1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

148. The Skull of the Nightmare (6)

Inside, Sila screamed in despair.

The moment Rockefeller’s purification staff grazed Limberton’s head, it would all be over.

The conversations she had thought were mere dreams, casual and carefree, would reveal themselves as stark reality to that wretch.

‘Once the hypnosis breaks, he’ll realize it was all real!’

Sila hurriedly stepped in front of Rockefeller.

“Wait, Professor.”

Rockefeller raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“What is it?”

“P-Please think again. Limberton. The fool of the Shulafe coffin. If you’re going to save someone, wouldn’t it be better to choose another? Can this wretch truly be of any help?”

Her voice grew louder, a frantic babble, but thankfully, Rockefeller didn’t seem to find it suspicious.

He nodded as he regarded Limberton.

“Limberton Bell Delcy. As you said, he’s a worthless drifter. Aspiring to be a knight yet unable to wield a sword properly, and not particularly clever either. But…”

At the sound of his ‘but,’ Sila felt a chill of unease.

“It cannot be denied that he is forging a path different from the norm. To see him achieve even a modicum of success suggests there’s at least a glimmer of potential. So step aside.”

As Rockefeller’s eyes glinted with a predatory gleam, Sila felt a shiver run down her spine, and she instinctively recoiled.

Limberton, blissfully unaware, was covering his face with his palm.

As Rockefeller’s staff drew closer to Limberton’s head, Sila’s heart raced uncontrollably.

‘No, no…’

Just as she was about to intervene, someone suddenly seized Rockefeller’s arm.

Turning his head, Rockefeller found a man who had appeared out of nowhere, his eyes wide and fierce.

“What are you planning to do to a child lost in a pleasant dream?”

The man bore two small horns on his forehead, bat-like wings, and a tail.

The atmosphere turned icy at the sight of this figure, who looked every bit the devil.

Rockefeller hastily swatted his hand away and stepped back.

Blame.

The man surveyed the surroundings, his voice cold as ice.

“I saw my fallen minions on the way here. You’ve shattered quite a few. Was it all your doing?”

“······.”

Rockefeller offered no reply.

Silas, unsure of what was being said, turned to Belman and whispered, “Minions? Did you guys do that on the way?”

“If you mean the armored knights, then yes… but a lot? We only took down two.”

“That means there must be more who have awakened, doesn’t it?”

“Perhaps that’s the case.”

Despite the tension, Silas felt a flicker of relief.

Thanks to the man, it seemed unlikely that Rockefeller would awaken Limberton right now.

Rockefeller narrowed his eyes, aiming his staff at the man.

“So you’re the culprit.”

“Culprit? You speak as if I am the villain here.”

The man caressed the air with a gentle touch, introducing himself.

“I am Irte, the Lord of Dreams, your savior who will guide you into the realm of dreams.”

“I don’t know your true nature, but it’s clear you’re not in your right mind.”

With a face twisted in irritation, Rockefeller swiftly swung his staff.

Irte’s form burst apart with a pop!

Silas stared in bewilderment at the unexpectedly hollow outcome.

Yet Rockefeller’s expression remained gravely serious.

‘…The magic remains intact. He is not dead.’

The scattered pieces of his body writhed like a liquid creature, a slime, slithering back together.

In no time, they reformed into the intact figure of Irte.

Irte grinned, his voice dripping with mockery.

“This is a world of my making. I am akin to a god here.”

Rockefeller let his staff droop and asked.

For now, he knew far too little about his enemy.

“Let us at least hear you out. What do you desire from us?”

“That is a question for your own lips to utter. My role is to grant the dreams you wish to weave. I plant visions dripping with honey, far sweeter than the barren reality. So perfectly that you won’t even realize it is a dream.”

“…What if I refuse?”

Irté’s laughter abruptly ceased.

“Is there truly a choice in refusal?”

A low hum reverberated through the fortress.

The walls quivered as if this place were the belly of some great beast.

Rockefeller narrowed his eyes at the disquieting sensation.

‘Does he possess the ability to manipulate space…?’

Before he could finish the thought, the area began to fill with a violet gas.

One by one, the students who had been giggling, thinking it all a dream, began to collapse.

‘And now, hypnosis too. Does that mean resistance is futile?’

Rockefeller swiftly unleashed a sleep gas with psychokinesis and signaled to Belman.

“Be careful not to let it touch you.”

