Extra To Protagonist-Chapter 16: A Little Trickery

Elara lunged forward, her spear aimed straight at Merlin's chest.

'That's not very nice.'

Merlin sidestepped effortlessly, not even needing to use his skill.

As he dodged, he swung his rapier through the air. A sharp whistle accompanied the movement, slicing through the silence—

—only for his blade to get lodged in a rising wall of earth.

'Finally, she's using her affinity.'

Elara was a prodigy, blessed with an Earth Affinity so strong that people called her a once-in-a-century talent.

Unfortunately for her, if she was a century-level genius, then Merlin was a once-in-a-hundred-thousand-years anomaly.

With a flicker of mana, just as Reinhardt had taught him, he channeled power into his sword—

And split the earthen wall clean in half.

"!!!"

Elara's eyes widened in shock. Even Reinhardt, who had been watching from the sidelines, gave a satisfied nod.

"You're not bad," Merlin said smugly, grinning as Elara shot toward him like a lightning bolt.

He had no intention of revealing all his affinities just yet, so he stuck to Space.

With a casual thought, he increased the pressure on Elara while subtly accelerating his own movements.

'Perfect.'

This trick hadn't worked on Reinhardt before, but Elara wasn't Reinhardt. Not even close.

"The Space Affinity..."

Elara's voice trembled as she realized what he was doing. Her grip on her spear wavered for a split second before she clenched her teeth and conjured several small earthen spikes, launching them at Merlin.

"Toothpicks?"

Merlin tilted his head mockingly, earning a glare from Elara.

[Trickster's Reflex]

His body weaved between the spikes like a professional dancer in peak season.

"You're not bad, but it's not enough."

His voice echoed through the training hall as he closed the distance with a swift slash.

Elara quickly stepped back, barely dodging in time.

The room filled with the rhythmic clash of sword and spear, their weapons striking and deflecting in rapid succession.

'Come on.'

Reinhardt watched intently, resisting the urge to openly root for Merlin. As a teacher, he should have remained neutral, but deep down, he was already cheering for his student.

'I expected more from her.'

Merlin thought as he dodged yet another thrust without breaking a sweat.

With a quick step forward, he kicked at her midsection—

Only for another earth wall to rise up and block his foot.

'She has to believe it.'

Feigning injury, Merlin exaggerated his reaction, clutching his leg and stumbling backward.

"Shit."

His voice was cold, and his face contorted in "pain".

"Does it hurt?"

Elara smirked as she lunged forward, seeing him 'retreat.'

'Bingo.'

Merlin had completely read her personality from the novel. He knew she would go on the offensive the moment she thought she had the upper hand.

So as she lunged—

Merlin dashed toward her.

"What the hell—?!"

Her expression twisted in confusion. She had been so sure his leg was injured.

She tried to retreat—

But couldn't.

The space around her pressed down like invisible chains, rooting her in place.

"You should block this."

Merlin's voice was emotionless as he appeared in front of her, leg raised.

She tried to lift her spear—

But there was no time.

His kick landed squarely in her stomach, sending her flying backward. The pressure in the air intensified.

"This is over."

His cold voice echoed as he stood over her motionless body.

"You... tricked me."

Elara's face burned red in embarrassment.

Merlin shrugged. "In a fight, anything goes."

She fell silent at his words. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right.

A slow clap broke the silence.

Reinhardt smirked as he applauded. "A good match. But you both have a lot to learn. You're nowhere near competent yet."

He turned to Elara first.

"Drop your ego and stop blindly attacking. Think. Merlin won because he used his head. Meanwhile, your brain was practically knocking on an empty room the entire fight. You barely utilized your affinity."

"..."

Elara bit her lip and nodded quietly.

Meanwhile, Merlin was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Pfft..."

Reinhardt's gaze snapped to him.

"And you. It's obvious you lack proper affinity control and that your body is weak."

Merlin's laughter died instantly.

Elara, on the other hand, smirked.

Merlin felt his soul leave his body.

'The Ice Queen can smirk?'

They exchanged glances—then, as if on cue, both turned away at the same time.

Reinhardt's smile grew wider.

'Ohoho?'

He rubbed his hands together, looking far too pleased.

Merlin immediately grew suspicious.

'What is this old man plotting...?'

