Chapter 350: A Challenge and a Bet

Geran, along with Trigard, Arta, and Luvis and his cronies, stopped a meter away from Merlin.

Geran smirked and looked him up and down with a condescending gaze.

Admittedly, Merlin was incredibly handsome—the most handsome man he had ever met in his life.

On top of that, he was tall and had a well-proportioned physique. Anyone who didn’t know him would surely think he was fifteen years old.

Merlin stared back at him and, in turn, gave him a disdainful once-over from head to toe.

“Who are you? Do we know each other?” he asked indifferently.

The atmosphere instantly fell silent. The students hadn’t expected Merlin to be so bold as to utter such insolent words.

Geran was a second-year student. Although his strength wasn’t the greatest, he was still terrifying in everyone’s eyes.

And now, Merlin was bluntly asking for his identity. That was tantamount to humiliating him.

Nexara, caught between the two of them, quickly moved away. But she didn’t go far; instead, she stood behind Merlin.

’Quite interesting. I want to see how you handle this,’ she whispered enthusiastically.

No one from the new batch could defeat Merlin, whether it was the first or second wave.

Even Nexara had been easily defeated by him on Star Island. Although she had grown stronger, she knew it was impossible to defeat the boy.

Luckily, Geran took action, so Nexara could immediately see Merlin’s true abilities.

“You…” Geran felt anger rising at that question.

It felt as if Merlin were mocking him. However, he quickly calmed himself and regained his arrogant composure.

“You’re really interesting. I heard you’re the most talented student in the first year. How about we fight?”

Everyone became agitated. They exchanged glances, as if they hadn’t expected Geran to say that so bluntly.

“Vice Principal, Geran is really annoying. Did he come to this party just to cause trouble?” Leina shot Ronald a displeased look.

It was Ronald who had invited the second-year students, so this conflict was clearly his responsibility.

The other professors nodded in agreement, waiting for Ronald’s response.

Unexpectedly, Ronald remained calm. He smiled and said, “It’s fine. Let them do whatever they want. As long as it doesn’t escalate into a major conflict, we shouldn’t get involved.”

“But…” Leina was about to say something, but Ronald raised his hand to stop her.

“Do you think Merlin Clay will lose?”

His question surprised not only Leina but also the professors around him.

They had witnessed Merlin’s strength in the battle arena. He had easily defeated Nysera, who had seemed invincible after successfully boosting her power to the sixth stage with the help of her dragon’s strength.

According to the statistics, Geran was stronger than Nysera, but in the battle arena, victory didn’t depend solely on that—it also depended on a student’s experience, technique, and specialization.

Nysera was clearly a powerful close-range fighter. Yet, she was soundly defeated by Merlin, a mage.

Logically, that was nearly impossible. And yet Merlin proved he could do it.

Seeing the silence from Leina and the other professors, Ronald chuckled softly and crossed his arms behind his back.

“I’m sure you all believe in his abilities. Therefore, let’s not interfere. Just watch this fascinating spectacle.”

He understood their concerns, and at first, Ronald wanted to stop Geran.

But before he could move, Linda ordered him to remain silent and simply observe.

With no other choice, he obeyed the command and took no action.

Frankly speaking, he also wanted to see Merlin Clay’s true power.

That boy was the only one among the first-year students to successfully break through to the Fourth Spirit Core, and the power he displayed in the battle arena back then hadn’t been fully unleashed yet.

Leina and the professors fell silent, saying nothing more.

Since Ronald had already made his decision, they couldn’t protest any further.

Moreover, his reasoning made sense. They were also curious about Merlin Clay’s true power.

“Oh? A challenge, is it?” Merlin feigned surprise. “Are you sure?”

A playful glint flashed in his violet eyes, as if he were teasing him.

Geran’s frustration flared up again, but he held it in and nodded.

“I’m sure. Why? Are you afraid?”

Luvis and his cronies laughed, adding fuel to the fire.

“Maybe he’s really scared. His opponent is Senior Geran, who’s far stronger than him.”

“You’re right. Merlin only dares to pick on the weak.”

“Pfft! You’re pretty bold saying that, but yeah… it does make sense. If he were brave, he would’ve accepted it already.”

The taunts made the other students frown.

Luvis and his cronies were first-year students. They should have been supporting Merlin.

But here they were, fawning over Geran with their disgusting behavior.

Merlin just smiled, completely unfazed by their words.

