The professor's lip twitched, but he still explained, "Judging by the stats, the Shuckle is indeed an exceptionally rare Magical Spirit. To this day, no one has managed to figure out a guaranteed crafting formula for it. Its rarity mainly stems from its defense value, which is as high as 2200. That's the absolute maximum a Tier 1 Magical Spirit can possibly achieve."
Dark nodded slightly.
Typically, the peak attack or defense for a 3-Star Magical Spirit Card should be 1500. The textbooks clearly recorded the top stats for Magical Spirits of each star rating:
1-Star: 500
2-Star: 1000
3-Star: 1500
4-Star: 2000
5-Star: 2500
6-Star: 3000
7-Star: 3500
8-Star: 4000
9-Star: 4500
These peak stats were usually achieved by sacrificing the other corresponding stat (attack or defense).
But there are always a few exceptions to every rule.
Shuckle was one of them.
As a 3-Star Magical Spirit, Shuckle sacrificed far more than just its attack power. Its weaknesses were glaringly obvious: extremely slow speed and a tiny frame, standing only 0.6 meters tall, prevented it from being an effective tank.
So, while Shuckle was certainly rare, its general utility wasn't considered high.
However, the card in Dark's hand was a Golden Shuckle!
Furthermore, its four skills were incredibly practical:
[Sturdy: Passive Skill. A Magical Spirit with this skill cannot be defeated in a single hit.]
[Power Split: Uses psychic power to add its own Attack to the opponent's, then splits the total evenly between them.]
[Guard Split: Uses psychic power to add its own Defense to the opponent's, then splits the total evenly between them.]
[Power Trick: Uses psychic power to swap its Attack and Defense values.]
With these four skills, although Shuckle couldn't be a proper tank, it could become a masterful trickster. In formal duels, it was bound to become an opponent's nightmare!
Naturally, Dark had no intention of revealing Shuckle's skill information. The card face of a Magical Spirit Card only displayed three stats: Magic Power, Attack, and Defense. Ultimate abilities were always hidden.
Professor Kazel, though curious, didn't probe further. He offered a slight smile, saying, "Dark, Lady Luck truly favors you."
Dark nodded. "I think so too."
Heh.
After finishing the practical assignment as the expected "first place," Dark began observing the crafting techniques of the other students. Perhaps due to their previous experience crafting Magical Beasts, the junior mages performed quite well in this class, with many successfully creating Magical Spirit Cards.
The second student to succeed after Dark was, unsurprisingly, Emma. Since Emma hadn't summoned her Magical Spirit in class, Dark didn't know what kind of Golden Beast she had actually created. The variety of Magical Spirits was simply too vast; many weren't even recorded in textbooks.
But the most attention-grabbing student in this class was undoubtedly the Hero's Scion!
Virt's Magical Spirit Card crafting concluded with an explosion. As everyone turned to look, he emerged from the ashes, his face blackened by soot, stubbornly holding an intact magic card!
Seemingly unable to wait to see his creation, he summoned it right there at the back of the classroom.
It was actually a Troll!
The behemoth straightened up, nearly brushing against the ceiling. The moment it appeared, it let out a terrifying roar, as if venting frustration!
"Whoa!"
Virt wiped the grime from his face, revealing bright white teeth as he looked up excitedly.
"If I'd had this earlier, in the secret passage, I wouldn't have..."
Robert asked in confusion, "Virt, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing!" Virt laughed heartily. "Check it out, isn't my Troll awesome?"
Robert couldn't help but pinch his nose. "Awesome or not, I don't know, but it looks kind of dumb."
Virt beamed. "Isn't that just how Trolls are? Brainless, powerful, and a tough hide. But who cares if it's brainless? I've got the brains, and that's enough."
Robert conceded, "Makes sense."
As they were talking, Professor Kazel walked over. "Gold, why would you summon a Troll inside the classroom?"
Virt quickly said, "I'll recall it right now."
But the news that the Hero's Scion had crafted a Troll had already spread through the entire class. Trolls were standard top-tier 3-Star Magical Spirits, balanced in attack and defense, and frequently seen on the competitive scene. This undoubtedly gave Virt a chance to show off.
Of course, compared to Virt's Troll, Dark was more interested in the Magical Spirit Diana had crafted.
It was a brown Earth Bear!
As expected of someone from the Kingdom's Bear Clan, she really did have an affinity for bears!
Diana gleefully hugged her Magical Spirit Card, turning around constantly to show it off. Dark could only coax her to settle down like she was a child.
On the other side, Rose also managed to complete her second crafting attempt before class ended, successfully creating her own Magical Spirit. It was a rabbit-type, similar to her Magical Beast: Snow Rabbit, and seemed to possess a healing-type ultimate ability.
This class represented a massive step forward for the first-year students. Most of them now had their first Magical Spirit ready for potential use in duels. At the same time, having learned how to craft Magical Spirits, they could finally rely on their own abilities to purchase materials and continue crafting in the future. It could almost be said that, from this moment on, they had truly crossed the threshold into becoming proper magisters.
What surprised Dark, however, happened later.
After Potions class ended that afternoon, Virt and Robert actually sought him out.
And they issued a challenge to duel!
Dark was taken aback on the spot. Although he was familiar with the school rules and knew the academy strongly encouraged formal duels between students, he still couldn't comprehend Virt's actions.
'Has Virt evolved into the protagonist of some power fantasy story?' Dark wondered. 'Did he find that typical rhythm: power up -> show off and take down rivals -> power up -> show off and take down rivals -> repeat...? And am I supposed to be the rival getting taken down?'
With an odd look on his face, Dark inquired, "Why?"
He hadn't expected Virt to come prepared. Virt exchanged a look with Robert, seeming to draw strength from his close friend's eyes, and declared, "I know you haven't taken me seriously since school started."
Dark went, "Huh?"
Virt pressed on, "No need to deny it. I can sense your attitude towards me."
Dark replied, "Oh."
Virt stated firmly, "But today, I'll definitely make you understand that we stand on the same level!"
Dark asked, "Well then, do you know the rules for student duels?"
Virt looked puzzled. "Fair, just, and public?"
Dark resisted the urge to facepalm. "It's that you have to wager at least 100 school credits."
Virt went, "Ah?"
So you just charged in here, all fired up, without knowing anything? Dark thought wryly. Duels don't come without a price.