Warlock Apprentice

”This is close-up magic.” Sharley’s eyes flashed with amazement. Close-up magic isn’t easy to perform, as the audience is too close, making it highly likely to be exposed. Hence, magicians need extraordinarily skillful techniques and extremely meticulous attention to detail.

Sharley herself actually likes close-up magic the most because it’s the type of magic that interacts very strongly with the audience. She thoroughly enjoys the thrill of deceiving people up close.

Therefore, Sharley watched even more carefully.

The magician remained composed and calm as he addressed the most distinguished person present: ”Next, please select a card. You don’t need to tell me which card it is. After you’ve looked at it, you can freely insert it back into the deck in front of you.”

The person followed the magician’s instructions. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, there was little chance of cheating as the magician directly started shuffling and cutting the deck he held.

Shortly after, the magician revealed a card: ”Was this the card you selected earlier?”

The room burst into laughter: ”No.”

The magician looked disappointed and shuffled the deck again before drawing another card: ”Is this your card?”

”Still not.” The audience began mocking him, and the magician’s face seemed to show signs of anxiety.

Although the crowd was jeering, Sharley noticed that, while the magician’s expression appeared flustered, there was a calmness hidden deep in his gaze.

On the third draw, the magician still didn’t pick the correct card. Yet by now, no one was laughing anymore, because the card he drew this time was the Eight of Spades.

Earlier, the magician had drawn two cards: first, the Eight of Hearts; second, the Eight of Diamonds. Initially, these draws didn’t catch much attention, and everyone thought they were mere coincidences. But now, with the Eight of Spades being revealed for the third draw, it was clearly no accident.

”Since none of the three cards were correct,” the magician glanced dejectedly at the three eights and sighed before casually drawing one last card from the deck: ”Perhaps this is the card, then?”

—The Eight of Clubs.

The person who had previously chosen a card blinked in surprise upon seeing the Eight of Clubs, for it was indeed the card they had picked!

The magician had pulled off a small trick, dazzling everyone with his skill, and thoroughly played with the audience before ending on a high note. It was a performance marked with twists and turns that left the crowd applauding incessantly.

Watching this scene, Sharley initially wondered if the card designs on the back were the secret, such as markings left behind by the magician. But upon closer inspection, she could find no clues to support this theory.

What was happening here? If no extraordinary power was involved, how on earth did the magician do it?

As a magician herself, Sharley had an inkling of the methods at play, which might have included changes in card suits and points, precision in technique, clever positioning, keen observation, and—most importantly—psychological manipulation.

But the specific way the magician identified the correct card still escaped Sharley for now. Nevertheless, she didn’t plan to ask Angel for answers. As a magician who respected her craft, Sharley understood that cracking another magician’s secrets was a shortcut that lacked dignity. Instead of getting a casual ”Oh, that’s how it works” response, she preferred to unravel the mystery herself through careful study and experimentation.

The illusions didn’t stop there. The magician moved on to several other tables, performing more magic tricks.

This included card-based mind reading, card divination, card disappearance acts... and many other seemingly impossible feats achieved through pure magic technique rather than extraordinary powers.

The more Sharley watched, the more excited she became—and the deeper her fascination grew. She had already uncovered a few secrets of card magic herself. These seemingly simple yet dazzlingly brilliant skills left her astonished.

She had once wondered how playing cards had come to be regarded as a magician’s trusted tool. Now she completely understood. Through the magician’s mere handful of card tricks, it revealed a unique artistry in cards and a profound depth hidden within such simplicity.

Just watching these illusions had already ignited Sharley’s impatience to try her hand at performing card magic herself. She didn’t need anyone to teach her how to perform such tricks; with her cleverness, she was confident she could invent entirely new magic tricks on her own.

When the illusions finally ended, Sharley still lingered in the world of card magic, snapping out of her reverie only after quite some time.

Looking at Angel, Sharley’s eyes sparkled with excitement: ”Although I haven’t fully grasped the secrets of card magic yet, I now understand why it exists. It truly is extraordinary!”

