Chapter 483: Dak Demon’s Three Flowers Apex (8k)
The so-called “Sour Plum Hero” is a comical character derived from the manga “Dr. Slump,” also known as the “Foolish Hero.”
The superhero costume of the Sour Plum Hero is of the same style as another superhero, but the “S” on the chest has been replaced with “す.”
He is overweight, selfish, cowardly yet self-proclaimed righteous, with a ridiculous setup that he can only change his superhero costume inside a phone booth.
Even after successfully transforming into the Sour Plum Hero, he still knows nothing.
His ultimate skill is “pretending to fly while lying on a skateboard.”
Thus, the “Sour Plum Hero” Armed Card not only features the “す” patterned superhero costume but also comes with a handy skateboard!
The activation incantation for the Sour Plum Hero is: “Eat sour plums, become a hero!”
…
Dak originally just wanted to keep things simple and casually carved a set of superhero costumes for experimentation, but he ended up inadvertently creating the “Sour Plum Hero” Armed Card.
In fact, aside from being “not very useful,” it had no other drawbacks.
“Let’s give this to the Phoenix Girl as a toy…”
With that thought, Dak put away the “Sour Plum Hero” and continued listening to the lesson.
The Phoenix Girl has a constant flow of mana and is the only golem among them who can directly start learning magic or mana technology.
If she were to wear it, perhaps she could make the “Sour Plum Hero” Armed Card feel like a “female superhero” outfit.
…
Dak was never one to speak empty words, so after the day’s class ended, he genuinely gave the “Sour Plum Hero” to the Phoenix Girl!
The Phoenix Girl wasn’t Dak’s mana golem, but the “Sour Plum Hero” wasn’t a particularly “personalized” high-end mana card.
Moreover, Dak didn’t inscribe any mental locks in the mana card.
Therefore, the Phoenix Girl smoothly summoned the “Sour Plum Hero” Armed Card.
Dak already knew that “Silent Sage” Cyrus was trying to teach the mana golems about mana-related knowledge.
Among them, the Phoenix Girl learned the fastest.
After all, she had a natural advantage.
“Eat sour plums, become a hero.”
Amidst the watchful eyes of the other mana golems, the Phoenix Girl recited the activation incantation for the “Sour Plum Hero” with an extremely cold tone.
Then her body glowed, and her adorable princess dress instantly transformed into a pseudo-superhero outfit with underpants worn over the dress!
At that moment, her always stern face showed astonishment.
But that astonishment didn’t come from the appearance of the “Sour Plum Hero” Armed Card.
In reality…
Despite the superhero costume being quite ugly, she managed to pull off a fashion show look.
The tight blue suit clinging to her skin, tightly wrapping her delicate figure, with a red cape matching her fiery red hair, like flames burning.
The red skateboard held in her hand added a youthful vibrancy and fashion to her.
This “Sour Plum Hero” Armed Card fit her strangely well!
What truly made the Phoenix Girl astonished was that after transforming into the “Sour Plum Hero,” her originally 1500 mana points were forcibly reduced to 100 in both attack and defense!
Upon hearing this, Dak’s lips twitched.
“Could it be that the ‘Sour Plum Hero’ turns the wearer into a useless person with 100 points each in attack and defense?”
After calming down, the Phoenix Girl nodded.
Carefully observing, one could see a noticeable change in her aura.
It became even more ordinary than before.
Like an ordinary young girl rather than the embodiment of a phoenix.
…
She placed the skateboard under her feet with a cold expression, clearly wanting to try it out.
But with only 100 mana points, it couldn’t withstand the mana consumption of the mana golem herself.
Without the support of Alvaraite’s mana, the Phoenix Girl suddenly became transparent and completely dissolved into mana particles, vanishing into thin air.
Dak looked at the spot where she disappeared, hesitating and asking, “Was even her original ultimate skill—’Unextinguished Seed’—sealed?”
If that were true, then this Armed Card might have an unexpectedly high rank.
And because it’s an “Armed” effect, those magic or ultimate skills that can remove abnormal status effects are likely useless.
This is similar to how “Blessings” and “Cures” are hard to dispel.
The difference is that “Armed” effects can be freely removed.
