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＜ 21. The strongest card (6) ＞
“ Are you here ?”
As soon as we got out of the anthill, Roberto hurriedly came out. It looked sober until just a few hours ago, but Andrea’s party, covered in dust and formic acid, was not a word .
Roberto couldn’t help but feel sorry for the situation .
“ I’m sorry, Bishop Emilia, and my colleagues. You went through a lot of hardship because of me .”
“ Hmm, hmm. Oh no. Even if you’re a pagan, if you’re in trouble, you should help, but from the standpoint of serving the same god, what’s the point? ”
Emilia spoke solemnly as befits a bishop. Andrea and Trisha looked awkward, but from Roberto’s point of view, it seemed like a good example of a bishop .
“ I will not forget the bishop’s attitude of giving favors to the lowly and imitate them. By the way, Priest Franco… didn’t come with you ?”
Emilia hesitated, unable to open her mouth easily. Seeing that, Roberto turned his gaze to the side. Our eyes met and Andrea shook her head. Roberto immediately realizes what that means .
From now on, the face of the priest who had to protect the temple alone was gloomy .
” So that’s it… was it the monster’s doing ?”
“ No, there was a challenger who broke into the ant’s nest, and it was him. It seems to have penetrated from the ground and entered the bottom, but you should take a look around the temple to see if there are any holes .”
“ I can guess who did it. There was one challenger who insistently inquired about the card. I thought he gave up because he disappeared one day, but I never thought he would do such an absurd thing …”
Roberto blamed himself. It was something that could have been prevented if I had been more sensitive to its intentions and carefully monitored it. However, regret is always too late, no matter how soon .
Andrea put on a sorry face and continued what she was saying .
“ It was not in good condition, and the body could not be retrieved due to the circumstances. However, I only got back the card you mentioned .”
“That ’s right… I’m glad. And thank you. Although Franco lost his temper in his later years, he too would have hoped that the cards would return to the Earth Temple rather than end up in the hands of the Amon .”
A look of sincere gratitude came back. For Andrea, who had rarely built good relationships with NPCs in dungeons, it was a look that made her feel very strange .
After that, Trisha and Emilia watched Andrea carefully. It was to see what Andrea had said about the solution, how to protect the cards without betraying Roberto’s trust .
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No matter how much they thought about it, the two couldn’t guess what the hell it would be like. All they could think of was bizarre speculation .
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Negotiating without returning the card, making a fake card and tricking Roberto, returning the card and then stealing it like Franco did… It wasn’t .
Judging by the flow of the conversation, Andrea seemed to return the card as it is. Trisha whispered to Emilia, who had a somewhat uneasy expression on her face .
‘ Emilia, what method is Andrea using ?’
‘ Well, I don’t know… I can’t even guess… I don’t think I’m going to return it like this …’
At that moment, Emilia trembled slightly as if something suddenly came to mind .
‘ Huh? By the way, I already put this card in my deck. Then you can’t take it out ?’
‘ Uh… is that so ?’
Andrea’s artifact in the form of a statue of a woman could be moved by a challenger putting it into another challenger’s deck, but it was impossible to take it out again. Speculation about what method Andrea would use became more and more mysterious .
Andrea approached them while they were in a state of bewilderment .
“ Emilia, can you give me your card for a second ?”
“ Huh? huh? Uh, yes .”
Emilia hurriedly took out the card and held it out. Andrea held the handed card in her hand and suddenly took out her subspace pouch .
Afterwards, Andrea tried to rummage through the subspace pocket to find something, and then took the card out of the pocket again. Then, with a triumphant attitude, he approached Roberto and held out his card .
“ Here I am. Let’s check if it’s genuine .”
Emilia and Tricia were stunned by the unexpected behavior .
Roberto carefully accepted the sacred glowing card. It looked genuine at first glance, but I carefully observed it just in case. The pattern of gold leaf, engraved letters and three-dimensional pictures, and even the back of the card with a flamboyant pattern .
After a long time, Roberto opened his mouth .
“ It is unmistakably authentic. thank you. I will prepare a case, so could you wait in the parlor for a moment ?”
