1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

17. The Mine (4)

“Young master!”

It was a clear mistake. I was so focused on dealing with the sorcerer that I failed to notice the completion of the golem-summoning ritual.

Although obscured by dust, it was obvious that he must have been crushed to death.

The blow was so powerful it could have caused an earthquake, and even if he had been surrounded by an aura, it was doubtful he could have withstood it. Especially since the reckless young master, who didn’t feel any energy, was unlikely to survive such an attack.

Then, a strange noise pierced Dellerger’s ears.

Crrrrack──

The sound of rock splitting. It came from the golem’s fist, where a crack had formed and spread up the arm to the chest like tree roots.

From the gaping chest of the golem, a faint light emanated. The light, which seemed alive and moving, was undoubtedly the latent magic within the torso.

In the reflected light amidst the dusty haze, the silhouette of a man standing upright was revealed. Dellerger rubbed his eyes. He wasn’t seeing things.

The deep voice that resonated was unmistakably his.

“This is troublesome… I’ll be shedding stone fragments when I wash my hair.”

Dellerger twitched as if electrocuted by the casual remark.

In his pale, shocked mind, Hersel’s words vividly resurfaced.

–Choose wisely. I could easily deal with such a scoundrel, but I’m giving you a chance out of pity.

Perhaps, the words he had spoken were sincere.

Surviving unscathed from that fist without emitting an aura meant he had reached a profound level.

‘The mastery of aura is different.’

It was a story from when Ashen Commander Redenick once challenged a man to a duel.

Redenick, a knight renowned for his unparalleled skills in his era, was brutally defeated by that man.

The monster who had defeated him left these words, speaking of a reward for amusement.

–Aura is not something to be released, but to be contained.

He even demonstrated a profound lesson by piercing his own skin with a real sword, causing the blade to break.

–The more you accumulate and compress, the harder it becomes, even more than steel.

True to his words, there was indeed something peculiar about him. Whether he really didn’t emit even a trace of aura, he appeared to be just a robust ordinary person.

Like father, like son, one might say, just like the man before me.

‘Yes, his father was like that. Blood doesn’t lie, does it?’

But why had he asked for help?

Dellerger was troubled by this thought, but he could infer the answer from Hersel’s next words.

“I wanted to avoid getting dirtier, you see.”

It seemed he was given this menial task just for the sake of it, as there was nothing else that came to mind.

Thud─

The golem, having lost one arm, began to stir once again, and its gaze met Hershel’s.

An unreadable expression. Dellar thought about helping, but hesitated, fearing it might be rude to intervene uninvited.

The golem’s weakness is the magic formula.

It’s like having a heart exposed outside the body for humans, and tampering with it would be akin to snatching prey that someone else had already caught.

And, it was bothersome.

Whir──

The golem’s remaining arm swung in an arc, slicing through the air.

Simultaneously, the dagger in Hershel’s hand flew like a throwing knife, plunging deep into the exposed end of the magic formula on the chest.

Crack─

At a distance barely enough to fit a hand.

The golem’s fist, ultimately, did not reach Hershel, and its body crumbled like a tower of cards.

* * *

Stones hit the ground. It felt like when a stone pagoda at a historical site seen during a school trip collapsed.

Nonetheless, the shock didn’t settle down.

When the golem’s fist came close, I truly thought I was a goner.

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 43 seconds]

It was a narrow escape, breaking through the tight space and destroying the magic formula.

If I hadn’t thrown the dagger precisely as Donatan had tuned it, I would have certainly bid farewell to this world.

The previous owner of the thing was a fake sword saint, which had me worried, but it seems his throwing skills were as good as an acrobat hitting an apple on his head with a knife.

But that damned guy.

He even gave me a hint, but did nothing and just watched?

I almost let out a curse due to Dellar’s dereliction of duty.

“···?”

But where is that guy looking now?

Dellar was intently observing the wall. I, too, became curious and picked up the lamp rolling on the floor, approaching him.

