1 Second Invincibility in the Game

The smell of disinfectant made me frown.

It wasn’t just because the scent of alcohol was overpowering.

More than that, it was because one of the cards I needed to play was lying in a hospital bed.

“I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Riamon slightly raised the arm bound in a splint.

Emeric and Bernthal, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, stood nearby, while Bellman gritted his teeth.

It was Bernthal who first voiced his anger.

“…Those filthy bastards.”

Emeric agreed.

“Their actions are becoming more despicable by the day. To think they’d even resort to violence now.”

Bellman clenched his fist and asked,

“Are the professors just going to sit back and watch again?”

“They’re using ‘discipline’ as their excuse. They’ll probably pass it off as a form of punishment. Even if we try to oppose it, it won’t change anything. As long as they stick to their story, our efforts will go to waste.”

Emeric was right.

As long as those Ten Elites bastards stuck together and claimed that Riamon had committed serious insubordination, their words would become the truth.

Unless we had concrete evidence or witnesses, their claims would stand as the only proof.

“This is troublesome. We might have been able to strip Meldon of his position, but…?”

Emeric mumbled regretfully. Meldon, despite whatever might have happened, was currently injured.

If only Riamon had been able to exploit that weakness, we could have taken him down quickly.

But in this state…

“When will you recover?”

When I asked, Riamon answered,

“They said it’ll take about two weeks for the bones to fully heal.”

If that’s the case, then maybe magic could accelerate the recovery.

But even magic couldn’t fix everything.

“What I’m asking about is your dantian.”

The bastards had also damaged the dantian, the organ that controls the flow of aura.

This couldn’t be healed with magic because, if the dantian is the hardware, the cultivation technique for using aura is like the software.

Fixing that messed-up cultivation process wasn’t something I could do. Riamon had to handle that himself.

“To be strong enough to beat that Meldon guy, it’ll probably take at least a month, right?”

“That’s a bleak prospect.”

After those words, a heavy sigh escaped me.

Now that it was out in the open that we had rebelled, the bastards would undoubtedly pull more tricks within that month.

Time was definitely not on our side.

“It’s impossible to hold out for a month. They’ll make things worse, no doubt. There’s already discontent among the first-years. It’s only a matter of time before the cohesion breaks.” �

I added a more miserable reality to Bellman’s already grim assessment.

“On top of that, they’ll be waiting for the moment we split up. We can’t stick together forever.”

“So, Hersel, what’s your plan now?”

Before I could respond to Bellman’s question, Riamon spoke.

“We’ve got Erucel, right? Why don’t we try pushing him forward?”

I stared at Riamon as if he had said something absurd.

But Bellman seemed to consider it seriously.

“Erucel… He does have potential.”

“Is there another person with the name Erucel in the Adele Hall?”

Bellman looked at me with an annoyed expression.

“You really underestimate your brother.”

“Huh?”

Seeing my confused reaction, Bellman said something surprising.

“Erucel’s highly regarded by the professors too. He sometimes surprises everyone in class.”

“…I can’t believe it.”

“By your standards, maybe. But from our perspective, he’s quite impressive. He’s inherited the bloodline of the Tenest family and has been trained by Sir Coulo, the Sword King of the South.”

Hearing that, I realized how impressive his background actually was.

“But, he’s still Erucel…”

“He may act a little naive at times, but you have to admit, he’s a skilled swordsman.”

“But he’s still Erucel.”

“The fact that he was even placed in the Adele Hall says a lot. Not to mention the fact that he was paired with Riamon for the labyrinth practice. That shows the professors trust him.”

The evidence was solid, but it felt hard to accept.

I felt as if I was in a different dimension, detached from the situation.

I turned to Donatan, who knew his way around swords, for his opinion.

‘Donatan, what do you think of Erucel?’

‘Well, compared to that monster kid, he falls short, but he’s good steel—steel that any master craftsman would covet. He stands out far more than most others.’

With even him giving such high praise, I couldn’t find any words to respond.

It was only after Donatan added some extra explanation that I could finally ask the question I had been holding back.

‘That potential was forged by old man Coulo. His aura manipulation was impressive, and the swordsmanship he displayed when cutting down the undead was far beyond his years.’

‘But why is he like that then?’

Donatan remained silent for a while before answering.

‘Hmm… that’s because he has one flaw. A flaw that is fatal for a swordsman. Without that, he would have been remarkable, such a shame.’

Just one flaw?

This really must be a multiverse.

***

The back mountain of the Tenest estate was desolate.

In the aftermath of the monstrous bird’s breath attack, there wasn’t even a trace of life left.

It would take nature a long time to recover on its own.

There, Melin squatted, gritting her teeth as she counted.

“Forty… nine.”

Weights hung from her wrists, and the barbell she held weighed as much as her own body.

“Oh… oh… sh… fifty!”

As Melin barely managed to stand, Coulo clicked his tongue as he watched.

“Tsk, tsk. That wasn’t fifty. Do it again.”

“Huh?”

“Are you already hard of hearing, young one? Again, do it again.”

Melin looked miserable as she stared at the footprints she had left on her way up.

