I Became an Illegal Cheat User

76 – Vacation Ceremony

[Master.]

A message window from Terra appeared in my view.

Seeing that there were people around, I responded silently, no, wait a second.

“Hey, Terra.”

[Yes, Master.]

“After pondering my title for a few days, you ended up with Master, huh?”

It had been a few days since I returned to the dorm after my meeting with the principal.

During that time, Terra had alternated between various titles like ‘Master, Jjuin-nim, User, Boss,’ and so on.

I felt a bit pressured and awkward, so I told her to just call me by my name.

In response, Terra used a serious emoticon ‘(⩌_⩌)’ and said:

[‘If it were Gaia, that might have worked, but I don’t want to do that.’]

[‘I want to call Player Yoo-jin in a special way.’]

[‘Therefore, I cannot simply decide on a title for Player Yoo-jin. I will take my time to think it over.’]

She insisted that she and the ‘Gaia (copy)’ were different entities.

As a comrade I must be with for a lifetime, you want to call me something special.

You had firmly rejected my suggestion.

But in the end, what you decided was… Master?

[Yes, after careful consideration, I have decided on the title of Master.]

‘…Why?’

[Among the three titles—Master, Jjuin, and Boss—the Master was the most neutral.]

[And, crucially.]

‘Crucially?’

[It appealed to my heart. ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌ )]

Ah, so it’s because it appeals to your heart.

Well, what can I say? It can’t be helped.

With a sullen expression, I nodded and asked about the reason for the earlier call.

At that moment, a voice recording file labeled ‘Voice 1322’ appeared in my view.

Simultaneously, the ‘■’ button transformed into ‘▶’ and began to play.

– Lee Yoo-jin, can I ask you one thing?

I heard Kang Cheol-soo’s voice.

– Until the vacation, just hold back until the vacation.

With that final word, the playback ended.

‘…You could record voice messages too?’

I stared blankly at Terra’s message window.

[It’s a basic function of the system.]

I was about to ask why I hadn’t been informed of this until now.

But I recalled that Terra, constrained by the true Gaia, couldn’t send messages even if she wanted to.

‘If voice recording is a basic function, then video recording must be a basic function too, right?’

[That’s correct. Video recording is also part of the basic functions.]

Along with Terra’s message, a video appeared in my view.

And what was shown in the video was nothing less than—

– Crunch! Crunch!

Myself eating a golden apple.

‘No, when was this filmed!’

[That question is the wrong question.]

[You should be asking not “When did you start filming?” but “Since when have you been filming?”]

‘…What?’

Tera, what do you mean by that?

Not when, but since when?

I stared at the message with a blank expression.

Then, Tera’s message appeared, accompanied by a proud-looking emoticon ‘(⩌ v ⩌)’.

[I have been filming you from the very beginning, Master.]

And below this message, a series of ‘video recordings’ were lined up.

– The day I first met Master.

– The day Master cleared a quest for the first time.

– The day Master received a reward for the first time.

– The day Master cursed at me for the first time….

– The first time to Master…….

‘…Wow.’

I could only stare blankly at the countless recordings.

Then, I caught a glimpse of Tera’s message, still displaying that proud emoticon, as I chuckled at the dizzying titles of the recordings.

[These are the recordings I’ve collected since the moment I became Master’s system.]

In response to Tera’s message, which seemed to seek praise, I sighed and said,

“Hey, Tera.”

[Yes, Master.]

“Delete everything except the battle videos.”

The message that had been appearing paused for a moment.

And not long after.

[…Could you tell me the reason?]

A message filled with curiosity and sadness appeared.

…No, it’s just text, but why does it feel like there’s emotion behind it?

I scratched my head and answered Tera’s question.

“You never gave me permission to film me.”

So all of this is practically illegal footage.

As I explained this, a surprised emoji from Terra appeared in the message.

[Σ(⊙ㅁ⊙)]

[I understand.]

With that message, all the recordings except for the ‘battle footage’ I had just mentioned began to disappear.

[Shall I delete the audio files as well?]

‘Uh, since I didn’t authorize that either, delete them all.’

[Yes, understood.]

Then the ‘Voice 1322’ recording that had been in my view also vanished.

[All deletions completed.]

‘Good, well done. From now on, only record and film what I permit.’

[Yes, I will do so except in emergencies.]

Except in emergencies?

Well, I suppose I don’t need to interfere with that.

‘Alright, do that.’

[Yes, understood.]

After that response, the conversation came to a halt.

Tatadatadatadadang─!

All I could hear was the sound of the 13 handguns I was controlling with telekinesis firing, and the targets of the long-range physical test being shattered.

‘…But why did the flow of conversation shift to the recordings?’

I crossed my arms and pondered deeply.

