The Lizard Monster's fate had been sealed the moment it became a fantasy card.
Jordan held the blue-bordered card between his fingers, studying the terrified lizard frozen on its surface. Somewhere in the metaphysical space his Stand occupied, he could feel the creature's soul screaming.
Don't come any closer!
Too late.
Blue flames erupted around the card. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface—thin fracture lines spreading from edge to edge before the whole thing shattered.
Blue light burst from the fragments like dust motes catching sunlight. Most of it dissipated into the air, but a fraction—maybe ten percent—fell toward Jordan's chest like iron filings drawn to a magnet.
The energy sank into his body.
Strength +1. +1. +1...
Information flowed through his Stand connection. The enhancement materials extracted this time weren't special abilities—just raw attribute points. Basic stats. The entire process took seconds.
Jordan flexed his hand, feeling the difference. Marginal improvement. His strength had been plateauing for weeks, and this boost nudged him slightly forward without triggering any qualitative breakthrough.
Still, progress was progress.
His pectoral muscles felt denser. Lats, biceps, core—everything tightened and reinforced incrementally. One step closer to becoming a real-life Star Platinum.
The efficiency bothered him, though. If the Lizard Monster's total power was an iceberg, only about ten percent had actually transferred to him. The rest? Lost to entropy or...
Jordan eyed his Stand with mild suspicion. Are you skimming off the top?
Fantasy Cards shimmered innocently.
Even if you are, what am I gonna do? You're my Stand. I have to spoil you.
He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Time for the main event.
Jordan raised both hands. Blue flames ignited, and a stack of blank fantasy cards materialized in the air—ten of them, spinning lazily.
Combined with yesterday's Lizard Monster contribution, he had exactly enough for a ten-pull.
[Current Fate Draw Count: 10]
He'd learned his lesson after two weeks of daily single pulls that yielded nothing but N-rank garbage. The gacha gods demanded proper tribute.
Ten-pull or bust.
There was no pity system, no guaranteed rarity floor. Just raw probability and whatever metaphysical forces governed his Stand's connection to the multiverse.
Jordan cracked his knuckles.
"Let's roll."
He activated Fate Draw.
The blank cards ignited simultaneously—ten pillars of blue fire. Each one burned away the emptiness, revealing what lay beneath.
White borders. White borders. Blue—
Jordan's heart rate spiked.
Purple light flared at the end.
The flames died. Ten cards hung in the air, edges glowing with their respective rarities.
Jordan snatched them from the air, scanning the results:
[Strength (N)]: Attribute Card • +1 Strength unit
Determines melee attack power, physical capability, and carrying capacity.
[Speed (N)]: Attribute Card • +1 Speed unit
Determines balance, neural reaction time, and movement speed.
[Strength (R)]: Attribute Card • +10 Strength units
Rare-tier attribute boost.
[A Punch Honed Over Twenty Years (N)]: Ability Card
Charged Attack: Enhances penetrating power of strikes. Requires wind-up animation.
[Constitution (N)]: Attribute Card • +1 Constitution unit
Determines endurance, resistances, defense, and vitality.
[Spirit (N)]: Attribute Card • +1 Spirit unit
Determines perception, mental fortitude, and energy reserves.
[Speed (N)]: Attribute Card (duplicate)
[Constitution (N)]: Attribute Card (duplicate)
[Senzu Bean (R)]: Item Card
Miraculous plant seed from Dragon Ball universe. Consumption effects: Full satiation for 10 days, instant stamina restoration from exhaustion, complete injury recovery. Ineffective against disease. Quantity: 1
[Kennen (SR)]: Character Card (Hero)
The Heart of the Tempest, member of the Kinkou Order. Master of Lightning Release techniques.
Jordan stared at the results.
Seven attribute cards—mostly commons, one rare. One gimmick ability with a charge-up requirement. One consumable lifesaver.
And one SR-rank character card.
His first double-SR pull in over a month.
"Fucking finally."
He activated the attribute cards first.
Seven cards dissolved into light, flowing into his chest one after another. The sensation hit like a full-body caffeine rush—muscles tensing, nerves firing, every cell in his body upgrading simultaneously.
