"Attack!"

As soon as Merlin's command rang out, the girls raised their weapons and charged toward the skeleton.

"Attack!" they shouted in unison.

Seeing this, the skeleton grew even angrier and roared in a hoarse voice, "How dare you ants defy this king!? You will die now!"

It summoned its magic staff and was about to cast a powerful spell when it suddenly sensed something strange within itself.

"W-What!? How is this possible? Why has my power been halved?" It screamed in fear.

However, it had no time to think.

Merlin had already appeared above it. Twisting his body midair, he delivered a powerful kick.

Boom!

The skeleton's body slammed heavily into the ground. But it didn't end there.

Catrine and Nysera appeared from both sides. Catrine raised her sword, while Nysera extended her claws.

"Die!"

They drove their weapons into its chest, instantly freezing its body in place.

The skeleton screamed in pain and tried to retaliate, but it couldn't move. Its entire body had been frozen solid.

"Nature Magic: Root Chains!"

Mysterious roots burst from the ground and tightly bound its entire body. Already unable to move, it became even more firmly restrained.

"Argh!"

The skeleton let out a furious roar before opening its mouth. A blazing fireball quickly formed between its jaws.

It hurled the fireball toward Liora, but Luna intercepted it first with her spear.

Then she leaped into the air, spun her spear, and thrust it straight into the skeleton's head.

A powerful suction force immediately began absorbing the skeleton's power.

"Hahaha! This is pure luck!" Luna burst into laughter, a wide grin spreading across her face. "You're going to be my meal!"

She intensified the spear's suction, causing the Blazion Spear to glow brightly as if it had been nourished by an immense amount of pure energy.

The skeleton felt its strength rapidly weakening as its life force was slowly drained away.

However, Luna didn't linger. Once she was satisfied, she leaped back and left the finishing blow to Merlin.

Merlin floated in the air and raised both hands high.

A massive blue fireball hovered above him, growing until it reached nearly ten meters in size.

Merlin grinned playfully and said, "You really love fireballs, don't you? Then here's a present for you!"

He hurled the giant fireball toward the skeleton and detonated it instantly.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave swept through the hall, causing the temperature to skyrocket.

The pillars supporting the structure trembled violently, as though the entire building might collapse at any moment.

Fortunately, Lisa quickly protected the girls with a shield before the shockwave could reach them.

A few moments later, the chaos finally subsided. They looked ahead and saw that the skeleton's body had already turned to ash.

"Huh? Dead? Just like that?" Luna muttered in surprise.

The others looked equally confused. They had thought the skeleton would be able to hold on a little longer, but it hadn't.

It died just like that.

Merlin landed beside them and warned, "Don't get too excited. The enemy hasn't been defeated yet."

Right after he said that, something shocking happened.

The ground beneath them shook violently, followed by the sudden formation of a tornado.

"Back up!" Lisa shouted.

Merlin and the others quickly retreated, avoiding the chaos.

They stared in horror as the tornado ravaged everything in its path. The ground tremors grew even stronger, as if the entire structure were on the verge of collapse.

Then, before their eyes, a giant figure slowly rose to its feet.

The figure had a humanoid form with two arms and two legs.

It stood seven meters tall, and its face was disturbingly strange.

It had three eyes, no nose, and two mouths. Two horns protruded from its forehead, giving it the appearance of a demon that had descended into the world.

Its skin was blood-red, covered in a strange black liquid that dripped continuously from its body.

"All of you… bastards!" it growled in a hoarse, thunderous voice. "You've completely disrupted my awakening! Now I've been forced to rise earlier than planned!"

It fixed Merlin and the others with an intense, murderous glare.

"Don't even think about leaving this place! You will face this king's punishment!"

It stomped its foot, sending a shockwave blasting toward them.

Merlin raised his hand, and a barrier instantly formed, blocking the attack.

"Damn… this is really dangerous," Margaret muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Its power is far greater than before, even after being weakened by fifty percent."

Catrine nodded in agreement. "You're right. Our chances of winning are very slim."

She turned to Merlin. "Brother, what's your next move?"

The others also turned their attention to him.

