Chapter 5

Chapter 5. First Request (2)

“Why are businesses run by gangs and mafias always entertainment establishments?”

The northern part of Sector 28.

One of the relatively livelier areas of the bleak lower district, where most people gathered to live.

Right in the middle of a street called Lakehill because there used to be a lakeside park here.

“Do they get restless if they run respectable businesses?”

What I could see beyond my sunglasses and mask was the territory of one of the two gangs targeted by this request...

Specifically, an establishment housing the Gold Claw’s main hideout.

The sound system was powerful enough that I could feel the vibrations even from outside.

Young people streamed in and out without pause.

Everyone sure lives busy lives.

“I’m hungry, so let’s finish this quickly.”

The request deadline was seven days, but there was no need to drag things out gathering information.

I’ll finish it today.

‘The target item isn’t here anyway.’

Just as Maria predicted, the Silver Fang were the ones who stole it.

There was another reason I came here first despite that.

―Crunch.

I pulled knife fragments from my pocket, tossed them into my mouth like peanuts, and chewed them down.

[You have consumed crude material.]

[Your body will be slightly strengthened using the consumed material.]

[You can no longer gain proficiency from this material.]

[Your hunger has decreased slightly.]

After repeating that two or three times in succession, I ignored the whining voice ringing through my head.

And headed confidently for the front entrance.

―Clunk.

The moment I opened the door, fast-paced EDM came through loud and clear.

The interior flashed just as brightly as the dazzling neon signs outside.

“Whoa...”

Good thing I bought sunglasses.

I nearly went blind from photosensitivity or whatever.

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

When she saw me, the woman at the reception desk by the entrance bowed politely.

On either side of her stood two burly men.

Their bodies were so lumpy that they practically advertised, I’m armed.

“I’m from the Silver Fang. No reservation.”

After lying naturally.

I pulled out the half-eaten handgun from the desk.

It wasn’t loaded, but what mattered was that I was openly making a threatening gesture.

“Eek!?”

“I’m busy, so cut the crap and tell your boss to get out here right now.”

The moment I finished speaking, the burly men on either side rolled up their sleeves almost simultaneously.

“You bastard, are you begging to die?”

“You’re Silver Fang, and you dare come here?!”

Then, as if trying to throw me out, they roughly shoved my shoulders.

But.

―Thud!

“Ugh?!”

“W-what the hell? What kind of body...”

“Sorry, but that won’t cut it.”

There was an obvious difference in our builds, yet I didn’t budge at all. Instead, they were the ones pushed backward, leaving them visibly flustered.

“P-problem at the entrance!”

“Requesting backup! Silver Fang...”

The two urgently reported over their radios.

“No hard feelings, okay?”

With those words, I put strength into my hands and swung.

“Ghk!!”

“Khup!?”

With a crunching sound, their arms bent backward and they were slammed into the wall.

The woman at the desk screamed and fled outside.

“No more business with gatekeeper-level guys.”

I pulled out every handgun and magazine from their holsters.

Then I placed the backpack I had brought on top of the desk and headed inside.

Apparently unaware of what had happened outside.

The crowd remained packed together, swaying drunkenly to the music and alcohol.

―Bang! Bang!!

After I fired several shots into the air, the interior finally went silent.

“Sorry, but we’re closing early today.”

Then I reloaded the gun.

“Anyone who isn’t Gold Claw, get the hell out before I count to three.”

The interior remained silent.

“Three.”

―Ratatat!!

“Uwaaaah!!”

“Kyaaaah!”

“He’s fucking crazy!!”

“Save me!”

At the signal, I sprayed bullets into the ceiling, and only then did people scream and rush outside.

And.

“What the hell, is this an attack?”

“They say he’s from Silver Fang!?”

“We can’t reach the entrance!”

“What? Tell the boss right now!”

“Those sons of bitches! They talked about a ceasefire to our faces and then stabbed us in the back like this?!”

A group came pouring out behind the fleeing customers.

Burly men fitted with gold-plated cyber arms, the closest thing Gold Claw had to a uniform(?).

But the boss I was after still wasn’t here.

“If his ass is that heavy, maybe I should light a fire under it.”

I took a large bite out of the handgun and charged straight toward them.

