Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 535 3

Players just had to follow her rules and nothing would go wrong; there were never incidents like "failing a check upon entering and seeing an ancient god" or "using a wish spell to air-drop a full-grown Red Dragon onto the heads of the newbie group"...

"As long as Huai Shi's skills are passable, there's likely not going to be... any trouble, right?"

At this point, even he wasn't too sure.

After all, she was the ST, the most severe one among them, only second to the DM in strictness.

Raven couldn't help but sigh.

Stripped of all its petty rules, the Card of the Ages game was ultimately just a numbers game... but with Huai Shi's math skills, let alone probability, it would be a miracle if he could even keep his economics and max output straight each turn.

Moreover, how could Raven not be aware of how unlucky Huai Shi was?

He was fated to never be one of those players blessed with miraculous top-decks.

If he really went up against her, forget winning, lasting ten turns would already be the ST showing mercy.

"You guys need to give me an explanation for this!" Raven asked sternly. "Are you planning to break the covenant? Or has Golden Dawn given you a better offer, and you're starting to think about becoming traitors?"

As she spoke, her pupils turned a bloody crimson, and countless black vapors, wisping from her feathers, faintly sketched the ghastly outline of a Black Hole.

"Wait, hold on, don't rush, don't rush!" KP immediately panicked, quickly raising his hand to signal her to calm down.

He turned back to look at the DM. "Hey! Say something, you agreed to it at the time too!"

The aged DM's face was somber and, as always, expressionless. He just shook his head, unable to watch the farce unfold anymore.

"Do you want to say it, or should I?" the DM asked.

"..."

In silence, the two looked at each other. Finally, KP spoke up, "Never mind, I'll do it... This kind of thing that'll offend her, might as well be me... It's not the first time anyway. COUGH, COUGH... To be frank."

KP took a deep breath, his expression growing increasingly odd, as if he was straining hard to hold back laughter, managing not to let out a sound thanks to professional training.

"The ST, she... the ST, she... PFFT..."

He turned his head away, covering his mouth, his face flushing red with suppression. "Although the ST understands the rules very well, loves the Card of the Ages, and is even one of the top collectors in the region... In reality, starting seventy years ago... she's been sneaking off to participate in the local preliminary contests at the Border, but up until now, she hasn't made it through even once! PUHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

He couldn't hold it in any longer.

"As much as I hate to say it, but... you really don't need to worry about this."

KP was pounding his knees, nearly crying with laughter. "She's always thought she's super skilled, just unlucky, but her actual card-playing Ability is abysmal. She can't even beat newbies like Lily, and gets angry when anyone says anything! HAHAHAHA... Even the officials can't figure out why she's so weak! Last time... last time she couldn't win online and got mouthy, she even got her account banned... I made a few comments, and she snapped at me! HAHAHAHA, I can't even... DM, quick, show the screenshot of her face from that time! It's too hilarious! HAHAHA..."

"What he said is correct," DM said, calmly picking up his teacup for a sip.

He seemed just as calm and stern, but his trembling fingers gave him away. It was clear he was struggling to control the urge to burst into laughter, considerately not kicking his comrade while she was down.

"What on earth?" Raven was incredulous. "You're not teasing me, are you?"

"No joke." KP pulled out a tissue, wiping away his tears of laughter, relentlessly spilling the beans on ST's shameful secrets. "She's been playing for seventy years and wrote over four hundred guides and analyses, but she can't even beat the simplest AI mode... She's smashed several game boards in frustration."

"To put it simply..." he spoke earnestly, "this is just a pecking match between fledglings."

***

And on the game board, the tough battle had already entered its late stages.

At some point, both players started to feel sweat pour down their backs, steam rising from their heads. When they looked at each other, a full sense of vigilance and fighting spirit arose in their hearts.

That's right, this was a formidable opponent!

Huai Shi had never expected that ST could actually be an even match for him, the self-proclaimed little prince of the fishpond!

She appeared like a novice at first glance, but who would have thought she'd possess a level of skill akin to his own! Truly impressive! It seemed he had to bring out his real skills now.

"My turn, draw!" Huai Shi shouted, and a brilliant golden light illuminated his face.

—Weapon Card: Divine Proclamation - Gungnir!

A dazzling and brilliant pillar of light descended from the sky, landing on the battlefield, held in the hands of the Valkyrie.

Its passive effect banished all Totems, gaining three attack points for each. At the same time, Odin's Skill was triggered, automatically drawing a card for each Totem lost...

Huai Shi's hand was replenished in an instant. Meanwhile, after the Valkyrie Brynhildr had been on the field for more than four turns, the deck's most expensive legendary Hero, Siegfried, automatically made his entrance.

Even though Huai Shi didn't have the weapon card for the Sword of Victory, Siegfried's attack power was still frighteningly high.

The deadliest part was, if this couple was on the field at the same time, their attack power values could stack!

As Brynhildr hurled Gungnir, it struck the Feathered Serpent God Kukulkan's avatar, Sublimator Robert Lee, who was instantly obliterated into ashes.

With the support of Huai Shi's Magic Card, Siegfried, wrapped in golden light, stepped forward and struck.

Thanks to the couple's buff and Siegfried's innate terrifying suppression of Dragon-type creatures, ST's fully-equipped Dragon Blood Skin-peeling Cathedral was neatly sliced in two.

After those two threats were eliminated, amidst Huai Shi's laughter, his Berserkers swarmed forward... only to fall one after another for nothing.

Huai Shi was stunned.

"What a pity," Lady Sophie said lightly, shaking her head and hiding her trembling fingers behind her back, "Well played."

Divine Artifact: Crystal Skull.

All creature cards that entered her graveyard were considered Blood Sacrifices and permanently banished, with each card granting one point of Magic Power.

Additionally, with each Blood Sacrifice, Itsam's Skill granted her Werewolf General on the field a bonus. By the time Huai Shi's Berserkers had finished off all the cannon fodder, the Werewolf General's attack and defense values had been stacked to a terrifying degree.

Simply impenetrable.

Then, in the next turn, ST effortlessly took Huai Shi's last two life points.

The winner had been decided.

Huai Shi stood petrified, incredulous.

So close!

Lady Sophie finally let out a secret sigh of relief. She had almost fallen for this kid's trap—she'd thought he was just a newbie, but surprisingly, it was all a disguise! If she hadn't subconsciously guarded herself a bit, she would have been utterly defeated by an unexpected tactic.

But thinking back on that card game—that exhilarating battle—made her eagerly want to try again. Finding someone who could go toe-to-toe with her like that was becoming harder and harder.

"How about…" Lady Sophie was the first to suggest, "shall we play another round?"

She decided to give Huai Shi another chance.

Let this young man truly experience what it means to face a real master!