I Became an Illegal Cheat User – Chapter 97

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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From the VIP seats—visible from the arena, but not from the regular seats, and accessible only by invitation from the Chairman or the Principal—Lee Jung-baek looked down at the arena where his daughter would soon appear.

He rose slightly, sensing a noble, holy power emanating from the door behind him.

“Sword Saint.”

A benevolent, beautiful voice reached his ears.

As always, the soothing voice prompted Lee Jung-baek to bow respectfully to the approaching Saintess Gloria, radiating a holy aura.

“Saintess, I trust you’ve been well?”

Lee Jung-baek inquired politely.

Gloria, in turn, gave a small bow as she replied.

“Yes, I remain comfortably within the Goddess’s embrace. Have you been well, Sword Saint?”

“I have also been well.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Gloria smiled softly and stroked Lee Jung-baek’s head.

The scene would have been shocking to any observer. Even if she was a Transcendent, stroking the head of another Transcendent, a middle-aged man at that, was unthinkable.

Lee Jung-baek remained silent, lowering his head further to make it easier for her to continue.

Gloria smiled faintly at his action.

“This reminds me of when I first met you, Sword Saint.”

“Those were…immature days.”

The memory of his reckless youth surfaced, bringing a wry smile to Lee Jung-baek’s face.

“Perhaps less immature, and more simply the appropriate behavior for that age. You were…sixteen, weren’t you?”

“Fifteen.”

“Ah, right. Second year of middle school.”

Gloria, stroking Lee Jung-baek’s head, clapped her hands together as if remembering something.

“Back then, the Korean slang for it was ‘Chunibyo.’ And you, Sword Saint, were a textbook case.”

Lee Jung-baek coughed.

It was a dark past he’d rather forget. But Transcendents had impeccable memories, recalling even their infancy with perfect clarity. Forgetting was simply not possible.

He coughed, hoping she would take the hint, but…

“The Sword Saint who came to the Grand Temple with his father said to me…”

Lee Jung-baek coughed again, louder this time.

“…‘You are truly beautiful. I, the successor of Mirinae, shall take you as my wife. Won’t you come to Korea with me?’”

Silence.

“You were so cute back then. Of course, you’re still cute now.”

His dark history exposed, Lee Jung-baek sighed inwardly.

‘I should have stayed at the guild and watched it on TV.’

But the thought was fleeting.

‘No, no. I can’t watch my one and only precious daughter’s match on something like a TV. It had to be witnessed in person.’

With that thought, Lee Jung-baek suppressed his urge to escape this situation.

He told Gloria, who continued to reminisce about the time she cured his arrogance and Chunibyo phase with her kind (violent) heart, that it was almost time for the students to appear.

“Oh my, has it been that long already? Then, let’s continue this story later.”

She wanted to continue recounting his embarrassing past later?

“Yes, please tell me more later.”

Absolutely not.

‘I’m returning to the guild the moment this competition ends.’

Lee Jung-baek sat back down in his chair.

As Gloria took her seat, the first-year students materialized in the arena with a surge of mana.

A roar of cheers erupted from the regular spectator stands. Startled by the sudden noise, the students looked around. Among them, Noah spotted Gloria and waved.

“Oh…Noah.”

Gloria waved back with a delighted expression.

Noah smiled.

Overcome with emotion, Gloria felt tears welling up.

“To think that child, who so rarely expressed his feelings, would smile like that… It’s truly… deeply moving.”

Her son had never smiled with such genuine emotion before.

This smile wasn’t empty, it was filled with heartfelt sincerity.

“I suppose I have that child to thank for this.”

Gloria’s gaze shifted to Lee Yu-jin, standing near Noah.

“Lee Yu-jin… the first friend my Noah has ever made.”

Her son wrote her letters once a month. And in every single one, his name appeared.

He’s incredibly skilled, his achievements are remarkable, he’s a truly wonderful friend.

Every letter detailed his accomplishments alongside updates on Noah’s well-being.

“I would like to meet him someday.”

No, she had to meet him.

It was a mother’s duty to see what kind of friend her son had made.

Meanwhile, Lee Jung-baek was watching his precious daughter.

“Seo-yeon is as lovely as ever.”

“I wish she would look this way.”

He saw other students searching for their families in the stands. But his daughter was simply quietly checking her equipment.

Excellent.

She was doing exactly as he had taught her. But he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

He wished she would glance his way, even just for a moment.

