"Attack!"
"Dodge."
"Meteor Flame Shower!"
"Dodge."
"Mana Barrier."
"You didn't dodge. Lose 1 HP."
At Lyle's Barbecue Restaurant, Ron, Mason, Edith, and Harper were sitting around a table, eating skewers while playing a game of Legendary Kill.
Harper got hit by Meteor Flame Shower and lost 1 HP.
His role card was Monarch, and his character card was Dicky Locke, the legendary Rank-7 Dwarf Seer from history.
This card allowed him to look at the top five cards of the deck before drawing and rearrange them however he liked.
Also, when he had no cards in hand, he couldn't be targeted by Slash or Arena cards.
When Ron created this card, it was basically modeled after the legendary strategist Zhuge Kongming from his original world.
Ron's chosen character card was Titus Aubrey, the Legendary Spatial Mage. He only had one ability: if he didn't play a Slash during his turn, he didn't have to discard excess cards.
Edith picked Lydia, the Third-Generation Elven Queen, while Mason chose Randolph, a master dwarf artisan.
After a few rounds, Edith, as the Rebel, was taken out first by Ron.
Because Ron had given the Monarch, Harper, a Peach to heal earlier, Harper was convinced that Ron was his Loyalist.
Despite Mason repeatedly trying to prove his loyalty, Harper—eager for quick results—didn't think it through and personally eliminated Mason.
But when Harper flipped over Mason's role card with a triumphant grin, his expression instantly froze—
Loyalist.
"I told you!" Mason looked exasperated and glared at Harper. "Even if you don't believe me, at least don't kill me yourself!"
"Ron, you tricked me!" Harper looked at Ron in disbelief. "Why did you give me a Peach then?"
Ahem... Ron tried hard to hold back a laugh. "A traitor has to look more loyal than a Loyalist if they want to win."
At this point, Ron had already built up over ten cards in hand thanks to his character skill.
Since Harper had killed his own Loyalist, he had to discard all his hand and equipment cards. He was now completely empty-handed.
"This game's not over yet!" Harper stiffened his neck and tried to hold strong. "The Monarch has one more HP than the others. My Seer is at full health with four HP. No way you can take me out in one turn."
Ron just smiled without saying anything.
Edith, already eliminated, sat beside Ron. Seeing the massive stack of cards in Ron's hand, she glanced at Harper with pity in her eyes.
It was Ron's turn. He drew two cards.
"Meteor Flame Shower."
Harper lost 1 HP.
"Undead Invasion."
Harper had no cards to defend with—another HP gone.
Staring at the thick stack of cards in Ron's hands, Harper started to despair.
Ron looked at him, suddenly getting a mischievous idea.
Instead of attacking immediately, he began slowly revealing his hand card by card.
Dodge, Dodge, Gift of the Life God, Demon's Hand, Mana Barrier, Peach, Peach, Slash, Slash, Slash, Slash...
More than ten cards were shown, and somehow none could deal direct damage—Ron still had two cards left in hand.
Harper's eyes lit up, and he burst out laughing. "My character's second ability, Dimensional Rift, lets me hide in another dimension when I have no cards in hand. Your Slash cards are useless!"
He cheered and flailed his arms excitedly.
As long as he could survive one more turn and use his Prophecy skill, he could rearrange the top five cards of the deck. If there was a Peach or any useful card among them, he could turn the tide!
But then, Ron played one of his last two cards with a smack on the table.
—[Blessing of the Goddess of Harvest]
[Effect: Draw cards equal to the number of surviving players from the top of the deck. Reveal them to all. Starting from the current player, each player chooses one in order.]
"Oh no!" Harper groaned.
Ron happily drew two cards from the top of the deck—
One Dodge, one Slash.
Naturally, he picked the Dodge and tossed the Slash in front of Harper.
Still not giving up, Harper muttered, "You can only play one Slash per turn... I've still got two HP! This isn't over!"
Ron didn't argue. He just casually flipped over the final card in his hand and slapped it onto the table.
—Aegis Crossbow
A legendary elven weapon.
[Effect: While equipped, you can use an unlimited number of Slash cards during your turn.]
And Ron still had four Slash cards in hand.
Game over.
"Ugh!" Harper slumped back in his chair, utterly defeated. "I'm never trusting you again!"
"Honestly, you're the one who messed up," Edith rolled her eyes. "How could you fall for that?"
Ron scratched his head sheepishly. He wasn't exactly in a position to judge, having eliminated the Rebel in the very first turn…
In four-player games, Rebels aren't exactly strong. Surviving is often the best strategy.
But clearly, Edith hadn't figured that out yet.
Still, aside from Ron, the other three had just started playing Legendary Kill. It was natural for them not be familiar with the various strategies and card synergies.
"Your Highness Ron," Mason said while chewing on a skewer, "If you mass-produce this game, it'll definitely be a hit! Especially the elemental cards. I seriously have no idea how you even came up with this stuff."
Ron shook his head. "No plans for that right now. And besides, some of the character cards in Legendary Kill might stir up controversy."
"I don't think it's that big a deal," Edith said thoughtfully. "Sure, turning the Empress into a card character feels a little weird, but not enough to be a problem."
"They're just historical legends. What's the harm?" Harper chimed in. "As long as you don't include any deities, everything else is fine."
Cough cough... Ron awkwardly scratched his nose.
He had actually made a deity card.
He just didn't dare let them see it yet.
After finishing their meal, the four went their separate ways.
Ron brought back some barbecue for Nora, then returned to his shop.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, Ron woke up early and stepped into the courtyard.
He first drank a cup of Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum Tea, then ate three petals from the Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum flower, and took his place in the courtyard.
After days of preparation, he was finally ready to attempt forming a Battle Aura Vortex and advance to a Rank-One Warrior.
With the effects of the Chrysanthemum kicking in, Ron felt a warm current flow through his body.
Once he confirmed the potion had taken effect, he immediately began performing the standard training forms from the Light Sword Codex.
Light-element infused aura was drawn from deep within him, flowing like a torrent through his meridians.
After about fifteen minutes, Ron had gathered enough aura and began guiding it toward his dantian in the lower abdomen.
Bathed in the morning sunlight, a ripple of energy emerged from his body.
The Light Sword Codex converted the natural aura into light-element battle aura, circulating endlessly through his system.
Had there been anyone nearby, they would've seen a faint luminous glow radiating from Ron.
He continued moving in precise rhythm, sweat trickling down his face.
The battle aura condensed in his dantian, swirling into a vortex.
Inwardly, it looked like a tiny, brilliant sun.
The Battle Aura Vortex had formed!
The light-element aura burst out from the vortex, surging through every fiber of his being.
A sense of comfort washed over Ron, as if all fatigue had been swept away.
He slowly came to a stop, clenched his fists, and smiled with satisfaction.
He had succeeded—he was now a Rank-One Warrior!