The Amber Sword

TL: It’s interesting to see the mixed reaction… The MTG flavor has been there for a pretty damn long time actually. Everyone was like, ‘what does the cards mean!’ in the beginning when Brendel found them like card captor sakura, but now it’s like wtf is going on lol…

I kind of want to set a new poll about this.

What you feel about the introduction of the MTG elements

Dislike it

Like it

Needs to see more chapters to see if it sucks

Don’t care

Don’t know

I’m sitting on the fence on this one

I like it anyway because it’s Brendel and his monologues will somehow make the cards talk the enemies to death.

Vote

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Chapter 55 – The road to surpass limits (2)

Reaching the highest peak of all professions, that was indeed a road that surpassed limits.

“But how can I become a Planeswalker?” Brendel asked the important question.

Tulman stopped. His script inside him vanished quickly. The last person he met was a Paladin called Gerald. He had tried hard to persuade the excellent youth to forgo his faith, and join the ranks of a Planeswalker but failed. Now that he was prepared for this time and about to persuade the youth in front of him, Brendel seemed to have agreed to become one.

Tulman obviously did not understand the mindset of a gamer.

Naturally, Tulman was very happy to have found a successor. The Tulman here was nothing more than a transmission of information, and since he managed to succeed in this mission, it meant that his millennium long mission was finally over.

So he immediately replied: “To become a Planeswalker, you must first have your own land within ‘uhs. As I had explained before, the infinite worlds described within the Matteya word, means that you need to build your first foothold and set the Land card and tap it.”

Tulman’s voice became serious: “This is the first land of your kingdom. On it, you need to build a strong fortress and summon your faithful knight from your card combination, and from that point forth, you will become a Planeswalker.”

Brendel listened till he was giddy with excitement: “Can I try it?”

Tulman nodded: “Of course. I believe you have a Land card, and that is enough to qualify you for the most basic summons. The crux of the question is how you’re going to build your first card combination.”

“So how should I make the card combination?” Brendel asked, calming himself down to become a good student.

[Planeswalker… A unique existence in this world? Or something that is undiscovered by the Amber Sword. I easily found the card within the tomb, so why did the other players in the game not find it? Or is it because these cards can only be discovered by NPCs?]

Since Brendel had no means to find out the truth, he quietly listened to Tulman.

“To make your own card combination, you must first understand the Cards of Fate. Beyond the Card Type, there are several classifications to the cards.

Characters, Heroes, Beasts, Monsters and even Dragons. When you display the card and summon them, they have different properties and strength, and some even possesses unique abilities.”

“I know of this,” Brendel said: “They are like the Wind Spider Spirits, and the Highland Squire, Ciel?”

“Yes.”

“The second classification?”

“They are spells and abilities. These spells are decided by the Color Type.

– Red, offense

– Blue, versatility

– Gray, defense

– Black, Mystique

There are many other colors that decide the characteristics as well as timing. The White and Green cards can be used at any given time and conditions, but the others require their own conditions.”

“Something like Mana Control?”

Tulman nodded: “The third classification, Treasure. The Treasure card is always white. This card requires a particular medium, it can be the Planeswalker, the summoned creature, and even a barrier.”

“Barrier?”

“This is the fourth classification, Barrier. It has the qualities of a Spell and Land card. It is not movable, but the effect is powerful.

The fifth classification is Resource. The Resource card is similar to the Land card. It can be added to a Barrier, or placed into a Land card. The Resource card is another source of power, and high combination cards require the use of a Resource card.

The sixth classification is the Ritual card. This is a unique card type. As you become stronger as a Planeswalker, you will gradually come into contact.

The seventh classification is the Event card. This is another unique card. If you access and complete the event, you will be able to utilize the effects on the card. Be careful as the Event card is a limited usage card. It will not enter the graveyard but disappear entirely.”

Tulman told Brendel that the remaining special cards are only understood when he became more powerful, and there was no need to understand it now.

“Thus, a Planeswalker card combination is combined with all these classfied cards. One can summon and cast spells and barriers to perform a combination of attack and defense. But you won’t be able to order the sequencing of the cards because of the Laws surrounding it. So, what do you think of it?”

[I see…]

Brendel’s heart was beating excitedly. He could almost imagine a card combination. The best part about this was not requiring him to spend any experience points of him. It was a true side profession apart from his original professions.

[This isn’t just a simple, ‘Wow, it’s a strong profession’, this is blatantly cheating!]

Brendel started muttering to himself.

“Since the card combination is describing a profession, then my cards should automatically reflect that. My first combination is a ‘Knight’, and a ‘Knight’ requires a squire, battle horse, equipment, and related techniques to the the ‘Knight’. Then the barrier card protects his fortress and land…”

Tulman did not look surprised. Each time Brendel said something, cards would appear and float in the air.

The first card had already entered the graveyard. It was the Earth/Water Highland Squire card. The second card was a Green color Wind Element card called, ‘Mercenaries of Lopes’. The card itself was drawn with watercolors, depicting a group of military men carrying swallowtail flags with a horned emblem in it, while their uniforms differed from each other, with their equipment ranging from bows, axes and shields.

The description of the card:

Mercenaries of Lopes

(The Alliance of City-states XI)

Wind 8/Mana 14

[Creature – Human/Mercenaries, Level 15 Creature]

Place a group of 12 Lopes Mercenaries into the field.

Maintainence: Pay 2 Wealth every day when the mercenaries are in the field.

‘Ever since the First Age, 172 years, the Mercenaries of Lopes are renowned for their bravery, skill in and loyalty in battles.’

