I Became an Illegal Cheat User

70 – Hyunhweok (4) (Revised)

『You damned little brat─!』

To Hyunhweok, beauty was everything.

For such a being, the words “You’re ugly” were more insulting and lethal than all the curses in the world combined.

In a literal sense, a single provocation had filled the rage gauge to the brim.

『How dare you… how dare you…!』

Yet, perhaps due to the overwhelming effect of the provocation,

Hyunhweok ignored Lee Seoyeon entirely, focusing solely on me.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh─!

As if responding to the master’s fury, the tentacles thrashed wildly.

Every part of my body tingled.

A tangled web of red lines loomed in my vision, targeting my entire being.

Even as I kicked off the ground and ran backward,

Boom boom bang bang!

Even as I fired my gun repeatedly,

The storm of tentacles drew ever closer.

‘Ah, I’m going crazy, I can’t even use a grenade!’

I want to create some distance by setting off a shockwave grenade like we did during training.

But if it’s a sacred A+ grenade, maybe it’ll work, but a regular bomb won’t be able to deflect the tentacles or reduce the damage.

And if I use a sacred grenade, it’ll just blow me up along with the tentacles.

…There’s no other way. I have to call for help.

“Iseoyeon, help!”

Then Iseoyeon, who was about to cut off one of the tentacles, rushed towards me without hesitation, pushing me back like a guardian knight and blocking the tentacle storm.

Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-chang!

“Don’t let those filthy things touch Ijujin.”

Iseoyeon’s sword, which was colder than ever, sliced through the tentacles with contempt.

But the illusion didn’t even flinch, its gaze fixed only on me.

『You think I’m ugly? ─!』

The illusion let out a furious cry.

When did I ever say you’re ugly, that you’re not good-looking?

But now that I think about it, I think I was too kind with my words.

“Your face is a mess.”

『……What.』

The illusion’s movement stopped for a moment.

Iseoyeon and I took advantage of the opening and struck at the vital spot with our swords and guns.

Cha-chang!

But our surprise attack failed.

The tentacles, which had stopped moving along with the illusion, sensed their master’s crisis and blocked our attack.

『I, I, I…….』

The illusion trembled with rage.

The words “Your face is a mess” were so shocking that it couldn’t even speak properly.

But that was only for a moment.

『…You damn b*stard──!!』

The illusion unleashed a furious torrent of abuse and magic.

Boom!

In an instant, the explosion of magic sent both Lee Seoyeon and me flying backward.

Of course, we didn’t just float through the air.

Lee Seoyeon unleashed a blade of energy.

I, like Hansel scattering pebbles in the fairy tale, sent grenades flying.

Thud thud thud thud.

Instead of silver pebbles, silver-glinting grenades fell to the ground at regular intervals.

Seeing that scene, I quickly regained my stance and shouted to Lee Seoyeon.

“Lee Seoyeon, sword barrier!”

“Got it!”

As soon as I gave the command, Lee Seoyeon plunged her sword into the ground.

Whooom!

A barrier barely large enough to shield us appeared before us.

But that was enough, so I took cover behind the barrier and fired my weapon.

Boom—!

With a thunderous roar, a blue flash shot up into the air before veering toward my target and crashing down.

Kaboom!

The grenade struck directly and exploded.

And with that explosion, the grenades laid out at intervals began to detonate in a chain reaction.

KABOOM KABOOM KABOOM—!!

“…aaah!”

The enchantress, seething with rage, let out a scream filled with agony.

Having given up on recovery, her physical strength had diminished significantly.

Unlike earlier when she had taken no damage, this time the impact hit her hard.

“Ah! aaah—!”

Fwoosh, fwoosh!

White flames ignited on the enchantress’s body.

The holy power blazed fiercely, consuming the magic.

To bolster that divine energy, I sent grenades to her front, ensuring they wouldn’t damage our forward base.

And in that moment, as I pulled the trigger of my gun.

『…It’s you──!!』

Hyunhwan cried out my name, filled with hatred and rage.

KWA-BOOM!

An explosion erupted, and with it, his form vanished.

I knew he hadn’t died.

He had disappeared just a fraction of a second before me.

But I wasn’t particularly worried about where he had gone or where he would reappear.

