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＜ 21. The strongest card (5) ＞
“ Andrea, what should I do ?”
“ Wait a minute .”
Emilia approached Andrea with a worried expression. Andrea pondered .
As Verdin said, once a card entered the deck, it could never be taken away. The moment a card is put into the deck, the card no longer exists in real life, but exists as a ‘record’ in the deck. No one can physically take away the ‘record’ .
It is possible to completely obliterate the deck and cards by killing Verdin, but in that case, there will be no way to deal with Oze. A mere resentment with no one to benefit from .
‘···!’
Thoughts running through my head at that moment. Now, Andrea had one means of moving the cards written on the deck .
A statue of an unknown woman. Through this artifact, Andrea had already passed her card to Tricia and returned it .
However, there was one fact that bothered me. Andrea had assumed that the artifact could only be exchanged between challengers accompanying each other. But is it really possible to exchange cards in the deck with a challenger just passing by ?
It would be a waste if you tried to steal it to test it and failed. After that, Verdin will put the deck in the card and never take it out. It is difficult to gamble recklessly .
‘ Wait no. Why risk it when there is a sure way ?’
Andrea thought of a solution. It was very simple. If something is uncertain, just make it certain .
‘ Let’s make this bastard a colleague for a while. And just get the card and discard it .’
However, if he suddenly said that he would accompany him, it would almost certainly raise Verdin’s suspicions as to whether there was an ulterior motive. A more sophisticated approach was needed .
Time to think about a plan for a while. It didn’t take long for the results to come out. Andrea stared at Verdin .
‘ It’s not on our side to beg to be accepted as a colleague. Rather, I should make him beg for it .’
Verdin faced Andrea after feeling her gaze. On the other hand, he had a mean smile on his face, as if he was satisfied that he had put Andrea and the others in trouble. without knowing what will happen in the future .
“ Did you think enough? Now you guys know that there is no way to use your hands, right? If you know better, turn it off. Otherwise… you’ll have to fight me who used ‘this card’ .”
Verdin went beyond being complacent and even threatened Andrea and the others. It was because he realized belatedly that he could just pretend to be able to use the card himself and threaten him .
But Andrea snorted .
“ Then try it. It must have been a card that couldn’t be used without making a dedicated deck, right ?”
That card had strict limitations as well as powerful performance. This was the reason why Andrea composed Emilia’s second deck mainly with draw cards and search cards, such as card search, prayer of abundance, and growing trees .
‘ What, did you already know everything about the card ?’
Verdin, who was stabbed to the point, could not even answer and gnashed his teeth. Andrea moved closer towards Verdin, creating an intimidating atmosphere .
“ And do you think you will wait patiently for me to use the card? Just put your hands on the deck once in a while. All you have to do is break your legs . . .”
Puck !
Wood Deuk –
One light kick shattered Verdin’s shinbone. Surrounded by terrible pain, Verdin couldn’t say anything and only opened his mouth like a crucian carp .
Andrea finishes what she used to say calmly .
“… I’ll make it like this .”
“ aaagh! You already made it !”
“ Oh, sorry. Stop demonstrating .”
Andrea shrugged her shoulders in regret. Verdin collapsed helplessly, grabbed his legs and rolled around on the floor .
Trisha and Emilia silently watched the scene with a mysterious feeling, whether to say it was a pity or a little pity .
“ Anyway, since you put that card in your deck, there’s nothing we can do about it. I’m sorry, but I have to step back from this point. Goodbye then .”
As soon as she finished speaking, Andrea glanced at Tricia and Emilia. It’s a lie, so it’s a signal to agree. Both of them were aware enough to understand the meaning .
However, for Verdin, who did not know the intention, the sudden change of attitude was just bewildering. Turning their backs on Verdin, who was staring at him with a stupid face, Andrea and the others all left . As soon as I walked
a little bit, the cries of
carapace ants resonated from the back of the aisle at just the right time. Only then did Verdin realize what kind of situation he was in .
I still feel a shattering headache in my head, and my legs are completely shattered. If left in this state full of monsters, he would die .
“ Hey, wait! Don’t leave me alone !”
Verdin crawls on the floor and follows Andrea and the others. Andrea maintained an attitude of utter disregard, but walked deliberately slowly .
“ Where is this law! If you broke someone’s leg, you should help !”
