The playing phase ended, and Deckard grinned, seeing that Ratu had chosen not to play anything this turn. From what he’d observed, Ratu took pride in having a superior deck. He liked to show off big cards like a peacock fanning its feathers. That, however, came at a price.

  To play big cards, he needed to discard more. He had to save resources to summon a giant creature and thus passed this turn.

  Deckard's card was revealed with a flash of light as a loud, taunting wail echoed across the battlefield.

  In the shimmering hologram field, Ratu’s macaque shrieked as if struck by a whip. The creature growled and leaped to a different lane. In Ratu's defending lane, [Clubhouse Macaque]’s points dropped from 3 to 1.

  Ratu's face twisted in irritation. “Bah! You using that tricky cheater card! Cheating foreigners, always pulling tricks!”

  Typical. Call me a cheater when you’re the one who gave me a deck like this, Deckard thought, unfazed.

  The points were tallied again. Deckard’s [Crab Enforcer] remained strong at 2 points, while [Clubhouse Macaque] defended only with 1. This turn, only Ratu took damage, his castle going down to 7, while Deckard’s castle stayed at 7. They were tied in HP.

  The turn ended, and a new one began. They drew two more cards each. Ratu had a hand of five cards, while Deckard only had three.

  Deckard allowed himself a small smile. Tied up. I’ve got him sweating, but I can't get cocky. I have a stronger board right now. Barely. However, he has five cards, and I only have three. Being two cards behind for the advantage I built isn’t too good, but I’m doing well, considering how bad this deck is.

  Deckard’s eyes scanned the lane as they drew their next hands. He could almost feel Ratu gearing up for something big. He’s going to swing hard this turn. But I’ve set the trap. Come on, play into it...

  As the facedown cards were revealed, one of Ratu’s appeared in his attacking lane. He had discarded three cards to play it. “Haha, now you see! You wait, foreigner, for my more good card!”

  Deckard sighed in relief, seeing how he had guessed what lane Ratu would play in. His facedown card was in the same lane. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “Sorry. You won’t have the chance.”

  Defensive cards were always revealed first, so before the creature Ratu was so proud of could manifest, a ghostly blue hand materialized in the air, fingers splayed. It shot across the field and swept away Ratu's unrevealed card before it could even appear.

  “What?!” Ratu slammed his fist on the table, his face growing redder by the second. “Coward!”

  The crowd gasped in unison. Deckard could hear someone mutter, “Didn’t even let him play it,” followed by snickers. At least the crowd's enjoying this, he mused, keeping his face neutral.

  At the cost of three cards, Deckard had canceled Ratu's four-card play and bought himself some time. Thankfully, he’d guessed that Ratu would want to attack. If he’d played [Psionic Push] on the wrong lane, it wouldn’t have done anything, and Ratu would’ve built a massive advantage.

  The point tally was done again, and Deckard’s castle stayed at 7HP, while Ratu's dropped to 6HP.

  Ratu’s face reddened, and he looked like he was about to explode. He threw embarrassed glances at the audience. Just a minute ago he had boasted he could win against anyone. “You just wait, foreigner. You only delayed my play for one round.”

  Deckard wiped his brow. His hand was empty, while whatever card Ratu loved was back in his hand. He would be able to play it next turn. Time was running out. As the one with the worst deck, the longer this game went on, the worse it would be for him. He just had to hope he would draw what he needed to finish the game.

  Deckard drew his two cards and grimaced. The game had gone well so far, but this turn, he’d drawn junk from [The Worst Deck Ever]. He glanced over at Ratu, who looked eager for his turn.

  The playing turn ended, and sure enough, Ratu played his cherished card in his attacking lane. “Now you see my good card!”

  Helpless, Deckard could only watch as Ratu's card was revealed.

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  The macaque pounded its chest, roaring so loudly that the very ground of the holographic field seemed to tremble. Its point count didn’t depend on the lane in which it was played, making it a powerful offensive or defensive play. Deckard could feel the air shift as the crowd’s murmurs grew louder. Some cheered for Ratu, while others let out groans of sympathy for Deckard.

  As the points were tallied at the end of the turn, his castle crumbled under the mighty attack, the holographic walls shattering like glass. Deckard’s HP dropped to 2, while Ratu’s castle sat comfortably at 5HP.

  This is bad... Deckard stared at his deck, which held no cards that could remove such a powerful threat as [Macaque Leader]. At most, he could only delay it by one more turn. He really needed a specific card to turn this around. The chances of drawing it were slim, but he had to try.

  He reached for the deck and sighed in relief. He played two cards and discarded the other two. Ratu did the same, leaving them both with no cards in hand.

  Deckard’s heart raced. He just hoped Ratu hadn’t played another creature. The playing phase ended. The cards appeared on the field, facedown. Ratu had played one card in his attacking lane, while Deckard had played two in his attacking lane, too.

