I Became an Illegal Cheat User – Chapter 103

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“……”

“……”

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

A suffocating tension filled the room.

Clink.

Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek lifted his teacup.

He inhaled the aroma of the tea, then took a sip, savoring the flavor.

And he set the cup back down on the saucer with a clink.

So far, it looked like a typical tea ceremony. Anyone watching would think he was simply enjoying his tea.

But that was only on the surface.

Sitting across from him, I desperately wanted to leave.

Ever since I heard his greeting, or rather, his death threat…

…his gaze hadn’t left me.

And…

Wooong.

…an intangible aura of rage was directed solely at me.

Meanwhile, Lee Seo-yeon, sitting next to me, not him…

…sipped her tea, seemingly oblivious…

…and…

Squeeze, squeeze.

…played with my hand under the table.

Judging by her behavior, she couldn’t feel his aura.

‘As expected of a Transcendent. His aura control is incredible.’

The intense pressure directed solely at me, without a single drop spilling over to Lee Seo-yeon. And Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek, acting as if nothing was amiss.

I suppressed a nervous chuckle and lifted my teacup.

Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek’s eyebrow twitched slightly. The pressure intensified.

It seemed he was both surprised and displeased by my nonchalant demeanor.

I sighed inwardly at his childish behavior and took a sip of my tea.

‘Oh… this tea is good.’

As expected of a high-class tea house, even I, someone who preferred sweet, cold drinks like cola, found the tea palatable.

“…Ahem.”

Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek cleared his throat, feigning discomfort.

Lee Seo-yeon, who had been focused on playing with my hand, looked at him.

“Dad, is something wrong?”

Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek, who had been staring at me with an impassive expression, gave Lee Seo-yeon a small smile.

“I just choked a little, don’t worry.”

‘…Choked?’

A superhuman? A Transcendent, no less?

I chuckled inwardly at his blatant lie.

But Lee Seo-yeon…

“Be careful, Dad.”

…believed him.

Not only did she believe him, but she also pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and offered it to him, as if she was used to this.

“Thank you, dear.”

And Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek accepted the handkerchief and wiped his clean mouth.

Judging by their actions, it seemed he often feigned choking even at home.

‘Wow… just how much attention does he crave from Lee Seo-yeon?’

I was slightly appalled by his true doting father persona.

‘I want to get out of here.’

I thought, taking another sip of tea. And when my cup was almost empty…

Clink.

…Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek set his teacup down.

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

He said, looking at me with a serious expression, as if suppressing his anger.

‘…What is it? Why is he so serious?’

Was this the same situation as with Gloria?

I braced myself, recalling what had happened with Gloria.

And as I set my teacup down and swallowed the last of my tea…

“Are you dating my daughter?”

“……!”

…he asked a completely unexpected question.

‘That’s what you wanted to ask?!’

Unlike Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek, who had feigned choking, I almost choked for real.

Honestly, when he said he’d get straight to the point, I thought he would ask about the Outer God aura I possessed, like Gloria, or rather, Mother, had.

So, I was extremely tense, but… his question was about my relationship with Lee Seo-yeon.

But that thought was fleeting.

Come to think of it, it was an important question for him.

The man sitting before me was not only a Transcendent, but also Lee Seo-yeon’s father.

“Dad.”

Lee Seo-yeon called out to him, sounding slightly embarrassed.

But her eyes, fixed on me, were filled with anticipation.

As if urging me to say yes.

‘…This is crazy.’

I was in a very difficult situation.

What should I say to overcome this crisis?

I quickly racked my brain.

I searched for an answer that would satisfy both Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek and Lee Seo-yeon.

‘…Honestly, it wouldn’t matter if I told the truth.’

Lee Seo-yeon, Arthur, and Asuka.

We weren’t officially dating.

Of course, in the eyes of others, we might appear to be.

We were always together, unless we were training, sleeping, or had other commitments.

While their physical affection had increased, and we had acknowledged our feelings for each other…

…we were in that ambiguous, lukewarm stage between friends and lovers, commonly known as “something.” So, even if I told Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek that we were just friends, it wouldn’t be a lie.

But… I didn’t want to.

I didn’t want to hear Lee Seo-yeon say she would wait.

‘Right, I’ll be honest.’

I made up my mind. I looked directly into Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek’s eyes and said,

“We’re not dating.”

“Ah…”

Lee Seo-yeon let out a disappointed sigh.

“But I would like to officially date her.”

“Uh…”

Lee Seo-yeon’s impassive expression crumbled.

She stared at me, as if unsure if she had heard correctly.

I smiled faintly at her and looked back at Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek.

“……”

An impassive expression.

His gaze was cold.

But despite his expressionless face, his eyes, fixed on mine, conveyed a clear message.

‘I want to kill this bastard.’

An intense rage emanated from his gaze.

I exhaled nervously and continued.

“However, I don’t intend to date her right now.”

“Ah.”

Lee Seo-yeon let out another disappointed sigh. But this time, it wasn’t filled with dejection.

She had heard my confession, so her disappointment and impatience had vanished.

