1 Second Invincibility in the Game

“The Phantom Nightmare Irte” was a scenario prepared to sharpen the real combat instincts of Bellman, Ricks, and Edina. It felt right to let them fight amongst themselves, so intervening felt like the wrong choice. However, a variable emerged with the unexpected appearance of Silla, who wasn’t supposed to be there. I felt the need to check if they would discover Irte’s heart hidden within the statue. The suspense was overwhelming, so I intended to drop a hint and quietly slip away…

“Heheheh, now what will you do? Even this man has become a loyal servant of mine.”

The sleeping gas spread faster than expected, and in my haste to escape, I couldn’t reach Bellman’s barrier. Now, I had no choice but to play the role of Irte’s servant.

‘This situation… it’s kind of ridiculous and pathetic, isn’t it?’

‘Indeed, it does appear that way, Hersel.’

And yet, they were fooled by this. Irte’s capabilities suddenly seemed impressive. After all, the armored knights were selecting those unaffected by hypnosis to chase down. Even so, their master had no clue.

‘But honestly, I doubted it would work, yet it did.’

‘Indeed, Hersel.’

He didn’t use simple hypnosis on me. He used the “Eyes of Domination,” capable of turning even the strong into minions. He must have had absolute confidence. Following orders so obediently, there was no time to sense anything off.

With a stern face, Irte asked me, “Who is the master you serve?”

“The Lord of Dreams, Irte. You, of course.”

As I responded, I realized how hard it was to suppress laughter using only my cheek muscles and lips. It should have been obvious to him by now, especially with how his knights were chasing those unaffected by hypnosis, yet this fool merely nodded in satisfaction.

That cackling… it’s been ringing in my ears since earlier.

– Foolish Irte.

As Dorosian of the future said, Irte is indeed a fool. That’s probably why he was struck from behind and buried underground.

***

Bellman was drenched in cold sweat.

‘I thought handling just Professor Rockefeller might be doable, but this…’

There was a slim chance. Hypnosis magic usually had the weakness that those under it couldn’t fully utilize their abilities. This was especially true for wizards who used complex spells. But for swordsmen, the story was different. All that weakened was swordsmanship. Their physical abilities remained intact, and though they might not be able to wield aura precisely, they could still use it.

Ricks spoke tensely, his voice trailing off.

“Of all people, it had to be Hersel…”

He was a man stronger than most professors, something they knew all too well from experience. Gritting his teeth, Bellman strengthened the barrier.

‘Damn it, this is a dead-end. No matter how I think about it, I can’t find a way out.’

As the group tensed, Irte smiled slyly and pointed at the barrier.

“Now, break that down.”

At Irte’s command, Hersel stepped forward, drawing his sword with fiery eyes. His gaze seemed particularly focused on Ricks. As the tension mounted, Bellman quietly issued a command to his trembling companions.

“Let’s… let’s retreat for now.”

Whether it was possible to escape from Hersel was uncertain… Just as they looked for an opening to flee, Bellman’s eyes widened.

Hersel gripped his sword in reverse as if aiming to stab his own stomach.

‘What is he doing?’

That moment of confusion didn’t last long. Hersel thrust his sword, aiming for a narrow gap between his side and arm.

Splat!

No, not himself—he had struck between the ribs and arm of Irte behind him.

“Guh…”

Blood spurted from Irte’s mouth as he stared blankly at Hersel’s back, his face filled with disbelief.

“Wh-why?”

Irte asked, but Hersel calmly shook the blood off his sword and answered in an indifferent tone.

“Did you really think someone like me could be controlled by mere hypnosis?”

He raised his foot, preparing to crush the heart still beating in Irte’s chest. Irte, now on his knees, reached out with one hand.

“W-wait… you…”

But he couldn’t finish his words. Hersel showed no mercy, crushing the heart with a sickening crunch.

As blood splattered, the faded garden returned to its original vibrant color.

Whooooosh

Irte’s flesh turned to dust and began scattering in the wind, leaving only severed bones rolling on the ground. Rockefeller knelt on the floor and collapsed, completely unconscious with no movement at all. Hersel looked down at him, shook his head, and then started walking toward the garden path.

Clack, clack.

Everyone held their breath, stunned by the sudden scene that had unfolded. The first to break the silence was Silla.

“W-what… Did he just break free from the hypnosis on his own?”

Bellman fell into deep thought. The hypnosis was clearly on a different level, strong enough to incapacitate even Rockefeller. Yet Hersel had escaped from it as if it were nothing.

‘Just like with the Viper case, no matter how many times I witness it, I can’t fully grasp the extent of his abilities.’

Hersel calmly crossed the threshold of the indoor garden, his figure slowly disappearing from sight. Bellman couldn’t help but think that if there were ever a being without weaknesses, it would be someone like him.

