A pulse of shimmering energy emanated from the boat, rippling through reality like a drop of rain breaking the surface of a still lake. Small castles began to materialize on the left-hand side of each player, solidifying into sturdy stone and iron-bound towers.

  Next, with a low rumble, a translucent wall flickered into place before them and cut through the battlefield, forming a horizontal ‘H’ shape. The walls were impossible to see through and would keep their moves hidden from each other while also separating the two lanes of the game.

  Invisible hands plucked the cards from Deckard’s hand, shuffling them with swift, graceful movements. Four cards appeared before him, and he caught them with a quick glance, clicking his tongue as he recognized his two strongest cards—both with a hefty cost of 3. Deckard had wanted to draw these two cards during the game, but he hadn’t counted on getting them this soon!

  What do I do now? If I play one, I’ll have to discard the other. Should I mulligan? If he chose to draw again, he’d be left with only three cards—an immediate disadvantage. His fingers twitched as he weighed the risk. With a clenched jaw, he decided to keep all four cards.

  The game began. Unlike before, Ratu was surprisingly silent, his usual cocky remarks absent. Deckard glanced up, catching a glimpse of his opponent’s intense, focused expression. Maybe it was the lack of an audience—or perhaps the sting of his last defeat—that kept Ratu quiet.

  Deckard looked at his hand and sighed. He had his most powerful combo in his hand. However, if he played one of the cards now, he would discard the other. He had no choice but to do nothing this turn.

  Deckard’s side of the battlefield remained empty as the play phase ended, but two cards appeared in Ratu’s attacking lane before bursting into form. A small fox, its fur a warm, earthy red, padded into view, eyes glinting with mischief. Another fox appeared beside it, giving a delighted yip as it recognized its companion, its tail wagging in quick, eager flicks. Together, they pawed at the ground, nipping playfully before turning their sights on Deckard’s castle.

  “Foxes?” Deckard blurted, momentarily thrown. He hadn’t seen Ratu play fox creatures before. Where did Ratu get these two cards? Are there foxes roaming the island jungles? Before he could dwell on it, the foxes yowled and charged, claws scraping against the ground as they leaped at his castle. Their sharp claws struck stone, and deep cracks splintered along the walls, chunks of brick tumbling to the ground as his castle took a brutal hit, losing three points.

  The combo was simple yet powerful. Deckard was starting the game at a significant disadvantage. He gulped drily, feeling the pressure of Ratu’s strong opening, but he kept a cool demeanor. Ratu had no more cards on his hand, and Deckard had a big turn coming up.

  “Haha. You foreigner are losing bad!” Ratu said, with a grin.

  Deckard remained silent. Another play phase began, and each of them drew two cards. Now that Deckard had six cards in hand, he could play one of the pieces of his combo without discarding the other. With a confident flick of his hand, he discarded three starfish and placed a card on the field.

  The play phase ended, and as the face-down cards were revealed, it was Ratu’s turn to go a turn without playing any card.

  “Running out of gas already, Ratu?” Deckard teased.

  “Hmph. Ya not trickin’ me into revealin’ my strategy, foreigner!” Ratu spat.

  Deckard grinned. “I think you’ll like the surprise I prepared for you.”

  [Shallows Swarm] burst into life as starfish and clams appeared in a cascade of shimmering colors. Blues, oranges, and purples spread across the lanes, their movement like a tide washing over the battlefield. Deckard took in the field with a sweeping glance.

  The limit of creatures per lane, per player, in Terralore was 4. From having only two creatures on the battlefield, suddenly, 14 had joined the fray! He counted six starfish and two clams on his side of the field.

  “What card is this?!” Ratu gasped, leaning in to get a better look at the card’s effects. “Rare?! How’d ya get such a precious card?!”

  Deckard adjusted his spectacles and grinned. “Sorry. It’s a secret.”

  Ratu’s expression quickly hardened as he recovered his cool. “But that card gives me creatures, too,” he said with a look of triumph. “It does nothin’ for ya!”

  What Ratu said was true. This card did generate creatures for the opponent. In Ratu’s defending lane, he got a combination of cards superior to Deckard’s, with his point count going up to three, while Deckard got several useless starfish. His only two points came from a mussel.

  Deckard had, in fact, somewhat done Ratu a favor.

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  As expected of random effects—things weren’t perfect. However, Deckard wasn’t worried. “There’s only one little thing you haven’t considered, Ratu. Some of my cards gain bonuses based on the cards I discarded to play them. Take a look!”

  Ratu followed Deckard’s gaze and grimaced. The point count on Ratu’s attacking lane had gone up by one and reached 4, whereas Deckard had surpassed it and was now at 6 points!

  “What?!” Ratu’s eyes widened.

  A cluster of oysters settled into his defending lane with a soft clink, their shells gleaming like polished stone. The Seven-Armed Starfish glowed as it soaked up energy from Deckard’s discarded cards, each of its seven arms pulsing with a subtle blue light that grew brighter with every discarded starfish. Its points surged to three.

