NOVEL WEB Chapter 7: Class Trial
[One Week Later]
The city hadn't changed. Not really. People still rushed through streets with coffee cups in one hand and their phones in the other, cars still honked at nothing, and the subways still stank like something had died in them weeks ago. But for Percy Jackson, everything felt different now—like the world had tilted just a little to the left and hadn't shifted back.
He took the long way home that afternoon, walking past the piers, letting the wind blow through his hair as the river crashed quietly against the wall. A week ago, he had blood on his hands and a scream clawing in his throat. Not from pain. From release. From finally doing what needed to be done.
And now?
Now, the world was quiet. Too quiet.
By the time he reached his apartment building, the sun was dipping beneath the skyline, washing the brick walls in orange and gold. The stairwell creaked beneath his shoes, each step slower than the last. He wasn't dragging his feet, not really—but there was something heavy in his chest that hadn't gone away since that night.
Something lingering. Guilt, maybe. Or just the weight of silence.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
No shouting. No stale beer. No footsteps pounding like war drums across the ceiling. Just… stillness.
The living room was smaller than he remembered. The couch had been replaced—cheap but new, covered in a soft grey fabric that didn't stink of sweat and anger. The carpet was bare now, with only a few floorboards showing signs of water damage from where the blood had soaked through. His mom had done that.
Thrown the old one out and scrubbed the floor until her fingers ached.
He closed the door behind him and dropped his backpack gently to the ground.
For a moment, he just stood there.
The house no longer felt like a war zone. It didn't buzz with the constant threat of eruption. It didn't reek of fear. But that didn't mean it felt like home, either. Not yet. The quiet wasn't comforting—it was foreign, strange, too fragile to touch.
"Mom?" His voice was low but clear, cutting softly through the stillness.
"Living room," came her reply, light and steady.
He walked toward her, past the hallway where Gabe used to stomp, past the kitchen where shouting had once echoed off the walls.
Sally Jackson was curled up on the couch, wearing one of her old blue sweaters and holding a book in her lap.
Her hair was tied back loosely, and for the first time in a long time, she didn't look exhausted. Tired, maybe—but no longer broken.
She looked up as he entered and smiled gently. "Hey, baby."
Percy sat beside her, the couch dipping slightly under his weight. She reached over and brushed a hand through his hair, the motion slow, comforting, familiar. He leaned into it, letting himself feel it—feel her.
"You holding up okay?" she asked softly.
He looked down at his hands. They were clean now. Not a trace of blood. Not a drop of guilt visible. But he could still remember the way Gabe had looked right before the end—bloated, drowning in his own blood, mouth open in panic and rage. It hadn't felt good. It hadn't felt bad. It had felt… necessary.
"I think I'm getting there," he said finally. "Bit by bit."
She didn't press for more. She never did. Instead, she nodded like she understood everything he hadn't said out loud and rested her hand gently on his shoulder.
And then, the familiar tone echoed inside his mind.
Ping!
A glowing blue screen shimmered into view, transparent and faint, as if it knew this wasn't the moment to be loud.
[Daily Quest Complete]
[Level Up! You have reached Level 10.]
[Main Quest: Discover Your Heritage – COMPLETE]
Description:
The Mist has clouded your past, but not forever. To grow stronger, you must learn the truth behind your origins and awaken the dormant power within your bloodline.
Requirements:
[✓] Level 10 reached
[✓] Divine heritage discovered: Poseidon – God of the Sea
Reward(s):
[New Sub-Skill Unlocked: Mistkinesis]
[Unique Quest Unlocked: Path of Power – Class Awakening]
His breath caught slightly as another notification followed immediately after.
[Main Quest Updated: Path of Power – Class Awakening.]
[You have unlocked the Relationship System]
Percy stared at the glowing message, heart pounding just a little faster now. It wasn't just a level-up this time. This was different. A shift. A turning point.
He was finally ready to take the next step.
The glowing system prompt hung in the air, quietly pulsing like a heartbeat.
Percy sat cross-legged on his bed, the soft rumble of distant thunder barely audible through the open window. He didn't even flinch when it came. Instead, his focus was
locked on the message in front of him.