“That crazy bastard!”

“Light him up!!”

Their arms transformed, or they drew guns directly, and muzzle flashes erupted.

A storm of bullets poured toward me.

―Ratatatatat!!

A scorching heat like burning iron skewers digging through my entire body.

But my wounds closed faster than blood could spray out.

―Grit.

Then I clenched my teeth.

I had endured this pain so many times over the past month that I was fairly used to it now.

“Hup!!”

I tossed the remaining handgun pieces into my mouth and kicked hard off the ground.

“What?!”

They were stunned for only a moment at the sight of me charging through the gunfire.

I put strength into my fist and swung upward with everything I had.

―BONG!!

With a sound like a massive iron hammer striking metal, the man was smashed into the ceiling.

His gun and metal parts followed, falling down in fragments.

“W-what the hell is that bastard?!”

“How is he fine after getting shot...”

The burly men stirred uneasily at the sight.

I could wait for their morale to break like this.

But it would be faster to beat them until there wasn’t any morale left to break.

I immediately kicked off the ground toward the next one and drove my fist into him with all my strength.

“Hurk!!”

Apparently built for defense, he somehow spread his cyber arm to block me.

―BOOM!

At the last moment, I twisted my body and struck the joint connecting his cyber arm to his torso.

The cyber arm tore away from his body and shattered.

Metal components and some unidentified fluid sprayed through the air.

Good, next!

“Everyone back off!! He’s not normal!”

“Damn it, bring bigger guns!!”

“Anyone got a large caliber or monowire?!”

“Shoot him!! Keep shooting!!”

As I slammed another guy straight into the floor.

I saw the ones still standing gather together.

I kicked off the ground toward them again―

―THOOM!

Suddenly, a dull impact struck my side and lifted my body into the air.

A wave of intense heat engulfed me immediately afterward.

“Ugh?!”

Heat scorched my flesh as I was wrapped in flames and smashed into the wall.

“Did we get him?!”

Someone panicked and reflexively muttered those words.

Even without that resurrection spell, something like this wasn’t enough to kill me.

“Thaaanks, asshole.”

I spat out the dust and heat filling my mouth and pushed myself upright.

I shoved aside the wall debris.

Then tore off my half-burned sleeve.

“Phew... About time you showed up.”

I turned away from the sight of someone getting lynched for chanting the resurrection spell.

Far off, I saw a man whose size was on an entirely different level from the others.

“You Silver Fang lackey! You dare cause trouble in my own house?!”

The giant restored the arm he had used to fire the grenade and emerged from among his subordinates.

His greedy, vain personality was written all over his face.

Kang Geum-man, boss of the Gold Claw gang.

“I’ve been waiting for you, my appetizer.”

Both arms of the panting man gleamed gold from shoulder to fingertips.

Yeah, gold.

Not cheap junk wrapped in flimsy gold plating like the others, but solid gold!

‘After eating that crap for a whole month, ordinary cheap metals don’t raise my proficiency anymore.’

Rarer, harder, more cutting-edge, expensive high-grade metals.

Those were the things that raised proficiency well.

‘But buying that stuff with my own money would be such a waste, right? Gold is still expensive even in a world like this.’

But surprise!

Here was a guy who emptied out his entire fortune to prepare a full-course meal just for me.

How thoughtful.

Was it called... Full-Custom Machine Arms Gold Edition or something?

“Appetizer...? Are you fucking insane?!”

“Something like that!”

I kicked off the wall and rushed him.

That little burst of movement already made my hunger flare up again.

I needed to end this quickly before I got even hungrier!

“Hup!”

“Kh!”

I instantly closed the distance and uppercut toward his chin.

But Kang Geum-man, a gang boss for a reason, narrowly dodged it.

I immediately tensed both legs again.

―Whoosh!

Twisting my body, I brought my heel down toward Kang Geum-man’s head.

But by sheer luck, he lost his balance and fell, narrowly avoiding my heel.

“You son of a bitch!!”

Rolling across the floor, he transformed his right hand into something like a battering ram and fired it at me.

Damn, I can’t dodge this one.

―BOOM!!

His right hand collided with my body with a heavy impact.

