4: A cautious, spiky beetle.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes.

The dormitory was dimly lit, and the sky outside the window was already beginning to darken.

His Source Power had recovered by about half, roughly forty points.

That's about enough; the fourth period class in the afternoon will be over soon.

And today is Friday, so class ending also means school is dismissed.

"Guaranteed Gold Drop..."

Lu Yuan muttered softly, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

He needed a card, any card, as a "sacrifice" to trigger this heaven-defying talent!

Where could he get one? He thought for a long time.

Buy? No money, and no time either.

The only way... borrow!

A figure wearing a white mask flashed through his mind.

Yao Xiao.

A girl from the next class, seemingly from a good family, she was always alone, with a cold demeanor, rarely interacting with others.

In the original owner's memory, his impression of her wasn't deep; he only knew that she seemed to be a "transfer student" and had excellent grades, a top student in the teachers' eyes.

Most importantly, Lu Yuan vaguely remembered hearing Zhao Feng and his cronies bragging once, seemingly mentioning that Yao Xiao's family was in the card business, and had a decent foundation.

Would someone from such a family have idle low-star cards?

It's worth a try!

Her aloof, solitary nature meant that openly barging into her classroom would be counterproductive.

The only chance could only be after school.

Time was pressing, Lu Yuan no longer hesitated, he got up, tidied his slightly messy clothes, and pushed open the door.

He walked directly towards the teaching building.

As soon as the bell rang, most students immediately rushed out.

From a distance, Lu Yuan saw that familiar figure.

Yao Xiao, carrying a simple backpack, was walking slowly along the tree-lined path leading to the school gate.

She wore a clean and tidy school uniform, her posture tall and straight, and even with a mask, she couldn't hide that cold demeanor that kept people at a distance.

Lu Yuan quickened his steps.

"Junior Schoolmate Yao Xiao."

Her footsteps paused, and she turned around, thinking it was another Junior Schoolmate who had a crush on her.

"Excuse me..."

Above the mask, her clear but distant eyes looked at Lu Yuan, seeming a little surprised.

"Lu Yuan?" Her voice, muffled by the mask, was a little dull, "Something wrong?"

She knew him.

Lu Yuan's heart settled.

"I have something urgent, and I'd like to ask for your help." Lu Yuan got straight to the point, without any beating around the bush.

Time did not allow him for pleasantries.

Yao Xiao's gaze lingered on him for a few seconds, as if evaluating something.

"Speak."

"I want to borrow a one-star beast taming card... actually, any type of one-star card will do." Lu Yuan's tone was sincere, his gaze fixed on her eyes, "I'll return it to you very soon, I can pay interest, or consider it as me owing you a favor."

A subtle ripple, hard to detect, flashed in Yao Xiao's eyes.

Borrow a card?

And from her, someone with whom he had almost no interaction?

Moreover, only a one-star card?

This Lu Yuan, today seems... very different.

She remembered this boy; he usually kept his head down, had little presence, and was occasionally bullied.

The only time they met was in second year of high school, when he delivered a love letter for a classmate of his... As for his merits, perhaps it was just his looks.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have remembered his name.

But the Lu Yuan in front of her now had sharp eyes and a firm tone; although his expression was slightly urgent, there was no hint of subservience.

It was as if... a phrase popped into Yao Xiao's head—a complete transformation.

Interesting.

"What do you need a one-star card for?" Yao Xiao asked indifferently, her voice devoid of emotion.

"I have some private matters to handle, and I need it urgently." Lu Yuan didn't elaborate, leaving it at that.

Yao Xiao was silent for a few seconds.

On the tree-lined path, there was only the rustling of leaves in the breeze.

Lu Yuan's heart tightened slightly.

If she refused... Just then, Yao Xiao reached out and pulled a stack of cards from the card pouch on the side of her backpack.

She casually took one and handed it to him.

The card was entirely milky white, with a fierce beetle pattern drawn on its face, its carapace covered with sharp short thorns.

【Thorned Beetle】

【Quality: White】

【Star Rating: One-star】

【Type: beast taming card】

【Species: Insect/Terrestrial】

【Skills: Charge (charges forward at enemies with a hard carapace), Spike Defense (Passive, spikes on the carapace inflict minor reflected damage on physical attackers)】

【Note: A common one-star insect beast taming card, with decent defense and average offense.】

"White one-star, 【Thorned Beetle】." Yao Xiao handed the card to Lu Yuan, "Is it enough?"

Lu Yuan's heart filled with joy, and he quickly reached out to take it.

"Enough! Thank you! May good people live long and prosper!"

The card felt cool in his hand, containing energy much more stable than the 【Green Water Turtle】.

"No need to thank me." Yao Xiao withdrew her hand, her gaze still on Lu Yuan, "However, I have a condition."

"Tell me," Lu Yuan said immediately.

"After you're done, tell me what happened to you recently." Yao Xiao's tone was calm, but a hint of curiosity shone in her eyes.

She wanted to know what could cause such a great change in a person, even to the point of needing to temporarily borrow the most common one-star white card.

To be honest, the price of simply making her curious was more than this one-star white card.

Lu Yuan froze, then nodded.

"Okay, no problem. I'll return it to you as soon as possible."

"Mm." Yao Xiao responded, said no more, and turned to continue walking towards the school gate.

Lu Yuan watched her long legs move from near to far, clutching the 【Thorned Beetle】 in his hand.

A favor, noted.

He turned, without a moment's hesitation, and ran quickly in the opposite direction from the school gate.

The old teaching building.

Because its facilities were outdated, normal classes were no longer held here; only a few storage rooms were still in use, and it was usually deserted.

Lu Yuan's target was the most secluded public restroom on the first floor of the old teaching building.

Hardly anyone ever went there.

God knows if this unique talent would come with an entrance effect; to avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better to be safe.

He hurried along, pushed open the dusty restroom door, and a musty smell assailed him.

Lu Yuan didn't care, walking straight to the innermost squatting cubicle and locking the door behind him.

In the cramped space, only his slightly hurried breathing remained.

He leaned against the cold partition, calming himself down.

He took out the white one-star 【Thorned Beetle】.

At the same time, his mind sank into his body, feeling the 【Green Water Turtle】 that was slowly being nourished in his source card slot.

The gray light spot was slightly brighter than before, and the emotions it conveyed were much more stable.

Now is the time!

Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath.

He mobilized the little Source Power he had recovered.

He gripped the 【Thorned Beetle】 in his left hand, pressing it against the position of his source card slot on his chest.

He was going to gamble with cards!

At the same time, he silently and frantically chanted—

"God of Guaranteed Gold Drop bless me!"

Buzz!!!

An indescribable fluctuation instantly erupted from the depths of his soul!

As if a sleeping deity had been awakened!

In his mind, the cold system prompt sounded like a thunderclap!

【Ding! Unique Talent "Guaranteed Gold Drop" activated! card quality upgraded to "Wow! gold Legend!"】