So only by completely controlling the opponent’s mind can one use this “Sour Plum Hero” to seal their abilities.
It sounds stupid.
But in reality… it really is stupid!
“If the target is the opponent, this is a mana card with a very narrow range of application.”
“It’s best used on opponents that are easy to control but difficult to kill.”
“If used on oneself or allies, it can serve as a means to conceal presence.”
“The downside is that it truly turns you into a useless person, increasing the danger.”
Dak picked up the fallen “Sour Plum Hero” from the ground and quickly figured out its uses and limitations within a short time.
However, at this moment, the Vampire Noble walked over, extending her hand and asking coyly, “Can I borrow it to play with?”
Of course, Dak wouldn’t refuse.
Thus, the Vampire Noble happily skated around the corridor after transforming into the “Sour Plum Hero.”
As for the mana loss issue—wasn’t there Dak Papa?
“Woo-hoo, take off!”
The Vampire Noble’s laughter echoed, like a silver bell, delightful.
…
Dak shook his head slightly, revealing a helpless smile.
Then he recorded the results of this experiment and took out the relevant materials on “Zoo” to continue his research.
Just as he had answered Claire.
On the research of “Zoo,” he indeed had only one last problem left.
But the problem left until last was naturally the most difficult and complex.
He had been struggling with it for a long time.
However, he didn’t plan to visit Claire late at night; instead, he still intended to solve the problem relying on his own abilities!
…
The next day…
Alvaraite’s “Armed Conjure Lecture” started again.
But the number of students in the classroom had decreased from four to three.
Meow returned to its own class after merely listening to Alvaraite explain the complete method of “Tri-Armor Spell Formation” on the first day.
It hadn’t even grasped the most basic mana knowledge, so it was impossible for it to learn “Tri-Armor Spell Formation.”
Listening on the first day was just to better carve.
—Perhaps this is the self-cultivation of a good assistant!
…
“So, our topic for today is crafting the most basic Armed Card—the ‘Armor Armed’!”
Alvaraite tapped the blackboard, reminding Dak to pay attention.
Dak, who had mastered the正规炼成法 of “Tri-Armor Spell Formation” on the first day, was distracted thinking about what to craft today. Unexpectedly, Alvaraite set the topic right away.
He hurriedly refocused and listened attentively.
Although there were three students in the classroom, Alvaraite was actually speaking only to him.
Because the other two hadn’t even entered the basics.
Mastering “Tri-Armor Spell Formation” was even harder than crafting “Equipment Cards,” so it certainly couldn’t be learned in a day.
Diana and Aurora, who had only attended one day of class, could only take notes first and gradually digest the information later.
Alvaraite’s free time was also limited, so she couldn’t personally guide them.
Morning lectures.
Afternoon experiments.
After finishing the lecture, Alvaraite quickly left.
Dak then led Diana and Aurora in doing the experiments.
“Armor Armed,” as the name suggests, is an Armed Card that makes the wearer appear like they are wearing armor.
The “Armed” that Mac Owen once used was a type of “Armor Armed.”
Crafting this type of Armed Card requires meticulous carving.
Alvaraite usually uses knitted dresses, but Dak needed to first carve a full set of armor—ideally including accessories and weapons.
Since it was an experiment using basic materials,
Dak didn’t focus too much on precision during carving but aimed for speed.
He selected a piece of silver from the materials and quickly carved a full-body armor, choosing a spear as the weapon.
Alvaraite’s “Undying God Spear” and Camilla’s “Fenrir Spear” influenced him somewhat.
Once carving was done, he began the conjuring process.
The正规炼成法 of “Tri-Armor Spell Formation” differs greatly from the通用炼成法 of “Equipment Cards.”
But the正规炼成法 of “Tri-Armor Spell Formation” still requires the use of the “Red Spider Lily” potion to create the base.
That might be why Dak’s previous successful Armed Conjure in the academy worked.
Since he had already experimented yesterday and had a finished product, Dak’s experimental technique today was significantly faster and more stable.
About half an hour later, he completed the “Tri-Armor Spell Formation.”
All the preliminary steps.
