I Became an Illegal Cheat User

56 – Lieutenant Gray – Interlude

[Me]

– Sorry for breaking our promise.

– Let’s definitely eat together tomorrow.

[Asuka]

– …Then let’s eat together in the morning.

[Me]

– Sure, I’ll keep my promise this time.

[Asuka]

– This time for sure! For sure! (˙ Д ˙ )۶

[Me]

– Yeah.

After sending an additional message to Asuka, I lowered my wrist with the smartwatch.

Then, I picked up the sighe on the table and took a sip.

Gray, who was sipping a vanilla shake in front of me, looked at me with a sly smile.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

Gulp.

“No, she’s a friend.”

To be precise, a female friend.

“Really?”

At the mention that the person I was texting wasn’t a girlfriend, Gray’s gaze shifted to my smartwatch.

But unless it was a smartwatch sold in regular stores, the specially crafted smartwatch from the academy had a privacy protection spell inscribed on it, preventing anyone other than the wearer from seeing the screen.

Therefore, no matter how much it was Gray, she couldn’t confirm it…

“Asuka? I don’t think that female friend feels the same way.”

Gray giggled, stirring the straw stuck in her shake.

Her words reminded me that she possessed not only ‘Wind Control’ but also the skill of ‘Clairvoyance.’

“No, sis. Do you really want to invade the privacy of your much younger little brother? Even using a skill for that?”

“Oh, come on, there’s only a ten-year difference between us… Wait. How did you know I used a skill?”

Gray stopped stirring the straw and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

In that moment, I realized I had slipped up, but I pretended to be logical and answered her question.

“The only way to check the messages without breaking the privacy protection spell is if you used the Clairvoyance skill.”

And I added, as a decisive point, that there was evidence of her using the Clairvoyance skill in the form of swirling magical energy around her eyes.

“Ah.”

Gray nodded, her face showing understanding.

Then, with a satisfied smile on her lips, she said,

“Just like my sister’s son, you’re quite clever.”

As Gray said this, she slurped down her shake.

Seeing her, I let out a sigh of relief internally and took a long sip of my coffee.

And a little while later.

After placing her empty shake cup down on the table with a thud, Gray wiped the smile off her face and erected a magical barrier around us.

Then, with a rather serious expression, she looked at me, and I returned her gaze with a solemn demeanor.

Gray let out a shallow sigh and said,

“Yujin, listen carefully. You’re in a very dangerous situation right now.”

With that warning from Gray, I immediately understood what she meant.

A top-tier Fallen, a Named.

That Named was really in Korea.

And that Named was targeting me.

The speculation I had denied had now turned into certainty, and I let out a deep sigh.

‘Ah, this is a disaster.’

It’s only the beginning of the story.

To already be attracting the attention of a named character.

The distortion from a random encounter seems far too great.

‘…Should I consider this a blessing?’

I don’t know why, but since the named character is targeting me, the main characters should be relatively safe.

And upon further reflection, it seems there’s no need to worry just yet.

As long as I don’t confront the named character right away, there should be plenty of time to prepare.

‘To do that, I need to know what kind of named character it is.’

Each named character has different strategies, so to prepare, I need to know which named character is after me.

But that’s not something to worry about.

Gray, who stands before me, will tell me.

“I can see that I’m in serious danger, so it seems the named character is after me.”

“…Yujin, you’re quite the detective, aren’t you?”

Gray nodded and continued speaking.

“That’s right, as you said, a named character is targeting you.”

I felt somewhat relieved by those words.

Because it’s not multiple named characters after me, but just one.

If it were several, it would have been quite troublesome.

No matter how much I know the strategy and prepare thoroughly, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

But with just one, it’s different.

Assuming I can prepare adequately and receive help from someone of a higher caliber.

I can not only withstand it but also defeat it.

‘…When I confront the named character, I really hope that Gangcheolsoo or Gray will be there.’

That way, I won’t have to ask them to trust me or to follow my lead.

“So, who is that named character?”

“Hyunhwak.”

Gray grimaced as if merely uttering the name of the fallen was repulsive, and continued.

“That filthy, disgusting woman is targeting you.”

“Hyunhwak….”

“So you have to be especially careful; that girl wields a deadly power over men, just as her name ‘Hypnotic’ suggests.”

