"Oh, right. System, open the system shop, please," Merlin commanded.

Instantly, the system shop panel appeared before him.

He scanned the discounted items and felt disappointed. There was nothing interesting.

Even so, he still bought several items, including an A-level stamina-boosting potion, communication bracelets, and a few others.

All of it cost around one hundred thousand system points. To be honest, that amount was enormous.

His remaining system points dropped to 160,000, making his heart ache.

Since he entered the academy, the system rarely issued short-term missions.

Most of them were long-term ones, and even he did not know when he would be able to complete them.

"Huff... With all the items I bought, I should be able to complete it safely," Merlin muttered as he exhaled deeply.

After closing the system shop, Merlin slowly got up from the bed and walked toward his study table.

He sat down, picked up his tablet, and opened an app called News Catalog.

Similar to the digital news platforms from his previous world, the News Catalog was a place where academy students could write articles for others to read.

Of course, every article submitted to the News Catalog was paid for by the academy, which led quite a few students to take on the job.

Although it wasn't much—only a hundred contribution points—the reward was still tempting, especially for those who were short on contribution points.

Merlin searched for news about the Dark Tunnel organization but still couldn't find anything.

'Could it be that there are no articles recording the incident? This is very strange. The news should have been hot enough to attract the attention of the senior students,' he muttered.

The incident involving the Dark Tunnel organization had occurred about a month ago—before he and the first wave of students entered the academy.

At that time, the senior students were still in the academy, so it felt strange that none of them had discussed the incident.

Merlin didn't give up and continued searching until he finally found an interesting article.

The title read, "A Mysterious Organization Making Offerings to Demons."

Intrigued by the title, he clicked on it and began reading. Instantly, his eyes widened with excitement.

"This is about the Dark Tunnel organization!"

Although the writer did not mention the perpetrator by name, he was certain it was the Dark Tunnel organization.

The location of the incident was in the eastern region, and their goal was the same—to summon demons.

He continued reading to the end and finally understood most of the story.

"So that's how it is. They came as refugees and pretended to ask for help from the residents of the city they were heading to," he muttered, narrowing his eyes.

He hadn't expected the incident to turn out like this. The people who helped them were actually sacrificed—a cruel and unforgivable act.

"They're really dangerous. It seems I can't be soft on them," he whispered, a cold glint in his eyes.

For people as ungrateful as them, there was only one punishment—death.

...

Three days later, Merlin stood alone in front of the academy gates.

He leaned against a wall near the fence, arms folded, eyes closed.

The girls who saw him were captivated by his looks and wanted to approach him.

However, afraid of being rejected, they could only watch from afar.

The male students who witnessed the scene felt extremely jealous.

"Damn! Not only is he handsome, but he's also strong and a genius. I wonder when I'll be able to reach Merlin Clay's level," one of them muttered.

The others looked at him with disgust.

"Don't even hope for it, buddy. It's impossible for you to be like him. Give up—Merlin Clay is on a different level from us," one of them said, patting his shoulder.

Those cruel words hurt him, but he knew they were true.

Even Cystal and Luvis, who were considered talented, were completely outclassed by Merlin Clay, let alone him.

Meanwhile, Merlin noticed everyone's gaze on him and let out a deep sigh.

'It seems I stand out too much. Maybe I should move,' he muttered.

He considered it for a moment before deciding to do so.

Just as he was about to walk away, a sweet voice came from behind him.

"Good morning, champion. Sorry to keep you waiting."

Surprised, Merlin turned around and saw an extremely beautiful adult woman.

Her golden hair was slightly wavy as it flowed down her back.

She was tall and slender, yet her alluring chest and hips stood out clearly.

The formal attire she wore was somewhat tight, faintly outlining the curves of her body.

With every step she took, the male students around her couldn't take their eyes off her—including Merlin.

"Why are you daydreaming? Are you interested in me?" She asked playfully, flashing a flirtatious wink.

Merlin snapped out of his trance and quickly cleared his throat.

"Ahem! Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. You do look very beautiful, Professor Leina," he said with a light smile.

The woman before him was one of the three people who would accompany him to the eastern region—Leina Solayne.

