Progress can indeed happen when someone is pushed into a situation—just like what happened to Merlin.
Yet the changes in Merlin were truly strange and hard to believe. The boy had somehow become incredibly agile, strong, and sharp all of a sudden. It was a sight Linda had never witnessed before.
Could he be using a potion or something?
The thought made Linda's expression turn serious. If that were the case, everything would make sense.
But one question nagged at her—when did he take it?
From the very beginning, she had been watching Merlin closely. Even if he had taken it before the training began, it still seemed impossible.
No matter the potion, its effects would be felt immediately after drinking. There was no way he could hold it in for hours.
Lost in thought, she was jolted by a loud crashing sound from in front of her. Looking up, she saw Merlin had slain the wolf monster.
Its massive body gradually disintegrated into fragments of light that scattered into the sky.
"I... did it!" Merlin exclaimed, breathing heavily but beaming with happiness.
"Ugh..." Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through his ribs. Fresh blood trickled from his lips, and his face went pale as if he had lost a lot of blood.
"Hah... hah... hah... damn it... has the effect started?"
He glanced at the system panel. The remaining cooldown time was still twenty seconds—meaning the effect wasn't active yet, but the pain had already begun.
His body turned to light and instantly reappeared in front of Linda. The wounds vanished, but a crushing exhaustion gnawed at his body.
"Congratulations, Merlin. You made it," Linda said softly.
Merlin forced a smile and nodded heavily. "Thank you, Master..."
But almost instantly, his vision blurred. Darkness overtook his eyes as his body collapsed to the ground.
"[Ding! The Body-limit Boosting Potion's cooldown period has ended! Side effects will begin immediately!]"
Merlin had already fallen into complete unconsciousness—but that didn't mean he was safe; excruciating pain would hit him the moment he woke.
Linda froze as she watched her disciple collapse. She quickly knelt and examined his body with magic.
"This…" Her lips parted and then closed again, as if she were too shocked to speak.
Merlin had no visible injuries, but his muscles were tightly contracted, and his nerves seemed tangled.
Luckily, he was unconscious. Otherwise, the pain would have driven him to scream hysterically.
"This doesn't make any sense. Could my earlier guess be right? Did this boy really use a special potion? If so… when did he take it?"
No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't figure it out. In the end, she pushed the question aside and hurriedly carried him back to the mansion.
"Where am I? Why is it so dark?"
Merlin opened his eyes to find himself in a strange place. There was no light—only endless darkness.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him vanished, and he fell at an incredible speed.
He hit the water hard, but strangely, he felt no pain. His body sank slowly, still engulfed in darkness.
"The sea? Did I fall into the sea?" he thought, confused.
Merlin tried to swim upward, but it was useless. Instead of rising, he sank even deeper. Luckily, he could breathe normally—something utterly strange.
Hours passed—an hour, three hours, five hours, even six—and Merlin had no idea how long he had been trapped in that strange place.
Finally, his back touched the sandy bottom. Moments later, five glowing orbs appeared around him, gradually dispelling some of the darkness.
"So it's true… I'm at the bottom of the sea," he whispered, eyes fixed on the swimming fish above.
But these were no ordinary fish. Their faces were sinister, their bodies covered in strange, intricate patterns.
To his surprise, Merlin felt no fear at all. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs n0velfire.net
"System, are you there?" he called.
A few seconds passed, but the system didn't respond. Doubt crept into Merlin's mind.
"Could I be in some strange dimension where even the system can't be contacted?"
His heart beat faster. The system was his source of confidence. If he couldn't even interact with it, wouldn't that be dangerous?
Just as panic threatened to overwhelm him, something unusual happened.
A golden-colored moon appeared in the sky, emitting a bright light that pierced the ocean around him.
"That…" Merlin's eyes widened in shock. Before he could shield them, the light had already filled his vision.
The darkness that had consumed everything transformed into a blinding radiance.
After a while, the light faded. Merlin opened his eyes to find himself in a small study room.
Two windows let warm sunlight spill into the space.
"Where… am I?" Merlin muttered, confused.
Suddenly, a male voice spoke from behind him.
"You've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you, you know?"
--------//Author Note://--------
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