Despite Kieran, the protagonist of The Dungeon Mage, being a Mage, he was excellent in the sword arts as well, using it mostly during the early stages of the novel, following his first expeditions into the Dungeons. Merlin would claim that he was doing awfully well replicating what he could recall from the pages upon pages of sword fighting descriptions he'd slogged through. His only problem was that rolling away from danger was now out of the question for him. His sword was made of real blades. He could kill himself if he tried such a stunt.
The knights didn't care though.
A downward swing came, Merlin hit it aside with all the strength he could muster, his forearms vibrating dully, leaving him rattling his teeth for a moment. He was only snapped out of his trance when another knight slashed at his midsection in an arc, and he was forced to jump back, landing on a single knee.
I talked all big, but this is exhausting…
Merlin rose to his feet, his mouth open and his lung gasping for air. His palms were soaked with sweat, and he could subtly notice that they were on the verge of breaking. He'd never liked blisters, but he would probably be getting some during this fight. He was only glad that it would most likely remain as a simulation. Once he was out of the Dungeon, he would have none of his injuries on him, just like it had been for Hakyun, Chima, and the rest of the test takers.
Well, blisters were the lowest of his concerns for now. The knights were closing in on him again.
Merlin put his right hand beneath the rain-guard of his sword, and his left just above its pommel, then shifted his left leg slightly backwards and his right forward. This was the description of a close stance. It was a sword stance Kieran loved to use, and was a great stance for attacking and defending at the same time.
Of course, Merlin did not delude himself that he was doing it well, but it had been working for a minute now. He was yet to be hit. And it was also great that his sword was not as heavy as swords were always made out to be. But that was probably all thanks to the fact that Mages had better physicalities than the average human, and his had been raised to an even better degree.
However, against five knights made of stone that he couldn't destroy, there was only so much he could do here. He could only hope that Kim Minji would return soon.
Two knights flashed forward at the same time. Merlin tensed his muscles and narrowed his gaze, readying himself.
A sword zeroed in for his neck, and at the same time another cut through the air, aiming for his legs. It was an ambush. The knights were quite smart. But Merlin was quicker. He twisted his wrist, changing his grip on his sword so that its point went downwards, then he dropped his weight just in time to avoid his neck being sliced clean off, plunging his sword to the ground and twisting his body to support the weight of blocking the stone knight attacking his legs.
The force sent him sliding backwards, and a bucket of sweat pouring out of his head. He was soaked, and he was on the verge of being blinded by it.
He wiped the sweat off his face and stood up again.
How would Kieran fight here? Merlin wondered. What was he missing about the knights that could give him an advantage?
They were made of stone, and that made their movements sluggish. Parrying their attacks was not that much of a trouble for him, but it made his muscles ache. He couldn't keep doing it consistently. And he couldn't hurt them either. He'd already tried striking them, but he did not have enough muscular power to destroy stones with a sword. Maybe if he was wielding a hammer. Pointless thoughts.
What could he do here?
He was rushed at again, forced to dance around, avoiding being hit. However, during the onslaught he finally took note of something he had been missing. The knights. They never all attacked at once. When he and Kim Minji had been running through the Dungeon's corridor, only one followed. And ever since he'd been battling them, they only attacked him in twos at a time.
The System can't control all of them at once?
No. That was a stupid deduction, considering what it can do.
Then…
Merlin could only think of one thing besides that. He decided to test it out.
Dropping his sword over his shoulder, he parried an attack that came from behind him, and dashed into the center of the three knights that had stayed away from attacking all these while. As expected, one jumped away. It was only then that swords rained down on him.
They couldn't attack all at once because they were cautious about hitting themselves. In other words, they could destroy each other.
The problem was how he could get them to do that? If what had just happened was anything to go by, then closing in on their cluster would only stop them from attacking him until they could. It was not a viable tactic for making them destroy one another, but it was good enough to stall for time.
Then I'll do just that! I'm just here to buy time, after all. I'll close in on them and make them spread out. Swords are a close range tool. As long as they keep moving away from me, I'll be fine.
He was going to be dancing.
