Human Error
"Aw, I was supposed to go house hunting today..."
"We have schedules too, you know? Could you please stop summoning us whenever you feel like it?"
It was a sunny day on the city streets.
A red-haired girl and a blonde girl, both looking like children, walked ahead of me, chattering away.
"This isn't for me. It's to install CP's quantum processor into my prosthetic arm."
"Wasn't this supposed to be the reward you promised when we attached the gun to your prosthetic arm...?"
I really hate quick-witted brats.
"More importantly, you look exhausted. Are you okay?" CC, who was leading the way, looked back and asked.
"It's nothing. Just had to take care of some work this morning."
"Ah, the goblin job."
"What's that...?"
"Oh, you know. Getting beaten up for money."
"?"
CP cast a suspicious glance at me.
My head throbbed slightly. It had been a while since I'd worked in Intra-Maetan without CC.
I used to take it for granted, but now I realized just how much easier CC had made things for me.
Which was exactly why I had to stick with the goblin avatar.
If CC couldn't assist with my calculations due to other tasks, and I used an avatar with higher specs than a goblin, my own processing capacity wouldn't be able to handle it.
To connect to the network under these conditions, the goblin avatar was my only option.
"By the way, where are we going?"
"Yongin."
"Yongin? The city south of Seoul?"
"Ideally... we'd go to the Aerospace Research Institute and extract the software directly, but..."
"The Aerospace Research Institute is in Daejeon. There isn't a server we can access from Maetan over there."
The digital world of the Internet didn't stretch out infinitely.
If you wandered too far from the connected server, you would encounter a repeating loop of unfamiliar yet strangely nostalgic landscapes. No matter how many days you walked, the scenery remained the same—this was the boundary limit of that particular server.
Yongin was barely within reach of the servers accessible from Maetan.
"What's in Yongin?"
"A defense contractor."
"A place that develops ballistic missiles... Most of Korea's missiles were made there..."
Before setting off, CC and CP had already completed their preliminary research using the hotel's network. If possible, they would have preferred to steal the trajectory correction program through hacking alone, but the facility developing it was completely air-gapped from the network. They had to go in person.
"It would have been much easier if the US Forces in Pyeongtaek had ballistic missiles, but it turns out they were all decommissioned and withdrawn back then."
"It might have been harder anyway... Ballistic missiles from that era were nuclear... The security would have been incredibly tight..."
"True. For us, a modern facility crawling with digital surveillance is much easier to handle than the old days of human guards."
CC and CP chatted back and forth without pause.
CC was always a chatterbox, but CP, despite her slow drawl, surprisingly held her own in the conversation.
Come to think of it, each AI in the AC Series had their own unique specialty.
"CP."
The two little girls walking ahead of me stopped and turned around, question marks practically floating over their heads.
"What's your ability?"
CC's ability was Copy.
She could copy and store the data of any object I touched, allowing me to summon it whenever I pleased.
The infinitely spawning Tokarev, the Phoenix Ornament Hairpin I gave to Kang Seongbeom, and the multi-legged tank I used as a trump card were all products of CC's ability.
"I was... tuned with a focus on Parallels, the ability of parallel processing."
"Parallel processing?"
"Literally running multiple calculations simultaneously... Hmm... it'll be faster to just show you."
CP walked over to a car parked by the curb.
It was a sleek, silver electric vehicle with elegant curves.
CP placed her hand on the car. A moment later—
Beep-beep.
The engine purred to life, the dashboard lit up, and the windows rolled down.
"My specialty is injecting my personality into other processing units like this."
The car doors unlocked, the air conditioning kicked in, and the wheels turned in place.
"Can't CC do this too?"
"It's different from what I do. Mine is just basic hacking. I have to maintain constant contact... But for CP, the connection persists even after she lets go. And on top of that..."
CP's voice flowed from the car's speakers.
The physical CP was standing a short distance away from the car, hands clasped behind her back, watching me.
