Merlin had been of the mind to tease Nora. But upon approaching her, and seeing how red her eyes were, he'd held himself back. That would be inhumane of him.
On a more serious note, he had not been expecting her to cry just because his simulation had taken a rather drastic turn; she was particularly sensitive about crying too—especially in public. Which was why he had not pushed on talking to her when she'd asked for some space.
However, it troubled him, even now that he was back in his dorm room. So, to take his mind off of it, he shifted his attention to something else.
Seated on the floor of the living room, just before the center table, Merlin crossed his legs and planted his eyes on his phone. A face towel fell from his neck and onto his bare chest as he scrolled through the words of the System.
…
[BIO-DATA]
NAME: Merlin Tyrrell
AGE: 17
MAGE CLASS: Deficient
SYSTEM CLASS: ???
HEX: ???
PERK POINTS: 10
ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 00
[ATTRIBUTES]
STRENGTH: LV. 8 (Leveled Up)
AGILITY: LV. 11 (Leveled Up)
INTELLIGENCE: LV. 2
PERCEPTION: LV. 7 (Leveled Up)
RESILIENCE: LV. 6 (Leveled Up)
[SKILLS]:
…
[PERK]:
CO-AUTHOR: LV. 1
Plagiarize the abilities of D-Class mages and weaker, turning them into your own Skill.
DUNGEON ARTIST: LV. 1
Approach a mana concentrated area and create a Dungeon of yours from your artistic mind. Limited to D-Rank and lower Dungeons.
Note: Rewards from Dungeons created purely from one's own artistic skill will be at the discretion of the System, making sure to balance them with the difficulty of the Dungeon.
Dungeons created using an existing source as inspiration will bear the same rewards as the original.
…
His rewards from the System had not been exactly massive, but they had made the bitter taste of his ordeal somewhat worth it.
First, he had received ten Perk Points, most likely as a result of his interaction with Kim Minji during the simulation. Then his battle with the knights had helped him level up his Strength and Agility further. His Resilience had finally been touched upon, too, which was nice. But what grabbed his attention the most was his newest Perk.
The random loot box he had received as a reward from completing the Dungeon Raider Quest had come bearing a Perk called: 'Dungeon Artist'. From what he'd read of the description, it would enable him to create Dungeons of his own, raid them, and gain rewards and level up. It was simple enough to understand, but still fascinating.
Creating Dungeons solely from his own mind? That was nothing short of an omniscient ability. The System really had such power?
Well, it was not particularly surprising, considering what had just happened with his simulation a few hours back.
Merlin grabbed the bottle of water beside him and gulped it halfway down.
This new perk of his granted him a wave of different opportunities. Perhaps he was way in over his head, but if he could venture into the same Dungeons Kieran had ventured into, the rewards he would receive would be beyond imaginable. After all, he knew of all the rewards Kieran had acquired, and what heights they had helped him reach; he'd had a hand in crafting them all.
He was so eager to try it out, but he knew that he had to be patient. Just jumping into a Dungeon was a suicide mission. There was a reason why only licensed Mages were allowed. And even then they would be in possession of a variety of gears and artifacts, all which he could not afford. What was he going to use to defeat monsters? A kitchen knife?
If only I was able to take that sword out of the simulation Dungeon…
Although, there was one other thing he could actually do—which was plagiarize a lot of spells before venturing into a Dungeon. After all, for now, he could only create D-Rank Dungeons and weaker; therefore, his spells should be able to harm the monsters within them. The problem was he had no idea of his limits.
Honestly, he needed a bit more description of things from the System. For one, he would like to know what each level up of his attributes meant, so that he was not caught in over his head during a battle, and most definitely the limits of his Co-Author Perk and how far away he was from leveling each of his Perks up.
He sighed; and then there was a beep. Over his User Interface came pop ups from the System.
[System has taken note of your concerns]
[Modifying System settings…]
[System modified]
…
[BIO-DATA]
NAME: Merlin Tyrrell
AGE: 17
MAGE CLASS: Deficient
SYSTEM CLASS: ???
HEX: ???
