I Became an Illegal Cheat User – Chapter 5

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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As soon as I passed the second exam, I sat on a bench on campus, not in the auditorium, and got some fresh air.

“Phew, phew…”

I took deep breaths to soothe my stomach.

Even though I had expelled everything in my stomach, I kept feeling nauseous.

The hallucination and addiction debuffs had all disappeared, but it seemed like a new debuff of an otherworldly bitter taste had appeared.

“…Crazy antidote. I knew it since my character said that in a monologue in the game, but…”

– ‘…It’s a very, very bitter taste. I never want to drink it again.’

Usually, even if I drank potions and ate strange things, there were no scripts.

But whenever I drank the ‘antidote’, a script would appear above the character’s head.

Recalling that, I felt genuinely sorry for my character.

Gulp gulp.

“The bitter taste still won’t go away…”

After the first exam ended, I drank the entire 500ml bottle of water provided by the exam guide like mouthwash, but the bitter taste lingering in my mouth wouldn’t disappear at all.

If I had known this would happen, I would have gotten something sweet as well.

But since I had already spent all the money I had on obtaining the preparation items, I wouldn’t have been able to buy sweets like chocolates or candies anyway.

I was about to feel depressed at the thought of having no money at all, but I quickly shook it off.

Just by enrolling in the academy, a certain amount of money called a living allowance comes in, and I can earn money by going to dungeons or areas operated by the academy and defeating monsters.

‘There is some discrimination though.’

There was some discrimination in rank due to the regulations of the academy set by Mushin, Baek Yu-hwa.

Arena Academy, which has a ranking system, determines the ranks in the ‘Duel Tournament’, also known as the ‘Rank Battle’, held every season.

The total number of students admitted to the academy for each class is 300.

After setting a temporary rank through the initial entrance exam, the ranks are determined again in the ‘Duel Tournament’.

Although there are additional points for good class attitude or achieving certain accomplishments, they don’t compare to the points received for defeating opponents in the ‘Duel Tournament’.

So the ‘Duel Tournament’ is the most important event in Arena Academy.

…Although it gets pushed back later on due to the beings from other worlds invading the Human Realm.

‘In the game, the clear condition was ‘Achieving 1st place in the academy rankings’, but now that it has become reality, I’m not sure.’

That’s because, apart from the main quest, there is also the ‘Ending Quest’.

‘What could that third condition be?’

And what is the reward?

Surely, it won’t be the obvious cliche where I possessed a character without permission and then am sent back to reality once it’s done.

The developer even gifted me a cheat tool, so it must be different.

“Phew.”

I let out a deep sigh.

My head still felt dizzy because of the bitter taste.

I desperately wanted something sweet.

Can’t I get something like candy from somewhere?

Just as I thought that and leaned back against the backrest of the bench…

“Yoo-hoo, 5th place!”

“Aaahh!”

I screamed in surprise at the sudden voice coming from behind.

“Oh… I didn’t know you’d be that surprised…”

Perhaps not expecting me to be so startled, the person who surprised me spoke in a slightly flustered voice.

“Hey, who are you to…”

Surprise someone like that, I was about to say as I turned around to give them a piece of my mind.

And I swallowed the words I was about to say.

Short hair draped around the neck.

Pink hair and pupils the color of cherry blossoms.

A woman with a lively beauty different from Lee Seo-yeon’s elegant beauty.

“…Shuhei Asuka?”

The person who surprised me was none other than Shuhei Asuka.

No, why is she…?

“Yes~ I’m Shuhei Asuka~”

As I called her name in surprise, Asuka grabbed the backrest of the bench, leaped up, and sat right next to me.

Then, looking at me with a playful expression, she said,

“5th place, what are you doing here?”

“…Just getting some fresh air.”

“Eh~ Why?”

“…My stomach isn’t feeling too well.”

“Your stomach isn’t feeling well? Why?”

“…”

…Why is she doing this?

Asuka’s current behavior is what she does in the game when she becomes interested in the player.

But I haven’t done anything yet to make her interested in me.

…No, I might have. I just don’t know it.

‘Could it be from that time?’

After finishing the first exam and returning to the auditorium, all the main characters were gathered there.

And all the main characters were looking at me.

Among them, Shuhei Asuka was looking at me as if something was amusing.

‘She became interested just from that?’

In the game, the point where favorability is generated with the heroines was after enrolling in the academy.

No matter how much you rank 1st during the entrance exam, the heroines don’t show interest in the player.

But just like Lee Seo-yeon who greeted me first, and Asuka who was showing interest…

It seemed a bit different from the game since this was reality.

‘I should be aware of that.’

But it was not bad.

I needed to make contact with the main characters, even if it was for the ‘Ending Quest’.

If they approached me first like this, it was good for me.

Was I too lost in thought?

“Moshi moshi, Hello~?”

“…Ah.”

Asuka was waving her hand in front of my face.

“You’re finally looking at me now.”

As I snapped out of my thoughts and properly looked at her face, Asuka puffed her cheeks and stood up from her seat.

“To think you’d neglect such a cute girl sitting next to you.”

Then, placing her hands on her waist and looking at me, she spoke in a comical voice,

“Mattaku (Geez…)”

“…?”

