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chapter 9
BANG—!
“Ahhh!”
The mercenary rolled on the ground, clutching his burning eyes.
A mercenary who had spent over a decade on the frontlines, hardened through countless battles, was rendered powerless in an instant.
“Dave!”
A comrade grabbed him and glared at the enemy before them with youthful determination.
Yabok Boikov.
The target of the mission for which Aminov Corporation had issued a bounty.
“How… how could you have gained such power, Yabok?”
Surely, the security level of the “Fire Veil” implanted by the corporation for this operation should have been equivalent to that of any major corporation.
No ordinary hacker should have been able to breach it so easily.
The surviving mercenary suddenly realized that his own voice was trembling as he asked the question.
“Damn it…”
He had never wanted to show weakness.
When they first entered this place, they had believed the mission would go smoothly.
The target was just a hacker with minimal combat skills.
According to reports, they weren’t even capable of handling a trained mercenary squad.
But all those assumptions shattered the moment they entered Yabok’s domain.
Crushed to death.
Burned to death.
Electrocuted to death.
Each death caused by a simple, ghostlike gesture from Yabok.
Every single one had died so easily, ridiculously so.
These weren’t lives that should have been wasted meaninglessly…
At that moment, Yabok raised his spider-like long black fingers and pointed at the mercenary.
“Do you believe that gods exist in the electronic world?”
The mercenary’s face contorted.
“…Were you also one of those trashy ‘Enochists’ preaching on the streets, Yabok?”
Enochists were those who believed in and followed the existence of “Enochian,” the language of angels.
They believed that hidden within cyberspace was a divine language, and through it, one could reach the side of God.
After the Cypher War, most of the believers disappeared as superintelligent AIs were confined to isolated cyberspace—but the tradition continued steadily.
Yabok’s expression didn’t change as he spoke.
“The traces of Him truly exist, as observed in the data chips obtained from Aminov Corporation. ‘Enochian’ is not a lie.”
The mercenary’s face twisted once more.
“Are you seriously spouting such nonsense…?”
Cautiously, he slipped his hand into his coat.
The “Chimera X-12.”
Soon, the ion charge for this plasma gun would be complete.
He had lost all his comrades just to reach this point, but with this one shot, he could take Yabok’s life.
With that thought, the mercenary spoke quietly.
“…Do you know why I’ve been tolerating your bullshit all this time?”
“Because you’re waiting to make a one-shot comeback from that gun in your hand, of course.”
“!”
At Yabok’s casual words, the mercenary’s complexion shifted dramatically.
“Tch!”
He immediately drew the plasma gun.
Click!
Click!
But for some reason, the trigger was locked and wouldn’t fire.
“Wha—!”
“Should’ve just brought an old-fashioned powder weapon.”
At that remark, the mercenary finally realized what had gone wrong.
That hacker had hacked the smart gun, the “Chimera X-12”!
Tap.
Yabok’s hand touched his forehead.
At the same time, red alerts flashed on the mercenary’s overlaid UI.
[Warning!]
[System access control released.]
[Suicide protocol forcibly activated.]
[Notice! Resistance impossible!]
[Neural network blocked…]
[Escape impossible. Control recovery impossible.]
[Connection to system cannot be terminated.]
[All means blocked.]
[Commit suicide immediately.]
Click.
“Fucking hell…”
Amid the warning-filled view, he felt the cold barrel at his temple.
His hand had raised the plasma gun on its own, aiming it at his head.
Control of his body had completely passed to the enemy.
“Next time, bring a Black Ice from Mega Corp, perhaps.”
Hearing that, the mercenary closed his eyes with resignation.
ZZZZZZT!
Thud.
A headless body collapsed to the floor.
Yabok looked down at the corpse and then raised his head.
“…Another moth?”
He had spotted another intruder in his domain.
Yabok’s gaze turned to the monitor.
There, connected to the camera, was a single wizard who had dared to come here alone.
The one wandering innocently through the workspace, eating a chicken skewer he’d bought somewhere.
Then Yabok’s gaze caught another floating message beside him:
[‘Mind Uploading’ in progress… 56%]
Only 56%.
He still needed time to complete his grand plan.
Yabok’s eyes settled calmly.
He could never forgive anyone interfering with his “Ascension.”
Crunch.
“Yum yum.”
Man, this chicken skewer is good.
I couldn’t resist the smell on the street today, and it was worth the 50 credits.
Thinking about the upcoming battle, I needed to keep my energy up like this whenever possible.
Flick.
I tossed the finished skewer onto the nearby floor.
Roll.
It rolled past a corpse slumped against the wall.
Was this some shattered glass effect?
Small wires and LED lights lined the corridor.
Illuminated by these lights, corpses of all shapes lay scattered.
One discarded chicken skewer didn’t even register as noticeable.
“Strange…”
I tilted my head while examining the corpses’ causes of death.
I had ultimately chosen Yabok’s underground workshop.
Looking at the corpses, it seemed I’d come to the right place, yet the causes of death were inconsistent.
In the game, he had used electrified whips and sharp claw attacks.
From that, only the electrocuted corpses made sense.
Had the rest been hacked to death?
Then what about the crushed ones?
At that moment, a strange voice rang out.
“Throwing trash in someone else’s house, are we?”
Startled.
“…The owner is here.”
