Summer of 346, A.D.
Kai could see Eagle’s Peak rising to their left, meaning the Wall was close.
Even though Kai was pretty sure Alex didn’t mean to insult him by calling him a baby elephant, he still felt annoyed. They’d been walking in silence for half an hour, and Kai didn’t trust himself to say anything neutral once he broke it.
Eventually, Alex spoke first. “Kai, don’t you think the stories about Daisy are a bit farfetched?”
Kai felt disappointed—his friend hadn't restarted the conversation to offer an apology—but curiosity won out. “What, you don’t believe them?”
“I just think some things don’t add up.”
“Like what?”
“Human nature,” Alex said, carefully. “People don’t surrender their independence on a silver platter without resistance.”
“It’s not like they had a choice. You know the stories about the water wars, earthquakes, and storms.”
“Sure. But even then, something’s off. Think about it—if Daisy had to intervene to save a fractured society, isn’t it strange that same divided society willingly came together to hand her control?”
Kai hesitated. “What exactly are you suggesting, Alex? Are you saying the Turnover didn’t happen? Then how do you explain the Wall? How do you explain the exams?”
Alex shrugged. “Daisy’s existence and power are undeniable. But maybe not everything is exactly like the books say. For all we know, Daisy might not even control the whole planet. Ever considered that, Kai? Maybe not all of humanity willingly handed her control.”
Kai had never considered it. Alex was starting to sound a lot like Old Seth. “But if Daisy hadn’t taken over the entire planet, she couldn’t have reversed the damage we caused. Earth would be uninhabitable.”
“Maybe the humans who stayed free weren’t numerous enough to push Earth beyond saving. Maybe some managed to turn things around on their own. Or maybe Daisy killed them off. Maybe there’s an entire war we know nothing about—a war between Daisy and some kind of resistance.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Kai said. “Daisy can’t kill. How could she go to war?”
“Kai, seriously?” Something about Kai’s statement set Alex off, his breaths puffing heavily. “Isn’t that exactly what Daisy does—kill us off?”
“Alex, what’s gotten into you? Why are you suddenly so intense?”
Alex drew a few calming breaths. “Just because she destroyed all the guns doesn’t mean she can’t kill. She just uses time instead of bullets. Come on—we’re here.”
Kai lifted his eyes to the sight ahead. They had reached the Wall.
*
353rd Daisy Trials, Round of 128.
Kai needed points—fast. Crafting flint tools and gifting them to his animal cards had worked well so far. But before he jumped headlong into another round of [Flint Knives], he reminded himself that knives weren't his only option.
His eyes landed on the neglected [Flint Arrowhead]. Crafting [Wolf Warrior] had sparked his curiosity—perhaps it was finally time to see what this arrowhead could do.
[Acacia Branch ????] + [Flint Arrowhead ????]
???? Acacia Branch | HP: 2→1
???? Flint Arrowhead | HP: 1→0
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Flint Arrow ????].
Flint Arrow ???? (Uncommon)
A rudimentary missile crafted from flint. Flies reasonably straight, though it's quite fragile.
HP: 1
VP: 3
Kai smiled, increasingly confident he'd tapped into Daisy’s design philosophy. With the new tool ready, he hesitated briefly between [Wolf] and [Arabian Oryx]. Logic favored the wolves, natural predators equipped for combat, so he confidently placed [Wolf] onto the table.
[Wolf ??] + [Flint Arrow ????]
?? Wolf | HP: 1→0
???? Flint Arrow | HP: 1→0
Crafting failed!
Kai stared, momentarily stunned.
Failed? Seriously? Why was that? Is it because I didn’t make a bow, too?
He sighed, rapidly scanning his cards again. Did he even have the means to craft a bow? He suspected the [Acacia Branch] was part of the puzzle, but he was missing string—or anything that might function like it.
Kai shook off his frustration, determined to stay positive.
At least now I know the [Flint Arrow] recipe.
Still, optimism alone wasn’t going to bridge the gap. He needed another angle, something quicker, more reliable. During the last stage, healing cards had granted him the edge. Combustibles restored [Fire], and [Lye] revived plants and metal. Clearly, some cards could heal others. He just had to find the right combination.
Kai reached for a neglected card—one he’d ignored since the first stage. He’d never quite known what to do with it. Perhaps now, at last, it could help him turn things around.
