Monster Paradise - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A New Card

The next morning…

Lin Xin woke up refreshed and energetic, the incident with the vampire clearly having a minimum effect on her.

Lin Huang on the other hand, had a restless night. He spent the entire night thinking about his Random Card Draw chance.

Breakfast was a brisk affair as the siblings scavenged up a meal and ate it. The damage from the vampire had left their kitchen without a dining table or pantry. Lin Huang looked up from time to time while eating to watch the news broadcast from his pinkie ring. Today’s caster was the usual middle aged news anchor from previous broadcasts.

“A Void’s Eye manifested last afternoon near the 7D101 Stronghold. However, it closed up automatically after an hour. An extermination operation was carried out by an expedition of 30 hunters last night. A 300 km radius surrounding the Void’s Eye was swept clean of any monsters above the rank of BlackIron. A total of 3000 BlueCopper and above ranked monsters were reported to have been killed. Residents from the nearby stronghold can safely carry on with their daily lives …”

I’ve got to admit the Hunter’s Association did a commendable job. Wiping out the monsters within the 24 hours of the Void’s Eye opening is a noteworthy feat. BlackIron monsters weren’t a concern most of the time as a team of over 5 armed adult civilians could take down a BlackIron monster. Plus, BlackIron monsters were frequently used as an additional source of income for the more industrious citizen.

“I’m heading off to school, Brother!”

“Have a safe trip.”

Having finished her breakfast, Lin Xin set off for school. As he sent Lin Xin off, Lin Huang crammed the rest of his breakfast down and began inspecting his internal systems.

“Blackie, I want to use my Random Card Draw!” Lin Huang anxiously commanded the black card in question telepathically.

[Please confirm the usage of your Random Card Draw.]

“Yes, I’m sure.” Lin Huang nodded his vigorously. This is kinda exciting… I wonder what I’ll get from this card draw…

[A total of 12 cards have been selected. Please a single card from the pool of cards. That will be the result of your current card draw.]

[Warning: Any selection made is final. No changes are allowed after selecting!]

A couple of lines flashed into existence quickly followed by a black card. The remaining cards soon materialized one after the other and spread out in a circular formation with a fiery golden question mark in the middle as they were a clock face.

Lin Huang closely inspected each card. Each of them were pitch black except for a question mark in the middle of the card body and were completely identical.

Failing to find any clues, he shook his as he sighed to himself. Looks like it’s all up to fate…

Raising his arm, he pointed at the card in the 12 o’clock position. “That’s the card that I want.”

As soon as his voice rang out, a flame engulfed the black card and burned it away. A new card slowly materialized from the burnt areas.

[Congratulations! You’vs attained a… Mission Card!]

Ignoring Blackie’s announcement, Lin Huang inspected his new card.

It was a golden card with a blonde maid imprinted on it. She had a voluptuous body which made her normally loose fitting maid costume cling to her body in particular, the chest area. Despite the dress’ best attempts at covering them up, a third of her breasts were still clearly visible. The snow white flesh truly made for an enticing sight.

“Congratulations little brother! You’ve drawn a mission card!” The maid winked seductively at Lin Huang as she congratulated him. This sudden interruption startled Lin Huang but his eyes soon returned to their original focus point, her breasts...

“Here are the mission details!”

“Mission Objectives: Become a Reserve Hunter within a month!”

“Mission Reward: Corrective Card x1”

“Mission Penalty: Loss of Blesing!”

“End of Mission Briefing. For further details, please refer to the card back.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the blonde maid fell silent and reverted to her original inanimate condition.

Putting aside the matter of what is a corrective card, I’m screwed if I can’t finish this mission in time. The loss of my Blessing will be devastating!.

Looking at the card’s back, he confirmed that the details were the same as what the blonde girl mentioned.After reading through the card back, he pointed his finger at the card and decided to store it. Reacting to his finger, the card shattered into countless golden sparks and flew into his body.

Hmm… In order to become a Reserve Hunter, I need to at least have a Combat Rank of BlackIron, otherwise I’m not even qualified to register. While my combat strength is clearly lack, I should be fine if I participate in the Hunter Exam as a Beastmaster.

According to his previous investigations, a few occupations were exceptions to the BlackIron requirement, Beastmaster was one of them.

A Beastmaster had the ability to control a monster and use them to fight. Due to the rarity of this ability, Beastmasters were a rare and highly regarded occupation.

With his monster cards and their innate summoning function, Lin Huang could easily pass off as a Beastmaster.

A Third Ranked BlackIron Vampire should be more than sufficient for the Reserve Hunter Exam, but it’s weakness is too conspicuous. It’ll be at a severe disadvantage against weapons smeared with a Blood Suppression Toxin…”

After careful consideration, Lin Huang looked at the second card in his internal system ---- The Advancement Card.

While it’s a waste to spend this on a Normal Card, I don’t have much of a choice… With that time restriction, it’s important that I use up all my resources in order to maximise my chances in the exam. Once the vampire has advanced, its strength is comparable to a BlueCopper ranked opponent. It should raise my chances significantly.

An Advancement Card’s value was dependant on the card it’s used on. A Normal Card could only advance into a Rare Card while a Rare Card could advance into a Epic Card. If it was used on an Epic Card, the result would be a Legendary Card. He had intended to save the Advancement Card for a rarer card but it seems like that’s no longer possible.

“Blackie, how do I summon the card’s monster?” Withdrawing his gaze from the Advancement Card, he inquired.

[Focus on your intended card and it will appear in your hands. Crush it and the summoning will be complete!] The words materialized sequentially in response to his question.

“Is the card visible to others?”

[Cards can only be seen by Master. It’s existence cannot be scryed any means.]

‘Great!” Lin Huang was put at ease by this answer. If the card was visible to others, his Blessing might get exposed.

After clarifying his doubts, Lin Huang focused on the target card in his Life Wheel. Soon, a White Crystal Card the size of his palm, appeared in his right hand.

It was completely identical to the card in his Life Wheel except for the fact that it was tangible. The card had a cold feel to it. If it wasn’t for Blackie’s reassurance, he would have gone to a secluded spot to test it out.

Recalling Blackie’s instructions, Lin Huang crushed the card. It shattered without much resistance to Lin Huang’s surprise. He was worried that he couldn’t crush the card.

The card fragments coalesced in front of him, and within moments, a delicate looking teenager appeared in front him. Judging by his appearance, he seems to be same age as Lin Huang. Its uncanny appearance almost made Lin Huang doubt whether this summon was actually a human being or not.

[Master’s activation of the monster card has been confirmed.]

[Does Master wish to absorb a Monster Skill?]