Angel smiled lightly: ”Card magic is indeed incredible, but it’s ultimately a trick for mortals. The deck of cards I crafted is far more than just for performing magic.”

Sharley glanced at the deck of cards still floating around her, immediately understanding his point. Angel wouldn’t simply hand her an ordinary deck; surely, they held deeper potential.

Angel explained, ”The iron box and the deck of cards are a single entity. Once the box is opened, it will take you into a special illusionary realm.”

”An illusionary realm?” Sharley looked around in confusion. She hadn’t sensed any illusionary presence. Even Greya raised a curious brow; though she could detect subtle fluctuations in the environment, she hadn’t spotted any nodes of illusion technique.

”This is a special kind of illusionary realm. I’ve named it—Poker Time.” Angel paused briefly: ”You can think of it as a stage designed to host illusions created from the cards.”

”Once you open the iron box, Poker Time begins automatically. Every card in the deck becomes a foundational element for illusions.”

Angel picked out two cards from amidst the floating deck around Sharley.

One was the black-and-white Joker card, and the other was the Eight of Clubs guard card. With Angel’s movements, both cards erupted simultaneously—the black-and-white Joker leaped out from its face, while the guard bearing a sword emerged from the Eight of Clubs.

Darkness descended once more. Before Sharley could react, she sensed blades flashing before her eyes.

She instinctively dodged, yet a chilling gust of wind still grazed her cheek.

As shivers overtook her, light returned. The guard and Joker returned to their cards as though nothing had happened, though the slash across Sharley’s cheek and the blood seeping out attested that it wasn’t quite over.

Angel replaced the two cards back into Sharley’s deck, speaking softly: ”Within Poker Time, you can draw cards freely and combine them to create various effects depending on the illusions.”

”Healing, defense, attack, confusion, traps, summoning... or even simply creating an illusionary stage can all be achieved with freedom.”

”The combination of cards just now resulted in the scene, ’Night Ambush.’”

After Angel finished explaining, Sharley stood stunned. It seemed incredibly intricate yet inexplicably... captivating!

Don’t be fooled by Sharley’s obedient demeanor before Greya and Angel; it only stemmed from differences in power and status. Everyone knew that Sharley’s true nature was that of a mischievous witch.

This Poker Time, brimming with unknown challenges, rekindled the fiery spirit of mischief that had been suppressed within her recently.

Moreover, these card combinations weren’t just useful for attack and defense; the unique illusions crafted through combinations would also greatly enhance her magic performances.

Sharley had already imagined ways to use Poker Time to tease and toy with... her audience. She even thought of a fitting name for it: Poker Murder Scene!

Angel didn’t elaborate on the cards’ potential any further. Leaving it for Sharley to discover on her own was far more suitable. After all, Angel’s invented gameplay might not necessarily suit Sharley.

Angel stopped speaking, and Sharley didn’t ask further, already engrossed in her study of the cards.

From Sharley’s focused state, Angel didn’t need to inquire to see that she must be quite satisfied with the deck of cards.

While Sharley was studying, Greya remarked with admiration: ”This deck of cards is perhaps the most intriguing alchemy work I’ve seen in years. If it gets revealed to the public, I imagine it will spark a wave of fervent interest. Perhaps many alchemists will scramble to imitate it.”

Angel remained indifferent. Often, alchemical works were tailored to individuals; the deck of cards suited Sharley but might not fit others.

”Still, what interests me most is the story behind these cards. After all, the mysteries of Sleepless City remain unresolved to this day.” Greya looked at Angel curiously, hoping to probe for answers.

Yet Angel said nothing. Not because he was unwilling, but because he truly didn’t know.

The origins of the Nightmare Realm’s cards—who could say? Just as Pat Manor’s names found corresponding references within the Nightmare Realm, Angel was equally clueless.

Perhaps, when Jon was brought into this world by the Eye of the Sky, certain changes had already begun to take place.