I Became an Illegal Cheat User

65 – The Assault (1)

Academy Monitoring Room.

Instructor Lee Yeon-ji, on duty today, was watching numerous monitors.

She let out a deep sigh at the scene unfolding on the screen and spoke.

“Senior, is it really okay for the mid-evaluation to be like this?”

“Um….”

In response to her question, Kang Cheol-soo, who was monitoring alongside her, scratched the scar on his forehead instead of answering.

Seeing Kang Cheol-soo like that, Lee Yeon-ji sighed once more.

Then, with a gloomy expression, she looked at the stack of papers piled high on the table in front of her and said.

“Senior, what should I write on the students’ evaluations….”

Under normal circumstances, the students were supposed to act in line with the principle of ‘survival.’

For instance, they should have been on high alert, aware that they could be attacked at any moment.

They were expected to be self-sufficient based on the survival knowledge they had learned so far or to engage in battles for the supplies that were dropped once a day.

But everything had gone awry.

All because of one person, Yoo Jin.

“Aside from the battle on Day 1 and a brief hunt for monsters on Day 4, there’s nothing to evaluate….”

The students from Class B and C, who barely survived against Class A—or more precisely, against Yoo Jin—were indeed ‘surviving’ as the instructors hoped.

But Class A, gathered where Yoo Jin was, was not ‘surviving’ but rather ‘camping.’

Sleeping not in trees or on the bare ground, but in the top-tier tents crafted by the Academy’s production department.

Without the need for self-sufficiency, they resolved their hunger with the finest dishes prepared at the academy’s restaurant.

Literally, Class A had nothing to be evaluated on because of Yoo Jin.

Of course, they hadn’t done anything wrong.

If we were to point fingers, it would be our instructors for not properly stating the guidelines.

For that reason, Lee Yeon-ji, as well as Kang Cheol-soo and the other instructors, were all in a state of distress.

“…Still, we have to write something, right?”

“Hmm…, I guess we should.”

Lee Yeon-ji and Kang Cheol-soo brought forth the document with the names of the Class A students and picked up their pens.

And just as Lee Yeon-ji was about to write, “The top student is well-prepared,” Kang Cheol-soo noticed something strange on the monitor.

“…Wait, who is that woman?”

Among the students from Class B and C who were camping out by the beach, a woman stood there.

“I’m sure she wasn’t there just a moment ago?”

Kang Cheol-soo wondered if he was seeing things and nudged Lee Yeon-ji, who was grumbling as she filled out the evaluation form.

“Hey, senior, I’m busy writing this evaluation…”

Startled by the sudden nudge, Lee Yeon-ji looked up with a disgruntled expression as her writing became a mess.

But that complaint was short-lived.

“Lee Yeon-ji, can you see that woman standing on the monitor?”

“…Yes, I can see her.”

Lee Yeon-ji’s face turned serious as she realized something was wrong.

“It’s not just my eyes playing tricks on me.”

Hearing Lee Yeon-ji’s confirmation, Kang Cheol-soo picked up the walkie-talkie he had placed on the table with a grave expression.

And just as he was about to communicate regarding a student’s bracelet visible on the monitor.

Kugugugugung….

Suddenly, the building began to shake.

The instructors monitoring the situation stood up with bewildered expressions.

“An earthquake…?”

“…I don’t think so. We haven’t received any disaster alerts.”

“Then what’s causing this shaking?”

The instructors were in a state of confusion.

Seeing them like that, Lee Yeon-ji shook her head and stood up.

“Senior, I’ll go check it out.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

As soon as Kang Cheol-soo’s words fell, Lee Yeon-ji vanished from sight.

True to her nature as a magician specializing in spatial magic, she used her abilities in an instant.

Kang Cheol-soo turned his gaze back to the monitor.

And just as he was about to attempt the communication he had missed moments before—

Bang!

Lee Yeon-ji reappeared, having gone outside to assess the situation.

“S-Senior! There’s a huge problem, a huge problem!”