Belman unfurled a barrier, preventing the gas from reaching their group.

Irté chuckled softly.

“No matter how much you struggle, it is merely a matter of time. The moment this place transformed into my domain, the outcome was already sealed.”

Rockefeller thought this place resembled a dungeon.

The way it reshaped itself at will, the traps it conjured.

And like a sentinel, it could die and yet rise again. The speed of its resurrection was beyond comparison…

‘There is no such thing as an immortal being. Everything has its weakness.’

Yet, seeing it still alive despite having been obliterated, he noted that the body itself bore no flaw.

Then perhaps, it had hidden its weakness away, tucked safely somewhere.

Rockefeller had encountered this before.

In dungeons, in the Frost Heart, he had learned well.

‘An object imbued with vengeance was like that. The sentinel that hid its heart away was the same.’

In the former case, he could shatter the object that served as its core; in the latter, crushing the heart would suffice.

Rockefeller gathered his thoughts and gripped his staff tightly.

“Did you say you are akin to a god? I find that somewhat understandable.”

Irté remained still. The tip of the staff was aimed at Belman and his group, who had erected the barrier.

Rockefeller asked.

“Is it possible for me to choose if it’s a good dream?”

“Indeed. I shall take special care of it for you.”

“To the point where I won’t even realize it’s a dream?”

“Of course.”

Rockefeller laughed heartily, a sound of satisfaction. At that, Belman’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Professor?”

“You said you’d grant me a good dream, didn’t you? I’ve been under quite a bit of stress with work lately. Not a bad offer at all.”

“…Does that mean you want me to surrender?”

“Exactly. You lot should lay down your weapons and surrender willingly.”

Belman clenched his teeth, his eyes narrowing. Rockefeller swung his staff mercilessly toward the ground.

Boom!

A hole opened up in the floor as if a mole had burrowed through. The ground began to tremble, as if an earthquake had struck.

A second later, a hole burst forth in the inner barrier as well.

Belman and his companions flinched, stepping back as if pushed by an unseen force.

“What, what is this?”

Belman’s momentary confusion was short-lived.

Belman, Rix, Edina, and Shilam were sent flying far away, overwhelmed by some unseen power.

Rockefeller tore his gaze away from them as they vanished beyond the door of the club floor and turned to Irte.

‘I don’t know how much time I can buy, but…’

He firmly believed they would manage well, aiming his staff at Irte.

* * *

To safely conclude this, he had to return to the place where Leana’s hypnosis had begun.

He needed to briefly fall asleep in the café, just enough to think, ‘I had a strange dream.’

Thanks to the armored knights he had swept through on the way, encounters were not much of a concern.

Occasionally, Rockefeller’s crow kept watch over the surroundings like a CCTV, but perhaps considering us merely hypnotized students, it did not cry out.

“There are many crows, Hursel.”

“That’s not a good omen. At weddings, it’s white doves, you know.”

They arrived safely at the café in the Adel Pavilion.

I returned Leana to the very spot where she had been sitting.

Then I took out the clock.

The crux of this scenario was for Belman and his crew to destroy the core before Irte could catch on.

As one who had long since become accustomed to the passage of time, I accurately predicted the unfolding events down to the minute.

“Five minutes left…”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing, forget it.”

In five minutes, Rockefeller would confront Irte, and Belman’s group would fight to buy time until they found the core.

In the process, the sleeping gas would once again fill the Frost Heart entirely.

I had to wait until Leana fell asleep, so I asked from my seat.

“Is there any tea you’d like to drink?”

“Well, I’d like to see the menu first…”

She needn’t worry too much.

My role was simply to leave Leana as she was, hoping the main players would manage well while I kept myself hidden.

But then, an anomaly occurred.

Fssssss—

Even though the time wasn’t right yet, the café was already infiltrated by a violet-hued sleeping gas.

My eyes widened.

Leana, with a drowsy face, slowly closed her eyes.

“Oh, suddenly so sleepy…”

Of course, I wouldn’t succumb to sleep due to the ‘one-second invincibility.’

I sprang up from my seat, alarmed by the wrong turn of events.

Reluctantly, it seemed I needed to take a look…

* * *

Belman’s group rolled across the floor before coming to a halt.

Sila, who had crashed into the wall in a ridiculous position, grimaced.

“Rockefeller, that vile b*stard!”

Sila was in a frenzy, but Belman, unfazed, urgently cast a barrier spell.

