Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Is This What a Cheater Looks Like?
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League of Worlds was a game praised as the closest thing to perfection.
Pure, unadulterated realism.
Unparalleled fidelity.
The pinnacle of incomprehensible over-technology.
But even a game like that could occasionally run into a few issues.
This hacker controversy was no different.
Hacks usually boosted performance in specific modes or particular aspects of the game.
The suspicions aimed at Third Life revolved around aim assists, forced stat boosts, and the like...
And the proof he offered? Of all things, PVP.
Hardly anyone could make sense of why PVP, of all options.
'No way he just wanted to fight for the hell of it... right?'
Even Yura, whose guess was close to the mark, couldn't quite accept it as truth.
Why not?
Because it flew in the face of conventional wisdom.
On the surface, it looked like a strongman flaunting his power to prove himself to the weak.
Anyone living in a law-abiding society would expect clear, irrefutable evidence—something anyone could understand—to prove their innocence.
But most people, Yura included, didn't know.
That the world Third Life had lived in the most was one where laws existed, but power reigned supreme.
A place where overwhelming strength was all the proof you needed.
That character's very mindset proved his roots still lay in that era.
An appearance utterly unlike an eight-year-old boy.
A shell that couldn't contain his past self. It made it crystal clear his foundation hadn't shifted worlds yet.
Still, Third Life hadn't suggested PVP mode on a whim.
He saw this clash as a chance to lay bare their skills, letting everyone judge his true ability for themselves.
A matchup with identical stats and classes.
The only difference would come down to raw skill. Pure control.
The controversy swirling around Third Life was all about suspected stat hacks.
So, prove it was skill, not stats, and that would settle it. Hence, PVP.
However...
As Yura suspected, this kind of "explanation" only bred more resentment.
It couldn't pass as legitimate proof.
Once suspicion took root, biased eyes saw nothing else.
That's when one user egged on a PVP specialist streamer to jump into PVP mode.
With his stream content running dry anyway, the streamer accepted the mission. Heading into the bizarrely packed PVP lobby was a natural next step.
Hean—short for "Inestimable Insight"—was a solid streamer in League of Worlds.
With near-pro-level skills, she was a gamer who thrived in PVP, a mode reserved for true pure-skill players.
Hean's main content was high-octane duels that hooked viewers on the dopamine rush.
So she figured today would follow the same pattern.
Hean asked her opponent if they wanted to PVP.
The reply came quick.
A bit curt, but Hean brushed it off. PVP vets like her were numb to trash talk and pad-lipping. This was practically angelic behavior.
She'd assumed he jumped in expecting a stream.
But on second thought, no stream would draw this crowd. Just watch the VOD later, right?
So where did all these spectators come from?
Hean got her answer from the viewers.
Stream-watchers checking the community dropped comments in chat.
Details were scarce, but Hean could piece together the gist.
'Hack controversy, huh?'
Hean briefly regretted entering the lobby.
She trusted her own eyes over hearsay—no snap judgments here.
But the controversy itself was the problem.
If they fought, she had to win.
Losing would tarnish her rep as a PVP ace.
Bailing was an option, but it'd just look like chickening out.
Win or fight and lose—either way, she had to fight. And if fighting, victory was best.
Hean locked in her build.
What was the opponent running? Sword wielder—swordsman class, probably?
Better to kite from range than trade blows up close.
If it really was a hack, melee was suicide.
Best bet: ranged mage setup.
Hean had chops as a mage too. Multiple builds under her belt, but she went mobility and ranged DPS.
Circle-strafe and pepper him.
The game kicked off right after builds locked.
'First, let's see how he fights.'
Hean fell back.
A massive sniper rifle in her hands.
Distance opened in a flash.
All-in on mobility and range meant she pulled away hard.
Didn't he know? Never give a sniper-specialized mage room to breathe.
Why just stand there?
Third Life stared back, sword dangling loosely.
Not making the first move?
He wasn't dumb enough to hand a mage free range... right?
Where did that confidence come from?
Skill? Or hack?
Well...
'I'll see with my own eyes.'
Perfect timing—he even messaged her to attack.
No more hesitation.
Click.
She steadied her stance, took a slow breath.
Cast vision correction magic, bolstered her body against recoil.
Prepped buffs, locked sights on his head...
BANG!
A deafening roar shattered the air as the bullet flew.
Boosted by recoil assist, elemental enhancement, precision shot, homing rounds—no hesitation, straight for Third Life's skull.
That's why mage + sniper wrecked pure swordsmen, given the right setup.
Just shoot from afar and chunk them down easy.
Third Life looked oblivious, about to eat the shot.
But seconds ticked by. No impact. No hit confirmation.
'What? Glitch?'
As Hean puzzled, Third Life charged.
Thud thud thud!
His speed was sluggish.
No class selected, so no job bonuses—way slower than specialized builds.
Plenty of time for Hean to fire again. And closer now, she could see how he dodged.
BANG!
Straight shot.
Much closer this time, but still a miss.
Hean spotted it.
Third Life's eyes never left her.
Gun barrel direction, the tiniest shoulder twitch. Breath cycle. He caught it all, stepping ahead preemptively.
Reflexes and athleticism bordering on precognition, all from that eerie gaze.
'Reacting to what he sees?'
Her battle-honed instincts screamed.
That's not a hacker.
Hacks don't react—they auto-dodge.
Hacks have telltale hitches: unnatural flow, stuttery motion.
Nothing like that from Third Life. Zero signs.
Chillingly flawless evasion.
She wanted to study it more, but no time.
'Gap—now!'
In her split-second glance away, he closed the distance.
Hean blinked a mobility spell to retreat, but...
"Body Enhancement," he murmured, casting softly.
His speed spiked. Shadow loomed over Hean.
And then.
Slash.
Now she saw: opponent's class was Jobless.
Staring at her red screen, Hean muttered to herself.
"Is this what they call a cheater...?"
No way.