Chapter 92: Miracle Card and Changes

Wade stood before the balance scale, which had clearly appeared after he broke through the barrier. Initially, his mental space had only contained that dice. When he absorbed the soul fires of sixty-four skeletons and first experienced the sensation of “ascension,” the door appeared before him.

After breaking through the second barrier, this balance scale emerged. Following this pattern, each time he advanced, this space seemed to undergo changes alongside him. Perhaps this was also an effect of that twenty-sided die.

Wade pondered the reason for the balance scale’s appearance. Though he couldn’t be certain, these changes seemed to stem from some inner desire of his. He wanted to go beyond the wasteland, so the door appeared. He wanted a method to skip processes and directly obtain results, so this balance scale manifested.

By this logic, when he next grew strong enough to confront and break through another barrier, this space would undergo even more transformations. What form it would take remained unknown—that seemed too distant for now.

He examined the crystals in his hand. These three pure crystals were merely decorative in his possession. Now that he had a means to utilize them, he decided to test their purpose.

Wade placed one pure crystal on the left side of the balance scale. The tray dipped slightly, but the “value” for exchange remained insufficient. A single crystal couldn’t procure anything.

Methodically, Wade added a second crystal, causing the tray to sink further. Two crystals were now sufficient for exchange, yet he sensed he could still increase his stake.

So he went all in—after all, going all in was a form of wisdom. Money unspent was merely worthless paper.

When Wade placed the third crystal on the left tray, the scale arm dropped as if weighed down by heavy iron blocks. He stepped back as his hand left the tray, watching the balance slowly tilt toward the right.

The left-side crystals remained, yet it seemed something else had been placed on the right tray to counterbalance them—like a merchant using counterweights to measure goods’ value. When equilibrium was restored, the three crystals vanished instantly.

Without noticing how it appeared, Wade saw the card materialize on the right tray. Picking it up, he marveled at its exquisite craftsmanship. Unlike ordinary cards with single-sided designs, this bore oil-painting-like reliefs on both faces.

The upper side depicted three pure white souls encircling beneath the moon, their radiating halos shielding something at the center. The reverse showed a skeleton holding a sword under moonlight, its form accompanied by faint shadows.

Upon touching the card, Wade instantly understood its functions—a manifestation from his very soul, making him its sole and eternal master.

The front painting represented protective power—the grudging spirits’ gratitude upon departure. It could shield him unconditionally for one critical moment, making him impervious to all harm when activated.

The reverse symbolized summoning power—the souls’ willingness to fight alongside him. This ability allowed him to summon spiritual avatars to battle by his side.

Knowledge flooded his mind upon contact. He suddenly comprehended the crystals’ true nature—not merely gifts from grudging spirits, but gratitude crystallized from all souls he’d liberated. Perhaps this could be called a form of “faith.”

These were faith crystals, purer than magic and closer to the world’s fundamental essence. The card exchanged for them wielded two abilities that could rightfully be called true “magic”—or rather, miracles.

This Miracle Card in his possession embodied both protection and summoning. Unlike magic scrolls consumed upon use, it operated on natural laws—as immutable as apples falling to earth. Wade had already paid the price to wield it.

Though not single-use, Wade could activate only one effect per natural day, with a cooldown resetting daily at midnight.

“Miracle Card…” Wade flipped it, studying both paintings. Could he truly witness miracles even within this mental space?

Turning to the skeleton side, he silently activated its summoning power. Light flashed as the card dimmed, materializing a skeleton before him—the very carpenter’s remains Wade had manipulated earlier.

The skeleton scratched its head in confusion. In that instant, the card had reunited the carpenter’s soul with its physical shell in this space. Though the original body still existed outside, the card had created an avatar here.

Wade circled the skeleton carpenter, verifying every detail matched his memory. He’d witnessed genuine magic—no, a miracle.

Making the card appear and vanish like a magician’s trick, Wade fully believed in its power. Outside this space, he could use it to summon souls he’d paired with shells in the wasteland.

This meant he could assemble an army of skeletal avatars, summonable anywhere at will. Even in this “dreamlike” mental space, he’d created miracles.

Fascinating. Next time he ventured out, he’d command a deployable skeleton force. Previously limited to transporting souls like Mia, he could now perform true summonings.

However, these avatars had time limits—not based on the summoner’s strength, but purely on numbers. One avatar lasted a full day. Two halved that duration to half-days each, four reduced it to quarter-days, and so on—more avatars meant shorter individual active periods.

Summons could be dismissed early, but their total duration couldn’t be extended. Having fully grasped the Miracle Card’s mechanics, Wade dismissed the carpenter’s avatar, leaving only its soul’s spark in the white void.

Leaving the souls to their planning, Wade awoke in the cave. Extending his hand, the Miracle Card appeared—though currently dimmed from recent use, requiring a full day to recharge.

…

The next day, after dormancy, the souls completed their plans as Mia awakened. The carpenter listed required materials and tools, so Wade took up his hammer and headed to Skeleton Sands with Mia.

He left the skeleton carpenter in the cave to handle chores—awaiting Mia’s ice melts for moss watering, sketching blueprints—while venturing out with Mia and other souls.

Approaching the sands, they encountered increasing numbers of wandering skeletons. Wade noticed something peculiar—some skeletons had ceased infighting. No longer attacking each other, they moved in coordinated groups, displaying unprecedented teamwork.

Was this another effect of the shifting lunar phase? Gazing at the blood moon, Wade acknowledged how much about this wasteland remained mysterious.

From available clues, this place seemed completely isolated from the outside world. It likely hadn’t always been barren—perhaps this was Yulia Silvermoon’s lost homeland. Yet no ruins were visible.

Where did these skeletons emerging from the sands originate? Surely the sands didn’t spawn them. Could there be an underground necropolis? Were ruins and skeletons all buried beneath, like adventurers’ discovered dungeons and tombs?

As the saying goes, spotting one cockroach means hundreds lurk unseen. Were these surfacing skeletons merely the tip of some subterranean iceberg?

Observing patrolling skeleton squads, Wade sensed growing unease. A whiff of danger and change permeated the air. Though the storm had ceased, the shifting moon continued reshaping this land.