Extra To Protagonist-Chapter 51: Desperate Training

The steady pulse of mana flared against his skin as he moved, each motion sharper, more precise.

The training ground had mostly emptied by now, the only sounds left were the occasional clash of weapons or the hum of distant affinity work.

Merlin barely registered any of it.

Again.

Strike.

Pivot.

Reinforce.

Nathan, still sprawled lazily on one of the benches, exhaled dramatically. "Alright, I'll give you ten more minutes before you either pass out or burst into flames. Maybe both."

Merlin ignored him.

Then—

"Oh, great. He's in that mode again."

Merlin stilled mid-motion. He turned to see Adrian striding toward them, golden hair slightly tousled, his usual grin in place.

Nathan perked up immediately. "Finally, someone else to suffer with me."

Adrian snorted, stopping beside him. "You actually sat through this?"

"I was promised entertainment." Nathan looked deeply betrayed. "Instead, I got two hours of aggressive self-loathing."

Adrian crossed his arms, gaze flicking toward Merlin. "How long's he been at it?"

"Since class ended."

Adrian let out a low whistle. "Damn, man. You do know rest exists, right?"

Merlin exhaled through his nose, rolling his shoulders. "I don't need rest."

Adrian gave him a flat look. "Yeah, see, that's exactly what people say before they collapse and make it everyone else's problem."

Before Merlin could argue, another voice cut in.

"…Is he still at it?"

Liliana approached, long brown hair tied back in a loose braid, arms crossed in mild exasperation.

Adrian grinned. "You just missed his fifth dramatic training montage."

Nathan nodded solemnly. "Truly inspiring. I nearly cried."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Liliana ignored them, turning to Merlin. "You should let the healers check your ribs before pushing yourself like this."

'Is this supposed to be a comedic show for them or something?'

"I'm fine," Merlin said automatically.

Liliana arched a brow.

Nathan muttered, "He's lying."

'I'm not.'

Merlin shot him a look.

Before Liliana could argue, a sharp voice cut through the air.

"What are you all doing here?"

They didn't need to turn to recognize the speaker.

Seraphina stood at the entrance, arms crossed, silver eyes sharp with disapproval.

Nathan groaned. "Great. The fun police is here."

Seraphina ignored him. Her gaze locked onto Merlin.

"Training after that defeat is pointless. You couldn't have won to begin with."

Merlin met her stare without flinching. "I can handle it, and I'm aware."

Adrian muttered, "Why does he keep saying that like it means anything?"

Liliana sighed. "Because he's stubborn."

Seraphina exhaled sharply. "Overworking yourself won't make you stronger. You'll just reinforce the same mistakes while exhausted."

Nathan smirked. "Wow, that almost sounded like genuine concern."

Seraphina didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, her focus remained on Merlin.

"…You should stop for tonight."

'Maybe they are right.'

Merlin hesitated.

His ribs ached. His movements had slowed. If he kept going like this, his form would suffer.

He clenched his fists—then, finally, stepped back from his stance.

Nathan threw his hands up. "A miracle! He listened to reason."

Merlin ignored him, rolling his shoulders.

Adrian grinned. "Alright, if we're finally done here, who's up for food?"

Nathan perked up immediately. "Now that's an idea I can support."

Liliana sighed but nodded. "Might as well."

Seraphina glanced at Merlin. "…You should eat something too."

'She's right.'

Merlin hesitated—then relented with a short nod.

Nathan clapped a hand on his shoulder. "See? Progress. Now, let's go before you change your mind."

And just like that, they turned and headed toward the exit.

For the first time since the fight with Vivienne, Merlin let himself breathe.

—

The dining hall was filled with the low hum of conversation, the clatter of plates and cups as students gathered at long wooden tables.

Soft light filtered in from the high windows, casting a warm glow over the space.

Merlin walked in with the others, trailing slightly behind as they moved toward an empty table.

Nathan immediately threw himself into a seat. "Alright, let's get one thing straight—I deserve something good for suffering through that training session. Someone, be a good friend and bring me food."

Adrian scoffed. "Bring it yourself, you absolute gremlin."

Nathan shot him a deeply offended look. "How dare you."

Liliana sighed. "You can come with me. I'll grab something for Merlin too."

Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but she gave him a look that shut it down immediately.

"Sit," she said simply. "You've done enough today."

He pressed his lips together but obeyed.

Liliana and Adrian headed toward the food line, leaving Nathan, Merlin, and Seraphina at the table.

For a moment, silence settled between them.

Then—

Nathan leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "So. Since we're all here, let's talk about the real issue at hand."

Merlin frowned. "Which is?"

Nathan smirked. "The fact that you got absolutely obliterated by Vivienne."

Merlin stared at him.

Seraphina sighed. "Must you always be like this?"

"Yes," Nathan said cheerfully.

Merlin exhaled through his nose, picking up the nearest napkin and throwing it at Nathan's face.

Nathan gasped as if personally offended. "Unbelievable. The violence. The lack of remorse."

Seraphina looked vaguely exhausted. "Can you be serious for five minutes?"

"I can." Nathan grinned. "I just choose not to."

Before Seraphina could respond, Adrian and Liliana returned, setting trays of food in front of them.

Liliana sat beside Seraphina, giving Merlin a pointed look. "Eat."

Merlin didn't argue.

Nathan, meanwhile, was already halfway through his plate. "So. What's next on your self-destructive training plan?"

