Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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266th Chapter. Choi Soo-Hyun

The fierce battle that took place in the Illusory World ended in our victory.

If you meet death here, you die the same in reality.

For us humans, death is inevitable, but that guy, being the head of the Evil Gods, won’t go down easily.

However, due to the destruction of his soul in the Illusory World, he won’t be able to hold his head up properly.

In the meantime, he seems to be completely defeated by Lyman and will likely be obliterated.

Now, the finishing touches can be left to that main character.

“Let’s go back, Radon.”

Jenny, whose body was gradually fading away, extended her hand towards me.

Then, they all reached out to me, urging a return to reality.

I felt a bit shy at their genuine expressions of wanting me back.

Having defeated the Destruction God Endress, it seemed there was no longer a reason to stay here.

Thinking about it, I didn’t know how they managed to come here, but I would have to ask when we returned.

“Huh?”

Just as I was about to take their hands,

Unlike the others who were disappearing and returning to reality… I suddenly opened my eyes in a completely unfamiliar place.

“What is this?”

I had been summoned somewhere all of a sudden.

It didn’t feel like a return to reality but rather a summon to another Illusory World.

In fact, this place wasn’t reality. It was a white space showing me something.

I had felt this sensation before.

A strange dream I had the night before departing with Papias. The future I saw there and a woman’s voice.

The scenery matched perfectly with what I had seen in that dream.

[Are you awake?]

And then, a voice calling me echoed from somewhere.

I had heard this voice before. It was the same as the woman’s voice I had listened to back then.

[Sorry for bothering you. The others returned to reality first, but you were left behind.]

The kind and gentle voice melted away my previous wariness in an instant.

It didn’t feel like an enemy but rather a voice filled with apologies.

Before I knew it, the woman who owned that voice stood before me.

[This must be the first time we meet, right? Choi Soo-Hyun.]

Moreover, she called me by the name I had in my previous world.

With long, flowing white hair and blue eyes. The outfit she wore resembled something a missionary school teacher would wear, combining religious and educational themes.

I had seen her appearance multiple times before.

The portrait of the Great Sage Dantia could be found in the gallery after the ending credits of DevilArc.

Her appearance matched perfectly.

[Ah… It’s our first meeting, so I should introduce myself first. My name is….]

“Great Sage, Dantia Aligieri. Right?”

[Huh? How do you know?]

“I saw it in the gallery. It’s your game, don’t you remember?”

[Ah… right.]

Seeing the Great Sage being more scatterbrained than I expected made me wonder what was going on.

You’d expect a Great Sage who left great achievements for the Empire to have a noble and dignified demeanor, but I had predicted she would have a bit of a clumsy personality.

After all, I had gathered that from Lyman’s words.

[Look at me. I created it, and I can’t even remember. I must be getting old.]

“No, you were old from the start.”

[Ah… was that so?]

Ah… how many times was she going to repeat this?

According to past memories, it seemed Lyman was too preoccupied caring for his mother, which made sense as to why she was scattered in her thoughts.

[Anyway…, I’m glad we can talk now. I had something important to say to you.]

Dantia hesitated for a moment, trying to decide what to say.

Then, with a sympathetic expression, she bowed her head and spoke.

[I’m really sorry! What Endress said a moment ago was entirely true.]

The Destruction God Endress had claimed that Dantia pulled an ordinary person from another world to save her child from death.

That she had used him as a tool to change the course of this world.

Dantia didn’t deny those words; she accepted them.

“So, you really did use me as a tool?”

[That’s… something I can’t simply deny.]

Frankly, it was understandable. The moment I blinked, I found myself in this world in a school uniform instead of on Earth.

The fact that I was transported to another world without any warning was something I couldn’t argue against.

[The reason is….]

“I already know. What parent wouldn’t act upon seeing the future where their child dies?”

Even if there was a future where the child survived, it would only lead to the continent’s destruction.

No matter what future you saw, the conclusion was only one of two options. So, they must have urgently needed someone like me who was “experienced.”

“I can honestly understand. But moving someone to another world without their permission deserves criticism.”

[Hic!]

She seemed shocked, realizing how guilty she felt.

She didn’t need to go exaggerating with sound effects.

But….

“However, I can say this much.”

While it’s true that I was suddenly transported to this world, she wouldn’t have done it thoughtlessly.

She must have felt some guilt about her actions.

If not, she wouldn’t be here apologizing in the first place.

So she must have targeted someone who wouldn’t mind being whisked away to this world.

“Thank you truly. For giving me a second chance in life.”

Choi Soo-Hyun. 25 years old.

Not only was I an orphan without parents, but I was also born with a distinctly frail body.

Even in the fifth grade, while everyone else could do 20 sit-ups, I could barely manage five before collapsing.

Because of such flaws, I couldn’t fit in at the orphanage or school.

While the boys played football together, I couldn’t join in.

I couldn’t even engage in conversations with the girls simply because I was a boy.

But there was one domain where I could belong.

-Crazy guy…! How did you break what we couldn’t?

