Dekan Decides to Get Rich

Theresia blinked, her little mouth almost forming a tiny round hole.

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

Dekan answered blandly.

This surprised Theresia even more. Dekan was actually a year younger than her!

Fifteen-year-old second-tier Magic Card makers were quite common at Heavenlyte Magic Academy. They could even be considered average.

However, most first-year makers at Heavenlyte Magic Academy could only create [White Common] cards!

A card's quality largely reflected its strength, value, and the maker's skill level.

If a novice maker could create [Blue Precious] Magic Cards, they usually possessed exceptional talent.

Yet every single Bandit Goblin Dekan had made was Blue Precious quality!

It was as though blue was the lower limit of his ability!

Cards of [Purple Rare] quality underwent a qualitative leap in price. Ordinary people simply could not afford them.

That was also why a single Goblin Sheriff card had exhausted Theresia's budget.

For wealthy nobles and powerful individuals, Purple Rare cards were often core cards in their own systems.

A level above that, [Orange Epic] cards were the highest-grade cards people could imagine seeing.

To most people, they were more like distant symbols and legends.

In a border city like this, one might not see any trace of an Epic card holder for years.

Even many teachers at Heavenlyte Magic Academy had never owned an Epic card.

As for the highest-grade [Red Legend] cards, they practically existed only in legends. Many people were not even sure whether such cards truly existed in the world.

A fifteen-year-old second-tier maker capable of creating Purple Rare cards and an ordinary fifteen-year-old second-tier maker were entirely different concepts!

Usually, only makers who had reached the fourth or fifth tier could look back and have a chance of making Rare-quality first- or second-tier cards.

There was no doubt that Dekan was a genuine genius.

And the cards Dekan made... how should she put it? They were the strange kind.

The kind that could easily throw the entire environment into chaos.

He must have some unique methods and techniques to create such outrageous cards.

Theresia swallowed and asked tentatively,

"By the way, do you have any Spell Cards for sale? Ones you made yourself!"

"Spell Cards I made... I've basically sold them all. The people in town really like the Spell Cards I make, but let me look. I remember having one extra."

With that, Dekan searched through his card album. Before long, he found a blue-quality card and handed it to Theresia.

[Hydrogen Explosion]

[Type: Spell Card]
[Quality: Blue Precious]

[Tier: 2]
[Effect: Deals violent explosive damage, unaffected by the caster's mana attribute.]

[Note: Patrick Star is art!]

"This card probably deals slightly more damage than a third-tier fire spell. Its downside is that it consumes a little more mana than an ordinary second-tier Spell Card and takes longer to cast."

Dekan introduced it.

"That's not right! This doesn't follow the principles of Spell Cards! A second-tier spell dealing third-tier damage is already absurd enough, so why isn't it affected by the caster's mana attribute either?!"

Normally, a Spell Card's damage should be some percentage multiplied by the caster's mana attribute!

"This is called science."

"???"

After being confused for quite a while, Theresia asked again, "Then this card must be very complicated to make, right?"

"It's easy. A second-tier Electric Shock, plus a first-tier Water Ball, plus a first-tier Fireball. After a few experiments, it was done."

"What does any of that even mean?!"

Theresia felt like she could not understand a word Dekan was saying.

Still, she bought the card.

Just as Theresia happily prepared to find an open field to test Hydrogen Explosion, Dekan spoke up.

"By the way, miss, I'm planning to take the Heavenlyte Magic Academy entrance exam this year. How much would it cost to hire you to escort me to the Royal Capital?"

Dekan's teacher had told him that if he wanted to make better cards, he should go see a big city.

And he had happened to meet a student from Havenlit Academy. It would be great if he could travel with her.

"You need to hire a Guard?"

"...After all, I'm only second-tier, and I'm more of a clerical worker."

In this world, Magic Cards were similar to items and skills sealed inside cards, serving as a means of combat.

Playing cards was extremely dangerous.

Dekan wanted to avoid fighting and killing whenever possible. He only wanted to draw and write.

Of course, if someone insisted on disturbing his peace, that would be another matter.

After all, he had never lost to anyone.

Theresia froze for a moment, then smiled and extended her hand to Dekan. "I won't charge you! Let's be friends!"

She knew Dekan had a boundless future. Once he reached the Royal Capital, he might become a great Magic Card master. By then, getting him to make cards would probably require waiting in line for ages.

If she wanted to make friends, she had to do it now!

"Alright."

Dekan took Theresia's hand as well.

This was proof of friendship.

Although Dekan knew that free things were the most expensive, he appreciated Theresia's good judgment.

Respect me just a little more, and I'll make even better cards for you!

Dekan's three favorite things were collecting money, drawing, and having others respect him.

After agreeing to set off the next morning, the two chatted for a while before Theresia left the little shop.

Dekan leaned back in his chair, holding a cup of pomelo tea as he hummed leisurely.

"Never was a cloudy day~"

It had been fifteen years since he reincarnated into this world. From childhood until now, he had never encountered any crisis, nor had he awakened any kind of system.

The world was quite peaceful, aside from natural disasters being a little too frequent.

The kingdom he lived in had a harmonious relationship with its neighboring countries, and every day at his little shop on the border was wonderfully comfortable.

But since money was so easy to make, he might as well go work hard in the Royal Capital for a few years and get rich!

Dekan's goal in life was simple.

He simply liked making Magic Cards.

His dream was to make the prettiest wife cards.

Ah, no, Red Legend-quality cards.

Just thinking about living in luxury someday, surrounded by girl cards...

Comfortable. Far too comfortable.

Pygmalion had not deceived him.

The only thing that made Dekan somewhat unhappy was that the traveling merchant had bought that batch of Bandit Goblins from him for only 100 Mint Coins each!

Apparently, the card had risen to over 2 Gold Coins each in the Royal Capital.

That unscrupulous merchant had told him, "This card is pretty ordinary. It's only a little stronger than a blank Goblin card."

His teacher also often said, "What kind of trash Magic Cards are you making?"

So Dekan had actually believed it back then.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became!

That man had actually cheated such an innocent and kind young man as him!

Theresia was still the sincere and upright one.

To avoid ruining his good mood, Dekan decided to think of something pleasant.

He could not help taking out a Magic Card. The instant it appeared in the shop, the entire little house seemed to brighten slightly.

Faint ripples spread across the card's surface, emanating layers of hazy orange radiance.

"Good thing I didn't sell this card to that black-hearted merchant. This is the only Epic card I've ever made."

Dekan smiled smugly as he admired his masterpiece.