This Is Cheating, Man!

"This is cheating, you bastard!"

"Cheating? You pulled that crap, damn it! Who the hell unleashes a Cerberus out of nowhere like that? I nearly pissed my pants at my age because of you!"

"Ahem. Sorry about that, but…"

His apology was so late it might as well have caught a bus, then a plane. The old man, whose conscience was as bushy as his hair despite his scheming mind, averted his eyes from my glare and muttered.

"I didn't think you'd actually take down the Cerberus for real. How'd you do it?"

"Just caught it, like you saw."

I swept back my helmet-mussed hair and climbed out of the access module. Glancing around, not just the old man but Yoo Soo-yeon and the research team were all staring at me with that same "How the hell did you catch it?" look.

Damn nosy bystanders!

"Got nothing to say now, huh?"

"Ahem…"

"If you don't admit it after all that, I'm gonna get mad for real."

"…Fine, okay. Why're you getting all scary about it? Go ahead, do it. Player approved. Happy now?"

"Don't you have more to say?"

"…Ahem."

Trying to slink away, huh?

"…Speak up if you want any gear. As promised, all Association-owned equipment is yours for free. Damn it, this is a perk even A-ranks don't get!"

"A promise is a promise!"

Unlimited shopping pass acquired! Hardship leads to glory, right? Now for some fun shopping time.

Mom's excited too? Me too!

A little later, I strutted toward the shopping mall on the 15th floor of the Association building like a VVIP customer.

…With the old man in tow.

Didn't expect that wart to tag along.

"Gasp! Chairman?!"

"Th-the Chairman's here! What are you all doing? Get out here and greet him!"

"Someone bring tea!"

Thanks to him, the staff came scrambling out like their feet were on fire to pay respects to the bigwig. My hope for quiet shopping went up in smoke as a bonus.

"Uncle."

"Yeah?"

"I'll shop alone, so you go back upstairs and finish your work."

"Can't do that! How could I not follow when my favorite kid's picking gear he'll use from now on? I'll recommend some good stuff too! Trust this uncle, haha!"

Hard to believe this was the guy who'd sworn he'd never accept me as a Player even if dirt got in his eyes. Guess since he's given up, he's decided to go all-in on support fire?

"Uh, who's that with the Chairman…?"

"Looks young… A relative?"

"Whoa! I know her! She's the one from the morning news…!"

The attention on the old man quickly shifted to me. Plenty of staff recognized my face from the widely circulated news article and video today. Add in walking side-by-side with a big shot? Even without knowing the details, I looked like a VIP customer they needed to impress.

"Hey, hey! Go to the warehouse and grab that! You kept it safe, right?"

"Y-you mean that? B-but we were told never to display it unless it's a VIP…"

"That's exactly why we stash it in the warehouse—for times like this! No backtalk, bring it out!"

…What's that? Don't whisper among yourselves—tell me too.

Probably some special gear reserved just for VIPs. Gotta be top quality and price.

Orders like that flew left and right. You could see them rushing to pull out their secret weapons saved for moments like this.

Our surprise appearance turned the mall into chaos in seconds.

Everyone's so desperate to live well. Meanwhile, we're just browsing, haha.

"Jae-min, ignore those clowns and follow Uncle. There's a secret section here only top brass know about. That's where the real premium stuff is. I'll sneak you in special."

The old man whispered with a sleazy grin. Why's he whispering like some shady broker? Gives me chills.

Honestly, I was curious about that secret section. For someone like me who's only handled D-rank gear and below, I couldn't even imagine what perks were reserved for the elite few.

But.

There's only one piece of real premium gear here.

No matter how much of a mess my first timeline was, it wasn't worthless. Thanks to that mess, I can craft perfection now.

By seizing information first—like this sweet, honey-filled rice cake!

"Oh, that's not bad either, Jae-min. It's called 'Grandmother Ellias's Rapier.' You seemed pretty gifted with swords back there. Try it out—it excels in both cutting and piercing power. What do you think? Wanna check it?"

…They're ganging up on me from both sides. Ugh, so noisy it's giving me a headache I didn't have.

I pretended not to hear and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kept walking briskly.

Finally, I stopped at…

"Huh?"

A shabby little shop that couldn't join the hot frenzy sweeping the place. Unlike the others, it probably had no killer ace to confidently show a VIP, so the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠old shopkeeper was just suffering in silence. His face screamed it.

By the way, that "Huh?" came from both the shopkeeper and the old man at the same time.

Mom's curious too. Better to show than tell.

