131: The fourth unique card

Chapter 131: The Fourth unique Card

“How can there be such enemies—.”

Shi Li was somewhat surprised by the opponent in this 50th stage.

【—....】N

He saw burly figures, enveloped in black mist, roaring with their hands hanging low.

【Xie Neng Orc】

Breakthrough, Attack 100, 300/300, 0/60

【Xie Neng Muscle - Passive】: Xie Neng Orc recovers an additional 10 Energy when attacking.

【Xie Neng Legacy - Passive】: After Xie Neng Orc leaves the field, 1 [Xie Neng Remnant] is summoned in its place next turn.

【Dual Xie Strike - 30 Energy】: Xie Neng Orc's Attack +30, and attacks the target an additional time.

【Xie Neng Remnant】

Balance System, Attack 30, 100/100

【Xie Neng Regeneration - Passive】: If Xie Neng Remnant does not leave the field within 3 turns, it transforms back into a [Xie Neng Orc] with 100/300 Health.

Upon reaching this stage, not only were the numerical stats extremely abnormal,

but the enemies were even fully equipped with 4 Characteristics.

If one failed to accumulate sufficiently powerful reward BUFFs in the preceding 49 stages, it would be absolutely impossible to defeat them.

But the problem was, “These are Xie Neng cards.”

Shi Li simply smiled.

Looking at the reward he just received again, what a coincidence.

【Fel Purge - Passive】: Cicada Wing Patrol deals 15 damage to all Xie Neng cards each turn, doubled for derivative cards (T0).

【Half Page of a Damaged Prophet's Diary】: Doubles your cards' T0 level damage.

This means he could deal 30 damage to Xie Neng cards and 60 damage to Xie Neng derivative cards in one turn.

“Then if I play 1 [Cicada Wing Patrol], how will you respond?”

He directly laid out his deck.

With these two AoE auras here, he could burn 60 HP from the opponent without doing anything!

It would only take 5 turns for all standard card-level [Xie Neng Orcs] to be burned to death.

“He actually has such a Characteristic?”

Shen Yuanhu was stunned.

It should be known that anti-Xie Neng Characteristics are very precious.

Card Players at their rank, in their travels through different dimensions, had basically encountered Xie Neng Card Players or monsters more or less.

Xie Neng cards were often slightly stronger than ordinary cards, making them tough opponents.

But if one possessed anti-Xie Neng cards, the situation would be completely different.

A Characteristic of the level of [Fel Purge] could definitely turn the tables.

“It seems this kid will definitely make it into the top 50.”

Xiu Qinghe made her judgment without even needing to watch the rest of the game.

Because she understood this [Night of Terror in the Wilds].

Every 10 stages afterward, one would encounter Xie Neng enemies.

For other competitors, it might be a headache-inducing hurdle, but for Shi Li, it should be even easier than fighting stage 19.

As expected, just as Xiu Qinghe had anticipated,

Shi Li's luck was not bad, and he collected several powerful reward BUFFs.

He ultimately fell at stage 79, unable to reach the Big Boss of stage 80.

His ranking also far exceeded everyone's predictions, landing precisely at 20th place.

As for Chi Xi, whom Xiu Qinghe had placed high hopes on, she also performed excellently, achieving 11th place.

Excluding the 10 individuals from [Platinum 8], her results were the best.

“It seems my younger brother, though mischievous, still has some foresight.”

Xiu Qinghe opened the Card Hall's internal system on her computer and found Chi Xi's name.

With a few clicks of the mouse, Chi Xi's training contract was upgraded from B-rank to B+-rank.

“The young lady performed well this time; she certainly deserves a B+-rank training contract.”

Shen Yuanhu nodded in approval.

However, the operation didn't end there; he then saw Xiu Qinghe click on Shi Li's name.

“Uh, he's not a contractor under your jurisdiction, so you can't cross-district to upgrade his contract level.”

When “This operation is prohibited” popped up on the screen, Shen Yuanhu quickly explained.

“How troublesome.”

Xiu Qinghe frowned and opened another internal account.

Then Shen Yuanhu saw several pop-up windows appear consecutively.

【Curator Xiu Qingshan of Durian City has been dismissed.】

【Xiu Qinghe has been appointed Curator of Durian City.】

【Xiu Qinghe has submitted her resignation as Curator of Durian City.】

【The application has been approved.】

【Xiu Qingshan has been appointed Curator of Durian City.】

......”