One of the effects of my ability, ‘Sniper’s Keen Sense (A+),’ was ‘Real-time tracking and detection of the ‘enemy’ when killing intent is sensed.’

Thanks to that effect, his location was crystal clear to me.

“Haah.”

I exhaled deeply, calming my nerves.

And while pinpointing his location with my ability, I prepared to respond at any moment.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Hyunhwan circled around me and Lee Seoyeon like a car speeding by.

As if contemplating where to strike, a red line flickered in and out of my vision.

Then, at some point, I felt my mind go blank and my body grow heavy.

He was casting a spell of enchantment before attacking.

But there was no need to worry about that either.

Where I stood was within Noah’s sacred barrier.

And it was spread out by the effect of the Holy Spear.

Woom.

A warm and cozy sensation enveloped me, and the enchantment was lifted.

Still, I acted as if I were under its spell.

With a dazed expression, I let my arms droop.

Just then, as if waiting for this moment, Hyunhwan revealed himself.

I immediately sent a grenade flying toward him.

“You foolish girl.”

『……What!』

Hyunhwan gasped in shock, his face a mask of disbelief.

And he hurriedly tried to retreat.

However, before that, my gun was faster than the grenade exploding.

KWA-BOOM─!

“Kyaaah─!”

The illusion screamed as it was flung backward.

Thud.

From the spot where the illusion had been, I heard something drop.

Upon checking, I found one of its arms lying on the ground.

“Ah… just an arm?”

Considering the grenade had exploded right in front of it, I had expected death or at least a critical injury.

But perhaps being a named entity meant it was tougher than I thought.

Even weakened by the holy barrier and my ability ‘Devil Hunter’s Secret (A)’ with its derived passive ‘Devil Hunt (20% reduction in magic attribute ‘enemy’ stats)’, it still had remarkable resilience.

“Kyaaah─!”

The illusion clutched its severed left shoulder, howling in pain.

I tilted my head at the scream, louder than any I had heard before.

Why was this corrupted being, so accustomed to having its body cut or broken, making such a fuss over just losing an arm?

The reason soon became clear.

Whoosh!

A white flame was rising from the shoulder the illusion was clutching.

Since the rest of its body seemed fine, it appeared that the holy power was infiltrating from that spot.

‘Oh… a weakness discovered.’

Crack!

Ultimately, unable to withstand the infiltration of the holy power, the illusion tore off its own shoulder.

‘Ah, what a pity.’

I should have just left it be.

Then the holy power would have slowly purified it.

With a sense of regret, I sent a grenade right in front of the illusion, specifically targeting the shoulder.

But unfortunately, before I could detonate the grenade, the illusion vanished first.

“Ryujiiiiin─! You, of all people─! Youuu─!!”

From all directions, the voice of the illusion, filled with malice, echoed.

The intent to kill me pressed down on my body.

“Agony, what—?!!”

The enchantment roared and appeared before me.

My response to its behavior was a hollow laugh.

“Such a fuss over losing an arm?”

Brazenly attacking me like this?

“Well, I should thank you.”

I smirked, sending grenades in front of and behind the enchantment.

Simultaneously, the enchantment’s tentacle charged towards me at full speed.

But its tentacle never reached my body.

“Not a single strand of Yoohyun’s hair can be touched.”

Seoyeon stood firm, protecting me like an impenetrable wall.

“This damn brute–! Fine, you’ll die together with that b*stard–!”

The enchantment raged, charging towards Seoyeon.

As it did, Seoyeon’s sword danced, deflecting the enchantment’s tentacles.

Clank, clank, clank–!

The sound of metal colliding echoed as sparks flew, creating a burst of orange light.

“Why aren’t you backing down! Why… why–!”

Unable to penetrate Seoyeon’s defense, the enchantment cried out in disbelief.

In response, Seoyeon said,

“Because Yoohyun is behind me.”

And so, I couldn’t retreat.

As I pondered this, Seoyeon inhaled deeply, then swung her sword upwards.

Clink, clink, clink–!

With a clear, metallic sound, the enchantment’s tentacles were sent flying.

At the same time, Seoyeon shouted, creating a shield of her sword.

“Yoohyun, now!”

On her cue, I fired my guns without hesitation.

『……!』

With the sound of thunder, Hyun-hwak hurriedly slammed to the ground as a blue flash shot forth.

