125: 【Rage Trial】, exclusive item card

Chapter 125: Rampage Trial, Exclusive Item Card

Shi Li had long heard of the trial dungeons for the seven major systems.

However, he still needed to experience it firsthand to truly understand.

Clicking to enter the trial, several lines of text immediately appeared before his eyes.

“Entering the Rampage Trial.”

“This trial can only use Rage cards.”

“Trial 0-1 is about to begin. Please select your Character Card for battle.”

The card table for this first round was quite simple, with both sides only having 1 card slot.

“For a 1v1 duel, it definitely has to be Red Blade Maiden.”

He placed the card he had already decided on.

“Card score exceeds the deck’s score limit.”

“Damn it, I actually got careless.”

As a result, Shi Li had overlooked something.

A 1-card slot only allowed 30 points, so the 40-point Red Blade Maiden couldn't even enter the field.

Therefore, he could only randomly place a One-Star Rage card.

Fortunately, he had prepared early for the Rampage Trial.

He had collected many One-Star Rage cards, and even a few Two-Star ones.

“Battle!”

A warrior Orc of the Undead race, holding a longsword, walked out from the opposite card face.

“Rampage Orc”

Rage, Attack 60, 200/200

No-Star Character Card.

Shi Li's card stat panel was the same as his opponent's; a 30-point card had an Ace Card bonus.

But his advantage was being able to use hand cards.

So the outcome was obvious.

“Congratulations, you passed Trial 0-1.”

“Please choose your reward.”

After an easy victory, new text popped up.

For every trial cleared, a corresponding reward could be claimed.

The reward was a choice of three.

“A. No-Star Rage Token Card x1”

“B. Material Card [Bowl of Blood Water] x1”

“C. Material Card [Life Water Droplet] x1”

“They're all No-Star cards, what’s there to choose from?”

While grumbling, Shi Li continued to read.

He found another familiar line of text.

“Yes/No to reset this challenge for 50 cubic coins.”

“It's that cheap?”

He almost suspected he had misread it.

Resetting the challenge probably meant replaying the round and refreshing the rewards.

This round was very short, and the refresh fee wasn't high.

It could be said that not refreshing would be a waste.

“Let me check first.”

After some thought, Shi Li decided to look it up online first.

Soon, he got the answer.

The seven-system trial dungeons were also known as trial towers by card players.

The entire Strategy process was a process of Climbing Tower, and the enemies on each floor were random.

The Climbing Tower Competition within the Card Hall he had previously participated in was somewhat an imitation of the trial dungeon mechanism.

For example, in the Rampage Trial, the 0th major stage was divided into a total of 110 minor stages.

Each time a No-Star Demon card was added, the theoretical upper limit of the reward for each stage would increase.

Overall, the rewards for the 0th major stage were mainly No-Star.

“Mainly, which means there's still a chance for something better than No-Star rewards.”

After learning this, Shi Li clicked refresh.

The first refresh cost 50 cubic coins, the second 100 cubic coins, the third 150 cubic coins—

This increase was completely acceptable; for him now, it was simply a drop in the bucket.

On the tenth refresh, something different finally appeared.

“Congratulations, you passed Trial 0-1.”

“Please choose your reward.”

“A. No-Star Rage Token Card x1”

“B. Material Card [Worn Talisman] x1”

“C. Item Card [Retreat] x1”

“An Item Card appeared.”

Shi Li immediately selected it.

“Retreat: Use this card to immediately Retreat from a card game involving One-Star or lower Demons.”

“I don't feel like I gained much.”

This Item Card actually wasn't very useful to him.

Did he need to escape from fighting One-Star Demons? Just by fielding a deck full of No-Star Character Cards, he could easily handle it with his high-level hand cards alone.

Last time, he spent over 6,000 cubic coins to buy a Two-Star Retreat at the Card Hall.

At that time, he also checked the price of a One-Star Retreat, which was about 1,500 cubic coins.

The refresh fees he just spent were already more than that amount.

“I'll save this card for Shi Yuan. It seems it's not worth refreshing the lower-level stages too many times, or it'll be a net loss.”

Shi Li continued to the next stage of the challenge.

“Trial 0-2 is about to begin. Please select your Character Card for battle.”

