143: The sixth unique card

Chapter 143: The Sixth unique Card

[You can obtain 1 Character Card [Flower Staff Queen (Two-Star)].]

[You can obtain 1 Hand Card [Healing (LV1)] and 1 [Shield (LV1)].]

[Do you want to reset this quest for 5000 cubic coins? Yes/No.]

“Comfortable.”

Looking at the panel, Shi Li sighed.

The LV1 [Shield] was quite a good item.

It grants 1 target 30 Shield points. In terms of single-target value, it’s higher than LV2, which gives 2 targets 20 points each.

It was one of the few Hand Cards where LV1 might be more useful than LV2.

He clicked “No” to claim the quest reward, and then his Resonance changed.

[Momentum Resonance]: 0% → 20%

“The Momentum Resonance has also been activated. Now I only need Wise and Chasing Wind to collect them all.”

Shi Li picked up the card.

“Take this, a stick to the face!”

In the projection, Seventh appeared in a Emerald green cheongsam, wielding a long staff.

The staff was carved with blooming patterns, combining the softness of flowers with the weight of metal, creating a wondrous aesthetic of violence.

“Hmm?”

However, this time, the card art was completely different from what he had imagined.

At the end of the story, Seventh won the final victory in the competition.

When she received the title of “Staff Queen,” she also obtained a custom-made exclusive weapon, the Staff of Queens.

It was said that each Staff Queen’s staff was unique, and hers was called the Flower Staff.

Perhaps it was this weapon that made her card art completely different from the simulation quest.

[Flower Staff Queen]

Momentum, 40 points, Two-Star Attack 40, 100/100, 0/10

[Weight of the Flower Staff - Characteristic]: Flower Staff Queen has no energy loss. When at full energy, she cannot use the skill.

[Thousand Jin Waiting to Bloom - Passive]: When Flower Staff Queen’s energy is not full, attack power +20.

[Momentum Breaking - Passive]: When Flower Staff Queen is at full energy, her attacks become [True Damage].

[Continuous Staff Strikes - 0 Energy]: Flower Staff Queen attacks the target 1 additional time.

A Two-Star card, given 3 Characteristics.

“Comfortable.”

No matter what, being comfortable came first.

Then Shi Li began to analyze the card in detail.

This [Flower Staff Queen] could be said to be an unconventional Momentum card.

What does unconventional mean? It means that other Momentum cards need to warm up to achieve maximum output.

However, under the effect of the two exclusive Characteristic entries, [Weight of the Flower Staff] and [Thousand Jin Waiting to Bloom], it was the opposite; the state before warming up was the strongest output state.

Other Momentum cards get stronger the more they attack, while [Flower Staff Queen] will relatively weaken the more she attacks.

“No energy loss” means that skill release has no cost.

This could be seen from the 0 energy cost of the active skill.

He wondered if there were any super-strong Momentum skills with 100 energy cost. If there were, equipping them to [Flower Staff Queen] would be incredibly satisfying.

“A high attack card with 40 points, which perfectly fits the needs of my current starting deck.”

“And even if her energy is full, she’s not bad, since she has the [True Damage] skill.”

“If used as an ace, she would definitely be very powerful in a one-on-one situation.”

“It’s a pity that her energy cap is too low, which makes her strong period a bit short, only 1 turn.”

“She can at most perform 1 [Continuous Staff Strikes] before reaching full energy.”

“However, this also aligns with the aggressive characteristics of Rage and Wise cards.”

“Perhaps Star Ascension will increase her energy cap.”

In addition, Shi Li also found that [Flower Staff Queen] and [Red Blade Maiden] had some similarities.

The character card’s notes section would have relevant tags, and the two of them shared quite a few common tags.

For example, “Human” refers to humanoid cards.

For example, “Martial” refers to martial arts cards.

These tags are commonly referred to as species or characteristics within the community.

“Alright, it’s time to go back.”

After organizing his deck, Shi Li did not rest.

Instead, he immediately started his return journey and went back to Blue Star.

As soon as he returned to Durian City, he received a text message.

The 200,000 national subsidy had arrived.

“The 200,000 national subsidy has arrived, which means I should have been admitted to Qingchuan University.”

