This year's Winter Solstice celebration was destined to be etched into the history of Norelia.
A new game was released, one bank's stock price soared while another teetered on the brink of collapse, and hundreds of residents stayed shuttered indoors all day just to grind the game. Even more gathered at the homes of friends or relatives who owned a Magic Slate just to watch them play.
A few days later, when the exhausted players finally stopped for a moment of rest, they were surprised to find a new icon on their screens: "Anti-Feudalism: Multiplayer Edition."
A new round of grinding began.
Meanwhile, the ladies and gentlemen who frequented clubs and salons to pass the time were shocked to find several square tables set up. A waiter, with the conspiratorial tone of an underground bookie, would mysteriously produce a deck of cards and ask: "Ladies and gentlemen, care for a round of 'Anti-Feudalism'?"
This activity rapidly replaced dinner parties and idle gossip as the new fashion in Norelia's leisure scene. Any club that didn't offer "Anti-Feudalism" cards was considered hopelessly behind the times. The trend soon spread to every household, to the point that even underground gambling dens introduced brand-new "Anti-Feudalism" betting pools.
Despite Norelia's high latitude, it was an ice-free port. A merchant ship, riding the winter currents into the harbor, accidentally came across "Anti-Feudalism." Finding it incredibly novel, the first mate bought several decks to kill time during the voyage.
The ship unloaded, took on new cargo, and sailed across the sea back to its home country. By the time it reached its home port, everyone from the captain to the deck-scrubbing boy had learned how to play. They returned home with their commissions, exotic treasures, and cards, successfully "infecting" their families with the card addiction they had contracted abroad.
A month later, the King and Queen of this nation sat in a magnificent conservatory, patiently teaching the Crown Prince and his younger brother, the Archduke, how to play.
"This is currently the most popular game among the commoners. I think we should learn it to show we are in touch with the people," the King said.
"But Majesty, aren't we the feudal lords? Why are we opposing ourselves?" the Archduke asked in confusion.
The Queen gave a kind and patient smile. "That's different, my dear Archduke. We are a constitutional monarchy. We aren't feudal at all; we are very modern and democratic."
"Oh!" The Archduke was relieved. He rubbed his hands together with a grin. "How do we play? Is there money involved?"
"It's simple, let me teach you—by the way, in this round, you play the 'Feudal Dictator,' and the three of us are 'Anti-Feudal Fighters.' We'll fight you."
"Wait, Your Majesty! Don't I get a choice? This isn't fair! Wait! Don't just start shuffling the cards on your own, hey!"
The Gloom Catacomb.
Silas gazed up with awe at the Dungeon Core floating above the Audience Hall. Before the Winter Solstice, it had only been half-filled with mana. But after the festival, the entire core radiated an unparalleled, brilliant light, staining every stone brick in the hall a deep crimson. The light pulsed rhythmically, a sight that reminded Silas of a heart beating in a chest.
The core was indeed the heart of the dungeon. Mana was sent through invisible transmission pipes to every floor of the maze, absorbed by every monster. This was likely the most mana-abundant moment Silas had experienced in a thousand years. He believed that even if "Sword of Dawn" Lucien, "Red Thunder" Red Light, the Last Hero, and all their companions attacked together, the monsters of the Dungeon could handle them with ease.
"This mana... isn't it a bit excessive?" A familiar voice came from behind.
Silas turned and bowed deeply. "My Lord Demon King."
Lorne had just returned to the Dungeon from Norelia via a portal, still wearing that ridiculous human formal suit. He stared at the glowing core and clicked his tongue.
"There won't be any downsides to having too much mana, will there?" he asked Silas, tilting his head. "Like overloading, exploding, or blowing a fuse?"
Silas hesitated. "I don't know, My Lord. I have never seen so much mana in the core."
Lorne scratched his messy silver hair, looking troubled. "Well, just to be safe, let's consume some of it."
With a wave of his hand, several massive light screens appeared above the hall. The screens showed live feeds of players in Hero Legend 2: War of the Gods. Silas recognized one of the player IDs: Rich Enough to Rival Nations.
