Card simulation, starting with the Goblin Deserter

"Activate the card [Blue Serpent]!"

"Activate the card [Brown Bear]!"

"Activate the card... Damn it, why can't I use the card?!"

"Where has my magic gone?!"

In the towering canyon, Sinclair, his eyes bloodshot, frantically threw out cards.

No matter how hard he tried, the magic within him remained stagnant and silent, unable to connect with the cards in his hand.

His erratic behavior stunned the examinees outside the secret realm, but the most shocked was Linda, who was present at the scene.

She looked at Sinclair, who was jumping around, with a sense of unreality. The man who had been so imposing just moments before was now acting like a clown.

Even Loki, weakened within the necklace, was bewildered: "What did that kid do?"

"They've silenced Sinclair? But why is it taking so long!"

"Silence Cards" are not uncommon in this world. Their effect is to prevent card masters from using magic to link cards, turning them into ordinary people with only magic power for a short period of time.

Even though he had followed the ancestor of the Ryan family and had been passed down through generations, fighting against powerful card masters for hundreds of years, the longest silence time he had ever seen was only a dozen seconds!

But now?

Sinclair had been jumping around on the spot for ages, his face was all red from all the jumping, and he felt like he was going to be exhausted if he kept jumping!

What's even more outrageous is that Hayes, the one who started all this, wasn't in a hurry to finish Sinclair off the hook. Instead, he just watched Sinclair with a smug grin, looking completely fearless.

This means that the effect of that unknown "Silence Card" is terrifyingly powerful!

It could actually drive a fifth-tier card master like Sinclair almost insane...

The only remaining monsters in the canyon—goblins of various shapes and sizes—stood arm in arm, yelling wildly, like victorious veterans.

Loki the Silver Lion watched this scene from inside the necklace and couldn't help but sigh: "Miss, I misjudged you."

"This kid isn't risking his life for money; he's hiding some trump card and is fearless because he's confident in his abilities."

Linda nodded blankly: "I misjudged it too."

It wasn't that they were looking down on us; they had simply never seen such a bizarre goblin deck before...

Just then, Hayes, who had grown tired of Sinclair's performance, walked toward Linda.

He extended his right hand to Linda, who was sitting on the ground, with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, I saw that hook-nosed guy was so fierce, so I retreated and went around to ambush him from behind."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you in advance because the situation was urgent."

Hayes' apology was sincere; he knew his actions could easily be misinterpreted by Linda as "running away from the battlefield."

But there's nothing we can do. Even though Sinclair is now silenced and like a lamb to the slaughter, that old guy just used his magic like it was free, it was really scary!

Hayes, who was climbing on the back of the canyon, could feel a strong magical fluctuation.

If Linda hadn't withstood all the pressure head-on, Hayes wouldn't have been able to get close to Sinclair so easily, let alone win so effortlessly.

Linda stared at Hayes, stunned for several seconds before reacting. She took Hayes' hand and stood up, trying to appear calm.

"No need to apologize, your judgment is correct."

"If it weren't for you... I couldn't have beaten him."

Suppressing her resentment, Linda looked at Hayes solemnly.

"Patton Hayes, the Lane family will remember what you did today!"

"After the exam, I will reward you handsomely in the name of the Ryan family..."

Upon hearing the first part of what Linda said, Hayes simply smiled with relief, thankful that Linda wasn't petty. But when Linda uttered the phrase "generous reward," his eyes lit up instantly!

"What are you planning to give me? A car? A house?"

"Hmm~ But I don't really care about these material things. If possible... you could just exchange them all for cash!"

"..."

Seeing Hayes's "petty and vulgar" appearance, Linda was stunned for two seconds before suddenly laughing out loud. She was as beautiful as a wolf in the snow, and all the young candidates of similar age outside the secret realm thought to themselves "Oh wow!"

But Hayes paid no attention to these trivial matters; he was already calculating how expensive the items in the mall would be next week, and whether he could buy them and dominate the market.

While the two were getting along well and enjoying themselves, Sinclair, who was not far away, had lost all his strength and ability and lay quietly on the ground.

His eyes were bloodshot, and tears mixed with snot streamed down his face, completely unlike the sinister teacher he had been when he first entered the examination room.

As Linda approached, he pleaded in a low voice, "Please spare me, Miss Linda."

"The pain synchronization rate in this secret realm is 100%. If you kill me, I will..."

puff!

Linda removed the necklace from her chest and used the sharp part to instantly slash Sinclair's carotid artery.

The splattered blood stained her profile, but it added a touch of grim beauty to it.

Hayes stood by watching, chuckling and whistling: "Clean and efficient movements!"

"Hey, what did he just say? What does 100% pain synchronization rate in the secret realm mean? What happens if you die?"

"It means exactly what it says: the pain experienced in the secret realm will be replicated in reality one-to-one."

"No one can survive the pain of death. If he dies here, he is truly 'dead'."

"..."

The hourglass hanging in the sky had not yet run out of sand, but the announcement that the assessment was over had already sounded.

"This test is now complete. Congratulations on passing!"

A familiar feeling washed over him, and Hayes opened his eyes to find himself back in the synagogue.

Linda remained seated beside him. The two exchanged a glance but had not yet spoken when terrified screams erupted from their surroundings.

"Why did Professor Sinclair faint?!"

"His nose is bleeding! Quick! Go tell the other teachers..."

In the chaotic and noisy classroom, Hayes looked at Sinclair, who was slumped on the floor with blood flowing from all five orifices, with a hint of boredom, and thought to himself, "Are these students really that serious?"

It's just one person dying, what's the big deal? But if Linda hadn't told him beforehand, he might have been a little surprised, right?

At that moment, Hayes suddenly remembered something and immediately rushed to Sinclair, who was lying unconscious on the ground.

Under the terrified gazes of the other examinees, he frantically shook Sinclair's body and howled in agony.

"Teacher, you can't die!"

"If you die, who's going to apply to the academic affairs office for that extra reward for passing the special assessment?"

"Have perseverance! Hang in there!!"

"..."

-

At the same time, in the plaza outside the main building, even though the screen connecting to the secret realm was turned off, not a single person left the vast plaza.

The candidates looked at each other, still unable to believe what had just happened.

"Linda and Hayes passed the special test! Are they the first team in school history to beat the examiners in a test?"

"We witnessed history!"

"Did you guys see Mr. Sinclair go crazy just now? Is he alright...?"

Among the crowd, Norton and his two friends all wore expressions of disbelief, with Norton's being the most incredulous.

He initially thought Hayes was just a "slacker" and that even if he sold him a good card, he wouldn't be able to hide his true abilities.

But now, Hayes has actually driven his opponent, whom even Linda, who has legendary cards, to the brink of madness!

This isn't just pretending to be weak to fool others; this is going to the heavens!

At that moment, Norton made a firm decision: he would buy Hayes' card, he would cling to Hayes' coattails, and he would become Hayes' best brother!

"Let's go!" Norton jumped up, startling his two friends.

"Where are you going, Norton?"

Norton, without turning his head, said, "A loan!"

Norton's friends: ? ? ?