I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist-Chapter 174: Leaving Nearnal

Isaac's eyes narrowed in disgust seeing the creature.

One of the things he hated the most in the world was the creatures eaten away by their mana.

He viewed them as nothing more than filth—creatures unworthy of existence.

"We—We have to do something!" Merlin exclaimed, gripping her staff tightly. She reached out, trying to connect with mana, but once again, nothing happened. She could feel its presence, faint traces of it lingering in the air, but it was foreign—unfamiliar to both her body and her soul.

Her fingers trembled as she slowly lowered her staff, biting her lip in frustration.

'This… this isn't my world, is it?'

The realization struck her. Everything—the way mana felt, the way it refused to heed her call—pointed to a single, undeniable truth.

She had ended up in another world. Maybe even another dimension entirely.

It would explain everything: why she couldn't wield mana here, why the very essence of mana seemed to reject her, and why Isaac, in contrast, had no trouble using it. He belonged to this world. She did not. That was the only logical explanation.

Turning to Isaac, she found him as composed as ever, his expression unreadable. His eyes, however, burned with the same quiet disdain as before as he stared down the monstrous lion in their path. Then, without a word, he raised his revolver.

The moment he did, a cold shiver ran down Merlin's spine.

Silver mana crackled around him like a storm, twisting gravity itself. She watched, wide-eyed, as reality warped at his command, the very air growing heavy, suffocating. Even the ground beneath them trembled under the immense force.

Everything around Isaac twisted under the weight of his power, space itself compressing, constricting.

Merlin instinctively staggered back, gasping for breath. It was unbearable. The sheer pressure pressing down on her made it clear—if she stayed too close, she would be crushed. In her current weakened state, she wouldn't stand a chance.

Isaac's silver-grey eyes remained fixed on the beast coldly. Then, the gravity around him intensified once more, condensing into a single point at the muzzle of his revolver. A silver glow flared to life, pulsing with an eerie brilliance.

A piercing sound tore through the air.

Merlin's breath froze as the foundations of the surrounding houses trembled, walls groaning under the weight of the overwhelming force. The world itself seemed to buckle as the crushing presence bore down on everything in its path.

And yet… she remained untouched.

She should have been flattened, reduced to nothing under that gravity. But she wasn't.

Isaac had spared her.

And for that, she found herself surprisingly grateful.

Merlin hadn't expected this. Up until now, Isaac had barely spared her a glance, let alone any real thought. She had truly believed he didn't care about her at all.

And she wasn't entirely wrong.

Isaac wasn't the type to be overly merciful, nor was he devoid of empathy like Ivan or James. He was calculating, pragmatic—someone who acted based on logic rather than sentiment. Right now, his actions were influenced by Yvan, but more importantly, Merlin had proven herself useful. The fact that she had willingly returned to help him, despite everything, had left at least some impression on him.

And he wasn't the kind of man to needlessly crush someone who wasn't his enemy. His target was the beast, nothing more. He wasn't bloodthirsty.

The lion's eyes narrowed at the silver glow gathering at the muzzle of Isaac's revolver. It hesitated for a fraction of a second, its instincts screaming at it—warning of imminent death. Then, with a burst of desperate speed, it lunged straight for him, determined to kill him before he could unleash whatever deadly force he was about to release.

But it was already too late.

The closer the beast got to Isaac, the heavier it became. Its movements slowed, its body sinking under an invisible force, as though a mountain had dropped onto its back. Each step turned sluggish, strained—until it could barely move at all.

That was its death sentence.

-BOOOOM!

A blinding silver streak tore through the air, cutting a perfect line through the beast's body. An instant later, the gravitational force detonated outward in a violent explosion, obliterating everything within a twenty-meter radius. The lion's body didn't just fall—it vanished, erased from existence without a single trace left behind.

The destruction was swift. Brutal. Absolute.

Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the gravitational pressure disappeared. The suffocating weight that had pressed down on everything was gone, and Merlin felt herself become light again. The air shifted, the wind flowed naturally once more, as if reality itself had sighed in relief.

She turned to Isaac, utterly stunned.

What she had just witnessed—what he had just done—was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

He had wielded gravity as a weapon.

Was that even possible?

Merlin had seen gravity magic used before—to fly, to increase speed, to manipulate weight. But this? This was something else entirely.

It was deadly. Precise.

Terrifying.

Isaac barely reacted.

This had been nothing more than a casual stroll for him. With a slow movement, he lowered his revolver and slid it back into its holster. His eyes scanned his surroundings, taking in the fearful silence that had settled over the town.

The few villagers who had sought shelter inside their homes peeked out, their eyes wide with terror. But the moment Isaac's gaze swept over them, they recoiled like frightened mice, vanishing behind doors and curtains. No one in their right mind would dare challenge Isaac Crawford. That would be nothing short of suicidal.

After a brief pause, he took a step forward and walked away, leaving the tense air behind him. He was done here. His next destination awaited.

Merlin hesitated before following. She had no plan, no direction—just a sinking feeling of being utterly lost in this unfamiliar world. Maybe, if she stuck with Isaac, she'd eventually find herself in a larger city, a place where she could gather information and, hopefully, uncover a way back to her own world.

They soon reached the outskirts of town, where a modest stable stood. Without a word, Isaac strode inside, selecting a sturdy horse. Merlin, unsure of the proper protocol, simply picked the closest one.

As they led their horses out, Merlin finally broke the silence.

"Thank you for helping me, Mr. Isaac," she said.

Isaac didn't stop. He walked ahead, then mounted his horse with quite ease before glancing back at her.

"Why are you following me?" He asked again but Merlin noticed that his voice and expression were quite not as stern as before. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Merlin hesitated for only a second. "I have nowhere else to go," she admitted honestly.

His grey eyes flicked toward her for a long moment, making her stomach tighten with unease. Then, without another word, he looked away and nudged his horse forward. That silence was answer enough.

Merlin let out a small sigh, then turned her attention to her own horse. She tried to mount it—but once again, she failed miserably, nearly toppling over in the process.

Frustrated, she glanced down at her flowing robe. It had always been a symbol of protection, something she had never removed before. But here, in this world, it was nothing but a burden.

With a reluctant sigh, she shrugged it off. Beneath it, she wore a long, sleeveless white gown that clung to her lean yet well-proportioned figure, revealing her spotless skin. It felt strange to be exposed like this, but there was no helping it.

Making up her mind, she took her sword and, with one swift motion, cut the gown to knee-length, freeing her legs from the cumbersome fabric.

This time, when she mounted the horse, she did so with ease.

Without another word, she followed after Isaac.