I Became an Illegal Cheat User

74 – Fate (1)

“Lee Yoo-jin.”

“…Yes.”

“Was yesterday’s incident in the hospital not enough for you?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s only been a day, and yet how could you…”

I was about to say, “How could you cause another accident?” but—

The sight of my right arm completely in a cast left Kang Cheol-soo at a loss for words.

“Ha.”

Ultimately giving up on finishing his thought, Kang Cheol-soo let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the armchair, splashing water on his face.

He then loosened his black tie, just like yesterday, and looked at me with a face worn down by fatigue.

“Lee Yoo-jin, I was on my way to pay my respects to my colleagues. But then I suddenly got a call. The academy has been attacked.”

Kang Cheol-soo lifted the coffee cup from the table.

“I was almost at the funeral home, intending to pay my respects. After all, there are stronger heroes at the academy than me, and the principal has returned from their trip. But then the academy urgently called for me.”

He brought the coffee cup to his lips.

Then, without a care, he gulped down the steaming hot coffee in one go, placing the empty cup back on the table with a thud as he continued speaking.

“The place that was attacked is our classroom building. So, as the supervising instructor, I had to come quickly.”

As he said this, Kang Cheol-soo glanced at his smartwatch.

“So, I hurried back to the academy, and just as the call indicated, our training room was completely wrecked. And there you were, receiving treatment from the nursing instructor.”

Kang Cheol-soo’s gaze shifted from the smartwatch to me.

With a look that seemed to say, “If you have something to say, go ahead,” I lowered my head, beads of sweat trickling down my face.

And just as I was about to shout out my heartfelt apology—

“But do you know what I thought in that situation?”

Kang Cheol-soo said with a slight chuckle.

“Ah, thank goodness. The academy wasn’t attacked again. And my student isn’t seriously hurt.”

“……”

I couldn’t say a word.

I just stared blankly at Kang Cheol-soo.

Seeing me like that, he quietly stood up from his chair.

“Lee Yoo-jin, don’t worry too much.”

Kang Cheol-soo placed a hand on my shoulder as he spoke.

“You caused an incident again today, just like yesterday, but aside from you, no one else was hurt.”

“…Um, Instructor.”

“Because you caused another incident today, I was called here, but I’m not angry.”

“…Instructor?”

“Of course, you’re my student… I shouldn’t be angry, right?”

As he said this, Kang Cheol-soo looked down at me with a face that was, more than anyone else in the world, caring (?).

But contrary to his words, his teeth were clenched tight.

And the grip of his hand on my shoulder was growing stronger.

I broke into a cold sweat and awkwardly smiled up at Kang Cheol-soo.

“Instructor, I think my shoulder might break….”

In reality, Aegis was absorbing the damage, so there was no real issue.

However, upon checking Aegis’s information, I found that the rate of damage absorption was rising rapidly.

“…Oh no.”

Kang Cheol-soo quickly withdrew his hand.

Then, with a flustered expression, he pulled a red recovery potion from his spatial ring.

“Lee Yoo-jin! Is your shoulder okay?!”

He was about to open that dreadful thing to feed it to me.

“I’m fine, really. Could you please put that potion away?”

“…Are you really okay? You’re not lying just because you don’t want to take the potion, are you?”

…It’s true that I don’t want to take the potion.

“I’m not lying. Here, look.”

I spun my left arm around to show that my shoulder was unharmed.

“See? It’s perfectly fine.”

“…Indeed.”

Kang Cheol-soo let out a sigh of relief as he closed the vial’s cap once more.

Then, he gently patted my shoulder as he slipped the vial back into his pocket.

“I’m really glad. I didn’t crush your shoulder.”

At his words, a sudden curiosity struck me.

‘Can the instructor’s crushing be blocked by Aigis?’

Would it be destroyed by damage absorption, or would it be obliterated by lethal damage absorption?

As I pondered this, an alarm rang from Kang Cheol-soo’s smartwatch.

His gaze shifted to the device.

“Lee Yoo-jin, the principal is calling for you.”

The great mage had summoned me.

“The principal?”

Was it possible that the principal, who was as hard to see as the chairman, was suddenly calling me?

‘Ah, could it be that the protective magic in the training room has been broken?’

Given his kind nature, he probably wasn’t going to scold me.

Was he going to ask how I managed to break the protective magic at my current level?