[Main Quest: Path of Power – Class Awakening]
Level Requirement: 10 – Complete
Description: You've proven your potential through trial and combat. The system recognizes your strength and offers a chance to choose your Fate. The path forward will be shaped by this decision.
Objective:
• Select a Class
• Complete the Class Trial Dungeon
Reward(s):
• Unlock A Class
• Unique Class Dungeon Key
• ??? (Class-Dependent Reward)
[Would you like to begin Class Selection?]
"…Yeah," he muttered. "Let's see what I'm working with."
The screen shimmered, disintegrating into tiny specks of starlight—and from that light, seven glowing glyphs appeared, each one inscribed in a different magical circle, like they were waiting for someone worthy to reach out.
He didn't need to reach. The system brought the choices forward.
⸻
[Saber]
Warriors of the blade. Sabers are direct and unflinching, relying on precision, skill, and courage to protect and destroy.
+ STR, + AGI
Focus: Sword Techniques, Melee Arts, Anti-Unit Combat
⸻
[Archer]
Strategic and sharp-eyed, Archers dominate from a distance, raining destruction with pinpoint accuracy.
+ AGI, + INT
Focus: Ranged Attacks, Projection, Analysis
⸻
[Lancer]
Unpredictable and tenacious, Lancers strike fast and strike deep. Their combat style blends fluid motion with lethal efficiency.
+ AGI, + STR
Focus: Spearplay, Evasion, Skirmishing
⸻
[Rider]
Commanders of momentum and summoned beasts. Riders overwhelm with speed, mobility, and tactical presence.
+ AGI, + END
Focus: Mount Combat, Summons, Field Domination
⸻
[Assassin]
Masters of concealment. Assassins eliminate threats before they're seen, using precision and fear.
+ AGI, + LUK
Focus: Stealth, Debilitation, Fatal Strikes
⸻
[Berserker]
Brutes driven by fury. Berserkers abandon control for sheer force, shattering foes and reason alike.
+ STR, + END
Focus: Rage, Brutality, Survival
⸻
[Caster]
Mystics and scholars. Casters manipulate the world through spells, ancient knowledge, and rituals that bend reality.
+ INT, + AGI
Focus: Elemental Magic, Thaumaturgy, Chanting
⸻
The moment he saw the options, two stood out.
Lancer and Caster.
Percy tilted his head, frowning.
Lancer made sense. The idea of being quick on his feet, weaving through the battlefield and hitting like a storm—it matched how he fought already. Especially when he thought about how he'd beaten the Talos construct. He hadn't overpowered it—he'd outmaneuvered it, broke it apart from the inside.
Fast. Clever. Brutal when it counted.
But…
His gaze moved to Caster.
Magic. Power. Control.
He remembered how it felt when the water answered him—when the tide bent to his will like it was born to obey him. That hadn't been instinct. That had been command. He didn't need weapons when the world itself listened.
And when he thought about Mom… about what she needed… brute force wouldn't protect her from everything. Sometimes, the right words mattered more than fists. Sometimes, magic could build instead of break.
"I could be something more," he muttered. "Something smarter. Stronger… inside."
He closed his eyes, tension building in his chest. His heart whispered one thing. His instincts screamed another.
Speed and instinct.
Magic and mastery.
Weapons or water
And when he opened his eyes, it wasn't hesitation anymore. It was decision.
He tapped the glowing circle for Caster.
⸻
[Class Selected: Caster]
[You have obtained: Trial Key – "Trial of Casters"]
[Trial Dungeon: Trial of Casters]
Rank: Unique
Usage: This key can be used anywhere to create a personalized dungeon space. Entry is limited to the Player only.
⸻
The key materialized in his inventory—faintly glowing with a purple hue that shimmered like a starry sky.
Percy stared at it for a long time.
"I hope I don't regret this," he said softly.