An ordinary person would have had their organs rupture and died from that blow.

“What?!”

“Ghh... ugh!”

A dull pain churned my insides.

But my body was fine, while Kang Geum-man’s golden battering ram was dented instead.

I didn’t miss the opening and quickly grabbed his arm.

“Damn it, I almost threw up everything I just ate!”

Before the startled man could pull his arm free.

I used my empty left hand to lower my mask, opened my mouth wide―

―CRUNCH!!

And bit off a huge chunk.

Kang Geum-man stared in horror at the arm torn away with clear teeth marks.

“Uryaaah!!”

Then I slammed my fist with all my strength into the section I had just bitten, where cracks had formed.

At last, his golden battering ram split in two.

“Y-you lunatic! What the hell are you doing...!”

Kang Geum-man stepped back, clutching his shattered right arm.

I also rose after chewing and swallowing the lump of gold in my mouth.

[You have consumed rare material.]

[Your body will be strengthened using the consumed material.]

[You have gained a large amount of proficiency.]

[Your hunger has decreased significantly.]

I listened idly to the notification ringing through my head.

Then slung the broken golden arm over my shoulder.

“Hey, Kang Geum-man.”

“?!”

At the same time, the final notification rang out.

[Your proficiency for this rank has reached the maximum.]

[The rank of “Trait: Bulgasari” has increased by one level.]

“Your arm was awesome.”

“Y-you ate the cyber arm...?!”

Watching Kang Geum-man retreat in horror.

I quickly closed one eye and checked my trait.

【Bulgasari (The Unkillable)】

[Type]: Unique (E), Enhancement-Type

...

(Current Rank Proficiency: 1%)

[Effects]

...

―While this trait remains active, you possess the body of a spiritual creature and cannot die from physical attacks.

―While this trait remains active, you can turn part of your body into metal. (NEW!)

...

The information recorded under the trait had changed.

Its F-rank had risen by one level to E-rank.

The proficiency I had completely filled seemed to have been consumed, starting over from 0.

‘But there’s something more important.’

One of the trait effects that had been locked was finally unlocked.

“Turn part of my body into metal... huh.”

The explanation was simple, but considering the first effect, there was no way it was ordinary.

I immediately focused my strength while thinking about turning my right hand into metal.

―Crk, crk.

“Oh, so that’s how it works?”

A vicious sound like crushing an aluminum can rang out, and my right hand itself turned into a faintly silver metal.

It looked like scales had sprouted on it too.

When I tapped it, I couldn’t feel anything either.

“Hup!”

I brought that hand down on Kang Geum-man’s golden arm I was holding...

―CRASH!

The golden arm shattered in a single blow, like breaking a snack.

“Hah! This is amazing!”

Now I’d probably be able to smash most cyberware with my fists instead of having to bite through it.

I’d need to study the ability more later.

But I had gained the perfect effect at the perfect time.

‘This makes the next boss fight easier than lying down and eating rice cakes. I can revise the plan considerably.’

I wonder what other effects will be added.

Good. Let’s get stronger.

Strong enough that no one can do anything to me.

I loosened my fist and turned my gaze toward Kang Geum-man.

“Hey, potbelly.”

“Huh?!”

Kang Geum-man flinched when our eyes met.

I waved the data chip that had been built into his right hand at him.

The moment he recognized what it was, his face went pale.

“Th-that... no way!”

“Your emergency account password was zizonGeumman486, right...”

“How did you― N-no, get that bastard! Hurry!!”

True to his greedy nature, Kang Geum-man immediately lost his mind at the mention of money.

With him leading the charge, the gang’s burly men all chased after me.

And we raced through the midnight streets.

“Now, shall we go finish the request?”

To obtain the hidden trait that could only be acquired through this request.

I Became an Immortal Who Chews on Steel

Author |

Mwiu

Publisher |

Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.

Managing Editor |

Editorial Department

Published by |

Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. - Dream Books

Address |

Rooms 806-810, Kolon Science Valley I, 187-10 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul

ISBN |

G720:N+A063-20261006118

Blog |

blog.naver.com/dreambookss

Twitter (X) |

@dreambookss

Submissions |

fansycnc@samyangcnc.com

No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. - Dream Books.