For some reason, he actually found them amusing. They reminded him of minor characters in fantasy novels whose sole purpose was to stir up trouble.

Then Merlin remembered that this was a novel’s world, and their roles were indeed just insignificant minor NPCs.

“Just accept it, Merlin. If you refuse, your prestige will be ruined in our eyes,” Luvis provoked with a mocking smile.

The incident from that afternoon was still vivid in his mind. Merlin had humiliated him in front of his subordinates and Catrine Clay.

Ever since then, he had harbored a deep grudge against Merlin and had been plotting ways to humiliate him. Now that the opportunity had arrived, there was no way he was going to let it slip away.

Merlin was about to speak when a cold voice cut him off.

“Enough of your nonsense, Geran!”

Merlin was startled and turned around. He saw Margaret walking toward him alongside Catrine, Luna, Monica, and Liora.

Each of them wore grim expressions that could intimidate anyone who looked at them.

Margaret stood in front of Merlin, took out a hand fan, and opened it.

She covered half her face and continued, “Get out of here. You’re really annoying.”

Geran was stunned. He hadn’t expected Margaret to interfere.

But considering Merlin’s close relationship with her, it was understandable.

Geran frowned. “Don’t interfere. This is a matter between men.”

Although annoyed by Margaret’s intervention, he didn’t dare act rashly.

After all, Margaret’s status was clear to everyone at the academy. That arrogant girl came from the wealthiest family on the entire continent.

Offending her was tantamount to suicide.

“A matter between men?” Margaret smiled mockingly. “Merlin is much younger than you, and you dare say that? You really have no shame.”

Luna, Catrine, Liora, and Monica shot him disgusted glances, making Geran’s throat tighten.

His breathing grew heavy, and the urge to punch the girl surged within him.

Unfortunately, he didn’t dare do it. With slightly reddened eyes, he glared sharply at Merlin and said coldly, “Are you going to keep hiding behind a girl, Merlin Clay?”

That cheap provocation clearly didn’t affect Merlin. He had Margaret as his protector.

Why feel ashamed?

Wasn’t this what they called support?

But he was a real man. It was impossible for him to let himself be looked down upon by others, let alone by someone like Geran.

Merlin glanced at Rosaline and Lucius in the distance. Lucius smiled at him, as if to say, “This is what happens when you pick a fight with me.”

Meanwhile, Rosaline’s face remained calm, without the slightest change in expression.

“System, your master is being challenged and humiliated like this. Don’t you have anything to defend me with?” Merlin teased.

The system rolled its eyes. The next moment, a blue panel appeared before him.

“[Ding! Mission launched! Your enemies are challenging you, and you’re just standing there? Are you a coward!? Defeat them and prove you’re the true protagonist of this world! Reward: 40,000 system points and 1x legendary item!]”

Merlin smiled contentedly. This was the system he knew—always giving him satisfying missions.

He turned toward Geran, who was flushed with embarrassment and anger, then patted Margaret on the shoulder and reassured her. “Don’t worry about me. Let me handle this.”

Margaret was taken aback. She looked at him hesitantly.

“But…”

“Trust me, okay?” Merlin gave her an assuring look.

Margaret’s words caught in her throat. In the end, she simply nodded and took two steps back.

Seeing this, Luna, Catrine, Liora, and Monica said nothing and immediately stepped back as well.

They trusted Merlin completely.

“I accept your challenge,” Merlin said casually, slipping his right hand into his pocket. “But just fighting isn’t fun. How about we make a bet?”

“A bet?” Geran frowned. “What do you want to bet?”

Merlin paused for a moment, then an idea flashed in his mind.

“The loser has to hand over one million contribution points. What do you think?”

When they heard that astronomical figure, everyone gasped in unison.

One million was an extraordinary amount, impossible for a mere student to possess unless they completed numerous missions every single day.

“Why the silence? Scared?” Merlin taunted.

Geran clenched his fists tightly. He wasn’t afraid, but he simply didn’t have that many points.

Just then, a calm, cold voice came from behind him.

“I’ll pay it.”

Merlin turned and saw Rosaline.

Geran let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, he felt proud. At last, the goddess he had been pursuing had taken his side.

His efforts had not been in vain.

With a confident expression, he agreed. “I accept!”

Merlin could easily read his thoughts. He let out a small sigh and whispered softly, “What a pathetic sycophant.”

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