The entire afternoon dragged on with story editing class, and Azrael found himself stifling yawn after yawn. Despite his drowsiness, he forced himself to pay attention to the lecture, even though countless untapped anime story ideas swirled through his mind.
The real challenge wasn't coming up with ideas; it was figuring out how to reasonably produce cards without raising suspicion.
When the final bell mercifully rang, Azrael could barely make it to his feet before Cory blocked his path in the classroom doorway.
"Azrael, let's have a battle today!" Cory declared, his eyes blazing with competitive fire.
Does this idiot not realize that card death triggers a 24-hour cooldown period? Azrael thought, mentally labeling Cory as both brainless and arrogant. Out loud, he kept his tone casual. "Sorry, but I have something urgent to take care of at home today. Besides, the ranking test is tomorrow. Can't you wait until then?"
When Cory refused to step aside, Azrael shouldered past him with more force than necessary.
Cory's expression darkened as he watched Azrael's figure disappear down the hallway. "Hmph. Lucky bastard," he muttered under his breath. "First place will be mine tomorrow. Just wait and see."
The bus ride home gave Azrael time to think as the city's sprawling landscape blurred past the grimy windows. When he finally reached his rundown apartment building, he climbed the creaking stairs with anticipation rather than his usual dread.
Settling in front of his computer, Azrael began calculating his current assets with the methodical precision of someone who had learned to count every penny.
First, he had seven pieces of Ghoul (green quality) materials, condensed from his previous Ghoul kills. Since he wouldn't be using them personally, he priced each at 20,000 Empyrean Dollars and posted all seven on the trading website. With luck, they'd sell quickly.
Second was the "Elite Ghoul" (purple quality). This rare material was earmarked for his next card creation and definitely wasn't for sale.
As for liquid funds, the numbers were finally looking promising. Silverbrook High School's reward for enrolling in the advanced classes had earned him 150,000 Empyrean Dollars, and his Black Iron-level Lore Cardian Certification earned him a monthly subsidy of 20,000. Add the 100,000 bravery bonus and the money left over from paying off his previous debts, and Azrael now had over 280,000 in cash.
For the first time in months, he allowed himself to breathe freely. Life was actually getting better.
Picking up his phone, he scrolled to a contact labeled "Koga" and typed a message:
"Koga, I've collected all the money. Can you come over today? I want to pay you back before then."
Across the city, a bald, powerfully built man stared at the message from a contact labeled "Azrael, student, no potential, can try to develop." Koga's scarred fingers drummed against his desk as he considered the implications.
Had he actually collected enough money? Taking out a loan to pay off another loan? His eyes narrowed as possibilities ran through his mind.
After a moment's deliberation, Koga replied: "Understood, Mr. Azrael. We'll be right over."
He looked up at his subordinate lounging nearby. "Kernel, grab the contract, and let's go. Time to visit our potential friend."
"The one marked for development?" Kernel asked, already reaching for the filing cabinet.
"That's the one." Koga's smile didn't reach his eyes.
Soon, both men were driving through evening traffic toward the XingfuEmpyrean Dollars Community.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sound echoed through the narrow corridor outside Azrael's apartment.
"Coming!" Azrael's voice carried through the thin door before it swung open.
"Koga, right? Please come in. Don't worry about your shoes."
The three men arranged themselves around Azrael's small coffee table. The atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension. Azrael pushed a thick envelope across the scratched surface.
"There's $120,000 inside. That should cover everything with interest."
As he spoke, Azrael casually summoned Tsugikuni Yoriichi. The legendary swordsman materialized against the wall with his arms crossed and his hand casually resting on the hilt of his blade. He observed the two loan sharks with quiet intensity.
"A Lore Cardian," Koga breathed, his eyes immediately recognizing the implications. This wasn't the same desperate student he'd investigated months ago; this was a registered Lore Cardian, even if his talent had initially seemed mediocre.
