“Dead? Aren’t you jumping to conclusions a bit too quickly, Graham Arden?”

Graham was startled and looked down. Merlin stood there with the fox girl on his back.

A green barrier surrounded them, looking solid and unbreakable.

His earlier attack had been completely blocked by it.

“Oh? You’re quite strong. I underestimated you.”

Instead of fear, Graham broke into a broad smile. To be honest, he hadn’t expected Merlin to block his attack so easily.

But come to think of it, someone who had three drops of level-nine monster blood was clearly no ordinary person.

So it was no surprise Merlin could block that attack.

“You’ve certainly surprised me. But that’s all. That artifact protecting you won’t last long against my barrage!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a red aura erupted from his body, and two bat wings sprouted from his back.

With a smirk on his face, he charged toward Merlin.

Sensing the incoming attack, Merlin didn’t stay still. He crouched, then vanished from his spot.

Boom!

The spot where he had been standing shattered instantly. The floor gave way, forming a hole two meters deep.

But Graham didn’t stop and kept chasing him. Merlin frantically mobilized the mana within him, dodging every attack.

Thankfully, he had mastered many speed-enhancing spells, allowing him to keep up.

Still, in Graham’s eyes—three levels above him—he was nothing more than an ant.

“If this keeps up, I’ll die,” he muttered, his breath heavy.

“Do you want my help?” Lyserra’s voice echoed in his mind.

Merlin shook his head. “No need. But watch over the girl on my back first. Can you do that?”

Lyserra paused for a moment before replying, “Alright. Leave it to me.”

Buzz!

A red light enveloped the fox girl. The next second, her figure slowly faded from view.

Merlin let out a quiet breath of relief. Frankly, the girl had been a burden. He couldn’t move freely.

But now, he no longer had to worry about her safety. All his focus could be directed toward the battle ahead.

“Primordium Daggers, heed my call!”

Buzz!

The two daggers appeared in his grasp. Without hesitation, Merlin crouched, then charged toward Graham.

Seeing that, Graham could barely hold back his laughter.

“Changing your approach? How amusing! A fourth spirit core in front of me is nothing but trash!”

But Merlin didn’t care. He leaped at him, then twisted his body horizontally.

The two daggers spun like tops. Graham didn’t even bother to dodge.

With a wave of his hand, a red barrier formed around him, blocking the attack.

But to his shock, the moment the daggers struck, the barrier shattered into pieces.

Graham’s eyes widened. “What!? How—”

Before he could finish, the daggers had already reached him, cleanly slicing through his neck.

His head was severed and rolled across the ground. Dark red blood burst out like a terrifying fountain.

Merlin landed gracefully and glanced at Graham’s headless body.

“What a reckless man,” he muttered.

The Primordium Daggers were no ordinary items. They weren’t merely legendary or even mythical—they were far beyond both.

If he remembered correctly, the system had once classified them as Transcendent-tier.

Of course, Merlin himself couldn’t be certain. The system’s appraisal had only shown three question marks for their tier.

Graham’s body suddenly froze, as if turned to stone. The next moment, the blood that had been gushing out flowed back into his body.

His severed head reattached itself, as if nothing had happened.

He turned around, his expression grim and terrifying.

“Amazing… absolutely amazing, Merlin Clay. I underestimated you,” he said, clapping his hands. But there was no real admiration—only explosive hatred and rage. “I looked down on you. That was a fatal mistake.”

He rubbed his neck, which still throbbed with pain. Those two daggers had nearly killed him.

Fortunately, he possessed a skill that allowed him to revive himself at the brink of death.

Still, that skill had its limits. He could only use it three times every half year.

His original plan was to save all three uses for life-threatening situations. But now, one had been wasted, leaving only two.

For him, this was a massive loss—even greater than losing a mythic-tier item.

Merlin wasn’t surprised by the sight. Graham was an expert at the First Spirit Core level—it was impossible to kill him so easily.

Even so, he didn’t panic. He had already considered many worst-case scenarios.

Without another word, he charged toward Graham at incredible speed.

He appeared behind him, raised the two daggers, and slashed down.

