Chapter 13: The New Function of Kaerus

Page 1/3

Wang Xi composed himself and took a deep breath. He proceeded with the second draw. As the light burst forth, a lecherous laugh echoed again:
“Wow! Hehehehe!”
Wang Xi hastily caught the brand-new card. His pupils suddenly contracted—
“Knock Your Horse (Skill Card).”
This card was indistinguishable from the previous one; they were essentially identical. Even the sly laugh accompanying the card’s appearance was nearly the same, dripping with mockery.
Wang Xi’s heart sank halfway.
This Goblin card pool had yielded two useless cards in succession—was it worth continuing?
If he drew another duplicate worthless card, wouldn’t that be a total waste of energy?
But he had already spent 200 energy!
A full 200!
That was equivalent to more than twenty thousand credit points in the Shan-Hai Federation!
He pondered deeply, unwilling to give up. If he did, he might not sleep all night, haunted by the goblin’s mocking laughter.
“I won’t be fooled again!”
Gritting his teeth, Wang Xi went for the third draw.
A final white light emerged from the card pool, accompanied by that sinister laughter that sounded like an evil spell, sending chills down his spine.
“Please, no more…”
The little voice inside Wang Xi’s mind clasped its hands together, whispering prayers.
Suddenly, Wang Xi burst into laughter, clutching the new card.
“All right, all right!”
—“Knock Your Horse (Skill Card).”
He held three identical cards, dancing with excitement. Each card featured a green-skinned creature with a long nose and pointed ears, grinning while wielding a wooden club.
“What a rip-off!”
Wang Xi’s smile twisted into a grimace, tears threatening to flow.
After a long moment, he finally calmed his excitement.
“Forget it, there’s still one more card pool.”
He shook his head, ready to put away the three useless cards.
Just then, the dark fissure in his mind stirred slightly, opening a narrow crack.
“Three identical cards detected!”
“New feature unlocked: ‘Synthesis’!”
Wang Xi froze.
He noticed a swirling gray mist within the fissure, seemingly waiting for him to throw the cards inside.
His professional instinct told him he could place three or more cards into it for synthesis.
“Let’s try it!”
Surprised, Wang Xi immediately tossed the three “Knock Your Horse” cards into the swirling crack.
Hum—
The three universal cards were sucked in and spun around. They interwove and fused together, the light flashing brilliantly.
Ding!
A brand-new card appeared before him.
“Smash Human Knock Your Horse (Skill Card).”
“Quality: White Two-Star (Non-upgradable).”
“When cowardly goblins are injured, they retreat to dark, damp caves to lick their wounds, their resentful whispers lingering for days or longer. Even in death, their grudges persist.”
“Upon use, you strike the target with a blunt weapon at full force; the effect is especially potent against humans and horses. Each use consumes a certain amount of stamina.”
Wang Xi’s hands trembled.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Three one-star trash cards had combined into a two-star trash card. “Knock Your Horse” was still useless!
What annoyed him even more was the feeling that the card was insulting him… The goblins were meek when alive, but cursed and grumbled after death, and the card’s inscription had upgraded the insult from one star to two.
The damage was minimal, but the humiliation was intense.
If this card could be upgraded indefinitely, would it curse him all the way to godhood? Knock!
“Next card pool!”

