Chapter 57

1-Second Invincible Player In The Game 57

57. Lee In-jo (3)

Today, I realized there’s not a single sane person around me.

The very thought that I could overthrow Bidon is laughable.

And evidence? With their tyrant resumes, would they really be that careless?

It’s something I’ll never find, no matter how long I search.

The meaningless struggle is slightly bothersome, but I’m not too worried.

After all, in three months, Rick’s party will have grown stronger, and with a little influence, I can guide them to defeat Lee In-jo. That will solve everything.

So, what I need to do is keep Atra and Rick’s party at a distance, letting them handle things on their own.

For now, I’ll just endure the asylum-like fortress repairs for exactly five days.

After that, a new project led by the professor will start, and that will be perfect.

If I just go around doing odd jobs here and there for three months, peace will come to the Shulrape Manor even without me.

* * *

Limbutton left Makdal’s room and headed towards the freshman dormitory.

As he descended the stairs, he ran into Ashley and Rick’s party around the corner.

“You guys… Did you enjoy having me expelled?”

“Ahem, sorry about that.”

“But still, why would you throw such an accusation…”

As Rick’s party avoided his gaze, Rick spoke with an apologetic expression.

“Don’t hold it against us too much. We’ve been worried and waiting here for you.”

“Really?”

Limbutton frowned, noticing someone was missing.

“But what about Hershel, that guy?”

“…He said he was tired and went to bed early.”

“Heartless jerk.”

Perhaps because I’ve had a cup of water on my head for over three hours, my neck feels stiff.

As I massage the back of my neck, Rix asks,

“Looks like you had a rough time, are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine. Compared to those who rolled around in the yard, I was rather lucky, you know…”

Limberton’s shoulders slumped as he recalled his classmates and seniors who had suffered terribly.

Violence disguised as training.

Especially those who hadn’t paid their taxes were forced to duel until one of them fainted.

What was most chilling was that even the passing professors didn’t take the situation seriously and just went on their way.

‘…This place seems to be going mad.’

The thought that it would only get worse made Limberton shiver.

He wished this tyranny would end soon.

And the one to end it would probably be that guy.

He always acted as if he knew everything and had solved everything, so he would do the same this time.

“But what does Hershel say about this incident?”

Rix grinned reassuringly.

“Don’t worry about that. Just gather the evidence, and leave the rest to him.”

“I knew it, he must have a plan.”

Limberton sighed in relief and stroked his chest with his hand. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Then, a book hidden inside his shirt fell to the floor.

It was a book with a picture of a woman changing clothes, taken from Magdal’s room.

“Oh no. I need to put it back later; I hope it’s not crumpled.”

As he carefully checked the condition of the pages, Rix blinked.

“But what’s with that book?”

“Oh, this? I ‘borrowed’ it without asking because Magdal was such a pain, not even paying me. Huh? But what’s this content. It’s just names and numbers…”

At that moment, Rix snatched the book with a surprised look.

“You like this kind of stuff too? Well, it’s a basic interest for a man. But it’s a pity the content you want isn’t there.”

But as he turned the pages, Rix’s eyes gradually widened.

Here are the names of the defaulters recorded. The ledger is certainly correct…”

“Huh?”

Rix let out a single drop of sweat as he smiled.

“With this, we can drive them out. Limberton, you’ve done something great.”

“Eh?”

“This is no time to be idle. Let’s go to Hersel right now.”

“Uh, uh…”

Limberton followed Rix and his party.

Somehow, seeing everyone in a good mood, it seems like things are going well.

And so, they arrived in front of Hersel’s door.

Knock, knock!

Despite Rix’s knocking, there was no response.

“Is he already asleep?”

Limberton perked up his ears.

“No? I hear something. It sounds like the creaking of the floorboards. Just wait a moment.”

Limberton raised his voice at the door.

“Hersel, you’re not sleeping now, are you? Can we come in?”

“…”

“No answer means we can enter?”

The door was not locked.

As they carefully opened the door, Limberton blinked.

On the other hand, Rix let out an exclamation in a surprised voice.

Hersel, whom they thought was asleep, was doing push-ups with his eyes closed.

‘Has he been training like this in secret even at night…’

He looks frozen like a block of ice now, but the floor is drenched with sweat, indicating he’s been training for quite some time.

Rix smiled bitterly and carefully closed the door.

“It seems he’s been training to drive out that duo. We shouldn’t disturb him, should we?”

Then, picking up the ledger, he changed direction.

“For now, I’ll go and hand this over to Senior Atra.”

Limberton, with a puzzled look, scratched his head vigorously.

“Is it late?”

“I’ll just tell the dorm supervisor, and they’ll let me out right away. You guys go ahead and get some sleep. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Rix headed to the first-floor lobby.

* * *

Atra’s arrival in the lobby was swift.

Rix’s face brightened at her reaction to receiving the ledger.

“I’ve seen this illustration before. It’s definitely the ledger those guys were working on.”

“Then, we should report this to Hershel in the morning.”

Rix was elated at the thought of expelling the duo so quickly.

But Atra shook her head.

“No, let’s hold off on that. I have a feeling we shouldn’t tell him just yet.”

“…Why not?”

“He’s the one who said he’d take down the boss alone. Remember the confidence he showed on the ramparts? Hershel definitely said it’d be a problem to ‘trample them.’”

It seemed Hershel had indeed said something like that.

-Cough, ‘Even if I trample them,’ it’s a problem. They’re bound to commit such acts in hiding. It’ll only make them harder to catch.

Chills ran down Rix’s spine as he recalled those words.

“Don’t tell me, Hershel plans to take on those two alone?”

“That’s probably right. He’s also said he doesn’t want any sacrifices.”

When Atra mentioned the sacrificial lamb, Hershel had insisted just like that.

