[Name: Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit]

  [Type: Summon]

  [Subtype: Aqua, Creature, Water Spirit]

  [Summoning Cost: 3 Mana]

  [Activation Cost: 5 Energy]

  [Effect: …]

  Jalen frowned. The effect section was incomplete, the text flickering as if struggling to stabilize. He instinctively pushed a bit of his mana into the card, watching as the words slowly sharpened into clarity.

  [System Prompt]

  [“ Cards can do more than what is written when you analyze them. The words are a small summary of the important abilities of these cards. So it is in your best interest and the responsibility of your Deck-Masterclass to test the capability of your cards.

  “The system sure is talkative. Isn’t it a bit strange?” Plus the system sounds oddly interested in my progress instead of the detached version I hear my father and Mother talk about.”

  [Effect: Summon the Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit. Has a Resilience of 15 a magic power equal to the summoner and life force of 20. Increases Aqua Allies Control Potency by 10% up to 100 of magic. Environmental Power: Strength scales with the size and depth of the body of water it inhabits. ]

  Jalen narrowed his eyes as he read over the newly revealed details of the Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit. The system’s message lingered in his thoughts.

  “So, cards aren’t limited to what’s written on them? That means there’s a lot more to discover through actual use.”

  The Resilience of 15 meant it could take some hits before going down, while the Magic Power equal to the summoner made it directly scale with his own abilities—right now, that was 14. Not bad. Life Force of 20 wasn’t something he fully understood yet, but it sounded like a key stat for longevity in battle.

  What really caught his attention, though, were the last two abilities.

  "Increases Aqua Allies Control Potency by 10% up to 100 of magic."

  That was huge. If this applied to all of his water-based summons, it meant his Basic Water Spirit and any future Aqua-type creatures would become significantly stronger just by having the Serpentine Spirit on the field. The phrase Control Potency likely referred to how effectively he could manipulate his water-based summons or spells. If this worked as he suspected, stacking water spirits would make his deck exponentially more powerful.

  And then, there was the Environmental Power effect.

  "Strength scales with the size and depth of the body of water it inhabits."

  Jalen’s mind raced through the implications. If he summoned it in a shallow puddle, it might be weak, but if he managed to call it forth in a lake, or better yet, an ocean… it could be an absolute monster.

  “Okay, now that’s a card,” Jalen muttered, flipping it between his fingers.

  Ember, perched on his shoulder, peeked down at it with an unimpressed flick of his tail. “Tch. So it gets stronger when it’s in water? That’s so… predictable.”

  Jalen shot him a look. “Unlike you, not everything has to explode in flames to be effective.”

  Ember huffed. “I’m just saying, if I had an Environmental Power effect, it would scale with how hot the battlefield was. Just imagine—turning an entire place into a molten wasteland, my power increasing with every degree of heat.”

  Jalen smirked. “So, what you’re saying is that if I create a battlefield where half is water and half is fire, we’d both be unstoppable?”

  Ember’s eyes gleamed with sudden interest. “Now that’s an idea I can get behind.”

  Jalen shook his head but couldn’t deny the thought had merit.

  He glanced back at the shimmering Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit card, feeling the weight of its potential. This wasn’t just another summon—it was a creature with dynamic power, capable of growing stronger depending on the battlefield. If he played his cards right, he could build an entire strategy around it.

  "But first, I need to test it out."

  So I can summon two cards this turn. One from basic Energy at the start of turn and the other for my talent. So for the sake of experimentation I’ll first summon the Water spirit, test it out then summon Serpent with the trait.

  Giving the cards another glance over Jalen selected the water spirit and summoned it the card released a subtle glow before disappearing. A faint ripple of blue light spread out from Jalen’s fingertips as the Basic Water Spirit took form. The air around him cooled slightly, and in front of him, a small, gelatinous figure materialized—its body a translucent blue, shifting like a sentient droplet of water. It bobbed slightly in the air, tiny ripples forming across its surface as if responding to his presence.

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  Jalen instinctively reached out with his mana, feeling the connection between him and the summoned creature. There was a strange, fluid-like sensation, as if his thoughts were dipping into a vast, unseen current.

  So this is what it means to control a summoned spirit…

  The Water Spirit hovered silently, awaiting his command. He willed it to move, and it floated forward with a soft ripple, following his intent like an extension of his own will.

  "Alright, let’s see what you can do."

  Jalen flicked his hand forward, sending the Water Spirit toward one of the half-melted training dummies still standing in the clearing. As if understanding the command, the spirit lashed out—a small, crescent-shaped wave of water shot forth, slamming into the dummy with a wet smack. It didn’t do much damage, but Jalen noticed something interesting: the area where the attack had landed shimmered with residual mana, the water clinging to the target.

  "That might be useful. If its attacks leave behind water, then maybe the Serpentine Spirit could use it."