I nodded heavily at Gray, who added, “Do you understand?”

But contrary to that outward appearance, my inner thoughts were.

‘Oh, jackpot.’

I was celebrating an unexpected windfall.

After all, while Hypnotic is a top-tier fallen one, unlike other named entities, her skill, ‘Charm,’ is incredibly powerful, but her physical abilities are somewhat lacking.

That’s why, as long as I have solid mental defenses, she shouldn’t be too difficult to handle.

Of course, the problem is that her charm level is ‘S+.’

Still, there’s no need to worry.

If the standard approach doesn’t work, I can always find a workaround.

‘I wonder if the instructor will be in the production department tomorrow.’

I had something to create, and now I had a favor to ask.

But still, well… they’ll probably help me out since I’ll be paying.

Thinking that, I poured the remaining coffee in my cup into my mouth.

&

Having wrapped up the heavy conversation.

Gray, as if he had never been serious, took on a lighthearted demeanor, like a friendly neighbor sister, and took me around.

We had a meal at a restaurant that didn’t fall short of the academy’s dining quality.

Afterward, we wandered the streets, enjoying sweet treats like ice cream and waffles.

Whenever we passed a men’s clothing store, he would buy me clothes that fit me, taking care of various things.

As time passed, the night grew darker.

Squeak.

Thanks to the car Gray brought, I was able to return to the academy comfortably.

“Thank you for the ride, sis.”

“Don’t mention it, just get home safely. See you next time.”

I smiled and nodded at Gray’s words.

And just as I was about to open the car door to get out.

“Hey, Yujin.”

Gray called out to me.

So I stood at the door with one foot outside, looking at her.

She hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak.

“Are you… going to join the extermination squad?”

At that question, I nodded immediately.

“Yes, I will join.”

“…Why?”

Why, you ask? Of course, it’s to gain the talent of ‘evil with evil.’

…That’s part of it, but honestly, I also have a genuine desire to join the extermination squad.

“I hate the Fallen.”

Strangely enough, ever since I encountered the existence of the Fallen in the game ‘Arena Academy,’ I have despised them immensely.

Even though they were just simple graphic fragments.

And that feeling intensified as the world of ‘Arena Academy’ became reality.

I hate the Fallen. They disgust me. I want to kill them.

I want to eradicate every last one of them from this world.

That’s why I want to join the 9th Extermination Squad, which specializes in hunting the Fallen.

Did she sense my feelings?

“…Really?”

Gray looked at me with a somewhat troubled expression.

Then she let out a short sigh and pulled out her smartphone from her pocket.

With that smartphone, she tapped my smartwatch.

[Gray has requested to exchange phone numbers. Will you accept? YES / NO]

A phone number exchange alert appeared on my smartwatch.

I pressed the YES button.

[Gray’s phone number has been saved.]

Then Gray said,

“Save it as ‘Pretty Sister.'”

Well…, I know she’s pretty, but isn’t it a bit much to ask me to save it like that?

Still, I complied with her request without hesitation.

After all, I owed her a lot today.

[The title has been changed from Gray to Pretty Sister.]

At the sound that came from the smartwatch, Gray nodded in satisfaction.

Then, shaking her smartphone, she said,

“I’ll be in Korea for a while, so if you get bored or something happens, call me. Especially, if you meet Hyun-hwa, you absolutely have to do it, okay?”

“Yes, sister.”

“Alright, then I’ll see you during the break.”

“Yes, see you then.”

Thud.

With those words, I got out of the car and closed the door.

Vroom!

Her sports car let out a rough engine sound.

And in an instant, it distanced itself from the academy, disappearing from my sight shortly after.

&

“Ah… today has been quite eventful.”

Returning to the dorm, I took a shower and then sat down not at my bed, but at my desk.

I pulled out a brand new notebook from under the desk, one I had never used before, and opened it.

“I could record it on the smartwatch, but… just in case.”

Muttering that, I picked up a pen and began to jot down the information I had gathered today in the notebook.

The possibility that my entire existence is not possessed, but that I might have possessed my parallel self (probability is high).

Reason = I have biological parents.

Crackle.

However, there are no memories from this place.

Reason = It seems like a developer or system intervened. Or perhaps… foreign news intervened.

