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Victoria's announcement hit the classroom like a thunderbolt.
Yurek was the first to react, practically bouncing in her seat. "Teacher, can all of us really go?"
Victoria smiled wider as she nodded. "That's right. Every student in our key class will have the opportunity to enter this secret realm for training."
She paused and watched their excited faces before adding, "Of course, this is one of the most basic realms available."
The enthusiasm in the room dimmed slightly at her words. Several students exchanged disappointed glances.
Azrael observed their reaction and shook his head. These kids had no idea how lucky they were. Being able to enter any secret realm was an incredible opportunity that most high school students could only dream of. It was a completely unexpected fortune.
"The expedition is scheduled for two weeks from now," Victoria continued. "The secret realm is classified as mountain forest terrain, so I hope everyone prepares accordingly."
Gabi leaned closer to Azrael, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Miss Victoria is hinting that we should craft vehicle-type or rideable creature prop cards, if we can manage it."
Having a gold-level Lore Cardian for a father meant that her insight came naturally, and she understood these subtle suggestions better than most.
Azrael glanced at Cory, who had been unnaturally quiet and gloomy since the ranking results were announced. Cory probably already knew about this secret realm opportunity, which explained his mood.
Without dwelling on Cory's situation, Azrael turned back to Gabi with a slight nod. "Thanks for the heads up."
Her lips curved into a pleased smile. "Don't mention it."
After the ranking ceremony concluded, the class returned to their classroom for the afternoon lessons.
The key curriculum focused heavily on practical skills, card crafting techniques, meditation training, and occasional wilderness survival courses. After all, anything could happen in a secret realm, and the Cardian Master Association refused to graduate Lore Cardians who could only handle controlled dueling environments. They wanted Lore Cardians who were ready for battle and could handle real combat situations.
This afternoon's session was a meditation class, though calling it a "class" was generous. It functioned more like supervised self-study, as everyone practiced the same "Deep Blue Meditation Method." There wasn't much for the instructor to teach.
Azrael closed his eyes, feeling the familiar satisfaction that came with the gradual expansion of his mental power. He exhaled slowly and settled into the meditative rhythm.
Ever since his transmigration, he had noticed that his meditation practice had progressed significantly faster than the original owner's memories suggested was normal. Whether this acceleration came from having two souls previously inhabit this body or from some natural talent Azrael possessed remained unclear.
He wasn't particularly interested in investigating the specifics, though. Good news was good news, and this meant that mental power wouldn't hinder his development.
Time flowed differently during deep meditation. Before he knew it, the dismissal bell chimed.
"See you tomorrow, Azrael," said Gabi with a warm smile as they gathered their belongings.
Azrael returned the gesture with a slight nod. "See you tomorrow."
He watched her figure gradually disappear down the corridor before heading home himself.
Shortly after arriving at his apartment, a rhythmic tapping echoed from his window.
"Dududu."
Azrael turned and saw a cuckoo chicken perched outside with a delivery pouch secured to its body.
"I don't remember ordering anything," he muttered as he opened the window, confused.
The cuckoo chicken pecked at the button on its delivery bag, triggering a crisp female voice that said, "Please ensure the timely shipping of purchased items."
Realization struck Azrael immediately. The materials he'd posted on the trading website! Had the cuckoo chicken not arrived, he would have forgotten all about listing those seven green Ghoul materials online.
He hurried back inside, grabbed the materials, and handed them to the chicken. The bird efficiently tucked everything into its pouch and took flight.
As he watched the cuckoo chicken shrink to a white speck against the sky, Azrael considered his transportation needs for the upcoming secret realm expedition.
Gabi's advice had been pointed and practical. He definitely needed to craft a riding card. With just over 300,000 Empyrean Dollars from his material sales, a green-quality transportation card seemed like the most sensible option.
He opened the trading website and began browsing available materials within his budget range.
Technically, black iron-level Lore Cardians could purchase bronze-level materials, but Azrael had no intention of reaching that level. His current mental power couldn't handle creating bronze-level cards, and, more importantly, he couldn't afford it.
After some searching, he found exactly what he needed: Chirp Chirp (white), Bald Eagle (green), and a blank card template. The complete set cost 30,000 Empyrean Dollars.
The Cuckoo Chicken delivery service was efficient as always, bringing the materials to Azrael's door within the hour.
Settling at his crafting table, he picked up his card-drawing pen and began sketching on the blank template. Gradually, a majestic yellow eagle took shape on the card's surface.
Once the illustration was complete, Azrael gathered all three materials and channeled his mental power around them.
The familiar transition swept over him as he entered the mysterious story-editing space.
[Please begin crafting your narrative.]
Azrael concentrated, drawing from his memories as he began weaving the story.
Pidgeot stands magnificent in stature, its massive wingspan casting impressive shadows. Short, powerful claws extend from its three pink-toed feet.
Its plumage displays primarily rich brown coloring with distinctive black markings around its intelligent eyes. Its crown feathers display striking red sides with a bright yellow center, and its fan-shaped tail feathers gleam crimson.
In the beginning, young Ash and his partner Pikachu encountered this evolved Pidgey in Viridian Forest. After an intense battle that tested both trainer and Pokémon, the bird was successfully captured.
Throughout their journey, Ash and his Pidgeotto faced countless challenges, from battling Team Rocket's schemes to conquering gym leaders and growing stronger through each trial. Their bond deepened through shared victories and hardships, and they eventually returned to Viridian Forest.
Upon their return, they discovered a crisis brewing: a violent flock of Spearow was attempting to drive out the peaceful Pidgey community.
Determined to protect the smaller birds, Pidgeotto threw itself into battle against the Spearow leader. The fight was brutal, leaving Pidgeotto severely wounded. In that moment of desperation, something extraordinary happened: Pidgeotto evolved into its final form and successfully drove off the aggressive Spearow flock.
After this pivotal battle, Ash made the difficult decision to release Pidgeot back to its forest home, promising to return once his greater journey was complete.
As Azrael finished weaving the narrative, he waited silently for the mysterious space's judgment.
He transitioned back to reality and found himself in his small apartment, where a card depicting a magnificent brown bird floated before him.
"Success," Azrael breathed as he absorbed the newly created card into his consciousness.
[Pidgeot]
Rank: Black Iron
Quality: Green
Category: Biological
Skills: None
Characteristics: None
Introduction: After 24 years, a reunion is ready to begin a journey together once more.
As Azrael reviewed Pidgeot's statistics in his mind, he felt satisfied rather than disappointed. The story he'd crafted was relatively simple, and the base materials were of modest quality, so the lack of special abilities was to be expected.
After all, this wasn't meant to be a powerful combat card, just reliable transportation for the secret realm expedition.
After summoning Pidgeot into the physical world, Azrael carefully examined its proportions. The bird stood approximately 1.5 meters tall, with a robust build capable of carrying Azrael through the skies.
However, Azrael had no intention of riding Pidgeot without proper preparation. He wasn't a reckless protagonist from an adventure novel. Besides, flying mounts within city limits required official registration with the Cardian Master Association.
Azrael was perfectly willing to complete the registration process. Since Pidgeot wasn't designed for combat, revealing its existence posed no strategic risk. More importantly, Azrael was done listening to the insufferable "welfare card" announcements on public transportation every day. That daily torture was motivation enough.
After patting Pidgeot affectionately on the head, Azrael recalled it into his mental space.
He grabbed his coat and headed out to complete the registration process at the Cardian Master Association headquarters.
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