-‘Peace’ built on sacrifices is fake.

He does not want sacrifices.

That lends credibility to Atra’s argument.

In the end, if either Makdal or Bidon fights in Hershel’s place, they’re bound to get seriously hurt.

Rix had experienced it himself, being beaten up like a dog on a hot day with his friends.

And he had seen Hershel’s fighting spirit during his midnight training.

“Definitely, if it’s Hershel, it seems like he would do just that.”

“Rix, I think this might be our last chance. That’s why I’d prefer not to tell him about this.”

Stunned by Atra’s absurd suggestion, Rix asked with a dumbfounded look.

“Excuse me?”

“Of course, I don’t think he’ll lose if he faces Lee Injo alone. But you never know. For a sure victory, it’s best to fight one-on-one. I can manipulate the situation easily enough, so it’s a viable strategy.”

Atra’s words had a point.

That reason was convincing enough.

Rix, with his cheeks puffed from blowing, nodded as he touched them.

“…I sympathize. Above all, I hate to burden him with everything. It’s only right that we deal with the remaining one amongst ourselves.”

“Yes, even if we lose, we’ll fight one-on-one again and defeat him.”

Rix asked Atra with a determined face.

“Who will you have fight Hershel first?”

“It’s Bidon. He’s stronger than Makdal. If we take him down first, Makdal’s morale will surely break, right? Besides, luring Bidon out has a much higher chance of success.”

“Then, I understand. I’ll make sure to tell the friends to keep a tight lip.”

Rix immediately ran to the dormitory and announced to everyone except Hershel.

* * *

6 PM.

While the Shulrape officials were being tortured, I moved to repair the fortress walls.

But then Atra, taking Ashlei and Rix’s group, told me to go ahead and rest well, saying they would go get the materials.

I felt a bit uneasy, but gladly accepted.

I’ve been feeling unwell lately, waking up exhausted every morning.

‘I should ask to lower the dormitory’s boiler temperature. Seems like I’ve been sweating a lot in my sleep.’

‘Hmm. Yes, the temperature has been a bit high.’

I climbed up the wall and found a comfortable spot to sit.

Watching the stair entrance, wondering when they would come.

After a few minutes, footsteps clicked closer.

“You’ve arrived earlier than I thought.”

“Well, you called, so I had to come right away, didn’t I?”

“?!”

At the frail voice, I doubted my ears.

I stared hard at the stair entrance, hoping it was just an auditory hallucination.

But reality, as always, was only cruel to me.

“Hello? Darling.”

Bidon, that guy, appeared with a perverted smile, holding a letter in his hand…

“Surprised, aren’t you? I was planning to approach you slowly, but I never expected you to call out to me so eagerly.”

…I called you?

At that moment, I witnessed it.

Atra and the group of Rix, hiding at the entrance of the stairs, watching this way.

These b*stards!

They’ve sold me out!!

I want to kill them right now, but the resentment towards them can wait.

First and foremost, I need to get out of this situation.

As always, I decided to tackle the situation with quick thinking and ignited the ‘Noble Blood’s Last Ember’.

“What are you talking about? Calling you? Me?”

“Oh, don’t be shy. You’re the one who sent this letter.”

“It must be someone’s prank. I’ve never sent such a thing. But, I have a hunch who the culprit might be. Take a look behind.”

Bidon turned his head.

And just like that, those annoying guys vanished in an instant.

“Nothing there? Ah, I see. You must have prepared some sort of game, right?”

Bidon smirked and started walking towards me.

‘…Hussel, you know that guy is no ordinary person, right?’

‘Uh…’

‘Is there any way to avoid this situation?’

‘Don’t talk. I’m thinking…’

As he got closer, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“I would’ve said it was a joke. I didn’t send that letter.”

“Twice is a bit tiresome, isn’t it? Ah, you’re embarrassed. That’s why you keep dodging the issue.”

From noble mtl dot come

“Don’t make me laugh. I’m not interested in you, not even a fingernail’s worth! So just buzz off!”

Then, a shadow fell over Bidon’s eyes.

“…You’re serious, you b*stard.”

Suddenly, he started laughing maniacally, as if he’d lost his mind.

“But it doesn’t really matter. Right now, it’s just you and me here. That’s all that matters at this moment. So, shall we do what we couldn’t do before?”

“I don’t know what you’re planning, but if you don’t want to die, it’s best not to pull any foolish stunts.”

“Heh, I think it’s worth the risk.”

Oh, do not come.

In desperation, I pulled out my wand and loaded the spell.

Yet, as he approached nonchalantly, I found myself stepping back involuntarily.

When Bidon’s chin, peppered with stubble, came into clear view, I thrust the electric wand, wrought from all my mana, into his neck.

Crackle and fizz!

The professor must have explained that to perfectly block a magical attack with aura, at least twice the amount is needed.

Moreover, it was a surprise attack before he could properly wrap himself in his aura.

Whether it worked or not, smoke began to rise from Bidon’s body.

But with his eyes flashing wildly, he spat out vile words.

“Ah, playing tag is fun. Then, as soon as the paralysis wears off, I’ll come to catch you. Now, I’ll give you time to run.”

A chill ran down my spine as he began to count.

“3.”

Running away from him?

“2.”

That’s impossible.

“1.”

Then what should I do…

“Ding!”

Bidon spread his arms to embrace me.

Panicked, I stumbled backward, and then my foot stepped into thin air.

It seems I had stepped into an unfinished section.

“Uh?”

Isn’t it instinct to grab onto something when falling?

I reached out and grabbed Bidon’s collar.

But it seemed his paralysis hadn’t fully worn off either, as his body easily leaned towards me.

“Wait, just a moment. Below is a cliff…”

Losing our balance, Bidon and I began to fall from the 10-story high castle wall.