“…What do you mean by ‘not right now’?”

Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek asked. The pressure intensified.

My body creaked, as if about to break.

I gritted my teeth and glanced at Lee Seo-yeon.

She was still oblivious.

She hadn’t noticed the immense pressure he was exerting on me.

I was once again impressed by his precise control.

Of course, if I showed any sign of struggling, Lee Seo-yeon would realize what he was doing.

But I needed to earn his approval. So, I couldn’t show any weakness, no matter how painful it was.

Fortunately, I could withstand this level of pressure.

‘I even endured the Chairman’s aura, this is nothing.’

I chuckled inwardly and answered his question.

“As you know, Sword Saint-nim, the world is in a precarious state.”

Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek nodded slightly, a surprised look in his eyes.

“…I don’t know how you know that, but you’re right. The world is in a precarious state. But what does that have to do with my question?”

What does it have to do with it? It’s related, of course. That’s why I brought it up.

I muttered inwardly and delivered my prepared answer.

“The Martial God told me that the Outer Gods, worshipped by the Apostles, will invade this world someday.”

“…What?”

“…Really?”

They knew the world was in danger, but they hadn’t anticipated the invasion of the Outer Gods. Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek’s impassive expression faltered.

And so did Lee Seo-yeon’s. I told them about the future events, using the Martial God as a convenient lie.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t believe me.

It was enough to plant the seed of awareness about the possibility of such an event, and to explain why I couldn’t date Lee Seo-yeon right now.

But the lie about the Martial God was incredibly effective.

“…The Outer Gods, banished by the Guardians, are returning?”

“That can’t be… such a thing will happen in the future?”

Both Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek and Lee Seo-yeon believed me without a shred of doubt.

I didn’t care if the Chairman found out that I had used her name to lie.

Knowing her, she would say it was fine. And since the future events weren’t a lie, she might even commend me for it.

‘This should be enough build-up.’

I thought, and explained the real reason why I couldn’t date Lee Seo-yeon to Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek, who now wore a grave expression.

“So, I will only date her after the Outer Gods, and all the Fallen who are corrupting this world, are gone.”

“……”

“Lee Yu-jin…”

Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek looked at me with a complicated expression.

At the same time, Lee Seo-yeon called my name in a voice filled with emotion.

She nodded, as if understanding, and gave me a loving look.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am.”

As soon as I spoke, the pressure crushing me vanished.

“Hmm.”

Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek crossed his arms and stared at me.

His disapproving gaze remained. But the anger was gone.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Dad.”

Lee Seo-yeon’s eyes sparkled as Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek gave his approval.

“Of course, as you said, I won’t allow you to date her until the Outer Gods, and all the Fallen, are gone.”

However, he added, continuing,

“I will acknowledge your current friendship. And in the future…”

He paused.

He frowned, as if displeased with the words he was about to utter.

But the pause was short.

He sighed briefly and continued.

“In the future… if, as you said, all threats are eliminated, I will permit you to date my daughter.”

“Dad!”

Lee Seo-yeon beamed at Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek.

He looked at her with a complicated expression, a mixture of happiness and displeasure.

He was happy to see her rare, bright smile, but displeased that it was directed at me.

“Sigh.”

He sighed deeply, as if suppressing his anger.

At the same time, our smartwatches chimed.

It was a notification that the third match would begin in ten minutes.

I relayed the message to Sword Saint Lee Jung-baek.

“Is that so? Then let’s get going.”

Screech.

He stood up.

“You should come with us.”

He said, exiting the tea house.

Lee Seo-yeon smiled faintly and said,

“You know, Dad never lets anyone but Mom and me ride in his car.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, really.”

She took my hand and intertwined her fingers with mine, as usual.

But… for some reason, it felt different this time.

As if the faint thread connecting us had become stronger.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling it.

“Yu-jin, let’s go.”

She called me “Yu-jin,” not “Lee Yu-jin,” for the first time.

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The third match, as I had hoped, was the Tower of Trials, a boss rush.

As I had expected, ascending the tower was incredibly easy. And very fast.

“You’ve made it this far. You’re a strong child, aren’t you?”

As expected in a virtual reality space, the target appeared as soon as I stepped onto the next floor.

However, perhaps because this was the 50th floor, unlike the previous floors, where hordes of Fallen and monsters appeared, only a single Named Fallen materialized.

And that Named Fallen was none other than…

“…Heehee, I’m very fond of strong children.”

…Enchantress, whom I had faced on the deserted island.

“Now, why don’t you come closer? I’ll make you feel very… good.”

“No, thanks.”

I interrupted her, activating Live Focus.

The world slowed down. I saw Enchantress’s lips moving slowly.

I activated Speed Limit Removal.

Then, I dismissed the Aegis shields on my fingers and fired Thunderbolt.

Flash.

The world turned blue.

I deactivated Speed Limit Removal and Live Focus.

The slowed world returned to its normal speed.

The blue light faded, and the world regained its original colors.

And Enchantress…

…vanished without a trace, her regenerative abilities completely nullified.