Merlin made his decision, and moved. Two knights blocked his path in an instant. He gritted his teeth and fell to the floor, sliding in between them and escaping to their back. They turned around and chased after him, but he did not stop to battle them. He ran towards two other knights where they stood. As he neared, the ones behind him ceased their pursuit, and then the ones before him took their stances. He stopped in his tracks, turned to his side, and sped off towards the sole knight by itself to a corner. It was another chase that ended in the same manner as the first. Merlin ensured it went on like that.
Three minutes passed. Four minutes passed. Five minutes passed. Merlin was getting exhausted. His throat was burning, his legs were getting heavier by the second, his vision was blurring, and there were only ten minutes left.
He couldn't help but wonder if Kim Minji had left the Dungeon already, and if he should abandon his fight and find his own way out.
Trust… He reminded himself with gritted teeth. He had to calm down and trust his companion. Acting rashly and running out of the room would render all their efforts useless if he turned out to be wrong. He continued on.
However, two minutes later, his legs gave up. A knight did not miss that moment. It immediately pounced on him. Merlin braced himself to parry the knight's sword, which he did, but the force flung him away, and sent him crashing into the wall.
He screamed. His left arm was broken, and blood flowed out of his mouth and onto his chin. Two knights approached him slowly.
Forget time running out, he was in for a world of pain if he did not end up dying. But he could not give up. Not yet. Losing to a bunch of E-Rank opponents. He was pathetic. How would he ever be able to protect his loved ones at this rate. If he could not succeed in holding them back here, then he should probably give up on being a mage.
Merlin grabbed hold of his sword, his left hand dangling at his side, his heart pounding intensely, and his mind a mishmash of fear.
Then, as he rose to his feet, a notification flashed through his head. And not waiting for his call, the System appeared before his view.
[Attribute Points Obtained (STR): +10]
[Attribute Points Obtained (AGI): +20]
[Attribute Points Obtained (RES): +20]
[Attribute Points Obtained (PER): +10]
[Would you like to assign attained points to their respective attributes?]
[Yes]/[No]
Merlin's eyes widened at the sight. It seemed all his running around was not pointless after all. He was not sure how to feel. The System was what had thrown him into this mess, but he was still happy that he had achieved something that could bolster his abilities in this dire moment. He clicked his tongue, pushing his unnecessary thoughts aside, and was just about to assign his attribute points when a cheerful voice called out from the path across him…
"Merlin!!" Kim Minji had returned, sweating and pale. "I've figured it out—" Her eyes widened as she saw his state. She yelped, hands over her mouth, and retreated slightly backwards.
A knight turned in her direction in that instant. Merlin realized what was happening here. Before Kim Minji could react, it was already upon her, a sword over its head, ready to come crashing down.
Merlin bit his lower lip. He quickly modified the System message before his view through his will.
[Attribute Points Obtained (STR): +10]
[Attribute Points Obtained (AGI): +20]
[Attribute Points Obtained (RES): +20]
[Attribute Points Obtained (PER): +10]
[10 Attribute Points from AGI has been converted to 06 for STR]
[10 Attribute Points from RES has been converted to 04 for STR]
[Attribute Points Obtained (STR): +20]
[Attribute Points Obtained (AGI): +10]
[Attribute Points Obtained (RES): +10]
[Attribute Points Obtained (PER): +10]
[Would you like to assign attained points to their respective attributes?]
[Yes]/[No]
Yes…
[Assigning...]
[Successful]
[Attribute Points have been assigned to respective attributes]
Immediately, Merlin took in a deep breath, his chest puffing up like a blowfish. He held his sword like it was a pike and tightened his grip on its hilt. The muscles of his arm screamed out in agony as his veins popped out like they were about to rupture. And as the knight swung down on Kim Minji, he launched his sword in its direction. Steel connected with stone, and even though the former did not succeed in breaking the latter apart, it disoriented the knight and sent it stumbling to the side.
Without wasting a single second, Merlin bolted out of the midst of the knights before him, flashing into view before Kim Minji. Her eyes were on the verge of rolling into the back of her head.
