Merlin grabbed the dazed Kim Minji and pulled her into the path closest to them. It was only as wide as a javelin's pole, enough to accommodate both of them and spare some space. But when Merlin glanced over his shoulder, a knight was upon them, chasing like it was not made of stone, and unbothered that its rabid movements caused it to crash against the walls violently.
"Don't look back!" Merlin screamed at Kim Minji as she tried to turn around out of fear and curiosity. "Just keep running!"
The corridor was not a straight one. There were paths all around them, and since they were not exactly running towards the gate at this moment, their minds occupied with just escaping the knight on their trail, they bounded into whichever their eyes caught first. And, finally, they seemed to lose the knight. They could no longer hear its stone body scratching along the walls.
"W-What are we to do?" Kim Minji asked, hunched over, her hands on her knees and her breaths equally as ragged as her expression. "That thing's chasing us with a sword. Do we have to fight it?" She paused for a second. "We're going to fail, aren't we?"
Merlin leaned backwards on the wall, his chest rising and falling like his heart was trying to find a way out.
"We'll be fine," he said, not quite sure, but knowing that saying anything negative would only worsen their mood and the situation. "We just have to think about things rationally, and we'll find a way out of here. Let's catch our breath and do just that."
"That's easy for you to say!" Kim Minji trembled. "I'm sure you're only finding it hard to escape because I'm here holding you back."
Merlin's brows fell, surprised at those words.
"What are you talking about?"
She looked up at him from the ground she had been staring at.
"You would have run a lot faster if you hadn't pulled me along," she said, her face pale. Merlin could see the frustration burrowed deep within her expression. "You're an A-Class Mage, aren't you? If you were alone, you would have probably figured it out by now. It's because I'm just a weak C-Class, that's why it's so tough for you. I teamed up because I knew that I would have a better shot at passing if I was with you, but now I'm holding you back. I hate this. I hate this so much."
Merlin was lost for words. After all, Kim Minji genuinely had tears welling beneath her eyes. For one, failing here did not mean that she was never becoming a Mage, so why did it bother her so much? He had more reasons to be scared about failing, because of the System's penalty. She was soft, it seemed. Far too soft. And, furthermore, she had gotten it all wrong. He was not an A-Class Mage. He was the one dependent on her. He was the one who had put her in this situation. And yet… He couldn't even tell her the truth.
Merlin clenched his fists.
"I'm sorry," he said. Kim Minji's eyes widened. "I'm sorry that you have to feel that way."
"No. No," she started frantically. "I-I made a mistake. I shouldn't have said all that." She scoffed self-deprecatingly. "Feeling sorry for myself? Ah. I'm pathetic."
"It's fine," replied Merlin, his breathing having settled and his mind clearer now. He did not have the time to be lost in his thoughts, or they would never find the gate, and that would be very bad for him. There was no certainty that Kim Minji wouldn't be caught in the penalty as well. He needed to prevent that. "Let's move forward. That's the best thing to do."
Kim Minji was silent for a second. Then with an audible sigh, she said, "Alright."
Now that they were away from the center of the room, and they knew that the stone knights were actual moving monsters possessing mana, Merlin cajoled Kim Minji into sensing the mana concentration of the gate once more. After all, the mana concentration of the knights would be behind them, so any that came from ahead, should be the way out, surely.
It was a reach, Merlin knew. But it was better than nothing.
However, Kim Minji's reply shocked him.
"They're all ahead of us," she said, sweat trickling down her brows.
Merlin frowned. "All ahead of us?"
"Yes," she replied. "There's nothing behind us. Nothing at all."
That was funny. Did that mean they were to turn back and head the way they had come? But what if that was a trap? What if the knights could erase their mana presence? That was something that could exist, right? For one, it was a feature monsters had in The Dungeon Mage. Dragons, in particular. Then, if they went back, they would be caught in the trap.
"What should we do?" Kim Minji asked when Merlin was yet to say anything.
Merlin glanced at his smartwatch, taking note of how many minutes they had lost. Eight minutes, it was. He scratched the back of his head and sighed.
"I think we should continue forward," he said. "What about you?"
"I do too."
"Alright, then. Let's do that."
As they moved, Merlin wondered what Professor Jung was doing on the other side.
Naturally, she should have noticed the oddity of the simulation by now. So she should be looking for a way to get them out. That was a train of thought that gave him a bit of hope. But if the System was strong enough to tamper with the simulation in its entirety, then surely it could have done more than just that.
Merlin suspected that the simulation probably had a failsafe that could forcibly shut it down in a case where something went wrong. The fact that it was still ongoing could mean that Professor Jung had found it difficult to forcibly draw the simulation to a close.
Merlin sighed. He wished he had not thought about that. Now his mood was sour again.