Her face was extremely serious.

“Lee Yeon-ji, stay calm.”

She was someone who usually didn’t panic easily.

What on earth had she seen to react like this?

“Hu, huah….”

At Kang Cheol-soo’s urging to remain calm, Lee Yeon-ji took a deep breath and exhaled.

Then, with a voice somewhat steadier than before, she continued.

“There are a large number of corrupted beings outside the academy’s main gate!”

“What?!”

Kang Cheol-soo sprang to his feet, his face a mask of shock.

He hurriedly rushed out of the monitoring room.

And when he looked through the window at the academy’s main gate—

Thud, thud, thud!

A staggering number of corrupted beings were pounding against the magical barrier inscribed at the gate.

“Those, those lunatics!”

“Have they all gone mad together?”

“Those damn corrupted beings, how dare they invade the academy?”

The instructors who followed Kang Cheol-soo out of the monitoring room erupted in fury at the sight through the window.

Then, without hesitation, they leaped from the window and sprinted toward the main gate.

At that moment, as Kang Cheol-soo was about to jump down as well—

“Senior! Hold my hand!”

Lee Yeon-ji reached out her hand toward Kang Cheol-soo.

Kang Cheol-soo immediately took her hand.

Pat.

In an instant, Kang Cheol-soo and Lee Yeon-ji moved to the front gate.

The guards, who had been tense at the front gate, greeted them with bright faces at the sight of the two.

Kang Cheol-soo hurriedly told the guards to evacuate, then approached the front gate.

And among the fallen, who were knocking on the gate, he fixed his gaze on one who merely grinned without doing anything.

“…Pride. It seems you’re finally desperate to die.”

At that, the named fallen, Pride, tilted his head and looked at Kang Cheol-soo.

As if he couldn’t remember who he was.

But that didn’t last long.

Clap!

“Ah! You’re the Crusher!”

Pride exclaimed, clapping his hands as if he had just remembered Kang Cheol-soo’s alias.

Then, with the same grin as before, he continued speaking.

“You… haven’t you gotten a bit too weak? I almost didn’t recognize you for a moment.”

“…….”

At Pride’s words, Kang Cheol-soo could only grit his teeth, unable to refute.

As he said, he was weakened due to the ‘Fragment of the Plague’ embedded in his body.

Given that, if he fought Pride now, who possessed superior power, he would surely face defeat.

But that didn’t mean he had any intention of escaping from this place.

With no transcendent beings in Korea at the moment, the worst-case scenario would unfold the instant the academy’s front gate was breached.

Thus, he had to defend this place at all costs.

“Pride, if you don’t want to die, get lost.”

“Acting tough when you’re so weak.”

Pride chuckled.

“…Did you forget that there are two transcendent beings at the academy?”

“What, the Great Mage and the War God?”

Pride tilted his head.

“The Great Mage shouldn’t be here, right? The War God is probably too busy dealing with the Apostle.”

Damn it, those b*stards.

They knew everything and came at us anyway.

“…Even if those people aren’t here, there are plenty of high-ranking heroes in this place. So if you don’t want to die, back off.”

I said that, but I knew they wouldn’t back down.

So, Gang Cheol-soo manipulated his smartwatch and continued speaking.

“Still, if you want to fight…”

Gang Cheol-soo pressed the ‘Emergency Message Send’ button on his smartwatch, his eyes blazing with intensity.

“I’ll definitely kill you.”

Even if I die.

“……”

The smirk on Gyo-man’s face disappeared.

“You, you’re quite bold?”

Gyo-man’s body began to radiate an enormous amount of magic.

“If you’re weak, then be weak, but how dare you show off in front of me?”

Gyo-man took a step forward.

The corrupted ones who were blocking the way hastily parted to let him through.

“I was going to spare your life, saying you were infected and all, but I guess not.”

Gyo-man, standing in front of the gate, glared at Gang Cheol-soo with a ferocious expression.

“You, just die.”