“Oh, you don’t know this? It’s trending in Korea these days.”

“…What is it?”

“Yes. In many communities, cute characters would cutely say ‘Mattaku…’. So I tried imitating it.”

Was there something like that?

…But, she’s Japanese and she’s browsing Korean community galleries?

“5th place, you don’t seem to have much interest in recent trends.”

“…Yes, I tend to fall behind when it comes to trends.”

It hasn’t been long since I entered the game, so how would I know such things?

I was busy moving my feet to get the preparation items for the entrance exam, so I didn’t have time to browse the online communities.

It would probably be the same in the future too.

“You can’t do that! We’ll be entering the academy soon, and if you fall behind in trends, you won’t be able to become popular!”

“…Ah, haha.”

It’s fine…

It’s fine even if I don’t become popular…

I appreciated her approaching me on her own, but couldn’t she just leave me alone?

However, contrary to my wishes, Asuka sat next to me, telling me this and that about what’s trending these days, until an alarm sound from her smartwatch made her stop talking with an ‘Oh’.

Ding.

[The third exam will begin in 10 minutes, so examinees are requested to gather in the auditorium.]

[This message is being sent to examinees who have passed the second exam.]

It seemed like this was the notification that rang from Asuka’s smartwatch, as Asuka looked at my smartwatch ringing with the same notification and grinned.

“As expected of 5th place. I knew you would pass the second exam too.”

Saying that, Asuka added,

“But… Seeing as you were already out of the exam hall… You must have a higher rank than me.”

For example…

“…3rd place, perhaps?”

“…”

How did she guess… that I passed in 3rd place?

“You have an expression that says, ‘How did you guess?'”

Asuka chuckled amusedly.

“Well… I came out of the exam hall right after you, 5th place. No, you’re 3rd place now, so… 3rd place. Anyway, 3rd place, I came out right after you.”

Asuka was in 4th place.

‘Come to think of it…’

Asuka had the talent of mental defense.

‘I’m envious.’

Of her mental defense.

Someone had to take drugs to pass.

While someone passed with talent without tasting bitterness.

‘I will definitely obtain it.’

Mental defense.

I reaffirmed my resolution.

“Anyway, 3rd place. Let’s make sure to pass and attend the academy together!”

Asuka, who had stood up from the bench, clenched her small fists and shouted, “Fighting!”

Then she ran towards the auditorium with light steps.

“Ah, right!”

But she suddenly stopped, approached me again, and…

“Here’s friendship money!”

She placed something in my hand.

Then, once again shouting “Fighting!” while showing her clenched fists, she dashed towards the auditorium.

Watching her, I let out a hollow laugh.

She’s really an energetic girl.

…But friendship money?

I looked down at what Asuka had placed in my hand.

“Th-This is…”

And I was greatly moved.

What was placed in my hand was none other than…

The sweet thing I had so desperately wished for.

“Is Asuka a goddess…?”

It was chocolate.

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“This is the final exam.”

The principal we saw in the first exam appeared again.

Standing in the auditorium, the principal looked at the examinees, including me, and swung his wand towards the air.

Then, a metal bracelet appeared in front of the examinees, including me, with a small light.

– All examinees, please put on the bracelet.

An instructor-like person standing below the auditorium where the principal was standing announced that we had to wear the bracelets through a megaphone.

Click.

As I put the bracelet on my wrist according to the instructor’s guidance…

Beep.

Something that looked like the health bar in the game appeared on the surface of the bracelet.

“The bracelet you are wearing has a protection spell engraved on it.”

The instructor raised his wrist which was wearing the bracelet so that everyone could see it clearly.

Then, as the principal lightly swung his wand towards the instructor…

Swish.

A small sphere made of mana flew towards the instructor.

Bang.

As the mana sphere touched the instructor’s body, a small explosion occurred.

However, the instructor was not hurt.

Looking closely, a thin mana barrier was surrounding the instructor’s body.

Beep.

A small alarm sound rang from the bracelet on the instructor’s wrist, and the ‘HP’ bar decreased by one.

Pointing at it, the principal said,

“When you receive an attack like that, the protection spell engraved on the bracelet will activate and take the damage you would have received instead.”

The principal continued,

“You will see your HP bar displayed on the surface of the bracelet. When you receive an attack, it will decrease by one, and the stronger the attack, the more it will decrease. If you lose all the bars, that examinee will be eliminated from the exam.”

The number of examinees currently in the auditorium is 500 in total.

The number of students admitted to the academy is 300.

No more, no less, exactly 200 will be eliminated.

‘Everyone is tense.’

Regardless of being main or supporting characters, everyone had a tense expression.

Looking at them, I also felt a slight tension rising within me.

I have no intention of letting my guard down, but not letting my guard down doesn’t mean I won’t be eliminated.

“Detailed instructions will be provided through your smartwatch in the exam hall. So, everyone…”

The principal swung his wand towards the air.

“Do your best.”

With those words, the scenery changed in an instant, and…

Ding.

After reading the unusually long exam guide…

[The exam will begin in 5 seconds.]

[5]

[4]

[3]

[2]

[1]

…Beep!

[Exam Start]

…

…

[Remaining: 500]

The final exam had begun.

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