"Merlin, look!" Kim Minji called out, pointing in the direction of an opening. "It's high there. That's the way out!"
"I see…"
Merlin narrowed his eyes, not really feeling as ecstatic as Kim Minji.
Would it be that easy? Had they so easily gotten to the gate?
He couldn't help but shake off the weird feeling that crawled down his spine. And the dim, blue light pouring out of the opening ahead added to that. After all, in all the past simulations, the gate never radiated a blue light, it was always pitch black.
But he was trying not to dampen Kim Minji's mood, since he had no idea if she was right, and his thoughts were just far fetched, or not. So he followed her forward as she pulled his arm.
However, the closer they approached, the more his legs got heavier. And when they walked into the opening, his chest caved in, his breathing stopping for a brief moment.
They had returned to the chamber.
The knights roaming about instantly turned to their direction, and the path they had walked in through was slammed shut by a door they had had no idea even existed.
"Why are we back here?" Kim Minji lost all her composure now. "W-We did not turn back, right? How come we're back here?!"
The knights were in no way interested in letting them catch their breaths. They approached—the knight which had chased after them among his peers as well.
Merlin realized that there was no point in getting frozen by fear here. What he had to do was think. What had he learnt from the other simulations he'd watched?
Tariq had acted rashly, and had lost. While Chima had surveyed his surroundings, and made use of the tools at his disposal. Merlin's eyes fell on the sword on the altar.
Hakyun and Nikolai. They had lent each other their hands. Despite having made the wrong decision at first, they had managed to succeed in escaping because they had trusted in each other. Trust.
Nora and Kim Yiseo. They had been able to get through their hurdles by thinking and acting quickly. The longer one stayed frozen, the worse the situation got. Speed.
That was it. He knew what to do.
As for the Dungeon. There could only be one reason why they had walked back to the same room that they had left.
Three paths, one now shut down, only two paths left. We have to get out before they all shut down, it seems. This is a maze. And we only have two trials left.
Merlin's shoulders felt a lot lighter now.
"Minji," he called. "What do you know about mazes?"
"Huh?" Kim Minji seemed a bit perplexed. But when she saw Merlin's hardened gaze, she ramrod herself straight. "I know a bit."
"Are you confident enough that you can solve one?"
"I think."
"No. Are you confident enough or not?"
She bit her lower lip. "I-I am."
"Good." Merlin nodded. "Because this Dungeon is a maze. And we only have two trials left until we're trapped in this room with the knights. I'll entrust solving the maze to you, while I hold back the knights from chasing after you."
"W-What?!" Kim Minji gasped. "That's too risky."
"We don't have time. What's risky is staying here with the knights," Merlin replied. "I want to win points for my Cohort. I want to become a Mage. And I'm sure you do too. I'll say it now. Anyone can become a Mage, whether C-Class or lower. So don't beat yourself too much, and never ever consider yourself a burden." He paused. "If you want, when we get out we can become friends. I don't mind."
Not anymore.
Kim Minji was silent for a second. "I would like that."
"Good. Now run!"
Merlin dashed forward, and Kim Minji ran along the walls, headed for one of the other open paths.
As though he was a magnet and they were metals, all the knights were drawn towards him in an instant. But he did not falter. What was the worst that could happen that wouldn't happen when the time ran out. Thank goodness he had focused on leveling up his Strength and Agility ever since he had gotten the System.
A stone sword slashed overhead, but Merlin nimbly danced upon his toes, swerving slightly out of the way as it crashed down to the floor. He saw Kim Minji run out of a path then and smiled. Now he had to focus on his work.
Another swing came, this time from a different stone knight, but he avoided it cleanly, ducking into a roll just in the nick of time. The weight of their bodies made the knights not as scary as they would have been if they were actually humans. That and the fact that they had glowing tags of blue above their heads, each reading: 'E-Rank Knight'.
Merlin would never let himself be weaker than such monsters. That would mean he was significantly weaker than a D-Class Mage. That would be shameful, considering what he wanted to achieve.
However, he had no intention of fighting the knights with his bare hands. That would be stupid of him. Which was why as soon as he managed to find a way out of their cluster, he bolted straight for the ceramic altar.
He was not left alone, though. One chased after him, its sword high over its head, preparing a swing. Merlin clenched his chin, hopped on his toes, and flung himself at the altar. He grabbed the sword by its hilt, and rolled out of the way just before the knight sent its sword down onto the altar.
Merlin stood up immediately, grasped his sword with both his hands, assuming an awkward stance he was sure would cause the greatest of warriors to guffaw. But it would do for now. After all, he was not expecting to win here. He just had to buy enough time for Kim Minji to figure out the maze.
The knights approached slowly, taking their time with their every step like wolves stalking their prey.
Merlin smiled in their face.
"Well, then. Let's get on with it boys!"