Extra To Protagonist-Chapter 23: Wave 3

The shaman raised his staff and started muttering something incomprehensible.

'I have no fucking clue what he's saying, but it doesn't sound good.'

Suddenly, small portals flickered into existence beside him, spitting out goblins... and ogres? Maybe?

'Ah. Yeah. Probably should've stopped him before he finished that chant...'

Merlin buried his face in his hands for a second, sighing before continuing his slow march toward the monsters.

'Seriously... I have to kill all these little shits now?'

A goblin lunged at him—unexpectedly fast.

'Oh, that fucking shaman.'

A black aura wrapped around the goblin, clearly some kind of buff.

'That's just fantastic...'

Keryx trembled in Merlin's grip, buzzing with excitement.

'Funny. Didn't get this worked up when I was killing humans.'

With a single slash, Merlin bisected the goblin, wind magic amplifying his speed.

'Not stronger... just tougher? Or am I imagining things?'

Blood sprayed everywhere as the goblin's two halves thudded to the ground like sacks of meat.

THUD.

The other goblins and ogres hesitated. Their movements slowed.

"Scared?" Merlin asked, plastering on a fake look of pity, like he was mocking them.

The shaman's chanting picked up again, his staff waving wildly.

'He's yelling at them...'

Right now, he looked like an office boss screaming at his employees for filing paperwork in the wrong folder.

'Bad memories. Feels like my old teachers.'

A faint smirk crossed Merlin's otherwise blank face. He dashed forward with a burst of wind and spatial magic, closing in on an ogre staring dumbly at the shaman.

"You're just sending your team to die."

Leaping into the air, he plunged his sword straight into the ogre's skull.

"This is going to give you a mild headache."

The shaman shrieked as the ogre's massive body crashed into the ground like a meteor.

BOOM.

Even the goblins trembled at the impact. Not that he was body-shaming. Everyone loved everyone. Sometimes, though, lives just had to end.

'...What the hell?'

Merlin's gaze shifted back to the shaman, who was conjuring a fireball above his staff.

'...Compared to Vivienne, this is like a matchstick versus a meteor.'

He gathered wind in his palm and casually blew the fireball out with a gust.

"..."

The monsters and the shaman froze. Processing.

'I'm starting to feel bad for them. Oh well. Time to test something new.'

Shrugging, Merlin activated his water affinity, slowly forming a whip in his hand.

'Let's see...'

The shaman's eyes bulged as the water whip began to spin.

He screeched something, and the goblins and ogres erupted in dark flames. Not literally burning—more like... flaring?

'How thoughtful of them to make this easier for me.'

Merlin shook his head and lashed out with the whip.

It was a slaughter.

The goblins were cut clean in half. The ogres fared slightly better—deep wounds, but still alive.

'That buff is better than I thought...'

The whip dissipated, vanishing as if it had never existed. Keryx hummed in his grip, and Merlin launched forward, wind and space magic pushing him faster.

'Alright, let's see...'

One ogre swung its massive club at him. Slow. Sluggish.

'Bro, really? I don't even need a skill for this.'

Merlin sidestepped the attack like a kid dodging a thrown candy. His sword flashed upward, slicing clean through the ogre's arm.

THUD.

The severed limb hit the ground like a tree log.

The ogre howled in agony.

'Relax. I'll put you out of your misery.'

Merlin dashed forward to finish it—

A flaming sword whizzed past, nearly singeing his hair.

'Oh, fuck off.'

He spun toward the source. The shaman was still muttering under his breath, conjuring more of those damn swords.

Meanwhile, the remaining ogre decided it was his turn to charge, club raised high like this was some fun game.

"Oh, fuck. You both at the same time?!" Merlin yelled, weaving between the flaming swords.

And of course, the ogre wasn't just standing around either—because why the hell would he?

[Trickster's Reflex]

Merlin twisted away from the incoming club, launching himself upward with wind magic before bringing his sword down in one clean stroke.

The ogre's head separated from its body.

Keryx started shaking from the happiness. Or at least that's what it seemed like to Merlin. The happiness of being able to slay monsters maybe.

'It's a little creepy to be honest.'

Blood drenched him like he was some butcher or slaughterhouse worker.

The last ogre, still clutching his missing arm, roared in desperation, grabbing his club with his remaining hand.

"RAAAHHH!!"

It charged.

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Merlin, dodging flaming swords left and right, sighed.

'You guys are getting boring.'

With a snap of spatial magic, he crushed the air around the ogre, knocking it off balance. It toppled over like a felled tree.

THUD.

"..."

Merlin said nothing as he dashed forward and drove his sword through its skull.

"Just you left."

His golden eyes locked onto the shaman, glowing like molten fire. In a blink, he appeared right in front of him.

The shaman tried to conjure another flaming sword.

Too late.

A single slash.

Merlin landed behind him.

"You're nothing without your minions."

The shaman's body crumpled to the ground.

THUD.

"Well, that was slightly harder than the last batch."

[Training Completed!]

[Rewards]

+1 Strength

+2 Agility

[Hidden Quest Completed – Don't get hit at all!]

+1 Selectable Passive Skill

'Oh? A passive skill choice? Finally, something good.'

Everything around him darkened.

When the world refocused, he was back in his bed.

Keryx lay beside him, resting.

'Alright, let's see what options I got...'

Four choices popped up before him.

'...These are fucking insane.'

[Please choose a passive skill.]

• Windborne Stride (User's movements are naturally swift and efficient, reducing stamina consumption when sprinting, dodging, or maneuvering mid-air.)

• Silver-Tongued (User's words naturally carry weight, making him more persuasive in conversations and better at deceiving or outwitting opponents.)

• Seer's Instinct (Occasionally grants User a subtle sense of danger or hidden opportunities, allowing User to react a split second faster without conscious thought.)

• Endless Flow (User's mana recovery slightly increases when User is in motion, encouraging a faster combat style.)

'...Which one should I even choose?'

He buried his head in his pillow as he actually used his brain to think about it.

'All of them are so fucking useful..'

Merlin thought about it for a while.

'Endless flow.'

[Endless Flow Selected!]

Merlin kept his head buried in the pillow as he just kept thinking about it.

'Did I make the right choice?'

His thoughts faded after a while as he drifted off to sleep, his body was consumed by the fatigue of the day as he laid in his bed peacefully like a toddler.