Spring of 346, A.D.
After confronting Alex, Kai started seeing him again at the bonfires. Ariel had already come to thank Kai for bringing her brother back. He couldn’t say that pleasing Ariel had been the driving force behind his efforts to reach Alex, but it was a plus.
Today was Alex’s first time as the firekeeper after returning. In Kai’s opinion, his friend was the most unpredictable firekeeper. He could talk about history one day and physics the next. Whatever field he chose, he did it better than even those who devoted their lives to that field of knowledge.
Alex began the class. “Today, we’ll talk about Descartes. What do you remember about him? Yes, Ariel?”
“He was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. We get the name of the Cartesian system from him.”
“Good. Very good. His accomplishments in Math were remarkable. However, we’ll focus a little more on his work with philosophy today.”
Kai spared a look at Trudy, the resident philosopher of the group. She looked unperturbed despite Alex’s choice of subject. Kai wondered why Alex went out of his way to teach things other people in the group already taught. It was as if he was trying to prove a point to them.
“Descartes was troubled by the possibility that the knowledge and beliefs of his time were untrue. Therefore, he sought a method to attain certain knowledge. To achieve this, he decided to doubt everything that could be doubted, including his senses, his beliefs, and even the existence of the external world. He believed he could remove preconceived notions and prejudices through radical doubt.
“Descartes did something that most are too afraid to try. He dared to demolish his beliefs and build them anew. Today, I propose we do just that. I want us all to forget everything we know about Daisy, the Turnover, the exams, and how we prepare for them.”
“What’s the point of this exercise?” asked Sunny. Kai was glad the old engineer had posed the question. He could see that others around the fire were thinking the same thing.
“During the exams, many trial runners make decisions based on wrong premises. We need to develop an inner critic, a voice to challenge what we believe is true and the decisions we’ve made. I thought following in Descartes’ footsteps was a good way to do that. That’s the point.”
Kai noticed how Sunny nodded approvingly. He, too, was more convinced now and sighed in relief. For a moment there, he thought that Alex was trying to challenge everyone, but he was just trying to help them prepare for the exams.
*
353rd Daisy Trials, Round of 128.
Kai had always pictured oases as shimmering lakes in the middle of the desert, framed by towering palm trees. This one was just a sparse patch of greenery clinging to the dry earth, proof that moisture lurked beneath the surface. The air was cooler here, carrying a faint, earthy scent—subtle, but noticeable after miles of nothing but sand.
He swept his gaze across the oasis, searching for something worth capturing—something rarer than a bush. Finally, he spotted it.
A lone tree.
It was nothing like the towering pines from the first snap arena. This one stood much shorter, its branches sprawling outward in a tangled maze of wood, leaves, and sharp thorns.
Kai glanced at the scoreboard. His opponent was still stuck at 89 points. They had used a stun bomb upgrade early on but hadn’t gained ground since. Perhaps they lacked an upgrade like his gaslamp.
He didn’t waste another second. Raising the camera, he framed the tree in the viewfinder and clicked.
A burst of brilliant white erupted from the camera, far brighter than he expected. Kai recoiled, vision instantly overwhelmed.
Capture successful!
Acacia Tree ?? (Uncommon)
Tries left: 19 of 20
Acacias are known for their resilience and beautiful, fragrant flowers.
1 of 3
HP: 3
VP: 1
Kai blinked rapidly, rubbing at his eyes as glowing spots danced across his vision. That flash—was that the [Flash] upgrade? Would his capture attempt have failed without it?
If so… then his opponent might have bought the same upgrade.
Sweat beaded on his forehead. He had been this close to choosing a different upgrade. Had he done that, he’d be stumbling blind in this arena, wasting time. He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus. No room for second-guessing. Every choice mattered in these trials.
Clearing his vision, he examined the newly unlocked text feature. The card description was simple—almost too simple. What was the point of being reminded that acacia trees had “beautiful, fragrant flowers”?
Unless… the tree was flowering? Just in case, he raised the gaslamp, scanning the branches for any sign of blossoms. Nothing.
He sighed. Between the two mystery box upgrades, the scoreboard was the most useful. The descriptions only stated things he could figure out on his own. Maybe, just maybe, there were hidden hints buried in these descriptions. Time would tell.
His thoughts snapped back to the match. His opponent had used the stun bomb with perfect timing, meaning they were hunting for something specific. Kai clenched his jaw. He wasn’t about to let them swoop in and claim the last remaining shots of this tree.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
He adjusted the camera and took another picture.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 14 of 20.
Acacia Tree ?? (Uncommon)
Acacias are known for their resilience and beautiful, fragrant flowers.
2 of 3
HP: 3
VP: 1
Another burst of light flashed through the oasis. This time, Kai was ready. He kept his eye behind the viewfinder, letting the camera shield his vision.
Two uncommon cards—not a bad start. Even if his opponent found the oasis, they’d only get a single shot of the [Acacia Tree]. That left Kai with the edge.
Now, his next move.
The tree was shorter than the ones from the first snap arena, its structure easy to study. He could see its leaves, branches, thorns, and thick bark—each a potential capture. But should he commit so many shots to one resource? He scratched his head. The journey here had been nothing but dunes and sand. No other clear targets.
It’s a gamble.
After a brief hesitation, he settled on a compromise. He’d capture one of each component—enough to secure useful materials but not so much that he limited his options later.
Framing a thick branch in the viewfinder, he snapped the shot.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 17 of 20.
Acacia Tree Branch ???? (Uncommon)
An acacia branch with exceptional strength and resistance to environmental stressors.
1 of 3
HP: 4
VP: 0
Kai studied the card.
Strong, resistant...
He thought of the [Fire] card in his inventory. This could be a solid crafting ingredient. Maybe even the key to an upgrade.
