I Became an Illegal Cheat User

61 – Villain Response Training – Intermission

After all the classes ended today.

I had just taken a short break in the dorm when dinner time arrived, and I headed down to the academy cafeteria.

After filling my tray with the usual food, just as I was about to sit down and start my meal.

“Crow!”

“Top student Crow!”

“Crow, enjoy your meal!”

As my classmates passed by on their way to lunch, they stirred up my dark past.

But perhaps because I had been reliving that past throughout the class…

“Uh, you guys enjoy your meal.”

Shame surged within me, but nothing of the sort happened.

Consequently, I became indifferent to their teasing.

“Mr. Crow! Let’s eat together!”

“Uh, Asuka. Come on in.”

Even when Asuka teased me.

“Hey, Crow, can I sit in the front?”

“Uh, sure.”

Even when Arthur teased me.

“Mr. Crow, may I join you for lunch?”

“Uh, Noah. Of course, you can.”

Even when Noah teased me.

“…Crow.”

Even when Lee Seoyeon teased me.

I remained unfazed.

“Mr. Crow, I heard something when I was leaving the classroom.”

“Huh? What is it?”

… I shouldn’t be fazed.

“That video the instructor showed us earlier in class? They’re using it as teaching material!”

“…What? Teaching material?”

I could no longer remain unfazed.

“Yep, teaching material!”

Asuka nodded with a bright smile.

Then she poked her fork into the tteokbokki she had brought and popped it into her mouth with a cheerful “nom.”

It was undeniably an adorable sight.

But unlike usual, this time I couldn’t muster a satisfied smile.

‘They’re using my dark past as teaching material? No, why?’

My composure shattered into pieces.

My shame was rising again, and my face was starting to heat up.

So I took a deep breath and asked Aska.

“Is that true…?”

Aska nodded, munching on tteokbokki, and said after a brief pause.

“Yeah, I don’t know who the instructor talked to, but they said this. There’s no better villain acting than this. So, we have to make it a textbook example, they said.”

“…….”

At those words, I quietly put down my spoon.

And to cool down my face, which was burning with shame, I gulped down the water I had brought.

But despite that, my face only grew hotter, refusing to cool down.

So I immediately opened my inventory and took out the Youth Elixir, a full-body cleanser and mental stabilizer.

And I popped it into my mouth like a pill.

The Youth Elixir that entered my mouth melted away, touching my tongue.

Then, a refreshing and cool scent filled my mouth.

The unique energy of the Youth Elixir spread throughout my body, and my heart, which had been boiling like a furnace, finally calmed down.

As a result, the heat in my face, which had been about to explode, quickly dissipated.

“Phew.”

Only then could I finally take a comfortable breath.

“What’s this refreshing scent?”

“It’s like the scent of a forest, so cool and refreshing.”

Was it because we were sitting at the same table?

The scent, which was not from the food but reminiscent of a forest, caught Arthur and Noah’s attention, and they looked around with puzzled faces.

And soon, the two of them realized that the source of the scent was me.

“This scent that makes my heart so comfortable, I don’t know what perfume it is, but it’s really good.”

Arthur nodded in agreement, saying.

“I wasn’t interested in perfumes or anything like that, but if it’s a scent like this, I think it’s worth getting one.”

Arthur, who had never been interested in makeup or perfumes.

But now, the scent coming from my breath had captivated him so much.

“Euijin, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to buy the perfume you’re using. Can you sell it to me?”

“Could you tell me where to buy that perfume…?” No, that’s not it.

For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard, so I asked Arthur.

“…What do you mean you want to do?”

Arthur, who was slicing a steak drizzled with mint sauce, tilted his head and replied.

“I said I want to buy the perfume you used, didn’t I?”

“……”

As I watched Arthur casually pop a piece of steak into his mouth, I found myself at a loss for words.

‘Arthur, this guy is getting creepier by the day…’

Of course, Arthur doesn’t show this creepy side to anyone else.

To everyone except the people sitting at this table, he always presents himself as a composed and dignified knight.

In other words, he only reveals his true self to me, Lee Seoyeon, Asuka, and Noah.

But that true self is a bit… unsettling.

‘First, he shows a masochistic tendency, and now this creepiness?’

Is this guy really going to be the future king of knights?

The future of England… no, the Round Table Guild looks grim.

But it seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking this.

“…Ugh.”

“……”

Asuka, who was munching on tteokbokki, looked at Arthur with a somewhat disdainful gaze.

Lee Seoyeon was glaring at Arthur with such fierce eyes, it seemed like she was ready to swing the knife in her hand at any moment.

Seeing the two of them, Arthur tilted his head as if to ask what the problem was.

Meanwhile, he continued to chew on his finely chopped steak.

His demeanor felt almost like a provocation, as if he were saying, “What are you going to do about it if you glare at me?”

“Haha, is this what you call building friendship?”

Noah, do you really think that fierce standoff is a way to strengthen friendship?

‘…You’re quite the natural, too.’

I let out a deep sigh and shook my head.

&

The beginning was chaotic.

The meal ended with a tense atmosphere. (We even had ice cream afterward.)

