Jalen cracked his knuckles. “Time for the real test.”
The page shimmered, and new instructions appeared before him:
"To advance, you must demonstrate your understanding. Complete the following trial:
Successfully create three functional cards.
Strengthen one existing card.
Craft a card from a template without guidance."
"The trial begins now."
Jalen flexed his fingers, feeling a slow rush of anticipation. This was it—the true test of his ability as a Deckmaster. The book turned to a page filled with card sleeves.
“System show Statistics window.
[Statistics]
Level 2: Exp 0/25
2 attribute points
Life Force: 17
Intelligence: 17
Physical Power: 15
Physique: 15
Magic Power: 17
Mana: 83/125
Mana Regeneration: 2
Fortitude: 2
Energy: 0
Jalen’s eyes flickered with realization. The moment the trial began, the restrictions on his crafting had been lifted—no caps, no artificial limitations. He had been crafting under false constraints up until now, but now, with his mana fully available, he could take a different approach.
Instead of forming cards one by one, why not craft them all at once?
Jalen inhaled deeply, focusing on the page filled with empty card sleeves. Blank Cards were the foundation of all creations, and up until now, he had been forming them by funneling mana individually. But if he could distribute his mana evenly across the entire page, he could create multiple Blank Cards in a single flow, maximizing efficiency.
He pressed his palm against the parchment. Infusing Mana and spreading it evenly.
A deep hum resonated through the book as Jalen channeled his mana outward. Instead of concentrating on a single point, he let his magic flow like a tide, cascading evenly across the page. The glow intensified, and one by one. After a few minutes , the empty slots were filled with pristine Blank Cards, shimmering with raw potential.
System how much mana do I have left.
“ System Prompt
New skill, and passive unlocked.
(???) That’s productive.
Magic Power: 17
Mana: 41/125
Mana Regeneration: 2”
Jalen raised an eyebrow at the unexpected notification. A new skill and passive? That wasn’t something he anticipated just from crafting Blank Cards. He focused on the system prompt, eager to see what had changed.
New Skill Unlocked: Mana Flow Control
Description: Increases efficiency when infusing mana into multiple objects simultaneously. Reduces wastage and improves stability of creations. Increases mana regeneration.
New Passive Unlocked: Artificer’s Rhythm
Description: When performing repetitive crafting actions, efficiency improves over time. Reduces mana consumption slightly with each consecutive similar creation.
Jalen exhaled, shaking off the initial excitement. As tempting as it was to jump straight into crafting, he had learned a valuable lesson from the book—preparation was key. If he wanted to make the most of this trial, he needed more resources first.
He sat down, crossing his legs, and placed his hands over the open book. Instead of rushing into creation, he closed his eyes and let his breathing slow.
With each inhale, he gathered mana. With each exhale, he spread it evenly across the book’s pages.
The first few cycles were slow, deliberate—mana seeped into the parchment, forming more Blank Cards one by one. Some shattered his mana unstabilizing but as the minutes passed, Jalen began to find a rhythm. The new passive, Artificer’s Rhythm, kicked in. The process became smoother, more efficient. His mana was lasting longer, stretching further. What had taken him a few minutes at first, now only took seconds.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
At first most of the attempts out the 20 slots were failures then 8 then 7 then 4 then 2 then 1 every other cycle. 1 hour and 15 minutes in, Finally when out of 80 attempts 80 successes happened
Before Jalen knew it he had synced his mediation with his card creation.
“System Prompt
New Passive Skill Unlocked: Synced Meditation
Description: Through repeated practice, you have achieved a seamless flow between meditation and crafting. While in this state, mana regeneration is optimized, and crafting speed increases. Entering a trance-like focus reduces external distractions, allowing for greater efficiency over extended periods.
Hey system, how many blank cards did I create and how do I have left? Jalen decided that communication with the system would keep him busy.
[System Prompt]
Total Blank Cards Created: 125
Blank Cards Currently Available: 138
Mana Remaining: 65/125
Jalen let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders to shake off the stiffness from sitting so long. 138 Blank Cards. That was an insane number—far beyond what he’d expected to accomplish.
But something still nagged at him. The system is still acting weird. You know what I guess it's time to stop procrastinating and summon Ember. Wait, I have to put him back into the deck since he was taken out.
[System Prompt]
- Study the different types of cards, specifically the 3 card types you are required to create.
- Study the pre-made example cards of each type of card.
- Use the corpse puppet to make a summon card.
- Review the basis on field cards.
- Five complete the trial and get used to their deck.
-25 mana for creating your list.