Screw it.
Breaking his own rule as soon as he made it, he lined up another shot and hit the button.
Capture failed!
Tries left: 16 of 20.
Kai’s stomach dropped. What?
He darted a glance at the scoreboard. His opponent’s score had surged into the high 90s—still climbing. A sinking realization hit him.
They’re here.
Panic spiked through him as his opponent’s score kept ticking upward as they snapped picture after picture, sweeping through the area without hesitation.
They’re playing aggressively. Hoarding everything early, just like I did last round.
His hands clenched. He had made a critical mistake—rushing straight to the center and then wasting time evaluating his options. If he wanted to control the arena, he had to commit to one playstyle. Either strike fast like his opponent or slow down and analyze the field in depth.
Instead, he had done neither.
Jaw tight, he took a steadying breath. No more hesitation.
He pivoted away from the tree. His opponent was too focused on snapping up the obvious resources. That meant there was still a chance to find something not immediately apparent. Just like in the quarry pond when he had uncovered [Water] and [Mirror].
Kai kept the gaslamp high, sweeping the area with its glow as he moved slowly through the oasis. Nothing. No hidden caches, no rare cards. Just dry earth and scattered bushes.
His shoulders sagged. His opponent’s score had already passed 100—far ahead of him.
Is this actually helping me? Or just messing with my head?
Frustration gnawed at him. His grip on the gaslamp tightened, and in that moment of doubt, his hands dropped slightly—bringing the light closer to the ground.
There was something in the sand.
Kai froze. He hadn’t seen it before—hadn’t even thought to look down. Heart pounding, he crouched, brushing his fingers across the faint impressions left behind.
Marks. Circular, smooth, shaped like two crescent moons curving together—almost a heart.
His pulse quickened.
Tracks.
He had no idea what kind they were. But if this arena followed the same logic as the quarry map, there could be another hidden treasure trove. He wasn’t going to let his opponent find it first.
Just in case, he snapped a picture.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 15 of 20.
Footprints ?? (Common)
Someone or something has been here.
1 of 4
HP: 0
VP: 3
Kai’s eyebrows lifted.
Three VP? Not bad!
Even though it had no crafting value, the score boost alone made it worthwhile.
His eyes flicked back to the acacia tree, standing defiantly in the moonlight. For a split second, he hesitated. He could stay, keep snapping pictures, fight for whatever scraps remained.
Or—
He could be unpredictable.
His opponent was aggressive, taking everything they could find immediately. If Kai played by the same rules, he’d always be one step behind. Instead, he’d do the opposite.
With one last look at the oasis, he turned away. There would always be time to come back. But right now, he had tracks to follow.
This time, Kai kept the gaslamp low, its glow brushing over the sand as he followed the tracks. The impressions led him up a dune’s crest, then down into another valley.
After a few hundred meters, they stopped.
At first, he thought he’d lost the trail—until he spotted a small cluster of shrubbery, similar to the ones in the oasis. The prints overlapped here, circling the bush before leading away again.
He followed.
Another patch of woody grass. The same looping pattern. Then another, two hundred meters ahead.
Kai frowned. This was no random wandering. Whatever left these tracks was grazing, moving between the sparse tufts of grass scattered across the dunes.
He checked the scoreboard. His opponent’s score had plateaued at 110.
Fifteen minutes had passed since the challenge began. By now, their shots had to be running low. That didn’t reassure him, though. This arena had few resources, and if his opponent had already captured most of them, he was in trouble.
As he walked from shrub to shrub, his gaze drifted upward.
The stars stretched endlessly above him, sharp and bright in the cloudless sky. He considered snapping a picture, but without the right upgrade, the viewfinder only returned tiny, blurred dots of light—a pale echo of the vastness overhead.
A memory surfaced.
Albert. Or was it Sunny? Maybe Clara. Someone had once told him the universe was a barren desert, and Earth, a lone miracle in a wasteland.
Before the Turnover, humanity had sent expeditions into the unknown, listening for whispers of life in the void.
They had never heard back.
Kai traced the crescent-moon footprints with his fingers, staring at the sand stretching endlessly around him. It wasn’t so different. Those explorers had traveled between distant, empty planets, while he crossed a desert of shifting dunes, each shrub just another lonely island in the vastness.
The thought made him smile. If only there was a way to capture that feeling in a card.
His musings vanished the moment he spotted movement.
The footprints led to the sixth patch of grass—and this time, something was there.
A shape. It moved with slow, deliberate grace, grazing on the desert’s meager offerings.
Kai froze.
It had ivory-white fur, its body catching the glow of his gaslamp like polished bone. For a moment, it looked almost spectral, floating in the dark—until he noticed its legs. Jet black. They absorbed the light, leaving the eerie illusion of a creature drifting weightlessly above the sand.
A horn curved elegantly from its forehead. Then, as Kai approached, he realized—not one horn. Two. One had hidden behind the other, creating the illusion of a single spiral, like a unicorn’s.
Since he’d gotten here he had seen nothing but sand, rock, and withered vegetation. Now, here was something alive. A creature of grace and quiet strength, thriving in a place where almost nothing else did.
He didn’t hesitate. Raising the camera, he captured the moment.
Capture successful!
Tries left: 14 of 20.
Arabian Oryx ????? (Rare)
A creature known as the desert’s unicorn.
1 of 2
HP: 5
VP: 2
Kai lowered the camera slowly, his eyes lingering on the oryx. For the first time in this arena, he felt like he had truly discovered a treasure.
[Opinion Fragment ??] + [One Minute ?]
?? | HP: 1 → 0
? | HP: 1 → 0
Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Public Review ????].
Leave your sincere opinion about the novel—it helps a lot!