It seemed he was trying to leap upward to avoid the explosion.

I had anticipated this, and as I pulled the trigger of my gun, I had already sent a grenade soaring above his head.

『……What!』

Hyun-hwak gasped in shock.

He had jumped up to evade the grenade, but there was already one waiting for him above, leaving him in a state of panic.

『…Ugh!』

His tentacles surged toward the grenade.

But there was something he had overlooked.

I was not holding just one gun, but two.

Before he even spotted the grenade, I had already pulled the trigger.

『…Huh?』

In Hyun-hwak’s line of sight, a blue flash—a bullet infused with lightning—was visible.

And as he witnessed that bullet reach the grenade before his tentacles could, he let out a startled exclamation.

『Ah.』

At that sound, simultaneously—

KWA-BOOM─!

Explosions erupted above and below Hyun-hwak, engulfing him in a white flame.

『Kyaaah──!!』

Amidst the white flames, Hyun-hwak’s cries

As I placed the spiritual troupe into Lee Seoyeon’s mouth, I raised my gun.

And then, I unleashed a barrage of bullets toward the elusive figure, barely visible in the white flames.

Boom! Crash─!

The sound of thunder echoed.

Crackle, crackle─!

Blue flashes traced arcs as they plunged into the fire.

Click!

Had I run out of bullets? The slide was pulled back.

Quickly, I discarded the empty magazine and swapped it for a fresh one tucked into my tactical vest.

And just as I pulled the slide back to chamber a round—

Swoosh─!

Two tentacles shot out from the flames, hurtling toward me.

Boom! Crash─!

The tentacles, struck directly by the bullets, were flung back.

But they quickly recovered from their rigidity and launched another attack.

Once again, I fired, pushing the tentacles back to keep them at bay.

After repeating this two or three times, I sensed something was off.

‘Why are there only two tentacles?’

Had one been lost in the explosion?

I thought this for a moment but shook my head.

The ‘tentacles’ of the elusive figure were sturdy, serving as both a siphoning tool and a weapon, more resilient than any other part.

Even after the grenade bombardment that had wiped out monsters and corrupt beings, they remained intact; there was no way three grenades could destroy a tentacle.

“…Could it be!”

A thought flashed through my mind like lightning, and I quickly lowered my head.

At that moment, a tentacle, engulfed in white flames, burst through the ground and shot upward.

Then it soared toward Lee Seoyeon, not me.

“Lee Seoyeon!”

At my shout, she looked up.

And upon seeing the tentacle flying toward her, she raised something with a calm expression.

Clack.

It was a gun.

“I have a gun too.”

Lee Seoyeon said this as she pulled the trigger.

Bang─!

With the sound of a single gunshot, a silver bullet was fired.

At the same moment, the gun in Lee Seoyeon’s hand shattered into dust and fell away.

The sacred bullet collided with the tentacle, causing a small explosion.

The shockwave twisted the direction of the tentacle, embedding it into the ground instead of Lee Seoyeon.

As soon as I witnessed that scene, I scooped up Lee Seoyeon in my arms.

Then I sprinted towards the outpost with all my might.

It was a chance to kill the Illusion, but the Illusion also had a chance to kill us.

So rather than trying to kill the Illusion, I decided to preserve the lives of both Lee Seoyeon and myself.

『…I feel like I’m going to miss it──!!』

But the Illusion seemed more intent on taking my life than preserving its own.

Thud, thud, I heard the sound of it crashing through the ground as it charged toward me.

I glanced back at the sound.

“Oh, crazy!”

The Illusion, ablaze with divine power, was reaching out its hand toward me.

But the sight was truly horrific.

Like a silicone doll set on fire, the Illusion’s body was melting away in streams of divine

『You’re finished! You’re finished─! I’ll suck the life out of you! Not a single drop left!』

The monster, now beyond recognition, was closing in on me with three claws instead of two feet, its presence suffocating.

And just as its hand was about to touch my back…

“Seok-ssi─!”

I saw Aska, who had jumped off the wall, rushing towards me.

“Aska, catch!”

I threw the sword, Iseol-yeon, to Aska with all my might.

Aska’s eyes widened in surprise as she caught the sword, her face pale, and she jumped up, landing a perfect “princess carry” stance.