  Ember, still perched on his shoulder, tilted his head. “So… it spits water. Not very impressive.”

  Jalen rolled his eyes. “It’s a basic spirit. It’s not supposed to be flashy.”

  The salamander huffed, his tail flicking against Jalen’s back. “If I had a basic summon, I bet it’d at least explode.”

  ‘Let's see what else you can do.”

  With a mental command, the slime released a or what was supposed to be a rapid-fire of water, but it took about 6 seconds between the shots.

  “I was hoping for it to be fast enough to use as a distraction but it's slow and doesn't have a good range. Try and shoot me. The slime followed the directions and Jalen simply sidestepped it. Yeah not fast enough. Ok do it again and this time I won’t dodge.

  The Basic Water Spirit gurgled softly, then fired another slow-moving glob of water straight at Jalen’s chest. He braced himself, arms crossed, expecting little more than a splash.

  Smack.

  The impact was… underwhelming. The water ball hit him, soaking through his shirt, but there was no force behind it. Just a cold, wet patch spreading over his torso.

  “Jalen sighed. ‘Well… that was disappointing.’”

  Ember, watching with barely concealed amusement, cackled. “Oh no, Jalen! You’ve been struck by the mighty wrath of the puddle!” He dramatically clutched his chest as if mortally wounded.

  Jalen gave him a flat look before rubbing his chin in thought. “Alright, so it’s slow, weak, and has bad range. “But there’s something here I can use… That water is still sticking to me after impact.”

  If that effect lingers, I might be able to use it to boost the Serpentine Spirit.”

  He glanced at the shimmering droplets still clinging to his shirt, watching how they refused to evaporate. That residual mana—he could feel it. It was almost like the attack left behind a conduit of some kind.

  “Which means it might be useful in combination with other Aqua-based abilities.”

  Excitement stirred in his chest. This was exactly why testing his cards was necessary. Even if a spirit was weak on its own, there was always potential for synergy.

  Ember, still grinning, tilted his head. “So, now what? Low-tier basic spirits aren't really the best at fighting, especially water spirits. They always lost when we started brawling in the spirit garden, or just standing to the side trying to stop the fighting. Oh and -”

  “ Ember, is there a point to this or are you just bragging about how great you are? Also, you came out of your shell quickly. At first, I couldn't get you to talk, and now you won't stop.”

  What shell? I’m not an earth spirit. And yes, there is a point—Mrs. Aqua was a water spirit.”

  “She always healed the people I beat up. So why don't you try to get it to heal?”

  Jalen blinked. “Healing?”

  He glanced back at the Basic Water Spirit, which was still wobbling slightly in place, as if unsure of what to do next. Healing wasn’t something he had even considered—so far, all it had done was spit slow, weak water shots. But now that Ember mentioned it, water spirits were often linked to restoration and purification.

  Jalen narrowed his eyes. Alright, let’s test it.

  He lifted his arm, inspecting the faint bruises from yesterday’s training session. Nothing serious, just a few lingering aches from sparring. But if this little guy could heal even minor wounds, that would be huge.

  “Okay, let’s see what you can do,” he murmured, directing his focus toward the spirit. Instead of commanding it to attack, he willed it to restore.

  The spirit quivered. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, as if processing his intent, it pulsed softly—its translucent body rippling with energy. A moment later, a thin tendril of water extended from it, reaching toward Jalen’s arm.

  The sensation was… strange. The water wrapped around his skin, cool and soothing, almost like dipping into a fresh stream. He felt a faint tingling, like tiny bubbles fizzing beneath his skin, and then—

  The ache in his arm eased.

  Jalen’s eyes widened. He turned his arm over, pressing the spot where the bruise had been. The discoloration was still there, but the dull throb had significantly faded.

  “Whoa.”

  Ember flicked his tail smugly. “Told you. Mrs. Aqua used to do this all the time. Water spirits might suck at fighting, but they’re annoyingly good at keeping people in the fight. That’s why they were always stopping my fun.”

  “So you were a little bully at Spirit Garden ok. Jalen mumbled, still inspecting his arm. He tooned out the sounds of Ember explaining why he wasn’t a bully.”

  Jalen wasn’t listening anymore. His mind was already racing with the implications. If his Basic Water Spirit could heal even a little, then combined with the Evolved Water Serpentine Spirit’s ability to amplify water-based effects…

  Could he create a sustainable battlefield advantage?

  His deck was starting to take shape—not just a bunch of individual summons, but a system.

  A slow grin spread across his face. “Oh, this is getting interesting.”

  Ember snorted. “You’re thinking too much again.”

  “That’s because I actually have a brain.”

  Ember huffed. “And yet I’m the one who had to tell you about the healing thing.”

  Jalen rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, he turned back to his cards, already thinking of the next test.

  “Alright, let’s see how the Serpentine Spirit interacts with this.”