Nivis Astrala was one of the notable supporting characters in the novel The Lost Hero.

It wasn't her appearance or fighting ability that made her notable, but her skill in cooking.

Yes, cooking—it sounds a little silly, but it's true, and it's part of the novel.

Nivis Astrala was the daughter of Lisa Astrala, the woman who had just prepared the meal for her and Luna.

In terms of combat ability, Nivis was weak and not very useful in battle.

Yet, her role in the story was surprisingly important.

Out of gratitude to the main character, she dreamed of becoming his personal cook in the dormitory.

And she didn't just want to cook—she wanted to be his personal maid too, taking care of his clothes and other needs.

It was fair to say she was the side character closest to Abel.

Since he had a mission to conquer the three main side characters of the protagonist, Nivis naturally became one of his targets.

Besides, Nivis was just as beautiful as her mother. Wouldn't it be a shame to leave her behind?

"Merlin, I'm curious about something," Luna said, sipping her watermelon juice. "This is your first time at the academy, right? Earlier, you dodged my question, so now tell me—how did you know this place had such good food?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Merlin cut a piece of lamb with his knife and took a bite.

"I knew from my mother."

"Your mother?"

"Yeah. You should remember—my mother told you about her past, right? Both she and my father are graduates of Saint Freya Academy. By chance, the night before we left, my mother mentioned this place to me. She said this food shop was the most delicious of them all."

Upon hearing it, Luna's curiosity finally eased.

"So that's how it is… I understand now. No wonder you knew about it—everything makes sense." She nodded in admiration.

Merlin just smiled, saying nothing. Though it was a lie, he felt no guilt. After all, where he had gotten the information wasn't really important.

"By the way, Merlin, have you ever heard of the Blackpox disease?"

Luna's sudden question took Merlin by surprise. He glanced at Lisa near the cashier counter, who looked just as startled.

Merlin pretended not to notice and asked, "Blackpox? What is that? A new disease?"

Luna shook her head. "No, it's not new. The disease has existed for two hundred years. Yet even now, there's still no specific, affordable potion to cure it. Even a gold-level potion with 30 percent purity can't fully heal it. Only a gold-level potion above 40 percent purity can truly cure it."

"You know how expensive a gold-level potion above forty percent purity is, right? For ordinary people, it's something they'll likely never be able to afford in a lifetime."

She looked at Merlin with a sad gaze and let out a long sigh.

A gold-level potion with a purity above thirty percent could cost more than thirty thousand gold coins—a staggering amount, even for Luna herself.

Merlin considered her explanation, puzzled as to why she had suddenly brought up Blackpox.

It was one of the deadliest diseases in the novel.

A short arc had detailed Abel's journey to uncover its source, which was linked to an evil organization that would later attack Saint Freya Academy.

"Why are you bringing this up?" Merlin asked.

"Nothing in particular," Luna replied casually. "I was just reading a news article on my tablet. It said that Blackpox had reappeared after forty years. Its return might be connected to the Sky Wing Crack that appeared two years ago, but it's still unclear if that's the real cause."

Merlin furrowed his brow. 'The Sky Wing Crack? Wasn't the plague caused by that evil organization? Or am I misremembering?'

No—he wasn't misremembering. The novel had clearly linked the disease to the evil organization, not the Sky Wing Crack.

Of course, everything had changed because of the butterfly effect his presence had caused in this world.

Shaking off his thoughts, he nodded slightly. "I see. Be careful not to catch it. If I remember correctly, it's contagious, right?"

"Yes, it's contagious," Luna confirmed.

Merlin smiled suddenly, taking a tissue to wipe the sauce stains off Luna's right cheek.

"Well, even if you did catch that disease, you wouldn't have to worry. I have a friend at this academy who can concoct a gold-grade potion with over forty percent purity. If I ask him, he'd definitely give it to me for free."

As he said this, he deliberately raised his voice so Lisa could hear.

Sure enough, Lisa flinched and looked at Merlin with wide, astonished eyes.

She seemed to want to approach him but hesitated, as if something was holding her back.

Merlin glanced at her and simply smiled.

