Darc wasn't particularly startled by Professor Kazel's sudden appearance.
He calmly showed the finished card and, while he had the chance, asked about several issues he had encountered during the process.
Kazel was visibly astonished that Darc had managed to complete a refined emotion card entirely on his own.
As he answered questions offhandedly, he also examined the card, then finally sighed in admiration.
"Dimon, your understanding of emotions runs deeper than you think."
"…Does it?" Darc blinked.
Because, truthfully, he had never consciously studied emotions.
"Too much modesty isn't good," Kazel chuckled. "You should be proud. At your age, I was still playing with mud underground."
He turned to leave. "If you want to keep using the lab, return the key before five."
"Yes, Professor."
"Two blank cards left."
Darc's gaze moved to the final two.
He summoned Impmon.
"Magic Summon."
Before Impmon could react, the green light from the Joy Card struck the back of its head.
Its naturally fierce little face instantly softened.
"Happy?" Darc asked.
Impmon nodded foolishly. "Happy."
"Good."
Darc smiled and stored the card.
His first personally crafted magic card.
Then his expression turned serious.
The Joy Card had only been practice.
Now came the real experiment.
He skipped the potion entirely this time.
Instead, he prepared the sealing paste in advance.
This paste acted like a gasket—preventing emotional leakage, reducing conflict between array, material, and card, and forming a protective membrane after refinement.
He sat down.
He warmed the Magic Brain Dropper over the alcohol lamp.
Then used the Dragonfly Touch Method again.
No need for delicate control.
Only Pride was overflowing anyway.
Thin black threads flowed into the dropper.
Pride dropped from 111 → 110.
"Eee—"
The dropper shrieked.
He stopped immediately and dipped it into water to calm it.
Then he pressed the nozzle onto a blank card and squeezed.
Dark-gold liquid Pride spilled onto the surface.
He spread the paste over it.
The steps after that were familiar.
With one success behind him, his hands were steadier.
Soon, the new Pride-1 was complete.
Visually, the only difference was the added protective membrane.
But the effect would need testing.
Not here.
5:00 PM. Dorm room.
Impmon immediately sensed danger.
It folded its wings over its head.
"Protest! Protest! Familiar lives matter!"
Darc smiled kindly. "It won't hurt."
"No, no, noooo!"
"Magic Summon."
The card activated.
The black glow was noticeably more refined.
The golden sphere flew faster, smoother.
Impmon didn't even have time to react before being hit.
For a split second, it froze—like its brain switching modes.
Then—
It straightened, aura completely changed.
"Dare you force your will upon me! Do you know your crime?!"
Darc: "…Huh?"
Impmon haughtily declared:
"I graciously grant you permission to pat my head as atonement!"
Darc, confused, patted it until it purred with satisfaction.
He wrote calmly:
Excessive Pride may cause minor cognitive distortion.
Card Name: Pride-1
Type: Spell Card
Effect: Induces Pride
This refined Pride-1 lasted 21 minutes.
And the card did not crack after use.
A faint dark-gold wisp returned from Impmon back into the card.
When infused with mana, the card glowed weakly—but steadily recovering.
Reusable.
A major breakthrough.
Proof that Pride cards had sustainable development potential.
Foundation for Pride-2.
Sin was power.
The Seven Sins were tremendous power.
After 59 minutes, the card fully recharged.
Estimated cooldown: 59 minutes.
He activated it again to test degradation.
Impmon: ???
Results:
Stable. No observable weakening.
By all practical measures—
Pride-1 was a finished product.
Darc looked at the final blank card.
Next test:
How much Pride could a 10-credit blank card endure?
For that, he would need to borrow a high-grade Thought Vessel from Professor Kazel.
Worth several hundred credits.
…The quiet privilege of being a model student.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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