The ground was still smoking where the creature had passed.
Caesar crouched low behind a charred boulder, Leo beside him, eyes wide, breath shallow. Jack stood a little ahead, scanning the forest with the stillness of a predator. He was never one to panic. Not even in the face of something like that.
"Tell me again," Caesar whispered, "what was that thing?"
Jack's jaw clenched. "I don't know the name. Locals call it the Hollow Maw. Supposed to be one of the island's Card Beasts."
"Card Beast…" Leo muttered. "Why does that sound like the worst idea in the universe?"
"Because it is." Jack turned to face them. "But it's also our shot. You said it yourself, Caesar. We're not staying on the bottom tier. That thing is the key to moving up."
"Assuming we don't die."
Jack smirked. "Details."
They were huddled near the edge of a vast canyon—locals called it the Cracked Hollow. A deep fracture running through the center of Tier One Island, splitting it like a wound. The beast had emerged from it just minutes ago, dragging a heatwave with it. Caesar had caught only glimpses—burning eyes, tusks like stone pillars, a body stitched together from obsidian and root.
And, floating just above its shoulder, a card. Huge. Radiant.
> [Beast Core – Tier 3 Wild Card]
Type: Summon / Unclaimed
Defeat the Card Beast to claim this card.
It wasn't just for show. Caesar had felt the power rolling off that thing. Like standing beside a burning engine ready to explode.
Jack crouched beside them now, laying out a torn-up map. Most of it was unreadable, but one thing stood out: the Ascension Pillar, a jagged structure at the far north end of the island.
"Locals say if you hold a Beast Core card and approach the pillar, the system initiates an Ascension Duel. Win that, and you rise."
"To what?" Caesar asked.
Jack tapped the top edge of the map. "Tier Two. The island above."
Leo gave a low whistle. "So all we have to do is survive a boss fight against a flaming nightmare beast, grab the card, and hope the pillar doesn't eat us."
"More or less."
Caesar looked down at his card—Ember Fist, now glowing slightly, its edges tinged with red. He could feel the upgrade. Every heartbeat sent a throb of warmth into his palm. The system wasn't just numbers. It was alive—adapting to his actions.
"Alright," Caesar said, rising. "We're doing this."
Leo stared. "Seriously? You're ready for a Tier 3 card beast with one Tier 1 card?"
"No," Caesar said. "But we're not going in alone."
---
They spent the next day preparing.
The system allowed for up to three cards per person at their current level. A sort of "Starter Deck." Beyond that, slots needed to be earned—through duels, exploration, or, more dangerously, Sync Trials.
They scoured the ashlands and scavenged ruins for old cards, bartering with other lost souls. Caesar found a derelict bunker in the side of a cliff, where a corpse still clutched a cracked obsidian chest. Inside:
> [Flame Lure] – Type: Trap / Tier: 0
Summons a decoy made of fire. Explodes on destruction.
Leo managed to beat a roaming gang leader in a duel for:
> [Chainshot] – Type: Utility / Tier: 1
Fires a tethered bolt. Can anchor or pull enemies.
Jack, ever the brick wall, traded for a rare defensive card:
> [Stone Ward] – Type: Passive / Tier: 1
Creates a temporary armor shell when HP drops below 50%.
They returned to the edge of the Hollow that night, full decks in hand. The wind was dead. Even the birds had vanished. Somewhere down in the crack, the Maw waited.
Leo swallowed hard. "Last chance to pretend this is a bad idea."
"No," Caesar said. "It is a bad idea. But it's the only one that gets us off this cursed rock."
Jack nodded, pulling his card. "Then let's do something stupid."
---
They descended just before dawn.
The Cracked Hollow was a labyrinth of broken stone and choking heat. The deeper they went, the harder it became to breathe. Steam hissed from vents in the rock. Sulfur burned their nostrils. Every step brought them closer to the lair.
Then—silence.
The Hollow widened into a crater, blackened and glassy. At the center stood the beast.
It was asleep. Coiled like a dragon made of roots, rock, and fire. The Core Card still floated, pulsing rhythmically, like a heart.
Caesar raised his hand. "Ready?"
"Wait," Leo said. "We need a plan."
"I hit it," Jack said. "You distract it. Caesar nukes it."
"Very specific," Leo muttered. "But alright."
Jack sprinted forward, activating Stone Ward mid-run. A shell of rocky armor slammed over his body just as the beast stirred.
Its eyes snapped open—molten gold. It roared, the sound shattering stone and shaking Caesar's lungs.
Jack leapt.
"Iron Skin!"
His card glowed, and he smashed into the beast's leg with a shoulder charge. It barely flinched—but turned its attention fully on him.
Caesar threw his first card. "Flame Lure!"
A figure of fire burst into life between him and the beast, dancing mockingly. The Maw snarled and spat a stream of molten sap—obliterating the decoy, which exploded in a burst of light.
"Ember Fist!"
Caesar's arm blazed as he sprinted forward, landing a punch square into the exposed underside of the beast's jaw. Fire erupted across its hide—but again, barely a scratch.
"Leo!" Caesar shouted.
"On it!"
Leo fired Chainshot, anchoring the creature's rear leg to a cracked pillar. The beast twisted violently, the ground trembling. The tether held—for a second. Then snapped.
"Too strong!" Leo shouted.
But the moment had bought time.
Caesar saw it—just under the left eye. A glowing crack in the beast's armor. Weak spot.
"I see it!" he called.
Jack nodded. "Then take the shot."
The beast roared again, stomping down on Jack, who activated his defense just in time. The Stone Ward cracked under pressure.
"NOW, CAESAR!"
He hurled himself upward, fist blazing, and slammed Ember Fist into the crack.
There was a pause.
Then a scream—high-pitched, furious.
The Core Card flared bright, then fractured.
> System Update: Beast Vital Core Damaged. Weak State Initiated.
The beast's movements slowed, its flame dimming.
Leo sprinted beside Caesar. "I've got a combo."
"Do it."
Leo triggered Chainshot, and Caesar grabbed the chain mid-air, letting Leo slingshot him into the air.
He spun—flaming, falling—and drove a final Ember Fist into the beast's heart.
The explosion sent all three of them flying.
When Caesar opened his eyes, the beast was gone. In its place, a single card hovered, burning faintly.
> [Beast Core – Tier 3 Wild Card]
Summon: Hollow Maw
Consumes 2 card slots. Can only be used once per tier.
Jack limped toward it, bleeding from the shoulder. "Not bad, for your first monster fight."
Leo groaned from the ground. "I'm never doing that again."
Caesar reached up and touched the card. It hissed against his skin, branding something into his mind.
A howl echoed in the distance. Not from the Hollow. From above.
They looked up.
Above the canyon, the shimmer of the next island pulsed. And the air around them thickened. Reality… twisted.
> System Message: You have obtained a Wild Card. Ascension Eligible.
Proceed to the Ascension Pillar to begin your Duel.
Caesar looked at the sky.
"We're going up."
---
End of Chapter 2