Honestly, I hadn’t noticed his appearance until he spoke.
Even discounting the transparent vampire, this was the first time I’d met such an enemy.
Yabok suddenly stood right in front of me.
Ragged, cable-like hair.
A tall, thin, hunched body with long, black modified fingers.
Exactly as shown in Mia’s hologram.
But when did he appear?
Had I really not sensed him at all?
My mind spun, overwhelmed by his skill exceeding expectations.
Then Yabok, standing a little apart, spoke first.
“Came to find me alone? Are you a resolver?”
“…Yes. And?”
Yabok stroked his chin with interest.
“Even if the corporate bastards sniffed me out on the Deep Web, I don’t think I’ve ever been tracked. How did you find me?”
Pure curiosity in his tone.
Thinking of the informant who had given me this info, I spoke.
“Your subordinate at the BD shop told me. Hit him a few times and he spilled everything.”
“Hoo… is that so? Was it Budimir?”
Yabok’s eyes sharpened.
What a personality.
“I didn’t catch the name.”
“Ah, thanks for letting me know. I’ll talk to my apprentices later.”
Once he’s done with his own work, he intends to handle them properly.
They had quite a fearsome teacher.
But I’m fairly loyal.
I reached out toward Yabok and shouted,
“No, you won’t get that chance.”
Because my only choice for him was to get beaten and dragged away.
“You’re a bold one,” he laughed, waving his hand.
Flare!
My reflex [Senses] activated.
I used Pick & Blink to dodge.
Flash!
The spot I had been standing on moments ago was now engulfed in flames.
The heat hit my eyes; I squinted.
Magic?
No, impossible.
He’s a hacker, not a mage.
Something’s going on.
“What are you thinking so hard? Do you think you can figure something out that way?”
Right, there’s definitely a secret.
[Arcane Blast]
BOOM!
The Arcane Blast surged forward.
But just before hitting Yabok, its trajectory bizarrely twisted and slammed into the floor.
What the hell?
“Fool. Useless.”
Simultaneously, a shock ran through where I had been standing.
[Shield]
Crackle!
Currents bounced across the hemispherical shield like sharp waves.
Again, my senses activated late.
No, not just late.
If you measure by the attack, the delay wasn’t mine—it was his hand motion.
The ghostlike hacker’s movements didn’t trigger my senses.
Even the slightly delayed enemy attack felt synchronized.
Inside the shield, my mind quickly assembled the information.
Zap!
Once the shock ended, I dropped the shield and charged forward.
“Too late.”
Flare!
Flames erupted preemptively before I reached him.
I narrowly dodged as the fiery stream approached.
Crackle!
Another electric shock struck.
[Pick & Blink]
POP!
20 meters back.
The pursuing attack?
Gone.
“Hmm…”
After confirming my safety and catching my breath, Yabok spoke.
“Are you really running like a little rat now?”
Ignoring him, I scanned the area.
Corpses of various types lay before me.
Now I understood the pattern.
“Using traps in your hideout, huh?”
“…Oh?”
The causes of death among the corpses followed a fixed interval.
Even during our fight, he used attacks based on distance.
Far: electricity.
Middle: flames.
The forcibly redirected Arcane Blast was probably a gravitational field technique.
So far, the corpse deaths were “explosion,” “electrocution,” and “crushing.”
“Try attacking me if I’m wrong.”
Yabok shrugged.
“Cannot. You’re in the blind spot of the security system.”
The place I was standing was the only clean spot among the battle remnants.
I expected as much.
“But in the end, what difference does it make? You still have to come after me, right?”
“Completely different.”
I realized the sensory deviation and that the opponent wasn’t directly attacking.
By now, I could predict where sensory errors would occur.
[Pick & Blink]
Not here.
[Pick & Blink]
[Pick & Blink]
[Pick & …]
Even amidst rapidly changing moments, my sharp senses pinpointed my location.
Flash!
Flash!
POP!
Knowing the opponent, I could safely perform these maneuvers.
Thirteen Pick & Blinks in a short span.
Afterwards, Yabok stood calmly in front of me.
“Came here on your own?”
[Gravitational Convergence Device]
Immense weight pressed over my body.
Enough to crush even a trained mercenary.
But my body, stronger than ordinary humans, withstood it.
Yabok’s eyes narrowed in intrigue.
“Resisting, are we? Forcing me to act personally.”
Swish—
He pointed at me.
“Like the others, commit suicide…”
His finger touched my forehead.
“….”
“…Hmm?”
Just as I thought.
No wonder my senses felt calm around him.
[Arcane Blast]
This time, the magical beam ignited without twisting, directly ignoring him and striking the ceiling above.
“Damn!”
Yabok’s face twisted.
BOOM!
The ceiling collapsed and vanished.
Thud.
Thunk.
Debris fell at my feet.
The “Photon-Trap Hologram.”
Hackers often use it as a decoy for electronic interference.
“Hiding and scheming—hackers never change.”
[Wait, how did he know? And… he’s real? A real wizard suddenly appears here? Impossible. A family lineage?]
Speaker sounds echoed from the walls.
Disbelief and astonishment filled the voice.
Surely, that person was watching via camera from a safe place somewhere.
Confident that he was watching, I slowly raised my hand into the air.
Snap.
“Screw you. I’m coming to finish you off now.”
