Upon hearing that he could move freely, Azrael didn't hesitate for a second. He summoned Pidgeot with practiced ease.
The moment the majestic bird materialized, Gabi's eyes widened in surprise. "Did you make a second creature card so quickly?" she gasped. She had expected him to craft a vehicle-type prop card at most, not another living creature.
Azrael shook his head slightly, his expression remaining calm despite her amazement. "It's just a green card, nothing special."
Gabi felt her eye twitch at Azrael's casual dismissal. Versailles much? she thought, knowing how many Lore Cardians struggled their entire lives just to produce a single black iron-level green card. The audacity of this guy!
Forcing a smile, she said, "Well, the forest-type secret realm is perfect for your bird-type mount." She had to admit that flying mounts could adapt to most secret realms with ease.
The other students nearby cast envious glances in Azrael's direction.
"As expected of Azrael," one of them muttered.
"Man, I want to ride a bird, too. My family only got me a mountain bike this time," another complained.
"You're still lucky," a third student chimed in glumly. "I've got nothing but these two legs."
Listening to his classmates' discussion, Azrael sighed inwardly. If it weren't for Gabi's timely reminder, he probably wouldn't have thought to make rideable cards in the first place.
In the crowd, Cory stood apart, his eyes boring into Azrael with barely contained jealousy and resentment. Azrael again, Azrael again, always Azrael! Why is Azrael so perfect? These bitter thoughts churned in Cory's mind like poison. If I can't succeed in my plans, I'll be dead if I get caught.
As if sensing the hostile gaze, Azrael turned his head and looked directly at Cory.
Caught staring, Cory quickly averted his gaze, pretending to examine something fascinating on the nearby ground.
Azrael couldn't help but let out a cold sneer. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong. He mentally tagged Cory with yet another unflattering label.
"What's wrong? What's so funny?" Gabi asked, noticing Azrael's amused expression.
Azrael waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing much. I just spotted a clown."
Without waiting for her reaction, he mounted Pidgeot and took to the skies, leaving the students on the ground to watch his departure with mixed emotions.
As they watched Azrael's figure grow smaller in the distance, the remaining students from the key class began to disperse, each heading toward their own destination within the secret realm.
The supervising staff member watched Azrael's form dwindle to a black dot against the sky. "It seems like Silverbrook High School has produced quite the promising seedling this time," he remarked to his colleague.
"By the way, Kent, didn't you take leave to care for your mother?"
The Lore Cardian known as Kent fell silent for a moment before responding with a bitter smile. "People like us, who've spent half our lives grinding just to reach Black Iron-level Lore Cardian status, don't exactly save much money throughout the year."
His voice carried the weight of years of struggle. "My mother's illness requires constant funding. If I don't work, there's no money for her treatment."
Secret realms like this one, which are completely controlled and monitored by the Card Maker Association, are typically overseen by retired Lore Cardians with little hope of advancing beyond black iron level. After all, it would be wasteful to station high-level Lore Cardians in such relatively safe locations.
The senior staff member sighed quietly and patted Kent on the shoulder in understanding. "Let's not dwell on such heavy topics. We should head back to the monitoring room. Hopefully, today will pass without incident."
Meanwhile, Azrael guided Pidgeot through the air and quickly reached the midpoint of the mountain. Suspended in midair, he took a moment to carefully consider his next moves.
"There's still half a month before the joint entrance examination of the four schools," he mused. "I need to gather more materials during this secret training. Relying on Yoriichi alone might not be enough."
Although Azrael had claimed the top spot at Silverbrook High School, he wasn't foolish enough to believe he was invincible. The world was vast and filled with countless talented individuals. He refused to fall into the same arrogant trap as Cory.
When he first started creating cards, Azrael's motivation was simple: it was fun, and he needed to pay off his loans. However, after experiencing the Demon Nest riot firsthand, he understood the true nature of this dangerous world.
