1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

98. The Hunt for Instructors (1)

In a secluded stronghold.

Before a crystal orb, the professors from Frost Heart observed the unfolding situation.

“The extermination ended quicker than expected.”

At the dry professor’s remark, a burly, furry professor scratched his chin.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a favorable situation. Professor Rockefeller asked for this. Isn’t it all because he hopes that Hursel van Tenest doesn’t score well?”

The Triad Wolves had long abandoned their territory and fled.

“In truth, it has little to do with the extermination. From the start, he had no interest in the Triad Wolves. He’s been busy gathering points all along, hasn’t he?”

Given the circumstances, no suitable sabotage plan came to mind.

To act too aggressively would only reveal their intentions too plainly.

In effect, there was hardly a way to lower Hursel’s score.

“Indeed? This is quite the blunder.”

“Still, you did assess the students’ abilities properly, didn’t you? Their growth was strikingly evident. If things go well, the instructors might just show themselves.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, that task was assigned too.”

Rockefeller had commanded that if the instructors targeted a specific student, they should remain silent and observe.

Under normal circumstances, the professors would have intervened immediately, as it would have been akin to adults meddling in a children’s fight.

It was clear that this was also being considered as a means of growth.

“Let’s not be complacent. You said to help if things seemed dangerous.”

“That’s true, but isn’t it a bit too early for danger? The battle with the fledgling troupe hasn’t even begun yet.”

“Hmm, that’s one way to look at it…”

“What? What’s going on with them?”

“Hmm?”

The professors widened their eyes in surprise as they gazed at the orb.

Students from the Adele and Bürger halls were moving en masse.

And they were heading toward the Shulafe camp.

“What in the world is happening?”

“Ha, aren’t they trying to join forces?”

“Well, that’s certainly the case. What I’m curious about is why they’re gathering at the Shulafe camp.”

The students residing in the upper dormitories had a high sense of pride.

Of course, there were times they would join in to gain an advantage, but the core always remained with Adele hall.

They were the ones who would call the lower ones to come rather than going themselves, so why…?

“How strange. It should usually be the opposite. Shulafe has always been the one left wanting.”

“No, that one over there. It’s definitely that guy up to something again.”

In the orb, Hershel was drawing everyone’s attention as he explained various things.

“Ugh, really. He has a way of thinking that’s utterly incomprehensible. He did the same during the entrance exam, and now what kind of trick is he trying to pull…?”

The students began to construct the fortress once more.

Time passed, and the circular barricade formations of the fortress were completed.

Just then, the orb reflected the sight of the fledgling troupe preparing to advance.

The furry professor’s eyes sparkled.

“Uh-oh? Looks like it’s about to start.”

“Smoke?”

“…What are they burning?”

A thick haze of smoke enveloped the area, swirling like a living thing.

Faintly, the outlines of figures could be discerned, yet what they were doing remained a mystery.

The professors sprang to their feet in alarm.

But soon, an explosion erupted from within the fortress made of crude wooden palisades.

“Has the curse of annihilation been unleashed?!”

“…Oh dear, if this is due to negligence, the fallout will be far from trivial.”

The fledgling band of wanderers would have been wiped out by now, and the instructors might be hunting the remaining survivors.

The professors hastily gathered their weapons.

“Indeed, the instructors are beginning to move.”

“Wait. That one with the wound on his lip… could it be him…?”

The shaggy professor pointed at a man.

At that, the gaunt professor gasped, his eyes widening in shock.

“It’s him! The Bloodstained Viper, Vermi!!”

Even among the wanderers, there were notorious foes.

Especially the infamy of the Bloodstained Viper, Vermi, was well-known.

He had left a trail of dead pathfinders in his wake, numbering in the double digits.

“What are you doing? Hurry and grab your weapons!”

“Ah, yes.”

“Let’s move, right now!”

As the shaggy professor dashed forward, a sigh of relief escaped him.

Vermi was an opponent he had no confidence in defeating, but with that one who had shone during the incident with the malevolent spirits, perhaps they could manage somehow.

“Phew, at least it’s a relief. If Hursel van Tenest is here, things might go smoother than expected.”

The professors exited the fortress, leaving behind the solitary crystal orb.

Within it, Hursel was seen emerging through the smoke with his companions.

* * *

To lure out the instructors, suitable bait was necessary.

Thus, the combatants were composed of a select few, all playable characters.

Of course, capable allies like Asley and Klave were included.

…But why had that peculiar one been added to the mix?

He cast a sidelong glance at Eruzel.

“What is that expression for?”

“Nothing, really.”

For reference, Shira and Belman were excluded from the battle.

Shira due to her injuries, and Belman because the holy herb I brought had its limits.

In my position, needing to resolve the curse of explosion before it activated, I had to buy a little more time.

Belman was currently spreading a barrier thin and wide to form a box-like shield, ensuring no smoke could escape.

Inside, the children were sheltered.

For this reason, I was essentially patching up the gap left by Belman.

There were three instructors to face.

“Let me say it again, our top priority is the sorcerer. If we don’t take him down before the holy herb runs out, everything will be for naught. Remember, we are in a race against time.”

I continued, glancing at Asley, Limberton, and the girl with the bobbed hair.

I had instructed those three to focus on tracking the sorcerer if he attempted to flee.

“Leana, Rix. And Klave. You three remember what you need to do, right?”

The other three were set to confront one instructor each, according to their strengths.

Including myself, Riamon and Erucel would only need to deal with the remaining man.

The target was the venomous serpent of blood, Vermi.

A formidable foe, even a seasoned Pathfinder could not easily overlook him.

Even as a playable character, to be honest, he was not someone we could easily defeat.

Yet, I believed we had a chance, thanks to a solid insurance policy.

“Then let’s begin.”

