Spring of 345, A.D.
The fire burned low, its glow casting flickering shadows across the small gathering. It was positioned deliberately near the capital’s main square, where the summons would soon be announced.
Kai studied the others, noting how they each dealt with the impending summons in their own way. Albert and Sunny chatted, their forced casualness a thin veil over their nerves. Neil stared into the fire, the reflection of the flames mirrored in his eyes. Trudy moved between them, offering quiet words of encouragement, as if her wisdom alone could shield them from whatever came next.
As Kai scanned the group, his gaze landed on Ariel. She sat apart, her expression thoughtful, eyes fixed on the fire. When their eyes met, she smiled slightly.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi, Kai.”
He walked over and sat beside her, relieved when she didn’t shy away.
“So… it’s our second year in the lottery,” he said, glancing at the flames. “Do you think we’ll be called today?”
Ariel exhaled softly. “I don’t know. The thought of going makes me excited and sick at the same time. Do you feel the same way?”
Kai let out a dry laugh. “To be honest? Just the sick part.”
They were seventeen—young, sharp minds but little experience. The others had knowledge in spades, but old age had dulled their bodies.
Ariel nudged him lightly. “Well, in case they call us, let’s make the best of it. Right?”
Kai looked at her, appreciating the warmth in her voice. “Yeah.”
“I’m sure you’ll make a great trial runner, Kai.”
The thought of being depended on by everyone around this fire weighed heavily on Kai’s shoulders but her smile helped ease his nerves.
“You too, Ariel.”
Before either of them could say more, the projectors activated.
Beams of light shot from the tops of the surrounding buildings, converging at the center of the square. A massive holographic figure flickered to life—a woman in a sleek uniform.
“Greetings, sector 3B,” she said, her voice crisp, mechanical. “The time has come for this year’s exam. Only candidates over sixteen qualify for the lottery.”
A pause. The air felt thicker.
“This year’s token will be… Neil Ferguson.”
All eyes turned to the old man.
Neil didn’t react at first, his gnarled hands tightening into fists. Then, with quiet determination, he pushed himself to his feet. His gaze swept over the group, lingering—just for a moment—on Sunny. She gave him a solemn nod.
Without a word, Neil limped toward the hologram.
Kai’s breath caught when he noticed what Neil had left behind.
His cane.
He hadn’t even taken it with him.
*
Present, 353rd Daisy Trials.
Kai studied the table, trying to understand how it functioned. He picked up one of his common cards.
Pine Tree ?? (Common)
HP: 2
VP: 1
It was the very first card he had captured.
He moved it toward one of the engraved patterns on the tabletop. As soon as it neared the slot, an unseen force tugged it forward, snapping it into place. Circuit-like patterns pulsed outward from the engraving, their faint glow making the text and symbols shimmer as if alive.
I’m on the right track.
Now, he needed to see what happened when he added a second card. He picked one at random—[Bear Bread]—and brought it toward the second slot.
Bear Bread ?? (Uncommon)
HP: 2
VP: 2
Like before, the card snapped into place. The table’s glow intensified. Then, without warning, a sudden flash stole his vision, bright enough to make him flinch. As he blinked away the afterimage, a notification appeared.
Pine Tree ?? + Bear Bread ??
Bear Bread | HP: 2 → 1
Pine Tree | HP: 2 → 1
Crafting failed.
Time left in the Craft Arena: 58 minutes 23 seconds.
Kai blinked rapidly, adjusting to the lingering brightness. “Crafting failed?”
The name of the arena suddenly felt obvious. The first stage had been about snapping pictures—collecting resources. The second stage was crafting. Merging what he had gathered.
He reached for the two cards he’d tried crafting with and inspected them. The numbers had changed.
Bear Bread ?? (Uncommon)
HP: 1
VP: 2
Pine Tree ?? (Common)
HP: 1
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VP: 1
Each had lost 1 HP. He took a step back, processing what had just happened.
It finally clicked. HP was durability. The number of times a card could endure crafting before it was used up for good.
With that knowledge in mind, he scanned his inventory again, this time looking for something new. Two cards practically jumped off the screen, their details taking on a new significance.