Diana had been leaning over the desk observing, and at this moment she curiously asked, “Can we start engraving the ‘Trinity Armored Conjure Array’ now?”
“Indeed.” Dark nodded and then used the Mana Pen to skillfully draw a complex three-dimensional conjure array on a blank Mana Card above him in one continuous motion.
Only this step was executed with extraordinary proficiency by him.
After finishing the engraving, it required pouring “mental power” to transform the “Trinity Armored Conjure Array” into a “Soul Furnace.”
The activation and usage of “mental power” was one of the core teachings of Professor Alvaraite.
Dark had previously relied on “Capital Sins” to substitute for mental power, but that was obviously not a sustainable approach.
Alvaraite taught a special method called the “Three Flowers Technique.”
The so-called “Three Flowers Technique” was the art of gathering essence, energy, and spirit at the top of the head!
Originally, this technique was used by martial arts experts to open the “Vajra Wheel.”
But after a slight modification by Alvaraite, it became a technique capable of evoking “mental power.”
The foundation of the “Three Flowers Technique” lay in “energy.”
By using “energy” as a bridge, it connected the body’s essence and spirit, blending them into unity and gathering them at the “Vajra Wheel” on top of the head, thus achieving the “three flowers gathered at the peak.”
Once the “Vajra Wheel” was opened, “aura” could be generated.
And the essence of “aura” was none other than mental power!
Alvaraite originally intended to start teaching Dark the proper conjuring method for the “Trinity Armored Conjure” once he had a basic grasp of “energy,” which was why.
With “energy,” even if all seven wheels couldn’t be opened to generate “aura,” the modified “Three Flowers Technique” could still evoke “mental power.”
Having “mental power” allowed for the creation of a “Soul Furnace.”
…
After engraving the “Trinity Armored Conjure Array,” Dark pointed to his forehead, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
His practice of the “Technique of the Shadow God” allowed him to master the “Three Flowers Technique” faster than the naturally gifted Diana and Aurora.
When his essence, energy, and spirit were highly concentrated, it seemed as though he heard a drop of water falling into his heart, causing ripples that spread outward.
His fingertips gradually lit up with white light, and a wave of mental power fluctuated along with it.
Then he suddenly opened his eyes, and a flash of brilliance momentarily shone from them.
With a flick of his finger, the white light at the tip instantly struck the glowing sphere of the “Trinity Armored Conjure Array.”
That little bit of white light spread like spilled ink, quickly whitening the entire surface of the conjure array.
The process of “Soul Pouring” went smoothly.
Dark let out a sigh of relief and then smiled.
Injecting thoughts into the “Three Flowers Technique” during its execution could change the environment of the “Soul Furnace,” crafting the desired “armor” within one’s mind.
Of course, that was a highly advanced application.
He wasn’t quite ready for that yet.
But that didn’t stop him from trying.
“Armor armed… It should indeed be that one, right?”
Dark then placed the engraved silver statue into the “Soul Furnace” and promptly swallowed a “sugar bean.”
In an instant, a massive suction force from the “Soul Furnace” greedily consumed his mana.
When two-thirds of his mana was depleted, the entire smelting process finally completed.
He picked up the Mana Pen and gently pressed it against the top of the “Soul Furnace,” pressing the spherical conjure array into the Mana Card, leaving only a thick layer of light.
The reaction inside the Mana Card remained intense.
Dark carefully observed and patiently waited.
It took five and a half minutes before the intense fluctuations inside the Mana Card gradually calmed down, and the layer of light on the card slowly thinned and sank into it.
A silver-white armor slowly emerged on the surface of the card.
Although it differed greatly from his expectations, it was indeed a metal armor equipped with a silver spear.
Of course, if Dark really wanted to create that, he wouldn’t have added a weapon arbitrarily.
Moreover, the material used for engraving and the auxiliary materials needed during the conjuring process had their own specific requirements.
Given the materials available in this classroom… it wouldn’t work.
…
“It looks like it succeeded?” Diana and Aurora came over on either side, staring intently at the Mana Card.
Dark stood the Mana Card upright and injected mana into it.
