Checking his status panel, Leo realized something he'd overlooked in his excitement: he was a Card Master, but the cards he created were now sentient beings. Why guess what they needed when he could just ask?
He looked at the card in his hand, a bold idea taking root.
In this world, cards could be summoned and recalled at will, but they weren't immortal. If a summoned character died in battle, the card was destroyed forever. Usually, players would recall their summons the second things got hairy to trigger the one-hour cooldown rather than losing the card entirely.
Leo stared at the purple-bordered card, hesitating. Should I summon him now?
He had a 700-point Psionic Energy pool, and a Tier 1 summon only cost 100. More importantly, cards of Purple quality or higher possessed independent consciousness. Maybe the "Wolf King" could give him some expert advice on his own support build.
"Let's see what happens," Leo decided.
He cleared a space in the center of his living room, held out the [Big Big Wolf] card, and channeled his Psionic Energy.
A brilliant purple light erupted, carving a swirling vortex into the air. A figure stepped through the portal, and Leo froze.
The wolf was rendered in a pure, cel-shaded anime style. He looked like he'd been cut out of a cartoon and pasted into the three-dimensional world. He was wearing the white lab coat, the goggles, and the head-mounted scanner Leo had drawn, still clutching a welding torch.
"Eh?" Big Big Wolf landed, looked down at his paws, and poked his own cheek. Finally, he squinted up at Leo. "Is this the real world? It looks a lot more... high-resolution than I'm used to."
His voice was a perfect match for the cartoon—comical, slightly raspy, but oddly dignified.
"You... you know you're an animated character?" Leo asked tentatively.
"Yeah," Big Big Wolf nodded, walking over to the sofa with a natural swagger. He hopped up, crossed his legs, and made himself at home. "The memories in my head are pretty clear. I know I'm from Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf. And I'm guessing you're the boss? The Card Master?"
"Something like that." Leo sat down across from him. "I'm Leo. I'm the one who created your card."
"Created, huh?" Big Big Wolf looked thoughtful. "So you're the one who dragged this Great King out of his story and into this world?"
"That's one way to put it."
"Interesting." Big Big Wolf stroked his chin. "So why me? There aren't even any sheep around here for me to catch."
Leo deadpanned. Like you could catch them even if they were here. Aren't you and Pleasant Goat basically besties now anyway?
"By the way... can I get an autograph?" Leo pulled a piece of paper from the desk.
Big Big Wolf gave him a skeptical look but scribbled his name anyway. Leo tucked it away safely—a small childhood wish fulfilled.
With the pleasantries out of the way, Leo explained the Academy Tournament and his need for a specialized equipment-building setup.
Big Big Wolf's eyes began to dart around as he processed the information. "So, you want to make a card that gives me a place to work, right?"
"Exactly," Leo nodded.
"What's the range of a Tier 1 Field Card in this world?" the wolf asked.
"About ten meters," Leo estimated. He'd never used a Field Card before, but ten square meters seemed to be the standard for beginners.
"Ten meters is plenty." Big Big Wolf's eyes lit up with a familiar, manic gleam. "If you give me a ten-meter junkyard, I can have a battle-mech ready for you in minutes."
The gears clicked in Leo's head. Of course!
Field Cards were usually used to change the terrain—forests for camouflage, deserts to slow enemies, or ruins for cover. But for Big Big Wolf? A junkyard wasn't just terrain; it was an all-you-can-eat buffet of raw materials.
"I'll start drawing it now," Leo said, standing up.
"Hold your horses, Boss," Big Big Wolf waved a paw. "Setting matters. A junkyard can't just be an empty shell. You need to get the details right. You can't expect this Great King to build a laser cannon out of empty soda bottles and cardboard."
Leo bit his tongue. In the show, you built a rocket ship out of a bathtub and some clock gears. But this was reality, so they spent the next half hour hammering out a technical plan.
"Alright, let's do this," Leo said, ready to grab his pen.
But Big Big Wolf held up a stopping paw. "Wait a sec, Boss. Send me back first."
"Huh? Why?"
"I've got dinner plans with my wife. Red Wolf doesn't like it when I'm late."
Leo blinked. "You mean... when you go back into the card, you actually go back to your world?"
"Well, obviously." Big Big Wolf shrugged. "Look, I appreciate you 'creating' me and all, but this wolf still prefers his own bed and his family."
Leo was stunned. He'd never heard of such a mechanic. The original owner of his body had only ever used mindless White and Blue cards. No one in the online forums had ever mentioned that Gold or Purple summons lived "double lives."
"Alright then," Leo said, holding up the card. The portrait on the card face was currently grayed out, indicating the summon was active.
Big Big Wolf stood up and walked to the center of the room. "See you later, Boss. And make that junkyard a good one! I want high-grade scrap!"
With a thought, Leo triggered the recall. Big Big Wolf dissolved into a streak of purple light and zipped back into the card. The surface cooled, returning to its normal state.
Leo took a deep breath, sat at his desk, and focused. He began to visualize the setting:
In a forgotten corner of the city lies a Small-Scale Scrap Yard. It's a mountain of discarded machinery, rusted gears, and salvaged electronics collected from across the realms. While it looks like a mess to the untrained eye, a true genius can find gold in this pile of trash. The yard possesses a strange 'regenerative' property—no matter how much scrap is taken, new piles of junk seem to manifest from the void.
Leo began to draw. This time, it only took twenty minutes. Field Cards didn't require the same character-driven detail as summons; they just needed a solid "vibe" and environmental logic.
He injected the story, focusing on the concept of "infinite resources" rather than a narrative arc. For a support card like this, Blue quality would be more than enough.
The card began to glow. White... then a steady, reliable Blue.
Card Profile
* Name: Small-Scale Scrap Yard
* Quality: Blue (Rare)
* Tier: Tier 1
* Type: Field Card
* Cost: 100 Psionic Energy
* Effect: Summons a 10m x 10m Scrap Yard at a designated location for ten minutes. The area is filled with mechanical parts and raw materials.
* Trait: [Auto-Salvage] – Automatically generates a small amount of basic mechanical parts every minute.
* Flavor Text: "One man's trash is another wolf's treasure."
"Got it!" Leo whispered, pumping his fist. The foundation of his "Tech-Support" deck was officially laid.