-Did this skinny guy do it?

-When Choi Soo-Hyun grabs it, everything clears?!

-Soo-Hyun! Please, clear mine, too!

Being born weak, I accidentally got my hands on my friends’ gaming console.

In just one game, I achieved scores multiple times higher than what my friend had set.

From that day on, I was able to get closer to the other kids, who always referred to me as “Skinny Bones.”

Thanks to that day, I realized what fortune and misfortune were.

“‘Fortune and Misfortune are like entwined strings’ made real, huh?”

Perhaps that day helped me regain my confidence.

As time went on, my body gradually improved. My athletic abilities increased, and eventually, I could even lift heavy dumbbells.

Of course, the nickname “Skinny Bones” remained, and I still couldn’t escape the humiliation of being the worst in gym class.

But considering that I only managed five sit-ups and push-ups in elementary school, I had made progress.

I was even able to make it to “that place” in decent condition.

-Skinny bones. Have a good time in the military.

-You passed the physical exam, huh? I’ve seen it all now.

-The title of a novel was revealed. Skeleton Soldier in Training.

-Skeleton Soldier, LOL, that’s spot on, LOL.

-Hey, Skeleton Soldier. Don’t choose the hardest job.

On the day I was heading for enlistment, my friends from school sent me messages.

And even after I returned home safely, I still met with them.

I remember them whining when I bragged about being a PX medic.

The blessing I received came from gaming. The catalyst for my turning point in life.

Among those, my number one game was “DevilArc.”

My gaming talent had already been proven from a young age, able to quickly ascend to mastery in any game.

I had become a master in DevilArc almost instantly, but… there was one distinct difference.

“No matter how many times I cleared it, I didn’t get bored.”

Unlike other games, which I’d normally tire of, DevilArc was different.

For some reason, my hands were drawn to that game.

As the rumors had it, it was well-made, but every scene in the game seemed to captivate me.

Years of attachment made it impossible for me to quit.

In fact, I found happiness in playing whenever I felt down.

But that happiness didn’t last long.

I collapsed suddenly while preparing for a job interview and was hospitalized.

-You have three months left.

The doctor’s words struck me.

At first, I had no idea what it meant.

In fact, I didn’t want to understand.

I instinctively guessed it meant I was terminal.

-We confirmed significant strain on your heart and various respiratory organs. The reason is incorrect physical activities.

I had been forgetting that I was naturally weak.

Of course, I had to forget, seeing as I was overflowing with energy.

But feeling good didn’t mean my physical flaws would disappear.

It was like installing a high-spec program on a low-spec computer and running it constantly.

I didn’t realize that I had pushed myself too hard, being caught up in my excitement.

Even though I was a PX medic in the military, my body wasn’t unbothered.

In fact, I had to run through all the training without exception.

My inner thoughts at that time remained the same.

“Damn it.”

I realized once more what fortune and misfortune were.

Had I experienced only good things leading to this misfortune?

Yeah, it’s true; I had enjoyed myself. But was that happiness enough to pay with my life?

I still don’t understand.

The timing for surgery was already long gone, and even if I could have surgery, I wouldn’t have the money for it.

Since my acquaintances were also job-seekers, I couldn’t burden them with debts.

Foul language erupted from my mouth uncontrollably.

“I’ve been healthy all this time.”

“Isn’t this weak body something I could overcome?”

“So why is this happening to me now?”

“Why didn’t those signs tell me?”

“If I pushed myself, at least I should have heard a warning siren.”

There were no measures taken… not a single warning had sounded, so why?

If this curse were as severe as it was, I should have been informed ahead of time.

Even with all this venting about the world, it was already too late.

I had been completely fooled.

This damned world had swindled me.

No matter how unfair it was, it was useless. I was going to die anyway.

“But….”

I still had unresolved regrets.

Those regrets led me in one direction.

Prompted by them, I launched “DevilArc.”

As time flowed, I couldn’t help but immerse myself in the game more than before.

The protagonist, Lyman. Why did he, who is immortal, wish to die?

Here I was, desperate to live… it felt almost like a cruel trick.

Wasn’t it rather a blessing of immortality instead of a curse?

“The real curse is what I am under.”

Everyone carries at least one curse.

It varies based on individual standards, but those who fail to recognize or confront it until the end will forever face regret.

Ill unaware of my curse, I eventually received that terminal diagnosis.

People must fight against their curses. Otherwise, they’ll end up fooled like me.

But it’s not easy to know how high the erosion rate of that curse has risen.

“Erosion rate….”

I didn’t even realize there was an erosion rate, and look at the state I’m in now.

If I had known… perhaps I could have lived without death?

Regrets flooded in.

Even knowing I couldn’t turn back, I wished to start again.

Yeah, if only I could have preempted that erosion rate.

Thinking this, I returned home.

Even after a few days of receiving a terminal diagnosis, I continued my usual routine.

As always, I switched on my game console and ran “that game.”

And when I opened my eyes, I found myself free from my terminal body.

Thus began the birth of the boy known as Radon Crawler.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.