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Nariren rarely stepped into the melee-type card training room.
Since her strength was diminished, she has only conducted basic training in public places. As for card training, she chooses to spend more money to conduct it in a private training room.
She was quite well-known in the department. As soon as she entered the training department, many eyes, some obvious and some seemingly hidden, fell on her.
"Why is she here? I remember she hasn't come to the card training room since she had a falling out with Moze."
"I heard she joined a new team and is preparing to fight Moze and the others. Could she be here to gather intelligence?"
"No, what's there to find out? Doesn't Nariren know Moze already?"
Nariren remained calm, ignoring the whispers of those around her.
These people would never have imagined that her long-awaited return to the public card training room was because she had spent 350,000 at the store and was now facing a critical shortage of savings.
Although Ning Xi said she would repay the money, it was only after she had made the materials into finished cards and sold them.
For offensive card players, the method for practicing cards is simple: battle.
She stood in front of the virtual battle arena, and hesitated for a moment, which was unusual for her.
Do we really have to reveal that card in front of everyone...?
"Hey, Sister Na!"
She heard a familiar, drawn-out voice. Without turning around, she knew who it was.
"Aren't you a magic user? What are you doing in our melee combat training room?"
Liu Yixi, one of the magic-based members of "Golden Compass," was once one of the members she was closest to.
Liu Yixi, no matter how many cold shoulders she gave him, always greeted her with a smile. But he was also the first to kick Naliren when she was down after she left the team.
"Sister Na, what do you mean by that?" He still had a grin on his face, seemingly completely unconcerned about Naliren's cold tone. "I'm here to find some melee-type friends. Who doesn't have a few friends?"
"Oh—" He covered his mouth, looking as if he had just realized something, "No wonder Sister Na couldn't figure it out, you're the one who has no friends—wait a minute!"
Nariren's flaming spear was pointed directly at his chest.
"Sister Na, why are you still so temperamental?" Liu Yixi sighed. "Only we can tolerate you. If you switch teams, you should tone it down a bit... Don't make it so that they don't want you anymore."
Nariren gave a mocking smile.
Looking around, Liu Yixi's "friend" still hadn't appeared. But she knew this person existed.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have arrived so quickly.
“I know what you’re here for,” she said. “Without further ado, let’s go into the simulation arena and play.”
"Sister Na, you said it yourself." Liu Yixi chuckled and turned to set up the simulation field.
“Wait,” Nariren called out to him. “But I have one condition: if I win, you have to grant me one request; if you win, the same applies.”
Liu Yixi raised an eyebrow. Naliren had always been straightforward, and he was a little confused about what she was thinking when she suddenly said that.
However, according to the captain, it probably wouldn't be difficult for him to take down Nariren at this moment.
"Of course, but I don't know if Sister Na can keep her word."
The two entered the simulation arena and began the simulated battle.
[Combat Mission: Slay 50 Rank E Beasts]
[Winning condition: Kill the monster the fastest, or survive until the very last moment.]
Once in battle, Liu Yixi abandoned his usual carefree and nonchalant demeanor. He activated his cards, and the surrounding beasts irresistibly drew closer to him.
His card, [Star Ring], possesses the rare "gravity" trait, allowing him to easily manipulate everything around him. Liu Yixi revealed a slightly cruel smile, and with a wave of his left hand, several alien beasts were immediately pulled and collided, their flesh and blood turning into specks of light.
He looked regretful: the simulation arena is ultimately just a simulation arena, and it cannot replicate the most realistic combat functions.
He didn't forget his mission, but he didn't take Nariren to heart.
If she still had C-level abilities, he might be a little wary of her, but Nariren, who only had D-level abilities left, was basically at his mercy.
"Naliren and Liu Yixi are competing to clear out swarms of alien beasts? That doesn't make sense. Liu Yixi's cards are very effective against groups, while Naliren's cards seem to be single-target, right?"
"That's true, but with Nariren's strength, fighting an E-rank is like cutting melons and vegetables—wait, why do I feel like she's gotten weaker?"
"That rumor seems to be true; Nariren was abandoned by her own cards."
In the virtual arena, the blond warrior wielded his flaming spear with all his might, but could only injure a few monsters at a time; in contrast, Liu Yixi could eliminate several monsters with each move.
"Now, we've shown enough of our strength."
Nariren murmured softly. After hesitating for a moment, she finally used the summoning card that Ning Xi had made for her.
"Come out! Um, maybe you shouldn't say anything..."
A dazzling light flashed, and what appeared in the simulation field was not a powerful spell, nor a cool beast, but a... sunflower?
