Magic Theory was taught by Professor Kazal, an alchemical master with gnome blood.
In an era where magic-card technology had largely replaced traditional alchemy, his position was, frankly, a bit awkward.
That didn't stop him from being extremely proficient in modern magic theory.
He didn't begin with anything too profound. Instead, he introduced the fundamental structure of magic cards.
There were five primary categories:
Spirit CardsSpell CardsItem CardsField CardsRitual Cards
Beyond these, there were also God Cards and Mystery Cards.
God Cards possessed "divine power."
Mystery Cards simply meant "unknown."
Today's focus was Spirit Cards.
Spirit Cards contained magical spirits and had seven core parameters:
True Name — Required to summon the spirit.Level — Represented by stars. Basic summoning worked for 1–4 stars. Higher required advanced techniques.Race — Fifteen types: Human, Demi-human, Dragon, Angel, Demon, Undead, Elemental, Fairy, Machine, Insect, Reptile, Bird-Beast, Plant, Fish, and Illusion-God.Attribute — Twenty types: Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel, Fairy, Light, Dark.Magic Power — Both HP and skill energy.Attack/Defense — Numerical stats.Skills — White cards had none, blue had one, purple two, orange three.
To demonstrate, Professor Kazal summoned a four-star ice serpent in class.
A massive white reptilian beast exhaling freezing air.
The freshmen were thoroughly intimidated.
…
By the time class ended, students fled toward lunch like they'd been released from prison.
Magic Theory was dry for kids this age.
But Darc had listened very carefully.
So carefully that before class even ended, he saw:
[Greed +1]
And then he understood.
Greed wasn't about possessions.
It was about excessive inner desire.
His desire to solve his current predicament had been interpreted as Greed.
Even spacing out during class hadn't helped.
That theory was officially dead.
But he had gained something important.
The sheer number of spirit races and attributes exceeded his expectations.
Among them, Angel and Illusion-God were races aligned with holy power.
Illusion-God belonged to God Cards—rare beyond imagination.
But Angel-type was merely rare, not impossible.
"If I could get my hands on one or two Angel-type spirit cards…"
Holy power countering demonic power was universal logic across worlds.
This might be a clue.
But Professor Kazal had been very clear:
Inside St. Marian, both teachers and students could only use magic cards they had crafted themselves.
Which meant…
If Darc wanted an Angel-type card, he had to make it.
That was absurdly difficult.
…
After a modest but satisfying lunch, Darc returned to his dorm for a short nap before the afternoon Potions class.
With Diana busy with Rose, he finally had some peace.
But after only thirty minutes, he jolted awake with a twitch in his chest.
[Sloth +1]
"…Damn it!"
[Wrath +1]
"Even naps aren't allowed?!"
He glanced at the clock and forced a bitter smile.
"No sleeping past six in the morning. No napping longer than thirty minutes. What kind of model citizen schedule is this?"
He checked the sin indicators:
Pride: 93Envy: 42Wrath: 95Sloth: 72Greed: 74Gluttony: 54Lust: 75
A clear upward trend.
Especially Wrath.
Even though Wrath fluctuated easily, it had still risen two points overall.
That was not a good sign.
Darc got up, packed his Potions textbook, and headed to the common room.
He had originally planned to visit the library to research Impmon for his summoning homework.
But with only an hour before class, he decided to go after Potions.
Then a horrifying thought struck him.
"If I search for a long time, fail to find anything, and desperately keep searching to complete the assignment… will Greed explode?"
"…Surely not."
With mild anxiety, he went to the third class of the day.
Thanks to moderate previewing, he performed well again.
Professor Thompson wasn't a Snape-type at all. He praised Darc and even gave bonus points.
Potion-making was essential for crafting magic cards.
Thankfully, nothing in the lesson triggered Greed.
After three classes, both teachers and students began looking at Darc differently.
…
Darc minimized social contact and went straight to the library after class.
The librarian in charge was a plump woman named Bella, but the day-to-day attendant was a senior student.
A black-haired, long-straight-haired senior.
She hit Darc's aesthetic preferences so precisely that he didn't dare look at her twice.
He registered his name and fled into the shelves.
"So cute," Pandora murmured with a smile as she watched the "shy" boy scurry off.
…
Behind a bookshelf, Darc clutched his chest and gasped for air.
[Lust +1]
He immediately classified the library as a demonic lair.
…
Not long after, Emma Metis also entered the library.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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