This young master was currently on a "whale" spending spree, trying to pull a single card: "Loki, God of Mischief." Relying on the power of his bank account, he had already collected every card except Loki, and every card he owned was "Max Limit Broken." Yet, for some reason, he just couldn't pull Loki.
Silas glanced sideways at the Demon King, highly suspicious that he had tampered with the drop rates.
"Sigh, although I'm happy to see him spending, I can't help but pity the kid," Lorne remarked with a sigh. "His luck is truly off the charts."
In truth, Chris hadn't been that obsessed with Loki initially. After all, it wasn't his "husbando," Red Light. After failing to pull Loki in a ten-pull, Chris had given up and focused on farming breakthrough materials for Reid.
That was until he added a mysterious stranger named "Iris."
Whenever someone pulled a card of SR rank or higher, the system automatically sent a notification to all friends, inviting them to the "Hall of Heroes" page to congratulate the new partner. Thus, Iris would occasionally send notifications filled with innocent malice:
"I only planned to play casually, but I pulled Skuld on my first try. If only my luck were this good in real life."
"I just wanted to spend the 50 free Mana Crystals I got from a mission, and I pulled Red. Now the Goddesses of Fate are all gathered."
"This is my second Loki already. Is there something wrong with the drop rate? Why do I keep pulling this guy? I'll stop playing once I use up the free crystals."
"Help, Loki is now Max Limit Broken."
Underneath Iris's Hall of Heroes, the comments were a sea of "Let me suck some of your luck!"
Chris's mental state collapsed.
Why did someone get with free crystals what he had spent so much money on?! Was the gap in human luck really this large? Could some people really find gold just by walking?
Chris wasn't originally interested in those cards, but seeing someone else flaunting them made him unable to sit still. He wanted those new partners too! Why does everyone else have them but me?!
Chris gritted his teeth, opened his Gulf Bank account, and without blinking, bought a "648" pack (the most expensive currency pack).
Then another 648, and another...
He pulled one new card after another, and his friends flooded into his Hall of Heroes, leaving one amazed comment after another.
"Is a whale like this someone I'm allowed to have as a friend? Please don't despise me, boss!"
"I didn't pull an SSR, but adding a whale as a friend is a kind of SSR in itself, right?"
"Isn't this the famous 'Rich Enough to Rival Nations' from the 'Five-Color Stone Match-3' leaderboard? You're in the new game too, boss?"
Looking at the praise from his friends, Chris's heart felt like it had grown wings, flying high into the clouds.
But he soon came crashing down. The game seemed to have a personal vendetta against him; no matter how much he pulled, he couldn't get that Loki card that Iris was so smug about.
That handsome, mischievously smiling God of Mischief became Chris's obsession. He didn't care about the money or what others thought. If others had it, he had to have it too!
Thus, what appeared on Lorine's light screen was Chris's skyrocketing spending amount and failure after failure.
Silas looked away. "I'm starting to pity him too. My Lord, should we just cancel the comment function?"
"What are you saying, Silas?" Lorraine looked at him in surprise. "Why do you think people pull for cards? One-third is for the gameplay, one-third is for the aesthetics, and the remaining quarter is for the competition! Social features are the most effective way to stimulate player spending and increase user stickiness!"
"This... this is truly evil!" Silas said admiringly. "As expected of the Demon King, to come up with such a despicable method!"
Lorne waved his hand modestly. "It was all invented by humans. I'm just standing on the shoulders of giants."
However, seeing Chris fail hundreds of times, he still felt a pang of sympathy. His conscience twinged.
"Forget it, he's so pathetic. I'll just give him a 'pity' system..." Lorne traced a few runes in the air and began weaving a new spell on the spot.
"Why can't I pull him?! This isn't scientific! This doesn't follow the laws of probability!"
Chris's trembling hands could barely hold his slate. His vision was blurred by tears of frustration. Why was the gap between people so large? Was his luck really this terrible?
His friends tried to comfort him: "You've pulled all the other SSRs; missing one Loki isn't a big deal." But hearing this only made Chris feel like he wouldn't be satisfied until the collection was complete.
