1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

122. The Fugitive (2)

In the underground dungeon, a man with his face wrapped in bandages gnawed on jerky.

He reminisced about the time he was strapped to the operating table.

He distinctly remembered the knife plunging deep into his forehead.

His consciousness faded swiftly, but that alone was enough to stir suspicion.

If one were to split open a head, a saw would be far more efficient.

When he regained his senses, he found himself here, his face swathed in bandages.

Henderson shook the bag that had contained the jerky.

“Damn it, there’s hardly anything to eat.”

A few simple rations, some bread, and a single canteen were all that remained.

Then, a piece of paper with inscribed words fluttered down and landed nearby.

[Tell the leader that the debt is repaid. And, discard the name Henderson. You are a dead man. Your face has been altered, so seek a new identity.]

Henderson touched his face.

As a thread caught in the bandage, a sharp sting pricked his skin.

“This b*stard, could it be that he swapped my handsome face for that ugly one?”

Regrettably, there was no mirror to confirm this for now.

What mattered more was why Rockefeller had done such a thing.

Henderson scrutinized the letter closely.

“A double agent? No, if it were the old man, he would have at least given me a hint.”

The sentinel of the shadows had even warned him to be wary of Rockefeller.

It was too much to consider him an ally, yet too little to deem him a foe.

And now, he spoke of repaying a debt.

It seemed there had been some sort of transaction between the leader and that man.

‘Indeed, no matter how I think about it, I’m no spy. If I were, I would have been in the palace, not teaching children at the academy.’

Well, at least I’m alive.

As the life I thought was over continued, Henderson’s lips curled into a smile.

“Hee hee.”

But the laughter was short-lived.

Suddenly, Henderson’s mind flickered back to the Frost Heart he had left behind, and his mouth fell open in a daze.

“Ah…”

He had given away all the hundreds of gold he had scraped together from traveling the world, along with every scrap of knowledge about inventory magic, to a single student.

Now, he was empty-handed.

“Argh! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have given it away!!”

Henderson struck the ground with his fist, filled with regret.

Each time he did, the chains of the shackles on his wrists rattled, making him feel even more wretched.

Clink.

What adorned his wrists was the cursed shackles.

Rockefeller had left him here, without even unfastening them, expecting him to escape the dungeon on his own.

Tears welled in Henderson’s eyes as he cried out.

“And Rockefeller, you b*stard… At the very least, you should have left me a weapon, right? Huh?”

He muttered to the ceiling, sinking down to the floor.

The place was thick with green moss.

The dungeon could digest even weeds, so the presence of this moss meant it was one of the safest spots around.

A blind spot where the dungeon couldn’t sense its prey, perhaps.

‘Damn it, I wonder if I can even make it out alive.’

He hesitated to take a step forward.

And who could blame him? After all, he was no warrior.

Facing the dungeon’s monsters with the body of a commoner and without a single sword was akin to suicide.

‘It can’t be helped. This genius Henderson has no choice but to use his wits.’

With fire igniting in his eyes, Henderson scanned his surroundings.

Just then, he spotted a stone the size of his fist in the corner.

“Perfect.”

Next, he needed to find a manageable monster.

—

It had to be weak enough to be crushed by a stone, yet of a size that was suitably imposing.

After all, one needed to gather a bone or two to wield as a weapon.

Henderson clutched a stone in one hand and a piece of bread in the other, stealthily approaching the corner of the dungeon.

He tossed the bread into the bend with a soft thud.

“······.”

Silence.

This was proof of safety.

As he repeated the action and pressed forward, a rustling sound emerged from somewhere ahead.

‘Ah, there it is.’

Henderson pressed his back against the corner wall and peeked out cautiously.

Before him loomed a massive lizard, its height reaching up to his knees, as long as a grown man.

Its feet glistened, and the rustling grew louder, echoing like a drumbeat.

Slurp.

Just as the lizard was about to snatch the bread, Henderson sprang forth, bringing the stone down upon its head with all his might.

Thwack!

But it was tougher than he had anticipated.

