Day one at the academy had finally come to an end, but it still hadn’t been enough to push Tavian to his physical limits. For a thirteen-year-old, he was unusually accustomed to strenuous activity. While most of the other students were wiped out from the running and physical drills, he only needed a short time to recover his stamina.

Night fell, and dinner was over. Tavian quickly distanced himself from the others, eager to begin his cultivation practice—something he had already committed to doing every night.

He had a goal: to climb 10 levels and break through to level 11, becoming a Card Apprentice within six months. There was no room for negotiation.

The academy had special rooms designated for cultivation, available to all students, but each person was limited to using them for only 3 hours per week. The demand was high, especially since second-year students were given more allocation time and priority.

These rooms had a higher concentration of Card Essence, which accelerated the cultivation process. However, Tavian deliberately avoided using them too soon. He figured he’d save the facility for the end of the week, after he had grown more accustomed to cultivation and wouldn’t waste his time there.

He had already picked the perfect spot for his daily cultivation practice—the rooftop of the dorm building. After scoping it out earlier, he found it spacious and quiet. It was a place where students often came to hang out at night, grab coffee, and relax, but not many bothered to come up here due to the long climb. Most were too lazy to make the trek up the stairs.

Tavian chose a spot off to one side, carefully selecting a seat where he could sit cross-legged and focus. He steadied himself, making sure his posture was firm.

Earlier that day, he had received a guide on how to begin cultivation during theory class. While the theory seemed simple enough, he knew actually doing it would come with its own set of challenges.

He settled into position, closed his eyes, and began.

The concept of cultivation was simple: by closing their eyes and focusing, the awakened could sense the Card Essence—a form of energy dispersed in the air around them. All they had to do was regulate their breathing and draw that energy into their bodies.

By doing this repeatedly, the essence would gather in their hearts, continuously cultivating and eventually evolving their inner strength, allowing them to level up.

Tavian began, feeling the subtle threads of energy surrounding him. He took slow, steady breaths, sensing the Card Essence gradually flowing into him.

He had practiced this before, so it wasn’t particularly new for him. The key was consistency—repeating the process over and over to strengthen his mind and body and progress in cultivation.

Several minutes passed, and it became clear that cultivation wasn’t easy. Imagine sitting still, doing nothing.

The absorption of Card Essence slowed whenever his mind wandered. It was so challenging to stay calm and empty—especially since he was still new to the practice.

But he pushed himself to focus. It was tough, no doubt, but not impossible. He just needed to keep centering his thoughts until this process became second nature to him.

Slowly, he started to feel a shift—an unfamiliar sensation as the strands of energy began to move within him, flowing like a current, replenishing his energy and stamina. His mind felt clearer, and the jumble of thoughts that had been clouding his head gradually faded away.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been at it, but eventually, he finished the session and opened his eyes. Glancing at the time on his Card Device, he was surprised. Two hours?

He felt a surge of pride. Two hours of focused cultivation? This was a huge achievement for him, and he allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. He smiled, proud of what he had accomplished.

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But there was still one more thing he wanted to try—activating his Signature Card! Yes, this was it. He was going to activate it for the first time.

Tavian pulled his Signature Card from his shirt pocket, once again admiring it. He felt an inexplicable connection to the card, as if it was a part of him. The urge to activate it, for the first time, was stronger than ever.

However, he knew from the brief description that this card wouldn’t have much effect on him unless he had another card to pair with it. Of course, that required reaching the level of Card Apprentice first. He nodded to himself, reviewing the steps to activate the card.

At the Card Novice stage, every awakener had to start from scratch. It was a grueling process, meeting and learning something entirely new. This stage felt like a hurdle, a slow climb, unlike those who had progressed to the second stage and beyond.

At higher stages, activating multiple cards came naturally to them. All Card Masters would eventually reach that point, but this difficult beginning was a rite of passage that couldn’t be skipped.

Simply put, the process for activating a card was to hold it, channel Card Essence into it, and mentally command the card to activate. That was all there was to it, in theory.

Tavian closed his eyes again, focusing while gripping the card tightly. He suggested to himself to channel the Card Essence from his body and order the card to activate.

Nothing happened.

Undeterred, Tavian concentrated harder, beginning to feel the flow of energy surging through his veins, reaching his hands and fingers. He could sense the energy wrapping around the Signature Card in his grasp.

Activate.

Activate.

Activate.

Activate!

Suddenly, the card in his hand vibrated violently. He felt the card dissolve into pure energy, disappearing from his fingers.

He opened his eyes, and his pupils glowed with a faint yellow light. Above his head, a transparent image of the card appeared, swirling with icy blue energy. An icy white magic circle formed around the card, expanding outward before descending over his body and spreading across the floor in a larger radius.

It all happened in a flash. Instantly, he was overwhelmed by a surge within his body—his stomach churned, dizziness hit him like a wave, and it felt as if he’d been slammed by a heavy force.

His heart pounded in his chest, his entire body trembled uncontrollably, and sweat poured down his face. A sudden, overwhelming weakness washed over him, leaving him utterly drained and powerless.

His body felt limp, completely spent.

The magic circle vanished in an instant, and the card reappeared in front of him, quickly falling to the floor.

Tavian’s stomach churned violently, and he staggered to the edge of the rooftop, vomiting everything he had.

"Woah..." His gut twisted painfully, and he retched again, emptying himself completely.

After a few moments, he stood up, shaky and weak. His legs barely held him as he stumbled back to retrieve the card from the floor. It felt as though every ounce of fluid had been drained from his body, all from activating the Signature Card just once.

Was this how intense the process of activating a Signature Card was supposed to be?

He couldn’t quite describe the sensation—it was like his life had been drained, his soul crushed, his body wrung dry of all energy. His limbs still trembled with weakness, and he could barely stand.

Collapsing onto the ground, Tavian lay there, unable to move. He was completely spent, as if he had run dozens of kilometers, only to be dragged forward and forced to keep going. He was on the brink of passing out, utterly exhausted.

Tavian forced himself to crawl and then stand. He needed sleep—he needed rest. Stumbling, he clung to the wall as he descended the stairs, nearly collapsing with each step. Fortunately, his room was just below the rooftop, and it didn’t take long to reach it.

The door beeped as it unlocked, and he stepped inside, pale-faced and barely holding himself together. He headed straight for his bed, but his roommates immediately noticed his condition, staring in shock.

“Boss, what happened to you?”

“Boss, who beat you up?”

“Boss…” The fat boy shook Tavian’s arm, worried.

“Fatty, let him be. He looks like he just got jumped or something.”

“Boss, tell me who did this to you!” Fatty was starting to panic.

“We need to find whoever did this to him! I’m not letting anyone get away with this.” Fatty turned to rally the others. “You stay here and watch him, Will,” he ordered the boy with glasses.

The group of four was about to storm out when Tavian, weak and barely conscious, reached out and grabbed the hem of Will’s shirt. He couldn’t find the strength to speak.

“Tavian, what is it? Who did this to you?” Will, the glasses boy asked.

“Stop… them… come… back…” Tavian managed to whisper, just before he lost consciousness, falling into a deep sleep—or perhaps more accurately, passing out.