***

As I exited the indoor garden, I found myself lost in deep thought. Should I have destroyed Irte’s heart? The question weighed heavily on me, as I had stolen an opportunity for growth from the key players. That was never a good thing for me either.

“Hmm.”

But to be fair, this time there really wasn’t much of a choice. If I hadn’t pretended to be a servant, I would have been struck down by the hypnotized Rockefeller. And if I had attacked Bellman’s group, I would’ve had to endure their relentless spells while stuck with the cooldown of my “One Second Invincibility.” I could already imagine how that would’ve gone.

– I’ll reflect on this and be more cautious next time.

By now, I was strolling through the lower hallway. The students who had been lying around with dazed expressions were slowly returning to their usual selves.

“Huh? What were we just doing?”

“…Not sure?”

I wanted to tell them, “You were just creating embarrassing memories under the influence of dreams,” but of course, I held my tongue. By tomorrow, Rockefeller would issue a notice, blaming it all on a research experiment gone wrong that spread sleeping gas throughout the academy. The reason? If people realized the truth, a flood of suicides from embarrassment would likely follow.

Naturally, those who weren’t hypnotized or had broken free would be instructed to keep quiet.

“Ugh, my shoulders feel a bit stiff.”

I stretched as I passed by the others. Before I knew it, I had reached the floor with the Adele Hall café. I was just about to pass by when the bell on the door chimed.

Ding-

Our eyes met as a soft sigh escaped.

It was Leana.

She raised her hand as if to greet me but hesitated midway and lowered it again. I gave her my usual mocking smile.

“Did you stick that hair to your lips to chew on it?”

“You’re such a tease…”

With a frustrated expression, Leana pulled the strand of hair off her cheek. She then relaxed her furrowed brow and gave a gentle smile.

“…Why are you smiling?”

“I just had a funny dream. It popped into my mind.”

It seemed the events from the hidden room lingered in her memory as a dream. Not exactly a pleasant development, so I continued on my way. But I couldn’t help overhearing Leana muttering under her breath.

“I wish… you were a bit more like that.”

I stopped in my tracks and quickly turned my head. Leana, realizing what she had just said, covered her mouth with her hand. I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

“Tsk, tsk.”

She’s the type who’ll end up hurt by a man pretending to be nice.

“W-why did you click your tongue all of a sudden?”

Sometimes, you just know.

***

After the monsoon ended, ten days felt like a single day. It was probably because there hadn’t been any significant scenarios for a while, making time pass without much notice. It was a peaceful period of self-improvement. That didn’t mean nothing was happening, though. Out of boredom, Rockefeller significantly increased the number of monster defense battles.

At first, quite a few people were jolted awake in the middle of the night, rushing to prepare in a daze, but those numbers steadily dwindled.

“Snow Monkeys are here!”

“Stop them from climbing the walls!”

Screech, screech!

Lately, Snow Monkeys had been appearing more frequently after waking from hibernation. Since their numbers were so high, Ricks’s blessing effects were also amplified.

[Your mana has slightly increased.]

[Your mana has slightly increased.]

[Your mana has slightly increased.]

As a result, the number of inventory slots, which used to be limited to three, increased to five.

While spending my days like this, a new event occurred.

“Ugh, Hersel…”

Just as more couples started getting together, Limberton became single again. I had to put in a lot of effort to console him.

“Didn’t I warn you? She was just using you for coins, but you ignored my advice, and now look at—”

I managed to hold back my words and instead patted him on the shoulder.

“Think of it as getting rid of bad luck. You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you? You’ve got plenty of good qualities, so you’ll meet someone better next time.”

“R-really?”

“Of course. Half of the world is women. Most might go after the handsome ones, but there’s bound to be someone out there who’ll see your true worth. Maybe abroad…”

Luckily, he perked up and stopped crying.

Then, something happened that made me more aware.

“Hello, Hersel. Long time no see.”

Dorosian began appearing in class more frequently. Judging by the books she always carried, it seemed she had been spending her time reading in the library. Naturally, these weren’t academic books but the genre novels that were never there whenever I went to borrow them.

Since we shared similar tastes, we eventually struck up a conversation.

“Seems like you’ve gotten really into reading lately.”

“Right? I’m surprised myself. Who would’ve thought I’d get so absorbed in this?”

Dorosian seemed puzzled by her new hobby. Gradually, the number of books she finished increased, and she started expressing some frustration.

“It’s hard to savor the books slowly. I’m so curious about what happens next.”

“Hm, should I tell you the ending of that book?”

“I’ll give you points for boldness.”

Spoiling the ending of a book for a woman who already knows the future—thinking about it, that’s like playing with my life.

Still, I did inform her that a large number of new books were coming soon.

“You can take your time with those. The library will be getting a fresh shipment of books soon.”

This was thanks to a promise I had secured from Arental, one of the Pathfinders’ elders. With the library filling up with new books, her boredom would soon be eased.

And so, I spent my time positively, building new relationships.

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