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Chapter 30: The Heroic Deck
Summon the Holy Sword?
There were many legendary swords in Vonder that bore the title of "Holy Sword," such as the Crown of Winds, Nodathis, the Endless Skyblade, the Mountain's Holy Sword 'Pinnacle,' and even Amber, the only Holy Sword ever obtained by a player. But to Brandon, these mythical names meant little. They had no connection to him.
Was this some kind of spell? He vaguely recalled that priests had a low-level light-based spell called "Holy Sword Summoning," but that was purely offensive—a string of aggressive incantations with no relation to summoning or calling forth anything. In the game, magical words were sacred and couldn’t be altered or mismatched on a whim.
But regardless of what this "Summon Holy Sword" actually was, Brandon knew one thing for certain: any spell available to players in the game came with minimal side effects. At worst, overexertion might leave you mentally fatigued, but it wouldn’t cause splitting headaches—just a sense of weariness at most.
With that thought calming his nerves, he steeled himself and gave the mental command to agree to the summoning. After all, who would turn down a risk-free deal? Besides, he wasn’t above grasping at straws, hoping for a miracle.
As Brandon hesitated momentarily, the treant before him lashed out with two snake-like vines. Swiftly ducking, Brandon swung his sword upward in an arc of silver light, slicing through the foul-smelling tendrils and sending them spiraling into the air as ash.
Undeterred, our protagonist pressed forward. With a single hand braced against the ground, he propelled himself closer to the treant. Just as he prepared to strike again, a spectral screen flickered across his retina:
"The Path of the Warrior, unlocked."
"Heroic Deck, Chapter II: Knight—Holy Sword."
"First activation of Fate Deck detected. Loading Guidance System."
Ghostly lines of text appeared and vanished just as quickly.
"The Holy Sword, symbolizing the knight’s devotion and purity—"
"Effect: Pay 6 Earth Elements from the Elemental Pool to summon the Holy Sword. Summoning conditions met. Display card and press thumbprint to the center of the Sacred Insignia of Fate. Ignite the Holy Sword using the magic triangle formed by your thumb and forefinger."
Brandon found himself distracted by the sudden influx of instructions, his movements faltering slightly. The treant seized the opportunity, retracting its vines and forcing him back. Cursing under his breath, Brandon realized that even without the distraction, his chances weren’t great. Catching his breath, he glanced toward Freya—she was climbing desperately toward the massive boulder below, now within reach. Her chestnut ponytail bounced behind her, catching Brandon’s eye for a moment.
Subtly shifting his focus, he surveyed the battlefield. The juvenile treants were still lagging behind, so Valkyrie should be fine. However, Roma’s situation looked dire; she had collapsed entirely, gasping for air.
Meanwhile, Brandon exchanged another blow with the adult treant. Neither side gained much advantage, but the Golden Magic Tree’s offspring had begun to realize that this human wasn’t as formidable as it initially feared—he merely wielded an elven blade.
Brandon understood this too.
Gripping his sword tighter, he noticed the final prompt flashing across his vision: Display card? Startled, he quickly remembered the card tucked inside his arms. Trusting his instincts, he pulled it out.
So this Sacred Insignia was called the Sacred Insignia of Fate? Strange—he’d never heard of it before. Still, Brandon pushed aside his doubts and pressed his thumb to the insignia.
"Heroic Deck, Chapter II: Knight—Holy Sword, successfully locked."
A blinding black light erupted.
The piercing magical ripple pierced the minds of every nearby creature like a blade. The adult treant let out a howl, and even Freya and Roma paused mid-action, turning their heads to look at Brandon. They watched as the card in his hand shimmered with dark ripples—and then disappeared.
“Brandon, your card—it’s gone!” Miss Merchant shouted anxiously from afar. Her sharp eyesight was impressive, considering she was at least fifty meters away.
But Brandon paid no heed to the future merchant girl’s words. His attention was fixed on the new information appearing on the retinal display:
"The Holy Sword, symbolizing the knight’s devotion and purity—"
"When present on the field, pay 1 Earth Element to attack enemies or dispel diseases, curses, and dark effects."
"For every 10 minutes the Holy Sword remains active, the user must sustain it with 2 Earth Elements and 2 Spiritual Energy Points."
"Range of influence: 1 kilometer."
What? What kind of malevolent sorcery is this?
Brandon had never heard of a magical item requiring continuous power expenditure. Spiritual Energy points were straightforward—they related to willpower capacity. But the Elemental Pool? That was something only a few professions, like Elementalists, Spellblades, and Sun Knights, possessed. Spells cast by those professions drew upon elemental forces.
Never had he encountered a magical artifact that drained a player’s Elemental Pool. Did this mean players without one couldn’t use it?