Moments later, some information returned:
[Card Name: Gun Armor]
[Type: Item Card]
[Effect: Attack +200, Defense +100; Additional Ultimate Skill “Divine Spear.”]
[Divine Spear: The silver spear of Gun Armor has extremely strong extensibility, allowing it to instantly extend and kill enemies. Piercing Armor +1, Attack +200.]
“How is it?” Diana asked excitedly.
Dark frowned slightly: “Surprisingly, it’s a decent piece of armor.”
“Let’s try it on!” Diana immediately suggested.
“Sounds good.” Dark nodded.
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summoning—Gun Armor!”
“Armor, transform!”
Dark formed his fingers into a sword and lightly waved them. The “Gun Armor” between his fingers burst into light.
Countless silver threads erupted from the card, almost instantly enveloping his body and weaving together at incredible speed to form a silver armor.
Dark stretched out his hand, and the silver threads spiraling down from the gauntlet formed a silver spear.
Looking in the mirror, this armor almost covered his entire body, revealing only half of his face below the nose.
From the moment of “donning,” Gun Armor continuously absorbed his mana.
Those mana circulated within the armor, making the connection between the armor and his body tighter.
Dark felt a bit, discovering that although his current state wasn’t as good as when the armor evolved into the “Moon Goddess,” it did bring about a noticeable improvement in his physical condition.
“This must be the difference between an Armed Card and an Equipment Card.”
“The additional attack and defense of an Equipment Card are located on the equipment itself, while an Armed Card improves the overall quality of the wearer.”
“For example, wearing ordinary armor usually feels heavy.”
“But after transforming into an armed form, it becomes much lighter.”
“But the cost is constant mana consumption.”
Dark carefully felt it.
Currently, Gun Armor consumed 3 mana points per second, equivalent to the consumption of a Three-star Mana Spirit.
But this was just the beginning; as the Armed Card continued to be used, the mana consumption would increase.
“Kill, Divine Spear!”
Dark sharply pointed at the dummy standing in the corner, and the silver spear instantly extended, piercing through the dummy’s chest in an instant!
This sudden scene made Diana’s mouth open wide in a perfect “O.”
Dark shook the spear again, and the silver spear abruptly retracted, trembling slightly.
Then he tried the “Divine Spear” every second.
At the fifteenth second, the spear extended again, piercing the dummy’s abdomen.
“CD only fifteen seconds?”
“So fast!”
Dark retracted the spear, feeling a bit regretful.
If he had been more meticulous in engraving and selected materials more carefully… perhaps he wouldn’t have ended up with this “Gun Armor”!
Human greed knows no bounds.
One must know contentment, must know contentment!
Dark repeatedly admonished himself.
But greed +1 floated past his mind.
He felt a surge of joy and then shared the insights and experiences from the experiment with Diana and Aurora.
Diana held her notebook, unable to help but feel envious: “I want to try炼制 too.”
“First master the Three Flowers Technique,” Aurora reminded her.
Diana took a deep breath, sighing deeply.
…
Dark and the others had relatively free class hours.
They could basically disband after the afternoon experiments.
But Dark didn’t leave; instead, he stayed behind to help Diana and Aurora catch up with Alvaraite’s lessons.
Both of them were eager to be able to freely conjure their preferred “clothes” like Dark, so they studied very diligently during the tutoring sessions.
Unfortunately, Diana’s mind was full of confusion.
Aurora had barely touched Mana knowledge before, so she was essentially starting from scratch.
Thus, their learning progress was slow.
Also, Diana couldn’t stay at the Duke’s Mansion until late at night.
Once Camilla finished her teaching duties, she had to return home with her mother and come back the next day.
Every time, Dark would send Diana off at the door, then check on the daily studies of the Mana Spirits, have dinner with his family, and finally return to his bedroom to continue studying the “Zoo.”
The final hurdle in understanding the “Zoo” was nearly within reach.
Dark temporarily set aside other topics and focused on solving the difficult problem related to the “Zoo.”
But as his research deepened, the final obstacle was gradually dissected, and he gradually noticed that there were out-of-syllabus knowledge points involved—beyond his current scope of understanding.
“Hiss—”
Dark rubbed his head, feeling somewhat troubled.
