The Cards he procured from the Regional Bosses and some auctions perfectly fit Zayn’s needs.

First, he removed Minor Strength Boost from his Heart Deck. He replaced it with Physique Boon.

Physique Boon

Rare- Level 1(0%)

Body Enhancement

Passive

No Requirements

Effect – Enhances the Card Holder’s Physique(Vitality, Strength, Agility, Dexterity).

+C%(+1% at Level 1)

Physique Boon was one of the Cards he never expected to procure before Forgotten Lands closed, but he was lucky enough to procure it from a stronger Regional Bosses. After procuring Physique Boon, Zayn replaced Pierce with Thorn Attachment, an Uncommon Card.

Thorn Attachment.

Uncommon – Level 3(0%)

Attachment

Passive

Requires control of Plant Life & Energy

Effect – Transforms the targeted plant life - under the Card Holder’s control.

Grows highly resilient and razor-sharp hook-like thorns from the plant life’s stem and leaves.

The quantity of Thorns that can manifest at a time and their resilience relies on the Card Holder’s Wisdom and Energy Foundation.

—

The quality and quantity of thorns increase with Card Level.

—

Paralyzing was a useful card, but Thorn Attachment was better suited to his heart deck. The constellation of Cards in his Heart Deck allowed him to use Thorn Attachment fully. By combining Nature’s Little Wrath, Florakinesis, and Thorn Attachment, Zayn could add a Draining Touch to the thorns, creating a powerful combination.

Thorn Attachment would help Zayn restrain his enemies, drain their energy and lifeforce, and inflict physical injuries. It was as perfect as one could get with an Uncommon Card combination.

Last but not least, Zayn managed to procure another Rare Card. He obtained many Rare Card Shards from the Regional Bosses and purchased a few more shards for a steep price at the auction. Fortunately, the result was worth it.

Armor Penetration

Rare – Level 1(0%)

Skill

Active - Passive

Requires Stamina and Energy to be used.

Requires a pointed weapon to be used.

Effect – Passive – You are more perceptive to the weak spots of your foe’s armor.

The higher the Card Holder’s Perception Foundation, the more likely you will find your foe’s weak spots.

Active – Coats your weapon in a highly effective armor-penetrating aura.

The aura’s potency depends on the Wisdom and Energy Foundation.

The more Energy the Card Holder uses, the stronger the aura’s effect.

—

The aura’s basic potency increases with Card Level.

—

Pierce was a useful Uncommon Card, but Armor Penetration was upgraded. He retrieved Pierce from his Heart Deck and added Armor Penetration instead.

Since his Spirit Foundation represented the Perception, Wisdom, and Energy Foundation, Zayn focused on Cards that grew stronger as their Level increased and with Zayn’s Spirit Foundation. Of course, Physique Boon was different, but Physique Boon was a very useful Card. It wouldn’t be easy to increase the Card’s Level, but Zayn already had a solution. He didn’t hunt more than a dozen Tier-2 Regional Bosses for no reason. It was all part of his plan.

Part of his plan was also to use a particular fact; the fact that all Spirit Souls were part of Zayn. Fighting alongside his Spirit Souls didn’t mean that he fought in a team. Zayn still soloed the Tier-2 Raid Bosses even though the Spirit Souls immensely helped him. In fact, they did most damage while Zayn focused on restraining the creatures.

Since he soloed the Raid Bosses, Zayn made massive gains. He strengthened his Spirit Souls even further, ensuring that his gains would go down while his overall combat prowess continued skyrocketing.

His gains and fortune were enough reason to be happy, but the most interesting change over the last two weeks was that Zayn learned something crucial from the Primal Soul Lord’s knowledge.

‘To think that the Soul Lord can manipulate souls and spirits to such a high degree.’ Zayn marveled even though a few days had passed since he learned that it was possible to sever Dimensional Anchors using the god-like power of the Primal Soul Lord.

Of course, Zayn was nowhere as strong as the Primal Soul Lord, but he was the host of his memories and knowledge. It shouldn’t be impossible for Zayn to collect the necessary materials and grow strong enough to learn how to cut through the Dimensional Anchors before it was too late.

‘I still need to collect the Foundation Stones to retain my Foundation Orbit when Forgotten Lands disappears.’ Zayn recalled. The Heart Deck was already part of him. It would manifest when Forgotten Lands closes and awakens, like when he started playing it. The Cards would stay in his Heart Deck, leaving only his Foundation Orbit reset. It wouldn’t be a major problem to get back to full power, especially with his current Card Sets, their Level, and so forth, but it was better to have a Foundation Stone with him when the game closes.

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‘First, I gotta learn how to cut through souls. That might help me in fights against apparitions as well.’

It was the first time Zayn found a proper solution to all his problems. He had been ready to grow strong enough to deal with the Primordial Pantheon head-on, even though it was obvious that defeating Gods would be incredibly difficult. Even the Minor God had been powerful enough to obliterate the strongest forces on Earth. Zayn couldn’t even imagine how powerful the Major Gods would be upon descending on Earth.

