Merlin felt like he must have sounded insane to Janeth with those words of his, but he had not been joking. That was really his pn. If his intention had been to stay a safe distance away and deconstruct whatever magic the beasts were using, then maybe he would have come up with something better. But his current mode of action was reliant on his fists. And that was where the problem came. If the Ice Wyverns remained in the sky, it would be nigh impossible for him to fight them on equal footing. So, on second thoughts, he did have a pn.
“We have to take out their wings,” he said. “That way we bring them to the ground and make them fight on our terms.”
Janeth nodded. “That sounds…reasonable. I should have thought of that.”
Merlin gnced at her. “You defeated a C-Rank monster on your own. You definitely took the better course of action. If you had been focused on trying to cut down their wings alone, we most likely would still be threatened by twenty Ice Wyverns right now.”
“Yeah,” she replied simply, obviously not falling for that pity statement of his.
Merlin left the matter there. He had questions running through his head concerning all he’d just witnessed from her, but he couldn’t ask. Not here, and probably not ever. There had to be a reason she had kept it all to herself. And, for some reason, he felt like it was all reted to why she considered herself a mess.
He would really like to reassure her about whatever she was going through, but it was not his pce to pry.
Whenever she was willing to talk to him about what was running through her mind, he would be all ears. And that was why he couldn’t look at her. It was the only way he could hold himself back.
The Ice Wyverns had enough of the stare down then and readied their next attacks, ice shards jutting out of their magic circles. Merlin had thought that they would have rushed at the weaker individuals by now, but it seemed he had mistaken monsters for barbarians. They most likely sought out the strongest in an area instinctively. Perhaps after that then they would strike down the weaker ones.
Whatever the case was, it didn’t matter—not now.
“Janeth,” Merlin began, tensing his muscles, readying himself to move. “There’s no possibility that you can fly, right?”
Janeth was silent for half a second. He wondered what expression she wore. His question must have been weird. But, well, she had surprised him once already, there was always a chance for another.
“No, I can’t fly, Merlin.”
Figures. If not she would have been in the sky all this while. And that meant he had no choice but to risk himself.
“I’m going to take out their wings and bring them down,” Merlin said. “Cut them when that happens. I’ll join you as soon as I’m done up above.”
Janeth paused. “You can fly?”
Merlin smiled. “No. I can just jump really high.” He noticed Janeth’s eyes twitch as she was standing by his side now, but he didn’t let that derail him from the beasts above. The Ice Wyverns were ready, and so was Merlin. “I’m going in!”
[Perk: Reader’s Bookmark Activated]
[Bookmarks (1): Fsh Step (Requires at least 190 milliseconds reaction time to function)]
[Conditions to function met: Agility Level: Level 16 (190ms reaction time)]
[Intelligence Level is low; effectiveness will be reduced]
[Bookmark: Fsh Step, Chosen.]
[Bookmark: Fsh Step, Activated.]
Merlin released the weight on his shoulders, freeing his muscles, and lightening his legs. The Ice Wyverns sent forth their attacks, this time remaining above as they did, unlike when they had battled Janeth. Merlin had a pn, though, and as he blinked away from Janeth’s side, he gleaned through the rows of shelves in his brain in nothing more than a second, recalling a certain personal skill Kieran had possessed in Singurity Mage, just like [Fsh Step].
The protagonist had found a way to utilize his mana unlike any other Mage, granting him the ability to lift himself so high from the ground it seemed like he was flying. Merlin was unsure if that would register in his Reader’s Bookmark since, even though it was technically a movement skill, it required the use of mana, unlike [Fsh Step]. But dire situations called for rash actions. And if it didn’t work, he had a pn B.
However…
[Sufficient knowledge on the movement skill: Mana Spring, acquired]
[Skill: Mana Spring has been registered in Bookmark]
[Bookmarks (2): Fsh Step (Activated)(Requires at least 190 milliseconds reaction time to function). Mana Spring (Requires at least Level 10 Strength, Level 15 Agility, and Level 20 Resilience to function)]
[Conditions to function met: Strength Level: Level 12. Agility Level: Level 16. Resilience Level: Level 26]
[Intelligence Level is low; effectiveness will be reduced]
[Bookmark: Mana Spring, Chosen.]
[Bookmark: Mana Spring, Activated.]
Merlin felt so ecstatic it was almost like he was on top of the world. But he didn’t have the time to bask in his inner emotions. An ice shard pnted itself into the ground before him as he swiftly angled his steps and halted for a brief second just shy of its range. Immediately, he jumped onto the shard and ran its height. The rest of the incoming shards were upon him then, but he remained unfazed. This was where things got interesting.
Channel mana to your feet, imagining a spring…
Merlin felt his mana move as he commanded; they found their way to his feet and coiled until there were blue springs beneath them. He lowered his center of gravity, pressed his weight to his feet, and let loose. The ice shard he was standing on shattered into pieces as he burst through the air, the wind harsh against his skin, cold, and unwelcoming.
