Chapter 33: New Preview and Card Pulls
Chapter 33: Chapter 33: New Preview and Card Pulls
Wang Xi opened his eyes to a bright, clean white ceiling.
"You’re awake. The surgery was a success. You’re a girl now..."
Just then, a playful female voice spoke up from beside him.
Wang Xi turned his head and saw a young woman in a nurse’s uniform organizing bottles and jars at the medicine cabinet by his bed.
He could see the playful teasing in her eyes.
And a hint of interest.
Wang Xi was all too familiar with this kind of subtle signal.
It was like a pheromone in the animal kingdom, meant to attract the opposite sex.
"Really?" Wang Xi’s face instantly lit up with glee. "So can I see what style of panties you’re wearing, sis?"
"..."
The nurse’s smile froze.
’What a classic shrimp head!’ she thought.
’And he’s so handsome, too! What a waste!’
In his mind, Wang Xi’s inner self silently closed the *Shrimp Head Bible*. ’Typical shrimp-head woman,’ he thought. ’Trying to get my attention.’
"Mr. Wang, you’ve been asleep for a full day and night. The doctor already checked on you. Fortunately, there are no major issues. He said that lethargy is a normal reaction to your injuries."
The nurse stated plainly, having finished organizing the medicine.
"But you need to keep your nutrition up. You can have some light foods and fruit."
"Okay, sis. Thanks for the reminder."
Wang Xi said, grinning.
"Also, can you tell me, are they seamless or front-clasp..."
"No comment!"
The nurse shot him a look, then turned and left.
Once the door was closed, Wang Xi’s smile vanished.
’I stayed in the Otherworld for a little too long this time. A whole day has passed on this side...’
He rubbed his rumbling stomach.
And began to reflect.
’I can’t stay that long from now on, or I’ll arouse suspicion. But is there a way to shorten the cooldown?’
「Legend Level affects projection cooldown time.」
To his surprise, Kaos responded directly to his thoughts with a prompt.
’Legend Level, huh...’
Wang Xi raised an eyebrow.
He focused his attention inward.
「Projection Managed」
「Current World: Fairy Tales」
「Exploration Level: 2.76%」
「Legend Level: 1」
「Cooldown Countdown: 46 hours, 58 minutes」
Wang Xi was a little surprised.
’Where did that 1 point of Legend Level come from?!’
’I definitely didn’t have it before I came back...’
And the cooldown time really had been reduced by an hour.
’So theoretically, if I get 48 Legend Level, I’ll be able to travel seamlessly between the two worlds, hopping back and forth whenever I want?’
Wang Xi eagerly anticipated that day’s arrival.
He focused his mind on that single point of Legend Level, and the corresponding information surfaced:
「Legend Level: 1 (Rumors about you are circulating in the Stag King’s Capital, Daphne, and its surrounding villages. The story tells of the Finger Association’s failed ambush on a Spinning Wheel Commerce caravan, where the oath-sworn and terrifying ’Scarlet Warlock’ annihilated the enemy. According to the legend, this Warlock from Randall kills with scarlet lightning and devours the brains of his vanquished foes.)」
"..."
Wang Xi pursed his lips.
He figured it was most likely the Woodland Fairy, disguised as a Minstrel, who had successfully spread the story.
But he’d clearly shouted for them to "eat their hearts out," so how did that turn into "eating their brains"...?
"It just goes to show, a rumor repeated enough becomes fact."
Wang Xi shook his head.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he sneezed from a cold today and by tomorrow, rumors said he’d died from bleeding out his ass.
He ordered some takeout on his phone, then lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, and called up the "Retirement Preview."
’The future has changed...’
「Retirement Preview: You arrive at the Royal Capital. After getting your bearings, you attempt to journey to the snow mountain to find the Ice and Snow Queen, but a sealed gate blocks your path.」
「You are warned by the Snow Mountain Guards and are roughly driven away. With no other choice, you are forced to reconsider your long-term plans.」
「You recall the information you learned from White and decide to find an opening through Minister Ando to get closer to Queen Xianna. After all, she is the Ice and Snow Queen’s younger sister.」
「As it happens, you find a Demon Hunting request at the Adventurer’s Guild concerning Minister Ando’s son. You accept the request and head to the Magic Forest.」
「Unfortunately, you fail to find the target of the request, and the mission ends in failure. You have wasted too much time.」
「Months later, you have nothing to show for your efforts. You witness Queen Xianna’s grand wedding firsthand, and you also witness a great fire fall from the sky like a meteor...」
「Countless people die in the sea of flames, but strangely, the fire avoids you.」
「Just as you feel a sense of relief, you smell a sickeningly sweet aroma. You are enveloped in colorful syrup and suffocate.」
「In your final moments, you see the figure of Goddalir rushing toward you and hear her devastated cries...」
According to the preview, Wang Xi still died. But this time, it wasn’t by fire, but by drowning in syrup.
’Why would the flames avoid me this time?’
Wang Xi frowned slightly.
He’d done so many things during this trip to the Otherworld that he couldn’t be sure which action had changed the outcome.
What he could be sure of, however, was that the Queen’s wedding was a critical juncture. At least two powerful, unknown enemies would attack.
’A girl in a red dress, connected to fire, and a mysterious person connected to candy...’
Wang Xi couldn’t help but think of the Magic Skill Card he possessed: 「Blueberry-flavored Sugar Coating」.
The Universal Card’s description mentioned a Witch who lived in a forest... but the Card came from a disaster in the Main World. There was no evidence to link the two; perhaps it was just a coincidence.
