"Gotta hand it to the Card Master Association. The variety in here is insane." Luke scrolled through the trading system's category list and let out a low whistle. Every material type imaginable, sorted and subcategorized with the obsessive precision of an organization that had spent centuries cataloging the building blocks of Magic Card Civilization.
But the real prize was what he found buried in the listings.
Dragon materials. Real, actual, dragon-type crafting materials. Available for purchase.
Red-Eyes Black Star Dragon's construction might just have moved up the timeline.
"Whoa, there's so many categories!" Mana had draped herself over Luke's shoulder from behind, chin resting on him as she peered at the screen. She lasted about three seconds before the wall of text made her eyes glaze over. "Ugh, it's making me dizzy. There's too much."
"Hang on, let me filter it." Luke's fingers danced across the interface, stripping away everything irrelevant. A few seconds later, the cluttered marketplace transformed into a clean, focused display.
"Oh, that's way better!" Mana reopened her eyes and scanned the screen alongside him. "Wait, so all the dragon stuff that never shows up on the public market..."
"Is sitting right here." Luke narrowed the filter to dragon-type materials only. "The Association basically corners the market. No wonder there's never any dragon materials in public auctions."
"There's still not a lot though," Mana observed, then her eyes caught the price column. She stuck out her tongue. "And those prices... Master, that's a LOT of zeros."
"Dragon beasts are apex predators. Hunting one is basically asking to die unless you're in the upper realms. Supply is tiny, demand is huge." Luke pinched her cheek absently, his other hand still scrolling. "You can't price dragon materials the same way you'd price wolf fangs."
His eyes locked onto a listing.
Immortal Inferno Dragon: Reverse Scale.
A Seven-Star dragon beast. For dragons, the reverse scale was simultaneously their greatest vulnerability and the nexus point of their entire mana circulation system. In the hierarchy of dragon-type materials, reverse scales ranked in the top three in terms of rarity and value.
This single material was high-grade enough to serve as the core component for crafting Red-Eyes Black Dragon itself.
Using it for Red-Eyes Black Star Dragon was, technically, overkill. But Luke wasn't thinking short-term. Black Star Dragon was a transitional card. The reverse scale was an investment in the future. When the time came to reconstruct the full Red-Eyes Black Dragon, the core material would already be in place. No need to hunt for another one. No need to swap components.
Plan ahead now, save time later.
"That one's REALLY expensive!" Mana's eyes went wide at the price tag. Even after mentally adjusting to dragon-material pricing, the reverse scale's cost was in a category of its own.
"Top-three rarity among all dragon materials." Luke tapped her forehead lightly and hit the purchase button without hesitation. "It was never going to be cheap."
The total came to nearly ten million. A purple-grade material at baseline, further inflated by the dragon-type premium and the reverse scale's unique properties. Before the unified exam, Luke couldn't have dreamed of affording this. But the combined cash rewards from Westbridge Academy and the City Lord's Mansion had given him the war chest he needed.
Barely.
After the purchase processed, Luke's available funds had shrunk by roughly ninety percent. Mana watched him complete the transaction without blinking and couldn't help but shake her head in amazement. The amount he'd just spent would have kept a family of four comfortable for the rest of their lives.
About a minute later, a small black portal materialized in the air a few feet in front of them. Through it, a single object was deposited onto the floor before the portal snapped shut.
Magic Card Civilization's courier system. Specialized companies employed teams of Card Masters specifically for teleportation-based delivery. Faster and more secure than any conventional logistics network.
"Convenient." Luke watched the portal wink out. No packaging, no waiting, no delivery trucks. Just instant spatial transfer. "I could get used to this."
"Whoa." Mana picked up the reverse scale and immediately felt it. A wave of pressure rolled off the material, something primal and heavy. Dragonblood aura. It pushed against her senses like standing too close to a bonfire, though the effect seemed contained within a narrow radius. "Strong. Really strong. This thing is intense."
She held it up like she was presenting a trophy, then carried it over to Luke with both hands.
"Some materials are special enough that the Association uses preservation techniques to keep them stable," Luke said, taking the scale and sensing the pressure himself. "It keeps the internal energy from degrading. This one's in perfect condition. No loss at all."
Expensive, yes. But you got what you paid for.
A degraded reverse scale would still work as a crafting material, but the resulting card would suffer. Power loss, reduced potential, diminished stats. This scale, perfectly preserved, meant Red-Eyes Black Star Dragon would be built at maximum strength from a premium foundation.
Luke stored it safely and the two of them continued browsing for the remaining secondary materials. With the core component secured, the supplementary pieces were comparatively easy to find and cheap enough that the cost barely registered after the reverse scale's sticker shock.
Another morning. Another dawn.
Outside Ashenvale City, a shape appeared on the horizon. Massive wings, feathers the color of winter clouds, a body large enough to cast a shadow over entire city blocks.
A Frost Sparrow.
It descended toward the city at a leisurely pace, drawing stares from every civilian on the streets below. Heads tilted up. Fingers pointed. Whispered speculation rippled through the crowds.
The city's defense grid hadn't activated. That meant whoever was riding the Frost Sparrow had clearance.
The Frost Sparrow was a Card Spirit modeled after the Storm Sparrow, the same species of beast that had served as the exam's final boss. Equal in level and combat power to its wild counterpart, but with a temperament bred for obedience rather than aggression. A luxury transport for people wealthy and powerful enough to commission one.
The great bird let out a single, piercing cry and glided down into Westbridge Academy's central plaza, touching down with a grace that belied its enormous size.
"Remind me again," Grant Harlow muttered, watching the Frost Sparrow settle, "why we're hosting this at our school when both Crestfall and Ironvale have better facilities and bigger grounds?"
"Because your student took first place in the exam." Richard Townsend's voice dripped with barely concealed schadenfreude. Beside him, Douglas Brandt wore a matching smirk.
In this moment, both rival principals were experiencing a sensation they hadn't expected: gratitude that their own students hadn't won first place. If Ashenvale lost this exchange, and the odds said they would, at least Crestfall and Ironvale could hide behind the "it was at Westbridge, not our turf" excuse.
These conniving little...
If the Moonvale delegation hadn't already landed, Harlow would've said something he'd regret. Instead, he swallowed it, turned away from the two smirking jackals, and caught sight of Luke standing with the assembled Ashenvale representatives.
His mood improved instantly.
Right. I've got the trump card. Let those two keep grinning. They'll be crying soon enough.