A wall made of planks buried among the stones became visible. It was revealed by the rocks torn away by the golem.

It was undoubtedly the boarded-up tunnel I had seen during the preliminary survey.

“Clear this away, please.”

“Yes…”

Dellorger slashed through the planks with his sword as if to shatter them. Stepping inside, he swept away the blanket on the floor, revealing a large hole filled with neatly crafted gold bars, stacked as high as a double bed.

The amount far exceeded expectations, causing cold sweat to trickle down. At the same time, he felt a quiver at the corners of his mouth.

Even Dellorger’s dark pupils seemed to be tinged with gold. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he said,

“This is… the same as what we gave you. But then, why did you come here earlier today?”

“I forgot where I put it.”

“…?”

Dellorger tilted his head, but what could he do? It was the truth. Trying to read my mind, Dellorger pondered for a moment before muttering, “Alcoholic amnesia, perhaps.” Then he addressed me,

“It doesn’t really matter, but I do hope you haven’t forgotten the information you’re supposed to share.”

“Of course not.”

What remained was to deal with the slush fund. Before these beautiful things departed, I gazed intently at the gold. Curious about the texture of pure gold, I sniffed its scent and felt its touch as I ran my hand over it.

It’s real gold. And disgustingly abundant. It felt like getting the best reward from a random box, making my grip tighten.

With this much gold…

Laughter burst forth without my noticing.

“Hehehe.”

Now, I’m about to cast a spell.

A spell to turn this time bomb into a top prize.

* * *

After the commotion had subsided, inside the annex.

Aria’s gesture caused the negotiation table to wobble slightly.

Her eyes as wide as lanterns, she began with an unsatisfied tone,

“…Are you saying you want to buy that?”

Given that it was no ordinary item, such a reaction wasn’t unreasonable.

“My letter of recommendation?”

If one were a child of Orvella, they would always carry that letter from their father like a talisman.

It had enough value that even when caught by thieves, merely possessing it ensured preferential treatment and release.

Moreover, whenever stepping into the territories of other prominent families, the heads would grovel, begging to have even one of their children’s names added to the letter, ensuring VIP treatment.

That was why I was willing to trade all these gold bars for just that piece of paper, the recommendation letter.

“Do you not realize the treatment you receive from the noble houses?”

I didn’t bother to answer.

What would the gaze be like if the most cherished daughter of the Orvella family were to raise the name ‘Hershel’?

“Even if I were to raise the name, do you think it would be accepted? You know what kind of person my father is.”

Normally, one would throw away the recommendation letter upon seeing the name. No, it would be fortunate if it wasn’t torn to pieces.

The ‘Edel Cryse’ club, called the nobility above nobility. Becoming a member is notoriously difficult, so disposing of recommendation letters is a common occurrence.

The members are from the royal family. Heads of prestigious families. Or those who have achieved such great deeds that their stories are heard everywhere.

Nowadays, it’s fortunate if dogs and cows applying don’t get salt thrown at them.

A rascal like that would be cut off right at the entrance by the head of the Orvella family who reviews the membership permissions…

But, there’s always a way.

I’m the one who managed to get two-thirds of the playable characters into Edel Cryse.

That’s to say, I’ve tried with all characters except those the game company has made impossible to enter.

In the game, I had to meet the child of Orvella who would write the recommendation letter, and showing sincerity and building a certain level of trust was the basic condition.

Having achieved the two conditions of meeting and sincerity (money), I was brimming with a smile.

“Your recommendation letter would be different, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s true, but… don’t smile like that. It makes you look like you’re going to stab me in the back.”

Looking in the mirror on the wall, I realized once again that Hershel’s smile was filled with schemes, just like a boss’s smile. A damn face not good for trust-building.

I smoothed my face back to its original expression. Then Aria coughed and shot me a sharp look.

“Let’s get this straight. I’m here to question how you found out the secrets of the dungeon tower, not to talk about recommendation letters.”

