My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 96 is becoming the thickest thigh.

About three miles from the combined squads of 31 and 32, near low bushes, the Shooter Squad had just finished a brief battle.

That was another small group of gnolls, only three in number, who had nowhere to hide from the bird poet's aerial reconnaissance.

Max and the princess worked together to finish the battle in a minute, before Hodor even had a chance to make a move.

"The eighth one." Xiu Qi put away the newly made gnoll card and nodded in satisfaction.

The afternoon's harvest was quite substantial.

After taking down a gathering point of six gnolls and clearing out a small group of scattered gnolls, I acquired a total of eight one-star premium (green) cards.

More importantly, through today's battle, Xiuqi was extremely satisfied with the performance of the earth goblin warrior Max.

This enhanced goblin warrior displayed not only strength and skill in battle, but also an almost instinctive tactical wisdom.

It knows how to coordinate with Hodor's frontal advance, how to use Link's arrows to find opportunities to break in, and even when the princess uses [Abyss Avatar], it can instantly understand the tactical intent and adjust its position to fill the gaps.

"High combat intelligence," Xiu Qi commented, "and strong teamwork. Such a summoned creature is worth focusing on developing."

He took stock of his card reserves.

Three main cards:

Two-star rare (blue) [Bird Poet]

Two-Star Premium (Green) [Princess Alice]

One-Star Rare (Purple) [Fearless Goblin Warrior]

Fifteen support cards:

One-star common cards (white): 7 cards (all goblins)

One-star green cards (elite): 10 cards (2 Goblin cards, 8 Gnoll cards)

"That's enough to promote Max to two stars," Xiuqi decided. "And we can do an experiment—see if the quality of the sacrificed cards affects the evolution of the main card."

He chose a relatively flat clearing in the woods and had Ado and Link keep watch on the perimeter.

He sat cross-legged and took out the cards.

Main Card: [Fearless Goblin Warrior Max] (One-Star Rare Purple)

Additional cards: He carefully selected nine—

Five one-star green cards (all Gnoll cards obtained today, all of excellent quality).

Four one-star common cards (Goblin cards, ordinary quality).

"If my guess is correct," Xiu Qi muttered to himself, "the higher the quality of the sacrificed cards, the greater the probability of obtaining a high-quality card when evolving the main card. Five green cards and four white cards, this configuration should be able to reach two-star rare quality."

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the [Monster Card Maker System].

In the virtual space, the main card floats in the center, with nine secondary cards surrounding it in a circle.

Xiuqi locked onto the target with his mind and initiated the synthesis evolution.

[A synthesis request has been detected]

[Main Card: Fearless Goblin Warrior Max (One-Star Rare Purple)]

[Secondary Cards: 5 x 1-star Green Cards, 4 x 1-star White Cards]

[Is it confirmed that a two-star promotion synthesis will be performed?]

【confirm!】

The nine secondary cards simultaneously shone brightly.

The five green cards transformed into five emerald-like streams of light, and the four white cards into four silver beams of light. The nine streams of light, as if drawn by an invisible force, swirled and converged into the central main card.

The master card began to vibrate violently.

The goblin warrior image on the card seems to come alive; it roars, struggles, and evolves.

The patterns on the card borders begin to recombine—the simple patterns of one-star cards peel away, and more complex and delicate patterns of two-star cards are regenerated.

The card's color changes from purple to dark blue, which is a sign that it is moving from a rare quality to an unusual quality.

The most striking change occurred with the card art.

The size of the goblin warriors was expanding.

His original height of six feet ten inches (approximately 2.1 meters) has visibly increased in the images. His muscles are more defined, his bones are larger, and the stratum corneum on his skin has become thicker and harder.

The steel longsword in its hand seemed to grow larger along with its size, and faint battle runes appeared on its blade—

Those are not decorations, but mysterious patterns that truly contain power.

The armor is also changing.

The leather armor evolved into a heavier cloak of chainmail, with metal plates covering the key areas.

On the originally bare helmet, a pair of curved horns grew out—not decorations, but actual organs growing from the skull.

The whole process lasted about three minutes.

As the last ray of light was absorbed by the main card, a system notification sounded in Xiu Qi's mind:

Synthesis successful!

[Monster card "Fearless Goblin Warrior Max" upgraded to two stars!]

[Quality Upgrade: Rare (Purple) → Epic (Blue)!]

[Five attributes improved!]

[Awakened Talent: "Clan Leader"!]

Xiuqi opened his eyes and looked at the brand-new card in his hand.

