Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 49: 49-Reader’s Bookmark

Read chapter 49 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Merlin washed up, took a bottle of water from the fridge, and dropped to the floor in the sitting room, resting his back on the couch behind him as he heaved out a deep sigh. He had been of the mind to tease Nora back in the White Room. But upon approaching her, and seeing how red her eyes were, he’d held himself back. That would be inhumane of him. On a more serious note, he had not been expecting her to cry just because his simulation had taken a rather drastic turn; she was particularly sensitive about crying too—especially in public. Which was why he had not pushed on talking to her when she’d asked for some space. However, it troubled him, even now that he was back in his dorm room. So, to take his mind off of it, he decided to shift his attention to something else. With his face towel falling from his neck and onto his bare chest, Merlin reached for his phone and scrolled through the words of the System. [Quest Reward: Random Loot Box] [Accept?] [Yes?]/[No?] Yes… He wondered what Perk would be coming his way this time. However, the anticipation was not exactly a gripping one, seeing as he had traded his sister’s composure for it. But there was nothing he could do about that now. She would be fine in due time. In fact, he was of the mind to call her later tonight. Hopefully, she would have settled down by then. The loot box that had appeared before him concluded its theatrics, and Merlin’s new Perk was made known to him… [You have been granted a Perk] [You have obtained the Perk: Reader’s Bookmark] [Perk: Reader’s Bookmark: Replicate movements that you have read or seen for a brief amount of time, subject to your understanding of them. Current Intelligence Level is low. Not all movements can be replicated.] [Note: Perks level up concurrently with your Intelligence Attribute. The higher the Intelligence, the stronger your Perks.] Reader’s Bookmark? Merlin blinked. From its description, it seems it came about because of my awful replication of Kieran’s swordsmanship. So, this is basically a crutch for such moments then. I wonder how brief that amount of time is. From the vague knowledge I have, it seems to be about five to ten seconds. It probably differs from movement to movement. He caressed his chin. My understanding of them, huh? So the better I understand the concepts behind the movements, the better I’ll be able to replicate them. This is really a nice Perk to have, but, Jesus, I’m not even excited. Ugh… Nora… And, then, to make matters worse, his mind flew back to his discarding of his ideals back during the assessment. He glanced at his palm and sighed. Will I really be unable to avoid acting like a Warrior? That was the second time… Now I can’t help but wonder if I’m just being childish about the whole thing. He clenched his fist and sighed exasperatedly. I guess I’m too weak to be picking what I don’t like and what I do. “Why are you so gloomy? What’s going through your mind?” Chima’s voice came from Merlin’s side. He turned to see the boy stepping out of his room, rubbing his head with a towel, wearing nothing but baggy joggers. Merlin had guessed that Chima was ripped… But, damn. He glanced at his own body and chuckled self-effacingly. His figure had seen considerable improvement due to his workouts, but he still had a long way to go, even with the System enhancing his gains. “Nothing,” said Merlin as he turned off his phone. “I was just wondering how I can build my muscles.” Chima raised a brow and flayed his eyes over Merlin. “What are you talking about? You look good. Athletic figures are better than them bulky ones anyway.” He headed to the fridge, took a bottle of water, and lay down on the couch, just behind Merlin. “Huh?” Merlin turned halfway around. “They get the girls!” Chima almost choked on his water. “Wait. Do you already have someone you like? So quickly? Really?” Merlin’s intention had just been to steer the conversation away from falling onto the System, but it seemed to have backfired. His lips