1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

108. The Calm Before the Storm (2)

Henderson had no recollection of the inventory magic.

Rockefeller conveyed this fact to Akandric.

“The imperial court must be quite disappointed.”

Akandric clicked his tongue in dismay.

Rockefeller attempted to offer some consolation.

“From the very beginning, there was a sense of doubt about whether such magic even existed, wasn’t there?”

In the realm of magic, deception ran rampant.

For those who weren’t even proper magicians, it was even worse.

There were countless charlatans deceiving the ignorant common folk to inflate their own reputations.

“There were indeed many suspicious aspects from the start. During his time as a spy, he never showed that magic to anyone. Most of those who caught a glimpse were people with no ties to magic at all. So, I suspect he might have manipulated it with illusion magic. Something like this.”

Rockefeller conjured a pen with his shaping magic, mimicking the scene of entering a pocket dimension.

It was all a fabrication, merely a reenacted image.

Yet, it seemed convincing enough that Akandric let out a low hum.

“Hm, it does seem enticing to my eyes.”

“He is a fraud. His understanding of magic is exceptional, yet his arrogance pierces the heavens. Perhaps he committed this act to garner some attention from the scholars of the Mage Tower.”

Akandrik picked up his quill.

“Then I shall report this to the imperial court. Soon enough, the Mage Tower will announce it as well. They will declare that inventory magic is impossible.”

Rockefeller chuckled with a sardonic grin.

Henderson was not only known as a sentinel of the shadows but also as a master of the forbidden arts.

Yet, the truth of his charlatanry would soon spread through the world, and it was only natural that he would no longer be mentioned in academic circles.

For a sorcerer, deceit is an unforgivable sin, one that can shatter even the most established reputation.

Among those who knew, the humiliation would be all the more profound.

Perhaps it was amusing to Akandrik that those who had taken him seriously were now the subject of ridicule, for he let out a soft laugh.

“Surely, there can be no such magic in this world. To put things in and take them out at will, whenever and wherever? It defies reason with the slightest thought.”

“That is true. If it existed, the great archmages of the past would have discovered it long ago, wouldn’t they?”

“Indeed. But what a fuss they’ve made over it. It seems there are many fools in both the imperial court and the Mage Tower.”

The headmaster’s office was filled with their mocking laughter.

* * *

“Ahem, I am parched.”

I picked up the staff that lay beside my bed and began to draw the sigils.

The magic I was conjuring was inventory.

The incantation was vast and exceedingly complex, requiring a wait of five minutes.

For merely a glass of cool water, this was grand and inconvenient beyond measure.

Yet, the reason for my efforts was quite simple.

I needed to practice until it became second nature.

Of course, as Henderson warned, I must never let others see it…

Kiiing—

A square with a green border projected into the air.

With my meager mana, I could manifest a total of three slots.

I reached into the square and pulled out a glass of cool water, gulping it down eagerly.

The refreshing sensation from the first sip coursed down my throat.

“Ahh.”

I returned the cup and gazed blankly at the inventory window designed by Henderson.

No matter how I looked at it, it was far from the sleek, intuitive UI of a game.

The lines drawn as if by a child are all there is, and this goes beyond simplicity; it is simply a lack of effort.

“Looks like you’ve boldly given up on design.”

…As expected, that guy has no sense of aesthetics.

“Hmm.”

I flopped onto the bed, recalling the things I could do with inventory magic.

Though the limits of what I could store were clear, the utility was quite substantial.

I could secretly stash contraband, or seal away cursed tools that should not exist in this world for a lifetime.

Ah, and it would be delightful to threaten someone by saying I’d put in treasure and if I died, they wouldn’t be able to take it out.

And the use I liked most was this.

“It should be about ready.”

I retrieved the bowl I had left to freeze by the window.

It was ice cream, made by mixing milk, sugar, and various spices.

Thanks to the occasional telekinetic stirring I did in the room, it would likely be smooth.

Perhaps intrigued, Donathan asked me.

“I’ve never seen that before. What kind of food is it?”

“It’s a snack called ice cream. I think it might be the first of its kind.”

Ice cream had yet to be invented in this era.

At best, it was just a hard frozen treat?

I took a spoonful and savored it.

The taste was inferior to what you’d find at a convenience store, and the texture wasn’t great, but it was still edible.

I decided to save the rest for later and put the ice cream back into my inventory.

In terms of utility, it was absurdly simple.

Yet, there was something in that simplicity that should not be overlooked.

With time seemingly frozen, the temperature remained unchanged, and there was no oxidation, allowing for eternal preservation.

The ability to pull this out to eat whenever and wherever—what a magnificent magic that is.

And the most fascinating aspect was the overlapping storage.

I didn’t yet know how many of the same item I could store, but there were currently 103 sandwiches occupying one slot.

Thus, food made by combining meat and vegetables was classified as one.