‘Should I try sending a telepathic message?’

He considered using mana to transmit his voice, a high-level technique, to get her attention.

No, that wouldn’t do.

He shook his head, dismissing the idea. He couldn’t disturb her as she prepared for her upcoming match.

Lee Jung-baek sighed and crossed his arms, silently watching as his daughter continued to check her equipment.

He frowned, noticing the object in her hand.

Is she still using that thing?

His daughter expertly checked the gun.

How much practice had it taken for her to handle a gun with the same fluency as a sword?

The thought greatly displeased Lee Jung-baek.

“A child born into a sword-wielding family… handling a gun…”

He remembered how shocked he had been during her internship.

Hearing the sound of gunfire in the training grounds, where only the clash of swords should echo. And then realizing that the gunfire came from his own daughter.

It was the first time he had felt the world crumble around him.

Lee Jung-baek sighed deeply.

He followed his daughter’s gaze, which was fixed on a single point as she checked her gun.

“…Lee Yu-jin.”

Lee Jung-baek’s eyes narrowed, his gaze filled with anger as he glared at Lee Yu-jin.

“That brat… because of him, my daughter…”

‘Is using a gun.’

And not even looking at him!

He had been the one to tell her not to use such trash weapons, but still! How could she give her father such a cold look?!

Did I raise you to be this way, Seo-yeon?!

Overwhelmed by a sense of injustice, Lee Jung-baek sighed repeatedly.

He tried to control his emotions with his Clear Mind technique, but it was no use. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm his seething rage.

Once his mind had calmed somewhat, he opened his eyes again.

“That… that brat…!”

But his composure was short-lived.

His calmed mind immediately flared up again as his eyes met Lee Yu-jin’s. And for some unknown reason, the moment he saw Lee Yu-jin nod at him, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.

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“I knew it would be Time Attack.”

BEEP.

I stood alone in the forest, surrounded by trees. One might think this was a survival event, but speed was crucial in a ranking competition.

Besides, I only remembered four event types:

Arena – Free-for-all.

A chaotic battle royale until a single victor remained.

Virtual Reality – Tower of Trials (Boss Rush).

Ascending a tower in a virtual reality space, defeating Fallen, villains, and monsters on each floor.

Urban Area – Point Capture.

Similar to the battle royale on the deserted island during the entrance exam.

Forest – Time Attack.

Navigating a monster-filled forest to reach the designated location as quickly as possible.

I set an alarm on my smartwatch and activated Clairvoyance.

My vision expanded, and I felt a surge of mental energy.

‘There’s quite a lot of monsters.’

They were artificial, created by the Academy, not real.

There was no risk of death, serious injuries would result in immediate transport to the infirmary.

Perhaps because I was the top student, the forest seemed particularly dense with monsters. Not that it would pose a problem.

I searched for the destination, spotting a green flag about twenty seconds later.

‘Even the flag matches the forest theme.’

I deactivated Clairvoyance, no longer needing its expanded vision.

“Time to move.”

I focused mana into my legs and feet.

Once enough mana had accumulated, I launched myself upwards with a powerful push.

I soared into the sky, reaching the translucent mana barrier that mimicked the sky.

I used telekinesis to propel myself forward, running through the air towards the destination.

‘I’ve been practicing this since the internship.’

Telekinetic air running. Sky Steps.

The method was simple.

Like Grey manipulating the air beneath her feet, I created platforms of telekinetic force with each step.

One crucial detail though was that you needed to erase the platforms after each step to avoid exponential mana drain.

‘Once my Telekinesis reaches Rank S, I should be able to fly like Kali.’

Initially, I had tried to fly like Kali, but my Rank A Telekinesis was too slow. So I developed Sky Steps.

I heard monstrous roars from the forest below, and stinging sensations pricked my skin.

Red lines appeared in my vision, marking incoming projectiles.

Green liquid, likely poison. Sharp thorns. Blunt rocks.

I dodged nimbly, drawing Thunderbolt from my inventory. I evaded what I could and shot down the rest.

As I continued my aerial sprint, the green flag came into view.

I channeled more mana into my legs, pushing off a telekinetic platform with increased force.

The air exploded around me as I shot towards the destination like an arrow.

Moments later, I landed.

[Impressive, Master. You finally perfected the superhero landing after all that practice.]

My smartwatch alarm chimed and a hologram displayed the time and ranking.

My time was the only one displayed.

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