The Card Apprentice

It wasn’t a five-star card! It was still a four-star Bomb. Apart from the damage value, the level of a card could also be judged by several aspects. Zhan Ken definitely knew that, and he could even confidently say the Bomb was absolutely a four-star card!

Janet was also stunned. She had sold a lot of cards before, but she had never seen a four-star card with such a great attack power!

Though they were deeply shocked, they kept themselves in check and did not lose their cool. Janet was already silently estimating the value of the card.

However, as a card master, Topster almost lost his self-control and nearly went mad. “Oh my god! It was just a four-star card! How could it be so powerful?” he mumbled to himself with blurred eyes.

How is that possible? How is that possible? In his heart, he knew he would never be able to make that kind of card. It was a breakthrough of his knowledge in card making.

However, the test was not done yet.

In the coming tests, the Bomb showed a terrifying performance! Its energy efficiency was jaw-droppingly high, and its shooting speed, range, and maneuverability were exceptional. Was that really the Bomb?

Everyone felt weird. Janet and Zhan Ken could no longer stay calm, even externally. There was a lot of noise inside the testing room, including from the card artisan who was responsible for the card testing.

Compared to everyone else, Chen Mu was extraordinarily calm at that moment. The Bomb had given him a big surprise. However, it had been a simple surprise. The design of the Bomb was more restricted than the Wheel, which Chen Mu had designed previously. Its structure had already been calculated to the maximum by the Child based on its outstanding calculation abilities, meaning Chen Mu did not feel he deserved much credit.

The Bomb’s attack power could be compared to that of the five-star cards that were not focused on attack. It was still a four-star card in terms of its nature. There was still a huge difference from an authentic five-star card, such as the Golden Word Shackle, which was a top five-star card.

However, he was satisfied with the result. With the Bomb’s power at that extent, he had no real reason to be fussy. The best part was that he had figured out the method of using the Child, which was definitely a sharp tool for him to design cards in the future.

That day’s tests had also broadened his views. The professionals were called professionals for a reason. He was dazzled by the series of tests. At that moment, he realized it was so complicated to define a card. Thinking about the past, he had always judged a card based on its patterns only, which was a rather primitive method. The corresponding performance of the card could be detailed by the application of scientific tests. Those were the kinds of test results that could convince the buyers.

The knowledge in the world of cards was borderless; there was still much to be learned.

When the tests were finally done, Chen Mu was looking forward to the Bomb’s results. There was commotion in the testing room as everyone excitedly waited for the final result. The conclusive review was done by Zhan Ken. His cheeks were flushed, and his hands were writing non-stop. Janet was also nervous. She had an intuition that a legendary card was going to be born in their shop.

She glanced at the card master, who was wearing a mask. The eyes beneath the white mask made it more attractive. However, what attracted her the most was how calm his eyes were. It seemed like everything happening was actually within his expectations. Perhaps that card master was actually a grand master. Janet was shocked to think of the possibility.

Topster was losing himself; the existence of the card had impacted him greatly. Janet may have been contemplating whether Chen Mu was a grand master, but Topster was sure of it! A grand master card master! His lips were trembling. Being a grand master in card making was the final destination of 80 percent of card masters in the world! Today, he’d had the chance to witness the work of one! That card master had the ability to make a four-star card that could be compared to a five-star card. If he wasn’t a grand master, who was?

Moreover, Topster believed that particular grand master might even be exceedingly powerful among the grand masters. Though he had never seen any of them, he had heard a lot about them. But he had never known any of them could achieve that level.

Finally, the result was announced. Everyone had grown increasingly restless. That card had brought them a lot of surprises, and they could no longer be patient with the final result.

The words were appearing continuously on the screen.

“Bomb; four-star; damage value: 4,551”

Though most of them had known the value, they still couldn’t stop themselves from being amazed. That was definitely impressive data. Moreover, it was shocking when it appeared on a four-star card.

By default, an epic three-star card like the Folding Yanbo, which had been made by Chen Mu, had only a damage value of 1,502 with no modification. A normal four-star card usually had a damage value from 1,800 to 3,000. An epic four-star card like the Wheel could reach a damage value of approximately 3,800 with no modifications, which was terrifying.