Shi Li couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.

As early as before his first entry into Gan Territory, he had taken the time to complete the remaining items of the college entrance examination.

Why say “taken the time”?

Because, for his current level, the written test and card-making sections were not difficult.

Ultimately, his scores in the written test and card-making were very good, ranking him in the top 30 in the entire province.

Being in the top 30 was already within Shi Li’s expectations.

Now that his focus was different, he hadn’t thought about getting first place in these two areas.

After all, some classmates planned to dedicate themselves to theoretical research and other fields in the future, and they spent a lot of time and energy on written tests and card-making.

Everyone has their strengths, and Shi Li really couldn’t compare if only those were considered.

However, according to the proportion of each item in the college entrance examination, having taken first place in the duel, he still fulfilled Durian City’s wish and became the top scorer in the province’s college entrance examination.

This time, Shi Li also had another reason for coming out.

That was the city-level reward.

Although the Education Bureau had already given him a reward once when he was first in the provincial college entrance examination duel.

But being first overall in the province across all three items was the true title of top scholar.

So, this trip back was to collect various miscellaneous rewards.

These included rewards from the City Education Bureau, Twenty-sixth High School, Show Card Hall, and even some civilian organizations.

Adding them all up, they amounted to about 200,000.

As a result, Shi Li’s assets reached a new personal high.

He now held 440,000.

This time, he happened to have a need, so Shi Li planned to buy a Two-Star to Three-Star Momentum Relic Card.

He would sooner or later encounter A Ya Jun, who was Platinum 8, and Platinum 5 certainly had no chance of winning.

If he could advance to Platinum 6, perhaps he could put up a fight.

However, upon arriving at Show Card Hall, Shi Li was told that it was out of stock.

Due to the Healing for B+ level contractors, the director in charge of the sales department even helped him look at the neighboring Li Card Hall and Star Card Hall.

The result was that they were also out of stock.

After all, Platinum Card Players were the most numerous, and the demand for Two-Star to Three-Star Relic Cards was very high.

He was told that if he waited for stock transfer and went through various procedures, it would take about three days.

“Three days, that’s even enough time for me to go back to Blueberry City to buy it.

But buying there means no discount, which is a loss.”

Just as Shi Li was hesitating, Director Hou came over.

“I heard, you’re going to advance again?”

Director Hou had a smile on his face.

He didn’t know when, but he had already linked Shi Li’s advancement to 1 Star Ascension Relic Card.

The key point: 1 card.

“Last night, I observed the stars and had a slight epiphany; a breakthrough might be imminent.”

“...”

However, Director Hou then informed him of a method that didn’t require waiting and still allowed him to enjoy the Card Hall discount.

“A new quest is out again. Are you in?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, then let’s go to my office and talk slowly.”

Seeing Director Hou’s words, Shi Li knew that things were probably not simple.

For general activities, Director Hou would implicitly assume his participation and would not actively ask if he wanted to participate.

If he actively asked, it meant that the matter might involve personal safety.

For example, in the last Level 3 Outworld, Director Hou had asked in advance.

If he hadn’t participated then, he wouldn’t have been forced.

You can come, or you can not come.

The main point was to respect the Card Player’s personal wishes.

But Shi Li knew that risk and reward were directly proportional, and Director Hou coming to him proactively always meant good things.

“Due to the trust of the leaders, I have already learned information related to the Abyssal Kind.”

When mentioning this term, Director Hou seemed a little excited.

Because, logically speaking, this should not have been confidential information that he could access.

Now, to a certain extent, it was equivalent to the higher-ups showing their recognition of him.

He, of course, knew that this was actually thanks to Shi Li.

“What did you say? I don’t understand. I don’t know anything.”

Unexpectedly, Shi Li flatly denied it.

This completely stumped Director Hou, who, after realizing, smiled helplessly and said, “Is it because of that confidentiality agreement?”

“It’s fine, I also signed it. Discussing between agreement holders doesn’t count as violating the agreement.”

He pulled up his electronic agreement.

“Brother Hou, you have to know—”

“Know what?”

“Even cubic cards can be faked, so a confidentiality agreement can naturally also be fake.”

