Card simulation, starting with the Goblin Deserter

The next morning, Hayes received a letter from the academic affairs department as soon as he woke up.

"In recognition of Patton Hayes' outstanding performance in the practical test, achieving a perfect completion of the extremely difficult special test, a reward is hereby awarded..."

"Beginner Dungeon Pass *1?"

Hayes opened the letter and found a green crystal containing a special magical fluctuation. By handing this little thing over to the academy staff at the training center, one could embark on a "Secret Realm Adventure."

But—is this thing valuable?

Hayes picked up the emerald, his expression slightly disgusted, wondering if it was just some random piece of junk the academy had given him to fool him.

He glanced at his phone and was surprised to see a message from Linda.

Speaking of which, as soon as the assessment ended yesterday, Linda said goodbye to Hayes, saying that she still had a lot of things to take care of and that she would see him again at the entrance ceremony a week later.

Upon opening the chat software, Hayes was surprised to find that the message was sent at 3 a.m.

It's so late and she's still not asleep. Being the daughter of a duke must be really exhausting.

He sighed inwardly and opened the message to read it carefully.

Ryanlinda: You should receive the Secret Realm Pass issued by the Academy when you wake up. This thing is very valuable, so keep it safe, but don't sell it casually!

Ryan Linda: I transferred five million to your card, and there would have been more. But the Ryan family has a lot of things to deal with right now, so... I'm sorry, I'll transfer the remaining payment to you once I'm done.

Ah... you're "transferring" the remaining reward to me? Does that mean you're already giving me the money? That's fantastic!

Hayes glanced at the store; there were only two days left until the next round of product refreshes. Five million should be enough, right?

After all, the "Dragon Pill" plus the "Amplifier" only costs 170 million.

Hayes thought for a moment, replied simply "No rush," tossed his phone aside, and then sat down at the table, pondering what he should do today.

The next week is considered a short holiday before the official start of school.

Ordinary students would probably spend this time in groups strolling around Zuma Royal City to pass the time, or perhaps previewing their courses for the start of the semester.

But Hayes didn't have many friends here, and he didn't have a hobby like shopping. Studying his lessons was not even on his agenda.

So... he'll have nothing to do until midnight?

Just as Hayes was contemplating whether to go back to bed for a nap, there was a sudden knock on the dormitory door.

Boom boom boom!

It was very rhythmic and gentle, completely different from the irritable old man next door in the early hours of the morning.

Hayes got up, puzzled, and went to open the door.

"Norton? You didn't bring your keys?"

He opened the door and found that the person outside was not Norton, but a bald middle-aged man with broad shoulders in a suit.

Hayes was taken aback: "Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

The bald man was also stunned: "Classmate?"

"Oops, I forgot to bring this thing, hahaha. Thanks for calling me so young, Patton Hayes."

The middle-aged man stroked his smooth scalp and then pulled out an ID card from his pocket and put it around his neck.

Hayes was surprised to find that the style of the ID was very similar to the one Sinclair wore, only the color was different—Sinclair's was blue, and the bald man's was green.

"Hello, Patton Hays, my name is Jesse Bob..."

Bob smiled, revealing two rows of white teeth, quite pleased with Hayes' reaction.

"Nice to meet you. I'm a professor of card making at Zuma Academy, I..."

boom!

Before Bob could react, Hayes slammed the door shut with a loud bang!

Inside the door, Hayes turned around and yawned: "You can go back now, I'm not getting a campus card."

"I have to say, you salespeople are really something else! Impersonating college professors? But couldn't you at least have some skill?"

"You can't even get the colors right, and you're trying to sell things? Who do you think you can fool..."

Outside the door, Bob's smile froze.

He looked at the tightly closed door in front of him, took a deep breath, and forced a smile as he explained, "You've got it wrong. The faculty members' work IDs are blue, and the professors' are green."

"Ha, how do you prove your identity?"

Hayes, still inside the door, didn't believe it. Norton had already told him that there were many "old hands" in the academy who specialized in swindling money from freshmen!

Trying to swindle Hayes' money? No way!

Bob raised an eyebrow: "You can ask me anything. As a veteran in the card-making industry, I know everything!"

"Huh? You know everything?"

Hayes thought for a moment and asked, "What is the seventh rule of the academy?"

Bob: ?

"How the hell should I know? I don't have to follow those rules..."

Bob, who was almost caught up in "political correctness," quickly stopped talking and said, suppressing his anger, "I'm the professor of card making. Can you ask me some questions about card making instead?"

Card making?

Hayes' eyes lit up. He was genuinely curious about this topic. If the person outside the door was indeed a professor, he might be able to get some useful information from him!

"Then let me ask you, how are legendary cards made?"

Bob: ? ? ?

"Legendary cards are all unique, without star ratings, and their strength grows in tandem with the cardholder..."

"Aww~" Hayes nodded in realization and wrote it down in his notebook.

"So, how do we make it?"

Bob paused for two seconds: "I don't know how..."

"..."

"hehe."

In the vast dormitory corridor, Hayes's contemptuous sneer was barely audible. Yet, it was like a knife, striking Bob squarely in the heart!

He was so angry that his body was trembling, and he was roaring wildly in his heart. He had never suffered such a great injustice since he broke through to the seventh-level card master more than ten years ago!

There are only two Legendary cards in the entire Zuma Royal City, and the number of Legendary cards that have left their mark all over the world can be counted on two hands!

If he could make legendary cards, why would he be stuck here as a professor? Dean Fisher would have to shine his shoes!

At this moment, he even wanted to force his way into the dormitory, slap his seventh-tier epic core card onto Hayes's face, and let him see for himself whether Bob was a fraud or not!

But he held back; as a professor, he shouldn't get angry with his students...

After standing still for a dozen seconds, Bob, having calmed down, took out his phone and called Fisher.

"Dean..."

"Speak," Fisher said, puzzled, as he was dealing with college affairs on the other end of the phone.

"Didn't I tell you to take Hayes to experience the beginner-level dungeon? Why are you calling me?"

Bob paused for two seconds, then said, "Patton Hays thinks I'm a scammer selling student cards and refuses to see me."

"Please make a call and explain for me that I really am a professor at the college, and I'm not lying to him!"

Fisher: ? ? ?

While Bob chatted with Fisher, Hayes, who had already returned to his dorm bed, was playing with the Secret Realm Pass.

He weighed the emerald green gem in his hand, and suddenly felt a slight tingling in his fingertips, as if a faint magical force was trying to penetrate his skin, but was blocked by an invisible barrier.

Hayes looked at the gem in his hand with suspicion: "Academy prizes are of such poor quality? Can this thing really be worth anything?"

Just as he unconsciously placed the pass not far in front of his chest, a panel suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Small simulated world detected, parameters being modified—]

[Modification successful. We wish you a pleasant experience.]