The Card Apprentice - Chapter 10: An Enigma

When the enigmatic and overpowered Kieran Drayke awakens in a foreign magical world after a sudden transmigration, he brings along a system unlike any this realm has ever known. The “Sovereign Architect System” doesn’t just make him invincible—it gives him the tools to build something far greater.But Kieran isn’t interested in world domination. At least, not in the usual way.Disillusioned by the world's surface-level glimmer and the rot beneath it, Kieran sets his sights on the forsaken—those discarded by society, lost in the shadows of nobility and corruption. From slums, war zones, and forgotten ruins, he gathers orphan girls of various races—elves, beastkin, humans, and more—each with untapped potential and pain behind their eyes.He trains them in secret. Guides them. Empowers them. Not as soldiers, but as a family. A hidden organization that operates behind the curtains, shaping the world while appearing as ordinary students at the prestigious Aetherion Magic Academy.Kieran himself? Just a carefree, slightly lazy transfer student with a penchant for sweets, sarcasm, and sneaking naps between classes—on the surface, at least.With a slow-burning plot that weaves magical worldbuilding, deep friendships, training arcs, casual comedy, and a cast of unforgettable girls who grow into queens of the unseen, Chronicles of the Hidden Crown explores what happens when an OP MC doesn’t conquer the world with brute force…But builds a legacy from its forgotten pieces.No betrayal. No forced drama. Just the steady rise of a secret kingdom in the shadows of a crumbling empire.

[Fake kindness, real black belly, occasional playwright and road idiot Gong x soft-hearted, dislike integrity and obsessive-compulsive disorder]
Yu Jiu is a beta, good looking, good at learning basketball and playing well, even better than Alpha in fights, he is recognized as an outlier in school.
Nobody knew he was actually an omega.
Later, another alien was transferred to the school.
Zhai Chi is the bamboo horse Yu Jiu hasn’t seen in five years. He is an Alpha. He is kind and funny. He never releases pheromones to others. He is so gentle that he doesn’t look like an Alpha. With his face, he quickly becomes the dream love of all the omega in Yizhong!
Due to physical reasons, Yu Jiu rejected all Alpha pheromones, especially Zhai Chi, so he decided to keep a distance from his bamboo horse.
However, not long after, Zhai Chi transferred to his class and asked to sit at the same table with him: “I’m new here, and you are my only friend.”
Yu Jiu: He’s so pitiful…he’s just sitting at the same table, he won’t get pheromones!
Going back to the dormitory at night, Zhai Chi has already made a bed in his dormitory: “I’m going back to China alone, and I don’t know the place where I live. If you don’t take me in, I’m going to sleep on the street.”
Yu Jiu: It’s not easy for him…same bed and different bed, it won’t affect.
Once when Yu Jiu fought with someone outside the school, Zhai Chi’s legs went limp when he saw the blood: “It’s too cruel, too bloody, I’ve never seen such a violent scene!”
Yu Jiu: He’s really weak…I want to protect him!
Until later, Yu Jiu was suppressed by a group of Alphas with pheromones, and Zhai Chi overwhelmed all the Alphas in less than ten seconds.
Yu Jiu: …
Later, when Yu Jiu had an unexpected fever, he broke the can and threw the dead horse into a living horse doctor, so Zhai Chi, who had never released pheromones, made a temporary mark on him.
Yu Jiu: Alpha is indeed Alpha, and it is still useful at critical moments.
He wanted to slip away afterwards, but at this moment the Alpha who had just tagged him grabbed his waist, looked at him eagerly and said, “Are you going to abandon me all the time?”
Yu Jiu: “…”

Bamboo and horse reunion, pseudo-broken mirror reunion, redemption to cookies~

Content tags: fantasy space flower season rainy season sweet text campus
Search keywords: Protagonist: Yu Jiu, Zhai Chi ┃ Supporting roles: Zhai Xiao, Li Chengke ┃ Others:
One-sentence introduction: Who said that a bamboo horse can’t beat the sky?
Conception: Evasion makes people stop, and challenges can lead to a brighter future

- Description from novelbuddy

##This is a rewrite of my previous book titled 'Marvel: Reborn in 20th Century India'.##Here is the actual synopsis of the story:After a tragic end to his life of ambition and regret, Aryan awakens in 1935 as a young prodigy with two lifetimes of memories—and an extraordinary system known as The Celestial Forge. With the power to reshape reality itself, he must navigate a world on the brink of revolution, balancing destiny, rebellion, and the weight of a second chance. Will he rise to reshape the future or be consumed by the power of creation?Note-This book contains political themes of India in 20th century. So anyone who doesn't like these types of novels, be warned before you read this.

Thousands of years ago, the great abilities of the three teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Demonism decided on a place for becoming immortal. Three thousand years ago, a Taoist was close to becoming immortal. Three hundred years ago, the Daqian Dynasty was established, and chaos is expected in another three hundred years. In this era, the path to immortality opens; a celestial swordsman freezes fourteen states with one sword, a heavenly Daoist maiden seeks eternal life, a naturally born Holy Son claims to be invincible, and a Buddhist Holy Monk saves all sentient beings.Gu Wen lives as a beggar, enters a household as a servant, witnessing the disordered world, drifting aimlessly.In a world filled with divine beings, he alone is a mortal.However, a lowly origin is not a disgrace; striving through the grand path, even as a common man and mundane son, he can still be the foremost in the world.“Mortal Gu Wen, my Dao is euqaling the heavens!”