Koga's demeanor shifted instantly, and a practiced smile spread across his face. "Congratulations, Azrael, on becoming a Lore Cardian! You know what? Keep your money. Consider it a gift from Novex Financial to celebrate your achievement."
He gestured to Kernel, who handed over Azrael's contract. With theatrical flair, Koga tore the contract into pieces right there on the coffee table.
Azrael's inner voice sneered at the obvious performance. When someone is overly generous, they're either planning something or afraid of something.
Azrael had no intention of getting involved with these gray-market operators, but he maintained a polite smile outwardly. "A man's word is his bond, Koga. Please take the money; it's only right to repay what I borrowed. Besides, it makes future dealings cleaner for everyone."
Koga's smile faltered slightly. This kid's not as easy to manipulate as I hoped.
Still, Koga was pragmatic above all else. There was no way he was going to antagonize a registered Lore Cardian from the Card Maker Association over a measly 100,000 treasure notes, even if Azrael was only black iron rank.
After a tense pause, Koga accepted the envelope with exaggerated grace. "Mr. Azrael has real integrity. I'm impressed. Consider your debt to Novex Financial completely settled."
"We won't take up any more of your valuable time."
With that, Koga and Kernel made their exit.
Downstairs, Kernel leaned close to his boss and whispered, "Brother, that punk doesn't know when he's ahead of the game."
SMACK!
The slap echoed off the apartment building's concrete walls.
Koga's eyes turned cold as winter steel. "Say something that stupid again, and you'll be joining our previous associates as crafting materials."
"Staying under the radar is our most important rule. Are you insane? Do you want to target a registered Lore Cardian?"
Kernel's hand flew to his stinging cheek as he remembered what had happened to their previous associates. He ducked his head, avoiding Koga's predatory gaze.
"I was wrong, Koga. It won't happen again."
Koga snorted dismissively. "Good. Now, let's move on to the next debtor. At least that one can't pay us back."
Back in his apartment, Azrael felt genuine relief wash over him as he secured the door. One major problem was solved, but he now needed to focus on creating his next card.
He already had several compelling options in mind.
His top choice was definitely Kokushibo: Tsugikuni Michikatsu.
First, this card would form a powerful bond with his existing Tsugikuni Yoriichi, creating devastating combination potential. Second, as Upper Moon One, Kokushibo's combat capabilities were undeniable. With the right materials, Azrael was confident he could raise the card's quality to a gold rank.
However, Kokushibo had one significant drawback: he was vulnerable to sunlight. If Azrael wanted to create this card, he would need to address that weakness.
Currently, he only possessed the [Elite Ghoul] (purple) material. The other components remained unacquired, which gave him time to refine his approach and gather the necessary resources.
"Still need more money," Azrael muttered, running calculations in his head.
The cheapest purple-grade materials started at 150,000 treasure notes, and that was for common variants. Powerful materials commanded prices that made his current funds look like pocket change.
This was just for black iron-grade materials. Higher-tier components often couldn't be bought with money at all. Card makers at those levels preferred bartering, trading rare materials for equally rare ones.
As a student, Azrael's options for quickly acquiring funds through legal channels were extremely limited.
His best bet was hoping that Silverbrook High School would triumph in the four-school joint examination next month. However, based on previous years, their track record wasn't inspiring.
Pushing aside these complicated financial concerns, Azrael prepared for his evening meditation session.
The meditation method taught throughout the Ming dynasty was the "Deep Blue Meditation Method," which was supposedly developed by the legendary tough guy, Oren. Almost every Ming citizen practiced this same technique.
Interestingly, this standardization applied to the rest of the world as well. There were no secret family meditation methods hoarded by noble bloodlines or ancient clans.
This meant that meditation would never restrict a Lore Cardian's advancement.
The ability to construct compelling stories truly separated the exceptional from the ordinary, and Azrael had enough of those to last several lifetimes.