PERK POINTS: 10
ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 00
[ATTRIBUTES]
STRENGTH: LV. 8 (Leveled Up)
(From Levels 5–9: Can lift at most ~60 kg (135 lbs), carry gear and run, climb steep cliffs, as well as throw hard hitting projectiles. Each level significantly better than the last)
AGILITY: LV. 11 (Leveled Up)
(From Levels 10–19: Above average reaction speed. A major boost in running speed. Each level significantly better than the last)
INTELLIGENCE: LV. 2
(From Levels 1–9: Can cast 1–2 novice spells before exhaustion. Mana pool is equivalent to that of a low thimble. Mana channeling shaky. Each level significantly better than the last)
PERCEPTION: LV. 7 (Leveled Up)
(From Levels 1–9: Average senses. Can hear loud footsteps. Poor at detecting ambushes or illusions. Each level significantly better than the last)
RESILIENCE: LV. 6 (Leveled Up)
(From Levels 1–9: Tire easily. Wounds slow movement. Magic strain causes nosebleeds. Each level significantly better than the last)
[SKILLS]:
…
[PERK]:
CO-AUTHOR: LV. 1 (+20 to Level Up)
Plagiarize the abilities of D-Class mages and weaker, turning them into your own Skill.
DUNGEON ARTIST: LV. 1 (+20 to Level Up)
Approach a mana concentrated area and create a Dungeon of yours from your artistic mind. Limited to D-Rank and lower Dungeons.
Note: Rewards from Dungeons created purely from one's own artistic skill will be at the discretion of the System, as a means to balance them with the difficulty of the Dungeon.
While Dungeons created using an existing source as inspiration will bear the same rewards as the original.
…
Oh…
Merlin's eyes widened gleefully at the sight of his modified interface and the detailed description of what the levels of each of his attributes meant, and how many Perk Points required to level up his Perks.
Then he frowned.
He was far too weak. But he was not particularly surprised. After all, for the past month all he had been doing was purely physical exercises. Nothing more. And he had earned almost half of the A.P. he'd gotten from that from just thirty minutes in the simulation of a Dungeon. It did not take a genius to see that if he wanted to get stronger faster, he would need to tangle with near death experiences a bit more.
It seems avoiding Dungeons won't be possible for long. I wonder if I should tell Nora. I probably should, but she will never let me go in one alone. Not after what she witnessed with the simulation. But I cannot risk her coming with me. Not especially on my first raid. What if we both die or something? Merlin shuddered.
Yeah, he would keep this a secret from her for now.
"What are you so engrossed in there?" Chima's voice came from Merlin's side. He turned to see the boy stepping out of his room, rubbing his head with a towel.
Merlin had guessed that Chima was ripped… But, damn. He glanced at his own body and chuckled self-effacingly.
His figure had seen considerable improvement due to his workouts, but he still had a long way to go.
"Nothing," said Merlin as he turned off his phone. "I was just wondering how I can build my muscles."
Chima raised a brow. "Why would you want to build your muscles?" He headed to the fridge, took a bottle of water, and lay down on the couch, just behind Merlin.
"Huh? Are you really asking that?" Merlin turned halfway around. "They get the girls!"
Chima almost choked on his water. "Wait. Do you already have someone you like? So quickly? Really?"
Merlin's intention had just been to steer the conversation away from falling onto the System, but it seemed to have backfired. His lips twitched. He honestly didn't know what to say here. It was not like he already had his eyes on anyone. But…uhm…if he was forced to say, then…
"It's most likely that Kim Minji girl," Hakyun voiced, coming out of his own room. It was noon, and, yet, the boy was dressed in his comic book pajamas—with the cap too.
Merlin frowned. Not because of the way Hakyun was dressed, but because of what he'd said.
"Oh!" Chima's eyes widened. "Really, Merlin?! I thought you would like…uhm…more dominant girls, I guess? Kim Minji seems too soft."
Hey, hey, hey. What was going on here?!
Merlin shot to his feet. "I-I never said I liked her."
