I Became an Illegal Cheat User – Chapter 129

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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[Asuka]
– Wow… That’s the first time I’ve heard Yu-jin-ssi say that.
– I want to see this girl too.
[Lee Seo-yeon]
– Yu-jin, I’m starting to feel a little jealous.
– You’ve never called us cute, but you say it so easily to that girl?
– I can’t wait here any longer. Yu-jin, tell me your route. I’ll come meet you.
[Arthur]
– …Lee Seo-yeon, Asuka. Calm down, both of you.
– While Lee Yu-jin did say she’s incredibly cute, we don’t know if it’s a girl.
– And even if it is a girl, she could simply be a cute little girl. So, don’t jump to conclusions until you see her with your own eyes.
[Asuka]
– What do you mean, Arthur-ssi?
– Lee Seo-yeon-ssi and I are being perfectly rational.
[Arthur]
– Rational… That’s strange.
– Then what was that crashing sound I just heard? It sounded like something breaking in your and Lee Seo-yeon’s room.
[Asuka]
– (ര ̫ര ;;)
[Lee Seo-yeon]
– Yu-jin, I’m really worried about you, so could you please tell me your route?
– Ah, it’s not because I’m curious about that girl or anything.
– …Yu-jin? Are you there?
– Yu-jin?
[Arthur]
– …Her obsession is severe.
– Lee Yu-jin, there’s no helping it.
– Take a picture of this Hero you called incredibly cute and send it to us.
– That’s the only way to end their obsession.
[Lee Yu-jin]
– …Okay.
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As Arthur said, I had no choice.

I had inadvertently fueled Lee Seo-yeon and Asuka’s obsession with my careless words, so I had to extinguish it by showing them As.

I scrolled down the chat window and activated the camera, aiming it at As.

And I took a picture of her happily licking her ice cream.

Click.

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[Lee Yu-jin]
– [Picture].
– This is the Hero.
– Isn’t she incredibly cute, like I said?
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I uploaded the picture to the chat.

But… their reactions were strange.

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[Asuka]
– …She’s incredibly cute, like you said.
– But who’s the woman next to her?
[Lee Seo-yeon]
– The child is truly adorable.
– But who’s the woman next to her?
– Why is she there? Do you know her? Did you meet her here?
– No, wait. Why are you with her? Huh? Explain yourself.
– Yu-jin? Are you there?
[Arthur]
– …Lee Yu-jin. I understand that the Hero is incredibly cute, like you said.
– But this… requires an explanation.
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“Ah.”

Terra was in the picture as well.

I had been so focused on taking a picture of As that I had forgotten Terra was sitting next to her.

“Hmm…”

This was problematic.

While I had intended to tell them about Terra eventually, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

‘What should I do?’

What should I say?

‘The maid next to As is a System AI bound to me?’

As soon as I thought that, I dismissed the idea. I couldn’t say that.

While they would probably believe me, considering their high trust in me… I couldn’t reveal Terra’s existence.

Because of the Apostles and the Outer Gods.

They had already started paying attention to me. And they knew about the cheats, created from the Outer Gods’ origins.

So, I couldn’t reveal the System, created from the true Gaia’s origin, the developer who had brought me to this world.

Baek Yoo-hwa had said it herself during the Duel Season.

The reason I, who lacked mental immunity, had been unaffected by the Apostle’s mental interference was because of Gaia’s protective power and the Gaia’s origin bound to me.

So, I couldn’t reveal it.

Even if this alternate world wasn’t influenced by the Fallen, I couldn’t tell them about Terra, about my secret, not until all the Outer Gods were eliminated.

I apologized to them inwardly.

‘…I’ll think of an explanation later.’

I had a few ideas.

But there might be a better explanation, so I would avoid the conversation until we reached the royal capital.

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[Lee Yu-jin]
– Ah, I think I’m getting carsick.
– I’ll take a nap until we arrive.
– See you all later.
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I closed the chat window. And as I deactivated the hologram…

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding…!

…my smartwatch began buzzing with notifications.

The culprits, of course…

[Lee Seo-yeon]
– Yu-jin, answer my call. Yu-jin.

