Robert was excited to play the new game. In the past, he had thought games were mere distractions from the path of learning, and he could not be entertained by them.

That was his misconception. Ever since he played Territory War with Lucen, he found that games were not only entertaining, they were stimulating.

No matter what it was, the things Lucen creates were sure to be great. He had already learned the rules of the game, and this time, he would achieve victory against Lucen once he defeated Mireya.

***

Similar to Robert, Mireya was excited to play the new game. She had waited for years for Lucen to create a new game; she even put in a lot of effort to finish his request so that he would create this new game for her.

She was not going to allow Robert to take her victory; she would crush him, and then she would defeat Lucen as well.

Mireya’s lavender eyes were calm, but beneath that calmness was a quiet flame.

Across from her, Robert Duskwell sat with a confident smile on his face. His fingers tapped lightly against the table as if he were already calculating several possible outcomes.

Lucen sat to the side as the one who would oversee the first duel.

Durik and the other dwarves stood behind them, watching with great interest. They had helped create the cards, but none of them knew whether the game itself would actually be fun.

Lucen placed two small wooden markers beside the center of the table.

"Each of you starts with twenty points in your Life Crest. Draw five cards. At the start of each turn, draw one card and gain one Battle Pulse. Since this is the first test, if something does not make sense, we will discuss it after the duel."

Robert nodded. "Understood."

Mireya nodded as well. "Understood."

Lucen looked at the two of them for a moment before smiling. He was excited to see how Robert and Mireya would play the very first TCG in this world. Not only that, if he were successful, he would make even more money. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Alright then, draw!"

Robert and Mireya each drew five cards from their decks. The two of them had smiles on their faces as they excitedly played their cards.

Robert’s deck was focused on using Art and Ambush Cards, while Mireya’s deck was focused on quickly summoning powerful Summoning Cards.

Because of that, the difference between their styles showed itself almost immediately. Mireya played in a rather direct way.

She summoned one creature after another, filling her side of the battlefield with steady pressure. Each Summon Card she placed felt like another soldier joining her formation.

Robert, on the other hand, barely summoned anything at first. Instead, he set Ambush Cards face down and used Art Cards to disturb Mireya’s rhythm.

Whenever Mireya tried to push forward, Robert would either weaken her Summon Card, stop the attack, or force her to waste more cards than she wanted.

The two of them were so immersed in their strategies that they were grinning so widely. What should I do next? This seems interesting. What if I do this instead?

Those thoughts continued to pass through their minds as the duel progressed.

At first, Durik and the other dwarves watched in silence. To them, it was only a strange game made from cards they had helped craft.

They were curious, yes, but they did not truly understand why Lucen, Robert, and Mireya looked so excited over it.

However, as the turns continued, their expressions began to change.

One of the dwarves leaned closer. Another crossed his arms and frowned as if he were thinking about what card he would have played. Durik stroked his beard, his eyes fixed on the battlefield.

"Why did she not attack with that one?" one dwarf muttered.

"Because of the face-down card," another replied.

"Then she should force him to use it."

"What if that is what he wants?"

The room slowly became noisier. Seeing this scene before him made Lucen smile even wider. This scene was starting to feel nostalgic to him.

He, too, would do the same thing when he watched players playing in his local game shop. They would talk strategy, talk about the synergy of each card, build decks together, and laugh as they played. They role-played while playing cards.

’Those were fun times... Maybe I can do it again in this world as well.’

As Lucen thought of that, the duel between Robert and Mireya continued to grow more intense.

Robert’s smile had become sharper. Despite having lost many points in his life crest, he wasn’t bothered.

As usual, he experimented in ways to win with his current cards; the more he learned, the more excited he became.

On the other hand, Mireya was focused on summoning more cards on the field and using the Summon Cards abilities. She was keeping the pressure on, making it hard to counterattack.

Despite being the one who had lost more points, Robert did not look like he was losing. If anything, the more damage his Life Crest received, the brighter his eyes became. To Robert, the decreasing number was not merely a sign of danger; it was information.