If Master Lucian hadn't been in Velkairos that day, Azrael shuddered to think what tragedy might have befallen the city. This realization awakened an intense hunger for power within him.
Pushing aside these thoughts, Azrael focused on surveying the forest below. The dense canopy of dark trees blocked most of his view, making it impossible to properly assess the situation on the ground.
With no other option, Azrael guided Pidgeot down for a landing.
After dismissing Pidgeot, he summoned Tsugikuni Yoriichi in its place.
"Yoriichi, stay alert. It's dangerous here," he whispered to his summon.
Yoriichi nodded slightly, his right hand moving to rest on the katana at his waist. He was ready to draw the blade at the first sign of trouble.
Squeak.
Their footsteps crunched softly on the carpet of fallen leaves covering the forest floor.
Snap.
Suddenly, Yoriichi's blade flashed from its sheath; the back of the sword stopped Azrael's forward movement in an instant.
Azrael immediately understood that Yoriichi had detected an enemy. Without hesitation, he summoned Pidgeot and launched himself into the air.
Below, the thick layer of leaves arched and shifted as something long and sinuous moved beneath them.
Yoriichi's intense gaze tracked the mysterious creature's movements with unwavering focus.
"Hiss!"
A hideous set of mandibles suddenly erupted from the leaf litter, striking toward where they had been standing like a viper.
But such a simple ambush couldn't catch Yoriichi off guard. He shifted his body slightly, and the attacking mouthparts passed harmlessly through the air where he had been standing.
The blade in his hand began to glow red-hot as he brought it down in a devastating vertical slash, effortlessly cleaving the creature in two.
From his aerial vantage point, Azrael could now clearly see their attacker: a sleek, black centipede nearly as long as a person.
Just as he prepared to descend and collect materials from the corpse, Azrael spotted several more bulges moving through the leaf litter.
"Be careful, Yoriichi! There are more monsters!" Azrael called out in warning.
Four dark shapes burst from concealment, rushing toward Yoriichi with deadly intent.
But how could such simple tactics challenge someone who possessed the Transparent World? To Yoriichi, the centipedes' movements appeared painfully slow.
"Sun Breathing, Second Form: Clear Blue Sky!"
Yoriichi's expression remained perfectly calm as he delivered a crimson slash through the air. The technique sliced through the scattered leaves and airborne centipedes, reducing them to pieces of various sizes in an instant.
Purple blood splattered across the ground, hissing and steaming where it made contact with the earth.
Azrael remained airborne, in no rush to descend. Who knew if more monsters lurked in the undergrowth?
Several tense minutes passed without further movement. Finally, Azrael guided Pidgeot down to land beside Yoriichi.
"As expected of you, Yoriichi. You're incredible," Azrael grinned, giving his summon's arm an appreciative pat.
For the first time since Azrael had known him, Yoriichi's perpetually stoic expression shifted slightly; the ghost of a smile touched his features.
Azrael blinked in surprise. "So Yoriichi can actually smile," he murmured in wonder.
By the time he looked again, Yoriichi had returned to his usual expressionless state.
Scratching his head in bemusement, Azrael decided not to dwell on whether he had imagined it. Instead, he turned his attention to the scattered centipede remains and slowly wrapped his mental power around each corpse.
As his mental energy constricted, the centipede bodies began to condense into usable materials. Five items materialized from the carnage:
[Poisonous Centipede] (Green).
"A man cannot get rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot get fat without wild grass," Azrael muttered to himself, unconsciously quoting an old saying.
He had barely entered the secret realm, yet he had already harvested five black iron-level green materials. This was just a low-level secret realm under the association's complete control.
If this were a large, high-level secret realm, Azrael didn't dare let his imagination run wild. No wonder high-level Lore Cardians willingly accepted dangerous assignments to explore uncharted secret realms despite the obvious risks.
The potential rewards were simply too tempting to ignore.
"It looks like the mountainside only produces green materials," Azrael mused as he pocketed his newfound wealth. "I wonder what treasures await at the summit."