"Huff..."

In his room, Merlin let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

He put his palms together and channeled his mana throughout his body.

"Eighth Spirit Core, here I come!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Boom!

A red aura burst from his body and shot upward. Fortunately, he had placed many magic circles around him, preventing the explosion from destroying his room.

"Ugh..."

Pain spread through his muscles, bones, and flesh. It was the process of strengthening his body as it transformed to match the level of the Eighth Spirit Core.

Luckily, Merlin had solid physical strength thanks to Linda's training.

Because of that, he managed to endure the pain without screaming like a maniac.

After ten minutes, the pain gradually faded. His aura also calmed down before finally disappearing completely.

He opened his eyes with a smile.

"Hahaha! I finally broke through to the Eighth Spirit Core!" He clenched his fists excitedly.

He had been stuck at the Ninth Spirit Core for two years. Sometimes, he even wondered if he really was a piece of trash.

His talent was A-level, yet he still couldn't break through to the Eighth Spirit Core.

If Linda knew about his struggles, she would definitely scold him for not training seriously.

In reality, he had never slacked off—not even when he was still living in the Tharot family mansion.

"[Congratulations, Master. You have broken through to the Eighth Spirit Core! I have a reward for you!]"

The system's cheerful voice echoed in his mind. Merlin was surprised and asked curiously, "A reward? What is it, system?"

"[Ding! Congratulations to Master for becoming an Eighth Spirit Core Mage! Reward: 40,000 system points and one basic-level spell have been granted!]"

Right after the voice sounded, a memory of a basic spell appeared in Merlin's mind.

Considering that Ninth and Eighth Spirit Core mages were still not strong enough to use advanced magic, basic magic was their main weapon in battle.

Merlin absorbed the memory and couldn't help but be surprised.

"Movement magic?" he muttered in wonder.

The spell was called Lightning Step. Unlike most of the magic he had learned, this one wasn't destructive—it strengthened the body instead.

With it, he could move as fast as lightning. And since it came from the system, the spell had no drawbacks at all.

In fact, it could even be considered extraordinary. It required only a small amount of mana to use, something very beneficial for him.

"Tsk! System, you really are generous!" Merlin chuckled softly. "With this spell, I feel more confident facing people stronger than me."

Fighting mages felt easier than dealing with swordsmen or spearmen.

Most mages didn't train their physical strength the way Merlin did.

So, as long as he could avoid the magic combos they cast, defeating Seventh to Sixth Spirit Core mages wasn't difficult.

This basic magic was clearly one of the keys that would help him achieve what most people considered impossible.

"[Hehehe! I am indeed a generous system, Master. That's why you should never think of me as stingy. If you do it again, I won't give you rewards like this,]" the system replied proudly, with a hint of threat.

The corners of Merlin's mouth twitched slightly, but he had no argument to refute it.

He had indeed thought of the system as stingy several times, though that wasn't actually the case.

As he was chatting with the system, a red light appeared in front of him, and Lyserra stepped out with a proud gait.

"M-mmm!" She stretched lazily, then jumped onto his lap and lay down coquettishly.

"What are you doing? Who were you talking to?" she asked curiously.

Merlin immediately cut his connection to the system and gently rubbed her stomach.

"Nothing. Why did you come out?"

Feeling his touch, Lyserra froze for a moment. Shyness washed over her, and her face reddened subconsciously.

Her stomach and chest were sensitive areas, yet Merlin touched her without hesitation.

Even so, she didn't try to pull his hand away and chose to enjoy it.

After all, Merlin was the chosen one the man had spoken of. So whatever he did, Lyserra didn't mind—except for the final step that required a marriage bond.

"I came out because I sensed a surge of power from you. Did you break through the barrier?" she asked lazily.

"Yes, I just ascended to the Eighth Spirit Core," Merlin replied frankly. "Did you also feel your power recover?"

"Yeah, I feel it. It went up by 10%. Not bad." Lyserra gave an appreciative nod, making Merlin chuckle softly.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing," Lyserra continued with a serious expression. "Since three days ago, I've sensed danger approaching. It's so strong it gives me goosebumps. And it seems its target is this palace. If you want to survive, you'd better run away now."

Despite mentioning "goosebumps," Lyserra wasn't actually afraid. In her era, many people were far stronger than the aura of danger she sensed.

Besides, her previous master had been incredibly powerful—far beyond what any creature in this world could do.

Yet in her current state, she couldn't face it, let alone Merlin, who was still very weak.

Merlin's expression turned serious. He immediately guessed the identity of the person Lyserra was referring to—Gabriel Solayne, the third king of the Kingdom of Aldoria.

"I understand. Don't worry, I'm not that stupid," Merlin whispered reassuringly.

"I believe in you." Lyserra said nothing more and closed her eyes, enjoying his touch.

Merlin fell into deep thought, considering how he would deal with Gabriel Solayne later.

***

Two days later...

In the throne room, the atmosphere was tense. The Queen, Crystal Tharot, sat on the throne with a gloomy face.

She looked at the ministers on her right and left, then asked, "You must have heard the news, right?"

Everyone's faces were gloomy. Crystal was referring to the Avernia army's consecutive defeats at the hands of the Aldoria army.

The defeat was so overwhelming that they couldn't even put up any resistance.

And the cause was just one person—Gabriel Solayne, the leader of the Kingdom of Aldoria.

Because of his intervention, they were forced into a stalemate. One of the ministers raised his hand and asked, "Your Majesty, do you have a solution for this?"

Crystal let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

"No, I don't—at least not yet. I gathered you all here to discuss this matter."

She leaned back against the throne, crossed her legs, and looked at everyone indifferently.

"If anyone has an idea, speak now."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.