Well, except for her feet, which remained. So, perhaps not completely vanished.

[50th Floor Cleared]

[Generating stairs to the next floor… Canceled.]

[Reason: The student no longer needs to ascend the tower.]

[Awarding the student 1st place.]

The third match, the Tower of Trials.

I had easily secured first place.

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The final match, Point Capture.

Since it was held in an urban area, though not as easy as the Tower of Trials…

“…U-uwaagh! Where did you come from?!”

“Kyaaa! H-help me!”

“What the hell?! How are there so many traps?!”

…I, as well as the Class A students I had trained, dominated the match, eliminating the Class B and C students as if we owned the city.

Ambushing from the shadows.

Sniping from afar.

Setting traps and explosives.

We displayed skills and tactics far beyond what one would expect from students.

I was incredibly proud.

Instructor Kang Chul-soo, watching this match, would be very pleased.

Of course, my pride was short-lived.

“There’s the top student!”

“Eliminate the top student first!”

“Uwaaa! Take down the top student!”

As soon as the Class B and C students were eliminated, the Class A students teamed up and charged towards me.

I had anticipated this. They prioritized eliminating me over improving their own rankings.

The main characters didn’t participate. They were watching from afar.

Seeing that, I figured they would attack together, like in the second match, and watched as they charged towards me.

….

…….

[Point Capture has ended.]

[Announcing the rankings.]

[1st Place – Lee Yu-jin]

[2nd Place – Lee Seo-yeon]

[3rd Place – Arthur Pendragon]

[4th Place – Noah]

[5th Place – Shuhei Asuka]

[6th Place – Park Ga-ram]

[7th Place – Im Da-hee]

[8th Place….]

[…….]

[….]

There were no surprises.

I had secured first place once again.

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All the matches were over.

I had achieved first place in all four matches.

I had not only completed the Main Quest but also successfully defended my top student ranking.

“Good work, everyone.”

As we returned to the arena, the Vice-principal greeted us.

“…With this, the Duel Season has concluded… Wait a minute.”

He stopped mid-sentence and looked up at the sky.

His expression turned to one of shock, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

Seeing that, I thought, here it comes, and activated Atlas Armor. I retrieved Astra from my inventory and looked up.

But…

“Huh?”

What?

Why was it appearing now?

I stared blankly at the impossible sight.

The sky, shattered like glass. And another world was visible through the cracks.

Unlike this world, which had a bright atmosphere, the world beyond the sky, or rather, the world beyond the Rift, was shrouded in demonic energy, cloaked in darkness.

“…Shit, a Dimensional Rift.”

I had anticipated a Rift appearing when the Fallen attacked.

But a Dimensional Rift, which was supposed to appear much later in the story?!

I cursed, glaring at the Rift that revealed another world.

I felt an intense gaze from within the Rift.

And at the same time…

Shiver!

…an indescribable aura swept over me.

I knew something was wrong.

I was about to tell the Vice-principal to evacuate everyone when…

Strange.

…something appeared before me.

And everything stopped.

Not like Live Focus, where time slowed down…

…but as if time itself had stopped. Except for me.

Master, you need to dodge! That being is…

Terra said urgently. And as she was about to explain what the being before me was…

– Strange.

O…

…the formless being waved its hand, or rather, its tentacle? I couldn’t tell.

Crash!

A sound like shattering glass echoed.

…And Terra’s voice disappeared.

I still couldn’t move.

As if something was holding me in place.

The only thing I could move was my face.

The indescribable being slowly circled around me, its movements neither walking nor floating, but something in between.

It stared at me with its blank, featureless face, tilting its head repeatedly.

– Why do I sense Them within you?

A voice, not just entering, but invading my mind.

I couldn’t understand the words, yet I understood the meaning.

Grit, grit.

I clenched my jaw, grinding my teeth so hard I thought they would shatter.

I had to, or my head would explode.

[The activation conditions for the derived skill “Clear Mind” of “Strong Will (A)” have been met.]

[Activating “Clear Mind”… Determining that the user cannot activate it manually.]

[Automatically activating “Clear Mind.”]

My mind cleared as Clear Mind activated.

And I could move again.

I immediately pushed off the ground, putting distance between myself and the being.

‘Clear Mind’s effect lasts for ten seconds.’

I had to escape or eliminate it within that time.

I was about to activate Astra’s Imitation…

– You… possess the origin of ■-nim.

…when a finger, or rather, a tentacle? Something I couldn’t comprehend, appeared before my eyes.

It reached towards me, as if to gouge out my eyes, and then…

– Hmm?

…It stopped, as if sensing something.

It tilted its head and looked up.

And at the same time…

…BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!

…a deafening roar, as if the heavens were collapsing, shook the world.

Crack, crack!

A sound like cracking eggs followed, and then…

Shatter—!

…a sound like shattering glass, and someone fell from above.

Dark black hair.

Obsidian-like eyes with a reddish glint.

A white shirt, black pants, and a black coat.

“Lee Yu-jin, are you alright?”

A gentle voice called my name.

– …Martial God.

It was Baek Yoo-hwa.

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