The four of them headed to the training ground, excluding me.

No, to be precise, it was only Lee Seoyeon and Asuka who went to the training ground.

Arthur and Noah had called me aside for a moment.

Click.

Inside a study room in the 1-A building.

As soon as I entered the study room, I pulled out two boxes containing the elixir from my inventory.

I handed one to each of them.

“Here, take it.”

“…What is this?”

“What is it?”

Arthur and Noah accepted the boxes with puzzled expressions.

And the moment they opened the lids of the boxes—

Whoosh!

“This scent….”

“Could it be that the fragrance we smelled in the cafeteria was this elixir?”

A refreshing and crisp aroma filled the study room.

Arthur and Noah exchanged surprised glances between the elixir in their hands and me.

I nodded at Noah’s question and replied.

“That’s right, the scent you were talking about in the cafeteria, it all came from this elixir.”

“Well… it’s a bit disappointing to hear it wasn’t a perfume.”

“Indeed, if it had been a perfume, I would have wanted to buy it too. What a shame.”

Arthur and Noah sighed briefly, genuinely disappointed, and closed the lids of the boxes.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, they offered them back to me.

I shook my head.

Pushing their outstretched hands away, I said, “That’s yours. So you don’t have to give it back.”

“…I truly appreciate your kindness, but I can’t accept such a precious elixir.”

“I also agree with Arthur’s words.”

Arthur and Noah expressed their reluctance.

Seeing their reactions, I opened my inventory again.

And just like I did with Lee Seoyeon last time, I decided to personally eliminate the hesitation between the two.

The method was simple.

Rumble rumble rumble!

It was to pour out the elixirs.

“What is this…?!”

“…Oh my God.”

Arthur and Noah looked on in shock.

Their reactions, however, were quite different.

Arthur widened his eyes, staring down at the elixirs piling up on the study room floor.

Noah, on the other hand, squeezed his eyes shut as if he were a priest tempted by the devil, drawing the sign of the cross.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at their expressions and paused my pouring of the elixirs.

Then, picking up one of the boxes stacked on the floor, I spoke.

“I feel a bit embarrassed saying this, but…”

I opened the lid of the box.

“These elixirs are of no value to me.”

I picked up an elixir.

And, like eating a snack, I casually tossed it into my mouth.

Swallowing the melted elixir, I continued.

“As you can see, these elixirs are just like snacks to me.”

The kind of snacks you munch on out of boredom.

“So don’t hesitate, just eat.”

You can do that.

At my words, Arthur and Noah stared at me with blank expressions.

Then, as if they had made a decision,

they opened the lids of the boxes in their hands once more.

Whoosh.

As the lids opened, the distinctive aroma of the elixirs wafted through the air again.

Arthur and Noah, with trembling hands, picked up the elixirs.

Then they looked up at me again.

I nodded at them.

Then Arthur and Noah took a moment to catch their breath.

“Thank you, Yoo-jin.”

“Thank you, Miss Yoo-jin.”

They expressed their gratitude and tossed the elixir into their mouths.

And no sooner had they swallowed the elixir than—

Gulp.

Arthur and Noah’s throats moved.

At the same time, due to the effect of the elixir,

Whoosh!

Magical energy began to swirl around their bodies.

And a moment later.

“…I can feel my soul growing stronger.”

“I can sense that controlling my abilities has become much easier.”

It seemed the elixir’s effects were taking hold.

Arthur and Noah murmured in astonishment at their own states.

Seeing them, I couldn’t help but smile with the warmth of watching a newbie just starting a game.

‘Ah, this is the joy of nurturing newbies.’

Of course, Arthur and Noah weren’t exactly newbies.

But their reactions were so delightfully inexperienced that I couldn’t contain my satisfaction.

In response, I hurriedly pulled out two more elixirs from my inventory to maintain this feeling of joy.

I then offered them to the two, who were still marveling at the effects of the elixir.

“Here, eat this too.”

“…Is this another elixir?”

“Haha… oh my.”

Arthur and Noah looked at me with somewhat dazed expressions.

I opened the box with a friendly smile and said to them.

“Eat up.”

“…Thank you.”

“…I will eat it gratefully.”

&

&

Time flew by like an arrow.

Alternating between indoor and outdoor classes, honing our skills as heroes.

Thanks to the recipes I registered at the alchemy workshop, I managed to earn some money and create various weapons and special ammunition.

And so, without any incidents, summer arrived in June.

As the air grew warmer, we began to wear our summer uniforms.

And today.

“As announced last week, this week we will conduct the ‘Midterm Evaluation.'”

“The location for the midterm evaluation is ‘Deserted Island.'”

“Yes, that’s right. The same place where you took your final entrance exam.”

“The midterm evaluation will last a total of five days, and the evaluation objectives will be sent to each of your smartwatches the moment you arrive on the deserted island.”

“You want me to give you a hint about the evaluation objectives? I would love to, but ‘@#$@%’—the principal’s information protection magic is in effect.”

“However, I can tell you this much in very simple terms.”

“The theme of your midterm evaluation is.”

“Survival.”

The midterm evaluation had begun.