In an instant, he was sent sprawling, the creature’s tail sweeping him off his feet with a resounding crash!

“Ugh.”

The lizard lunged, jaws agape, ready to devour him whole.

Swoosh!

Henderson spread his arms wide, forcing the creature’s maw to clamp down on his chains.

Then, with a leap, he mounted the lizard’s back as if riding a steed.

The beast thrashed violently, but Henderson bit down on its neck, relentlessly pounding the stone against its skull—thwack, thwack, thwack!

‘Let’s see who’s the hunter now!’

The lizard’s resistance began to wane.

A concussion was surely on the horizon.

After several minutes of fierce struggle, Henderson gasped for breath and let out a triumphant roar.

“Yeah!”

But the thrill of victory was fleeting.

A wave of desolation washed over him, and tears welled in his eyes.

—

—

Who would have thought it would take such a grueling struggle just to slay a wretched beast like this?

Henderson felt the weight of his fallen status pressing down on him, a pitiful sight indeed.

“Damn it. If the other officers saw me like this, they’d be laughing for the rest of their lives.”

Gathering his strength for a moment, Henderson smashed the lizard’s claws against a stone.

With those sharp talons, he pierced the tender belly skin, creating dotted lines before slicing it open.

Once the dissection was complete, the spoils he claimed were the creature’s long spine and a skull large enough to fit an adult’s head.

“This should suffice as a weapon.”

Ripping off his shirt, Henderson fashioned it into a makeshift strap, binding it tightly.

He connected the segments of the long spine with the cord, ensuring they wouldn’t come apart.

Whoosh!

He swung it a few times in trial, and it held firm.

Setting down the bone whip, he picked up a skull and placed it atop his head.

A bitter smile crept across his face.

“…What is this? I feel like a primitive man.”

Now armed, Henderson approached the dungeon with a newfound vigor, more determined than before.

* * *

Henderson fought with all his might to survive.

When the bull beast charged, he lashed out with the whip, tearing through its hide.

The spider, as large as a human torso, he wrapped in the bull’s skin before stabbing it to death with its own horn.

Against the muscular cyclopean creature, he swung the whip coated in spider venom, dodging until it succumbed to the poison.

“Gah. Gah…”

Just as the cyclopean beast collapsed with a thud, he suddenly felt a dampness on his skin.

Wondering if it was sweat, he wiped his face with a sack of provisions.

Yet, the moisture persisted, and Henderson exhaled a sigh of relief.

If it wasn’t sweat, then it could only be something else.

‘Just a bit further, and I’ll reach the mossy area.’

As he moved to take a brief rest, his ears perked up.

“Get a grip! Huh?”

A woman’s urgent voice echoed through the air.

He wondered if it was the mimicry of a creature known as the ‘Mirror Spirit,’ but Henderson shook his head in denial.

—

‘···The amount of magic has exceeded its limit. Is it a type of monster I don’t know?’

The mirror spirit is a feeble creature.

Yet the magic flowing from its source was so dense it made the skin tingle.

‘This ahead seems dangerous······. Damn it, I should go somewhere else.’

Henderson tried to turn back.

But then he halted, his gaze caught by the green moss spread before him.

‘Wait, this is a mossy area, isn’t it?’

If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be a monster.

Henderson approached cautiously, muffling his footsteps.

Gradually, voices grew louder.

“Luon! You must not lose consciousness here!!”

Peeking around the corner, Henderson’s eyes widened.

A woman was kneeling beside a fallen man, her hand pressed against his heart, tears streaming down her face.

‘She doesn’t look like a professor······.’

The woman’s face, suffused with a soft blue glow, appeared quite youthful.

If the man were a professor, he wouldn’t be sprawled out in a place like this.

Still, given his status as a fugitive, approaching them was a perilous act.

After all, she was a madwoman, opening the man’s chest and touching his heart right in the middle of a dungeon.

Henderson turned to leave.

However, the one-eyed monster he thought was dead was now drooling and thrusting its face right in front of him.

Hrrr.

