1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

4. The Immortal of One Second (3)

Even as he fell from the cliff, he thought he was dead.

The terror of the fall had disrupted his rhythm, making him half a beat too late.

Yet, the reason he survived was incredibly simple.

‘Eh, one second─ Blargh!’

Boom─────!

[Impact detected.]

[One-second invincibility activated.]

[One-second invincibility cooldown: 59 seconds]

“Seriously… if it’s a passive, at least write it down as one.”

Anyway, disliking the gloomy thicket, he barely managed to find his way up.

His destination was that house swarming with people who wanted him dead.

Walking into such a place on his own accord might seem insane, but he had no choice.

Could the dangers of the mansion even compare to those outside?

With this body, he wouldn’t last long before starving to death or being sold into slavery, and a mere one second of invincibility wouldn’t provide a livelihood.

Even if he were to learn swordsmanship and take up mercenary work or explore the demonic realms, he’d likely die quickly.

Moreover, if his survival was discovered, the mistress would capture and kill him. As long as he didn’t die, his right of succession wouldn’t disappear.

Therefore, returning to the mansion was the act most likely to reduce the variables of death.

With the information gained from conquering one-second invincibility and a hundred characters, wouldn’t he somehow make it?

With these thoughts, he only arrived at the front gate in the middle of the night.

What’s this now?

“The dead can’t speak. Even if you claim the mistress ordered it before the execution, it’ll all be ignored. We just need to look out for our own futures.”

“I just hope it all turns out well.”

Were those despicable ones who only watched when I was pushed off the cliff now guarding the gate?

“But, Uncle Jack. You know, right? Fifty-fifty.”

The mention of fifty-fifty along with what I had heard earlier set off my intuition. They must be plotting to betray that kid and swallow the money whole.

Thud- Click- Click-

I trudged forward. Just then, the ‘Noble Blood’s Last Ember’ activated, straightening my back gradually, transforming my stride into that of a noble’s.

“Fifty-fifty…”

As I arrogantly lifted my chin and prattled on, the faces of the two men looking this way turned as pale as if they had seen a ghost.

“Which one of you is the five?”

I asked the two unsavory men with an irritable demeanor. The young man remained stiff, unable to utter a sound as if he had swallowed honey, but the middle-aged man was different. His complexion cleared as if nothing had happened, and he exuded a murderous intent.

His hand resting on the long sword at his waist.

‘Crazy… Yeah, they wouldn’t want to keep me alive.’

This is the front of the mansion. A scream would bring out a swarm of servants, so naturally, they couldn’t kill me here. That’s why the middle-aged man was in a hurry to take my life. If he did it quickly, no sound would leak out.

Ping─!

While I was assessing the situation, a light flashed. In an instant, his sword touched my neck.

Clang─────!

[A physical attack has been detected.]

[An attribute has been activated.]

[1-second invincibility: Cooldown: 59 seconds]

Of course, my passive activated, and I wasn’t hurt. Instead, my body was so sturdy that it could break his sword. As his strike turned futile, the middle-aged man’s face was filled with horror.

“What in the world…”

I stretched out my chest as if it was nothing. Despite the calm exterior, my heart was pounding.

Wow, that really scared me.

Even with a second of invincibility, who wouldn’t be terrified with a knife flying at their neck?

And this man, he’s frightening.

No matter how much of a flea Hassel is, to not even see the sword being drawn…

It must mean he’s not just anyone if he was chosen as a guard for the Tenest family.

But now’s not the time to be frozen in shock. I need to do something fast, or the next blow will come.

I blurted out a bluff I had hastily concocted on the spot.

“Drawing your sword without a word…”

Now is the time when it’s necessary to bristle with thorns so that no one dares to touch.

As I casually approached, his eyebrows twitched. I prayed inwardly that he wouldn’t attack.

Click-clack, click-clack, thud-

When I stopped right in front of him, the middle-aged man’s shoulders jerked. He seemed utterly petrified. Surviving a cliff and even breaking a sword, anyone would be scared if such a person approached leisurely.