The approaching sleeping gas was blocked by the barrier.

With a momentary reprieve, Belman turned to Sila.

“Calm down, Sila.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. The professor betrayed us, and you think such words can come forth?”

Belman, focused on the barrier magic, carefully removed his coat.

“When Professor Rockefeller tossed us aside earlier, I felt warmth. A writhing sensation seemed to etch some message into the fabric. Mind reading it for me?”

Rix spread the coat open. On the back, as Belman had said, letters of light were inscribed.

Edina read aloud, each word deliberate.

“It seems he lacks detection abilities. If he had them, he wouldn’t have questioned the identity of the unknown who dispatched the armored knights.”

Belman understood immediately.

Rockefeller had captured merely two.

The encounter with that Irteran was likely a coincidence.

‘Perhaps he came upon hearing the commotion. Sila’s voice was rather loud after all.’

That probability seemed high. During the third exam, Sila had indeed exposed them to dungeon monsters a few times with her nervous outbursts.

“I suspect the activation condition for the hypnosis is sleep. Be vigilant not to inhale any gas.”

Edina continued reading.

“There must be a weakness in him. I’ve ordered the crows to search. If they detect anything suspicious, they will cry out, so use that as a clue to investigate further. That’s all from Professor Rockefeller.”

Belman turned to Sila, cautioning her.

“I’ve told you several times to lower your voice in urgent situations, haven’t I?”

“I—I know. But this time, it couldn’t be helped…”

With a curious expression, Belman asked, “Hmm? Was there a reason?”

“Ah, I don’t know. More importantly, shouldn’t we sort this situation out quickly?”

Sila spat out her displeasure, hastily turning her head away.

Belman sighed deeply, surveying the surroundings.

They were in a corridor that led to the entrance of the club floor.

Unlike before, the number of people was quite sparse.

Rockefeller had selected only three from the first-year magic department of Adel Hall, along with Sila.

‘Was it too overwhelming to gather everyone…?’

For now, he decided to take the crows’ cries as a clue.

Belman instructed the three of them.

“We cannot linger here. We must move quickly. And since we need to focus on the crows’ cries, keep your ears wide open.”

Stairs flanked both sides of the corridor. Fearing they might hear something from outside, Belman opened a window.

The sound of a creaking echoed, accompanied by the cawing of a raven.

Caw!

The cry was not a singular event but repeated in a rhythmic pattern.

Belman questioned his own hearing, turning to the three.

“It sounds like it’s coming from above. Do you hear it too?”

“If that’s the case, there’s a more certain way to find out.”

Rix grinned slyly, conjuring a ladder with his shaping magic.

“Our home is so poor that even the floorboards creak. I used to wander around, searching for the noisy spots to fix them.”

After climbing the ladder, he pressed his ear against the ceiling and nodded.

“Given the vibrations, it’s definitely a sound from above.”

“Then let’s go take a look.”

Belman maintained the barrier magic in preparation for the sleep gas that could appear at any moment as he ascended the stairs.

The raven’s cawing grew louder.

They arrived at a floor designated for the exclusive use of the Adel clan, where a dining hall and café awaited.

Belman’s eyes widened at the deep, resonant voice that drifted from within.

“Everyone seems quite busy.”

It was Hershel, leaning against the wall.

Belman forced a bitter smile.

‘So it was Hershel who took down the armored knights, after all?’

From the expressions of the others, it seemed they shared the same suspicion.

Belman approached Hershel and asked, “Looks like you weren’t caught in the hypnosis.”

Hershel squinted, his eyes half-open as he replied, “Well, that’s true. But what are you all doing right now?”

Rix succinctly filled in the gaps.

Irtelan had taken over the academy, and Rockefeller was engaged in a skirmish with him.

Then came the message from Rockefeller, hinting that a weakness was hidden somewhere, and they were investigating.

It was an accurate yet concise briefing.

But Hershel stared intently at Sylla, letting out a complicated sigh.

Sylla, with a displeased expression, asked,

—

“What, what is it? Why are you sighing when you look at my face?”

“You’re a knight, but how did you end up joining these ruffians?”

“It’s just that Rockefeller happened to free me from a trance. Is that so strange?”

“No, not strange at all. Yes, not strange at all…”

Hershel led the way.

“Well, I understand the situation. Follow me. I was just on my way to see the place where the crows are cawing.”