To be fair, this sunflower is very beautiful, with golden petals and a large, full flower head, clearly nourished by plenty of sunshine and rain.
"But what can a sunflower do? Can it spit out seeds to feed the strange beasts?"
"Could it be that it produces sunlight to attract other plants?"
Nariren had excellent hearing, and upon hearing her classmates' discussion, she couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth.
It really does produce sunlight.
Although it was not very clear, an invisible ray of sunlight had been "produced," and Nariren could feel the heat and energy within it.
The beasts bathed in sunlight became unusually restless. They, who had initially swarmed and attacked the card master, began to scuffle amongst themselves.
Onlookers also noticed this change.
"Nariren just bought a new disruption card? That's not like her."
"It's too late to use the jamming card now, isn't it? We should have used it sooner. Nariren has really regressed."
What she could sense, the [Crimson Lotus Flame] could also sense.
The card trembled unusually, involuntarily demanding her mental energy, which Nariren naturally provided with all her might. She was rich in combat experience and had practiced using the [Crimson Lotus] series of cards since childhood; she hardly needed to think about what to do at this moment.
The raging flames transformed into a long halberd, sweeping across all directions. The power of the flames remained, and the enhancement from the "sunlight" was not insignificant. Nariren could feel the invisible yet immense energy following the [Crimson Lotus Flame], firmly adhering to her weapon. As it swept across, it transformed into a several-meter-long beam of light, reaping all the strange beasts several meters away.
The simulation has ended.
"Wait, what was that move? Did Nariren have this skill before?"
"No way! Could it be a summoned creature's skill? Is that sunflower actually a powerful magic user? Like an elemental spirit?"
"But why make it in the shape of a sunflower...?"
Some people even asked Nariren directly, "Where did you buy this sunflower? I'm willing to pay for the information!"
“It’s not a purchase, it’s a custom order. But she probably won’t have time to take on other custom orders lately.” Nariren smiled slightly, showed everyone the payment code, and replied to the messages one by one.
[This is Ning Xi from our "Top Credit Team".]
Liu Yixi was almost a minute slower than Naliren. That's not a small difference.
“I won.” Nariren didn’t care about Liu Yixi’s feelings and stated her demand directly: “My demand is that I fight Moze.”
Liu Yixi was covered in sweat, and his face was ashen, as if he had been pulled out of the water.
"Okay, but our captain is busy training right now, as you probably know, since you originally had the opportunity to train with him—"
"I know."
Nariren's eyes were sharp: "So my request is to fight Moze in the arena."
"Me and him."
...
"You mean, you just had a fight with your former teammates in the training room and that changed their team's strategy?" Ning Xi asked incredulously.
Nariren was a little embarrassed.
"It happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to discuss it with you. But everything I said is true, and it's already spread all over the forum."
The terminal sent a message notification that Naliren had sent the forum post link to the group.
[The Golden Compass's Response to Nariren]
1L: [I am Moze]
I know that Miss Nariren has been resentful of my decision. She refuses to accept being kicked out of the team and has even manipulated her squad's will to have a so-called "final battle" with me. If doing so is good for her mental health, I will agree.
【Naliren, let's settle this in the ring.】
The replies to the post were polarized, with the vast majority praising Moze and saying he was lucky to have Narira as his former teammate. A small minority questioned Moze's strategic arrangements.
Isn't this falling into the opposing team's trap?
[Wasn't it said that Nariren just got a new card and her strength has increased?]
But this small number of replies were quickly drowned out by voices of praise.
The skill gap between the two teams is too large. Even if Nariren and her team play exceptionally well, they have no chance of winning.
[Nariren's strength hasn't diminished as much as it has increased, and her new card is a summoner... how long do you think her summons will stay on the battlefield?]
Cards are just a bonus; what truly determines victory is the skill of the card player.
Ning Xi couldn't help but laugh: "He certainly knows how to say nice things."
She also tried to sow discord between Nariin and her teammates; she had many ulterior motives.
“Moze is a very arrogant person.” Nariren thought for a moment. “He is much more arrogant than me. Once he makes a promise, he will never break it in public. It will be difficult to defeat him, but it is still better than three of us taking on four.”
Ning Xi nodded.
Actually, she hadn't expected to win this match, but at this moment, she changed her mind.
Are the cards just an add-on?
But wasn't Nariren's strength reduced because she was rejected by the cards? Her strength could increase because the rejection could be resolved to some extent, right?
As a card maker, Ning Xi feels that she can do more than she imagined.
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