A faint anxiety could be felt in Aria’s voice. If the business were to fail, the head of the Orvella family would not stay quiet.

“There must be others who know this fact, right? You couldn’t have possibly set foot on that land and searched it yourself.”

To ease her mood, I put on the mask of a rascal.

“Of course, there were. Not anymore, though.”

“…Not anymore?”

“The fewer who know, the more the benefits become mine, right?”

Adding Hershel’s signature evil smile, Aria swallowed a gulp of air. She seemed to be imagining things as I intended.

“Don’t worry. I’ve properly sealed all the mouths that needed to be sealed. It would be troublesome for me too if this deal went wrong. It’s something I’ve been planning for a long time.”

With that, I gestured towards the gold bars. Aria’s eyes widened as she understood my intention.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been dealing with me from the start to buy the recommendation letter?”

The dust was thick on the gold bars at the very bottom, and judging by the amount paid and the duration of the deal, it was clear that the rebate had been diligently accumulated without missing a penny.

Of course, I still don’t know what Hershel is planning to do with such money, but what does it matter?

Thanks to you, I’ve become a villain full of schemes, and such a villain saying ‘everything is going according to my plan’ lent credibility to Aria’s belief in my previous statements.

“Somehow… even for a notorious foolhardy young master known for being clueless about the ways of the world, it was strange that he took such a beating without a word… It seems the trap was set for us after all.”

And the extra spoonful is just a bonus.

Aria, who had been glaring at me as if indignant, sighed.

“Well, fine. Let’s have a serious talk about the letter of recommendation.”

“Let’s do that.”

“As Mr. Hersel said, with my recommendation, you’ll likely become a member.”

She says it so nonchalantly.

Others might see it as arrogant, but I share her confidence.

Currently, the most cherished child of the Orvella family head is this woman.

Orvella is a family that strictly adheres to meritocracy.

Regardless of hierarchy or succession order, the head of the family has declared that the next head will be the offspring who brings in the most wealth.

And Aria, at this point, is the legitimate daughter who stands above her competitive half-siblings.

“That means, if you can persuade me, you’re in…”

Aria continued, eyeing the gold bar again.

“Doesn’t this seem a bit insufficient? No matter how strong my say is, even if my father permits it, the moment you raise Mr. Hersel’s name, my father’s trust in my judgment will waver. It might even be recorded as a blemish.”

Aria’s outstretched fingers touched each other’s fingerprints. It was a gesture she showed whenever she was expecting something. She seemed quite intrigued by the situation.

“Will you provide something more for the credit I stand to lose?”

“Value…”

“I’m curious to know how much you think my credit is worth, Mr. Hersel.”

When the moment I had been waiting for arrived, I gazed deeply into Aria’s eyes. Her pupils slowly dilated with the gesture of certainty.

“I do have a tempting offer. Not necessarily you, but an offer that could persuade your father, even if it were your siblings.”

I should have explained earlier.

The creator didn’t outright block it, so I tried making all playable characters members of Edel Cryse.

It was possible because they all had cheat-like secrets.

“Aren’t you looking for it? The ledger that our ancestors have been recording.”

Aria’s eyebrows twitched.

It’s surprising. Having revealed the secrets of the dungeon tower, could it be taken lightly?

Even if the lost heirloom that the descendants of Orvella had so desperately sought came from the mouth of an outsider like me.

Her voice became quite urgent.

“Please be precise. Is this ledger the one left by my family’s ancestors?”

The Ancestor’s Ledger.

Originally, it was an item that could only be found by grinding through a maze that changed with each playthrough, accessible only through a hidden quest under certain conditions.

But this is reality.

A place where language and freedom of choice abound.

Thus, simply revealing its location is as good as handing it over.

“I’ll tell you the place if you put my name up there. What do you think? This should raise your standing more than lower it, right?”

Aria’s smile reached her ears.