Each one was at least 10 centimeters deep.

They were all marks from carrying the barbell up the mountain path.

After that exhausting journey, she was made to squat.

The strict old man wouldn’t even acknowledge it unless her form was perfect.

‘Should I just use aura?’

But for some reason, she felt like she’d get caught immediately if she tried to cheat.

‘No, no. This old man’s got sharp eyes.’

The look he gave when he told her not to use aura was anything but ordinary.

“Ugh!”

Melin poured every ounce of strength into her last squat, determined to complete it with just pure muscle.

It was a grueling training that made the exercises she had done with the Roaming Band seem like nothing.

When she looked up, doubting if this was even real, Coulo seemed to read her mind and provided a justification.

“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s all doable. I’ve tailored this based on your age, the strength you’ve built through all your training, and everything else.”

“Ugh! Liar.”

Melin regretted it instantly. She had reached her limit, and her frustration had slipped out.

As expected, her bad feeling was right on the mark.

“Did you just call me a liar?”

As Coulo started walking toward her with a fierce look in his eyes, Melin felt the cold touch of death.

“You’re still young, so I went easy on you. But if you don’t get it… Well, time to add more weight to your wrists as planned.”

“S-Sorry! Ahhh!”

She apologized quickly, but Coulo was much faster at attaching the additional weights to her wrists.

As her tendons bulged more prominently, Coulo smiled in satisfaction.

“Now, if you don’t finish in ten seconds, I’ll add even more weight.”

Melin braced herself, prepared for her muscles to explode, and summoned all her strength in her legs.

“Iiiiiik!”

“Yeah, that’s it. Finally using every last bit of your strength.”

“Urrgh!” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

In the end, Melin successfully lifted the barbell over her head. Then, she collapsed on the ground, utterly drained.

Even as the barbell fell toward her body, Melin didn’t care anymore.

‘Ah, I’d rather get hit by that and die here.’

But her wish was quickly shattered by a flick of Coulo’s hand.

Thud.

Coulo stuck his finger into the center of the barbell and, using centrifugal force, spun it around and gently set it on the ground.

He then rummaged through his pocket.

“Well, I suppose I should reward you.”

What he pulled out was a treat that commoners could only dream of—chocolate.

Melin’s eyes sparkled.

“Is that… chocolate?”

“You’re right.”

Chocolate could only be made from fruits harvested in the labyrinth.

Even the instructors in the Roaming Band only got to eat it on rare occasions, and whenever Melin saw it, she’d imagine what it tasted like and swallow her saliva.

“Here, eat it. You’ve got ten minutes of rest.”

“T-Thank you… Sir Coulo.”

The taste of the chocolate was sweet, far sweeter than she had imagined.

Tears welled up in Melin’s eyes as she thought about how she wanted to taste this for the rest of her life.

Noticing her feelings, Coulo grinned playfully.

“I’ve got more of it. If you want more, you’ll have to complete the next round of training too.”

“Wh-What, more of this?”

“Why are you so surprised? This is standard issue for the Tenest knights.”

The chocolate in her mouth quickly melted and disappeared.

As time passed, Coulo stood up from his seat.

“That should be about ten minutes. Break’s over. Put the barbell down and follow me.”

Melin followed Coulo with much lighter steps.

This time, they headed to a grassy area far from where the breath attack had swept through.

The place was dense with small branches and foliage.

Coulo weaved through the branches like a ghost, slipping deeper into the thicket.

“Ouch!”

Melin entered cautiously but got scratched by a branch.

She then looked at the old man’s back.

His pace didn’t slow down at all, remaining as steady as a calm river.

“He’s really impressive… and even bigger than me.”

She tried to imitate his movements, but it wasn’t easy.

After getting scratched a few more times, they finally arrived at a clearing.

But it wasn’t just an empty field.

Melin pointed to a metal statue and asked,

“What’s that?”

The statue looked exactly like Hersel.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s a statue of the eldest master. This place was originally a training ground prepared for the third master.”

“…I see. But why is the eldest master’s statue here?”

Coulo didn’t bother answering and handed her a wooden sword.

“Take it.”

“…Yes.”

If he wasn’t going to answer, there was nothing more to do.

Melin grabbed the wooden sword, thinking she was finally going to receive sword training.

But instead, Coulo pointed to the Hersel statue and gave her a bizarre order.

“Hit that with your wooden sword.”

Melin hesitated and replied,

“Hit the metal statue? Won’t that just break the wooden sword?”

“Oh, right.”

It seemed there had been some mistake. Hitting metal with wood didn’t make any sense.

But Coulo appeared to be serious.

“Use the aura you’ve been saving and strike it.”

“What?”

“Just do as I say.”

Though full of doubt, Melin approached the statue as instructed.

Her gaze shifted to a more distant spot, where she noticed another statue that had been hidden by the bushes.

That statue was covered in deep dents.

“Um, Sir Coulo? There’s another statue over here.”

“That… hmm. That’s Luon, some guy who was the vice president of Lethe, brought along by the eldest master. Don’t worry about that one. Just focus on beating the eldest master’s statue.”

