I Became an Illegal Cheat User

139 – Demon Slayer (3)

…Surely, it knows how to get in well.

What’s the rush to drag me in by my collar?

‘Why not just hold on gently?’

A sharp pain felt in my throat.

Since acquiring Aigis, it’s been a long time since I’ve experienced such a sensation, and I found myself touching my neck in thought.

‘…Is it because it’s a mental realm?’

The item effect that absorbs damage isn’t activating at all.

‘The items are equipped normally, though.’

Bowing my head to check my body, I found:

A muscular, biomechanical armor with a black base and gray lines drawn on it, except for my head.

The Atlas Armor is visibly wrapping around me just as it was activated outside.

Aigis is also equipped on my fingers without any issues.

Yet, seeing that the protective effects of both the Atlas Armor and Aigis aren’t activating, it seems that in this mental realm, only the appearance of the items is maintained, while their effects do not apply.

‘Could it be that this happens in someone else’s mental realm as well?’

Of course, how often does one enter another’s mental realm?

Talents, skills, and magic.

In a world filled with all sorts of abilities, I can’t completely rule out the possibility that ‘it could happen,’ so a situation like this is rather unwelcome.

‘If a superhuman who relies on weapons can’t use the power of those weapons… there’s nothing more perplexing than that.’

Thinking of the weapons I’m currently using and will use in the future, no other superhuman would handle weapons more than I do.

‘Ah…, right.’

Carly.

She was there too.

‘I had completely forgotten.’

The captain of the 9th Assault Unit, to which I currently belong.

Carly, like me, was fond of firearms and unconventional weapons.

‘That said…, isn’t it right to exclude Captain Carly from this?’

To be honest, Carly’s actual focus is more on psychokinesis than firearms.

In contrast, I use a wide variety of items, including firearms, grenades, potions, and armor.

On top of that, I have my own talents, skills, and even cheats.

When using items, I can exert a greater effect, so unlike Carly, it’s clear that my main focus is on weapons.

However, since those weapons cannot exert their power in the mental realm, a sense of discomfort began to rise within me.

Still, if there’s a silver lining in this misfortune.

‘The cheat is…, fortunately still intact.’

Infinite energy, infinite items, super accuracy… it’s functioning normally, just as it was in the ‘ON’ state.

Indeed, the cheat is not a product of human effort like talent and skill, but rather a divine act. Perhaps it’s because it’s a power granted by the gods; it seems to be fine even in the mental realm.

‘If the cheat had gone down too…, it would have been quite difficult.’

In my own mental world, to be suddenly yanked by the collar like that, unable to use items or cheats in an unpredictable situation?

To be honest, it’s not just annoying; it’s quite troublesome.

Having grown accustomed to the abilities of items and cheats, if I can’t use those two, I would have to rely solely on talent, skill, and prowess to navigate the situation.

Of course, whether it’s hardship or trial.

I would find a way somehow, but…

‘I’m not a monk enduring ascetic practices.’

I’m enjoying this easy mode comfortably, and being forced into hard mode feels a bit absurd.

But fortunately, that compulsion has vanished thanks to the steadfastness of the cheat.

‘Huh.’

The discomfort that had settled in a corner of my mind was completely erased.

‘It’s a bit disappointing that I can neither receive nor use the effects of items…’

Still, thanks to the cheat being intact, I was able to avoid a drastic drop in combat power, so I suppose I should be satisfied with that.

With that thought organized, I halted my steps forward. I quietly observed the changes in the red space that had been so disorienting it made me frown.

Crack, crack!

Like the shell of an egg breaking.

The space splits and distorts.

As a brief moment passed.

Crash!

With the sound of shattering glass, the red space burst open.

And of course, it transformed into a scene that anyone would think, ‘It must be like this.’

A blood-red sky that seemed ready to pour forth blood at any moment.

Bursting, flowing, bubbling lava fields.

The nauseating stench of sulfur that churns the stomach.

Ash dust floating in the air like particles.

A vision I had seen when consumed by the emotions of a talent, a demon slayer.

Hell.

Before me lay the prison of the slaughter of demons.

‘…It must be the gate of the demon slayer.’

The mark on the door I had seen before being dragged here.

Twisted in agony, the faces of demons crying out in despair.

In keeping with that mark, what lay before my eyes now were the corpses of demons.

No matter where I looked,

the space I stood in was filled with the bodies of demons, leaving no room to place a foot.

