Overtaken!
20: Generous Rewards!
Overtaken!
Chapter 20: Generous Rewards!
Overtaken!
“From the moment you began drafting your Magic Card until the final bell of the unified examination, City Lord Cang Fenghua and the principals of the other two academies were watching.” Principal Gu did not bother with riddles, addressing the lingering confusion in Luke’s eyes directly.
“We observed the entire process.” The older man leaned forward, his voice dropping to a measured cadence.
“It is precisely because we recognized how truly special Dark Magician Girl is that the City Lord ultimately elevated your reward by a full tier.” Principal Gu deliberately omitted the term ‘Original Magic Card’ from his explanation.
This omission was a calculated move, born from a prior, quiet consensus among the city’s highest authorities.
Even the decision to restrict the reward increase to a single tier was Cang Fenghua’s deliberate choice, designed to keep unwanted attention away from the young prodigy.
None of them had ever witnessed the birth of an Original Magic Card before today.
They refused to let such a monumental event become a target on Luke’s back before he could properly mature.
This quiet adjustment was an olive branch from Cang Fenghua—a silent investment.
A genius capable of forging a Six-Star Original Magic Card on his very first attempt in the Magic Card Master domain was destined for greatness.
‘So that’s how it is.’ Luke nodded slowly, a look of sudden understanding washing over his features.
He truly hadn’t expected his drafting session to be broadcast directly to the City Lord and the three academy heads.
Just as Chairman Yu had initially failed to recognize Dark Magician Girl’s true nature, Zhou Rong and Zhang Ming remained entirely in the dark.
Their grasp on the deeper mechanics of Magic Card creation was far shallower than the Chairman’s.
Even with Principal Gu subtly hinting at the card’s unique nature, the two teachers wouldn’t dare leap to the conclusion of an Original Magic Card.
They merely assumed Dark Magician Girl possessed some terrifying, yet-to-be-revealed latent ability.
Even that assumption was enough to leave them secretly reeling.
The raw power Dark Magician Girl had already displayed in the arena was nothing short of devastating.
If she still harbored hidden strengths, the card’s true ceiling was simply outrageous.
Naturally, neither Luke nor Principal Gu offered any further clarification.
“Aside from the materials I just handed over, there is one final reward attached to this unified examination,” Principal Gu continued, shifting the topic after conveying the City Lord’s goodwill.
“Another reward?” Luke slipped the Storage Card into his pocket, raising a curious eyebrow.
For a novice Magic Card Master, a stockpile of Blue-grade and Purple-grade materials was already a massive windfall.
He hadn’t anticipated anything more.
“The top five students in this examination will also be granted a slot to enter the Demon Spirit Home,” Principal Gu announced, letting the weight of the words settle in the room.
“The Demon Spirit Home?” Luke repeated the unfamiliar name.
Zhou Rong stepped in to clarify, her tone taking on a professional, instructional edge.
“The Demon Spirit Home is a Dimensional Plane tethered directly to Cangling City.
It boasts an incredibly rich ecosystem of Fairy-type and Spirit-type materials.
Within our borders, it is one of the most highly sought-after Dimensional Planes.” Dimensional Planes were fractured subspaces tethered to the overarching Magic Card Civilization.
According to ancient texts, these isolated realms were born from the shattered remnants of destroyed worlds, forged through countless eons of violent spatial evolution.
The Magic Card Civilization anchored thousands of these planes.
Once a stable two-way teleportation channel was established through the Dimensional Hall, a Magic Card Master could cross the void and harvest the resources within.
Because the Demon Spirit Home produced such high-quality Fairy-type materials, it served as a critical economic pillar for Cangling City.
Naturally, the City Lord’s Mansion maintained an iron grip on its borders, strictly regulating who was allowed to cross the threshold.
Listening to Zhou Rong’s breakdown, Luke grasped the immense value of the opportunity.
‘Fairy-type and Spirit-type materials?’ Luke rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought.
The moment those classifications were mentioned, a cascade of iconic card artworks flashed through his mind.
The evolutionary history of Spirit-type monsters in his memory was a long, fascinating journey of weak familiars growing into devastating forces.
Only the legendary lineage of the Pure Succubus could rival that kind of developmental potential.
“If it weren’t for your performance today, I fear not a single student from Third High School would have secured a slot for the Demon Spirit Home,” Zhou Rong sighed, a trace of bitter reality in her voice.
Despite their overall curriculum improving, the sheer gap in resources between their academy and the elite students of First and Second High School remained a steep cliff to climb.
“Come now, there is one last item.
An old fellow entrusted this to me, specifically for you.” Principal Gu smoothly took over the conversation, reaching into his breast pocket to withdraw another card.
“Another Magic Card?
Don’t tell me it’s a second Storage Card,” Luke muttered, though he reached out to accept it.
He turned the card over in his fingers.
Much like the Storage Card provided by the City Lord’s Mansion, this one bore a distinct emblem stamped directly into its center—a sharp, geometric rhomboid symbol that pulsed with a faint, almost imperceptible arcane energy.
It lacked the immediate, overwhelming authority of the City Lord’s crest, yet Luke felt a strange sense of familiarity looking at it, even if he couldn’t quite place where he had seen it before.
“A Magic Card Association membership card?” Zhang Ming blurted out from the side, his eyes widening as he recognized the emblem instantly.
His expression twisted into a knot of utter confusion.
“That’s the official proof of identity for joining the Association.
But doesn’t membership strictly require passing their internal assessment first?” As a registered member of the Cangling City Magic Card Association himself, Zhang Ming knew the grueling requirements all too well.
Years ago, he had been forced to submit three separate applications and endure a grueling practical exam before finally earning his own membership card.
Why was Principal Gu casually handing one over to a high school student?
“Under normal circumstances, yes, a Magic Card Master must pass a rigorous assessment to obtain this card,” Principal Gu explained with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“But Luke’s situation is exceptional.
This was directly approved and issued by Old Man Yu himself., Old Man Yu left a message: including Dark Magician Girl, if you can successfully forge three Six-Star Magic Cards before the college entrance examination, you will be immediately elevated to the status of an Elite Member.” Old Man Yu?
The only person Principal Gu would dare refer to with such casual familiarity was Chairman Yu, the Branch Chairman of the Cangling City Magic Card Association.
The ‘old fellow’ pulling the strings behind the scenes was the highest-ranking Association official in the city.
Zhang Ming sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
That was an overwhelming amount of information to process at once.
More, a harsh reality was settling over him.
He, a seasoned teacher, was still just an ordinary Association member.
Meanwhile, his teenage student was practically guaranteed to become an Elite Member within the next few months.
Had he just been completely overtaken by his own student?
“Chairman Yu personally approving an exemption from the entry assessment…
I’ve never even heard of such a precedent.” Zhou Rong rubbed her temples, trying to stave off an incoming headache.
She looked at the young man standing before them.
“Luke, joining the Magic Card Association and securing an Elite Member status will open doors you didn’t even know existed.
The benefits are staggering.” She spoke from experience.
As a King Realm Magic Card Master, if she hadn’t already secured her own Elite Member status, she would have been the laughingstock of her peers.
To see a high schooler fast-tracked to the same privileges was nothing short of historic.
[Akarin’s Note: Enjoying the story?