“ Let’s do that .”
As soon as Roberto left, Emilia and Trisha rushed at him. Trisha asks with a face that I can’t understand .
“ What is it, Andrea? Did you hand over the real thing? Or what, did you create an elaborate fake in the meantime ?”
“ Of course I handed over the real card. If I give you a fake, no matter how sophisticated it is, Priest Roberto will notice right away .”
“ Yes, but how? no, why ?”
Averting her gaze from the slightly agitated Tricia, Andrea glanced at Emilia .
He is very anxious that he will not be able to save Betty, but on the other hand, he believes that Andrea has thoughts. Seeing that expression, I suddenly felt sorry for not explaining how to surprise him .
“ Emilia, put this in your deck. Be careful not to get caught by Priest Roberto .”
Andrea took something out of her subspace pocket and held it. It was the same card I had just handed to Roberto .
The dazzling light surrounding the card was also unmistakably genuine .
Emilia was making an expression full of question marks. Trisha, on the other hand, realized what had happened as soon as she saw it .
“ What, did you copy the card ?”
Andrea grinned and nodded .
copy mirror. An Epic quality relic that allows you to copy one card of your choice. Andrea had been eyeing this artifact from the beginning at the black dealer’s stall .
Usually, it is used to increase the number of key cards in a deck to make them easier to find, or to duplicate cards that have more powerful effects when there are more of them, but Andrea used this artifact for a completely different purpose this time .
How to give the real thing to the original owner and keep the copy. Anyway, among the cards Andrea and the others had, there were no cards that could be copied and enjoyed a noticeable effect. If so, why not use the artifact in this situation to take care of both practicality and conscience ?
The rewards Roberto gave were mediocre compared to ‘this card’, but they were absolutely worthless. Because it’s a legendary level artifact. If you can get it by using the ‘Copying Mirror’, it’s a business that makes a lot of money .
Of course, Andrea didn’t have this plan from the start. When I hadn’t met the blacksmith yet, I had no choice but to take the card and run away from Roberto. However, thanks to meeting a black dealer along the way, I was able to create the best results .
“ If there was such a thing, you should have told me earlier! What were you planning to do? You were nervous !”
“ Sorry. I tried it because I was curious about how they would react if I did that .”
Trisha’s denunciation continued. Emilia didn’t stay still and helped a bit .
“ The method was ingenious, and I was certainly surprised… but I was really nervous because I wondered if he was really just going to return it, Andrea… don’t do that next time .”
Andrea nodded. Things went well, but somehow I felt very embarrassed .
‘[ Legend] Necklace of the Chosen One (Equipment Card): A necklace used by the one who was chosen by God as a hero to save the country when the country was in crisis. (At the beginning of the battle, draw two additional cards of your choice from the deck. )
This was the reward given by Priest Roberto for finding the card .
‘ To be honest, it’s an equipment with ridiculous performance .’
A perfect deck does not necessarily guarantee unconditional victory. A dungeon is a place where you can die without moving even if you have a deck that can crush the enemy enough if you do not draw a key card until the end .
However, if you have this equipment, your worries about being caught will virtually disappear. Just draw the two most important key cards right away and use them on the first turn. In addition, if you encounter an enemy that needs to be crushed in the beginning, you can use it flexibly by drawing a card with good firepower .
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No matter what kind of deck you have, it’s an extremely useful piece of equipment, but there was a reason why it was undervalued compared to the cards you could get from the Earth Temple. This is because, unlike a ring, it is a ‘necklace’ equipment that can only be equipped with one .
I tried to see if I could equip two in this world, but Emilia felt a terrible headache and gave up halfway through. Apparently, like games, there were limitations .
‘ Among the necklace equipment, there are many stat-boom equipment, so it’s a waste to use that slot just to do some card searching. Right now, Emilia alone is wearing an Ascendant’s necklace that increases magic power by 35% …’
However, the ‘card obtained this time’ was a very special card, so the magic ability did not mean much. Rather, it was dozens of times more important to draw a key card and adjust the number of cards. Because of this, Andrea gave Emilia this equipment and had her install it .
