1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

11. The Mistress (3)

As I walked down the corridor, I could faintly hear the servants’ murmuring. When I glanced their way, they quickly averted their gaze and pretended to be indifferent.

It’s something that has been happening more frequently these days.

As more lines are drawn through the pages of the notebook listing assassination methods, the number of eyes trembling in fear also began to increase.

Conversely, the number of assassination attempts had decreased by that much.

It was both a good sign and, at the same time, a bad omen.

If the usual methods didn’t work, it was only natural to change strategies and approach.

“Anything new?”

I asked Celie, assuming a writing posture.

The response was a sleepy gaze and a curt answer.

“There’s nothing… When people see me, they just shut up. What can I do?”

I asked just in case, but the expected answer popped out.

Thus, as long as Celie was isolated, the new assassination method would not be updated.

“Your value is starting to drop.”

“……”

While Celie grumbled with a sour face, I sighed and cooled my burning insides.

Ever since I learned that the landlady was a formidable woman at our last meeting, my guard was up.

And the thought of an unknown threat coming made my anxiety worse.

If the moment comes when I have to improvise on the spot.

In a crisis that came so suddenly that it didn’t even allow for prior practice, if I were to fail even once, would I be able to survive?

I put away my notebook and stood up. I didn’t want to sit still and do nothing.

“Where are you going?”

“I just want to take a walk.”

With those simple words, I left my seat.

As I closed the door, I overheard Celie cracking pumpkin seeds.

“Go ahead and live on your own once the sweetness is gone. I might just push you off a cliff again.”

…That spiteful girl.

When you read web novels, even the worst rascals have at least one loyal maid, but mine has lost her taste.

“How are you, young master?”

“Hmm?”

I stopped at the sudden male voice.

“I’ve come at your call. You wanted to get some fresh air, didn’t you?”

It was the faces of familiar men.

The two men who had left me to fall off a cliff under the pretense of escorting me.

The man who had put a knife to my throat, as Celly had told me, was named Jack, and the towering figure was Rodell, I believe.

It was Jack who was speaking to me now.

But he said I called for him? I did no such thing…

I quickly realized why they were engaging in this strange charade.

He was only rolling his eyes, scanning the servants milling about. Clearly, he was watching out for others.

As if he had something to say in a place devoid of people.

“You’re late. Shouldn’t you have come earlier and waited?”

I responded as naturally as possible and walked past Jack’s back. These two men were safe to follow.

I’ve long bluffed that if I die, a will detailing the day’s atrocities would be revealed.

If they truly believed that, they would prioritize my safety, not trap me.

It was only after we passed the main gate and reached a spot a bit away from the mansion grounds that Jack spoke up.

“Indeed… Did you foresee the current situation, young master?”

The ‘current situation’ obviously meant the festival.

But foresee it?

Dumbfounded, I kept silent, and Jack’s eyes crinkled as if to say, ‘What more are you hiding?’

“It’s alright, young master. You showed us that day, didn’t you? The claws you had been hiding.”

“Claws?”

I thought I had trimmed them well.

“To be honest, I was somewhat skeptical. That day… ahem, I mean, the day of the unfortunate incident. I wondered if it was all an illusion, but we have ears to hear. Hearing the rumors about you, young master, I became certain.”

Rodell chimed in with a laugh.

“Indeed, how amusing it was every time those who knew neither their place nor your abilities fell flat. Those insolent fools, even if they tried, could they ever harm your noble self?”

His tone was as if he considered himself a master swordsman.

It seems I’ve been caught in a ridiculous misunderstanding. Of course, I was the one who caused it.

When his sword broke against my neck, I must have said something like this…

-Still got half a sword left. Why not swing it again, eh?

To prevent a follow-up attack, I probably blurted out…

-From the cliff. And now here. I’ve already given you two chances. You’d better be prepared for the third.

And the final line I spat out to make my stance clear…

-Are your lives even worth reaping by my hand?

No doubt, my bravado that day had a lethal effect.

Rumors of surviving dozens of assassination attempts must have given them great confidence.

I could see how it was enough to cause a misunderstanding.

But what now?

What if they find out the truth behind the sparrow that played phoenix, that it was all a deception?

I nodded, looking at the forearms of the two men, strong enough to crush a watermelon with a headlock.

“Exactly. The mistress would have expected this.”

Showing weakness would only reveal a gap. They might even concoct a scheme to counter the will’s threats.

I couldn’t even give them a chance to think that way.

“And look at this mess now. Sending mere servants? It’s like sharpening a blade all for the sake of cutting paper. Isn’t it laughable?”

