I'm So Cute

[Come to think of it, could the cardmaking assistants leak anything?]

[They only helped process the materials. They didn't know what materials Boss Caro used, what order they went in, or what the card's effects were.]

[Yeah, Boss Caro asked for materials for several different cards at once, and the cardmaking assistants didn't know what magic circles were drawn on them either.]

[Don't worry. Recipes aren't that easy to leak. Can people who tighten screws and hammer sheet metal figure out how to build an airplane?]

The barrage entered frenzy mode.

They were all a little unsure how to handle this card.

After all, at first they had assumed it was merely a card everyone possessed. Seeing that it wasn't in Caroso's Deck, they had even thought Caroso was simply overconfident in his own strength.

But now that they thought about it, if this card did not yet exist in this era, what would happen once it saw the light of day?

Even the priest's sneaky strategy seemed inadequate before this card, because anyone could use it!

This was more than just two cards. Behind it lay an entire series of card-drawing methods. It was equivalent to turning Caroso's thirty points into sixty—one for two, a textbook example.

[Actually, it wouldn't be a big deal if this card entered the market, right? At worst, just release it and let everyone compete. Could they possibly invent things faster than us?]

[Yeah, how long would they need to research our finished cards?]

Before long, Caroso calmed down as well.

He had been stunned by this card for an entire day. Once the Netizens reminded him, he understood just how significant it was.

In the face of this card, any betrayal could happen.

The only person he could trust was Grand Duke Kolia.

Caroso did not dare communicate with the Grand Duke in any form. If they were going to discuss this matter, they had to do so face-to-face.

As the Grand Duke's son, he enjoyed far more conveniences than others, but his actions were also more likely to draw scrutiny.

Whether magic stones or telegrams, both could be intercepted—especially after the two priest cards had entered the market.

"Whew, I understand. For now, I'll only use this card myself." Caroso let out a long breath. "Now that the priest's cards are covering for me, even if I have more cards than others, they'll only assume they're follow-ups to those priest cards."

[You decide that yourself. You already know how to make it, anyway.]

[Don't flaunt your wealth. Keep a low profile in life. If you can hide something, hide it.]

[Yeah. A common man is innocent, but he becomes guilty for possessing jade.]

"As for the dean... I already told him his potential rating. That's equivalent to him knowing quite a lot about himself. If I bring up something like this again so soon, it might trigger a stress reaction." Caroso said, "You don't really understand his personality, either."

[Uh... I really don't fucking understand myself.]

[Everything I know comes from what other people said.]

[Anyway, Blank in the future had it pretty rough. Whatever they have now is something that will be divided up in the future.]

[Yeah. If he printed this card and sold it, no matter how much money he made, it wouldn't belong to him.]

"Alright, let's continue making cards. These two will be enough for card drawing for now." Caroso said calmly. "We'll make the others after practical combat class is over. Unless I have no other choice, I won't use cards like these."

Two days passed quickly.

Over those two days, Caroso's name could be said to have echoed throughout the entire academy.

At first, the matter of the God's Chosen had been suppressed by the academy. Only the headmaster, the gatekeeper, and the prince knew about it. But afterward, even if Caroso wanted to keep a low profile, his strength would not allow it.

In the entrance examination, Caroso had the highest aptitude—especially his spiritual power. Aside from the player character Blank, he was the first in three hundred years.

Most importantly, every single one of his aptitudes was extremely high. There was no visible weakness.

Then, in a battle where a first-year challenged a third-year—a noble duel between people of equal status—he had outright reduced Karei to tears.

In that battle, the bizarre priest cards had burst onto the scene through Caroso.

Nor did Caroso keep them to himself. He openly let everyone know that he had reached a partnership with the Royal Family and had begun selling the cards on a large scale.

At present, all the priests in the academy were lining up. Those with money and influence were the first to buy them.

For a time, Caroso's wallet began to swell. He hired a butler with an annual salary of one hundred and twenty Magic Crystal Coins, bought piles of materials, rented a laboratory, and employed cardmaking assistants. Not only had he not gone broke—he was even making money.

If nothing else, the Netizens had helped Caroso get rich first.

Today was finally the day of his first class since enrolling.

The Alchemy Academy was enormous. It had six grades in total. After passing the third grade, students could graduate at any time; whether they pursued further study in the final three grades was up to them.

One thing was certain: each of the final three grades was extremely expensive, and each year cost more than the last.

If the first three grades were the foundation, cultivating ordinary talents, then the final three grades were for cultivating true elites and top-tier experts.

Some students could even reach the sixth tier by the time they graduated from sixth grade, though such cases were rare.

Glancing up at the sign for First-Year S Class, Caroso walked in calmly.

Six people were already seated inside. Rayne and Elena were among them.

Caroso swept his gaze over the room, and the barrage began scrolling.

[Boss Caro, stop looking. There's no talent here.]

[All the talented people are in the upper grades, along with the teachers.]

[You're growing too fast. They can't keep up with you. In the future, the youngest ones who can join will have to be at least fifth-years.]

[Fifth-years? Are you treating all those blue skies and white clouds as if they weren't people?!]

[May every card you draw be blue skies and white clouds forever.]

When Elena saw Caroso, she excitedly waved at him.

Caroso nodded to the two of them, then glanced at where the other four were seated without saying anything more.

Just as Caroso took his seat, the bell for class rang.

At the same time as the bell rang, Bai, who had previously had no dealings with Caroso, entered the classroom.

"Hello, everyone. I have no name. My codename is Bai, and from today onward, I'll be your card-making instructor." Bai wore an outfit of interwoven red and black, with an approachable smile on her face. "I'm an S-class card maker recognized by the Alchemy Alliance. Does everyone know what ranks card makers have?"

[It's me, it's me!]

[Wow, I had a time like this too?]

[Master is so cute!]

[Damn, if I'd known, I would've played Bai. Kong isn't as cute as Bai.]

"I know!" Elena raised her hand.

"Please, go ahead." Bai extended her fair little hand toward Elena.

Elena stood up, placed a hand before her mouth, and cleared her throat. "The lowest rank is D-class. They can make first- to third-tier cards, not including Epic-grade cards and above."

"C-class card makers can make fourth-tier cards."

"B-class card makers can make fifth-tier cards."

"A-class card makers can make sixth-tier cards."

"S-class card makers, also known as master-level card makers, can make seventh-tier cards."

"S+-class card makers can make eighth-tier cards."

"S++-class card makers can make ninth-tier cards."

"Correct." Bai snapped her fingers. "Then what about EX-class?"

"EX?" Elena froze for a moment.

"The Card Gods," Caroso answered. "The gods who originally created the rules of cards."

"Caroso, right?" Bai's gaze settled on Caroso.

"Teacher." Caroso politely rose to his feet.

"Your talent as a card maker truly is among the best. You could even reach the highest level short of the Card Gods—the S++ class. You aren't a D-class card maker now, are you?"

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