But deep down… it felt right
————————————————————
[Perseus 'Percy' Jackson]
[Level- 10]
[EXP: 12 / 1139]
[HP: 620 / 620]
[SP: 620 / 620]
[MP: 640 / 640]
Stats:
[STR]: 32 (Base 29 + 3)
[AGI]: 33 (Base 29 + 4)
[VIT]: 31 (Base 29 + 2)
[INT]: 32 (Base 29 + 3)
[CHA]: 29
[LUC]: 21
————————————————————
The silver portal closed quickly behind Percy as he stepped cautiously into the dim, cold corridor.
Flickering torches cast long shadows across the cracked stone walls, the air thick with the faint scent of alchemy and metal. Ahead, five figures shifted in the gloom. Their movements were too synchronized, too purposeful to be mere automatons—they were living constructs, homunculi born from dark alchemy.
His heartbeat quickened. This was no ordinary fight.
[Skill Activated: Observe]
[Target: Homunculus Group]
[Scanning…]
[Targets Detected: 5 Homunculi]
[Target Stat Sheet: Homunculus]
Rank: D
HP: 4800
STR: 50
AGI: 50
VIT: 240
INT: 10
CHA: 5
LUC: 5
—————
Percy's eyes narrowed as the data sank in. These creatures were designed to work as a team, built for speed and endurance, capable of taking hits and striking hard.
The homunculi shifted, their pale, synthetic skin rippling unnervingly as their many eyes fixed on him.
They moved as one.
Percy didn't hesitate. He knelt briefly, focusing his mana as his voice rose, steady and clear:
"Create Water Dagger — Piercing!"
[Water Construct: Dagger – Piercing] created.
[Mana Cost: 40 → 32 (Chanting Reduction + Water Skill Bonus)]
[Effect: +20% Piercing Damage]
[Total Construct Damage = Mana Input (32) × INT (32) = 1024 → +20% Piercing = 1228]
With a sharp flick of his wrist, he sent the dagger flying at the nearest homunculus.
The water dagger sliced cleanly through the joint of its arm, and the construct staggered but didn't fall.
Before it could recover, two homunculi lunged toward Percy from opposite sides,
coordinating their attack. One aimed a heavy punch; the other attempted to grapple him.
Percy grinned, almost enjoying the challenge.
"Create Water Chain — Binding!"
[Water Construct: Chain – Binding] created.
[Mana Cost: 50 → 40]
[Effect: Immobilizes target briefly]
[Total Construct Damage = Mana Input (40) × INT (32) = 1280]
The water chains shot out, wrapping tightly around the homunculus trying to grapple him, freezing its movements. The other's punch was caught mid-air by a quick water shield Percy conjured instinctively.
The unbound homunculus snarled and leapt back, recalculating its approach.
Percy quickly switched tactics.
"Create Water Spear — Piercing!"
[Water Construct: Spear – Piercing] created.
[Mana Cost: 124 → 99]
[Effect: +20% Piercing Damage]
[Total Construct Damage = Mana Input (99) × INT (32) = 3168 → +20% Piercing = 3801]
He launched the spear at a charging homunculus. The weapon pierced through its chest, the alchemical blood sputtering as the creature dropped heavily.
[Enemy Defeated: Homunculus]
[EXP Gained: 70]
Two remaining homunculi advanced aggressively, trying to flank him.
Reacting fast, Percy didn't create another spear immediately. Instead, he conjured a smaller weapon.
"Create Water Daggers — Piercing!"
[Water Construct: Dual Daggers – Piercing] created.
[Mana Cost: 80 → 64]
[Effect: +20% Piercing Damage]
[Total Construct Damage (Each) = Mana Input (32) × INT (32) = 1024 → +20% Piercing = 1228]
With a swift toss, he hurled one dagger at each homunculus.
The daggers sliced through their arms and legs, staggering them but not stopping their advance.
The homunculi weren't just strong—they were smart.
They circled, attempting to trap Percy between them. One launched a heavy strike, which Percy narrowly dodged.
Then, drawing on his control, Percy spoke again:
"Create Water Chain — Binding!"
[Water Construct: Chain – Binding] created.
[Mana Cost: 50 → 40]
[Effect: Immobilizes target briefly]
[Total Construct Damage = Mana Input (40) × INT (32) = 1280]
He caught the homunculus that had charged the most aggressively, binding it mid-attack.
