I Became an Illegal Cheat User

15 – Dignity (2)

Oops, oh no! Aska had broken down!

Her reaction was so intense that it reminded me of the game message that said something like that.

After merely running my fingers through her hair, Asuka’s face turned red as if steam was rising from her head.

“Um, um… hey, Mr. Suseok, could you… remove your hand from my hair….”

How flustered must she have been to ask me to remove my hair from her hand instead of asking me to remove my hand from her hair?

Unable to bear Asuka’s face, which was getting redder and seemed like it would burst any moment, I removed my hand that was caressing her hair.

At that moment, I felt a sharp energy from somewhere.

When I turned my head in response to that energy,

I saw Isuyeon, who had been sitting close to me, staring at me intently.

But why?

The thought crossed my mind that she might be angry.

“No, why…?”

I really couldn’t understand.

I haven’t yet built up any favorable impression with her.

Although there were times when she would greet me first, that action had nothing to do with favorability.

Therefore, she had no reason to be angry at me…right?

I couldn’t understand why Isuyeon was angry, but I could tell when it started happening.

“….Eh.”

So I put my hand back on Asuka’s head.

And that’s when Asuka, who was once again flustered, continued.

Zzit.

Isuyeon’s energy, which had subsided, became sharp once again.

“…Did they turn the air conditioning up here…?”

“Yeah… I’m so cold.”

With Isuyeon’s intimidating energy, the people around her made excuses about the air conditioning and gradually distanced themselves.

Seeing their attitudes, I removed my hand from Asuka’s head, who was making small coughs and sniffles.

Then Isuyeon’s energy subsided once again.

Although I felt a desire to tease Isuyeon with her reactions,

“Cough… cough…!”

When I saw Asuka’s face turn bright red and heard her continuous coughing, I decided that if I kept my hand on her head any longer, it could cause a big problem.

After I completely put my hand in my jacket pocket, Isuyeon’s gaze, which had been directed at me, turned toward the field.

I also turned my head to the field, where the match would begin soon.

But before that.

“…Hik!”

I need to give Asuka some water.

&

[C]

[02] [Arthur Pendragon] [Victory]

[08] [Kim Woo Min] [Defeat]

The match in Group C ended in just 10 seconds since it began.

Kim Woo Min, ranking 8th, is considered strong among supporting characters, but the opponent is the opponent…

Without even getting a chance to make a move, he was defeated by Arthur.

And now, the match in Group D that is taking place.

5th place, Noah, against 6th place, Park Ga Ram.

Boom, Kwaang!

Kwaang! Kwaah!

The battle between the lead and supporting characters was so intense that it was difficult to think of it as anything other than a fierce confrontation.

Noah, the son of the great heroine Gloria, with golden flames enveloping his fists, charged towards his opponent.

In response, a woman with violet hair and violet eyes, Park Ga Ram, created a violet fireball in her hand and shot it towards Noah.

The basketball-sized fireball rushed towards Noah at a rapid speed.

However, Noah calmly thrust his fist with the golden flame and shattered the fireball.

Even as the fireball burst in front of him, and the scorching heat enveloped him, Noah continued to charge towards Park Ga Ram as if nothing happened.

“I-Is the son of the great heroine… i-immune to magic?”

Seeing Noah unaffected by her magic, Park Ga Ram stammered, letting out a bitter laugh.

“W-Well… then, w-would you like to see if this works too?”

Saying that, a gray fireball, different from the one before, emerged from her hand.

Upon hearing Noah’s words about a gray witch, a commotion arose in the audience.

“If she’s a gray witch, wasn’t she a transcendent being who turned from a villain to a hero?”

“Actually, during her high-level villain days, she was converted under the command of the great god.”

“…Anyway, using the transcendent’s magic? Could it be that he’s a disciple of the Gray Witch?”

Indeed, students of the Arena Academy.

They knew their history very well.

But there was something slightly off.

‘Is he truly a recluse?’

The transcendent who wields the power of evil?

I itched to correct the history the students were mistaken about right away.

But even if I were to tell them the truth, considering it involves stories about a transcendent who is practically their idol, they probably wouldn’t believe it properly.

Park Garam’s mentor, a transcendent who transitioned from villain to hero.

The Gray Witch, Kirke.

In truth, she wasn’t the one who received the transcendence; she was the one transcendence embraced.

Back in her prime as a high-ranking villain, Kirke didn’t kill people, but for the sake of boredom, she transformed the entire population of a city into animals and committed many wicked deeds.

However, she couldn’t surpass 19 days with such malicious actions.

On the 19th day, she was exposed and caught by the transcendent.

And she was given an ultimatum by the overwhelming transcendent force.

It wasn’t a choice but rather a forced decision: endure punishment for 19 days and die, or willingly transition to heroism and become a hero.

In response, Kirke swore an absolute oath on the Geass Scroll and became a hero.

But as a side effect.

She became reluctant to leave her home.

