Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

697  The Sword in the Stone-First Half

There will be no such thing as a subordinate participating in the trial only to relinquish their rights and transfer them to their lord when the time comes. Such actions will not be allowed.

This is the only rule of this trial. But… after a subordinate becomes king, will they act as mere puppets or relinquish their rights to another? That will be a different story.

At the first test ground, the Test of Wisdom, the participants were all lords and noble descendants. During this era, only this group of people could read and had been taught the art of ruling by their families. Out of the 10,000 participants, only 100 participated in the Test of Wisdom.

As the test began, the questions themselves did not draw the examinees' attention but the quality of the paper being used. They marveled and exclaimed in amazement.

"Is this papyrus?" one examinee exclaimed, running his fingers over the clean, white paper on the wooden desk.

"No, I've seen papyrus before. Even at its best, its quality is a far cry from this," another participant added.

"What kind of paper is this? Can we take it home and have our craftsmen study it? If we can replicate it, I believe our domain could gain another lucrative industry," another remarked, awed and surprised by the paper's exceptional quality.

"Silence! Start writing! If you continue talking nonsense, you'll fail the exam by default!" The sharp voice of the examiner immediately silenced the examinees.

In the vast examining hall, many eyes were watching them, including Merlin himself. With such scrutiny, they had no choice but to play fair, as any attempt to cheat would risk angering the powerful wizard. No one dared to imagine the consequences of pissing this wizard off.

At one of the examinees' desks, Artorius struggled. While he could read, the exam questions were entirely unfamiliar to him. A servant like him did not need to study the art of ruling. He didn't know how to answer.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his head: "For the first question, write this: The basics of trade lie in bartering. To encourage trade, a reliable barter system is essential. For that, we need currency and must promote its use."

Startled, Artorius wanted to locate the source of the voice. Still, the examiner's sharp gaze immediately locked onto him the moment he showed any nervousness.

"It's me, Artorius! Morgan Le Fay, your beautiful older sister! I'm telling you the answers. Just write them down. This is thought-transmission magic. No one will know I'm helping you. I've used the direct connection between master and servant! Even that Merlin guy won't notice! Now, do the test! Write it down!" Morgan Le Fay's voice urged him, brimming with mischief.

Artorius nodded and began writing the answers as Morgan dictated them. The speed of his writing increase while the other participant are still thinking. Artorius is unbothered by the question at all.

This action of Artorius draw the attention from Daniel who are standing on the wooden elavation position built for the examiner to observe teh test. He's looking at the paper in his hand to see the examinee who occupy taht seat.

"Hmmm… seat 42 Artorius!?" Daniel exclaim the name of the boy who occupying that seat. The name is teh roman version of the name Arthur.

"So… King Arthur is actually here… this is… unexpected." Daniel murmur under his breath. In his mind, He's expected to meet with the real Merlin first since he had stole Merlin identity. He didn't expected that arthur would come here to take the test.

"What should I do… What should I do…" Daniel begin to get nervous. If Arthur were to pass teh test. Things might have become complicated. He's not the real Merlin. But… If he were to let Arthur fail. That wouldn't have been better. Such action might alter the history if Arthur were to lose it and didn't participate in the test of the Sword in teh Stone.

Daniel went silence, contemplating a bit on how to proceed. Then an idea come to mind. If it's come to this, he would just make this a real test. If Merlin come out to find trouble with him, he will just imprison Merlin delete all of Merlin memory then release him. With that, Merlin wouldn't have teh mind to pursue Envy anymore.

With this in mind, Daniel walked out of the first test site to prepare for the second and the third test. The test for combat prowess and the test of teh sword in the stone.

Daniel walked toward the Lake of Avalon and then sink his mind into the mindscape and begin to actualized one of the card inside his mindscape.

—

Card Name: The Sword in the Stone/Excalibur

Illustration: A powerful broadsword with a golden hue emanating from its blade, embedded in a stone inscribed with ancient runes. The hilt features a red gemstone embedded in its sword guard.

Rarity: Legendary

Type: Artifact

Mana Cost: 1 Non-Element

Description:

If there is a legendary creature on the battlefield, any player may pay 1 Light or 3 Non-Element mana to transform 'The Sword in the Stone/Excalibur' into an Artifact-Equipment. It will attach to a target legendary creature. The priority to choose the target goes to the player who paid the cost.

The equipped creature gains +5/+5, and all creatures you control with power 3 or less gain +1/+1.

Flavor Text: Only the worthy can pull this sword and become the King of Britain.

—

With Excalibur in place, Daniel returned to the first test site.

When he arrived, the Test of Wisdom had already concluded. Since there were only 100 participants, the test papers were collected quickly. Daniel used the Nexus Prime on his wrist to scan the answer sheets and immediately announced the names of those who passed the test. Only 10 participants, including Artorius, had passed the Test.

Artorius jumped in jubilant when he heard his name among those who passed.

The next test was postponed as the sun was about to set. The participants scattered to their respective campsites. Many nobles who had traveled with caravans from their domains rested in their designated camps. At the same time, lone warriors either prepared their own camping supplies or used the communal tents provided by Thegn Cthred for those without their own.

As night fell, Ealdorman Norman's men began to execute their plans. Several participants from domains not aligned with Ealdorman Norman or from opposing factions were assassinated, further reducing the number of candidates.

Daniel noticed the Ealdorman's underhanded tactics but chose to turn a blind eye. He wasn't there to select the true ruler of Britain; his real goal was to lure out the real Merlin. Besides, Daniel thought that if Artorius were to die, it would confirm that the name was just a coincidence. In fact, Artorius's death might even benefit Daniel by changing the course of his fate and earning him additional points that will help him return to the modern era.

The following day, Daniel initiated the second test. This test took place on a vast plain not far from the village. Using metal scarabs, boundaries with a radius of 10 meters were drawn across the plain. In just half an hour, 200 boundaries were prepared.

Daniel then used magic to summon 200 golems and positioned them within the designated boundaries. This was genuine magic, derived from his Archmage profession and its accompanying knowledge.

He was able to use this magic in this era because it relied on the denser mana present in the atmosphere, unlike modern-day magic, which had been optimized and compromised to work with the weaker mana density of the modern era, albeit at the cost of reduced power.

The test began, with 200 participants competing simultaneously. This spectacle drew significant attention from brave warriors across the realm and even members of the king's court, many of whom came to try their luck.

However, the five-minute challenge proved insurmountable for most. Those who tried to evade the golems to waste time were quickly forced out of bounds.

Only the strongest warriors, capable of standing their ground against the golems or able to chip away at their armor, can pass.

Among the participants who succeeded, Artorius stood out. He deftly evaded the golem's attacks and struck back, managing to chip away at its earthen armor.

He came close to defeating it, but time ran out before he could strike at the golem's weak point. If the time limit were a little bit longer, Artorius might have been the first to be able to destroy a golem.

But all in all, Artorius passed with flying colors, earning Daniel's nod of approval. It seemed the future King Arthur was formidable in both wisdom and combat prowess.

Unknown to Daniel, Artorius's success was largely due to the strength and dexterity of magic enchantments bestowed by Morgan Le Fay.

Without her magical enhancements, Artorius might not have been much different from those who failed to pass the test.