NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38: A Faceless Man
"You've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you, you know?"
Merlin gasped in surprise at the voice. Instinctively, he turned his head and saw a man sitting in a chair, a faint smile on his face.
"You…" His brows furrowed in shock.
The man had black hair and a well-built frame. He wore a sleek black robe, but the buttons on his chest were slightly undone, revealing a black T-shirt and a hint of his chest beneath.
Yet it wasn't his clothing that shocked Merlin—it was the light emanating from the man's face, covering everything except his mouth.
Recovering from his surprise, Merlin took two cautious steps back. "Who are you? Are you the one who called me here? If so… what do you want?"
His voice was laced with both caution and fear. Earlier, he had been sure no one was in that seat. Yet now, somehow, this man had appeared.
Noticing his unease, the man smiled.
"Don't panic so much, Merlin Clay. I have no intention of hurting you. If I did, I would have done so the moment you arrived. Am I right?"
Merlin remained silent. In hindsight, the man's words made sense. He had no idea where he was—and he was far too weak in this moment.
Judging by the man's imposing presence, Merlin knew he was extremely powerful—perhaps even stronger than Linda.
Once he calmed down, Merlin lowered his guard slightly. Of course, that didn't mean he trusted the man completely.
"Then please tell me why you called me," he said firmly.
The man chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Nothing much. I just wanted to meet the one destined to overthrow that damn god. What I didn't expect was that you're handsome too—not a bit less than I was in my youth."
Merlin: "..."
For the first time in his two lives, he had met someone so openly narcissistic.
Then the words "damn god" caught his attention.
"Who do you mean by 'that damn god'? Is it some powerful being?" he asked doubtfully.
A being worthy of the title of god would naturally be terrifying. Yet this man claimed he would be the one to defeat a god in the future?
Wasn't that absurd? How could a human like him stand against a god?
"Pfft!" The man laughed. "It's fine. Just forget what I said. By the way, sit down first."
He waved his right hand, and in an instant, a wooden chair appeared before his desk.
Merlin stared in surprise. 'Is this… a dimension he controls?'
A dimension was a space privately controlled by those who had reached a high level. Merlin didn't know this from The Lost Hero—he learned it from the novels he had read.
Many times, the protagonist would be trapped in a strange place that turned out to be a mysterious dimension separate from the real world.
The place he was in now was probably just like that.
Pushing his thoughts aside, Merlin walked over to the chair and sat down.
"Tea, coffee, or milk?" The man asked, his tone playful.
Merlin wanted to say "coffee," but quickly stopped himself.
"I'll have milk," he replied innocently.
The man gave a small nod. With a wave of his left hand, a cup of hot chocolate milk and a cup of coffee appeared on the table.
Merlin's face remained calm, but his heart was racing.
'Don't tell me he doesn't know I'm reincarnated,' he thought.
The reason he chose milk instead of coffee was to test whether this man knew his true identity as Merlin Ken, the reincarnator from Earth.
If he did know, this man would definitely have laughed. After all, it was unusual for an adult to drink hot chocolate milk.
What surprised him was that the man didn't laugh—or even react—which suggested he didn't know.
'Still… I mustn't be reckless. Maybe he knows and just isn't showing it,' he whispered under his breath.
When he first reincarnated into this novel world, he had seemed dazed and struggled to adapt. It was natural—after all, he was a modern human and an atheist who didn't believe in reincarnation or anything like it.
After twelve days of training under Linda's guidance, his mindset had completely changed. His personality had grown stronger, and he was no longer as timid as before.
"By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is ***. Nice to meet you, Merlin Clay," the man said, smiling warmly.
Merlin didn't respond. He rubbed his ears and said, "Sorry, I didn't catch your name. Could you say it again?"
The man looked momentarily stunned but quickly composed himself.
"My name is ***," he repeated.
Still, Merlin couldn't hear him. Something about the man seemed off—he was sure of it.
"I'm sorry, but I can't hear your name either. Could there be something wrong with you?" he asked doubtfully.
The man was silent for a few seconds before smiling.
"Actually, there's nothing wrong. I expected this result. We are separated by different dimensions of space and time, so it's only natural that you cannot know my name," he explained briefly.
Merlin furrowed his brow. "Then why do you know my name?"
"That's different. I have a way of knowing your name," the man replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
Merlin grew increasingly confused. The man's words were contradictory and made no sense.
"Alright, forget about that. Now, I will tell you my purpose," the man continued, his voice serious.
Merlin also became serious. He didn't know the man's true reason for summoning him here.
If it was just to meet him, it would have been too ordinary and unreasonable.
"Merlin Clay, I called you not only to meet you but also to ask for your help," the man began, taking a deep breath. "The dragon spirit you awakened is both a friend and a beloved companion of mine. She has suffered for tens of thousands of years, and it's all because of me. So..."
He bowed his head and pleaded sincerely, "Please save her from loneliness and give her the best home. Only then can I find peace and free myself from this guilt."
Merlin was momentarily taken aback. His eyes blinked several times before he realized who the man was referring to.
"The dragon spirit you're talking about is Lyserra, isn't it?"