CHAPTER 180: DOUBTS

Merlin held her stare, though his fingers curled into the fabric of his coat.

"I can handle it."

Morgana’s lips curved, too slight to be a smile, too sharp to be anything but dangerous.

"You think you can handle it."

"I know," he said. The words came out faster than he’d intended.

She circled the desk slowly, the steady click of her heels stretching the space between them. "You’re not asking me for permission, Merlin. You’re asking me for trust."

Her perfume lingered in the air as she stopped beside him. "And trust... is expensive."

’She’s baiting me.’

But the problem was, she was right.

"If that thing stabilizes," he said, "we both know it won’t stay contained. Not with a Tier-Gate. And if the wrong kind of creature comes through—"

"I’ve read the reports."

"Then you know—"

"I know," she cut in, voice sharp enough to halt him. "And I also know you’re not cleared for active combat in that quadrant."

Merlin met her eyes. "I’m not asking for clearance. I’m going anyway."

A beat of silence.

Her gaze swept over him once, assessing, like she was measuring the exact size of the trouble he was about to cause. Then, she leaned in just enough for her voice to drop into something that felt almost intimate.

"If you die out there," she said, "I’m not cleaning up your mess."

’That’s not a no.’

He stood. "Then we have a deal."

Morgana’s nails tapped twice against the desk before she pushed off from it. "You’ve got until tonight to prepare. After that, the team moves. You’ll be with them, not ahead of them. Understood?"

Merlin nodded once.

"Good. Now get out of my office before I change my mind."

He didn’t hesitate. The door clicked shut behind him, and the faint hum of the system finally returned.

[Quest Updated: Tier-Gate – Southern Quadrant]

[Primary Objective: Survive]

’Not exactly confidence-inspiring.’

But it was all the permission he was going to get.

—

Merlin’s boots clicked softly against the marble hallway as he walked, his coat brushing his legs with each step.

The academy’s upper floors were quieter at this hour, students locked in their dorms, staff holed up in their respective offices. Only the occasional echo of footsteps from somewhere far below reminded him the place was alive.

’She’s not going to stop me, but she’s definitely going to watch me. Great.’

He turned the corner toward the main stairwell, tugging his gloves tighter.

The system’s faint hum in the back of his head hadn’t gone away.

[Recommended Preparation Time: 14 hours]

[Warning: Target Location – High Risk]

[Estimated Mortality Rate: 72%]

’Encouraging.’

He ignored the number.

The stairwell smelled faintly of cleaning solvent, its polished rails reflecting the dim amber light from the fixtures. His mind wasn’t on the steps, though. It was on the Tier-Gate, Southern Quadrant. He knew from the novel exactly how bad it could get if left unchecked. Not that anyone else here had that context.

Well... almost no one.

By the time he reached the lower floor, the muffled sound of distant chatter drifted in from the outer hall. Two junior instructors passed by, their arms full of training schedules. They didn’t spare him a glance. He slipped past them, out through the academy’s side exit.

The night air was sharper than he expected, but the streets were lit well enough to navigate without a torch. His breath came in steady clouds as he made his way back toward the residential blocks.

—

When he pushed open the apartment door, the place was dim. The low hum of the fridge was the loudest sound. Nathan’s jacket hung over the back of the couch, but his friend wasn’t in sight.

Merlin headed for his room.

Except Elara was standing right at his door.

She leaned against the frame with her arms folded, eyes narrowing slightly the moment she saw him.

"You’ve been gone all night," she said flatly.

He stopped in the hall. "I had something to take care of."

Her gaze didn’t move. "At the academy?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

He reached for the door handle. "It’s nothing you need to worry about."

Her hand shot out, pressing against the wood before he could open it. "Don’t pull that. You vanish for hours, you come back smelling like you’ve been standing next to half the staff’s perfume rack, and you expect me to believe it’s nothing?"

’Of course she noticed.’

Merlin kept his voice even. "I talked to Morgana. That’s it."

Elara’s brow arched. "The headmistress?"

"Yes."

"About what?"

"Something I can’t tell you right now."

Her expression tightened, but after a long pause she stepped back. "Fine. But if you end up bleeding out somewhere again, don’t expect me to drag you home this time."

