I Became an Illegal Cheat User

54 – Lieutenant Gray (1)

With infinite items activated.

I took out my combat gear from my inventory and rushed toward the scene of the attack.

However, it wasn’t long before I had no choice but to stop in my tracks.

And for good reason.

“KYaaaH!”

“R-Run away!”

“Uaaahhh!”

A crowd of people was rushing toward me in a panic.

As soon as I saw that scene, I hurriedly looked around.

And as soon as I spotted the tallest building nearby, I jumped inside.

At that moment.

DUDUDUDUDU!

I saw a throng of people passing by like a stampede of bulls.

“…I can’t go that way.”

Then I had no choice but to leap between the buildings.

As soon as I thought that, I dashed up the emergency stairs.

Of course, I could take the elevator, but it was stuck on the top floor.

Unlike the meager days of the past, I now possessed abilities befitting a superhuman, so running up the stairs was much faster than taking the elevator.

Clunk!

As soon as I reached the rooftop, I flung the door open.

Then, I sprinted at full speed and leaped toward a building slightly taller than the one I was on.

My body soared upward, rising above the building.

“Wow!”

A gasp of admiration escaped me.

A jump like that would have been impossible before.

Now, I truly felt that I had transformed from a mere cosplayer into a real superhuman.

That thought began to lift my spirits.

I tried to suppress that feeling as I repeatedly jumped and leaped between the buildings.

Before long, I arrived at a vantage point where I could see the scene of the terror attack.

“Please, save me….”

“Th-there’s a child! So please….”

Citizens trembling in fear.

“Shut your mouth!”

“If you say one more word, I’ll make you regret it right here!”

Among those citizens, two or three corrupted individuals were loitering, intimidating the people.

I found myself questioning the scene.

Typically, the corrupted chase immediate pleasure and don’t take hostages.

Yet here they were, holding people hostage.

Not just one, but two or three of them.

“Looks like a pack of those who strictly adhere to the law of the jungle….”

Then there could only be one answer.

There must be a corrupted individual of a higher caliber than those three.

With that in mind, I pulled out the Thunderbolt from the holster of my tactical vest.

And with the effect of ‘Sharpshooter’s Keen Sense (A+)’, which allows for ‘enhanced vision when using firearms’, I expanded my field of view and saw the three fallen.

“Given the aura of magic emanating from their bodies… at best, they’re mid-tier.”

That means the one controlling them is at least upper-tier.

“…Where could he be?”

I alternated between zooming in and out, scanning the surroundings.

Before long, I was able to spot him.

“What is he doing, hiding over there?”

A fallen was watching the hostage situation through a window of a building.

I had my doubts about such a fallen, but for now, I activated Live Focus to take aim at him.

Sssssss…

The world slowed down.

In that world, I raised my gun and aimed the muzzle at him.

And exactly ten seconds later.

‘Dead Shot.’

I activated the derived skill of Live Focus.

──!

A soundless gunshot echoed.

A blue flash shot out from the muzzle due to the effect of Thunderbolt.

At the same time, the use of ‘Dead Shot’ ended Live Focus, and the slowed world regained its original speed.

And then.

Crash─, pop!

The window shattered, and his head exploded like a balloon.

After witnessing that, I checked on the fallen who were threatening the hostages.

“I told you to shut up! Are you really desperate to get eaten?!”

“Ah, I’m so hungry. Can’t I just have a little bite… with so many prey around…?”

“That’s not allowed. We haven’t received the signal yet.”

Fortunately, it seems that his death doesn’t trigger the signal.

I let out a short sigh of relief and pulled out another Thunderbolt from my inventory.

Leaning against the railing, I aimed my double-barreled shotgun at them.

And just as I was about to apply pressure to my finger on the trigger.

Twinkle, twinkle.

“…Ugh!”

A sudden beam of light interrupted my vision.

I immediately turned the muzzle in the direction the light was shining.

And there, I could see a woman standing with a hand mirror.

But… why does she look familiar?

‘For now, she’s not a demon, so she’s not a fallen one…’

Hmph… who was she again?

Frustrated by the elusive memory, I focused my gaze to examine the woman closely.

A long scar, as if cut by a sword, ran vertically across her left eye, and her rough, gray hair cascaded down to her shoulders.

Her body was toned and well-balanced, a testament to years of training, with sun-kissed skin.

And… a wild aura that rivaled that of a master instructor… a wild aura?

“Ah…!”

Finally, I remembered who she was.

At the same moment, I was struck with shock.

And rightly so.

‘No, why is she here?’