"Thank you, Merlin," Luna said, her sweet smile widening as she enjoyed his touch on her cheek.

Once they finished eating, the two of them stood. Luna reached for her wallet, but Merlin stopped her.

How could he let his fiancée pay?

Without waiting for her protest, he stepped forward toward Lisa and asked, "How much for everything?"

Lisa composed herself and replied, "The total is fifty contribution points."

Merlin nodded, took out his ID card, and pressed it against the magical device on the cashier's desk.

To make transactions easier, the academy had equipped each cafeteria shop with a box-shaped magical device that directly deducted the balance from the students' accounts.

Once the payment went through, Merlin put his card away and was about to turn when Lisa's hesitant voice stopped him.

"Um…"

Merlin turned to her, curious.

"Do you need something?"

Lisa wanted to say something, but remembering that she and Merlin were essentially strangers, she swallowed her words.

"Nothing," she said with a small smile, shaking her head. "Sorry for bothering you."

Merlin simply nodded and walked toward Luna.

What Lisa didn't realize was that a meaningful smile had appeared on Merlin's face.

Of course, he knew what she had wanted to say—the Blackpox problem.

Her daughter, Nivis, had contracted blackpox and was undergoing treatment.

Unfortunately, the so-called "treatment" was little more than a futile gesture.

It had been two years since Nivis fell ill, and she showed no signs of recovery.

That was because the only effective cure was a gold-level potion with over forty percent purity.

And the cost was impossible for an ordinary person like Lisa to afford.

Her hardship was also the reason her shop looked so shabby—all her profits went toward her daughter's medical expenses.

Surely, Merlin would not step in until Lisa made the first move. Only then would his approach toward Nivis appear natural and not raise suspicion.

Watching Merlin and Luna leave, Lisa let out a deep sigh and bowed her head in sadness.

"I'm so foolish…"

...

Nighttime...

In the academy's backyard, two hundred and forty new students stood with serious expressions.

Tonight, they weren't in the casual clothes they had worn that morning but in uniform black training attire.

This was so they could unleash their full potential in the test about to begin.

Ronald, accompanied by the other professors, stepped onto the stage that had been prepared in advance.

He scanned the students one by one and said, "Thank you all for coming. I'm sure some of you are tired—or even sleepy. But this test is important for your future at the academy. Alright, let's skip the small talk. Now, I'll explain the test and its rules. Listen carefully. Understood?"

"Understood, Vice Principal!" the students replied in unison.

"As I mentioned, the theme of this test is survival. You will be teleported to a place called Star Island, about two hundred kilometers from the academy. Don't worry—the island is under the academy's control, so your safety is guaranteed," Ronald explained calmly.

He paused briefly before continuing. "Your only goal is to survive. There's a point system that will determine your ranking. To earn points, you need to defeat the monsters there. Oh, and there's one important rule you must remember."

He smiled playfully. "Killing each other is allowed, and you can earn points that way as well. Of course, those who die won't actually die—they'll simply be teleported back to the academy—but they will be considered defeated. Are you following so far?"

This time, the students remained silent. Their expressions turned serious at Ronald's last sentence.

'Killing? Isn't this test… too brutal?' Merlin frowned.

Since this test wasn't in the novel, he had no idea about the island's layout or how to approach it strategically.

He glanced at the students around him, noticing the hostile glint in their eyes.

Just then, the system's voice rang in his mind.

"[Ding! Mission triggered! Win the survival test and claim first place. Reward: 50,000 system points and 1× Blackpox Cure Formula!]"

Seeing the mission panel appear, Merlin froze.

"The Blackpox disease formula? Damn! System, you're amazing!" His eyes shone with excitement.

He hadn't expected the system to give him such a valuable reward.

"[Hehehe! Glad to see you're happy, Master.]" The system's cheerful voice echoed in his mind.

Merlin gave it a thumbs up. Then Ronald's voice boomed across the yard, loud and commanding.

"All right, then—the test officially begins!"

----///----

A/N: Sorry, just one chapter today. I'm a bit tired, but tomorrow I'll upload two chapters! Thank you!

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