Chapter 6: A New Card

The next morning, the sky was clear without a single cloud. Lin Xin got up early from her makeshift bed, looking energetic and spirited, as if the events with the bloodthirsty creature yesterday had left no trace upon her. Lin Huang, on the other hand, hadn’t slept well at all, his mind preoccupied with the unused opportunity to draw a card, unable to set the thought aside.

The kitchen was in shambles—the bloodthirsty creature had not only destroyed the table but even torn apart the cabinets. Their breakfast was a hurried, makeshift affair. As they ate, Lin Huang kept glancing up at the news projection cast by his tail ring. The news anchor was the same middle-aged man from yesterday.

“Yesterday afternoon, the phantom gate near Outpost 7D101 closed automatically after being open for an hour. Last night, over thirty monster hunters rushed to the scene, clearing a three-hundred-kilometer radius surrounding the activation point. More than three thousand bronze-tier and above monsters were slain, and all monsters above black iron rank within the area were eradicated. Local residents may safely go outside…”

It had to be said—the Hunters’ Association was indeed highly efficient in handling such incidents. In less than twenty-four hours, they had slaughtered all the monsters that had poured out from the phantom gate. The reason for leaving only black iron-tier monsters was that these posed no threat to small outposts. Moreover, many residents, seeking a better life, chose to hunt monsters themselves. For five or six well-equipped adults working together, taking down a black iron-tier monster was no difficult feat.

“Brother, I’m off to school!” Lin Xin called out.

“Alright, stay safe on your way.” After breakfast, Lin Xin headed out for school. Watching her leave, Lin Huang hurriedly finished his own meal.

“Little Black, I still have one chance to draw a card, right? I want to use it now!” Lin Huang communicated with the black card within him; he had been impatient for this moment.

“Do you wish to proceed with card draw now?”

“Yes!” Lin Huang nodded eagerly, anticipation welling up within him as he wondered what kind of card he might obtain.

“Twelve cards have been randomly selected for the host. From these, draw one card; this will be your reward.”

“Warning: The host has only one chance to choose. Once selected, it cannot be changed!”

After these lines appeared before his eyes, twelve black cards hovered in the air in front of Lin Huang, arranged in a perfect circle like the twelve marks of a clock.

He examined them closely; all twelve cards were identical, pure black with a golden question mark at the center, golden flames flickering as if alive.

Little Black did not rush him, and after scrutinizing each card in vain, Lin Huang could only shake his head helplessly. “Looks like I have no choice but to pick at random…”

He raised his hand and pointed to the card at the twelve o’clock position. “I’ll choose this one!”

As he spoke, the black question mark card ignited, burning from top to bottom and transforming into a new card.

“Congratulations, host. You have obtained a Mission Card!”

Ignoring Little Black’s prompt, Lin Huang stared at the card.

It was golden, depicting a curvaceous, golden-haired woman in a black maid’s outfit. Her figure was breathtaking, the outfit not tight yet worn in a way that was irresistibly alluring—especially at the chest, where, despite the garment’s attempt at modesty, a third of her fair bosom was exposed, drawing the eye.

“Congratulations, dear, you’ve drawn a Mission Card!” The woman on the card suddenly spoke, winking mischievously. Lin Huang was startled, but his attention was soon caught by the sway of her chest.

“Now, I will assign you your mission!”

“The mission is as follows: Become a reserve hunter within one month!”

“Mission reward: One flawless card.”

“If you fail to complete the mission within the specified time, you will be penalized: Lose your golden finger!”

“Mission issued. For details, see the text on the back of the card.”

As her words ended, the blonde woman froze in place, resuming her original, motionless form.

Lin Huang had no time to wonder what a flawless card was—the mission had to be completed. If he failed, he would lose his golden finger, making any chance of turning his life around all but impossible.

Turning over the card, he found the text matched the woman’s announcement exactly. He tapped the card, and it dissolved into countless golden particles, which burrowed into his body.

“To become a reserve hunter, one must be at least black iron rank to qualify for registration. Though I’m not strong enough myself, participating as a Summoner should be possible.” Lin Huang had looked up the requirements for reserve hunters before and knew that certain professions were granted special exemptions; Summoner was among them.

A Summoner, in this world, was someone who could control monsters, making them serve at their will. Those with this talent were exceedingly rare, and so the profession was both precious and prestigious.

Lin Huang possessed a monster card he could summon, allowing him to masquerade as a Summoner.

“A bloodthirsty creature at black iron three-star should be quite formidable among those taking the reserve hunter examination, but its weakness is glaringly obvious. If someone brings weapons laced with the bloodbane factor, the bloodthirsty species would be utterly suppressed in battle…” After analyzing the situation, Lin Huang’s gaze shifted to the second card in his body—the Advancement Card.

“To use it on a regular card would be a waste, but there’s no other way. Time is limited; I must make use of every resource to maximize my chances of passing the reserve hunter exam! If the bloodthirsty creature’s rarity advances, its strength should rival that of a bronze-tier powerhouse, giving me a better shot.”

Advancement cards were most valuable when used on rarer cards. A normal card would only advance to rare, but a rare card could become epic, and an epic could even ascend to legendary, with value increasing exponentially. Lin Huang had planned to save it for a rarer card, but now, he had no choice.

“Little Black, how do I summon the monster card?” He withdrew his gaze from the Advancement Card and asked.

“Focus your attention. The card will automatically appear in your hand. Crush the card to complete the summoning!” Instructions appeared on the black card.

“If I summon the card, will others be able to see it?” he asked, unable to suppress his concern.

“All cards are visible only to the host. No other person can perceive them by any means.”

“That’s a relief!” Lin Huang finally relaxed—if others could see the cards, his golden finger would soon be exposed.

Clearing his doubts, Lin Huang focused his mind. He simply pictured the monster card from his life wheel appearing in his palm, and moments later, a white crystal card, half the size of his palm, materialized in his right hand.

It was exactly as it had appeared in his life wheel, only now fully real, cold to the touch. If Little Black hadn’t just assured him that no one else could perceive the card, he might have been tempted to test it on someone.

Following Little Black’s instructions, Lin Huang squeezed the card in his hand. He had worried about whether he’d be able to break it, but with just a little force, the card shattered on its own, fragments swirling before him and quickly coalescing.

In less than a second, the fragments formed into a handsome young man about Lin Huang’s own age. For a moment, Lin Huang wondered if he had summoned a human instead of a monster.

“Host has activated a monster card. Would you like to randomly extract a monster skill?”