Robert knew every card created on both sides, and he knew the limit of cards in a deck. Now that they were near the end of the duel, based on the cards Mireya had already used, he could pretty much guess the remaining cards on her deck.

The same thing could be said for Mireya, who also knew every card that had been created and understood what kind of cards were on Robert’s deck.

Now, victory will be determined by the timing of the use of each of their cards. The room had grown strangely quiet as the tension in the room felt like a real battlefield.

The dwarves who had been whispering among themselves had stopped speaking. Each one of them was watching intently at the cards on the table.

Despite the illusions having not been implemented yet, for some reason, everyone could imagine the field filled with summoned creatures.

Mireya’s side felt like a marching army. Her Summon Cards stood firm, each one pressing forward with a clear purpose.

Even without movement or sound, the cards gave the feeling of soldiers advancing under a calm commander.

Robert’s side, on the other hand, felt like a laboratory filled with traps. There were fewer Summon Cards on his field, but no one in the room thought he was defenseless.

Every face-down Ambush Card felt like a knife hidden beneath a sleeve. Every Art Card in his hand felt like something that could overturn the battlefield in a single moment.

Mireya stared at Robert’s field in silence. Robert stared back with a smile. Neither of them spoke with words, but they spoke using their eyes.

Lucen, who was watching from the side, felt his heart beat a little faster. This was it! This was the moment that made card games fun.

The two then started their final exchange. Mireya used a card effect of her Summon Card. Its effect destroys all Art Cards on the field.

It was at that moment that Robert used an Ambush Card, negating the effect of the Summon Card.

Mireya did not let up as she proceeded to attack the single Summon Card on Robert’s side. The second she did so, Robert activated another Ambush Card that reflects damage back to the enemy.

Mireya activated her own Ambush Card, which negates the attack damage. Seeing this exchange made Lucen feel the excitement of the game.

’It’s like I’m watching that anime again from my childhood.’

The exchange continued for a few more turns, and by then, everyone watching had forgotten that this was only the first prototype.

Robert’s Life Crest was on its last point, but despite that situation, he was still smiling. No matter what, he was truly enjoying himself in this game. This game was better than Territorial War.

On the other hand, Mireya, who still had a few points on her Life Crest, was still cautious. She knew that, depending on how he used it, there was a card in Robert’s deck that could possibly turn the situation around.

Mireya used an Art Card to enhance her Summon Card and attacked. If Robert did not block this move, the next attack she will make will bring her victory.

Robert did not do anything and allowed his Summon Card to get destroyed. Mireya felt that there was something wrong, but still, she knew that the next attack was something she needed to make right now, since this would give her the win.

But before she could announce her next attack, Robert activated an Art Card that forcefully ended Mireya’s turn.

"How unfortunate, it seems that I’ll be the one to play with Lucen." Robert had declared his victory as he drew a card and quickly used the Strongest Summoned Card in his deck.

Robert initiated an attack, but then Mireya smiled and activated the effect of her destroyed Summoned Card that was in the necropolis.

It made Robert’s Summon Card self-destruct, inflicting one point of damage to Robert’s life crest. This signaled Mireya’s victory.

"... So I lost?" Robert’s reaction was unexpected. Lucen imagined he would be a little bit angry. "Impossible. There must be a flaw in the balance of the game. We need another round immediately!"

The second Robert burst out, Lucen smiled, now that was the reaction he expected. It took them several minutes to calm Robert down.

This time, it was Lucen’s turn to play against Mireya; he was going to use the same deck Robert used.

"This time I will win." Mireya declared.

"Let’s see if you can," Lucen replied with a smile.

Unlike Robert and Mireya’s game, Lucen’s game against Mireya did not last that long. Lucen used the Art effects in a way to get the cards he needed faster, and then, with a swift attack, completely decimated Mireya’s battlefield, making her lose the game.

"One more game." Mireya immediately said, with her doll-like features, trying to look fierce.

"You already lost, it’s my turn to play against Lucen," Robert chimed in.

For the rest of the day, everyone got to play, including the dwarves, and everyone had experienced a loss to Lucen.

With renewed passion, the group wanted to make more cards so that they can create a deck that could destroy Lucen.