Fantasy Realm [One Piece] [Harry Potter] [Naruto] - [Progression] [LitRPG]

Chapter 34: The Heart of the Cards and Becoming a Conman

Jack takes back the cards from earlier, which in Alex's opinion were already solid mid-tier options, no low-tier Goblin, Fang, Skeleton, or Flan cards here. But Jack surprises him by upgrading those cards, replacing them with even rarer ones.

He spreads ten cards out on the small table, and Alex's eyes widen when he sees them. "He even brought out one of his airship cards," Alex mumbles to himself in disbelief, knowing it's one of the rarest cards Jack owns. He also notices that some of the other cards are unfamiliar, different from the hundred cards Alex knows from the original game. Clearly, this world isn't restricted to just the known set.

Jack flips a 1-gil coin high into the air and catches it, showing Alex just enough of a glance to hint that it might land on heads. The grin on Jack's face instantly alerts Alex; he's about to get played. Bracing himself, Alex hopes to at least soften the blow of the inevitable swindle.

"Stretch out the hand with the coin," Alex says, masking his suspicion.

Jack, with a smirk, stretches out his hand, still holding the coin. Alex then takes out his own gil coin, flips it, and announces the result. "Tails," he says confidently.

"Why did you choose tails?" Jack asks, intrigued.

"Because I'm not exactly lucky at gambling or good at tricks. So, I decided to trust my own coin flip and let chance settle it! This way, I can't be too disappointed either way."

Jack chuckles. "Takes guts to admit your own weaknesses." He opens the hand that Alex is still holding, revealing tails, the opposite of what he had tried to let Alex see.

"Did you expect a double bluff?" Jack laughs. "You should've picked tails from the start, knowing a little more about me by now."

Alex smiles. "It's fine, let's go," he says, choosing the rare Airship card first.

Jack makes his pick, and Alex ends up with an Airship card boasting an impressive six arrows, only missing the southern and western directions. He carefully selects four more solid cards: Feather Circle, Troll, Abomination, and Zemzelett, all with at least three arrows each. While he would have liked a few other options, he ensures a balanced hand with arrows in every direction.

After a tough game, Alex feels defeated. Jack manages to outwit him at the last moment, placing his Gargoyle card with a 5M attack against Alex's Abomination, which has only a magical defense of 3. Alex had set up his Abomination to counter Jack's direction of attack but hadn't factored in Jack's actual strength.

The numbers flash as the cards clash, and Alex braces for a loss. Against all odds, however, his luck comes through, most likely his 7 LUK stat, and his Abomination manages to overturn Jack's Gargoyle. Both players shout in shock, "WHAT??"

Silently, Alex thanks his luck. He knows he didn't truly deserve this win.

Jack is torn between laughing and crying. Not only has he lost five strong cards, including the rare Airship, but Alex wastes no time. "I'll take your Gargoyle," Alex declares, snatching yet another card from Jack.

Hidden Quest completed:
Mission: Win against Alleyway Jack in Tetra masters
Reward: 5 cards out of Jack's collection used by yourself for the contest and 1 of the cards Jack picks for the contest. Friendship increase with Alleyway Jack and world reputation for beating him in an equal contest.

Alex grins, admiring his six new cards. Unlike Vivi and Zidane, who start with the common, low-tier cards every kid has, Alex now holds a set of rare and strong cards. His Airship card, in particular, stuns him.

[Airship card]
World: Final Fantasy 9
Quality: Light Purple
Type: Tetra Master Card'
Note: Can't be taken out of this mission nor sold for gil in shops. Can be lost in Tetra Master games. Upon returning to the Fantasy Realm, your 10 rarest cards will be converted into FC.