Anime Card System

On the other side of the forest, Nancy Whitemore and her Three-Tailed Fox walked quietly through the dark woods. Suddenly, the fox stopped, its small nose twitching as it tasted the air. Noticing her partner's strange behavior, Nancy couldn't help but stop as well. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

The fox didn't answer immediately, continuing to sniff intently. After a long moment, it trotted to Nancy's feet, tugging on her trouser leg with one paw while pointing in a specific direction with the other.

Nancy was confused. If it were just an ordinary demon, her fox wouldn't be acting so seriously. The two of them had been in the mountains for some time now, and with her fox's help, Nancy had already defeated several of the centipede monsters.

Squatting down, she stroked the fox's head. "Is there an elite demon over there?"

The fox shook its head, then began to gesture anxiously with its paws. Nancy was stunned. If it wasn't an elite demon, what could it be? As she thought about it, her expression gradually became serious. "Is someone injured?"

The three-tailed fox nodded its head quickly.

Nancy immediately stood up, her mind racing as she gave a calm order. "Three-tailed fox, lead the way."

As she followed her guide, she couldn't shake a growing sense of unease. From what her father had told her, the secret realms controlled by the Association were generally covered with surveillance. For high school students on a training mission, the two cardmakers at the entrance would definitely be watching them the whole time. If someone was injured, a rescue team should have been dispatched immediately. The fact that no one had come... something was very wrong.

Before she had time to think too much, she had arrived at the source of the scent her fox had detected. The scene was one of destruction. A tree as thick as a man's arms had been chopped clean through by some unknown sharp weapon, its thick crown toppled diagonally onto the ground. And there, lying at its base, was Liam Blake, his life or death unknown.

Nancy rushed to his side, calling his name softly. "Liam... Liam!" Seeing no response, she slowly reached out a trembling hand and felt for his breath. "Thank goodness, he's still alive." Feeling the gentle warmth of his breathing on her fingers, Nancy couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. But she didn't know the extent of his injuries, so she didn't dare move his body.

She stood up, her mind racing. "What on earth happened here?" In her impression, Liam was one of the strongest students in the class, just behind Russell, Darren, and herself. There was no way the common centipede monsters could have hurt him this badly. And where were the Association's cardmakers? Why hadn't anyone come?

It would be great if Russell were here, she thought. His Pidgeot was the perfect tool for this situation. He could leave his swordsman to stand guard and fly for help himself. But Nancy had no flying mount. If she left her fox here to protect Liam, it would be too dangerous for her to go for help alone.

Just as she was trying to figure out a solution, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the dark woods in front of her.

"Who's there!?" Nancy shouted, her focus sharpening. The three-tailed fox immediately took an attacking stance.

Under their combined gaze, a panicked figure staggered out from the trees.

"Darren," Nancy said, her guard lowering slightly when she saw who it was. But when she saw his torn clothes and disheveled appearance, new questions arose. "Darren, what happened? Why do you look like this?"

Darren panted heavily, his words coming out in intermittent gasps. "Run... quickly! There's a monster!"

Nancy couldn't help but frown. "A monster? If we run, what will happen to Liam?"

I don't care if Liam lives or dies! Darren thought irritably, but what he said was, "This monster... even my Green Zombie couldn't beat it! You want to stay here and die, but I'm not staying with you!" The truth was, his zombie had been defeated and was now in cooldown. If Nancy didn't come with him, he knew he wouldn't get very far on his own in this dangerous environment.

But Nancy didn't know what he was thinking. She just replied seriously, "I won't leave him. I'll stay here to guard Liam and wait for rescue." She had grown up under the tutelage of her father, a gold-level cardmaker who had instilled in her a deep sense of honor. She couldn't abandon her classmate.

Darren gritted his teeth. "Are you going to sacrifice your life for a piece of trash?"

Nancy just shook her head, not dignifying his question with an answer. "If you want to leave, you can go alone."

This stupid woman! If I could leave, would I still be here trying to persuade you!? Darren cursed in his heart.

At that moment, a shrill, inhuman roar came from the woods behind him. Darren's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground. But his will to survive was strong. He used his hands and feet to scramble over to Nancy's side, cowering behind her.

Nancy didn't pay any attention to Darren's ugly display. Her gaze was fixed cautiously on the dark woods.

"Hoh... hoh... hoh..."

Accompanied by heavy, wet breathing, the monster Darren had mentioned gradually appeared before them. It was covered in scarlet flesh and blood. Its hands were not hands at all, but a pair of cold, sharp blades that glinted in the dim light.

Upon seeing the monster, the three-tailed fox immediately cast an illusion. Unfortunately, it was useless. The monster was mindless, a creature of pure instinct, and could not be affected by such a low-level psychic attack.

Seeing this, Nancy's expression turned grim. After several battles, her fox's main disadvantage was becoming more and more serious. If she got out of this alive, she had to find a way to solve this problem.

But the monster didn't give her time to think. It attacked first.

The scarlet figure shot toward the three-tailed fox with a piercing shriek, the sharp claws of its left hand, glinting with a cold light, aimed straight for the fox's face. The fox dodged the attack with a nimble leap. But that very leap created a fatal opening. The monster's right-hand claw dragged along the ground, leaving three deep gouges in the dirt, before sweeping upwards in a vicious arc.

The three-tailed fox was torn apart. It had only lasted for a single exchange.

Nancy was unlucky. She had encountered several enemies that were immune to her fox's illusions. According to common sense, her card should not have been so weak. But reality has no "if"s.

Just as Nancy stood shocked by the death of her card, a huge force came from behind her, shoving her directly toward the monster.

She looked back in surprise. It was Darren.

A crazy, manic look was on his face. "I can't die," he murmured, his voice a panicked whisper. "I can't die! I still have to become a Master-level cardmaker!" "Yes! I have to become a Master! I have to surpass Russell!" "Nancy, I'll remember you! When I become a Master, I'll get revenge for you!"

Having said that, he turned and prepared to flee.

Looking at Darren's insane expression, Nancy couldn't help but close her eyes in despair.

Just as she was waiting for her death, a calm voice came from mid-air.

"How disgusting, Darren."

(End of this chapter)