I gazed at the corpses and thought.

Demon slayer.

A world that despises evil and seeks to annihilate it.

As I pondered this, I exhaled sharply, as if expelling the breath I had taken, stung by the foul stench.

‘Ah, the smell is truly unbearable.’

With every breath, the acrid odor surged forth.

Because of that stench, I reactivated the helmet I had previously deactivated.

Just moments ago, I hadn’t felt discomfort in breathing, but now, the sulfuric stench was so overwhelming that I could no longer keep the helmet off.

‘No, honestly, they can create a background, but they usually don’t replicate the smell, do they?’

But it seems that’s not the case here.

“Shh…, Hoo….”

Ah, I think I can breathe now.

The purification filter attached to the helmet is certainly effective.

I felt my labored breaths ease as the sulfuric air transformed into something clean, and I looked around.

‘…But where should I go?’

It was good to escape the space filled with a maddening red.

Yet, the landscape I stood in, transformed into hell, was not so different from that space.

An endless expanse.

Rocks, mountains, even pebbles.

Nothing could be seen except for the corpses of demons.

Where should I go to escape this space?

Just as that thought crossed my mind.

Crackle, crackle!

“……?”

Suddenly, the demon corpses in front of me crumpled as if someone had stepped on them, scattering into gray ash that floated in the air.

As if to say it would resolve my predicament. And as if to urge me to move forward along this path.

What should I do with this phenomenon that seemed to carry such meaning? I pondered and looked around once more.

But, as expected.

‘Has anything changed…?’

Nothing had changed.

I carefully examined whether another path had opened elsewhere or if something had shifted, but.

Every direction except the one in front of me was still filled with demon corpses.

‘…It can’t be helped.’

Following along obediently wasn’t really my nature, but… it seemed there was no other way, so I had no choice but to walk the open path.

And surely, this space within my mental world wouldn’t harm me.

‘I was grabbed by the collar, though.’

I chuckled softly and resumed my halted steps.

I walked along the path where the demon corpses had vanished, and were still disappearing in real-time.

After roughly ten steps.

Sizzle, sizzle.

A noise buzzed in my ears, and some phenomenon occurred in the air.

‘…A video?’

The sudden occurrence began to show me something.

Like the screen of a movie theater. And as if I were watching a film.

It started to reveal the figure of a man, the story of a human, the life of a being.

As if it desperately wanted to tell me, as if I absolutely needed to know.

‘This is a bit… unexpected.’

Suddenly showing me someone’s life story.

What does it mean? What is the intention?

‘I’m not sure why it’s showing me this…’

The man in the video.

I had never seen him before, but I felt like I knew who he was.

‘It’s obvious.’

The master of this space.

The one who brought me here.

The demon slayer.

The original of talent.

In other words, the origin.

It must be that person.

No, it can only be that person.

The man was lonely.

…Oh, what’s this?

It’s narrating too?

A voice suddenly echoing in my ear.

With that voice, my interest in the video soared even higher.

A life lived in solitude.

For the man, life was gray.

A child born in an alley.

Without parents, and without a name.

Surviving by rummaging through trash.

A vagabond in a gray city.

As the narration said, the man in the video was lonely (孤獨).

The man hoped.

Yet the man held hope within his loneliness.

Like a flower between concrete.

In a life that was rough and hard as can be, he kept the seed of hope.

A life of moving forward.

For the man, life was endurance.

The man persevered.

Even when starving, unable to find food.

Even when wounded in fights with other vagabonds.

Grinding his teeth.

Standing firm on two legs, he endured.

He would hold on.

With patience and resilience, he would live.

It was not narration, but the voice of a man that could be heard.

Still young, yet imbued with strength.

A voice that resonated with a fierce determination for life, filled with a lifelong desire.

The man had hope.

He had now become an adult. And according to the laws of the land, he entered the military.

A grueling, near-death, murderous training.

But for a man skilled in endurance, the training was something he could withstand.

The man even pleaded with the instructor for more training.

The path to becoming stronger.

He had seen that path.

The man clung to training where flesh was torn, bones shattered, and blood was a daily sight.

Those around him called him a tough guy, iron-blooded, a machine… not compliments, but rather expressions of exasperation.

As daily life became familiar and he could no longer grow stronger through training alone.

An opportunity came to the man.

The Enhanced Soldier Project.

In other words, the cultivation of superhumans.

