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As Card Masters explored deeper into the Card Realm over the centuries, the dangers escalated in lockstep. Creatures that made the Darkwater Plane's residents look tame. Environmental hazards that could kill Sovereigns. Spatial anomalies that swallowed expeditions whole.
Eventually, the Ancient Kingdom's leadership made the call: the Card Realm was too dangerous for open access. It was placed under Association jurisdiction, restricted to elite members and above. And even within that group, the depth of access scaled with rank. The deeper you wanted to go, the higher your standing had to be.
The restrictions had brought the casualty rate down to something manageable. But they'd also turned the Card Realm into the ultimate carrot for ambitious Card Masters. Want to explore the good stuff? Climb the ladder.
Luke filed all of this away for future reference and closed the notification.
"Master, could you grab me a towel?" Mana's voice drifted from the bathroom.
Luke set down his tablet and obliged, then spent the rest of the evening in comfortable quiet.
-----
The next morning, Luke woke before Mana.
She was still curled up beside him, breathing softly, her face relaxed into an expression so peaceful that Luke paused for a moment just to look at it. He reached over and pinched her cheek gently. She made a small noise but didn't wake.
"Going to work on something. Sleep a bit longer."
"Mm." Mana's eyes fluttered but didn't open. Within seconds, her breathing steadied again.
Luke dressed and moved to the other room, closing the door behind him.
These past couple of days, the bulk of his focus had been on the Digital World simulation and the evolution mechanic problem. But that didn't mean he'd stopped thinking about Yu-Gi-Oh cards entirely. And among Harrison's investment materials, one item in particular had caught his attention.
*「 Jade Scale: A special material harvested from the Jade Scale Python, a water-type beast. Possesses the ability to deflect incoming attacks to a degree. Opponents fighting the Python must constantly account for their own attacks being redirected. 」*
Deflect incoming attacks. Redirect them back.
The moment Luke had read that description, one card had flashed through his mind: Magic Cylinder.
One of the most iconic trap cards in Yu-Gi-Oh history. Two massive cylinders that absorbed an incoming attack and fired it back at the attacker. It had been semi-restricted during the early card game era for good reason: unconditional attack reflection was obscenely powerful.
And the mental image of Dark Magician Girl hoisting two oversized Magic Cylinders onto her shoulders was one of the franchise's most beloved scenes. Luke had grown up watching that clip. The idea of giving Mana her own pair was too perfect to pass up.
Unlike the Eye of Timaeus, which had required weeks of background development and worldview integration, Magic Cylinder was a straightforward Counter Card. Same category as Magical Hats. Simple background, clear function, fast construction.
Luke cleared his mind and got to work.
*「 Magic Cylinder: A special technique wielded by master magicians. The cylinders absorb incoming attacks and redirect them back at the source. 」*
*「 Legend tells of a magician who once used this technique to avert a catastrophe, turning an enemy's overwhelming power against itself. 」*
*「 Only magicians with exceptional talent can master the Cylinder's operation without being harmed by its own power. 」*
*「 After extensive training, the Dark Magician Girl has achieved full mastery of the Magic Cylinder technique. 」*
Half a day. That was all it took. The background was simple, the lore was clean, and the construction went smoothly. Materials dissolved, card art formed, mana surged.
*「 Construction successful. Mana Surge received. Level increased to Nine-Star Commander! 」*
*「 Mana Surge has reached the current stage threshold. Second Authority: Rewrite and Reorganize, unlocked! 」*
Luke's eyebrows rose.
The level-up wasn't surprising. The Eye of Timaeus had left him one sliver away from Nine-Star, and Magic Cylinder had provided the final push. Straightforward.
But the second notification was unexpected.
When the First Authority, Fantasy Forge and Simulated Crafting, had unlocked, Luke had been told that accumulating Mana Surge energy would eventually open additional authorities. But nothing had happened since then, and the chaos of the exchange match, the Hollow expedition, and the card constructions had pushed the topic out of his mind.
Now, out of nowhere, the second door had opened.
Rewrite and Reorganize. What does that even do?
He wanted to find out immediately. But discipline won. He pulled the completed card from the Editor first.
He was curious to see what the game's most notorious semi-restricted trap card looked like in Magic Card Civilization.
*「 Magic Cylinder 」*
Type: Counter Card
Effect: Costs 30% mana to summon. Negates and reflects attacks from opponents up to one major tier above the user.
"One major tier above." Luke ran the math. If Mana equipped it, she could reflect attacks from Seven-Star opponents. Thirty percent mana cost per use meant three activations at full reserves before she was empty.
The original game version reflected any attack, regardless of strength, but only once. This version was limited to one tier above the user, but could fire three times. Trade-offs that balanced differently but arrived at roughly the same level of devastating.
Good enough. More than good enough.