'Just as I expected. They've noticed my rapid acquisition of cards and want to try and get their hands on them.' I think about Jispa's sudden and unexpected call.
<
"No thanks, I'm not interested." I answer blulently.
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"What am I supposed to think? You've made your intentions perfectly clear; you want my S-rank card and the A-rank cards. I don't want to hand them over just like that, and I don't think you have anything that will make me change my mind." I firmly state.
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At Jispa's insistence, I do as he says and check the contents of his binder. As he said, his restricted slots contain two S-rank cards, "Pregnancy Stones" and "Fairy King's Advice," as well as several A-rank and B-rank cards. His free slots contain some copies of those cards and several low-conversion-limit spells, including "Leave" and even a "Mimic."
"Yes, I see that it's as you say. Even so, I stand by my decision. Right now I'm still on my own and just starting to win cards, so I have no intention of making any trade for the moment." I still say inflexible.
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"How many times I must tell you for you to understand? The answer remains no." I reply once more.
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<
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Given his relentless insistence, I take a few seconds to think before answering him. "I need to think about it a bit. Can you wait a couple of minutes for my final answer?"
<
'Three cards for the price of one. It's clear he and his alliance are planning to set me up. Why else would they offer me so much for a non-monopolized card?' I begin to analyze the situation.
'Most likely they plan to give me cards under "Fake" effect, and also surround me with hidden people to then chase me with long-range spells.'
'Since they know I don't have a Paladin's Necklace, they can give me fake cards without me being able to tell the difference until much latter, and bombard me with attack spells knowing I won't be able to overcome their numerical superiority.'
'Well, even so, it's a too tempting deal to ignore, as Jispa remarked. Three high-ranking cards for the price of one. I'm unlikely to find another deal this good for a long time, like he stated. Besides, it's not like I can't prepare some measures against them.'
'I can avoid being ripped off if I insist on using "Purify" or "Paladin's Necklace," and as for being surrounded and followed, I have my Wormhole Orb to throw them off. No! In fact, it seems like the perfect opportunity to try "that," which I've been wanting to do for a while now.'
A sly grin forms on my face as I anticipate seeing the look on the faces of those low-level players when I reveal the big bombshell.
'It'd sure be great. Okay, let's do it. I'll tell them my terms and we'll see if they accept. It'll be a lot of fun even if it turns out to be a set up.'
With this thought, I make the binder reappear, and taking out my "Contact" card, I get back in touch with Jispa.
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"Yes, I am. You were right, the offer you're presenting me with is very generous, and I can't pass up any opportunity to acquire more valuable cards. So I'm willing to make a deal, but only if you agree to my terms."
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"You listen to me." I say trying to calm him down. "First of all, are the cards you have the originals? Not copies made with "Mimic" or "Clone," but the authentic ones?"
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"Okay, then I will continue. Holy Water" is too important a card to give away, so that's out of the question, which leaves us with "Witch's Rejuvenation Potion" and "Judgment Staff." The former is the only S-rank card I have, and they're not easy to come by, so this is what I propose."
"To begin, you'll give me an A-rank "Hideout Realtor" and a "Clone" spell, regardless of which one you choose. If you choose "Witch's Rejuvenation Potion," you'll add "Pregnancy Stones," and if you choose "Judgment Staff," then it will be "Risky Dice." So? What do you think?" I ask.
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"Yes, I'm sure. I have my own means to handle that card myself, so I'd rather choose your "Clone" pell card." I answer.
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"Who knows?" I reply with an evasion, avoiding giving a confirmation. "Well, what's your choice?"
The other side remains silent for a few seconds before answering, probably debating which of my cards suits them best now.
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"Wonderful. Now that the card has been decided, I have several requirements regarding the trade procedure." I say.
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"As you correctly pointed out, I don't have a Paladin Necklace, so I can't verify if the cards you'll be giving me are genuine and trash transformed by "Fake". I need to be sure you're giving me authentic cards, or I'll make a fool of myself."
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"It doesn't sound bad, and I might take that option if I had the Paladin's Necklace. But getting so close to you could leave me vulnerable to a surprise attack with spell cards, and besides, I don't think you'd feel safe either, would you?" I ask, clarifying the situation.
"Instead, we'll do the following: during the exchange, you'll wear a Paladin's Necklace so that when you take the cards, any spells you've placed on them will be nullified, and in turn, I'll use the "Purify" spell on the card I take from my binder so that you can also be sure that I'm not cheating."
