"Fortunately, I didn't attempt to climb up from below or go up to the roof ahead of time to get to the card," mused O'Brien.

Still... this is crazy.

Seeing many known and unknown phantoms of hellish creatures capable of wiping out entire settlements by their lonesome appearing together, surrounding the building for seemingly no reason, O'Brien was just now feeling the possible terror of the card he sought to control.

"It hasn't even manifested yet, and it's causing such visions and uproar. What rank is it?"

O'Brien couldn't help but muse as he activated the thrusters on his jet pack. Having three months of dedicated prep time was enough for him to ensure nothing could go wrong from his end. The only setback was…the accuracy of the information he had.

His mind churned. Grey Ash, Blue Stone, and Black Iron; the three symbols of soldiers. Green Copper, Red Steel, and White Silver; the three hallmarks of leaders. Yellow Gold and whatever followed it…; the myths unseen.

It was clear this card belonged to the last category because even White Silver Cards didn't have such majesty unactivated!

Equipping his binoculars, O'Brien quickly found the brightest glowing spot and adjusted his thurst towards there.

His jet pack wasn't cheap, but money had no longer held value in the end times, so all the money he won from the lottery was going to be spent towards making the future easier.

The poor comrade who missed the jackpot by one digit and cried for the rest of his days had served a great purpose. His calloused ears from listening to him recite his last regret like a prayer each mission had finally paid off and in a big way no less. The other methods for funds he could think of had some risk and were a lot less than three hundred and eighty million.

Inside the depths of the building, beside some destroyed office cubicles, a shimmering grey card floated upwards. The grey mist surrounding it seemed to contain endless mysteries, but O'Brien had waited too long to hesitate and savor the sights. He blasted full throttle to the card and loosened his straps to jump out when necessary.

With an ungraceful jump, he lunged towards the card, grabbing it and simultaneously activating his card aperture deep inside him near his lower abdomen. A light ash-grey hue covered his palm as it grabbed the card.

A sense of awe and terror suddenly flooded O'Brien as he attempted to fuse with the card that landed less than three minutes prior.

A giant amber-gold pupil stared at him from the abyss. It felt like death itself had gazed at him. Transparent grey scales were vaguely visible from a colossus hidden figure in the grey fog within the abyss.

ROAR~

A deafening and guttural roar resounded in O'Brien's mind, but his card energy was still subconsciously flooding into the card from his aperture, a mouthful of blood from the mental shock also spurted like an arrow dousing the card in crimson.

With flickering eyelids and a convulsing body, O'Brien unwillingly fell unconscious.

How could it still be conscious in its card form?!

Mental shock should only be possible for recently slain cards with lingering wills!

This was a newly born card without its initial activation. The absurdity of it all shook him before a deep calm came over him.

‘I guess this is it. At least, I tried. Now I can sleep forever… Farewell New World... You motherfucker…’

*

Celes looked up to the colorful void that spat out the cards as she awoke shortly from her sudden blackout.

Sapphire. Always so lively…

She chuckled inwardly at being reunited with her old partner.

Glancing down at her now fiery blue hair, she didn't need to look to know her appearance had changed; the Blue Phoenix was back.

She didn't hesitate to summon her best pal.

‘Come! Sapphire Beauty!’

Screee!

A blue flame burned from the depths of her abdomen like a meteor of light. It shot out, flying around before landing beside her.

The flames receded to reveal a huge blue-feathered phoenix with silver plumes.

With its magnificent azure feathers, shimmering like the depths of a crystal-clear ocean, this mythical avian being was a sight to behold. The vibrant blue hue of its feathers would captivate all who laid their eyes upon it, exuding an aura of serenity and tranquility.

Adorning its majestic wings were silver plumes that glinted in the sunlight, casting ethereal reflections like moonlight on a tranquil lake. These silver accents lent an air of elegance and grace to the Blue Phoenix, enhancing its already captivating presence. As it soared through the sky, its wings unfurled with grace and power, effortlessly navigating the heavens.

The Blue Phoenix possessed a regal bearing, its head held high with a sense of noble wisdom. Its eyes, like twin sapphires, glistened with ancient knowledge and depth beyond measure. Its slender body, adorned with intricate patterns reminiscent of constellations, spoke of cosmic mysteries and celestial wonders.

Legend had it that the Blue Phoenix represents rebirth and renewal, a symbol of hope and transformation. It was said that when this mythical creature spreads its wings, it carries with it the promise of new beginnings and a brighter future.

