My Card Girl's Infinite Evolution

Luo Sheng had been lurking around Ferran Academy, where Acoley studied, for three days.

He rented a luxurious apartment in the large city adjacent to the academy and sent Bai Moxue to gather intelligence about the academy. Eventually, he learned about a tea party held by the noble girls of the magic class Acoley attended.

At the tea party, several noble girls chattered away:

"Vera, I heard the academy has sent someone to track down that commoner."

"Yes, that incident caused quite a stir."

A noble girl named Vera replied calmly, "Don't worry. I had my butler drug nine Wind Demon Direwolves to control them. There's no way a commoner who's just begun studying magic could escape their pursuit. Besides, the drug will dissipate in a few days, and the academy won't find anything."

"Exactly! That filthy commoner had the audacity to seduce Young Master Carter! He's Vera's fiancé. A lowly commoner like her aiming so high—how shameless!"

"Indeed..."

The noble girls echoed Vera's sentiments, treating human life with utter disregard.

Meanwhile, Luo Sheng, disguised as a student, managed to glean more information from various people at the academy.

It turned out that the noble scion, Carter, was the dream partner of many girls at the academy, particularly because of his prestigious background. However, he had fallen for Acoley—a girl from humble beginnings with extraordinary fire magic talents. Her determination and rapid progress deeply attracted him.

Carter's pursuit of Acoley, despite her multiple rejections, only fueled his determination, which incited the ire of the noble girls. Among them, Vera, a girl with significant family influence, orchestrated a plan to eliminate Acoley during an outdoor practical class.

Luo Sheng clenched his fists tightly. An outstanding girl like Acoley would draw attention anywhere.

He hadn't anticipated that his Acoley would face such an unjust disaster because of this. The thought infuriated him.

Although he lacked the power to directly dismantle the noble family behind Vera, Luo Sheng decided, "Forget it. I'll just collect some interest for now."

That night, he made his way to the noble estate where Vera resided.

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Lying on her soft bed, Vera smiled contentedly, as though savoring honey, at the thought of the commoner Acoley's demise.

Suddenly, a gust of wind extinguished all the candles in her room.

"Who's there?!"

Vera shouted, clutching her quilt tightly against her chest. She scanned the pitch-black room warily, but no matter how she searched, she couldn't find the intruder. Just as she convinced herself it was only the wind and relight the candles, a voice came from behind her:

"I died so horribly... Give me back my life..."

Vera's hair stood on end. She scrambled to her bookshelf, grabbing her magic wand. But when she picked it up, she realized the gemstone had been removed, leaving the wand as nothing more than a useless stick.

At that moment, a figure appeared in the full-length mirror: a pale-faced Acoley, covered in blood, smiling eerily at Vera. The blood on her body soon spread across the mirror, turning it crimson.

The blood oozed from the mirror onto the floor, pooling at Vera's feet. The chilling voice echoed from the mirror:

"You've wronged me terribly... Give me back my life..."

"Ahhh!!!"

Vera collapsed to the floor, trembling and sobbing. She covered her ears and wailed, "I didn't mean it! Please forgive me! I'll never fight with you again!"

Her pants were soaked—a clear sign she had never experienced such fear. The eerie, Eastern-style horror shattered her sanity in mere moments.

Vera's screams soon brought guards, servants, and mages rushing to her room. When they opened the door, they found their noble lady kneeling on the floor, groveling and apologizing profusely to a massive, bloodied wolf's head, completely oblivious that two of her fingers were broken.

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Everyone was stunned.

"An intruder! Find the intruder!"

Despite a thorough search of the estate, they found no trace of the assailant. They could only watch helplessly as their lady fell into madness, performing humiliating acts and losing all semblance of dignity.

Two days later, Acoley returned to Ferran Academy unscathed, causing a sensation.

She was immediately summoned by the academy's senior staff to an elegant and antiquated office. Across from her sat the elderly principal, the stern grade dean, and her young mentor, Phyllis.

The grade dean immediately accused her, "Did you sneak into Vera's estate to scare her?!"

Acoley's fair face filled with confusion.

Her mentor, Phyllis, then described Vera's ordeal that night in detail. Acoley was stunned.

Though she knew Vera had plotted against her, she was just a commoner, powerless against the nobles and incapable of seeking revenge.

But upon learning that someone had avenged her using inhumane methods, scaring Vera so badly that even clerics couldn't help her, Acoley was astonished—and strangely touched.

The red-nosed man from that day came to mind, warming her heart. For the first time, she felt she wasn't entirely alone in the world.

Phyllis, noting her ignorance, asked her to recount what had happened.

Acoley explained everything, from the outdoor class where she narrowly escaped the Direwolves, to her eventual return to the academy.

The principal, Scandia, asked, "How did you escape the pursuit of nine Wind Demon Direwolves?"

Acoley hesitantly revealed that a mysterious individual had saved her, sparking the principal and her mentor's interest.

"You won't harm him, will you?" Acoley asked nervously, unwilling to let her benefactor suffer because of her.

Scandia shook his head. "We merely wish to meet him."

In their eyes, Luo Sheng must be a remarkable figure—able to infiltrate a heavily guarded estate and terrify a noble lady without being caught.

Unfortunately, they were disappointed.

Luo Sheng remained hidden in the nearby town. Moreover, he hadn't relied on his own abilities but rather the power of his cards, making him nearly undetectable in this world's system.

To this world, card masters were like cheaters.

After the meeting, Phyllis returned Acoley's magic wand and said, "He's someone you can rely on. While Vera was the instigator, he didn't kill her out of anger. Otherwise, her family would never have let you go. His actions ensured they dropped the matter. Also, this wand—take good care of it. It's worth at least three thousand gold coins and ranks among the best in the academy."

Acoley was taken aback.

She had sensed the immense magical power of the ivy wand, which greatly enhanced her spellcasting, but she never imagined it was so valuable.

With the incident resolved, Acoley trained even harder than before, perhaps inspired by the letter—or perhaps by the vast gap between herself and her benefactor.

Luo Sheng spent two months quietly observing her training near Ferran Academy. Once certain no one would trouble her, he silently withdrew from the card world, and the card world began to evolve once more.

(End of Chapter)