The drawback of starting to research the “Zoo” at such a high-level Mana Card like this in the first year finally became apparent.
Out.
He was stuck!
…
So the question arises.
What should one do when stuck?
Answer ①: Spend money.
Answer ②: Ask for help.
Dark thought for a moment and chose to ask for help.
But it was already deep into the night, and disturbing someone at this hour would be inappropriate.
Dark decided to visit Claire another time, tomorrow evening.
…
July 4th, Wednesday.
The sun hung high in the sky, and the heat was unbearable.
In Alvaraite’s class on “Armored Conjure,” Dark submitted the results of yesterday’s experiment.
Alvaraite inspected the “Gun Armor” and gave considerable approval: “It seems that the creation of ‘Armor Conjures’ poses no difficulty for you. Unfortunately, this ‘Gun Armor’ isn’t enough to allow you to enter the Ares Tower.”
“Ares Tower? You mean the combat tower mentioned earlier?” Dark asked curiously.
Alvaraite nodded with a smile: “The Ares Tower, also known as the War God Tower, is the holy place of ‘Armored Duels.’ Your sister Olivia has once trained there.”
Dark pondered and looked up, saying, “What’s the difference between an ‘Armored Duel’ and a ‘Mana Duel’?”
Alvaraite explained: “An ‘Armored Duel,’ as the name suggests, is a duel primarily involving ‘Armed Cards.’ Duelists can only use ‘Armed Cards’ and ‘Equipment Cards,’ without a ‘Mana Guidance Ball,’ only a stage, requiring the duelist to personally engage in battle.”
Dark was puzzled: “I summon my fist in attack mode?”
Alvaraite couldn’t help but laugh: “That’s not entirely wrong. In short, compared to a ‘Mana Duel,’ an ‘Armored Duel’ has less diversity but is more intense and leans more towards practical combat.”
Dark nodded: “Then why is my ‘Gun Armor’ insufficient to enter the Ares Tower? Is there a threshold for entering the Ares Tower?”
“Of course there is.” Alvaraite smiled, “For most people, even obtaining the qualification to enter the Ares Tower is very difficult. It’s pointless to say more now; you’ll understand when the time comes.”
Dark pressed further: “When will that be?”
Alvaraite craftily replied: “That’s uncertain. It depends on when I finish my tasks. At least by August.”
“Will it take that long?” Dark couldn’t help but ask.
Alvaraite said: “There’s no other way. It’s because the Church is restless.”
Dark’s pupils narrowed, but he didn’t continue on this topic.
After all, it was still class time, and any extraneous talk ended here.
Alvaraite then wrote on the blackboard: “Starting today, we will cover a new topic, the advanced part of ‘Armor Conjures’—’Drive Conjures’!”
She then proceeded to explain the details.
Though she did not cite references, her explanation was meticulous and clear.
Dark gradually understood what a “Drive Conjure” was.
A “Drive Conjure,” unlike an “Armor Conjure,” does not exist directly as armor or weapons but rather gathers all information into a specialized drive.
Through the drive, one completes the transformation into armor!
This drive could be a belt, a wand, a transformation device, a stone, or a sword.
The drive came in various forms, but the core element was the same: to assist the owner in transforming into armor.
“What are the advantages of a ‘Drive Conjure’?”
Dark had some understanding of such devices, but he did not understand why, in a world where ‘Mana Cards’ were already used for driving, adding an additional drive between ‘Mana Cards’ and ‘Armors’ made sense.
Alvaraite blinked and said: “For most magi specializing in ‘Armed Cards,’ the biggest advantage of ‘Drive Conjure’ is that they don’t need to design the armor itself but just design a drive, allowing the conjure to freely develop. This makes the design process simpler and the conjured armor more reasonable.”
“A benefit for those who struggle with crafting?” Dark couldn’t help but ask.
Alvaraite replied: “Probably.”
Dark then asked: “And for a few magi?”
Alvaraite said: “Different interpretations. Personally, I prefer to call it ‘Mind Armament.’ For our school, the essence of ‘Drive Conjure’…”
In fact, it simply skips the step of making the armor itself, focusing instead on the ‘Soul Pouring’ process rather than truly avoiding design. Because you must know exactly what you want to conjure!
