Chapter 7. Dekan’s Soul Card

Inside the Shadow World where I stood, Professor Arno had already charged straight at me with terrifying speed. But I didn’t move. I simply clasped my hands behind my back, standing calmly, face expressionless.

It gave off the air of some peerless master.

That actually left Arno uncertain.

Why wasn’t I running? Did I notice the increased difficulty and decide to protest by giving up?

He admitted it—he had made things just a little harder for me. But still within the rules. So technically, not a violation.

“Where’s your weapon?” Perhaps out of guilt, Arno didn’t strike immediately but asked.

I didn’t answer.

I just raised my right hand, waving the gothic loli doll puppet on it.

Clearly, I wasn’t planning to forfeit.

Arno’s brows furrowed deeply.

This outfit, this stance… he’d seen unorthodox warriors before, but never one this bizarre.

So many places he wanted to ridicule, but didn’t know where to start.

Still, as an examiner, he couldn’t keep delaying.

If this was my attitude, then he could only end it quickly and send me out.

He took a deep breath.

“Sorry, but I hope you choose the right Academy for yourself next time.”

With that, Arno raised his silver longsword, and with a clean, swift swing, he slashed at me.

A deadly chill swept through my body, every nerve screaming of danger.

At this distance, there was no way to dodge!

But I never intended to.

This was the moment I’d been waiting for.

From behind my back, I revealed my left hand—holding a single magic card. My trump card.

The very core of my system.

The one card that would secure my victory.

I poured magic into it. Blinding orange light burst out from my palm.

Golden totems formed in the air, divine light scattering like descending gods.

The card in my hand dissolved, replaced by reality. Even though I’d summoned it before, I could still feel the terrifying power it radiated.

The summoning is complete—!

A surge of black mist erupted, thick and suffocating. It spread like waves across the ground, swallowing the land. And at the center of the mist, behind me—A man appeared, shrouded in death’s aura. In his hands, a tome glowed with ghostly green light.

His face was full of sorrow, and with it came a voice of mourning:

“Boundless fog, endless, infinite is my grief...”

......

The audience outside erupted. The entire hall was chaotic.

“That effect—could it be an epic card?!”

“Oh my god! It's an orange epic!”

“Bringing an epic card to the entrance exam? That’s insane!”

“What young master is roleplaying commoner life here?!”

Epic-tier cards rarely appeared outside of top-class tournaments.

For one to show up in a freshman exam—unheard of.

The broadcast quickly displayed its appraisal:

【Ruined Poet】

【Category: Summon Card】

【Grade: Orange Epic】

【Tier: 1】

【Attack: 0】

【HP: 100】

【Effect: Through cursed verses, disrupt the minds of all enemy creatures, multiplying pain felt by 1000%.】

【Note: “Pain! So much pain!”】

......

Arno’s strike reached my chest.

My timing was perfect—the Ruined Poet emerged just as his blade landed. With all three card effects stacked together, the result was a 60x pain reflection. Even with Phantom Canyon reducing pain to 1/4, it still meant 15x real pain.

The blade ripped across my chest, but the agony shot back into Arno’s nerves.

I was flung backwards, rolling across the ground before skidding to a stop.

“Damn! That hurts!”

I clutched my chest, forcing myself upright.

The Crown of Agony had locked my life at 1 HP, sparing me from death. But the sensation of shattered ribs and torn flesh still hadn’t faded.

Meanwhile, Professor Arno...Foam at his mouth, collapsed unconscious on the ground.

Immediately judged to have lost consciousness, he was ejected from the Shadow World.

“Phew—” I exhaled in relief.

Good thing he blacked out completely. Otherwise, I’d have had to finish him myself.

A system message appeared before me:

【Shadow World cleared in 57 seconds.】

【Special condition achieved: Examiner defeated. Base rating S.】

【Extra points awarded for remaining 29 minutes and 03 seconds.】

【Score calculated: 1.557×10^13】

【Final Evaluation: SSS】

【Exiting Shadow World, prepare yourself...】

......

Outside, the uproar reached its peak.

“What kind of heretic made that filthy card?!”

“The Knight Academy picked up a demon this year...”

“First some berserker chasing down examiners, now this freak—double blessings, huh?”

“He didn’t even max out his card slots...”

Every soul had a limit for binding cards.

At tier two, I could bind a total level of 20.

If I reached tier three, the limit would be 30.

So a full set of tier-two cards would cap me at ten. But if I mixed in tier-one cards, I could carry more.

That’s why some low-tier, high-quality cards remained useful even late-game.

But for me? Three cards were enough to crush the entrance exam.

......

Leaving the exam hall, I spotted Professor Arno being carried off by medics.

Relief washed over me.

Fifteen times pain shouldn’t cause lasting harm.

Good thing this place limited pain to 1/4—otherwise he’d already be in heaven.

“I was so low-key. No one noticed me, right?” I muttered. With so many candidates testing at once, surely I was just a brief clip.

A flash on screen, maybe a shot or two. Nothing more.

I hummed a little tune, strolling out of the Knight Academy with a spring in my step.

But then I saw Teresia, waiting at the main gate.

She was panting, clearly having run here.

She looked around anxiously, then grabbed my sleeve and started running.

“Eh? Teresia, what’s going on?” Though I didn’t understand, I ran with her anyway.

“If we don’t run, you’ll be mobbed like a rare animal exhibit.” She said breathlessly.

“What happened?”

“Do you even remember what you just did? The whole broadcast was focused on you!”

“Eh, eh, eh?! That happened?!”

“Of course!”

From the moment the flat plains and Arno appeared as examiner, the director had locked onto me. And everything after had been shocking beyond belief.

I thought about it—if my duel with Arno had been broadcasted live to everyone...

“Damn it, I’m pissed!” I suddenly shouted, startling Teresia.

“What’s wrong?”

“If I knew the world was watching me, I would’ve taken sponsorship deals! I missed my chance to advertise! I lost money!”

“...”

“Teresia, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Let’s just talk about dinner. I’ll treat you to celebrate passing the exam.”

She gave a helpless laugh.

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