179 – The Game of Nymphs and Darkness #3
Although Seoul is a vast city, finding Nymphs was not particularly difficult.
This was because there were plenty of people gathered around.
Searching through social media, I found people tagging their photos with “#Nymph” to indicate Nymph sightings. I followed those leads.
“What’s that? Isn’t that a Nymph doing something?”
“I hear it’s some kind of card game.”
“Wow, games these days are really impressive. The graphics are so realistic.”
The “Duel Stone” tournament was being held with Seoul as its center.
Citizens became spectators for matches taking place throughout the city, and Nymphs always garnered the attention of the crowd.
“It’s the first turn…! The available cost is 1-cost…! This Inoi summons the level 1 card ‘Squirrel Beast’ and ends the turn…! Because you can’t attack on the first turn of summoning…!”
Amidst the bustling crowd, Inoi was facing off against someone.
The level 1 monster “Squirrel Beast” summoned by Inoi leaped onto the field.
━Kkungkkung…!
The augmented reality scanners installed by Osa Group vividly portrayed the Squirrel Beast on the road.
The sight of the Squirrel Beast delighted the citizens.
“Isn’t that a real Squirrel?”
“That’s a rare card…!”
Although “Squirrel Beast” was a level 1, 1-cost card, it was considered quite an excellent rare card. Its effect increased the attack power of cards named “Squirrel” by 500 every turn.
In other words,
The longer “Squirrel Beast” stayed on the field, the stronger Inoi’s “Squirrel Deck” would become.
By playing such a card on the first turn, Inoi’s chances of winning increased significantly.
However, the man opposing Inoi maintained a relaxed demeanor.
“A Squirrel Deck? Hahaha, do you really think you can defeat me, Atlas, a high-ranking member of ‘Tomb Raiders,’ with your small and cute Squirrels…? With those Squirrels having only 300 attack power…! Hahahaha…!”
The man was dressed up like a clown.
Yet, he stood nearly 2 meters tall and seemed to weigh comfortably over 100 kilograms.
The sight of the muscular giant holding a card much smaller than his palm was almost surreal.
He was probably an Awakened one.
Perhaps C-rank?
Soon, someone shouted.
“Is that Atlas…!? The card hunter who operates the ‘Giant Deck’…!? That Nymph is in danger! Atlas is a fearsome gamer…! He’s one who steals rare cards from defeated gamers…!”
“The ‘Giant Deck’ is strong too…!”
It seemed he was quite famous among Duel Stone users.
Noticing that people were talking about him, the man who introduced himself as Atlas let out a big laugh.
“I have trained and further trained for the great deed today…! I will show you…! The power of my muscles forged from rigorous training…! Draw…!”
Pop-!
A hand as massive as a giant’s pulled a card from a pile. It was indeed a display of power, likely due to his impressive musculature.
“Good…! I’ve drawn a great card…! Hahaha, the victory seems to be mine…!”
Atlas’s first turn.
The available cost was 1 coin.
For reference, Duel Stone’s cost structure increases by 2 coins, then 3, then 4, with each passing turn.
What would Atlas do on his first turn?
“I end my turn…!”
Atlas finished his turn without doing anything.
The current situation was tied at 5000 health for both Atlas and Inoi.
“Now it’s Inoi’s turn…!”
It was now Inoi’s second turn.
With 2-cost available, Inoi summoned two 1-cost “Death Squirrels” onto the field.
The base attack power of the level 1 monster “Death Squirrel” was 300, but thanks to the effect of the super rare card “Squirrel Beast,” its attack power increased by 500 to become 800.
“With the ‘Squirrel Beast’ I summoned last turn, I attack the opponent…! Let’s go wild!”
━Kkungkkung…!
The attack power of “Squirrel Beast” was also 800.
Atlas took 800 damage and was left with 4200 health.
“Ugggh…!”
Atlas groaned in pain.
The hyper PCs of Osa Group had no sensory synchronization function, so why was he in such agony? Someone in the crowd shouted out.
“That guy must have trained his Duel Muscles so much that his empathy skills developed significantly…! To be able to immerse himself in the cards like that…! What incredible focus…!”
Immersion due to focus.
I had heard that this phenomenon occurs with highly skilled Awakened individuals.
When a person looks at a lemon, their mouth tends to water, right? Similarly, through special methods, highly trained Awakened ones can invoke physical responses simply by gazing at something.
In fact, Atlas had scratches on his body as if he had truly been attacked by a real squirrel.
Drip-drip-.
Blood flowed from his forehead.
“That little brat, causing me pain…! Impressive…!”
As Atlas chuckled, Inoi who had used all her costs and finished attacking ended her turn.
Now it was Atlas’s turn.
He would draw a card and use the 2-cost granted for the second turn.
However, Atlas spoke before drawing the card.
“Hey, brat. I have a suggestion for you. How about we start a ‘Game of Darkness’ from now on? The victor shall claim a portion of the defeated’s soul and one rare card…!!!”
The Game of Darkness.
I recalled the secret organization that Lee Jin-A had mentioned.
Was this Atlas a member of the illegal group with A-rank danger participating in this tournament, referred to as “Tomb Raiders”?
Swoosh-.
Atlas soon pulled out a small pyramid-shaped artifact from his robe.
Its color was ivory, and I could tell at a glance that it was an item shaped like a “magical tool” discovered in cracks.
It somehow radiated a sinister aura, and before I had the chance to warn anyone, Inoi noticed it first.
“I sense a nymph-hating energy…! This Inoi, as a top nymph, cannot tolerate an nymph-hating item roaming around…! I shall respond to your demand…!”
