Card simulation, starting with the Goblin Deserter

Late night

Norton went to bed early, but Hayes lay in bed deep in thought.

He recently consulted Norton again, and although it wasn't explicitly stated, the difficulty of a multi-person assessment is definitely higher than that of a single-person assessment.

Since he was already tied to a "bomb," he had to improve his strength as much as possible this week in order to increase his chances of passing the level.

Hayes glanced at the clock on the wall; it was past midnight, and his simulation attempts had been refreshed to three.

Close your eyes and concentrate.

[Entered the "Goblin Deck" world...]

Hayes opened his eyes, and the familiar fishy smell and dryness hit him, but the scene before him was unexpected.

Unlike yesterday's simulation, this time he skipped the "collecting weapons" part and was born directly in the "traveling" phase!

This means that his pre-planned scheme of repeatedly swiping his card has fallen through, and soon the wolf pack will attack!

Fortunately, Hayes had planned ahead to deal with the wolves and quickly calmed down, waiting patiently.

After walking for about ten minutes, a familiar thicket of trees came into view.

The officer's eyes narrowed. He had just stopped to take a look when a furious shout came from behind him!

"Enemy attack! Be on alert!!"

Kaka:?

No, am I not the commander of this team?

He turned around in confusion, only to find Hayes already standing behind him, holding the wooden stick.

"You..." Kaka started to say something, but then Hayes suddenly pointed to the bushes ahead and shouted, "Sir, it's a gray wolf!"

Kaka turned his head again, and the next second, a low wolf howl came, and seven or eight gray wolves blocked the goblins' path.

When the enemy attacked, Kaka didn't care about anything else. It roared and charged into the enemy ranks with its wooden stick. In an instant, it killed a gray wolf. How brave it was!

Hayes was stunned: "Sir, you've gone ahead! What do we do now?"

He ran to Kaka's side so that the latter could protect him! But the other party's speed was terrifying; even though he anticipated Kaka's movements, he couldn't react at all!

Kaka didn't reply, he just kept swinging the bat.

"Fuck this brute!"

Seeing that the wolves had surrounded Kaka, Hayes gritted his teeth, decisively retreated back to the goblin ranks, and took the initiative to command: "Charge towards the commander!"

"These bastards are definitely not coming in waves; watch out for both flanks!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of wolf howls came from his flank.

The goblins rushed to defend themselves, but fortunately, Hayes warned them early enough that they were not overwhelmed by the wolves.

In an instant, the two sides engaged in a fierce battle, with blood and spittle flying everywhere and cries of agony filling the air.

Hayes was on the right flank of the team, fighting a gray wolf. He didn't have strong physical abilities or any fighting skills, but fortunately, he was good at anticipating the enemy's moves and was able to predict the gray wolf's attack route every time.

Unlike last time when he was forced to flee for his life, this time Hayes even had the energy to observe the battlefield situation.

The wolf pack had the advantage in numbers, but the vast majority of the gray wolves were hunting down their commander, Kaka.

The remaining wolf pack was even smaller than the number of goblins.

When the casualty ratio between the two sides was close to one for one, Hayes was delighted to find that, given how things were going, they could win!

However...

A goblin, terrified, let out a sharp wail.

"Mother--"

He threw away his giant club and fled in panic. At the same time, the goblins around him were also affected and began to flee!

Hayes even saw a goblin, in an attempt to escape, crawling on all fours, pretending it had four legs...

The stalemate collapsed instantly, and gray wolves bared their fangs, taking the lives of goblins one by one as they moved about.

In the blink of an eye, only Hayes remained standing in the goblin squad.

He stood blankly in the middle of the wolf pack, meeting their bloodthirsty, scarlet gazes, and couldn't help but sigh to the heavens.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Stab it!

Hayes, dead!

This simulation has ended...

[Remaining simulation attempts for today: 2]

-

Near Zuma Academy, there is a luxurious hotel.

Ryan Linda stepped out of the bathroom and dried her blonde hair with a towel draped over her shoulder.

This is a charming noblewoman, but recent rumors have made her look unwell.

"Miss." The maid who lived next door knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in." Linda changed into a silk nightgown and sipped the freshly brewed black tea.

A maid pushed open the door, bowed respectfully, and handed over a letter with both hands.

Linda took the letter and ran her fingertips along the wax seal—her family crest, now being abused by her uncle.

Linda curled her lips into a cold smile, and without even glancing at it, the letter floated lightly into the trash can.

"Miss!?" The maid was shocked, but before she could speak, Linda said casually.

"It's none of your business. I threw it away because even a fool could guess what was written in the letter." Her voice was as usual, yet it was like an undercurrent surging beneath a glacier.

"My uncle, the marquis, must be eager to take over the business left by my father, right?"

The Marquis Stern, the younger brother of the Duke of Silver Lion, is also Linda's good uncle.

Upon hearing this, the maid hesitated for a moment, but then forced herself to speak.

"My lord... I would like to persuade you to give up the Zuma Academy assessment."

"He received information that someone might try to harm you during the evaluation..."

"Huh?" Linda lowered her hand from her chin and leaned forward slightly.

At that moment, the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.

"What benefits did he give you?"

"You'd risk your life to talk to me like this?"

The maid pursed her lips and remained silent, but immediately knelt before Linda.

Linda swirled the spoon in her glass and said calmly, "He just wants me to give up becoming a card master so that he can rightfully take my father's dukedom."

In this world, card masters have an extremely high social status. Even if an ordinary person becomes a noble, at best they can only become a knight.

If Linda gives up the opportunity to enter Zuma Academy, it will be equivalent to giving up the chance to become a powerful card master, which is the same as giving up the foundation of the Ryan family!

"That parasite talks a good game, worrying about my safety? I think it's just showing off."

Linda knows perfectly well who the culprit is in controlling public opinion.

She waved her hand as if she were sleepy, and the next second, the maid's head was severed by an unknown strike.

Blood splattered three feet high, but surprisingly, it didn't get any closer to Linda.

"Please change my room."

Linda yawned and went out, seemingly unconcerned, but the fire hidden beneath her icy gaze meant that she was not as at ease as she appeared.

But just as her fingers were about to touch the doorknob, the candlelight in the room suddenly flickered in one direction, as if blown by an invisible breath.

"Miss, please give up the assessment."

The voice came from the corner, but it seemed to come more from her ear, or more precisely—from the family crest hanging on her chest.

Linda trembled. She slowly lowered her head, her face no longer showing the languidness and coldness she displayed when dealing with the maid, but rather the paleness and anger of someone betrayed by their loved ones!

"Even you say that?"

The owner of the voice remained silent for a long time before speaking to explain.

"Zuma Academy is backed by the royal family, and they have never shown any favoritism in previous assessments."

"But this time is different. His Excellency the Duke's relationship with the royal family during his lifetime..."

The voice didn't finish the sentence; it only added one more.

"You will die."

"Then die!"

Linda slammed the door shut without looking back.

In the pitch-black corridor, a few tears could be faintly seen glistening in the light, but even more striking was the stubborn gaze that refused to be extinguished.