I Became an Illegal Cheat User

69 – Bewitched (3)

Before the monsters invaded.

Arthur had received two requests from Yoo-jin.

The first request was to conserve his magical power until she signaled him.

And the second request was to unleash the ‘Heavenly Fortress’ with all his might once she did.

With those two requests, Arthur wanted to ask her.

How did you know the name of my skill?

Why should I conserve my magic when even a single ounce is precious?

Those questions rose to the tip of his tongue, but—

Arthur said nothing.

He simply nodded and agreed to her request.

After all, he was a man who always did his best for the right outcome.

And now.

“Oh my…”

He had repaid my faith.

&

The light vanished.

Darkness returned once more.

Yet the monsters and the corrupted that had filled that darkness no longer existed.

For a brief moment, the sacred light that devoured the darkness had caused all but one of the corrupted to perish.

However, the sole survivor of the corrupted was not unscathed.

Sssssss….

『…….』

Black smoke billowed from a charred body.

Standing with arms and tentacles crossed, it seemed to have

Arthur nodded wearily and opened his mouth.

After placing the spiritual essence into Arthur’s mouth, I climbed up the barrier.

Then, with a click, I raised my gun and fired at the bewildered creature’s furrowed brow, which was frozen like a statue.

Boom! The thunderous sound unique to Thunderbolt echoed.

A bullet, infused with lightning, soared through the air, tracing a blue trajectory toward its target.

And just as the bullet was about to pierce the creature’s brow,

A flash of light flickered from its charred black eyes.

At that moment, a third tentacle sprang forth from its tailbone, def

Right now, Park Garam’s condition is not very good.

Having maintained a barrier for quite some time, both my magical energy and mental strength have been significantly depleted, leaving me unable to withstand the chain explosions of grenades.

And crucially, I only have 30% of my magical energy left.

Of course, I could recover my magic by consuming a magic recovery potion.

However, the potion only accelerates the recovery speed; it doesn’t restore the magic itself, so I can’t expect immediate results.

‘The only ones who can fight against the enchantment right now are…’

For now, it’s just me and Lee Seoyeon… and… no one else.

Noah is unable to move from his spot, infusing the holy power into the holy spear.

Arthur and Park Garam are drained of their magic.

Asuka’s control over her talent isn’t complete yet, so she can’t help.

Lim Dahee and the others… have no means to resist the allure of the enchantment, so they would just be a hindrance.

That leaves only Lee Seoyeon to fight alongside me.

She has a high level of mental defense, befitting a main character.

“Lee Seoyeon.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

“……?”

Wait, how did she know what I was going to say?

“You’re asking me to fight with you, right?”

“…Uh, yeah.”

How did she figure that out?

Can she really read my mind?

“Rather than reading minds, I inferred it from the situation, your expression, and your actions.”

“…Is that so?”

But isn’t that something you should pay close attention to?

As soon as I thought that, Lee Seoyeon nodded.

“That’s right, you need to have a deep interest.”

She said that while staring intently at me.

As if she wanted me to acknowledge her concern.

I avoided her heavy gaze and turned to Noah, who was below the barrier.

“Noah, how much longer can you use the holy spear?”

“…If I use all the divine power I have right now, I think I can last for about 30 minutes.”

“30 minutes, huh… So that means we have to deal with the enchantment in roughly 20 minutes at the latest.”

Noah must not expend all his divine power on the holy spear.

Even if we manage to eliminate the enchantment, without Noah’s divine barrier, everyone except me will perish at the hands of the demonic forces.

If this were a regular rift, I wouldn’t have to worry so much about setting up a divine barrier.

Only areas with a sub-core or main core are filled with demonic energy.

But this place is a high-level rift, one that even top-tier heroes struggle against, where not just the core vicinity but every area is tainted by demonic energy.

So unless one is immune to demonic forces like me, or can immediately rise to a higher tier, Noah’s divine barrier is absolutely essential.

“Haah….”

I let out a deep sigh.

And just as I muttered about this damn time attack.

Ding.

────────────────────

Great Achievement Quest

【Run Away.】

You are ‘Demon Immunity.’

If you hide from the gaze of the enchantment now, you can survive.

– Reward: 100,000 points, ???

– Failure: Death.

────────────────────

The Great Achievement Quest has appeared.

Not an event quest with ‘achievement’ attached, but a real ‘Great Achievement Quest.’

But… the quest title is strange.

“What? Run Away?”

Damn it, is the system crazy?

No, looking at the content, it can’t be the system.

“Hey, developer. Are you out of your mind? You want me to run away alone?”

Leave everyone here behind?

“If I die, so be it, but I will never abandon everyone.”

So if you’re going to give me a quest like this, just get lost!

I closed the quest window, seething with rage inside.

No, just as I was about to close it.

Crackle!

The contents of the quest window changed.

────────────────────

Great Achievement Quest

【Survive.】

Use any means necessary to stay alive.

※ Reinforcements will arrive in 20 minutes!

※ You must not die under any circumstances.

– Reward: 200,000 points (additional rewards based on performance), ???

– Failure: Everyone dies.

────────────────────

‘Yes, this is what I wanted.’

Not that ridiculous quest from just a moment ago, but something like this.

This would give me the motivation to survive.

‘Reinforcements will arrive in 20 minutes…’

Perfect.

I hadn’t been thinking beyond 20 minutes anyway.

“Haah.”

I exhaled a long, tense breath and closed the quest window.

Then, gripping Thunderbolts in both hands, I leaped over the barrier.

Following me, Lee Seo-yeon also jumped down from the barrier, clutching the hilt of her sword.

Swish…

Her exclusive weapon, the Blood Demon Sword, Dainsleif, was drawn from its sheath with a clear sound.

