1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

101. The Hunt for the Instructor (4)

Melin spoke with a serious expression.

“You all… are you planning to sell us out?”

Sila delivered a sharp thwack to Melin’s head.

“Ah!”

“Do we look like a human trafficking ring to you?”

“But it’s suspicious. How can you say you’ll spare us without any price?”

Sila scoffed.

“Your ransom wouldn’t even cover the cost of our dog’s food. Do you have any idea how well-off my family is?”

“…So what happens to us now?”

As Melin let her gaze fall weakly, Sila furrowed her brow and scratched her head in frustration.

“You’re confirmed to be from the Tenest family, right? That’s fortunate. There’s a saying in the Empire: even if you live as a beggar, stay in a rich man’s bed. It’s a place where even the upper-class commoners are desperate to enter. So consider yourself lucky and keep your mouth shut.”

Melin opened her mouth to say something but hesitated, her lips trembling.

This was because Sila had clenched her fists once more.

Yet, summoning her courage, she spoke.

“But what about the others? What will happen to them?”

“Ugh, but you. Your words have been short since earlier?”

“Uh, what’s going to happen, then…?”

Bel, who had been silently listening, adjusted his glasses and looked at Melin.

In his hand, a red stick flickered slowly.

—

“To be honest, I have no idea what your treatment will be. We are merely students, after all. The decision will likely come from the Academy.”

The children’s expressions darkened.

Belman thought this honest answer was better.

Clumsy flattery would only breed suspicion.

“I have answered all that I can. Of course, without a shred of falsehood, to the best of my knowledge. So now it is your turn. What of the skills of those instructors?”

Merlin hesitated.

“That’s a bit of a tricky question…”

“You must have received some training from the instructors, right? If so, you must have heard something about their control of aura, or the level of their magic. They would have set some goals for you.”

Those who teach are meant to show the way to their students.

In the case of the Frost Heart’s Department of Magic, professors demonstrate what advanced magic looks like, and what the higher tier, the elite, entails.

It is far easier to understand when shown than when merely spoken of in theory.

Merlin opened his mouth, “Ah.”

“If that’s the case, I think the instructor who handles magic claimed to be of the advanced level. He boasted about it, after all.”

“Hmm…”

Belman thought that dealing with a wizard would be easier.

Among the professors, there were some who remained at the advanced level, and their rank was relatively low.

“The other three are knights, and all of them excel in aura manipulation. Their release is fundamental, and one of them—”

“Wait, three? Were there four instructors in total?”

“Yes. I heard one went to eliminate a magic swordsman in the highlands.”

It seemed they had set out to hunt the Luon faction.

“Alright, understood. Continue explaining.”

“…Anyway, one of them is on a different level. His name is Vermi, and he is quite famous in the wandering band for having hunted dozens of Pathfinders. I heard he recently became capable of wielding an Aura Blade…”

“An Aura Blade?”

Belman’s eyes widened.

An Aura Blade is a sword that is completed only when it embodies all three properties of aura.

Speed-enhancing Rapid (急速).

Strength-boosting Mighty (剛力).

Durability-maximizing Indestructible (不壞).

With a mere swing, the sword accelerates on its own, immense power is infused, increasing its cutting ability, and its durability is honed to the extreme—a legendary blade.

It is regarded as the pinnacle of aura release.

‘This is perilous…’

Among the professors, there is Gomon, renowned for his prowess even within the Adel Academy.

Yet even he could not be certain of victory against a swordsman wielding an Aura Blade.

Hershel felt the same uncertainty.

‘Hershel Ben Tenest. I’ve never seen that fellow handle a Mana Blade. Perhaps I might be of assistance.’

Belman surveyed the surrounding students of the Magic Department.

They were preoccupied, diligently attempting to replicate the barrier incantation he had taught them.

“Are we still far from completion?”

When Belman inquired, the students responded with sheepish expressions.

“Ugh, it’s not easy!”

“I’ve taught you all the methods, haven’t I?”

“Do you think it’s as simple as just doing what you say…? This is the best we can manage.”

One student pointed to the barrier they had hastily constructed atop Belman’s original spell.

Their creation was far from sturdy.

Instead of a neat square, it resembled a floundering jellyfish.

Belman immediately sensed their trickery.

‘This isn’t barrier magic… These kids have cobbled together a shield spell and are trying to pass it off as something else.’

Shield magic was of a lower tier than barrier magic.

What mattered was not the strength of the defense, but preventing the sacred herb’s smoke from escaping.

Satisfied with this realization, Belman rose from his seat.

“I’ll take a moment to assess the situation.”

Sila, leaning against a post, stood up.

“If that’s the case, I’ll go with you.”

“Leave the injured behind.”

Belman left the sulking Sila and walked toward the thicket.

He used the red stick as a compass, setting off to join the others.

* * *

Instructor Gurt’s forehead was creased with tension, veins bulging as if etched into his skin.

Facing two knights and two mages alone was no trivial task.

He dodged the relentless onslaught of the silver-haired man and the unyielding red-haired woman, only to find himself beset again by a flurry of strikes.