[Asuka]
– Yu-jin-ssi! Explain yourself! Explain!

[Arthur]
– Lee Yu-jin, I’ll be waiting outside the gate.
– I’ll wait until you arrive, until I see you.

…were the three of them.

‘…I should turn off the notifications for now.’

I muted my smartwatch, unable to stand the constant buzzing.

Of course, muting my smartwatch wasn’t a good idea, since I was in an alternate world, not on Earth.

I might miss an important message from my classmates if something happened to them.

But I wasn’t too worried.

Because I had Terra.

The System that had hacked into the smartwatches, the pinnacle of the Academy’s science and magic.

And everyone was wearing safety devices crafted by the Principal, a Transcendent.

‘Terra will let me know if there’s an urgent message.’

She had secretly studied the proper conduct of a maid, so she could easily read the messages.

‘She might even be reading them right now.’

I thought, lowering my wrist, and suddenly realized that the car had become quiet.

With the smartwatch notifications muted, As’s laughter should have been more audible, but I couldn’t hear it.

I turned my head and saw…

…Zzz… Zzz…

…As sleeping soundly, nestled in Terra’s arms. Terra was gently stroking her hair.

‘No wonder it’s so quiet.’

As if reading my thoughts, Terra, who had been looking at As with a gentle expression, turned to me. A small smile appeared on her lips.

[Master, don’t we look like we’re on a secret rendezvous?]

She sent me a ridiculous message.

I chuckled and said,

‘Hey, Terra. You didn’t just read maid-related materials on my smartwatch, did you?’

Be honest.

You read other things too, didn’t you?

I asked inwardly, and Terra simply smiled, saying nothing.

‘You did, didn’t you?’

Her silence was an answer in itself, and I sighed softly.

‘You deleted the history properly, right?’

[…….]

‘…Terra?’

…You did delete it, right?

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Fortunately, I received Terra’s assurance that she had deleted the history of the non-maid-related materials she had accessed.

Still, a lingering unease prompted me to check my smartwatch’s search history. And only after confirming that it was clear did I finally relax.

“Terra, don’t do that again. I was really worried.”

“Yes, Master.”

Terra nodded, her face impassive. But a playful glint remained in her bright blue eyes.

‘How can she be a golem, an AI?’

I marveled at her human-like emotions and looked out the window.

A well-maintained, artificial road came into view.

‘There shouldn’t be any more bandits or thieves now.’

Perhaps because this was a medieval setting, I had encountered several bandits and thieves on the way here.

Of course, I hadn’t been robbed. They weren’t strong enough to rob me.

And I hadn’t bothered dealing with them directly. I had simply driven past them.

Whether they shot arrows or threw themselves at the car, I had ignored them. The car I was riding in wasn’t an ordinary car, but an Iron Golem, so their attacks were meaningless.

I had driven through the bandits blocking the road, like scripted events in a game, and the three hours I had mentioned to the main characters had passed.

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[Lee Yu-jin]

– Almost at the royal capital.

– I can see the gate.

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The gate, where people and carriages were entering and exiting, came into view.

“It’s time to get off.”

I turned my head.

As was still sleeping soundly.

“She’s sleeping so deeply that I don’t want to wake her up.”

Perhaps she was relaxed now that she was in a safe place.

She showed no signs of waking up.

It couldn’t be helped.

“I’ll carry her.”

“Master, allow me.”

“No, I’ll carry her. You get off and store the car in the inventory.”

“Yes, Master.”

The gate drew closer.

The number of people and carriages on the road increased. So did the curious stares directed at us.

And…

“…Wow, were they really waiting here all this time?”

…I saw them standing before the gate.

The three of them, completely ignoring the curious stares, their arms crossed, looking intently at us.

“Seriously, they’re persistent.”

Were they that bothered by Terra?

“She’s just my System AI…”

“Your loyal maid.”

“…that’s all.”

I looked at Terra.

She met my gaze and tilted her head, as if asking what was wrong.

I opened my mouth to speak, but then sighed and closed it. And as the gate drew closer, I said, gripping the door handle,

“…Terra, let’s walk from here.”