This time, he gained 1+1 card slots.

The same applied to his opponent.

“This time, it's much better.”

The 60-point score limit finally allowed Red Blade Maiden to enter the field.

Considering that the enemy in the Rampage Trial would definitely be a Rage card, there was a higher probability of them having high HP.

And the probability of them being able to use Defense was very small.

Therefore, in such a situation, Crimson Blaze had an advantage over Vast.

And don't forget he also had Embrace of Rampage, allowing Red Blade Maiden to recover 10 points per round.

Adding Unceasing, that would be 20 points.

So good.

Thus, stage 0-2 was also easily cleared.

This time, Shi Li's refresh fee slightly increased.

The base was 60 cubic coins, with each refresh adding 60 cubic coins.

Shi Li didn't care much about rewards of this level. After refreshing 3 or 4 times without finding anything good, he casually picked a reward that looked more pleasing to the eye and proceeded to the next stage.

In this way, he continuously cleared stages in order, making it through 0-10.

“Without sufficient deck depth, even a Platinum card player would find this 9+1 No-Star Demon card game difficult.”

Although he cleared the stages easily, Shi Li also experienced the difficulty within.

From the perspective of ordinary high school students, whose foundations were still shallow, they might not even be able to assemble a 9+1 Rage deck for the trial tower.

“Congratulations, you passed Trial 0-10.”

“Please choose your reward.”

“A. One-Star Rage Token Card x1”

“B. One-Star Rage Token Card x1”

“C. Material Card [Two Bowls of Blood Water] x1”

“D. Material Card [Life Droplet] x1”

“E. Material Card [Emerald Jade Branch] x1”

“Yes/No to reset this challenge for 140 cubic coins.”

“What the internet said was indeed correct; the reward options for the 10th stage increase by 2, and there's a chance for One-Star rewards to appear.”

Actually, this wave of rewards was quite lucky.

These One-Star Material Cards weren't worth much, only a few hundred.

A One-Star Token Card, however, could sell for several thousand cubic coins.

But these weren't what Shi Li wanted.

What he wanted was the “rare probability” mentioned online.

Because once all stages in the trial tower were cleared, they could not be challenged again or their rewards obtained.

From the trend of each floor, it was clear that later stages would only become increasingly difficult.

Therefore, he had to prepare for the later stages.

He started refreshing.

On the 10th refresh, Shi Li finally got what he wanted.

“Congratulations, you passed Trial 0-10.”

“Please choose your reward.”

“A. Rampage Optimization x1”

“BCED, ...—”

“Yes/No to reset this challenge for 1540 cubic coins.”

“This is it.”

“Rampage Optimization: When holding this card, one card's score in the Rampage Trial can be reduced by 5 (bound).”

This was an exclusive bound Item Card only effective in the Rampage Trial.

“The refresh fee isn't cheap either; it cost over seven thousand.”

Shi Li gave a wry smile.

But it was worth it.

“Trial 1-1 is about to begin. Please select your Character Card for battle.”

The new stage continued.

For Shi Li's current deck strength, the difference between One-Star Demons and No-Star Demons was actually not significant.

So two hours later, he cleared stages 1-10.

He won't mention the rewards for the earlier minor stages; this time, the major stage reward he received was one Rampage Upgrade.

It could upgrade one Rampage Trial exclusive bound Item Card: Embrace of Rampage: When holding this card, one card in the Rampage Trial gains 10 → 15 Healing per round (bound).

Rampage Optimization: When holding this card, one card's score in the Rampage Trial can be reduced by 5 → 10 (bound).

Shi Li chose to upgrade the latter.

Because this way, Red Blade Maiden could appear alone in the first stage.

However, upon reaching the second major stage, the card game became less simple.

While the opposing Demons were still Demons, different Demons with different Characteristics began to appear in a single game.

Their Characteristics subtly complemented each other.

Not only that, but some Demons with stat panels far exceeding the basic average also appeared.

He even encountered creatures like the Dry Domain Man-Eating Flower that could undergo a second transformation.

This led to a sharp increase in the difficulty of the Strategy.

In contrast, Shi Li's side was just brute-forcing strength, with no synergy between his cards.

Theoretically, if one failed a challenge in the trial tower, they could immediately retry.

