The Extra Villain: I Made a Contract With The Dragon Empress!-Chapter 331: Exchange of Items

Merlin walked toward the backstage area. It was vast and secluded, with a powerful barrier preventing anyone from entering.

Even if someone managed to break through it, an alarm would blare loudly.

Buzz!

Merlin passed through the barrier and gazed at the room before him in awe.

Countless artifacts, ranging from legendary to mythical, were neatly arranged.

"Welcome. Please follow me."

A voice came from his right. Merlin turned and saw that it was Arkas, the head butler of the Arden family.

Merlin gave a slight nod and followed behind him. A few moments later, he arrived at a hall that wasn’t particularly large.

However, the interior was quite luxurious—and a little... frightening.

Several three-meter-tall statues stood around the hall, all taking the form of monsters Merlin had never seen before.

Standing at the center was Graham Arden, the head of the Arden family.

Upon seeing him approach, Graham smiled and greeted him.

"Welcome. May I ask who you are? No, that doesn’t matter. Am I right, Merlin Clay?"

Merlin’s expression didn’t change at his words. Just as Linda had said, the Arden family knew everyone who attended this party, including his identity.

"Thank you for the welcome," Merlin replied casually as he stepped forward and stopped right in front of him. "So, where are my items?"

Graham was taken aback by Merlin’s remarkable composure. He had already investigated his background.

Merlin was just a new student at Saint Freya Academy. There was nothing particularly special about him, aside from breaking one of the academy’s records.

His strength was only at the Fourth Spirit Core level, which, to Graham, was no more than that of an ant.

Yet Merlin’s calm and relaxed demeanor stood in stark contrast to what he had expected.

This kid was incredibly confident and bold. Even in front of him—the head of the Arden family and an expert at the First Spirit Core level—he showed not a shred of fear.

If it were anyone else, they would already be groveling.

Inevitably, his curiosity about Merlin reached its peak.

He wanted to know where that immense confidence came from.

With a snap of his fingers, a one-meter-long table appeared. On it lay three items—a necklace, a ring, and an ice-blue sword.

The necklace was none other than the Solistic that had been auctioned earlier, while the ring was a legendary-tier item.

As for the sword, it was a mythic-tier item.

Merlin stared at the ring and the sword, then whispered, "Open the status panels for both items."

[Status]

Name: Heart of Infernum Ring

Grade: Legendary

Description: This ring is an extremely powerful legendary-tier item, best suited for users with the fire element. It enhances all fire magic, including other fire-related abilities, by up to eighty percent. The angrier the user becomes, the stronger the effect. Note: Recommended only for those who can control their emotions; otherwise, it may backfire on those around them.

[Status]

Name: Frost Monarch Sword

Grade: Mythic

Description: One of the most powerful swords at the mythic level. Crafted from rare, high-quality materials, it allows its wielder to split mountains in two and leave behind a stretch of ice spanning tens of kilometers. Note: Its effects become even stronger if the user possesses the ice element. All ice attacks are boosted by up to ninety percent.

As Merlin read the descriptions of the two items, his eyes widened slightly.

’What terrifying items,’ he muttered.

There were no flaws in either of them, which showed that Graham wasn’t holding back.

"Well? Do you like these two items?" Graham’s teasing voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Merlin took a deep breath and gave a small nod.

"I like them. I’ll trade for them right now."

With a wave of his hand, a drop of level-nine monster blood, stored in a vial, appeared in the air.

At the sight of it, Graham’s greed erupted like an atomic bomb. His breathing quickened, and saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.

If not for his last-ditch effort to restrain himself, he would have already snatched the bottle and gulped down the monster’s blood.

"Alright, let’s trade!" Graham exclaimed excitedly.

They quickly completed the exchange. Merlin was satisfied with the three items, while Graham was equally pleased to obtain a drop of level-nine monster blood.

Without hesitation, Graham uncapped the vial, and an incredible aroma—at least to him—filled his nose.

His body trembled violently, as if he were indulging in the most intoxicating scent in the world.

Under Merlin’s gaze, Graham took a sip of the blood and swallowed it.

Thud!

A powerful heartbeat echoed from his body. Even Merlin could hear it, and it seemed to sync with his own heartbeat, causing him to frown.

Boom!

A red aura erupted from Graham’s body. The shockwave spread in all directions, nearly knocking Merlin backward.

Fortunately, he reacted in time, unleashing his power to block the shockwave.

’What an incredible increase in power,’ Merlin murmured in admiration.

He could see that Graham’s strength had risen by several levels. Of course, it hadn’t broken through to a new level, as Graham was already at the peak of this continent.

A few moments later, the aura slowly subsided and disappeared completely.

Graham opened his eyes and stared at his body, his face filled with joy.

"Success! Hahaha! After all this time, I’ve finally managed to increase my power!"

He clenched both fists tightly. The sensation of that increase was so intoxicating that he felt almost addicted to it.

For someone who had already reached the highest level on this continent, further increasing his power was nearly impossible. It required special resources, such as a single drop of blood from a level-nine monster.

But how was he supposed to obtain such blood? Even he had no answer.

Level-nine monsters were extremely rare and nearly impossible to defeat without the combined efforts of experts at the First Spirit Core level.

Even then, there was no guarantee the monster could be killed. In that sense, trading one mythic-tier item and two legendary-tier items for a single drop of level-nine monster blood wasn’t a bad deal.

"Congratulations, Lord Graham. You’ve successfully increased your power."

Merlin’s voice, filled with admiration, came from in front of him.

Graham looked at him and gave a faint smile.

"Thank you, Merlin Clay. Without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this."

It had never crossed his mind that he would receive help from a boy at the Fourth Spirit Core level.

It felt utterly absurd, yet it was the truth.

Merlin smiled and gave a slight nod. "You’re welcome. Besides, it was a trade, so I benefited as well."

Graham nodded in agreement. Then, with a snap of his fingers, a cage appeared beside him.

Inside it was the fox princess who had been auctioned off earlier.

"In that case, let’s proceed with the second exchange, Merlin Clay. Hand over your three mythic-tier items and five legendary-tier items."