“Ah, damn it, you scared me!”

Startled, he blurted out, and the woman reacted.

“Who’s there!”

With that, it was all or nothing.

Henderson sprinted toward the direction of the woman and the man.

They were about to engage in a fight, and he planned to escape.

But the woman was stronger than he anticipated.

Before Henderson could even get close, the one-eyed monster exploded with a bang!

‘The curse of explosion, just look at that activation speed? Damn, that’s fast······.’

Hederson raised his palms, splattered with the remnants of beasts, as if to ward off the darkness.

Then, he offered a benevolent smile to the woman who glared at him as if she wished him dead.

“Calm down, miss. This uncle here, he’s not a bad man, is he? I have no intention of causing trouble, so I’ll be on my way. Take care now.”

Hederson stepped back slowly, careful not to startle her.

Yet, it seemed the woman had no intention of letting him go.

“Sorry, but you’re going to have to die. What do you think will happen if I tell them you’re here?”

As she began to channel magic into her grimoire, Hederson’s mind raced.

Fearing detection meant there was a high chance she was on the run, and those she was fleeing from were likely professors.

“Wait! Just look at me. Can’t you see this ridiculous getup? I’m being hunted too!!”

As he rattled on, chains clinking, she scanned him up and down with her eyes.

Then, her brow furrowed sharply.

“What a pathetic sight you are.”

Hederson fell silent.

Even he felt like a fool, shackled and wielding a bone whip beneath a skull helmet.

“Well then, I’ll just—”

“Ahem. That aside…”

Hederson cut himself off, glancing furtively at the fallen man beside him.

“Your boyfriend seems to be in quite a bit of danger, huh?”

At that moment, the woman’s lips twitched.

“Heh, boyfriend, you say?”

Hederson seized the opportunity, his mind racing with mischief, and spoke with feigned nonchalance.

“Wow, to think you’d leave such a stunning beauty behind. That’s quite unfortunate. Should I take a look at him? I may not look it, but I know a thing or two. What do you say? You can decide whether to kill me later. Sounds good, right?”

With a skeptical gaze, she continued to channel magic into her grimoire.

Hederson, in a rush, channeled his own essence to appeal to her.

“Uh-oh? That sound… There’s something wrong with the heart. The rhythm isn’t quite right.”

And indeed, it was true.

Even to the naked eye, the man’s heartbeat was far from normal.

The woman narrowed her eyes, seemingly displeased with Hederson’s examination.

“Don’t be ridiculous. His heart is just fine.”

Hederson nearly scoffed at that.

You made a heart?

What nonsense is that?

But if I speak those words aloud, I will surely die.

“No, what I meant was that the angle of the heart is slightly dangerous. It seems your constitution is a bit peculiar as well, hmm… Let me take a closer look.”

Henderson cautiously approached and placed his hand over the man’s heart.

The woman’s face paled in shock, yet she fell silent at his next words.

“Indeed, look here at the back. The blood vessels are compressed. If pressure is applied with every heartbeat, it’s perilous. This one needs the heart pulled a bit more to the side.”

“…Was Luon’s constitution a bit unusual?”

Henderson nodded.

“It is true. Among the northern bloodlines, the traits of the Erata race occasionally manifest. Those people had their hearts pulled entirely to the right, didn’t they?”

Throughout thousands of years, nations merged, and bloodlines intertwined among various races.

As a result, constitutions multiplied, and the medical field began to classify and subdivide them anew.

“Hmm, judging by the scar from the sutured blood vessels, it seems the lady did this. With your medical knowledge, how could you not know?”

“Shut up. How am I supposed to know all the latest knowledge?”

Henderson finished the man’s surgery.

Yet, he still did not open his eyes.

A chill crept down the woman’s spine at the sight of her piercing gaze.

“Ahaha, just wait a moment. This is the problem. Ah, but this is something the lady must do with magic. Given my current state.”

Henderson forced a smile, the chains of his handcuffs clinking.

“What?”