Shen Yuanhu was speechless after reading it.

An account capable of directly appointing a prefecture-level city Curator must be at least a Deputy Chief Curator.

So, to whom this account belonged was self-evident.

He could imagine the expressions on the faces of high-ranking officials in the various district Card Halls, especially those related to Durian City, when they saw these messages.

And Xiu Qinghe went through all this trouble just to personally promote Shi Li to a B+-rank contract and approve his assessment ranking rewards!

Look at how much trouble she went through.

Shen Yuanhu was somewhat amused and exasperated.

However, he also understood Xiu Qinghe; this represented her recognition of Shi Li.

“This kid has some potential to be exploited; give him a spot in the experimental program at the end of the month.”

“Only a B+-rank contract, and you're letting him participate in that experiment?”

Shen Yuanhu hadn't expected Xiu Qinghe's recognition to be so high.

When he saw the first internal notification, Director Hou almost felt his world collapse.

He thought Curator Xiu had been caught.

It was only after the subsequent notifications popped up that he felt relieved.

He heard that the siblings weren't on very good terms, and it seemed to be true.

But everything was fine; he just needed to follow the rules.

At this moment, he was already standing outside Shi Li's room.

“Brother Hou.”

Shi Li saw him as soon as he opened the door.

“Congratulations, Shi Li!”

Director Hou delivered the good news immediately.

A B+-rank contract was still within the B-rank category, so there wasn't much fundamental change.

It merely offered some improvements in resources and benefits.

B → B+-rank contract: Monthly allowance increased from 20,000 to 25,000 cubic coins.

Discount on purchasing material cards at Show Card Hall: 70% → 65%.

One three-star material card issued monthly, remains unchanged.

One three-star token card issued every three months, remains unchanged.

“When you reach an A-rank contract later, the Card Hall will give you one dependent care slot, providing an E-rank training contract for an age-appropriate Card Player.”

Knowing Shi Li cared about his younger brother, Director Hou revealed this in advance.

And from his tone, it seemed Shi Li becoming an A-rank contractor was only a matter of time.

“Don't worry, the E-rank contract and those courses won't conflict; he has no right to cancel them.”

Director Hou had already figured out Shi Li's intentions and spoke before he could even open his mouth: “Also, I've discussed it with the Card Hall teachers; private lessons can be conducted in the cube cabin, meaning your brother will be taking lessons while he sleeps.

After class and waking up, I've also arranged physical training classes, guaranteeing his physical indicators will double after one summer vacation.”

“Thank you on behalf of my brother.”

Shi Li shook Director Hou's hands, expressing his sincere gratitude.

In addition to the contract upgrade benefits, Director Hou also issued him the rewards for this assessment's ranking.

As it was a joint examination by three Card Halls, its value was self-evident.

Shi Li also secured a spot in the top 20 for Show Card Hall.

The bonus Xiu Qinghe personally approved for him was 100,000 cubic coins.

Considering Shi Li's low rank and high difficulty, the amount of this bonus was equal to that of Chi Xi, who ranked 11th.

【Ring-ring...】

Just as Shi Li, full of rewards, was about to say goodbye, Director Hou's phone rang.

“Hello, Curator.”

“Yes, he's here.”

“Good, good, good, I'll arrange it immediately!”

Director Hou nodded and bowed repeatedly, making Shi Li want to laugh.

“The Curator said he wants you to find a quiet place to video call him.”

After hanging up the phone, Director Hou said to him.

“Alright.”

So Shi Li returned to his room and closed the door.

He dialed Xiu Qingshan's video call, but no one answered.

After waiting a few minutes, just as he was about to call again, Xiu Qingshan initiated the video call.

The image in the video was quite dim, and Shi Li could only see a human silhouette sitting in front of the camera.

He was slightly tilting his head, supporting his cheek with a clenched fist.

From the outline, it was undoubtedly Xiu Qingshan.

“Hello, Curator.”

Shi Li greeted him.

Indeed, a Curator is a Curator; his entrance was quite impressive.

【Shi Li, my time is limited, so I'll keep it brief.】

Xiu Qingshan's steady voice came from the other end.

【Are you willing to become my disciple?】

“?!”

This question came somewhat suddenly.

There was indeed a master-disciple culture within the Card Player community.

