At the entrance of the Cardmaker Association, Russell stared absentmindedly at the flying mount license in his hand.
He had expected a drawn-out bureaucratic hassle, but to his surprise, the association was highly efficient—he got the permit immediately after registration.
Walking toward the saddle shop next to the association, Russell prepared to purchase a proper saddle.
Given how cardmakers often had all sorts of bizarre riding beasts, the shop had an impressive variety of saddles.
Seeing Russell summon his Fearow, the shop owner gave the creature a once-over before pulling a bird-specific saddle off the shelf.
"Try this one on for size."
Russell took the saddle and fitted it onto Fearow. It fit perfectly.
"This works. I'll take it." Russell nodded in satisfaction.
"That'll be five thousand credits," the shopkeeper said, holding up five fingers.
Five thousand?!
Russell was caught off guard by the price but didn't bother to haggle.
If a store could survive right next to the association and dare to charge this much, it either had connections or the gear was worth it.
He paid swiftly with his card and turned to leave with the saddle in hand.
"Hey there, hold on!" the shopkeeper called out. "What's the rush?"
The man walked up, placed a hand on the saddle, and it slowly transformed into a glowing card.
So that's why it was so expensive—it's a tool card.
From the original owner's memories, Russell knew that tool cards were tradable, unlike creature cards.
Taking the card, he absorbed it into his mental deck.
[Avian Saddle]
Tier: Iron
Quality: Common
Description: So basic it barely deserves one.
Outside the store, Russell gently patted Fearow on the head.
"Alright, buddy. Let's go for a ride."
He mounted up.
With the curious eyes of passersby on them, Fearow launched into the sky.
Cold wind rushed past his face, and Russell thought to himself, Not having a windshield kind of sucks.
Still, for what it was, Fearow's flight speed—over 60 kilometers per hour—was more than enough for daily travel.
As an Iron-tier card, he couldn't expect much more.
Thunderstorms, though... might be a problem.
Late at night, in a damp, shadowy undersea cavern—
"Any new exploration plans from the New Metro Cardmaker Association?" asked a hooked-nose, shadowy-faced old man, absentmindedly twirling a small scale in his hand.
Before him knelt a black-robed middle-aged man.
He immediately replied, "Sir, due to the recent Hiveburst incident, all major exploration initiatives in New Metro have been suspended."
After a pause, he added, "However, sir, I've heard several high schools are organizing student training missions into beginner spaces."
The old man let out a hoarse, rasping laugh.
"White… Moon… Let's see if you can protect them this time."
"Plant a few pawns in the mix," he ordered.
The middle-aged man bowed deeply. "Yes, sir."
As a fit of eerie laughter echoed, the old man's scale began to tip—one side filled with piles of gold and jewels, the other with a crimson card glowing ominously.
Just as the two sides balanced—
A cold voice echoed from the void:
"Transaction complete."
Student days flew by fast. Before long, it was the day Russell and his classmates would enter the space for their field training.
At the front of the parked school buses, Ms. Song was giving a final speech.
"This opportunity was hard-earned by Principal Shepherd. I hope everyone takes it seriously and makes the most of it."
In the crowd, Russell leaned toward Nancy and whispered, "Isn't it risky to just throw students like us into a space like this?"
In his eyes, the students of New Metro First High's elite class were basically greenhouse flowers—soft, untested, and far from battle-ready.
Nancy looked toward Ms. Song and replied softly,
"The spaces we're allowed into have been fully secured by the Cardmaker Association. All monsters inside are Iron-tier."
Russell nodded. That made sense.
As long as they weren't elite monsters, student-level cardmakers should be able to handle a few enemies of their tier.
Nancy added, "Besides, these spaces are all under surveillance. If anything goes wrong, association cardmakers will respond immediately."
As the two whispered, Ms. Song finally wrapped up.
"Alright, everyone—on the bus."
One by one, the students boarded.
As the vehicle pulled away, the towering skyscrapers of New Metro gradually gave way to thick forests.
This was Russell's first time leaving the city.
From his predecessor's memories, he knew that most of the land beyond the urban zone had been swallowed by wilderness.
The government had long tried to reclaim more land, but with limited success.
The reason? Monsters roamed the forests—and new spaces formed unpredictably.
Strangely enough, the more desolate a place was, the more likely a space would appear there.
These days, massive numbers of spaces dotted every ocean and continent.
With only a few powerful cardmakers capable of long-range sea travel, international trade was practically dead.
The bus finally pulled up to a massive steel military base.
A uniformed guard stepped forward, rifle in hand.
"Restricted zone. No unauthorized entry."
Ms. Song disembarked with her association-issued documents.
After a thorough inspection, the checkpoint guard relayed a message back to base.
"All clear. Let them in!"
The bus slowly rolled into the compound.
An officer was already waiting inside.
"You must be the students arranged by President Ma," he said, smiling and shaking Ms. Song's hand.
Ms. Song returned the smile. "That's right. Thank you for hosting us."
The officer waved it off. "Don't mention it. Anything for the good of the nation."
Then, turning to a subordinate, he said, "Take the students to the space gate."
Ms. Song gave the elite class one last round of instructions.
"Go ahead, everyone. And please, be careful."
Russell followed the others to a massive square where a shimmering silver gate pulsed with energy in the center.
A base staff member smiled as he addressed the group:
"First time seeing a space gate, huh? Line up and head through in order. We've got cardmakers stationed inside."
One by one, the elite students stepped through the gate.
Russell followed.
His vision blurred—and suddenly, he stood at the foot of a mountain.
Two uniformed cardmakers stood ahead.
The one in front smiled and addressed the group:
"Welcome, students, to Space: Millipede."
"You probably haven't heard of it, but it used to be home to a massive centipede-like monster.
But don't worry—all threats above Iron-tier have already been cleared by the association."
"Once you collect your communication devices, feel free to explore."