Anime Card System

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The next morning, Victoria Song stood before Russell, Nancy, and Liam, offering some final words of encouragement. "Hey, no pressure. Don't be nervous," she said with a warm smile. "It's not the end of the world if you don't win."

She genuinely meant it. After all, life was a long road, and no one's path was perfectly smooth.

If only she knew the true stakes of the new Riverview Province unified trial, her optimism might have faded.

The three students gave a silent, determined nod, boarded the vehicle, and set off for the exam venue.

This year's Joint Entrance Exam was being held at the Cardmaker Showdown Arena in the Evergrove District. The venue, funded and constructed by the Cardmaker Association, was typically reserved for official tournaments, but it served just as well for a four-school high school trial.

As Russell led Nancy Whitemore and Liam Blake into the arena, they saw that one of the other schools had already arrived. A quick glance at their uniforms confirmed it was Evergrove First High—historically, a friendly rival to New Metro First High.

Today, however, there was no friendly greeting. The three students from Evergrove First simply shot a look at Russell's team before turning away. Naturally, Russell and his teammates weren't about to go over and suck up to them. They found a spot and waited quietly for the other two schools to arrive.

Up in the stands, a few officials from the Evergrove District had already taken their seats. Since this was just a local four-school exam, the event wasn't open to the public, which at least spared the students the pressure of performing in front of a huge crowd for the first time.

Principal Hawthorne of Evergrove First High spotted Principal Shepherd and couldn't resist a smug grin. "Shepherd, my old friend," he called out. "How's your school looking this year? Feeling confident?"

A flicker of irritation crossed Principal Shepherd's face. "If you'd asked me that last year, I'd have said we had two very promising talents. But with that kid from Metro University Prep in the mix… first place is already decided."

He was right. In any other year, students of Russell and Nancy's caliber would have been serious contenders for the top spot. But this year, some prodigy from Metro University Prep had managed to create a gold-rarity card. As far as Shepherd was concerned, the competition was already over. His earlier plan to give his top students a leg up with a trip to a secret realm had already ended in disaster, adding to his frustration.

Just then, an older man with silvering hair approached them, a cheerful smile on his face. "Now, now, let's not shower Jansen Crowe with too much praise," he said. "The boy's ego is big enough as it is."

The newcomer was Principal Wu of Metro University Prep.

Seeing his self-satisfied expression, both Shepherd and Hawthorne rolled their eyes.

Down on the arena floor, Russell and his team saw the students from Metro University Prep make their entrance. The one in the lead had flashy, dyed-blonde hair and was flanked by two other students who looked more like lackeys than teammates.

Russell's eye twitched. "Are the rules at Metro University Prep really that lax?" he whispered to Nancy.

Nancy let out a soft laugh. "That's him. The one I told you about who made the gold card. Schools tend to make exceptions for their top students." She gave him a playful nudge. "I bet if you dyed your hair bright red, Ms. Song wouldn't say a word."

Russell imagined himself with a fiery red mop and shuddered. That was a look he definitely didn't want.

At that moment, the blond student—Jansen Crowe—dramatically flipped his hair back. "It's no disgrace to lose to me, Jansen Crowe," he announced to the entire arena. "I'm just too powerful for you all." He followed it with a deep, theatrical sigh. "Ah, the loneliness of being invincible."

His two sidekicks immediately burst into applause. "You're unstoppable, Jansen!" "Nobody can beat you, boss!"

An awkward silence fell over the arena, so heavy you could almost feel a cold breeze.

Russell, Nancy, and Liam exchanged baffled looks. "Is that guy all there?" Russell finally asked.

Liam scratched his head. "I guess all geniuses are a little weird?"

As they were talking, the final team from Southridge High arrived. A moment later, a familiar face, Marcus, the President of the Evergrove District Cardmaker Association, walked to the center of the stage with a microphone.

"I'm sure your teachers have already briefed you on the rules of this joint exam, so I won't waste your time," Marcus began. "With only four schools, we'll wrap this up in two days. Let's begin by drawing the first match."

A staff member brought him a black box. Marcus reached inside and pulled out two slips of paper. He unfolded them, glanced at the names, and announced, "The first match is: Metro University Prep versus Evergrove First High!"

Jansen Crowe shook his golden hair again. "You two can sit this one out," he told his sidekicks. "I can handle this alone."

They looked thrilled. Who wouldn't want a free win?

The students from Evergrove First, however, looked furious. Jansen was clearly disrespecting them.

The battle began, and Russell immediately understood the source of Jansen's arrogance. A terrifying, green-skinned monster with bared fangs materialized in front of him, clutching a steel trident. As it appeared, a thin mist began to creep across the battlefield.

It was a Yaksha.

Jansen crossed his arms, his voice dripping with condescension. "Consider it an honor to be defeated by my [Sea Warden Yaksha]."

Yaksha cards generally came in two series. The first was the 'Dragon Palace' series, which Jansen's seemed to be, typically made with materials ranging from Black Iron to Bronze. The other was the much higher-tier 'Eight Dharma Protectors' series from Buddhist mythology. Russell had read about them in the Revised World Mythology Atlas (4th Edition). While the atlas covered common myths and monsters, the final quality of a card always depended on the unique story woven by its creator.

A thought suddenly struck Russell as he glanced at Jansen's two followers. "I wonder if their cards are just shrimp and crab monsters to go with his theme."

The three students from Evergrove First were completely on the defensive. They had no intel on Jansen's card and were only now realizing how terrifying their opponent truly was. The mist thickened, and soon, all three of their summoned cards were defeated without putting up any meaningful resistance.

Nancy watched with a grave expression. "They lost too fast. I couldn't get a read on its abilities."

"It obviously has water control," Russell said calmly. "The question is how strong it is."

Between the card's name and the water vapor that swirled around the Yaksha, its primary ability was clear. But Evergrove First, a team that had consistently ranked at the bottom for years, was too weak to force Jansen to reveal anything more. They were simply outclassed.

Up in the stands, Principal Wu clapped a grinning Principal Hawthorne on the back. "Hey, Thorne," he said, using his old nickname, "My boy Jansen was a bit too harsh on your students. Don't take it personally."

Principal Hawthorne's face soured. Not only did the old man gloat, but he had to rub salt in the wound. "I'm not going to hold it against a kid," he grumbled. Besides, Evergrove First was used to being last. Losing to a gold-card prodigy was a better excuse than most. He glanced over at Principal Shepherd. At least he'd have a brother in misery to share the loss with. As for those "promising seedlings" Shepherd had mentioned earlier, Hawthorne dismissed it as a desperate boast.

(End of Chapter)

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