Hakyun scoffed, nudging his glasses upward. "Look at him, all beet red. Teenage hormones. Pfft…" He stretched a hand at Chima. "Water."
Chima frowned. "No. Get yours from the fridge."
"Too far," replied Hakyun without a hint of shame.
"I said 'no'." Chima gulped down what was left of the water in his bottle.
Hakyun clicked his tongue. "Cheapskate." He walked up to the fridge and took his. "So? Are we gonna talk about the physical assessment?"
Merlin wouldn't lie, he felt like the conversation had moved on from the topic of girls far too quickly. Was he sad? He almost laughed. Well, he had no intentions of being the one bringing it back. That would just make him look desperate.
He returned to the floor and crossed his legs once more. Hakyun sat on a stool in the kitchen area.
"What for?" Chima asked, rolling onto his side and pulling out his phone.
"What do you mean 'what for'?" Hakyun scowled. "Merlin has to tell us how he was moving like that. It was almost like he was a sword saint!"
"You're exaggerating," Merlin laughed sheepishly. He was barely a sword peasant, talk less of a saint. Those moves of his were horrendous. And why were they using fantasy terms to discuss?
"I'm somewhat interested in how you threw that sword, though," Chima chimed in. "It had a lot of force behind it. But your arms are somewhat lanky."
Merlin's expression froze.
What do you mean my arms are lanky? Rubbing your perfect muscles in my face, huh?
He tried so hard to keep his amiable expression from faltering.
"Are you gonna tell us?" Hakyun said, but Merlin knew he was not done. He suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He knew where this was headed, and he was not interested in treading down that path. "I know Chima's an A-Class Mage. What about you?"
"Hey! How did you find that out?!" Chima voiced, his brows furrowed as he glanced at Hakyun.
"What do you mean? You weren't exactly keeping it a secret now, were you, with the way you unloaded your things out here yesterday?"
"Sneak peeks at my things again and I'll gouge out all four of your eyes," Chima threatened.
"Then don't unpack in the living room," Hakyun snorted. "And I only have two eyes."
Merlin, on the other hand, remained silent, his heart pounding intensely.
He would have to lie here. The problem was that his lie would have no credibility. One, he did not have a Grimoire. And, secondly, when classes started in earnest, surely one of the professors would let it slip.
It went without saying that The Lying Mage Quest was far tougher than Dungeon Raider, even though it would seem otherwise from a glance.
Perhaps noticing that Merlin was unwilling to divulge his Class, Hakyun sighed in an exasperated manner.
"I believe that knowing each other's strengths will help us complement one another better," Hakyun started, his tone a lot more serious now. Merlin listened attentively as he spoke, and so did Chima. "Personally, I don't think keeping quiet about our Mage Classes is of use to us in any way. If the professors don't spill it, when we begin to cast spells, our Grimoires will give it away. Of course, if you're not comfortable with divulging that piece of information, it's fine. It's not like it's absurd. People lie about their ages all the time. If I'm to say, that's the weird one. However, I want to tell you guys about myself. We're in the same Cohort, and I believe this is the bare minimum."
He dipped his fingers underneath his glasses and pinched his eyes.
"I, Han Hakyun, am a D-Class Mage."
Merlin's lips parted slightly as his eyes widened.
Compared to him, a Deficient Mage, Hakyun was a lot, lot better. But, from the boy's tone of speech, Merlin could see that he was not pleased with his Class.
He felt like he should say something here, but he was not exactly sure what. So he remained silent.
"Your Hex?" Chima asked almost impassively. Merlin was about to shoot the boy a glare for being insensitive, when he noticed his expression. Chima was not indifferent to Hakyun's words, he was just trying to better the atmosphere by moving on quickly.
"Earth," Hakyun replied with a shrug. "I know. I know. Nothing special—"
"Are you kidding me?!" Chima sat upright. "I would trade my Fire for Earth any day!"
"You're a Fire Mage?!" Hakyun exclaimed. "Argh! Let's exchange!"
Chima shook his head. "No, can do."
Hakyun jerked back slightly in shock. "What? But you just said you preferred Earth."
