“Wow, that was a lot to take in… But I think I get it. So even though I have these cards in my hands right now, I can’t actually play any of them?”

[Correct. They must be automatically shuffled and then you will receive the four playable cards. However, in the current state, you can examine them. Learn more about the cards. Plan strategies. You may also fuse cards together… But only after you have more than ten.]

Matthew sighed as he looked at the nine cards. Most of them were obviously Trash.

[Creature: Startled Pigeons
Type: Critters
Rarity: Trash
Mana Cost: 1
Description: Summons five to ten frightened pigeons. The pigeons may carry diseases that are harmful to humans and birds. They will likely attempt to fly away the moment they appear. Their corpses will persist through death.]

[Creature: Skeletal Mice
Type: Critters
Rarity: Trash
Mana Cost: 1
Description: Summons ten to twenty mice, which have been eroded by Darkness Mana and resurrected as skeletons. They are extremely fragile, weak to sunlight and heat, while also rather useless in combat. Their instinct is to hide and escape from most living creatures.]

[Creature: Wasp Swarm
Type: Critters
Rarity: Trash
Mana Cost: 1
Description: Summons fifty to sixty yellow jacket wasps. Extremely effective against enemies that are allergic or frightened by wasps. They will attack any animals they see, especially humanoids. Their corpses will persist through death.]

[Item: Plain White T-Shirt and Black Boxers
Type: Equipment
Rarity: Trash
Mana Cost: 1
Description: Summons a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black boxers. They will always fit the designated wearer, but have no other effects.]

[Item: Quartz Dildo
Type: Tool
Rarity: Trash
Mana Cost: 1
Description: Summons a large semi-translucent dildo, made from quartz crystal. Mainly used for masturbation. Surprisingly durable and heavy, but relatively ineffective as a weapon.]

[Item: Sapphire Dildo
Type: Tool
Rarity: Trash
Mana Cost: 1
Description: Summons a large semi-translucent dildo, made from blue sapphire crystal. Mainly used for masturbation. Surprisingly durable and heavy, but relatively ineffective as a weapon.]

“Why the hell did I get ‘two’ crystal dildos? Why are crystal dildos even worthy to become cards in the first place?” Matthew grumbled, but smiled wryly when he saw the remaining three cards.

[Item: Jugs of Water
Type: Consumables
Rarity: Common
Mana Cost: 1
Description: Summons five plastic gallon jugs, filled with purified spring water.]

[Structure: Fancy Tent
Type: Fortification
Rarity: Uncommon
Mana Cost: 1
Description: Summons a large, already assembled tent. It has a three-meter high ceiling at the center, with roughly enough room to place a king-sized bed, several sofas and even a computer desk. The material very durable and can withstand normal sandstorms, hurricanes and weaker attacks. Mainly used for rest and recovery. Furniture and appliances are not included.]

His last card was the rarest and most powerful, yet also the most dangerous to himself and others. Matthew whispered “Michael Cinagra was probably just a normal guy… Er, relatively normal. But after living in a zombie apocalypse, how the hell could he remain sane? He didn’t see any difference between the police and random thugs… Oh wait, wasn’t I the same way?”

Unfortunately, none of his cards had the ability to heal his mother. In fact, most of them were completely useless. Even if she survived, the two of them had managed to wrack up massive hospital bills. Not to mention the damage to the house and repair fees. The house had also been broken into again while he was in the hospital. The money and valuables that the thieves were originally trying to steal, had been taken by someone else.

“We might have to sell the house, just to keep from going into debt.” After staring at the cards for a few minutes, he shuffled them together and they vanished into thin air. With a thought, five cards appeared in his right hand. He murmured “Two dildos, some pigeons and wasps? Hmm, is there any upkeep cost? If I summon something, how long does it last?”

[That depends on the type of card. If they require upkeep, there will be a separate descriptor on the card. If there is no duration stated, then they will exist until you unsummon them. However, if a creature card states that “Their corpses will persist through death”, then so long as they die… Their corpses will remain. In the small scale, this might not seem significant. Yet, if you happened to Summon plagued creatures, you might end up causing irrevocable damage to a world like this one. The diseases carried by Startled Pigeons are mediocre in this current era… But if you happened to travel to a century prior, you could potentially create a rather interesting disaster. Then again, even if you just went there as you are now, you might cause even more damage.]

“Hum~… Yeah, that seems dangerous. Wait, isn’t Michael infected by some horrible disease? What if his blood infects everyone and ends the world?”

[Fortunately, there are Admins and Moderators to deal with such issues. The moment that you used your Modification, the Server was obviously alerted. They would have dealt with any issues themselves. There are certain parameters that cannot be altered on any Server. For example, within Old Earth Online, mana and high-technology beyond a certain threshold, will be removed. Similarly, on Servers where magic and fantasy battles are the main themes, they usually do not allow technologies from even the Industrial Age. There are exceptions of course… Admins and Moderators are not infallible.]

“That makes sense, I guess. If a bunch of people with superpowers were running around, I think I would’ve heard something about it by now.” He gazed out the window to his left, feeling the chill from the cold air outside. It was almost December and in Baltimore, that meant it was usually very cold. Of course, it was actually fairly warm the week prior. Maryland weather was rather unpredictable.

It was 2:30 pm and his head was throbbing. Not just his cheek and face, but his entire head felt like it was going to explode from the pain. After laying back and closing his eyes, he suddenly found himself in that strange white cube again. He was sitting at the computer in his underwear and the pain was instantly gone.

“Woah… I wish I had this back when I had appendicitis. And when I broke my foot…” Matthew watched himself on the screen, but realized that it was frozen still. He complained “Of course it was too good to be true.”

[It is indeed possible to slow down the passing of time within your Private Server. This would allow you to synchronize the time with the standard temporal processes of most Servers. However, I would not recommend such action. It would be much more useful to simply play a different game, while you wait for your wounds to heal.]

He smirked, asking “You mean, start a new life? What ‘game’ should I pick?” There were dozens of icons, some of which appeared familiar.

[It will prove to be very difficult for you to gain much experience. Although, if you were to release some wasps in the hospital, it might be possible to kill a few sickly patients…]

“Yeah, I’m not doing that.” Matt frowned, “Even if I know that it’s a Virtual Reality, it’s not like they aren’t people anymore. If they die, they die. In some ways it’s worse than before. At least I always imagined there being some kinda afterlife. Heaven and Hell, that sorta thing. Now it’s just… Is there any way for me to maybe bring my mom to my Private Server? That way, even if she died, I could just give her a new body or something…”

[You wish to seal her within a card? It is indeed possible. You will need to become Rank-G first. At that point, you will have access to Jokers. You can use Joker cards to either copy another card in your hand, or seal something into a card. Creatures, Items, Spells and Structures can all be sealed, but only if they are at the same Rank or lower than you are. Considering that your mother is a Level-1, Rankless human… It should not be a problem.]

“How long does it take to raise my Rank though? I’m only level-one… Does that mean I need to kill over ninety people in order to reach Rank-G?!”

[It is more efficient to challenge enemies that are slightly stronger than you are, rather than fighting against your equals. Especially since you are a Summoner and do not need to fight directly.]

“If I’m gonna do this, it has to be something I can get into immediately. And I need to be able to leave and go back to Old Earth Online at a moment’s notice. Can you tell me which of these games fits that description?”

[I would suggest Chaotica’s Coliseum 3. It is much more streamlined and fast-paced than the original and the sequel. There are seven Modes to choose from, but Wrath is the best for your purposes.]

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