"You don't need to worry. I won't fall for anything I know about in advance." Caroso rubbed his temples as he watched the comments analyze Elena's behavior for him.
Honestly, even with the netizens' warnings, he did not think Elena was that kind of person.
It seemed his cultivation was still lacking.
Compared to Elena, Caroso's trust had clearly shifted toward the netizens.
"More importantly, I think I need to properly study my deck." Caroso picked up the class schedule. "We have three days to familiarize ourselves with the campus. Classes will not officially begin until three days from now. The first lesson will be actual combat."
Those three days were meant to give the students and their parents time to reconsider.
For many people, their first-choice academy was not necessarily the one best suited to them. Today's aptitude tests and the like allowed some of them to make a new choice.
These days also gave students who had changed their minds time to notify their families and discuss it with them.
If their families strongly objected, they could then negotiate with the academy.
From that perspective, it was rather humane.
[Deck?]
[Hahahaha... Boss Caro, you've finally decided to seriously study your deck!]
[Quick, call Nimel over. Time to get to work.]
[Is this "get to work" proper?]
[Damn it, whenever we make cursed cards, the characters in the game always react the same way. Now I want to know what expressions they'll have when they see just how cursed our cards are.]
[I especially want to know what my own expression looks like!]
At the mention of card crafting, the netizens' enthusiasm was ignited.
Compared to introducing girlfriends to Caroso, showing off their own cursed cards was what they wanted to do most.
A game was just a game. Netizens could only discuss among themselves how cursed their cards were.
But now, things were different. When Caroso used cards, it was in Caroso's real world.
[Did you find out what kind of deck a Third-tier Card Maker should use?]
[A third-tier deck was what I used when I first started playing. I'll go look it up...]
[Don't just think about complete decks. Boss Caro is different—he can use any cards he makes himself.]
[So Boss Caro can use cursed cards from every class?]
[Shit, that's no small workload for us either.]
[For Baby Caro, let's do it!]
[We need to consider Boss Caro's actual circumstances.]
[Right, Boss Caro's materials aren't unlimited.]
[Boss Caro, let's first compare material lists.]
"This..." Caroso frowned. "It's only an ordinary combat assessment. I'm not weak in combat assessments."
[Baby Caro, being not weak and being invincible are two different things!]
[Exactly! Your aptitude has already shocked the entire academy. Don't you want to shock them even more?]
[A powerful deck can multiply your combat strength several times over, seriously!]
"Is that really necessary?" Caroso said. "At the end of the day, a deck is only an auxiliary tool. For example, a three-star blue sword would be far more powerful in my hands than in someone else's."
[Baby Caro, you have no idea how terrifying our decks are... Put it this way: that Priest Card of yours is powerful enough, right? What if your entire deck was full of cards like that?]
"I think I could still be number one among my peers with just a sword," Caroso said confidently.
[Baby Caro, you can't only think about opponents at your own level. You have us as your cheat code—how can you not challenge those above your level?]
[That's right. With our decks, even a fourth-tier opponent is worth trying.]
[Your stamina isn't unlimited. When you encounter a troublesome opponent, or when you need to conserve your strength, you'll understand how useful our cards are.]
[As the strongest heir of the Kolea family, someone destined to make the whole world tremble, you need to protect yourself and grow stronger. You wouldn't want to experience the tragedies we told you about, would you? Strengthening yourself is always a good thing.]
"But I'm still in my growth phase. If I rely too much on external power..." Caroso was still somewhat hesitant.
[How is this external power? You're a Card Maker, not a warrior.]
[Besides, the tragedies you went through all happened during your growth period...]
The last sentence convinced Caroso.
Caroso let out a long breath and nodded. "All right. Thank You. If there's anything you need, I'll definitely help."
"If any of you have someone you... can't let go of? Right, someone you feel that kind of regret over, as you put it—I'll risk my life to help them."
[Wuwuwu... Baby Caro moved me.]
[Who wouldn't love such a sensible child?]
After finishing his exchange with the comments, Caroso tidied himself up and headed to the cafeteria.
There, Rayne and Elena were eating with several others.
They had pushed several tables together, and the food covering them was exceptionally lavish.
If the academy did not prohibit banquets except on special occasions, Rayne probably would have wanted to throw one.
"Brother Caroso!" Elena seemed to have a radar, spotting Caroso the moment he entered.
Besides Rayne, another young man was seated beside her.
Caroso ignored that man completely and walked straight up to Elena.
"Caroso, welcome." Rayne rose to his feet and gave Caroso a salute.
Caroso returned the salute.
From the moment Caroso entered, the entire cafeteria's attention focused on him.
"That's Caroso Kolea?"
"All of his potential ratings are S++? That's terrifying, isn't it?"
"If you ask me, he definitely cheated with some extraordinary item."
"Yeah, such vanity..."
"For the sake of the Kolea family's reputation, he'll stop at nothing. Doesn't he know this will only damage the Kolea family's prestige even more?"
Some believed in Caroso's potential, while others did not.
To Caroso, those rumors had nothing to do with him. He would use facts to answer every one of them.
"Brother Caroso, sit down quickly. Let's eat together," Elena said excitedly.
Caroso showed a friendly smile. "We're friends, aren't we?"
Elena's pretty face flushed. Was Caroso here to assert his claim?
She had been chatting pleasantly with the son of another duke, but compared to Caroso, that man fell far too short.
Elena only wanted superficial contact with him. Caroso remained her primary target.
"Mhm..." Elena covered her face and nodded.
[Boss Caro, didn't you say you wouldn't fall for her?]
[Don't get involved with her. She really isn't a good person!]
[She's a member of the Royal Family, though. The odds of her being possessed are extremely low!]
[Baby Caro, be good. Ignore her and let's go back.]
"Since you're here, eat with us. There's an empty seat over there." The man beside Elena rose and pointed to a more distant seat.
"I'm not here to eat." Caroso shook his head. "Elena, I need your help."
If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it next time.
Before you continue