  Ratu’s card was revealed.

  Golden light bathed the [Macaque Leader], its power swelling from 5 to 7. Perhaps Ratu had expected Deckard to play a defending creature like [Sturdy Turtle] or use [Healing Ray] to heal his castle back up. To counter that, he’d buffed his [Macaque Leader] to deal even more damage. Seeing that Deckard had left his defending lane empty, Ratu seemed momentarily surprised but still confident. “You’re done, foreigner. [Macaque Leader], crush your puny stone house. You have no chance.”

  Deckard smiled. “Do you know why I made your [Clubhouse Macaque] change lanes?” He let the question hang in the air for a moment, and Ratu grew unsettled. “I needed its point count to go down to 1. That way, I can use this skill card.”

  Deckard’s first card was revealed.

  The clubhouse macaque turned toward Ratu and stuck out its tongue. It then ran over to Deckard's side, standing alongside his [Crab Enforcer]. “Because he's in my attacking lane now, his effect activates, and he gains two more points. Now I have 5 points in my attacking lane.”

  Ratu’s grin remained unperturbed. "You no got 'nough skill, foreigner. I still win. Game end, I got zero, you minus five. I win!"

  “Too bad you didn't play another creature. It’s going to cost you the game,” Deckard said, grinning.

  The second card in Deckard’s attacking lane was revealed.

  Ratu paled. He had only one creature in play after Deckard stole his [Clubhouse Macaque]. A massive holographic shield appeared in the sky, spinning as it descended. With a loud crash, it slammed into the [Macaque Leader], knocking it out cold. The beast groaned before crumpling to the ground.

  The time came for points to be counted. Ratu’s castle’s HP went down to 0 and crumpled to dust. The crowd erupted into cheers, chanting Deckard's name. He had won the game.

  Deckard let out a breath. He had won by the skin of his teeth. Had Ratu played one more creature, he would have been tempoed out of the game. He had also lucked out on his draw. He got [Crab Enforcer] on his first turn, which steadily whittled down Ratu’s HP until he was low enough for his [Backstab] play to work and finish him off in one turn.

  [Against the Odds] completed.

  Completion Rate: S

  Rewards: [Ratu’s Deck], [The Worst Deck Ever]

  Bonus Rewards: +100 reputation with all villagers of Stiltwave Village.

  You’ve become friends with the villagers of Stiltwave Village.

  Uh? Another reputation boost? Compared to when he had earned only ten reputation points with Ronan after completing a 10-step chain quest, this was a huge reward. And it encompassed all of the NPCs in the village. He opened his character sheet and noticed that Ronan's reputation remained separate. Interesting.

  Deckard opened his inventory, and sure enough, he now had 48 cards—20 from Ratu’s better deck, another 20 from the garbage deck, and finally, the eight cards he’d borrowed from the crowd of onlookers.

  The players who had given him the tools to win were already lining up to claim their prize.

  “Hey, you!” Baldy shouted at a player who had approached Deckard, standing in front of the line.

  “What is it, kid?”

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Claiming my prize.”

  “I was the first one to volunteer to lend a card to Grumpy Grandpa. I should be first in line.”

  “Right. But your card didn’t even get played. I lent him [Backstab]. It won the game.”

  Another player stepped in. “Yeah. Shut up, kid.”

  Things escalated quickly. A mug of ale was flung into the air, as though a signal flare for chaos. One guy yelled, “You’re just salty ‘cause your card sucked!” Another lunged across the table, knocking over chairs and sending cards flying. Before Deckard could blink, the bar erupted into a full-on brawl, with mugs sailing through the air and players grappling like toddlers fighting over a toy.

  The NPC grandma who was bartending ducked behind the counter, shouting, "Oi, you lot! Mugs stay on the table, or I’ll gut you like a fish!"

  Deckard stood helpless, unsure whether to laugh or run for cover. While he had made a written agreement with all the players about how they could each get two cards in return for the one they traded him, they had forgotten to clearly state in what order they could sift through his new collection to take their pick.

  Seeing Baldy biting another player’s leg, Deckard shrugged and decided to let them sort it out. Even after they settled their scores, he would still have more than 30 cards left—a clear upgrade over having none.

  In the midst of the chaos, the player who had recognized him earlier sidled up next to him. “That was an awesome game,” the burly man said, unfazed by the flying mugs. “A lot of fun to watch.”

  “Thanks. I ended up not drawing your card. Here,” Deckard said, handing the man his uncommon creature card back.

  The man took it with a grin. “I’m excited to see what becomes of you. Who knows? Maybe we’ll run into each other at a game parlor sometime.”

  “That’d be great. What’s your name?”

  “Keon,” he said, offering a firm handshake.

  Deckard shook it heartily, the sound of fists and splintering wood behind him fading into the background.

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