Card simulation, starting with the Goblin Deserter

The world turned gray, except for the giant goblin with the mask on its face, which still had color.

Hayes looked at him: "Do you know me?"

"Do I know you?" King yawned.

Why do you say that?

Hayes thought for a moment and confessed, "I have a certain ability to sense that your attitude towards me is different from that of others."

His gaze swept across the crowd below the ring, where the butler and Soraka remained motionless, maintaining their spectator postures like two statues.

Even Gentry, Hayes carried him without feeling any weight, and even the tens of thousands of goblins below the stage disappeared.

It was as if only Hayes and King existed in this world at the moment.

"Who are you, hehe?"

Combining the other party's "k"ing title and goblin identity, Hayes put forward a bold hypothesis.

However, King seemed to have heard a joke and laughed repeatedly, his belly fat jiggling with each laugh.

After a long while, he reluctantly wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes.

"At this time, you probably don't know me yet, um... I'm talking about you in another world."

Upon hearing this, Hayes frowned, wanting to say something more, but found that he couldn't make a sound!

King looked at him with interest, smacking his lips: "Don't ask anymore. You'll know many things when you're supposed to know them. It's no use knowing now."

"I never expected you to suddenly shout 'Long live the tribe!' I had already planned what to do in the next two rounds, but it looks like that's not going to happen..."

King stretched and snapped his fingers as he spoke to Hayes.

"Alright, I've had enough fun. Let me take you back."

"Since you're already here, let me give you a gift..."

On the ring, Hayes listened to King's words, but suddenly discovered that everything in the entire stadium, including King, had turned into fragments and slowly dissipated.

"Oh right!" King slapped his forehead, as if he had remembered something.

He looked at Hayes and smiled in his last moments before completely disappearing: "We'll meet again."

The next second, the world shattered, and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion washed over him. Even though Hayes tried to bite his tongue, he could only fall into a deep sleep.

Only a mechanical voice devoid of emotion and spirit rang in the ears of the four.

[Secret Realm Cleared - Goblin Detective]

"..."

-

Hayes woke up in a hospital bed, still wearing his blue and white patient gown. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a familiar figure—Norton.

The other person was sitting in a chair, half asleep, and didn't even notice that Hayes had woken up.

The incandescent light from the ceiling above cast a soft glow, and several medical terms were displayed on the pristine white walls.

Using the various instruments around his bed, Hayes quickly determined his location—the Zuma Academy infirmary.

It seems he has now escaped from the secret realm, but I wonder how Soraka is doing.

Just as Hayes was pondering this, the simulator panel suddenly popped up in front of him.

You have exceeded the requirements for the special quest "The Goblin's Wrath," and the rewards have been optimized.

[Random card enhancement *2 → Any card enhancement *2, you can claim this reward at any time]

Oh? Hayes perked up. So this special mission didn't necessarily require him to kill Gentry.

It's amazing that completing it in an alternative way can even optimize the rewards!

Otherwise, with that bunch of mediocre cards in Hayes' deck right now, if you buffed some god-tier cards like "Suicide" or "Overestimating Yourself," it would make him cry his eyes out!

What would happen if the card "Suicide" were enhanced?

To force an opponent to commit suicide along with you, resulting in a one-for-one exchange?

Hayes shuddered and dismissed the dangerous thought.

"Claim now and upgrade [Crying Goblin] and [Goblin - 50/50]."

The reason for specifying these two cards is simple: [Goblin - 50/50] is currently the only epic card in Hayes's hand, and based on the principle of prioritizing quality over quantity, it is natural to give it priority for enhancement.

The two-star, high-quality [Crying Goblin] also fits this description. Choosing these two cards is the most reasonable option for Hayes, as it avoids unnecessarily breaking up the "Rebel + Deserter" combo.

[Reward claimed, deck under adjustment]

Unlike previous deck changes, for some reason, the simulator took an unusually long time to load this time. Hayes wasn't in a hurry and waited quietly.

During this process, he casually browsed through the other functions of the simulator and was surprised to find that the second round of the "Shop" had been refreshed!

Hayes reached for his phone on the bedside table to check the time, but as soon as his finger touched the metal casing, it made a sharp, teeth-grinding "creak" sound, leaving a clear dent in his fingertip.

Hayes abruptly withdrew his hand, his pupils contracting.

"No...my power?"

His right hand braced against the bed board, and this time he actually pressed a hole through the bed board!

Hayes, who had lost his balance, lay sprawled on the bed, too afraid to move!

Norton, who was practically drooling on his chair, was awakened by the noise.

He jumped up in a panic, looking around: "What's going on?!"

"Hey? Hayes, you're awake! Why aren't you lying down?"

A bewildered Norton stepped forward to help Hayes up, but the latter stopped him repeatedly, saying, "Don't move, don't come near me!"

"I'll get up myself!"

Norton was displeased: "Why are you being so polite with me? It was just a small favor..."

As he spoke, he grabbed Hayes' forearm and... was flung out the window.

A pane of glass shattered slightly, and Norton's wailing drifted into Hayes' ears from afar...

Half an hour later, Hayes saw Norton again, and the two had become fellow patients in the same ward.

Hayes was stunned to see Norton, who was wrapped in bandages and unconscious.

What the hell is going on? Was he fed "Dragon Pills" while he was unconscious?

The most crucial thing was that he searched through the simulator but couldn't find the reason for the increase in strength. The only anomaly he found was the "simulation" function.

Not only does the panel say it's temporarily unavailable, but there's also a line of small text in the lower left corner that says "Updating."

Hayes immediately recalled what King had told him before leaving the secret realm, saying that he would give him a gift.

The other party clearly knew about the emulator's existence, so this sudden update was very likely their doing...

Just as Hayes was lost in thought, several nurses came over and gave him a quick check-up.

Fortunately, having learned from his previous experience, Hayes remained still this time and did not cause any further trouble.

Once the nurses finished their examinations and left, the panel popped up at the right time, and the card deck changes were finally completed.

["Crying Goblin" → "Goblin - Sadness"]

【"Goblin - 50/50" → "Goblin 50/50 (Awakened)"】