He was invited to join the project.

The man naturally accepted.

Even though he had heard that the enhancement procedure could lead to death or disability.

He did not hesitate at the path that could make him even stronger than now.

Though death was feared, the desire for strength was greater.

Perhaps that longing fortified the man’s life, for the project was a success.

He had become a superhuman, he had grown stronger.

The constraints on his growth had been lifted.

For the first time in his life, the man felt a sensation of euphoria.

But that feeling was short-lived.

Soldiers clad in ergonomic, olive-colored armor, like the one he wore, took the man somewhere.

And the man obediently followed the soldiers’ guidance.

There was no other choice.

The Reinforcement Project was a national initiative to strengthen the country’s power.

Since the enhancement procedure required a massive investment, one had to fulfill their military duty for the sake of the nation.

The duration was an astonishing 50 years.

For an ordinary person, that would seem an unimaginable length of time.

However, those who underwent the enhancement experienced a significant increase in their physical lifespan, making that period neither too long nor too short.

The man understood this. And compared to the benefits of becoming stronger, he felt little concern about not being able to discharge for 50 years.

In any case, following the country’s orders, the man went to serve on an alien planet that was currently undergoing terraforming.

As time passed.

After 51 years had gone by.

The terraforming of the barren, monster-filled alien planet was a success.

Having fulfilled his military duty, the man became a living legend in the army.

The one who fears death.

The one whom fortune loves.

Humanity’s steel shield.

The terror of monsters.

The invincible soldier.

Though there were more nicknames.

To the man, nicknames didn’t really matter.

Despite the objections of those around him, he applied for discharge.

Why?

Why would someone who pursued strength so fervently do this?

It was because the man was satisfied.

And furthermore.

The man had fallen in love.

He had embraced the feeling of love.

There was something he now craved even more than becoming stronger.

Thus, the man no longer fixated on strength.

Life Together.

For the man, life was no longer gray.

It was filled with vibrant colors.

The once desolate world sparkled brilliantly.

Lovers became spouses.

The man became a husband.

The couple became parents.

The man became a father.

A continuous happiness.

A bountiful life.

The man was satisfied.

And then he despaired.

…Hell opened.

Not on an alien planet, but on Earth.

In the sanctuary where the man lived.

“…Dimensional rift?”

What happened?

I let out a question.

What was visible in the video now.

It was undoubtedly a dimensional rift.

The rift that opened during the Duel Season, above the Academy.

It was not black but red, yet it was certainly correct.

“If only Terra were here, I could be sure right away.”

Of course, I didn’t think my eyes were wrong.

Still, if Terra were here, it would have been confirmed immediately, yes or no. It was truly regrettable that I couldn’t hear any messages or voices right now.

Anyway, whether I thought or doubted, the video continued to play without pause.

A massive dimensional rift opened above Earth, hell.

Demons pouring out from that hell began to devastate the Earth.

To stop those demons, all the nations of the Earth joined forces.

But the armies of hell were formidable.

The nation began to crumble, one by one.

And the winds of destruction did not spare the man’s land.

Indeed.

The man lost everything.

His country, his lover, his child.

Hope shattered.

Expectations collapsed.

Patience… transformed.

Anger.

Or perhaps hatred.

The once calm face of the man flickered back to life.

The one who had torn monsters apart on an alien planet.

The man who was called the terror of monsters by the soldiers now harbored a murderous intent towards demons.

The man donned his armor once more.

He returned to the battlefield.

And once again made his name resound in a world turned to hell.

Humanity referred to him as this.

Humanity’s last shield.

The demons called him this.

Humanity’s last blade.

Different titles.

But there was another name beyond those two.

One that united both humanity and demons.

The Demon Slayer.

Glorious yet terrifying.

A name filled with both respect and fear.

Thus, the man became the Demon Slayer.

I vow.

I will tear apart and slay the demons.

I will not stop until all evil is swept away.

A vow made with my soul.

The man burned everything with his rage.

Shattered hope.

Collapsed expectations.

Corrupted patience.

He used every emotion as fuel for his fury.

With the power pouring forth from that anger, the man slaughtered demons.

True to the title of demon slayer.

Tearing apart demons, smashing them.

Crushing the heads of demon worshippers.

He fulfilled his rightful revenge.

And so, a long time passed.

The demon slayer killed every demon on Earth.

Yet the flames of rage and hatred burning within the man did not extinguish.

