1 Second Invincibility in the Game

“Did you hear? The butler on that side failed as well.”

The candle flames flickered. Several servants were whispering in the dimly lit break room. They had gathered to discuss why their methods had failed and to talk about their failed assassination attempts. The servants who had dropped the chandelier were the first to express doubt.

“Could it have missed?”

“Right, that’s the only explanation.”

“Must be, he’s one lucky bastard.”

The trainer joined the conversation, his face showing unease.

“Is that really it? It’s hard to say it was just luck.”

“Why? Do you have any clues?”

“Maybe there’s something we’re missing. He took a direct hit to the chest from the horse’s hind legs and was unscathed.”

The maid laughed, misunderstanding it as a joke, but the trainer furrowed his brows in frustration.

“Ugh, it was a warhorse. And the only thing that broke wasn’t Hersel’s ribs but the horse’s leg. If you don’t believe me, come to the stables. I’ll show you.”

The listeners’ eyes widened. It seemed unbelievable, but his serious expression carried a strange conviction.

“Maybe he was hit by the chandelier… or did he use some kind of trick?”

“Did he put something like a thick iron plate under his clothes?”

“Would that be enough? Even armored, it would have been dented.”

“Right. A horse’s hind kick can’t be stopped by mere armor. There must be something else.”

They had no way of figuring out what that ‘something else’ was. The only plausible thought was that Hersel might be some higher-order knight who had transcended human limits. This speculation seemed like the most natural thought process they could muster.

It was absurd.

The butler shook his head. Judging Hersel as a powerful being just because he inherited the blood of the revered warrior Aol was baseless. Hersel had spent his days drinking and idling rather than training. In reality, he had a body that looked so frail it seemed like even a common soldier could easily knock him down.

“Come to think of it, that’s not the only strange thing. He’s been doing uncharacteristic things lately. Haven’t you all noticed?”

Everyone nodded in agreement with the butler’s words.

“Yes. Suddenly, he declares he’s quit drinking, even though he would drink regardless of a prohibition.”

“He hasn’t thrown any dishes either.”

“And, believe it or not, he actually thanked someone.”

Although it was common for nobles to be well-mannered, refraining from excessive drinking, and not breaking dishes or furniture unless something really bad happened, and expressing gratitude to their servants, the fact that Hersel had adhered to these ‘basics’ was too significant to ignore.

“Maybe he’s had a change of heart?”

The maid voiced her thought, making the listeners puff their cheeks and suppress laughter.

“That’s unlikely, isn’t it?”

“Probably ate something bad or is trying to get in good with the gods before he dies.”

“That’s more likely, right?”

“Let’s stop with the useless talk. So, who’s going to try next?”

After a few more rounds of conversation, the break room emptied out. As silence fell, the cabinet under the shelf cautiously opened. Inside, squeezed tightly, was Selly. 𝖗

“Ouch, my back…”

There was a sad story behind her hiding in the cabinet. Hersel was wary of poison. As he said, the safest food was the kind that even the servants could eat. While fetching such food, Selly had hidden in a hurry when the servants suddenly entered.

“Did he really do that?”

Unable to communicate with people after being marked by the mistress, Selly hadn’t even heard rumors. The unintended eavesdropping on their conversation left her mind in turmoil. Seeing Hersel wandering the mansion unscathed amidst attempts on his life made her wonder if perhaps his earlier claim wasn’t just a self-absorbed delusion.

-‘I am the reincarnation of an arrogant immortal.’

Though what the others said might have been a misunderstanding, she herself had seen it. Hersel, who had fallen from a sheer cliff, came back unscathed. The more she thought about his claim of being an ‘immortal,’ the more it started to make sense.

* * *

I was exhausted from wandering around the mansion and surviving assassination attempts. Whether it was the accumulated fatigue or something else, I quickly fell asleep. But I had to wake up soon.

[Physical attack detected.]

[1-second invincibility activated.]

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 59 seconds]

What? Hastily, I lit a candle and jumped out of bed, pulling the blanket away. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Two spiders, each the size of an adult male’s palm, were crawling around. Their color was a foreboding purple, clearly venomous.

“Crazy…”

One spider seemed to be missing a fang, possibly broken from biting earlier. The other, driven by an aggressive instinct, continued to approach me. Cold sweat ran down my back. Originally, I had a near-phobic fear of spiders rather than mere disgust.

When working overtime once, I had a dark moment when I begged a female colleague to remove a tiny spider that had crawled onto my shoulder like a scared puppy.

Stay calm. There’s no Ms. Miran here to catch cockroaches with her bare hands. I looked around for something that could be used as a weapon and spotted a shining piece of metal. Quickly, I grabbed the bell from the table and shook it with all my might. Then I hid in the closet.

My frame was large, but not so much that I couldn’t fit into the closet. To be safe, I used my pajamas to block the gaps. Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps and the rough opening of the door was heard.

“Why are you ringing the bell in the middle of the night?”

The high-pitched voice, sharp and rude, didn’t irritate me. Selly would soon become my Ms. Miran, ending the current situation.

“What’s going on? Where are you?”

“Here.”