"Yeah. But if it means giving something as dangerous as Fire to you, then I'll pass. You're too careless to wield such a dangerous element."
Hakyun's head swelled so much Merlin almost thought he was on the verge of exploding. And, at that, he and Chima's bickering intensified, leaving Merlin in the background, once again.
Merlin settled into his thoughts, being the killjoy he had been classified as. But what could he do? He was at a crossroad here. The System had not put up any penalty for failing the Lying Mage Quest, so he had the option of coming clean. However, he would lose a reward that could prove useful. He didn't want to lose his reward, and he didn't want to lie to his roommates.
Also, if he revealed his real Class to them, then that would mean he would have to tell them about the System too. After all, a Deficient Mage that could cast Spells would make one bat an eye. And there was only so much he could hide from people who he shared a space with. He wondered if it was too risky, if he should just lie instead—perhaps ask for Nora's input. But he had no answers at this moment. And that left him with only one option…
"Guys," he called, putting a pause to Chima and Hakyun's tussle of words as they shifted their attention onto him. He sighed. "About my Class. Would you mind giving me a week? In a week's time I'll tell you all you need to know."
Chima and Hakyun smiled and said in unison, "Of course."
###
Headmaster Im Ilseong was seated behind his desk, his hands clasped beneath his chin as he watched the playback of the Dungeon simulation that had gone awry.
"Still nothing from the technical department?" he asked, his question directed at Professor Jung who was standing on the other side of the table.
"No, headmaster," she replied. "They keep saying they're unable to detect any alien presence tampering with the simulation."
"Hmmm…" Headmaster Im Ilseong rubbed his mustache. "This is troublesome. We can't just leave it this way. It would be a serious problem if it keeps happening."
"I agree," said Professor Jung. "Should I cancel the rest of the assessment for now?"
"No. Carry on with it. Just have the technical department keep the door of the test room open, so that if it happens again you will be able to go in and help. In the meantime, I'll talk to Guildmaster Kim Hyeonki and see if the Consortium can help us analyze the system in any way." He chuckled under his breath. "Then I'll have to owe that old fool a favor." Professor Jung remained silent. "What do you think about the boy so far?" the headmaster continued.
Professor Jung sighed. "I'll be honest, headmaster, I'm still against your decision. Granting a Deficient Mage admission just because you wanted his sister to be a student of the Academy is not a good look."
"Eh? But it's not my fault, Professor Jung. She threatened to not accept her admission if I didn't do that," the headmaster whined, almost too childishly.
"You should not have fallen for it."
"She scored the highest on our exams ever since the Academy was created, ninety-five percent, and is an A-Class Mage. How could I not fall for her threats?"
Professor Jung exhaled exasperatedly. "Your infatuation with geniuses is too strong."
Headmaster Im Ilseong smiled. "I agree. Which is why I have a request for you."
Professor Jung raised a brow. "Which is?"
"Keep the boy's real Mage Class a secret. At least, for as long as he himself keeps it a secret."
Professor Jung flinched, then scowled. "What are you talking about, headmaster? That will disrupt the atmosphere of the classroom. We rely on the differences in abilities of the students to pair them. That aside, the students have the right to know the capabilities of their partners!"
"And yet, the Deficient Mage was the one who got the C-Class Mage out of the Dungeon," said the headmaster, forcing Professor Jung to draw in a deep breath. "I do not discredit Miss Kim Minji's contributions in their simulation test. But the boy was the one who figured out what was wrong, and fought back the knights alone. He's more of a genius than his average exam scores make him out to be."
"But…"
"Just do this one thing for me, would you?" the headmaster smiled. "If word gets out that he's a Deficient Mage, his growth will be stunted by the shuns he'll receive from his classmates." He paused. "I know that because I have watched it happen. I'm sure you understand me, Jung Seoyeon?"
Professor Jung closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I understand, headmaster. I'll let the rest of the professors know." She bowed and turned around. "However, there's only so much I can do. He can't cast spells and does not have a Grimoire. It's only a matter of time before he's figured out."
Headmaster Im Ilseong shrugged. "That's on the boy's luck now, isn't it?"