A damage value greater than 4,000 was usually within the realm of a five-star card. That Bomb successfully got into that category, which was the reason people were so impressed with it.

However, the Bomb wasn’t objectively better than the Folding Yanbo and the Wheel. The Bomb may have had a higher attack value than the other two cards, but its potential was worse. For example, the Folding Yanbo could easily reach a damage value of 5,000 or greater when facing a strong opponent like Jiao Si. That was the ability of a card artisan. It was the same for the Wheel. Both of them had room for modification.

Chen Mu had squeezed out all of the potential of the Bomb, so its room for modification was comparatively less. Hence, although it had great attack power, it might not be suitable for card artisans who were good at perceptual control. But it was certainly suitable for Sang Hanshui, who had weak perceptual control but strong perceptual power. He was definitely suitable as a damage dealer.

Card artisans were less likely to opt for a card like the Bomb. Basically, it was rare to have an energy shield that could defend against a damage value of 3,000, not to mention one that could only be broken by a damage value of 4,000. Most of the card artisans were focused more on the balance between accuracy and attack power. Nevertheless, that Bomb was definitely an impressive card.

“The highest firing speed is ten shots per second; the longest range is 50 kilometers. First-class energy effectiveness. Good control performance and accuracy. Conclusion: This card has great attack power and impressive shooting speed, and the power usage is comparatively less than that of cards with similar damage value. It has higher demand for a card artisan’s perceptual power and lower demand for perceptual control. It is not recommended to be used by an individual player but is suitable for the card artisan who plays the role of a damage dealer in a team. It requires low cost and has a high success rate in production. It is also suitable for large-scale equipment. Overall review is 8.9.”

Even more commotion arose in the testing room, everyone being highly impressed by the review. The highest review in a card artisan’s review test was ten, and 8.9 was the highest review they had ever seen. That review had been given by Zhan Ken, who was well-known for being rigorous; hence, it had ample credibility.

Janet was stunned as she stared at the screen. She had expected that card to get a high review, but she had never thought it would be an 8.9. Had Zhan Ken gone mad? Why had he given such a high review?

She was thinking in anger, but what was actually running through her mind was how to get closer to that card master, who did not seem very friendly.

Suddenly agitated, Topster yelled, “Zhan Ken, are you crazy? This Bomb should be at least a nine! Nine! You hear me?”

Zhan Ken was also agitated. “Mr. Topster, are you doubting my ability?” he replied.

“This card is worth at least a review of nine. Do you know the meaning of the existence of this card in the world of card making? This is a breakthrough! This card is an unprecedented kind! Oh my god! You gave a review of 8.9 only to such an epochal card. Don’t you think I should doubt you?” Topster said. His face had turned red from speaking through gritted teeth.

Zhan Ken was completely annoyed. “Mr. Topster, please mind your words! I acknowledge that this is an excellent card, so I give a high review of 8.9, and this is the highest review I have given so far. I don’t think I made any mistake. Mr. Topster, this is my job. Please do not simply evaluate on a whim!”

Chen Mu was witnessing the sudden change of Topster and Zhan Ken, who had both just been so gentle and calm. Now, they were two red-faced, angry men who were about to come to blows. All of that had happened just because of the slight difference of 0.1 points in the review! Chen Mu didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry.

It was all due to his poor knowledge in card making. In a card review, nine and 8.9 were two different worlds. That was shown by the huge difference in their prices. A nine could be several-fold higher, or even more, than an 8.9.

Janet could no longer tolerate the situation and shouted, “Gentlemen, please mind your words and behavior in front of our dear guest!”

Both of them finally regained their calm at that moment, though they were still staring at each other angrily. The frightened crew then sent them the Bomb. However, Zhan Ken and Topster were still being stubborn, and Janet was left with no choice but to retrieve the card from the crew. That might have been the unprecedented Bomb, so she couldn’t resist stealing a few more looks.

Flipping the card over, she suddenly gazed at it in shock, and her breathing almost stopped. Written on the card’s bottom right corner was “029: Bomb – C.”