I stepped forward, piercing through the dust curtain I had conjured with self-destruct magic.

The three instructors’ eyes glinted with intensity.

The middle-aged man among them licked the scar on his lip.

He was undoubtedly Vermi.

“Hmph, looks like the ones I was after have all come out to play.”

“That’s not quite right. There was also the one with glasses, wasn’t there?”

“We can deal with him later. More importantly, the man we need to eliminate is right here.”

Vermi turned to me, his gaze sharp.

“By your blonde hair, I take it you’re the sword mage?”

I instinctively averted my eyes.

The two instructors chattered away, oblivious to my turmoil.

“Is that the swordmaster Melin spoke of?”

“Ha, it seems I’ve piqued Vermi’s interest after all.”

A sudden ache began to throb in my head.

Truth be told, my plan was to have Riamon lead while I supported from the shadows, biding my time.

It made sense, considering I couldn’t use magic for about two hours and fifty minutes due to the recent self-detonation spell.

In this situation, being targeted by Vermi would bring me no good.

Srrng—

As we drew our weapons, they too fell into a combat stance.

Then, a gust of wind swept through, clearing the dust.

Vermi glanced somewhere, a sly grin spreading across his face.

His gaze was fixed on the fortress.

“The curse of the explosion hasn’t been triggered, it seems.”

Following his line of sight, I saw the fortress beginning to crumble.

As if the aftermath of the blast was just now taking effect.

Through the gaps, the figures of the children within the barrier flickered into view.

Vermi chattered excitedly.

“Did you conjure the smoke of the explosion with your magic?”

A chill ran down my spine.

As he said, after my self-detonation, I had indeed embellished it with the minor explosion spells from the Ministry of Magic.

And the fact that he knew this meant…

“The smoke within that barrier must be from burning holy herbs. Judging by how it’s fading, it seems you brought only a limited supply.”

I had exposed far too much information.

“Well then, it seems the rest of your forces are lying in wait nearby.”

I shouted urgently.

“Attack! Right now!”

The students hidden within the fortress surged forth in a rush.

Vermi sheathed his sword and began to retreat.

“Let’s fall back for now. This was a trap set by them.”

As Vermi spun on his heel, the two instructors followed, their faces painted with shock.

The sound of chatter pierced my ears as we pursued the fiends.

“It felt strange, didn’t it? Tolan, you must never think of fighting them.”

“B-Bermy, what do you mean by that?”

“Ha! They’re only pretending to care for the children. They’ve wrapped themselves in bait, nothing more.”

“So that means…”

“Exactly, Tolan. They’ve set a trap to lure you in. By killing you, they aim to break the curse of the explosion. If we stay here, we’ll have to face their entire force, just the three of us.”

The two instructors laughed heartily.

“Ha ha ha! This situation is turning quite amusing!!”

“Who would have thought such young ones could devise such a scheme? They must be eliminated! You lot! Don’t dawdle, follow quickly. If we’re even a moment late, the children will burst!”

…The venomous snake of blood, Bermy.

I knew he had a keen eye.

No matter how unlucky one might be, to think of a plan that would be most detestable to us in the blink of an eye was beyond belief.

This was why I had expressed doubt about the plan.

It could easily turn into a game of tag like this!

Tatata!

Everyone surged forward at full speed.

But the fiends had already vanished into the thicket.

I clicked my tongue without realizing it.

“Tch.”

I quickly halted and gestured for those trailing behind to stop.

If the 239 hidden ones launched a surprise attack simultaneously, we might have had a chance.

But as you can see, it was a failure.

“Ugh. What do we do if you suddenly stop? We almost collided!”

“This ahead is dangerous, Erucel.”

I spoke to the group, excluding the elite few.

“You must not follow. Up ahead lies the forest. You’ll only be a hindrance, so wait here.”

Erucel asked, bewildered, “W-why?”

“They’re creatures that have survived in the cursed lands. Their level is no less than that of a professor. In front of them, we’d be mere chicks. And to deploy a large force into the thicket? It would only increase the casualties.”

Tension was palpable among them.

Facing a professor-level adversary would surely be quite the burden.

In the first semester of my first year, the gap between us and the professors was still considerable.

“There’s no need to worry so much.”

As I mentioned earlier, we had an insurance policy in place.

This insurance was not the attackers preparing for an ambush, but rather the professors who would inevitably appear when the instructors showed up.

The wandering troupe episode was, in fact, a tutorial where the professors ingrained in the playable characters just how to fight like Pathfinders.

“They will be here soon.”

Shuffling footsteps.

No sooner had the words left my mouth than the professors revealed themselves.

Though they had recently been bested by Leana, in this moment, they were as reassuring as could be.

The shaggy professor surveyed the startled students with a grin that was both unsettling and amused.

“The deployment of the troops is quite good.”

The shaggy professor was indeed the one to face Vermi.

I felt a wave of relief as I stood behind him, the strongest among us.

But then he began to act strangely.

“Hmm, but you know. Everything looks good, but I see some waste in our forces? You, move over here. You too.”

At the professor’s command, Riamon and Eruzel, who had been beside me, were shuffled off to another unit.

I blinked in confusion at the odd turn of events.

“You all saw it too. The man with the scar running vertically across his lips. His name is Vermi. He’s strong enough to be called the Bloodstained Viper among Pathfinders. The other two instructors may not match him, but they’re no slouches either.”

Why do I feel so uneasy?

“So, here’s the plan: Vermi will be assigned to one of you, while the rest will split into two units to hunt. Of course, the one facing Vermi will be…”

Sensing the impending crisis, I slowly began to back away, trying to hide behind Eruzel.

“Here…? Huh? Where did he go? Ah, Hessel van Tenest. Vermi is your responsibility. You can handle it alone, right?”

Are you out of your mind, professor?