shaped reconnaissance robots.
They appeared to be designed for easy navigation through the pipes.
The robots approached the two of them.
At that very moment.
Both of them erased their presence.
Screech-screech. Screech.
The reconnaissance robots passed by the two, brushing past them.
Thud.
Then one robot stumbled over Isto’s foot.
All the security robots came to a stop.
For a moment, Hawkeye thought he’d made a mistake.
Gently.
Isto’s hand quietly set the fallen security robot upright and pushed it toward the other robots that had been standing still, and it rejoined them.
The security robots turned their direction into a small circulation pipe and soon crawled inside it.
The reverberating sound climbing across the pipes disappeared as well.
Only then did Hawkeye speak.
-That was dangerous.
Isto’s LED eyes pulsed like a heartbeat, expanding and contracting in rhythm.
Phew….
-That was nerve-wracking.
Just as Hawkeye was about to leave without responding, Isto raised his thumb.
-Rangers truly are different.
-…I was simply doing what I always do.
Isto spoke to Hawkeye, who answered curtly.
-I’ll remember this debt.
A brief silence fell between them.
‘Isto, Hawkeye. Where are you two?’
Lim Doo-ho’s voice reached their minds.
Master!
-We’re on an adventure!
‘…An adventure?’
Hawkeye also responded.
-We’re exploring various parts of Chiko Island, Mechromancer.
‘Ah, I see.’
-What are you doing, Master?!’
‘I came to ride the attractions with my siblings.’
-Oh~, enjoy yourselves!’
‘When will you two be back?’
At Doo-ho’s question, Isto stared intently at Hawkeye.
-When we return, we’d appreciate it if you’d summon us to the Garage, Master!
‘Sure, got it.’
After the conversation with Doo-ho ended, Hawkeye, who had been lying prone on the ground, spoke.
-You’ve got quite the scheming mind.
-I’m one step ahead when it comes to cunning.
Hawkeye shook his head and resumed crawling forward.
After wandering for quite some time, they drew near their destination.
Isto’s LED eyes narrowed into slits as he spotted a light blinking rhythmically on the pipe wall.
What’s this?
-Another device here?
As Isto approached, Hawkeye continued crawling ahead.
-Why would they leave such a defective thing here?
Crunch.
He crushed the device’s core circuitry in his grip, destroying it completely.
Then Hawkeye shouted from ahead.
-Why do you keep breaking things?!
-My apologies, let’s go~.
Isto followed along nervously.
He had no idea.
That he had dismantled most of the bombs someone had planted.
* * *
Chiko Island Basement Level 1 restroom.
Whoosh. Soft landing.
The ventilation grate cover separated from the ceiling, and Hawkeye touched down first.
Isto followed, throwing his body through the opening.
Hawkeye braced himself reflexively, expecting the heavy metallic clang of impact.
But.
Tap.
The moment Isto’s short legs touched the floor, the amorphous alloy joints absorbed the shock.
Hawkeye narrowed his scope in surprise, looking down at him.
Isto, brushing dust from his hoodie, displayed a frown between his LED eyes.
-Did you think I couldn’t do this just because my limbs are short?
-I wasn’t talking about your limbs.
-I expressed it with my body, didn’t I?
Hawkeye shrugged and moved toward the restroom entrance.
Stepping outside revealed a landscape entirely different from the glittering resort above.
Beyond thick glass instead of suffocating concrete walls lay the deep waters of the West Sea.
This was also a Personal Locker Area positioned beneath the Korea-China boundary axis.
Hawkeye quickly scanned the surrounding CCTVs before speaking to Isto.
-I’ll go through here using my invisibility and come back.
To anyone watching, there seemed to be no other viable option.
Just as Hawkeye was about to activate his invisibility.
Ding, ding-ding.
The camera on Isto’s chest zoomed in on its own, and holographic text appeared above his smartwatch.
『….』
An ellipsis heavy with hesitation. Isto’s LED eyes furrowed as he read it.
-What is it? We’re in a hurry.
Then Cop carefully displayed the text.
『…Boss, that panda mask behind the pillar over there… doesn’t it look rather suspicious?』
Rather than exposing his former comrade’s identity, Cop was subtly redirecting attention in his own way—a form of loyalty(?).
Hawkeye, seeing the unexpected message on his smartwatch, narrowed his scope with displeasure.
-A panda mask at a time like this? Same as that metal bastard… huh?
Hawkeye tilted his head after spotting the panda mask through his scope.