Melin wrapped her aura around her arms and swung the wooden sword at the Hersel statue.

Clang!

Her wrist throbbed. But instead of the statue vibrating, it was the wooden sword that shook.

The vibration was worse than with a steel sword, and it lasted longer.

“Huh?”

Coulo smirked and explained,

“That wooden sword is made from a material that vibrates more than steel. For a while, you’ll be learning to control the recoil. That’s the foundation of my swordsmanship.”

Although Melin didn’t fully understand why she had to do this, she gave an answer that seemed to please Coulo.

“Oh, such deep meaning.”

And so, Melin continued swinging the wooden sword while keeping an eye on the old man.

Clang!

The more she hit the statue, the more questions filled her mind.

‘Did he say Luon? Isn’t he the guy who tried to kill us?’

She vividly recalled the dark mage who had stayed in the highlands of the Purple Forest, leading a group hostile toward the first-year students in the lowlands.

And the Hersel statue…

‘Coulo probably didn’t bring this here just to take out his frustrations on the young master. Does the third master hold some kind of grudge against those two?’

Curious, Melin cautiously asked Coulo,

“By the way, what kind of person is the third master?”

“Hm? If you had been at Frostheart, you might have seen him. Didn’t you come across Master Erucel?”

Melin searched her memory.

‘Erucel?’

She hadn’t been at the estate long enough to memorize the entire family tree, but the name sounded familiar.

It became a clue, and she recalled a portrait she had once seen.

‘Ah, right. That face that looked kind of foolish.’

Now that she thought about it, he had also been present during the labyrinth practice.

He had left an impression because he was one of the group members who had hunted the instructors, and she had seen him during some campfire gathering or something.

“I remember now. That was Master Erucel.”

“Right, now that we’re on the topic, how is the third master? Is he doing well at the academy?”

“Well… to be honest, I’m not sure.”

“Ah, tsk tsk. If he had accomplished anything noteworthy, you would’ve remembered him instantly. Seems like he hasn’t done anything impressive. What a pity…”

Coulo sighed deeply, looking away from Melin.

It seemed Erucel hadn’t been able to overcome anything, still haunted by the fear of Hersel and Luon, who had tormented him.

‘If only those two hadn’t planted such nasty habits in him, there would be few who could rival him among his peers. What a shame… what a waste.’

Coulo was disappointed that the promising swordsman he had trained wasn’t living up to his potential.

***

Erucel was, once again, in a push-up position, serving as a human chair.

Sitting on his back was Amanda of the Fourth seat.

She shook the water bottle in her hand, asking curiously,

“Don’t you ever get tired?”

“Hm? What’s that? Are you worried now after all the bullying you’ve put me through?”

“Do you think I’m doing this because I enjoy it?”

Amanda stood up and glanced around, making sure no one was watching.

“No one’s looking. You can take a quick break and have some water.”

“Hmph, well, I am a bit thirsty.”

Erucel chuckled.

He had heard that everyone from the Seventh Battle and above was supposed to be terrible, but Amanda didn’t seem all that bad.

That was why he accepted this punishment without much resistance.

‘If anything, she just doesn’t want to be ostracized by the Ten Elites. She’s probably afraid of ending up like Bernthal or Emeric after crossing Kerndel, the one in power.’

Erucel took the water bottle Amanda handed him and jokingly asked,

“You didn’t poison this, did you?”

“Oh, cheeky, aren’t you?”

Amanda playfully raised her fist as if to punch him. It was clearly a joke, but Erucel instinctively flinched and exaggeratedly stepped back.

“Whoops.”

Amanda burst into laughter.

“Why are you so jumpy? I’m not gonna hit you.”

Embarrassed, Erucel coughed awkwardly.

“Hmph.”

“Ah, you’ve almost met your quota for today. What are you planning to do afterward?”

“Training. I haven’t done much lately, and I keep thinking of some old man’s face.”

“Training? Don’t you have any hobbies? Like joining a club or something.”

Erucel handed back the water bottle and answered,

“…Now that I think about it, I don’t really have any.”

Seemingly happy with his answer, Amanda asked in an excited voice,

“Really? How about joining the art club then? I’m the representative. If you don’t want to join, at least come and take a look. There are a lot of good paintings to see.”

“Paintings, huh? Now that you mention it, I do enjoy looking at art. My mother collected a lot of paintings at home, so I’d often find myself staring at them, mesmerized.”

“Oh, you’re from the Tenest family, right? I bet you have a lot of masterpieces by famous artists.”

Wanting to keep the conversation going, Erucel thought deeply about art.

“I don’t know much, but I’m familiar with a painting by Ebendrell. It’s one my mother cherishes greatly.”

“Wow, Ebendrell! That artist is—wait, hold on. I hear footsteps. Hurry, get back into the chair position.”

Just as Amanda said, footsteps echoed in the distance.

Erucel quickly resumed the chair position, and Amanda sat back down.

But the voice of the uninvited guest that reached Erucel’s ears was all too familiar.

“Give me back my brother.”

It was the deep, menacing voice of his half-brother, Hersel Ben Tenest, casting a dark shadow as he approached.

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