"Ah…! W-welcome!"

The dazed shopkeeper snapped to and bowed frantically.

"I saw some gear I like… Oh, no need to go that far!"

I waved him off as he bent at the waist like a flip phone. Overdo the courtesy and it gets awkward. Damn, all because of the old man glued to my back.

"Uh… Jae-min?"

"Yeah."

"This is really the place?"

"Yep."

The old man looked baffled too. Not surprising. Sorry, but objectively, this place is dingy. The others were decked out in shiny A+ gear glowing gold, while this one was all ashen.

But.

"This is the one."

"Uh… okay…?"

To my eyes, this shone brighter than any other shop. I strode through the musty interior to a moldy corner and pointed.

"I'll take this."

I picked a bastard sword hanging pathetically in the display case like pork at a butcher shop. The grip felt awful, and the blade was so rusted it might crumble if tapped.

The shopkeeper and old man's eyes bulged simultaneously.

"Th-that's not for sale! It's slated for disposal soon—we were just storing it…!"

the shopkeeper cried desperately.

Whatever.

"Disposal? Perfect. I'll handle that for you."

I lifted the sword like a hero drawing a holy blade. So badly rusted, even the fluorescent lights seemed to shy away from the blade.

I get the sentiment, Mom, but that's harsh.

Calm down. Don't waste hard-earned God Coins like that… I want to explain, but later.

"Uncle, this is the one."

I believe true 'genuine articles' can't be measured by price.

This rusted sword gripped firmly in my hand was exactly that.

But not yet. To unleash its true value, there's one place it must go.

Too tired today—tomorrow!

"If-if you've chosen it, it's an honor, but are you sure?!"

"Jae-min! Snap out of it! You beat a Cerberus fair and square—that thing's no good even to me! What's wrong? Uncle's sorry…!"

…Was gonna wait till tomorrow, but better go now.

"There's a Player named Lee Chan-hyuk."

After shopping, before Mom actually sponsored those glasses, I decided to explain why I chose this nameless rusted sword.

"He's nobody now, but in a year, he rises to A-rank."

"Like me, he mains swords, but his swordsmanship sucks. And frustratingly, even after hitting A-rank, it stays that way."

So what propelled him to success? The world's verdict: gear power.

"Item carry."

Lee Chan-hyuk got this sword for free right before disposal because he knew the shopkeeper. And ironically, that trash turned him into a star.

"A nobody Player skyrockets to A-rank with one killer item. This very sword. Funny, right?"

"Exactly. A Player's true power is the body, not gear. But it happened—so this thing must be game-changing enough to flip that truth."

People even mocked that the sword swung him, not the other way around.

"But from today, this sword's mine—so that future's gone forever, haha."

Sorry about that, Mr. Lee Chan-hyuk. Good luck.

Of course, it's still trash. Can't even imagine it slicing goblins properly, let alone grass.

She didn't see it, so no wonder. Out of 7 billion people, only I know why I picked this sword.

Time to show it.

"Good question, Mom."

I was climbing a mountain path, metal case holding the rusted sword in hand.

Gaun Mountain. It looms behind a university in Seongbuk-gu. Not far from the Association in Yeouido distance-wise, but I rode here in Yoo Soo-yeon's car.

Can't use public transport with my face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plastered everywhere!

I'd checked online articles beforehand. Guilds so famous you'd go "Oh, that one!" were desperately recruiting me. Right now, they're probably hyenas scanning for prey with bloodshot eyes.

Roaming exposed in this situation? No way.

Then.

Ding, ding!

"Ugh, these kids again."

How'd they get my number? Messages kept bombing in nonstop.

Not in the mood, you bastards. Like hell I'd be "hello" after a text bomb like this.

Power off the phone—problem solved.

When I left after shopping, the sun was already dipping low. The steep, dark path was no issue with vitamin power; I reached my target spot easily.

"Hmm… Supposed to be around midway up."

I didn't call Lee Chan-hyuk worthless for nothing. Even bombarded by reporters, spilling how he got his one lucky break on air? Come on.

Thanks to that, I get the honey.

"Ah, found it."

Sometimes they appear. Not random normal gates, but variant gates with unique shapes, spawn points, mana wavelengths—everything special.

The tree before me, with its cross-shaped knothole gaping wide, was one such example.

"This is it."

The gate's inside that knothole. I could feel the mana wavelength clearly. Tiny hole barely fitting a fist? No problem. Just reach in, and the gate sucks you…

"Freeze, you little shit!"