He felt like he’d seen it somewhere before.
Ah, that woman!
‘The assassin from when we cornered the Mechromancer.’
Having identified the panda mask’s owner, Hawkeye glanced briefly at the holographic text floating on Isto’s smartwatch.
‘Is this the last bastion I chose because I couldn’t bear to betray him?’
Hawkeye decided to overlook Cop’s actions for now.
As he scanned the area around Blood Soo through his scope again, he spotted an unexpected figure at some distance from her.
-Go Gyeong-taek was already here.
At those words, Cop’s text appeared on Isto’s smart watch.
『If he’s guarding like that, you’ll be caught the moment you open the door, even if you turn invisible.』
Isto immediately offered his opinion.
-I can hack and open all the lockers at once, search!
-Are you going to advertise that Ghost has arrived?
-Huh?! Then I’ll hack the Android and have it retrieve it instead, search!
-Who’s going to receive it?
Automatic rejection.
With each successive rejection, Isto’s LED eyes transformed into teardrops.
I couldn’t just sit back and wait like this.
Then Cop sent a text.
『…What if we drew attention instead?』
-What are you saying, search?!
-Iron head, let’s at least hear him out.
『In exchange….』
-In exchange?
『If it succeeds, please upgrade my camera!』
Hawkeye looked at Isto and nodded.
Once the deal was struck, they both began reading the text appearing on the smart watch.
.
.
.
A moment later.
Hawkeye slipped into the Personal Locker Area in his invisible state.
And…
Pitter-patter.
Isto approached Go Gyeong-taek.
-Dad!
At the piercing cry, everyone’s eyes in the locker area snapped toward Go Gyeong-taek.
Caught off guard, Go Gyeong-taek glanced around and pointed at himself.
“Me, me?!”
-Daaad!
“W-what are you talking about?”
Perhaps because it was so absurd.
Blood Soo, hiding behind a pillar, burst into laughter.
But.
Her gaze never wavered from the locker, even as she smiled.
Hawkeye, already cloaked in invisibility, had arrived before Go Gyeong-taek’s locker.
The password entry was already complete. All that remained was to open the door and retrieve the contents, but the problem was Blood Soo’s watchful eyes.
Just then, the motherless Super Intelligence Isto threw his arms around Go Gyeong-taek’s leg with all his might.
-Daaaddy!
“KYAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
As if caught in a vice, Go Gyeong-taek’s thigh screamed with crushing pain, and he belted out a rocker’s wail.
“What’s happening!”
The Android guards rushed toward Go Gyeong-taek at the sound of his piercing cry.
The moment Blood Soo, sensing something amiss, turned her head slightly.
Whirrrrr-!
Hawkeye emitted a high-pitched whine from his chest as he shifted into high-speed mode, extracting the small box containing the Seongmaek Blooming Pill.
When Blood Soo quickly turned back to check, the locker door remained firmly closed.
She furrowed her brow slightly, then relaxed into an expression of relief.
Meanwhile, Go Gyeong-taek, whose leg had nearly snapped from the sudden assault, huffed indignantly as he thrust Isto toward the approaching guards.
That hunk of scrap metal!
“Get it out of my sight this instant!”
Even as Isto was dragged away by the guard’s grip on his collar, his LED eyes traced a serene ripple pattern.
.
.
.
Chiko Island Basement Level 1 Corridor.
Isto, now in the custody of an Android guard, stood in the middle of the hallway.
The guard beside him bent slightly and asked.
-What’s your name?
-Isto, yes?
-That’s right, Isto. Where is your mother?
At the Android’s question, Isto’s LED eyes narrowed to slits.
‘Whether human or robot, they all go on about mother.’
-No mother here!
When Isto suddenly flared up in anger, both guards’ movements froze simultaneously.
One of them immediately switched to comfort mode, speaking to Isto in a much softer voice.
-…Isto, it’s alright. Please don’t be so distressed.
Just as Isto’s LED eyes were beginning to narrow further.
Hawkeye emerged from a secluded corner of the corridor, dropping his invisibility cloak.
He approached the guards and attempted to speak to them carefully.
-Um….
The guards’ gazes turned in unison toward Hawkeye.
Isto immediately scurried over to Hawkeye and stood beside him.
Their hooded outfits were strangely similar.
The Android security guards began scanning the two of them crosswise.
I Became a Mechromancer
Author｜
Gungang E
Publication Date｜
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 transmitted in any form without permission.
UCI｜
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0079

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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
—————