"The City Lord's reward will have to wait for Principal Harlow." Graves slid a card across her desk. "But the academy's reward is mine to authorize. This is yours."
A Storage Card. Luke turned it over in his fingers. In Magic Card Civilization, just about everything came in card form. Storage Cards were the civilian equivalent of a Card Master's Card Editor, built using specialized technology that mimicked some of the principles behind real Magic Cards. Twenty cubic meters of internal space, sealed and portable.
"Inside, you'll find twenty blue-grade materials, fifty green-grade, and eighty white-grade. Total value sits somewhere between four and a half and five million."
Luke's eyebrows rose. That was significantly more generous than he'd expected from a school reward. Blue-grade materials alone were serious. That tier could support the crafting of Seven-Star cards. In a package like this, the blue-grades accounted for the lion's share of the total value.
He ran a quick mental scan over the contents. Among the hundred-plus materials, a handful caught his attention immediately. Things that aligned with what he was planning to build next.
"Work hard, Luke." Graves allowed herself a rare moment of warmth. "I expect an even better result from you in the college entrance exam."
The reward package had been upgraded on the spot. The original allotment for first place was lower, but after watching Luke's performance, Graves had made the call to boost it. She hadn't run it past Harlow first, but she was certain he would've done the same.
If Luke performed anywhere near this level in the college entrance exam, the publicity alone would transform Westbridge's recruiting pipeline for years to come.
The investment was worth it.
Home.
Luke closed the front door behind him and summoned Mana with a flick of her card. The dark magic circle bloomed on the floor, and she rose from it with her usual effortless grace.
"Mana, take a look around and get familiar with the place. I'm going to start building that equipment I mentioned."
Strike while the iron was hot. He had the materials. He had the Simulated Crafting blueprint at a hundred percent. No reason to wait.
"Ooh, a whole house? I get to explore?!" Mana's eyes lit up and she was already drifting toward the nearest door before Luke finished his sentence. Her footsteps were light, almost soundless, as she peeked into rooms, opened cabinets, and investigated the kitchen with the cautious fascination of a cat in a new environment.
After a full loop, she returned to Luke's side and settled into a hover just above and behind his shoulder. Chin propped on both hands, legs kicking lazily in the air, she watched him work with wide, attentive eyes.
Something about the scene made her smile. A small, private smile that Luke didn't notice because he was already deep in the Card Editor.
The Yu-Gi-Oh worldview was already loaded. The Spell Tome's simulation had hit a hundred percent during the exam. With both foundations in place, the actual construction process moved fast.
「 During one of Dark Magician Girl Mana's adventures, she discovered a special magical artifact known as the "Spell Tome." 」
「 Through extensive study, Mana unlocked the Spell Tome's power and integrated it into her own abilities. 」
The background data poured into the Card Editor. Mana churned across Luke's body as the system processed the input.
「 Card background approved. Please complete the card art and add materials. 」
Spiritual energy as ink. The Spell Tome's image materialized inside the editor, clean and precise. Luke fed in the materials, and they dissolved into the illustration, saturating it with color.
「 Construction successful. Mana Surge acquired. 」
Luke paused. "Equip and Counter Cards generate Mana Surge too?"
A faint pulse of new energy had settled into his body. Weak compared to what he'd gotten from crafting Mana herself, but undeniably real.
It made sense after a second of thought. Simulated Crafting was just a dry run. No real card was produced, so no Mana Surge. But actual construction, even for support cards, was still card creation. The system treated it accordingly.
"Right. It's still a Magic Card at the end of the day." He nodded to himself. "Though the Mana Surge from support cards is way smaller than from Card Spirits."
The Spell Tome's construction hadn't been enough to push him through to Commander Realm. Close, though. His internal reserves had thickened noticeably. The breakthrough felt like it was sitting right on the other side of a thin wall, one more push away.
A few seconds later, a card appeared inside the Card Editor. Its border was a distinct green, immediately different from the standard Card Spirit frame. Something entirely new.
Luke pulled it out.
「 Spell Tome 」
Type: Equip Card
Effect: When equipped, all attributes increase by 15%. Mana recovery speed increased by 100%.
"No quality rating. No star level. And it wasn't classified as a Spell Card. The system categorized it as an Equip Card instead." Luke turned the card between his fingers. "The effect is simple, but a flat fifteen percent to all attributes just for equipping it? That's not small."
He ran the math in his head.
"And a hundred percent boost to mana recovery on top of that? For a spellcaster Card Spirit, that's practically a cheat code."
For someone like Mana, whose entire combat style revolved around channeling dark magic, doubling her mana regeneration was the difference between running dry mid-fight and having a bottomless tank. In any sustained engagement, that single stat could outperform a raw power increase.
Same as with Mana Surge, Simulated Crafting couldn't preview a finished card's stats. The simulation was purely for refining the process and pushing success rates. You didn't see the results until you actually built the thing.
And this Spell Tome had been made with low-grade materials. The bottom of the barrel. If higher-quality materials produced stronger Equip Cards, the ceiling for this card type could be enormous.
Luke's anticipation kicked up another notch.
"Alright." He held up the Spell Tome and pulled Mana down from her floating perch. "Let's test it. This is the equipment I was telling you about."
The card was built. The stats looked promising. But whether Mana could actually use it, and what would happen when she did, was something only a live test could answer.
"Ooh, so THIS is what you've been working on!" Mana took the card from his hand, turning it over with sparkling eyes. Something clicked behind them, some instinct Luke couldn't name, and she pressed the Spell Tome flat against her chest, directly over her heart.
Under Luke's slightly wide-eyed gaze, the card sank into her body like a stone disappearing into still water. No resistance. No friction. Just a smooth, seamless absorption.
The instant it vanished, Luke felt it. Through the bond between Card Master and Card Spirit, Mana's power was climbing. Not a little. A lot. Attributes rising across the board, a steady, accelerating surge that...
...hit a wall.
Right at the edge of something, the growth stopped cold. Like a balloon pressing against a ceiling it couldn't push through.
"I feel stronger," Mana said, flexing her fingers experimentally. "A lot stronger. But it's like there's an invisible barrier. My power went up, but it can't go any further."
Her words matched Luke's own reading perfectly. The equipment worked. The stat boost was real. But something was capping the effect at a certain threshold.
Luke's eyes narrowed. Not in frustration. In thought.
An invisible ceiling. A wall that the Spell Tome alone couldn't break.
Which raised an obvious question: what if he stacked something else on top of it?
For every 500 Powerstones extra chapter.