  That, together with the oyster that ended up in his defending lane, meant he could easily block Ratu’s attack this turn.

  The battle phase ended with no change to HP on both sides, and Ratu fuming. His fists clenched as he glared across the field. Deckard couldn’t tell if Ratu was envious that he owned a rare card or frustrated because he hadn’t been able to deal more damage this round.

  Deckard drew two more cards, and a spark of satisfaction flickered in his eyes as he glanced at his hand. In the meantime, Ratu seemed calmer. Probably, he’d drawn something good.

  Cards materialized face-down on the field, signaling the playing phase was over. Both he and Ratu had played only on their attacking lanes. Since Ratu was still winning the game, he went first. The starfish and clam generated by [Shallows Swarm] on Ratu’s side were swallowed by the field replaced by two new cards. Two new foxes materialized as the cards flipped in a burst of green energy.

  An elder fox with wise eyes and a silver-streaked muzzle appeared first, giving an encouraging howl that seemed to rally the rest of the foxes.

  The [Fox Wanderer] bounded in next, its gaze sharp and focused. It had a small sword in its paws and a straw hat concealing its eyes.

  The foxian tribe seemed to be an aggro-oriented tribe that relied on swarm strategies and cumulative bonuses. Even though the cards were weak by themselves, they became powerful when paired with more foxes. Ratu's point count in his attacking lane went up to nine points.

  Deckard paled, his pulse quickening as he watched Ratu’s attacking lane filled with foxes by turn three. This fox deck is dangerous; they gain strength so fast.

  “Haha. Get ready ta gimme that rare card, stupid foreigner.”

  “I don’t think so,” Deckard said.

  A massive Sunflower Seastar unfolded on the battlefield, each of its twenty arms unfurling like petals, stretching outward to connect with the scattered starfish on Deckard’s side. Its point count went up to six, a warm, golden glow radiating across the field.

  “Another rare card?” Ratu sneered, though his eyes shone with excitement at the potential prize. “Haha! Still, that only went up ta six.”

  Deckard smiled, unshaken. “Oh. My sunflower seastar isn’t done yet.” The sunflower sea star’s twenty arms reached further, glowing brighter with every discarded starfish it absorbed from the graveyard pile. Its power surged with each new starfish, radiating a formidable energy that filled the field. His point count went up to 14.

  Even though the [Seven-Armed Starfish] card had been swallowed up on his defending lane, his [Oyster] remained, leaving Deckard at three points and Ratu at nine.

  “No! No!” Ratu yelped, his voice breaking.

  But it was no use. In one fell swoop, Deckard’s [Sunflower Sea Star] reached out for Ratu’s castle with its twenty arms, extending like rays of sunlight, and pulled it down. On the other lane, the pack of foxes attacked Deckard’s castle, their claws scraping in a final, desperate attempt, but it still held on by one point.

  The hologram disappeared.

  Congratulations! You’ve won!

  Deckard was left in a daze, the adrenaline of victory still thrumming through him. He’d been lucky—extremely lucky. His whole strategy had hinged on this one combo, and somehow, he’d drawn both pieces right from the start. If Ratu had just a little more defense or an extra bit of damage, the game would have ended differently.

  Deckard released a slow breath, feeling his pulse start to steady. The victory had been narrow. I was lucky—too lucky. If I’d miscalculated even slightly…

  "You! You!" Ratu yelled, his voice rising with each word. "Arr, not even after borrowin’ all those fox cards!" he grumbled irritably, clenching his fists.

  "Who did you borrow them from?"

  "Doesn't matter," Ratu muttered between clenched teeth.

  "I won the game, Ratu. It’s time for you to honor your debt," Deckard prompted.

  Ratu bit his lip and looked away.

  "I’d hate to have to tell everyone in the village that you can’t even honor a little promise," Deckard said calmly, but his words held an edge. "It’s not even the whole deck this time—just one card."

  "Fine," Ratu muttered. He stretched out his hand, holding the deck.

  Deckard studied Ratu’s deck. Half consisted of cards Deckard had previously owned, even if for a short time when he took all of Ratu’s cards. The other half consisted of fox cards, which Ratu had mysteriously borrowed from someone.

  There were even two uncommon cards. One was [Fox Wanderer], which Ratu had played during their game. Deckard was grateful that Ratu hadn’t drawn the other one.

  Good card, Deckard muttered. Even though the cost was steep, this card essentially allowed two foxes to be played for free. It could be devastating if played right.

  From his limited experience, he knew that collecting uncommon cards and above usually involved hunting elites or bosses. They were much harder to come by and, therefore, were more valuable.

  Should I take one of the uncommon fox cards? Deckard considered. On the one hand, foxes seemed effective only if included with others of their kind. With just one card, it seemed like a risky investment. On the other hand, if he took the rarest card from Ratu’s deck and offered to trade it with other players, he might be able to trade it for better cards.

  Deckard thumbed through Ratu’s deck, his fingers lingering over the uncommon cards.

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