However, he had never imagined that someone of Xiu Qingshan's status would take notice of such a young Card Player who hadn't even graduated from high school.

This matter was sudden, but Shi Li was not resistant to it.

If he were to say who had been best to him during this period, it would undoubtedly be Curator Xiu and Principal Su.

Moreover, he heard that it was the Curator who, against all odds, gave him a D-rank contract.

And then there was [Red Blade Maiden], his strongest and earliest obtained Unique Character Card.

It also came from a token card given by Curator Xiu.

His path to rise also began at that moment.

To call it a debt of gratitude for recognizing his talent would certainly not be an exaggeration.

"Hello, Teacher."

So, Shi Li bowed without hesitation.

The entire process was straightforward, without any unnecessary fuss or sentimentality.

"Heheheh... Good."

Curator Xiu's laughter on the other end was a bit strange, as if his throat wasn't clear.

"Since you are willing, then I will naturally not be stingy. The apprenticeship ceremony—"

Just as Curator Xiu was speaking, the entire space on his side of the screen suddenly lit up.

"Mr. Xiu, why did you turn off the lights?"

"Oh dear! I told you your neck is broken! Don't move around!"

A figure in a nurse's uniform burst onto the screen.

"I didn't move! I'm supporting myself with my hands!"

"In any case, let's leave it at that for now."

Before Shi Li could ask, Curator Xiu hung up the video call.

Shi Li was a little bewildered for a moment.

What was going on?

"It seems Curator, no, it seems Teacher might have encountered some powerful enemy on this trip."

Clearly, Curator Xiu didn't want him to ask too many questions, so he could only guess.

However, Curator Xiu truly kept his word. Two days later, a Card was delivered to Shi Li's hands via Director Hou.

It was another unique Token Card.

The moment Shi Li received the Card, he called Curator Xiu.

No answer.

So he could only send a text message.

This time, Curator Xiu replied very quickly with an OK emoji.

"The homeroom teacher said the Torch Raising Ceremony would depart a week early, and there aren't many days left now.

If I can conquer this Character Card, my deck's strength should increase."

Looking at the Token Card in his hand, Shi Li decided not to delay any longer.

He clicked to use the Card, and several lines of text appeared.

"This mission is titled: Mech Genesis."

"A Bing's college entrance examination results were not ideal."

"Hmm? This development feels a bit off."

Shi Li seemed to have seen this opening in Shi Yuan's books.

"He could only get into a mech repair technical school, planning to learn a trade."

"In this world where mechs are popular, becoming a repairman for those at the bottom might also be a good way out."

"Until one day, A Bing, who had just finished overtime, inadvertently overheard a phone call as he passed his boss's office."

"On the other end of the call, the boss was discussing 'life mechs' with someone unknown."

"Please help him make a choice."

"A. Immediately report the boss to the police."

"Life mechs, also known as sentient flesh-and-blood mechs, are absolutely forbidden in this world."

"B. Pretend not to hear."

"If he wants to keep his job, A Bing should perhaps be sensible and pretend not to hear."

"C. Keep the matter to himself for now."

"Perhaps quietly collecting some evidence could allow him to extort a hefty sum from this capitalist."

"I won't choose C first this time."

Shi Li thought for a moment and chose B.

After making his choice, new text popped up.

"A Bing didn't want to get involved in troublesome matters, so he decided to pass by silently."

"But he didn't know that some words were deliberately meant for him to hear."

"It can be like this? This little A Bing looks like he has no combat power at all."

Shi Li looked at the scrawny protagonist in the picture.

The plot continued. The next night, A Bing was called to the underground warehouse by his boss.

Then the boss began the typical villain monologue.

It turned out he was a member of an organization called the 'Mechanical Ascension Cult'.

This organization advocated the fusion of flesh and mechs.

Note, it was the literal kind of fusion, not the other kind of fusion.

So recently, the boss had received instructions from the organization and was developing life mechs.

And A Bing was the research material the boss had deliberately chosen.

At this moment, the boss was closing in, and the multiple-choice questions appeared before Shi Li.

"Please help him make a choice."

"A. Shout for help."

"This is where the boss develops life mechs; it's extremely sealed, so shouting for help should not get a response."

"Then why list the option?"

"B. Fight to the death."

"From the perspective of their respective power levels, A Bing's chances of winning are absolutely zero."