"That way we can both be sure that the other person gives the original card."
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"I've done my homework."
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"I don't think that's true. If you know the importance of the Paladin's Necklace, I highly doubt you don't have one converted to defend yourself. And even if you didn't, your group should be able to arrange it without any problem. If it's still too difficult for you, I can always lend you mi "Purify" cards or use the "Dispel" spell on you to cancel all the transformations on your binder." I explain.
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That won't do it. I'm always protected by at least one defensive spell, and I'm not going to leave myself vulnerable to opposing players. Besides, I have several copies transformed with "Clone," and I definitely don't want you messing with them. I say, knowing where he was going.
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"Then you know what to do: either the Paladin's Necklace or "Purify". I won't get in the meeting any other way."
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"Tell me what you had in mind."
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"Oh, the town where we met and where the main recruiters and rookie looters hang out. A good choice that gives you all the benefits and leaves me in a difficult spot." I say in a slightly teasing tone.
"Anyway, that's fine with me. I'll take the deal."
<
The sudden contact from Jispa was unexpected, and I know that the players on Greed Island are often unpredictable and tricky. But the prospect of a beneficial trade was too tempting to ignore.
Taking a moment to check my binder, I note the cards I have already collected: "Witch Rejuvenation Potion", "Staff of Judgment", "Golden Scales"... Are all significant finds, but there are still many more cards I need to complete the game. I want to play this game well and fair, so I can't afford to pass up any opportunity to acquire more valuable cards even if it cost me reveal the aces up my sleeve.
Even if Jispa comes with a team of 15 or 20 players, there will be nothing they can do against me, so by placing the "Return" spell into the slot at the end of the binder book, I am transported to Antokiba main entrance free of charge.
Since I have pretty of time until the agreed time, I pass through the main entrance and head to the Trade Shop to buy some things and continue adding to my list of purchases in the meantime. But as I walk through the streets of the prizes city, a sense of cautious curiosity settles over me as I feel several eyes fixed on me.
In a town located at the beginning of the game this is normal, but since I have to attend a meeting near here I'm being more cautious than usual, and with my senses heightened I try to scan the area, looking for any signs of greed or hostility as I continue my path.
Once I enter at the trade shop, the place is busy with players and NPCs, all engaged in their own trades and transactions, so I ignore their presence and take a look around. As I suspected, they haven't put in sale any new cards for the restricted slots yet, so I just buy some tool and food cards, and that's it.
However, as I walk back through the woods and over the rugged terrain towards the agreed-upon location, I can't shake the feeling of being watched ever since I left the shop, to which I scan my surroundings again looking for any signs of danger.
Although it was unlikely they were actually there, using the En within the town could have alerted high-level players like the Bombers, the Tsezguerra group, or others mixed with the crowd, so I wait until I am about 50 meters away from Antokiba before activating it.
At first I don't sense any presence, but as I venture deeper into the obstacle-filled terrain and gradually increase the range of my En, I realize that several human-like life forms are following my at a distance behind various obstacles.
The possibility that they are unaffiliated players is instantly ruled out to me, since they would not have the guts to follow a player on foot outside of town, and besides, since they are playing individually, there would be 3 or 4 of them at most, but I notice a group of a dozen is currently keeping tracks on me.
'It's confirmed that Jispa is planning to ambush me, just as I suspected. Members of the Nickes alliance must be observing me with binoculars or spyglasses so they can follow me at a safe distance and then surround me when I reach the rendezvous point.' I think, analyzing the situation.
'With my speed, I could easily make them lose sight of me, or I could use my Orbital Orbs to shake them off, but I'll let them be. If they want to follow me and try to corner me, let them try. There's nothing they can do either way.'
Without giving them any importance, I continue my walking at a normal pace with random stops to eat, appreciate the scenery with rivers and flora, or simply waste time resting, and I notice that the closer I get to my destination, the more the players close the distance around me, preparing to leave me with no way out.
As I venture deeper into the terrain near the mountains, I begin to see the arrow-shaped signs that Jispa told me about, marked like scars on the trees or like aligned pebbles, and after about 50 minutes of travel, I spot Jispa in the distance.
"You're a little early, though." Jispa says with his arms crossed and his gaze steady.
