Spring of 346, A.D.
It was Alex’s turn as a firekeeper again.
Kai had no idea why, but his friend had been going out of his way to turn his lessons into awkward debates.
Last time, he had gone head-to-head with Trudy over whether everyone should be a firekeeper. He argued that only the brightest should teach, while Trudy insisted there was no such thing as ‘the brightest.’ The argument had dragged on for way too long. By the end of it, half the class was just staring at the fire, hoping it would swallow them whole.
Alex clapped his hands together. “Today, we’ll have a practical lesson.”
Kai sighed in relief. Finally, something straightforward. No controversial debates, no pointless arguments—
“We’ll host a trial. Half of you will represent the defendant. The other half will be the prosecution.”
Kai’s relief evaporated.
“The defendant,” Alex continued, “is Phineas Cotton.”
Murmurs rippled through the group. A few scowls. Even Ariel was frowning.
“What are the charges?” Clara asked.
“Whether he was a traitor for creating Daisy.”
Kai tensed. That was a loaded topic. He wasn’t the only one who thought so.
“And how does this help us in the exams?” Ariel asked, her voice unusually firm.
Kai glanced at her. Ariel rarely questioned anything, let alone challenged someone like Alex.
Alex shrugged. “I haven’t been summoned to an exam yet, but I’ve read enough journals to know trial runners struggle with doubts—about the exams, about the Turnover. That kind of uncertainty can cost you.”
Everyone nodded. Kai could think of at least four trial runners off the top of his head—7th, 60th, 172nd, and 224th—who had practically written dissertations about the subject in their journals.
“I figured it’s better to wrestle with these questions now,” Alex continued, “so we don’t waste time second-guessing ourselves later.”
That made sense. But something still felt off.
“Now,” Alex said, scanning the group, “I’ll announce who’s on which side.”
Kai braced himself.
“Ariel, Trudy, Sunny, and Kai—you’ll be the prosecution.”
Kai’s stomach tightened.
Why them? The four of them had always defended the Turnover. Was Alex trying to help them prepare for the exams? Or was he setting them up for something else?
*
353rd Daisy Trials, Round of 128.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 8 of 20.
Shadow Goose ??? (Common)
A shadow of a waterfowl known for its sturdy body and distinctive honking call.
1 of 1
HP: 0
VP: 3
It was yet another solid card, with a healthy amount of victory points.
Kai stretched his pinky and ring finger upward, curling the others into a ball. There was only one more shadow puppet he could make with one hand.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 7 of 20.
Shadow Bunny ??? (Common)
The shadow of a small, adorable mammal with long ears and a twitching nose.
1 of 1
HP: 0
VP: 3
With no one-handed shadow puppets left to make, Kai checked the map and set out, determined to explore every inch of the arena.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted to the complexity of the trials. It was incredible—cards and mechanics existed for something as niche as shadow mimicry. Had Daisy predicted every possible capture trial runners might attempt in this VR environment? Had she accounted for someone like him, someone who actually knew shadow mimicry? Or was she adapting on the fly, adjusting the exam in real time?
Either way, Daisy is scary.
Kai shook the thought away. It didn’t matter. He had seven tries left and seventy minutes on the clock. He needed to get moving.
A quick glance at the scoreboard confirmed what he already suspected—despite his best efforts, he was still trailing behind his opponent. His only real shot at victory would come during the crafting stage.
I can’t afford to think about crafting only after I get there—like I did in the first two rounds. I need to start planning now. Otherwise, I’m not winning this.
He pulled up his inventory as he walked, his mind juggling two tasks at once—exploring the last untouched parts of the arena while reviewing his collected cards. His fingers brushed the camera strap as he mentally cross-referenced his newest cards with what he had left from previous rounds.
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The dunes stretched endlessly under the moonlight, their shifting forms nearly indistinguishable. Still, he kept moving, scanning the terrain for anything he might have overlooked. He doubted there was much left to find, but thoroughness mattered.
At the same time, his thoughts churned through crafting possibilities. I wonder if I could pair [Oryx] with anything…
By the time his survey was complete, he had two things: confidence that the map was fully explored and a rough idea of what he’d attempt in the crafting stage.
Fifty minutes remained.
In the last two snapping arenas, he’d secured a legendary card. But here… nothing stood out. He had searched for a second hidden location—like the mine in the quarry—a clue, anything that might lead to a high-tier capture. Still, nothing.
The oryx was probably it.
With that in mind, he started toward the oasis at the arena’s center. It was the most resource-rich area, and even if his opponent had grabbed the best finds early on, there was still a chance to salvage something valuable.
As he climbed the dune, he checked the map, then glanced at the darkened patch of sand where the oasis was hidden.
He raised the camera, lined up the shot—then sighed. The lighting was terrible. Even with flash, he doubted he could capture the entire oasis properly. Lowering the camera, he continued down the slope and stepped into the oasis itself.
Seconds ticked away as he analyzed everything—every grain of sand, every bush, every potential detail that might be worth just a few more points.
As the final minutes of the challenge approached, he moved to Plan B—the strategy he’d prepared in case he found nothing else worth capturing.
First, he aimed the card at the sand.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 5 of 20.
Sand ??? (Common)
Rock that has been worn down until it becomes small particles.
3 of 4
HP: 2
VP: 1
As expected, [Sand] was a common card and not worth much. Still, Kai wanted to unlock as many cards as possible. Even the most basic materials could serve as ingredients for a powerful recipe.
He aimed at one of the bushes next.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 5 of 20.
White Saxaul ??? (Common)
A straggling, branched, woody shrub.
