I Became an Illegal Cheat User

88 – Greed – Interlude

With Greed’s defeat, the invasion of the fallen came to an end.

To be precise, it was only for the First Subjugation Unit I was in and the 5th and 13th Subjugation Units that Kali had gone to.

The other subjugation units were still holding back the tide of fallen beings pouring in from the continent of death.

How did I know this?

– This is the Second Blade! Requesting support!

– Requesting support for the Third Blade!

– Fourth Blade requesting support….

– Sixth Blade….

– Seventh….

Support requests were continuously coming through the communicator that Kali was holding.

“This is the Ninth Blade, I’ll be sending support soon, so hold on a little longer.”

It wasn’t time to rest yet.

I swiftly tossed the core of the golden apple into my inventory and stood up.

At the same moment, a somewhat weary voice of Gray came through the communicator.

– This is the Ninth Blade, support has departed.

Judging by the fact that they were heading to provide support, it seemed they had successfully repelled the invasion.

After all, with Arthur and Noah, who were practically the natural enemies of the Fallen, along with Cardinal Remilia, it would be strange if they hadn’t.

As I thought this, I was about to tell Kali that I would also be going to support.

“Lee Yoo-jin, you will remain here.”

Kali issued the order for me to stand by first.

“…May I ask why?”

In a situation where many units were hoping for support, she was giving a standby order?

Shouldn’t it be right for someone like me, who was needed more than anyone, to go assist?

As I asked this, Kali explained while tucking the communicator into her coat.

“Your efforts have successfully repelled the invasion here, but we cannot know when another might occur.”

“Ah… another invasion.”

I nodded in understanding at Kali’s words.

Indeed…, the possibility of a re-invasion was not nonexistent.

This was because the current invasion by the Fallen was a random encounter, something that wasn’t even in the storyline, meaning they could strike again.

Of course, the chances of them launching another attack were very low, considering that a massive army of hundreds of thousands had been swept away by a single person… but still, one could never be too sure.

Ah, and Grid, that guy, I didn’t need to worry about.

By now, he would be struggling to adapt to his new body.

“So stay here until I say you can go. Understood?”

“Yes, understood.”

I decided to comply with the order without hesitation.

With a valid reason like the possibility of a re-invasion, I had no choice but to follow the command.

Kali nodded, giving my head a gentle pat.

Then, she levitated herself with telekinesis and flew off to the nearest forward base of the Second Extermination Unit, which had requested support.

“…She’s gone.”

Kali’s figure disappeared from view.

I let out a short sigh and lowered my head to look around.

Crater-like formations scattered everywhere, as if meteorites had fallen.

The desolate ruins devoid of any trace of a forward base filled my view.

“Hmm… they certainly fought fiercely.”

I scratched my head and opened my inventory.

“Tera, I could use your help. Is your processing power charged up?”

[Do you need a golem?]

“Uh, I’m planning to set up some barriers.”

I didn’t intentionally create the ruins, but they had become a mess because of me.

“If I had the ability and materials, I could fill in the ground or establish a forward base.”

I lacked the restoration ability to fill in the ground, and I didn’t have the materials to build a base, so I was left with no choice.

Thus, I could only set up barriers with the kits I had.

[After calculating the charged processing power, it seems I can operate 4 golems under the assumption of no combat.]

“Four golems, huh…”

Well, that should be more than enough.

I nodded and sent out two Iron Golem Mk. 83s each to the left and right.

Then, watching the Iron Golems transform into human forms, I poured the barrier kits onto the flat ground.

With telekinesis, I stacked the pouring barrier kits neatly.

– Iron Mk. 83 ready for deployment.

– Iron Mk. 83 ready for deploym…

“I know you’re ready for deployment, so take those kits over there and set them up.”

– Yes, understood.

The golems picked up the stacked kits and headed in the direction I indicated.

Following Tera’s precise instructions, they began to install the kits at regular intervals.

I, too, moved in the opposite direction of the golems and started setting up barriers.

“I’m getting a bit hungry, so let’s wrap this up quickly and grab a bite.”

[I cannot eat.]

“Oh, right. Then I guess I’ll have to let you watch me eat.”

At my words, Tera’s messages paused.

But only for a moment.

[Is this what you call a feeling of annoyance?]

Despite being text, the message conveyed a sense of anger.

So I told him that.

[‾͟͟͞(((ꎤ°᷄д°᷅)و ̑̑༉☆))Д´)]

“…Puhaha!”

Terra sent a cute emoticon.

&

“…This should be enough, right?”

I looked around.

I could see the barriers installed in double layers, stretching from the location of the outpost all the way to the banks of the Yalu River.

But perhaps because they had built barriers on top of barriers…

[Master, at this point, we should call it a fortress rather than just a barrier.]

…It had become a much larger barrier than the one I had first seen upon arriving here… no, a fortress.

“Well, good things are good things.”

I hadn’t lost anything.

Thanks to the effect of the infinite items, the kits hadn’t been consumed.

And since I had occasionally used mana recovery potions while employing telekinesis, my body felt no strain.

