Magic Card Era: Infinite Deck Enhancement — Chapter 37

Chapter 37: The Burden of the Weak

“Remember, if you encounter a Black Gate, everyone must immediately stay away.” Cang Fenghua’s expression hardened, his usual calm replaced by a grave solemnity. “Black Gates connect to fractured dimensional spaces, and those spaces are anything but safe. Countless Extraterrestrial Beasts roam within their depths. Even the most ordinary among them have reached the sequence of high-level Extraterrestrial Beasts, possessing Seven-Star strength. That is not something any of you can deal with.”

Under the constant monitoring of the City Lord’s Mansion, the spatial fabric of the Demon Spirit Home remained relatively stable. However, the generation of Black Gates was entirely unpredictable. Cang Fenghua had to drill this warning into the minds of these novices.

Even with someone as exceptionally talented as Luke, the City Lord did not believe a student could survive an encounter with the horrors lurking beyond a Black Gate. The chasm between Six-Star and Seven-Star was the absolute dividing line between intermediate and high-level entities, a gap far wider and more brutal than the step from Three-Star to Four-Star.

“Understood, City Lord.”

Hearing the grim description, a heavy layer of caution settled over the students. It became abundantly clear that this Dimensional Plane excursion would not be a peaceful walk in the park. Yet, despite the looming threat of an unstable Black Gate, a burning anticipation still flickered in their eyes. Black Gates were rare anomalies. Since they had all managed to stand out in the brutal unified exam, their luck and skill were high enough to warrant a little confidence.

More than ten minutes passed in quiet preparation before a massive, square teleportation gate unfolded in the center of the City Lord’s Mansion. The air hummed with arcane energy. Under the watchful gaze of Cang Fenghua and the academy principals, Luke and the other four students stepped through the shimmering threshold and vanished into the Demon Spirit Home.

“Let’s go in too.” Cang Fenghua waited until the teleportation gate sealed shut before turning on his heel, leading Principal Gu and the other four officials toward the inner sanctum of the City Lord’s Mansion. “Let’s see how these little guys perform.”

Deep within the mansion lay a specialized monitoring chamber designed to observe Dimensional Planes. Through the massive crystalline screens, they could track every movement Luke and the others made inside the Demon Spirit Home.

“Is this really a Dimensional Plane? It looks no different from the wilderness outside the city.” Yang Tu glanced around, taking in the lush greenery and the gentle breeze. The only distinct difference was the eerie, absolute silence.

He and Bei Hanyun were the two representatives from No. 2 Middle School who had secured spots for this trial. The remaining two spots belonged to Wang Ping and Liu Zhengwen from No. 1 Middle School.

Liu Zhengwen nodded in agreement, relaxing his shoulders slightly.

“Although it looks peaceful, the danger level of this Dimensional Plane is definitely not low. The Extraterrestrial Beasts in the Demon Spirit Home are masters of disguise.” Bei Hanyun kept her guard up, her eyes scanning the dense foliage. She had clearly done her research. The true terror of the Demon Spirit Home was always hidden beneath a veneer of calm.

She turned her gaze toward the young man standing slightly apart from the group. “Luke, we plan to form a team to explore the area. Do you want to come along?”

Her voice carried a distinct trace of anticipation. This trip was an exploration trial, not a cutthroat competition. The fierce rivalry of the unified exam was behind them, making cooperation a highly practical choice. The Demon Spirit Home was dangerous enough that sticking together would drastically increase their chances of survival. After all, only those who lived to bring back materials could claim any real gains.

More, the image of Luke single-handedly slaughtering his way through Cang Yue City two days ago was still burned into their memories. He was the highest-level Magic Card Master among them. If they didn’t cling to his coattails now, they would be fools.

“I want to explore by myself first.”

Luke shook his head, his tone flat and unyielding. Team exploration offered safety, but it also meant a sluggish pace. He had no intention of babysitting. Though it sounded harsh, he simply didn’t want to drag a group of burdens along with him.

Especially not after learning that Six-Star Extraterrestrial Beasts lurked in the deeper zones of the Demon Spirit Home. His sights were already locked onto those high-value targets. Who else would be more suitable to test the raw, destructive power of his Red-Eyes Meteor Dragon than a Six-Star beast?

Without waiting for a response, Luke turned and walked into the dense forest alone.

“It seems Luke is very confident.” In the monitoring room, Cang Fenghua raised an eyebrow at the screen.

“With strength comes confidence. I trust his judgment.” Principal Gu smiled, crossing his arms comfortably.

Hearing this, Zhao Chengyuan and Da Baiman ground their teeth in silent frustration. Principal Gu’s casual defense felt like a direct slap to the face, heavily implying that the top students of No. 1 and No. 2 Middle Schools were nothing more than dead weight.

But as much as it stung, they couldn’t deny the truth of it. Damn it all. They never imagined the day would come when their elite prodigies would be treated as mere burdens.

“Compared to their little team dynamics, I’m much more curious about what new Magic Card Luke has created.” Chairman Yu waved off the subtle friction between the three principals, leaning closer to the screen. “Old Gu, do you know?”

A Magic Card Master’s advancement to a new realm was always intrinsically linked to the creation of powerful new Magic Cards. Chairman Yu had previously promised that if Luke could successfully forge three Six-Star Magic Cards before the college entrance examination, he would be granted the elite privileges of the association. Naturally, the Chairman was eager to see if the boy could actually pull it off.

“Won’t you know if you keep watching?” Principal Gu maintained a cool, enigmatic facade, though his heart was hammering against his ribs. The truth was, he had absolutely no idea what Luke had created upon breaking through to the Battle General Realm. He could only pray to the heavens that the boy’s new card was as monstrous as his last.

Back in the Demon Spirit Home, Luke handled the deep woods with practiced ease. Any low-level Extraterrestrial Beasts foolish enough to ambush him were instantly vaporized by a flash of pink and dark magic.

“Master, I have located a large butterfly demon gathering place just ahead.”

Dark Magician Girl floated gracefully to his side, her staff resting lightly on her shoulder. She had just finished reducing a camouflaged beast to cinders.

“A large gathering place?” Luke’s eyes gleamed. He casually tossed a Peeling Technique onto the smoking corpse at his feet, extracting the usable materials and feeding them directly into his Magic Card Editor. “Let’s go take a look.”

A cluster of Extraterrestrial Beasts meant a massive stockpile of high-grade materials. Wiping out a nest would yield far greater rewards than hunting scattered stragglers.

In the monitoring room, the officials leaned in.

“That direction… I remember now. That is the territory of the butterfly demons. There is a Six-Star ordinary-level Queen Butterfly nesting there,” Cang Fenghua noted, tracing Luke’s projected path on the map.

“A territory led by a Queen Butterfly?” Chairman Yu frowned, his fingers tapping the console. “A swarm of that size can easily contend with some of the more powerful solitary Six-Star Extraterrestrial Beasts.”

“The real danger isn’t their raw strength, it’s their bewildering pollen,” Cang Fenghua added, his voice tight. “If inhaled, it induces immediate paralysis and severe hallucinations. Many arrogant Magic Card Masters have overlooked that detail and died screaming in the traps woven by those demons.”

While the men in the monitoring room debated his survival chances, Luke and Dark Magician Girl stepped past the tree line and directly into the heart of the butterfly demon territory.

The forest canopy above them rustled violently. The native Extraterrestrial Beasts were not about to let two uninvited guests stroll into their domain. In a flurry of massive, violently colored wings, more than ten butterfly demons shrieked and dove from the branches, launching the first strike.