Seizing the moment, I stoked the ‘noble embers of blood’ to their peak and said,

“You still have half a sword left. Why not swing it again?”

“……”

“From the cliff. And here. I’ve already given you two chances. You must be prepared for the third.”

He dropped the broken sword and seemed to have no intention of attacking anymore, just staring blankly at the ground.

The flow is good. Even now, the letters reflected in my retina signal a crisis.

[1-second invincibility: Cooldown: 32 seconds]

Anyway, it’s a good thing I talk a lot.

I’m anxious about what to do if he attacks again during the cooldown.

Now, the only one left is that young man, shocked and sprawled on the ground. Even though one sword is broken, his is still intact.

I desperately hoped that he would remain silent, and I glared with wide-open eyes.

“What will you do now?”

“Hee, heek!”

He staggered back in fright. As I pressed on and glared, he placed his sword on the ground and prostrated himself quickly, bowing his head.

“I’ve committed a sin worthy of death! My lord!”

Good.

It seems this one has no will to fight either.

I shifted my gaze from him and laid a hand on the middle-aged man’s shoulder as if he were my subordinate.

“?!”

He flinched slightly, then stiffened like a wooden puppet. I twisted my mouth into a sneer. It was only now, after the initial surprise, that I could say what I hadn’t yet said.

“Do you know why I arrived late at night? I could have easily chased you down.”

“What do you wish to say, sir?”

“I was just passing through the village.”

Of course, that’s a bluff.

I sweated buckets getting here, and on top of that, how could I, who don’t even know the way, have gone there and back?

Though it was a lie, the middle-aged man’s face was clearly contorted with fear.

“Surely… You didn’t report our deed, did you?”

The middle-aged man’s complexion turned ashen, as if he were on the brink of death. It was enough to scare him.

Aristocratic murder is a capital offense. So is complicity.

If this fact leaks out, it will go to the chief prosecutor who carries out the law, and there will be no escaping the death penalty.

“Do you understand if I say it’s a will?”

Just saying this much should make it clear. I stopped by the village and wrote about today’s events in my will. But it hasn’t been made public yet. Only at the moment of my death will it be revealed. That’s what a will is for.

And the moment it’s revealed, we all die together. You and me. Him and Selly too.

Of course, it’s all bluster.

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“Well… What do you think?”

The middle-aged soldier’s expression grew troubled. I stared at him, feigning a meaningful smile, as if I had a powerful backer. As if I had plotted some scheme in the village.

The soldiers’ expressions became complicated. All sorts of fantasies must be unfolding in their minds.

But let me say it again, it’s all bluster.

“I’ll leave it at that. If something happens to me again, next time your lives won’t be spared.”

“Ugh…”

As I drove the point home, the middle-aged soldier let out a heavy sigh. With this, the threat of assassination from these guys was lessened. Instead, I’ve planted the idea of a shared fate, which might prove helpful in the future.

“So… You’re sparing us for now?”

I’d like to give them a taste of hell if I could.

But spare them, I shall.

And then…

Even if they fought me with one hand tied behind their backs, they’d be wiped out.

Wow, look at those forearms. They could crush a watermelon with a headlock…

I imagined my head caught between those forearms. My temples throbbed. I hurriedly walked towards the dim garden path, not looking back, and said,

“Was your life ever worth taking by my own hands?”

With that, the crisis was averted.

As the ‘Noble Blood’s Last Ember’ subsided, a sigh of relief washed over me, followed by a wave of embarrassment that left me writhing for a while.

Look at that dialogue.

Ah, my limbs…

Jack sat down on the floor, pondering the unknown phenomenon.

He had checked the bottom of the cliff beforehand. It was the kind of cliff that was too smooth to have any branches to grab or footholds to step on.

Before he could even think about how he survived, he had swiftly executed a footwork technique, but the question was soon answered.

It must have been back in his youth, one day after finishing a mercenary job, he entered a tavern.