Bluster flowed from my lips like a babbling brook. It seems I’ve become quite accustomed to this act, not even flinching.

Jack and Rodel incessantly marveled at my more polished pretense.

“Was it all an act, the mask of that damned scoundrel you wore!”

“I knew something was off, Uncle Jack. How could someone of your stature constantly be drunk, picking fights over nothing, laughing at the innocent being whipped, or peeping at a woman drawing water, lifting her skirt? I just couldn’t understand it. Regardless of one’s background, that’s not how a person should behave, right?”

So that was it.

Impressive, Hassel.

I just listened quietly to the endless stream of words. Rodel, thinking he had been rude, began to make amends in a voice as faint as an ant’s.

“Ahem, but now I understand. You had no choice but to survive…”

“……”

So why have these fools brought me here to sweet-talk me?

The reason is probably what I’m thinking.

They see the potential for me to become the head of the family, hoping to pick up crumbs from the table.

I turned my back as if to leave immediately, to provoke their main point.

“I didn’t come here just to hear such nonsense. I’m leaving.”

Jack’s pleading followed me.

“Sir, may we sincerely serve you?”

As expected. I asked curtly, intending to rebuff them.

“Do you think you’re worth that?”

Predictably, Jack rattled off his appeal like a job applicant.

“Yes, indeed. We are now mixed with the people of the mansion. On the surface, we will continue to act hostile towards you. Wouldn’t that make this possible? To secretly convey to you all the rumors and schemes happening inside.”

“You mean to play the spy…”

It was quite a tempting offer.

It had its value in the role of an informant, and when enemies invaded, it was just a matter of brushing them off with a ‘deal with it yourself’ attitude.

“I won’t be of much help, but well, it’s better than nothing.”

As I casually agreed, Jack’s face lit up with color.

“Really? Even after such rudeness before, you’re really taking us in?”

Yep. As interns on the road to hell.

* * *

The desk was cluttered with empty cans. All were energy drinks bought cheaply at the convenience store on a 1+1 deal.

The mascot for this product was an elephant wearing sunglasses.

The drink I had been consuming was quickly discontinued and replaced several times, but the keyboard and monitor I was tapping on remained the same despite requests for an upgrade.

“There’s a new one out.”

Miran, who was also working overtime, showed interest in the new product. I offered her a can, dark circles under my eyes not concealed by makeup.

“Want one?”

“Sure, I’d love to.”

Chick-

The sound of a can opening came from beside me. I watched Miran gulp down the fizzy drink, then refocused my gaze on the monitor screen.

“But sir, are you sure that’s okay?”

“What is.”

“Our job is security, you know. The things you’ve been doing lately, don’t they go against professional ethics?”

Miran knew too.

That I was cracking Asares’ security design on my personal laptop during every break.

She was chiding me for my duplicity, as a security software writer, in hacking into someone else’s security.

“It’s an old single-player game. It’s not harming anyone.”

“Still…”

“You’re not expecting a raise, are you?”

I laughed it off as if it wasn’t a big deal. Deciding that the conversation was pointless, I refocused on my work. But today, Miran was unusually talkative.

“You seem to be unaware, sir.”

“Huh?”

I flinched. Her hand had reached over my desk.

Her outstretched index finger was pointing directly at the power button on my computer tower.

After endless nights of overtime, I wondered if my mind had finally snapped.

I should talk to the boss, maybe get a few days off.

“Miran, you seem to be in poor shape lately? Don’t worry about work, I’ll handle it. You can take a few days off if you need-“

“Look at yourself right now, Assistant Manager.”

Click-

As her finger touched the button, the cooler halted and the monitor was shrouded in darkness.

A tremor went through my eyes reflected on the screen.

The distinct features of that figure were definitely not my own face.

“You’re still being punished as we speak.”

…

…

Was it all just a dream?

The conversation with Miran just now, getting sucked into Asares, all of it…?

No, that wasn’t it. Letters were still visible on my retina.

They served as indicators, distinguishing precisely what was a dream and what was reality.

[Physical attack detected.]

[Ability activated.]

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 59 seconds]

Instead of a morning call, the sound of metal shattering reverberated in my ears.

Crash──!

Opening my eyes, I saw the silhouette of a person holding a broken dagger.

Yes, this was Asares.

I was fated to survive in this damned mansion.

Bang-!

I kicked off the covers and rolled out of bed, backing into a corner against the wall.

“It’s true! I wondered if it was just a rumor.”

A butler’s attire with slicked-back hair.

