Chapter 2. Dekan Decided to Get Rich

Teresia blinked her eyes, her little mouth nearly forming a small round “O.”

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen.” I answered flatly.

That made Teresia even more surprised—turns out I was actually a year younger than her!

A fifteen-year-old tier-two magic card maker was not uncommon in Heavenlit Royal Academy, one could even say it was just average. But most new card makers at Heavenlit could only create cards of [White Common] quality!

Card quality largely reflects a card’s strength, value, and the maker’s level of skill. If a beginner card maker could produce a [Blue Rare] magic card, they were usually considered to have extraordinary talent.

Yet that batch of Bandit Goblins I made—every single one of them was Blue Rare quality!

It was as if blue was my lowest baseline!

Cards of [Purple Rare] quality began to experience a qualitative leap in price, to the point that ordinary people simply could not afford them.

That was also why a single Goblin Sheriff card had completely emptied Teresia’s budget.

For wealthy nobles and powerful fighters, purple-quality cards often formed the core of their decks.

One level above that, [Orange Epic] quality cards were the highest rank most people could ever expect to see. For the majority, it was more like a symbol on the horizon, unreachable and awe-inspiring.

In a border town like this, one could go years without ever seeing the trace of an Epic cardholder. Even many teachers at Heavenlit Royal Academy had never owned an Epic card.

As for the highest level, [Red Legendary], it almost only existed in legends. Many people weren’t even sure if such cards truly existed in this world.

At fifteen, being able to produce a Purple Rare tier-two card maker and being a fifteen-year-old tier-two card maker were completely different concepts!

Usually, only those who had reached tier four or tier five and then went back to make tier-one or tier-two cards had any hope of producing Rare quality.

There was no doubt—I was a true genius. And my cards, how should one put it, they were strange. The kind that easily disrupted the entire environment.

I had to have some unique method and technique to create these outrageous cards.

Teresia swallowed and tentatively asked: “By the way, do you have any spell cards for sale? Once you made yourself!”

“My spell cards... basically all sold out. The townsfolk all quite like my spell cards, but let me check—I remember having an extra one.”

I flipped through the card album, and before long found a Blue-quality card to hand to Teresia.

[Hydrogen Explosion]

[Type: Spell Card]

[Grade: Blue Rare]

[Tier: 2]

[Effect: Causes a violent explosion of damage, not affected by the caster’s magic attribute.]

[Note: Patrick Star, that is art!]

“This card’s damage is slightly higher than a tier-three fire spell. The drawback is that its mana cost is a bit higher than normal tier-two spells, and the casting time is longer.” I explained.

“That’s not right! This doesn’t follow the principles of spell cards! A tier-two spell already being able to cause tier-three damage is outrageous enough, but why is it not affected by the caster’s magic attribute?!” Normally, spell card damage should be some percentage multiplied by the caster’s magic attribute!

“This is called science.”

“???”

After puzzling for quite a while, Teresia asked again: “Then the production of this card must be very complicated, right?”

“Very simple. Combine tier-two Lightning Technique with tier-one Waterball and tier-one Fireball, experiment a bit, and it comes out.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?!” Teresia felt like she completely couldn’t understand what I was saying. But she still bought the card.

Just as Teresia was happily preparing to find a clearing to test out Hydrogen Explosion, I asked:

“By the way, young lady, I plan to take the entrance exam for Heavenlit Royal Academy this year. How much would it cost to hire you to escort me to the capital?”

My teacher once said, if I wanted to make better cards, I should go see the big cities. Now that I had run into a Heavenlit student, it would be nice if I could travel together with her.

“You need to hire a guard?”

“...After all, I’m only tier two, and just a non-combatant.”

In this world, magic cards were like packaging tools and skills into cards, a kind of combat method. Card battles were extremely dangerous.

I tried my best to avoid fighting and killing. I only wanted to draw and write. But if someone insisted on disturbing my peace, that was another matter. After all, I had never lost to anyone.

Teresia was startled at first, then smiled and reached out her hand to me: “I won’t take your money! Let’s be friends!”

She knew I had unlimited potential, and once I reached the capital, I might become a future master card maker. By then, lining up to commission cards from me would take forever. If she wanted to make friends, she had to do it now!

“Alright.” I also shook Teresia’s hand.

It was proof of friendship.

Although I knew that free was always the most expensive, I appreciated Teresia’s insight.

Respect me a little more, and I’ll make you even better cards!

My three favorite things were: getting paid, drawing, and being respected.

After agreeing with Teresia to depart in the morning, we chatted for a while longer before she left the shop.

I leaned back in the chair, holding a cup of grapefruit tea, leisurely humming a tune.

“Neverwasacloudyday~”

I had transmigrated into this world for fifteen years. Since childhood, I had never encountered any crisis, nor awakened any kind of system.

The world was fairly peaceful, aside from natural disasters being a bit frequent.

The kingdom I lived in and the neighboring countries had harmonious relations, and I enjoyed my days watching over the little shop at the border.

But since money was this easy to earn, why not go to the capital, work hard for a few years, and get rich!

My life goal was simple. I purely liked making magic cards.

My dream was to make the most beautiful waifu card. Ah no, a Red Legendary quality card.

Just imagining a future of extravagant pleasures and being surrounded by girl cards.

Bliss, sheer bliss.

Pygmalion did not deceive me.

The only thing that annoyed me was that traveling merchant back then actually bought that batch of Bandit Goblins from me for 100 coins each!

It was said that in the capital, that card had now risen to more than 2 gold coins. Back then, that swindler told me: “This card is very ordinary, just a little stronger than a blank Goblin.”

Even my teacher often said: “The magic cards you make are all garbage.”

So at the time, I actually believed it.

The more I thought, the angrier I became! To think they tricked such a pure and kind-hearted youth like me!

Only Teresia was sincere and upright.

To not spoil my good mood, I decided to think of happy things.

I couldn’t help but take out a magic card, and the moment it appeared in the shop, the whole room seemed to shine a little brighter.

The card’s surface shimmered faintly, radiating layers of flowing orange light.

“Good thing I didn’t sell this one to that black-hearted merchant. I only ever managed to create this one Epic card.” I grinned smugly, admiring my masterpiece.

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