169: The tenth unique card

Chapter 169: The Tenth unique Card

“The Academy’s Card Library?”

Shi Li looked puzzled, but his steps still followed along.

It went without saying that something good was about to happen.

So, following Hu Lan’s footsteps, the two walked into a secluded single-story building in the academy.

On the ground of the building was a door leading underground, and the two descended a winding staircase.

“The seven major academies all have their own exclusive card libraries, which are normally only open to their own teachers and students.

The deeper you go, the better the quality of the cards inside.

Even on the fourth floor, there are five-star materials.”

“Given your performance in the placement matches, and the fact that you are our academy’s only seedling this year,

to help you achieve better results, Dean Hu has specially permitted you to enter the second floor and choose one set of cards.”

Hu Lan explained as she led Shi Li downstairs.

When the two reached the second basement floor, she stopped.

Shi Li saw a huge iron gate here, with a thin old man standing outside.

Diamond

His rank was unclear, but just the title “Diamond” was enough for Shi Li to ascertain his identity.

He was the Dean of their academy.

One should know that even the behind-the-scenes elders of the Banlan Tribe only had the Diamond rank.

And if other academies were the same, then Qingchuan University would have at least seven Diamonds.

Therefore, the strength of Qingchuan University alone would probably not be inferior to the entire Banlan Tribe.

“You are Shi Li, right?”

Wei Po Jun looked Shi Li up and down, then suddenly smiled, “Your boy’s seven-system energy is very complex, very good, very good.”

When Shi Li first achieved Rage System resonance, Principal Su immediately noticed it.

But that was because Principal Su had seen Shi Li and could feel the changes before and after the resonance.

Wei Po Jun was different; he could spot the clues on their first meeting and even discern Shi Li’s seven-system situation.

This was much more impressive than Principal Su.

“No, no, not at all.”

Shi Li activated the protocol.

“Dean, the person has been brought, so I will wait outside.”

Hu Lan excused herself, leaving the two alone.

“Alright, boy, come with me.”

Wei Po Jun walked to the iron gate and began a series of verification procedures.

Finally, he inserted a dusty-looking key, and the gate slowly opened.

“Go in yourself and pick whatever you like.”

He pointed inside, seemingly not intending to enter.

Generally, not interfering with students’ choices and not offering them advice is a common understanding when entering the card library.

Aside from respecting the students’ own choices, to some extent, it also serves as a test of their discernment.

Even items within the same layer of the card library vary in quality and value.

Whether one can pick something good depends entirely on personal fortune.

“Thank you, Dean, it’s because of your excellent teaching.”

“?”

Shi Li walked into the card library.

From the outside, it looked like an ordinary large warehouse.

A spacious area + high ceiling + bright lights.

Long display counters were neatly arranged, with cards placed every half meter.

Walking up to the counters and looking through them one by one, Shi Li finally understood why Dean Hu said “one set of cards” instead of “one card.”

For example, what was placed on the counter directly in front of him was a stack of four or five cards.

In front of the cards, there was also a laminated annotation paper.

“Rage System two-to-three Star Ascension material set: Applicable to humanoid character cards, significantly increases success rate for mutated humanoids.”

This was only for ordinary character cards; he certainly didn’t want it.

Looking further down, there were some different items.

“cubic coins Savings Card: Upon use, immediately gain 300,000 cubic coins.”

300,000 was definitely not a small sum.

However, if he needed money, he could earn it through other means; there was no need to waste the opportunity to enter the card library.

“Persistence System zero-to-three Star Ascension material set: General material, but with a low success rate.”

There was also a complete set for Star Ascension from zero to three stars directly.

“Momentum System one-to-two perfect unique token card: Upon use, upgrades a one-star character card to two stars with 100% completion.”

“Momentum System two-to-three perfect unique token card: Upon use, upgrades a two-star character card to three stars with 100% completion.”

They were all perfect Star Ascension unique token cards, but for ordinary character cards, all seven systems had two-to-three Star Ascension, while unique cards only had one-to-two Star Ascension for a few systems.