"Master Rich! Good news, good news!" Bao jumped around on the screen, patting it with his little paws to catch Chris's attention.
"Who pulled an SSR now?" Chris asked sadly. Whenever a friend got a lucky pull, Bao would remind him—it felt like a deliberate stab to the heart!
A devious smile appeared on Bai's fox face. "A new feature has launched, Master Rich! From now on, every time you pull a card, you get a 'Mythic Shard.' You can exchange these shards in the shop for new items and partners! Your previous pulls have already been converted into shards and placed in your inventory. Go check what treasures you can redeem!"
Chris opened the shop interface without much hope. In the "Shard Exchange" section, a row of items was listed: upgrade materials, EXP packs, stamina potions, consumable battle items, and...
A Loki card.
"?!" Chris forgot to breathe for a moment. After several heartbeats, he screamed, "I can exchange for this too?!"
"Exactly, Master Rich," Bao said slyly. "For just 1,000 Mythic Shards, you can redeem any current SSR of your choice!"
In other words, even with the worst luck, you were guaranteed a Loki after 1,000 pulls!
Tears of gratitude nearly sprayed from Chris's eyes! He used to think pulling for cards was pure gambling, but his view had changed completely. In gambling, if you lose, you get nothing. But in gacha, even if you don't pull it, you eventually get a guarantee!
This game was incredibly generous!
He currently had 610 shards. He only needed to pull 390 more times to redeem Loki. No, maybe Loki would drop before those 390 pulls were over!
Chris immediately charged several more 648s and pulled frantically. Of course, he didn't pull a single Loki. But Chris was used to it now.
Finally, after 390 pulls, he took his 1,000 shards and redeemed the Loki he had been pining for.
With a burst of brilliant light, the handsome man with the wicked smile emerged from the shimmering card pool. Simultaneously, the system automatically notified Chris's friends, inviting them to congratulate him.
"You finally got him, Boss Rich! Congrats!"
"Hard work really pays off!"
"Boss, is your SSR index complete now? I'm so jealous, I'm clinging to your leg!"
The flood of congratulatory messages made Chris beam with joy. Hmm, this comment system is actually quite useful. What's the point of pulling a good card if you can't show it off to your friends?
However, he wouldn't tell anyone he got Loki through the pity system! That would make him look like he had terrible luck!
Because Loki was so hard-won, he felt especially precious among the SSRs. Though Chris's heart still belonged to Red, his complex feelings for Loki far surpassed those for Reid...
All the materials he had saved for Red were fed to Loki instead. Soon, the card was at max level.
Carrying the max-level Loki and max-breakthrough Red (along with Sword of Dawn Lucien to round out the team), Chris excitedly dove into the event.
Following Loki's instructions, Chris arrived in Asgard.
By this time, the war between the Aesir gods and the giants had already broken out. All of Asgard was engulfed in the flames of war. Fire giants stepped through roaring blazes, incinerating everything they saw. Frost giants sailed on a great ship made of dead men's nails, bringing cold and death. The Queen of the Land of the Dead stood at the prow, her gray-white skin colder and more beautiful than the snow.
Lightning leaped across the World Tree that supported the universe, and a massive black dragon circled the top, breathing toxic gas. Its wings blotted out the sun, casting shadows and fear over the world.
"Whoa, a world war right from the start?" Chris muttered.
From the game's plot, Chris learned that the gods and giants were mortal enemies. If this war was lost, the entire world would turn to ash, leaving only silence and darkness.
The Aesir gods were wary of Chris's party and didn't immediately let them join the battle.
"It seems we must prove our worth through our own skills to earn their recognition," Red mused.
"As long as we kill a few giants, the gods will believe us, right?" Lucien said optimistically.
Bao urged, "Master Rich, let's start the battle!"
The event dungeon was quite simple, similar to the turn-based combat of Legend of the Hero 1. Enemies and allies acted in a specific order, and characters could use various skills. Winning battles granted event points; accumulating enough points would automatically reward items. The highest point reward was a card of the black dragon "Nidhogg"!
