"[Be careful, Master!]"

Merlin gasped and quickly leapt backward.

Boom!

A fireball as large as a tree struck the spot where he had been standing and exploded.

The ground was scorched, and the nearby trees burned, creating a terrifying scene.

Merlin landed on a tree branch and stared ahead cautiously.

'Is that man still alive? How is that possible?' he thought in shock.

"Hahaha!" A laugh echoed from within the raging flames. "Surprised, kid? You didn't expect me to still be alive, did you? How does it feel to be toyed with like that? Annoying, isn't it?"

The black-cloaked man emerged with both hands tucked into his cloak pockets. His eyes, hidden beneath the hood, glimmered playfully.

Merlin swallowed his surprise and asked coldly, "How did you come back to life?"

"Come back to life?" The man grinned. "When did I ever die? You're the one who's delirious."

Merlin glanced toward the man's corpse, but all he saw were tree roots.

"Substitution magic? Or… an illusion?"

Substitution magic is a technique that allows the caster to switch their body with an object nearby. It's not high-level magic, but it's hard to execute.

The timing has to be perfect for it to work, and even then, the success rate is low—only experts can usually pull it off.

Illusion magic, on the other hand, targets a person's mind by exploiting their weaknesses. It may sound powerful, but it doesn't work on those with strong wills.

Most importantly, this magic cannot affect anyone stronger than the caster.

Compared to the second one, Merlin had been more confident in the first. This black-cloaked man must have used a substitution technique when he thought he had won earlier.

Steadying his breath, Merlin glared coldly at the man and pulled two daggers from his pocket—the same ones he had used to behead him before.

"I admit you're good at tricking me, but unfortunately for you, I won't lose this time!"

Whoosh!

His figure vanished, and in the next instant, he appeared beside the man. Spinning his body horizontally, he aimed both daggers at the man's neck.

As if anticipating it, the man activated his acceleration magic and retreated five steps in a split second.

Merlin didn't relent. He planted his feet firmly, activated his lightning step magic, and dashed toward him in the blink of an eye.

Clang!

The man raised his right hand, which had transformed into a blade, and blocked Merlin's strike.

With rage twisting his face, he poured more strength into his arm and pushed Merlin back while he was still midair.

Then he disappeared and reappeared above Merlin. Twisting his body, he roared, "Die, kid!"

Just as the blade-shaped arm was about to slice his neck, Merlin shifted his weight to his feet and used the momentum to evade.

"What?" The man was stunned, but only for a moment.

Merlin twisted the dagger in his right hand and slashed at him.

Slash!

The tip of the man's right arm was cut off, and blood sprayed out like a fountain.

"Argh!" The man groaned in pain as he clutched his arm, fresh blood pouring out.

Merlin spun his body vertically and leapt back ten steps, panting for breath.

He quickly pulled out five bottles of level D stamina-boosting potions and downed one in a single gulp. In an instant, his drained stamina began to recover.

Wiping his lips with his arm, he smirked mockingly. "What's wrong? Giving up after just one clean hit from me?"

"Don't get cocky yet, kid!" The man growled furiously.

He pressed his severed arm against the wound, and suddenly, a blinding black light burst forth.

The next moment, the arm was completely restored, as if it had never been cut.

"What? How is that possible?" Merlin was stunned.

But he didn't have time to process it. The man brought his hands together and shouted, "Underground Portal!"

Whoosh!

A gate suddenly emerged behind him. It stood three meters tall, with strange carvings etched into its surface.

Then, the double doors swung open, and three monsters shot out.

The first was a two-meter-tall tiger with sword-like fangs jutting from its jaws.

Its muscles were thick and powerful, as if a single swipe of its claws could uproot a massive tree.

The second was a jet-black bird. Merlin didn't know what kind it was, but it resembled an eagle. Its feathers were as sharp as razors, and its curved claws gleamed menacingly.

The last one was a three-meter-tall rhino-shaped monster with two massive horns rising high above its head, marked with black streaks.

Those black streaks alone gave off the aura of a deadly poison.

"Hahaha! Kid, you're really something. Even though you haven't reached the Ninth Core Spirit, you still managed to corner me like this. Honestly, you're the first. However…"

A mocking smile curled on his lips. "This is the end—you must die! My monsters, attack him!"

The three monsters let out a thunderous roar before charging at him.

The bird monster flapped its wings once and shot forward like a bullet.

Merlin, caught off guard, was struck hard by its head. His body was flung into the air, spinning at an incredible speed.

He tried to regain his balance, but the bird appeared above him and slammed him with its right wing.

Boom!

His body crashed into the ground, leaving a hole half a meter deep.

"Argh…!" A metallic taste filled his mouth as fresh blood spurted out.

The pain from the impact spread rapidly through his body. Merlin felt his spine crack, and several nerves seemed to snap.

Without hesitation, he asked the system to purchase a B-level potion and used it on himself.

His body glowed blue as the pain slowly faded. But before he could stand, the sound of heavy footsteps approached from the front.

Looking up, he saw the rhino monster charging toward him, its two horns aimed straight at him.

"Not good!" Merlin jumped five meters and narrowly dodged.

A second later he sensed a threat from behind, spun around, and grabbed a tree trunk.

Sure enough, the bird monster streaked past where he had been standing at terrifying speed. If he'd been even a moment later, he'd be dead.

"Damn... I'm really going to die this time," he muttered helplessly.

From the start, defeating a Third Star Mage—equivalent to a Seventh Spirit Core—was impossible. Now, with three level-two monsters assisting, he was hopelessly outnumbered.

Even with the system's help, his chances were slim.

"System, what are my chances of winning?" Merlin asked.

"[Ding! The system calculates that your chances of winning are… Zero, Master.]"

"Tsk! I expected as much," Merlin muttered with a small chuckle.

A red light suddenly glowed on his shoulder, and Lyserra's indifferent voice echoed, "I can help you take them all down."

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