Moreover, it would serve as a sturdy shield for those who would protect this place, so the benefits outweighed any losses.

I hummed, nodding my head as I tapped my feet on the ground.

Then, using telekinesis to step through the air, I climbed up to the fortress wall.

“Wow, the atmosphere is nice.”

As soon as I reached the top of the fortress wall, I marveled at the sunset view that unfolded before me.

Then, I plopped down on the railing and began to eat a steaming hot beef bowl I had pulled from my inventory.

Savoring the taste that was nothing short of a delicacy, I finished the bowl and swiftly stowed the empty dish back into my inventory, pulling out a golden apple.

I took a crisp bite of the golden apple to cleanse my palate and brought the minimized quest window in the corner of my vision to the center.

Chewing the honey-sweet apple, I pressed the quest window with my finger.

────────────────────

Event Quest – [Great Achievement]

【Survive】

Survive the named corruptor, the Greed. (Completed)

※ Support will arrive in 5 minutes.

– Reward: 100,000 points (additional rewards based on performance), ???

– Failure: Death.

────────────────────

“Hmm, is it because the achievement is tied to an event quest rather than a regular quest? The points feel a bit lacking.”

The basic point reward from the last achievement quest was 200,000 points.

But this time, whether it’s because the quest is an event quest with an ‘achievement’ attached, or because support will arrive in five minutes, the basic point reward felt a bit disappointing.

But that disappointment was fleeting.

“Well, the important thing isn’t the point reward, but the ‘additional rewards.'”

There is a question mark reward, but what I’m really curious about is what the ‘additional rewards based on performance’ will be.

“…Even though the achievement is tied to an event quest, I did put in some effort this time, so the rewards should be good, right?”

I said that, but honestly, it wasn’t just ‘some’ effort.

I single-handedly wiped out hundreds of thousands of corrupted beings and eliminated five named corrupted, along with the Death of Greed evasion items.

At this point, it’s not just ‘some’ effort; it’s ‘a lot,’ isn’t it?

And even if I hadn’t performed well, it wouldn’t have mattered.

“Tera, can I ask you to adjust the rewards?”

[Yes, leave it to me.]

[ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌ )]

Right now, I have Tera with me.

I exhaled a breath mixed with tension and anticipation at Tera’s confident assurance.

Then, I pressed the flashing quest window to claim my rewards.

────────────────────

Event Quest (Achievement): Quest Clear

────────────────────

────────────────────

「You will receive ‘100,000 points’ as a reward.」

────────────────────

With a message glowing in a ruby-like red, the basic reward notification appeared.

And following that.

Bam bam ba bam!

With the fanfare I hadn’t heard in a long time, the details of the achievements were laid out before me.

[You have achieved an unbelievable accomplishment!]

[Calculating achievement details.]

────────────────────

“Single-handedly defeated a massive army of hundreds of thousands.”

“Rewards are increasing.”

“Surpassed the ‘Survive’ challenge presented by the achievement.”

“Rewards are increasing.”

────────────────────

[Achievement details calculation complete.]

….

…….

[Beginning reward distribution.]

────────────────────

“??? As a reward, ‘1 A-rank talent and skill selection ticket’ will be granted.”

“??? As a reward, ‘2 rank-up tickets (for B-rank and below)’ will be granted.”

“??? As a reward, ‘1 random cheat usage ticket’ will be granted.”

────────────────────

────────────────────

“Rescue of ’10 members’ from the 1st Strike Force.”

“As an additional reward, ‘100,000 points’ will be granted.”

“Single-handedly defeated a massive army of hundreds of thousands (reward increased +)”

“As an additional reward, ‘1 S- rank item random ticket, 5 random cheat usage tickets’ will be granted.”

“Destroyed five death-avoidance items of the named corruptor ‘Greed’ (reward increased +)”

“As an additional reward, ‘1 S- rank item selection ticket, 2 selection cheat usage tickets’ will be granted.”

────────────────────

“Hmm….”

I let out a sigh as I gazed at the list of rewards before me.

No matter how you look at it, even if it’s an event quest titled ‘Achievement,’ the rewards are just too lackluster, aren’t they?

Sure, I can obtain two S- rank items, but… one of them is a random ticket, which means it could yield an item that doesn’t suit me at all.

And above all, the reason I feel the rewards are inadequate is that there are just too few cheat usage tickets.

“Six random usage tickets and two selection usage tickets….”

The difference from the last reward is just too much.

I shook my head at the meager compensation.

Then, I pushed the reward list aside and called for Terra.

“Terra, are you ready?”

[Yes, the reward adjustments are ready.]

“Alright, let’s take a look.”

With a heart full of anticipation, I rubbed my hands together.

[Then, I will begin the reward adjustments.]

[First, I will adjust the ??? reward.]

[‘One A-rank talent and skill selection ticket’ will be adjusted to ‘two tickets.’]

[‘Two rank-up tickets (for B-rank and below)’ will be adjusted to ‘three tickets.’]

“Hmm, not bad. It’s similar to the question mark reward from the last majestic quest.”

