Iya Continent: Card God

library.

The old man, Mr. Donkey, lay back in a rocking chair behind the counter, his deep sleep concealed by the pile of books in front of him.

The guests coming and going were already used to the old man's behavior. Even if they had some complaints, they dared not say much. After all, he was the caretaker assigned here by the Vázquez family.

“Sir, the outcome is decided,” Tim Vázquez said respectfully and humbly.

Linta stood aside, staring intently at the old man with the donkey.

This must be a powerful individual, otherwise the young master of the Vázquez family wouldn't treat him with such respect. But...

"Eh?"

The old donkey slowly opened his eyes, looking somewhat listless and drowsy.

"What?" the old man said, confused.

Tim said with an uneasy expression, "Linta and I have decided who won. I lost."

"Oh." The old man didn't seem too surprised. He yawned, slowly straightened up, and moved his gaze toward Linta.

Linta said calmly, "I won, sir. You will keep your promise, won't you?"

As agreed, if I defeat the other party, he will give me a magic skill book for free.

I don't expect any particularly valuable skills; the most common bronze level will suffice. I simply want to use skill books to cultivate my ability to use magic.

"We won," the old donkey said sleepily, panting.

Tim explained somewhat fearfully, "I didn't hold back, I gave it my all."

After saying this, he became even more afraid. It was as if he had given it his all and lost, making him feel even more guilty.

The old man reached under the table and pulled open a drawer. Inside the drawer was a pile of odds and ends, among which were several scrolls of unknown material.

"Uh, here you go."

The old man took out three scrolls from inside and threw them onto the table as if they were trash. After that, he lay down and fell fast asleep again.

"Are you giving them all to me?" Linta was pleasantly surprised; there were actually three portions.

Tim said, "Of course! I told you, today will definitely be worth your time!"

Linta quickly picked up the scroll of the magic skill book and opened it to take a look.

These are three extremely common skills: Battle Fist, Fireball, and Righteous Thrust.

"Fist of the Battlefield" is a technique Tim used in his previous battle against himself. Legend has it that it's a skill passed down from a king-level powerhouse, but no cultivator throughout history has ever unleashed it with king-level lethality. More often, it's used as an introductory training method, with a glimmer of hope in its path. Acquiring this skill is easy and inexpensive, costing only a silver coin.

Fireball, a bronze-level spell, is a skill that most mages learn when they begin practicing magic.

"Justice Thrust," a bronze-level skill, allows for weapon-based attacks, unleashing full destructive power.

“These…” Tim looked troubled, wanting to say something but not daring to.

"Thank you," Linta said happily, expressing his gratitude to the old man.

Before long, the two left the library and went outside.

Only then did young Tim dare to speak.

"I thought I'd give you something good, but none of these are as good as the skills you used yourself. Not only are they not good, they're also useless."

In his eyes, Linta's "Swift Wind" was a more powerful magical skill.

Linta: "Useless? I think it's very useful."

Tim looked at him suspiciously, wondering if Linta was playing a trick on him again.

"Are you really unaware, or are you pretending? What use are these three completely unrelated skills?"

"Fist of the Battlefield" is suitable for warriors with flesh and blood, "Fireball" is suitable for ranged mages, especially fire-type mages, and "Righteous Thrust" emphasizes the skill of using weapons.

The three skill books represent three different styles.

Most magic users on the continent of Iya only choose one style. Occasionally, some may practice two styles, but they generally focus on one and supplement their practice with the other.

Why? Aside from simply lacking the energy and talent, the main reason lies in the conflict between the three schools of thought.

You learn melee combat techniques like punches and kicks, ranged magic, and weapon skills—how exactly do you plan to defeat your enemy? What? Compensate for your weaknesses by taking the best of both worlds? The truth is, you simultaneously possess the weaknesses of other martial arts styles.

After hearing Tim's explanation, Linta roughly understood the different schools of magic cultivation.

The point is that if you have a particular talent, it's best to specialize in that one area. Don't try to learn everything; it's a waste of time, and the higher your magic level, the harder it is to choose.

"If you want to learn better, you can pay more attention to Daisy's family's auction house," Tim said kindly.

Linta nodded. "Mm."

Tim's expression changed, revealing anger. "Remember this, your victory this time was a trick! You deliberately fooled me into thinking I didn't have any magic skills. Next time, you just wait!"

After saying this, he left in a huff.

Linta sighed and smiled, offering no further explanation.

……

After parting ways, Linta returned to the rented house.

I could no longer contain myself and began to truly experience the feeling of using magic.

Which one should we learn first?

Linta was curious about all three types of skill books.

Young Tim's advice was that it's best to focus on one thing. That was true, and Linta believed he wouldn't lie to her.

However, I don't intend to listen.

and……

"The Unusual Magic of Mage Gul" describes three schools of magic that can be practiced. The melee mage Mage Gul is a practitioner of all three schools. Furthermore, he has gleaned insights into the possibility of reaching the pinnacle of magic from these three schools.

Of course, Lin Ta couldn't say for sure that he could master all three styles. Perhaps in the future, he would have to choose one and focus on the other. But for now, he was still weak and just starting out, so he wanted to try them all.

"Fireball spell, the most common and purest fire-attribute spell, can condense a fireball to bombard the enemy."

"This technique may seem ordinary, but it can be gradually strengthened and made more powerful with practice..."

Linta read what was written on the scroll, understanding the technique's execution. Once the spell was imprinted in his mind, all the magical text on the scroll vanished, and the scroll itself became a worthless piece of parchment.

"call……"

Linta breathed a sigh of relief and excitedly raised his palm, eager to try the magic.

As he sensed the flow of blood and magic within his body, considerable magical power began to gather in his palm.

Finally, as the incantation was recited, wisps of flame appeared in the palm of the hand.

"This is how magic is used!"

Linta's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed.

He had finally succeeded in transforming magic into another form, which meant that he had truly used magic.

"However, this fire... is a bit small..."

Linta frowned, and the magic in his palm turned into a flame, only the size of a candle flame. This was not a fireball spell, but a flame spell.

"So? I don't have the talent for fire magic?"