The remaining homunculus snarled and rushed at Percy.
Thinking quickly, Percy lifted his hand, drawing the water constructs back to him with a soft command.
The daggers spun back through the air, curving elegantly to land in his grasp.
"Perfect," he muttered.
Then, with a fluid motion, he threw the spear forward again.
[Water Construct: Spear – Piercing] created.
[Mana Cost: 124 -> 99]
[Effect: +20% Piercing Damage]
[Total Construct Damage = Mana Input (99) × INT (32) = 3168 → +20% Piercing = 3801]
The spear sliced through the last
homunculus's neck cleanly.
It dropped with a metallic clatter.
[Enemy Defeated: Homunculus]
[EXP Gained: 70]
Percy exhaled slowly, his pulse steadying as the last homunculus collapsed.
[All Enemies Defeated]
[Total EXP Gained: 350]
[Exp: 361 / 1139]
The corridor fell silent once more, save for the drip of water from the broken chains.
Percy exhaled deeply, the adrenaline slowly ebbing from his muscles. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his mind already preparing for the next trial as he walked threw the portal.
————————————————————
The moment Percy stepped through the shimmering dungeon portal, the atmosphere changed completely.
There was no roar of monsters waiting to pounce. No ground shaking with the weight of some slumbering boss. No warning sirens screaming in his head. Just… silence.
But not the peaceful kind.
This was the kind of silence that wrapped itself around his bones like a vice. The kind that pressed against the eardrums until every breath sounded too loud. The kind that didn't just quiet the world—it swallowed it.
The portal winked shut behind him, and a message blinked into existence, casting a faint glow over the pale marble beneath his feet.
[You have entered: Trial of Casters – Second Layer]
[Objective: Navigate the Grand Labyrinth of Mist and Illusion]
[Warning: Combat will not aid you here. Only cunning, observation, and instinct shall prevail.]
That last line drew a grim smile from Percy. Of course. No swinging swords, no blasting spells. Just brain games. He could already feel someone smirking at him from whatever spiritual plane they were from.
The corridor stretched before him like a skeletal cathedral—vaulted ceilings supported by marble arches veined with silver, and a dense, ghostly fog curling around his calves.
Each step he took made no sound, as if the mist had swallowed not just the floor but the idea of sound itself. Even the rhythm of his heartbeat seemed to soften.
"Okay," Percy muttered under his breath, eyes scanning the unnatural stillness. "That's not ominous at all."
There was something alive in the walls. Not a monster—but an intent. The architecture felt wrong. Not like a space built to contain people, but a mindscape. A constructed thought.
Every hallway that forked, every open courtyard he peeked into, every path that doubled back on itself without warning—it wasn't a test of endurance. It was a psychological siege.
His [Instinct] pinged sharply in the back of his head, like a soft voice whispering through the fog.
[Skill: Instinct (Rank E) activated.]
[Danger Prediction: Path to the left leads to mental distortion. Recommended path: forward.]
He nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up, system. One brain-melting detour avoided."
As he walked, the corridor refused to remain consistent. Walls rippled like waves, staircases bent in Escher-like loops, and even his own footsteps vanished behind him within seconds.
There were doorways that led to gardens made entirely of still statues—each with Percy's face—or rooms where the walls were made of nothing but eyes. Eyes that blinked inward.
"Ugh. I hate magical mazes," Percy muttered, brushing past an arch that led him… directly back to where he started. "They always cheat."
Then he saw them—mirrors.
Dozens. Maybe hundreds.
Some hung in crooked frames along the corridor. Others floated midair like suspended teardrops of silver glass. Still others waited inside shallow pools of perfectly still water, framed by smooth marble basins. Each one showed something different. Versions of him. Reflections that weren't just twisted—they were personal.
One laughed manically with too many teeth. Another wept silently, holding a broken sword. A third bled from the eyes, whispering something soundless. Others… weren't even him at all.
A cold shiver slithered down his spine. This wasn't misdirection anymore. This was erosion. The dungeon didn't want to just confuse him. It wanted to unmake him.