Page 2/3

Wang Xi stuffed the two-star worthless card into his pocket and resolutely headed to the next “battlefield.”
One hundred energy was instantly consumed, and the card pool belonging to “Randall Guard Captain Rich” began to spin.
Three white lights swirled, one flying off on its own.
“The angle at which horseshoe nails pierce the soil determines whether a charge tears through enemy lines or breaks a horse’s leg… Those fools who only know how to jab with spurs deserve to be thrown off and slain by enemy blades.”
Rich’s cold voice sounded.
Immediately, a hovering card appeared before Wang Xi.
He reached out and caught it.
“Mastery of Horsemanship (Skill Card).”
“Quality: White One-Star (Upgradeable).”
“The battle-hardened guard captain was skilled in this art; had his birth been better, he might have become an outstanding knight.”
“Upon use, you will master basic horsemanship, enabling you to mount and dismount, turn, back up, jump, and switch gaits.”
“A passive skill card.”
Wang Xi held the card and breathed a sigh of relief.
At last, not another piece of junk.
Though it wasn’t a combat card like swordsmanship or hand-to-hand, it would still enhance his overall abilities and was quite practical in this fairy-tale world.
“Again!”
Having tasted success from this card pool, Wang Xi continued drawing.
The second light quickly emerged, accompanied by Captain Rich’s deep, resonant voice:
“Don’t rush to pull the hanging crossbow during an ambush. The best moment is when the enemy’s silhouette covers the third feather of your bolt…”
“Mastery of Crossbow (Skill Card).”
“Quality: White One-Star (Upgradeable).”
“Before his promotion, the guard captain was an elite sharpshooter in Randall’s barracks, showing promise in many campaigns.”
“Upon use, you will master basic crossbow skills, enabling precise shooting with a handheld crossbow.”
“Crossbow skills!”
Wang Xi was quite pleased.
He had been worried about not knowing how to wield a crossbow—the arrow he shot earlier, aimed at a goblin’s back of the head, hit the kidney instead, almost letting the enemy escape.
Now with this card, while not guaranteed to hit every shot, he at least had basic ranged combat capability. If the scene repeated, that arrow would have struck the goblin’s head directly.
“One last draw! Go!”
Wang Xi eagerly gave the command.
Energy depleted, the last light floated out and materialized before him.
“Blisters on your palm from gripping the sword? Useless! Getting hit is the best training! Wrap the blunt blade in three layers of cowhide, soak it in mud, and whip me with it… No crying allowed! Pain is your bones remembering how to keep you alive!”
Rich’s angry shout echoed in Wang Xi’s mind, as if training a recruit in some harsh way.
Wang Xi was startled, then overjoyed.
“Randall Body Conditioning Method (Technique Card).”
“Quality: White One-Star (Upgradeable).”
“A body conditioning technique passed down in Randall’s barracks, seemingly absorbing essence from several methods but more suited for regular soldiers. In theory, mastering it fully grants physical qualities comparable to a centurion (great knight).”
“Upon use, you will master the body conditioning method, enabling you to enhance your physique through continuous practice, especially improving resistance to blows and pain tolerance. Each use consumes significant stamina.”
Body conditioning!
Technique card!
Wang Xi was ecstatic.
On the main world’s online marketplace, the “Basic Defense Squad Body Conditioning” card was worth a million credit points!
And technique cards were necessary for the professional hero certification, normally inaccessible to ordinary people.
Now he had obtained such a rare technique card from another world without spending a penny, allowing continuous physical improvement.
What a huge gain!
Captain Rich was truly a treasure trove!
“Maybe I was too rough with that punch earlier, so here’s a silent apology across the void…”
Wang Xi silently apologized.
Holding the three new cards, he was about to use them when an instinctive idea suddenly popped into his mind.
“The new synthesis feature in Cardus didn’t say the three universal cards must be identical…”
Wang Xi thought, a faint hope rising.
“There’s no harm in trying.”
So, he tossed the “Mastery of Horsemanship” and “Mastery of Crossbow” into the fissure in his mind.
To his delight, the two cards entered smoothly, spinning in the vortex without issue.
This meant his guess was correct!

Page 3/3

But when he threw in the “Randall Body Conditioning Method,” the card immediately bounced back the next second.
“Hm? Because the card types differ, it can’t be synthesized?”
Wang Xi speculated.
Crossbow and horsemanship were skill cards, while body conditioning was a technique card—a different category altogether.
Realizing this, Wang Xi promptly removed the always-equipped “Iris Swordsmanship: Parry” and “Iris Physical Arts: Battlefield Combat.”
He thought for a moment and first threw in the “Blueberry-Coated Candy,” but just like before, it was spat out by the fissure.
“Is it due to low compatibility?”
Wang Xi frowned, deep in thought.
“There’s another possibility: skill cards may be divided into active and passive types, and synthesis requires strict adherence to the same type.”
With this in mind, he threw the two Iris-series cards into the vortex.
This time, both cards entered smoothly.
“Excellent!”
Wang Xi’s eyes brightened.
“Synthesize for me!”
Hum—
The vortex accelerated, grey mist swirling thickly.
Four cards intertwined, finally merging into one.
Wang Xi saw a bright emerald light before him.
Reaching out, he felt the cool texture.
“Elite Soldier (Skill Card).”
“Quality: Green One-Star (Upgradeable).”
“Though a fallen noble youth, he possessed extraordinary martial prowess, with overall strength comparable to an elite soldier.”
“Upon use, you will master basic swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, horsemanship, and crossbow skills.”
“A green-quality passive skill card!”
Wang Xi was very pleased.
He activated it, and the card transformed into a green glow enveloping his entire body. Then he drew his longsword and tried swinging it a few times.
The whistling sword wind rushed by, the strikes heavy and powerful.
His previously uncoordinated movements now flowed naturally, clearly having grasped the fundamentals of swordsmanship.
This synthesis of four cards seemed to fill some gaps without losing their individual features.
“Very good!”
Wang Xi flourished his sword, sheathed it, eyes shining with delight.
In fact, he noticed an even greater hidden advantage—after merging four cards into one, upgrading it would enhance all skills simultaneously, saving much trouble.
“Just don’t yet know how to upgrade it…”
While pondering, Wang Xi suddenly turned towards the forest.
Some sounds came from that direction.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The bushes shook as hurried footsteps approached.
Wang Xi slipped behind a tree, observing silently.
Soon, a familiar figure stumbled onto the path, tripping and falling.
“Ah!!”
A young girl, covered in blood, her simple white dress stained with vivid red and mud.
Wang Xi’s gaze sharpened.
“What is she doing here?”
The girl was his childhood friend, Godariel!
The next moment, Wang Xi’s eyes shifted towards the forest. A tall figure hurried out, catching up to Godariel.
Long nose, pointed ears, green skin with a shiny forehead.
Clearly a goblin!
But unlike the one Wang Xi had slain earlier, this goblin was more robust, standing an astonishing one meter eighty-nine tall.
It wielded a thick wooden club and wore a set of rusted armor of unknown origin. Its small yellow eyes fixed on the girl, emitting a chilling, eerie laugh.
“Target acquired!”
“Weak Goblin (Light Red/Two-Star).”