An uncle who seemed like a wild beast neatly dressed as a gentleman exclaimed in awe.

I was bothered by the teeth gleaming at the corners of his mouth.

To have failed an assassination yet remain so nonchalant. Dressed as a butler, his aura was distinctly different from the other servants.

“……”

I glanced sideways at the door. The string connecting the doorknob to the desk, with the bell for summoning still hanging, was intact.

It was a rudimentary security measure for safe sleep, yet it hadn’t rung. The door seemed to be locked as usual.

Even if it were a venomous spider, it could have slipped through the gap under the door, but how did someone of his size get in?

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I spotted the pieces of the dagger that had been knocked away earlier. Thinking it could serve as a weapon, I pretended to rise and secretly picked them up.

Next, I attempted to buy some cooldown time with conversation.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be treated as an accidental death?”

I was curious.

The act just now blatantly contradicted the method the mansion’s servants had been determined to dress up as an accidental death.

They would have abhorred my death being seen as anything but an accident, so why?

“There are ways around that.”

He dismissed it with a meaningful phrase and flung the broken dagger to the floor. Empty-handed, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.

“Pity. If your throat had been slit, it would have been a somewhat sweet death.”

The assassin was blocking the path to the door. I moved slowly towards the window, feigning nonchalance as naturally as possible.

“A sweet death… that sounds nice.”

I muttered anything, checking the cooldown.

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 21 seconds]

“Too bad, but such things won’t happen. Even if you beckon me, I’ll only run away.”

I had kept it in mind, just in case. In case an assassin came directly to my room for a standoff. I had already thought of a way to deal with it.

My quarters were on the fifth floor. A fall from here would leave an ordinary person unable to collect their bones.

But not me. I have a skill that saved me from a fall from an even steeper cliff.

If I jump now, I can put distance between us and get to the guards who are on my side, thus saving my life.

Fortunately, the assassin seemed merely interested in observing my reaction.

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 1 second]

After an agonizing wait, the cooldown was almost over. The distance between us was sufficient. My hand reached out to fling open the window when—

Ping!

[1-second invincibility: available]

Bang!

[A physical attack has been detected.]

[Invincibility is activated for 1 second.]

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 60 seconds]

Something flew at me with incredible speed, nearly piercing my forehead. Or rather, it almost did.

The object that hit my head and sent me tumbling to the ground was… a small object, smaller than an arrow. A bolt, perhaps?

When I looked up, the assassin already had a crossbow in hand.

“Quite impressive. You aimed right for the forehead.”

…Damn it.

I hadn’t anticipated that he would have hidden a crossbow within his cloak. And to think he managed to draw it in that fleeting moment and aim so precisely, he was no ordinary foe.

“So neither swords nor bows work on you? Are you really an immortal, as the servants have been gossiping?”

He kept blabbering, but regardless, I needed to buy time to survive. I stoked the ‘Noble Blood’s Last Ember’ to its maximum and bluffed.

“This is the last time I’ll tolerate such insolence. I’m giving you a chance to back off now.”

It seemed my bluff worked. He threw the crossbow to the ground.

“You talk big, but you seem quite deflated, don’t you?”

But his retort almost made me choke. He sneered and pulled something else from his cloak.

A sphere shaped like a skull, about the size of a billiard ball.

My eyes widened. It was an object I knew all too well.

[The Cursed Giant’s Skull]

● Attribute: Curse.

Objects shrink when exposed to light.

Shrunken objects return to normal size when exposed to light again.

“Let’s see if this works on you, to verify if you truly are an immortal.”

I tried to dodge reflexively, but it was impossible to avoid the red light pouring from the skull’s eye sockets.

In an instant, I shrank to the size of a fist, and his hand swept the floor like a claw.

“As expected, even an immortal can’t escape this.”

His grip caught my body precisely. I tried to muster strength in my captured form, but I couldn’t move an inch.

So this was how he entered without opening the door, and the secret to making it look like not a murder.

With this, he could’ve shrunk and slipped through the door cracks, and easily disposed of my body as well.

“I was going to make it look like a disappearance, but now, you seem like a more amusing toy. How about it? Fancy a fight with an ant?”

The grip tightened progressively. It wasn’t enough to kill me on the spot, but it was sufficient to let out a groan.

“Urgh…”

I found myself in a desperate situation, no different from a bug that had been collected, but even as I grimaced in pain, my gaze was fixed on one thing.

[1-Second Invincibility Cooldown: 18 seconds]

Whether he sneered with a face full of malice or not, I was counting down the cooldown. My grip tightened around the shard of the dagger.