I Became an Illegal Cheat User – Chapter 96

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Duel Season.

Or, as it’s also called, Ranking Battles.

This period is a once-a-year festival for Arena Academy.

For the students, it’s an arena where they can change their rankings.

Therefore, the Academy opened its gates wide, welcoming outsiders to witness the festival, the students’ duels.

All the Academy students, gathered in the Grand Auditorium under the guidance of their assigned instructors, awaited the opening of Duel Season.

“…Haa… haa…”

Some took deep breaths, battling their bursting nerves.

“I’ll definitely, definitely raise my rank this time.”

“No, you won’t. You’re forever with me.”

“…Oh, please. Just leave me alone. How long are you going to cling to me?”

Others burned with the competitive spirit and desire for improvement, determined to raise their ranks.

‘Whoa, it’s hot, hot.’

The air in the auditorium seemed to heat up with the passion and fighting spirit of my classmates and seniors.

No, judging by the weakening cold air blowing from the ceiling, the temperature actually was rising.

Just in case, I took out the mini-fan I had brought, enchanted with a thermal conversion spell.

Click, I turned it on, setting it to cooling mode.

Whirr.

The fan spun, emitting a cool breeze.

The heat on my face, as well as the surrounding heat, subsided.

Good thing I brought the fan, I thought, and opened the quest window that had been minimized in the corner of my vision, blinking incessantly.

Ding.

‘Wow, a Main Quest… It’s been a while.’

I’d been seeing so many Event Quests, Event Quests (Great Achievement), and Great Achievement Quests lately.

It felt strange to see ‘Main’ as the subject at the top of the quest window instead of ‘Event’.

Also, perhaps because I had become too strong too quickly, the rewards felt… lacking.

I glanced over the rewards with a lukewarm expression.

150,000 Points, appropriate.

Rank A Talent Random Ticket and Item Random Ticket, not bad.

Rank B Equipment Selection Ticket, useless.

‘Unless it was before I got Rank A equipment…’

Now that I only used Rank A equipment, the Rank B Equipment Selection Ticket was a truly useless reward.

I sighed shallowly and looked at the next reward.

Equipment Rank Up Ticket, Rank B or lower… I could use this on one of the Equipment Selection Tickets.

‘But I’ll still have one Selection Ticket left.’

What should I do?

I pondered for a moment. Then, I quickly made a decision.

‘I’ll use the Gacha to get a spear and give it to Im Da-hee.’

She had lost two spears, one in the modern-themed, zombie apocalypse alternate world, and another on the deserted island.

I decided to give her a spear as a gift.

‘I kept forgetting to buy her one, so this is good.’

I nodded slightly and looked at the next reward.

Random Cheat Ticket, this was always good.

And now, the last reward.

Only the last reward remained… but this one was…

‘…Point Shop Gacha Feature Unlocked?’

It wasn’t an item.

The last reward was unlocking a feature in the Point Shop.

But… wasn’t this too coincidental?

‘Unlocking the Gacha feature when I have so many points saved up…’

It was as if the System was telling me not to hoard points and to use them.

As soon as I thought that, I asked Terra. No, even before I could ask, a message appeared.

[Master, unlike variable Event Quests, the rewards for Main Quests are predetermined. The rewards were not decided based on your accumulated points.]

‘Really?’

[Yes, that is correct. So, rest assured. There’s no Gaia interference like you suspected.]

Terra’s assertive message dispelled my suspicions. As I was looking at the penalty for failing the quest…

[But if she breaks her promise and tries to interfere again…]

A serious message filled with determination appeared.

[I swear on my existence that I will stop her. So, Master, please trust and rely on me.]

A message from Terra, asking for my trust, appeared consecutively.

I was about to say, why are you acting like this? I already dispelled my suspicions, so it’s okay, but…

I swallowed the words that were about to come out.

‘Okay, I trust you. And thank you.’

[…Thank you.]

[(⩌◡⩌)]

Terra’s messages disappeared with a slightly smiling emoticon.

As I watched the messages fade from my vision, I felt like I had crossed some kind of turning point.

A vague, inexplicable feeling.

But at the same time, I felt like I had done the right thing.

With that strange feeling, I closed the quest window. Then, as the auditorium seemed to have cooled down somewhat, I turned off the fan and put it in my inventory.

At that moment…

Flash.

The principal appeared on the podium.

Simultaneously, the noisy auditorium fell silent as if a silencing spell had been cast.

Tap.

The principal stepped onto the podium and looked around with a benevolent expression.

Third years, second years, and first years.

The principal nodded with a satisfied smile at the sight of the students standing in orderly lines behind their instructors.