"I suppose so, but sooner rather than later, right? Besides, you're here too, so everything's fine." I reply getting closer until I am about 10 meters away from him.
"So we meet again. I admit you've done very well for going it alone during two weeks." Jispa says with a smug smile.
"I manage just fine. I have my own special methods for dealing with any obstacles that come my way." I say nonchalantly.
"Oh really? And what are those methods? I'd really like to know about them." Jispa asks, feigning intrigue.
"I didn't come here today to trade information, but letters. By the way, why aren't you wearing the Paladin's Necklace? I was very specific about that." I ask, remarking his bare neck.
"That won't be necessary. You see, I've decided to change the terms of our agreement." As he says this, several of the players who were chasing me began to appear among the trees and rocks of the place with their binders ready.
"You see, after discussing the matter with my colleagues, we have reached a more appealing verdict: You will hand over the A-rank spell "Holy Water" and all the cards in your restricted slots, and we will let you leave with the copies and your spell cards intact."
Seeing Jispa's face beams with arrogance as he declared this, I glance around to scan the other players. They all wear confident smiles, certain that their numerical superiority could overwhelm a novice like me, and their eyes are filled with eagerness to put it into practice to compensate for their inferiority complex.
"Yeah, well, what if I refuse your new demands?" I ask listlessly.
"You have no say in this decision. You're surrounded by 10 players armed with various attack and teleportation spells, prepared to hunt you down relentlessly no matter where you go on the island. There's no escape, so give us your cards now and save us all from wasting spells." Jispa responds, certain that I have no escape.
"You shouldn't be so conceited knowing the gap between our power." I state flaring my Ren to intimidate them. "You know very well that I am much stronger than you and the others. I could knock you unconscious or even kill you before you'd have time to defend yourselves."
Jispa and his comrades show a little hesitation in their eyes as sweatdrops fall down their faces, but Jispa quickly composes himself enough to reply.
"It's true that in terms of combat power we are all vastly inferior to you, but from the information we have gathered from other players, we know that you are one of those players who prefer to follow the rules rather than coax others by force, which means that you will not attack us unless we attack you." Despite smiling as he says this, Jispa's wariness and caution are noticeable in his face.
"Do you really think I won't attack if you threaten to try and steal the cards I've worked so hard to earn?" I ask, my expression slightly hardening to look threatening.
"If that's not the case, then why don't you do it?" Jispa taunts me, regaining some of his confidence.
The atmosphere in the area is very tense among everyone present, the air so thick you could cut it with a knife, and all eyes are fixed with worry and fear on what I will do next.
"Sigh. Okay, that's true. I'm a mostly peaceful guy, and I don't like resorting to violence as a solution if I can avoid it." I say, sighing in regret that he caught me bluffing.
"Good. Now that it's clear you're not going to use force, there's nothing more to discuss. I tell you for the last time: open your binder and give us all your cards at once!" Jispa impatiently demands.
"Well, if you put it that way, I'll have to say..." I squat down and focus my aura at my feet before finishing the answer. "...no"
With my sudden refusal, I use my aura to propel myself in such a great jumping that I pass over the trees that were shading us and get a great view of the mountains beyond this section of terrain.
While the rest of the alliance players are stunned, jaws agape, by the unexpected action, Jispa only appears somewhat conflicted before speaking again.
"Interesting move: Using your aura to jump higher than the range of attack spells so we can't use them against you. A novel strategy, but ineffective. No matter how high you jump, you have to fall back down, so it's pointless." Jispa criticizes with a smug smile.
"Well, I'm afraid that's a no too." As I say this while stopping ascending, I remain standing there in the air, much to everyone's surprise.
"What?! You can fly too?! That's the first time I've ever heard of a human being able to fly!" Jispa yells, shocked and with his jaw agape just like his companions.
"Yeah, you could say it's something like that." I answer, being the one wearing now the smug smile.
What I'm currently doing is using my "Barrier Orb," hidden by In, to hover in mid-air, giving the impression that I'm levitating. I can also glide through the air by controlling it beneath my feet, so it's not far removed from flight.
I'd always wanted to use this application of my Nen abilities and soar through the skies like Superman, but I never found the right opportunity. Now I've finally found it. With the combination of my "Barrier Orb" and "Wormhole Orb", I am the strongest player in the game.