I quickly opened the door a little to reveal myself. Hiding in the closet, I must have looked ridiculous. Maybe ‘The Embers of Noble Blood’ was unwilling to acknowledge my shameful appearance, or perhaps I was too aware of others’ gazes. Either way, I started to burn with shame.

“There are two bugs in this room. It’s only right that a servant like you should handle it.”

My voice, unnecessarily noble, sounded even more foolish. Selly’s cold eyes seemed to agree, looking at me as if I were an idiot.

“One on the floor. One on the bed.”

Sighing, Selly grabbed two pens from the desk. The fountain pens turned into daggers, piercing the spiders’ bodies. One stuck to the floor, and the other to the white bed, oozing thick fluid from their bellies.

“These sheets were cleaned just recently…”

“That’s your fault. Clean that up and bring new sheets.”

Selly’s fist trembled. It made sense; accumulating work in the middle of the night would make anyone angry. She looked like she was ready to hit someone, but in a world where rank is power, all she could do was glare and grumble under her breath.

“You can’t even catch a spider, so much for the arrogant immortal.”

“Hurry up. I’m tired.”

“Sigh.”

As Selly went to fetch new sheets, I fell into thought, staring at the disgusting spider corpses.

“Venomous spiders… What if I had been bitten…?”

No, that’s a moot point. Fangs themselves count as damage.

My curiosity, which I had suppressed in favor of eating safe food, resurfaced. What would happen if I were exposed to poison through ingestion? The ‘1-second invincibility’ was supposed to nullify any threat for one second. Cliff falls and single attacks like sword strikes were proven ineffective through experience.

Let’s think further. What about persistent and delayed damage?

I pulled out my notebook filled with assassination plans. Poisoning was a frequent method. I intended to avoid it as much as possible, but I was reaching my limit. I hadn’t had a proper meal in days, surviving on crumbs. The immediate stress of it was almost deadly.

“Should I test how I react to poison?”

Determined, I tore a sheet from the notepad and started listing the necessary items from my memory. Time passed, and the paper was filled with scribbles. Now, all I needed was someone to fetch the items. But the person supposed to receive my orders was late. I tapped my foot impatiently, glaring at the clock.

“Is she making the sheets herself?”

* * *

A woman was busy in the kitchen. Noticing the sudden request for a special meal from the young master, who had been skipping meals for a while, she sensed something suspicious. The menu was elaborate and time-consuming: oily steak and various dishes she excelled at, minus the wine.

Despite the hard work, Mirei felt slightly elated. After all, the pinch of powder she added would work its magic. The colorless, odorless, and tasteless powder would cause a heart attack upon ingestion, sprinkled liberally on the steak.

It wasn’t uncommon for nobles to die of heart attacks. It would easily be accepted. The mistress only seemed to care about obvious murders, so there was no problem.

After carefully inspecting the plating and closing the dish covers, Mirei moved the cart to Hersel’s room.

“Dinner is ready, young master.”

“Come in.”

After a brief greeting, Mirei placed the dishes on the table without a trace of hesitation. Although Hersel’s expression didn’t show hunger, his gaze fixed on the meat indicated his craving.

If he knew what was in it, his thoughts would surely change.

“My stomach feels a bit heavy… I think it’s better to start with something refreshing.”

Hersel grabbed a fork and chose the salad first. Next were the fried dishes and seafood. He didn’t touch the main course, the steak, as if deliberately avoiding it.

Mirei glanced at him, her face betraying her confusion. She met his blue eyes.

‘Could he possibly know?’

But as if mocking her thoughts, Hersel picked up the knife and sliced the steak like a piece of cake. Mirei internally wiped her sweat. As a piece of meat entered his mouth, her eyes stayed glued to his throat.

“Hmm.”

He chewed and then, seemingly parched, took a sip from his glass. Mirei closely observed Hersel’s reactions, but he appeared perfectly normal. Time passed, and still, there was no change.

‘It can’t be… By now, he should be writhing in pain from his stomach burning…’

The only odd thing was that he took his time, spacing his bites about a minute apart. In the end, only a small piece of steak remained.

“It melts in the mouth. How long does it take to make something like this?”

Despite the ominous look in his eyes, Mirei maintained her composure.

“The aging process takes 14 days. We have plenty of extras prepared, so you can have it anytime.”

“It’s delicious. Especially the tangy taste is superb. Did you use some secret seasoning?”

His knowing comment made Mirei flinch slightly. Hersel, giving her a sidelong glance, deliberately put the last piece in his mouth.

[Poison detected. (Type: Yutulip poison)]

[1-second invincibility activated.]

‘1-second invincibility’ nullifies any threat for one second. Hersel had sought various slightly toxic herbs based on his game knowledge to test the limits of this ability. Through experiments with prolonged and delayed toxins, he discovered it could nullify any damage or status effect as long as it lasted a second.

‘After all, in games, you rarely see invincibility that doesn’t nullify ongoing effects.’

However, this invincibility only applied to his body’s internal damage, not to continuous external damage like standing in a damaging zone, which it could only block for a second. This was concluded by burning his finger with a candle.

‘It only stayed cool for one second.’

Despite that, it changed the situation considerably. Further tests for the utility of his invincibility were lined up, but those could wait. For now, Hersel wanted to savor the look of shock on Mirei’s face for as long as possible.