‘Or is he going to explain why the “fate” he mentioned at the entrance ceremony is invisible?’

I asked Kang Cheol-soo with a voice full of anticipation.

“When should I go?”

He replied simply.

“Now.”

“What?”

As I repeated the question, a sudden flash of blue light erupted from my body.

In the blink of an eye, the location changed.

“This place is….”

I looked around.

Books were piled high all around me.

Above them, bookshelves floated in midair.

The shelves were crammed with books, leaving no empty spaces.

Yet, the number of books was far beyond what I could possibly count.

And this place, which housed such books and bookshelves, was so vast that its width and height were impossible to measure.

I knew about this place.

“…The Infinite Library.”

It was a special space belonging to Arena Academy’s principal and great mage, Yu Baek.

“Ah, welcome to my library.”

A voice echoed from above.

I looked up to confirm.

Great Mage Yu Baek, wearing a white robe, was descending.

“I should apologize to the child first. I said I’d meet you soon, but it’s taken this long.”

I wanted to retort, “You said you’d reveal the secret soon, but you made me wait for five months! That’s too much!” But…

Since the great mage, who was much older than me, was apologizing directly, I couldn’t dare to express my true feelings.

So I could only laugh and say it was okay.

“Ah, you’re a deep child.”

Yu Baek nodded with a pleased expression, lightly waving the wand in his hand.

Then, the books stacked around us were pushed aside, and a space was created, revealing an antique table and two chairs out of nowhere.

“Sit down.”

Yu Baek said, approaching the table, and the two chairs seemed to move on their own, separating from the table.

As Yu Baek and I sat down, the chairs rose slightly, maintaining a comfortable distance for drinking tea.

“Do you like tea, child?”

I prefer cola-like drinks over tea, but…

“Yes, I do.”

I guess I should drink tea now.

“That’s fortunate.”

Yu Baek said, and a tea set appeared on the table.

A cup was placed in front of me, and another in front of Yu Baek.

The antique, celadon-colored teapot floated in mid-air, pouring tea into our cups.

“This color is unusual.”

I haven’t drunk much tea, but I’ve never seen a tea with a milky color like this before.

“Now, let’s drink.”

Yubaek lifted the teacup with a meticulous yet concise posture.

Then, without making a sound, he quietly sipped the tea.

Watching Yubaek, I followed suit.

‘…What? The tea isn’t hot?’

Isn’t tea usually drunk hot?

I took a sip, puzzled by the coolness I felt in my hand.

‘What is this taste? Sweet? No, should I say sour?’

The color was strange, and the flavor was something subtle.

Still, as I continued to drink, it seemed oddly pleasant.

But… something felt a bit off.

‘Is my heart racing?’

After drinking about half of the milky tea, warmth began to spread around my heart.

Yet, it wasn’t uncomfortable or unpleasant.

If anything, I felt a sense of euphoria?

Anyway, the more I drank, the pleasant heat spread from my heart throughout my entire body.

The moment I finished the milky tea.

[You have consumed Gongcheongseokyu (A).]

[Due to the effect of ‘Gongcheongseokyu’, your magical power has increased by 15.]

[Due to the effect of ‘Gongcheongseokyu’, the special ability ‘Magical Resistance’ has been generated.]

“…Huh?”

A system message appeared in my view, indicating that my magical power had increased.

…What? Are you saying that what I drank was a potion?

I stared blankly at the empty teacup.

Then I lifted my gaze to look at Yubaek.

“Did you enjoy the tea?”

Yubaek chuckled, placing his teacup down with a smile.

In response, I sprang up from my chair and bowed deeply before him.

“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”

I had been struggling with a lack of magical power, and here he was offering me such a potion in the form of tea!

“Ha ha.”

Yubaek smiled with a proud expression.

“I think you like it, and that makes me happy.”

Is it just that I like it?

All the complaints and disappointments I had harbored for five months vanished in an instant.

“Now, it’s time to get up.”

At Yubaek’s words, I sprang to my feet.

“Would you like another cup of tea?”

“If you offer more, I’d be delighted!”

I hurriedly sat back down.

Of course, taking the elixir again after having already consumed it would yield no effect.

But that didn’t matter.

From the moment I realized that the tea I drank was an elixir, it became nothing short of a delicacy.

Slurp.

The empty teacup in front of me filled once more with Gongcheongseokyu.

At the same time, a small glass vial, sealed with a cork, appeared beside my teacup.

