Iya Continent: Card God

The raging sandstorm has finally stopped.

Within the great forest, unease and fear persisted among all creatures.

Jingong and his group, who were heading in the direction Linta had fled, were quite uneasy.

"Why did it stop?!" Kim Gong's heart raced as he shouted excitedly.

“It’s simple, the enemy has caught up,” replied the bard Gidden.

"Shut up!" Jin Gong, of course, knew this and angrily rebuked the outspoken Ji De'an.

"Gora! Gora!" Guagua quacked worriedly in the fish-man language.

Pinecone: "He'll be alright... Linta will be alright..."

While the group was giving chase, Elder Druid and Shopkeeper Phili had already arrived at the scene.

The two looked down at Linta, whose body and arms were pierced by the quicksand blades, bleeding profusely. The magic power of the diamond-level expert had seeped into his body, causing further damage.

“Friends of the forest…” the elder druid said with a troubled expression.

The shop owner, Felicity, was quite blunt: "You're doomed."

Death? If it were an ordinary low-level Gold-rank cultivator, being attacked and injured like that by Sand Claw Cook would indeed be certain death.

But… having consumed the potion of madness from Zack Parker of Hugo Academy, Linta's body was no ordinary physique. Beneath his purplish skin and flesh lay unimaginable regenerative and healing abilities. This power was currently struggling against the magic seeping into his body.

"Cough!" "Pfft!"

Linta coughed up blood and trembled, his resolute eyes unwilling to accept death.

"drink……!"

Shopkeeper Feli and the druid elder stared in astonishment at Linta, who had straightened up again, finding it hard to believe. They had seen countless races and magical beasts with powerful physiques and extraordinary talents, but they had never seen a human being so incredible.

"Friends of the forest, please eat this." The druid elder took out a greenish-blue, unidentified fruit.

Linta didn't care what kind of fruit it was and ate it directly.

It has a slightly sweet and sour taste when chewed, and once it enters the body, a surge of magic flows through the whole body, and every pore of the skin seems to be releasing magic.

The demonic power of the yellow sand that had damaged his body vanished. Linta's purple skin, which had been damaged by the Berserk Water, gradually returned to its normal color. Moreover, Linta felt no side effects from the Berserk Water at all; they were completely eliminated!

At this moment, Linta, who had returned from the brink of death, felt an increase in his mental strength!

Linta realized the opportunity and quickly absorbed the rich magical energy flowing within the Bigon Forest. With the support of his powerful mental strength, absorbing and cultivating magical energy became a piece of cake.

"Den!"

The tremors spread, and the magic of ripples on the sea surface dissipated.

Advanced, Gold-level Intermediate!

"My God, is there such a thing?" Shopkeeper Feli looked at Linta in astonishment.

The opponent not only escaped death, but also advanced to a higher realm, becoming even more powerful.

The druid elder smiled with relief; at least his friend of the forest hadn't died because of it.

"call……!"

Linta let out a long sigh, regained his senses, and stood up from where he was sitting.

"The Heart of the Forest has still been stolen."

Linta told him that even if he didn't say anything, the two of them would have figured it out.

Shop owner Feli clicked her tongue in displeasure, "These thieves are a menace..."

The elder druid sighed, unable to help but feel saddened.

“However…” Linta changed the subject, raising his palm. The palm emitted the light of green wood, and the power beneath the light was miraculous.

It's not magic.

The two were immediately startled, looking at Linta's actions with surprise.

Linta controlled this divine power, and green shoots grew from the yellow sand beneath his feet.

"What... what's going on?" Shopkeeper Feli was dumbfounded. Wasn't the Heart of the Forest stolen? How could Linta possess the same power of revival?

The druid elder's expression was somber as he stroked his beard and sighed, "Just as I thought..."

"What do you mean, 'as expected'? What do you mean?" Shopkeeper Feli looked at the druid elder in confusion.

Linta said, "The power that can revive the forest and bring it back to life is not the power of the heart of the forest. It is another power!"

The power of cards, the King of Clubs, "Grass and Trees"!

When the Bigon Great Forest was first attacked by the Sandclaw Cook, causing immense destruction and then recovering and flourishing, Linta sensed a familiar feeling within those newly grown giant trees. However, he couldn't be sure.

The mystical power of these cards seems to be obscured by something. Even someone who possesses several cards cannot determine whether they are genuine.

Until the moment he obtained the Heart of the Forest, Linta's deepest feeling finally confirmed it: it was the cards!

Within the heart of the forest, there exists a card.

It is the power of this card, combined with the unique nature of the Heart of the Forest, that allows the forest to always repair and revive after destruction.

Furthermore, Gideon also mentioned that the forest's recovery only began in the last few years, not because it had existed for thousands of years. He had discussed this with Lilith, and the cards had only appeared in this world a few years ago. It was only this year that the people of the Iya continent began to become more aware of them.

Therefore, Linta directly obtained the card in the deck, the King of Clubs, "Grass".

Afterwards, he pretended to be fleeing desperately, so that Sand Claw Cook would not suspect that there was a trick involved.

Even if the other party takes away the Heart of the Forest, which has no power of revival, he won't feel there's anything wrong with it. At most, he'll think that he won't use the Heart of the Forest, or that the Heart of the Forest refuses to be used by him. None of that matters. Octopus just likes to plunder precious treasures; he doesn't use them.

“I had long suspected that the Heart of the Forest had changed, and it has indeed come to pass,” the elder druid sighed.

Having lived in the forest for two thousand years, I never felt that it was the power of the heart of the forest that was at work. As for whether it was a blessing from nature and the forest goddess O, I know better than anyone.

Now, the truth is revealed.

"I'm confused." Shopkeeper Feli frowned, puzzled. "Should we still take back the Heart of the Forest?"

“No need,” the elder druid said in a deep voice.

Shopkeeper Feli nodded and looked at Linta, "This power...to whom does it belong?"

“It belongs to this friend of the forest,” the druid elder said with a smile, showing no intention of taking the power back from Linta.

After obtaining this power, the other party did not hide it but told the truth. For this reason alone, I should not have been greedy.

Greed will only destroy Bigon Forest.

Linta then said, "Then I will restore the forest. It may not be as fast as the Heart of the Forest, but it should be restored to its original state within a month."

“No need. If the forest recovers, it will be telling the enemy that this power is still there. Perhaps, the Sandclaw will return after it left,” the druid elder refused.

Linta bit her lip; that was also a possibility.

"Linta!" At this moment, the shouts of Jin Gong and his friends came from all directions. Seeing that Linta was unharmed, his friends were overjoyed.

"Phili! Did you come here out of concern for me?" the bard asked with a grin when he saw the shopkeeper, Phili, appear.

The shop owner, Felicia, immediately put on a stern face and said with disgust, "Those who refuse to help when I need it, stay away from me."

With a "whoosh," the figure flashed away, escaping from Gideon's sight.