I gave Aska a thumbs-up, and then turned my body to face the monster, firing my dual pistols at it.

Rat-a-tat-tat! Boom, boom!

『…aaahhh─!!』

The bullets pierced the monster’s body, and with each shot, the holy bullets exploded, creating massive holes in its flesh.

But despite this, the monster continued to protect its vital organs with its magic, closing in on me.

I gazed at it with a mixture of fear and disgust, jumped back, and fired my pistol again.

Click!

…Somehow, I had used up all my bullets, and the slide had locked back.

I quickly pulled out a new magazine from my tactical vest, trying to reload…

Whir, whir…!

“…Ugh!”

『…Got, you.』

One of the monster’s claws had wrapped around my ankle.

The claw, empowered by its holy power, was burning hot, and it was squeezing my ankle so hard it felt like it would crush my bones.

I gritted my teeth and reloaded my pistol.

And as I tried to pull the slide back to chamber a new round…

Whir, whir!

The monster’s remaining two claws had wrapped around my wrist.

Craaack…!

“…Grrr!”

The pain in my wrist felt like it was about to shatter, causing the gun to drop.

I tried to kick the b*stard with my remaining leg, but—

Thud!

His foot pressed down hard on my leg.

『…Just the two of us.』

Hyunhweok let out a metallic laugh, a sound that grated on my nerves.

I replied to that taunt with a smirk.

“Just the two of us? Since when?”

『…What?』

“It’s not just you and me here; how can it be just the two of us?”

Isn’t that right, guys?

The moment I said that—

Swoosh─!

Something shot through the air from the forward base at breakneck speed.

But to Hyunhweok, it seemed to move in slow motion.

Thud.

He caught it effortlessly.

『…A spear?』

What Hyunhweok had caught appeared to be a spear belonging to Im Dahee.

But there were several grenade belts tied to that spear.

As soon as I saw it, I grinned widely and said,

“It’s over.”

『…Over?』

“Yeah, it’s over.”

Hyunhweok looked at me with a face full of confusion.

I kindly explained it to him.

“We have Arthur on our side.”

『Ah, Sir…?』

The moment Hyunhock asked that question.

Swoosh──!!

Something flew through the air at a completely different speed than the spear that had just come my way.

『…What!』

Hyunhock, who had been looking down at me, suddenly raised his head with a startled expression.

Then, he swiftly discarded the spear he was holding and reached out toward whatever was approaching.

“Hey, you can’t just touch that.”

And rightly so, Excalibur, Arthur’s exclusive weapon, was.

As a weapon bearing the title of divine sword, it could not be touched by anyone other than its master.

True to its name, the divine sword had a particularly lethal effect against magical ‘enemies.’

『……Huh?』

Specifically, it doubled its cutting power against magical ‘enemies.’

Thud.

Hyunhock’s wrist dropped with a thud.

At the same moment, Excalibur pierced through Hyunhock’s chest, detaching from me.

And it pinned him firmly to the ground.

Screeeech…!

『Kyaaah─! Kyaaah─!!』

Hyunhock thrashed on the ground, engulfed by the divine energy emanating from Excalibur.

His tentacles wrapped around the sword.

He tried to pull it out, but it was as if it was fixed to the ground, refusing to budge.

I stood up and glanced at the forward base.

There, I saw Arthur, pale-faced, reaching out from atop the barrier.

From that sight, it seemed he was maintaining the ‘Meteor Fall’ skill.

With that in mind, I picked up the spear that had fallen to the ground.

There were three grenade belts attached to it.

Each belt contained 11 grenades, totaling 33 grenades.

I chuckled softly, thinking of the little ones who would carefully place the grenades into the belt, avoiding the constraints of infinite items.

Then, I plunged the spear deep into Hyunhock’s chest, who was unable to move an inch on the ground.

『Kyaaah─!』

With a voice that was roughened to the extreme, Hyun-hok let out a scream.

After raising his middle finger at Hyun-hok, he stomped on the ground and took a step back.

Then, a golden magic burst forth from Excalibur, and a small “Fortress of Heaven” was created with Hyun-hok at its center.

As soon as I saw that sight, I pulled out a holy grenade from my inventory.

Ping!

I pulled the pin out of the grenade.

“…kk!”