Merlin gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and smashed through whichever ice shard made it towards him as he tried to regute his speed. That was the con about using [Mana Spring]. It served as a boost to propel one into the air, but there were no footholds up above. If Merlin didn’t control how fast he was moving, he would go too high, and the higher he went, the worse his nding would be. In the worst case scenario, he would break every single bone in his body.
But… He had footholds. Nineteen of them.
Destroying the st ice shard that found him, Merlin fshed into view before the closest Ice Wyvern. The beast flinched—he saw it flinched. And he wasn’t surprised. He had been moving so fast that they would obviously be unable to react to him. Not giving the beast ample time to retreat, Merlin caught one of the jagged spikes hanging from its back, breaking his flight, and flinging himself onto it. There was a loud screech from both his prey and its companions. But only a fool would let something like that destroy their mission. And Merlin was no fool.
He pummeled.
It was only common sense that objects of the air were ruled by their wings. Without it, they couldn’t do what they were known for: fly. However, the wings were the most delicate parts of their body. It was strong enough to withstand their weights, but it was also the least protected by scales—if they had one. After all, wings and their muscles had to be a fraction of the overall body weight in order for flight to be achieved.
But… Merlin had not been expecting it to be so weak.
He struck it once, and his hand bsted a hole through, drawing out a cry of pain from the beast under him. In an instant, it started to crash down, losing function of its flight capabilities.
Oh, well…
Merlin turned his attention to the next Ice Wyvern closest to him.
The beasts were careful of shooting their shards at him because he was seated atop one of their companions, and he had taken that into consideration before deciding to move on the offensive. After all, C-Rank beasts and above were quite smart and rather protective of their own.
Merlin used [Mana Spring] and propelled himself to the next as his previous prey sank to the ground below. He thought about looking down to see how Janeth dealt with it, but his focus was needed in the air, and he left it there.
One by one, despite the tingling sensation he could feel in his muscles begging him to slow down, he rushed at the Ice Wyverns, throwing them into something of a disarray. The job was so easy that a smile had crept on his lips unknowingly, and something he cssified as a cheer was carried by the cold wind into his ears.
It was a stupid thought, but someone was making a video of his fight, weren’t they? Goodness… He couldn’t believe he was actually holding his own against C-Rank monsters. Granted he was not actually fighting them, and all on his own too, but the fact that he could deal them damage was so surprising to him that he would have lost his mind if only he wasn’t so engaged.
Merlin nded on the nape of his fourth Ice Wyvern and with a deep breath sent his fists crashing into its wing. It cried out as it began to descend, and Merlin turned his attention to the fifteen beasts that remained. They just hovered staring right back at him where he stood, uncertainty of their next move etched on their faces.
They didn’t know theirs, but he knew his.
Merlin once again prepared [Mana Spring] to move to his next prey, but then, the tingling enhanced. His body suddenly froze as a sharp pang stormed his chest. Merlin coughed, blood spilling out of his mouth, as he held onto the spike jutting out of the Ice Wyvern whose back he was still on. His mana that had wrapped itself around his fists vanished in an instant.
My body heat… I was not producing more than I was spending.
Merlin gnced up, the cold wind biting at his skin as he and the Ice Wyvern he was on came tumbling down. The rest of the beasts above knew it—that he was exhausted and possibly out of the battle, and they all immediately screeched in response, seemingly alerting the Ice Wyvern he was on, as the beast began to thrash around, regaining some sembnce of fighting spirit.
Merlin immediately jumped off its back as it crashed to the ground, ice debris and sand dust filling the air in an unruly combination. He rolled out of the way, putting a considerable distance between him and the beast, but his legs gave out after that st move of his. He was completely devoid of strength.
“Merlin!” Janeth called, aware of his plight but preoccupied by the beasts she was taking on to rush to his aid. Every single one had cuts on their bodies, but none had been put down.
Merlin gritted his teeth as he suddenly felt a wave of cold air wash over him from high above. He turned back to the sky and his gaze found a congestion of ice spikes staring back down at him. His throat burned.
Janeth noticed what was about to happen and she tried to hurry in his direction, but the Ice Wyvern he had brought down with himself swiftly blocked her path, and in the brief second she paused, she was surrounded by the rest of the Ice Wyverns who couldn’t take flight any longer.
Merlin bit his lower lip, the metallic taste of his blood filling his tongue.
Really? Was this the extent of his strength, of his abilities? This was both ughable and pitiful. How could the defeat of the Cataclysm be entrusted to someone as weak as he was, someone who couldn’t even take on mere C-Rank beasts? This was completely unacceptable. He was an utter failure.
