Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 533 457_1

As the chessboard continued to unfold, Huai Shi once again opened his eyes to find himself standing amidst an expanse of dense fog.

Before him lay the vast, empty chessboard that served as the battlefield, the 'graveyards' and card library on either side, and the ocean representing the Abyss below the battlefield.

And on the other side of the chessboard, the figure of Madam Sophie slowly emerged.

Damn, she's loaded…

Huai Shi pretended to draw several cold breaths, though there was no cold air to gulp in here.

There wasn't even air-conditioning, but it didn't feel stuffy.

This was the limited-edition 'Aerial Battlefield Simulation Kit', targeted at wealthy players and sold by Super World Ambition, a gaming company under Tomorrow News. The Creator had cleverly embedded a micro-framework, crafted through Alchemy, into a relic, culminating in the creation of this authentic space.

Of course, you could just find any spot on the ground, sketch some grids, and play, but top-tier sound, light, and electronic effects are just damn different.

Otherwise, how would you highlight the aura of a pay-to-win player?

Especially the set right in front of Huai Shi; it was the crème de la crème. It came equipped with projection and mimicry effects, able to perfectly recreate every card's represented character and item. It even included bond voice lines, fully upgraded special effects—marrying a 2D character was not a dream!

Huai Shi tried to toss out his one-of-a-kind, globally limited-edition Prince of Paradise card from his pack.

Instantly, the grid before him showed the projection of Mountain Ghost, mounted on a White Horse, wielding the Sword of Virtue, with the Crown of Radiance floating above his head, dashing and majestic.

How should I put it... it made Huai Shi rather embarrassed.

Was I really that handsome?

Did the beauty camera's filter go overboard?

Madam Sophie was quite patient, waiting for Huai Shi to finish admiring himself before speaking, "Do you have any preferred rules? If you're not familiar, you can start with a couple of rounds in AI mode to train."

"No need," Huai Shi waved off grandly, "I've mastered this game completely in five minutes."

"..."

Madam Sophie raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't say much, nodding her head, "Then, shall we use the standard mode?"

Huai Shi nodded. "Sure." He nonchalantly settled into his chair, signaling for her to bring it on.

Today, you're going to witness what a god-like draw is.

He had completely forgotten his own dreadful luck, so bad it was as if he'd been banished to Nigeria for it.

Standard mode is the most common rule set in Card of the Ages.

1V1, both sides each choose their own module card pack, then combine it with the common card pack to build their deck, roll the dice to decide who goes first, and then begin the match. Each side has twenty life points, and whoever depletes the opponent's first claims victory.

Best two out of three games.

This is the easiest to get started and also the format that most tests player skill.

But more often than not, it all comes down to the contents of the opponent's deck. After all, some card packs inherently counter each other.

For example, the Rome Genealogy and the Russian Federation Genealogy both scale towards the late game. However, after the Palace of the Pope upgrades to the Hall of Ten Thousand Gods, it can suppress the Artificial Saint Spirit of the Russian Federation Genealogy with swarming tactics.

The most common strategy of the Egypt Genealogy, centered around the Nine Glory Gods, couldn't employ its signature turtle strategy when facing the American Genealogy's 'Nine United Gods'.

Green Day's deck can counter the Astronomical Society's Divine Artifact tactics, while Golden Dawn, which also prefers Divine Artifact strategies, can completely dismantle Green Day's ambush strategies.

At the same time, most Abyss decks are targeted by the Astronomical Society...

Each card pack has its own strengths and weaknesses, but they also have comprehensive ratings and evaluations. Some card packs fall out of the meta, dropping straight from S+ to C-.

Even though this might not seem balanced, this imbalance is a part of the overall dynamic equilibrium.

The Yingzhou Phylogeny, which had surged to A-level due to the meta, couldn't realistically compete with the Ranch Owner deck—an immovable S-level staple forever—could it?

Without taking advantage of Huai Shi's lack of experience, Madam Sophie chose her card pack first, leaving Huai Shi plenty of time to think.

American Genealogy·The North and South Conflict.

This category was crafted around the civil war among the cities of the Free City United Nations in America, a conflict from more than a hundred years ago. This period could be considered the prelude to America's Golden Age. Many potential cards could be played early with little cost, exponentially increasing their killing power from mid-game onward, and their early-game self-protection was definitely not weak.

She wasn't underestimating Huai Shi by going for a fast attack strategy.

She was fully prepared to go all out, determined to give him a complete shutout.

After pondering for a moment, Huai Shi lifted his head, gazing at the card pack categories before him like a cluster of stars, and revealed a mysterious smile.

Madam Sophie immediately became alert.

She perked up. She still didn't understand Huai Shi well enough.

Those who knew him were aware that once he wore such a smile... it meant he was starting his Third Question in life.

Who am I, where am I, and what the hell am I doing... With so many card packs, which the hell do I choose!

Not wanting to show any sign of weakness before a wealthy lady, Huai Shi, who had only played with the basic newbie card pack, fell into a dilemma of choice.

Then, habitually, he steeled his resolve.

He closed his eyes, pointed his finger... and when he opened them, he saw the direction his finger was pointing – a gigantic button.