“ If you leave me here, I will surely die! It’s as if you killed me! You’re going to be a murderer !”
“ This, profit …!”
When Andrea didn’t respond to anything he said, Verdin changed his target .
A small priest with a delicate impression. A priest who serves a god must be more merciful than that malicious guy .
“ Priest! Please give me the grace of healing! Didn’t God tell you to be merciful when you see someone in trouble ?”
“… In regards to the brutal murder of the priest, are you clinging so far because you want to live ?”
However, what came back was a chilling reply. What Verdin overlooked was the fact that Emilia was not the kind of person who withdrew as she seemed .
“ God will be pleased with your death. May there be a place for you in the hottest part of hell .”
“ Ah, ah . . .”
It was a curse that anyone could do, but the weight was different because it was spoken by a priest .
Verdin sincerely regretted putting the card in the deck. Of course, I never intended to give it away, but if that was the case, there would have been room for negotiation somehow… The one who made the situation this way was himself .
Still, I couldn’t help but give up. Verdin took out his subspace pouch as a last resort .
“ Hey, hey! If you take me, I’ll give you all my gold! Over 30,000 gold !”
Andrea stood tall as planned. Verdin chattered excitedly, as if he thought his words had worked .
“ 30,000 gold is enough money to buy a pretty decent legend card. Is n’t it a huge price to pay for just being with you for a little while ?”
“ Certainly that is tempting. If you’re only going to accompany me for a while .”
‘It’s done !’
Verdin kept repeating that it was an excellent choice, lest he change his mind. Andrea heard it all in one ear and let it all out in the other. It was a game that ended the moment the other side asked to accompany them anyway .
“ Prepaid .”
“ What, what ?”
“ I don’t do it unless I pay in advance. Give me the money first .”
Verdin hesitantly protested, but Andrea’s attitude was stubborn. Verdin, who was pushed back in the battle of nerves, had no choice but to hand over all of the gold .
“ Then let’s start now .”
Andrea grabbed Verdin by the arm and dragged him along the floor. Whenever a broken bone was caught on a stone beak, a scream erupted inevitably. He didn’t expect to be transported comfortably, but Verdin never expected that the transport method would be this rough .
“ Oh, ah! What are you doing! Move it the other way !”
“ You don’t like it ?”
“ Ah! No, anyway, this is…”
“ You can’t do it bare-mouthed. Give me more gold .”
Verdin inevitably gnashed his teeth. The gold he just handed over was his entire possession. He decided that if he survived and grew stronger, he would one day annihilate these three people .
After being dragged along like that for a long time, Verdin’s face turned pale. The passage we were going to enter was a road full of sharp gravel .
Andrea smiles meaningfully while looking down at Verdin .
“ Hey, I’ll make sure it doesn’t get swept on the floor from here, so would you like to take out ‘that card’ for a second ?”
“ Uh, huh? Why ?”
“ What, are you afraid of losing it ?”
“…”
“ Hey, is there any way you can take that away from me? If there was such a thing, I would have taken it a long time ago. I’m not going to have it, so give it to me for a second .”
Verdin glared at him with a wary gaze. Andrea snorted and started dragging Verdin again .
“ Don’t hate it. Oh, there’s a perfect path for knee acupressure right here .”
“ I’ll give it to you! I’ll give it to you! Please, just that …”
Verdin hurriedly took out a card and offered it to Andrea. Andrea snatched the card and took it .
Pure white and dazzling brilliance. Looking at it, it was a card that made me feel divine. Gold threads were applied luxuriously around the white border, and the illustration drawn on the card had a three-dimensional effect as if it would jump out at any moment. A card that clearly shows that it is different from other cards .
It was the only characteristic of the ‘Divine’ grade card, the only grade beyond the Legend grade .
Andrea looked over the card and nodded slowly. As expected, it was a card with the same effect as the one he remembered. Andrea showed the cards enough to Trisha and Emilia .
“ Wow, what is it? Do you have a card like this? Does this make sense ?”
A word from Tricia, who was dumbfounded .
As she read the explanation on the card, Emilia’s expression gradually brightened, and soon it became a full-blown face. Although the conditions were difficult, it was an unimaginable and unconventional effect .
“ Andrea, if the effect described here is true, then surely that demon …!”