He closed his eyes, thinking.
In the preview, he failed to reach the snow mountain, but he did find a Demon Hunting request at the Adventurer’s Guild that could put him in contact with Minister Ando.
Although that request also ended in failure, it did point him in a promising direction.
And Goddalir had still rushed to save him. The outcome was the same: she avenged him, then died for him.
’I’ve got to keep getting stronger.’
Wang Xi rubbed his face.
’But if things really seem impossible, I can always flee the Royal Capital early and avoid this fated death... However, that would delay lifting my curse.’
With that in mind, he focused his attention inward.
「Energy: 1100」
Wang Xi fed all the materials he’d bought from the Spinning Wheel Commerce to Kaos, converting them into Energy.
Six dried Goblin Mushrooms for 200 Energy; ten pounds of Ethereal Crystal for 500 Energy; and his original reserve of 400 Energy.
That brought the total to 1,100 Energy.
In the Card Pool in his mind, nine orbs of light—three Green and six White—floated, clearly distinct and waiting peacefully.
Awaiting Wang Xi to grace them with his selection.
’Let’s start with some appetizers!’
he thought, and chose to draw a White Card.
「100 Energy consumed (1000 remaining)」
"Heh heh, can’t believe I got Yura’s ’Clean Flower Cloth’ for just 30 Copper Coins... Hmm... smells a bit weird. Let me get another whiff. Gotta hide this quick, can’t let anyone find it."
A sleazy male voice echoed in Wang Xi’s mind.
He had no memory of which dead bastard he’d captured this Card from, but after hearing the memory echo, he had a bad feeling.
A feeling that was quickly proven right.
「Yura’s Clean Flower Cloth (Artifact Card)」
「A blood-stained cloth that a swindler bought from a thief. It’s a long, triangular strip of coarse linen, seemingly meant to be tied around the crotch. The inner layer is filled with straw and peat moss and is covered in dried bloodstains, giving off a rank, foul odor.」
「Upon use, you will be holding it. It can be used as a thrown projectile.」
’...’
The Goblin Mushrooms were dried for Energy. Wang Xi was left speechless, full of regret for his impulsive draw.
He’d learned his lesson from the goblins that White Cards were highly likely to be trash, but he still held out hope.
’Great, just great! Now it’s giving me a damn menstrual pad, is it?’
Wang Xi couldn’t help but recall some of the outrageous news stories he’d seen in his past life, and a chill went down his spine.
’What kind of shrimp-headed dude carries something like this around?!’
He fought the urge to destroy the Card and continued drawing.
The next few pulls, at least, weren’t all garbage.
Two of the One-star White Cards were actually decent.
They were:
One was 「Lock Picking Mastery」, which let him use a wire to pick simple box or door locks. He had no idea which career criminal that Skill came from.
The other was 「Drinking and Eating Giant」, which increased his alcohol tolerance and appetite. He figured it came from some fat drunk.
Both of these Cards could be upgraded and were considered utility-focused Permanent Passive Skill Cards.
As for the other three White Cards, they were 「Lead-Filled Dice」, 「Exquisite Gold-Plated Ring」, and 「Crossbow Maintenance Tips」.
They were utterly useless trash. Along with 「Yura’s Clean Flower Cloth」, Wang Xi tossed all four White Cards into a chasm in his mind and ground them to dust.
He fed the resulting 60 Experience Points entirely into his 「Randall Body Refining Technique」.
Technique Cards were the true foundation of one’s power.
This wasn’t just intuition from his profession in his past life; it was an unwritten rule of this new world.
Otherwise, the Professional Warrior exam wouldn’t have a specific prerequisite involving Technique Cards.
「Randall Body Refining Technique (Technique Card/White Two Stars): 66/200」
The experience bar was now more than a quarter full.
Wang Xi was quite satisfied.
He started drawing cards again, this time moving on to the Green Cards he’d captured from the three "Iron Finger Knights" of the Finger Association.
「100 Energy consumed (400 remaining)」
"A shield? Armor? Before my axe, they’re nothing but flimsy splinters of wood! And now—I’m going to split your skull!"
A booming male voice laughed in Wang Xi’s mind.
「Breaking Defense Strike (Skill Card)」
「Quality: Green One Star (Upgradable)」
「A Wandering Knight who made a name for himself in an underground organization with his favored Long-Handled Axe. He became famous for his feats of cleaving through man and armor alike.」
「Upon use, you will master a cleaving technique with an Armor-Piercing effect. It is more effective when used with Axe Weapons.」
’This ability came from that guy, Ruer.’
Wang Xi recalled.
If he’d had to fight him up close, it would have been an unavoidable, tough battle. Luckily, he’d insta-killed him with the Laser Pistol.
Seeing he’d gotten something good, Wang Xi decided to strike while the iron was hot.
He drew two more times in a row, and a green light flashed with each.
’Whoa! Another good pull!’
Wang Xi’s eyes lit up.
One card was 「Beheading」, from the Iron Finger Knight named Tec, who wielded a Two-Handed Sword. The card was applicable to Longswords and allowed for an extremely fast beheading when an opening was found.
The other was 「Defense Counterattack」, from Donovan, the Iron Finger Knight who used a shield and hammer. This card allowed the user to deliver an unexpected counterattack after a successful Parry.
Two of these three Green Cards weren’t particularly suitable for Wang Xi.
But he didn’t mind.
Wang Xi grabbed the three Green Cards, tossed them into the chasm, then took his 「Elite Soldiers」 card and threw it in after them.
’Kaos, refine these for me instantly—’