"CP, did you do that?"
"No, I didn't."
Once again, CP's voice echoed from the radio.
"Because processing an AC Series OS requires a certain level of performance!"
CC, CP, and the car-CP began chattering among themselves.
It was noisy enough when there were only two of them, but with three, it was almost unbearable.
I dragged the two brats away and resumed our walk.
Before long, a research institute carved into the side of a mountain came into view.
"This is it. They research missiles here."
"Alright. Let's go in."
I was about to stride onto the institute's grounds when—
"Uh, what are you doing?"
"Going in to get the program."
"Through the front door? You're just going to smash the place up and rip it out?"
"I'm not that reckless."
"Right? Thank goodness..."
"I'll draw their attention. Meanwhile, you two slip inside and grab the program."
"Are you a monkey?"
Excuse me?
"Your thinking... is too simple..."
I thought it was a flawless plan.
CC let out a deep sigh.
"This is a paramilitary facility. If anything happens, a report will go straight to F."
If you caused trouble on the Internet, F would appear.
Beating up digital citizens or breaking a few things didn't trigger an immediate response. However, if incidents piled up, or if rumors and eyewitness accounts spread on social media, raising the local alert level, F would inevitably shatter the sky and descend.
That was why we players had to act as covertly as possible.
The absolute worst-case scenario was getting reported to the police or the military.
At that point, public attention didn't even matter. The moment a report was filed, F would manifest instantly.
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Infiltrate, obviously."
"I've already made preparations... Let's head into the woods first..."
Following the two brats, I circled around to the back of the research institute through the mountain.
Since they had already mapped out the blind spots in the CCTV coverage, we scaled the wire fence without any trouble.
"Over here..."
CP pointed to a side door at the back of the building.
"This is the side door used by the facility management team. It's the corridor for trash and deliveries. While the main entrance requires authentication, this door is almost always left unlocked for the staff's convenience..."
Just as she said, the door was unlocked.
After confirming there was no one inside, I slipped in quietly.
In one hand, I held Karwennan, ready to plunge into the shadows at a moment's notice.
The two girls, who had vanished from sight, sent me a message window.
There's a facility management locker room ahead. Let's change into janitor uniforms there.
"Is that really necessary?"
The technology development department where the program is located is further inside... Disguises are mandatory to avoid detection...
An arrow pointing toward the locker room materialized in my field of vision.
CC and CP had already mapped out the entire infiltration route and method.
I barely had to think; I just had to follow the prompts appearing before my eyes.
Infiltration made as easy as a single click... Is this what life with AIs was like?
At this rate, even a toddler could do this.
After slipping into a facility management uniform in the locker room, I grabbed a toolbox and stepped out into the hallway.
Go to the second floor.
I passed a few employees along the way, but none of them paid me any mind.
I had to duck out of sight whenever I spotted actual facility management staff, but it wasn't particularly difficult.
Launch Vehicle Technology Development Department
A blue sign hung beside the door.
The door was equipped with a security lock that required an ID card scan.
"Security gets tight from here on out."
"Any breach will immediately alert the security company and the nearby military base... We must be careful."
CC and CP materialized beside me once more, whispering.
"An ID card, huh... Leave it to me."
"Huh?"
I retraced my steps and headed toward the restroom.
The employee badges hanging around the staff's necks doubled as ID cards.
I pretended to repair the restroom pipes, waiting for a suitable target to walk in.
A few young employees came and went.
Ideally, I wanted someone older. They were more likely to have a higher security clearance.
After a short wait, a middle-aged man walked in.
His ID card was a different color from the others. My instincts told me he was a high-ranking official.
I crept up behind him as he used the urinal, gave a light hop, and locked him in a sleeper hold.
"Urgh...!"
It didn't take long for him to pass out. Within fifteen seconds, his body went limp, and he lost consciousness.
After locking the man inside a stall, I pocketed his ID card and returned to the girls.