Sapphire Beauty was her light and hope, always there to be relied upon in the dark time.

Celes hugged her old friend while Sapphire pushed her head into her arms, enjoying the strokes.

"Celes, that's —" Minnie started to say, but covered her mouth in awe.

Giselle’s jaws were agape as the mythical creature appeared from nowhere, while Xia stared with wide eyes.

"Yes. It's my partner Sapphire Beauty, our greatest reliance,” Celes introduced the phoenix to her friends. “No time to talk, though. You girls take the ground, I'll grab the cards from the sky."

Without awaiting a response, Celes jumped on the beast with a wingspan of 6 meters and a body two and a half meters long. Taking to the skies, she ignored the calls from her friends.

‘Sapphire Beauty… You're a Phoneix rivaling the Dragons. Yet you had to run from them repeatedly due to that issue with your third Nirvana. If you had completed all Nirvanas, then they couldn't hold a candle to you. You would have been on top. This time… This time it will never happen! Anyone who hurts you will have to bear my wrath!’

Screee~

Feeling her master's emotions, Sapphire Beauty gave a cheerful chirp to improve her mood.

Celes smiled warmly in response, continuing to stroke her feather gently as they glided through the sky.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

*

On the roof of a building with a broken water tank, three stories high, a reddish bronze card floated a few feet in the air.

Swish —

A blue shadow flashed by as the card disappeared.

The blue shadow blurred as it visited various locations in the city.

Celes paused for a while after cleaning out this area, looking around and deciding which way to go.

‘I should hurry. The scared persons avoiding cards like the plague are only a minority. After a while when the shock has faded, some are naturally drawn to the cards for power, others think they can keep them to sell for money... Whatever the case, I should hurry while there are enough high-ranked cards about.’

Celes turned to fly to the West. The rainbow-like lights in the distance were already visible due to her now-enhanced eyesight.

She had to grab enough cards, not just for herself but for her loved ones. Then she would have them use a Hope Medallion to get their aperture and cement their first natal cards.

‘I already have two Red Steel Grade Cards, but should I give them out? I want Mom and the others to have cards at least as good as mine, but that is almost impossible.’

This was a city with a population of millions, but only under 20,000 cards were estimated to be available, of which at least 10,000 were the lowest-ranked Grey Ash quality. 5,000 were Blue Stone, and 1,000 were Black Iron. Even with only 4,000 high-quality cards, with their number dwindling with each rank, this card fall was something desired and longed for by many who had missed this period of the Gold Rush.

Even just getting a Black Iron quality card was phenomenal! That meant one could become a Card Master. At the early stage, Card Masters were not random bugs flying around and had considerable power. Of course, it would take at least two years or so to become a Card Master, but such a person two years into the apocalypse can already lead a small gathering.

Seeing a few more coppery lights in the distance, Celes's gaze grew firmer.

This time around, her family and friends would have the basic strength to protect themselves from danger.

Never again… Never again!

Thinking of some things of the future past, Celes bit her lip until they drew blood.

This time, it would be different.

‘Ideally, they should get White Silver grade cards, but those are rare… Saphy is the only one I know in this region. Rumor has it there were two others, but even if that's the case and not mere hearsay, just two will not be enough for all my family and Minnie. Yellow Gold and Purple Crystal... those ranks are rarer than Phoenix feathers and Qilin horns. I have a few suspects, but even I don't know where their pre-activated forms initially appeared…’

‘There are at least 6 other cities in the New World Region, High Cliffs of the Wailing Winds, where New Roselee City will end up in a few hours.’

Celes flew on her Blue Phoenix, swiping all the cards visible from the air in her path.

Her flight advantage was fully realized as she already counted dozens of cards just by herself in this short period!

Descending in the window of an apartment broken by the card falling there, she quickly swiped the card.

This was a white card with a pattern of interlinked bones on the back. The white semi-circular gap between the center of the bones formed a unique image with a light green thread. A blue light thinly covered the entire card.

Flipping the card to the front, a Stampeding Rhino was displayed on the card's face. It had three rows of thick metallic bone spurs on its snout and its shoulder blades were covered in thick armor. The eyes rolled back into the skull, and a broken stone boulder crumbled before its great charge. A mace-like tail hung behind.

To the average person, this card exuded toughness and fierceness, but Celes merely sighed seeing it.