“Thinking about it, if the weight of one set is roughly 300,000 cubic coins, a perfect two-to-three Star Ascension unique card on the market costs around 2,000,000, so it’s impossible for it to appear on this floor of the card library.”

The remaining items included some attribute materials, enhancement quest cards, and the like.

Shi Li hadn’t seen anything too appealing, so he continued deeper.

Until he reached the very corner of the card library, where he saw several individually placed cards.

“It’s — a unique token card.”

Even without a close look at its features, he could distinguish it at a glance.

Because earlier there were two-star and three-star token cards, those were always at least several cards per set.

For these few cards, there was only one card per set.

“Momentum System unique token card: The Genius of Scratching, failed attempts 34 times.”

“The Genius of Scratching, is this a quest name?

34 failed attempts means someone has done this quest before.”

According to Shi Li’s experience, if it were the same person doing a unique quest, 34 attempts would most likely lead to success.

But because it was now an item in the card library, he had reason to suspect that these 34 attempts were all made by different people.

Someone gained access to the card library, took a “The Genius of Scratching” card, failed, and then the next person took it.

There was more than one such card.

“Rage System unique token card: Below the Bloodthirsty Zen Mountain, failed attempts 27 times.”

“Momentum System unique token card: Biography of the Breaker, failed attempts 33 times.”

“Chasing Wind System unique token card: Taste the Wind, failed attempts 21 times.”

“Balance System System unique token card: Brave Heart, failed attempts 107 times.”

“If calculated solely by the price of one unique token card, it’s far less than a tangible 300,000.

But it’s so tempting—”

Shi Li admitted, he was tempted.

Those collected by the academy would likely be among the high-quality unique token cards.

Two cards tempted him the most: one was “Biography of the Breaker,” which seemed to suggest the protagonist would be a character with the martial arts card tag.

From the current development trend, building a full unique deck was not a problem, and it had even begun to show results.

So Shi Li wanted to pursue a higher goal.

That was a set deck.

What is a set deck?

Lu Xinran’s few cards from the Ghostly Pirate series were called a set deck. The advantage of a set deck is that cards can easily create more synergy or cooperation with each other, allowing the deck to exert a strength greater than one plus one equals two.

If he were to form a set deck now, it would undoubtedly be a martial arts deck.

Red Blade Maiden, Flower Cudgel Leader, Demon-Defeating Dark Hunter, Snail Walking Lady—these four cards all have the martial arts card tag.

Next, for the machine card deck, bo shan and cloud river, two cards.

And for the dragon card deck, most popular among late-stage dragon fanatics, he currently only had one Red Blade Maiden.

Red Blade Maiden is of the Dragonhorn race, meaning she has dragon bloodline; she indeed has the dragon card tag.

Besides “Biography of the Breaker,” the other card that interested Shi Li was “Brave Heart.”

This simulated quest had been attempted 107 times, and no one had succeeded.

Logically, even if there were 107 people attempting it, from a probability standpoint, someone should have succeeded.

The fact that it hadn’t been cleared meant this quest must be very difficult.

A difficult quest, while not 100% absolute, most likely also indicated that the quality of the character card obtained at the end would be good.

“So, which one should I choose?”

Shi Li fell into a dilemma and casually picked up the laminated annotation of one of the cards to read.

“Hmm?”

He then discovered that there was also something written on the back.

“Biography of the Breaker: Predicted to have Martial Arts, Humanoid, Blade Weapon, and other tags. The quest leans heavily towards card games and requires the intervention of suitable out-of-field character cards.”

“Well, well, so there are such hints.”

He then picked up the annotation for “Brave Heart.”

“Brave Heart: Predicted to have Martial Arts, Humanoid, Aquatic, and other tags. Quest options refresh randomly. Those with poor luck should choose cautiously.”

At this moment, Shi Li no longer had to hesitate.

“Brave Heart” also had the martial arts tag, which was simply perfect.