She was also Vargan Solayne's younger sister and Charlotte's aunt.

When Merlin first learned her identity, he was completely shocked.

This was because the name Leina had never appeared in any of the novels or databooks he knew.

Leina smiled and stopped right in front of him.

Although she was tall for a woman, she was only half a head taller than Merlin.

Of course, that was because Merlin was much taller than most people his age.

"Finally, we can meet in person, Merlin Clay—no, that should be my dear nephew."

Without warning, Leina pulled Merlin into a tight hug. He froze, not expecting her to act so suddenly.

Her closeness and faint, floral scent caught him off guard for a moment.

However, he quickly came back to his senses and forcefully pulled himself free.

"Ahem! Professor Leina, please control yourself. There are many students around us," he said in a panic.

"Oh!" Leina exclaimed in surprise and glanced at the surrounding students, whose faces had turned red in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, my dear nephew. I was just too excited to see you for the first time," she said with a giggle. "Charlotte sent me a letter and asked me to take care of you. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it. Who would have thought she was talking about you—the champion?"

"Charlotte sent you a letter?" Merlin asked in surprise. "When was that?"

Leina rubbed her chin and replied, "Right when you arrived at the academy."

"So that's how it was…" Merlin nodded slightly. "She really hasn't changed."

A faint smile appeared on his lips. Just like Luna, once he won Charlotte's heart and her affection reached a hundred points, she became extremely loyal to him.

She even sent him various gifts every month. As a result, the amount of money in his account had grown so large it was impossible to count.

"Tsk! Being young really is fun," Leina teased, a flirtatious smile on her lips.

Merlin smiled in response. Just then, the sound of footsteps came from behind them, followed by a booming laugh.

"Hahaha! Finally, we meet, Merlin Clay."

Merlin was startled and turned around. A tall, muscular man with brown hair was walking toward him with a smile on his face.

A thin mustache adorned his upper lip, giving him a slightly intimidating look.

His muscular physique was clearly visible beneath his tight-fitting clothes.

Behind him walked a short man wearing glasses. His hair was neatly combed, and he looked like an office worker commonly seen in Japan.

"Welcome, Professor Jason and Professor Victor," Merlin greeted them politely.

Jason, the burly man, smiled and firmly patted Merlin on the shoulder.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, kid," he said casually. "By the way, the Academy Head told me about your participation in this mission. Are you sure you want to join? It's dangerous there, you know?"

His eyes narrowed, filled with warning. Although Merlin had scored exceptionally high on the previous test, Jason had never seen his strength firsthand.

To be honest, he wasn't sure whether he should bring Merlin along.

Merlin smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Professor Jason. You can count on me. I won't be a burden."

He patted his chest with confidence.

"Oh? What incredible confidence," Jason said with admiration. "In that case..."

His left hand suddenly rose and punched Merlin in the face.

Seeing this, Leina and Victor were stunned. They wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.

Boom!

A loud crash rang out, followed by a small shockwave that rippled outward.

Merlin blocked the attack with his right hand and looked at Jason with a playful smile.

"Do you believe me now?"

Jason froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha! Incredible reflexes! No wonder the Head of the Academy asked you to join!"

He withdrew his hand and clapped in admiration.

The attack had only been a test. If Merlin could block it, it meant he was worthy of joining them.

If not, Jason planned to ask Linda to cancel the decision to bring Merlin along.

Who would have thought that a new student could block the attack of an expert at the Eighth Awakening stage so easily?

Although his punch hadn't used much strength, Merlin's reflexes and power were still impressive.

Merlin hid his aching right hand and smiled without saying a word.

"You idiot!" Leina suddenly punched Jason on the head, making him cry out in pain.

"Are you crazy? What if Merlin got hurt?" she protested angrily as she hugged Merlin's arm tightly.

Jason rubbed his head, looking embarrassed.

"Ahem! I'm sorry, Leina. I only did it to test him."

"Even so, that was stupid. If you do it again, I'll kill you on the spot. Remember that," Leina threatened coldly.

Jason shuddered and nodded quickly.

"Don't worry—I won't do it!"

Watching the exchange, Merlin merely smiled and whispered, 'It seems this journey will be interesting.'

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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.