episode_0013

Kwaaaang!!

The door bursts open, and two people enter the office.

This is Jay’s office.

Filled with vanity: furniture and golden ornaments forged from the tears of countless people.

One wall is covered with all sorts of fancy daggers.

And the safe in the corner is full of gold coins.

Finally, a bolt from the blue has struck his perfect life today.

Jay is just spinning a dagger with an uneasy heart.

“Jay-nim!! News that even the last business is burning down….”

Poook!!

The subordinate who brought unsatisfactory information is executed.

Thud.

The man falls straight backward.

A knife is accurately impaled in the middle of his forehead.

“Uh…?!”

The eyes of the man who came here with him waver.

It happened in an instant.

While he was hesitating what to do, carefully watching Jay’s mood.

“Hey, what news did you bring?”

Before he knew it, Jay was in front of him.

“The Red Wolves organization, the Black Sheep organization, even the Elder said they can’t help!!”

“Why the hell!!!”

“T-They say there are too many eyes watching….”

He couldn’t continue speaking.

Because his neatly severed head flew off and landed in the hallway.

Gushing blood soaks the hallway.

The screams of children fill the hallway.

Children desperately run away.

Strange devices are fastened to their wrists.

Bang!!!

Jay, who kicked the headless corpse, roams around the room without delay.

“I should have killed that bastard back then!!”

Jay couldn’t contain his anger and threw the dagger wildly in one direction.

But the dagger soon stopped.

Dense, ominous black mana stopped the dagger.

As far as Jay knew, only one person could do this.

Jay stopped his hissing and looked at the old man in front of him.

His back was bent, so he was only half Jay’s height, and the old man had a white beard long enough to reach his knees.

The unusually dark shadow cast by the deeply pressed hood concealed his expression.

The air near the gnarled hands holding the cornelian cherry wood staff vibrates strongly, as if feeling fear.

But Jay, who only lives for today, stares at the old man without fear, clenching his teeth and growling.

“Black Wizard!!”

“You seem to have a lot of worries.”

“No, why is it that only he survived? I clearly told you to wipe out the Blue Sun Clan?”

“Hehe, we just released the monsters. After that, fate decides.”

“Do you think that makes sense?! More than that, what the hell is that guy?! He’s gotten stronger so rapidly in just a few days!! Was he hiding his strength?! No, if that were the case, he would have saved all those damn blue idiots!!”

Jay, who seemed to be losing his mind, began to mutter to himself.

Knowing that he was strange himself, Jay inhaled the medicine on his desk to calm down.

Sssuuup.

“Haaa….”

Murderous intent is layered in Jay’s eyes.

Seeing this, the Black Wizard laughed so hard that his beard touched his stomach and said

“Do you want to kill him?”

A devil’s proposal.

Jay wasn’t stupid enough not to know it.

But there was no reason to refuse.

How much effort had he put in to get the business he had?

Now that it was all gone, even if he survived here, the ‘Elder’ would never leave him alone.

“Since my life is already screwed, that bastard should die with me!”

“Hahaha!! I’ll help you. I’ll give you the power to surpass him for a short time.”

Black mana rises from the old man’s staff.

Mana that is bizarrely ominous and terrifying.

But Jay smiles so wide that the corners of his mouth reach his ears and accepts the mana.

Soon, the black mana completely engulfs Jay.

**

A full moon rising in the center of the sky.

Brightly illuminates the unlit trail.

Goooooo.

Caw, caw.

I mix the deck while walking along the trail, listening to the sounds of birds.

[Barrier] [Shield] [Fireball] [Darkness] [Smash]

“……”

I raided Jay’s three businesses over the past few hours.

There was no substance to it.

All that was inside were his slaves or insignificant subordinates.

Most of the slaves in the business were children.

Jay was exploiting the children by ‘protecting’ them in name only.

Then where did all those children come from?

There is a place that specializes in supplying them.

That place is an orphanage.

A small forest in the corner of the slum, between District 11 and District 12.

There is a mansion inside.

It looks like an orphanage on the surface.

This is Jay’s last business and his main base.

Jay seemed to have some backing, so he formally created an orphanage to supply drugs by using children as labor.

Perhaps the higher-ups were having Jay supply drugs to the back alleys.

But there’s no need to worry about that.

If Jay disappears, they’ll create another Jay.

As evidence of this, there have been no other people stopping me so far.

Rather, the atmosphere seemed to be reluctant to intervene.

Starting big from the beginning worked.

I arrived at the gate in front of the orphanage.

Beyond this gate, passing through the garden, is a huge mansion.

Jay is inside there.

“……No one’s here.”

Actually, I thought there would be someone guarding the entrance to the mansion.

Well, it’s ridiculous to have someone guarding the entrance to the orphanage.

The thin iron gate was not properly maintained, and vines were half-dangling down.

Perhaps because of that, it created an overall eerie and scary atmosphere.

Clack. Clack.

I walked on the slightly damp dirt floor and placed my hand on the gate.