“Heh, you’re quite vigilant, but besides you, kid, who else would make fake cards?!”

Director Hou grumbled, then continued.

“This mission is related to the Abyssal Kind and is dangerous.”

Shi Li was not surprised by this.

“And then? What are the specific details?”

“As for the specific details, I don’t know. Curator Xiu will explain them to you at the site.”

“Then it seems the trust you’ve received is also very limited.”

This time, Curator Xiu should indeed be Xiu Qingshan.

Shi Li hadn't seen Xiu Qingshan face-to-face since becoming his disciple.

Although it wasn't his fault, he still wanted to meet the other party soon.

However, Director Hou at least knew the destination.

Lotus City, one of the major direct-controlled municipalities in Xia Nation.

Among them, Show University, to which their Show Card Hall belongs, was built near Lotus City.

Therefore, this place could be called the home ground of Show Card Hall.

The resource allocation there naturally far exceeded that of Durian City, reaching the provincial level.

Even Jiangnan Province was slightly inferior in comparison.

And the unique Momentum type Star Ascension token card, from two to three stars, that Shi Li needed was of course available there.

In fact, Director Hou understood Shi Li quite well; as soon as he learned of his needs, he immediately contacted his colleagues there to reserve the card.

So, Shi Li packed up simply and boarded the aircraft with Director Hou.

The distance to Lotus City was similar to that to Hua Du City; after half a day, the aircraft landed at a base.

While in the sky, Director Hou also pointed out the location of Show University to Shi Li.

This base was not far from Show University, only about 10 kilometers.

Unlike the research base, this base exuded a fresh scent everywhere.

It seemed it had only recently been built.

Shi Li and Director Hou were guided all the way and finally arrived at a room inside the base.

"You're here."

Xiu Qingshan was sitting on the sofa in the room,

with his left leg in a cast and a crutch placed beside him.

"Hello, Teacher."

Shi Li bowed formally.

His gaze flickered towards the cast, his eyes a little strange.

A hundred days for a broken bone, but a Card Player's physical quality is better.

For an existence of Xiu Qingshan's level, it would probably heal in less than ten days.

This indicated that the leg must have been recently (broken).

"Alright, Old Hou, you can go out first."

"Yes~"

After dismissing Director Hou, Xiu Qingshan quickly got to the point.

"Two things."

He held up two fingers.

"I heard about what happened at the research base last time; you performed very well."

When he mentioned the words "heard about," Xiu Qingshan felt a faint pain in his left leg.

"And based on your performance that time, you've earned an opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

"That's right, an opportunity to enter the Abyss."

Subsequently, Xiu Qingshan began to introduce it to Shi Li.

"In recent years, a special exotic called the Abyss has silently descended upon Blue Star.

Some say it is a symbol of the apocalypse.

Others say it is a test sent down by a god."

"God? Do such things really exist?"

This sudden term made Shi Li stunned.

"Hard to say."

Xiu Qingshan, who had let slip a word, shook his head, noncommittal.

In fact, when he was a child, he had secretly peeked at some secret archives at home, which indeed contained some related content.

The so-called "gods" were actually Card Players, sometimes even lurking around humans.

But he was young back then, and his memory was a bit blurry, so he couldn't explain it clearly.

Moreover, Shi Li hadn't reached the level where he should be exposed to such things.

So he wouldn't say it outright.

"True, if playing cards can save the world, then the existence of gods isn't strange."

Shi Li spread his hands, accepting it quite quickly.

"Let's get back to the Abyss."

"So far, the information we've gathered from exploring the Abyss is as follows:",

"1. The Abyss exists in the form of levels. The total number of levels is currently random, ranging from as few as 5 or 6 to as many as 20."

"2. Each level contains an evolvable key Abyssal Kind. After completely defeating it, you can proceed to the next level."

"3. The Abyss has an upper limit admission threshold, which has been gradually increasing, from the initial [Bronze 1] to the current Platinum [15]."

"4. After defeating the Abyssal Kind in the current deepest level, you can safely leave. If a Card Player leaves early, they will suffer severe rule-based damage."

"5. The rules of the Abyss and the behavioral guidelines of the Abyssal Kind seem to be constantly changing or evolving, and we have not yet fully understood them."