’She will. She always does.’

Merlin didn’t answer, just slipped into his room and shut the door. The system’s faint glow flickered into view in front of him again.

[Warning: External Variables Increasing]

[New Passive: Adaptive Reaction – Lv.1]

[Activation Requirement: 25% Combat Stress Threshold]

He stripped off his coat and dropped it over the back of his chair.

"Yeah," he muttered under his breath. "Combat stress isn’t going to be a problem."

—

Nathan was already awake by the time Merlin emerged from his room. He sat at the kitchen counter, halfway through a bowl of something that looked like porridge. He didn’t look up from it.

"Training today?" Nathan asked, spoon clinking against the bowl.

"Yes," Merlin said, grabbing a piece of bread from the counter.

Nathan’s eyes flicked up. "You’re setting the pace, or am I?"

"You are. I want to see where you’re at."

That earned him a short laugh. "You mean you want to see how far ahead you’ve gotten since last time."

Merlin didn’t answer, just bit into the bread and grabbed his coat. Nathan shook his head, but followed.

—

They headed to one of the smaller sparring fields near the academy’s lower ring. The place was empty at this hour, the grass still heavy with dew. Merlin stepped out onto the field first, loosening his shoulders. Nathan rolled his neck, already smiling in that way he did before a fight.

"You’re not going to go easy, are you?" Nathan asked.

"No."

"Good."

Nathan drew his blade in a smooth motion, its edge catching the pale morning light. Merlin didn’t bother drawing his own yet. They circled each other for a moment, the only sound the soft crunch of grass under their boots.

Then Nathan moved first, fast, sharper than last week. His blade cut a clean arc toward Merlin’s side.

Merlin sidestepped, catching Nathan’s wrist and twisting just enough to throw him off balance. Nathan recovered quickly, but Merlin had already closed the gap, his own blade sliding free and pressing against Nathan’s collar in one motion.

"That’s one," Merlin said.

Nathan exhaled through his teeth. "Alright. Again."

They reset. This time Nathan feinted left before spinning into a low slash. Merlin blocked with the flat of his blade, the impact sending a faint tremor through his arm. He pushed back, forcing Nathan to step away.

It went on like that, strike, counter, reset, each exchange faster than the last. Nathan wasn’t slow, not by normal standards, but Merlin was already operating several steps ahead. Every move, every angle, every pressure point... he could see them before they happened.

It wasn’t just instinct. It was Rathan’s knowledge bleeding through.

After the fourth clean disarm, Nathan lowered his sword and shook his head. "When did you get this far ahead?"

Merlin didn’t answer right away. ’Too far for him to catch up anytime soon.’

He sheathed his blade. "Keep pushing yourself. You’ll close the gap."

Nathan gave him a look but didn’t argue. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

—

They left the field without much talk, parting ways at the street corner. Merlin turned toward the market district, planning to grab supplies before nightfall. The Southern Quadrant job wasn’t going to be forgiving.

But before he could even reach the stalls, the system’s glow blinked again.

[Observation Detected]

[Source: Undisclosed]

[Counter-Trace Available: Yes / No]

He didn’t stop walking, didn’t change his pace, just let the system hover at the edge of his vision.

’Undisclosed means it’s him.’

Sure enough, when he turned down the next street, he caught a flash of hair half a block away—there and gone again in the flow of pedestrians. The man didn’t look back.

—

Merlin shut the door behind him quietly. Nathan was in the living room, sprawled across the couch with a book resting on his chest, eyes half-closed. He didn’t stir.

Merlin slipped into his room, sitting at the desk. The system came online instantly.

[Quest Active: Tier-Gate – Southern Quadrant]

[Recommended Loadout: Medium Mobility / High Damage]

[Skill Unlock Progress – Rathan’s Legacy: 12%]

He exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair.

’Twelve percent and I already feel like I’m dragging around someone else’s reflexes. What’s it going to be like at a hundred?’

His eyes drifted to the window. The city lights blurred slightly in the distance. He thought of Morgana’s stare. Of the white-haired man’s shadow at the edge of the crowd. Of Elara’s quiet warning.

Tomorrow wasn’t going to wait for him to be ready.

And he wasn’t planning on waiting for it either.