Owning every current SSR, Chris was like a fish in water. By strategically pairing skills and targeting weaknesses, winning was easy.
The game also featured a special co-op dungeon. Players could invite a friend or be matched with someone to fight side-by-side. As a famous whale, Chris received countless invitations. But his standards were high now! He wouldn't accept just anyone!
You think you can just ride my coat-tails? Chris thought smugly.
The partner he chose was the lucky Iris. After all, among his friends, only Iris had a deck as complete as his.
Iris wasn't just lucky; their skill level was impressive. They knew how to utilize skills better than Chris. After the battle, they even sent Chris a private message, coaching him on team composition.
"First, you must bring Loki. His 'Tongue of Lies' skill has a chance to give our side an extra turn. Then there's this Thor; his skill counters the boss perfectly. For Freya and Sif, just pick one. Your Odin must be equipped with the 'Raven' buff so his single-target skill becomes an AOE..."
If Chris had felt a bit of jealous hatred for the "lucky dog" Iris before, after receiving this guidance, he became a devoted follower. A pro is a pro! Even their gaming strategy is amazing! As long as I copy the pro's homework, battles will be a breeze!
With his superior cards and professional advice, Chris cut through Asgard like a hot knife through butter and arrived at the Bifrost Bridge. Loki had mentioned earlier that the Rainbow Bridge could take them to the next world, so they had to defend it from the giants.
Heimdall, the guardian of the bridge, was a hearty man. Hearing that heroes from another world wanted to help him defend the bridge, he welcomed them with open arms.
The first few battles at the bridge were like warm-ups. Chris didn't even have to use his trump cards to win.
Finally, the final battle began amidst the dragon's roar. Epic music combined with visuals of world-ending disaster completely ignited Chris's fighting spirit.
"Come on! No matter who the enemy is, I will destroy them! I wonder who is worthy of being my final foe? The Queen of the Dead? The leader of the Fire Giants? Or Nidhogg himself?"
Chris rubbed his hands, ready to go.
Then, a dark green figure descended from the sky. The man for whom Chris had spent countless amounts of money stood amidst wind and frost, looking down at the heroes.
"Oh, Loki, it's you!" Chris said joyfully. "Are you here to help me?"
A brilliant smile bloomed on Loki's face. But his eyes were devoid of warmth, colder than the swirling snow. He raised his hand, and a blade of black energy shot from his fingertip, piercing Heimdall's chest!
"What are you doing?!" Chris screamed.
His brain couldn't process it! Wasn't Loki his companion? Wasn't he the one who guided him to Asgard to fight for the gods? Why was he killing a god?!
Loki held his forehead and let out a sharp, piercing laugh.
"I must thank you, Hero of another world! If not for you, I wouldn't have gained my freedom!" Infinite madness spilled from his eyes. "I am the God of Lies and Mischief, imprisoned by the Aesir. Your arrival accidentally broke the seal, allowing me to escape! Thank you for distracting the gods, giving me time to release my children. Now, I shall join the giants to take my revenge! I will destroy this world ruled by gods and build a new one!"
Chris was so flustered he couldn't speak properly. "No, wait... how did the battle just start?!"
Accompanied by a stirring battle theme, a forced combat began. Chris led his party against Loki, who had revealed his giant form. Chris looked at his team: "Can I use Loki to fight Loki?"
Bao popped up just in time: "You summoned the god's avatar. Using the avatar to fight the original body is no problem at all!"
Though the logic felt off, Chris had no choice but to accept it. He hadn't recovered from the shock of the betrayal and fought mechanically through muscle memory. The battle was incredibly difficult; he nearly "wiped" several times. Thanks to his complete collection and the pro's advice, he finally defeated Loki with just a sliver of health left.
However, this small victory did not stop the destruction of the world.
Mountains crumbled, oceans evaporated. The World Tree withered under the dragon's breath. Odin, the All-Father, fought the demon wolf on his eight-legged steed but died in its jaws. The God of Thunder fought the Midgard Serpent, and both perished. The swordless God of War used his last strength to block the hounds of hell. The defeated Loki was grabbed by the dying Heimdall; the two unleashed their final power in mutual destruction, but that immense divine force shattered the Rainbow Bridge...