Fishing!

A bird crafted from electricity scratched its cheek.

‘Damn it all. Where is this magic even coming from?’

Amidst the chaos, the man with the wild hair was busy lending support elsewhere.

Gurt cast a sidelong glance at another instructor.

“Are you still not ready, Gurt? Hurry up and help me!!”

The struggle was mutual on that side as well.

A man with dark hair wielded a great sword, cloaked in an aura, deflecting the magic aimed at him.

And a monster, conjured from magic, was being brutally subdued by a barbarian’s sheer strength.

If the distance closed, death could be imminent.

‘Ugh, this is all Vermi’s fault. If he hadn’t smashed the rocks so recklessly, we wouldn’t be in this mess…’

Gurt clenched his teeth, squeezing out the aura that had at least partially recovered.

‘Alright, I’m somewhat restored. This should be enough.’

Now, he could win.

No matter how skilled they were, they were still unbloomed flowers.

Gurt had already discerned the enemies’ weaknesses through several clashes.

‘First, the silver-haired one.’

With a swift, feinting motion that seemed to pierce with his sword, he struck.

Eruzel stepped back, startled, his face wide with surprise.

“Ha!”

Gurt thrust his leg straight out, landing a kick to Eruzel’s solar plexus.

Thud!

A heavy impact sent saliva flying from Eruzel’s mouth.

“Cough!”

‘With this, the fool won’t be moving for a while. Next is that red-haired girl.’

Gurt dove into Leana’s embrace, thrusting his sword forward.

A chain momentarily blocked his arm, but he snapped it with brute force.

As he swung horizontally, the wild-haired man conjured a shield from his magic.

Scrape—

—

Yet even that was severed, as Leana’s sword stood firm.

Clang!

Gurt clicked his tongue.

“Such unfathomable stamina you possess. Do you still have strength left…?”

“Well, I swing it ten thousand times a day.”

“Utterly foolish, indeed. But it matters not!”

Gurt lowered his stance and swept at Leana’s feet.

Leana leaped back in a desperate dodge.

But Gurt’s blade arced upward, a diagonal strike unleashed.

Thud!

Gurt grinned as he saw the sword embedded in Leana’s shoulder.

“Shall I take a guess? You’ve strayed from the basics not long ago, have you not?”

“Ugh…”

In that moment, as the blade aimed for Leana’s heart, a phoenix swooped in.

“Tch.”

Gurt tightened his grip around Leana’s neck, rendering her unconscious, and hurled his sword like a dagger.

A brief scream echoed.

“Ahhh!”

It struck true, hitting Klave’s thigh.

“Heh heh heh, hard to find you, yet here you are?”

Gurt lunged at Klave in one swift motion.

But Rix stood in his way, unleashing a barrage of magic.

Maces and axes, an array of weapons, attacked from all sides, yet they were mere illusions.

Gurt advanced, enveloped in aura, deflecting the onslaught with unyielding force.

As his hand snatched the staff, beads of sweat fell from Rix’s brow.

“Got you, you mop-headed fool.”

With brutish strength, Gurt shattered the staff.

And just as he aimed to stab Rix’s throat with the splintered end—

Swoosh!

An arrow lodged itself in his back.

—

Gurt drew his bow, a flicker of surprise igniting within him.

‘Though I’ve been careless with the fireproofing on my back, to pierce through it like that… What kind of arrow is this?’

Still, it was better than jabbing with a broken staff.

Gurt gripped the arrow tightly, aiming to drive it down into Rix’s head.

But his hand froze, suspended in the air.

A sudden halt!

Before him, a thick barrier materialized, shimmering like green glass.

A formidable wall had risen between Rix and Gurt.

Turning his head, he caught sight of a man gasping for breath.

“Phew… So, heading straight right was indeed the answer.”

From behind, the red-haired woman he had knocked out earlier stirred, her voice breaking the tension.

“Belman…”

In that moment, Gurt felt his sanity snap!

He had yet to claim a single life against mere students.

Every time he turned around, they thwarted him, and now the one he had fainted was already coming back to life…

“…Ugh, even if I bring them down, it feels utterly pointless. At this rate, I might truly lose my mind.”

Frustration clawing at him, Gurt cast a cold glare at the sorcerer who was battling the four.

‘Whatever happens now… I don’t care anymore…’

He shouted at him, voice laced with desperation.

“If you’re not going to use the potion, hand it over to me! Walz!!”

The beast transformation potion was meant to be taken once a day.

Anything more was a reckless gamble.

* * *

Limberton watched Gurt, a sense of bewilderment creeping in.

They were tactically pushing forward, somehow managing to keep the pressure on.

Asley and Riamon led the charge, while the short-haired girl beside them dispelled curses as they struck.

Yet the sword-wielding instructor, though he seemed on the verge of collapse, clung to his stubbornness, refusing to yield.

‘But with Belman here, there’s nothing to worry about.’

Feeling reassured, he aimed his bow at the sorcerer.

But just then, he heard the instructor shouting something at the sorcerer.

“Hand it over if you’re not going to use it! Wals!!”