Emilia made a mysterious expression while putting on the necklace .
“ We went through all the hardships together, but it feels like I’m the only one who gets some kind of reward, so I’m sorry …”
“ Ouch! Then, don’t be sorry, but share some with Mimic! Ho, it was so hard waiting alone !”
Mimic had been waiting outside the temple for a long time, so he was in a state of annoyance. Thanks to that, I managed to find the hole that Verdin had drilled while wandering around and report it, but .
Andrea glanced back at Mimic .
“ Oh, Mimic. I still have something to give you .”
“ Sah, actually it wasn’t hard at all, Master. Rather, it was a rewarding time for me to look back on myself .”
A change of stance that reminds me of a certain champion in a game. Andrea took out the gold she had obtained from Verdin and held it up while laughing as if it was absurd . It was
30,000 gold, but it was an income that was no different from a lump sum anyway. Meeting the black merchant and saving gold, the party is currently in a situation where gold remains. Other than times like this, I haven’t had a chance to test how strong the mimic becomes when I eat a large amount of gold .
“ Guwaaagh !”
“ Eat slowly .”
A Mimic who indulges in gold regardless of being told. Andrea watched the Mimic carefully. Results appeared quickly .
‘It’s definitely about 30,000 gold, so there’s a change that’s immediately noticeable .’
Gudeuk, Gudeuk –
Mimic’s limbs, which were like dry firewood, grew thick enough to resemble Andrea’s. In addition, the box grew about half a span .
Unlike Andrea, who was giving an interesting look, Trisha was frowning arrogantly .
“ f*ck! It’s terribly disgusting !”
“ Jee, jealousy is ugly. goofy human. If you want to keep up with the thickness of my arms, boo, do your best .”
“ No, you crazy box bastard! Who wants to be like you ?”
“ I understand the heart that does not want to be found out about its ugly heart. Mi-Mimic is an adult …”
I wanted to be quiet for a while away, but as soon as we met, Mimic and Trisha were again bickering and exchanging jokes. Andrea and Emilia just let it go and left them alone. I gradually got used to that .
‘ Anyway, if such tangible growth can be achieved with 30,000 gold, it’s worth investing in a Mimic .’
The firepower of Andrea and the others was overflowing, but never lacking. However, now that Marco is absent, I thought it would be nice if someone took over as a tank in case of an emergency, but a Mimic seemed to be enough to use .
However, I still couldn’t believe the Mimic. They act more like human beings than human beings, but in essence they are monsters. If you act like that and betray once at the decisive moment, the damage will be fatal .
‘ For now, let’s use it as a tanker while raising it, but keep looking at it closely. I don’t think the mimic will attack me, but I still don’t know why they can accompany me …’
It was Andrea who secretly made a promise while looking at Mimic .
Through the rest area and puzzle room, Andrea and her party finally reached the entrance on the 90th floor .
The corners of Emilia’s mouth were quivering from before. She had already experienced how powerful the beings beyond this gate were. Thinking of that overwhelming power and what he had to do, the fear did not stop .
Andrea looked closely and patted Emilia on one shoulder to help her come to her senses .
“ Emilia, it will be fine, so don’t worry too much. You got a card, and you’ve been doing well so far, right ?”
“ Ehh . . . .”
“ And since it’s important, I’ll say it again. Don’t think you’re going to help us, just focus on your deck. Even if we lose a lot in battle, it’s all over as long as you succeed in using that card. Got it ?”
“ Ah, okay .”
Andrea let out a deep sigh. The sunken shoulders looked as if something had weighed them down. The mission to save Betty and the idea that you must never make a mistake. That was a heavy feeling that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t relieve it .
He did everything he could. From now on, it was an area that Emilia had to handle alone. If you can’t relieve it, you have no choice but to handle it yourself .
“ Then let’s go now. To kill the devil .”
Andrea moves forward and pushes the huge stone gate. The party followed Andrea all at once with a spleen look on their faces .
And beyond the door, a terrible sight was revealed .
＜ 21. The strongest card (6) ＞ End