Wound Dressing ???? (Uncommon)
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Medical aid for treating injuries, made from moss.
HP: 4
VP: 0
Kai had a second [Wound Dressing] sitting unused in his inventory since the previous stage. The card's name—even its description—practically shouted for him to try using it as a healing item. With [Wolf] at zero HP and [Wound Dressing] granting no victory points, he had nothing to lose.
He slid the depleted [Wolf] onto one of the engravings on the table. Nothing happened at first. Holding his breath, he picked up [Wound Dressing] and moved it toward the other engraving. The moment it made contact, the table flared brightly, and Kai threw a triumphant fist into the air.
[Wolf ??] + [Wound Dressing ????] = ????
Yes!
He'd successfully healed [Wolf], restoring it to fighting form. Sure, he couldn’t craft bows or create wolf-archers just yet, but this meant he could reliably mass-produce [Wolf Warriors].
Checking his inventory, he confirmed one [Big Flint] card had three HP remaining, and another had just one HP left—enough resources to craft four more [Flint Knives]. He quickly decided to craft three knives, exactly matching [Wolf]'s HP.
[Oryx Horn ????????] + [Big Flint ????] = [Flint Knife ????]
Kai casually discarded the depleted [Oryx Horn], quickly grabbing a fresh one. He allowed himself a satisfied smile as he realized that even if his opponent had managed to discover the oryx, Kai had already secured both [Oryx Horn] cards. There was no way they'd be able to copy his efficient [Flint Knife] production line.
[Oryx Horn ????????] + [Big Flint ????] = [Flint Knife ????]
[Oryx Horn ????????] + [Big Flint ????] = [Flint Knife ????]
Even with these new cards, his score still wasn’t where it needed to be. But he wasn’t done yet. The knives needed owners.
With the three new [Flint Knife] cards he had just crafted, he equipped his wolves.
[Wolf ??] + [Flint Knife ????] = [Wolf Warrior ????]
[Wolf ??] + [Flint Knife ????] = [Wolf Warrior ????]
[Wolf ??] + [Flint Knife ????] = [Wolf Warrior ????]
He checked the scoreboard. Still not enough.
His opponent was relentless, and the gap, while smaller, remained stubbornly in place. Kai had cut it down, but they were still 15 points ahead. The number weighed on him as he looked at the remaining cards on the table. With each craft, his options shrank. He needed to be smart.
Knives were costly to produce, but arrows gave a better return. They were simple, efficient, and still granted a decent number of points. He had enough materials to make a few more.
Kai still had one [Oryx Horn] with durability left, so he used it.
[Oryx Horn ????????] + [Small Flint ????] = [Flint Arrowhead ????]
[Oryx Horn ????????] + [Small Flint ????] = [Flint Arrowhead ????]
His throat was dry, and his fingers tensed as he discarded the spent [Small Flint] and [Oryx Horn]. That was it. No more horn. No more flint.
Each [Flint Arrowhead] had just enough HP left to craft an arrow.
[Flint Arrowhead ????] + [Acacia Branch ????] = [Flint Arrow ????]
[Flint Arrowhead ????] + [Acacia Branch ????] = [Flint Arrow ????]
That was six more points.
Kai glanced at the scoreboard again and clenched his teeth. While he’d been busy crafting [Flint Arrows], his opponent had surged ahead, breaking past 200 points. Meanwhile, Kai was stuck at 171, and the clock showed only 10 minutes left.
I have to come up with the point difference somehow.
Even though it would consume precious resources, he still decided to get [Fire] and started feeding it in whichever way he could.
[Fire ??] + [Acacia Branch ????]
Fire ?? | HP: 5→8
Acacia Branch ???? | HP: 4→0
Crafting failed!
Kai gritted his teeth. He already knew not every burn produced [Ash ], but he was sure some would!
[Fire ??] + [Acacia Branch ????] = ???? + [Ash ?????]
[Fire ??] + [Acacia Trunk ????] = [Ash ?????]
[Fire ??] + [Acacia Log ????] = [Ash ?????]
The leaves weren’t worth burning. They only had 1 HP. He turned to [Acacia Bark] next.
[Fire ??] + [Acacia Bark ?????] = ????
[Fire ??] + [Acacia Bark ?????] = ????
[Fire ??] + [Acacia Bark ?????] = ????
He moved on to the desert plants.
[Fire ??] + [White Saxaul ???] = ????
