The Extra Villain: I Made a Contract With The Dragon Empress!

"The dragon spirit you're talking about is Lyserra, isn't it?"

The faceless man nodded slowly. "Yes, her name is Lyserra."

A small, longing smile bloomed on his lips. Merlin noticed it naturally and couldn't help but guess inwardly,

"It seems their relationship is very close."

Snapping out of his reverie, he nodded slowly, reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her. Even if you don't ask, I still will."

Over the past twelve days, not only had his physical strength increased, but so had his bond with Lyserra.

The little dragon clung to him as if he were her mother. Of course, he realized this happened because the real Lyserra had not fully awakened.

If she fully appeared, he was sure her demeanor would change drastically. After all, she was very proud and cold.

"Thank goodness..." The man breathed a sigh of relief. His smile widened as he looked at Merlin. "Thank you, Merlin Clay. But you don't need to worry. I won't ask for a favor without giving something in return."

He opened his right palm, and suddenly a ball of white light appeared in the air.

"This is my power. True, the amount isn't even one percent, but I believe it will be of great help to you in the future."

With that, he raised his palm slightly, and the ball of light shot straight into Merlin's body.

Merlin was dumbfounded. He didn't even have time to react, yet the light passed clean through him.

"Thank you," he said, taking a deep breath.

He didn't sense any malicious intent from the man, so there was no reason to refuse his kindness.

Besides, he clearly remembered that this scene was similar to the fantasy novels he used to read—where the main character meets an ancient or mysterious figure who grants him power.

Although he wasn't sure if the power this mysterious man gave him was exactly like the ones in the novels, it couldn't be too different.

"You're welcome," the man said, taking a sip of his coffee. "That is the gift I prepared for you. There's one more thing I want to say. Actually—"

Before he could finish, the study room shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

Merlin was taken aback and hurriedly stood up.

"What's happening? Is this an enemy attack?" he asked frantically.

"No, you misunderstand. There's no enemy attack," the man replied gently, rising slowly to his feet. "This dimension cannot last any longer; its time is up. You must return now."

"Return? But how?" Merlin asked, confused.

The man chuckled softly, reaching out and touching his forehead with his index finger.

"It's very simple," he said, pressing lightly with his finger.

Suddenly, Merlin felt his body being pushed backward. Before he could react, everything around him shattered into shards of glass that floated and vanished into the sky.

"Please keep your promise. Lyserra will be your main supporter, either now or in the future…"

The man's voice sounded distant, echoing faintly in his ears.

Whoosh!

A bright white light appeared in front of him, flooding his entire vision.

…

"Ugh…" Merlin groaned softly, slowly opening his eyes.

He was greeted by the familiar ceiling of his room. But it was dark; only the moonlight from the window offered any illumination.

"Did I oversleep?" he murmured, furrowing his brow.

Before he could process what was happening, excruciating pain shot through his nerves, bones, and muscles.

His eyes widened, and he tried to scream—but clamped his mouth shut in time.

"Arghhh!"

The stifled roar tore from his throat, shrill and terrifying. Cold sweat soaked his night robe as his body writhed violently, like a worm in agony.

The agonizing process dragged on for a full twenty minutes before finally easing.

Yet, the lingering pain remained, leaving him completely shaken.

"Hah… Hah… Hah…"

His breaths came in ragged gasps, as if invisible hands were crushing his throat. Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes, and his vision blurred.

"[Ding! The incredible system is here! Hello, Master! How's the pain? Amazing, isn't it?]"

The system's teasing voice echoed in his mind, but Merlin had no energy to respond.

He struggled for breath for five long minutes before finally regaining a steady rhythm.

Covering half his face with his right arm, he asked weakly, "System… is this a side effect of the Body-limit Boosting Potion? Why is the pain so intense? If I had known, I would never have touched it."

The agony was indescribable, as if the Grim Reaper had appeared before him, staring intently.

Although he had died once before, it had been painless—after all, he had died in his sleep.

"[Yes, that is a side effect, Master. Pfft! I did warn you that the side effect would be overwhelming, didn't I? So really, it's not my fault!]" the system teased, denying any blame.

Merlin could only stare in disbelief. The system was right—he had warned him. In this case, there was truly no one to blame.

Seeing Merlin remain silent, the system continued in a soothing tone, "[Alright, don't sulk like that, Master. As I said, the potion does have a side effect, but that doesn't mean it lacks advantage. By now, you should be able to feel an increase in your physical strength and sense.]"

Merlin's eyes widened in shock. He quickly stood up, clenching his fists.

Sure enough, he could feel a surge of power coursing through his body. It was invisible, yet unmistakably strong.

He was certain he could punch a small hole in the wall with a single strike.

"System, what's happening? Does the potion's effect still linger to make me like this?" he asked in surprise.

"[Master, you used to be so smart—why are you acting so dumb now?]" The system rolled its eyes.

The corner of Merlin's mouth twitched slightly, but he had no time to argue, as the system had already started explaining.

After a moment, he finally understood and couldn't help but smile.

"So that's it. I see."

The potion hadn't just strengthened all his senses and physical ability—it also returned power to him, as he could feel now.

It was like receiving a simultaneous boost in strength and growth.

For the first time, Merlin felt a flicker of happiness, even after enduring such excruciating pain.

"By the way, how long have I been asleep, system?" Merlin asked, curious.

"[About six hours, or so,]" the system replied.

"Six hours, huh? That's good." Merlin breathed a sigh of relief and lay back down. "If it had been two or three days, it would have been very dangerous."

More than twelve days had already passed, and only eighteen days remained before the plague struck the city. Losing even a single day would be extremely detrimental.

"By the way, system," Merlin called out, "I just had a strange dream."

"[A dream?]" The system sounded surprised. "[What kind of dream, Master?]"

Merlin swallowed and began, "It was a dream about a faceless man…"