“Yes, Master.”

The car stopped.

Click.

I opened the door, and the murmurs of the curious onlookers reached my ears.

“…A horseless carriage? How peculiar.”

“Is he a mage? But he’s dressed like a country nobleman…”

“Where can I buy a carriage like that? I’ve never seen one, even in the magic tower.”

Indeed, considering this was a medieval setting, their interest in the car was understandable.

As I was having that thought, the other car door opened.

And as Terra, holding As in her arms, stepped out…

“……?”

…the murmurs ceased.

I looked around, and…

“…It’s the Hero.”

“The Hero has arrived.”

“A child this young, the Hero… well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

…everyone’s gaze, which had been fixed on the car, now shifted towards As.

“Mommy, is that little girl the Hero?”

“Yes, she is. She’s God’s blessing for us.”

“Child, don’t stare. That child is… tsk, never mind. Anyway, don’t look at her like that.”

And their words, filled with an unsettling lack of warmth…

‘…What’s this?’

Shouldn’t the Hero be welcomed by the people?

‘Why are they reacting like this?’

Strange. And unsettling.

Their gazes, directed at As, weren’t the gazes you would give a person, but rather an object.

‘…We need to get out of here.’

I was disgusted. But more than that, I was worried about As. Worried that she would be hurt by their cold stares.

So, at this moment, I was grateful that she was asleep.

[Master, just give the order. I’ll eliminate them all.]

Terra seemed to share my sentiments, her anger evident in the message that appeared in my vision.

‘I would love to do that, but you know we can’t.’

So, let’s get out of here before I lose my temper.

[…Yes, Master.]

Terra approached, her message filled with disapproval. I took As from her and carefully placed her on my back, making sure not to wake her up. And I walked towards the three of them, who were still staring at us.

“Yu-jin.”

“Yu-jin-ssi.”

“Lee Yu-jin, you’re here.”

Lee Seo-yeon, Asuka, and Arthur greeted me. And then, they closed their mouths, their expressions changing.

It seemed they had intended to scold me, but their greeting had slipped out involuntarily upon seeing me.

As if confirming my thoughts, they cleared their throats and put on angry expressions.

They crossed their arms, placed their hands on their hips, ready to unleash their displeasure, but…

“Hey, guys. I’m sorry, but we can talk later.”

I interrupted them and gestured towards our surroundings with my eyes.

“““…””

They relaxed their postures.

As expected of them, they quickly grasped the situation, sensing the unsettling atmosphere from my gesture. Their expressions turned serious.

“Indeed… this isn’t a suitable place for a conversation.”

“I don’t… like the atmosphere here.”

“…Their gazes are unpleasant.”

“Right? So, let’s get out of here.”

They nodded at my words.

“…I have many questions about that maid, but I’ll do as you say, Lee Yu-jin.”

Arthur said, implying that she had a lot to say, but would refrain for now, and turned around.

As if agreeing with Arthur, Lee Seo-yeon glared at Terra for a moment and then turned around, walking through the gate.

“Yu-jin-ssi, follow us.”

“…Okay.”

Asuka gestured for me to follow and turned around.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should really follow them.

But then, I sighed and followed.

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A luxurious room, adorned with gold and jewels.

A table laden with food.

A corpulent man, dressed in extravagant clothing, looked down at the man prostrating himself before him and asked,

“So, the Hero has arrived?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The corpulent man set down the plate he was holding. A sinister smile spread across his face.

“Finally, my tool has arrived.”

He referred to the Hero, designated by the rules, as his tool.

“I wonder how long this one will last.”

He picked up a greasy crown from beside the plates of food and placed it on his head.

He scratched the back of his neck, as if it was itching.

Scratch, scratch.

But the sound wasn’t that of flesh being scratched, but rather… bark.

“Ah… Master, please anticipate. This lowly servant shall provide you with ample amusement.”

He continued scratching the back of his neck even as he spoke solemnly. Actually, he scratched even faster.

And so did the man prostrating himself before him.

On the backs of their necks, scales, unlike any found on humans, but rather those of reptiles, were visible.

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