"6. In the Abyss, there is also a chance to obtain related materials, character cards, and even token cards."

It sounded like a real-life dungeon-crawling simulation mission.

"With a threshold of [Platinum 15], what can I do in there?"

Shi Li wouldn't be so arrogant as to think he could compare to a [Platinum 15] level.

"Point 5, which I just mentioned."

Xiu Qingshan didn't hide anything: "The Abyssal Kind you fought last time is still alive, which is unprecedented.

So the research base wants you to participate in an Abyss trip to observe if any new situations arise.

As for the search and combat process, other exploration team members will be responsible; you don't need to participate."

"Oh."

Shi Li's reaction was calm after hearing this.

It sounded like he would be a burden going in, which he didn't like very much.

"What, you don't seem too happy."

Xiu Qingshan noticed his mood.

"Don't worry, your Healing will be paid at the level of a normal explorer.

For each level cleared, you will receive a salary of 10,000 cubic coins."

"I will definitely do my best to help the team win the championship."

Shi Li's attitude changed immediately.

"What nonsense."

Xiu Qingshan smiled and handed over a card: "This trip is different after all; use this card if anything goes wrong."

[Escape]: Use this card to immediately leave the current Abyss.

"Some item cards are forbidden in the Abyss, but this one is allowed. It can keep you safe."

"Thank you, Teacher. It's because Teacher teaches so well."

Shi Li lowered his eyes submissively.

"Right, you actually guessed the second thing."

Xiu Qingshan crossed his legs and snapped his fingers: "Since you became my disciple, I haven't had a chance to teach you anything.

After you come out of the Abyss, I will properly guide you."

"Okay."

Shi Li became a little expectant.

He wondered what Xiu Qingshan would teach him—deck tactics, card making, or other knowledge related to cubic cards?

Afterward, Shi Li was arranged to stay temporarily.

Although the opening time of the Abyss could be calculated, it couldn't be overly precise.

A fluctuation of one or two days was considered normal.

During the waiting period, he received some training on Abyss knowledge.

For example, the Abyssal Kind he fought in the laboratory was actually a weakened version.

The Abyssal Kind in the Abyss were much stronger.

Another example was that the definition of Abyssal Kind was different from ordinary monsters; what was more important for them was a unique data point, their Evolution Level.

This indicated the potential number of evolutions for that Abyssal Kind.

The Abyss environment was different from the laboratory environment; Abyssal Kind only gained the ability to evolve infinitely after leaving the Abyss.

This was also why the Abyss was so dreaded by everyone.

Although they are currently captured, Abyssal Kind will not leave the Abyss.

But if one day they truly burst out of the Abyss and evolve past their post-battle mortality, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Aside from the time spent learning relevant knowledge, Shi Li used the Star Ascension token card he had already obtained to start simulating mission refreshes.

On the third day after arriving at the base, Shi Li was summoned to the conference room.

In the conference room, besides Xiu Qingshan, there were three young people, all at [Platinum 15] rank.

"These three are all A-level contractors of our Card Hall, and also all members of this Abyss exploration team.

I believe you all have a general understanding of Shi Li's situation, so please introduce yourselves."

Xiu Qingshan gestured to the three.

"Gu Xinzhi, entered the Abyss 5 times, highest participation in killing a Level 10 evolution."

The first girl to speak had a slightly cold demeanor.

Her Abyss experience was the most extensive, making her the leader of this trip.

"Li Peichen, entered the Abyss 3 times, highest participation in killing a Level 7 evolution."

The second boy followed suit, his face visibly a bit sour.

"Hello, my name is Liu Jiani, entered the Abyss 3 times, highest participation in killing a Level 8 evolution."

The third girl, however, had a smile on her face.

After the introductions were complete, the four were led to the deep underground levels of the base.

After passing through layers of checkpoints, Shi Li saw a small Space-Time Trace portal.

Various instruments were plugged into the portal, and a group of staff members were busy with various tasks.

Unlike the exotic portals he had seen before, the purple-black energy inside this portal swirled in a vortex.

Just by looking at it, one could feel a malicious intent as if it wanted to devour people.