For a beginner card, the Phantasmal Beast spirit card wasn't actually difficult. The steps were many, but each one on its own was simple.
The hardest part was only one thing:
Drawing the No. 1 Formation.
And that formation had been taught since the very first Magic Theory lesson—repeated for four straight weeks. Even Diana could now draw it with passable competence.
What the students lacked was not knowledge.
It was practical experience.
And for most of them, today was their first time ever using a mana pen to draw a formation.
Darc had no such concern.
Once he entered the zone, his lines were fast and steady.
Step One: coat the magic card with Elven Nectar.
Elven Nectar was made from powdered elf-tree roots mixed with elven honey. Clear, faintly sweet.
Ingested, it nourished the body. Applied externally, it healed wounds.
Even outside spirit card crafting, it was a luxury product among noble ladies.
After spreading it evenly, the card gained the foundation for cultivating a pseudo-lifeform.
Then came a drop of freshly prepared Cerebral Extract, followed by a dusting of secret illusion powder…
Fifteen minutes later, a half-finished Phantasmal Beast card lay quietly on the desk.
Only the final step remained.
Darc replaced the mercury in his mana pen with a golden alchemical solution.
Then he began drawing the No. 1 Formation.
Fifteen seconds.
The formation connected. A burst of golden light erupted.
Without hesitation, Darc used tweezers to place the transparent Phantasmal Beast hair into the center.
The hair was swallowed by light.
Golden threads spread outward from the formation, wrapping the card layer by layer.
Until—
A golden cocoon formed.
At this point, the crafting was technically complete.
Success or failure depended on what emerged from that cocoon.
Like Schrödinger's cat.
When Darc finally exhaled, he realized the entire classroom was staring at him.
Even Kazel stood at his side.
Right.
Everyone else had failed.
"Professor…" Darc said.
Kazel smiled warmly.
"Flawless execution. You are a natural card craftsman."
[Pride +…]
Darc's expression twitched. He immediately replied,
"No, Professor. I'm only more practiced than the others."
Kazel nodded.
"There is one final step. Infuse mana. Convey your expectation."
Expectation?
What did that even mean?
Still, Darc placed his hand on the cocoon and gently poured mana into it.
What is a Phantasmal Beast?
What will it look like?
Race? Attribute? Stats? Skill?
Before he could finish thinking, the cocoon trembled.
A crack appeared.
Light spilled out.
When it faded—
Only a completed card remained on the table.
Darc picked it up carefully.
The blurry outline on the card surface shifted as it met his gaze.
And then—
Something extremely familiar appeared.
Kazel asked, "Would you like to summon it?"
Darc shook his head.
"Later. After I look up its data."
Students grumbled in disappointment.
Emma looked especially unwilling to accept it. She had worked faster—but ruined it with a fatal mistake at the last step.
Diana leaned over.
"Darc… can we see it?"
This time, he didn't refuse.
He showed them the card.
Card Name: Phantasmal Beast
Type: Spirit Card
Race: Avian-Beast
Attribute: Normal
Mana: 100
Attack: 100
Defense: 100
Skill: Mimic
Mimic: Copy the opponent's last used move and perform the same move.
Darc stared.
This wasn't just a Phantasmal Beast.
This was Eevee.
After a Little Devil Beast, now Eevee?
A formless illusion creature whose shape depended on observation?
So this is what Phantasmal Beasts look like before being "observed"?
Then he noticed the anomaly.
Skill: Mimic.
That wasn't normal.
Real Phantasmal Beasts didn't have that.
Which meant—
Just like Little Devil Beast…
This one had also…
Become shaped by him.
"Eevee… but in the form of a Demon Lord?"
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