So Shi Li, relying on unlimited trial and error, spent 8 hours grinding his way to 2-9.

Then he couldn't beat it anymore, as his deck strength was simply insufficient.

Being able to reach this point was entirely due to the Red Blade Maiden forcefully dragging her up.

Moreover, this thing is also a money pit; the refresh cost at 2-9 has soared.

The drop rate for Two-Star Relic Cards is much lower than for no-star or one-star cards.

“Forget it, no rush anyway.”

Shi Li shook his head helplessly.

After so many stages, he had gained a pile of miscellaneous items.

“Miscellaneous” meant things of little value that could be dumped on Shi Yuan.

Shi Yuan: Am I your trash can?

More precisely, they were left for the Card Hall to be used as practical teaching materials for Shi Yuan’s card-making classes.

These gains might be useful for Silver and Gold players, but they were of little significance to Shi Li’s current rank.

However, he knew that the real rewards were yet to come.

Good items would only be obtained starting from the Three-Star Demon floor.

For example, Three-Star Relic Cards, valuable Three-Star Material Cards, and even unique Relic Cards.

What he needed to do now was to rest well.

He needed to prepare for the upcoming segment of the College Entrance Examination Duel.

At the same time, Jiangdu City.

The Ouyang family owned a large plot of land in the suburbs, where they had built a manor.

The manor was equipped with a specialized private educational institution, so the Ouyang family’s children generally did not need to attend school.

It was afternoon, and Ouyang Huan was accustomed to reading and drinking tea in the pavilion.

“Cousin.”

Just then, a figure walked to the side of the pavilion.

The girl had a ponytail and a youthful, beautiful face.

“Jin Lei, why are you here?”

Ouyang Huan frowned slightly upon seeing the girl.

He had heard that this girl was only Platinum 2 at the end of the last segment, and he hadn't expected her to reach Platinum 5 in such a short time.

It seemed his aunt and uncle had not stinted on providing her with resources.

However, he didn't really care about this rank.

Because not long ago, he had already advanced to Platinum 6.

A 4+1 Platinum 5 was simply not on the same level as a 5+1 Platinum 6.

“Can’t I just come to see you?”

The girl’s voice carried a hint of coquetry.

“Cut the act, do you think I don’t know why you’re here?”

Ouyang Huan had known her since childhood: “You’re here to fish for information about my deck, aren’t you?”

His cousin from Huadu City was a college entrance examination immigrant.

A college entrance examination immigrant was someone who moved from a highly competitive region to a relatively less competitive region to take the college entrance examination, in order to avoid fierce competition.

He had only recently received news that she had changed her household registration to Muhua City and had already won first place in that region’s College Entrance Examination Duel.

“Ouyang Huan, don’t underestimate me too much.”

Being exposed so quickly, Jin Lei changed her expression: “I’m telling you, during this time, I not only advanced to Platinum 5, but I also cleared stage 3-5 of the Rampage Trial!”

“Heh heh—”

Ouyang Huan gave a dry laugh upon hearing this.

In reality, he was genuinely a little surprised.

The difficulty of the Trial Tower was something those who knew, knew.

For this girl, at only Platinum 5, to reach 3-5, it showed she truly had considerable skill.

Because he had received the news too recently, he hadn't yet had a chance to learn about her deck.

But there was no doubt that she must possess some kind of killer move.

“Let me just tell you, your opponent isn’t me.”

However, Ouyang Huan certainly wouldn't show it openly.

“Oh?”

“I know the first-place winner of the Durian Pineapple region; they were only Platinum 1 but defeated the second-place Platinum 5.”

“I know who you’re talking about, Shi Li, right?”

Unexpectedly, Jin Lei was quite well-informed.

“Don’t worry, I’ve thoroughly researched his deck.”

She smiled proudly: “He’s not my opponent.”

Shi Li was considered by her to be the biggest opponent in this upcoming segment, besides Ouyang Huan.

“I will advance to Platinum 6 before I meet you, just wait.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Ouyang Huan, however, smiled.

Ever since the last time he was humiliated by Yuanda University, Shi Li had been a constant focus of his attention.

According to intelligence, this guy already possessed a third Characteristic Unique Character Card.

He absolutely could not be regarded as an ordinary Platinum 1.

