‘Argh! The marble broke through too easily. It slowed down slightly, but if it can pierce Younghwi so effortlessly, I can’t deflect it.’

Crack!

The marble punched through Shining as well. In the end, the spirits only bought Merlin enough time to take one additional step.

‘Should I use the Great Strength Vajra Hand on my right arm and swing at it? My arm will likely become useless, but I can just log out and recover from my injuries… no, that won’t do. I might be able to recover, but if I lose my arm, I think my HP will be permanently reduced.’

Merlin thought, thought again, and kept thinking. He came up with theory after theory, and after all this analysis, he chose the one that seemed to have the highest chance of success.

Whoosh.

Merlin started circulating his magic power. That was the answer he had landed on. Even if he could accelerate his thought process, ultimately, his body was still slow, so Merlin’s options were limited. However, his magic power was relatively unhindered by his physical restrictions. If his mind worked faster, his magic power should speed up in turn.

‘Gale. Gust of wind!’

Ping!

Merlin raised his right hand above him, his movement displacing the air. Yet, this minor breeze was dwarfed by the far-more forceful gust that rushed forth and deflected the oncoming marble.

‘This isn’t enough.’

Merlin’s efforts were successful, but this single action would not resolve...