Boom.

Dainsleif resonated with a powerful hum.

Lee Seo-yeon’s unique crimson magic flared up, forming a blade of energy.

At the same moment, she kicked off the ground and charged forward.

I too kicked off the ground, following closely behind Lee Seo-yeon.

Sling!

With a speed like a shooting star, Lee Seoyeon closed in on the Illusion and swung her sword.

Swaaang─!

Lee Seoyeon’s sword surged toward the Illusion’s neck, leaving a red trail in its wake.

In response, the Illusion’s tentacles whipped like a lash, deflecting Lee Seoyeon’s blade.

Chaeng─!

Sparks flew as tentacle met sword.

From that moment, Lee Seoyeon’s sword and the Illusion’s tentacles began to move at an astonishing speed.

Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-ching─!

Lee Seoyeon’s sharp eyes read the movements of the tentacles.

Her sword traced the paths of swift and changing strikes, targeting the Illusion’s vital points.

Lee Seoyeon’s feet danced with dazzling agility, disorienting the Illusion’s gaze.

Truly, it was a storm-like offensive.

Yet, the disadvantage lay with Lee Seoyeon.

For while her sword was singular, the Illusion had three tentacles.

Splat!

A shallow wound appeared on Lee Seoyeon’s arm.

And gradually, more injuries began to mar her body.

She was starting to be pushed back.

In response, I immediately raised both hands, drawing my pistols, and activated ‘Live Focus.’

Cha-cha-ching cha-cha-ching cha-ching ching ching……!

As the skill took effect, the flow of the world slowed in perception, stretching the sounds around us.

Simultaneously, the once-blurred images of Lee Seoyeon’s sword and the Illusion’s tentacles slowed, allowing for a response.

Of course…, even with the slowed perception, their speed remained incredibly fast.

Yet it was not so fast that one could not react.

Clack…

I pulled the trigger.

Rumbleeeeeee KWA-BOOM…!

A slow thunder echoed through the air.

A bullet, infused with lightning, soared toward the Illusion’s vital point.

The gaze of Hyunhwan, who had been glaring at Lee Seoyeon, turned towards me.

Chae-ae-ae-aeng…!

A bullet ricocheted.

At the same moment, one of the three tentacles shot towards me.

I fired at that tentacle.

The tentacle collided with the bullet and was flung back.

Then, this time, two tentacles shot towards me.

Once again, they were deflected by my bullets.

But in an instant, the tentacles found their mark and began to target me.

In response, my gun roared incessantly, unleashing blue flashes of light.

I hadn’t reloaded.

I continued to replenish my ammunition through transmission.

As my and Lee Seoyeon’s combined assault persisted, a sudden pain shot through me.

A sharp throb.

My head began to ache.

It was a sign that my mental energy was nearly depleted.

‘…My magical power is fine thanks to the Spirit Guild.’

But my mental strength was faltering.

I gritted my teeth and prepared for a dead shot.

At the rate my headache was intensifying, it seemed the live focus would end in a minute.

So, rather than being forced to end it, it would be better to use the dead shot and finish it myself.

As I thought this while firing my gun repeatedly, I caught a glimpse of Hyunhwan.

‘So this is what it means to be top-tier.’

Hyunhwan was currently rooted in place like a statue, recovering his body.

Even so, he was effortlessly countering the combined assault from Lee Seoyeon and me.

‘…Is it time to prepare?’

I transmitted a grenade behind Hyunhwan’s head.

“……!”

Seeing the grenade, Lee Seoyeon swatted away a tentacle and made a motion to retreat.

The moment I saw that, I fired the grenade.

The bullet flew towards its target without any hindrance from the tentacles.

I must have thought I accidentally shot at the wrong place.

Not knowing if it was my own mistake.

Kwaaahhh…!

『……!』

It wasn’t until the grenade exploded that I realized there was a grenade behind me.

And when I raised my gun again, one of the two tentacles that were targeting me shot up towards the sky.

I thought there might be another grenade this time too.

‘Didn’t think the sacred grenade would hurt, but it does, huh?’

But what can I do?

This time, my target isn’t the grenade, but something else.

I smiled wryly at Hyeonhok’s mistaken judgment and activated my Live Focus derivative skill.

‘Dead Shot.’

───!

A silent gunshot echoed.

A blue flash burst out of Thunderbolt’s muzzle.

『……!』

Only now did Hyeonhok realize what I was aiming for and tried to recall all his tentacles.

No, he tried to, but couldn’t.

『…Damn it!』

Hyeonhok cursed for the first time.

It was inevitable, though.

If he recalled all three tentacles, his body would be pierced by Lee Seo-yeon’s sword and my bullets.

And if he ignored the Dead Shot I fired, his forehead would be pierced.

In the end, Hyeonhok chose to…

Kwajijik!

『You damn b*stard─!』

He gave up on recovering and moved.

But the bullet, affected by the Dead Shot, had become more than twice as fast.

Hyeonhok couldn’t completely dodge the bullet.

Bang─!

『…Kyaaah!』

The face of Hyunhweok burst apart.

As a result, the already hideous visage twisted into something even more grotesque.

I deliberately feigned a gagging motion at Hyunhweok’s face and said,

“Ugh, you’re ugly.”

At that, Hyunhweok’s murderous intent and malice erupted explosively.

『You little b*stard─!』

The provocation had clearly struck home; now, there was no pretense left.

Watching Hyunhweok, I casually checked the remaining time on the quest window.

[Remaining Time: 15 minutes 23 seconds]

Fifteen minutes left.

Scratching the back of my head, I grinned at Hyunhweok.

“Fifteen minutes? That’s more than enough time to hold out.”