Inoi’s attitude was very confident.
Facing someone as formidable as Atlas, who wielded the “Giant Deck,” she showed no hesitation in believing that she could win.
Soon, Atlas laughed heartily.
“Alright…! Then, from now on, this place shall become the ‘Playground of Darkness’ under the contract of the ‘Night Pyramid’…! Hahahaha…!”
With Atlas’s laughter, thick black mist began to rise from the pyramid.
The mist enveloped the area, and Kkungkkungi, who was perched on my shoulder, fluffed up his fur in apprehension.
━Grrr…!
The situation was tense. Other people were marveling, saying, “Wow, modern games even support 4D effects.”
Should we evacuate everyone?
“Draw…!”
Just then, Atlas flexed his massive muscles tight and drew a card.
He looked at his card and bellowed, “I’ve drawn an excellent card…!” yet he ended his turn again without doing anything.
What the heck?
Why did he end two turns without doing anything?
What was his scheme?
“Inoi, be careful! There’s something fishy going on!”
I felt tense.
But Inoi, seemingly unfazed, welcomed her third turn with 3 costs available to use.
“Inoi will summon three 1-cost ‘Puppy Squirrels…! The ‘Puppy Squirrel’ has an ‘Ambush’ effect that allows it to attack immediately upon being summoned…!”
The base attack power of “Puppy Squirrel” was 300, but thanks to the effect of the “Squirrel Beast” that had survived two turns on the field, its attack power increased by 500 to become 1300.
So, Inoi’s field now had a 1300 attack power Squirrel Beast, two 1300 attack power Death Squirrels, and three 1300 attack power Puppy Squirrels, resulting in a total field attack power of 8400.
“All the Squirrels shall attack the opponent…!”
━Kkungkkung…!
The 8400 attack power Squirrels charged at Atlas, the high-ranking member of the Tomb Raiders!
Atlas really looked like he was being beaten by the Squirrel attacks, coughing up blood. His extraordinary immersion skill must have triggered phantom pain.
“Uggggggh…!!!!!!”
“Lp 0”.
Atlas’s health reached 0.
It was Inoi’s victory.
Inoi leaped toward Atlas.
“Let’s go wild with the nymph beating…!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud…
“Guaaaaah…!”
Atlas writhed in agony.
He covered his face as if his soul were unraveling, and finally collapsed to the ground.
Swoosh-.
It was at that moment that the mist enveloping the area dissipated.
As the palm-sized pyramid withdrew its mist, I saw Atlas’s hand discard a situation of cards on the ground.
What in the world made him end two turns without doing anything?
What was his scheme?
“Level 7: Lava Giant
Effect: Deals 500 damage to the entire field upon summoning.
Attack/Defense 2000/2000”
“Level 7: Mountain Giant
Effect: Increases the defense of allied field by 500.
Attack/Defense 2000/2000”
“Level 9: Giant Squirrel
Effect: Has ‘Ambush’ and grants an additional 500 attack power for every ‘Squirrel’ on the field.
Attack/Defense 3000/2500”
“This guy, I see he was just holding onto high-cost cards in his hand, huh? That’s why he couldn’t do anything early on and just ended his turn…!”
High-cost cards were strong by nature.
However, those cards could only be summoned at their corresponding cost after several turns had passed.
In other words, to play a level 7 card, it had to be at least the 7th turn.
Thus, Atlas’s “Giant Deck” was solely a late-game deck, and it had a terrible match-up against Inoi’s early-game field control type deck, the “Squirrel Deck.”
Inoi held high the rare card “Giant Squirrel” she seized from Atlas and shouted.
“This Inoi has won…! No Nymph could ever defeat a Giant with Squirrels…! Time to dance the joyful Nymph dance…!”
Swoosh-.
With her hands on her hips, Inoi spun around joyfully.
Just in case, I reported Atlas to the police.
# # #
“What? Atlas the Giant lost? Wasn’t it guaranteed that he could at least make it to the finals? Who did he lose to?”
In a dark room.
People clad in black robes gathered around a table, murmuring.
An unexpected defeat.
This was the moment when their plans went awry.
As everyone fell silent, a woman let out a long, delicate laugh from beneath her robe.
“Well, he must have lost due to carelessness. That Atlas relies solely on his muscles and tends to lower his guard, right? Now I will step in. This here is Ankh, the one who shall intervene.”
Jang-.
A cross-like object hung around her neck like a necklace.
However, the keen-eyed could recognize it not as a cross but as the Egyptian religious symbol known as the Ankh.
Swoosh-.
The Ankh rose from her seat.
She gazed at the flat stone tablet that those in robes used as a table.
It was a slab etched with countless stars.
One of the primordial tablets that form the basis of Duel Stone cards.
Discovered in an underground pyramid of ancient taboos, deep within the Valley of the Kings—.
The greatest treasure of the tomb raiders, “Tomb Raiders”…!
As she beheld it, Ankh felt a peculiar thrill, as if struck by lightning.
“When the warriors’ spirits surge and a worthy soul is offered as a sacrifice, our god shall resurrect, granting eternal life and infinite power─. ‘Key of the Serpent,’ point out the necessary sacrifice.”
Ankh chanted the incantation.
Clang-.
The key hanging from the woman’s neck pointed to someone on a CCTV monitor.
“This man… Haildo, hehehe…, this should be interesting. I wonder what card you will become?”
The woman extended her long serpent-like tongue and licked the man on the monitor.
She resembled a hunter stalking its prey.