"Hey!" he called in a hurry. "Are you alright?"
Kim Minji sniffled. "I think I snapped my ankle."
She wouldn't be able to run… Merlin could only think of one thing to do.
"What do you weigh?" he asked.
She reddened, but only for a second. "A hundred-and-ten."
A hundred-and-ten pounds? I should be able to do it.
He squatted down before her. "Get on my back! Hurry!"
Thankfully, Kim Minji understood the direness of the situation, and it was not until her arms were wrapped around his neck did she say what was on her mind.
"Will you be fine doing this? You're hurt and bleeding."
"I'm fine. You've done your part, this is mine." Assigning points to his Resilience had given him a bit of stamina, but he was still hurting all over. There was no need for her to know that, though. "You remember the way, right?"
"Yes…" Kim Minji replied, her voice low and without warmth. She would be fine once they were out.
The door of the path Kim Minji had walked in through was shut now; they only had one trial left. Merlin could only hope and trust that she was correct about where the gate was.
"Brace yourself," he said, she tightened her arms further.
The knight that had been disoriented had regained its stance now, and one other was approaching to join in and support his peer. Merlin could not have them getting a headstart over him. He clenched his chin, fighting through the pain in his left arm and the rest of his body as he held Kim Minji up on his back. One second he was still standing, the next he was running close to the walls of the chamber, heading for the only remaining path.
The knights were not keen on letting them escape without troubles, though. They discarded their sense of composure about not harming each other, and all rushed to stop Merlin and Kim Minji from escaping.
"The ones behind us are coming!" Kim Minji announced. Merlin knew that already, so he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to spend what little energy he had left.
He was not really sure how much leveling up his Strength and Agility contributed to boosting his speed; but he was certain that he was a lot faster than he had been before getting the System. He would poke the darn thing for a detailed explanation on his attributes later on. However, he was sure of one thing at this moment. And it was that he was faster than the knights.
Merlin burst through one that came from his right side, looking to strike him down from above. Kim Minji had squeaked at that, almost choking him to boot. Merlin didn't stop. He swerved past another and another. And then he neared upon the one standing before the way out.
"It's blocking the way! What are we going to do?!"
Dashing through was impossible, Merlin knew. So, instead, he ran in an arc, as though no longer intending to follow that way out. The knight fell for the bait and turned its body, creating a bit of space behind itself. Merlin turned his ankle sideways, forcing himself into a sharp brake.
Too slow…
He swerved out of the knight's view and lunged through the open path.
Kim Minji laughed. "You did it!"
"We're not yet done!" Merlin reminded her. "Lead the way!"
"Yeah, right!" Kim Minji's gaze flashed around rapidly. "Left!" she called, Merlin swerved and jumped into the path to his left, sconces bearing golden flames all around them.
The sound of knights approaching filled the corridor. And this time it was not a single one gaining on them. But that was hardly any worry. To be honest, Merlin was more worried about the time. There were only two minutes left. He doubled his speed as much as he could.
"Left again!" Kim Minji called. Merlin moved.
"Right!"
Merlin's ankles cried out, but he still turned sharply regardless.
"Left!"
For a moment there Merlin wondered how she recalled the paths, seeing as he could see no markings on the wall, but he shelved those thoughts immediately. He could not be distracted.
"Left!"
Merlin broke his pace once more, turning into the path on Kim Minji's command, and a few feet away was a heavy door. It was open. It seemed that was what had delayed her. Kim Minji laughed then.
"We did it!"
She could relax. He could not.
Merlin did not give himself a breather until he could no longer hear the sounds of stone knights crashing against walls, and the light surrounding them was a bright white.
"We did it!!" Kim Minji exclaimed again, still on his back, and this time he smiled in relief. They were back in the simulation room.
His body was no longer in as much pain as when he had been within the Dungeon, however he could still feel the residues. Perhaps it was because his brain had registered it all. But he didn't mind. He was alive and well, that was all that mattered. And he had never thought cheers from his mates could make him feel so ecstatic.