Merlin paused.

He hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

Adrian leaned back, stretching. "Well, whatever it is, at least take a day before throwing yourself into another beating."

Seraphina nodded. "Pushing forward without a plan will get you nowhere."

Merlin tapped his fingers against the table.

The fight with Vivienne had exposed too many weaknesses. If he wanted to catch up, if he wanted to stand a chance later, he needed more than just training—he needed a strategy.

Something was missing.

Something he had to figure out.

Nathan nudged him. "You're thinking too hard again."

Merlin shook off his thoughts and picked up his fork.

"…Just eat," Liliana reminded him.

For now, he would.

But tomorrow—tomorrow, he would start training again.

—

The next morning came quickly. Merlin still wasn't able to complete his daily training yesterday due to the system error.

Sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the academy halls, casting long streaks of gold across the polished floors.

The usual morning bustle had already begun—students moving between classes, voices overlapping in conversation, the rhythmic tapping of boots against stone.

'Such a busy place huh.'

Merlin walked through it all without pause.

His body ached faintly from yesterday's training, but it was a familiar sort of pain—one he had long since learned to ignore.

More importantly, he had a plan.

Nathan, who had been walking beside him, noticed the look on his face and immediately groaned. "Oh no."

'Why is he here again?'

Merlin didn't respond.

Nathan grabbed his sleeve. "No. Absolutely not. Whatever's going through your head right now, I refuse to be part of it."

Merlin pulled his arm free. "Then don't."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "Why do I feel like I'm going to end up involved anyway?"

Merlin ignored him and kept walking.

Nathan let out a long-suffering sigh before catching up. "Fine. At least tell me where we're going."

"The library."

Nathan stopped walking. "The—what?"

'Is he dumb?'

"The library," Merlin repeated.

Nathan stared at him like he had grown a second head. "You—you actually plan to do research?"

Merlin frowned. "Why is that surprising?"

"Because your usual approach to problem-solving is to punch something until it stops being a problem."

Merlin didn't deny it. "This is different."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "How different?"

Merlin didn't answer.

Nathan sighed. "You're insufferable."

Merlin kept walking.

A few minutes later, the grand doors of the academy library loomed before them.

The air inside was cool, the scent of parchment and ink lingering beneath the quiet hum of mana-infused lamps.

Shelves stretched high into the vaulted ceilings, filled with countless tomes on combat theory, mana manipulation, and historical records of past champions.

Merlin strode forward without hesitation.

Nathan, who had reluctantly followed him in, groaned. "Alright, what exactly are we looking for?"

Merlin scanned the rows of books. "Advanced reinforcement techniques. Maybe some insights into how top-ranked duelists handle speed-based opponents."

Nathan raised a brow. "So, this is about Vivienne."

'Yes and no.'

Merlin didn't respond.

Nathan smirked. "Wow. She really got to you, huh?"

'Can he just shut up?'

Merlin shot him a look before pulling a thick tome off the shelf.

Nathan leaned against one of the tables, watching as Merlin flipped through pages. "Y'know, normal people would just accept that they lost, move on, and try again later."

"I'm not normal."

Nathan snorted. "Yeah, no shit."

Silence fell between them as Merlin continued scanning the book. The pages were filled with dense diagrams, mana circuit breakdowns, and theoretical applications of reinforcement layering.

Merlin frowned. The principles were solid, but something felt… lacking.

Nathan, growing bored, drummed his fingers against the table. "So, when are the others getting here?"

Merlin barely glanced up. "I didn't invite them."

Nathan blinked.

Then—

"Well, that's unfortunate, because here they come."

Merlin turned just in time to see Adrian, Liliana, and Seraphina entering the library.

Adrian grinned. "See? I told you he'd be here."

Liliana sighed, looking resigned. "Of course he is."

Seraphina, arms crossed, arched a brow. "And what exactly are you doing?"

Nathan gestured dramatically. "Trying to become a nerd."

Adrian whistled. "Damn. Never thought I'd see the day."

Merlin ignored them, focusing on Seraphina instead. "Research."

Seraphina gave him a pointed look. "On?"

"Reinforcement efficiency. Combat adaptability."

She studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Good."

Nathan groaned. "Don't encourage him."

Adrian pulled out a chair and sat. "Alright, if we're doing this, might as well help. What exactly are you struggling with?"

Merlin exhaled, fingers drumming against the pages. "…Speed."

Liliana frowned. "Vivienne's movements?"

'Why are they acting so concerned?'

Merlin nodded. "She's faster than me. And not just in raw agility—her reactions, her adaptability, her ability to weave in and out of my range. If I can't keep up, I can't win."

Seraphina leaned slightly forward, her expression thoughtful. "You're reinforcing your body, but are you reinforcing the right way?"

Merlin frowned. "What do you mean?"

Seraphina reached for the book, flipping a few pages. "You're treating reinforcement as just a boost to strength and durability. But reinforcement isn't just about force—it's about optimization. If you refine your mana flow, adjust it to reduce wasted energy, you might be able to enhance your reaction speed instead of just brute-forcing strength."

Liliana nodded. "She's right. Speed isn't just physical. It's perception. If you can process movements faster, even a slight delay could be enough to react in time."

'I never thought of it like that..'

Merlin's grip tightened on the book.

That—

That made sense.

Nathan watched him, then sighed.