Anime Card System

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a story-editing class. Russell found himself yawning constantly, his mind still buzzing from the morning's events. He forced himself to pay attention; even though he had a vast library of stories in his mind from his past life, learning how to properly structure and adapt them into a card's narrative was a critical skill.

The moment the final bell rang, he was blocked in the classroom by Darren. "Russell," he said, a smug look on his face. "Let's have that battle now."

Russell stared at him. Does this guy not realize that if a card is defeated, it enters a twenty-four-hour cooldown? He would be starting the official ranking match tomorrow with a major disadvantage. Russell mentally labeled Darren as both brainless and arrogant.

"Forget it," he said, sighing. "I have something urgent to do at home. Besides, the ranking match is tomorrow. Just be patient."

Seeing that Darren had no intention of moving, Russell simply pushed past him and walked out. He could hear Darren's frustrated grunt behind him. "Humph. Lucky for you. First place tomorrow will be mine."

Russell took the bus all the way back to his old, shabby apartment in the Happy Home Complex. Sitting in front of his computer, he began to calculate his recent gains.

First, there were the seven pieces of [Ghoul Corpse] (Green) material, condensed from the zombies he had killed. He had no use for them himself, so he listed all seven on the online trading platform for 20,000 Federation Credits each.

Second was the [Elite Ghoul] (Purple) material he had received as a reward. This was a core component for the next card he planned to make, so it was not for sale.

As for cash, the school rewarded students who entered the key class with 150,000 credits. As a registered Black Iron cardmaker, he would now receive a monthly subsidy of 20,000. Adding the 100,000 bonus for bravery and the money left from his previous loans, Russell now had a total of just over 280,000 credits in cash.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Life was finally getting better.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to the contact noted as "Brother Tiger".

"Brother Tiger, I have the money. Is it convenient for you to come over today? I want to pay off the loan."

On the other side of the city, a bald, heavily built man looked at the message on his phone. He glanced at the contact notes he had made for this client: [Russell, student, no potential, can try to develop].

This was, of course, Brother Tiger. "He's collected enough money already?" he muttered to himself. "Did he take out another loan to pay this one off? Or..."

After a moment's thought, he replied: "Of course, Mr. Russell. We'll be there right away."

He looked up. "Skinny, grab the contract from the 'Potential Targets' file. We're going out." "Got it, Brother Tiger," the man called Skinny responded.

Soon, the two of them drove to the Happy Home Complex. Knock, knock, knock. The sound echoed in the empty corridor.

"Coming," a voice called from inside. A moment later, the door opened. It was Russell. "Brother Tiger, right? Please, come in. No need to change your shoes."

The three of them sat on the worn-out sofa. Russell pushed an envelope from the coffee table toward them. "There's 120,000 in there. That should cover the principal and the interest."

As he spoke, he summoned Yoriichi Tsugikuni. The swordsman appeared instantly, leaning silently against the wall with his arms crossed over his blade, his sharp eyes fixed on the two men from Duoduo Finance.

"Cardmaker."

The moment Brother Tiger saw Yoriichi, his eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected the boy to actually become a registered cardmaker. Their initial investigation had suggested his talent was mediocre at best.

He immediately plastered a wide, friendly smile on his face. "Congratulations, Mr. Russell, on becoming a cardmaker! How about this? You don't have to pay us back. Consider the debt cleared. A little gift from Duoduo Finance to a promising new talent." As he spoke, he took the contract from Skinny and theatrically tore it into pieces in front of Russell.

Russell sneered inwardly. Offering courtesy for no reason means you're either a cheat or a thief. He had no intention of staying entangled with these gray-market criminals.

"A man is nothing without his integrity," Russell said, his own face a mask of polite sincerity. "You should take the money, Brother Tiger. A loan borrowed is a loan that must be repaid. It makes it easier to borrow again in the future."

Hearing this, the smile on Brother Tiger's face froze. This kid is stubborn. Unfortunately for him, as a shrewd operator, he would never risk offending a registered cardmaker from the Association over a mere 100,000 credits, even if he was just a Black Iron novice.

After a moment's pause, he took the envelope with a laugh. "Student Russell is truly a man of his word. I am ashamed of my own suggestion. With this, your business with Duoduo Finance is concluded." "We won't bother you again."

With that, he and Skinny quickly left the apartment.

Downstairs, Skinny leaned over to Brother Tiger and whispered, "Brother, that kid doesn't know what's good for him."

SLAP!

Before he could finish, a hard slap sent his head ringing. Brother Tiger stared at him, his eyes as cold and merciless as a viper's. "Idiot. If you ever say something like that again, I will personally turn you into material for your 'seniors'." "The most important thing for us is to keep a low profile. Are you insane or am I? You want to make a move on a registered cardmaker?"

Skinny shuddered, thinking of the fates of his predecessors. He covered his swollen face, lowered his head, and mumbled, "I was wrong, Brother Tiger. It won't happen again."

Brother Tiger snorted coldly. "Let's go. The next client on the list can't pay."

With his debt finally paid off, Russell felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. Now, he could finally consider his next card. He already had several ideas.

The first choice was definitely [Kokushibo · Michikatsu Tsugikuni]. This card would form a powerful bond with his existing Yoriichi, and Kokushibo's strength as Upper Rank One was undeniable. If the materials were good enough, Russell was confident he could even reach gold quality. But Kokushibo had a major flaw: photophobia, a crippling weakness to sunlight. He would have to find a way to solve that problem in the story. For now, with only the [Elite Ghoul] material on hand, he had plenty of time to perfect the concept.

"I'm still short on money," he sighed. The cheapest, least versatile purple materials started at 150,000, and powerful ones were far more expensive. And that was just for the Black Iron grade. High-level materials were almost never sold for cash; powerful cardmakers preferred to barter. As a student, he had no legal way to obtain large amounts of funds quickly. His only real hope was for New Metro First High to win the joint examination in a month. But in his memory, his school's performance in previous years had never been good.

Shaking off the complicated thoughts, Russell prepared to begin his daily meditation. The standard technique taught throughout the Daming Federation was called the "Deep Blue Meditation Method," said to have been spread by the legendary Lucius the Sage. It was a universal method, with no special, secret techniques passed down through families. This leveled the playing field; meditation would not be the shackle that held a cardmaker back.

What truly separated the novices from the masters was the ability to build a story.

(End of this chapter)