There was little reason.

The source.

The source of the demons that invaded Earth still remained.

Thus, the man entered the dimensional rift.

And unleashed the fire of vengeance upon all the demons there.

Without rest, he continued.

Forsaking rest.

Forgetting death.

He kept killing demons.

As a result.

In the depths of hell.

Pandemonium was destroyed.

By one man, one human.

In the hands of one avenger.

The man achieved his revenge.

I expelled all the flames I held in my heart.

But why was it?

The back of the man in the video looked so very lonely.

Yes.

The man was lonely.

Having seen the brilliant light.

His world became even more deeply tinged with gray.

Yes, he was lonely (孤獨).

So much so, it was beyond words.

Sizzle, crackle.

The video turned off.

As if it had shown everything, just like that.

“……”

In tune with that video, I too stopped my steps.

It wasn’t because the video had ended.

Simply.

There was no longer a need to move forward.

To be precise, there was nowhere left to go.

I halted my advancing feet.

Hiss…, exhale.

I let out a long breath I had taken in.

And just as I was about to say something.

“Did you see it all?”

In front of me, the voice of the man I had just seen in the video echoed.

The demon slayer.

He stood before me.

Just like at the end of the video.

With his back turned.

Exuding an atmosphere of solitude.

To that demon slayer, I quietly nodded and spoke.

“Yes, I saw everything.”

“What did you feel?”

“I felt anger and hatred.”

“What did you understand?”

“I understood revenge.”

“What remains?”

“…loneliness remains.”

Was that the right answer for everyone?

The demon slayer, who had been turned away, turned to face me.

And he looked at me.

Me, or him.

His face was obscured by the visor of his helmet, his eyes hidden, yet

I knew his gaze was fixed directly on mine.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence lingered.

We stared at each other without a word.

But that silence was short-lived.

“As you said.”

A deep voice flowed from beyond the demon slayer’s helmet, breaking the silence.

“I am a specter consumed by anger, hatred, and revenge.”

Step.

The demon slayer took a step toward me.

“But you are different from me.”

Step.

“You have anger, but it is shallow.”

Step.

“I see no hatred.”

Step.

“And revenge does not exist for you.”

The demon slayer stood before me.

And with an intense aura.

Through the visor of the helmet, a red light met my gaze.

“But you possess this power.”

Why?

How?

The demon slayer asked.

But I couldn’t easily respond to that question.

It couldn’t be helped.

“What am I supposed to do about this power born from the fusion of two talents?”

Did I acquire it by choice?

Ah, of course, it was gained by chance, but I am satisfied.

Every time I encounter a corrupted one, or an enemy harboring evil, the emotions contained in that talent try to consume me.

Still, I have not attempted to abandon or eliminate that talent.

The risks are great, but its performance is exceptional. And with the potions I possess, I can maintain control.

“…But that control has failed.”

I offer no excuses.

To be precise, it’s accurate to say I can’t.

I never considered that the death energy would amplify the demon slayer’s emotions so severely.

I let out a short sigh inwardly.

And I tried to erase the truth that arose in my mind, spitting out a somewhat acceptable response.

No, I was about to.

“I will ask you.”

Had the demon slayer not spoken first.

“What do you intend to do with this power?”

What do I intend to do?

Naturally, there is only one answer.

“Annihilation.”

Monsters.

Corrupted beings.

Sado, and the foreign press.

Of course, I was directed toward everything that threatened the connections related to me.

The enemy’s silence.

Did my answer please him, I wondered.

“I will ask you again.”

There seemed to be a hint of satisfaction in the voice of the demon slayer.

“What do you intend to do with this power?”

It was the same question.

‘What I just said is an answer, but it seems it’s not the complete truth.’

I thought.

I sifted through the countless answers swirling in my mind.

And not long after.

“I will tear and shatter everything. Until all evil is gone.”

I spat out a single answer.

Then.

“Prove it─.”

The demon slayer demanded the truth.

At the same time.

Kieeeeeeeeeek─!

Kiaaak─!!

A chilling, monstrous scream echoed throughout the space.

The demons, whom I thought were dead, rose from the ground.

“Ah.”

What did I just say earlier?

Did I not think that the space within my mental world wouldn’t harm me?

“Of course.”

I had raised a flag.

How could that possibly go unchallenged?

I let out a deep sigh. And then, clack.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiing…!

I pulled out the minigun.