I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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The eyes of the cult leader I saw beyond the monitor while playing [COSMO] were an ordinary black.

No character could see through the illusion his eyes were under.

But Kim Il-shin was different.

“……”

The corners of the cult leader’s eyes twitched slightly.

It was a fleeting reaction that showed for just a moment, but Kim Il-shin did not miss it.

“Surprised?”

“…Hah.”

A sneer formed at the cult leader’s lips.

The emotion in his penetrating gaze towards Kim Il-shin was undoubtedly contempt and disgust.

“Indeed, you are a being that should not exist in this world.”

‘Didn’t Vernika say something like that too?’

Of course, while their forms were similar, there was a significant difference in nuance between the two.

If Vernika’s words were intemperate outbursts fueled by fear, the cult leader’s words bore the conviction of grounds and reasoning.

“The veil written in my eyes is the mark of the one I have sacrificed my soul to, and it is a milestone guiding our great undertaking. No one can glimpse what lies beneath the veil. No one but the two of us.”

His previously emotionless voice now carried a strong faith. It even felt vaguely relieving.

“One is the one who lowered this veil, and the other is you, who has no origin in this world.”

‘Wasn’t it just an ordinary illusion?’

If the illusion dwelling in those eyes was truly something directly imparted by the curse demon, then it was strange that it could be so easily dispelled.

Considering how much pain a single phrase from the curse demon in the books had caused, his words seemed more plausible.

It was as if a secret of the enemy had been revealed, but that didn’t change anything.

However, the cult leader didn’t seem to think so.

“Repent and take your own life. It’s the only way to lessen the massive sins you’ve built up until now.”

“That’s a laugh.”

“You’re foolish. Did you not realize your existence, formed merely from the remnants of dimension, is disturbing the order of this world?”

The cult leader spoke with unwavering authority.

He firmly believed that Kim Il-shin had to take his own life to rectify the order.

“You are but a pebble caught amongst the gears, hindering the great flow. A tiny mistake can disrupt a great undertaking, and should it not be fitting for you to realize your futility and vanish on your own?”

Bullshit.

This world was not some perfectly interlocking gear system.

There had been times when he thought he might be an invader in this world, but he had long realized that wasn’t the case.

The future is meant to change. A world that doesn’t is unworthy of being called a world.

A future that changes according to one’s steps. That was evidence that this world was alive and breathing.

Even the cult leader, who was spouting nonsense right in front of him, was a product of the changed future.

The story where the cult leader personally comes to confront him wasn’t in [COSMO].

But he had no intention of mentioning that.

Kim Il-shin raised one corner of his mouth while looking at the cult leader, and the cult leader read a refusal in that gesture.

“Are you going to throw away your last chance? How incredibly foolish.”

The cult leader sighed as if he felt sorry for him, then averted his gaze from Kim Il-shin.

He glanced around at the followers standing by, waiting only for his orders.

“Eighty-eight. The number of followers here. Do you think you can escape from them?”

“Let’s see.”

“Don’t deceive yourself in fear. You know their strength. All the followers here possess power akin to a bishop. Do you not realize that your very ability to speak comes from my mercy?”

Kim Il-shin knew that his words were not mere bravado. The pressure from the surrounding followers was significant.

In terms of sheer pressure, it was even greater than facing Vernika or the Sword Demon.

“Creepy.”

But Kim Il-shin only smiled calmly.

This was how he could perfectly grasp the cult leader’s plan.

“Are you still smiling?”

However, the cult leader viewed Kim Il-shin’s demeanor as another provocation.

As the cult leader’s fingers tapped lightly on the table, all of the followers simultaneously closed the distance.

As the enemies drew closer, nearly obscuring the view of the surroundings, Kim Il-shin’s right hand rose above the table.

Thud.

It was nothing more than a slight movement of his hand, neither invoking mana nor unsheathing a sword.

Yet that action halted all the enemies’ steps.

“Why are you stopping? Shouldn’t you hurry and kill me? The order of the world is getting disrupted even now.”

In Kim Il-shin’s hand was a mana bomb of Panhaeyul.

He had three strategic weapons that could turn the tide of battle with just one.

Great power without corresponding software would yield little effectiveness.

Of course, the sheer number was dangerous, but without special abilities like the Sword Demon or puppeteer skills, they wouldn’t survive the mana bomb.

At worst, they would face partial destruction, at best, total annihilation.

The cult leader might be able to endure it, but that alone would buy enough time.

Furthermore, they were likely combatants created through the cult leader’s many abilities.

Thus, he wouldn’t want to lose them all here.

“You won’t come out unscathed.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t die even if I die.”

“Nonsense.”