Just as Gyo-man raised his fist to strike…

– Instructor! It’s an emergency! Named Corrupted One, Hyun-hoi, has appeared on the island!

The urgent voice of Lee Yoo-jin came from the radio in Gang Cheol-soo’s pocket.

Gyo-man then snapped his fingers and said, “Ah, right.”

“Hyun-hoi said there’s someone in your academy’s first year that he really wants to eat.”

Gyo-man let out a cruel laugh and continued speaking.

“Someone named… Ah, Lee Yoo-jin, was it?”

“You, you son of a—!”

Gang Cheol-soo was enraged.

He couldn’t bear the thought of this guy targeting his student.

“How dare you target my student—!”

“Oh dear, how frightening.”

Pride shrank back as if genuinely scared.

Then, as if it had never recoiled at all, Pride straightened up and said with a sneer.

“So what can you do? How can you, being here, possibly stop the allure?”

“…….”

At Pride’s mockery, Gangcheolsu’s clenched fist trembled with rage.

But that was only for a moment.

“Haah.”

Taking a deep breath to quell his anger and regain his composure, Gangcheolsu spoke to Lee Yeonji, who was fidgeting behind him.

“Go.”

“W-what about you, senior?”

“The instructors and I will handle this, so go to the kids.”

As he said this, Gangcheolsu began to draw upon his magical power.

Pretending to take off his watch, he discreetly manipulated his smartwatch.

Buzz.

A vibration echoed from Lee Yeonji’s smartwatch.

When she checked it, a message appeared.

– Go to the association. The extermination squad will be waiting there.

“…Senior, please don’t die.”

“I hear the kids these days call that a flag. So I can’t promise anything.”

At that, Lee Yeonji let out a small laugh.

“Then I’ll see you after work.”

“Hey, that’s also a flag….”

But before Gangcheolsu could finish his sentence, her figure vanished.

She had used spatial magic.

“Haah.”

With Lee Yeonji gone, Gangcheolsu exhaled deeply and pulled a walkie-talkie from his pocket.

And after tuning into the frequency of the bracelet that Lee Yoo-jin was wearing, Kang Cheol-soo activated the walkie-talkie.

“Lee Yoo-jin, a named Fallen has appeared on our side as well. But reinforcements will be on their way to you soon, so hold on a little longer.”

After that communication, Kang Cheol-soo tucked the walkie-talkie back into his pocket.

Then, he pulled out a pair of gauntlets from the spatial ring and put them on, saying,

“You can’t enter the Academy unless you kill us all.”

Pride, a member of Kang Cheol-soo’s faction, smirked and raised his fist.

At the same time, the magic emanating from Pride’s body gathered around the fist he had raised.

And when a sufficient amount of magic had gathered,

“Is that so? Then let’s just kill them all.”

Pride swung his fist.

KWA-BOOM─!

A massive shockwave reverberated.

Kiiiiiing…, Kwooom!

The destroyed main gate, along with the magical barrier, collapsed into the Academy.

In response, Kang Cheol-soo took a combat stance and shouted,

“Everyone, prepare for battle─!”

At his shout, the instructors raised their weapons and assumed their positions.

And as they observed this scene, Pride spoke in an arrogant voice.

「Kill them all.」

With those words, he concluded.

「I will kill them all!」

「Submit and become our prey!」

「I won’t make it painful! No, I will make it painful!」

“I will kill you all!”

“You can never break through us!”

“This place is your grave!”

Bang, Kwang! KWA-BOOM!

The battle between the instructors and the Fallen had begun.

&

&

&

In the midst of the evaluation season, a Named appeared.

Despite the catastrophic events, such as a rift of extreme danger swallowing an uninhabited island,

I did not despair.

I had prepared extensively for times like this.

“Chief! The barriers are set up!”

Using the lighthouse as a reference, we established a forward base.

“Chief! The awakening potion boxes are in place!”

I crafted awakening potions to resist the allure of confusion.

“Chief! The holy grenade boxes are ready!”