He exhaled slowly, resisting the urge to smash the nearest mirror.
He couldn't brute-force his way through this. That much was clear. No matter how sharp a spear he could conjure, it wouldn't pierce delusion.
"Alright," Percy murmured, taking a step forward. "I'm not winning this with muscles. So…"
He extended his palm, fingers splayed out like he was reaching for something that didn't quite exist.
"Mistkinesis."
There was no fanfare. No dramatic swirl of power. The fog didn't recoil or surge—it simply listened.
[Mistkinesis: Subskill of Hydrokinesis activated.]
[Mist Density: High. Control Difficulty: Moderate.]
[Suggestion: Use Mist to perceive what eyes cannot.]
Slowly, tendrils of mist extended outward, responding to his will like living wires. They slipped under doors, wove through keyholes, wrapped around distant pillars, and soaked into walls. What his eyes couldn't see, the Mist could feel.
He became aware of false walls, doors that led nowhere, and entire corridors that were illusions layered over nothing. The Mist was his sixth sense—fluid, omnidirectional, and immune to tricks of light and sight.
That's when the floor vanished beneath him.
He didn't fall. He dropped—as if the ground had opened like a trapdoor directly into another layer of the dungeon.
"Seriously!?"
[Trap Triggered – Memory Sinkhole]
[Mental Resistance Check: Passed]
[Gamer's Mind: Immunity to False Memory effects granted.]
His body hit smooth stone in a chamber far darker than the one above.
The lighting here was torchlight, but it didn't flicker. The flames didn't emit heat. Shadows didn't move. That was the tell—they weren't real.
The Mist coiled tight around his legs, like it, too, was wary.
He wasn't alone here.
Laughter echoed in the deep. Not loud. Not even mocking. Just quiet… entertained.
"Alright," Percy muttered as he stood and shook dust off his shirt, "we're done playing hide and seek."
He extended his arm again, and this time there was a bite to his voice.
"Summon Storm."
The pressure in the air changed instantly. A pulse of divine energy bloomed from his chest like the inhalation before a tempest.
[Skill: Summon Storm activated.]
[Mana Cost: 400]
[Effect: You call upon your divine heritage to summon a localized storm aura. All water-based perception is enhanced. Duration: 45 seconds.]
Tiny lightning arcs danced across his arms and shoulders. The air turned wet, thick with suspended raindrops that never quite fell. The mist responded like iron shavings to a magnet—surging, scattering, sharpening into spears of perception.
And with it came clarity.
The illusions buckled. The false doors warped and shattered like glass. The hidden patterns in the floor were laid bare—sigils that tried to bend his path, symbols meant to scramble his sense of direction.
He was done being blind.
Below him, Percy could feel something. A pulse. Not quite a heartbeat, not quite a mechanism. The center of the maze. The mind behind it all.
It was aware of him.
And for the first time, it was afraid.
He tightened his grip on the Mist like a sculptor shaping clay.
He didn't just move through the fog now—he commanded it. Threads of condensed water magic wove through every stone, parting illusions like the tide parting reeds. And at the end of the corridor, the walls dissolved like mist in the sun.
A silverwood arch stood where there had been solid stone seconds before, framed by intricate carvings of eyes, stars, and hands holding mirrors. Beyond it, a spiral staircase twisted downward into black.
"Boss room," Percy said, voice low and steady.
This time, he'd earned it.
One final message hovered in front of him like a reward.
[Water Affinity increased.]
[Hydrokinesis has leveled up! → Rank: B-]
[Mistkinesis control efficiency increased.]
He smiled faintly. Not a grin of cocky triumph. A quiet, knowing smile—the kind born from understanding something dangerous and still walking forward.
No brute force. No flashy victory.
Just will, wit, and water.
"Let's finish this."
And with that, Percy Jackson stepped into the heart of the trial.
Percy's breath misted in the chilled air as he stood at the heart of a moonlit clearing. The silence here was not peaceful—it was wrong.