After a brief retort, a moment of silence followed. The cult leader examined Kim Il-shin with his crimson eyes.

Through the conversation they had shared thus far, the cult leader had confirmed that his choice was the right one.

Kim Il-shin was extremely dangerous. He wouldn’t hesitate to use the sacred relic of the main church at all.

The cult leader flipped his hand over the table. Light gathered in the air above his palm, forming the shape of a mirror.

It was a mirror that looked rough and cheap enough to not suit the title of a sacred relic.

But it was quickly apparent that it was not an ordinary object.

The mirror reflected nothing but endless darkness.

Jinsa-gyeong (塵事鏡).

A sacred relic of the Jeokcheon Cult that could send the reflected opponent to an unreachable dimension.

Kim Il-shin’s expression hardened at the sight of the Jinsa-gyeong. The cult leader was incredulous.

“Hah. You know this too. What on earth are you? No, enough. I don’t want to know.”

Even asking felt repulsive now. He turned the mirror towards Kim Il-shin.

“I’ll spare you the explanation. I am granting you a new opportunity, to carry the unforgivable sins you bear. So be grateful for the infinite mercy of the one.”

Kim Il-shin’s expression remained firm. But internally, his thoughts differed from those of the cult leader.

‘It seems I’m definitely cornered.’

In [COSMO], the only time the cult leader used the Jinsa-gyeong was when he was backed into a corner.

It was a precious item held in high regard.

The intended use of the Jinsa-gyeong was to send troublesome players to distant dimensions, ensuring they could never return.

Thus, he babbled about new opportunities and the mercy of the one.

In his mind, he believed he was sending them to another dimension without killing them.

But there were several facts the cult leader was unaware of.

Being subjected to the Jinsa-gyeong wouldn’t trigger a bad ending.

It meant there was a way to return from the transferred dimension.

And another thing.

‘This is more important.’

There was something that could only be obtained from the dimension crossed over using the Jinsa-gyeong.

And it played a crucial role in the final boss battle.

‘I didn’t think I’d end up taking this route.’

It was one of the plans he had set aside because there was no way to induce the use of the Jinsa-gyeong.

Now, it was unexpectedly being put into action.

‘Good thing I was prepared.’

There were also contingency plans for unforeseen circumstances, so this situation was nothing short of a boon.

Had the cult leader engaged in battle without using the Jinsa-gyeong, it would’ve been difficult to gauge his survival chances.

The hardened expression was to avoid revealing those thoughts.

It was better than acting clumsily.

“Look.”

A square portal opened next to the cult leader, who seemed to think he had seized the upper hand.

Coming out of it were Hanarin and Hazuki.

Without needing words, the intent was obvious.

If he were to act carelessly, the Jinsa-gyeong would reflect those two.

The activation speed of the Jinsa-gyeong was swift, but for someone like Kim Il-shin, it wasn’t something he couldn’t evade.

However, those two, caught off guard, would surely be unable to react, making it an effective threat.

Of course, that would only be the case if Kim Il-shin had no knowledge of the Jinsa-gyeong and the dimension beyond it.

‘Is this really happening?’

Kim Il-shin struggled to keep his lips from curling upwards.

It was almost magical how everything was going exactly as planned.

[Uhm…? What’s going on?]
[……It seems something is happening. Come behind me.]

Hanarin, confused, and Hazuki, alert as ever. They passed through the store door where the cult leader had set his traps and arrived in this space.

That meant they had entered the effective range of the Jinsa-gyeong.

It also meant that all the conditions to complete Kim Il-shin’s plan were in place.

Boom—!!

Kim Il-shin began to charge forward, engulfed in a storm.

In an instant, the circle intertwined with his heart began to spin and rampage, pouring all of its power into speed.

“Tsk.”

With a click of the tongue, a column of black light burst forth from the activated Jinsa-gyeong aimed not at Kim Il-shin but at Hazuki. Just as he wished.

“Uh…?”

Kim Il-shin, dashing faster than ever before, enveloped both Hazuki and Hanarin behind her all at once.

The moment the light from the Jinsa-gyeong touched them.

Whoosh.

With a brief flash, the three vanished without a trace.

“……They move.”

Confirming that the Jinsa-gyeong had finished its activation, the cult leader moved without delay. The grand undertaking was imminent.

‘……’

This plan had certainly succeeded.

The most significant threat, Kim Il-shin, along with the possibility of his women knowing something, had vanished in one fell swoop.

There would be no way back from there.

He presumably wanted to bring the women along to be together in another dimension.

‘……There’s no way back.’

Even so, the lingering unease continued to seep out as the cult leader desperately suppressed it.