"C. Beg for mercy from the other party."

"If the other party loses their mind, they might agree to spare A Bing's life."

"Why does every option look like a death sentence?"

However, Shi Li knew that if it was a PK, he should be able to win with Dimensional Intervention.

So he clicked A.

No particular reason, just a feeling.

"A Bing shouted loudly for help, eliciting the boss's cruel mockery."

"But precisely at this moment—someone responded to him."

"It was actually a mech! A life mech!"

"I knew it."

Shi Li slapped his thigh.

The subsequent plot was quite ordinary.

A Bing, with the help of the life mechs, engaged in a showdown with the Mechanical Ascension Cult.

From being involuntarily involved at first, he gradually grew into a corpse.

Yes, Shi Li's mission failed.

Isn't that quite normal?

"Unfortunately, this mission failed."

"Do you want to spend 8000 cubic coins to reset this mission? Yes/No."

"This cost is a bit off."

Shi Li quickly noticed the key point.

The price of 8000 cubic coins seemed a bit awkward, neither high nor low.

If the final result of this simulation mission was a one-star Character Card, the refresh fee should only be a little over 2000.

If it was a two-star Character Card, it should be 4000, after all, the last time he upgraded Yu Yu'an to two-star, the refresh fee was only 3500.

If a three-star Character Card came out, the refresh fee should be 15000.

What did 8000 mean?

It was puzzling.

The 100,000 assessment bonus he had just received was immediately cut into.

After one attempt, Shi Li knew that merely 100,000 cubic coins would definitely not be enough.

So after spending all 100,000, he didn't care about Card Hall points anymore.

He converted all the temporarily stored 100,000 performance points into cash.

Only then did he finally continue the story.

When he had only 20,000 cubic coins left, he finally managed to achieve a 100% completion ending.

Ultimately, A Bing led a group of life mechs, defeating enemies all the way until he destroyed the headquarters of the Mechanical Ascension Cult.

"You have completed this simulation, with a completion rate of 100%."

"You can obtain Character Card [Mount Bai (Two-Star)] x1."

"You can obtain Character Card [Cloud Stream (Two-Star)] x1."

"You can obtain Hand Card [Defense (LV1)] x1, [Healing (LV1)] x1, [Charge (LV1)] x1."

"You can obtain Item Card [Pulse Suppression] x1."

"Do you want to spend 8000 cubic coins to reset this mission? Yes/No."

"Hmm?"

Shi Li was first stunned, then happily said, "Great!"

This was too good.

He didn't expect this Token Card to be so excellent, actually yielding two unique Cards at once!

These two life mechs were the two strongest friendly Cards in the entire simulation mission.

They came from a life mech resistance organization called 'Awakening', and were two of its leader-level mechs.

Mount Bai had joined A Bing's team very early on. At the time, Shi Li wondered why 50% completion could also be considered a pass.

One must know that previous unique simulation missions only had 0% and 100% as answers.

It wasn't until he triggered a hidden side quest in the mid-to-late stage that Cloud Stream would join the team.

Moreover, at that time, the Cloud Stream Card was not under Shi Li's control, which made him feel a bit annoyed.

Who would have thought, who would have thought.

He was quite worried at first, worried that the Unique Character Card obtained from this simulation mission would be A Bing, that scummy commoner.

Shi Li clicked "No" and accepted all the mission rewards.

The next second, two lines of text appeared before his eyes.

"Persistence Resonance: 60% → 80%"

"Listen to the Wind Resonance: 0% → 20%"

"The Persistence Resonance has caught up. I wonder which one will reach 100% first, it or Balance System."

But let's not talk about that for now; let's look at the Card details first.

First is Mount Bai. Its appearance is very similar to the classic Gundam, painted white overall.

It holds a long, hexagonal Shield in one hand and a long-barreled laser gun in the other.

[Mount Bai]

Persistence, 30 points, Two-Star Attack 30, 100/100, 0/80

[Cloud Mountain - Characteristic]: On the turn Mount Bai is attacked, Cloud Stream gains 5 Energy [Defense Field - Passive]: Mount Bai gains 10 Shield each turn (T1)

[Dimensional Barrier - 40 Energy]: Mount Bai gains 1 Layer of Barrier, and it does not affect actions (T1)

(Barrier: Negates the single largest damage this turn)