Lichen ?? (Common)
HP: 0
VP: 3
Light ? (Legendary)
HP: +∞
VP: 2
Now he saw the trade-off. [Lichen] wasn’t meant for crafting at all. Its high victory points were compensation for its complete lack of utility.
But [Light]... this was on a whole different level.
Before, he had been excited just to own a legendary card. Now, he fully understood what made it special. With infinite HP, he could use it in crafting as much as he wanted without worrying about it breaking. That alone made it invaluable—a perfect tool for testing combinations without risk.
But what happened to the cards after each stage? Would they all be destroyed once their victory points were factored in? And what did a successful craft even look like?
The more he learned, the more gaps in his knowledge became obvious. He needed answers. Time to experiment.
Kai studied all the cards laid out on the table.
Pine Tree ?? (Common)
HP: 1 | VP: 1
Moss ?? (Common) ×2
HP: 1 | VP: 2
Lichen ?? (Common)
HP: 0 | VP: 3
Dry Pine Needle ???? (Common)
HP: 3 | VP: 0
Pine Bark ????? (Common)
HP: 2 | VP: 1
Pine Trunk ???? (Common)
HP: 3 | VP: 0
Bear Bread ???? (Uncommon) ×2
HP: 2 & 1 | VP: 2
Fly Agaric ?? (Uncommon) ×2
HP: 1 | VP: 3
Yellow Honey Agaric ???? (Uncommon)
HP: 2 | VP: 2
Dead Tree ???? (Rare)
HP: 4 | VP: 3
Light ? (Legendary)
HP: +∞ | VP: 2
I have 26 points.
He tapped his fingers against the table. Was 26 a good score? There was no way to tell. And should he use this crafting stage to increase his score? Or should he stay put? What if this whole craft arena a trap? If he experimented blindly, could he lose more than he gained?
But what if crafting is good for earning more points?
If the others played cautiously, crafting could give him a massive lead. But if they figured out the best combinations while he hesitated, it could put him behind.
Waiting wasn’t an option. If crafting could boost his lead, he needed to take advantage. If it could set him back, he needed to know now—not later.
It’s settled then. Let’s craft.
He studied his cards, running through possible combinations. Some combinations felt completely off.
[Light] didn’t seem to fit with anything. Mushrooms avoided light. [Moss] needed it, but not too much—mixing them felt risky. He also couldn’t see how [Dry Pine Needle], [Pine Bark], or [Pine Trunk] could play a role in crafting.
The mushrooms, though, were different. He had three kinds: [Bear Bread], [Fly Agaric], and [Yellow Honey Agaric].
What do I know about these mushrooms?
He reviewed his biology lessons with Clara. [Bear Bread] was edible when cooked, but the other two were poisonous. Combining edible and toxic didn’t seem like a good idea. If crafting followed real-world logic, he was better off keeping [Bear Bread] separate.
That leaves [Fly Agaric] and [Yellow Honey Agaric]. The names are similar, and their properties too. That has to count for something, right?
His biggest concern was what happened when a card hit zero HP.
[Fly Agaric] only had 1 HP. If crafting drained a card’s HP completely… would it disappear?
He glanced at [Lichen]—it had zero HP, but it hadn’t burned to ashes. That was reassuring, but capturing a card at zero HP wasn’t the same as reducing its HP through crafting.
His grip tightened around the cards. This could cost him points. Maybe even delete one of his best resources. But if he played it safe, he’d learn nothing. And learning nothing was worse than failing.
In addition to that, [Fly Agaric] offered three victory points. Losing those many points because of a failed crafting attempt was a considerable risk. But what if the potential gains were too great to ignore?
Getting cards was only half the trial. Relying on just one phase was foolish. He couldn’t afford a subpar result—he needed to excel.
He gritted his teeth and decided to go for it.
The moment he placed the cards on the engravings, the table came to life. Circuit-like patterns flared, tracing glowing lines across the surface. The glow built up until a blinding flash momentarily stole his vision. Then, instead of an error message, a new card sat on the table.