However, Merlin had no intention of dying here. He pushed himself up to his feet groggily, all the pain he hadn’t been feeling as adrenaline pumped through his body rushing in all at once. His legs ached, his hands ached, and his head felt like it had been punctured by countless needles. But he moved regardless, and channeled his mana to his hands. He could still go on for a bit more. After all…
[All Progress increased by 50%]
[Progress to leveling up Strength: 4.75%/100%] → [54.75%/100%]
[Progress to leveling up Agility: 29%/100%] → [79%/100%]
[Progress to leveling up Intelligence: 85%/100%] → [35%/100%]
[Progress to leveling up Perception: 31.5%/100%] → [81.5%/100%]
[Progress to leveling up Resilience: 93.5%/100%] → [43.5%/100%]
[Free Attribute Points received: 0] → [100]
[Intelligence has leveled up!][Resilience has leveled up!]
[Intelligence Level 8 → Level 9][Resilience Level 26 → Level 27]
The System was generous with its gifts, and despite Merlin feeling quite reinvigorated, his body was not completely healed. Every one of his muscles still ached. His standoff with the Ice Wyverns was unlike anything he had done before. But, with the free Attribute Points he had received, he could do what he had in mind and not die after.
He narrowed his eyes at the Ice Wyverns above and activated Reader Mage.
[Perk: Reader Mage Activated]
[Analyzing spell…]
[Analysis complete]
[Spell: Ice Spikes Barrage.Category: Advanced, Tier I.Spell Wielder: Multiple C-Rank Monsters.Spell Description: A spell formed by the congestion of Ice Spikes into a singur destructive wave of ice.]
[Deconstructing Process: Ice is water vapor frozen, and ice cannot survive in the presence of overwhelming heat. Fuel your mana with your body heat and tamper with the temperature of the spell. Warning. The spell is deconstructible, but body heat will be significantly degraded. Best case scenario, death comes knocking. Worst case scenario, death in an instant. Caution is advised.]
If he did nothing, he was going to die either way. He saw no reason for him to hold back. He could only hope that assigning his free Attribute Points to his Resilience immediately after deconstructing the spell would at least keep him away from death’s door.
Merlin stretched forth his hand to the sky above.
“Merlin!” Janeth screamed, still occupied by the wingless Ice Wyverns, but this time with a lot more urgency in her voice. “Get out of there! Hurry! Run away!”
They would just redirect the spikes in his direction if he did that. In other words, he would be sending civilians to their death. This was his best option.
[Deconstruct?]
[Yes?]/[No?]
The Ice Wyverns screeched and Merlin made up his mind. However, just before the spikes could rain down, or he could reply to the System’s question, something Merlin couldn’t expin happened, and all so quickly that he froze where he stood.
A bird unable to control its flight, supposedly due to how cold the atmosphere had become, wandered into the eye of one of the Ice Wyverns, freezing instantly, and blinding the beast. The Ice Wyvern screeched, shaking its head, and the ice spikes it had contributed to form the ice barrage, was released at the Ice Wyvern closest to it, killing it an instant.
Understanding what it had done, the beast thrashed about even more violently and smmed itself into another closest to it, destabilizing it, which in return destabilized the rest. And before Merlin could register what was going on, the Ice Wyverns were attacking one another.
Merlin’s thoughts froze and his hands fell to his side. Loud murmurs broke amongst the people who were far away from the battle area, and the Ice Wyverns surrounding Janeth, took their attention away from her, confused as well as to what their peers were doing. Janeth had a long look on her face as she watched, sword in hand and her once-beautiful gown turned ragged.
It was all an eerie development that confused both man and monster alike.
Merlin frowned. “What’s happening?” he muttered.
“You’re really an interesting one,” a soft voice said suddenly behind him as a tender hand crept over his shoulder like a slithering snake. Merlin’s breath ceased as he felt time slow down. He had never heard this person’s voice before. Who were they? He wanted to turn—to look. But he felt like if he made the mistake of turning his head, he would lose it. “Your presence here ruined everything. But it’s fine. I got to witness something spectacur. I’m sure he’ll be excited to hear all about you.” Merlin swallowed dryly, his fists clenching as he felt the person’s breath close in on his ear. “Don’t disappoint us, Deficient Mage, Merlin Tyrrell. Till we meet again.”
The hand moved away slowly, and Merlin regained control of his body.
The blue vests of the Consortium Mages fshed into view then, a loud cheer following swiftly as they deftly took their positions and let their magics loose, easily subduing the beasts that Merlin and Janeth had almost met their demise to.
However, the fshy battle didn’t entice Merlin one bit. He immediately turned around, throwing his gaze everywhere as he sought out the person who had just spoken to him. It was more than obvious that whoever that person was, they were the ones who had caused whatever maniacal behavior had struck the Ice Wyverns.
How had they known his name though? And what had they meant by what they’d said? Were they the ones who caused the Dungeon Break as well? How? Why?
Merlin had so many questions, but no one to ask. After all, he saw no one who stood out in the crowd… Until, he did. Vanishing from sight between a cluster of people was a lithe dy dressed completely in bck leather. Merlin couldn’t see her face, but he intuitively knew that she was the one he was seeking.
His heart raced.
Who is she?