Merlin fell silent, deep in thought. If they attacked together, it would be no different from suicide.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he smiled.

"Catrine, Nysera, can you help me?"

Both of them were surprised, but they didn't ask questions and nodded firmly.

"Please tell us!" they replied in unison.

Merlin then explained his plan.

When they heard it, their eyes widened in shock.

"A strength-enhancing potion? And it can boost someone all the way to the Second Spirit Core?" Margaret repeated in disbelief. "Merlin, are you sure about this?"

Forcibly enhancing one's power was extremely dangerous. It could easily damage the user's body.

"Don't worry. The potion I have is gold-grade with one hundred percent purity. There won't be any side effects other than mild nausea and dizziness," Merlin replied confidently.

Margaret let out a sigh of relief. If Merlin said so, then it must be true.

Merlin turned to Luna and gave her a signal.

Luna immediately understood and quickly left with Monica, Liora, and Margaret toward the far end of the hall.

Merlin exhaled deeply. It wasn't that he didn't trust Luna's abilities or didn't want to include her, but in a situation like this, she was the only one he could fully rely on.

He then reached into his pocket, pretending to retrieve the potions.

"System, give me three A-rank strength-enhancing potions," Merlin commanded.

"[Ding! Three A-rank strength-enhancing potions have been purchased! Price: 45,000 system points! Remaining system points: 135,000!]"

Merlin didn't mind the high price. He could earn more system points later.

"Take them and drink them immediately. Your strength will rise to the Second Spirit Core for fifteen minutes. During that time, attack that monster without hesitation and with full force. Understand?" Merlin stared at them sternly.

Both of them accepted the potions and replied in unison, "Understood!"

"Die!"

The monster opened its mouth, and a dense red fireball formed between its jaws before shooting toward them.

"Trying to hurt them? In your dreams!"

Lisa leaped forward and split the fireball in two. She immediately followed up, charging straight at the monster and engaging it in a fierce fight.

Catrine and Nysera popped open the potion vials and were stunned.

"What a strong, rich smell!" they said in awe.

Just from the scent alone, they could tell the potion in their hands was top quality.

Still, they didn't hesitate—they downed it in one gulp.

The moment it hit their bodies, an overwhelming surge of power exploded within them.

It was like a raging river breaking its banks.

Boom!

Their mana burst outward, whipping up a storm around them.

Catrine and Nysera were stunned by the sudden change. They looked at each other, then grinned.

"Nysera, let's take that monster down!" Catrine said excitedly.

She summoned her sword, swung it to the right, and dashed toward the monster.

Nysera didn't want to be left behind. She extended her claws and charged at it as well.

Merlin drank the potion and felt a familiar surge of power. He had experienced this kind of power boost before, so he wasn't surprised at all.

Even so, the feeling of becoming stronger was still incredibly satisfying.

Merlin didn't immediately join the fight. Instead, he called out to the system first.

"System, aren't you going to assign me a mission?"

The system was silent for a few seconds before displaying a blue panel.

"[Ding! An emergency mission has been issued! Defeat the final boss and complete the ghost ship exploration mission! Reward: 100,000 system points! Combined with the previous mission, the total reward will be 160,000 system points and a special treasure map!]"

Seeing this, Merlin nodded in satisfaction and praised, "You're very kind, system. I take back what I said in the past."

The system: "…"

It remembered how Merlin had often insulted it and called it stingy. But now, with that annoying expression of his, Merlin was calling it generous.

For the umpteenth time, the system was fed up with his shameless behavior.

But what could it do?

Merlin was its master, and they were bound together forever.

Merlin ignored the system's complaints and kept his gaze fixed entirely on the monster.

Under the combined assault of Catrine, Lisa, and Nysera, the monster began to show clear signs of being overwhelmed.

This outcome wasn't all that surprising, considering the entire hall had been sealed within a dimensional barrier created by Lyserra.

Just as Merlin was about to join the fight, the monster suddenly stomped its foot.

In an instant, the ground beneath them shook violently, and thousands of undead began to crawl out.

"You think you can defeat this king? Hahaha! Impossible!" the monster laughed. It stepped back and ordered, "All of you… attack them!"