The Extra Villain: I Made a Contract With The Dragon Empress!-Chapter 301: The Fourth Spirit Core

"Silence!"

The shout made everyone freeze. All eyes turned to Merlin, filled with confusion and shock.

Merlin showed no fear. His gaze swept over the students, cold and threatening. "Be quiet, or I’ll tear your mouths open."

Glup!

Everyone swallowed hard. If this had been an ordinary student making the threat, they wouldn’t have been scared.

But this was Merlin Clay—the only new student who had carved his name into the academy’s history.

Still, some refused to back down, believing themselves superior to anyone.

A tall, slightly stocky, bald boy stepped forward. "What do you mean? Do you think just because your name is in the academy’s history, you can act however you want?"

Encouraged by his boldness, others quickly voiced their complaints.

Fear of Merlin was strong, but courage grew in numbers.

As more students closed in on her brother, Catrine’s eyes narrowed, only for Merlin to quickly pat her shoulder and calm her.

Then, with Catrine watching in confusion, Merlin fixed his gaze on the bald boy.

Boom!

An invisible force struck him, sending him flying dozens of meters before he slammed into the academy wall, cracking it.

The sudden event silenced every student who had challenged Merlin.

"Anyone who dares to speak against me will be finished right here," Merlin said coldly.

At the same time, the aura of the Fourth Spirit Core erupted from Merlin’s body, spreading across the arena.

All the students—except those who hadn’t dared to fight him—immediately dropped to their knees.

Most of them weren’t first-wave students. Their power barely reached the Third or Fourth Awakening, roughly equivalent to the Seventh or Sixth Spirit Core.

Even so, the sheer intensity of that aura sent shivers down their spines.

"Fourth Spirit Core? That’s equivalent to the Sixth Awakening! Damn... he’s leveling up way too fast."

Across from Merlin, among the first-wave students, Jared couldn’t contain his surprise.

Born in the Knight Kingdom of Batrum, Jared knew how difficult it was to reach that level. He himself was only at the Fifth Awakening.

Breaking through to the Sixth Awakening—or attaining a Fourth Spirit Core—was a feat only possible with immense luck and deep understanding.

And yet, Merlin, who had been at the academy for just over a month, had already done it.

Jared’s perception of Merlin shifted completely.

"He broke through? That boy... is he some kind of monster?" Crystal muttered, a mix of awe and disbelief in her voice.

She had once considered Merlin a rival she could defeat, but now she knew she would have to rethink her plans.

Until she reached the level of a six-star mage, acting recklessly in front of him would be suicide.

"Damn it! How did he do it?" Lucius growled, frustration and disbelief lacing his words.

Even Merlin’s aura alone was enough to make them feel threatened and afraid.

Among them, the most shocked were clearly Luna, Margaret, and Catrine.

"Brother, when did you break through to the Fourth Spirit Core?" Catrine asked, her voice full of surprise.

She remembered that his avatar had only reached the Fifth Spirit Core.

Who would have thought that in less than a month, he had already advanced a full level?

If her master found out, Catrine was certain she would be stunned.

Luna and Margaret looked at Merlin with the same mixture of curiosity and disbelief.

Luna, in particular, had always been by Merlin’s side and knew everything about him—including his strength.

Just a month ago, their powers had been equal. Now, Merlin stood a full level above her.

It left her amazed—and, admittedly, a little annoyed.

She couldn’t help but feel that Merlin had reached the Fourth Spirit Core long ago and deliberately kept it from her.

"I only broke through two days ago. Sorry for keeping it from you," Merlin said, a shy smile crossing his face as he withdrew his aura.

He had felt pressured by Catrine’s extraordinary talent, which was why he had asked the system for help to break through to the Fourth Spirit Core.

Of course, the process had gone flawlessly.

Breaking through from the Fifth to the Fourth Spirit Core was far easier than advancing from the Sixth to the Fifth.

In any case, reaching the Fifth Spirit Core marked the start of a new Chapter in magic: High-Level Magic.

Since there was no new Chapter between the Fourth and Fifth Spirit Cores, breaking through had been relatively easy for Merlin.

His casual explanation made the three girls pout in frustration. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Still, they respected Merlin too much to press him for details.

This only reminded them that they needed to keep training—or risk falling behind him—especially Margaret and Luna, who were still at the Fifth Spirit Core.

Merlin turned his gaze to Ronald and said, "You may begin, Vice Principal."

Ronald chuckled and nodded. "The battle begins!"

At that signal, the boy facing Liora lunged forward with blinding speed.

His movements were so fast that Liora barely had time to react. She raised her right hand to attack, but it was already too late.

The boy vanished and reappeared behind her, landing a solid punch in her back.

Liora’s body flew forward, hitting the ground and rolling with the impact.

Excitement rippled through the students—they wanted to see her defeated without mercy.

But after Merlin’s earlier warning, no one dared to voice those thoughts openly.

"It hurts so much," Liora whispered, groaning softly.

"You’re so weak!"

A cold voice came from behind her, followed by a powerful fist aimed at the right side of her face.

Liora ducked just in time, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Even so, the boy pressed on, relentless in his assault.

The battle became increasingly lopsided, with Liora forced into a purely defensive stance.

"Who do you think will win?" Luna asked.

Margaret rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Judging by their fighting patterns, the boy will probably win. Liora’s position is really disadvantageous."

Catrine nodded. "Yeah, she’ll lose. Every one of his attacks targets vital points. If even one connects, she’s finished."

From the beginning, Catrine had been skeptical about how Liora had managed to take second place in the first test. The girl had always seemed weak and unreliable.

Luna glanced at Merlin. "What do you think?"

Merlin didn’t answer immediately. His eyes carefully tracked every movement on the stage.

Then, with a small smile, he said, "The winner, of course, will be Liora."

Luna wasn’t surprised. From the start, Merlin had always sided with those who seemed disadvantaged.

"What makes you say that?"

Merlin folded his arms behind his back and explained, "Druids are known for their area attack abilities. But notice—Liora hasn’t used hers yet. That tells you everything, doesn’t it?"

A playful sparkle lit his eyes.