"Hah... Hah... Hah..."

In the middle of the forest, Margaret ran, gasping for breath. Every now and then, she glanced back to see if anyone was chasing her.

Fortunately, there was no one, and a wave of relief washed over her. Still, the thought of Merlin sacrificing himself for her made tears well up in her eyes.

"Hiks... Hiks..." She removed her mask and let the tears flow freely.

She had finally found a friend who was truly sincere toward her, yet everything ended like this. The boy had given himself to save her, and the sadness was so overwhelming that she couldn't stop crying.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

She crouched down, hiding her face between her knees. She hated herself for being so weak and helpless.

If only she had accepted her father's offer to train, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

"I don't even know your name yet… But why is fate so cruel to me?" She muttered in a hoarse voice.

It had only been an hour since she had befriended Merlin, yet he had already claimed a special place in her heart. Tragically, her misfortune had dragged an innocent person into it.

If the boy had run away and left her, he would have been safe. But he hadn't, which touched her deeply and filled her with guilt.

As her crying intensified, she suddenly heard the rustling of bushes.

Startled, she hurriedly rose to her feet and stepped back a few paces.

"Who's there?" She asked, her voice trembling, as she put her mask back on.

Whoosh!

Two figures suddenly shot out, making her instinctively cover her eyes with her arms.

For a moment, she thought they were the men who had been chasing her—but then a familiar, worried voice called out from in front of her.

"Young Lady!"

Margaret froze. She lowered her arms and looked ahead, only to see the person she had missed most—Lisa.

"Lisa?" Her eyes widened.

Before she could react, Lisa ran up and hugged her tightly.

"Thank goodness… Thank goodness…" Lisa cried, holding her even tighter. "I thought I'd never find you again, young lady. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Margaret hugged her back, tears streaming down her face. "It's okay, Lisa. I don't blame you. This is all because of my carelessness."

If only she hadn't been stubborn and decided to take a walk alone, she wouldn't have been kidnapped.

Yet, on the other hand, she felt a strange sense of gratitude. Because of the kidnapping, she had met that boy—someone who had truly considered her a friend.

Suddenly, reality sank in, and she quickly released her embrace of Lisa.

"Lisa, I need your help!" he said frantically. "I was kidnapped by some bad people, but I managed to escape with a boy who was also held captive. When we ran, we were surrounded, and he sacrificed himself to save me. Please… please help him!"

Lisa was startled and about to respond, but the man behind her—James—interrupted.

"The boy? Do you know what he looks like?"

Margaret turned in surprise toward the voice and saw a handsome, middle-aged man with a panicked expression.

She hadn't noticed him earlier, too focused on Lisa.

"You…" Margaret began, but Lisa quickly explained.

"He's a servant of the Viscount Clay family. His young master disappeared during a walk in Droswen City. We suspect he was kidnapped, most likely by the same people who took you. Did you see him at the captors' headquarters, young lady?"

"What does he look like?" Margaret asked.

She remembered seeing some of the children who had fainted there and thought she might be able to help.

"He's taller than other children his age, wears a black robe, and has white hair and purple eyes," James explained carefully. "Did you see him?"

"White hair and purple eyes?" Margaret froze. "Wait… don't tell me your young master is the boy who saved me."

James's heart raced as he stepped quickly toward her.

"Please, tell me where he is! Quickly!"

Margaret nodded frantically. "I'll show you!"

Without hesitation, she ran straight toward Merlin, with Lisa and James following close behind.

***

"Hah… hah… hah…"

Merlin stood on the ground, panting, his face tired and grim. His robe was stained with blood, and several small wounds marred his face and arms.

In front of him lay three men—one burly, one thin, and one of average build.

They were unconscious and in terrible shape. Broken ribs, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths, and both legs looking crushed.

Fortunately, faint breaths still escaped their noses, showing they were alive.

'Damn… that hurts,' Merlin muttered, wincing.

He had just fought all three men at once. Every fighting technique he had learned over the past twelve days had been put to the test—and, to his surprise, he had defeated them soundly.

Of course, it came at a heavy price. His back ached as if his spine had shifted, his right arm was bruised, and several cuts still dripped blood.

Those bastards had used sharp weapons, which had made the fight even more painful.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Suddenly, applause echoed from in front of him. Merlin looked up to see the blond-haired man clapping with a smile.

"You're really impressive, kid. You haven't even fully awakened yet, but you managed to defeat them all in a landslide. Honestly, I was surprised myself," he said sincerely. "However…"

His expression turned cold. "You've gone too far, and I will have no choice but to punish you!"

As soon as he spoke, he released his aura.

Boom!

Merlin's eyes widened as an unusually strong pressure slammed into him.

"Ugh…" He groaned, gritting his teeth. Both legs trembled, and his body slowly began to bend under the force.

'Is this the power of the Ninth Spirit Core? Damn… it's strong!'

The Ninth Spirit Core was the lowest level among the nine Spirit Core tiers. Yet even at its weakest, it was terrifying to ordinary people.

Those who had reached the Ninth Spirit Core could wipe out a hundred ordinary people effortlessly. For this reason, people with special powers were always respected.

"System, buy me a single-use ability to blink!" Merlin commanded.

"[Ding! Single-use ability to escape purchased! Remaining system points: 12,000]"

Whoosh!

Merlin vanished like a gust of wind, reappearing five meters away.

"Oh?" The blond man's eyes widened in surprise. "It seems you have a unique ability."

Panting, Merlin quickly bought a C-level potion and gulped it down.

Instantly, his body felt lighter, and his wounds began to heal slowly.

"Ah…" He rubbed his lips, a satisfied smile forming. "It's really fortunate to have a system like you by my side."

"[Hehehe! Thank you, Master!]" The system replied, its tone slightly embarrassed.

Merlin exhaled softly, stared intently at the blond man, and whispered, "Then… let's begin the final battle."

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