The Rare Strength card hit different. Ten times the intensity of a common boost, raw power flooding through his arms and core until his shirt felt tight across the shoulders.
Jordan exhaled slowly, riding out the enhancement high.
When it passed, three cards remained in his hand.
[Fantasy Card: A Punch Honed Over Twenty Years]
Type: Ability • Rarity: N
Can you withstand this strike—twenty years of concentrated skill?
Effect: Charge Strike
Wind-up attack that significantly enhances penetrating power.
Jordan grimaced. "Charge-up animation? In real combat?"
It was a solid technique for normal martial artists—probably devastating if you had time to set it up. But the wind-up made it impractical for his fighting style. Spider-Time let him move faster than most opponents could track. A charged attack just broadcast his intentions.
He flicked the card into his deck. Maybe he'd find a use for it later.
Next.
[Fantasy Card: Senzu Bean]
Type: Item • Rarity: R
Miraculous plant seed from the Dragon Ball universe.
Effects:
Fasting: One bean prevents hunger for ten days
Emergency Recovery: Instant full stamina restoration and complete injury healing (ineffective against illness)
"Now we're talking."
Senzu Beans were the Dragon Ball universe's ultimate emergency ration. Goku and the Z-Fighters treated them like health potions, munching them between Super Saiyan transformations.
One bean could bring you back from the brink of death.
Jordan stored it carefully in his deck. Life insurance, right there.
And finally...
[Fantasy Card: Kennen]
Type: Character Card (Hero) • Rarity: SR
The Heart of the Tempest. Kennen, yordle ninja of the Kinkou Order. Master of Lightning Release techniques.
"Balance exists in all things!"
Abilities:
1. Mark of the Storm (Passive)
Attacks infused with lightning energy apply one stack of Storm Mark to enemies. At three stacks, targets are stunned.
2. Thundering Shuriken
Throw a lightning-charged shuriken. Applies one Storm Mark.
3. Electrical Surge
Passive: Every fifth attack surges with lightning enhancement and applies one Storm Mark.
Active: Unleash chain lightning to strike all nearby enemies bearing Storm Marks, applying an additional stack to each.
4. Lightning Rush
Transform into living electricity. Gain massive movement speed, pass through enemies while dealing lightning damage and applying Storm Marks.
5. Slicing Maelstrom (Ultimate)
Summon a massive lightning storm centered on yourself. Continuous area damage, applies Storm Marks with each strike. Grants enhanced defense and resistances while active.
Jordan's eyes gleamed.
After more than a month of grinding daily pulls, the gacha gods had finally smiled on him.
An SR-rank character card. Full skill tree. Lightning manipulation.
The abilities functioned slightly differently from their League of Legends game mechanics—no rigid numerical damage values, just the core skill expressions adapted to reality. But the synergy was all there: stack Storm Marks, trigger stuns, chain lightning everywhere.
And more importantly...
"My basic attacks finally have special effects."
He paused.
"...Okay, that's not the important part. The important part is I can control lightning now."
Jordan moved with purpose.
The "Twenty Years" punch card vanished into his deck—archived for later experimentation. Senzu Bean: stored in reserve. Kennen card: ready to equip.
He demolished the remaining hot pot ingredients in record time, cleaned up with telekinetic efficiency, and reappeared at his apartment door ninety seconds later wearing athletic gear.
Speed, precision, and an almost embarrassing level of eagerness.
He locked the door and took off jogging.
Jordan ran through Z-City's downtown core, maintaining an easy pace. The morning crowds paid him no attention—just another fitness enthusiast getting their cardio in.
He passed through the outer residential zones where buildings grew sparser and maintenance declined. Fewer people here. The economic gradient was stark: gleaming high-rises gave way to aging apartments, then empty lots and abandoned construction projects.
Finally, the city limits.
Mountains rose in the distance, natural barriers that separated Z-City from the wilderness beyond. This world's limited population meant vast stretches of uninhabited land—entire regions with no human presence whatsoever.
Perfect for field testing.