The sun sank, the stars fell, and only mountains of bones and rivers of blood remained on the frost-covered earth. The World Tree collapsed in flames, and time and space vanished into the boundless void.
Finally, the black dragon Nidhogg took flight, heading toward the end of time. The heroes from the other world acted quickly, jumping onto its back to follow it to the next world—an unknown world.
When all the dungeons were cleared, the game's "Epilogue" unlocked. It was a story told from the perspective of a bard: The War of the Gods ended with the destruction of the world. The old world collapsed, the disaster passed, and the surviving gods and humans sailed south to find a new land. They would thrive there, but that is a story for another time...
Players who finished the story went absolutely ballistic.
"What the hell is this?! Why did everyone die? What kind of 'Hero's Legend' is this?!"
"Waaaah, my Sif, my Freya... at least I pulled their avatars..."
"I thought Loki was a good guy! He's so handsome! Dammit, give me back my maiden heart!"
"I actually love Loki! I just like bad boys, teehee!"
"Is it really okay to start with a world-ending apocalypse, Mr. Lorne Dungeon...?"
For a time, Norelia's major newspapers received a blizzard of reader submissions. Players used every drop of ink to express their overwhelming emotions. Some wrote long essays about their love for a character; others did meticulous research, untangling the hidden grudges of the gods; and others used a staggering vocabulary to "greet" Lorne Dungeon's family...
Of course, the latter letters were not published.
As for Lorne himself, looking at the continuous stream of game revenue, he was grinning from ear to ear! Sometimes you have to give players a little "emotional trauma" to keep them devoted. As they say: the harder the angst, the more loyal the fans!
He didn't care about being cursed; his parents were back on Earth, and the people of this world couldn't reach them!
The Dungeon Core also accumulated a massive amount of mana from the players' excitement, pain, and despair. This briefly made Lorraine worry about the core overloading and exploding.
From this event, the big spender Rich Enough to Rival Nations and the incredibly lucky Iris both became famous, topping the point leaderboards. Everyone knew Rich was Chris Wyne, the son of the richest man. But who was this mysterious Iris?
Gloom Catacomb, Audience Hall.
"Come to think of it, this Iris person... it couldn't be you, Lord Lorne, could it?" Silas asked cautiously.
Lorne was silent for a moment. "Am I that bored?"
While it wasn't rare for official devs to create "alt" accounts to guide players, Lorne hadn't done so this time. Iris was a real player. But who were they? Was there really someone in the world with such incredible luck?
Lorne snapped his fingers, switching the light screen to other players. He wanted to see Yvette's progress, but her slate showed she was "Offline." Lorne then remembered Yvette was from the capital; it was winter break, so she had likely gone home for the holidays.
"Right, the capital." Lorne rubbed his chin, a smile curving his lips. "It's time to expand our business scope."
Norelia was the city of scholars, but it was ultimately just a border city. Neither its population nor its economy could compare to the capital of the Coast Kingdom. And the Coast Kingdom was just one of several nations on the continent; there were wealthier countries and larger cities out there. Those people had yet to experience the wonder of magic games—it was a vast, untapped "blue ocean" of wealth!
However, the mana network of the Dungeon Core couldn't reach the capital. To transmit mana there, he would need to build a series of relay stations, which would require a huge amount of mana to maintain. Lorraine wasn't sure if the current mana in the core was enough. If he miscalculated the consumption, the core could fall into a deficit, and the empire he had painstakingly built could collapse overnight.
To ensure the mana supply, the player base in Norelia had to be maintained at a certain scale to provide a stable source.
"Well then, let's start a new event," Lorne muttered to himself.
"A new event?" Silas asked. Magic games had never had "events" before. Even updates were just for bug fixes or quality-of-life features. The concept of a limited-time event was brand new to Silas.
"Players are fickle, especially with gacha games that follow the same routines. Only by constantly launching new events, new cards, and new story chapters can we maintain daily active users."
Silas barely understood. "So, the new event is..."
