In the center of the room, Maya sat cross-legged, looking up at Merlin, who stood before her.

"What should I do, young master?" she asked.

"Just sit and drink both at the same time when I tell you to. Let me handle everything so nothing bad happens to you."

Maya felt a wave of relief upon hearing his thoughtful words. Her heart felt as sweet as honey, and she nodded repeatedly.

"I trust you, Young Master!"

Merlin smiled gently and took two steps back, raising his right hand forward.

"Barrier magic, healing magic, pain-reducing magic, and mana-gathering magic!"

As soon as Merlin spoke, four magic circles appeared beneath Maya. A one-meter-high barrier formed, surrounded by swirling green, blue, and red auras encircling her in the center.

"Alright, Maya. Begin."

Maya gave a small nod, uncorked both potion bottles, and drank them simultaneously.

She followed Merlin's instructions—calming her mind and closing her eyes to digest the potion.

Seconds passed, and nothing seemed to happen. But Merlin knew better than anyone that the process had already begun.

Buzz!

A purple light suddenly burst from Maya's body, enveloping her completely.

"It's starting," Merlin muttered, taking a deep breath. "I hope it goes well."

Meanwhile, Maya felt as if her body were wrapped in the warm embrace of two giant arms.

It was so soothing that she began to wonder if awakening one's talent and bloodline was really supposed to feel this peaceful.

But suddenly—

Screak!

An excruciating pain tore through her nerves, bones, and flesh. It wasn't too sharp at first, but within seconds, it grew unbearable—so intense that Maya felt like her entire body was being ripped apart.

"Argh!" She screamed in agony.

Even so, she tried to suppress it, though her efforts barely made a difference.

Cold sweat drenched her clothes, and her mind grew hazy, as if her brain were being crushed by an invisible hand.

'I can't give up… I can't give up!' Maya kept telling herself, biting her tongue until blood filled her mouth.

Strong pain can numb the body. That's why it takes a pain even greater than that to stay conscious.

Otherwise, the brain would send a signal to surrender, and she would lose control of her body.

Of course, that wasn't something she had learned from books—it was what her young master had once told her.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the blue aura around the barrier flared brightly. Along with it, the pain Maya felt began to fade little by little.

Other auras began to shine as well. Maya's damaged nerves, bones, and muscles slowly healed, while mana from the air was drawn into the barrier, purified, and infused into her body.

Maya felt a refreshing sensation that was hard to describe. The excruciating pain had completely vanished.

The process lasted for half an hour before the purple light that had protected her finally faded from sight.

When Maya opened her eyes, she felt an overwhelming power coursing through her body.

'Is this... what it feels like to have special powers?' She muttered in awe.

She clenched her right fist, and for some reason, she felt certain she could crush a giant rock with a single blow.

But her astonishment quickly gave way to pure joy that overflowed within her.

She looked at Merlin with eyes full of love, gratitude, and admiration.

Strangely, however, her young master covered his face with both hands, occasionally peeking through his fingers.

"Young Master? What's wrong?" She asked curiously as she stood and stepped closer.

"Don't come any closer!" Merlin shouted, waving his hands frantically and turning his face aside.

Maya blinked in confusion. "What's wrong? Why won't you let me come closer?"

"Ahem!" Merlin coughed awkwardly, his face turning red. "It's just that... your clothes..."

His voice was barely audible, but Maya still caught it.

She glanced down—and in an instant, a deep blush spread from her neck to the top of her head.

"Kyaa! No!"

***

"Ahem!" Merlin cleared his throat, his right leg nervously wiggling over his left.

In front of him stood Maya, her head lowered shyly. The blush on her face had faded a little but hadn't completely disappeared.

"Let's just pretend that never happened," Merlin said in a calm tone. "Anyway, how's your body? Do you feel any significant changes?"

Maya took a deep breath to steady herself. The one who had seen her naked body was her young master.

Deep down, she was happy—but her embarrassment far outweighed that feeling.

"I feel a strange power inside me, as if I could crush anything with my fists," Maya replied, raising her right hand and clenching it tightly.

Merlin gave a small nod and whispered, "Open Maya's status panel."

[Status]

Name: Maya

Age: 17

Identity: Merlin Clay's Personal Maid

Talent: A

Guardian Spirit: –

Rank: Ninth Spirit Core

Bloodline: Lord of Death (Gold)

Favorability: 100

The moment Merlin saw the changes in her status, his eyes widened in shock. He nearly shouted but managed to hold himself back just in time.

'What the hell is this? Why did it change so drastically?' His heart pounded rapidly in disbelief.

Maya's talent was ranked A—equal to his own!

Originally, Merlin had assumed her talent would only reach B or C at best, yet it had risen to match his.

Maya had also reached the Ninth Spirit Core in a single leap—unlike him, who had needed over ten days of training to attain that level.

Even then, he'd only managed it because he had transferred all his mana to Lyserra.

Even more astonishing was her gold-rank bloodline, the highest level in the bloodline system.

The only people Merlin knew to possess it were Linda, Catrine, and Abel.

And now Maya had it too, which made Merlin question his own worth.

'System, are you sure there's nothing wrong with this world? How can Maya receive such an extraordinary blessing?' he asked, uncertain.

"[Don't be envious, Master. You have me by your side—and Lyserra as your guardian spirit. Isn't that worth more than just a bloodline?]"

The system's words made Merlin pause. True—he had both the system and Lyserra by his side.

There was no reason to feel envy, especially not toward Maya, who was completely loyal to him.

After regaining his composure, Merlin smiled at Maya, about to speak—when a systematic voice suddenly resonated in his mind.

"[Ding! Congratulations, Master. You have completed the hidden mission: Awakening Maya's Hidden Power! Reward: Scythe of Death (Legendary) and 50,000 system points have been credited to your account!]"