Jalen blinked at the system prompt. An emergency reminder? That was unusual. The system wasn’t supposed to interfere like this—at least, not with something as small as getting distracted.
He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. Was it just impatience on the system’s part, or was something else happening?
(System Prompt
I will blow you up. Do something? Please. 60)
59, 58, 57, 56
Jalen's blood ran cold as the countdown appeared. Wait—what?!
His eyes darted across the system prompt, trying to make sense of it. Blow him up? That had to be a joke… right?
55, 54, 53…
The numbers were still ticking down. Oh, hell no.
“Okay, okay, chill!” Jalen snapped, throwing his hands up. “I’m working on it!”
His heart pounded as he forced himself to focus. The system wasn’t playing around. Whatever was happening, it wanted him to move—now.
Step 1: Study the type of cards. Let's start with the field and go from there.
The book glowed small bits of golden letters crawled through the spine of the book, and the pages flipped Landing on a page labeled. Field cards.
52, 51, 50, 49.
Jalen’s eyes darted across the glowing text as the book continued to unfurl its knowledge before him. The countdown still lingered in the back of his mind, but the system had quieted—for now. He could almost feel the book urging him forward, page by page.
(Basics of Field)
"Field Cards are a type of spell that affect the surrounding areas, including your opponent’s cards in range. Field spells are mostly permanent, and each Deckmaster can only have one activated at a time. If a second one is activated while one is in play, the first field card is destroyed. If two separate Deckmasters activate two conflicting zones, the results can vary from fused fields, weakened fields, or even one of the fields being destroyed."
Jalen frowned, rubbing his chin. “So, only one at a time, huh? That means I have to be careful about when and where I activate a field card. If I time it wrong, I might screw myself over…” He let out a short breath, making a mental note to figure out ways to exploit that rule. “But if two fields clash, they can fuse? That’s… interesting.” He imagined a battlefield shifting between two opposing domains, chaos unfolding as different effects tried to take hold. "I wonder if I can manipulate that on purpose."
The book glowed again, revealing the next section.
(Types of Field Cards)
- Elemental Field Cards – Alters the environment using fire, ice, electricity, or other natural forces. These can enhance elemental spells or weaken opposing ones.
Jalen smirked. “Classic. A fire-aligned field boosting fire attacks, an ice field slowing movement… makes sense. But if I play my cards right, I could set traps. Like an ice field for an enemy, only to melt it into a water field for myself…” His mind was already spinning with possibilities.
- Terrain Field Cards – Physically change the battlefield itself. This includes things like quicksand pits, stone fortresses, or corrupted wastelands.
Jalen leaned in. "So, instead of just tweaking the elements, these actually reshape the land? That could be nasty. If I can control terrain, I can force my opponents into bad positions. And if I make a fortress and have cards’s hiding in strategic bases I can make every battle a siege battle so it will automatically be in my favor …” He trailed off, shaking his head. "This could get ridiculous real fast."
- Archetypal Field Cards – Buffs specific types of cards within the same archetype. Example: spirits, golems, dragons.
Jalen clicked his tongue. "Synergy-based boosts. That means if someone builds their deck around a single archetype, a well-placed field could make them unstoppable." He narrowed his eyes. "Or completely screw them over if I counter. So I guess that’s why my deck was constructed the way it was even though it has no inherits to gain synergy from my card’s being the same class."
- Summoning Fields – These unique fields continuously generate creatures, entities, or hazards. They usually consume mana over time or require specific conditions to maintain.
Jalen’s breath caught for a moment. "Wait, hold on… Summoning Fields? They can spawn creatures?" He sat up straight, his mind racing. "That means a Deckmaster could potentially create an army without using actual summon cards—just by setting up the right field. But… mana over time. That’s the catch. If I don't have a strong enough regeneration rate, I’ll bleed myself dry.” He tapped the page, thinking. “There’s gotta be a workaround. Maybe I could link it to an external source… or find a way to make it self-sustaining. Wait if I could fuse field spells I could make a fortress filled with the monster at every turn. I could make a mobile army."
His fingers twitched with anticipation. This was only the first section of the trial, and he already felt his mind stretching in ways he hadn’t considered before.
The countdown still ticked in the background.
42… 41… 40…
( System Prompt
That is why this class was chosen for you. That mind and imagination is “legendary” but keep moving.
Thank you system my mind is wait w hy those that legendary have quotations.]
( System Message :) that isn’t important get to reading. ;).
Jalen clenched his jaw. “Alright, alright. I’m moving. What’s next?”