The rest of the afternoon was all storycraft classes, and Russell could barely keep his eyes open.
He stifled yet another yawn.
Sure, he had no shortage of inspiration—his mind was overflowing with anime and fantasy plots—but turning those ideas into functional, balanced cards was another matter entirely.
The system demanded logic, synergy, and precise emotional resonance. Half-baked power fantasies weren't enough. A card without balance was doomed to backfire or fail outright.
By the time the final bell rang, he was practically sleepwalking toward the door.
Only to find Darren standing in the way, arms crossed.
"Russell. Let's duel. Now."
Russell stared blankly.
Does this idiot not understand how cooldowns work?Once your summon is destroyed, it's locked for 24 hours. This guy's all ego and zero strategy.
With forced politeness, he replied,
"Let's not. I've got something urgent to handle at home. The ranking matches start tomorrow, right? You can wait one more day."
When Darren didn't budge, Russell just brushed past him with a casual shove.
"See you tomorrow, champ."
Darren stood frozen, fists clenched, jealousy boiling just beneath the surface.
"Lucky bastard… That first card of his is mine."
Russell arrived at his worn-down apartment complex, climbed the creaky stairs, and unlocked the door to his cramped little unit.
Inside, the air was still, the furniture minimal—but the desk was cluttered with notes, sketches, and tools.
He sat at his computer and pulled up his crafting database.
First things first—inventory.
[Ghoul] (Green-tier) ×7 – Looted from Corpse Eaters during the Nest outbreak.He wasn't planning to use them—just profit. Each was worth about 20,000 Metro Credits, so he listed them all on a trusted trading site.
Next came the real treasure:
[Elite Ghoul] (Purple-tier) – his reward from the school.
That one? He was keeping.
Then came the financials.
Thanks to recent events, his cash balance looked... surprisingly healthy:
150,000 – First High's Advanced Track bonus
100,000 – Bravery award from the Nest incident
20,000 – Monthly stipend for registered Iron-tier cardcrafters
(-) Student loan repayment – already settled
After everything, he had about 280,000 Metro Credits left in his account.
He exhaled slowly.
Not bad. From broke orphan to debt-free cardcrafter in under 48 hours.
Russell picked up his phone and opened a contact labeled:
"Tiger – Loan Shark"
He typed:
"Tiger, I've got the funds. Can you stop by today? I want to settle my account."
Elsewhere in the city, in a dingy backroom stacked with folders, a broad-shouldered bald man read the message.
Tiger.
He glanced at the file:
"Russell – Student – Low Potential – Watch List: Possible Recruitment"
"He actually pulled it off? Huh. Thought he'd crack first…"
He turned to his assistant, a lanky, hunched man with a voice like a rusted hinge.
"Skinny, grab the contract. We're making a visit."
"On it, boss. File's on the 'Potential Targets' shelf."
They slid into an unmarked car and drove off toward Happiness Gardens.
Knock knock knock.
"Coming," Russell called out, already expecting them.
He opened the door.
Tiger stepped inside, ducking slightly to clear the frame. Skinny followed, clutching a thick folder.
"You're Tiger, right? Come in. Don't worry about your shoes."
The loan sharks sat on the battered sofa, exchanging looks.
Russell slid an envelope across the coffee table.
"Twelve grand. Principal plus interest. We're square."
Then, without a word, he summoned Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The samurai materialized silently beside him, arms folded across his katana, eyes sharp and unblinking as he watched the visitors.
A tension instantly fell over the room.
Tiger's gaze flicked to the summon.
Purple-tier… and a registered cardcrafter, huh?
His expression didn't change—but his whole demeanor did. The shark's grin widened, oozing fake warmth.
"Russell! You should've told us earlier you were a cardcrafter now! Look, forget the loan—it's on the house. A little graduation gift from Dodo Financial."
He dramatically tore the contract in half and tossed the pieces in the trash.
Russell didn't even blink.
Give me a break. You think I don't know what kind of blood money business you run?
Still, he kept a smile on his face.
"A man should honor his debts, Tiger. Take the money. Pay what you owe, borrow with confidence, right?"
Tiger's fake grin froze.
This kid's no fool.
He held Russell's gaze for a long second… then laughed, slipping the envelope into his coat.
"You've got spine, kid. I respect that. Consider this settled."
"Pleasure doing business."
Russell saw them to the door.
Downstairs, Skinny fumed.
"Boss, that punk doesn't even say thank you. Just cause he got one good card—"
SMACK.
Tiger's slap was thunderous.
"Say that again and I'll turn you into crafting fodder like the last idiot."
Skinny staggered back, face swelling.
"S-sorry! I—I didn't mean—"
Tiger growled.
"You never pick a fight with a registered cardcrafter. Especially not one who might go Blue or Purple tier. You want the Guild on our backs?"
Skinny shut up immediately.
"Next stop—the people who can't pay."
Back upstairs, Russell finally allowed himself to relax.
He looked around his apartment. Same cracked tiles. Same wobbly table. But everything felt… lighter.
No more debt. No more interest traps.
He brought up his crafting plans.
Right now, he had Yoriichi as his first summon. But he needed more.
Next on the list?
[Kokushibo · Michikatsu Tsugikuni]
Upper Moon One. A powerhouse. And Yoriichi's twisted brother.
The synergy would be perfect. Their lore was tightly interlinked. With the right materials, Kokushibo could be a Gold-tier or higher summon.
But…
There was a problem.
Sunlight weakness.
Demon-type cards had unique vulnerabilities—especially older ones. He'd need to offset that with clever design or specific support tools.
And right now, he only had the Elite Ghoul to work with.
Everything else? Still out of reach.
Crafting Kokushibo's card will take serious money. Or serious loot.
He leaned back.
Only one real chance to change that in the short term…
The Four-School Joint Exam.
The winning school got access to a rift space—and all the treasures inside.
Russell's fists clenched.
"I have to win."
Of course, First High hadn't placed well in years. The other schools had deeper connections, richer students, and elite instructors.
But none of them had him.
He shifted his posture and sat cross-legged on the floor, preparing to meditate.
The method?
Deep Blue Meditation.
A classic technique, refined and taught throughout the Daming Federation and surviving nations. No secrets, no bloodline limitations.
It worked. But only if you did.
In cardmaking, meditation wasn't the bottleneck.
The real limiter was creativity.
If your story was bland, your card would be too.
No matter how high your stats were, no one cared about a summon who felt hollow.
And Russell… Russell had spent his entire life escaping into stories.
Now it was time to forge those stories into power.