"Didn't I say I'd prepare it? Why are you surprised?" Merlin smiled proudly.

Lyserra was at a loss for words. She did hear Merlin say that, but wasn't this absurd?

How could he have prepared everything so quickly—in less than five minutes?

What shocked her even more was that these ingredients were so rare, yet this boy had prepared them perfectly.

Isn't that ridiculous?

No matter how much Lyserra thought about it, she couldn't figure out the answer.

'He really is mysterious,' she muttered, narrowing her eyes. 'Could he be hiding something from me? But what?'

Lyserra tried to guess but found nothing. In the end, she gave up and set her curiosity aside.

"Alright, I'll prepare the antidote. Just wait calmly."

After saying that, she brought her small hands together, and suddenly all the ingredients floated upward.

A fireball formed in the air and quickly burned them.

Merlin and Catrine watched with wide eyes, both curious and excited. They had never seen how potions were made before—this was their first time.

"By the way, big brother," Catrine called out, turning to him. "How did you manage to prepare all the ingredients?"

She remembered Lyserra saying the ingredients were extremely rare—most likely extinct and no longer found in this era.

Yet Merlin had prepared them so easily, as if he had been carrying them with him all along.

Catrine was sure she hadn't seen her brother carrying anything.

So, how did he do it?

Merlin chuckled softly and gently patted her head.

"Do you trust me?"

The question startled Catrine. With a firm nod, she replied, "Yes, I trust you, big brother."

Merlin smirked in satisfaction and explained playfully, "To be honest, I have a mysterious power. I can take anything I want from the air."

"Oh!" Catrine's eyes sparkled like tiny stars. "How do you do it? Can you prove it to me?"

Merlin grinned and snapped his fingers. In an instant, a chocolate candy appeared out of thin air, and he handed it to Catrine.

"Wow! It's real! Big brother, you're amazing!" Catrine exclaimed in awe, clapping her hands excitedly.

She unwrapped the chocolate and took a bite. It was sweet and smooth, not dry at all.

Merlin felt a little embarrassed but kept a calm and relaxed expression.

"This is our secret, okay? Don't tell anyone—not even Mother or Father." Merlin put his index finger to his lips and gave a small wink.

"Don't worry, I won't tell them!" Catrine promised, raising both hands as if making an oath.

The corners of her lips were smeared with chocolate, making her look utterly adorable.

While the two chatted and laughed, Lyserra was already in the final stage of making the antidote.

Whoosh!

A red light burst out, and a moment later, a golden potion floated in the air inside a small glass bottle.

Lyserra directed the bottle toward Merlin, and he caught it immediately.

"Is this the antidote potion?" he asked quietly, carefully examining every side of the bottle.

The liquid inside was golden, with mysterious red dots floating within. When Merlin unscrewed the lid slightly, a sweet fragrance spread through the air.

"Pour it into the river right away. The poison should dissipate," Lyserra said, panting softly.

Seeing her condition, Merlin gently pulled her into his arms and rubbed her head.

"Thank you, Lyserra. Do you want to rest first?"

Lyserra felt a mix of embarrassment and displeasure. She was the Dragon Empress—how could a human touch her so casually?

But then she remembered that Merlin was her master, the one chosen by that man. After a brief hesitation, she gave in and nodded softly.

"Yeah… I should rest. I'm really tired," she replied in a low voice.

"Alright, I understand. Thank you for your help."

Lyserra simply nodded before her body turned into red light, flew toward his forehead, and disappeared completely.

"Then let's finish this, Catrine," Merlin said.

"M-mm! Let's go!" Catrine raised her right hand excitedly.

But just as they were about to move, Merlin suddenly felt a chill of danger. He quickly grabbed Catrine and leaped back.

In the next instant, a massive shadow—around eight meters tall—crashed down from the riverbank, slamming into the exact spot where they had just been standing.

Boom!

A deafening explosion shook the forest, toppling nearby trees as thick dust rose into the air, shrouding everything in a gray haze.

Merlin landed on a large tree trunk about fifty meters away from the explosion.

"B-brother, what just happened?" Catrine asked in a panic.

Her face turned pale as fear gripped her chest. If Merlin hadn't picked her up in time, she might have died in the blast.

"I don't know," Merlin replied, slowly lowering her from his arms. "But one thing's certain… it's the enemy."

His sharp gaze fixed on the direction of the explosion. As the dust began to settle, a giant crocodile—two meters tall and over eight meters long—emerged from the river.

"It's a crocodile—no… it's a monster!" Catrine cried, her voice trembling.

This was the first time she had ever seen a creature of that size. It would be a lie to say she wasn't terrified.

"It's okay," Merlin murmured softly, patting her head to calm her down. "Stay here. I'll handle it."

He had learned plenty of basic magic and wanted to test it against the crocodile. Of course, he knew he couldn't kill it with simple spells, but it would be enough to gauge how much his power had grown.

Catrine wanted to stop him, but she knew it would be useless. She swallowed hard and warned in a shaky voice, "Be careful, Big Brother. Do you need my help?"

She still had Sylvia—her five-star spirit. Her strength was not something to be underestimated, and Catrine believed Sylvia could help Merlin.

"No need. I'll fight it myself," Merlin answered softly.

With that, he leapt down from the tree trunk and landed lightly on the ground.

His eyes locked onto the monster, watching its every movement closely. The creature had a long snout and rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Its skin was a brownish-black color, thick and tough like steel armor. If he attacked head-on, Merlin knew he'd be at a disadvantage. So he decided to begin with a long-range strike.

"Fireball!"

Merlin opened his palm. A red magic circle appeared, and a volleyball-sized fireball formed in an instant.

"Die!"

He hurled it forward, and the fireball slammed into the crocodile with a loud impact.

"Argh!" The monster let out a powerful roar, the sharp sound making Merlin frown.

As the black smoke slowly faded, the spot where he had hit showed no injuries at all.

"Tsk!" Merlin clicked his tongue. "Its skin is really tough. But that's fine—I still have plenty of magic to test!"

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