Before long, I recalled the voice file of Steel Soo.

‘Hey, Terra.’

[Yes, Master.]

‘Why did you play the instructor’s voice file earlier?’

Then an arrow shape appeared in my view.

And what the arrow pointed to was.

‘The target area? Why the target area?’

It was the target area of the long-range physical test.

[Did you not promise with Instructor Steel Soo? To exercise restraint until the vacation ends.]

‘Did I?’

So why did the arrow point to the target?

[This is the reason.]

The arrow that had been pointing to the target now pointed downward.

I leaned in to look inside the testing device.

And I could understand what Terra wanted to say.

‘…When did it pile up like this?’

The targets were heaped inside the testing device.

It felt like looking at a garbage dump.

‘This is strange, isn’t it?’

If my memory serves me right, the testing device has a cleaning function, right?

So why hasn’t the broken targets been cleared away?

Just as I thought that, Terra revealed the reason.

[As you suspected, there is a cleaning function within the testing device.]

[However, you have currently switched ‘Super Accuracy’ to ‘OFF.’]

‘…Could it be that I broke the cleaning function?’

As soon as I asked that, Terra’s arrow pointed somewhere.

I shifted my gaze to follow the arrow.

What I saw there was—

Crackle, crackle.

Something that looked like the cleaning function was broken, sparking.

The moment I saw that scene, I heard Steel’s voice ringing in my ears.

‘Just hold back until vacation.’

“You said to hold back until vacation.”

“…Huh? This isn’t the voice that echoes in my mind, is it?”

It felt like a voice I could hear directly.

As I thought that, a large hand appeared above my head.

“Ah.”

So it really is direct.

I turned my head stiffly.

And I could see.

The face of Kang Cheol-soo, looking at me like a malevolent deity.

“Ha, haha… Hello, Instructor.”

As I awkwardly smiled and greeted him.

“Uh, not really.”

Kang Cheol-soo let out a fierce laugh and pulled something from his pocket.

“Th-That’s…!”

It was none other than a shimmering green ‘antidote.’

Pong.

Kang Cheol-soo opened the cap of the antidote.

At that sight, I trembled and shouted.

“I-I’m sorry! Instructor, I was wrong! So please, just not the antidote!”

“Lee Yoo-jin, you don’t need to apologize. It seems you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“…But why does the antidote keep coming closer?!”

“Lee Yoo-jin, don’t you know? You are currently under a curse.”

“Me…?”

A curse on me? What does that even mean?

‘I have resistance to curses because I ate the golden apple, right?’

And even if I were cursed, I would know about it.

Whether it’s a buff or a debuff, the system always informs me.

So, how could I be cursed?

I looked at Kang Cheol-soo with a face full of questions.

Then, he forcibly poured the antidote into my mouth and said.

“A curse of inability to restrain yourself. That’s the curse you’re under.”

Ah.

That curse.

I thought it was a real curse.

I watched as the antidote tilted, my confusion finally clearing.

And the liquid inside poured into my mouth.

Then, soon.

Gulp.

….

…….

Ah, it was summer.

&

&

&

“Oh, it’s hot….”

The sun blazed down relentlessly.

In the sweltering heat that melted into the sunlight, I, along with the other kids, trudged toward the auditorium with weary faces.

“Isn’t it still June…? Why is it so hot?”

Someone muttered, but perhaps everyone was too drained to respond, as no answers came back.

Yet, while they didn’t speak, everyone nodded weakly in agreement.

I felt the same way.

“Hey, Terra.”

[Yes, Master.]

“Aren’t I supposed to be superhuman?”

[You are indeed superhuman.]

“Then why am I feeling this heat? Shouldn’t a superhuman be immune to cold or heat?”

[That is a common misconception.]

[Even superhumans cannot defy natural phenomena.]

“I didn’t feel the cold in winter, though?”

[To be precise, it was after you consumed the Physique Pill and developed ‘Cold Resistance.’]

[Think back carefully. You must have felt the cold before.]

“Uh… I guess that sounds familiar?”

I definitely felt the cold before taking the Physique Pill.

A few days after consuming it, I gained cold resistance and stopped feeling the chill.

“So, if I develop fire resistance or heat resistance, I won’t feel the heat either?”

[That is correct.]

[Of course, as it is ‘resistance,’ you will still feel heat or warmth beyond that threshold.]

“Ah, I wonder if any fire-related elixirs will drop somewhere.”

It was a sweltering heat, so intense that I felt desperate.

“Ugh…, ugh…, I think I’m going to die….”

I heard Asuka’s dying voice beside me.

Turning my head to look at her, I saw her face flushed with distress.

“I’m, I’m dying….”

She was sweating profusely, her expression extremely agitated.