Then, he brought the wand in his hand to his throat and began to speak.

“Today is a very meaningful day.”

“As you all know, this Academy only has one festival a year.”

“And that festival is an arena of competition, where you can test, and unleash, the strength and skills you have accumulated so far.”

“At the same time, it is the only time you can change the rankings etched onto your names.”

The moment the principal said those words, the temperature in the auditorium began to rise again.

The students’ fighting spirit, which had just subsided, was flaring up once more.

‘…I want to take out my fan.’

But I couldn’t do that during the principal’s address.

So, I desperately suppressed the urge to take out my fan and listened to the principal’s increasingly lengthy speech.

And when the students’ passionate energy had completely devoured the cool air in the auditorium…

“…Oh, my. I’ve been talking too much, haven’t I?”

…the principal’s long and drawn-out speech finally came to an end.

Simultaneously, the auditorium, which had been boiling with the superhumans’ passion, cooled down rapidly.

It was still lukewarm, but…

‘This is much better.’

Anything was better than hot air.

I thought so and looked around.

“Haa… I’m alive.”

“…I thought I was going to be cooked alive.”

“That speech was too long…”

I heard the whispers of my classmates, saying they almost died from the heat.

‘Seriously, tone down the fighting spirit a bit.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

When I looked at the principal again…

“Everyone, fight your best.”

The principal’s wand swished through the air.

“Pour out all the strength and skills you’ve accumulated.”

The bodies of all the students in the auditorium began to glow.

“I, Yoo Baek, pray that you all achieve the best possible results.”

With those words, the third-year students vanished.

Followed by the second years. And finally, the first years.

As the intensity of the light increased, the scenery in my vision began to change.

And right before the scenery completely changed…

– Lee Yu-jin, I’ve made preparations as you suggested. So, focus on the competition without worry.

…I heard the principal’s voice in my ear.

As I nodded…

Whoosh!

…the scenery in my vision changed.

Simultaneously…

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

…a tremendous roar of cheers erupted.

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I looked around as I listened to the cheers.

I could see people packed tightly within the translucent mana barrier surrounding the spectator stands.

But because there were so many people, they appeared blurry, flickering in and out of focus.

And among them, I saw familiar faces.

“Yu-jin!”

“Lee Yu-jin! Arthur! Noah! We’re here!”

“We came as promised!”

Grey, the vice-captain of the 9th Extermination Unit, and the other ten members.

I waved back at Grey and the members who were waving enthusiastically.

Then, I turned my head, feeling a gaze from somewhere. I saw the people sitting in the special seats at the very top of the spectator stands looking at me.

A man with a strong build, short hair, and a white dobok.

The guild leader of Korea’s large guild, Mirinae, a Transcendent, and Lee Seo-yeon’s father.

A woman with white hair and white eyes, an abundant bosom, and a benevolent, sacred beauty.

The Pope of the American Grand Temple, a Transcendent, and Noah’s mother.

I nodded slightly at the two and lowered my head.

Then, I confirmed that only first-year students were present in this massive coliseum.

‘As expected, this part is the same as the game.’

The arena, the coliseum where I was standing.

True to its name, Arena Academy, the ranking battles were held in a coliseum.

This massive coliseum was built within the Academy grounds, and there were three of them, not one, so that all grades could participate in the competition.

Of course, because the coliseums were so large, they were concealed by the principal’s magic so that they wouldn’t be noticed.

But that concealment would be lifted today.

Because the Fallen would attack during or near the end of the competition.

‘I’ve made preparations after talking to the chairman and the principal, but…’

I hoped they wouldn’t attack.

‘Since the story has already deviated, wouldn’t it be great if the attack also deviated?’

However, even if the story had deviated, today was the most opportune time for the Fallen to attack.

Therefore, there was no way Greed would miss this opportunity.

I thought so and looked at the vice-principal who appeared in the arena.

As I had seen before, the vice-principal, dressed in a white shirt and black suit pants, was looking at his smartwatch with a somewhat tired expression.

After a few seconds, the vice-principal looked up from his watch and spoke.

“From now on…”

The vice-principal raised his hand.

Then, he brought his thumb and middle finger together, preparing to snap his fingers.

Seeing that, my classmates held their breath in anticipation.

“…we will begin the Duel Season.”

Snap!

A light snapping sound echoed.

Simultaneously, an intense light erupted from the arena floor beneath our feet.

And after a while, when the light faded…

Chirp, chirp.

…I was standing alone in a forest filled with trees.

I calmly looked around.

And as I recalled what the first event was…

Ding.

…a notification alert from my smartwatch rang.

I checked the message.

As expected, it was ‘Time Attack’.

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