Toby opened his eyes and found himself once again inside his Sea of Consciousness.

  This place… it looked brighter than before.

  He turned toward the side where the Mana Core floated.

  He walked closer and looked up at the crystal. The stream that usually flowed from it like gentle water, the visible manifestation of mana, was now surging more heavily than before.

  “What kind of upgrade am I getting from the first ascension?” he muttered softly.

  One thing was certain. Even though he had failed to kill the dragon, he had still completed the mission. And with a score of… SS-Rank - Legendary Feat?

  That was the highest evaluation most people could ever hope to receive, was it not?

  Maybe he was allowed to feel a little proud here. Just a little.

  A new notification appeared before him.

  [Ascension Process Complete.]

  [Innate Core Card - Ascended.]

  [Second Pulse: Stabilized Dual Core]

  [Forms a controllable temporary secondary Mana Core, increasing recovery and enabling dual-channel circulation. Resonance intensifies under heightened emotional states, potentially destabilizing mana control.]

  “Wait…”

  Toby stared at the second core. The temporary one that normally only formed when he activated his Innate Card was still there.

  He swallowed hard as he looked at the two mana cores now clearly beating in rhythm, each one circulating mana toward the other.

  The second core was visibly less stable than the first, its structure not as refined, not as complete. But it was still there.

  Permanent.

  Two mana cores.

  No way.

  If Toby truly possessed two mana cores, then each core would hold its own slot. As a Rank-1 Apprentice, he effectively had two slots.

  However, there was one additional line in the system notice that made him frown slightly.

  “Response to emotional states?”

  Of all the upgrades he could have received, why did it have to be connected to his emotions?

  Now the next question was, would the Trial reward him with a Prime Card directly?

  After all, the mission had been marked complete even before he managed to kill a single Mana Beast.

  Just as he was thinking, a faint light began to glow not far from where he stood.

  Toby turned.

  The light seeped upward from the surface beneath his feet, as if something were rising from the depths of his consciousness. Slowly, a massive shape emerged and collapsed heavily onto the ground.

  It was the fire dragon he had fought.

  Now it lay there, clearly wounded, its body slumped and weak.

  A system window appeared before him.

  [Rare - Emberdrake Juvenile manifested within Sea of Consciousness.]

  [Final Confrontation Required.]

  [The manner in which you conclude this entity will determine the quality, attribute, and skill compatibility of your 1st Prime Card.]

  [Proceed with decisive intent.]

  Toby fell silent.

  He did not even know something like this was possible. Yet the dragon was undeniably here, inside his Sea of Consciousness. Its massive body trembled faintly. It looked far more miserable than it had when he drove the blade into its skull earlier.

  Toby stepped closer. The dragon’s eye shifted slightly, turning toward him. Its breathing was shallow.

  He sat down cross-legged near its head.

  “I need you to be my first Prime Card,” he said quietly.

  Every awakener formed their Mana Core at the moment of Awakening, and at that exact instant, they received their Innate Card. That was the point they were officially recognized as a Level 1 Awakener.

  No one could directly control what Innate Card they obtained. Many factors shaped the outcome: personal spiritual experiences, bloodline traits, inherited affinities, emotional state at the moment of Awakening, and even the surrounding mana environment when the core was formed.

  That was why powerful clans guarded their bloodlines so carefully. If a certain Innate Card was strong and rare, they made sure it remained within their controlled lineage.

  After each breakthrough into a new Rank, a Cardmaster gained one additional slot. That slot had to be filled with a soul-bound card, usually acquired by killing a Mana Beast, or a monster like the one lying before him now.

  This process required careful consideration.

  The first Prime Card was especially important. It needed to align as closely as possible with the nature of the Innate Card.

  For example, if someone possessed a Weapon-Type Innate Card focused on swords, they would hunt monsters capable of granting skills such as Blade Aura, Piercing Thrust, or Edge Reinforcement.

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  If they had an affinity for the fire element, they might pursue beasts that granted flame-based techniques, such as Ignition Strike or a large-scale fire spell to amplify their destructive power.

  If someone had a magic-oriented Innate Card, such as Fireball, they would seek Prime Cards that enhanced flame control, mana amplification, or elemental fusion.

  The principle was simple. Align elements. Align functions. The greater the compatibility, the smoother the growth.

  Once a Prime Card was chosen, it could almost never be replaced. There were rare methods to alter it, but such cases were nearly unheard of and far from easy.

  That was the path of a Cardmaster.

  They continued hunting, selecting, and binding new cards to fill each slot, advancing step by step, until one day they stood at Level 91 as a Rank-9 Ascendant.

  “You are too weak to deserve anything from me.”

  The thunderous voice shook the entire Sea of Consciousness. Toby knew it came from the dragon in front of him.

  Mana Beasts were classified by rarity.

  Common-grade, marked in green.

  Rare-grade, marked in purple.

  Epic-grade, marked in blue.

  Legendary-grade, marked in yellow.

  And far beyond them, so rare that only a handful of people in history had ever obtained one, Arcane-grade, marked in red.

  Normally, a Rank-1 Apprentice could only soul-bind with a Common-grade Mana Beast at most.

  But the being in front of him was Rare-grade.

  “The card ascension trial is not something awakeners can control,” Toby said calmly. “The fact that I met you here proves we are meant to work together.”

  A low rumble echoed from the dragon.

  “What could you possibly achieve with a Mana Core as weak as yours?”