“Principal, what is this…?”

“It’s a gift for a child who loves tea.”

I instinctively assessed the vial through the system.

Suddenly, information about ‘Gongcheongseokyu (A)’ appeared in my view.

The effects were the same as the message I had just seen.

“Thank you, truly thank you!”

I expressed my overwhelming gratitude to Yubaek and placed the Gongcheongseokyu into my inventory.

‘Now that I have a new elixir, I should share it with the kids when I see them later.’

This is why infinite items are so great.

When I obtain an elixir, not only does my own power increase, but so does that of the other kids.

I wore a proud smile as I swirled the Gongcheongseokyu in my mouth.

&

&

&

After tea time ended.

“Child, are you not curious? The reason I called you here.”

The main point began to emerge from Yubaek’s lips.

“Yes, I am curious. Why did you summon me here?”

“Do you remember the day of the entrance ceremony, five months ago?”

“Yes, I remember.”

How could I forget?

He had suddenly whispered in my ear, “You cannot see your destiny?” How could I possibly let that slip from my mind?

“Ah, I’m glad you remember.”

Yubaek chuckled softly, a benevolent smile gracing his face as he lifted his wand.

With a light flick towards the air, the tower of books and the floating bookshelves vanished.

No, to be precise, everything except for Yubaek and me disappeared, leaving only a dark void.

In that darkness, Yubaek waved his wand again.

Then, a small spectacle of twinkling stars unfolded above us.

‘What is he trying to do?’

I looked at Yubaek with a puzzled expression.

But Yubaek, not glancing my way, moved the wand as if conducting an orchestra.

In response, the sparkling stars above gradually descended.

They slowly coalesced, forming a total of eight silhouettes.

However… one silhouette bore a shape I recognized.

“…Chairman?”

It was none other than the deity, Baek Yuhwa.

“Yes, that’s right. That is the form of Chairman Yuhwa.”

Yubaek stood beside me, hands clasped behind his back.

Then, with the hand holding the wand, he indicated in order from the left who each figure was.

“The silhouette on the far left, as you know, is the deity, Baek Yuhwa. And the man next to Baek Yuhwa is…”

Yubaek paused.

No, to be precise, he seemed to be saying something, but I couldn’t hear it.

“Excuse me, Principal? I can’t hear what you’re saying?”

Then Yubaek raised his wand and swept it sharply towards somewhere.

Kkwaang──!

A tremendous sound echoed from somewhere.

At the same moment, Yubaek swung his wand once more.

Then, a blue veil materialized around Yubaek and me.

“You should be able to hear well now.”

Yubaek pointed his wand at the figure next to Baek Yuhwa’s silhouette.

“The muscular man with a lion’s mane wielding a massive sword is called ‘Hercules.'”

Now, can you hear me clearly? Yubaek added.

“Yes, I can hear you well.”

“Good, that’s a relief.”

Yubaek smiled softly and continued to reveal the identities of the figures.

The man with short hair and sleek muscles holding two daggers is ‘Bolt.’

The woman with a bob cut down to her neck, holding a staff, is ‘Mana.’

The stout man carrying a large bag is ‘Baek.’

The woman wearing a feathered helmet is ‘Run.’

The man with short hair like Bolt, wielding twin pistols, is ‘Chaser.’

The woman with very long hair holding a talisman is ‘Slo.’

Yubaek’s wand pointed again at Baek Yuhwa after revealing all the names of the figures.

“Cheonma (Heavenly Demon).”

Then he turned to point at me.

“Cheater.”

“……”

A chill ran through my chest.

I instinctively took a step back.

Yubaek stared at me intently and said,

“I refer to them collectively as this.”

Those who cannot see fate.

“And those who have come from the outside.”

His white eyes, as if perceiving everything, locked onto mine.

“As I mentioned during the last entrance ceremony, those who cannot see fate are divided into two types.”

The wand of Yubaek pointed towards the deity.

The stars that formed the deity sparkled beneath its touch.

“Become a Guardian.”

This time, it pointed to the seven figures.

The stars that made up the seven figures glimmered in crimson.

“Or become a usurper.”

Yubaek’s wand turned to me.

“So, child, answer me.”

A bright light, akin to that of the deity, flowed from my body.

“Are you a destiny for us?”

This time, a red light, like that of the seven figures, poured forth.

“Or are you a vessel for usurpation?”