“The magic is too dense in the brain. That’s why the mind is clouded. But this fellow, he doesn’t seem like a wizard—how does he hold so much magic?”

“That’s… probably due to a potion. Anyway, I understand, so hurry up and teach me the incantation.”

Henderson poked the man’s heart with his finger, smearing it with blood.

He didn’t want to bite his own finger.

The woman glared at him sharply, but he calmly began to draw the incantation on the floor.

“It’s a spell that temporarily recreates the nerves in the brain. Once done, the magic will be expelled. Be delicate with it. Unless you want to see the brain fluid oozing out like sweat.”

“…I understand.”

“And do you have any potions? The nerves in the brain must be quite damaged.”

The woman pulled out a vial.

Magic could be felt emanating from it, but since it would be expelled from the brain anyway, it seemed safe to use.

“Phew, so it’s time to medicate, is it? You there. Got any water or something?”

Henderson handed over his canteen.

The woman crushed the pill into powder, tossing it into the canteen and shaking it vigorously.

As she prepared to pour it into her mouth, Henderson blinked in surprise.

“Surely you’re not going to make him take it like that? What about telekinesis? It would spread through his body much better that way.”

“…Clueless, aren’t you?”

The woman replied, a hint of sulkiness in her tone.

Henderson knew better, of course.

It was her condescending attitude that irked him.

‘If it weren’t for that damned curse, he’d be dead by now…’

“What’s with you? Why are your eyes so wide?”

“Oh, ha ha ha. I just thought you two looked quite the pair.”

“Really? Hee hee.”

Simple-minded, indeed.

Minutes trickled by, and the man finally opened his eyes.

The woman rushed to embrace him, her face alight with joy.

“Luon!”

Yet, something was off in the man’s expression.

He seemed bewildered by her embrace, as if he didn’t recognize her.

As expected, he appeared to have no memory of her.

“Who are you?”

Henderson shook his head.

“Looks like he’s suffering from amnesia.”

“What are you saying, you fool?”

The woman retorted sharply, then turned back to the man, her demeanor softening.

“It’s me, me! The one you used to call Pheldira.”

“Hmm? Your face has changed a lot.”

“Right? What do you think? Quite handsome, don’t you agree? Oh, and I’ve changed my name too. From now on, call me ‘Alena.’”

Henderson felt a pang of awkwardness, his mouth tightening.

‘Damn it. If you were going to get plastic surgery to the point of being unrecognizable, you could have at least given me a heads-up.’

As the situation began to settle, many words were exchanged.

That woman was called Alena, once known as Pheldira, and the man was Luon al Banus.

They said they had caused a ruckus at the academy and found their way here through the fountain’s escape route.

“Is that really a thing? How do you know that?”

“Hmph, I know plenty. So don’t act all high and mighty, you fool.”

And I learned she was more insufferable than I had expected.

“Anyway, you two are also on the run, right? Nowhere to go?”

At that question, the man and woman nodded.

Hederson chuckled softly and made a suggestion.

“If you’ve escaped here, there’s bound to be a bounty on your heads in the Empire. How about this? Let’s head to the ‘Shadows’ Watch’ headquarters together.”

To safely navigate out of this dungeon, I needed this woman’s strength.

If it turns out to be a mistake, I could always stab her in the back later.

But the woman looked at me as if I were pathetic.

“Shadows’ what? That name sounds ridiculously quaint. Is it some kind of cult?”

Hederson clenched his fists, holding back his irritation.

How dare she insult that great organization of evil.

Meanwhile, the man, whose complexion had improved significantly, spoke up.

“The Shadows’ Watch is quite a notorious criminal organization in the Empire. It’s a suitable place to hide. But who are you to make such a proposal?”

Hederson grinned.

“My name is Hederson Aola. I’m an executive there. With just a word, I could easily get you two in.”

The man turned to the woman.

“Traveling together wouldn’t be a bad idea. We can take our time figuring out if what he says is true.”

“If Luon thinks so, fine. I can always change that silly name of yours later.”

Hederson found her words grating, but he had grown somewhat accustomed to it, merely letting out a sigh.

