Card simulation, starting with the Goblin Deserter

A flash of emerald light appeared, and when they opened their eyes again, Linda and her companion were already in the "Secret Realm - Majestic Canyon".

The sky overhead was a deep blue, with no sun or moon in sight; only a giant hourglass hung in the sky.

"This exam has a time limit of thirty minutes. The last person standing passes."

The cold, mechanical female voice, devoid of any emotion, accompanied by the chilling winds sweeping through the canyon, sent shivers down Linda's spine.

The examiner for this assessment, "Sinclair," was watching her from a short distance away, smiling quietly, oblivious to the hourglass above her head, looking as if victory was assured.

"call--"

Linda adjusted her breathing, her eyes fixed on Sinclair, while she spoke to Hayes.

"If I lose, just admit defeat, and maybe... he'll spare your life."

Hayes, who was looking around, was taken aback by what he heard. He thought for a moment and said, "That hook-nosed guy doesn't seem like he's being kind."

Linda did not respond, but secretly gathered her magic power and played the first card of the test.

"Summon the Royal Guard."

The pale yellow card slowly shattered, and a knight's figure holding a shield and sword was sketched in the void, with three stars faintly shining above his head.

Outside the secret area, onlookers exclaimed and shouted in surprise.

"It's a royal guard, of excellent three-star quality!"

"Lynn Linda has already broken through to the third-tier card master!?"

Even Sinclair, who had always been calm and collected, was somewhat surprised, considering that very few of the candidates in this year's exams had reached the level of a second-tier card master.

But this Lyonlinda has already advanced to a third-tier card master at the age of less than twenty. As expected of the duke's daughter, the combination of talent and status is truly amazing!

"No wonder you dared to continue participating in the practical tests, Linda."

Sinclair praised her, but he showed no fear whatsoever when he looked at Linda, whose magical power was not much weaker than his own at that time.

Instead, he slowly and deliberately took out a card from his pocket.

"Summon the Blackblood Lizard."

A black and red halo flashed, and a dark lizard covered in flames appeared, flicking its long tongue.

Its quality is only excellent, but the number of stars twinkling above its head... is four!

"Four-star card!!"

In the square, Norton looked at the image projected onto the screen and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Sinclair was reduced to a Tier 3 card master by the secret realm, but the deck he's using is actually a four-star deck!"

"Isn't this against the rules?" one of Norton's friends questioned, only to be patted on the shoulder by another.

"...The fact that he dared to do this means that he must not be breaking the rules."

"Fortunately, Linda's cards are of higher quality, so the disadvantage won't be too great. Plus, Norton's roommate is there, so there's still a chance to win!"

Listening to his friend's analysis, Norton fell into deep thought. Looking at Hayes pulling out his deck on the screen, he had a feeling that his opponent was about to surprise him...

At this moment, in the secret realm, Hayes also summoned his probing card, which he used to make the first move.

"Summoning the [Clumsy Goblin Commander]!"

Two stars flashed across the sky, and Linda and Sinclair both raised their eyebrows. This guy is actually a two-star card master?

Four green goblins emerged from the light, with the commander instantly attracting everyone's attention with his unique appearance—two lines of snot and cross-eyed eyes.

"What is this thing?"

"Idiot goblin?"

Hayes, who was used to seeing the other party's appearance, did not feel anything was wrong. He was excited as he fought as a card master for the first time and immediately waved his hand!

"Go, Commander, show them what you're made of!"

receive!

A glint of light flashed in the commander's eyes as it observed the dragon-blooded lizard and Sinclair, instantly conjuring up a plan to counter the enemy!

It was seen snotting out of its nose and making a lot of noise.

"Hara-sip~&@→!!"

Hayes understood; this meant "use Tactic 108"!

As expected of a commander, his tactical reserves are enough to take down even the Liangshan outlaws!

The other three goblins obeyed the command and immediately rode one on top of the other to form a line on the ground, using their "height advantage" to charge towards the enemy!

"Wait, what kind of formation is this?" Hayes was dumbfounded.

Before he could stop them, the goblin squad, stacked in strips, lost their balance and began to fall straight backward...

bang~

The light, soft impact sounded unusually clear in the canyon.

Outside the secret passage, all the onlookers remained silent as they watched this scene unfold.

After a few seconds of silence, one student asked in confusion, "Is it for shelter from the sand and wind?"

In the examination room, Sinclair remained vigilant ever since the appearance of the "Confused Goblin Commander".

Because he had never seen this card before. Experienced card players know that many seemingly ordinary cards often have terrifying effects!

Sinclair even secretly held onto a defensive card, ready to play it at any time to protect himself.

But to his utter surprise, the effect of this unfamiliar card was that four goblins put on a skit for him...

This made Sinclair secretly amused, but also intensely angry!

He was actually scared by this stupid card!

What a shame!

"You country bumpkin, go back to your mother's arms and do your magic tricks!"

Sinclair grinned maliciously as he unleashed his magic, taking advantage of Hayes and the other man's momentary lapse in concentration to launch a surprise attack!

A thick bolt of lightning flew close to the ground, hurtling towards the two of them!

Linda's expression changed instantly. While directing the guards to defend against the attack, she warned Hayes, "Watch out!"

This is a four-star level lightning spell. If it were a defensive card with average performance, it probably wouldn't be able to withstand it at all!

However, to Linda's utter surprise, Hayes did not draw his card to defend against the lightning strike at all. Instead, he perfectly dodged the lightning strike by performing a side roll!

Even while dodging, he brought his commander with him...

Lightning struck a rock wall behind Hayes, kicking up dust and debris.

After rolling over and getting up steadily, Hayes turned his head and looked at the rock wall that had become a pit, and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

"They're much more ruthless than those gray wolves."

"Fortunately, I was able to anticipate the enemy's moves and fully grasp the power of the Dragon Pill, otherwise it would have been quite dangerous..."

Off the court, Norton was stunned in the crowd! The others around him had similar expressions.

This guy just...dodged Sinclair's attack on his own without using any cards?!

That's a lie, right? They probably secretly used a speed-type evasion card.

But why is there no sign of magic at all?

At this moment, only Linda, who was closest to Hayes in the secret realm, was certain that he really did not use cards, but relied solely on his reaction to dodge the attack!

"What is this? Innate superhuman strength?" Linda frowned, not even noticing the charred royal guards in front of her.

"No," Hayes shook his head and said seriously.

"Born with incredible speed!"

Linda:...

Without giving her time to complain, Sinclair, seeing that her first attack had missed and assuming that Hayes had used cards to dodge the attack, swiftly launched a follow-up offensive.

"Activate the Spell Cards [Swamp Trap] and [Gravity Suppression]!"

"Blackblood Lizard, forget the country bumpkin, attack Linda!"

Four cards were played in quick succession! Sinclair unleashed a massive surge of magic power, launching a devastating offensive.

The ground beneath Linda and Hayes' feet turned into a diluted swamp, and an invisible gravity pressed down on their bodies. The ferocious and terrifying black blood lizard was already close at hand!

Despite the perilous situation, Linda's eyes gleamed, and before she knew it, her right fingertips were holding a faintly glowing card.

Although I don’t know why Sinclair is so recklessly using up his magic to attack, how can I let go of such a great opportunity?

"His period of weakness will begin when he can withstand this offensive."

"Go! [Silver Lion - Loki]!"

A lion's roar echoed throughout the entire canyon!