booktalesy Chapter 104 Card Evolution Rules
Chapter 104 Card Evolution Rules
Chapter 104 Card Evolution Rules
An eerie silence fell over the pass.
The cacophony of demonic roars, clashing weapons, and shattering bones abruptly ceased after the Thorn Demon's low hiss echoed.
The sixty lower-level demons, like puppets controlled by invisible strings, stopped their charge in unison.
They began an organized retreat.
The Primal Demon, dragging its tattered, muddy body, led the way, forming a thick defensive line.
The demons gathered in the middle section, their gray-green skin covered in trembling pustules, ready to spew poisonous mist at any moment.
The lesser demon retreated to the very back, its dark red eyes gleaming with cunning, its hands unconsciously making gestures in the Abyss language.
Two Thorn Demons stood at the very back of the demon formation, about two hundred paces from the entrance to the pass.
Their positioning is very strategic—one on the left and one on the right, forming a unique position for each other, enabling them to support each other and cover the entire battlefield.
Under the moonlight, his dark red skin resembled congealed blood, and the thorny bone plates on his back rose and fell slightly with his breath, making a teeth-grinding "crunch" sound when the bone blades rubbed against each other.
Most disturbingly, the two Thorn Demons were chanting softly.
That wasn't an ordinary roar, but some ancient and difficult-to-pronounce abyssal incantation.
The voice was deep and eerie, seemingly able to penetrate the eardrums and act directly on the soul. As the chanting began, the darkness deep within the forest began to surge, as if something was responding to a summons.
They are calling for reinforcements.
Xiuqi could sense that the flow of arcane energy in the air was becoming chaotic.
The once orderly energy threads were corrupted and twisted by some filthy force, converging towards the depths of the forest. It was the resonance of a demon's lair, a sign that even more demons were about to emerge.
"What are they waiting for?" Link asked in a low voice from the treetop, the young hunter's voice tinged with obvious tension.
Max raised his head, his scarlet eyes scanning the demon formation as his brain rapidly analyzed the situation.
"We're waiting for reinforcements," the goblin warrior's voice was deep and calm, "and also waiting for us to tire."
It's right.
After this round of intense fighting, even a physically strong monster like the ogre Hodor began to feel tired.
The speed at which the spiked club was swung decreased significantly, and each swing was draining the ogre's stamina.
Max's left shoulder wound was still bleeding, and although the poison on the Thorn Demon Bone Blade was suppressed by his 12 points of Constitution, it was still slowly eroding his body.
The bandages were completely soaked with blood, and dark red blood dripped down the edges of the armor.
Link's quiver only had five silver-plated arrows left.
The princess's [Void Walk] has a cooldown period, making it impossible to sustain high-frequency assassinations.
Xiuqi's magic and stamina were also being depleted—maintaining both [Blade Protection] and [Basic Deflection Field] was a double drain, and even with 9 points of Intelligence and a rare meditation stone, it was still somewhat difficult.
The demons clearly noticed this.
Instead of rushing to attack, they used this methodical encirclement to wear down the squad's strength and will.
"They're wearing us down," Xiuqi said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the demon formation. "Once reinforcements arrive, it will be time for the final assault."
A low growl escaped Ador's throat. The ogre's bright yellow eyes were fixed on the demon in front of him, but his massive body remained motionless.
It conserves energy.
Max adjusted his grip on the shield; the sharp pain in his left shoulder made him frown slightly, but his eyes remained sharp.
"Captain," the goblin warrior looked at Xiuqi, "we need to change our tactics. Passive defense will only wear us down sooner or later."
Xiuqi nodded.
He certainly understands this principle.
But the question is, how do we change it?
Break through? The pass is flanked by steep cliffs nearly a hundred feet high, almost vertical, making it impossible to climb.
The only exit is ahead, where sixty lower-level demons and two thorn demons guard it.
A direct assault? In the squad's current state, charging into the demon formation would be tantamount to suicide.
Waiting for rescue? Deep purple fireworks have already risen, and the entire forest knows that a massive demonic tide has occurred here.
However, the other teams are struggling to survive, and it's questionable whether they can even make it here.
Xiu Qi frowned, his brain working at high speed with the boost of his 9 points of intelligence, deducing one plan after another, and rejecting them one after another.
Just then, his own light fell onto the longsword in his hand.
"Bavarian Moonlight" shimmered with a cool glow under the moonlight, and the subtle patterns on the sword seemed to breathe.
Then, Xiuqi suddenly remembered that he had overlooked something.
Cards.
Since the start of the battle, he had been focused on commanding and fighting, almost ignoring the constant "ding-dong" sounds in his mind.
