Ikerite Cardmaster Association, third floor meeting hall.
Even indoors, one could still hear the twelve resonant chimes of the clocktower from Hedon’s pedestrian square.
The deep brown wooden floor gleamed under the harsh midday sun. The lofty vaulted ceiling, supported by beams of raw timber, carried the Hedon Kingdom’s unique sense of nature and primitivity.
Far off, leather sofas and a coffee table stood upon the carpet. On the ring-shaped wall that divided the meeting space, a projection was playing scenes from the Registered Cardmaster Examination.
Two and a half hours had passed since the exam began.
Some examinees had already used up all five attempts and left in disappointment.
Others had completed two or three finished cards and were even still attempting higher-quality creations to boost their scores.
By the coffee table, Count’s daughter Sophia was still seated beside Prince Ainor—just like always, though perhaps a little closer than before.
On the single sofa opposite them, Huperion lounged comfortably, looking serene.
The three of them had been watching the exam from here the whole time.Since the broadcast rotated through candidates, Lan Qi only appeared on-screen occasionally.
The Association’s backstage staff would switch the feed at key moments—usually when a card was about to succeed… or explode.
After all, those were the most exciting moments.
“Honestly, if you’re aiming for success rate, five tries with three completions—just stick to ordinary white-grade cards.”
Sophia shook her head as the screen showed yet another card blowing up.
“True. You’ll only be graded at starting Iron-rank, but at least you pass the exam.”
Huperion sighed in agreement.
The feed shifted again—this time to a candidate from the Holy Church’s Scholarly Seminary, who was just about to finalize a light–holy hybrid spell card.
The young apprentice priest had already engraved mana conduits on the smooth card base, inlaid shimmering powder of Light stones to channel radiance, and bound the energy into a rigid frame that locked the magic inside.
Now came the most critical final step: fine-tuning.
His eyes were sharp, pen strokes steady, connecting inscriptions into a continuous mana cycle—so that the card could recharge after depletion, enabling reuse.
It required flawless balance: each structure had to activate properly without clashing with others. A single mistake could cause the card to collapse, or worse, violently explode.
His brow furrowed, focus absolute.
At last, amid the tension, the card stabilized in a glow of blue radiance, pulsing with steady life.
Applause and exclamations rose from the hall.
A blue-grade card—rare quality, proof of true mastery.
Because in exams, making cards under pressure was nothing like doing it leisurely in private workshops. Materials were scarcer, time tighter, and success rates harder.
Choosing to forgo safe white-quality cards in pursuit of rarer grades reflected immense confidence in one’s craft.
“This guy’s got skill. If he pulls off three blues—or even a mix like one purple, one blue, one white—he’ll rank up to Bronze.”
Prince Ainor commented.
Though not specializing in cardcraft at the Techno magic Academy, he visited the Association often enough to know how card quality linked to exam rank.
Higher-grade cards meant higher advancement points, even within the same tier.
The screen displayed the finished card:
【Sanction of Holy Light】
- Category: Spell Card
- Grade: Blue (Rare)
- Attribute: Light
- Tier: 3
- Effect: Deals Light-attribute AoE damage. Against creatures of Evil God alignment, deals an additional 100% “Divine Judgment” damage. Cooldown: 30s.
- Note: The Holy Light shall purify your soul!
Sometimes, these exam showcases let candidates quickly sell unused cards after the test—or even receive commissions on the spot.
“With a deck full of these, purging cultists and fiends would be so effective. Against fallen revivalists, most demons, even blood kin—it’d work great.”
“Effective on demons, sure. But blood kin? Doubtful. You can’t really kill them. Not that we’d ever run into one here.”
Even from the meeting area, they could overhear passersby discussing outside.
In the southern continent, demons were rare—their nations destroyed long ago in the north. Blood kin were even more elusive, hidden in secrecy.
The only way to deal with them was sealing, never killing.
Their only weakness lay in daylight.
At night, they were rulers beyond challenge.
Huperion understood now why the Purgatory Corridor Academy’s opening lecture said: “At night, humanity are slaves of the blood kin.” Even demons dared not clash with them under moonlight.
At their height, no race could restrain them.
“Eh, not bad. But here in Hedon’s capital, it’s kind of useless.”
Prince Ainor lost interest.
No demons, no blood kin, no cultists daring to stir trouble with High Priest Loren in the city.
“Saves us the trouble. His other cards—like 【Holy Light Warhammer】 and 【Apostle of Light】—all work the same way anyway.”
Sophia quickly deduced the candidate’s intent: crafting a whole Light-series set, three matching cards for stability and consistency, straight to Bronze rank.
“I still prefer Lan Qi’s cards though…”
Ainor’s praise slipped out before he could stop himself.
And right then—the screen cut to Lan Qi.
Apparently, since his cards were white-grade, the director hadn’t prioritized him earlier. But now one had just finished.
The appraisal showed:
【Cartoon Mask】
- Category: Equipment Card
- Grade: White (Common)
- Attribute: Seal
- Tier: 3
- Effect: Equip to a summon. Harmonizes a fierce appearance, turning it cute.
- Note: Artwork has been adjusted for you.
“What in the world is this?”
“Never seen it. Probably get registered as a new patent by the Association.”
Occasionally, examinees invented new cards never before documented.
Though Lan Qi’s cards were low-grade, their bizarre effects always stirred some chatter.
“What a delightful card!”
Prince Ainor exclaimed, visibly wanting to buy one to try on his summons.
Sophia and Huperion exchanged speechless looks.
Others produced blue rare cards but looked mediocre. Lan Qi made a white common and looked like a master artisan.
This prince was way too biased. If he ever became king, he’d probably lead a fanatical Pro-Lan Qi Party.
Still, Lan Qi’s card was… oddly whimsical.
More suited for daily life or entertainment magic.
Though, imagine turning a terrifying dragon into a chubby baby mascot—definitely a way to break an enemy’s morale.
By now, Lan Qi had gone three-for-three.
All white commons, all sealing-type. Lucky to a degree, yes—but also showing uncanny affinity for sealing craft.
One of his earlier cards, Ainor had immediately wanted:
【Little Ai Doll】
- Category: Summon Card
- Grade: White (Common)
- Attribute: Spirit / Seal
- Tier: 3
- Effect: Through song, weakly seals and soothes target emotions, calming their mind.
- Note: Little Ai will heal you.
Basically, a doll version of the Great Love Poet.
Cute, charming—something you’d want at home to sing lullabies.
Even Huperion secretly considered buying one from Lan Qi.
By contrast, Lan Qi’s spell card seemed thrown together—just to secure a baseline pass:
【Are You Praying?】
- Category: Spell Card
- Grade: White (Common)
- Attribute: Seal
- Tier: 3
- Effect: Seals the target’s vision for 1 second. Cooldown: 30s.
- Note: Darling, guess who I am.
Aside from the odd name and note, it was a standard sealing spell.
Though oddly, it seemed capable of sealing ocular techniques as well, not just vision.
Most candidates, after three successes, would stop there.
But a brief shot showed Lan Qi wasn’t leaving.
He was still crafting more.
“Did he plan to make three commons first as a baseline, then try higher-quality for the score?”
Sophia frowned.
A rare strategy.
Because masters with four- or five-out-of-five success rates had no need for such safety nets.
Their skills alone ensured higher-grade cards.
“I don’t know either.”
Huperion shook her head.
Lan Qi had told her before: he intended to play safe with equipment cards, and gamble on quality with summon and spell cards.
But now… he’d shifted plans.
And even she didn’t know why.