Card simulation, starting with the Goblin Deserter

Training room

Hayes looked at the dark red dragon pill in his hand, which was still pulsating slightly, and swallowed it instantly.

Suddenly, the sky outside changed drastically!

The clear sky was obscured by dark clouds, and a torrential downpour suddenly began. Above the clouds, one could even faintly hear the roar of a dragon.

Hayes clutched his right arm and crouched down in pain...

(The above is all from Hayes's imagination.)

Nothing actually happened. He felt as if he had just eaten a candy. If it weren't for the notification on the panel, he would have even wondered if he had eaten the wrong thing.

[You have consumed the Dragon Pill, which has amplified the virtual world.]

"That's it?"

Hayes was stunned. He bought this 100 million dollar drug, and it didn't even produce a single ounce of effect. Was this for real?

He swung his fist defiantly, but didn't feel anything different. He did feel a little uncomfortable when walking, but it quickly subsided.

"Fine, I'll practice with those wolf cubs during the simulation at dawn!"

Hayes then took out a bottle of pale blue potion and drank it all in one gulp.

I thought that even with 100 million Dragon Pills, there wouldn't be much of a reaction, and 70 Amplification Potions wouldn't be much stronger either.

Unexpectedly, just as Hayes swallowed the last bit of the medicine, a tremendous force began to brew in his abdomen!

Holy crap!

Hayes' expression changed instantly. He discovered that his stomach had swelled up to the size of a ball, and it even seemed to be getting bigger!

"What the hell! No... this is magic overload!"

The knowledge the original owner had acquired proved helpful to Hayes at this moment. He hurriedly took out his deck and activated the cards one by one with his magic.

"Summon the Goblin Rebels!"

"Summon the Goblin Cheerleaders!"

"Summoning the [Clumsy Goblin Commander]!"

"..."

In an instant, the once spacious training room was filled with bizarrely shaped goblins.

Cheerleaders waving flags and yelling; a snotty-nosed, cross-eyed commander; and insurgents with righteous expressions wearing headscarves...

Hayes never expected that, without even a single real battle, it would be this "magic amplifier" that would force his professional team to come out.

Half an hour later, Hayes' stomach finally returned to normal, and as a two-star card master, he felt better than ever before!

My body is filled with abundant magic power, and my limbs seem to have inexhaustible strength!

He stood before the various goblins, whose art style was abstract, full of vigor and eager for battle.

He thought of the gray wolves who had played with his head like a ball, and his face showed the pleasure of getting revenge!

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river!"

"Never underestimate a young person's potential!"

"You wolf cubs, I'll kill your whole family tonight!"

-

You have unlocked the new ending "Overestimating Yourself"

You have unlocked the new ending, "Falling Flat on the Ground".

You have unlocked a new ending: "Kill Yourself with a Stick"

[Deck changes in progress]

At 12:30 a.m., Hayes sat up in bed with a look of utter disbelief.

Despite taking the Dragon Pill, he did not kill wolves like he was slaughtering dogs, as he had imagined. Instead, he died three times in accidents because he could not adapt to his stronger body!

The first time, he roared to the sky and charged into the wolf pack alone. After punching a gray wolf to death, he lost his balance and was bitten to death—a foolish act of overestimating his abilities.

The second time, while fighting with several gray wolves, he lost his footing, fell flat on his face, and had his neck bitten off – a flat-face fall.

The last and most outrageous attempt involved Hayes, whose brain overloaded from trying to coordinate with the "anticipation of the enemy's moves" strategy, resulting in a flurry of activity and ultimately causing him to hit himself on the head with a stick...

This damn Dragon Pill did indeed greatly enhance his speed and strength, but in actual combat, it only resulted in a negative improvement!

The furious Hayes consoled himself by saying that it was simply because the effects of the Dragon Pill were too strong, and he couldn't handle it.

Once he adjusts in a couple of days, he'll still be able to get his revenge; these are minor issues!

