My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

The sweetest smile appeared on the shop assistant's face.

"Your Excellency, your wisdom shines brighter than the stars."

As the golden light shone again, Xiu Qi's heart clenched uncontrollably once more.

It was as if that wasn't light, but rather the blood dripping from his heart.

"72 gold coins have been deducted from your card..."

"Please keep your meditation stone safe!"

The meditation stone is wrapped in velvet fabric in an exquisite wooden box.

He stroked the box, feeling a mix of emotions.

This small wooden box, though seemingly heavy, represents the heavy debt he carries, but in reality, it is the starting point for his comeback against all odds.

"Thanks."

He turned and pushed open the door to leave.

Bathed in the warm afternoon sun, Xiu Qi did not feel warmth, but rather a calmness like that of a sage after his impulsiveness.

However, he did not regret it, because this exquisite psionic crystal could double his meditation efficiency.

A great sage once said that the best investment is in yourself.

He always kept those words firmly in mind.

For the poor, this is impulsive consumption.

For the wealthy, it's just a trivial investment in themselves.

Since enrolling a year ago, Xiu Qi has had no external support to rely on. As someone with "mediocre talent," he is no match for those ambitious apprentices who are willing to spend money and their lives to improve.

The Arcane Academy is the highest and most rigorous institution in the entire academy.

The academy admits only the top 100 apprentices each year based on their entrance exam rankings.

He ranked 80th in his entrance exam and was assigned to the lowest-ranked class, C.

After a year of hard work, Xiuqi increased his ranking by ten, rising from 80th to 90th.

There is only one body length away from the bottom ten in the grade.

At the end of each year, the bottom ten students in their grade will successfully unlock a special achievement—graduating early.

"In these three days, I must use the Meditation Stone to quickly increase my strength and then enhance and upgrade my cards..."

"Only in this way can we ensure that the duel is foolproof."

With his goal clear, Xiuqi strode confidently toward the library.

The Royal Academy of Solmar is located in the Shallows district of the port city, a wealthy area filled with nobles and merchants. The towering Merlin Tower is the academy's iconic building.

Xiuqi walked through the familiar archways and corridors, ignoring the strange looks from the apprentices who recognized him along the way, and headed straight for the magnificent library on the east side of the Arcane Academy.

He needs to consult the monster encyclopedia, as well as the location and habits of monsters in the Grey Forest.

He always makes thorough preparations for everything he does; that's his style.

Then go to the spell section and copy down a few spells that you can use now.

The library of the Arcane Academy is known as the "Vault of All Laws," and its interior is far more magnificent and vast than it appears from the outside.

The enormous dome is woven from pure arcane energy, and its starry sky pattern changes every fifteen minutes.

Soft light streamed down from above, illuminating the labyrinthine bookshelves below.

The air was filled with the smell of old books.

Aside from footsteps, the only sounds around were the turning of pages and the rustling of quill pens.

He went straight to the bookshelf labeled "Monster Encyclopedia".

The towering bookshelves reached all the way to the dome, and thick illustrated guides were arranged according to various categories.

Climbing up the rotten, old wooden ladder, Xiuqi quickly found detailed information about the Grey Forest.

It was a thick book called "A Comprehensive Overview of Common Monsters in the Kingdom Forest (Revised Edition, New Moon Calendar 1310)".

Although this is a revised version from eight years ago, the differences should not be significant.

Xiu Qi sat in a quiet spot by the window and quickly began to read.

The beautifully illustrated pages are adorned with colorful magical drawings that vividly depict the forms and characteristics of various monsters.

......

【Moss Slime】: Challenge Level 1/8.

Possible items to drop: [Viscous bodily fluid], [Pure water core].

Note: The core of the Moss Slime has a slight affinity for water elemental spells, and its acid will corrode weapons.

[Timberwolves]: Challenge Level 1/4.

Possible drops: [Wolf Hide], [Sharp Wolf Fangs].

Note: If you spot a tigress, don't doubt it; you'll soon see a pack.

【Fluorescent Fungus Man】: Challenge Level 1/2.

Possible drops: [Glowing Spores], [Fungiman Cap] (Rare).

Note: Glowing fungi are gentle and slow-moving, but caution should be exercised as their spores may have hallucinogenic risks.

……

Xiuqi's ability to quickly browse through ten lines at a glance, coupled with his 8 points in Intelligence, allows him to accurately memorize key information simultaneously.

What's the most important thing when going on an adventure?

Find the most suitable little monster.

Ideally, it should be both economical and practical.

Instead of the heroes described by bards, who dared to challenge the ancient red dragon with just a short sword in hand.

That's not adventure, that's feeding the monsters.

As he grew older, he began to understand that the safest risk for ordinary people was...

It is precisely by reversing the heroic deeds in the story.

After all, only heroes have stories to tell; those who don't become heroes inevitably suffer accidents.

This is also the fundamental reason why there are so few heroes.

Who the hell goes around slaying dragons all the time?

"Moss slime, safe but low value, good for practice."

"The fluorescent mushroom people have no effective way to deal with them, and the hallucinogenic spores are a bit troublesome..."

As he turned the pages, his finger hovered over the illustration of "Woodland Goblins".

Woodland Goblin

Challenge level 1/4.

Description: Selfish and ruthless small humanoid creatures whose nests are everywhere.

Characteristics: Goblins rarely go alone; they always travel in groups and use weapons such as scimitars, daggers, shortbows, and slings.

They set traps and then hide in the shadows to shoot with short bows.

Possible drops: [Rough Weapon], [Goblin Ears], [Stolen Coins], [Lucky Stone] (Rare)

Note: Goblins will steal items from passing travelers and hide in their lairs.

"I'd rather face goblins than the Timberwolves."

Xiu Qi pondered to himself, keeping this goal in mind.

After copying down the highlighted monsters, he headed to the spellbook section.

The atmosphere here was more solemn, and most of the books on the shelves were shrouded in a faint arcane aura.

That was a protective array, meant to guard against students like him who didn't have the gold coins to pay for copying.

Unlike other areas, an old man wearing a gray wizard's pointed hat sat in front of the bookshelf of spellbooks.

"Good afternoon, Master Brian!"

Xiu Qi greeted him with a smile, explaining that the old man was the guardian of the spellbooks in the library and also responsible for collecting fees for copying spells.

"Xiuqi apprentice, you little miser, what brings you here again?"

"Final exams are at the end of the month, so I've come to pick out a few spells to cram for!"

This is not a lie fabricated by Xiuqi. The end of the month is indeed the final exam for first-year students of the Arcane Academy, and it is the most important moment for students in Class C.

His grades are currently stable at around 90th in his grade, unless he wants to unlock the special achievement of graduating three years early—

There are still fifteen days left to roll it out.

The old monk was also very impressed with Xiuqi.

I often wander around the spellbook section, but all year round I've only copied one zero-level spell...

Such an ambitious yet extremely stingy apprentice is hard not to leave a deep impression.

You can't really blame him for that.

The cost to copy a zero-ring spell is 10 gold coins, and the cost to copy a first-ring spell is 20 gold coins.

The price of some improved spells has doubled, and for some popular improved spells, the price of copying them is several times the original price.

As an apprentice devoted to arcane arts, was he merely stingy and unwilling to learn more spells?

No, he was simply poor.

However, it's different now.

A black obsidian magic crystal card with a dark luster was handed over, and a slightly high-pitched voice rang out:

"If it's about copying spells..."

"Can I pay by card?"