“Honestly, what use are you all then…” Merlin complained loudly as she sidestepped to avoid the magic beast’s slash. Rubble hit her cheek, leaving a bloody scratch.
“Ah! Mean Boss!”
“How can you scold us! It’s clearly because you’re too weak!”
“It took so long for you to see us, and now you’re blaming us! We’ve been helping you in secret all this time! Whether it was making potions or absorbing that guy’s chaotic mana!”
The fairies lazily fluttered their translucent wings, circling Merlin’s head, which was covered in dirt and potion.
The fatigue accumulated throughout the day, combined with the continuous fighting, was pushing Merlin’s body to its limit. In reality, she wasn’t doing much better than Machina right now.
Fatigue and high-intensity combat made Merlin’s lungs feel as if they were on fire. Every breath tasted of rusty blood, and her legs felt as heavy as lead.
“Do you have a plan now, then?”
“A plan…”
“We can only handle amplification right now.”
She couldn’t take another hit from the magic beast. Even with a shield, the aftershock of the previous blow was surging back; Merlin’s hand was already numb with pain. She definitely didn’t have the confidence to take a second strike.
“Amplify what?”
“We’ve been amplifying everything you make, Boss.”
‘So that was how it worked…’
Merlin remembered her conversation with Lucia.
“I thought you said I was too weak and you couldn’t use your power?”
The fairies simply fluttered their wings, circling Merlin and laughing noisily.
“Amplifying elven royalty doesn’t require any special conditions; it’s just like multiplication! We can do it anytime since we’re family. Though, the base number for the multiplication can’t be too low…”
“Boss, use magic!”
As the magic beast raised its scythe-like forelimb high to deliver a fatal blow, she threw the last few mana crystals with all her might. The momentary impact successfully interrupted its movement, buying Merlin a few seconds of breathing room.
“Magic? I don’t have enough mana.”
“Trust our amplification! Just do as we say!”
“Exactly, exactly!”
“Boss, do you have any more potions?”
The crystals were all gone. Merlin fumbled through her pockets. She had paralysis and hallucination ones, but she hadn’t taken them out because she couldn’t get close enough.
“Paralysis and hallucination.”
“Ah… use them together. Even the current Boss should be able to manage that much.”
“How?”
The fairies began to huddle close to Merlin.
“Boss! Get as close as possible! Throw the potions out.”
“We’ll guide you. Imagine splitting the water, and then splitting it again. Make it as small as possible, then control the droplets!”
She glanced at the pale figure in the far corner. Machina was struggling to stand. She couldn’t let her die here; she had to protect her.
Merlin wanted to prove Machina wrong.
‘I! I also have the power to protect people!’
She pulled out two large bottles of potion and tossed them haphazardly toward the magic beast with her slender arms. Holding both bottles at once was still too heavy for Merlin.
“Quick.”
Following the fairies’ guidance, Merlin continuously split the water droplets in her mind. In her vision, the world seemed to slow down. The fairies’ whispers turned into strange commands, guiding her weak mana to attach to every drop of potion.
Split.
Finer.
Lighter.
A magical operation she had never tried before felt like reading a detailed instruction manual. The fairies had drawn all the points for her; she only needed to inject her will to connect the lines and finish the picture.
Soon, the two potions intertwined, turning into a fine mist.
“Go, Boss! Just like that!”
“Just guide the water into its nose.”
Merlin noticed her total mana pool hadn’t changed, but under the fairies’ amplification, her release efficiency was greatly enhanced. She could even succeed at techniques she had never used before on the first try.
Merlin turned the mist into a thin stream and sent it drifting quickly toward the beast’s nose. Realizing something was wrong, the creature tried to dodge, but its injured hind limbs restricted its speed. Moreover, in the narrow arena, there was nowhere to hide from the mist.
Finally, she had turned the defense into an offense.
The magic beast’s movements grew sluggish. That was enough. Even if this dose could only stall for a little while.
Merlin shouted.
“Machina! Are you okay?”
Hearing the call, Machina forced her last bit of strength to plunge her ice sword deep into the ground, supporting her swaying body.
“I’m fine.”
She also breathed a small sigh of relief at the current situation. The magic beast was too large. Merlin’s potions might be a knockout dose for an ordinary monster, but for this one, it only made its movements sluggish. This was enough; the two of them were only stalling for time.
Disquietingly, the weird light was beginning to refocus in the beast’s originally glassy and cloudy compound eyes.
“Merlin, any more potions?”
Merlin simply shook her head.
“None left. Normally, that amount would have lasted through the entire exam. Who would have thought we’d be suddenly brought into a labyrinth?”
Although Merlin wasn’t injured, her legs had reached their limit, and she limped over to Machina’s side. At this moment, the two of them were like two wounded little animals, forced to huddle together in the darkness.
Machina looked at Merlin.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen fairies. Is their chattering meant to assist you?”
“Mm…”
Machina leaned her head against Merlin’s chest, her voice raspy and helpless.
“Thank you, but… please, don’t do something so foolish again.”
Merlin’s heartbeat was rapid and erratic, yet it carried the warmth Machina once craved most — a warmth she still couldn’t bring herself to let go of even now.
“So you’re allowed to protect me, but I’m not allowed to protect you? Even if I have neither — “
The previously listless magic beast suddenly threw its head back without warning and erupted into a screech loud enough to tear eardrums.
” *Screee — !!!!* “
Its voice was laced with waves of mental shock. The sharp ringing was like countless red-hot steel needles, violently piercing their eardrums and stabbing into the depths of their brains.
” *Ugh!* “
Both of them groaned in pain at the same time. Their minds went blank, their vision blurred instantly, and they were forced to instinctively squint while clutching their ears tightly. But it was useless; the sound felt as if it were about to shatter their souls.
The magic beast’s body trembled as if having a seizure, and then it began to brandish the scythes in its hands even faster than before. The drugs seemed to have backfired; the beast’s body jerked violently as if in the throes of a fit. Immediately after, its massive scythe-like forelimbs began to swing wildly amidst the spasms.
The fairies also flew around Merlin in a panic, warning her.
“Boss, Boss!”
“Watch out!”
The magic beast was much faster than before. The shadow of death enveloped them both in an instant.
“Machina!”