“Should I try making a meal kit to store next?”

I needed to check if putting food into a box and bundling it together would also take up just one slot.

If it were possible, one could pull out ingredients from anywhere at any time, laying them out as if unwrapping a package, and prepare a variety of dishes to savor.

It might not be a bad idea to take up a hobby in cooking.

How exquisite a luxury it would be to enjoy a proper meal in the realm of magic.

‘But what does ice cream taste like, I wonder?’

“It’s just sweet and cold. Honestly, it lacks flavor. This will require a lot of research.”

‘…Are you really going to waste time on such trivial pursuits?’

“I’m human too. I need a hobby to relieve mental stress. And people find happiness in eating ice cream.”

I gazed at the cat, which had emptied the plate, as I dismissed the inventory from my mind.

Having finished its meal, it leapt onto my lap, rubbing its cheek against my belly.

I stroked its back while checking the calendar.

The little ones are set to leave early tomorrow morning.

The hostess said she would handle things, so there’s not much for me to do.

I decided to let that part go and focus on the next day.

“Not much time left.”

It was the day of a modest gathering to commend the students returning from their practical training in the realm of magic.

All the first-years would gather in one place to drink and celebrate, and there would also be a ceremony for awards.

Limberton, who had taken down the leader, would surely receive some recognition.

“Well then, perhaps I should start preparing.”

I rose from my seat and pulled out my wallet.

First, I planned to stop by the clothing club to find something suitable for the gathering.

Meow.

But then, the cat jumped up onto my shoulder.

“…”

Well, does it matter?

It’s good to get close.

* * *

The cat draped itself around my neck like a scarf.

The humans in the lobby looked at me with envious eyes.

“Isn’t that the cat that vanished like smoke?”

“No wonder. I hadn’t seen it around lately.”

Ignoring the world around her, Atra greeted me.

Her eyes widened slowly, as if in disbelief.

“Hello? Hursel. Um, um… Is that cat, by any chance, Gonzales?”

“Don’t just name it as you please.”

I narrowed my brows at the clumsy name.

Atra, perhaps feeling wronged, offered a defense.

“I heard it from a senior who graduated, you know.”

Maybe it was because Atra approached me so casually.

The girls who had only been watching now stepped forward to ask.

“Hursel, um… Can we pet that cat?”

“You should ask it for permission.”

“Hey, Kkangnyang, is that okay?”

…Kkangnyang? Even the names are all over the place.

And calling it ‘sister’?

If they knew how long this cat had lived, they would faint.

Caw!

As the girl’s hand approached, the cat hissed fiercely.

“Oh my! Look at its temper. It’s really scary…”

Atra, who had been merely observing, chuckled softly.

“Gonzales has a really nasty personality. I bet it’s scratched every hand that tried to pet it.”

“Then how did you become friends with it?”

“Don’t you know? Is there some secret to it?”

Atra rested her chin on her finger, gazing into my eyes.

Her expression begged for an answer.

I replied honestly, though I was too lazy to elaborate.

“I just fed it regularly. And then it started to follow me. Well, I’m busy, so I’ll be on my way.”

With that, I turned to leave.

Behind me, I could hear the conversation between the girl and Atra.

“But that cat, it disappears in a puff of smoke sometimes. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary cat. What is it really?”

“Who knows? The academy is full of strange things. Isn’t that one of them? Anyway, it must have lived here a long time. You know that elderly professor who teaches the joint classes in the knight department? They say he was around even during his student days.”

“Wow, really?”

Much longer than that.

“I’ve heard from the graduated seniors that there’s a ghost of a cat that died here. Anyway, no one really knows what that thing is.”

I don’t know the details either.

All I know is that this creature is something the great wizard, founder of Frost Heart, brought back from the realm of magic.

Not quite a monster, but an enigmatic being closer to a spirit.

Other than that, it’s just a bodyguard that occasionally proves useful.

Feeling reassured, I slipped out of the Shulafe chamber.

As I walked, I looked up at the fading sunset.

Then my gaze fell upon the fortress, and my eyes fixed on the window of the special wing.

“…”

Luon al Banas.

That one will soon finish preparing as well.

Thanks to the ‘Obsession of Pheldira’ that clung to him, it was clear he had nearly gathered all the materials.

In two days, on the day of the banquet where all the first-years would gather, the first act boss battle would begin.

To survive this trembling situation, a certain resolve was necessary.

* * *

In the living room of the special wing, three men were chatting while chewing on the end of a cigarette.

As is typical of lowly men, their conversation was far from clean.

A man with thick eyebrows, Aiman, was boasting with a sly grin.

“There was a servant my age back then, and one day he had the audacity to talk back to me. Telling me to keep my dignity and whatnot, so I dragged his mother over and had her executed. Then, that brat tried to stab me with a knife from the plate, can you believe it?”

Alcis asked with curiosity in his eyes.