"Well, you've seen I'm unreachable, so your little set up has fallen apart. And if you still have any doubts about that..." I begin to circle the area around the sky before finishing the prayer. "I can also move freely through the sky and leave here, so waiting for me to come down won't do you any good."
Making his and his group defeat clear, I say sitting down before continuing. "Since you can't take the cards from me anymore, there's nothing left to do but clarify our previous agreement state."
"What are you talking about now?" Jispa asks still strained.
"If you order your companions to leave using their teleportation spells and follow the steps we previously discussed, I'm still willing to trade your three cards for "Witch's Rejuvenation Potion". That way, at least it won't all have been for nothing." I explain, resting my face on my hand.
"But I'm warning you, if you try to keep any of them hidden to catch me off guard, I'll know, and the deal's off. You only have 10 seconds to think about it, so decide quickly."
Upon hearing my announcement, Jispa looked at me, clenching his teeth and fists in frustration at his powerlessness for a few seconds before lowering his head and replying.
"Fine I'll take the deal! Everyone, get out of here! There's nothing more we can do! Leave!" He shouts.
At Jispa's command, all the players present feign resistance, but they obey nonetheless and depart in beams of light. Afterward, Jispa summon her binder to use several "Contact" cards, and as each communication ends, the human presences hidden in the distance vanish from my radar one by one until none remain.
Finally, he takes one more card from his binder, uses "Gain" to turn it into a Paladin Necklace, and puts it around his neck. "That's it! I've met all the requirements! Do you want to come down to ground level so we can finalize this transaction once and for all?!"
Just as he requests, I descend from the heights back to the ground and also open my binder.
They exchanged cards, each carefully placing the new additions into our binders. We both pull out the cards the other long for, and after I confirm that their cards are not forgeries, we exchange them and carefully place the new additions into our respective binders.
"With that, the trade is finished. Pleasure doing business with you, Jispa." I say, smiling amicably.
"Yeah, sure. See you around." Jispa says listlessly, turning to leave.
However, as I see him walking with his back to me, something inside me makes me call his name before he uses a spell to leave. "Jispa, wait!"
"What now?" He asks turning his head with a frown.
'I can help them. I can give them a warning now, a heads-up to contact me when it happens. It's not too late to handle everything so that everything turns out perfectly.' These thoughts flow through my head as I internally debate saving the Genthru alliance.
And yet... "I've heard of a player called The Bomber who blows up other players for fun. Be very careful."
"Likewise, Kai. Good luck out there." Jispa says, waving his hand dismissively before taking another card out of the binder. "Magnetic Force! To Kosofftro!"
As Jispa leaves the woods using a "Magnetic Force" card, I feel both, a sense of satisfaction and regret. By one side, the trade had been beneficial, and I now have several powerful new cards to aid me in my journey, but for the other side, I have refrained from giving him a hint to seek my help in the future against Genthru.
'At that moment I felt that if I said a few words to him, just a phrase that could be understood later, I could plant the seed of his and the Nickes' alliance future salvation, and I still honestly believe it. But I still stuck to my decision to let them die. And it was the right decision.'
'Even with extensive knowledge of the canon and great skills, there will always be outcomes one cannot predict, and the bigger the change, the larger and more complex its ramifications will be.'
'Even if the members of Nickes' alliance are weak individually, their vast numbers put them on par with Tsezguerra's group, the best players on Greed Island. If I were to decide to save a handful of strangers like them, even if I considered every step and detail necessary for it to succeed, there are too many factors that could ultimately cause it to fail.'
'Because of an unnecessary change, I would have to face and possibly kill a coalition of over 60 players to win. I had already established the correct course of action by letting them die, and I almost made the mistake of trying to save them, driven by compassion.'
'Letting fluttering emotions dictate your actions is a weakness. I must be rational and only change things that benefit me and that I know how to manage. This is that kind of world, and even if I find it somewhat unpleasant, that's the foundation of a good Hunter.'
After I have finished clarifying my thoughts and ideas, with the threat neutralized and the trade completed, I use my "Return" card with direction to Dorias to continue my adventure, more cautious than ever.
I know that Greed Island is filled with players who will stop at nothing to gain an advantage, and I know I have to toughen up and be steady in my decisions if I want to prosper. But I am determined to succeed, no matter the obstacles.
I will be the one to win Greed Island, not Gon. I will win and achieve all my goals here.