Crackle.

My parents’ abilities are similar to the cheat I use (they might be the same).

Reason = My father’s main weapon was a gun. And like the cheat ‘Super Accuracy,’ it penetrates magic and mana, boasting a perfect hit rate.

Reason 2 = My mother’s ability seems to be related to mana. For example, something like infinite mana (I couldn’t hear it in detail due to a sudden mental disturbance, but that’s the feeling I got).

When the mental disturbance occurred, the voice I heard. What was that?

Crackle.

The emotions I felt from that voice were undoubtedly ‘longing,’ ‘worry,’ and ‘sadness.’

Related to me?

Or related to Gray?

Anyway, I think it feels like ‘mother.’

Then, could it be that mother…?

Crackle—!

….

……

Thud.

&

&

&

The next morning.

“…What’s going on? Why was I sleeping at my desk?”

I was sure I had taken a shower and lay down in bed, right?

“Could it be that I have sleepwalking issues?”

That had never happened in my previous life, though.

“No, there’s no way I could have sleepwalking.”

It’s impossible because I have a strong mental (A) talent.

But why am I sitting at my desk?

“Hmm….”

I crossed my arms and pondered over yesterday’s events.

But still, there were no changing memories.

Gray took me to the academy.

I took a shower as soon as I entered the dorm.

I lay down in bed and tried to sleep.

So then… why am I sitting at my desk?

As I was thinking that, I suddenly noticed something on the desk.

“…Wait, what is this?”

It was a notebook.

One that was practically new.

However, there was something written on the first page.

“Whose handwriting is this?”

It’s not mine, is it?

Still, just in case, I picked up a pen and tried writing in the notebook.

But, as expected, the handwriting in the notebook was different from what I had just written.

If my handwriting is a bit wavy, then the handwriting in the notebook is… straight, perhaps?

“But why are there so many square hieroglyphs? Did someone come into my room while I wasn’t here?”

Just as I thought that for a moment.

“Well, no. They said the dorm security is strict. No one could have come in.”

Then what is this notebook?

Who left it here?

“…It’s like a ghost is playing tricks.”

I stroked my chin and checked the contents of the notebook.

No, the moment I tried to check.

Ding!

[Asuka]

– Hey, Seong-suk! You didn’t forget we’re having breakfast together this morning, right? (・∀・)

A message from Asuka came in.

I couldn’t help but smile and replied.

[Me]

– Of course I didn’t forget.

[Asuka]

– Thank goodness. ヾ(*´∀｀*)ﾉ

– Then I’ll wash up and get in touch. See you soon! ✧*｡٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*｡

[Me]

– Alright, see you later.

“How cute.”

Lowering my smartwatch, I stood up from the chair.

And just before heading to the shower.

“…Hmm, what was I just about to do? What was it?”

I felt as if I had forgotten something.

But that was only for a moment.

“…I guess it wasn’t important after all.”

…again this time.

“Hmm? Again this time?”

Why did I say “again this time”?

For a moment, I was puzzled, but since I couldn’t think of an answer to that question,

I just assumed it was something that slipped out unconsciously as I headed toward the shower.

&

■ It’s not that the entire existence is ■■, but rather the possibility that a parallel world’s ■■ ■■ occurred (probability is high).

Reason = There is a biological ■■■.

However, none of the ■■ in this place exist.

Reason = It seems like ■■■ or the system intervened. Or perhaps…, ■■ intervened.

The ability of ■■■ is similar to the cheat I use (it might be the same).

Reason = The main weapon of ■■■ was a gun. And like the cheat ‘Super Accuracy’, it has the ability to pierce through magic and mana, with a perfect hit rate.

Reason 2 = The ability of ■■■ seems to be related to mana. For example, something like infinite mana (I couldn’t hear it in detail due to a sudden ■■ ■■, but that’s the feeling I got).

When ■■ ■■ occurred, I heard ■■■. What was that?

The emotions felt in that ■■■ were definitely ‘■■■’, ‘■■’, and ‘■■’.

Related to ■?

Or related to Gray?

In any case, I think it’s ‘■■■’.

Then could it be that ■■■ is….

Zzt.

[‘Lee Yoo-jin’, it’s not time yet.]

[So let me hold onto this notebook for a while.]

Zzt.