As I woke up, my stomach churned at the thought of returning to that dreadful place known as school. For three long years, I've woken up to this same feeling, realizing I have to go back to that hellhole again. What's the point of it all? I'm just going to join the army anyway. These words echoed in my head like a broken record, a constant reminder of my impending future.
With reluctance, I got out of bed and begrudgingly put on some clothes. I walked out of my room and was greeted by the sight of my dog, Evie. Her chubby figure was a result of everyone's kindness, always giving in to her adorable puppy eyes. Unlike them, I tried to stop everyone from feeding her all the time.
As I made my way down the stairs, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. My feet felt heavy as I took each step, and before I realized it, I had already made it down to the bottom. Panic set in as I tripped and fell all the way down. My body slammed against the ground, and pain shot through my entire body.
"Congratulations, user! You have successfully activated the Cards of the Universe system," the message read. Excitement surged through me, and I instantly sat down to offer prayers of gratitude to Jesus. At last, my prayers had been answered! Eager to test the system's capabilities, I asked, "System, what is your current status?"
The response came back promptly:
["Status: lv1]
John:
5x draw."
Curious about the cooldown period for a draw, I asked the system, "How long until I can draw again?"
"It is 24 hours," came the answer. I couldn't wait to try out the system's powers, but at the same time, I was cautious. If the powers were anything like those described in the novels, I wanted to save them for a truly deserving occasion. I thought of Finn, a popular gym guy who had always managed to push my buttons for no apparent reason. I had no specific grudge against him, except for the fact that he made me irrationally angry. Maybe I could save my powers for a showdown with him.
I got up from my prayers and checked the time. "6:30! Damn it, I need to leave!" I exclaimed, hastily throwing on a jacket and grabbing my backpack. I ran out the front door, sprinting for a solid five minutes until I reached the bus stop. There, standing before me, was the girl I had a crush on since sixth grade. I knew the feeling was mutual back then, but I was too shy and clueless to act on it. In the end, I had ignored her, and she had come to despise me. I greeted her with a simple "good morning" and waited in silence for the bus to arrive.
When the bus pulled up, I made my way to the back and sat down, checking my phone until we arrived at the Elite High School. As I walked in and chatted with my friends, I couldn't help but feel disdainful of the school's silly name. I had been complaining about it to my parents for years.
Suddenly, the bell rang, and I walked to my first class, where I saw Finn. My heart raced, and I felt my blood boil. I was ready to take him on, consequences be damned. "Activate draw!" I muttered under my breath.
To my surprise, I felt something appear in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that it was a deck of cards. I selected one card from the deck, and it read, "2x strength." Feeling a rush of excitement, I activated the card, and the message read, "[2x strength activated]. Oh, this is sweet!"