He glanced at Hakyun and Chima, they had exasperated looks on their faces. They must have been worried. He then turned his gaze Nora's way, but she was not looking back at him. Her head was lowered into her palms, and Kim Yiseo was patting her back. His smile froze.
Don't tell me…
"Kim Minji, Merlin Tyrrell," Professor Jung called as she walked up to them. For some reason, Kim Minji was still on his back.
"Yes, professor," answered Merlin with heavy breaths.
Behind Professor Jung were the other professors he had only seen during the orientation—which was just a day ago—as well as the headmaster. He could infer why they were here. It seemed that Professor Jung had really been unable to force the simulation to a close after all.
But before he could come up with reasons why the headmaster had been unable to do that too, Professor Jung lowered her head slightly, silencing the room.
"Forgive my ineptitude." Merlin's eyes widened. "I subjected you to such a grueling experience, and for that I apologize."
But it was not her fault!
Kim Minji yelped the next second because she was now on the floor. Merlin waved his hands frantically.
"It's fine, Professor! It's all part of the test!" He tried to calm the situation down. The simulation room had gotten all stiff.
Professor Jung raised her head. "You were not meant to fight, so it wasn't part of the test. Again, I apologize. To you both." Kim Minji was on her feet now.
Merlin was not sure what else to say, so he remained silent instead.
"How does that saying go? Mind reminding me Professor Jung?" The headmaster strode forward, a smile on his face—perhaps not enjoying the mood the same as Merlin. "Ah. All's well that ends well." He nodded. "I also apologize, Miss Kim Minji, Mister Merlin Tyrrell. Of course, what happened today is something that will eventually happen in a few weeks; but considerable supervision is required for such a test. Despite it being a simulation, it could have caused irreparable damage to your psyches.
"However, you are both aspiring to be Mages; I'm sure you realize that what happened is something that will occur in abundance once you achieve that goal. So, I hope you never forget this experience. Well, I, personally, won't. It was a pleasure to witness the bravery of two budding Mages."
"Headmaster!" Professor Jung was not having it.
The headmaster laughed. "Forgive me. That aside, I realize that this is barely any consolation, but I hope you receive it in kind. Kim Minji of Cohort Dragon Eye, for your ability to think rationally and solve the maze despite being frightened and in a dire situation, you have earned twenty Cohort Points and fifteen academic points."
Kim Minji could only blink, startled out of her wits.
The headmaster turned Merlin's way, his smile more pronounced now.
"Merlin Tyrrell of Cohort Spearhead. That was a splendid display. You not only figured out that the Dungeon was a maze, you took on the knights yourself. And, despite being injured, made sure you took your partner to safety. You have earned thirty Cohort points, and twenty academic points."
Merlin's brows went up. That was…a lot of points, considering they had barely escaped the Dungeon. Was this okay? Earning so many points? Of course, he wouldn't say he didn't deserve it; but what would the rest of the students think?
He glanced their way, and there was barely any animosity seeping out of them. Most looked more relieved than angry.
He wouldn't lie. He was surprised.
"As for those who have yet to have their physical assessment," the headmaster turned to the onlookers. "The whole thing must have been tiring. You may all take a break until tomorrow. The professors will pass the rest of the information across. With that, I bid you farewell."
The headmaster left the simulation room. As soon as he did, murmurs of joy and curiosity broke out amongst the students, Merlin at the center of the latter.
He sighed, deciding to approach Nora now that he had the chance, but Kim Minji stood in front of him before he could move.
"Thank you," she said. "For all that."
Merlin smiled. "No biggie. Let's make sure to become Mages, alright?"
She smiled too. "Of course. We're friends now?"
"We are."
She nodded and left him to be, seemingly realizing that they both needed time to themselves.
At that moment, a mechanical beep sounded in his ears. The System. He was curious so he did not let it wait. He called for it, and it appeared.
[Quest: Dungeon Raider has ended]
[Time taken to complete: 29:55]
[Quest Reward: Random Loot Box]
[Accept?]
[Yes]/[No]
Five seconds more in the Dungeon and we would have failed… Merlin chuckled at himself. Barely. Just barely. That couldn't cut it. He had to better himself.
Yes…