In a hurry, I pulled a cool bottle of water from my inventory and handed it to her.

“Hey, Asuka, drink some water, water!”

“Wa, waaater…!”

Asuka screamed as if she had discovered an oasis in the bottle I held.

Then, she fumbled to open the cap and began pouring the water into her mouth.

In an instant, after finishing the entire bottle, Asuka looked at me with tearful eyes and said,

“Seong-suk, this is strange… there’s no more water….”

Well, you just drank it all, so of course there isn’t any left.

I let out a hollow laugh and handed her another bottle.

“Ugh…, thank you…, I won’t forget this kindness….”

“Right, don’t forget it, make sure to remember.”

Asuka nodded vigorously, the bottle still in her mouth.

I reached out to pat her head, but then I thought,

‘Wow, look at the steam rising from her hair.’

It seemed too hot, so I gave up.

This time, I looked over at Lee Seoyeon, who was walking beside me on the left.

“…Seoyeon, are you okay? Aren’t you hot?”

At my question, Seoyeon nodded.

“Yeah, I’m not hot.”

…Unlike Asuka, Seoyeon’s face was completely dry, not a drop of sweat in sight.

I casually reached out to touch her hand.

What I felt was a soft texture and a cool chill.

‘Ah…, right.’

Seoyeon must have a resistance to heat….

“Oh, I’m so jealous.”

The moment I thought that.

Swoosh!

Lee Seoyeon’s hand grabbed mine.

Then, in an instant, she intertwined our fingers like a snake.

“…Why, why all of a sudden?”

In response to my question, Lee Seoyeon tilted her head and said,

“You grabbed my hand first.”

…Did I really?

[No, that’s a lie. It was that black fox who grabbed it.]

“No, Yujin held it first.”

[…Did that black fox just see my message?]

Tera sent a message, as if shivering with fear.

I let her know that I sometimes say things like that.

[The black fox… she’s a scary woman.]

I nodded heavily in agreement with Tera’s words.

&

The vacation ceremony was held simply.

The principal appeared via teleportation and gave a few words of wisdom.

“Everyone, do well on your internships, and if anything happens, contact me immediately. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Then have a great vacation, and I’ll see you all in three months.”

Our supervising instructor, Kang Cheolsu, announced the start of the vacation with a brief statement and left the auditorium.

“Asuka, you said you’re going to intern at Lee Seoyeon’s Milky Way Guild, right?”

“Yep! Seoyeon recommended it!”

Seeing Asuka cheerfully exclaiming, I patted her head and continued,

“Make sure to listen to Seoyeon, and if anything happens, definitely contact the instructor or me, okay?”

“Yes, I will! Hehe.”

Asuka beamed with a bright smile, enjoying my patting.

Asuka’s side, Lee Seoyeon quietly approached me.

“Lee Yu-jin, see you in three months.”

Lee Seo-yeon gently caressed the back of my hand with a wistful expression.

I let out a bitter smile and replied to her.

“Yeah, let’s meet in three months.”

“Uh….”

Lee Seo-yeon nodded weakly.

I whispered words of encouragement to her.

“If you get bored, just call or text me anytime.”

“……!”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

But that moment was fleeting.

“Okay, I got it.”

A small smile formed at the corners of her lips.

It meant she was very satisfied.

Behind her, Arthur and Noah approached.

“Where are you guys going for your internship?”

At my question, Arthur shot a glance at Noah.

Then Noah stepped closer and whispered in my ear.

“We’re going to the 9th Extermination Division.”

“What? You guys?”

“Yes, to be precise, we’re going to assist Cardinal Remilia, who is supporting the Extermination Division.”

“Then I guess we’ll be seeing each other for the next three months?”

At my words, Noah smiled brightly and nodded.

“Yes, I look forward to working with you for the next three months.”

With that, Noah stepped back.

Then this time, Arthur came closer and whispered.

“Lee Yu-jin, I look forward to working with you for the next three months.”

“Uh, I look forward to it too.”

…But Arthur and Noah are going to the 9th Extermination Division.

Originally, Arthur was supposed to be at the Round Table in England.

Noah is going for an internship at the ‘Judgment Panel’ of the Temple.

Of course, hoping that the storyline will flow properly at this point is a foolish endeavor.

But regardless of the storyline, this much will remain the same.

The main characters gather wherever I am?

Be it a region or an organization.

A 100% incident will occur.

“Tera, what do you think? Doesn’t it seem likely?”

[100% confirmed.]

With Tera’s assurance, I let out a deep sigh and opened my inventory.

I pulled out four boxes containing the Spirit Oil and Golden Apples.

“Hey guys, take this before you go.”

Even if I’m leaving, I should at least take the elixirs with me.