As for the later parts about random refreshes and testing luck, he directly ignored them.

He could refresh infinitely, so what was there to be afraid of?

So he took that token card.

“Have you chosen?”

Outside the door, Wei Po Jun was patiently waiting.

“I’ve chosen. I’ll take this one.”

Shi Li displayed the token card.

“Hmm, not bad, not bad.”

Wei Po Jun nodded, not offering too much of an evaluation.

The two returned to the ground floor, and Shi Li left after thanking him.

“Dean, what did he choose?”

Watching him leave, Hu Lan finally asked.

“The Snail Walking Lady's unique token card.”

“【Brave Heart】?”

Hu Lan was stunned by the news, then immediately composed herself.

She should have reminded that kid which ones not to pick.

She sighed inwardly, not daring to show it.

Because that unique token card was originally Dean Wei's.

However, after reportedly trying it a hundred times without success, he threw it into the academy's card library in a fit of pique.

Later, out of curiosity, she had also taken one 【Brave Heart】.

The result, of course, was failure.

It's said that this simulation mission is not only difficult but also has a special mechanism, with different options appearing in each stage.

Trying to follow a guide by the book is simply unrealistic.

In other words, only those with good luck might be able to clear it.

“Shi Li really made an unwise choice this time.”

Thinking of this, Hu Lan gave a wry smile.

What's more, it was just one unique token card.

The probability of clearing it was less than 1%.

“It's fine, young people always need to hit some walls to gain experience,” Wei Po Jun also smiled and waved his hand.

Shi Li didn't know any of this; he just returned to his dorm, satisfied with his 300,000 cubic coins and the unique token card.

As the saying goes, a bird in hand is worth two in the bush; he decided to invest all 300,000 cubic coins into 【Brave Heart】.

In the dorm, Gong Ping and Chang Zhun were playing video games, and A Ya Jun was showering.

He greeted them, then climbed onto his bed and started the mission.

He clicked to use the unique token card, and text immediately popped up.

【This mission is named: Brave Heart.】

【In this world, 95% covered by ocean, many unusual humans live.】

【To adapt to marine life, they have each evolved different aquatic species characteristics and abilities.】

【According to their respective aquatic species characteristics, they are divided into different races.】

【The Inkfish Race, while possessing inkfish abilities, also inherited their habits.】

【Naturally timid, they like to curl up in hidden, confined spaces, and when encountering enemies, they often choose to flee first.】

“Inkfish Race, the hint mentioned humanoid. It couldn't be a human with an inkfish head, could it?”

Shi Li thought of the aliens from sci-fi movies.

【Wu Wu is also naturally timid, but she has an unyielding heart.】

【To challenge herself, she has chosen several plans to help her hone her courage.】

【Please help her make a choice.】

【A. Go to the deep-sea area and challenge the Giant Whale King.】

【The Giant Whale King is a famous strong person in the ocean world; it only takes 24 hours to turn Wu Wu into a blob.】

“No, when mentioning a strong person eliminating an enemy, shouldn't it be in the blink of an eye?

These 24 hours must refer to digestion time, right?”

【B. I heard that Miaomiao's Haunted House is currently open; the fish ghost actors there are especially terrifying.】

【Fish ghosts are mutated marine creatures with extremely terrifying appearances.】

“...Although it sounds like courage training, too.

But is the span between options A and B really that big?”

【C. Seduce a married man.】

【Although she has no experience, Wu Wu is very confident in her looks.】

“Is this a challenge to courage or a challenge to moral bottom lines?”

Shi Li felt that both A and C seemed unreliable, so he chose B.

As a result, after a series of options, he failed the mission.

The previous few card battles went quite smoothly; with the help of 【Red Blade Maiden】, they were all easily resolved.

But in the last card battle, which wasn't even the final BOSS battle, he was utterly defeated.

Clearly, he hadn't collected the right companions or buffs.

【Unfortunately, this mission failed.】

【Do you want to reset this mission for 7,000 cubic coins?】

“No problem, let's go again.”

