Castling

The mage standing in the center of the magic circle wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, quietly savoring the immense gains brought by Sorcerous Wisdom. The change brought by +2 Intelligence was not merely a simple numerical increase; it helped the young mage touch the threshold of the extraordinary intelligence realm in one fell swoop.

On the continent of Faerûn, the limit for mortal attributes is 18. Every step beyond that is a grueling climb along a precipice of ten thousand fathoms. These Champions often spend years of arduous tempering just to catch a glimpse of the narrow path leading toward the extraordinary amidst the vast mountains.

Of course, those who choose not to remain human are excluded from this, as certain naturally legendary, cheat-like races leave Ryan unable to even complain.

However, the lucky Ryan, aided by the Myriad Changes Card this time, had undoubtedly grasped the stepping stone to the extraordinary.

The mage carefully tucked the used Myriad Changes Card into his Traveler Space. Although the magic and spells attached to the Myriad Changes Card would dissipate entirely once opened, turning it into an ordinary art piece, many scholars and mages remained deeply interested in it. They would offer high prices to acquire these miraculous creations of the ancient magic empire, and there were plenty of people who simply treated them as exquisite collectibles.

Ryan reckoned that his own unreliable and unscrupulous mentor might also be interested in this. The youth prepared to give the card to Yefalin as a souvenir of his travels; when a young fledgling leaves the nest to spread its wings in the boundless sky, it still misses the small but warm nest under the setting sun.

Thinking of the exaggerated, emotional reaction the blue-haired beauty with the mature aura usually had when receiving his gifts, a smile quietly appeared on the youth's upright brow.

A happy, satisfied smile bloomed on the handsome profile of the blond youth in the center of the magic circle, much like a child who had stolen a sweet apple. Seeing this, Jelona let go of the worry in her heart, and a faint curve appeared at the corners of her mouth.

The results of the first two Magic Omnipotence Cards were both pleasant surprises. Ryan's heart was now filled with an inexplicable confidence, feeling as if he were blessed by the gods of luck. He looked at the third Myriad Changes Card in the ironwood box with burning eyes.

However, Ryan quickly sobered up from his greed, silently admonishing himself to remain calm and prioritize caution above all else.

The cowardly mage honestly began his preparations. Although he was down two third-circle spell slots, Ryan took several scrolls from his space to ensure his combat readiness, skillfully layering defensive spells upon himself.

Once everything was ready, the blond youth took out the final Myriad Changes Card. Looking at the small, healed wound on his hand, Ryan could only grimace as he took out a sharp knife, sliced his fingertip again, and smeared his blood onto the card.

A faint light flashed, the swirling patterns in the center of the card rippled, and a marvelous scene was revealed on the exquisite surface.

Above a vast green land, mountains and rivers wound endlessly. Towering giants reaching into the clouds held massive chess pieces, playing a calm game using mountains as borders and rivers as lines. On the image, a majestic giant pinched a mountain-like king piece, making a move.

Accompanying the image was a soft, seductive voice that suddenly appeared in everyone's ears, as if the most intimate lover were holding you in her soft embrace and whispering in your ear, using the gentlest tone to stir up the deepest desires in your heart.

"You are craving power, aren't you?" someone asked softly beside the blond youth, the tone like the serpent in the Garden of Eden tempting Adam and Eve to pick the forbidden fruit, filled with seductive, honeyed words.

The youth was dazed for a moment. His strong and resilient spirit allowed him to reflexively try to banter in his confusion. Before he could finish saying, "No, what I crave is...", the Spark tattoo on Ryan's chest flashed, and the mage instantly regained his clarity.

Waking from the charm, a vigilant Ryan observed his surroundings and found that the three adventurers were also dazed, their lips slightly parted in a stupor, preparing to answer something.

In his urgency, the mage lunged to the side of the half-elf ranger closest to him, grabbed her, and covered Jelona's lips to prevent her from speaking, while shouting, "Don't answer! Don't answer!" in an attempt to warn the Dwarf and the barbarian who were caught in the charm.

Although Ryan, who had only learned the name Castling from the card, did not know its specific effect, anything that directly charmed the heart and stirred up one's deepest desires was clearly no good. Adhering to the principle of doing the opposite of what the opponent wanted, Ryan decisively stopped everyone from answering.

But it was too late. Accompanied by the Dwarf's loud shout of "That's right, I want a big ass!" and the barbarian warrior foolishly yelling, "Arata wants to fight!", the figures of the two flickered and vanished.

The anomaly occurred as expected. Ryan looked dumbfounded at the two Goblins that had appeared in the spots where the Dwarf and barbarian had been—oblivious to the change in environment and still engaged in the act of racial reproduction—and finally understood the meaning of Castling.

Waiting for the magic effect to end, the information finally transmitted by the Myriad Changes Card told Ryan the function of this peculiar card: after opening Castling, a mysterious, seductive voice would ask creatures within the effect range about their deepest desires. If they answered, they would swap positions with a random creature within a radius of ten thousand miles. Hence, Castling.

Ryan's mouth twitched. What kind of clever brain could have come up with this card? It was too much of a trap!

While it could indeed be useful at times, the restriction of random teleportation was simply too outrageous.

When Ryan, still speechless, felt his palm touched by something soft and moist, he suddenly realized he was still covering the half-elf ranger's mouth. Jelona's body was currently leaning against the mage's chest, her shoulders held by him as he covered her red lips.

The two were in a very ambiguous position. The blond youth hadn't noticed the details in his panic, but now that he had come to his senses, with the fragrant, soft beauty in his arms—and his nose seemingly able to smell the fresh scent of forests and flowers on the half-elf—Ryan felt instantly embarrassed and hurriedly let go, stepping back.

The young mage hurriedly expressed his apologies to the half-elf, whose cheeks were already flushed, failing to notice the flash of disappointment and attachment in Jelona's eyes.

However, the half-elf ranger, who quickly adjusted her mindset, looked at the apologetic youth and revealed a gentle smile, indicating that there was a reason for it and that she didn't mind.

Noticing the situation around them, Jelona quickly asked Ryan about the Dwarf and the barbarian. Ryan looked at the two Goblins that had rolled into the corner, still immersed in the joy of reproduction, and after a twitch of his face and some thought, he replied:

"The magic effect is to swap positions. Given the current situation, Kasla and Arata should not be in any life-threatening danger, but I expect we'll have to wait until we get out to find them."

Hearing this, Jelona breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't a lethal spell, she trusted the strength of her two teammates; after all, it was hard for two such straightforward, blockheaded guys to survive until now without some tricks up their sleeves.

Putting aside her worries, the half-elf ranger looked at the two dirty Goblins with disgust and decisively drew her bow and arrow to send the two unlucky fellows on their way.

Meanwhile, in a lush forest with towering ancient trees, the bewildered Dwarf and barbarian stood amidst a group of fleeing Goblins, staring at each other with wide eyes. The air between them was suddenly dead silent, as if it had dropped to freezing point.

After a long while, the Dwarf, finally realizing what had happened, let out a deafening, frantic roar: "What the hell, why?!"

The roar, filled with grievance and confusion, drifted over the forest, lingering for a long time and startling countless birds into flight.