[Fly Agaric ??] + [Yellow Honey Agaric ????]
?? | HP: 1 → 0
???? | HP: 2 → 1
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Hallucinogen ????].
Recipe book unlocked!
New recipe added to your recipe book.
Hallucinogen ???? (Rare)
HP: 2
VP: 5
Kai let out a slow breath. His first success.
And yet, [Fly Agaric] was still intact. Its HP had hit zero, but it hadn’t crumbled to dust. Not only had he kept both ingredient cards, but he had also gained an extra five victory points.
[Yellow Honey Agaric] was worth two points, [Fly Agaric] three. Yet crafting had turned them into five extra points—doubling their value.
After his first failed attempt, this success confirmed he was on the right track. If the first stage had rewarded logical thinking, then this second stage was all about logic and creativity combined.
It was time to experiment further.
He turned his attention to [Bear Bread] and [Dead Tree]. Mushrooms thrived on decay, and he had seen them growing all over that dead tree in the snap arena. If this system mimicked real-world logic, these two should be a natural match.
He placed them on the table.
[Bear Bread ??] + [Dead Tree ????]
?? | HP: 2 → 1
????| HP: 4 → 3
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Bear Bread ??].
New recipe added to your recipe book.
Did I just duplicate [Bear Bread]?
He eyed the three [Bear Bread] cards now sitting on the table, then turned to the [Dead Tree]. No wonder it was a rare card—it acted as a nursery for fungi. Mushrooms grew on dead wood, so combining them just created more mushrooms.
Wait… I have three now? I thought there was a limit!
In the snap arena, he had only been allowed two copies of each card. But here in the craft arena, he could have as many as he wanted.
Kai grinned. If it worked once, it would work again. He doubled down on the two recipes he knew worked.
[Fly Agaric ??] + [Dead Tree ????]
?? | HP: 1 → 0
???? | HP: 3 → 2
Crafting successful!
You’ve crafted [Fly Agaric ??]. New recipe added to your recipe book.
He repeated the process twice, then crafted another batch of [Hallucinogen] for good measure.
[Fly Agaric ??]+[Dead Tree????]=[Fly Agaric ??]
[Fly Agaric ??]+[Dead Tree????]=[Fly Agaric ??]
[Fly Agaric ??]+[Honey Agaric ????]=[Hallucinogen ????]
A quick glance at his score made his breath catch. Just these two recipes had shot his victory points from 29 to 50.
Good thing I went for it. This phase of the trial is too profitable to ignore.
He studied the different cards he had crafted, paying special attention to [Hallucinogen]. Setting it beside the other cards from the pine woodland, he looked for possible synergies.
No other combination stood out, but that didn’t mean he was finished.
His next experiment was simple—could identical cards be merged? [Bear Bread] only gave two victory points, and he had three of them now.
[Bear Bread ??] + [Bear Bread ??]
?? | HP: 1 → 0
?? | HP: 1 → 0
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Mushroom Salad ????].
New recipe added to your recipe book.
Mushroom Salad???? (Rare)
HP: 0
VP: 7
A rare card worth seven victory points? Now that was a find. It reminded him of [Lichen]—zero HP, but it compensated with a high VP payout.
More importantly, his hunch had been correct! He didn’t need to focus only on mixing different card types. Sometimes, combining two of the same card yielded valuable results.
With that in mind, he shuffled the cards around the table, setting matching ones side by side. His eyes landed on [Moss]. He thought back to Neil’s survival lessons—moss had plenty of uses in the wild. Maybe that would translate well into this crafting table.
[Moss ??] + [Moss ??]
?? | HP: 1 → 0
?? | HP: 1 → 0
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Wound Dressing ????].
New recipe added to your recipe book.
Wound Dressing ???? (Uncommon)
HP: 6
VP: 0
Success!
No victory points this time, but that didn’t mean it was useless. If HP played a major role in crafting, then a high-HP card would be valuable later.
Curious, he opened his inventory. His recipe book now had a new addition, waiting to be examined.
[Curiosity ??] + [Future ??]
?? | HP: 2 → 2
?? | HP: 1 → 0
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Early Access ????].
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