When Brendel talked about a battle horse and equipment, three cards appeared. ‘Holy Sword’, ‘Golden Battle Flag’ and ‘Silver Colt’. When he spoke about techniques, the cards ‘Sun Blade’, ‘Sprint Drive’ appeared.

Finally when he was describing his lands, the final card ‘Rich Gold Mine’ appeared.

Brendel saw the cards appear before him as he spoke, and he was surprised but he did not stop talking. He asked: “What’s happening?”

“Other than the Holy Sword and your Highland Squire cards, these are the cards I’m giving you.” Tulman explained. “When you described your cards, I removed them from my deck and transferred them to you. This is your first basic combination, and perhaps you will perfect your ‘Knight’ combination in the future. In any case, this means that you have started your path as a Planeswalker.”

[Oh my god, this is such a good harvest. I had to spend so much for a card like the Wind Spider Spirits, but I got six of them in an instant!]

He gulped as he looked at them. “So what happens next after this is mine?”

“Now is the time to create your Territory, so that you can use your cards. However, I have to remind you about the relationship between your cards and territory. A card combination can be supported with many different territories, but a single territory can only support one card combination. This means that different card combinations have their own specific Land cards to support them, and you should not rely on just one territory to support a card combination. A full deck requires a large Territory system.”

Tulman’s voice became stern again. “Therefore, you need to collect more Land and Resource cards as these are your foundation.”

Brendel nodded.

“Then let us establish your Territory.” Tulman continued. “Bring out your ‘Garden of the Holy Tree’ and display it.”

The moment Brendel displayed it, there was a flash of green color in his eyes. He saw the color fill everywhere, trees growing to form a lush forest with vigor. A mysteriously huge tree stood in the center of the forest admist a pool.

Brendel finally understood the description of the card. This was the creation of a territory. He could clearly feel the connection of the forest in his spirit as long as he desired to see it. But this forest was not in the same world he was in right now, and he could feel the distance between him and the forest.

It was a special feeling, intimate and yet distant.

Brendel looked back at Tulman with shock. After so long in the game, there was nothing that shocked him anymore, but the feeling right now was one of utter glee and expectation.

“The Land Card in your territory has matured. The area is very big and borders have been formed. It is a considerably good Territory, and it will provide you two Nature points and One Element Point every day when you tap it. In the future you might encounter a ‘Unique’ and even ‘Legendary’ land, which are much better than a ‘Basic’ land. Just note that if you use them as a Land card, you will lose the benefits of the Resource and Barrier Card.”

“What do you mean?” Brendel did not understand.

“First, take a look at your card combination. When you created your territory, you have become a qualified Planeswalker. Your card combination has become a deck and your cards will change everyday and enter into your hand.”

Brendel opened his hand and found four cards. They were the Holy Sword, Mercenaries of Lopes, Rich Gold Mind and the Sprint Drive.

“Look at the description of the Rich Gold Mind.” Tulman explained like an old teacher.

When the youth looked at the card, he understood his meaning:

Rich Gold Mine

(Alliance of the city-states VII)

Earth 2

[Resource mine/Wealth]

Place Rich Gold Mine on an (untapped) Land Card and receive 4 Wealth.

‘Gold within rocks.’

“Understand? Regardless of a Resource or Creature Card, a Planeswalker can only use them once every day, until the Reset Phase from ten PM to two AM, where the cards will go back in your deck and shuffle. This is when your Resource card that was attached to your Land card, return to the deck and await for the next draw.”

Brendel nodded. He felt like he had nodded more times than the previous month combined.

“Finally, I need to remind you that the cards that you have used or overdrawn, with the exception of the Creature card, will return to your deck. When you enter the Maintenance Phase, you will draw cards until you replenished your hand.”

Tulman suddenly stopped and his expression changed. He tapped Brendel’s arm and said: “Looks like our time is up since your enemies are here now. I don’t wish for my successor to die the moment you became a Planeswalker. You’re a qualified user now, so use your resources wisely to deal with them.”

Brendel was startled.

[That’s right. I still have enemies out there. The two soldiers from the Silver-winged cavalry are still okay to deal with, but that young man is an enemy with Gold-ranked stats. Even though Tulman said I should easily handle my enemies now, but I really doubt it.]

Brendel suddenly opened his eyes, and found he was still maintaining that posture to grab the medicine. The surroundings in the room had not changed, and it felt like the things about the Cards of Fate, Tulman, Planeswalker, were a dream.

But Brendel knew that it was not a dream, because he was holding on to the cards in his hand—

The situation did not allow him to think too much, because he could hear footsteps coming closer. Brendel immediately brought out the Mercenaries of Lopes and displayed it. He grabbed the Mana Potion on the table and drank it. With 6 Wind EP and 11 Wind Element Crystals, and 15 Mana points, he was able to use the card.

Twelve summoning circles immediately appeared in the room.

The two soldiers probably could not expected it even if they exhausted all their imagination. When they brought the door down, they found seven crossbows, two longswords and three axes focused on their bodies. These bandits with weapons in their hands looked like they came out from a theater. Most of them had curly beards with bright colored clothes and intricate patterns over their leather armor, complete with a long robe and a shield on one hand.

The two soldiers widened their eyes. They were not clear about Brendel’s identities and acted out of the orders given. Tirste had told them he was a criminal, but they were stunned when they saw them.

[These damn bandits are wearing such ridiculous attires, do you think you’re the legendary Lopes Mercenaries?!]

That hateful young man was looking in the center of the room amongst them, looking like he was completely prepared for this outcome —

TL: I think that the system doesn’t really distract the users about the plot, at least until the part where I skimmed through relatively far away. Action is still great and Brendel doesn’t get OP, yet, so if readers are worried, well you can generally hope for it to be good.