Shaking his head, he turned back to Elara, ignoring Reinhardt completely.

"Shall we continue?"

His voice was emotionless.

Elara nodded, raising her spear. Merlin gripped his sword.

Reinhardt, meanwhile, was lost in his own little fantasy world.

'...Romance was his weakness in the novel. Please don't get any weird ideas.'

Merlin sighed before calling out—

"Begin!"

And their spar resumed.

—

A few hours later, they finally stopped.

Reinhardt had left earlier, claiming he had "more important things to do."

The final score?

16-0.

'Sixteen wins for me... Zero for Elara.'

Elara sat on the ground, clutching her spear like it was her last lifeline.

Merlin wiped the sweat from his forehead awkwardly.

'Time to go.'

"Good luck improving," he said casually before turning to leave.

Just as he reached the door—

"If... you want, we can spar again sometime."

'???'

Merlin stopped mid-step, his brain buffering.

He turned, saw Elara's slightly flushed face, and gave a slow nod before walking out.

His mind was a whirlwind of confusion.

'What the hell was that...?'

Shaking his head, he refocused.

'I have things to do. I need a weapon.'

Leaving the academy, he flagged down a taxi without issue.

Sliding into the backseat, he pulled out his wallet.

"To Eldermoor, please."

The driver turned around, looking nervous.

"Eldermoor? Isn't that a bit far, sir?"

Merlin pulled out a handful of cash and placed it in the man's hand.

The driver's eyes practically glowed.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

"Oh, absolutely, sir! We'll be there in no time!"

As the car pulled away, Merlin leaned back, recalling the details from the novel.

'Keryx... the sword of an ancient herald, blessed by a god. It's perfect for me.'

Taking out his phone, he sent a quick text to his sister.

{Merlin: I'm staying at a friend's place tonight.}

{Victoria: You have friends? LOL}

{Merlin: ...}

{Victoria: Just be safe.}

Merlin sighed, putting his phone away.

'...She has a point, though.'

—

The trip was painfully boring. Merlin spent the entire ride playing mobile games, zoning out until they finally arrived under the veil of night.

The taxi driver gave him a nod. Merlin had already handed him a generous stack of bills in advance—more than enough, considering the driver didn't even try asking for more. Instead, he just waved cheerfully as he pulled away.

'Of course he's happy.'

Merlin turned his attention to the dense forest ahead. Somewhere within it lay Eldermoor—a village the novel had described as a haven for swordmasters.

The forest was eerily silent. No rustling, no birdsong. Just an oppressive stillness. Yet, the crisp scent of flowers lingered in the air, making it oddly refreshing.

'Not bad.'

As Merlin reached the village, the first thing he noticed was how empty it was. No city bustle, no shouting merchants—just a few people, most of whom carried swords at their waists. Every adult, to be precise.

'Maybe everyone's inside because it's late.'

The buildings were old, their walls engraved with dragons and ancient symbols, as if they had stood for thousands of years.

'Seeing it in person is... insane.'

But he wasn't here to sightsee. His goal was deeper in the forest.

As he walked through the village, he felt the occasional curious gaze land on him. But the moment they spotted his academy uniform, they looked away.

It made sense. The academy often sent students on trivial quests as part of their training. They probably thought he was just another one of those students.

'If only they knew I'm actually here to steal a legendary sword.'

Merlin shook his head and pressed forward into the forest beyond Eldermoor.

This time, there was no unnatural silence. Birds chirped in the distance, and a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves. It was peaceful—too peaceful. Moonlight filtered through the canopy as Merlin retraced the novel's description, searching for one thing.

A tree... surrounded by strange white flowers.

That was all the novel had given him to work with. Not exactly helpful.

'Of course, the protagonist just stumbled across it by sheer dumb luck halfway through the story.'

Yes—Nathan had found this very sword. And what did he do with it? Absolutely nothing. He had already obtained some factory-made weapons by then, so this priceless artifact had been left to gather dust.

'Moron.'

Merlin kept searching, pushing deeper and deeper into the woods. His patience started wearing thin—until, at last...

A soft glow caught his eye.

Nestled between the trees were luminous white flowers, basking in the moon's gentle radiance.

He exhaled slowly, his shoulders relaxing as relief washed over him.

For a moment, his eyes stung.

'Finally.'

He had found it.