The Belman group brightened at the thought that it might end soon.

Thus, they moved their feet under Hershel’s guidance.

The destination was a garden located just beneath the principal’s office.

Shilla shuddered as she spoke.

“This place…”

The very spot where Luon had thoroughly thrashed her. Perhaps recalling that moment, everyone ground their teeth as they stepped forward.

The once beautifully adorned garden now appeared sinister, filled with faded grasses that looked like poison and grotesque statues.

At that moment, a foul miasma made Belman wrinkle his nose. He then walked toward the source.

“The statue is emanating a dreadful aura.”

“Really? Then, isn’t that its weakness?”

At Hershel’s words, Shilla swung her fist, charged with aura.

With the power she had gained from her training, the statue should have shattered into pieces.

Yet the statue remained unmoved, and Shilla could only shed a few tears.

“Ugh! It hurts like hell!!”

“If the aura doesn’t work, then we must try magic.”

Belman said this and swung his staff.

He unleashed a ‘Spear of Flame,’ one of the more destructive spells among the elemental types.

Even so, the result was the same.

Hershel looked at Edina.

“If physical methods don’t work, then transformation must be the answer.”

Belman thought to himself that this was indeed the right answer.

“They say there are treasure chests among ancient relics that cannot be opened. There’s no better magic than transformation to unlock them.”

The special class of mages with transformation abilities held great value precisely for this reason.

It was like a master key that could unlock any dungeon’s mechanisms.

—

As Edina grasped her staff, Hursel cautioned her.

“Everyone, arm yourselves. If there truly lies a weakness of that creature here, it will be revealed the moment we peel back its shell.”

“A reasonable deduction. If it’s a part of its body, even if separated, it might still sense us.”

While Hursel and Belman were engrossed in their chatter, Edina swung her staff.

“Ready? Then let’s proceed.”

At that moment, the statue began to flow like mud, and the heart that had been floating in the air revealed itself.

Thump, thump.

Seeing this, Hursel took a few steps back, his eyes wide.

It was just as Sila was about to unleash a fist imbued with aura.

The group led by Belman was drawn away from the heart by some unseen force.

Before them stood Irte, now holding the heart.

“What do you intend to do with my heart?”

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind.

Belman turned his head, swallowing hard.

Rockefeller approached, his dull eyes raised, staff in hand.

Sila, her face alight with excitement, moved toward him.

Belman urgently called out to her.

“Sila, stop right there!”

“Huh?”

“That creature possesses hypnotic powers. Look at the professor. It seems he has become its pawn.”

Irte clapped his hands together.

“Yes, indeed. But there’s no need for excessive worry. While I’ve made him a slave of servitude for now, once I deal with you, I plan to release you into the realm of dreams.”

As sleep gas swirled around them, Belman swiftly cast a barrier spell. Irte scoffed.

“Resisting is merely a matter of time. How long do you think you can maintain that barrier?”

“You’re mistaken. Even if you’ve brainwashed Professor Rockefeller, we still have our trump card.”

Belman glared at Irte with a confident gaze.

But then, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning, he found Sila.

She shook her head, pointing toward a certain direction.

Belman’s eyes widened in shock.

“Gah!”

Hershel, who had thought himself clever, found himself ensnared by the sleep gas outside the barrier.

With vacant eyes, he let his shoulders droop.

Irteka grinned slyly.

“By the looks of your reaction, you’re not an ordinary man, are you?”

Irteka’s violet eyes glimmered as he approached Hershel.

Then, he grasped his chin with a hand, fixing his gaze upon him.

“Cough, cough. So, what now? This man has also become a loyal servant of mine.”

As Irteka walked, Hershel trudged along behind him, obediently.

It was the worst of situations.

Even with Rockefeller alone proving overwhelming, now Hershel, who had thought himself a formidable ally, had turned into an enemy.

‘Damn it, what am I supposed to do now?’

Belman rubbed his face with a hand, scrambling for a new plan, but no matter how hard he wracked his brain, no suitable solution emerged.

Had fear become contagious?

Rix, Sila, and Edina swallowed hard, their faces pale with dread.

On the other hand, Hershel…

‘Was my act not convincing enough?’

‘Having deceived so many, I’ve grown skilled enough to play the part. Even I was completely fooled.’

‘Isn’t that right?’

Hershel cast a sidelong glance at the heart Irteka held in his hand.