Lorraine flicked his finger, and the light screen switched to the world map of Legend of the Hero 2. Currently, most of the map was covered in fog, with only the top-left corner—the Frost World—revealed.
"For the next event, let's split the players into two opposing factions. The winning side gets better rewards."
Many games on Earth deliberately split players into two rival camps and released regular competitive events. Competition and conflict are the eternal themes of games and sports—or rather, an inseparable part of human psychology. Once their competitive spirit is ignited, players will invest twice as much into the game. Being part of a faction also gives players a sense of group identity. They might not spend hours finding a weapon for themselves, but they'll go through hell and back for their group.
Hero's Legend 2 was based on Earth mythology. And in the many myths of history, there is one epic tale of factional conflict, where everyone from mortals to gods split into two irreconcilable groups, clashing with blood, fire, and divine power.
The next day, players were delighted to find a notification in Hero's Legend 2.
—— Limited Event "Troy" is about to begin. The new map "Archipelago World" will be unlocked.
"... New partners Achilles, Odysseus, Hector, and Paris will join the Hall of Heroes, waiting for your summons. Simultaneously, completing event missions can grant you the avatars of Athena and Apollo."
"Players can choose between the Greek or Trojan factions. Factions cannot be changed during the event. Completing missions adds points to your faction, with a chance to obtain the limited partner—Helen of Troy?!"
"The faction with the most points at the end of the event will receive an exclusive reward!"
The notification only showed a partial image of Helen. This woman, hailed as the greatest beauty in the history of Earth, sent players into a frenzy even with only half her face showing.
The Gulf Bank saw another surge of new accounts and deposits. Meanwhile, other banks that had slowly resumed business after the New Year could only watch in terror as depositors lined up to withdraw money, fearing that the tragedy of the Western Trust Bank would befall them as well.
Players waited in anticipation for the new event. Even those who weren't interested in the Hero Legend genre (die-hard fans of Five-Color Stone Match-3 who viewed all other games as heresy) couldn't help but follow the event's progress.
However, in this winter destined for the history books, there was one Magic Slate owner who did not plan to continue his journey in Hero's Legend 2.
Andy Mohawk stood in a dark, narrow alley, constantly stamping his feet to stay warm. His breath rose in white wisps, blending into the winter wind.
In front of him stood a merchant well-known in the underground black market. The man took Andy's Magic Slate, flipped it around to inspect every corner, weighed it in his hand, and said: "One silver coin."
"Only one?!" Andy cried out.
"Your slate has several scuffs; it's 70% new at best. In the current market, one silver is a good price. If you go anywhere else, they'll offer you less."
Andy stammered, "But... but not long ago you were offering ten gold coins!"
The merchant rolled his eyes impatiently. "That was 'not long ago'! Back then, slates were a limited release and no one could buy them; naturally, they were rare and expensive. But now slates aren't limited anymore. A brand new one is only five silver coins. An old second-hand piece like yours isn't worth much. Blame yourself for missing the window!"
The cold wind made Andy's skin lose sensation, but his eyes were hot and wet with tears. He hated his lack of business sense. When the second-hand market for slates was at its peak, he only wanted to play the game and refused to sell no matter how much people offered. Now that he had to sell, its value had dropped to that of a common piece of obsidian.
He cherished his slate. It was the most wonderful, interesting toy he had ever owned and a memorable experience in his life. When he grew old, he had hoped to tell his grandchildren stories about the Magic Slate.
But even the best toy wasn't as important as family.
On the day of the Winter Solstice, Andy's father had returned to Norelia. Andy's father was a veteran who, after finishing his service, had been recommended by his commander for a job as a bodyguard for a nobleman in the capital. The job paid well, but he could only come home once a year. To give Andy and his mother a better life, he had taken the job.
Every Winter Solstice, Andy looked forward most to his father's return. He would always bring specialties from the capital and strange tales. Whenever Andy told his classmates about his father working in the capital, they would look at him with admiration and envy. It made Andy incredibly proud.
But this year, his father brought no gifts. He brought only a mountain of debt and a missing leg.