[Fire ??] + [Calligonum Shrub ?????] = ????
Sadly, none of the bushes converted to [Ash]. Each [Ash] card granted 2 VP, and he needed every point he could get. His eyes flicked to [Fire], now burning hotter than ever at 19 points.
His score climbed to 185 VP while his opponent had stopped at 202 VP.
Kai still needed twenty more points.
He tapped his foot, staring at the two remaining cards in his hand. If he wanted to be creative, there was one recipe he had to try. It was risky, but he had no choice. He had to squeeze every last drop of potential from his cards this round.
He grabbed one of his best cards from this round.
Wolf Warrior ???? (Rare)
HP: 2
VP: 5
Why would Daisy give this card HP? Was it because warriors could be equipped with something stronger than just a [Flint Knife]? That seemed likely. But there was another possibility.
How did a general make an army stronger? Equipment played a role—many wars were won in the forge. Training was another factor. Well-trained soldiers could outmaneuver and crush a much larger force. But there was one final way: sheer numbers. Even the most skilled fighter in the world, wearing the finest armor, wouldn’t stand a chance against an overwhelming horde.
Following that logic…
[Wolf Warrior ????] + [Wolf Warrior ????]
???? Wolf Warrior | HP: 2→1
???? Wolf Warrior | HP: 2→1
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Wolf Warrior Squad ????].
New recipe added to your recipe book.
[Wolf Warrior Squad ????] (Rare)
A small group of wolf warriors.
HP: 1 | VP: 6
Oof! Just as I suspected!
Individual warriors could be merged into squads. The victory points were generous, and this could be exactly what he needed to close out the round.
Kai quickly ran through his resources. He had four [Wolf Warrior] cards, each with 2 HP. That meant he could merge three more squads before running out of durability.
[Wolf Warrior ????] + [Wolf Warrior ????] = [Wolf Warrior Squad ????]
[Wolf Warrior ????] + [Wolf Warrior ????] = [Wolf Warrior Squad ????]
[Wolf Warrior ????] + [Wolf Warrior ????] = [Wolf Warrior Squad ????]
Now, he had four Wolf Warrior Squads in hand. Checking the scoreboard, his score had climbed to 213, while his opponent sat at 204. A small smile crept onto his face. He had finally pulled ahead.
But the fight wasn’t over yet. His opponent could still make a last-minute push. He needed to widen the gap before time ran out.
He wanted to take it a step further.
[Wolf Warrior Squad ????] + [Wolf Warrior Squad ????]
???? Wolf Warrior Squad | HP: 1→0
???? Wolf Warrior Squad | HP: 1→0
Crafting Successful! You’ve crafted [Wolf Warrior Company ?????].
[Wolf Warrior Company ?????] (Rare)
A respectable number of wolf warriors.
HP: 0
VP: 7
He had fused two squads into an even more powerful unit. Without hesitation, he did the same with the other two squads.
[Wolf Warrior Squad ????] + [Wolf Warrior Squad ????] = [Wolf Warrior Company ?????]
From four cards worth 5 VP each, Kai had just squeezed out 38 points. He had tripled the points of the original [Wolf Warrior] cards.
There were still so many things to test, but the clock was working against him. He had only two minutes left.
Kai glanced at the scoreboard and let out a sigh of relief. His lead had grown, and his opponent didn’t seem to have any last-minute tricks. With so little time left, there was no way they could overtake him.
He had to start preparing for the next round. For that, the most important thing was ensuring his Unicorn card survived. He wished he could do the same for his [Wolf Warriors] but sadly, he only had one [Wound Dressing] left.
[Unicorn ??] + [Wound Dressing ????]
???? Wound Dressing | HP: 5→0
?? Unicorn | HP: 0→4
He combed through his remaining cards, double-checking for any missed opportunities. But before he could test anything else, the final minute elapsed, and a blaring horn signaled the end of the round.
Kai looked up at the scoreboard.
227 - 204
Kai had won.
He had worried for nothing. His opponent had already spent everything they had—there were no hidden surprises waiting at the finish line.
His body gave out as he collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. What a rush.
[Anticipation ??] + [Bargain ??]
?? | HP: 1 → 1
?? | HP: 1 → 0
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [First Edition Buff ????].
Snag the pre-order while it's hot (and cheap)—your early support makes a real difference.
?? Amazon link
