What Card It Is?

Chris hadn't expected Ray to manage to get into a card play company, but after some thought, he wasn't surprised. Ray had always been adaptable and had a way with words. Scriptwriting was something Chris didn't understand, but he had confidence in Ray's abilities.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Chris asked, giving Ray a puzzled look as he sized him up.

Ray chuckled shamelessly and said, "Well, I'm in the arts now, and this is the trendiest style in the circle." Then, he leaned in closer to Chris and whispered, "Can't help it, if you don't dress like this, you can't even greet others properly."

"How have you been lately?" Ray asked Chris.

"Same as before," Chris replied, feeling that his life hadn't changed much.

"Alright, alright, I won't keep you. I have to get to the company now. Come over to my place sometime—I've still got three bottles of Sky Water left."

Their meeting was brief, and their parting was just as hurried.

Sky Water is a pale-colored fruit wine with a subtle taste, something both Chris and Ray are very fond of. This wine is quite expensive, and the few remaining bottles at Ray's place were bought back when his foster parents were still alive. They've been kept ever since, and Ray only brings them out when Chris comes over.

Chris's life started to become simple again. Though to him, life probably never really changed. Every day, he diligently practiced "body exercises," made energy cards to make a living, and spent his time carefully observing and studying the process of making illusion cards. He didn't have the money to burn by practicing illusion card-making every day, but he still gained a lot, such as understanding the changes in light and shadow on different parts of an object and how to make the illusions he created appear more three-dimensional. He was beginning to grasp the essentials.

Everything was going smoothly, except for one thing that surprised him—the "body exercises." The eighteen movements took him a full three months to master, and that was with the commitment of practicing around four hours a day.

Effort always brings rewards.

Now, Chris's body has become incredibly flexible. His hands, legs, and waist are all full of elasticity, allowing him to perform many strange and unusual poses. This flexibility isn't like being soft as dough but more like steel wire—soft yet firm, with his strength having also increased significantly.

He looked at himself in the mirror. His bare upper body wasn't bulging with muscles, but it was extremely well-proportioned. And with just the slightest exertion, his latent muscles would tense up like tightened steel strings, standing out sharply.

This was the result of his recent practice. Chris was quite pleased with his physique; he hadn't expected the eighteen movements to have such a remarkable effect on his body. Seeing his reflection in the mirror made him feel that all the hard work had been worth it. Though he never cared much about his appearance—knowing it couldn't put food on the table—he valued his health immensely. He could clearly feel that this body allowed him to control his strength more effortlessly than before. This was especially noticeable when he made energy cards; his hands were now steadier and more dexterous. Among the eighteen movements, three were specifically designed to enhance finger dexterity.

"Body exercises need to be practiced daily from now on," Chris thought to himself. Now that he could effortlessly complete all eighteen movements in one go, it was time to re-enter the illusion within that mysterious card. Since his narrow escape from the illusion last time, he hadn't activated the mysterious card again.

Pressing the activation button, Chris once again entered the vast darkness of the illusion. The eighteen figures continued their previous movements as before.

With a mix of anticipation and curiosity, Chris took a deep breath. His body began to move!

Chris's body moved like a serpent, performing a series of astonishing movements as his limbs shifted seamlessly. With each completed move, one of the figures dimmed. He had mastered this set of "body exercises" to perfection, executing each move fluidly and without interruption.

After completing all eighteen movements, he was slightly out of breath. Despite his proficiency, the physical exertion of the routine was still quite substantial.

What would happen next? Chris was filled with curiosity.

All eighteen figures dimmed, and the long-awaited change finally occurred! Two cards floated in front of Chris Wood—one was light blue, and the other was orange. They emitted a faint glow and hovered in the void.

With his previous experience, Chris wasn't afraid. He curiously reached out to touch one of the cards, choosing the orange one. The card was enveloped in a soft, warm orange glow. As soon as Chris's finger made contact with the orange card, it suddenly split into two cards. Each orange card had a numerical designation: one and two. Chris's spirits lifted with excitement. He immediately touched the card numbered one.

"Making one-star illusion card..."

This orange card contained a complete tutorial for making one-star illusion cards, with every step and detail shown in dynamic imagery. For Chris, an amateur card maker, this was a treasure beyond measure!

While the eighteen movements had only piqued his curiosity, the one-star illusion card tutorial was priceless. The realism was astounding—the details were exactly as they would be in reality, and each image released by the card was breathtakingly lifelike.

His mind had just begun to detach from the stunning visuals when he was immediately captivated by the tutorial presented by the illusion. He stared at the constantly changing dynamic imagery with an insatiable hunger, even with a hint of greed. In this world, what could possibly be more compelling to him than what was before his eyes?

For so long, he had struggled alone, acutely aware of the pain of navigating without guidance. Now, with such an opportunity before him, how could he possibly let it slip away? He even worried that if the dynamic imagery could only be viewed once, he might miss something crucial and end up regretting it deeply.

The information contained in the card numbered one far exceeded his expectations. It not only included a complete one-star illusion card tutorial but also many tips for making one-star illusion cards. These tips delighted Chris, as they were capable of elevating the quality of the one-star illusion cards he produced to a new level.

"This world is truly full of love," Chris murmured instinctively. Even after he withdrew from the card's illusion, he still felt a bit dazed.

The two orange cards contained knowledge related to one-star illusion cards, while the light blue card in the illusion was also a card-making tutorial, but Chris had never heard of this type before. It was called a compute card.

Chris was not surprised; there were too many cards he had never heard of.

By evening, he had finally calmed down. He was now very curious about one question: what exactly was this card used for? From the initial physical exercises to the subsequent one-star illusion card production demonstration, there seemed to be no connection between the two in his view. A strong curiosity had never lingered in Chris's mind as it did now.

He wanted to understand, to uncover all the secrets of this mysterious card, and at the very least, to know what its ultimate purpose was.