His father had been in an accident in the capital. A wealthy young noble, driving a steam-powered vehicle while drunk, had hit him while he was off-duty. Although others rushed him to the hospital, his injuries were too severe, and the doctor had to amputate his leg.
The noble was a foreign dignitary studying in the Coast Kingdom and had fled back to his country after the incident. They hired the best lawyers in the capital, arguing that the accident was purely due to slippery roads and snow. His father's employer refused to pay the expensive medical bills, claiming the accident happened while he was off-duty and thus had nothing to do with them. Even the insurance company found a loophole in their complex terms to deny the claim.
His father had spent all his money at the hospital, and even the follow-up treatment was paid for with money borrowed from colleagues and old war buddies. Having lost a leg, he obviously couldn't continue working as a bodyguard. So, on the Winter Solstice, he had leaned on a crutch, bought the cheapest standing-room ticket, and spent days on a crowded train to finally return to Norelia.
This Winter Solstice was one Andy would never forget.
At the dinner table the night before the festival, his father and mother had forced smiles, saying they would find a way through the hard times. But Andy knew they were just comforting themselves. His father's disability meant the family had lost its source of income. With so many able-bodied young men looking for work, who would hire a man who couldn't walk without a crutch?
That night, Andy lay in bed, unable to sleep. He heard his parents discussing selling the house to pay the debts and moving to a smaller apartment. They thought they were being quiet enough not to wake their son. But Andy heard everything.
If something has to be sold, it should be my Magic Slate, Andy thought.
He remembered that when he first bought it, the black market price was ten gold coins. Ten gold wouldn't solve all their problems, but a drop of water was better than nothing. After selling the slate, Andy would drop out of school and find a job. Without a diploma, it would be hard, but he felt he could study anytime; he could work and self-study. As long as he passed the exams, the Kingdom recognized self-taught students. He wouldn't even need to buy textbooks. Once his classmates graduated and didn't need them anymore, he would borrow theirs...
So the next day, Andy made an excuse to visit a classmate and left with the slate. He went straight to the black market and found the merchant who had once wanted to buy it. But the price the merchant gave him turned his heavy heart stone cold.
If only I had sold it earlier! Ten gold coins! With that money, Mom wouldn't have to sell her wedding wardrobe, and Dad could get a prosthetic leg. But now, there's nothing...
The black market merchant took out a cigarette. Blue smoke danced with his breath in the freezing air.
"Kid, I can see you're in trouble. Tell you what, I'll point you toward a better path."
"... You want me to sell my organs?" Andy asked sadly.
"Silly child, if you sell an organ, it won't grow back. But the business I'm talking about is sustainable," the merchant said. "Have you heard of 'selling accounts'?"
Andy shook his head, confused.
"Hero Legend 2 is really popular right now. Some people want a specific card but can't pull it no matter what. Instead of throwing money into a bottomless pit, they'd rather spend a bit to buy an account from someone else that already has that card."
The merchant pulled a tattered notebook from his vest, licked his thumb, and turned to a dog-eared page. "Right now, the most popular characters are Loki, Odin, Thor, and the Goddesses of Fate. Does your account have those?"
Andy continued to shake his head. "I didn't play Hero Legend 2."
"Why not give it a try? If you log in and finish a few starter missions, you get quite a few free Mana Crystals—enough for about four pulls. Spend some time doing free pulls. If you get a good card, bring it to me and I'll sell it. If you don't, just start a new account and try again."
It sounded easy. Andy had nothing to do during the break anyway. Since he could make money by playing a game, why not?
Returning home, he claimed he wasn't feeling well and hid in his room. He lay on his bed, opened the Magic Slate, and tapped the new icon.
The little white fox jumped to the center of the screen, asking if he wanted to use an old account or register a new one. Using an old account would change the dialogue slightly—partners would treat you as an old acquaintance. But since Andy planned to sell the account, he chose to register a new one.
When it came time to register an ID, Andy hesitated. His gaze drifted past the slate to the wallpaper on the wall—Iris flowers, his mother's favorite.
He typed in a new name: Iris.