The card design has been completely changed.

A faint light shimmered across the deep blue border, and at the center of the card was a colossal figure standing eight feet three inches (approximately 2.5 meters) tall—

This is beyond the scope of a goblin, and is even much taller and stronger than a bear goblin.

Its arms were as thick as an average adult's head, with muscles as defined as if cast in steel. Its scarlet eyes gleamed with a light that combined intelligence and savagery—the gaze of a battle-hardened warrior.

Card information update:

【Max, the fearless goblin warrior】

[Type: Summoning Card]

[Level: Two Stars]

[Quality: Rare (Blue)]

【属性：力量12（+2）、敏捷11（+2）、体质12（+2）、智力7（+1）、感知6（+1）、魅力5】

[Skills: Longsword Mastery +4, Shield Mastery +4, Tactical Command +3]

[Senses: Dark vision 70 feet, passive perception 13]

[Talent: Chapter Leader]

[Talent Effect: In a combat group centered around Max, the coordination and command execution efficiency of all members are increased by 10%. Allied units within range receive a slight morale boost.]

[Note: "He was once just an ordinary goblin warrior, until he met you. Now, he is the core of the Legion, the eye of the battle."]

"All attributes improved..." A satisfied glint flashed in Xiu Qi's eyes. "Strength 12, Agility 11, Constitution 12—"

This surpasses the core attributes of many level 2 challenge monsters.

With an intelligence level of 7, far exceeding that of an average goblin, it's no wonder his tactical awareness is so strong.

What surprised him most was the awakened talent [Clan Leader].

A 10% increase in teamwork and execution efficiency may not seem like a large percentage, but in real-world situations, this improvement can mean the difference between life and death.

More importantly, morale is a crucial factor. In protracted battles or adversity, morale is often more important than strength.

"As expected, the quality of the sacrificed cards affects the evolution result." Xiu Qi confirmed his prediction. "Five green cards and four white cards directly reached the rare quality. If all white cards were used, it would probably only reach the fine quality at best."

He raised his hand and infused it with magic to summon.

Deep blue light shone on the open ground.

When the light faded, a giant figure, eight feet three inches tall, stood before Xiuqi.

Goblin warrior Max—no, he should now be called Goblin Warrior—bowed down to look at his summoner.

Its changes are not limited to its physical appearance.

The skin, which was originally grayish-green, now has a metallic dull sheen, which is the result of the qualitative change in the stratum corneum after repeated strengthening.

The pair of curved battle horns on his head gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and the metal plates embedded in the studded leather armor were polished to a mirror-like shine.

But the biggest change is in temperament.

Although Max was intelligent, it was still clear that he was a summoned creature, and there was always a hint of inhuman emptiness in his eyes.

Now, its eyes are those of a seasoned veteran—calm, sharp, and full of authority.

"Master," Max knelt on one knee, his voice deep and resonant like the grinding of rocks, "thank you for giving me new life."

It spoke.

Although the vocabulary is simple and the tone is stiff, it is indeed a common language.

"Get up," Xiuqi smiled. "It seems that advancing to the second star has brought your intelligence to a level where you can communicate verbally. Very good, this will make tactical communication much easier in the future."

Max stood up, and his nearly 2.5-meter height made Xiuqi have to look up to meet his gaze.

"What are the specific effects of your talent [Warband Leader]?" Xiu Qi asked.

"It can affect all allies within range," Max said succinctly, "making them cooperate better and slightly boosting team morale during battle."

"Great!" But Xiuqi smiled and nodded.

"Then, from now on you'll be the squad's tactical commander," Xiuqi decided. "When I'm not around, you'll be in charge of directing Ador and Link's tactical coordination. The princess... she's a special case, I'll give her individual instructions."

"Understood." Max nodded, a hint of pride in being trusted flashing in his crimson eyes.

Just then—

boom!

A deep purple firework exploded in the southeastern night sky.

Xiu Qi raised his head and looked at the slowly dissipating purple light, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Dark purple warning..." he muttered to himself, "A massive demonic tide has begun to spread. Looks like I won't be able to rest tonight."

He turned to Max, Ado, and Link.

"Set up camp and prepare for action. Max, you're in charge of devising the night march formation and surveillance plan. Link, check the arrows, especially the silver-plated ones. Ado, check the armor and weapons."

"Yes!" the three answered in unison.

Xiuqi glanced one last time at the direction where the purple fireworks had disappeared, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"A demonic tide... Perfect, let's use demons to test the power of the new card."

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