1-Second Invincible Player in the Game - Chapter 52

1-Second Invincible Player In The Game 52

52. The Magic Department Students (3)

The number of coins gathered in just one day after entering the Schlepe Manor.

1,150.

Of which, approximately 800 were spent.

“Young master, this way.”

In the first-floor lobby, Selly waved her hand, having stacked the items she had ordered behind her.

“Did you buy everything as instructed?”

Since Frost Heart operated on a free economy, it wasn’t too difficult to purchase all sorts of items from the well-established market.

“Of course. But why do you need a longsword if you’ve joined the Magic Department?”

“…I just thought it might be necessary.”

After all, a wand couldn’t pierce through the hide of a monster.

Swoosh—

As the sword was drawn from its sheath, the blade gleamed.

Despite some rust on the cross-guard, it seemed like a fine piece.

“But about these potions… I bought them from the Alchemy Department as you asked, but I’m not sure if I got the right ones since I don’t know much about them.”

“Did you show them the order?”

“I did. It was hard to pronounce.”

Selly checked the sack she had brought.

The potions were correct, and the count was exact.

“Hmm, they didn’t try to cheat you, I see.”

“What exactly are these for?”

At Schlepe Manor, mock drills akin to the military’s five-minute standby for monster invasions were conducted.

There’s no need to worry for now, as the new semester has just started, but one can never be too sure.

Especially since that guy had a history of tampering with the third exam…

“Well, consider it an early preparation. But wasn’t there something else you were supposed to get?”

Selly’s face soured as she unwrapped something encased in paper.

A fishy smell wafted from the squishy object.

“…I’ve removed each bone by hand. But why do you need this? If you wanted fish, you could have just gone to a restaurant.”

“Cooking is all about the care you put into it.”

Selly sniffed her hands and grumbled.

“Ugh, this fishy smell. Even scrubbing with soap doesn’t get rid of it…”

Soap?

She couldn’t possibly have coins, did she get it for free?

Suddenly, I became curious about the lives of the servants here.

Selly’s expression looked unexpectedly content.

“Do they give you soap?”

“Huh? Oh, yes… Well, they take care of us quite well.”

Everything here has to be bought with money.

“What about food?”

“Of course. The meals are quite good. I was worried at first, but there’s a bed and the room is warm. People are kind too.”

That’s somewhat surprising.

I thought the servants were treated poorly, no different than the rest.

Here, the nobles are surrounded by humans starving from cold and hunger…

“…You’re living better than some nobles.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing. Go rest now.”

After sending Selly off, I gathered my things.

Then I took out the mirror with today’s rules written on it.

[Do not use the stairs at the end of the right corridor, only use the left corridor. If you happen to hear otherwise, climbing the stairs will only repeat the same floor. Do not panic, stay calm and wait there. Someone will come to rescue you tomorrow morning.]

“Hmm.”

…I guess I shouldn’t use the right corridor today.

* * *

After arriving at Room 303 in Building 3, I unpacked and finished showering.

I wonder if the knight’s class will take much longer.

The showers and the corridors were eerily quiet.

Back in my room, I placed the fish Selly had prepared on a plate and set it by the door.

Then, lying on the bed, I recalled the events of today’s class.

“…”

The first day’s class was only in pharmacology.

The professor intended to test the new students with a herb gathering task that lasted a whopping 5 hours.

Only Clave and I received an A+.

Rix shared the roots with his partner and submitted them for an A, while the rest all received Bs.

From the start, it was an excessive assignment for the freshmen, so it seems the grades were generously given.

Yet, it still caused dissatisfaction among the peers.

-“It must be hard to wait, but please deliver this to Professor Rockefeller immediately, Hersel.”

During class, I had visited Rockefeller and on my way back, I overheard the magic department guys gossiping about the professor from afar.

-“Did he favor you because of the Tenest family?”

-“Exactly, others have been searching for hours and found nothing; it’s too suspicious.”

It was obvious that the Lethe guys, smirking from a distance, had stirred up the mood.

This left the professor in an awkward position.

-“Didn’t Rix find one too?”

-“Rix said Hersel gave it to him, right?”