However, this apprehension had largely dissipated after he advanced to Platinum 6.

Because, again, Platinum 5 and Platinum 6 were not on the same level.

This situation was good; if Shi Li and Jin Lei really faced each other, he would reap the benefits.

Whether Shi Li exposed Jin Lei’s hand or Jin Lei exposed Shi Li’s hand, it would be advantageous to him.

Shi Li had a relatively relaxed few days, primarily focusing on rest.

Mainly, after being pointed at by that Blacklight Society guy, his vitality had been severely damaged.

And before he had fully recovered, he stayed up all night grinding the Trial Tower.

So, he hadn't engaged in any card games these past few days.

He mostly just supervised Shi Yuan’s studies and guided him in practicing card making.

However, Shi Li was not a very good teacher.

He didn’t have enough patience with Shi Yuan, often resorting to scolding and hitting.

This made his younger brother miserable, only wishing his older brother’s college entrance examination would end quickly.

And that he would go as far away as possible, preferably abroad, and not come back even for winter and summer vacations.

As long as Shi Li wasn't around, he would definitely enjoy freedom during the holidays.

Shi Yuan’s suffering didn’t last long, because the next segment of the College Entrance Examination Duel began.

Shi Li arrived in the virtual space right on time.

“Neural frequency identification, complete.”

“Player wave identification, complete.”

“Welcome to this college entrance examination, Shi Li.”

“This is the lower segment of the college entrance examination, with a total of 64 participants from 8 regions.”

“Based on your performance in the previous segment, you have been listed as the #1 seed player in your region.”

“In the first round, you will not encounter #1 seed players from other regions.”

“In the first round, you will not encounter #2 seed players from your own region.”

“If you are matched with a player from your region whom you directly defeated in the previous segment, that opponent will be automatically declared defeated.”

“The lower segment will last for 6 days.”

“Your opponent will be randomly matched after 3:00.”

After the AI announced the rules, the countdown began.

“So that means I won’t encounter Ouyang Huan or Lu Xinran again.”

Shi Li nodded.

This was the treatment for a region’s #1 seed.

In other words, barring any surprises, the #1 seeds of each region were basically guaranteed a spot in the top 32.

However, once it reached the top 32, it was different; matching with opponents was entirely up to fate.

As the countdown ended, a figure appeared across the card table.

“Ha.”

When he saw who it was, Shi Li couldn't help but burst out laughing.

“No! How could it be you!”

Gong Ping on the opposite side had a tragic expression.

Originally, reaching the top 4 in the region was already a record for his school.

But then Shi Li took first place, instantly making his top 4 achievement seem dim by comparison.

“Your dog-shit luck has run out.”

Shi Li said with a smile, his arms crossed.

“Is that so? Not necessarily, hehehehe…”

Gong Ping let out a villainous laugh.

During this time, he had also been getting stronger.

His rank had reached Gold 7, and he also had a 4+1 deck.

This gave him the confidence to challenge Shi Li.

In addition, he had mastered one new killer move.

It could definitely catch Shi Li off guard.

“Then let me see what progress you’ve made.”

Shi Li spread his hands.

But honestly, Gong Ping was indeed a bit tricky as an opponent.

That one-hand Star Ascension and one-hand Star-Down were enough to thoroughly disrupt an opponent’s rhythm.

Shi Li had even specifically looked it up later and found that the drop rate for such hand cards was less than 0.1%.

He had no idea how this guy managed to collect both a Star Ascension and a Star-Down card.

One could only say that everyone had their own opportunities; perhaps Gong Ping’s opportunity was simply incredible luck.

Soon, both sides laid out their decks.

The game began, and both quickly revealed their first row of cards.

Subsequently, Gong Ping began to make frequent moves.

“Level 1 Star-Down: Temporarily changes a Two-Star Card revealed this round into a One-Star Card! (T0)”

“Level 1 Counter.”

“Level 2 Star Ascension: Temporarily changes a Two-Star Card revealed this round into a Three-Star Card! (T0)”

“Hahahaha! Didn’t expect that, did you! My hand cards have leveled up!”

“Level 2 Counter.”

“No! This isn’t fair!”

Ultimately, the game ended amidst Gong Ping’s impotent Rage.

Job done.