“ Yes, I can make it permanent .”
However, Andrea smiled bitterly at the same time. Power without cost does not exist. In order to use this card, difficult conditions had to be satisfied, and there were also concerns about unexpected side effects .
‘ Well, it’s still a long way from using it, but there’s no need to worry about it already .’
Seeing Emilia smile flawlessly after a long time made me feel good. Verdin in the back was not in a pleasant mood at all, but .
“ If you’ve seen enough… will you give it back now ?”
“I don’t like it .”
Andrea held the card in her hand and waved it. ridicule beyond measure. Verdin shouted in a voice filled with resentment .
“ You can’t even put it in your deck anyway! You said you wouldn’t have it !”
“ Yeah, it’s not me, it’s the priest’s .”
Andrea put a card into Emilia’s second deck. The cards didn’t come out and were sucked into the deck. Verdin doubted his eyes .
“ What, what is it? How in the world . . .?”
Instead of explaining, Andrea continued to fulfill the promise she had made with Verdin .
“ Oh, and you said that if you hand over the card, it won’t be rubbed on the floor, right? If you stay here, you won’t be swept on the floor and it’ll be perfect .”
“ What, what? You said it would take you out of the anthill? Aren’t your promises and words different ?”
“ When am I? Our promise was to accompany you for a while, right? I never promised to take you out of the anthill .”
It felt like the blood was cold. As I pondered over my memories, I realized that I never said that I would definitely take you out of the anthill .
From Verdin’s point of view, he didn’t say it because it was too obvious, but it was a word that could be interpreted differently from the viewpoint of accepting it. I wanted to argue, but it was so absurd that the words didn’t come out properly .
Andrea left Verdin alone and was ready to leave. After a while, a light wave waving toward Verdin
Andrea .
“ Goodbye. healthy .”
“ Wait! wait! You devilish bastard !”
“… Devil? Then what are you who killed an innocent priest ?”
“ It was unavoidable! Does everyone live like that? Why are you only doing this to me !”
There was no sign of remorse until the very end. There is only ugly self-justification. Andrea shook her head and turned around .
“ As Emilia said, I hope there is a place for you in the hottest part of hell .”
Emilia and Tricia also followed Andrea. A desperate voice was heard, but no one looked back. As time passed, the cries of the carapace ants overshadowed the screams .
Of course, Andrea had no intention of letting Verdin live from the start, so it was a pre-planned ending .
Trisha tilted her head when she was almost out of the anthill. It was because one question I had been missing came to my mind .
“ Uh… but Andrea. If we take the card… won’t we break our promise to Priest Roberto ?”
Actually, that was the essence of this quest .
Read from noble mtl dot com
Normally, until this quest is received, the player completes Roberto’s mission, receives his help and blessings, and builds a strong relationship of trust. And after collecting the card, you will be at a crossroads .
Will you return the card to Priest Roberto and keep his trust, or will you get a powerful card and betray Priest Roberto ?
If you choose the former, you can receive the reward from Roberto, but it is a small reward that does not compare to the value of the card. On the other hand, if he chooses the latter, Roberto expresses a sense of betrayal and declares that he will never trust any challenger again .
Afterwards, instead of blessing, he curses the challengers who enter the temple of the earth, and is struck by a sword by an indignant challenger and ends up dying. Even though he is just an NPC in the game, the ending leaves a lasting impression when you think of Roberto, who always greeted him with a kind attitude .
The crossroads of choice left entirely to the player’s conscience. Most players will make the latter choice, saying that they cannot give up their cards. However, in the current situation where it is difficult to see Roberto as a mere NPC, that was not an easy choice to make .
Emilia too, belatedly realizing that fact, was putting on an expression of ‘Oops’. It was to save Betty, but I never wanted to betray the priest who trusted them and entrusted the work .
However, Andrea didn’t even worry about it in the first place. After playing the game countless times, I figured out that there is a way to get the cards and not betray the trust of Priest Roberto .
There is only one preparation needed, but Andrea got it while facing the dark merchant on the previous floor. Now it was time to go and receive the reward from Roberto .
“ Don’t worry. Because there are ways .”
Two people with incomprehensible expressions. Andrea didn’t bother to explain what the method was. You would find out soon anyway .
＜ 21. The strongest card (5) ＞ End