The sky overhead gleamed with stars, yet he couldn't feel the moon's pull on the tides. Trees surrounded him in a perfect circle, unmoving, unbending, too symmetrical.
A soft chime echoed.
[Trial Phase: Final Chamber Entered.]
[Boss Encounter Initiated.]
The silence shattered as a ripple coursed through the air, like a tremor through reality itself. Flower petals—soft, violet, and pale blue—drifted in from nowhere.
They didn't fall naturally. They chose their movements. And as they gathered, forming a swirl of color and magic, a figure emerged: tall, robed in white with elegant, pastel armor traced by arcane script. His long white hair shimmered with starlight. His staff was carved like living wood, blooming with celestial blossoms.
"Ah," the man said gently, with a knowing smile. "You're earlier than expected."
Percy's eyes narrowed. "Who—?"
"I've been called many things," the figure said, glancing to the sky as though pondering which name he'd like best today. "Prophet. Trickster. Flowerbed menace. But I suppose for this trial, I'll go by 'Merlin?'" He gave a playful bow. "Grand Caster Candidate. Trialmaster of the Casters. Mage of Flowers."
[Observe Activated]
[Merlin?]
[Mage of Flowers]
[Level: 30]
[Class: Grand Caster Candidate]
[HP: ???] [MP: ???] [SP: ???]
[Strength: ???] [Dexterity: ???] [Intelligence: ???] [Wisdom: ???] [Vitality: ???] [Charisma: ???] [Luck:
???]
[Notable Skills:]
• [Illusory Labyrinth – Rank B+]
• [Floral Mirage – Rank A]
• [Voice Beyond the Veil – Rank B]
• [Mystic Eyes of Illusion – Rank C]
• [Soul-Locked Projection – Rank EX]
[Trial Objective: Outwit the Trialmaster and Tag the True Projection.]
A chill ran down Percy's spine.
He summoned water in his hand instinctively, but Merlin? only smiled wider.
"You remind me of a young king I once advised. A bit more scowling, a lot more saltwater."
Percy didn't answer. Instead, he took a stance and whispered—
"Create Water Construct: Spear – Piercing."
[Water Construct: Spear – Piercing] created.
[Mana Cost: 40 → 28]
[Effect: Piercing. +20% final damage]
[Total Construct Damage = 28 x 68 INT = 1,904 → +20% = 2,284]
He launched the spear with a flick of his wrist. It screamed through the air—until it phased through Merlin? like fog.
"Strike one," Merlin? said, as the illusion shimmered into flower petals.
Without warning, the world shifted. The trees bent sideways. The clearing looped into itself. A stone path emerged that hadn't been there. Percy blinked. The trees were now marble pillars.
[Illusory Labyrinth Activated]
He growled. "Great. A dungeon that lies to me."
From the shadows, petals scattered—and with them, five Merlins appeared, each one identical, each humming a different melody. A circle of voices echoed, some coming half a second late, some whispering at his ear from behind despite no one being there.
He dashed forward, skidding across the stone, throwing a—
"Create Water Construct: Dagger – Bleeding!"
[Water Construct: Dagger – Bleeding] created.
[Mana Cost: 30 → 21]
[Effect: Bleeding. +20% final damage]
[Total Construct Damage = 21 x 68 INT = 1,428 → +20% = 1,713]
The dagger whirled through one clone—nothing. Another—shattered into petals. Percy flicked his hand and the construct boomeranged back, reshaping midair with a splash.
His heartbeat thundered. His instincts screamed. Something was wrong with the way the ground tilted under his feet—except it wasn't. It was him being tricked.
"Summon Storm," he muttered.
[Skill: Summon Storm Activated.]
[Mana Cost: 200]
Lightning arced across the fake sky as clouds churned from nowhere. Rain poured. His skin prickled with divine electricity as water pooled around his boots.
Now I can feel everything. The illusions can't lie about water.
He clenched his hand and raised it. Threads of mist slithered up, lacing into a fine web of perception.
[Mistkinesis Activated – Subskill of Hydrokinesis]
The air tasted different around each clone. Four were stale. One—just faintly—shivered with essence.
"There you are," Percy whispered.