Unfortunately, Graham was no longer as careless as before. He could sense the terrifying threat from those daggers.

“Secret Technique: Blood Shield!”

Buzz!

A circular barrier formed in front of him, protecting him.

Merlin’s attack struck it with such force that a shockwave spread in all directions.

But unlike before, the barrier didn’t shatter. Graham grinned and whispered coldly, “You’ve walked right into my trap!”

Merlin’s eyes widened. Before he could react, the barrier began to boil, and several tentacles shot out, lunging toward him.

Caught off guard, Merlin was instantly bound by his arms and legs. The Primordium daggers in his hands slipped to the ground, leaving him completely helpless.

“Hahaha! You’ve lost, Merlin Clay!”

With a snap of his fingers, another tentacle shot forward and pierced his abdomen, punching straight through his back.

Merlin froze midair. Blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, then from his eyes, nose, and ears.

Then, with a sickening “scrk,” his body was torn apart, shredded into pieces that scattered everywhere.

Graham let out a soft chuckle and stepped out of the barrier. His gaze fell upon the two Primordium Daggers on the ground, filled with greed.

With just a glance, he could tell they were no ordinary mythic-tier items—far superior to anything he possessed.

The fact that they had wounded him so precisely only proved how extraordinary they were.

He picked up the daggers and examined them with a playful smile.

“I don’t understand how that kid got his hands on these. But today, they’ll be mine… hehehe…”

As he basked in his victory, something unexpected suddenly occurred. The daggers emitted a blinding light, followed by a dragon’s roar from ahead.

When he looked up, a massive red dragon was staring down at him.

Its size was so overwhelming that Graham seemed insignificant in comparison.

Panic surged within him. He could feel it—the dragon’s power far exceeded his own.

The dragon tilted its head slightly, then spoke in a thunderous voice.

“Just an ant daring to make me your master? What a joke. Now, accept your death!”

It opened its massive jaws, and a fireball formed before shooting toward him at incredible speed.

Graham tried to mobilize his power, but it was too late. The attack struck him head-on.

His body burned slowly but surely. The excruciating pain made him scream like a madman.

Unfortunately, his healing abilities were completely useless against the raging flames.

In the end, his body turned to ash and vanished.

Graham thought he had died. But when he opened his eyes, he froze in shock.

Standing before him was Merlin, wearing a calm expression.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have the three mythic-tier items.”

Those words startled him. He remembered them clearly—Merlin had said the exact same thing when admitting he didn’t have the three mythic-tier items to trade for the fox girl.

‘What’s going on? Wasn’t I just fighting him? And that red dragon… it killed me with its breath…’

Graham felt utterly confused. Somehow, he had returned to the moment when he was trading items with Merlin.

“Lord Graham, what’s wrong? Why are you just standing there? I may not have the three mythic-tier items, but I have other things to trade. I’m sure you’ll like them.”

Graham gasped for breath. The confusion and anger churning inside him were almost unbearable.

With his fist clenched tightly, he swung it straight at Merlin.

Caught off guard, Merlin was instantly shattered into pieces. Even his blood and flesh vanished without a trace.

Graham thought it was finally over. But strangely, the dead Merlin suddenly reappeared, smiling at him.

“Sorry, I don’t have the three mythic-tier items.”

Graham’s heart pounded wildly. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his eyes widened as if they might burst.

“But don’t worry, I have another item—”

Before Merlin could finish, Graham punched him again, reducing him to dust.

Time and again, Merlin returned, always smiling.

“Sorry, I don’t have the three mythic-tier items.”

Boom!

“Sorry, I don’t have the three mythic-tier items.”

Boom!

“Sorry, I don’t have the three mythic-tier items.”

Boom!

Every time Merlin appeared, Graham destroyed him. The cycle repeated endlessly until he could no longer keep count.

Just as he reached the thousandth repetition, Graham stopped.

Merlin was still smiling, repeating, “Sorry, I don’t have the three mythic-tier items.”

Graham stood frozen, his expression blank. Only then did he realize he had walked straight into a trap.

From the very beginning, there had been no real Merlin. It was all an illusion—so powerful that escape was impossible.

“How… is that… possible…?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep