Dekan's Lucky Number

At ten o'clock sharp, the Magic Card Crafting Association's Tier 3 certification exam officially began.

The examination hall was exceptionally spacious, furnished with dozens of workbenches equipped with complete card-crafting apparatuses, each marked with a specific number.

Over twenty crafters had come to participate in this exam; aside from residents of the Royal Capital, many crafters from neighboring cities had also arrived to test.

The spectator stands were filled with quite a few onlookers, most of whom were merchants or curious residents of the Royal Capital.

Naturally, there were also friends and family of the examinees.

Dekan, wearing the school uniform of the Heavenlit Knight Academy, stood out and drew particular attention.

This was because those typically seen at a crafter certification exam were students from the Alchemy Academy.

Occasionally, there would be students from the Mage Academy or the Summoning Academy.

It was very rare to see a student from the Knight Academy.

The examiner began with a series of standard opening remarks.

Next came the introduction of the exam rules.

Basic materials such as blank cards, magic crystals, and magic core fluid would be provided by the Association to establish a theme.

Each examinee would be allotted a quota of only three cards.

As for the type of card the examinee ultimately crafted, there were no restrictions; they were free to choose based on their own expertise.

Crafting a white common card would result in a passing grade, certifying the candidate as a Tier 3, Grade 3 Crafter.

Crafting a blue precious card would result in Tier 3, Grade 2, while a purple rare card would earn Tier 3, Grade 1.

Higher grades symbolized greater potential, and the Magic Card Crafting Association would grant correspondingly higher privileges and benefits.

Depending on the examinee's specific needs, additional materials might be required during the card-crafting process.

There was an integrated shop inside the examination hall.

Examinees could take whatever they needed from it, provided the total value of the additional materials did not exceed 10 gold coins.

As a side note, the exam registration fee was 15 gold coins.

The Association would never let you turn a profit.

After Dekan found his table number, he stared at the basic materials already laid out and fell into deep thought.

Why was it a Tier 3 Holy-attribute magic crystal plus a Holy Radiance Stone?

It seemed the theme for this exam happened to be the Holy attribute.

This was an attribute he was not particularly skilled with.

He rarely crafted healing or dispelling magic cards by hand.

He had done some research into severe injury and anti-purification cards, but those clearly could not be crafted using only Holy-attribute magic crystals as a base.

"If you'd just given me a Light-attribute magic crystal, I could have at least crafted a Solar Fist."

Dekan rubbed his head, feeling the need to think for a moment.

The card-crafting techniques his Master had taught him did include some related to the Holy attribute.

After all, his Master had once dedicated himself to researching how to invert the Holy attribute.

"No problem. If I've already mastered ②, how could I fail to craft ①?"

Dekan organized his thoughts, began drafting his crafting strategy on paper, and calculated the material ratios.

He then headed to the exam shop to select "Demon Blood," "Purifying Holy Flame," a "Tier 3 Purification Magic Scroll," and other materials.

He was ready to begin.

Half an hour into the exam, some candidates had already wasted all their materials and left the hall in regret.

For most crafters who had just reached Tier 3, not to mention the quality of the cards, even the success rate was difficult to guarantee.

Added to factors like nervous tension, three consecutive failures were quite normal.

However, at the same time, a candidate finally succeeded in crafting a card, drawing a gasp from the spectator stands.

The blue light emanating from the card proved he was no ordinary crafter.

A success on the first try, and a blue precious quality one at that!

Soon, the candidate took the finished product to the appraiser, and after the appraisal was complete, it was sent to the testing room.

The examiner then granted a pass on the spot and announced the results publicly.

[Holy Light Hammer]

[Category: Equipment Card]

[Rarity: Blue Precious]

[Rank: 3]

[Effect: Deals an additional 60% damage to enemies of the Evil faction.]

[Note: The Holy Light will smash your head in!]

"How impressive! It's already Tier 2 of Rank 3."

"Tier 2 of Rank 3 is basically the limit for ordinary people. Only the top geniuses from the Havenlit Alchemy Academy each year should be able to reach Tier 1 of Rank 3."

"I heard a freshman already achieved that this year."

"There's a student from Havenlit Academy in this match too... but why is he wearing a red uniform?"

"Don't look down on the red uniforms. Although few of them can craft cards, they are truly ferocious in a fight. Take that rumored cult priest and the Valkyrie, for example..."

"Wait, why does this guy in the red uniform look so much like... Dekan?!"

A wealthy merchant in the audience seemed to have seen the highlight reels released by Havenlit Academy and recognized him with a gasp.

"Are you sure he's Dekan? Isn't Dekan a priest? How can he craft cards?"

"It's definitely him! I'm not mistaken! Even though he was in his succubus form in the recording, this appearance is definitely him!"

The merchant circled the spectator area, scrutinizing Dekan's features repeatedly before speaking with absolute certainty.

The audience erupted into a buzz of noise.

They had expected a mundane Rank 3 card-crafting exam.

To think they would encounter such a prominent figure!

Regardless of what kind of card Dekan ended up making, it was bound to be a hot topic!

Just as the spectators were heatedly discussing, the glow of a finished card began to emanate from the exam floor.

However, whether it was blue or white, the audience didn't pay much attention.

They only cared about what level Dekan was truly at!

Another dozen minutes passed.

The examinees who succeeded on their first attempt had already finished their card production.

Those still on the field were almost all examinees who had made mistakes during the process and had to start over.

Alice frowned.

"Dekan... he hasn't failed yet, but why is he taking so long?"

"I don't know. I don't understand you card crafters."

Theresia simply played dumb.

She silently prayed that Dekan wouldn't make anything too outrageous.

Otherwise, she could already foresee how awkward Alice would feel once she learned the truth that "Dekan is a master card crafter."

"Dekan seems to be making a spell card. I wonder what kind of spell he intends to create... It surprises me that he didn't choose to make an equipment card... It seems he witnessed my crafting process earlier and gained some insight, wanting to imitate me."

Alice continued to comment with an air of profound expertise.

This made Theresia feel increasingly uneasy.

Another dozen minutes passed.

Even the examinees who had failed twice were now nearing the completion of their final cards.

The number of spectators in the stands had not decreased; instead, it had grown.

Many staff members and customers from the first floor had heard the news and rushed to the third floor to watch the spectacle.

Every one of them was curious about what Dekan would produce.

It seemed he hadn't failed once since the exam started; he had just been engraving a single card for a very long time.

"What on earth is this kid doing?"

Even the examiners couldn't help but ask each other.

Unlike most of the audience, they had known the examinees' names from the start.

Because Dekan's name was clearly written on the registration information.

They were equally surprised that Dekan had come to take the Rank 3 card-crafting exam.