Chapter 20: Heroic Quest
The lesson ended quickly after Nathan's little "demonstration," and they were dismissed for the day.
'Thank God he blew himself up...'
Merlin recalled watching the explosion of darkness with a straight face while desperately holding back laughter.
As he was about to step out of the classroom, a familiar voice called out from behind him.
"Merlin!"
'God, please save me.'
Merlin turned around, only to see Nathan running toward him.
"?"
He didn't say anything—just stared at Nathan as if he were a ghost.
"Did something happen while I was gone?"
His voice had an odd nervousness to it, like he wasn't sure if he should be asking. Also... why was he sneakily glancing sideways at nothing?
'He's looking at a system window... wait—today's the day?!'
Merlin resisted the urge to smack himself in the forehead.
Today was the day they'd try to kidnap Sera.
'How the hell did I forget that?'
"Hm?"
Nathan tilted his head, confused, as Merlin stood frozen in thought.
In the novel, shortly after Nathan finished his first training session, an organization attempted to kidnap Seraphine.
Nathan's forced smile was already twitching.
'Voidborne Circle...'
The Abyss King's allies—an ancient and mysterious group that had existed since the dawn of time, seeking dominion over the human world.
Their origins lay in the deepest darkness, a forgotten age swallowed by the sands of time.
'Or so the author says.'
Their name was whispered in the shadows, and even the bravest shuddered at their mention.
The organization's goal was to reshape the world, destroying anything that stood in their way. Their ultimate mission? To bring the Abyss King into the mortal realm.
And in the novel, they actually succeeded—because Nathan failed.
Merlin glanced at Nathan, who was still standing there, smiling cluelessly.
"No. Nothing happened."
His voice was cold and flat. Nathan tried to press further, but Merlin just shook his head.
'Let's see...'
"Where were you, exactly?"
Merlin's voice echoed slightly, making Nathan's smile twitch again.
"I-I... well... um... I was at a r-relative's place!"
His voice cracked, and Merlin shut his eyes, trying to hold back his laughter.
"..."
Without another word, he turned around and walked toward the training facility, where he was supposed to meet Vivienne.
'This is going to be absolute torture.'
Nathan didn't follow—he was probably worried about Sera.
'He definitely got the quest notification.'
A quest to save Seraphine. The Voidborne Circle was sending Nameless members after her.
Nameless were the organization's beginner-tier members—lackeys who hadn't passed enough trials to rise through the ranks but were still somewhat trusted.
'Basically just disposable mooks.'
Seraph's parents were important people—big-time entrepreneurs in a major corporation later on. Influential figures.
'Or, well... according to the author.'
And that very same company?
That was the one Merlin had invested in previously...Invoke..
The novel never explained why they wanted to kidnap Sera, but Merlin had a few guesses.
'Weapons. Money. Probably both.'
Arriving at the training facility, Merlin spotted Vivienne already waiting with her arms crossed.
'Does she not have any other classes? Training again today...'
Merlin felt a chill run down his spine as their eyes met.
'Someone, please kill me.'
Vivienne's smile was anything but comforting as she stepped forward.
"We can begin. I've been waiting for you."
Even though she was smiling... she was still absolutely terrifying.
'...If she's been waiting for me, then she really has nothing better to do.'
Merlin resisted the urge to smack his forehead again as they entered a reserved training room.
The moment the door shut behind them, Vivienne got straight to the point.
"Today, we'll be focusing on your affinities."
"Alright."
Merlin let out a deep sigh and took his starting position, setting his sword down on the floor.
He didn't want to reach for it out of reflex—he was here to train his affinities, after all.
'This is fine... she's only going to kick my ass a little... that's not too bad.'
Vivienne stood there lazily, clearly not taking this seriously—which wasn't surprising. If she did take it seriously, she could probably burn the entire building down just for fun.
Merlin took a deep breath and focused all his energy, locking eyes with Vivienne.
'Even her aura is terrifying...'
"You can start. You may only attack using your affinities and limbs."
Her voice was casual, but her smile was still unsettling.
Merlin kicked off the ground with Wind Affinity, channeling mana into his legs for extra speed.
Vivienne didn't move, simply watching as Merlin appeared in front of her.
'Here goes.'
[Courier's Mark]
A glowing symbol formed on the floor—visible only to Merlin.