He had a full 320,000 cubic coins, enough to try 45 times.

What was there to be afraid of?

A new round of the simulation mission began, and the first wave of options appeared again.

【Wu Wu is also naturally timid, but she has an unyielding heart.】

【To challenge herself, she has chosen several plans to help her hone her courage.】

【Please help her make a choice.】

【A. Go without food or drink and continuously sunbathe for 72 hours.】

【For sea folk, sunbathing is a life-threatening matter, but many still take the risk for a tan.】

“I think the real cause of death should be 72 hours without food or drink, right?”

【B. Blow up the cruise ship hotel where young couples gather late at night.】

【Most people would never have the guts to do such a thing.】

“Hey, hey, this already involves crime, is that really okay?

And I think you're just purely jealous.”

【C. Participate in the Sea Race's annual beauty pageant.】

【Perhaps courage isn't important at all; beauty comes first.】

“This is completely off-topic.”

But then again, the options really did refresh randomly.

This time, the ABC options were completely different from the last time.

After failing a few more times, Shi Li only encountered one option in the first stage that he had seen before.

This was both good news and bad news.

The good news was that it confirmed Shi Li's guess.

Perhaps each multiple-choice question has an option pool, and within that option pool are many alternative answers, with three options randomly refreshed each time.

Since there is a multi-option pool, it indicates that there should be more than one path to clear the mission.

The bad news was that the cost of trial and error was too great.

Even if he knew which option was good and which one was beneficial for the mission, he wouldn't know when he would encounter it again.

And by then, the companions or buffs he had collected would also be different, possibly making it useless.

This mission has too many options and too many branches; trying to solve it by brute force would probably be very difficult.

Now, Shi Li understood why no one had ever cleared this simulation mission.

Just as he was at a loss, the conversation between Chang Zhun and Gong Ping drifted up from below his bed.

“The strongest tactic in fighting games is to gain a health advantage and then stall for time until the clock runs out.”

“No! That’s not fair!”

An idea, an inspiration, flashed through Shi Li's mind.

He reopened the simulation mission, and once again, he was faced with three new, unseen ABC options for the first question.

“Gong Ping.”

Shi Li poked his head out.

“What do you want?”

Gong Ping's gaze was drawn to the video game screen, a bit impatient.

“I'm asking you, choose A, or B, or C?”

“Huh?”

“Choose A, or B, or C?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just choose, don't ask.”

“Choose A, choose A.”

“Okay.”

Shi Li didn't look closely and directly chose A.

Since this was a simulation mission that relied on luck, couldn't he just borrow someone else's luck?

Gong Ping's luck was absolutely good.

So good it was as if a deity was helping him.

“Gong Ping.”

“What now?!”

“Choose A, or B, or C?”

“Again? Don't bother me!”

“The video game's power outlet switch is right under my bed, you know.”

“Choose B, choose B, alright?!”

Under Shi Li's threat, Gong Ping could only obediently comply.

Unexpectedly, Gong Ping really did play a role; this time, he went further than any previous attempt.

Shi Li even felt he was close to seeing the final BOSS.

So, after using Gong Ping several more times like this, Shi Li finally completed the mission.

【You can obtain character card 【Fleeing Ink (One Star)】 x1.】

【You can obtain hand card 【Shield (LV1)】 x1.】

【Do you want to reset this mission for 7,000 cubic coins?】

“Comfortable. No.”

For 70,000 cubic coins, Shi Li completed this mission in just 10 refreshes.

After clicking no, a line of text immediately popped up.

【Equilibrium System Resonance】: 80% → 100%

“Never mind that, let's look at the card first.”

Shi Li picked up the card.

【My courage isn't small at all~!】

In the projection, a slightly playful girl walked out.

She wore a half-cut, black-and-white tight swimsuit, convenient for quick drying and movement, with a small inkfish perched on her head like a living creature.

Her weapon was a trident fish spear, which she skillfully twirled into beautiful patterns with her nimble hands.