18: Mysterious Monster

“Aren't you in a hurry? Twelve hours isn’t a lot of time.”

Shi Li had only walked less than 100 meters when he encountered Gong Ping, who was deliberately waiting for him.

“It’s fine, I’m quite familiar with this place.”

Shi Li shrugged.

Compared to other examinees, they preferred to spend their time on simulated missions and card crafting.

After learning the location of this assessment, they would only come a day or two in advance to scout the area.

Unlike Shi Li, he had already spent two weeks here previously.

“Did you also achieve dual-system resonance?”

Gong Ping asked curiously.

“Not yet, not even one system.”

Shi Li told the truth.

“Oh…”

Gong Ping was a little suspicious but didn't press further.

The Five Card Halls wouldn't offer cultivation contracts for no reason; he himself received a D Grade Contract because of his dual-system resonance.

“By the way, I heard a mysterious monster has recently appeared. Its tracks have been found in various training grounds and in the wild where monsters roam.”

Gong Ping didn't forget his purpose and leaned in to whisper a reminder.

“A mysterious monster?”

“Yes, the rumor is that if you lose to it in a card game, it won't harm you, but it will strip off all your clothes.”

“...That doesn't sound like a proper thing at all.”

“Anyway, good luck. I look forward to fair competition with you.”

After bidding farewell to Gong Ping, Shi Li continued forward, occasionally encountering individuals who had already begun fighting monsters.

For an E Grade Contract, the safest approach was to first accumulate a certain number of one-star LV4 monsters as a baseline, and then challenge two-star LV1 monsters.

Otherwise, if both targets weren't met, it would be a losing proposition.

He walked for about an hour before stopping.

From here on, it was the activity area of two-star monsters.

“I hope Brother Yan didn’t lie to me.”

Saying that, he found an open space and pulled out a pack of Furongwang cigarettes from his pocket.

He lit a cigarette and then stuck it upside down in the soil.

According to Brother Yan, the burning scent of Furongwang was very similar to a monster's mating scent.

As long as it was lit in the monster's activity area, it could quickly attract it.

Shi Li patiently hid behind a large rock, replenishing the cigarette whenever it was about to burn out.

After replenishing it for the third time, he finally saw a white shadow drifting from a distance.

It was translucent all over, shaped like a semi-circular blob.

It floated slightly off the ground, with droopy eyes and a mouth on its front, giving it a very dejected appearance.

“It really came, Youyou Slime!”

Shi Li's expression brightened.

The Youyou Slime is a relatively special monster.

They are not very aggressive but prefer to live in groups in dark, cool places.

There's an exaggerated saying: when you see one Youyou Slime, it means there are already a thousand in the shadows.

After confirming the target was a two-star LV1, Shi Li sent a Player Mark.

“Pop pop!”

The moment it was touched by the Player Mark, the Youyou Slime, realizing it was under attack, immediately changed its droopy expression to a fierce one.

Buzz...

Subsequently, a barrier descended, forming a card table between Shi Li and it.

Both sides had a 3+1 setup.

It was said that as monsters' levels increased, their card table mechanisms would become more varied, such as two-stage transformations, on-the-spot support, and replenishment for fallen members, bringing more variables to PVE.

But for now, with such low-level monsters, these issues didn't need to be considered.

At this point, all of the monster's cards were displayed before Shi Li.

Youyou Slime

Chasing Wind, Attack 60, 200/200, 0/50

Youyou Physique - Passive: Youyou Slime takes -15 damage from attacks.

Youyou Hymn - 50 Energy: Youyou Slime makes 1 target Revive with 30 Health (T0).

(Revive: Card reappears in its original position.)

The last monster card had two Characteristics, while the other three cards had 30 Attack, 100 Health, and only one Characteristic: Youyou Physique.

Whether it was Character Cards or monster cards, sometimes they would have Characteristics specific to their own species rather than the seven card systems.

For example, this Youyou Physique is a very common Characteristic among many Youyou cards.

“From the perspective of basic stats alone, this monster is already completely on par with a player's deck.”

After browsing the opposing cards, Shi Li laid out his own deck.

Unbeknownst to him, this scene was clearly observed by Director Hou in the independent monitoring room.

“A unique two-star card?”

When the Red Blade Maiden was revealed, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

He also possessed one Unique Character Card himself.

But it was the kind without a Characteristic, completely incomparable to the Red Blade Maiden.

One must know that even unique Relic Cards have differences; no one can be 100% sure if they are Characteristic cards until they are truly acquired through clearance.

“This unique card makes even me envious.

The curator must have given him a D Grade Contract for this very reason, right?”

Now, he seemed to understand why Old He had specifically instructed him to pay more attention to this young man.

Director Hou felt he already knew what he should do; he would definitely write a splendid assessment report for the other party.

“With the strength of his deck, it seems completing the D Grade assessment won't be difficult.

It just depends on whether he has the possibility of meeting the D+ Grade Contract standard.”

Director Hou made a prediction.

Based on his familiarity with this group of examinees, at least two D+ Grade Contracts should appear in this assessment.

After one card game, Shi Li could be said to have easily resolved it.

Even if the opponent had Revive, it was useless.

Although the basic stats on both sides were the same, he had hand cards.

Moreover, the two-star Red Blade Maiden with a Characteristic was comparable in strength to a three-star Character Card.

Buzz...

As the card game barrier slowly fell, the defeated monster began to gradually dissipate into scattered light.

Ultimately, only a puddle of shattered jelly-like fragments and slime remained.

It was hard to imagine that just a month ago, if he had encountered such a monster, he would have only been able to run away with his tail between his legs.

However, Shi Li didn't have time to reflect, because a new Youyou Slime had already been attracted.

“Pop pop!”

This time, without waiting for him to attack, the monster, witnessing its kin being defeated, actively initiated a card game mark.

“Come on then.”

Saving the effort of searching for monsters was greatly welcomed by Shi Li.

However, just an hour later, he regretted celebrating too early.

In that short time, he had already eliminated 10 Youyou Slimes.

Continuous card battles had severely depleted his mental energy.

Fortunately, his usual routine of clearing new missions also served as a form of mental training; otherwise, another Golden Card Player might not have been able to withstand it.

When the 11th Youyou Slime was eliminated, this wave of monster attacks finally stopped.

“Hmm?”

It was this last monster that brought Shi Li a surprise.

It dropped a card, and it was a Character Card.

...

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