That was a system notification—every time Max, the princess, or he himself killed a demon, it would automatically create a monster card.
How many are there exactly?
Xiuqi closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his mind.
Instantly, a series of data flowed out like a torrent:
[Statistics of this Pass Defense Battle]
Total kills: 66
[Original Demon: 30 → 30 One-Star Inferior (Gray) Cards]
【Fearless Demons: 20 → 20 One-Star Common (White) Cards】
[Little Demon: 10 → 15 One-Star Premium (Green) Cards]
[Thorn Demon: 1 units → 1-star premium (green) cards]
[Current Card Pool]
Main cards:
[Two-Star Rare (Blue) [Bird Poet]]
[Two-Star Rare (Blue) [Fearless Goblin Warrior Max]]
【Two-Star Premium (Green) [Princess Alice]】
Support Cards:
[One-star inferior (gray): 30 (original demon)]
[One-star Common (White): 23 cards (3 Goblin cards + 20 Fearless cards)]
[One-Star Premium (Green): 20 cards (2 Goblin cards + 3 Gnoll cards + 15 Lesser Demon cards)]
[Two-Star Premium (Green): 1 card (Thorn Demon)]
There are a total of 74 support cards.
Xiuqi's breathing became slightly rapid.
74 images!
This is much more than he expected!
More importantly, from Max's last evolution, Xiuqi has discovered a pattern: the quality of the sacrificed card directly affects the result of the main card's evolution.
Five green cards and four white cards allow Max to jump directly from a one-star rare (purple) to a two-star rare (blue).
So, what would happen if he used these low-quality cards to enhance them?
A bold idea took shape in Xiuqi's mind.
The demons are currently regrouping and summoning reinforcements, and will not launch a full-scale attack anytime soon. This period presents a perfect opportunity for experimentation!
"Max, Ado," Hugh opened his eyes, his voice calm and decisive, "Hold the line and give me five minutes."
The goblin warrior answered without hesitation: "Understood."
Ado responded with a low growl.
Xiuqi took a few steps back and sat down with his back against the rock wall.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness completely immersed in the virtual space of the [Monster Card Maker System].
The sounds of battle around them gradually faded away, and the world turned into pure darkness, with only countless cards floating, rotating, and emitting a faint glow in the void.
With the boost of 9 points in Intelligence, Xiuqi's thinking was as clear as a mirror.
He first looked at the 30 one-star inferior (gray) cards, all of which were made by the Primal Demon.
The original demon image on the card is ugly and blurry, like a human figure haphazardly sculpted from mud. The border is a dull gray, indicating the lowest quality.
Previously, this type of card was considered essentially garbage. The Primal Demon itself has a challenge level of only 1/8, pitifully low stats, and almost no tactical value.
Summoning them to be cannon fodder would be a waste of magic power.
but----
Xiuqi recalled a detail.
One of the system rules states that each card can be enhanced once at its current star level.
In other words, even inferior cards can be enhanced.
So here's the question: If you use inferior cards as the main cards and sacrifice other inferior cards as secondary cards, what will be the result of the enhancement?
Xiuqi is a person who does what he thinks of.
He never hesitated, never wavered.
The demon army is still gathering, making this the perfect time for experiments.
"System," Xiuqi commanded in his mind, "Select a one-star inferior (gray) card [Original Demon]."
As the main card, select four 1-star inferior (grey) cards [Primal Demon] as secondary cards for enhancement.
In the virtual space, five gray cards glowed faintly.
A main card floats in the center, surrounded by four secondary cards.
[Enhancement request detected]
【Main Card: One-Star Inferior (Gray) [Original Demon]】
[Sub-card: 1-star inferior (gray) [Original Demon] x4]
[Do you confirm the enhancement?]
【confirm!】
The four secondary cards transformed into four dim gray streams of light, flowing into the central main card like sludge.
The master card began to vibrate.
The original demon image on the card seems to have come to life, its mud-like body wriggling, reorganizing, and evolving.
The gray border gradually faded, replaced by a deep, dark green, like swamp mud.
The quality indicator of the card itself gradually changed from "inferior (gray)" to "premium (green)"!
The whole process lasted about a minute.
As the last gray light stream was completely absorbed, a system notification sounded:
[Enhancement successful!]
[Monster Card [Gen-Demon] Quality Upgraded!]
Current Quality: Premium (Green)
[Attribute Boost: Strength +1, Constitution +2]
[Awakened Trait [Body of Sludge]]
[Special Effect: The body is composed of high-density sludge, providing 25% resistance to blunt force damage and 15% resistance to piercing damage. Upon being killed, it explodes, dealing minor sludge splash damage to enemies within five feet.]
[Card renamed: [The Resilient Primal Demon]]