Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 48: 48-Escape From The Labyrinth Has Ended

Read chapter 48 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Kieran, the protagonist of Singularity Mage, was quite excellent in the sword arts, using it mostly during the early stages of the novel, following his first expeditions into the Dungeons. Merlin would claim that he was doing pretty 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 a real blade. 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 his teeth rattling 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. Goodness, 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. 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 on 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. Merlin could only think of one reason behind 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