Dark shook his head: “Designing a specific model in the brain is no easier than crafting an armor.”
Alvaraite said: “Indeed. However, doing so would lower the requirements for materials. Moreover, ‘Drive Conjure’ is often more fitting for the mage and aligns better with them. Most importantly, ‘Drive Conjure’ can enhance mental power!”
“Mind Armament?” Dark fell silent.
If this were the case, then a ‘Drive Conjure’ would indeed have greater potential than an ‘Armor Conjure.’
Of course, there are also ‘Armor Conjures’ that can enhance mental power, but these are rare.
…
Having exchanged these thoughts, Dark had a general understanding of ‘Drive Conjures.’
Seeing this, Alvaraite said: “As usual, I will explain the essentials of ‘Drive Conjure’ in the morning. The afternoon will be left for you to conduct your own experiments.”
Dark nodded slightly.
Alvaraite then continued teaching.
…
The steps for creating a ‘Drive Conjure’ seemed simplified, but essentially, it was more complex than creating an ‘Armor Conjure.’
Dark absorbed Alvaraite’s teachings like a sponge.
Even though Diana and Aurora didn’t quite understand, they both diligently took notes.
With full concentration, the morning lesson quickly ended.
Alvaraite didn’t even eat lunch at the Duke’s Mansion but rushed to the office with Claire.
As mid-July approached, they became increasingly busy.
Apart from occasionally discussing with them, Dark continued to speculate on the current situation through newspapers.
He could feel that the capital city was teeming with unrest, with all sorts of nefarious characters emerging.
When the Church held the ‘Execution Ritual,’ it might be the time when chaos erupted.
But Dark sometimes wondered, if even he could foresee this, the Church surely wouldn’t miss it.
Could it be that the Church was actually on the fifth floor?
Was the ‘Execution Ritual’ for another purpose?
…
That afternoon.
Upon entering the classroom, Dark began attempting to create a ‘Drive Conjure.’
However, creating a ‘Drive Conjure’ proved more challenging than creating an ‘Armor Conjure.’
After several attempts, he failed each time.
The last attempt luckily succeeded, but it was something trivial.
This made him worry.
But after declaring himself “out of class,” he quickly regained his composure.
At 9:30 PM after dinner.
Dark learned from Olivia that Claire had returned about half an hour ago, and he brought along relevant documents and a notebook to visit.
This was the first time Dark visited Claire Kate’s room at night since returning to the Duke’s Mansion.
“You’re here?”
Claire, wearing only a sleepwear, leaned against a white, lattice chair, looking slightly tired.
During this period, assisting Alvaraite with official duties kept her equally busy, leaving her only free time at night.
Upon entering Claire’s bedroom, Dark noticed that the “Zoo” was set up inside.
But those familiar animals were quietly nestled around the room.
Even the most mischievous monkeys were merely hanging from a swing hanging from the ceiling, swaying slightly.
“Claire Auntie, everything okay?” Dark asked.
Claire waved her hand: “Of course.”
So Dark didn’t stand on ceremony and placed his densely written notebook in front of her, delving into a deep discussion.
After over an hour, Dark suddenly understood.
Originally, he had been researching for a long time based on his abilities, almost reaching the final step. With Claire’s guidance, he finally comprehended the last part thoroughly.
“It looks like we can start the ‘Zoo’ conjuring experiment in a couple of days!”
Dark felt exhilarated, his eyes shining.
Unlike the “Paradise” he had acquired for free, this “Zoo” was something he had painstakingly researched bit by bit, consuming countless hours and effort.
If he could successfully conjure it, it would undoubtedly be a significant affirmation of his efforts!
For his academic career, it could be considered a阶段性胜利 (a阶段性 victory).
But before that, he still needed to solve a small problem.
“Here, material pack.”
Claire waved her hand, and a monkey carried a large box over.
“Three sets, once they’re gone, they’re gone,” she pointed at the box.
Dark immediately picked up the box, spinning it.
Claire shook her head, picked up Galileo from the table, and walked towards the bed.
…
[Four-in-One 8000+]
[99/233]
[_(:з」∠)_]