Using up all my magic, I used my last transmission.

Whoosh.

The grenade on my hand disappeared.

I stumbled and fell to the ground, dizzy from the magic exhaustion.

But my gaze remained fixed on Hyun-hok.

『You’re the reason──!!』

Hyun-hok shouted my name.

At the same time,

Boom!

The inside of the Fortress of Heaven was filled with light.

Kwaaang──!!

Kugugugugugung─!

The explosion caused an enormous roar, and the ground shook violently, as if it was an earthquake.

After a brief moment,

The light that had filled the Fortress of Heaven disappeared.

And… Hyun-hok’s figure also vanished without a trace.

I lay down on the ground with a relieved expression.

Then, I checked the quest window.

“Ha, it’s over.”

As I said that,

Kwaaang─!

Something burst out of the ground beside me.

“…This, this, this is Yu-jin.”

What it was, was nothing other than enchantment.

A grotesque figure with tentacles sprouting from its head.

“…It’s really disgusting.”

It hadn’t gone this far in the game.

Is it because it’s reality? Or is it a desire to kill me that runs too deep?

In any case, it was an obsession that could truly make one retch.

“This, this, Yu-jin…”

The enchantment approached me slowly, its tentacles thumping against the ground with a sharp sound.

As it did, it let out a snicker through its torn mouth.

“I, I, I did this.”

At those words from the enchantment, I couldn’t help but chuckle and replied.

“You think you won? No way, I did.”

And rightly so.

The time written in the quest was.

[Remaining Time: 00:00].

And the fact that the quest was cleared meant.

“Yu-jin is right.”

It meant reinforcements had arrived.

“You, you, you…”

At the voice that echoed from above, the enchantment trembled its head and looked up.

I too turned my gaze upward.

And there, stood a woman in a black suit, draped in a black coat, with long black hair, a cigarette dangling from her lips, suspended in mid-air.

The enchantment, now within my line of sight, uttered her name with a face full of terror and dread.

“K-Kali…”

Kali.

The commander of the 9th Extermination Unit.

A top-tier hero standing before a transcendent being.

And her alias was.

‘Destroyer’.

In our language, it is called the “Breaker.”

“It’s been a while, Hyunhwe.”

Kali exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke, looking down at Hyunhwe with emotionless eyes.

“Y-Yes, how did you…?”

“You aimed for something you shouldn’t have, so I came to find you myself.”

Kali’s gaze shifted to me.

And with eyes that were not the same emotionless ones shown to Hyunhwe, she looked at me with a glimmer of curiosity and said,

“Well done, Lee Yujin. Leave the rest to me.”

As she spoke, Kali lightly touched the ring on her right index finger.

At that moment, light began to pour from the ring.

Swoosh—!

Hundreds, no, thousands of weapons appeared in the air.

And each of those weapons… took the form of firearms, all aimed at Hyunhwe.

“Hyunhwe, I have many questions for you.”

Kali flicked her cigarette away and continued.

“So unless you want to die right now, stay quiet.”

『…….』

At Kali’s words, Hyunhwe trembled his head.

But unable to say a word, he remained still, just as Kali instructed.

‘Wow, damn.’

I knew that the weapons used by the raid leader changed depending on the player’s weapon, but…

This was truly beyond imagination.

No, to put it plainly, it was really, really freaking cool.

How does she summon that? Is it an item?

No, more importantly, how is it floating in the air? Telekinesis? It must be telekinesis, right?

I couldn’t contain my excitement at the sight of Kali, who was nothing short of my role model.

Kali caught a glimpse of my expression and smirked, saying,

“Shall we finish this rift first?”

Kali then lightly touched the ring on her left index finger.

Then… what the hell is that?

“…A missile?”

Five missiles appeared in the air.

Seeing them shine silver, it looked as if they were crafted from silver and divine power, like something out of a Christmas tale.

Snap.

Kali snapped her fingers.

At that, the missiles flew off in different directions.

From the sight of it, they seemed to be heading toward the cores of the rift, just as she had said.

And so, a brief moment passed.

Kuuung…….

A tremendous roar echoed from afar, and at the same time.

Flash.

In an instant, light burst forth as if the sun had risen.

And following that.

Kwaaahhh──!!

Five mushroom clouds rose into the sky.