The final card on Deckard’s side was revealed.
From the waters surrounding his castle, a deep ripple surged outward. A shadow stirred beneath the surface—then the [Turtle Mother] rose. Her barnacle-studded shell broke the water with a slow, deliberate roll. Water streamed down her massive form as she gave a deep, resonant grunt, then lumbered into position on Deckard’s defensive lane.
Turtle Mother ??
Rarity: Rare
Type: Creature
Affinity: ???
Cost: 3
Points: 2
Effect: Moves all enemy creatures played here this turn into the other lane.
Synergy: Sends one random enemy back to its owner’s hand.
Her effect was modest compared to the towering [Titan of the Grove], but she looked confident all the same. The Behemoth stood unaffected—but the Island synergy pulsed again. A swirl of blue-green light spiraled from her shell, coiling like a current around the [Push Turtle] and yanking it off the board with a splash of digital spray.
In Deckard’s defensive lane, he was down by two points—his total at –2 against Prakash’s 4. On the offensive lane, it was a stalemate: [Claw’s Crab] matched up with [Titan of the Grove] and the stalwart [Iron Tortoise].
At first glance, it looked like the game would go one more round. Deckard’s castle would fall to 1 HP, while Prakash’s remained at 3.
But then Deckard’s deck began to glow.
Beside the hulking claw of the [Claw’s Crab], the water shimmered once more. A new creature emerged—elegant, bright orange, its long arms spiraling outward like octopus tentacles. The [Sunflower Sea Star] spun slowly as it took the field, threads of glowing light extending from its limbs into the battlefield and into Deckard’s graveyard.
Sunflower Sea Star
Rarity: Rare
Type: Creature
Affinity: ???
Cost: 3
Points: 0
Effect: Banish all starfish in graveyards or field. +1 for each.
Synergy: Regeneration.
Thanks to its Island synergy, it was summoned for free. Its Regeneration had kicked in.
Its limbs pulsed with greedy energy as it hungrily absorbed two others—one from the board, two from the graveyard. Energy arced across its body. Its point value surged to 3.
Prakash’s shoulders slumped as the resolution phase began.
[Titan of the Grove] raised its massive paw and slammed it into the battlefield. A shockwave rippled through the stone beneath Deckard’s castle, cracking its outer wall. The structure held—barely—at 1 HP.
But then came the retaliation.
The [Claw’s Crab] rammed into the front line, its jagged claw catching both the [Titan] and the [Iron Tortoise]. At the same time, the [Sunflower Sea Star] whipped its glowing arms forward, striking Prakash’s castle with a flurry of radiant lashes.
His health plummeted.
The board froze. Then, with a soft chime, the victory animation triggered.
Prakash’s castle cracked—then crumbled—dropping all the way to 0 health.
Deckard let out a slow breath. That was close.
The two cards from the pot spun upward, hovering for a second before zipping toward him. He caught them and glanced at the top one.
A new turtle card. Not bad.
“Whoa! That was awesome, dude!” Prakash exclaimed. “What an epic battle!”
Deckard smiled. “You almost had me. If that push effect had landed on the Claw, I would've been dead meat.”
“Good play with the [Turtle Mother] at the end. I’ve been meaning to add her to my deck, but I, uh… spent all my money on the [Tortoise King]. Any chance you’d trade her?”
“Sorry,” Deckard said with a shrug. “I love that card too much.”
Prakash nodded, clearly disappointed but not upset. “Haha, fair. This is so cool. I… I played against the Stubborn Tiger!” He practically vibrated with excitement. “Is it okay if I add you as a friend?”
“S-sorry,” Deckard said, softening his tone. “I’d rather not. But I’d love a rematch. Got any more turtle commons you’re willing to wager?”
“Do I? I practically live in the Sea Currents Dungeon! I’ve got a couple more, yeah.”
“Sea Currents Dungeon?”
“It’s a nearby one—full of turtles. You need to be level 20 to enter.”
“Oh. That explains the cards… and the gear.”
Prakash beamed, clearly proud of both.
“I’ve got a duplicate of [Push Turtle] right here. Want a rematch?”
Deckard nodded, already reshuffling his deck. “Let’s go.”
*
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Deckard woke to the sound of his alarm. Groggily, he shuffled to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and splashed cold water on his face.
In the kitchen, he started the coffee and dropped two slices of bread into the toaster.
“Yawn. Yesterday was a real grind.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
He’d logged off around 10 p.m. after an eight-hour session.
Still, it had paid off—56 more league points and two new Card Master levels. Frustratingly, though, nothing had unlocked. [Deal the Cards] remained the same: two decks, five skills each.
He ate quietly, sipping coffee between bites of toast. The grogginess faded as the caffeine kicked in. His mind cleared, and with it came a renewed clarity.
“Ha… Real sleep is irreplaceable.”
As he ate, he almost reached for his phone to check the rankings again—but stopped himself.
Not yet.
He forced himself to chew and to not pull out his phone. He made a conscious effort to treat his body and mind like work tools. They needed care and pacing, especially now that he was gaming so much more than usual to play catch-up with the professional scene of Terralore.
He finished his coffee and went to get dressed. Sure, he could’ve logged in wearing pajamas, but years of working from home had taught him better. Keeping a routine—getting dressed, acting like it was a real workday—helped keep him grounded.
When your profession was playing a game forty-plus hours a week, you needed structure. Without it, burnout came fast. He’d seen more than one competitor flame out of the professional scene that way.
Not him. He’d always stayed in top shape.
He walked over to the capsule, and propped it open. As he walked in, he smiled.
