Chapter 31: Lance’s Trump Healing Card

Ferrat charged rapidly toward Lance with a twisted, ferocious expression. He didn’t care what Lance was doing. His bloodshot eyes burned with a mad, fiery intensity, resembling a wounded, starving wolf in the dead of night. He was dangerous, savage, and consumed by a hatred fierce enough to incinerate the entire world.

Even if Lance intended to trigger a special mechanic, a single card was insufficient to form a functional combination. After all, even an Ultimate Reflection combination required a set of at least three cards.

Ferrat knew that even if he were to miraculously let Hyperion off the hook today, he would absolutely not spare Lance!

As Hyperion gave chase to Ferrat, a sense of utter hopelessness descended upon her. Damn it! Who can possibly save you when you have the ability to taunt like that?

The downstream effects of Lance’s "healing" taunt far exceeded anything Hyperion had imagined. It had even inadvertently inflicted a Berserk status effect on Ferrat. Driven to madness, the examiner had tapped into a hidden wellspring of potential. Hyperion had never found their opponent this terrifying before.

In the distance, Lance gazed sincerely at the approaching Ferrat, thinking, Professor Ferrat, thank you for thinking so highly of me.

He had originally hoped that simply using Friendly Exchange on the examiner would allow his team to coast through the third test easily. Unfortunately, they had encountered a strict challenge instead.

Since things had come to this, Lance felt obliged to show the examiner the respect he deserved. Dark clouds hung low, shrouding the Ilaiven Plains in an eerie silence. The sunlight was almost completely blocked, leaving only faint rays filtering through the rare gaps in the cloud cover. Ferrat’s approaching figure felt like a raging storm, fierce and unstoppable.

"Please, calm down a little!" Lance’s voice was clear and gentle as he smiled at Ferrat, as if attempting to soothe the man's burning rage.

He intended to use the card in his hand to heal Ferrat’s heart, which was on the verge of being utterly consumed by anger. As Lance channeled his mana, a blazing orange radiance instantly poured forth from his hand.

Specks of light swirled outward, coalescing in the air to form a golden totem. The enchanted card in Lance’s hand gradually dissolved, materializing into a tangible form. A luminous, ethereal mist surged across the grassland, spreading outward like a divine blessing. It blanketed the entire prairie, reawakening the vitality that had been stifled by the oppressive dark clouds.

In its wake came an atmosphere filled with gentle warmth, the singing of birds, and the fragrance of flowers. High above, the previously gloomy sky began to brighten. Light filtered through the rifts in the clouds, looking like golden pillars as they pierced the darkness to illuminate the plains below.

Flowers instantly bloomed, clouds gathered in the heavens, and the epicenter of this miracle lay right before Lance.

***

The conference room wasn’t the only place that was filled with gasps and growing chaos. The College of Magical Engineering instructors who were monitoring the proceedings on the back end had their eyes go wide with shock as they watched the exam footage.

One person sputtered, "Did he really just use an Epic grade card?!"

Another person wondered, "There are 'dud' Epics and 'god realm' Epics. I wonder what kind of card this one is."

Across the prestigious universities and academies of the Southern Continent, very few students possessed Orange Epic grade cards. These cards represented the highest known tier of enchanted cards.

Each Epic card was unique, anchored to the fabric of the world and woven into the annals of history. Once bound to a person’s soul, the bond could only be severed under two conditions: death or the destruction of the card. However, the latter would result in the permanent loss of that card slot.

Consequently, the vast majority of Epic cards had vanished into history along with their owners rather than being passed down. As a result, their numbers were extremely limited.

One teacher remarked, "An Epic card might not necessarily be compatible with the user, and binding one means permanently occupying a card slot. Committing to a specific Epic card and system so early on isn't necessarily a good thing for Lance."

Divine and Epic cards could forge a powerhouse, but they could just as easily ruin one. The higher the card's quality, the harder it was to unbind, and the less flexibility a person had for card composition.

That was the price paid for using Pink and Orange cards. Binding too many of them would leave the user with fewer flexible card slots and lock them into a rigid system. This stripped away the tactical versatility that came from freely rearranging enchanted cards to suit any given battle situation.

Thus, the decision to use high quality enchanted cards required careful deliberation. A teenager like Lance, however, would likely not consider such factors when binding a card. Setting aside whether the Epic card was actually compatible with him, could summoning such a mild looking entity right now really hold off an enraged Ferrat?

In the conference room, the instructors voiced their concerns and doubts. After all, an Epic card could often serve as the core of an entire system. However, the entity Lance had summoned here was clearly not a powerful, aggressive creature.

Instead, it was a delicate, support-oriented summon that radiated a sweet aura. On screen, a gentle breeze wafted by, carrying the fresh scent of flowers. Dew on the grass glistened, crystal-clear like countless sparkling, transparent pearls, and reflected a kaleidoscope of iridescent light.

It was as if a fairy spirit had descended upon the world. The meadow had transformed from a place of gloom and oppression into a scene of post-rain serenity, evoking the harmonious, tranquil atmosphere of a fairytale realm.

The floral fairy summoned by Lance mirrored the ever-shifting scenery, bathed in the hues of the sun. It was as if time itself had paused for her.

"What a beautiful card."

In the conference room, everyone couldn't help but gaze in awe at Lance's summon. It was like a work of art, a masterpiece of the Creator itself. Just looking at it felt soothing to the soul.

Finally, the hazy mist of light dissipated, and a gray-haired beauty appeared. She was clad in a deep crimson gown and had a crown made of thorns entwined in her hair. She stood with her eyes closed and hands gently cupped in front of her, as if singing a hymn of praise. Her voice was crisp and bright as she sang, "There has never been calamity in this world. There is only... boundless love!"

At that same moment, Ferrat froze in mid-air. Something deep within him had snapped.

"Aaaargh!!!"

He let out a hoarse, desperate roar, like the cry of a monster, while the muscles in his cheeks twitched violently as he was unable to vent the indescribable turmoil raging inside him. The very next instant, he plummeted rapidly from the sky, like a bird with broken wings.

Even Hyperion found herself captivated by Lance’s Epic grade summon. Upon hearing the flower fairy's hymn, a sense of bewilderment and intoxication washed over her. The long-suppressed urge within her to kill threatened to break free, and she nearly gave in to the impulse to rush forward and tear open Ferrat's heart with her dagger, heedless of the consequences.

She hurriedly pressed a hand against her heaving chest, struggling to calm her racing heart. She knew that the changes in Ferrat and her own abnormal state were undoubtedly linked to this Epic summon card.

It didn't just affect enemies; it influenced allies as well! This flower fairy exerted a mental influence on every person on the battlefield!

As Hyperion struggled to maintain her focus and gazed at Lance’s summoned creature, her pupils suddenly contracted. Upon closer inspection, one would realize that the summoned girl, who possessed an aura of angelic purity, was actually a succubus! The corners of her mouth had curled into a hint of a cunning, mischievous smile.

[Poet of Boundless Love]

Category: Summon Card

Grade: Orange (Epic)

Attribute: Spirit/Wood

Tier: 1

Influences all living beings through a bewitching rhythm, amplifying their emotions tenfold.

"Love can create all things, yet it can also destroy all things!"

At this point, Ferrat had slammed heavily onto the ground, and he was no longer capable of casting an appraisal spell like Hyperion.

His sanity had snapped the very instant the Poet of Boundless Love’s voice rang out. Rampaging emotions surged through him, accompanied by a rush of blood. Ferrat had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage.