Chapter 292: A Bastard

“Only six hundred? That means two hundred people have been eliminated, right? That number is lower than before,” Catrine whispered, narrowing her eyes.

Actually, she didn’t care about the results at all. To her, they were just strangers who didn’t deserve her attention.

Still, from this test, she could see the overall quality of the academy’s prospective students. It had to be admitted—the quality was really… low.

She wasn’t sure whether it was because she was too strong or for some other reason, but in her eyes, they were indeed very weak.

“[The third stage is about to begin! All students will be transferred to their respective rooms!]”

As soon as the voice echoed, Catrine felt dizzy. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a different place.

It was a mysterious room, dark and silent. Only a faint white light floated in front of her.

She walked toward the light and touched it. At that moment, a list appeared before her—a list of monsters she could choose from.

“Monsters, huh? It reminds me of when I used to fight hundreds of level six and seven monsters,” she whispered, rubbing her chin. “It seems the monsters available are a bit… weak.”

The strongest was a level six monster, while the weakest was level four.

Without hesitation, she chose the level six monster—the Black-Headed Snake.

It was an extremely powerful creature that could easily kill a mage or swordsman at the Fifth Spirit Core level.

However, for Catrine, it wasn’t a difficult opponent at all. She took her stance and thrust her sword forward.

Buzz!

A streak of red light flashed before her. Moments later, a three-meter-tall snake materialized.

The snake had a black head with two horns protruding from it.

Its eyes were sharp and crimson, filled with a terrifying killing intent.

Catrine felt no fear at all. Bending her legs slightly, she charged forward and struck with all her strength.

***

“I think she’ll finish it in five minutes. What do you think, Merlin?” Margaret asked, turning to him.

Merlin rubbed his chin. “Maybe one minute.”

“One minute? Are you that confident in her?” Margaret asked in surprise.

She knew Catrine was strong. But one minute… Wasn’t that too much?

“You’ll see,” Merlin said with a faint chuckle.

With her Fourth Spirit Core and the training she received from the Master of Illusions, it was impossible for Catrine to struggle against a mere level six monster.

Margaret was somewhat confused, but she said nothing and focused her gaze on the screen.

Catrine fought fiercely. Then, suddenly, her body spun horizontally.

A whirlwind formed around her, followed by sharp, piercing shards of ice.

In the next instant, the monster’s neck was slashed, and its massive body fell lifeless to the ground.

“I—Impossible! Just like that?” Margaret exclaimed in disbelief.

It hadn’t even been a minute, yet Catrine had already defeated the monster. It felt almost unreal.

Merlin merely smiled without saying a word. He had expected this outcome.

When he turned to the side, he realized Luna was no longer there.

“Margaret, I’m going to the bathroom.”

Without waiting for her response, he turned and walked out.

Margaret watched Merlin leave, a meaningful look in her eyes.

***

Merlin walked down to the first floor and stepped out of the building. He glanced to his right and left.

Soon, his gaze landed on a young girl sitting on a swing with her head lowered.

Who else could it be but Luna?

With a gentle smile, he walked over to her and said, “You look sad. Is something bothering you?”

Luna was startled and looked up at him. She forced a smile and shook her head.

“It’s nothing,” she replied softly.

Merlin let out a faint sigh. It wasn’t hard to guess what she was thinking.

It was obvious that she was worried—or perhaps jealous—of Catrine.

He stepped closer and gently pushed the swing. It began to move back and forth slowly.

“Are you afraid that Catrine will take me away from you?”

Merlin’s sudden question caught Luna off guard. She wanted to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Yes… I do feel that way,” she admitted honestly. “Catrine’s strength is truly remarkable. I used to think I was the best—unmatched in our generation. But I was wrong. Catrine is far above me, and she’s also your younger sister. Between the two of us, you would definitely choose her.”

A wry smile appeared on her lips. She realized her thoughts were somewhat childish.

She had always been someone who could control her emotions. Feeling inferior like this was rare for her.

But for the first time, she felt that way. It was painful—especially when she imagined Merlin choosing Catrine over her.

Merlin looked at her sorrowful figure with a gentle gaze. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her.

“Merlin?” Luna asked in surprise.

As she was about to turn around, a soft voice came from behind her.

“Don’t turn around.”

Her body stiffened for a moment before slowly relaxing.

Merlin rested his chin on top of her head and said, “Your fear is natural. I’m not upset with you. But you’re forgetting one thing—your place in my heart is irreplaceable.”

His words made Luna’s eyes widen. Before she could respond, he continued.

“The same goes for Catrine. No one can replace her in my heart. You both have your own place there. You’re just as important. So you don’t need to worry that I’ll love her more than you.”

In the past, he had watched a television drama where the male lead comforted the heroine when she was consumed by jealousy.

At the time, Merlin thought the male lead was incredibly good at deceiving her.

Since it was a harem drama, the protagonist had to smooth over every conflict.

What Merlin never expected was that the “bastard” lines from that protagonist would actually come in handy one day.

Inevitably, he felt a bit embarrassed remembering the curse he had muttered back then.

Luna fell silent after hearing his words. She let out a soft sigh and said with slight annoyance, “Merlin, you really are a bastard, aren’t you? You said all that without the slightest hesitation. Where did you even learn that?”

She shot him a sharp look.

The smile on Merlin’s face froze. His mouth opened and closed awkwardly.

“That… ahem! That’s a secret,” he said, clearing his throat in embarrassment.

Luna narrowed her eyes, then suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

“Relax, I was just joking. Thank you, Merlin. Your words really eased my insecurities,” she said gently.

What Merlin had said was true—she and Catrine were different people.

There was no need to compare them. Besides, Merlin was smart and thoughtful. Her worries had been unnecessary.

Merlin felt relieved when he saw her mood improve. Fortunately, Luna was a sensible girl, which made it easier to reassure her.

“Oh, right. I just remembered something. How about we go on a date? I still owe you one,” Merlin suggested.

“A date?” Luna asked in surprise.

Merlin smiled and took her hand. Luna stayed silent and let him lead her.

But the smile on her lips showed that she was genuinely looking forward to it.

…

“Phew… Ten level six monsters isn’t a bad result,” Catrine whispered as she let out a soft sigh.

She wiped the blood from her sword and waited calmly. The fourth stage should begin soon.

As expected, the woman’s voice echoed again not long after.

“[Congratulations to all prospective students for successfully completing the third stage. Number of survivors: 590.]”

Catrine was slightly surprised. There had been six hundred participants before, and now only 590 remained. That meant only ten had been eliminated.

“Well, that’s not surprising, considering they had the option to fight level four monsters,” she murmured.

“[Very well. The test will now proceed to the fourth stage. At this stage, you may choose figures who have made history at this academy. Don’t worry—their strength will be adjusted to match your level.]”

Soon after, a magic panel appeared before her. It displayed a list of names—individuals who had made history and broken records at the academy.

Catrine scanned the list, carefully examining each name.

Many of them had once shattered academy records.

One of them was Linda, the current head of the academy.

“Aunt Linda broke the ten-thousand wooden puppet record?” Catrine exclaimed in astonishment.

She hadn’t expected that woman to hold first place. No wonder she had fallen short—the number of wooden puppets she defeated was far behind in comparison.

“If I had known earlier, I would’ve defeated more,” she muttered irritably.

She had only destroyed around eight thousand wooden puppets. At the time, she thought it was more than enough—but clearly, it wasn’t.

She didn’t rush to make her choice. She wanted to see if there was anyone truly worthy of challenging her.

Suddenly, her hand froze midair as a familiar profile appeared before her eyes.

“Brother… Merlin?”

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