“What did you do?”

“Oh, that’s the thing.”

Aiman seemed to relish the memory, his body twitching with excitement.

“…I burned him in the square to save face. He dared to attempt to kill a noble, so it was a lesson, you see.”

Alcis shook his head.

“Eh, that’s a bit weak. I, on the other hand…”

Before long, a competition had sparked over who had committed the greater atrocity.

Kurel, who had been silently listening, waited for the story of Alcís’s s*xual harassment to come to an end.

“…After it was over, I carved a mark into her thigh. They say her lover took his own life the next day. Heh heh.”

“Let’s leave it at that. You’ll keep me up all night.”

As the atmosphere shifted toward sleep, Kurel found himself unconsciously gazing at the room at the end of the hallway.

The owner of that room was not Lethe, but a newcomer admitted through donations.

Under Luon’s orders, he had simply been left untouched until now.

Alcis asked, “Kurel, what are you staring at?”

“I was just thinking that something’s about to start soon, and I wonder what that guy will do.”

“But what exactly is he doing? He didn’t even show up for this practice.”

He was a man who stirred unease in many ways.

He barely attended classes.

Despite the professors’ frustration, who had sent him to the Punishment Hall for the ‘Curse of Control,’ he maintained his defiant attitude until the end.

“…He’s quite the lone wolf. It wouldn’t hurt to have a word with him.”

Kurel began to move.

Just as he was walking toward the man’s door, Luon’s voice rang out.

“Kurel, didn’t I tell you to leave that man alone?”

Turning his head, he saw Luon approaching.

In one hand, he held a square steel box and looked at Kurel.

Kurel asked, “Lu, Luon. But what is that…?”

Luon revealed a neat row of teeth as he spoke.

“I have all the materials. I was just learning how to use them.”

Kurel grinned, his voice trembling as he trailed off. “Finally…”

“It’s in two days. You all should prepare.”

As Luon entered the room, he added in a low voice, “The game will begin soon.”

The three men trembled with delight, their lips quivering in anticipation.

The game Luon spoke of was a realm of desire where one could manipulate the Frost Heart at will.

Repressed lust and sadism began to boil over.

* * *

I had just stepped into the entrance of the stronghold, on my way to the club floor.

The cat, perhaps disturbed by the ruckus around, vanished like smoke.

As I scanned the surroundings for a suitable outfit, the scent of alcohol made my nose wrinkle.

…The clothes could wait.

I swiftly turned to flee.

Thud!

A wrinkled hand clutched my shoulder.

“Look at this little rascal, trying to run away again? Erucel, what’s become of your brother?”

At Bellen’s question, Erucel, standing beside him, stammered a reply.

“Ugh, he was always like this, Auntie. Hic.”

His face was slightly flushed, suggesting he had been drinking.

There was no way this student had gotten his hands on any; it was likely Bellen who had fed him.

“…Students are supposed to abstain. Erucel, don’t just gobble up whatever they offer you. Do you want to get caught by a professor and face the consequences?”

As I threw in a warning, Bellen chuckled softly.

“What’s the big deal? Soon enough, we’ll be drinking to our hearts’ content. But why is this kid so weak with alcohol?”

Bellen gave Erucel’s side a playful poke.

Seeing the grimace on his face, it was clear that Bellen was a bit of a burden to him.

With nothing in particular to say, I asked Bellen why he was here, even though I already had an inkling.

“Auntie, what brings you here with him?”

“I came for a bit of business. They say there have been many incidents of items being damaged or going missing lately? Akandric asked me to come. He’ll provide fine liquor if I keep watch.”

It was a time when hands were sorely needed.

With midterms just wrapped up, the professors were preoccupied with grading, and they had their hands full preparing for the banquet as well.

There was another reason, but it seemed Bellen was reluctant to share the rest.

At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if a professor had gone missing instead of a student.

Even if I were told, it would only add to the confusion, and the faculty likely deemed it a matter of serious concern, which was why they had enlisted Bellen, once known as the Empress.

“So, what about you? What brings you here?”

“I came to see if I could find something to wear for the banquet.”

“Hm? Now of all times?”

Bellen shot me a suspicious glance.

It seemed they thought it impossible to make the fitting in just two days.

Usually, that would be the case, but for me, it mattered not, as I planned to purchase garments stripped of all excess.

“I intend to match it with nothing but fabric and buttons, perhaps some frills. Two days should suffice, don’t you think?”

Just a few outfits torn apart by self-destructive magic.

Cheap and quick fittings were far more economical.

“Is that so? Then off you go. Oh, and don’t forget to bring some drinks from the banquet. Eruzel, you too.”

“Yeeah…”

Leaving the two behind, I walked toward a suitable clothing club.

In the midst of this, a strange wail echoed through the air.

Krrrraaa—

From the club floor, an undead creature began to charge forth, exhaling white mist.