Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 47: 47-Let’s Get On With It, Boys

Read chapter 47 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Merlin grabbed the dazed Kim Minji and pulled her into the path closest to them. It was only as wide as a javelin’s pole, enough to accommodate both of them and spare some space. But when Merlin glanced over his shoulder, a knight was upon them, chasing like it was not made of stone, and unbothered that its rabid movements caused it to crash against the walls violently. “Don’t look back!” Merlin screamed at Kim Minji as she tried to turn around out of fear and curiosity. “Just keep running!” The corridor was not a straight one. There were paths all around them, and since they were not exactly running towards the gate at this moment, their minds occupied with just escaping the knight on their trail, they bounded into whichever their eyes caught first. And, finally, they seemed to lose the knight. They could no longer hear its stone body scratching along the walls. “W-What are we to do?” Kim Minji asked, hunched over, her hands on her knees and her breaths equally as ragged as her expression. “That thing’s chasing us with a sword. Do we have to fight it? B-But I can’t cast magic. And neither can…” She paused for a second. “We’re going to fail, aren’t we?” Merlin leaned backwards on the wall, his chest rising and falling like his heart was trying to find a way out. “We’ll be fine,” he said, not quite sure, but knowing that saying anything negative would only worsen their mood and the situation. “We just have to think about things rationally, and we’ll find a way out of here. Let’s catch our breath and do just that.” “That’s easy for you to say!” Kim Minji trembled. “I’m sure you’re only finding it hard to escape because I’m here holding you back.” Merlin’s brows fell, surprised at those words. “What are you talking about?” She looked up at him from the ground she had been staring at. “You would have run a lot faster if you hadn’t pulled me along,” she said, her face pale. Merlin could see the frustration burrowed deep within her expression. “This is just like back during the exam. I’m completely useless. I’m not sure how I even got admitted. I shouldn’t have. I’m sure there are better Mages than me. If you were alone, you would have probably figured it out by now. It’s because I’m just a weak C-Class, that’s why it’s so tough for you. I teamed up because I knew that I would have a better shot at passing if I was with you, but now I’m holding you back. I hate this. I hate this so much.” Merlin was lost for words. After all, Kim Minji genuinely had tears welling beneath her eyes. For one, failing here did not mean that she was never becoming a Mage, so why did it bother her so much? He had more reasons to be scared about failing, because of the System's penalty. She was far too soft. And, furthermore, she had gotten it all wrong. She was not weak. In fact, he was the one dependent on her at this moment. Without her, he would fail this assessment. And… he was the one who had put her in this situation. And yet he couldn’t even tell her the truth. Merlin clenched his fists. “I’m sorry,” he said. Kim Minji’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry that you have to feel that way.” “No. No,” she started frantically. “I-I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have said all that.” She scoffed self-deprecatingly. “Feeling sorry for myself? Ah. I’m pathetic.” “It’s fine,” replied Merlin, his breathing having settled and his mind clearer now. He did not have the time to be lost in his thoughts, or they would never find their way out, and that would be very bad for him. There was no certainty that Kim Minji wouldn’t be caught in the penalty as well. He needed to prevent that. “Let’s move forward. That’s the best thing to do.” Kim Minji was silent for a second. Then with an audible sigh, she said, “Alright.” Now that they were away from the center of the room, and they knew that the stone knights were actual moving monsters possessing mana, Merlin cajoled Kim Minji into sensing the mana concentration of the portal once more. After all, the mana concentration of the kni