Together with Noah, I made bombs to combat the monsters tainted by the rift’s magic.

So we would hold out in this forward base until reinforcements arrived.

“Chief! Here’s the placement….”

“Chief! This area is also set….”

Reports came from all directions.

And soon after, once all the reports were finished,

I thanked everyone for their hard work and told them to rest, even if just for a moment, before climbing up to the lighthouse.

As I lit the beacon, I pushed back the surrounding darkness beyond a certain radius.

Upon witnessing this scene, I nodded to Noah, who had already been waiting atop the lighthouse.

“God will watch over us.”

Noah said this as he knelt down.

And in a reverent posture, he offered a prayer.

“Immanuel.”

Whoosh─!

At the same moment as the prayer, an immense divine power erupted from Noah’s body.

And shortly after,

A barrier made of divine power was formed around the forward base.

“I don’t think I can move from here.”

At Noah’s words, I patted his shoulder and replied,

“That alone is enough.”

Pushing back the magic of the cracks is more than enough for Noah’s role; it overflows.

“If anything happens, fire the signal flare immediately. You can do that, right?”

“Yes, I can do that.”

Nodding at Noah’s response, I descended from the lighthouse.

Then, I climbed up onto the installed barrier and activated my clairvoyance.

Whoosh.

My field of vision expanded, revealing the deserted island below.

Just a few hours ago, the deserted island had been clearly visible, but now it was engulfed in darkness, obscured from view.

Yet, thanks to the effect of clairvoyance, I couldn’t see into the darkness, but I could discern the positions of the enemies.

As the deserted island faded into obscurity, the approaching illusions appeared as white dots.

The children from Class B and Class C, enchanted by such illusions, were represented by orange dots.

And the monsters were marked by red dots.

The colors changed to make it easier to identify the enemies’ positions.

‘…The monsters are almost here.’

The red dots were closing in at a rapid pace.

It seemed they would reach the forward base in just a few minutes.

With that thought, I turned off my clairvoyance and shouted to the others.

“The monsters are almost upon us, everyone get ready!”

At my shout, everyone pulled out their weapons from their spatial items and climbed up onto the barrier.

I too retrieved a weapon from my inventory.

That weapon was none other than—

────────────────────

【Angel of Death (A-)】

A minigun crafted by a master artisan.

As per the request of the client, its intensity is extremely high.

However, in proportion to that, its weight has also increased significantly.

– When fired, applies ‘Armor-Piercing (B-)’.

– When fired, applies ‘Explosive (B-)’.

– Agility -12

────────────────────

────────────────────

“Armor-Piercing (B-)”

Grants the bullet ‘armor-piercing’ properties.

Inflicts additional damage to the ‘enemy’ clad in armor.

────────────────────

────────────────────

“Explosive (B-)”

Grants the bullet ‘explosive’ properties.

The bullet explodes, dealing fire damage.

────────────────────

It was a minigun.

Thud.

“…It’s definitely heavy.”

Still, thanks to the OPG’s ‘Mighty Strength (B)’ effect, it wasn’t unmanageable.

I then pulled out the ammunition box for the minigun and strapped it to my back.

Inside the box was a full load of ‘Sungtan (7.62×51mm)’ specially made for the minigun.

Clink.

After connecting the rounds from the ammunition box to the minigun, I took a deep breath and looked ahead.

“Haah, haah….”

“…I can do this, I can.”

“I just have to hold on, so let’s hold on….”

I could hear the tense breaths and affirmations of my comrades.

At that moment.

– Kyaaah…!

The chilling cries of monsters echoed from the darkness.

And not long after.

– Kieeeek!

– Kraaah!

– Kikiikikikik!

The appearance of the monsters began to reveal itself.

With that, I tightened my grip on the hand holding the minigun and pulled the trigger firmly.

Then—

Wheeeeeeeeeeeng…!

The minigun started to spin.

Following that—

Kwahahahaha─!

It unleashed a torrent of white flashes toward the monsters.