And the kicker? Continuous consumption. If he wanted to fuel this card like he did with Soul Gems, he’d need a steady supply of them. But acquiring enough Soul Gems was easier said than done—they didn’t drop from every monster.
Still, despite his fleeting confusion, there was no denying the sheer power of this magical item. As expected of an artifact with a strength level surpassing 40 oz, its effects were nothing short of extraordinary.
Brandon swiped his hand downward—
A radiant sword materialized behind him, towering twice his height and wide enough to shield him. Its hilt gleamed with a golden cross, and two wings extended outward, making it appear as though Brandon had sprouted a pair of pristine white wings.
Miss Merchant stared in awe, her eyes sparkling with admiration. Brandon looks so cool!
Freya was equally stunned, though she quickly remembered her task. Gritting her teeth, she resumed climbing, ignoring the fresh sting of a cut on her hand reopening.
Brandon, meanwhile, felt the Holy Sword purge the negative effects afflicting him. Corpse poison and paralysis melted away like snow under sunlight. Every movement now brimmed with holy energy coursing through his veins.
40 oz, Second-Level Strength—this was equivalent to a quasi-cleric. With the Holy Sword active, Brandon’s ability to dispel ailments rivaled that of a full-fledged cleric. Anyone sensing his aura would mistake him for a holy figure, regardless of attire or background.
Strange, though. A card summoned via Earth Elements could mimic Light Element powers so convincingly. Who could have crafted such a thing?
Unbeknownst to Brandon, the sudden surge in his presence unsettled the treant before him. Adult Golden Magic Tree offspring were only Level 22, while 40 oz of strength approached Level 30. Faced with such overwhelming power, the creature struggled to contain its panic.
It shrieked and lunged, its body swelling as all its vines shot toward Brandon.
“Brandon, watch out!” Miss Merchant warned from below.
Frowning, Brandon calculated his remaining resources. Without an Elemental Pool, he wasn’t sure how much Earth Element he could draw upon. Typically, Soul Gems converted experience to elements at a 1:1 ratio. Assuming the card originally held 20 Earth Elements, summoning the Holy Sword consumed 6, leaving 14—
Plenty to work with. Swiping his hand forward, he paid 1 Earth Element to activate the Holy Sword’s “Attack” ability. A golden blade of light erupted from his fingertips—
Wherever the light touched, the vines ignited and crumbled to ash.
This was the Holy Sword Technique, a low-level priest attack spell. But amplified by the 40 oz strength threshold, its destructive potential was terrifying.
The treant screamed, retreating as nearly a third of its vines were obliterated in a single strike. These vines took years to regrow, sustained by the Golden Magic Tree’s magic energy.
But Brandon wasn’t about to give it time. Alternating strikes, he unleashed three consecutive golden blades, piercing the treant’s body. A final palm strike cleaved it in half with a thunderous boom. The Golden Magic Tree’s progeny exploded into a pile of ash.
Simultaneously, Freya activated the Ring of the Wind Sovereign. Though her aim was slightly off, the force of the wind blast sent the boulder tumbling downhill. With a deafening roar, the mountain-sized rock crushed everything in its path—sharp stones and treants alike reduced to dust.
In an instant, over a dozen treants perished. Even the Golden Magic Tree couldn’t endure such losses, emitting a mournful wail that echoed throughout Xavier Valley.
Brandon, however, was unfazed. Having heard similar cries countless times in-game, he felt a strange nostalgia. Freya and Roma, on the other hand, exchanged startled glances.
“What… what was that, Brandon?” the ponytailed girl called down from the summit.
“No need to worry. We won’t be dealing with it directly,” Brandon replied, finally exhaling in relief. With this patrol neutralized, the rest would be manageable. Calculating the time, the Holy Sword could remain active for another hour and a half—plenty of time to navigate the valley. And if he dismissed it now, he might summon it again later.
Decisively, he reclaimed the card. Just then, Miss Merchant arrived, panting heavily. “Brandon, what… what was that?”
“It’s the card’s power. Turns out it’s a magical item.” Seeing the admiration in Roma’s gaze, he offered a vague response.
“A magical item?” Freya murmured, surprised. The ring Brandon gave her was one, as was the Half-Body Armor of the Wind Sovereign. But how did an ordinary person know so much about magic? To her, magic was as mysterious as the legends in stories.
She studied the young man below more intently, trying to discern his true identity.
He claimed to be a militiaman from Braggs, but Freya increasingly doubted that explanation. What she didn’t realize, however, was that beyond her sight, something even grander was unfolding:
For when Brandon looked up, he saw waves of golden light flooding toward him—
Killing monsters far above his level was not a bad thing at all.
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