"Ah... he's back..."
"What took you so long? We've been waiting."
The girls grumbled.
I triumphantly pulled the ID card from my pocket and brandished it.
"I've secured our way in."
The expressions on CC and CP's faces shifted.
They looked at me with a mixture of pity and sheer exasperation.
"Hey, lock it back up..."
At CC's remark, CP placed her hand on the security scanner.
Click. The lock engaged.
CC beamed at me.
"There! Now open it, quick!"
When I tapped the stolen ID card against the scanner, the lock beeped and released.
As we slipped quietly into the room, I heard CP muttering behind me.
"Highly inefficient..."
"Shh. Humans sometimes feel the need to prove their worth. You have to humor them and praise them when they do."
"Humans... are so complicated..."
I can hear you, you little punks...
Once they confirmed the room was empty, CC and CP split up.
While CC searched the computer, CP worked on jamming the room's security systems.
Retrieving the program took mere seconds.
"Got it."
"Let's bounce."
Right then—
Breeeeeeeeep—!
Intruder alert. Intruder alert. This is not a drill. This is an actual emergency. An unidentified individual has infiltrated the research institute. All staff members, please remain in your offices...
The announcer's voice trembled with panic.
The alarm echoed throughout the entire facility.
"Uh... did we get caught?"
"But our counter-surveillance was flawless..."
As CC and CP exchanged bewildered looks, the speakers blared again.
The suspect has stolen a team-leader-level ID card and is believed to still be inside the facility. All staff, do not leave your rooms and comply with security's identification requests...
At the mention of the "team-leader-level ID card," both girls slowly turned their heads to look at me—or rather, at the ID card clutched in my hand.
CC and CP let out synchronized sighs and shook their heads.
"Humans..."
"Let's hang in there. It's because they're like this that they need our help..."
These little brats...
"We're escaping. Get back in."
I adjusted my grip on Karwennan and peered out into the hallway.
From around the corner, the frantic patter of multiple footsteps echoed.
"Ah, wait a second."
CP picked up a hand mirror from a desk, ran to the window, and angled it to reflect the light outside.
"What are you doing?!"
"All done."
CC and CP dissolved into particles of light, melting back into the air.
I reached along the wall and flipped the switches, plunging both the room and the hallway into darkness.
"Over there!"
"The lights went out!"
Confirming that the footsteps were heading straight for me, I activated Karwennan's skill.
Dusk Step
Allows the user to enter the shadow sea up to three times a day.
Splash.
The shadow sea stretched out, mirroring the layout of the hallway and rooms.
While Dusk Step allowed me to enter the shadow sea from any sufficiently sized shadow, navigating through it required the physical shadows in the real world to be connected.
And right now, thanks to me turning off the lights, a continuous path of shadow stretched all the way to the end of the corridor.
Submerged in the shadow sea, I watched the security guards rush past right over my head.
The moment the last guard passed, I quietly slipped back out of the shadows.
I was about to glide out of the building when—
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud...
A familiar engine roar echoed from outside the window.
"A helicopter?!"
Though unarmed, a military helicopter was hovering directly above the building.
If you fight the military, there's a high probability F will show up. In fact, it's almost guaranteed.
It meant I had to escape without engaging.
"Shaking them off is going to be a pain."
As I weighed my options, a message window from CP popped up.
Run to the main entrance.
"The main entrance?"
Now.
Screeeech—!
Amidst the thrumming of the helicopter blades, the sharp screech of tires tearing against asphalt pierced the air.
There was no time to think, but my instincts screamed that I had to move.
Bracing myself to be spotted, I bolted toward the main entrance.
"Over there!"
"Kyaaa! Security!!"
Employees shrieked, but most of the guards had already rushed past me earlier.
There was nothing left to block my path.
Screeeech!
Right in front of the main entrance, the sleek, silver electric car slid to a halt.
A familiar voice blared from the car's radio as the rear door swung open.