  Toby shook his head.

  “You don’t really see my core as weak, do you? There are two cores in there. I have twice the slots a normal person would have. I can use more cards than I’m supposed to. Do you understand how much potential that holds? I managed to wound you, didn’t I?”

  “Two cores, yet both weak and unstable. That is foolish!”

  The higher the compatibility between a Cardmaster and the Mana Beast they chose, the greater the quality and value of the card created from the binding.

  And here, if everything went as he hoped, he would unlock a Rare-grade card as his first Prime Card.

  That was almost unheard of.

  Or at least, if others like him existed, they were the kind of extraordinary individuals no one spoke about openly.

  “I seek power,” Toby continued. “I work harder than anyone. I push myself beyond my limits. I trained with the sword every day. I did everything I could just to reach level 10 through my own effort.”

  “Humans are weak creatures!”

  “I’m not just human,” he replied. “Yes, I’m human. But I’m a reincarnation from another world. My mental age should be twenty-two.”

  “Twenty-two? That is nothing but a helpless hatchling pretending to be grown!” the dragon snarled.

  Toby shook his head once more.

  “I need you. We can do this together. Work with me. Lend me your power. I will become stronger, truly strong. I will not rest for a single day while chasing that goal.”

  “What goal do you pursue?” the dragon’s voice boomed.

  “To take my revenge,” Toby said quietly.

  The moment those words left his mouth, he felt something shift.

  A deep vibration spread through the Sea of Consciousness. It was not caused by the dragon’s roar.

  Toby turned slightly toward the floating Mana Cores.

  The crystal was glowing brighter.

  The flow of mana streaming from it had grown denser, faster, almost surging.

  Was this because of the anger he had just felt?

  “How strong are they?” the dragon’s voice echoed once more.

  Toby fell silent.

  His heart pounded violently in his chest. Anger surged through him, hot and suffocating. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to stay composed.

  “Strong. Very strong,” he said at last. He paused briefly before continuing. “They belong to the royal family.”

  The words felt heavy in his mouth.

  “My mother…” he continued, his voice lowering, “was a servant in the royal palace. The king made her pregnant.”

  He lowered his head.

  The Sea of Consciousness trembled more violently than before.

  He clenched his fists.

  “But those who despised her could not tolerate it. They drove her out of the palace. They tried to kill her. They killed everyone she knew. They even tried to kill me.”

  “Those who stand at the peak of power are protected by the strongest,” the dragon said.

  Toby looked at the dragon’s massive body. It no longer moved. Its eyes were closed.

  He nodded slowly.

  He understood very well how powerful they were. How high the mountain he intended to climb truly was.

  Rank-9 Ascendant.

  The number of such individuals in a kingdom could be counted on one hand. And one of them stood behind the people he sought to destroy.

  Reaching Rank-9 was not something easily achieved. It required time, immense resources, relentless effort, sacrifice, and above all else, luck.

  Yes. Luck.

  Even in an entire kingdom or a great clan, the number of Rank-9 could still be counted on one hand.

  “What makes you so confident that you can accomplish such a thing?” the voice continued.

  “With my Innate Card, I can gain extra slots,” Toby replied.

  “Extra slots are meaningless if you are weak!” the dragon roared sharply.

  “I have Synthesis Cards, crafted by my grandfather’s clan,” Toby said calmly.

  “Disgusting. Pathetic. You believe artificial cards can replace the power of true cards?”

  “I never said they could replace it,” Toby answered, shaking his head. “But they make me versatile. I can adapt to my opponents. I fight with strategy. I am not reckless. I am careful. I weigh every decision. I fight intelligently.”

  “But you nearly died the moment you faced me!” the dragon snapped.

  Toby did not deny it. He had nearly died before the mission was marked complete.

  “You failed to achieve the highest possible score in the trial. You are still weak,” the dragon continued coldly.

  Toby drew in a slow breath.

  He felt a faint tremor in his hands.

  Toby slowly rose to his feet. He tried to steady his breathing, to calm the anger boiling inside him.

  But strangely, the Mana Cores above began to vibrate even more violently than before. The flow of mana surged like a raging current.

  “What are you planning to do? Weakling! Worthless human! Foolish child! You dare stand before me?” the dragon’s voice thundered.

  A sword with a glowing blue blade materialized in Toby’s right hand. He gripped it tightly.

  “What are you doing, idiot? Do not you dare!” the dragon roared. “I am the great dragon! I am a fire dragon! I will devour you with my flames!”

  “Listen, buddy,” Toby replied flatly. “I do not have much time. I tried to make peace with you, but you did not give me a chance. You are going to die anyway. It is better if I end this quickly.”

  “You cannot be serious! Do not you dare! I am a superior existence!”

  Toby’s gaze hardened.

  “You were dying the moment you met me. A so-called failure. A weak awakener. A useless twelve-year-old. So are you really in a position to act superior right now?”

  He shifted his grip, holding the sword with both hands.

  The Sea of Consciousness shook violently, like an earthquake tearing through empty land. The surface beneath his feet cracked with rippling light. Toby struggled to steady himself.

  “If you refuse to become my partner,” he said coldly, “then you will become my subordinate instead.”

  “Silence! I see no resolve in you! You would have surrendered if I had burned you longer! You cling to borrowed strength and dare speak of dominance!”

  Toby did not reply again.

  He stepped forward.

  And with one decisive motion, he swung the glowing blade down toward the dragon’s exposed neck.