-“Why only him? Did the professor give you a hint or something?”

Rix’s expression was tinged with confusion.

It was as if he was blaming himself for a mistake.

But knowing him, he couldn’t acknowledge his own merit and had to reveal the source proudly.

-“Right, Clave.”

And naturally, the blame shifted to Clave, my easygoing partner.

-“Tell us the truth. You were with him, weren’t you?”

-“No, that’s not… “

-“Why are you hesitating? Just spit it out.”

-“Oh, so you’re in on it too? Aren’t you?”

At that point, unable to watch any longer, Rix intervened.

-“Even if there are bad rumors about Hersel, stop with the baseless speculations. It’s possible he found it by chance. There’s no harm in bringing evidence later.”

Of course, the Lethe guys had been snickering within their group.

-“Didn’t he get a root from that guy too?”

-“Isn’t it suspicious? With the mood like this, he’s busy defending him alone.”

But thanks to Rix’s popularity, their words didn’t have any effect.

-“Rix isn’t that kind of person.”

-Yeah, I’ve known this guy since we were kids, so I know him well. You guys really misjudged him.

-Some of you know him, right? You, when your hands were freezing, didn’t he lend you his gloves? And when he fell over halfway, he even carried you here.

When public opinion sided with Rix, it seemed like the situation was resolved.

But the doubts didn’t stop, and Clave and I continued to be the topic of conversation.

Back then, I approached those guys and said this.

-If you’re going to chew someone out, don’t do it behind their back where you look pathetic. Why not do it boldly in front of me?

When I actually confronted them, they were sweating bullets and busy avoiding eye contact.

From noble mtl dot come

I mocked them, as if they were pitiful.

-Keep going if you want. After all, most of the guys here will be stuck in the Schlepp coffin for the next three years. That’s probably the only joy you’ll have, right? Gnashing your teeth and soothing your jealousy behind someone’s back.

The guys looked at me fiercely as if they had lost their minds.

Regardless, I finished with a spiteful smile.

-I have a conscience too, you know. I’d feel too sorry to take that away from you. Go ahead, chew all you want. Otherwise, you might go crazy.

-Huh, Hursel…

-Don’t pretend to know, Clave. You’ve been acting like baggage the whole time we’ve been together, and it’s the same this time.

Surprisingly, the timid Clave wasn’t downhearted.

He just looked on with a blank expression, together with Rix.

That’s what happened in today’s class.

‘Hursel.’

‘What.’

‘Have you started to find pleasure in making enemies?’

‘Is there such a pleasure?’

‘…Even if you do a good deed, don’t expect others to recognize it.’

At Donatan’s words, I couldn’t help but laugh.

He must think he’s simply provoked the students and then ousted Clave to turn their anger towards me, but in reality, it was a calculated move.

“If I, who loves to show off, did a good deed, there’s always a reason for it.”

I’m the guy who’s always been cursed since being possessed.

Now, I’m indifferent to others’ criticism.

To receive the necessary rewards in exchange for just a bit of scolding, how could I refuse that?

[Rix Don Orian]

●Blessing

◆The Devoted Sage’s Blessing◆

π Knowledge belongs to no one. It is everyone’s.

The more favor a possessor bestows, the more potent the magic becomes.

When vanquishing demons, it slightly increases the mana of those favored.

●Traits

◇Mana Recovery◇

◇Gentle Charisma◇

‘The Devoted Sage’s Blessing’ was indeed the boon I needed most.

Even a slight increase in mana was permanent, so if I could enjoy the benefits, I would be able to cast more spells than now.

I had only laid the groundwork with Rix for this purpose.

* * *

Having just finished showering, my hair was still not dry.

Rix, with the string he usually used to tie his ponytail now wrapped around his wrist, descended to the first-floor lobby.

There, Clave was seated on a long bench.

“Rix. Here, over here.”

“I kept you waiting.”

“No, I just got here too. But more importantly, did you want to ask me something?”

Rix nodded and inquired in detail about how Clave had come to acquire the Merilly root.

Then he heard some decidedly suspicious details.

“You had the rope ready from the start?”

“Yes.”

