"So, where is it? Is it this cave?" Merlin asked seriously.

Lyserra, cradled in his arms, nodded slowly. "Yes. I can feel the fluctuations leading into this cave. Go in. Don't worry—I'll protect you if anything dangerous happens."

She would never let Merlin get hurt, especially just for her request.

Merlin nodded without hesitation. He trusted Lyserra completely and was certain she wouldn't let him get hurt in the slightest.

Without a second thought, he stepped into the cave.

The darkness prompted Merlin to cast a basic fire spell. Instantly, five fireballs the size of his palms appeared around him.

Three spun around before shooting forward, illuminating the path ahead. The remaining two hovered behind, keeping watch for any threats from that direction.

"This cave is bigger than it looks. The entrance seemed so small," he whispered softly.

As he moved deeper, the ceiling rose higher, and the width expanded from a narrow one meter to three, even four meters.

Faint, indistinct scribbles lined the walls. Merlin couldn't tell if they were left by the indigenous tribe or the academy, but one thing was clear—they were unsettling.

He and Lyserra continued walking until, about two hundred meters ahead, a faint white light appeared.

"That must be the exit, Merlin. We've arrived," Lyserra said calmly.

Merlin nodded slowly. Before they knew it, they had reached the source of the white light.

At once, both were stunned.

"A hall?" they exclaimed in unison.

The hall wasn't particularly large—only half the size of a royal palace hall—but it was astonishing to find one hidden behind a cave.

Merlin scanned the hall and noticed three massive doors on the right, left, and front sides.

Each door was three meters wide and made of solid, reinforced iron.

"Lyserra, where did the fluctuation you felt come from?" Merlin asked.

She pointed to the door straight ahead. Without another word, Merlin stepped forward into the hall.

A tense silence filled the space. The only light came from a few white crystals embedded in the walls, casting faint glows across the floor.

Reaching the front gate, Merlin placed his right palm on it and pushed—but the door didn't budge.

"It won't open. This door is incredibly strong," he said.

He tried again, pouring his mana into the effort, but it was useless.

Lyserra lingered for a moment in thought, then leapt from his arms.

"Step back," she commanded.

Merlin obeyed, taking twenty careful steps back.

Whoosh!

Lyserra's small body began to glow.

Slowly, her figure expanded until she transformed into a five-meter-tall red dragon.

Raising her right claw, she struck the gate with all her strength.

Boom!

The sturdy gate shattered into pieces.

Satisfied, Lyserra shrank back to her small form and leapt into Merlin's arms.

"Let's go."

Merlin chuckled and stepped forward into the dark room ahead.

…

Screak!

Luna's spear pierced a two-meter-tall boar.

"Phew!" She wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled with pride. "After all that effort, I finally killed four level-six monsters. What an exhausting fight."

She let out a small sigh and jumped off the boar's body, then waved her spear to clean the blood from its tip.

Pulling out her tablet, she checked the ranking board.

Her name was in third place with 14,200 points. Second place had 14,400 points, while Merlin, still in the lead, had 21,100 points.

"Twenty-one thousand one hundred points? Merlin is incredible," Luna muttered, eyes wide with awe.

She had spent every minute hunting monsters on this island. Even at night, she kept going, only taking three hours of rest to recover.

According to her agreement with Merlin, she only needed to make it into the top ten.

Given her current position, she was certain she'd secure a spot in the top ten—probably even the top five.

But she refused to settle for that.

She wanted the top three—or even the top spot.

But now, she realized her dream was impossible.

Merlin was far ahead, and catching up would be nearly impossible with only a few hours of hunting left.

"By the way… I need to find Merlin and ask him how he hunts monsters so fast," she whispered eagerly.

Since arriving on the island, she and Merlin had never crossed paths.

Just as she was about to leave, something strange happened.

A magic circle appeared out of nowhere, lifting her body into the air.

"What's happening?" Luna gasped, frozen in shock.

She struggled to move, to escape—but her body wouldn't obey.

Before her eyes, she vanished in an instant.

…

"How much longer do we have to walk, Lyserra? This path feels endless," Merlin said, peering into the pitch-black darkness.

He and Lyserra had been walking for five minutes, yet the darkness seemed to stretch on forever.

Lyserra remained silent, her senses alert.

"Something's wrong, Merlin," she said.

Her words made Merlin tense.

"Wrong? What do you mean?"

Lyserra raised her right paw. Instantly, a three-meter-wide ball of fire materialized in the air and shot forward.

Boom!

A deafening blast shook the area, and the shockwave surged from one end to the other.

Merlin quickly twisted his body to avoid it. Moments later, everything fell silent.

He looked ahead—and froze in shock.

"This…" His eyes widened in awe.

Before him stretched a vast sea of magma, easily a kilometer wide.

Bubbles and foam erupted constantly, adding to the terrifying spectacle.

"Lyserra, how did this sea of magma appear so suddenly? Just moments ago, I was sure there was nothing but a dark passage ahead," Merlin said, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Lyserra lay lazily in his arms and explained, "We've been tricked. There's a hidden magic circle concealing the magma from view. That's why we've been walking in circles. I have to admit, whoever cast it is powerful and clever—even I didn't notice it right away."

Merlin's surprise deepened. 'A magic circle? Could it be the academy?'

The idea began to make sense the more he thought about it.

"So… what do we do? Should we go down?"

He stepped to the edge of the massive pit, staring down. A shiver ran through him.

"Just jump. There's a safe landing area below," Lyserra said calmly.

Trusting her completely, Merlin leapt without hesitation.

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