Thus, severing all connections between Earth and the Primordial Pantheon was more likely to succeed than brawling with the old Gods. Zayn felt much better at severing some World Bridges and Dimensional Anchors as well. It gave him the motivation to continue to move forward and give his utmost.

It was exhilarating. Finally, he had something to grasp. A solution appeared before him.

Deep in thought, Zayn didn’t notice a young man rushing in his direction. Beads of sweat trickled down his temples as he moved through the Guildhall’s floors.

“Guildmaster! Guildmaster! We have a problem. A massive problem!!” The young man, an attendant hired in the Guild Association, shouted at the top of his lungs.

Zayn lifted his gaze and looked at the young man, who stumbled and fell to the ground, only to groan in pain.

“Storm Monarch and the others are in trouble!!”

*[A few hours earlier]*

It was time to take revenge.

That thought flashed through the minds of all former members of the White Clover guild when they found a familiar group of people traveling to Mistwood, a small village shrouded in mist. Mistwood was the Golden Age member’s center of attention. A mission from the Merchant Guild brought them to this god-forsaken place, but everyone was happy about it. The Merchant Guild’s rewards were generous, and it looked like they could take revenge on the bastard, who’d stolen their grinding spot when they were still rookies.

Storm Monarch and the others clearly remembered the disgrace they’d felt when the Head Hunters started hunting them. They thought their high time as Forgotten Lands Players was over, but that couldn’t be more wrong.

They were nothing like they used to be.

“Let’s kill that bastard!” Elveriun exclaimed in excitement.

Erik tried to calm the youthful Player, but he couldn’t hide his joy either.

“Listen carefully,” He said, pulling everyone’s attention to them. Once everyone listened intently to him, Erik shared the plan that formed in his mind.

Once they received their orders, the Golden Age members dispersed in all directions, merging with the thick mist shrouding Mistwood.

A small smile plastered Erik’s face as he got into position. It was only a matter of minutes before they would get their revenge.

…

Taking revenge was supposed to be satisfactory, but it wasn’t enjoyable to slaughter a bunch of weaklings. At least, it wasn’t as enjoyable as the former members of the White Clover guild expected. If anything, they were disappointed.

Their foes weren’t precisely weak, but compared to the hellish training they’d undergone to meet Zayn’s requirements and the terrifying battles they had to win – armed with a single weapon and forbidden to use their Cards –the Golden Age members couldn’t help but be displeased.

The detailed plan they’d set up to assassinate the bastard’s bodyguards wasn’t even necessary. A barrage of energy arrows, Storm Monarch’s Typhoon Blade, and a bunch of well-timed Card effects were all it took to take down the bodyguards.

They dropped dead to the ground, leaving behind a few Cards, their Ranked Armaments, and their pouches. Hopefully, the pouches were filled to the brim.

Erek found himself towering before the bastard, who ordered their deaths in Forgotten Lands five minutes after they’d entered Mistwood.

“You will regret this. Do you not remember what happened the last time you of—....”

Erik snorted and bent to the ground to pull the man’s hair back.

He looked straight into the bastard’s eyes, the corner of his lips curling upward. It did feel a little good to have the upper hand for once. There was no need to be afraid anymore. So what if that bastard would take revenge?

Erik chuckled lightly, slicing the bastard’s throat open with a sleek slash.

“You’re talking too much,” He murmured, “We are not the same we used to be. Come at us if you dare. We’ll gladly accept your Ranked Armaments.”

“Hahahah, what a loser!” Elveriun laughed his butt off while Storm Monarch and the others grinned brightly.

“To think that we were afraid of someone like this,” One of the other members said, shaking his head in denial.

It was embarrassing how scared they’d been several weeks ago.

“It’s all thanks to Zayn,” Erik nodded, shoving the bastard’s corpse away. He didn’t glance another time at it.

Elveriun, on the other hand, rushed to the corpses and started looting them. They brought excellent equipment with them.

“Maybe we can replace a few useless Cards now,” Another Golden Age member said, his eyes drawn to the Ranked Armaments and the Cards dropped from the Players’ Heart Decks.

Erik clapped in his hands loud enough for everyone to turn back to him.

“Let’s clear the plague of Mistwood and return to get our Epic Card Shards. We have no more time to waste!”

The Players were filled with even more excitement than before. They’d nearly forgotten what their mission had been.

The Merchant Guild requested from Golden Age to investigate the happenings in the crystal mine near Mistwood and to clear the plague that killed the villagers.

That was exactly what they did now that nobody obstructed their work anymore.

A few hours passed, and they were about to finish their mission when footsteps and the tinkling of metal resounded.

The watchguard paled and swallowed hard before he turned back to the others.

“I…think we have a problem…”

Erik frowned deeply as the watchguard continued.

“That bastard hired Bounty Hunters…again…”

“How many?”

“Hundreds…”

Erik sighed, but unsheathed his weapons without hesitation..

“We won’t flee this time,” Storm Monarch declared, readying everything to prepare for battle. The others nodded in agreement.

“This time, they’ll get to taste our blades!”