Though she had transformed people into animals, she hadn’t killed anyone. Yet, due to the overwhelming aura of the transcendent, her spirit was crushed. The malicious aspects completely disappeared, and she became the reserved character seen in Park Garam now.

Nevertheless, occasionally driven by the Geass and her accumulated liking for Park Garam, she ventured outside to play the role of a hero.

And here’s a fact revealed when the affinity with Park Garam reached a certain level.

The reason Kirke took Park Garam as her disciple was because he resembled her in some ways. When Park Garam graduates from the academy and starts heroic activities, she can contribute as a hero by taking him as her disciple, so she doesn’t have to leave her home.

Anyway, being Kirke’s disciple, the students looked at Park Garam with new eyes.

From a nerd to a transcendent, a disciple of the Gray Witch.

That’s why the background is crucial.

Or, show an overwhelming skill to demonstrate the gap.

“Heh, hehehe. Y-yes. I-I learned m-magic from m-my m-mentor.”

“…You truly are remarkable. The recluse, a disciple of the elusive Gray Witch.”

“R-recluse? M-my mentor is just a s-shut-in in a corner.”

“…”

Noah’s mouth snapped shut at Park Garam’s pure audacity, labeling his own mentor as a basement-dwelling geek without filtering.

Seeing Noah’s reaction, Park Garam chuckled slyly and said, “Ah, anyway. Shall I, uh, give it a try?”

Without waiting for an answer, Park Garam unilaterally declared the question and sent a gray fireball ablaze on his hand towards Noah.

Fwhoosh!

Certainly, it seemed different from the violet fireballs Noah had been shooting continuously. Unlike the basketball-sized violet fireballs, the gray fireball gradually expanded and, eventually, inflated to the size of a human.

Judging by the heat extending beyond the arena, it seemed to boast an incredible firepower.

“Impressive firepower. Even I, who is under the protection of the divine, can feel the heat.”

Noah spoke calmly, his face still serene despite witnessing the unusual gray witch’s magic.

“Since you’ve shown me the rare magic of the gray witch, I suppose I should reciprocate.”

Noah clasped his hands together in prayer.

Then, sanctity spread from his hands throughout Noah’s entire body.

He released the hand he was holding, facing the large fireball at close range.

With a punch towards the fireball, Noah uttered, “Immanuel.”

And then, light descended.

&

“Ack! My eyes!”

“I, I can’t see!”

“Instructor, to the infirmary! No, take us to the emergency room!”

Noah’s sincere prayer punch flooded the entire training room with light, not just the arena.

Those who were directly hit by the light clutched their eyes, answering the experience of witnessing the light of the sky as a painful ordeal.

Of course, I closed my eyes as soon as Noah said ‘Immanuel,’ so I was fine.

“…Huh.”

Aska, too, was unharmed thanks to my signal to close her eyes.

Perhaps due to their high abilities, Yiseo and Arthur were unfazed by the intense light that pierced their eyes.

Ding.

[D]

[05][Noah][Victory]

[06][Park Garam][Defeated]

“The victory goes to Team D.”

As soon as Kang Cheolsu’s words were heard, the light dimmed.

And when the arena came into view again, Noah was praying towards the sky, while Park Garam…

“Eugh…, Ahhhhh….”

… was crouching on the ground, making strange noises.

It seems that the light pouring down from the sky was too sacred for Park Garam, the apprentice of a gloomy witch.

Seeing Park Garam in such a state, Kang Cheolsu scratched his scarred forehead.

“…Hmm, I should take him to the infirmary.”

With Park Garam still crouching, Kang Cheolsu lifted him up and spoke towards the audience.

“The next quarter-final will start exactly 5 minutes from now, so Chief Lee Yujin and Lee Seoyeon should come down to the arena in advance and get ready.”

Upon hearing those words, I and Seoyeon stood up from our seats.

And as we were descending the stairs towards the arena.

Ding.

Not from the smartwatch on my wrist, but from inside my head, the system alarm sound rang.

────────────────────

Event Quest 【Dignity】

Win against a leading character and show the dignity of the chief.

□Win against Lee Seoyeon.

□Win against Arthur Pendragon.

– Reward: 10,000 points (additional rewards based on performance), B-grade item selection ticket, B-grade talent and skill selection ticket, 3 random cheat usage tickets

– Failure: Decrease in favorability from all major supporting characters.

────────────────────

‘Oh.’

A reward-rich event quest appeared.

&

&

“Are you ready?”

At Kang Cheol-su’s words, both I and Yi Seo-yeon nodded.

Yi Seo-yeon, in the same orphan-like posture as before, prepared to draw her sword.

I, releasing the safety on my pistol, prepared to shoot at any moment.

In response to our readiness, Kang Cheol-su stepped back, creating distance.

And then,

“Do your best in the fight.”

He announced the beginning of the match.

Simultaneously,

Swish!

Yi Seo-yeon unsheathed her sword and struck the ground.

I aimed my gun at her and pulled the trigger.

Bang!