“What? Gurt, what about yours?”

“Enough chatter, just give it to me!!”

“Tch, looks like you’ve already used it. I don’t care if you live or die.”

The wizard stood firm, a wall of stone blocking the advance of Riamon and Asley.

Beyond him, a small box was tossed.

Limberton aimed to hit it with an arrow, but in dodging the arrow thrown by Gurt, he lost his timing.

“Ugh!”

An arrow whizzed just above his head.

Limberton let out a sigh of relief, grateful for his short stature.

But he could not stop the box from being seized by Gurt’s hand.

Gurt pulled a syringe from the box and laughed heartily.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!!”

At that ominous laughter, Limberton quickly loosed an arrow.

Thwack!

The arrow struck true, hitting Gurt squarely between the brows.

Yet, the syringe was already embedded in Gurt’s forearm.

“Uh?”

Gurt’s eyes widened in shock.

Then, with a feigned calmness, he pouted his lips.

“Hmm, that tickles? Let me shoot again—ugh!”

Gurt suddenly bent over, groaning in pain.

“Uuuhhh…”

Limberton broke into a cold sweat at the bizarre sight.

Gurt’s body began to swell, oozing like some grotesque slime.

‘W-what the hell is that…?’

Gurt screamed, clawing at his own flesh with frantic nails.

“aaahhh!!”

As he writhed in agony, his form grew larger.

Soon, he towered above the trees, transformed into a grotesque, gelatinous monster, with only a human head remaining.

“Why is that human acting like this?”

In the midst of it all, Rix approached and spoke.

“I heard from Professor Gomon that it’s a potion that borrows the power of monsters.”

“…Is that even possible?”

“It seems those wandering b*stards have developed such things. And he mentioned some side effects; I wonder if this is one of those cases…”

Belman shouted urgently.

“Let’s think about that later! Prepare to stop it!!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the monster’s body writhed, and its tentacles shot out.

Shushushuk—

Belman cast barrier magic on the eight of them, but it shattered under the blow of a tentacle as thick as a cart.

All of them were struck heavily, either impaled into trees or rolling across the ground.

Even with his cheek pressed to the earth, Limberton continued to gaze at the wizard.

The monster, perhaps unable to distinguish friend from foe, was attacking the wizard.

“Gurt, you fool! Have you really succumbed to the potion!!”

The wizard was frantically maneuvering the gnarled tree he had climbed, trying to escape.

But the vast mass of tentacles spread out like a net, engulfing the wizard.

Within that chaos, it seemed the wizard could not breathe, frothing at the mouth as he thrashed about.

Limberton thought this was the moment of opportunity.

“Let’s retreat… If the wizard dies, it’s all over. I don’t know what’s what, but if we leave it like this, he’ll die on his own.”

Belman, who lay nearby, nodded his head.

“Everyone, retreat!!”

Just as Limberton was about to whip his head around, his gaze was fixed upon the moon.

More precisely, the shadow within the moon.

It was the figure of a man who had settled beside the head of the one called Gurt.

Limberton heard the words he uttered.

“Pathetic, Gurt. The layering of potions is not something just anyone can achieve.”

With a swift motion, Vermi severed Gurt’s neck with a sword measuring seventy centimeters in length.

Slick!

Gurt’s head fell to the ground.

And at that moment, the viscous substance lost its form and spilled forth.

At last, it surged forth like a flood, beginning to engulf the party.

Swoosh!

Injured and unable to flee, they found themselves trapped.

Yet, a small mercy lay in the fact that as it approached, the water level receded, leaving only their lower bodies submerged.

Limberton hastily moved his legs.

But the slime began to harden in an instant.

“Wait, wait. I can’t move my legs.”

As confusion washed over them, Vermi planted his feet firmly on the solidified, gelatinous foundation.

Thud!

“Hmph, at least Gurt’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain. It’s kept you lot from escaping.”

“What about the professors?” Limberton asked, his voice tinged with concern, as Vermi approached, his footsteps echoing.

“Oh, the professors? One chopped off his arm, and another severed his leg. Isn’t it curious which will die first—of blood loss or poison?”

It was just then, as Vermi drew near.

“Do not worry. I shall not let you pass in agony like those professors.”

Swoosh!

A stone bear appeared right before them.

“Huh?”

As Limberton tilted his head in confusion, the mysterious stone bear spread its limbs wide.

A second later, a torrent of lime paste erupted from its tiny body like a water cannon.

Swoosh!

Vermi leaped aside in a flash, narrowly avoiding the deluge.

“Tch, that fat creature… is it still alive?”

Limberton turned, his face a mask of disbelief.

He spotted Professor Gomon, supported by Hursel.

Gomon gasped for breath, letting his staff droop as he spoke.

“…Hursel van Tenest. Please, just take care of the rest.”

Hursel narrowed his eyes.

“Once again, those professors are begging for help from their students. If you had any conscience, you’d return your salaries.”

“Y-you little… Do you think we want this?”

“So, what will you give me this time?”

“What do you mean, give?”

“Well, there has to be a reward for doing the work, doesn’t there?”