It had been a long time since he felt like this. Like he was getting ready for something that mattered. This wasn’t just logging into a game—it was showing up to work. The kind of rhythm he’d only known back when he played Nova Cardia professionally.
And now, finally, he was part of the Terralore scene.
As the lid sealed, and the hum of the machine deepened, his vision darkened—and in a blink, he was back in the Gaming Parlor of Aquascape.
The first thing he did was open the [Terralore] menu—a feature he’d discovered just yesterday.
It contained stats, game history, and access to the league rankings. His current win rate sat at 67.5%.
It was absurdly high. A win rate above 60% was already considered top-tier.
Of course, he wasn’t under any illusions. The only reason he was winning this often was because most of his opponents had been complete beginners.
He flicked over to his decklist next.
It had gotten a few upgrades yesterday. The worst two starfish were out, replaced with stronger versions he’d earned in wagers. He’d also removed [Crab Enforcer], [Blue Macaw], and [Scavenge], swapping them for two turtle cards and his prized legendary creature—[Turtle Ninja].
Finally, he checked the city league rankings.
Over 50,000 players were active this season, and to qualify for regionals, he needed to crack the top 5,000.
With just under 80 points, he currently sat at 15,139th place.
Climbing more than 35,000 spots in a single day was nothing to scoff at—but the real challenge still lay ahead. The players above him weren’t rookies. They were grinders, veterans with optimized decks and a deep knowledge of the meta. From here on out, the competition would be fierce. To keep climbing, he’d need more than momentum.
Even so, the thought of it lit a familiar fire in his chest.
He tapped his foot, weighing his next step. If he wanted to close the gap, he’d need to start taking risks.
Should I start wagering uncommons?
So far, he’d played it safe, wagering only common cards while learning the meta. Each win was worth a single league point. But matches with uncommons wagered paid out double. Even if his win rate dipped by 10 or 15 percent, he’d still climb faster.
And I’ll get better matchups, too.
Running into total beginners might be good for padding stats, but it didn’t reflect the intensity of real competition. He couldn’t sharpen his skills by playing against dull blades.
There were even riskier options. Rare wagers gave five points per win. Epics gave twenty-five. Legendaries? A full hundred. One victory with a legendary on the line, and he could leap thousands of spots in one shot.
But that was too much of a gamble. He only had two legendary cards. Losing either would hurt more than the ranking boost was worth.
Uncommons it is.
He looked up at the wall of screens displaying open challenges and card wagers, eyes scanning for his next opponent.
The highest-value wager was for a rare skill card.
It hovered there, tempting—five points for a single win. But he skipped past it.
Instead, he filtered for uncommons. The list was shorter than with commons, but still offered plenty of matchups. He looked for anything that could fit in his deck, but failed to find any options.
Shrugging, he looked for what else was available. One entry caught his eye.
Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake ??
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Creature
Affinity: ??
Cost: 2
Points: 0
Effect: +3 if on the attacking lane.
A serpentine form shimmered on the screen, its scales catching the light with a muted, iridescent yellow. A red gem pulsed in the bottom-left corner of the card frame, and the title glowed in red letters—an uncommon.
Sea snake cards were a common sight in Aquascape. Deckard already had three commons tied to the archetype. Might as well build out the set.
“9F,” he muttered, reading the match ID. A pulsing blue arrow appeared on his minimap, guiding him toward the far row of private arenas. He followed the glowing floor indicators to the assigned station.
A middle-aged man stood waiting at the arena, posture upright, fingers already poised above the interface. He gave a polite nod as Deckard approached—calm and unreadable.
His hands hovered over the controls—not jittery, not tense. Just still. Like he’d done this a thousand times.
Definitely not a first-timer.
“Hi there,” Deckard said.
He pulled up his inventory and selected one of his three duplicate uncommon creatures—[Cranky Seagull]—then dropped it into the virtual wager pot.
The man glanced at the card, paused for a beat, and nodded.
In Deckard’s experience, players rarely declined wagers—as long as creature cards were matched with creatures, and skills with skills. He’d only seen refusals when players tried to mix categories. Creatures were harder to replace, and risking one against a skill card just wasn’t worth it.
The field lit up with a soft pulse. A miniature battlefield projected into the air, cards hovering in position as the system began randomizing their starting hands.
Before Deckard could toggle the settings himself, his opponent had already locked in the private mode, hiding their game from prying eyes.
His first-ever match for an uncommon card had begun.
StubbornTiger vs. ViciousViper!
Round 1
Four cards blinked into Deckard’s hand.
[Tug-Tle Of War]. [Starfish]. [Triple Pulse]. And, as expected, [Harmonious Island].
No question what the play was.
He slid the [Starfish] into the discard zone. Then, he placed [Harmonious Island].
On his side of the field, the terrain before his castle shimmered. Waves rolled gently against the walls as a tranquil island unfolded. A quiet hum of harmony resonated as the synergy locked in.
Mist swirled on the opponent’s side of the field as their card was revealed.
Deckard’s brow creased.
His opponent’s castle was transforming, too. Lush mangroves and broken coral outcroppings burst into view. The castle itself seemed to shed old skin—stone giving way to scaled accents, and a low, serpentine hiss trailing through the ambient sound.
Sea Snakes’ Nest ??
Rarity: Rare
Type: Landmark
Affinity: ??
Cost: 3
Effect: Snakes cost 1 less.
Deckard stiffened slightly.
His opponent had just played a rare landmark on the very first move.
Out of the hundred games he’d played, maybe four or five had opened that strongly—and every time, it meant trouble.