An old soldier, seasoned with experience, who had taught him much, as always, poured strong liquor and spun tales while drunk.

“There is a realm called the extreme limit. The realm of ‘One Sword Split All’ where even the hardest metal known to man can be cut, and the realm of ‘Indestructible as Diamond’ where all attacks can be blocked with the bare body. A swordsman of ‘One Sword Split All’ could cleave the great sea, and a warrior of ‘Indestructible as Diamond’ wouldn’t bleed a drop even if a rain of arrows fell from the sky or spears flooded like waves.”

“So that’s what it was…”

Jack had to admit it. It was a mistake to consider him just a common ruffian.

Hershel, who seemed to have spent his time in debauchery, must have been secretly training behind the scenes.

Jack clicked his tongue at the unfairness of the world.

The one who had realized the coveted realm spent two-thirds of his day on liquor and sleep. And the rest tormenting the people of the mansion, a madman indeed.

“Indeed, that guy must have inherited the talent.”

The quality must be different. What others would achieve with a hundred hours of effort, he could accomplish in just one hour. Even a ruffian who wasted most of his life could reach the realm of ‘Indestructible as Diamond.’

And when the will was mentioned, he wondered if that was the same empty-headed guy he knew.

History showed that even those called the strongest of their time often died from poison or disease.

Hershel knew this and had preemptively blocked any attempts at assassination through various means with his will.

“All this time, he had hidden such skills…”

Who would be the first to take down Hershel and claim the reward?

That was the only important thing in this simple game, he thought.

But not anymore.

A terrifying upheaval was occurring in what was thought to be a smooth-sailing festival.

* * *

It’s terrifying. As I pass through the garden path, the night guards keep glancing over. Surely they’re not planning to kill me like that middle-aged man earlier?

I try to keep my composure as I head towards my lodging. I’m getting closer to the familiar building. It was then, as I was passing by the first-floor windows.

“There, that!”

I stopped in front of one of the windows, which wasn’t even curtained. Thanks to my height, I could see the face of the damn brat sleeping soundly on the bed.

Thump-

My grip on the window left a fingerprint, indicating the force I put into it. The sight of him hugging a large doll in his sleep was that of a mere child, but it was all pretense.

No matter the grudge, who would push someone off a cliff?

How can he sleep so soundly after what he’s done?

“Doesn’t it bother him? He must be a psychopath too…”

I’m seething with anger.

I want to storm in and give him a piece of my mind, but now is not the time.

When he’s basking in the glory of his newfound wealth tomorrow, that’s when I want to appear. I want to see his face twist in agony as he’s dragged down to the depths of hell.

Rice is best when it’s been properly steamed after all.

And right now, I just want to quench my thirst and take a shower.

My back is drenched in sweat from the journey here, and it feels disgustingly sticky. I quietly enter the building and approach the night-shift maid.

“I need a bath immediately. Prepare the water. Oh, and bring me something to drink.”

“Gasp!”

Her eyes widen in shock. Perhaps it’s my disheveled appearance, or maybe that brat Selly has been boasting about killing me.

“Why that look? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

“My apologies. I’ll prepare your bath right away. Would you like your usual drink, sir?”

Alcohol?

I don’t usually drink, but today has been a dog’s day. I guess it’s fine for today.

I nod in agreement.

“Hold on. One more thing.”

“Yes? Oh, yes. What is it, sir?”

I raise my index finger to my lips. With a calm smile, I signal to her.

“Shh—keep my arrival a secret from Selly.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll take it to the grave.”

I’m trying to cultivate a gentler image, so why is she trembling?

Maybe it’s the chilly night air.

I continue through the mansion, repeating the same smile and the same words to every night worker I encounter. But behind their astonished reactions, they tremble as if frozen in fear.

Then, in front of a window reflecting the bright moonlight, I realize.

The smile I’m wearing, it’s like that of a devilishly handsome villain.

One with enough dignity to be a boss…

“They say your face becomes a reflection of your life.”

I should stop smiling like this for a while.

It looks too suspicious.