[The cards have changed; you have obtained the new cards.]

【(1) Card: Arrogance】

[Quality: One Star, Average]

[Effect: Boosts self-confidence]

【(2) Card: You really will fall down】

[Quality: One Star, Average]

[Effect: A natural fall]

【(3) Card: Suicide】

[Quality: One Star, Average]

[Effect: Suicide]

The names and effects of the three new cards really made Hayes laugh in exasperation, but that's not all...

You have encountered the extraordinary event "Facing Death with Equanimity".

[Effect: Facing death multiple times will give you a mindset far beyond that of ordinary people. In critical moments, you will have a more stable mindset to cope.]

"...That was really filthy."

Hayes went to sleep feeling frustrated, secretly vowing that he must fully master his enhanced body before the actual combat test!

At least... he can't just slip and fall flat on his face during the exam, or he might as well commit suicide!

-

three days later

Zuma Academy Practical Test Day

The school gates, which are usually closed, were opened today, allowing residents from the surrounding area to visit the school.

The main avenue of the college was bustling with pedestrians. Norton walked among the crowd, with his aristocratic friend whom he had known long before he enrolled.

Since today was the day of the test, all three of them looked a little tense, and they were chatting to relieve their nervousness.

"Do you think that guy from the Ryan family has a chance of passing the test?"

The speaker was a tall, thin man with a messy haircut. The "that person from the Ryan family" he was referring to was naturally Linda.

"It's hard to say. In terms of ability alone, she might be the strongest among this year's candidates, but..." Another boy with small eyes stroked his chin, his tone somewhat troubled.

"Ha, you're all too optimistic."

Norton, who was half a body length ahead of the other two, shook his head; he had the most information.

But before he could explain in detail, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

In the crowd not far away, Hayes was walking slowly with a sandwich and a bottle of water in his hand.

Unlike the excited residents and nervous test-takers around him, this guy didn't look like he was about to take an exam at all; he exuded a strange sense of relaxation.

He even crushed the can after finishing his water, gently tossed it into a roadside trash can, and then gave a strange smile...

Norton was puzzled; sometimes he really couldn't tell if his eccentric roommate was genuinely stupid or just pretending.

There's a feeling that everyone knows he's doomed, but he himself is completely unaware...

"That's enough for now. We still have two hours until the exam. Let's go to the training ground and practice a bit more..."

Norton and his two teammates headed toward the training field, while Hayes walked in the opposite direction.

He had finished all his preparations for the day as early as dawn and was now heading straight to the designated examination room, the auditorium in the main building.

Going against the flow of people, Hayes quickly reached his destination and was surprised to find that he was the first one there.

"What's wrong with these people? Don't they understand the basic principle of arriving at the exam venue early? Their attitude is completely improper!"

Hayes finished his sandwich, sat down in a prominent spot in the middle of the first row, and stared blankly at the ceiling of the hall.

Meanwhile, in the college's conference room, several teachers who had arrived early to check the list of candidates were surprised to see Hayes staring blankly at the monitor.

"What's wrong with this student? There are still two hours until the exam, isn't he going to practice with his teammates?"

"Is this overconfidence, or has he given up?"

Another teacher pulled out the list of candidates and compared it line by line.

"Found him, Patton Hayes, ranked 919th in the entire graduating class on the written exam..."

"Deck reporting - Goblin Deck, wow~"

The teachers looked at each other, their expressions revealing sudden realization.

So you've given up, no wonder you're so relaxed...

At this moment, Hayes, sitting in the hall, was not just spacing out.

A panel visible only to him appeared in the void, listing the "weird cards" he had accumulated in the simulation over the past few days.

His gaze lingered on one spot, an unexpected surprise he had received after fighting four gray wolves simultaneously for half an hour in a simulation for training purposes.

[Card: Goblin - 50/50]

[Quality: Two-star Epic!]

[Effect: This is a goblin named "50/50," and as its name suggests, it can go toe-to-toe with any enemy for three minutes...]