It was just a Blue Stone-grade Stampeding Bull Rhino. It was a good summoning card, but its uses quickly ran out after a year or so. After that, using it to merely survive the next day would be troublesome if it was all a person had.

The activation period of the Red Steel Cards was approaching. By then, she would have no chance of subjugating them at this stage.

"The intensity will spike for a while with the different portals opening, which means they should activate an hour or so after the Prime Terraforming Event begins. I don't have a lot of time. I should find some good ones as soon as possible."

Celes was once again facing a situation that stumbled Card Masters of the New World repeatedly.

Lack of suitable cards.

The high-ranked cards in her current possession were either unsuited for combat or had severe side effects. There were even a few that she didn't recognize!

Cards were not a part of some game-like system where the abilities and details were written down on its face to know their use. It was a process of trial and error. Or cheating.

Most cards without simple requirements couldn't be used because their activation materials were unknown. Some had known activation requirements but still couldn't be used because of how outrageous or strict they were.

Without a special Appraisal Card, more than 70% of known activation requirements would never have been discovered for several years or decades, perhaps even centuries.

For example, this Stampeding Bull Rhino required six pure earth and wood element energy crystal shards, or thick healthy bones, wet earth, and any type of plant-type materials to activate it for four days. Until the fourth day, all it needed was some card essence to activate normally.

Despite this, it was only a medium-difficulty resource card.

As for the more outrageous activations, some could reach massacring hundred people within thirty minutes.

These were just activation requirements. The long list of curse penalties for some cards, which could include permanent impotence or being mute for seven days, were not included in the postpartum effects of these magical babies.

This real-life Card system was far from user-friendly.

This was another reason natal cards were so important! A person would be exempt from the activation and penalty conditions of their natal card, and could sustain it merely with their normal card essence flowing in the card aperture. They were the most economical and useful cards in one's deck.

"I mean… white silver is still rare. Red Steel is the ceiling here, so there are very few. I guess I could help evolve the lower-quality cards to higher ranks."

Celes was forced to lower her standards for her loved ones. The reality was just too difficult, being unresigned or unwilling wouldn't make higher-ranked cards appear out of nowhere.

In her many journeys and battles, her White Silver card stood out wherever she went. It was just that rare. While some people avoided exposing their cards, such people were far few and in-between. Peers who held a similarly ranked card were rarer than Phoenix Feathers and Qilin horns.

It was unrealistic to wish for White Silver grade cards for her family now in a card fall where they were almost absent. She wouldn't even be able to grant each one of them a White Silver Card at her previous peak! She had only three permanent ones. Minnie, as well as Carmen whom they had yet to meet, each had one. She was too presumptuous and forgot the facts for a second. But was it wrong to want the very best for her family?

"If only I could have gathered everyone and gone to Athens..."

Celes felt the thought bury itself in her mind, but she quickly dug it out. That would be unlikely and too dangerous regardless.

This was her roots. She knew everything of importance for a hundred miles surrounding the city and then some.

She could control the danger here, but in a place like Athens, where the first card fall happened and the first appearance of Dream Weaving Spiders was seen soon after the apocalypse, her family would be fish on a chopping block. With more thant a hundred people, she would be lucky to save half.

New Roselee was her rock. She could predict and control many things. It was insane to think of leaving just for better cards.

It had to be known that several peers with White Silver natal cards were rumored to have died early on due to bad luck, whether it was being killed by a powerful alien, drowned by a swarm, falling from a tall height, or withering up like an old tree.

Even she almost died dozens of times before reaching her previous heights!

Celes collected treasures left and right, despite being unsatisfied initially. Adjusting her mindset and realizing the error of her ways, she now saw the good in everything.

Card masters were rare to begin with. Card masters with full decks were more so, fifteen years later.

But she now had close to eighty cards just by herself!

Combat cards, Pet cards, Summoning cards, Legion cards, and Equipment cards! It was a great harvest!

Screee!

"Are you happy too, Saphy? We're rich! No one can stop us. No one!"

Celes stroked the bumbling Sapphire Beauty as she smiled brightly for the first time in quite a while.

She could arm an elite troop with just these and sweep through the city!

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"Two hours passed already? Well, it should be ok. Our city wasn't tossed about like some others."

Hearing her watch go off Celes realized the Prime Terraforming Event was about to occur. She called back to base.

"Minnie, has everyone returned to the base? No one met the Stone Cyclops, right?" She tapped her left ear.

"About that..." came Minnie's hesitant tone.