Squeeeak.

The door opens without resistance.

At the same time, a status window pops up.

『The battle that will determine your destiny has begun!』

『Fight and win to seize the future!』

At that moment, the cards I had were returned to the deck.

Here it goes again.

『Draw 5 cards.』

[Smash (1)] [Ice Armor (1)] [Physical Enhancement (0)] [Water Spray (0)] [Pause (1)]

『Until the next draw 60… 59…』

It was like this before, too.

As soon as I threw a Fireball at the first business, a status window with the same phrase appeared.

It’s a battle to determine fate, but it won’t even let me prepare my cards in advance and enter.

X-like status window.

Thanks to that, even though I knocked down 20 to 30 of Jay’s subordinates, I didn’t get a single reward.

It’s as if defeating all of Jay’s gang is a reward in itself.

…Well, let’s think positively.

More valuable relics and high-value cards are much more useful than 20 or 30 trash cards.

My deck is getting thicker and thicker anyway, so it’s getting harder and harder to just throw in any card.

“Hoo….”

I caught the boss of the hidden dungeon and got a relic.

If I wipe out Jay’s gang, which is much harder to deal with than that, what will I get?

An unexpected reward must be waiting.

Yes, let’s shake off the 잡 thought.

Let’s just fight with the expectation of winning and getting something.

“Let’s go.”

To get rid of the obstacles blocking my way.

“……”

『Until the next draw 40… 39…』

…Should I wait 40 seconds and then depart?

*

『Until the next draw 0』

Okay.

Actually, it’s okay to draw the best pack and go here.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like I can do that.

“Finally here, Ivan!!!”

Two of Jay’s subordinates, who found me, were approaching.

Their gear is different from the guys I put out in the general businesses.

A swordsman drawing a two-handed sword and approaching.

A mace man walking with a mace over his shoulder.

Crack.

After fixing the gloves I’m wearing.

I throw [Physical Enhancement].

My body becomes lighter.

Then I use two cards.

[Ice Armor]

[Water Spray]

Ice armor flying around my body.

Seeing that, the two run at me at the same time.

There are two enemies.

It’s foolish to fight them at the same time.

I have to somehow change the flow of the battle to my side.

A battlefield where we fight relying on moonlight without torches.

Therefore, [Water Spray] may not be meaningful.

Not at all.

Clack!!

When I flick my hand, a strong Water Spray bloomed in front of the swordsman’s eyes.

The suddenly created water powerfully hits the swordsman’s eyes.

“Ugh!!”

Being able to bloom it anywhere in the air means it’s good for blocking vision.

That’s the strength of [Water Spray].

Wooong!!

I madly rotate the Ice Armor circling around me, strengthening the rotational force.

At the same time, I run out.

I attack the swordsman with Ice Armor as it is.

Of course, the mace man won’t just sit still.

“Where do you think you’re going?!!!”

The mace flies at me.

[Smash]

Thud!!

A strong shock pushes the mace away.

But then, the mace man’s fingertips glow red.

It must be his skill.

I act before he can do anything.

[Pause]

“What…?!”

The stopped mace man pours the red wave coming from his fingertip onto the floor.

The mace man’s skill flies into the air.

After glancing at his flustered expression, I run toward the swordsman and draw a new card.

『It’s your turn. Draw 5 cards.』

[Charge(1)] [Barrier(2)] [Momentum(1)] [Blink(0)] [Smash(1)]

The hand is disappointing. It would have been the prettiest picture if even one 3-cost attack card had come out and quickly finished off the swordsman.

Clack!!

I create Water Spray under the right foot of the swordsman, who regains his senses and runs again.

Squeak.

The swordsman slips, stepping on the slightly moist dirt.

It’s a gap.

Clack!

I block his vision with Water Spray and fly the Ice Armor sideways toward the swordsman’s waist.

Chaeang!!

However, the swordsman blocked the Ice Armor even with his eyes closed.

He then waves his sword at me with his eyes closed.

The [Physical Enhancement] applied to my body is still left, so I can see the trajectory of the sword.

The sword strike is flying accurately at me.

But it’s different.

“……!!!”

The trajectory of the sword suddenly begins to increase.

It looks like there are three swords, not one.

It can’t be that my eyes are strange.

It must be his card.

[Blink]

Flash!

I safely move behind the swordsman.

Sure enough, the man’s sword shines, and two more trajectories are added around the path the sword passed.

I don’t know the exact effect, but is it like increasing the number of hits?

“Where do you think you’re going!!”

The swordsman turns his body and swings his sword.

He still has his eyes closed.

Does he have something that allows him to see even without seeing?

[Smash]

Thud!!!

I strongly struck the swordsman’s stomach with a strong shock.

But there was no impact at all.

As expected, the X-like [Smash].

Still, it would break the bones of an ordinary person.

It looks like it’s impossible to do anything to people who have some specs.

First, create some distance.

Because the time for [Pause] has ended, and the mace man has started to move.