He spun, flicked his fingers, and hurled a javelin of compressed water at the genuine one.
"Create Water Construct: Javelin – Slowing."
[Water Construct: Javelin – Slowing] created.
[Mana Cost: 35 → 24]
[Effect: Slowing. +20% effect bonus]
[Total Construct Damage = 24 x 68 INT = 1,632 → +20% = 1,958]
The javelin crashed into Merlin?'s chest—and passed through again.
"Strike two," echoed Merlin? from above.
Percy's eyes widened. Wrong again?!
[Voice Beyond the Veil Activated.]
He spun. A wall had become a door. A flower bloomed from the marble. A whisper behind him muttered, "You're so close, King of Tides."
"Shut up!" I growled.
I slammed a palm to the floor and whispered, "Create Water Construct: Web – Binding."
[Water Construct: Web – Binding] created.
[Mana Cost: 50 → 40]
[Effect: Binding. +20% effect bonus]
[Effect: Will trap illusion constructs, passing through real targets]
The web surged outward like a net of ice-blue strands, covering the floor. Several clones reacted—dodging. One didn't.
Percy narrowed his eyes. Got you.
But as he launched forward—Merlin? moved.
An illusory barrier slammed into Percy. His balance faltered. He tumbled, rolled, felt his senses twist—he looked back and the arena had changed again.
Now he stood in a hallway of mirrors. Dozens of Percy Jacksons stared back.
He clenched his jaw. "This is annoying."
"You're reacting," said Merlin's voice, calm, amused, almost fatherly. "Arthur was reactive too. Until he learned to anticipate."
Percy's thoughts churned.
He can't be hit.
The illusions are looping.
Mistkinesis reveals inconsistencies.
But he can also move the real one.
Then what's the condition? How do I tag him?
He closed his eyes and inhaled. The storm raged. His senses buzzed. Not with sight. Not with sound. With flow.
Every water molecule bent slightly around one point—a hidden form walking in real space.
There. Percy crouched.
He exhaled. "Got you."
He drew every droplet from the storm into his hand, forming a glowing, spear-like stream of pure perception. The construct shimmered between water and mist.
"Create Water Construct: Perception Lance – Piercing + Mist Infusion!"
[Water Construct: Perception Lance – Piercing + Mist Infusion] created.
[Mana Cost: 60 → 42]
[Effect: Piercing + Mist Infusion. +40% damage]
[Total Construct Damage = 42 x 68 = 2,856 → +40% = 3,998]
Percy threw it—not at a clone, not at a voice—but at empty space between three mirrors.
Merlin? shimmered into view, real this time, just as the lance tapped his chest.
Silence.
Then petals exploded in every direction.
The illusions dropped.
The hallway collapsed.
The storm faded.
Only the clearing remained.
Merlin? stood where he had first appeared—this time, smiling softly.
"You saw through it," he said. "You used your senses. Not your sight."
"I used everything," Percy said. "And it still almost wasn't enough."
Merlin? nodded, stepping forward. "Clever. Adaptive. You don't just charge in blindly. You think. You learn. You improve."
The mage extended a hand and gently tapped Percy's forehead.
"Just like him."
[Trial Complete: You have Tagged the True Projection of Merlin?]
[You have Outwitted the Mage of Flowers.]
[Class Trial Complete: Caster]
[Experience Gained: 10,000 XP]
[Level Up Pending…]
[New Class Unlocked: Caster]
Merlin?'s smile faded with the wind. "Farewell, King of Tides. May your story echo in song."
And with a final gust of petals, he vanished.
[System Notification]
[Dungeon: Trial of Casters – COMPLETE]
[You have successfully overcome the Grand Labyrinth of Mist and Illusion. You did not defeat your foe with brute force. You outwitted the illusionist. Cleverness, perception, and mastery over self have carried you to victory.]
[Trial Completion Condition Met: Real Projection of Merlin? Touched]
[System Evaluation: "You played the game the caster's way."]
[Rewards Granted:]
EXP Gained: +10,000
Class Unlocked: [Caster]
All Extra Stat points have been Granted