That woman shouldn’t be someone appearing in the storyline right now.

‘She should be in China… no, on the continent of death by now, right?’

What is this? Is this a variable caused by a random encounter?

‘No… that can’t be it.’

Random encounters bring forth enemies or phenomena randomly, not characters from future storylines.

Then there’s only one possibility left.

The storyline has become tangled.

‘I thought it would get tangled someday, but…’

I never imagined it would happen this quickly.

More importantly, what caused the storyline to tangle?

From where? For what reason?

‘Oh, could it be!’

The rift that occurred in the last alchemy workshop.

And within that crack, the news of having single-handedly dealt with a high-level corrupter in the other world spread across the globe.

‘That’s when the storyline got tangled!’

An article claiming that at the age of 20, I had taken down a high-level corrupter had gone worldwide.

Of course, heroes from all over the world, as well as corrupters and villains, must have seen it.

And the fact that someone who should be on the continent of death is here.

‘…A named one is in Korea.’

I don’t know how many there are.

But one thing is certain: a named one of the highest caliber is in Korea.

It’s fine that the storyline is getting tangled; that happens all the time in games.

However, the fact that named ones are already appearing is… very concerning.

And rightly so, because named ones are typically captured around the mid-point of the story.

Of course, if the rate of becoming stronger increases, the timing can be accelerated.

Right now, the main characters’ powers are still at a mid-upper level in the early stages.

In other words, it means I can’t capture a named one.

‘…I can’t just stay stuck in the academy.’

The academy’s curriculum has overwhelmingly more outdoor classes than indoor ones.

As such, encounters with corrupters, villains, and cracks are frequent.

But now that a named one has appeared in Korea.

The probability of running into a named one has increased.

‘…No, let’s not jump to conclusions yet.’

For now, I decided to deny the appearance of a named one.

That person… the commander of the 9th extermination unit, Gray, is indeed here.

But I still don’t know if she’s a named one.

Since this is reality, there could be unknown reasons for her being here.

So… it’s too early to make any definitive judgments.

Twinkle, twinkle.

“…Ugh!”

I had momentarily lost my focus, and Gray shot light back at my eyes.

In response, I crossed my arms to signal her to stop, forming an ‘X’ shape.

Gray nodded and tucked the hand mirror she was holding into her coat pocket.

Then she began to send me signals.

Signals used by the 9th Extermination Unit.

‘Below… traitor… three… bomb… equipped… shooting… prohibited…’

Since I knew the signals, I understood what she wanted to say.

However…, I still hadn’t joined the 9th Extermination Unit.

Therefore, I shouldn’t know about the signals.

‘Wait a minute…, thinking about it, isn’t this strange? What was Gray thinking sending me signals used by the Extermination Unit?’

She shouldn’t know anything about me, right?

As I pondered this, Gray sent another signal.

‘You… know… signal… I… you… hear… acquaintance…’

‘…….’

Gray’s social circle is very limited.

No, to be precise, everyone in the Extermination Unit is like that.

So limited, in fact, that if you have even one or two acquaintances outside the unit, it’s considered ‘impressive.’

And Gray has only one such acquaintance.

‘…Kang Cheol-soo.’

My assigned instructor.

‘…Well, I’ll take that as a given.’

It really was just a given.

Still, I had expected it.

That Kang Cheol-soo would ask Gray about me.

And honestly, I would have been quite concerned too.

A freshman who fell from the sky with no information about their parents.

Yet that freshman is using the combat techniques of the Extermination Unit?

Ah, that kid is completely related to the Extermination Unit!

Ah, their parents must have been involved with the Extermination Unit!

And since the Extermination Unit is an unofficial unit created by the association, they handle deaths unofficially as well.

Literally, it means becoming a ghost with all information erased.

But that can’t be helped.

As a unit that hunts traitors, they are being targeted by the traitors themselves.

Because of that, the people related to that person could be in danger.

So, Kang Cheol-soo asked Gray about me.

As the deputy commander of the unit, he might know about my parents.

But unfortunately, I am a vessel.

A vessel from another world.

So, just like in the world before I possessed this body, I do not exist here either.

While I was thinking that, Gray sent a signal.

‘You… wait… I… am going… soon?’

At the same time as that signal.

Gray’s body shot up into the air.

And after kicking off the air once.

In an instant, her figure became blurry.

Thud!

At some point, she landed next to me.

“Hey….”

Gray looked at me as if she found it fascinating.

Then she said,

“You look just like that older sister and brother, huh?”

It meant I resembled someone.

At those words, I could only be dumbfounded.