That meant he must have known about the cave beneath the cliff beforehand.

“But you never got any hints from the professor, right? At that time, Hershel and the others, what should I call them? They were picking fights over every little thing, so there was no time for that.”

If not from the professor, then there was a possibility he had gotten the information elsewhere.

Suddenly, Rix felt foolish about what he was doing.

The very notion of considering this as cheating was laughable in the first place.

After all, weren’t the freshmen who had entered here full of those who had sought advice from their seniors?

‘Someone even paid up to 5 coins for information on the subject of pharmacology. It turned out to be a scam, though…’

Looking at it, it was as if the majority had cheated.

And the professor seemed to know about it but chose to ignore it.

When someone asked the senior for help, the professor listening from afar simply walked past.

“Sorry for wasting your time, Clave.”

“Wait, just a moment.”

“Something else you want to say?”

“No, it’s just… Everyone talks badly about Hershel. But from what I see, he’s not as bad as the rumors. He’s helped out in dangerous situations too.”

Rix blinked.

It was rare for Clave, who was always on the outskirts of the group due to his timid nature, to assert himself.

“And the harsh words in front of the others, that was to protect me from harm.”

“It seemed that way at a glance. But that guy…”

The rumors about him were all acts of malice that Rix couldn’t comprehend.

Which only made him more suspicious.

Perhaps the kindness Clave saw was nothing more than a facade to win favor…

“Maybe that’s his tactic, so be careful, Clave. He has a bad reputation with women.”

Rix couldn’t trust that man at all.

* * *

It was a night deep in slumber.

The sound of horns and bells rang noisily in my ears.

As soon as I opened my eyes, these words burst forth.

“Can this be real?”

Just two days after the new students arrived, and there’s already a monster defense battle?

It was obviously Rockefeller’s retaliation.

He had the authority to initiate it, and I had provoked him enough yesterday.

But still, to think he’d make untrained freshmen do something like this was unimaginable.

“…This despicable person must have a heart too small to even hold a needle.”

Burning with hatred towards him, I moved quickly.

While strapping on the backpack full of items I had bought for Selly, I caught sight of a black cat eating a fish by the door.

Our eyes met, and just like that, it vanished into smoke…

‘Was the fish prepared for that creature?’

‘Well, there’s a superstition that befriending them brings good luck.’

But that wasn’t important right now, so I kicked open the door and rushed out.

In the hallway, Ashleigh yawned with her mouth wide open, while Limberton looked on with an anxious expression.

Just then, the urgent sound of footsteps and voices burst from the stairs, making a racket.

“Are you crazy? Weren’t we supposed to be worry-free for a while?”

“Ah, that lunatic Rockefeller. How long have the freshmen been here, and he’s already starting with the training!”

“Hey, wait a minute. What was today’s rule again?”

From their conversation, they were unmistakably sophomores or juniors.

“Ugh, is it like a war has broken out or what!”

“Don’t panic, Limberton. You’ll get used to it soon enough.”

“What in the world is going on?”

“That’s…”

Just then, Rockefeller’s voice echoed throughout the dormitory.

– The swarm of monsters has invaded. Students of Schlafe Hall, arm yourselves immediately. The current situation is both a drill and actual combat.

Frost Heart is known for launching such events without notice.

The official reason might be to develop skills to counter monster attacks in the heart of the magic realm, but this time, it was nothing more than petty revenge.

– The type of monster is the Ice Bull. The number is 300. Good luck.

As the announcement ended, Limberton let out a sigh of relief.

“What, it was just training?”

“It’s training that’s as good as real combat. Just like the third exam. It means we could actually die.”

“Of course, that figures. I don’t even have the energy to be surprised anymore. But, Hershel, seeing how you’ve packed your bag, you must have prepared something proper for this time too?”

Limberton squinted his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

At that, I couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

“It seems you’ve gotten used to it already.”

The current situation wasn’t too bad for me.

The invasion was originally scheduled for two weeks later, but perhaps because the time difference wasn’t that significant.

The monsters were the same.

And, of course, I had already prepared a response.

“Then, shall we go make another score?”

To double the 800 coins I’ve invested.