[☞(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و]

[Next, we will move on to the achievement rewards.]

This is the adjustment I’m most looking forward to.

I exhaled a breath filled with tension and excitement, staring intently at Terra’s message.

[‘Rescue of 10 members of the 1st Assault Unit’ reward.]

[‘100,000 points’ will be adjusted to ‘150,000 points.’]

That’s good.

[‘Single-handedly defeating hundreds of thousands of troops (reward enhancement+)’ reward.]

[‘One S- rank item random ticket’ will be adjusted to ‘one S- rank item selection ticket.’]

Oh, nice!

[‘Destruction of five death-avoidance items from the named corruptor ‘Greed’ (reward increase+)’ reward.]

[‘One S- rank item selection ticket’ will be adjusted to ‘one S rank item selection ticket.’]

Oh, great…

“What the—!”

I sprang up from my seat as if propelled by a spring.

What did I just see?

“It was definitely an S rank item selection ticket.”

I looked at Terra’s message with trembling eyes.

And I could see it clearly.

Written not as ‘S-‘ grade, but as ‘S’ grade.

“Tera…, you…”

Overwhelmed with emotion, I called out to Tera.

[ദ്ദി( ֊ ̫ ֊ )]

In response, Tera sent me a thumbs-up! emoji with a triumphant expression.

I returned the gesture with a double thumbs-up.

&

&

&

Meanwhile, in the continent of death.

A thunderous roar echoed from the region inhabited by Greed.

Bang, bang! Bang bang!

“Damn it! Of all people, that Kali, that b*tch, shows up—!”

Greed, resurrected in the body of his advisor, was thrashing about irritably.

With each outburst, objects shattered, the ground cracked, and nearby buildings were destroyed.

“Shit! Shit—!”

As he raged and cursed for a long while, suddenly—

“Oh my…, Greed. You’ve changed beautifully, haven’t you?”

A sinister voice echoed from somewhere.

At that, Greed, who had been wreaking havoc, abruptly halted.

“…Lust.”

Greed turned around, calling out the name of the seventh-ranked named.

There stood a woman with crimson hair and eyes, exuding an aura of seduction, smiling coyly at Greed.

Lust approached Greed slowly, her movements sultry and deliberate.

“I heard the news; you lost five lives to that little brat, Yoo-jin?”

At those words, Greed gritted his teeth, clenching them tightly.

But having resurrected in the body of the advisor, his soul’s alignment was still not properly established, so he couldn’t unleash his anger on Lust.

He was, quite literally, weakened and unable to retaliate.

“…Yeah, I lost five lives to that Yoo-jin. So what? Did you come to mock me?”

In the response laced with the malice of greed, the figure of Lust elegantly unfurled the fan it held, covering its mouth.

Then, with a soft chuckle, it caressed Grid’s body with its fingertips.

“Why would I mock you, my foolish and ugly little brother? It’s not even a seduction.”

“…Get your hands off me.”

Grid swatted away Lust’s hand, which had descended to his chest.

“Oh my, look at you being so feisty. Have you become cute?”

Lust stood before Grid, laughing as if it found the situation amusing.

“Well…, I’d love to play more, but I don’t have the time.”

“…….”

Grid trembled with rage, glaring at Lust with eyes filled with fury.

The desire to leap forward and snap that slender neck of Lust’s surged within him.

But according to the law of the jungle, he was currently weaker than Lust, so he refrained from making any reckless moves.

Seeing Grid’s predicament, Lust folded the fan with a look of disappointment.

Then, it pulled something from its bosom and extended it toward Grid.

“…What is that!”

Grid gasped in horror and quickly knelt on one knee.

At that moment, a voice emanated from the symbol of corruption, engraved with the mark of the ‘Apostle,’ which Lust held, accompanied by an indescribable aura.

– Grid.

“…I meet the Fourth Apostle.”

– I’ve heard the news. The invasion of the Korean Peninsula has failed.

“I-I’m truly sorry.”

Grid trembled, bowing his head even lower.

– It’s alright. I know the reason for the failure of the invasion.

“A-Apostle.”

At the Apostle’s words, Grid knelt fully, pressing the other knee to the ground in submission.

A single misstep here could cost him his life.

Thus, to survive, he had to show a posture of surrender… no, he had to reveal his sincerity.

“I apologize, Apostle! Please grant me just one more chance!”

– …A chance.

The Apostle pondered the word ‘chance.’

And a moment later.

– Very well.

“Master!”

Grid lifted his hopeful face to see the symbol of the Master.

– Grid, I will give you one last chance.

“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”

Grid thudded his head against the floor, thud, thud!

To him, the Master spoke.

– In the future, during the ‘Duel Season’ at the Arena Academy, lead all your forces and launch an assault.

“…An assault, you say?”

To go there alone, where the Transcendents are?

As he asked, filled with that sentiment.

– Of course, you will not be sent alone.

Fortunately, he said he wouldn’t be sent alone.

And then.

– Three Named Ones will accompany you, along with me.

The Master stated that he would personally join.