“……Take this!!!”

The swordsman shouts strongly. He was aiming the tip of his sword at me.

As if aiming at me.

Instinct tells me.

Something big is coming.

I throw the [Barrier] card and move the Ice Armor.

Shwaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

The sword suddenly begins to increase.

Before the Barrier was laid, it passed through the Ice Armor and slashed my shoulder.

“Ugh…!!”

The smell of blood I feel after a long time.

But I pull myself together and open my eyes wide.

[Barrier]

The blue Barrier that is created in front of me cuts off the lengthened sword.

Unlike [Shield], [Barrier] possesses physical properties, so this is possible.

I didn’t aim for it deliberately, but I’m lucky.

“Tch!!”

The swordsman’s sword becomes shorter again.

But the lengthening and shortening and damage to the sword don’t seem to be related. The sword is in a halved state.

Did I gain a slight advantage?

『Until the next draw 38……』

But there’s more time left than I thought.

Can I endure the remaining time with [Barrier] and [Ice Armor]?

…I have to.

If I can’t defeat these two, it won’t be possible to defeat Jay in the first place.

First, there are still many cards that they are hiding, so I’ll be as careful as possible and check the moves they throw.

“What should I do? The sword is broken?”

“Well, does it matter?”

“That’s true.”

The guys are talking and showing composure even though they lost their sword.

It’s strange.

The mace man’s posture.

He’s placing his left shoulder forward and deliberately covering his body with the mace.

Is he preparing something?

『Until the next draw 30……』

Well, it’s not bad to have more time.

Because I want time to pass, too.

Should I hold on for just a little longer?

“Building an orphanage to use slaves, it’s truly nauseating.”

“……Well, that’s true. We know that, too.”

“Then why?”

“Not everyone in the world can live cleanly. Some people are born with humble bodies, unlike the wizard-ssi.”

“…Actually, I’m from the back alleys, too.”

Lies just come out of my mouth.

But was it too obvious?

The mace man laughs pleasantly.

“Haha!! You look down on us too much, Ivan. Are you gathering mana to use magic?”

It’s not accurate, but it’s similar.

“It’s basic not to give a wizard time!!!”

The mace man suddenly threw the mace.

As expected, something is different.

A mace containing something like Aura.

First, I’ll try to block it with Barrier.

Jjeojjeojeok!!!

The Barrier cracked.

I quickly roll to the side.

Kwaaaang!!!

The mace falls where I was.

If I had been hit by that as it was, I would have died instantly.

It was fortunate that I anticipated it. If I hadn’t known that he was hiding a skill, I could have suffered serious damage.

If you charge for a certain period of time, can you unleash a powerful attack?

『Until the next draw 15……』

There is still a long time left.

Before I knew it, the swordsman near the mace man disappeared.

I read the mana.

A person’s mana felt on the right.

Just as I turn my head to check.

The man was already next to me.

I swing the Ice Armor to block the attack.

But then, he suddenly dropped his sword from his hand.

What is he doing?

“Krrreuureu……!!”

Brown hair suddenly sprouts from the man’s body.

Soon, a wolf-like hand penetrates the Ice Armor.

Jjeojeok!!

Jjaenggeurang!!

Ice shards shatter and scatter in all directions.

The man’s appearance behind him is no longer a swordsman, but a wolf.

To be exact, a werewolf.

“Damn it……!!”

Now I have no means left.

Because the duration of Water Spray has ended.

At that time, the werewolf leaps broadly backward.

As he leisurely does a somersault and lands, I see the mace man throwing the mace again.

I throw my body to the side.

Kwaaaang!!!

As a result, it was a wasted shot that didn’t hit me.

A gap was created again.

The werewolf pierced through that gap.

I can’t just take it as it is.

Clack!!!

The duration of [Water Spray] has ended, but the enemy can’t know that.

As expected, when I flick my hand, the werewolf jumps back broadly.

But nothing came out, and the werewolf, realizing that he had been tricked, spewed out an angry voice at me.

“You bastard!! Did you trick me?!”

“…It’s not easy.”

I thought they were just two ordinary warriors, but I was wrong.

A werewolf swordsman who is good at hit-and-run attacks.

A mace man who throws powerful attacks from a distance.

It’s a more difficult combination than I thought.

How should I break through?

『Until the next draw 1……0.』

There are several ways to break through.

There is a way to buy time by using [Terrain Manipulation].

There is also a way to ambush after taking away their vision with [Darkness].

Or, I could knock down one enemy with a 3-cost attack card.

But no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like I can kill them in one shot.

The best scenario is to draw [Terrain Manipulation] in the next turn and buy time, and then draw a 3-cost attack card in the next draw and link them together to eliminate one of them.

First, let’s look at the draw.

『It’s your turn. Draw 5 cards.』

[Vortex(3)] [Incinerate(3)] [Lightning(3)] [Tidal Wave(3)] [Freeze(2)]

Ah, damn it.