3 of 4
HP: 1
VP: 2
White saxaul…
The name rang a bell, but after Clara had drilled him on thousands of plant names, they all blurred together. Either way, it was better than nothing. He spared a glance at the scoreboard. Still behind—but the gap was closing.
Kai framed another plant, a patch of green, woody grass—the same one the [Oryx] had favored while grazing.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 4 of 20.
Calligonum Shrub ????? (Common)
Shrubs that are diffusely but irregularly branched, with flexuous woody branches.
3 of 4
HP: 2
VP: 1
As expected, all of these were common, low-value cards. Still, Kai was happy to get them. Variety mattered. He’d noticed that some upgrades only became available after obtaining certain categories of cards. If that pattern held, he was expanding his options with every snap.
Maybe, if he was lucky, he could unlock the [Photocopy Machine] upgrade soon. That would be a game-changer. If any of these cards turned out valuable down the road, he’d be able to make copies.
With only four shots left and the clock ticking away, he moved toward the acacia tree. He focused first on what he knew worked—capturing individual elements before experimenting.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 3 of 20.
Acacia Bark ????? (Uncommon)
The protective outer covering of acacias known for its fibrous texture.
3 of 3
HP: 3
VP: 1
Capture successful!
Tries left: 2 of 20.
Acacia Trunk ???? (Uncommon)
Sturdy and often gnarled piece of hardwood.
3 of 3
HP: 3
VP: 1
The point distribution was similar to [Pine Bark] and [Pine Trunk] but slightly better. He ground his teeth. His opponent had two of these already. Still, between the shadow puppet cards and the oryx, he had cards they didn’t. And none of the acacia parts were great for victory points.
He pushed aside the frustration. Now that he had the standard tree components, it was time to test new territory.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 1 of 20.
Acacia Leaf ???? (Uncommon)
Leaves that look like little green feathers.
3 of 3
HP: 1
VP: 2
Kai studied the card. Nothing unusual. Just like the bark and branches, his opponent had two of these as well.
One shot left. Time for one final experiment.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 0 of 20.
Thorn ????? (Common)
A sharp-pointing defensive adaptation that keeps enemies away.
3 of 4
HP: 1
VP: 2
Unlike the other tree parts, acacia thorns weren’t labeled as specific to the tree. Just [Thorn]. That meant rose thorns, acacia thorns—probably any plant’s thorns—would result in the same card.
Good to know. He filed the information away for later.
With his shots depleted, Kai turned his thoughts to his opponent.
He knew most of the cards they had—sixteen, to be exact. Since Daisy displayed how many times a card had been captured, he could piece together a solid estimate.
Two of each acacia tree part.
Two [Acacia Tree] cards.
Two [Sand].
Two of each shrub.
A quick calculation put that at 22 points.
Assuming they had also taken two pictures of [Footprint] and found the oryx—wasting one shot on it—that still left one unknown card unaccounted for.
What if it was a legendary card? Had they found a hidden location that he missed?
Kai clenched his jaw. That uncertainty nagged at him, but there was nothing he could do about it now. What he did know was that his opponent currently sat at 114 points. That meant they had collected cards worth 29 points total.
Kai had outperformed them in the snapping round. 38 points—9 points ahead. But it still wasn’t enough to secure victory.
He smacked both his cheeks. No point dwelling on his opponent’s moves. He needed to focus on what mattered: crafting.
The final minutes of the snapping phase ticked away. Then, Daisy’s horn blared.
In the span of a blink, the desert vanished.
Kai stood back at his base of operations, the long craft table waiting for his decisions.
He spread his cards out before him, fingers gliding over the ones from the desert arena.
Acacia Tree ?? (Uncommon) ×2
HP: 3 | VP: 1
Acacia Tree Branch ???? (Uncommon)
HP: 4 | VP: 0
Footprints ?? (Common)
HP: 0 | VP: 3
Arabian Oryx ????? (Rare) ×2
HP: 5 | VP: 2
Oryx Horn ???????? (Rare) ×2 (Alternative: ???? or ????)
HP: 4 | VP: 3
Shadow Unicorn ??? (Rare)
HP: 1 | VP: 8
Shadow Wolf ??? (Uncommon)
HP: 1 | VP: 2
Shadow Goose ??? (Common)
HP: 0 | VP: 3
Shadow Bunny ??? (Common)
HP: 0 | VP: 3
Sand ??? (Common)
HP: 2 | VP: 1
White Saxaul ??? (Common)
HP: 1 | VP: 2
Calligonum Shrub ????? (Common)
HP: 2 | VP: 1
Acacia Bark ????? (Uncommon)
HP: 3 | VP: 1
Acacia Trunk ???? (Uncommon)
HP: 3 | VP: 1
Acacia Leaf ???? (Uncommon)
HP: 1 | VP: 2
Thorn ????? (Common)
HP: 1 | VP: 2
He then grabbed all the other cards left from the previous arenas.
[Bear Bread ??]
[Big Flint ????] ×3
[Fire ????]
[Flintstone ????] ×2
[Gaslamp ??]
[Granite Brick ???] ×4
[Hallucinogen ????] ×2
[Light ?] ×3
[Mining Wagon ??]
[Pond ??]
[Rusty Pickaxe ??]
[Small Flint ????] ×2
[Spark ???]
[Wound Dressing ????]
Adding the points he collected in this stage with the ones left from the previous round, Kai scored 89 points. He looked at his opponent’s score. Even though they had gained fewer points than Kai during the last round, they were still ahead by 29 points.
Kai tried to remain calm and pulled his eyes away from the scoreboard. He couldn’t spend the whole hour seeing what his opponent was doing. He had to focus on the here and now. It was time to start crafting.
[Curiosity ??] + [Future ??]
?? | HP: 2 → 2
?? | HP: 1 → 0
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Early Access ????].
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