NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30: Awakening Talent!
Nighttime...
The moon shone brightly, its beautiful light spilling into Merlin's room.
On the bed, Merlin lay on his side, gently rubbing Lyserra's head. The little dragon was fast asleep, her four legs tucked in.
A faint smile lingered on her lips, and every now and then her ears twitched—a sign of how comfortable she was with his touch.
"System, are you there?" Merlin asked softly.
"[Ding! The most powerful system is here, Master! How may I help you?]" The system's excited voice echoed in his mind.
Merlin rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb, system. Hurry up—where are my rewards?"
He had been waiting since the afternoon to claim them. But first, he had to spend time with Catrine, strengthening their bond.
Fortunately, it had been worth it. Catrine's affection had already reached eighty points—only ten more to go. Once it hit the mark, Blood Viroth's damn curse would finally disappear from his body.
"[Humph! So impatient, Master. Even if you hadn't asked, I would have given them to you,]" the system said in a dissatisfied tone.
"[Ding! Congratulations, Master, for completing the mission: awakening the guardian spirit on the day of awakening! Rewards: 1x Special Talent-awakening Potion and 20,000 system points. Would you like to accept them now? Yes/No]"
Merlin, without much thought, pressed "Yes." Suddenly, a small blue potion bottle appeared before him.
He picked it up as he slowly sat upright. But before examining it further, he gently moved Lyserra to the right side of the bed.
After making sure the little dragon was safe, he turned his full attention back to the potion.
"System, will drinking this potion let me awaken an S-level talent?" Merlin asked curiously, his voice tinged with hope.
The potion's description, of course, didn't clearly state he could awaken an S-rank. Still, he truly wished that was the case.
Only with an S-level talent could he grow smoothly.
"[Hmmm…]," the system pondered. "[I cannot guarantee it, Master. The result is random and uncertain. However, I can assure you that the talent you awaken will not be lower than B.]"
Merlin felt a twinge of disappointment at those words. But soon he steadied himself and gave a small nod.
"Alright," he said with renewed resolve. "At the very least, I'll have a talent. That alone is enough."
Awakening an S-level talent was his wish, but it wasn't something he had to force. After all, he had to face reality—Merlin Clay's original body had been trash.
Even gaining a B-level talent was already a huge step forward. In the future, as he grew stronger, he could find ways to raise it to S.
With the system shop feature, he refused to believe there wouldn't be a potion that could upgrade talent to S-rank.
"Well…" He took a deep breath and opened the potion's lid.
In an instant, an exquisite scent, like lavender flowers, spread through the room. Even Lyserra, still asleep, twitched her nose as if drawn to it.
Merlin was briefly mesmerized by the fragrance but quickly snapped back to his senses.
Without hesitation, he downed the potion in one gulp and waited quietly for the reaction.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, his body radiated a brilliant blue light. At the same time, a soothing warmth flowed through his nerves, bones, and blood.
"This feeling is incredible!" he exclaimed, savoring the rare sensation.
He had expected pain or something similar—after all, in fantasy novels, the main characters usually went through that.
But instead, it was surprisingly comfortable and refreshing!
The process continued for a full five minutes before finally fading away.
Merlin opened his eyes and looked down at his arms, searching for any change.
Unfortunately, he saw nothing. So, he whispered, "System panel."
[Status]
Name: Merlin Clay
Identity: First Son of the Viscount Clay Family
Age: 8 years old
Talent: A
Guardian Spirit: Primordial Chaos Dragon (???)
Rank: –
Bloodline: –
Health: Extremely poor (suffering from a particularly deadly curse)
As Merlin's gaze landed on the talent column, his eyes widened slightly.
"A-level talent? What a feat!"
His hands clenched with excitement. An A-level wasn't bad at all—it was even among the highest ranks, right beside S.
Of course, the gap between the two was immense. Even so, an A-level was more than enough. After all, those who could awaken S-level talent could be counted on one hand.
Only four people he knew had it—Linda, Abel, Elizabeth Solayne, the first princess of the Aldoria Kingdom, and Catrine.
Yet on Catrine's panel, her talent was marked with three question marks. That could only mean two things: either her talent was beyond S-level, or it had not yet fully awakened.
Between those two, Merlin leaned toward the latter. S-level talent was already the peak in this world. There was no way anyone could surpass it—at least, not according to the databooks and novels he had read.
"Thank you, system! This reward is wonderful!" Merlin said with solemn gratitude.
With an A-level talent, his confidence soared. He was no longer trash—he was a genius!
"[Hehehe! You're welcome, Master! But don't get too happy yet. There are still many missions ahead. I hope you'll be ready,]" the system replied playfully.
Merlin patted his chest with assurance. "Of course, system! I'm really looking forward to those missions, hehehe…"
He rubbed his hands together in excitement. Just one mission had already brought him so much—what about two, three, or even ten?
Just imagining it was thrilling. The excitement, joy, and enthusiasm that Merlin had long buried under the pressures of his past life began to resurface.
But suddenly…
"[Ding! A new mission has been released! Save the people of Droswen City from a plague outbreak! Reward: 30,000 system points!]"
--------//Author Note://--------
Thank you for reading and please give me your support to keep me motivated! I'll update one more chapter later as a bonus!