“Ugh, fine, fine. Let’s get going.”

And so the three of them moved forward together.

* * *

The dining hall of the Adel Pavilion remained unscathed amidst the chaos.

Not a single servant was injured, and the ingredients lay untouched.

Thanks to that, they were operating as usual.

“It has been a long time since I’ve found myself in this seat.”

Emeric settled into the guest of honor’s chair.

As the waiter presented the menu, the man beside him spoke up.

“Really now, you must feel sorry for me, huh?”

The grumbling man was Hamon.

He was the one who had lost his place in the Ten Seats to Emeric while the first-years were off on their practical magic training.

Emeric ignored him and thrust the menu toward the man.

“How about the course meal?”

“Ah, yes. This should be enough to mend the heart.”

Emeric raised three fingers toward the waiter.

“Three servings.”

“Ah, yes. But when will your companions be arriving? We could at least time things accordingly.”

“They will come soon. It’s fine to prepare right away.”

The waiter departed with a polite bow.

Hamon pouted, looking disappointed.

“What’s this? You’re being so considerate because of Hursel?”

“Well, yes. Thanks to him, I’ve earned quite a bit of coin, and I have matters to discuss.”

Hamon blinked, his curiosity piqued.

“You’re not thinking of giving up your Ten Seat, are you?”

“Hah, that’s a laugh. The Ten Seat is a vessel that cannot contain him.”

Hamon nodded in understanding.

In truth, from the moment he had slain the ‘Vermis of Bloodshed,’ he had reached a level more formidable than most professors.

The Ten Seat held meaning only for students; to someone of his caliber, it would seem a mere child’s plaything.

“Then why?”

Emeric took a sip of water before responding.

“That fellow can be considered the King of the Frost Heart. Just a single word from him can stir a tempest. Keeping an eye on his movements is of utmost importance.”

“Oh, that makes sense. You’re planning to tread carefully, aren’t you? Right?”

As Emeric narrowed his eyes, Hamon, undeterred, cautiously asked, “But is that wise? The pride of the others is no joke… especially those from the Seven Seats.”

There exists a hierarchy among the Ten Seats, determined by strength.

—

The current top rank is known as the First Duel, while Emeric, the lowest tier, stood at Ten Duels.

“I wonder if it’ll get noisy when they return soon…”

At present, the ranks from First Duel to Seventh Duel were all absent.

They were deep within the cursed realm, learning the ropes of real missions alongside active Pathfinders, and were soon to return to Frost Heart.

“No matter how much they flail about, it’s all for naught.”

“Of course, they’ll get wiped out. But what I’m talking about is gambling, gambling.”

Emeric tore his gaze away from Hamon and replied.

“If it’s gambling, you should go see Atra.”

“No, that’s not it. Do you think they’d dare to challenge Hessel? They’d need to be at each other’s throats for Atra to even set up a game.”

Emeric scoffed.

Hamon had lost a fortune in the first-year written exam gamble, leaving him utterly broke.

To scrape by, he needed to earn some coins.

“That’s why I told you to bet on Hessel Ben Tenest.”

“Ugh, that was a sure thing back then! Ah, isn’t there any other way?”

As Hamon scratched his head in frustration, Emeric let out a thoughtful hum.

Then, a good idea struck him.

“Hm… Oh, then we could make it so they don’t know.”

“Eh?”

“Think about it, Hamon. Hessel Ben Tenest is affiliated with the Shulafe Bureau. For that reason, I underestimated him as well.”

Hamon perked up, ears twitching.

“Uh-huh.”

“If we keep his strength a secret from the others, wouldn’t it be easier to set up a game?”

Hamon’s mouth fell open, and he snapped his fingers.

“That’s brilliant!”

“Exactly. Everyone’s as broke as you, so they’ll be hoping for this gamble to happen. They’ll probably cooperate without a fuss.”

As they chattered, whispers began to ripple through the crowd around them.

Click-clack.

The sound of polished footsteps.

Hessel Ben Tenest had arrived.