Vivienne sidestepped his strike effortlessly, and Merlin shot past her like a rocket. She reached out, trying to grab him—
But in an instant, Merlin vanished.
"?!"
Vivienne's sharp gaze scanned the space where he should have been—
But there was no one there.
'What the—?'
For the first time, her smile twitched.
Merlin reappeared right at the Courier's Mark as Vivienne turned her back.
'Everything is going according to plan.'
He gathered wind around his hand and reinforced it with spatial mana, increasing its density—
But it was all for nothing.
Vivienne twisted like a lightning bolt, caught Merlin's wrist, and launched him across the room.
'Of course she reacted in time.'
"Tch."
Merlin clicked his tongue, landing on his feet before charging again.
"You can teleport now? You never cease to amaze me!"
Vivienne laughed, conjuring a fireball in her hand.
'Things are heating up... literally.'
Merlin snickered at his own terrible pun.
Vivienne unleashed the fireball, and it spun in midair like a flaming disco ball.
The room's temperature skyrocketed. Sweat poured down Merlin's face as the heat became unbearable.
'What the hell do I do?'
Vivienne just stood there, smiling, completely unaffected.
'If this keeps up, I'm gonna burn to a crisp.'
Merlin cleared his mind and focused all his mana into Wind Affinity.
'Overload... this has to work.'
A violent wind gathered around his hands, spiraling at insane speeds. He stretched his arms forward, unleashing a shockwave of wind aimed directly at the fireball.
Vivienne's smile widened.
The wind blast swept through the fireball like a wave, dispersing the flames—before continuing straight for Vivienne herself.
She didn't even flinch as it washed over her.
'...Aura farming.'
Merlin gritted his teeth and attacked again.
Vivienne responded by manifesting swords made of pure fire.
'That's not gonna work against me!'
[Trickster's Reflex]
Merlin weaved through the flaming blades, dashing toward Vivienne—
Only for her to casually sidestep his attack.
Then she countered.
Merlin watched as Vivienne's fist approached in slow motion.
Time itself seemed to crawl.
He dodged—without using any skills.
"?!"
Vivienne's eyes widened as she registered Merlin's movement.
"Time Affinity?!"
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Her voice echoed through the room, her entire face twitching in shock.
Merlin just nodded.
Like it was no big deal.
Merlin walked toward Vivienne at a slow, deliberate pace, watching as her expression started to twitch.
'Alright, think. Think. What's the best move here?'
Countless scenarios flashed through his mind, and they all had one thing in common—he lost in every single one.
'Oh, for fuck's sake.'
Gritting his teeth, he threw everything he had into his next move and propelled himself forward—
Only for Vivienne to appear right in front of him, like some kind of teleporting final boss.
'...Right. She's a damn time affinity fanatic.'
Before he could even react, her kick landed square in his stomach.
Merlin barely had time to close his eyes and accept his fate before he was sent flying like a ragdoll, tumbling across the floor.
"Rest for a bit. Then we'll continue."
Vivienne's voice echoed through the training hall as Merlin lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.
'Maybe getting burned alive would've been the better option. At least it'd be over faster.'
He took a deep breath, gathered what little mana he had left, and pushed himself up.
And so, the training continued for hours, punctuated only by the moments he collapsed onto the ground like a complete idiot who refused to give up for some reason.
After hours of training Vivienne has left Merlin alone in the training room...alone with his dumbass thoughts.
When suddenly a piercing sound broke his mind apart.
——[New Quest!]——
[Kill all the Nameless!]
[Kill all five of the beginner Nameless members.]
[Rewards]
-Unlock an additional affinity.
-Choose a new skill.
-+3 Agility
-+2 Endurance
-+5 Intelligence
[Penalty for failure: ??? ]
[Do you wish to accept? Y/N]
———————————
'???'
Merlin's eyes widened as he looked at the panel before him. Specifically the failure option.
'Can Nathan not save Sera? Did I somehow change the story or something?'
His thoughts ran wild as he tried to figure out a solution.
'I have to kill them if I want the quest completed..But according to the novel they run away..'
Merlin thought for a while whilst sitting on the ground.
'Fuck it. Yes, I accept.'
[Quest Started! Good luck Host!]
'This is going to be interesting.'
He exhaled slowly then pushed himself up from the ground.